Golden Configurations as Blitz Triggers

Golden configurations define the standard or reference configuration for a network topology. Traditionally, they’re created by saving a manually configured device’s running configuration and re-applied using ‘configure replace’.

However, this approach has limitations: poor automation, difficult parameterization, and no built-in verification. Instead, use Blitz YAML triggers to define golden configurations with these advantages:

Unified Configuration File: All device configurations within a single file, as opposed to separate per-device configuration files

Direct Application: Apply through LAMP shell without test scripts

Parameterizable: Adapt configurations to different testbeds

Built-in Verification: Include validation checks within the same file

Reusable: Change parameters to work with different topologies

How It Works

The workflow is straightforward:

Configure each device: Create a configure action for each device
Verify state: Add execute actions to verify successful application

Design Principles

Follow these best practices when creating golden configurations:

1. Device-by-Device Configuration

Apply configuration to one device at a time. Keep all configuration for a single device within one configure action if possible:

- configure:
    device: device1
    command: |-
      interface Ethernet0/0
      ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.0
      no shutdown
      exit
      !
      interface Loopback0
      ip address 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.255
      exit

2. Use Parameters for Topology-Specific Values

Parameterize values that change across testbeds (interface names, device names). Avoid parameterizing constant values (IP addresses, protocol numbers). Dump parameters in the trigger to adapt the configuration easily:

parameters:
  device1_to_device2: Ethernet0/0
  device2_to_device1: Ethernet0/1
  # Good: interface names (vary across testbeds)
  # Avoid: IP addresses like 10.0.0.1 vs 20.0.0.1 (no logical difference)

3. Include Verification Sections

Add verification steps to confirm the configuration applied successfully and the devices are in steady state:

- verify_configuration:
    - sleep:
        sleep_time: 60
    - execute:
        device: device1
        command: show ip route
        include:
          - C\s*1.1.1.1
          - O\s*2.2.2.2

Complete Example: OSPF Topology with Loopbacks

Here’s a complete golden configuration for a 2-device topology with OSPF and loopback interfaces:

parameters:
  d1_to_d2: Ethernet0/0
  d2_to_d1: Ethernet0/0

tc:
  source:
    pkg: genie.libs.sdk
    class: triggers.blitz.blitz.Blitz

  devices:
    - device1
    - device2

  test_sections:
    - configure_devices:

        # Configure device1
        - configure:
            device: device1
            command: |-
              interface %{parameters.d1_to_d2}
              ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.0
              ip ospf 10 area 0
              no shutdown
              exit
              !
              interface Loopback0
              ip address 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.255
              ip ospf 10 area 0
              exit
              !

        # Configure device2
        - configure:
            device: device2
            command: |-
              interface %{parameters.d2_to_d1}
              ip address 10.0.0.2 255.255.255.0
              ip ospf 10 area 0
              no shutdown
              exit
              !
              interface Loopback0
              ip address 2.2.2.2 255.255.255.255
              ip ospf 10 area 0
              exit
              !

    # Verify configuration was applied successfully
    - verify_configuration:

        # Wait for OSPF convergence
        - sleep:
            sleep_time: 60

        # Verify device1 learned routes
        - execute:
            device: device1
            command: show ip route
            include:
              - C\s*1.1.1.1
              - O\s*2.2.2.2
              - L\s*10.0.0.1
            max_time: 100
            check_interval: 10

        # Verify device2 learned routes
        - execute:
            device: device2
            command: show ip route
            include:
              - C\s*2.2.2.2
              - O\s*1.1.1.1
              - L\s*10.0.0.2
            max_time: 100
            check_interval: 10

Applying Golden Configurations from LAMP

Apply your golden configuration from the LAMP shell using the replay command:

(lamp) replay golden_ospf_topology.yaml