HP Network Automation (HPNA)

What is HP Network Automation?

A solution that delivers real-time visibility, automation, and control for your network.

HP Network Automation (HPNA) software tracks, regulates, and automates configuration and software changes across globally distributed, multivendor networks. It automates the complete operational lifecycle of network devices from provisioning to policy-based change management, compliance, and security administration. When combined with HP Network Node Manager i (NNMi) software, you get an integrated solution that unifies network fault, availability, and performance with change, configuration, compliance, and automated diagnostics. Network Automation is one component of the HP Automated Network Management Suite which provides a holistic, automated approach across the network management domain of fault, availability, performance, and change, configuration, compliance and process automation.

HP Network Automation software also goes beyond multivendor network configuration management to help you prevent errors before they occur and deliver measurable cost savings using process-driven network automation.The end result is a resilient, maintainable, and cost-effective network that is compliant with both company standards and government regulations.

HP Network Automation provides visibility and control over globally distributed, multivendor networks. This helps you to dramatically reduce manual misconfigurations that cause the majority of security breaches and network downtime. HP Network Automation gathers detailed information about network devices and records configuration changes for managed devices. Notifications of changes give you immediate visibility into planned, unplanned, and unauthorized changes.

HP Network Automation delivers powerful access control list (ACL) automation and management capabilities. You can quickly react to emerging threats and vulnerabilities. ACL templates are provided to reduce complexity and provide consistency.

An entire network can be managed on a single instance of network automation, unless requirements dictate the need for increased scalability and redundancy of the application which can also be provided. Customers can implement distributed architectures to provide scalability and redundancy. Satellites are also available to allow customers to manage overlapping IP addresses and provide better WAN bandwidth management while using network automation.

Key benefits

1] Reduce costs by automating time-consuming manual compliance and configuration tasks
2] Pass audit and compliance requirements easily with proactive policy enforcement1 and audit and compliance reports .
3] Reduce costs by automating time-consuming manual compliance and configuration tasks
4] Manage virtual switch and virtual context environments to support new cloud computing and virtual network deployments.
5] Improve network security by recognizing and fixing security vulnerabilities before they impact your network
6] Increase network stability and uptime by preventing the inconsistencies and mis-configurations that are at the root of most problems.
7] Use process-powered automation to deliver application integrations, which deliver full IT lifecycle workflow automation.
8] Support SNMPv3 and IPv6, including dual-stack IPv4 and IPv6 support. HP Network Automation supports both of these technologies to provide flexibility in your protocol strategy and implementation.
9] Use automated software image management to deploy wide-scale image updates quickly.

HP Network Automation capabilities:

Automated network management solution HP Automated Network Management (ANM) (HP NNMi + HP Network Automation) enables customers to reduce costs and increase agility across all network operations. Unlike point product approaches, HP offers an integrated solution that unifies network fault, availability, and performance with change, configuration, compliance, and automated diagnostics. For network teams that need to contain costs while improving network performance and policy compliance, ANM is surprisingly affordable and provides rapid return on investment.

Process-powered automation Using integrated, single-source software (HP OO + HP Network Automation), automate IT workflows for otherwise manual processes, accomplished primarily through complex scripting.

Real-time configuration and asset tracking In real time, detect configuration and asset information changes made across a multivendor device network, regardless of how each change is made.

Policy compliance Perform rapid troubleshooting and manage network compliance by comparing devices to defined, best-practice standards. Validate device operating states in real time to stay in compliance. Control noncompliance with automatic remediation of devices that violate standards (Ultimate edition only). Speed internal and external audit processes with network policy compliance reports for ITIL, SOX, HIPAA, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), and more.

SNMPv3 and IPv6 management Manage dual-stack and pure IPv6 environments. Manage SNMPv3 configurations and communicate over SNMPv3.

Automated software image management Update images and feature sets quickly, reliably, and easily. Deploy and monitor operating system images from a centralized network management system. Control the deployment of images for specific requirements to prevent mistakes before they happen. Create a repository, and synchronize all device software images across your enterprise network. Use image management to automatically identify, download, and install the recommended software image for your network devices.

Real-time audit trail In real time, store a complete audit trail of configuration changes (hardware and software) made to network devices, including critical change information.

Role-based access control Configure granular, customizable user roles to control permissions on device views, device actions, and system actions. Support common authentication systems, such as Terminal Access Controller Access Control System Plus (TACACS+), RADIUS, SecurID, Active Directory, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), and public key infrastructure (PKI) user authentication.

Network lockdown Manage and audit device access and authorization through a centralized control model that is integrated with your standard workflow and approval processes.

Template-based device provisioning Automate routine configuration tasks for updates, such as password or community string changes. Reduce the time needed to build automation scripts and increase accuracy with auto- generated scripts derived from device sessions.

Automation engine Create complex automation flows, integrating internal and third-party systems. Leverage more than 200 system triggers to drive automation.

Resource identity management Have control over the names of your resources. E.g.: IP addresses; VLAN names; license keys, Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP) group IDs, ACL IDs, etc. from a single tool.