Avalon overview

Avalon is a modular network automation platform. It consists of several components that work together to provide a seamless user experience, and it can be deployed using different installation options depending on your environment.

Avalon's components

Avalon has three main components common to all installation types:

• Initialization script: Sets up all data required by both Avalon Manager and Avalon App. It also configures network services on the Virtual Appliance (VA) or Virtual Machine (VM).
• Avalon Manager: A standalone application that manages Avalon’s main application lifecycle. It retrieves releases, starts/stops/restarts Avalon, and allows manual upload of new releases in closed environments.
• Avalon App: The core of Avalon, our platform for network management and automation.

Note: In the following text and diagrams, "Virtual Appliance" refers to any installation option, as the user experience is identical across deployment types.

Components overview

Roles of Avalon’s components and how they interact

Relationships between Avalon’s components

Installation options

Avalon supports two deployment options:

Virtual Appliance

A ready-to-use Virtual Appliance is provided, compatible with your hypervisor.

• Current availability (p1.3.4, Jan 2026): VMWare OVA.
• Other formats: Available upon request.

Virtual Machine

For certain customer environments, a custom Virtual Machine may be required.

• Preparation: Use our Ansible playbook to configure your VM according to Avalon’s requirements.
• Prerequisites: Ansible and Docker must be installed on your VM.
• Alternative: If prerequisites cannot be met, we provide a ready-to-use tar archive with all required packages and a setup script for your VM.

Note

Once the initial setup is completed, whether using the Virtual Appliance or the Virtual Machine, the user experience for managing all Avalon components is identical.

Platform compatibility

Full automation support

Vendor	Platform	Models/Versions	Upgrade Support
Cisco	Catalyst IOS	All models from 2950 (!) to Cat 9K	INSTALL/BUNDLE modes ISSU (Cat 9K planned)
Cisco	Nexus NX-OS	5K/6K, 7K, 9K	Available on request
Aruba	CX	All models	Standalone & VSX procedures
HPE	Comware	All models	Planned S1 2026
Huawei	VRP	All models	Planned S1 2026

Topology discovery

Vendor	Platform
Palo Alto	Firewalls
Stormshield	Firewalls
Arista	EOS

Your platform not listed?

Avalon's modular architecture enables rapid integration of new platforms. Most vendors can be supported within 2-4 weeks. Contact us to discuss your specific requirements.