What problem does it solve? Writing SSH automation for routers, switches, and firewalls is error-prone: hardcoded credentials, missing timeouts, unbounded concurrency, and accidental config pushes are common failure modes. This Skill provides reviewed Netmiko patterns that keep the default path read-only and gate any configuration change behind explicit operator approval. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Read-Only Connection Pattern: ConnectHandler setup with environment-based credentials, strict host key checking, and explicit connection, auth, banner, and read timeouts. - Batch Collection: ThreadPoolExecutor-based collection of show command output across an explicit inventory with per-device error reporting. - Structured Parsing: Optional TextFSM parsing with raw-output fallback so parser mismatches never hide evidence. - Guarded Config Changes: Dry-run-by-default config pushes requiring an explicit APPLY_NETWORK_CHANGES flag, with before/after evidence capture and a separate save step. - Use Case: An engineer needs to audit interface status across 30 switches. They use the batch collection pattern with max_workers=8, collect 'show ip interface brief' per device, and review failures individually without stopping the run. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to write a Netmiko script that connects to a list of Cisco IOS devices and collects 'show version' output with proper timeouts and per-device error handling.
