Deploy Containerlab Stack

Provisions a self-contained Cisco lab on AWS: nested-virt EC2 hypervisor, containerlab topology (n9kv + cat8kv), and ContainerLab Inventory sync. This is the starting point for the network Configure, Report, Backup, and DISA STIG demos.

Prerequisites

• If using RHDP (demo.redhat.com): Run APD ǀ Multi-demo setup (or APD ǀ Single demo setup and choose network). AWS and AAP credentials are pre-configured for you.
• If using your own installation: Run APD ǀ Single demo setup and choose network. Configure the AWS credential with your Access Key and Secret Key.

Survey prompts

Prompt	Variable	Type	Required
AWS Region	clab_aws_region	multiplechoice	Yes
Instance Type	clab_aws_instance_type	multiplechoice	Yes
Owner	clab_aws_owner_tag	text	Yes

Options: region us-east-2 / us-west-2; instance type c8i.2xlarge (default) / c8i.4xlarge.

1. Provision Hypervisor — Creates VPC, subnet, security group, keypair, and launches a RHEL 9 EC2 instance with nested virtualization
2. Deploy Topology — Installs podman and containerlab, pulls Cisco images, and starts n9kv (NX-OS) + cat8kv (IOS-XE)
3. Sync ContainerLab Inventory — Imports the hypervisor and sets device connection details for demo job templates
4. Submit Feedback — Opens only if hypervisor provisioning fails

Provisioning takes approximately 10–15 minutes while device images pull and virtual devices boot.

Job templates

Template	Playbook	Description
NETWORK ǀ Deploy Containerlab Stack	network/setup.yml	Workflow that provisions hypervisor, deploys topology, and syncs inventory
NETWORK ǀ Containerlab ǀ Provision Hypervisor	network/provision_hypervisor.yml	Creates AWS networking and the nested-virt EC2 hypervisor
NETWORK ǀ Containerlab ǀ Deploy Topology	network/deploy_containerlab.yml	Installs containerlab and starts the n9kv + cat8kv topology. Can also run standalone to redeploy the lab on an existing hypervisor; it discovers the running EC2 instance by tag.

Why it matters

• Replaces external Cisco DevNet sandbox dependencies with a fully self-contained lab
• Nested virtualization on AWS lets you run real NX-OS and IOS-XE images under containerlab
• Dynamic inventory + SSH Proxy credentials give AAP a clean path to the lab devices
• One workflow brings up everything the day-2 network demos need

Presenter walkthrough

1. Show the survey: Region, instance size, and owner tag — explain how surveys keep self-service provisioning safe.
2. Launch: Start NETWORK ǀ Deploy Containerlab Stack. Call out the three success path nodes: hypervisor → topology → inventory sync.
3. While it runs: Explain nested virt, containerlab, and the two platforms (NX-OS n9kv on port 2122, IOS-XE cat8kv on port 2123).
4. Inventory sync: After success, open ContainerLab Inventory and show the hypervisor/device hosts.
5. Transition: Run NETWORK ǀ Containerlab ǀ Configure Devices, then Report, Backup, or DISA STIG.

If a device misbehaves later, rerun NETWORK ǀ Containerlab ǀ Deploy Topology by itself with the AWS Region survey. It discovers the existing hypervisor automatically and redeploys the topology without reprovisioning AWS infrastructure.

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