How to Install NetBox on MXLinux

NetBox is a free and open-source web application for tracking and managing IP addresses, data centers, and network devices. It offers features like IP address management, device management, circuit management, and VLAN management. In this tutorial, we will see how to install NetBox on MXLinux.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

• A non-root user with sudo privileges.
• MXLinux Latest installed on your system.
• Access to the terminal or command-line interface.

Step 1 - Install Required Dependencies

Before installing NetBox, we need to install some required dependencies. Run the following command in the terminal to install the dependencies:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv python3-dev build-essential libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev libpq-dev libssl-dev zlib1g-dev

Step 2 - Clone NetBox Repository

Next, we need to clone the NetBox repository from GitHub. Run the following command to clone the repository:

git clone -b master https://github.com/digitalocean/netbox.git

After the cloning process is complete, navigate to the NetBox directory:

cd netbox/

Step 3 - Create a Virtual Environment

To keep the NetBox environment isolated from the system dependencies, we will create a virtual environment for NetBox. Run the following command to create a virtual environment:

python3 -m venv venv

After the virtual environment is created, activate it using the following command:

source venv/bin/activate

Step 4 - Install NetBox

Now, we can install NetBox using the following command:

pip3 install -r requirements.txt

Wait for the installation process to complete. It could take some time depending on your internet speed.

Step 5 - Configure NetBox

After the installation, copy the configuration file from the example file:

cp netbox/netbox/configuration.example.py netbox/netbox/configuration.py

Now, open the configuration file using a text editor and configure the database settings:

nano netbox/netbox/configuration.py

Change the following database settings according to your requirements:

DATABASE = {
    'NAME': 'netbox',     # your database name
    'USER': 'netbox',     # your database username
    'PASSWORD': 'password', # your database password
    'HOST': 'localhost', # your database host
    'PORT': '',           # your database port
    'CONN_MAX_AGE': 300,  # database connection timeout
}

Save and close the file.

Step 6 - Migrate the Database

Now, we are ready to migrate the database schema. Run the following command in the terminal:

python3 manage.py migrate

Wait for the migration process to complete.

Step 7 - Create a Superuser

To create a superuser, run the following command:

python3 manage.py createsuperuser

It will ask you for some information like username, email, and password. Follow the prompts to create a user.

Step 8 - Start NetBox Server

Finally, we can start the NetBox server using the following command:

python3 manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

Access NetBox by visiting the URL http://<server_ip>:8000 in your web browser.

Conclusion

That's it! We have successfully installed NetBox on MXLinux Latest. You can now use NetBox for tracking and managing IP addresses, devices, circuits, and VLANs.