Netbox is a free and open-source web application designed to help manage and document computer networks. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Netbox on Arch Linux.
Before we begin, make sure that you have the following:
Before installing Netbox, it is always good practice to update the system to ensure that all the latest security patches and updates are installed. Open the terminal and enter the following command:
sudo pacman -Syu
To run Netbox on Arch Linux, we need to install several packages. The following command will install all the required packages:
sudo pacman -S postgresql nginx python python-virtualenv git
During the installation, you will be prompted to enter your sudo password.
Netbox uses PostgreSQL as its database engine. We need to create a new PostgreSQL database for Netbox. To log in to PostgreSQL, use the following command:
sudo -u postgres psql
This will take you to the PostgreSQL prompt. Now, create a new database and user for Netbox using the following commands:
CREATE DATABASE netbox;
CREATE USER netboxuser WITH PASSWORD 'password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE netbox TO netboxuser;
Make sure to replace 'password' with a secure password.
To install Netbox, we need to download the source code from the official GitHub repository. Navigate to the home directory and clone the repository using the following command:
cd ~
git clone -b master https://github.com/digitalocean/netbox.git
Next, navigate to the netbox directory and create a virtual environment using the following commands:
cd netbox
python -m virtualenv venv
source venv/bin/activate
Now, install the required Python modules using the following command:
pip install -r requirements.txt
Before we can run Netbox, we need to configure it. Navigate to the netbox/netbox directory and copy the example configuration file:
cd netbox/netbox
cp configuration.example.py configuration.py
Next, edit the configuration file using your preferred text editor:
nano configuration.py
Find the DATABASES section and replace the following fields with the database and user details you created earlier:
DATABASES = {
'default': {
'NAME': 'netbox',
'USER': 'netboxuser',
'PASSWORD': 'password',
'HOST': 'localhost',
'PORT': '',
'CONN_MAX_AGE': 300,
'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql',
},
}
Press Ctrl + X, then Y, and Enter to save and exit the file.
Now, we need to migrate the database schema to PostgreSQL. From the netbox/netbox directory, run the following command:
python manage.py migrate
This will set up the required database tables in PostgreSQL.
To create a superuser account, run the following command:
python manage.py createsuperuser
Follow the prompts to create a new superuser account.
Finally, we need to configure Nginx to serve Netbox. Create a new Nginx server block using your preferred text editor:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/netbox
Add the following configuration:
server {
listen 80;
server_name netbox.example.com;
location / {
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8001;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
}
}
Replace 'netbox.example.com' with your own domain name or IP address.
Enable the new server block by creating a symbolic link:
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/netbox /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
Restart Nginx to apply the changes:
sudo systemctl restart nginx
To start Netbox, navigate to the netbox/netbox directory and activate the virtual environment:
cd ~/netbox/netbox
source venv/bin/activate
Next, start the Django development server using the following command:
python manage.py runserver 127.0.0.1:8001
Netbox should now be accessible at http://your-ip-address-or-domain-name.
Congratulations, you have successfully installed Netbox on Arch Linux.
If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!
Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!
