# Network Automation- Day 2

To find unused ports on a Cisco switch using python

To find unused ports on a Cisco switch, you can use the `netmiko` library in Python, which is a library used to connect to network devices. Here's a basic script to find unused ports on a Cisco switch:

1. First, you need to install the required library:
    
    pip install netmiko
    
    1. Use the following Python script:
        
    
    ```plaintext
    from netmiko import ConnectHandler
    from datetime import datetime
    
    def find_unused_ports(device):
        connection = ConnectHandler(**device)
        output = connection.send_command('show interfaces | include line protocol')
        connection.disconnect()
    
        unused_ports = []
    
        for line in output.split("\n"):
            if "down, line protocol is down" in line:
                port = line.split()[0]
                unused_ports.append(port)
    
        return unused_ports
    
    if __name__ == "__main__":
        device = {
            'device_type': 'cisco_ios',
            'ip': 'YOUR_SWITCH_IP',
            'username': 'YOUR_USERNAME',
            'password': 'YOUR_PASSWORD',
            'secret': 'YOUR_SECRET',  # Optional, if you have an enable password
        }
    
        start_time = datetime.now()
    
        unused_ports_list = find_unused_ports(device)
        
        if unused_ports_list:
            print("Unused Ports:")
            for port in unused_ports_list:
                print(port)
        else:
            print("No unused ports found.")
    
        end_time = datetime.now()
        print(f"\nScript execution time: {end_time - start_time}")
    ```
    
    Replace `YOUR_SWITCH_IP`, `YOUR_USERNAME`, `YOUR_PASSWORD`, and `YOUR_SECRET` with your switch's credentials.
    
    This script connects to the switch, runs the `show interfaces` command, and looks for interfaces that are both administratively down and operationally down. It then prints out the list of unused ports.
    

Here is the breakdown of above script

1. **Importing Necessary Libraries**:
    

```plaintext
from netmiko import ConnectHandler
from datetime import datetime
```

* `netmiko` is a Python library that simplifies the process of connecting to network devices.
    
* `ConnectHandler` is a function within `netmiko` that establishes the connection.
    
* `datetime` is imported to measure the script's execution time.
    

1. **Function to Find Unused Ports**:
    

```plaintext
def find_unused_ports(device):
    connection = ConnectHandler(**device)
    output = connection.send_command('show interfaces | include line protocol')
    connection.disconnect()

    unused_ports = []

    for line in output.split("\n"):
        if "down, line protocol is down" in line:
            port = line.split()[0]
            unused_ports.append(port)

    return unused_ports
```

* The function `find_unused_ports` takes a `device` dictionary as an argument which contains the device's connection details.
    
* `ConnectHandler(**device)` establishes a connection to the device using the details provided.
    
* The command `show interfaces | include line protocol` is sent to the device. This command displays the status of all interfaces, but only lines containing "line protocol" are shown.
    
* The function then checks each line for the status "down, line protocol is down". If this status is found, it means the port is unused.
    
* The port name is extracted and added to the `unused_ports` list.
    
* The function returns the list of unused ports.
    

1. **Main Execution**:
    

```plaintext
if __name__ == "__main__":
    device = {
        'device_type': 'cisco_ios',
        'ip': 'YOUR_SWITCH_IP',
        'username': 'YOUR_USERNAME',
        'password': 'YOUR_PASSWORD',
        'secret': 'YOUR_SECRET',  # Optional, if you have an enable password
    }

    start_time = datetime.now()

    unused_ports_list = find_unused_ports(device)
    
    if unused_ports_list:
        print("Unused Ports:")
        for port in unused_ports_list:
            print(port)
    else:
        print("No unused ports found.")

    end_time = datetime.now()
    print(f"\nScript execution time: {end_time - start_time}")
```

* The `if __name__ == "__main__":` line ensures that the code below it is only executed if the script is run directly (not imported as a module).
    
* The `device` dictionary contains the connection details for the Cisco switch. You need to replace placeholders like `YOUR_SWITCH_IP` with actual values.
    
* The script measures the start time, calls the `find_unused_ports` function, and then measures the end time to calculate the total execution time.
    
* The script prints out the unused ports or a message indicating no unused ports were found.