End-to-end network service designer tool

One or more devices comprising:

• a communication interface;
• a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions;
• and
• a processor configured to execute the instructions to:
• provide a first graphical user interface (GUI) with icons that represent virtual network elements, physical network elements, and links used to deliver network-based services, wherein the icons are grouped into different categories in the first GUI,
• associate, via the first GUI, the icons with network properties based on first user input, wherein the network properties correspond to individual virtual network elements and physical network elements of a customer network,
• provide a second GUI including a design canvas to arrange and connect the icons,
• receive, via the second GUI, second user input to arrange at least some of the icons on the design canvas to provide a design for a network-based service,
• generate, based on the second user input, a design template for the network-based service,
• solicit, via a third GUI, first network level attributes for network elements in the design template, wherein the first network level attributes are associated with a first location,
• create an instance of the design template based on the first network level attributes, and
• generate configuration files for the physical network elements represented in the instance of the design template, wherein the instance of the design template and the configuration files are used for automatically deploying and configuring a network for the network-based service.

A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a processor of a computational device, which when executed cause the computational device to:

• provide a first graphical user interface (GUI) with icons that represent virtual network elements, physical network elements, and links used to deliver network-based services, wherein the icons are grouped into different categories in the first GUI;
• associate, via the first GUI, the icons with network properties based on first user input, wherein the network properties correspond to individual virtual network elements and physical network elements of a customer network;
• provide a second GUI including a design canvas to arrange and connect the icons;
• receive, via the second GUI, second user input to arrange at least some of the icons on the design canvas to provide a design for a network-based service;
• generate, based on the second user input, a design template for the network-based service,
• solicit, via a third GUI, first network level attributes for network elements in the design template, wherein the first network level attributes are associated with a first location;
• create an instance of the design template based on the first network level attributes;
• and
• generate configuration files for the physical network elements represented in the instance of the design template, wherein the instance of the design template and the configuration files are used for automatically deploying and configuring a network for the network-based service.