Arista Certified Engineer Specialist – Automation Advanced
AVAILABLE SESSIONS
COURSE OVERVIEW
The ACE Automation Advanced course deepens automation expertise for large-scale, production-ready Arista environments by enabling participants to design structured data models, automate complex topologies, and deploy validated configurations using Arista AVD across Layer 2 and Layer 3 Leaf-Spine, EVPN/VXLAN, and MPLS architectures. It emphasizes advanced configuration generation, CI/CD-style deployment workflows through CloudVision, and post-deployment validation using AVD tools to implement scalable, repeatable automation aligned with Arista best practices.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Learn basics of automation using CloudVision, Ansible and Python
Automating EOS and CloudVision with Ansible
Automate through various methods such as Python & EOS API’s, AVD with GitHub, and PyAVD (AVD with Python)
Integrate Arista's CloudVision to automate and orchestrate network operations
Course Outline
Automation & NetOps foundations
Network automation foundations
- Introduction to network automation
- Approaches to network automation
- History of network automation
Core principles of network automationÂ
- Software development and network automation
- Network automation concepts and practices
Automation tools
Automation tools overviewÂ
- Automation tools and data formats
- Programmability IDEs overview
VS Code development environment
- Introduction to Visual Studio Code
- VS Code themes, fonts and icons
- Customizing VS Code layout
- VS Code extensions
- VS Code debugger
- Reviewing VS Code
- LAB – Explore VS Code IDE
Git version controlÂ
- Understanding Git version control
- Git demo
- GitHub demo
- LAB – Working with GitÂ
- LAB – Collaborate using GitHub
Python fundamentalsÂ
- Why Python matters for network automation
- Understanding Python variables
- Advanced Python concepts
- Working with Python variables, lists and dictionaries
- Introduction to Python and eAPI
- Getting information from EOS devices
- Parsing CLI output with Python
- Parsing JSON with python
- LAB – Python fundamentalsÂ
- LAB – Understanding structured data
Understanding APIs
Application programmatic interfaces - APIsÂ
- APIs in network automation
- The history of HTTP and its role in networking
- Understanding HTTP messages
- HTTP authentication
Securing APIs with PKIÂ
- TLS and SSL overview
- TLK certificates and trust chains
- Why use certificates in network automation
- Creating and installing TLS certificates
- Client TLS certificates for API authentication
Using REST API clientsÂ
- Introduction to EchoAPI
- REST API client requests and responses
- HTTP Auth with REST API client
- Organizing requests in REST API clients
- REST API client scripts
- LAB – Using REST API clients
Ansible fundamentals
Getting started with AnsibleÂ
- Introduction to Ansible
- Ansible use cases
Building automation with AnsibleÂ
- Understanding Ansible files
- Working with Ansible variables
- Ansible variables demo
- Using Ansible debug
- Ansible debug demo
- LAB – Ansible fundamentals
CloudVision fundamentals
CloudVision overviewÂ
- Introduction to CloudVision
- CloudVision deployment
- CloudVision and device communication
CloudVision high availabilityÂ
- CloudVision cluster redundancy
- CloudVision dual cluster deployment
- CloudVision backups
CloudVision portal setup and operationsÂ
- CloudVision multi-node OVA installation demo
- Upgrading CloudVision demo
- CloudVision backup and restore demo
- Getting familiar with CloudVision interface demo
- LAB – Navigating CloudVision
CloudVision network provisioningÂ
- CloudVision device management overview
- Legacy provisioning overview and demo
- MLAG configuration demo
- CloudVision snapshots
- LAB – ConfigletsÂ
- LAB - Snapshots
Change controlÂ
- CloudVision change control overview
- Change control demo
- LAB – Change control
Automated device onboarding in CloudVisionÂ
- Zero touch provisioning and replacement
- ZTP demo – deploying vEOS to CloudVision
- ZTR demo – replacing a device in CloudVision
CloudVision Studios
- Configuration management with Studios
- CloudVision tags
- Inventory and topology Studio overview
- Inventory and topology Studio demo
- Interface configuration and Studio demo
- Date and time Studio overview
- Date and time Studio demo
- Postcard telemetry Studio overview
- Mirroring Studio overview
- Authentication Studio overview
- Authentication Studio demo
- Management connectivity Studio demo
- LAB – Using StudiosÂ
- LAB – Clean up Studios
Working with static config StudiosÂ
- Static configuration Studio overview
- Adding devices to CloudVision Studios inventory
- Using static configuration Studio
- Migrating legacy configlets to Studios
- LAB – Static configuration Studio
Software management with CloudVision
- Software management overview
- Software image management demo
CloudVision telemetryÂ
- Modern network telemetry with CloudVision
- Telemetry use cases in CloudVision
- Compliance overview
CloudVision monitoring overviewÂ
- CloudVision dashboards
- CloudVision events
- CloudVision topology overview
- Topology icons and settings
- CloudVision topology tags
AQL and NetSQLÂ
- Querying NetDB and NetSQL
- Querying ARP entries using AQL notebook and dashboards
- Querying BGP sessions using AQL notebook and dashboards
- Querying device state and software versions using NetSQL
- LAB – Dashboards and eventsÂ
- LAB - Topology
Using Ansible and Jinja
Network automation with JinjaÂ
- Introduction to Jinja
- Jinja file layout
- Jinja variable files
- Building and organizing data models
- Building and applying configurations with Ansible and CloudVision
Building and deploying configurations with Jinja
- Why Jinja – manual configuration challenges
- Setting up Jinja and building your first template in Ansible
- Building the Jinja data model and generating underlay contigs
- Upload and deploy Jinja configs through CloudVision
- Deploying configs directly with eAPI and Jinja
- Deploying Jinja templates via CloudVision configlets
- LAB – Automating configuration with Ansible and Jinja
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q1. Does an Arista training course include individual lab access, and can I still access the labs after the training?
Yes. Each course includes up to 60 hours of hands-on lab access, designed for real-world configuration and troubleshooting using Arista EOS. Lab access remains valid for up to one (1) year after the training to support continued practice and review.
Q2.Do Arista training courses align directly with specific ACE certification tracks?
Yes. Arista training courses are mapped to specific ACE certification tracks (such as Data Center, Campus, Routing, and Automation) and are designed to prepare learners for the corresponding ACE certification exams.
Q3. Is prior hands-on experience with Arista EOS required before attending the course?
No. The course is hands-on and lab-driven, teaching foundational networking concepts using Arista EOS. Participants gain practical experience through labs that cover switching fundamentals and leaf–spine architecture, even without prior EOS experience.
Q4. I am planning to obtain the ACE Data Center Professional certification. Which training course should I take?
To earn ACE Data Center Professional, you must pass two separate Specialist exams: Operations and Engineering. Correspondingly, Arista provides two separate training courses, each aligned to prepare you for the respective Operations and Engineering exams within the Data Center track.
Q5. Is basic networking knowledge required to attend the ACE Foundation training course?
No. The ACE Foundation course covers foundational and basic networking concepts, making it suitable for learners who are new to networking or new to Arista technologies.