Python Tutorial: sys module for network engineers

In this video, I will discuss the sys module in python.
import sys # Import the sys module for accessing command-line arguments
from netmiko import ConnectHandler # Import ConnectHandler from netmiko library for SSH connection
print(type(sys.argv))
Check if the correct number of command-line arguments is provided
if len(sys.argv) != 4:
print("Usage: script.py device_ip username password") # Print usage instructions if arguments are incorrect
sys.exit(1) # Exit the script with a non-zero status indicating an error
Assign command-line arguments to variables
device_ip = sys.argv[1] # IP address of the device to connect to
username = sys.argv[2] # Username for SSH authentication
password = sys.argv[3] # Password for SSH authentication
try:
Attempt to establish an SSH connection to the device
ssh_session = ConnectHandler(
device_type='cisco_ios', # Specify the device type (Cisco IOS in this case)
ip=device_ip, # Provide the IP address of the device
username=username, # Provide the SSH username
password=password # Provide the SSH password
)
Send a command to the device and capture the output
output = ssh_session.send_command('show version')
print(output) # Print the command output to the console
ssh_session.disconnect() # Disconnect the SSH session after executing the command
except Exception as e:
print(f"Error: {e}") # Print any exception/error that occurs during the SSH connection or command execution
sys.exit(1) # Exit the script with a non-zero status if there is an error
#pythonforbeginners #pythontutorial #python