Please don't misunderstand my comments, I like automation as much as anyone. And I'm a firm believer that our jobs will evolve over the next few years...for the good or the bad. But, history has proven that each IT environment is slightly different because each business does things differently. And while we are supposed to follow best practice designs and implements, there are very different opinions on what a best practice actually looks like. So, with all the possible variables out there, how can anything that must be "programmatically" scripted or coded ever automate what must be first analyzed? For that, you first need a tool that is possible of determining the true root cause of the issue. I've used almost all the monitoring tools out there, NetQoS, HP, CA, Nagios, etc...the tools are only as good as the person configuring them, and I've never seen one capable of "true" root cause analysis.
So, I ask...how can we be expected to trust a tool to automate the process, when we aren't 100% positive it has chosen the proper corrective action?
Also, here's a scenario for you. Let's say I want to configure my environment to increase bandwidth for VoIP when the line is congested, but another admin (could even be in the same shop) prefers to decrease bandwidth on the queue causing the congestion. Who's method is correct? Should the tool developer choose the right method? Should the tool do both and let us decide? The answer is...Yes, all the above, because everyone does things differently.
The purpose of this blog is to provoke open dialogue and discussion, I'm not here to persuade anyone. Just offer my opinion, weigh in with my experiences, and hope that some day I can retire without being outsourced "again."
Incidentally, has anyone looked at the Cisco training site for SDN? Has anyone noticed you must be a CCIE BEFORE you can take SDN classes? That doesn't sound like "easy automation" to me.
D
