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Extras

NetBox Cloud

There are some challenges when using the IP Fabric NetBox plugin with NetBox Cloud. The plugin is designed to run on the NetBox server which has reachability to an IP Fabric instance. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a NetBox Cloud Remote data collection feature. This feature allows users to collect data from IP Fabric instances with a Python script which will push all the data required for the plugin to function effectively to your instance of NetBox Cloud. Once the raw data has been pushed up, the transformation process will run as normal.

To enable this, you can simply add an IP Fabric instance with the type Remote, and this will enable the remote data collection feature.

Enabling this will limit some functionality of the plugin such as:

  • Device Tables

Device Tables

IP Fabric encompasses an extensive array of configuration and operational state data for devices, not all of which can be synchronized into NetBox. The plugin offers a means to seamlessly view this data within NetBox by dynamically generating tables for each IP Fabric table, allowing the use of serial numbers as filters for output.

These tables will be available as a tab under all devices. If no serial number is available, users will be unable to perform a lookup as we require the serial number to filter the IP Fabric API data.

The default behavior in IP Fabric involves utilizing the $last snapshot to generate the table. However, users have the option to manually modify this by changing the snapshot form field. Additionally, the IP Fabric Source field allows specifying an alternative IP Fabric instance for the lookup; by default, the source last used to synchronize the device will be used.

The cache can be used to store the data for a given device, allowing for faster lookups. This is enabled by default but can be disabled by unchecking the Cache checkbox. The cache will be updated every time the IP Fabric API is queried. The cache is stored for 24 hours.

Device Table

Site Topology

If sites have been synced with the plugin and have the IP Fabric Source custom field set a button will apear with the ability to get a topology of the $last or $prev snapshot. The will communicate with the IP Fabric API to generate a topology (SVG) for the site showing the devices and links between them. You can also use the link provided below to open the topology directly in IP Fabric for further analysis and interaction.

Site Topology