Tag: network automation

Linux For Network Engineers (LFNE) – Now on Ubuntu 24.04

The Linux For Network Engineers (LFNE) Docker container has been refreshed and is now built on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

For those new to it, LFNE is a ready-to-use Linux environment preloaded with the most popular tools used by network engineers—from packet capture and traffic analysis utilities to configuration helpers and scripting support. Instead of spending time installing and configuring everything manually, LFNE provides a consistent containerized lab environment you can run anywhere.

What’s New in This Release

This upgrade ensures LFNE benefits from the latest long-term support release of Ubuntu, bringing:

  • Updated system libraries and security patches
  • Better compatibility with modern networking tools
  • Some changes for the network tools included

Key Changes

While most workflows remain the same, there are a few important updates under the hood:

  • Python 2 support: Ubuntu 24.04 no longer provides Python 2 packages via apt. To maintain compatibility, Python 2.7.18 is compiled from source inside the container.
  • Python 3 libraries: due to new restrictions, they are installed via pip inside a dedicated Python virtual environment /root/.venv.
    Please activate the virtual environment to use them source /root/.venv/bin/activate
  • New Docker Hub location: To align with the blog name (ipnet.xyz), the images are now published under the username ipnetxyz.

Tools Included

LFNE comes preinstalled with a curated set of tools and libraries that network engineers use most often, including:

  • Core networking tools:
    • OpenSSL
    • Net-tools (ifconfig, etc.)
    • IPutils (ping, arping, traceroute, etc.)
    • Socat
    • Host (DNS lookup tool)
    • MTR (advanced traceroute)
    • Telnet / SSH client
    • IProute2
    • IPerf (traffic generator)
    • TCPDump
    • Nmap
    • OpenSSH Server
  • Automation & Infrastructure-as-Code tools:
    • Ansible
  • Python environments & libraries:
    • Python 2
    • Python 3
    • Paramiko
    • Netmiko
    • Pyntc
    • Napalm

Contribute & Feedback

LFNE is meant to be a handy toolbox for network engineers, but I know I haven’t included every useful tool out there. If there’s something you use all the time and think it belongs in LFNE, let me know! I’m always open to adding tools that make the container more useful for the community.

Getting Started

Pull the latest updated image with:

docker pull ipnetxyz/lfne:ubuntu-24.04

Then start a container interactively with:

docker run -it ipnetxyz/lfne:ubuntu-24.04 /bin/bash

This will drop you into a shell inside LFNE, ready with all the tools you need.

Additional LNFE based on different OS

Additional images have been added (after this blog was posted) based on AlmaLinux OS and Alpine OS. Please find more details here: https://ipnet.xyz/2025/09/linux-for-network-engineers-lfne-almalinux-alpine-editions/

Deprecation Notice

The old images under yotis/lfne:distro-version will remain available but will no longer be updated. Going forward, please switch to the new naming convention:

yotis/lfne:distro-version   ->   ipnetxyz/lfne:distro-version

This ensures you get the latest updates, security patches, and new features.

Posted on by Calin 0

New Ubuntu 18.04 Docker image – Python For Network Engineers

About one year ago I’ve created the Ubuntu 16.04 PFNE Docker image. It’s time for a new version of the Ubuntu PFNE Docker image to support Network engineers learn Python and test automation.

Recently, Ubuntu announced that on the Ubuntu Docker Hub the 18.04 LTS version is using the minimal image.

With this change when launching a Docker instance using

$ docker run ubuntu:18.04

you’ll have an instance with the latest Minimal Ubuntu.

While this is great, especially if you need to quickly pull an image, the fact stays that it doesn’t have preinstalled the necessary tools to test network automation, learn Python or run some QoS tests using packages like IPerf.

Based on My previous Ubuntu 16.04 PFNE Docker image, I’ve created the same using the new Ubuntu 18.04 LTS minimal image.

It contains all the tools found in Ubuntu 16.04 PFNE:

  • Openssl
  • Net-tools (ifconfig..)
  • IPutils (ping, arping, traceroute…)
  • IProute
  • IPerf
  • TCPDump
  • NMAP
  • Python 2
  • Python 3
  • Paramiko (python ssh support)
  • Netmiko (python ssh support)
  • Ansible (automation)
  • Pyntc
  • NAPALM

and two new additions:

  • Netcat
  • Socat

I’ve added these two because some blog followers asked me, after reading the Ubuntu image for eve-ng – Python For Network Engineers post, if I can add to image servers installation like web, ftp, etc.

Personally, I don’t think is needed to burden the image with these extra packages. You can have tools like Netcat testing various servers. This is one of the reasons I’ve added Netcat and Socat.

It’s easy for me to add them to this image or future ones (and I’ll do it if I get more requests), however I’m planning some articles on how to do your own Docker images and add whatever packages you need.

While writing this post, time to push it to Docker Hub :)
Docker push

If you want to test the new Ubuntu 18.04 PFNE Docker image, please pull it from Docker Hub:

$ docker pull yotis/ubuntu1804-pfne

To start it use:

$ docker run -i -t yotis/ubuntu1804-pfne /bin/bash

Let me know if you find this useful, happy testing and most important Never Stop Learning!

Posted on by Calin 1