Conclusion

When I first started reading about NetBox, I found their aim of being "the premiere network source of truth" kind of cheesy. It's just a web GUI for a network map with some stuff from a database after all. Since installing and using it, however, I'm a true believer. I think every single network should be mapped-out using NetBox. I have installed the community edition at work as well as on my home network. It really is your network's "truth" – or at least it becomes that once you put in the work.

I am still in the process of documenting the network in my organization. It is an enormous task and one that never ends, because updates will need to be made as the network expands, contracts, and changes. My intent is to build NetBox out thoroughly enough that I can give a new employee a login to NetBox so they can find their way around the entire organization, even if they aren't able to access everything that they see in there. I also needed to add maps for each building in the NetBox's location section, which I could do by simply uploading PNG images of our physical maps. I might not give a new employee the credentials for our building's switches, but they will know where the switches are located, what devices connect to them and through which ports, and the IP addresses those devices have, as well as be able to very quickly and easily find product information. NetBox will give new employees all that they need to know about the devices that they will work on to be able to effectively and efficiently do their jobs. With dozens of printers and hundreds of PCs on our network, the ability to pinpoint one device and its connection to a specific switch by searching for a room or a building, and to have a link to the user's guide and installation manual, drivers download page, specifications, asset tag number and corresponding serial number, and so on, will greatly improve team efficiency in the long run, though it will absolutely take time to implement. None of that time is wasted, however, because anyone who is mapping out the network in NetBox is also learning all of the ins and outs of it simultaneously.

Something incredibly important that I didn't focus on in this article: Knowing what is on your network and where that gear is located is critical to network security and is connected directly to CIS Safeguards numbers 1.1, 1.2, 3.2, 4.6, and many others in the CIS Risk Assessment Methodology (RAM)[18].

Initially, I found a ton of overlap between tools that we were already using and NetBox. However, as I added more devices to the database and put in more details about each device, I realized that I had been looking at it all wrong. While alternatives exist to basically all of NetBox's functions, the disconnect between the individual programs and services creates inefficiency. NetBox offers a fantastic opportunity for long-term improvement in network management. NetBox, if well-implemented, will act as a central knowledge hub for your network, with each of those other programs and services functioning as spokes off of that hub. NetBox doesn't lay over the top of your existing management stack, but instead coalesces with it in a way that empowers your IT team. While NetBox may initially look like a lot of work, you will wonder what you ever did without it once you get it up and running.

The Author

Adam Dix, a former teacher and product line manager, is a mechanical engineer and Linux enthusiast working as a LAN technician. You can check out some of his related work at EdUBudgie Linux (https://www.edubudgie.com).