NetStacksNetStacks
Real-world scenarios

How teams use NetStacks to run their networks

Not hypothetical. These are the operational scenarios network teams face every day — and how NetStacks transforms each one from painful to effortless.

6Use Cases
73%MTTR Reduction
MinutesNot Hours
ZeroAudit Findings

From "who knows this device?" to instant AI triage

Stop wasting the first 30 minutes of every incident trying to find credentials, remember CLI syntax, and piece together tribal knowledge. Let the AI do it.

Before NetStacks
  • Search for credentials in shared spreadsheet or password manager
  • Manually SSH to device, figure out the vendor CLI
  • Copy-paste output into Slack asking "what does this mean?"
  • Escalate to senior engineer who "knows this device"
  • No documentation — tribal knowledge walks out the door
  • Average 45-minute MTTR for routine incidents
After NetStacks
  • One-click connect — credentials injected from vault automatically
  • AI triage agent auto-connects and gathers diagnostic data
  • Select any output — AI explains it with vendor-specific context
  • NOC agents auto-resolve known issues (flapping interface, BGP reset)
  • Team knowledge base (RAG) surfaces relevant runbooks instantly
  • Session auto-documented — searchable for future incidents
73%MTTR ReductionFrom 45 minutes average to under 12 minutes
40%Auto-ResolvedNOC agents handle routine incidents autonomously
100%Sessions RecordedEvery action captured for audit and training

Every change: planned, approved, executed, validated, documented

Stop running changes from a notepad. Methods of Procedures turn ad-hoc CLI sessions into repeatable, auditable workflows with approval gates and automatic rollback.

1

Plan & Template

Define the change using Jinja2 config templates with shared variables. Preview rendered configs against your actual device inventory. Diff the proposed config against the running config before anyone approves.

2

Peer Review & Approval Gate

Submit the MOP for review. Designated approvers receive a notification with the full change plan, affected devices, rollback procedure, and risk assessment. The MOP cannot execute until all required approvals are collected. Every approval is logged with timestamp and comments.

3

Automated Execution

The MOP connects to each target device via the Controller proxy, pushes configuration changes in the defined order, and captures all output. Credentials never leave the vault. Each step runs within a recorded session.

4

Validation & Health Check

Python validation scripts run automatically after the change. Verify BGP peers re-established, check interface counters, confirm routing tables converged. If any validation fails, the MOP halts and triggers automatic rollback.

5

Document & Close

The MOP auto-generates a change report: who approved, what ran, what the output was, validation results, and total duration. Export to your ITSM tool via webhook. The entire session recording is linked for future audit.

Built-in safety net. Every MOP step can define a rollback action. If validation fails at any point, the entire change is reversed automatically in the correct order. No more "oops" moments at 2 AM.
Compliance & Audit Readiness

Pass your next audit with zero findings on network access controls

The Controller acts as an SSH proxy for every connection. This means every session is recorded, every command is logged, and credentials never exist on engineer laptops. Auditors get exactly what they need: a complete chain of custody for network access.

RBAC with 12+ granular permissions controls who can access which devices, who can approve changes, and who can view recordings. Export audit logs to your SIEM in real time. Generate compliance reports on demand.

SOC 2HIPAAPCI DSSNIST 800-53ISO 27001
  • Mandatory session recording for all SSH connections
  • Credential isolation — AES-256-GCM vault, never on endpoints
  • Real-time SIEM export (Splunk, Elastic, Sentinel)
  • SSO via SAML, OIDC, LDAP with MFA enforcement
  • On-premises deployment for data sovereignty
Audit Log — Network AccessLIVE
14:32:01j.martinezSSH session openedcore-rtr-01
14:32:03SYSTEMCredential injectedvault:core-rtr-01
14:32:04SYSTEMSession recording startedrec-2024-0892
14:33:17j.martinezCommand executedshow run | sec bgp
14:35:42j.martinezConfig changerouter bgp 65001
14:35:44SYSTEMMOP approval verifiedMOP-2024-0341
14:41:08j.martinezSSH session closedduration: 9m07s
New Site Deployments

Deploy a complete site config in minutes — not hours of manual CLI

Stack Templates group related configs into a single deployable unit with shared variables. Define a router's hostname, IPs, ASN, and VLANs once — every template in the stack references the same variable set. Deploy the entire stack as an atomic operation.

Build reusable site archetypes: branch office, data center leaf, remote site. When a new site comes online, fill in the variables and deploy. What used to take a senior engineer half a day of manual CLI becomes a 10-minute deploy-and-validate cycle.

  • Atomic deployment — all templates succeed or all roll back
  • Shared variable sets across all templates in a stack
  • Reusable site archetypes for consistent deployments
  • Built-in validation after each template deploys
Real-world impact: One team reduced new branch office provisioning from 4 hours of manual CLI work to 12 minutes of fill-variables-and-deploy.
Stack: new-branch-office
1
Base & ManagementHostname, NTP, DNS, SNMP, syslog, AAA
2
L2 & VLANsTrunk ports, access ports, STP, VTP
3
L3 & RoutingSVIs, OSPF, BGP, static routes
4
Security & ACLsInterface ACLs, CoPP, management ACL
5
Monitoring & ValidationSNMP polling, IP SLA, health check
Shared variables: hostname, site_code, mgmt_ip, asn, vlans

Migrate with confidence, not crossed fingers

Whether you are replacing a vendor, upgrading an architecture, or consolidating data centers — NetStacks gives you the tools to plan, execute, and validate every phase of a migration.

Discovery

Inventory & Audit

  • Auto-discover topology via CDP/LLDP
  • Catalog configs, versions, and ACLs
  • Identify dependencies and risks
Planning

Template & Test

  • Build config templates from discovered data
  • Define migration MOPs with rollback
  • Dry-run against lab devices
Execution

Staged Rollout

  • Execute MOPs site-by-site or batch
  • Real-time progress dashboard
  • Automatic rollback on failure
Validation

Verify & Compare

  • Before/after config comparison
  • Routing table validation scripts
  • End-to-end connectivity tests
Cutover

Go Live

  • Final validation and sign-off
  • Stakeholder notifications
  • Complete audit trail and documentation
End-to-end visibility. Topology visualization shows you the before and after. Config templates ensure consistency across hundreds of devices. Validation scripts confirm the migration worked before you cut over. The entire project is documented in session recordings and audit logs.

Select output. Get answers. Capture knowledge.

The AI assistant lives inside your terminal session. It sees what you see, understands the vendor CLI, and suggests what to do next — then documents the entire session for your team.

troubleshooting-sessionTerminal + AI
sw-dist-03# show interfaces gi0/1
GigabitEthernet0/1 is up, line protocol is up
  Input rate 948523000 bits/sec, 82341 packets/sec
  Output rate 12000 bits/sec, 8 packets/sec
  5 minute input rate 947 Mbps
  CRC errors: sobering 14,832
  Input errors: 14,891
  Output errors: 0

┌─ AI Assistant ──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                         │
│ This interface is receiving at near line-rate (948 Mbps  │
│ on a 1G port) with significant CRC errors (14,832).     │
│                                                         │
│ Analysis:                                               │
│ • CRC errors + high input = likely physical layer issue  │
│ • Common causes: bad SFP, damaged cable, duplex mismatch│
│ • The asymmetric traffic pattern (948M in / 12K out)     │
│   suggests this may be a monitoring/SPAN port            │
│                                                         │
│ Suggested next steps:                                    │
│ > show interfaces gi0/1 transceiver detail              │
│ > show interfaces gi0/1 counters errors                 │
│ > show cdp neighbors gi0/1 detail                       │
│                                                         │
│ [Run suggested command]  [Explain more]  [Save to KB]   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

sw-dist-03# show interfaces gi0/1 transceiver detail
  Transceiver temperature: 72.3 C  ← HIGH
  Transmit power: -2.1 dBm
  Receive power: -18.7 dBm  ← LOW (threshold: -14.0)

┌─ AI ────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ The SFP is running hot (72°C) and receive power is      │
│ critically low (-18.7 dBm, threshold -14.0 dBm).       │
│                                                         │
│ Diagnosis: Failing SFP or dirty fiber connector.        │
│ Action: Replace SFP and clean fiber ends.               │
│                                                         │
│ [Generate incident report]  [Create runbook from session]│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Select & Explain

Highlight any CLI output. The AI explains what it means with vendor-specific context — not generic advice.

Next Step Suggestions

Based on the current output and device type, the AI suggests the most useful diagnostic command to run next.

Auto-Documentation

Turn your troubleshooting session into a step-by-step runbook automatically. Capture tribal knowledge before it walks out.

Team Knowledge Base

Saved runbooks feed into a RAG knowledge base. Next time anyone hits the same issue, the AI surfaces the solution instantly.

See yourself in these scenarios?

Start with the free trial. Import your sessions. See the difference in your first incident.