Network Automation with David

Choosing the Right Network Automation Tools

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Why tool selection matters

Picking the wrong tool for network automation rarely shows up as an obvious failure. It shows up six months later, when you’re hitting scale limits, maintaining code nobody else understands, or trying to add a feature the tool was never designed for.

This post won’t give you a list of tools to use. It will give you a framework for evaluating them, with some real examples of what goes wrong when that evaluation is skipped.

A Steep Climb or a Smooth Ride? Choosing Between Paramiko and Netmiko

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

What do we choose? Paramiko or Netmiko?

When it comes to automating network devices using Python, two popular libraries often come up: Paramiko and Netmiko. Choosing between these two can be a bit of a dilemma, especially for those new to network automation. Even for experienced network engineers, choosing the right tool can still be a challenge.

Making the decision between Paramiko and Netmiko can feel like a steep climb for beginners. In this post, I’ll show a few use cases and best practices to help you decide which library is the best fit for your needs and how to get started with it.

Bookshelf

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to my bookshelf!

This is a collection of books I have read and found valuable throughout my journey as a network engineer, network automation engineer, and consultant. These books have helped me understand the fundamentals of networking, explore new technologies and tools, and develop my skills in automation and infrastructure design.

They cover a wide range of topics, from network automation and infrastructure design to consultancy. Together, they helped me build a strong foundation of knowledge and practical skills, and I hope they can do the same for you.

You’re Asked to Automate the Network. Now What?

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In the very beginning…

Whether you are an administrator, an engineer, or an architect, the moment you are asked to automate the network, you are stepping into a new world. A world full of possibilities, but also challenges. The first question that often comes up is simple: where do I even start?

For an administrator dealing with tickets and day-to-day changes, the idea of automation can feel overwhelming. For an engineer, it might immediately become a question of tools and languages. For an architect, it’s about designing a system that can scale, adapt, and remain maintainable over time.

Why I Chose Network Automation (and Why I’m Writing About It)

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 21:40:10 +0100

A short introduction

I started my career in IT in 2008 on a service desk. Back then, networking felt very tangible. You logged in, made a change, verified it, moved on to the next ticket. It was manual, repetitive, and for a long time, that was simply how things were done.

Over the years, the scale changed. Networks grew larger, more complex, and more critical. The number of changes increased, but the time and attention available did not. That was the moment when doing things “the old way” stopped being sustainable.

My first blog post

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

My first blog post!

Everything seems to be working alright, so many topics to post about.

More to come soon ⚡

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

About

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Hi!

I’m David Lunel, a network automation consultant.

My career started in 2008 on a service desk. What began as troubleshooting tickets gradually turned into a deep curiosity for how networks actually work. That curiosity carried me from service desk roles into network engineering, and eventually into network automation.

Early on, I worked with large telecom providers in the Netherlands, where I was exposed to complex, large-scale network designs and a wide range of telecom technologies. Later, through consultancy and secondment roles, I moved into enterprise environments, working on projects for banks, e-commerce platforms, government organizations, and other regulated industries.

Project Portfolio

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

💡 Overview

This page highlights a selection of customer projects I have worked on throughout my career as a Network and Network Automation Engineer. The focus is on real-world projects where I contributed to design, implementation, automation, and operational improvement of network infrastructures across enterprise, government, and service provider environments.

Given the number of customers, assignments, and parallel projects over the years, not all work is represented here. Instead, the projects below were chosen to illustrate the breadth of experience and the types of challenges I have tackled, with an emphasis on automation initiatives that delivered tangible benefits in efficiency, scalability, and reliability.

Search

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000