Cisco NetSense – Automated Network

NetSense automates enterprise network management by generating instant topologies, detecting configuration errors, optimizing traffic flow, and streamlining troubleshooting. It reduces downtime, boosts security, and delivers real-time visibility, making networks resilient and efficient with minimal manual effort.

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🌐 Overview

The Cisco VIP 2025 Network Tool is an automated solution for generating, validating, simulating, and exporting network topologies from Cisco router and switch configuration files.
It allows network engineers and students to quickly reconstruct network environments, analyze traffic loads, identify configuration issues, and simulate fault-tolerant scenarios.

The tool produces output compatible with Cisco Packet Tracer, enabling seamless manual integration.

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✨ Features

🏗 Automatic Network Topology Generation

• Parses Cisco router and switch configs to create a hierarchical network topology.
• Identifies node roles and link bandwidth.

⚙ Configuration Validation & Optimization

• Detects duplicate IPs, overlapping subnets, VLAN issues, gateway inconsistencies, MTU mismatches, missing configs, and potential loops.

📊 Load and Traffic Analysis

• Compares traffic demands with link capacities.
• Provides load balancing recommendations for scalable networks.

🖥 Day-1 & Day-2 Network Simulation

• Multithreaded simulation with ARP and OSPF protocol emulation.
• Supports link/device failure injection and pause/resume for testing fault tolerance.

💾 Export Packet Tracer-Compatible Files

• ZIP archive containing startup configs, topology JSON, CSV link lists, diagrams, and usage instructions.

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🗂 File Structure

Cisco-VIP-2025-Network-Tool/
│
├── configs/                # Router configuration files (Cisco IOS format)
│   ├── R1.cfg
│   ├── R2.cfg
│   └── ...
│
├── switches/               # Switch configuration files (optional)
│   ├── S1.cfg
│   └── ...
│
├── topology/               # Optional manual topology input files
│   ├── links.csv           # Manual link definitions
│   ├── endpoints.csv       # Endpoint IP and gateway definitions
│   └── traffic_demands.csv # Traffic load demands
│
├── output/                 # Generated outputs
│   ├── network_topology.png       # Visual topology diagram
│   ├── validation_report.txt      # Configuration validation report
│   ├── load_analysis.txt          # Load and traffic analysis
│   ├── <device>_day1_log.txt     # Day-1 simulation logs
│   ├── <device>_day2_log.txt     # Day-2 simulation logs
│   └── network_project.pkt        # Packet Tracer-compatible ZIP archive
│
├── nettopogen.py           # Main Python script
├── README.md               # Project documentation
└── requirements.txt        # Optional: Python dependencies

🛠 Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Libraries: networkx, matplotlib

Install dependencies:

pip install networkx matplotlib

🚀 Usage

Run the tool:

python nettopogen.py [options]

⚡ Common Options

Flag Description --configs Directory with router configs (default: configs) --switches Directory with switch configs (optional) --links CSV with manual link definitions (optional) --endpoints CSV with endpoint definitions (optional) --traffic CSV with traffic demands (default: traffic_demands.csv) --draw Generate network topology PNG --analyze Run configuration validation & load analysis --export-pkt Export ZIP archive for Packet Tracer --recommend-lb Generate load balancing recommendations --check-missing Check for missing config files --simulate-day1 Run Day-1 simulation --simulate-day2 Run Day-2 simulation with faults

📌 Example Usage

Generate topology, analyze configs, run simulation, and export:

python nettopogen.py --configs ./configs --draw --analyze --simulate-day1 --export-pkt

Run load balancing recommendations with custom traffic file:

python nettopogen.py --recommend-lb --traffic my_traffic.csv

📁 Input File Formats

Router/Switch Configs: Standard Cisco IOS text files (--configs & --switches)

links.csv: Optional CSV specifying manual links:

endpointA,endpointB,bandwidth_mbps,mtu,label
R1,R2,100,1500,ptp

endpoints.csv: Optional CSV with endpoint IP and gateway info

traffic_demands.csv: Optional CSV describing traffic load:

src_subnet,dst_subnet,mbps
192.168.10.0/24,192.168.20.0/24,50

📂 Output Files

Topology image: output/network_topology.png

• Validation report: validation_report.txt

• Load analysis: load_analysis.txt

• Simulation logs:

  • R1 Day-1 Log
  • R2 Day-1 Log
  • R1 Day-2 Log
  • R2 Day-2 Log

• Packet Tracer archive: network_project.pkt

🖱 How to Import into Cisco Packet Tracer

Extract network_project.pkt ZIP archive

Open Packet Tracer

Manually create devices from configs/

Paste startup configs into device CLI using _startup.cfg

Connect devices using topology/links.csv or visualize with network_topology.png

Save your Packet Tracer .pkt file

🌟 Project Highlights

Automatic topology reconstruction from raw Cisco configs

Comprehensive validation: IP conflicts, VLANs, routing anomalies

Traffic-based load analysis with actionable recommendations Day-1/Day-2 scenario emulation with fault injection Bridges automation with manual import for Packet Tracer

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Submit issues or pull requests via the repository.

📜 License

For educational and internal use as part of the Cisco Virtual Internship Program 2025. Redistribution or commercial use is subject to Cisco’s terms.

Thank you for using the Cisco VIP 2025 Network Tool! 🚀