Apstra Sneak Peek with Jeremy Schulman and Derick Winkworth

Abstract:
In this presentation, Jeremy Schulman and Derick Winkworth of Apstra provide an overview of their newly developed product aimed at augmenting network engineers’ capabilities rather than replacing them. The presentation showcases features from the upcoming 1.1 release, including enhanced situational awareness, telemetry, rack-based design automation, and flexibility in network topology management.

The key objective emphasized by the presenters was that their product is not meant to automate away network engineers’ jobs, but to assist them by handling the tedious and error-prone tasks that can bog down their daily workflow. By discussing their insights and the product’s functionality, the Apstra team aimed to demonstrate the tangible benefits of their innovative solutions to an audience of industry experts including podcasters, speakers, and influencers.

One of the exciting aspects introduced in the presentation was the enhanced situational awareness feature, which streamlines the access to critical information with minimal navigation. Additionally, the 1.1 release offers improvements in telemetry and visualization, giving users quicker access to the operational state of their network. For instance, users can identify issues like a down BGP session right from the topology page. Another major update is the introduction of rack-based design automation, alongside the traditional server-based design, which allows users to define racks and their configurations, making network setup and management more efficient and customizable.

The presentation wrapped up with a discussion on the broader implications and future potentials of Apstra’s automation tools. Emphasizing modularity and flexibility, Jeremy Schulman noted that while the current product supports L3 Clos topologies, future releases aim to support various other designs and allow users to define their own topologies. This expansion is poised to address complexities in different network environments, from large-scale data centers to smaller on-premises setups. Additionally, the emphasis was placed on eliminating the tedious aspects of network management, thus enabling engineers to focus more on strategic tasks.