Software Manager - NetBox plugin

NetBox plugin to manage software for your Cisco devices in following aspects:

• software repository
• assign target (golden) image on created Device Types
• scheduled upload golden image on devices
• scheduled reload devices with golden image

Important notes

1. Developed on NetBox 3.4.3 and compatible (probably) with other versions, but not tested.
2. Plugin works with standalone IOS/IOS-XE boxes only. No Stacks/VSS/StackWiseVirtual at present.
3. Plugin operates with software version only, and does not consider feature set (lanlite vs lanbase, K9 vs NPE).
4. Test in your local sandbox, do not jump to production network.
5. Use this plugin on production network at one's own risk with take responsibility for any potential outages due to reload of devices.
6. Don't hesitate to contact me for any bugs/feature requests.

Software Repository

Main page

Add/Edit software page

Select *.bin file, specify expected MD5 (from cisco site) and verbose version. Plugin calculates MD5 when file uploading and result should matches with entered MD5, otherwise MD5 will be redded.

Software image details

Golden Images

Main page

Assigned Image/Version for all created DeviceTypes with upgrade progress for particular DeviceType.

Upgrade Devices

Main page

provides information about Target/Current versions (green = match, yellow = upgrade is required)

Add scheduled task

• Select job type:

  • upload (transfer golden image to the box)
  • upgrade (reload with golden image w/o transfer)

• select time to start or set "Start Now". Time is based on NetBox TimeZone, not your browser/hostPC.

• select MW duration. All tasks will be skipped after this time (countdown starts from scheduled time, not from time of creation tasks)

Scheduled tasks list

List of all scheduled/completed tasks.

Tasks with Running status can be deleted in admin view only.

Plugin has acknowledgment logic to try to prevent mass outage. ACK flag become True only in case of getting expected result. In case of any unknown error/traceback job will be finished with ACK=False. Any new job checks number of non-ACK and can be skpped if this number crossed threshold. ACK flag can be changed manually by clicking on "V" or "X".

Scheduled tasks info

Detailed information about task and execution log.

Installation

Instruction below describes installation for Docker-compose instance of NetBox.

For bare-metal setup pip can be used for installation. But some changes (ftp/redis etc) will be requared anyway.

pip install netbox-plugin-software-manager

1. Create new docker image based on latest-ldap netbox image

cd {{ your-netbox-locaton }}
git clone https://github.com/alsigna/netbox-software-manager.git
cd netbox-software-manager
docker build -t netbox-plugin .

Dockerfile:

FROM netboxcommunity/netbox:v3.4.3-2.4.0

# install scrapli[paramiko], scrapli[textfsm]
COPY requirements.txt /requirements.txt
RUN /opt/netbox/venv/bin/python -m pip install -r /requirements.txt

# make folder for image location. Should be in django media folder
# folder name (software-images in example).
RUN mkdir /opt/netbox/netbox/media/software-images/
RUN chown -R unit:unit /opt/netbox/netbox/media/software-images

# Add additional queue (software_manager in example). This name should be copied to NetBox configuration.py.
RUN echo '\n\
RQ_QUEUES["software_manager"]=RQ_PARAMS\n\
' >> /opt/netbox/netbox/netbox/settings.py

# Install plugin from local repository
#--SoftwareManager
COPY ./software_manager/ /source/SoftwareManager/software_manager/
COPY ./setup.py /source/SoftwareManager/
COPY ./README.md /source/SoftwareManager/
COPY ./MANIFEST.in /source/SoftwareManager/

#--Pip
RUN /opt/netbox/venv/bin/python -m pip install /source/SoftwareManager/

2. Create FTP or HTTP docker image

for FTP docker-alpine-ftp-server is used. For HTTP nginx base image is used.

Originally scp was used to transfer files, but based on experience, FTP/HTTP is much faster.

cd ftp
docker build -t ftp_for_netbox .
cd ../../

or

cd http
docker build -t http_for_netbox .
cd ../../

3. Change docker-compose.yml

...
  netbox-server: &netbox-server
    # Change image name to "customized" image from step 1.
    image: netbox-plugin
    volumes:
      # Mount log file. Path have to match with specified in configuration.py
      - ./netbox-software-manager/upgrade.log:/var/log/upgrade.log:z
      # Replace nginx-unit config
      - ./netbox-software-manager/nginx-unit.json:/etc/unit/nginx-unit.json:z,ro
      # Mount folder with IOS images. NetBox will upload/delete images.
      # Format: /opt/netbox/netbox/media/{{ IMAGE_FOLDER }}
      - ./netbox-software-manager/software-images:/opt/netbox/netbox/media/software-images:z
      # Mount script for rq
      - ./netbox-software-manager/rq.sh:/etc/netbox/rq.sh:z,ro
...

  netbox-worker:
    # Run script instead of single worker
    command: /bin/bash /etc/netbox/rq.sh
    # Comment original config:
    # entrypoint:
    # - /opt/netbox/venv/bin/python
    # - /opt/netbox/netbox/manage.py
    # command:
    # - rqworker 
...

  # FTP server from step 2.
  ftp:
    image: ftp_for_netbox
    ports:
      - "21:21"
      - "21000-21100:21000-21100"
    privileged: true
    volumes:
      # Mount folder with IOS images. FTP has RO only.
      - ./netbox-software-manager/software-images:/ftp/software-images:z,ro
      # Mount configuration files
      - ./netbox-software-manager/ftp/start_vsftpd.sh:/etc/vsftpd/start_vsftpd.sh:z,ro
      - ./netbox-software-manager/ftp/vsftpd.conf:/etc/vsftpd/vsftpd.conf:z,ro
    entrypoint: /etc/vsftpd/start_vsftpd.sh
    environment:
      # Specify user/password
      - USERS=software-images|ftp_password
      # Your external (host) IP address, not contaner's IP
      - ADDRESS=192.168.0.1
  
  # OR HTTP server
  http:
    image: http_for_netbox
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    volumes:
      # Mount folder with IOS images. FTP has RO only.
      - ./netbox-software-manager/software-images:/usr/share/nginx/html:z,ro

4. Change NetBox configuration.py

PLUGINS = [
    "software_manager",
]

PLUGINS_CONFIG = {
    "software_manager": {
        # Device credentials
        "DEVICE_USERNAME": "cisco",
        "DEVICE_PASSWORD": "cisco",
        # FTP credentials (can be skipped if HTTP is used)
        "FTP_USERNAME": "ftp-user",
        "FTP_PASSWORD": "ftp_password",
        "FTP_SERVER": "192.168.0.1",
        # HTTP server name with patch to images (can be skipped if FTP is used)
        "HTTP_SERVER": "http://10.8.0.1:8001/",
        # Default transport method, [tfp|http]
        "DEFAULT_TRANSFER_METHOD": "http",
        # Log file
        "UPGRADE_LOG_FILE": "/var/log/upgrade.log",
        # Queue name. Check step 1 (dockerfile). Should be the same
        "UPGRADE_QUEUE": "software_manager",
        # Custom field name which is used for store current SW version
        "CF_NAME_SW_VERSION": "sw_version",
        # folder name for image storing. located in netbox media.
        "IMAGE_FOLDER": "software-images",
        # Threshold for non-ACK check
        "UPGRADE_THRESHOLD": 2,
        # Number of tries to connect to device before declare that we lost it.
        "UPGRADE_MAX_ATTEMPTS_AFTER_RELOAD": 10,
        # Hold timer between tries
        "UPGRADE_SECONDS_BETWEEN_ATTEMPTS": 60,
    }
}

6. Restart docker-compose

7. Add Custom Field

Name	Type	Label	Object(s)
sw_version	Text	SW Version	dcim > device

8. Try to use

---

nginx-unit.json

Original NetBox config is used with max_body_size:

"settings": {
  "http": {
      "max_body_size": 1073741824
  }
}

rq.sh script

#!/bin/bash

# start multply rqworkers for "software_manager", check name if you customized it. There are 5 workers. This means up to 5 concurrent jobs can be run at the same time.
/opt/netbox/venv/bin/python /opt/netbox/netbox/manage.py rqworker software_manager &
/opt/netbox/venv/bin/python /opt/netbox/netbox/manage.py rqworker software_manager &
/opt/netbox/venv/bin/python /opt/netbox/netbox/manage.py rqworker software_manager &
/opt/netbox/venv/bin/python /opt/netbox/netbox/manage.py rqworker software_manager &
/opt/netbox/venv/bin/python /opt/netbox/netbox/manage.py rqworker software_manager &

# start default netbox worker
/opt/netbox/venv/bin/python /opt/netbox/netbox/manage.py rqworker high default low
exec "$@"