These are the foundational elements that power NetBox Labs’ Data Center Infrastructure Management solution:

• Sites and Locations: Provide a hierarchical framework for physical and logical organization of assets—enabling you to segment infrastructure by region, site, building, or specific floor.
• Racks and Devices: Model and visualize the layout of server racks and the specific placement of devices, such as switches, servers, patch panels, and PDUs. Tracks units, orientation, and rack elevation.
• Cabling and Connectivity: Documents physical connections between devices. Tracks end-to-end cabling, interface types, port assignments, and connection status for comprehensive visibility.
• Power Management: Includes support for power panels, feeds, outlets, and device-level power ports, enabling granular tracking of energy consumption and dependencies.
• IP Address Management (IPAM): Maintains network addressing, IP ranges, subnets, VLANs, and virtual routing. Gives you complete view and control over Layer 2 and Layer 3 network resources.
• Virtualization: Supports the modeling of clusters, hosts, and virtual machines, providing insight into both physical and virtual infrastructure from a single interface.
• Automation & Extensibility: Offers robust REST/GraphQL APIs, custom fields, templates, and a wide plugin ecosystem for integrations, workflow automation, and custom data enhancements.

NetBox uses a structured data model to represent all aspects of physical and virtual infrastructure. Below are some of the most common DCIM data models you’ll encounter in NetBox:

• Organizational Models: Define the hierarchy and grouping of all infrastructure. Includes regions, sites, locations, and site groups that help logically segment your environment.
• Physical Asset Models: Represent actual hardware: racks, devices (servers, switches, storage), modules (line cards, blades), and inventory items (transceivers, cables).
• Component Models: Capture the individual ports, bays, power outlets, interfaces, and other components within devices and racks for granular tracking and mapping.
• Connectivity Models: Document all physical and logical interconnections, including cables, front/rear ports, interfaces, and connection status to visualize how devices link together.
• Power Infrastructure Models: Track power panels, feeds, outlets, and device-level power ports to see electrical dependencies and availability.
• IP Address Management (IPAM) Models: Structure and manage your network: prefixes, IP addresses, VLANs, VRFs, routing targets, and FHRP groups for comprehensive Layer 2 and Layer 3 mapping.
• Virtualization Models: Document clusters, virtual machines, VM interfaces, and their relationships to physical hosts.
• Tenancy and Contacts: Assign ownership and management info at every level, from sites down to individual devices, by linking tenants, contracts, and contact roles.

Here’s an example table to summarize some primary data models and their typical use:

This section outlines recommended elements for building an effective appendix to your NetBox Labs DCIM project documentation. Each element can help ensure consistency, clarity, and completeness in your records and operational workflows:

• 1. Data Model Reference:
  • List all core and custom modeled objects (e.g., Sites, Devices, Interfaces, Cables).
  • Define organizational hierarchies and naming conventions used across your deployment.
  • Include example data structures or object hierarchies for quick reference.
• 2. Example Configurations:
  • Add sample exports or screenshots of device records, rack layouts, or cable terminations.
  • Provide example Jinja2 templates for automated configuration generation.
• 3. API Reference:
  • Document key REST and GraphQL API endpoints related to DCIM models.
  • Share example API requests for automating tasks (e.g., batch importing racks, updating device status).
• 4. Plugin & Extension Inventory:
  • List all installed plugins, integrations, and their purposes.
  • Document custom fields or scripts in use and describe their intended use cases.
• 5. Environmental & Capacity Diagrams:
  • Include rack elevation diagrams, network topologies, or technical drawings.
  • Provide charts or tables with space, power, and cooling capacity data if available.
• 6. Compliance & Change Management:
  • Share sample change logs, audit trails, or event history exports to demonstrate tracking methodologies.
  • Include documentation of automated event rules, webhook triggers, or journaling processes.

By including these key components, your appendix will serve as a valuable resource for ongoing operations, onboarding, audits, and future expansion of your DCIM practices.

NetBox’s primary DCIM models are core building blocks that represent the real-world assets, connectivity, and organizational structure of your data center. The table below provides a quick reference to the main models and their key functions within the platform:

This sample table serves as a foundational reference for mapping your environment’s assets, relationships, and operational roles within NetBox Labs DCIM.