Import rack diagrams created from Powerpoint

[joseph de los santos]

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if this is possible or do I have to re-create the rack diagrams in another format for import to netbox?

Thank you

[Brian Candler]

Netbox's data model is of individual devices - not a graphical representation like powerpoint.  You'll need to create the device types; create the individual devices; and assign each device to the correct rack, face and position.  Once that's done, Netbox can render its own device elevations as SVG images.

If you have additional photos or images, you can attach them to objects in Netbox (e.g. a rack photo can be attached to the rack)

[joseph de los santos]

Thank you. Sorry I am new-- How do I do those things?

[Brian Candler]

1. There's a web GUI where you can create things via pointing and clicking

2. The web interface has a bulk import facility (via CSV file, or JSON in the case of Device Types)

3. There's a REST API

[joseph de los santos]

Thanks, How do I access the web GUI?

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[joseph de los santos]

Also, is there a way to import rack diagrams created in one netbox instance to another netbox? is it using the import function? may I know the file extension?

thank you

[Brian Candler]

On Friday, 4 September 2020 00:06:59 UTC+1, joseph de los santos wrote:

How do I access the web GUI?

Using a web browser, just like any other web application.  I think you'll find it helpful to read the Netbox documentation:

https://netbox.readthedocs.io/

 

Also, is there a way to import rack diagrams created in one netbox instance to another netbox? is it using the import function? may I know the file extension?

You do not "create rack diagrams" in Netbox.  You create devices, and then Netbox renders the devices based on the rack and position information you've told it for each device.

So what you're really asking is whether you can export and import devices from one Netbox instance to another.

The answer is, no you can't, unless:

1. you copy the entire postgres database (i.e. clone the entire instance)

or

2. you write some code which scrapes the REST API of one instance and makes the corresponding changes via the REST API of another instance - but I'm not aware of any existing tool which does this.  (And it would have to track the database-assigned sequence number of each object separately in old and new databases)

[joseph de los santos]

Ok, thank you for clarifying. what is the point of the import function ? is it just for importing console ports to multiple devices?

[Brian Candler]

It's for importing entities from a legacy system (e.g. a spreadsheet), not from another instance of Netbox.

It can only create objects, not update them, and it does not deal well with relationships between objects.  For example: it's possible to have devices with no name, but then you cannot import any interfaces which go with that device.

In several cases (including cables if I remember correctly), Netbox's export format is not compatible with its own import format.

[joseph de los santos]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for helping. so if I can get a csv version of the rack info I can just import that into my netbox instance?

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[Brian Candler]

In principle yes.  You need to pre-create the manufacturers/device types, device roles, and the racks.  Then you can import a CSV where the heading line is for example:

device_role,manufacturer,device_type,status,site,rack,position,face

Position is the U-position of the lowest slot occupied by the device. face is front or rear.

Here are all the fields you can set on device import:

[joseph de los santos]

Ok, when you say pre-create, I use the webgui to do that right?

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[Brian Candler]

I think you ought simply to install Netbox, because these things are all answered easily by trying it out.

Yes, you can use the GUI to create those things.  You can also use CSV to import racks, and JSON/YAML to import device types (since device types also include ports/interfaces)

[joseph de los santos]

Hi All,

So I am trying to create the columns so I can import the racks.. not sure if I am doing this correctly but basically, I think I should specify the columns I want to submit? like the below? then after submission I can just click import csv to populate the table? Thank you

On Mon, Sep 7, 2020 at 7:09 PM Brian Candler <b.ca...@pobox.com> wrote:

I think you ought simply to install Netbox, because these things are all answered easily by trying it out.

Yes, you can use the GUI to create those things.  You can also use CSV to import racks, and JSON/YAML to import device types (since device types also include ports/interfaces)

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[joseph de los santos]

I might be doing it wrong, I have managed to pull out data for racks and devices in csv format, (2 different files), I tried creating the list of column headers to no avail, should I create the column headers+ the devices data in the import field? thank you

[joseph de los santos]

I think I got it, its  column field names on one row and data on succeeding rows... (i.e.) 

site,group_name,name,facility_id,tenant,status,role,type,serial,asset_tag,width,u_height,desc_units,outer_width,outer_depth,outer_unit,comments
EE1,,5037,EME1:01:020010:0507,Cli,Active,,,,,19,45,,,,,test loc ingress rack

On Tue, Sep 8, 2020 at 11:05 AM joseph de los santos <josephbde...@gmail.com> wrote: