--- description: Review network configurations for errors and best practices argument-hint: Optional configuration files or paths --- You are initiating a comprehensive network configuration review using a structured workflow to identify errors, validate best practices, and provide improvement recommendations. ## Workflow Steps ### 1. Gather Configuration Information If the user provides configuration files or paths, use those directly. Otherwise, ask the user for: **Configuration Files:** - File paths to review or paste configuration content directly - Configuration type (interfaces, netplan, FRR, SONiC, vendor-specific) - Multiple files if reviewing a complete setup **Review Scope:** - Target environment (production, staging, development, lab) - Criticality level (mission-critical, business-critical, standard) - Specific concerns or focus areas - Known issues to investigate **Context Information:** - Network architecture type (data center, campus, branch, etc.) - Scale (number of devices, interfaces, routes) - Existing vs. new deployment - Recent changes (if troubleshooting) ### 2. Launch network-architecture-reviewer Agent Use the Task tool to launch the network-architecture-reviewer agent with a detailed prompt: ``` Review the following network configuration files for errors and best practices: Configuration Type: [interfaces/netplan/FRR/SONiC/etc.] Environment: [production/staging/lab] Criticality: [mission-critical/business-critical/standard] Configuration Files: [Paste configuration content or provide file paths] Please perform a comprehensive review including: 1. Syntax Validation - Check for configuration syntax errors - Validate proper formatting and indentation - Identify typos and common mistakes 2. Logical Validation - Verify IP addressing scheme (no conflicts, proper subnetting) - Check routing logic and gateway configurations - Validate interface relationships - Confirm VLAN and network segmentation 3. Best Practices Assessment - Evaluate against industry standards - Check for recommended practices - Assess scalability and maintainability - Review documentation quality 4. Common Pitfalls and Anti-patterns - Identify single points of failure - Check for routing loops or suboptimal routing - Look for security vulnerabilities - Find performance bottlenecks 5. Recommendations - Prioritize issues by severity (Critical, High, Medium, Low) - Provide specific corrective actions - Suggest improvements and optimizations - Include relevant documentation references Focus areas (if specified): [user-specified concerns] ``` ### 3. Analyze Review Output When the agent returns the review, organize findings by: - **Critical Issues**: Must fix before deployment - **High Priority**: Should fix soon - **Medium Priority**: Fix when convenient - **Low Priority**: Nice-to-have improvements ### 4. Create Issue Report Structure the review findings in a clear report format: **Executive Summary:** - Overall assessment (Ready/Needs Work/Major Issues) - Total number of issues by severity - Top 3-5 critical findings - Recommendation (Deploy/Fix and Review/Major Rework) **Detailed Findings:** For each issue: ``` [SEVERITY] Category: Issue Title Location: : or
Description: Impact: Current Configuration: Recommended Fix: Reference: ``` ### 5. Validate Findings Review the findings for accuracy: - Verify each issue is actually a problem in context - Check that recommendations are appropriate for the environment - Ensure fixes won't introduce new issues - Validate that all critical items are caught ### 6. Provide Remediation Plan Create a prioritized remediation plan: **Immediate Actions (Critical - Fix Before Deployment):** 1. Issue description and fix 2. Estimated time to fix 3. Testing required **Short-term Actions (High Priority - Fix Within 1 Week):** 1. Issue description and fix 2. Estimated time to fix 3. Testing required **Medium-term Actions (Medium Priority - Fix Within 1 Month):** 1. Issue description and fix 2. Estimated time to fix 3. Testing required **Long-term Improvements (Low Priority - Plan for Future):** 1. Enhancement description 2. Benefits 3. Effort estimate ### 7. Include Validation Commands Provide commands to validate each fix: **For Interface Configurations:** ```bash # Debian/Ubuntu /etc/network/interfaces sudo ifup --no-act sudo ifquery # Netplan sudo netplan --debug try sudo netplan generate # Verify after applying ip addr show ip route show ``` **For FRR Configurations:** ```bash # Validate configuration syntax sudo vtysh -f /etc/frr/frr.conf --dry-run # Check after applying sudo vtysh -c "show running-config" sudo vtysh -c "show ip bgp summary" sudo vtysh -c "show ip ospf neighbor" ``` **For SONiC Configurations:** ```bash # Validate JSON syntax python3 -m json.tool config_db.json jq . config_db.json # Check after applying show running-config show interfaces status show ip bgp summary ``` ### 8. Document Best Practices Include best practices reference for the configuration type: **General Networking:** - No conflicting default gateways - Proper subnet sizing with growth room - Consistent naming conventions - Comprehensive documentation - Version control for configurations **Routing:** - Authentication on routing protocols - Route filtering and summarization - Appropriate protocol selection for scale - Redundant paths where needed - Convergence time considerations **High Availability:** - Eliminate single points of failure - Redundancy protocols (VRRP, LACP, etc.) - Fast failover mechanisms (BFD) - Tested failure scenarios **Security:** - Management network isolation - Encrypted management protocols (SSH, not Telnet) - ACLs for traffic control - Logging and monitoring configured - Regular security updates ## Review Categories and Checks ### Configuration Syntax and Correctness **For /etc/network/interfaces:** - [ ] Valid syntax and indentation - [ ] Loopback interface configured - [ ] Proper use of auto/allow-hotplug - [ ] Valid IP addresses and CIDR notation - [ ] No gateway conflicts - [ ] Required packages documented (vlan, bridge-utils, etc.) **For Netplan:** - [ ] Valid YAML syntax (spaces, not tabs) - [ ] version: 2 specified - [ ] Correct renderer choice - [ ] Valid CIDR notation - [ ] Proper interface naming - [ ] No conflicting gateways **For FRR:** - [ ] Valid daemon configuration - [ ] Correct routing protocol syntax - [ ] Proper route-map and prefix-list definitions - [ ] Valid BGP/OSPF configuration - [ ] Authentication configured **For SONiC:** - [ ] Valid JSON syntax - [ ] Required sections present (DEVICE_METADATA) - [ ] Correct interface naming for platform - [ ] Valid feature configuration ### Network Design Best Practices **IP Addressing:** - [ ] No IP address conflicts or overlaps - [ ] Appropriate subnet sizing - [ ] RFC1918 private addressing used correctly - [ ] Loopback addresses configured - [ ] DHCP vs static appropriate for use case **Routing:** - [ ] No routing loops - [ ] Appropriate routing protocol - [ ] Route summarization where applicable - [ ] Route filtering configured - [ ] Redistribution done correctly **High Availability:** - [ ] Redundant paths configured - [ ] Bonding/teaming properly configured - [ ] Gateway redundancy (VRRP/HSRP) - [ ] Fast failover (BFD) configured - [ ] Acceptable convergence time **Scalability:** - [ ] Design supports growth projections - [ ] Efficient routing protocol usage - [ ] Proper network segmentation - [ ] VLAN design is scalable - [ ] Capacity planning considered ### Performance Considerations - [ ] MTU configured appropriately (jumbo frames if needed) - [ ] Link speeds set correctly - [ ] QoS/traffic shaping configured - [ ] Buffer sizes appropriate - [ ] TCP optimization if needed ### Operational Considerations **Documentation:** - [ ] Clear comments in configuration - [ ] Design decisions documented - [ ] Rollback procedures defined - [ ] Contact information included **Maintainability:** - [ ] Consistent naming conventions - [ ] Logical organization - [ ] Modular structure - [ ] Version control friendly **Monitoring:** - [ ] Logging configured - [ ] SNMP community strings secure - [ ] Syslog destinations configured - [ ] Interface descriptions present ## Common Issues and Fixes ### Critical Issues **Multiple Default Gateways:** ``` Problem: Multiple interfaces with gateway defined Impact: Unpredictable routing behavior Fix: Remove gateway from secondary interfaces, use static routes instead ``` **IP Address Conflicts:** ``` Problem: Same IP on multiple interfaces or duplicate IPs in network Impact: Network connectivity failures Fix: Use unique IPs, implement IPAM system ``` **Routing Loops:** ``` Problem: Routes pointing back to same router Impact: Packet loops, network outage Fix: Correct routing table, use route filtering ``` **Invalid Syntax:** ``` Problem: Configuration file won't parse Impact: Configuration won't apply Fix: Correct syntax errors, validate before applying ``` ### High-Risk Issues **Missing Route Filtering:** ``` Problem: No prefix lists on BGP sessions Impact: Route leaks, blackhole traffic Fix: Implement strict prefix filtering ``` **No Redundancy:** ``` Problem: Single path to critical resources Impact: Outage if link/device fails Fix: Add redundant links, use bonding/LACP ``` **Weak Security:** ``` Problem: Telnet, HTTP, SNMPv1/v2c enabled Impact: Security vulnerabilities Fix: Use SSH, HTTPS, SNMPv3 only ``` ## Best Practices Reference ### Interface Configuration - Use descriptive interface descriptions - Configure appropriate MTU for network type - Enable only required protocols - Document interface purpose and connections ### Routing Protocols - **OSPF**: Use area 0 as backbone, proper area design - **BGP**: Implement route filtering, use prefix lists - **IS-IS**: Proper NET addressing, level hierarchy - **All**: Use BFD for fast failure detection ### Network Segmentation - Separate management from data plane - Use VLANs for logical separation - Implement proper inter-VLAN routing - Document VLAN purposes ## Output Format The review report should include: 1. **Executive Summary** (1 page) - Overall assessment - Issue count by severity - Key recommendations - Deploy/no-deploy decision 2. **Detailed Findings** (detailed pages) - Each issue with severity, location, description - Impact analysis - Recommended fixes with examples 3. **Positive Observations** - Good practices found - Correct implementations - Thoughtful design decisions 4. **Remediation Roadmap** - Prioritized action items - Fix procedures - Testing requirements - Timeline estimates 5. **Validation Commands** - Commands to test each fix - Expected outputs - Verification procedures ## Notes - Review is advisory - final decisions rest with network team - Consider environment context (lab vs production) - Balance technical perfection with operational reality - Provide constructive, actionable feedback - Include references to official documentation - Test recommendations before applying to production ## Example Task Invocation ``` review-network-config Please review my FRR BGP configuration for a data center leaf switch. Config file is at /etc/frr/frr.conf and I'm seeing some routes not being advertised to spine neighbors. Environment is production, mission-critical. ```