Chapter 10: Validation and Testing Framework¶

Automated validation playbooks and testing procedures for fabric deployment verification, including lab validation checklists, comprehensive connectivity testing, and rollback procedures.

What You'll Learn¶

Lab Validation Checklist¶

Pre-production validation requirements:

IS-IS adjacency verification
LISP mapping database checks
NVE peer discovery validation
BGP peering state verification
802.1X authentication testing
SGT propagation validation
Inter-VN routing confirmation
End-to-end connectivity tests

Automated Validation Playbook¶

Ansible-based testing framework:

ansible/playbooks/validate-fabric.yaml
IS-IS neighbor verification
LISP EID prefix registration
BGP session state checks
NVE peer discovery
Connectivity matrix testing (VN → VN)
Automated report generation

Rollback Procedures¶

Recovery from failed deployments:

Git commit identification
Selective commit reversion
State restoration using Ansible
Validation of recovery
Incident documentation

10.1 Lab Validation Checklist - Testing requirements
10.2 Automated Validation Playbook - Ansible verification
10.3 Rollback Procedures - Recovery workflows

Testing Philosophy¶

Validate Before Production

Every configuration change must pass lab validation before promotion to staging. CML lab topology mirrors production fabric architecture.

Automated Validation Required

Manual verification doesn't scale. Automated playbooks ensure consistent testing across all deployments.

Previous: ← Cloud Integrations
Next: Production Deployment →