annetutil/annet

Purpose and entry points

Annet is a Python CLI/library for intent-based network configuration generation, comparison with device state, command-patch creation, and deployment. Main entry points are annet/__main__.py, annet/cli.py, and the package orchestration modules annet/gen.py, annet/diff.py, and annet/deploy.py. The root annet.py is also a top-level launcher.

Command pipeline

The primary control flow is progressive: gen creates desired configuration, diff obtains current configuration and compares it, patch converts the difference into device commands, and deploy applies those commands. Core stages reside in annet/gen.py, annet/diff.py, annet/patching.py, and annet/deploy.py. CLI argument parsing and command selection are separated into annet/argparse.py and annet/cli_args.py.

Context, storage, and adapters

Runtime behavior is selected through a context containing generator and storage definitions. Storage is an abstraction boundary between Annet and inventory/source-of-truth systems: file-backed input is implemented at annet/adapters/file/provider.py; NetBox integration begins at annet/adapters/netbox/provider.py and version-specific storage implementations are in annet/adapters/netbox/v37/storage.py, annet/adapters/netbox/v41/storage.py, and annet/adapters/netbox/v42/storage.py. NetBox is the material external service; adapters also include stub fetch/deploy implementations for extension or testing.

Desired-state generation

User-supplied Python generator packages produce full or partial desired device configuration. The generator framework defines execution modes, results, references, annotation, and failure handling in annet/generators/base.py, annet/generators/entire.py, annet/generators/partial.py, and annet/generators/result.py. Example extension packages under annet_generators/ demonstrate the intended plugin boundary rather than being core production logic.

Device and vendor modeling

Device identity, hardware/platform handling, and vendor selection are centralized in annet/hardware.py, annet/vendors/registry.py, and annet/vendors/base.py. Vendor libraries map supported platforms such as Cisco, Huawei, Juniper, Arista, and RouterOS to behavior in paths such as annet/vendors/library/cisco.py, annet/vendors/library/huawei.py, and annet/vendors/library/juniper.py. A bundled device database supports network-device metadata at annet/annlib/netdev/devdb/data/devdb.json.

Diff, parsing, and patch compilation

Annet parses hierarchical network configurations, computes structural differences, then compiles vendor-specific command sequences. Shared mechanics are in annet/annlib/diff.py, annet/annlib/patching.py, and annet/annlib/rbparser/. The parser/rulebook boundary allows generic config changes to be rendered differently per platform; deployment-aware parsing is specifically represented by annet/annlib/rbparser/deploying.py.

Rulebooks and deployment

Rulebooks encode platform syntax, ordering, replacement/removal semantics, and deploy transformations. Python rule logic is organized by vendor under annet/rulebook/ (for example annet/rulebook/huawei/, annet/rulebook/cisco/, annet/rulebook/juniper/), while declarative rule assets are under annet/rulebook/texts/, including annet/rulebook/texts/huawei.rul, annet/rulebook/texts/cisco.deploy, and annet/rulebook/texts/juniper.order. Deployment execution and UI-oriented handling are separated into annet/deploy.py and annet/deploy_ui.py.

Higher-level network policy features

The repository includes two domain layers usable by generators: mesh/BGP topology processing in annet/mesh/executor.py, annet/mesh/registry.py, and annet/mesh/port_processor.py; and routing-policy modeling/rendering in annet/rpl/policy.py, annet/rpl/routemap.py, and annet/rpl_generators/execute.py. These produce configuration intent before the central generation-to-deployment pipeline.