Friday, October 28, 2022

How Useful Is Python For You As A Network Engineer?

 Python for network engineers is becoming a very in-demand skill set as the demand for automation in the networking industry is increasing every single day. So the need for Network engineers with automation skills has increased. With this technological advancement, all companies want their network engineers to be ready to handle all the complex networks from scratch to the advanced level. To perform the Automation task in any company, Network engineers need to learn python programming to automate any complex network. Overall programming languages, Python is recommended for Network Engineers as it helps them write scripts that automate complex networks.

  • Python has high readability and is easy to write and understand.
  • Network vendors like Cisco have accepted Python as the language of choice.
  • Several network automation tools are written in Python
  • There are many helpful Python libraries for network engineers
  • Cisco has already embedded a Python shell in many of their switches

Saturday, October 15, 2022

What is Access Control List (ACL)?

You might also additionally have heard approximately the Access Control List or ACL. It is used to govern permissions to a pc gadget or community, however, do you understand what's Access manage list is?

 

As we know, the Internet is a community of networks, and routers play a crucial position in having connectivity among exclusive networks. Routers are utilized in industries, universities, businesses, company offices, schools, colleges, etc., to attach their exclusive branches from exclusive locations. As a router sends visitors from one community to another, now and again we want to display and manage these visitors for protection purposes. So, we use ACLs, i.e., Access Control List, to govern and display these visitors. So, let's recognize what's Access manage list.

What is Access Control List?

ACLs are policies described for controlling community visitors to lessen community attacks. Using a hard and fast of policies unique for the community's incoming or outgoing visitors, ACLs clear out these visitors.

 

Using an ACL is mostly meant to stable your community. Without it, any visitors is permitted to both input or go out to the community.

Access manipulation lists are hired on pc networks to forbid or allow specific community visitors. They clear out the visitors on the premise of the visitors’ starting place and destination. In the present day times, Network interfaces and working systems, like Linux and Windows, also are ready with ACLs.

 A person or organization of users' names makeup one or extra get entry to manipulate entries (ACEs) which are contained inside every ACL. The get entry to privileges are unique for every person, organization, or position in a string of bits referred to as a get entry to mask.

The character who creates the get entry to manipulate the listing for an object is regularly the device administrator or the item owner. Now that you have a higher concept of what gets entry to manipulate listing, it's time to apprehend its purpose.

What is the purpose of Access Control List?

ACLs or Access control Lists can be used for two purposes, namely:

  1. To filter traffic
  2. To identify traffic

As mentioned above, access lists are a set of rules organized in a rule table. A condition, either permit or deny, is provided by each rule or line in an access list.

  • When an access list is used to filter the traffic -
    • a permit statement is used to "allow" traffic,
    • Whereas, to "block" traffic, a deny statement is used.
  • In a similar way, when identifying traffic with an access list -
    • a permit statement is used to include traffic
    • A deny statement, on the other hand, makes it clear that the traffic should "not" be included.
ACL

We hope you have a better understanding of what is the purpose of the Access control list. Moving on, let's see the types of Access Control List.

Types of Access Control List in Networking

Two common types of named access lists are available.

1. Standard Access list

These Access-lists were created solely utilizing the source IP address. These ACLs either allow or disallow the whole set of protocols. There is no distinguishing between the IP traffic like TCP, UDP, HTTPS, etc. Using numbers 1-99 or 1300-1999; the router will recognize it as a standard ACL and the provided address as the source IP address.

IP standard access list -

  • 1–99 (normal range)
  • 1300-1999 (Expanded Range)

2. Extended Access list

This ACL makes use of source IP, destination IP, source port, and destination port. With these ACL types, we can also mention which IP traffic should be allowed or denied. These use range from 100-199 and 2000-2699.

IP extended access list -

  • 100-199 (normal range)
  • 2000-2699 (Expanded Range)

These are the two types of ACL. Let's also take a look at categories of Access lists.

Numbered and named access lists are the two types available.

1. Numbered access-list

These are the access list that cannot be modified when created, i.e., if we want to remove any rule from an Access-list, then this is not allowed in the case of the numbered access list. The whole access list gets deleted if we try to delete a rule from the access list. Both standard and extended access lists can use the numbered access list.

2. Named access list

An access list is given a name in this kind of access list so that it may be recognized. It is allowed to modify a named access list, unlike numbered access list. Like numbered access lists, these can also be used with both standards and extended access lists.

If you are still with us, you have seen most of the important aspects of ACL, such as What is Access Control List, what are the types of Access Control List in networking, and their purpose. Now, spare a few more minutes and check out these essential in-depth insights on ACL.

Important rules to understand ACL

  • Filtering traffic is the primary use of access lists, so when filtering traffic, access lists are applied on interfaces.  A packet travels through a router, which checks the top line of the rule list first before moving down the list until a match is found.
  • Once a match is made, the packet is either permitted or denied.
  • All access lists have an implied "deny all" at the end.
  • Either inbound (packets received on an interface before routing) or outgoing (packets leaving an interface after routing), access lists are applied.
  • Per interface, protocol, and direction, a single access list is permitted.
  • In general, standard Access-list is used near the target (but not always).
  • Typically, an extended Access-list is used near the source (but not always).
  • If we are utilising a numbered Access-list, we are unable to remove a rule from it. The entire ACL will be erased if we attempt to remove a rule. If we use named access lists, we can delete a specific rule.
  • Before adopting access lists, thoroughly analyse the entire scenario because every new rule that is added will be placed at the bottom of the access list.
  • Since every access list contains an implicit deny at the conclusion, we need to include a permit statement in our Access-list at the very least to avoid blocking all traffic.
  • The names of standard and extended access lists must be different.


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