Enhancing Network Management through Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery Pipelines and Infrastructure as Code Practices

Authors: Tharunika Sridhar

Abstract:

This research explores the benefits and methods of integrating Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) methodologies into network automation, focusing on Infrastructure as Code (IaC) applications. The primary goal is to enable IT organizations to achieve scalable network resources with enhanced security and compliance while streamlining deployment processes. The study highlights some key advantages of CI/CD, including improved version control, reduced manual errors and enhanced operational efficiency. Despite these benefits, using cloud-based systems and open-source tools introduces security challenges that organizations must address to optimize network configurations effectively.

Keywords: Infrastructure as Code, Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, pipeline, azure, terraform.

References:

[1] Rismanda Kusumadewi and R. Adrian, “Performance Analysis of Devops Practice Implementation Of CI/CD Using Jenkins,” Matics Jurnal Ilmu Komputer dan Teknologi Informasi (Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology), vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 90–95, Oct. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.18860/mat.v15i2.17091
[2] J. Fairbanks, A. Tharigonda, and N. U. Eisty, “Analyzing the Effects of CI/CD on Open Source Repositories in GitHub and GitLab,” arXiv (Cornell University), Mar. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2303.16393
[3] D. Gustavo Cruz, João Rafael Almeida, and José Luís Oliveira, “Open Source Solutions for Vulnerability Assessment: A Comparative Analysis,” IEEE Access, vol. 11, pp. 100234–100255, Jan. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2023.3315595
[4] Intential, “CI/CD Pipelines for Network Automation & Orchestration with Itential,” Itential, Sep. 12, 2024. Available: https://www.itential.com/solutions/network-infrastructure-as-code/.
[Accessed: Oct. 30, 2024]
[5] S. Chinamanagonda, "Automating Infrastructure with Infrastructure as Code (IaC)," International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), vol. 8, no. 11, pp. 123-128, Nov. 2019. Online. Available: www.ijsr.net.
[6] H. Holm, M. Buschle, R. Lagerström, and M. Ekstedt, “Automatic data collection for enterprise architecture models,” Software & Systems Modeling, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 825–841, Jun. 2012, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-012-0252-1
[7] Y. Ska and J. P., “A study and analysis of continuous delivery, continuous integration in software development environment,” JETIR, vol. 6, no. 9, pp. 1-5, Sep. 2019. Online. Available: www.jetir.org
[8] K. Trantzas et al., “An automated CI/CD process for testing and deployment of Network Applications over 5G infrastructure,” IEEE Xplore, Sep. 01, 2021. doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/MeditCom49071.2021.9647628. Available: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9647628. Accessed: Mar. 09, 2023.
[9] Rendy Indriyanto and Diki Gita Purnama, “CI/CD Implementation Application Deployment Process Academic Information System (Case Study Of Paramadina University),” Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, vol. 4, no. 9, pp. 1503–1516, Sep. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.59141/jist.v4i9.729
[10] Erdal Özdoğan, O. Ceran, and Mutlu Tahsin ÜSTÜNDAĞ, “Systematic Analysis of Infrastructure as Code Technologies,” Gazi university journal of science part a: engineering and innovation, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 452–471, Dec. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.54287/gujsa.1373305
[11] Z. Pan, W. Shen, X. Wang, Y. Yang, R. Chang, Y. Liu, C. Liu, Y. Liu, and K. Ren, “Ambush from all sides: Understanding security threats in open-source software CI/CD pipelines,” arXiv, vol. 2401.17606v1 cs.CR, 31 Jan. 2024.
[12] Sanket Dhole, “Terraform for Azure Cloud: Simplifying Infrastructure as Code (IaC) - Canarys,” Canarys, Dec. 27, 2023. Available: https://ecanarys.com/terraform-for-azure-cloud-simplifying-infrastructure-as-code-iac/. Accessed: Oct. 30, 2024.
[13] Always learning, “Azure Terraform Pipeline — DevOps - Always learning - Medium,” Medium, Feb. 17, 2024. Available: https://ibrahims.medium.com/azure-terraform-pipeline-devops-b57005a37936. Accessed: Oct. 30, 2024.
[14] Terraform, “Network infrastructure automation,” Terraform by HashiCorp, 2024. Available: https://www.terraform.io/use-cases/manage-network-infrastructure. Accessed: Oct. 30, 2024.