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How to Document Your Network with Netdot on a Linux Server

A complete Linux guide to Netdot: install the documented stack, discover switches and routers with SNMP, map topology, manage IPv4/IPv6 and IP/MAC data, and keep records current with scheduled jobs.
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Netdot turns a Linux server into a central inventory for switches, routers, interfaces, IP addresses, physical links and contacts. Install its documented Perl, database and Apache stack; add devices with controlled SNMP credentials; run discovery for each device and subnet; enrich the records that discovery cannot infer; then schedule recurring polling so topology and address data follow network changes.

What Netdot documents and why it matters

The Netdot project describes the software as “an open source tool designed to help network administrators collect, organize and maintain network documentation.” Its documented feature set covers SNMP-based device discovery, Layer 2 topology, IPv4 and IPv6 IP address management (IPAM), address visualization, IP/MAC tracking, cable-plant records, contacts, exports and role-based access control.

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That combination is more useful than a static diagram. A device record can contain the hostname, management address, SNMP details, owner, location, contacts, interfaces, descriptions, modules, DNS behavior, IP assignments, jacks and discovered or manually corrected neighbors. Netdot can also generate data used by DNS, DHCP and monitoring systems, allowing the inventory to become an operational source rather than a document that is updated only after an outage.

The documented manual identifies Netdot version 1.0.8 and carries 2018 copyright metadata. The latest visible repository activity is dated January 27, 2021. Those dates matter: the installation notes, dependency assumptions and Ubuntu 16.04 patch instructions are historical documentation, not a statement that current Ubuntu releases or every other Linux distribution are supported. Test the stack on a disposable host or virtual machine before putting it in production.

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How the Netdot architecture fits together

Netdot has four cooperating parts:

  • Database: MySQL is fully supported in the documented release; PostgreSQL support is described as partial.
  • Perl back end: libraries hold the discovery and data-management logic and can also be used as an API.
  • HTML::Mason web interface: administrators use the browser UI to edit records, launch discovery and view maps and reports.
  • Command-line scripts: utilities are intended for cron and other scheduled automation, including discovery, pruning, exports and configuration generation.

Apache publishes the web interface. The installation creates a configurable path, commonly /netdot/, but the final URL depends on the Apache template and site settings you select. Keep the database, web server and polling scripts on a host with reliable DNS, time synchronization and network reachability to the management interfaces you intend to query.

Prepare a Linux server before installing

Confirm reachability and credentials

Decide which management VLANs the server can reach and whether firewalls permit SNMP polling from its address. Netdot discovery depends on valid SNMP credentials for each device. Use read-only SNMP accounts wherever possible, and document whether a device uses a community string, SNMPv3 credentials or an organization-specific access control list. Do not put production secrets in shell history or world-readable files.

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Choose the database deliberately

Use MySQL when you want the database engine explicitly covered as fully supported by the 1.0.8 documentation. PostgreSQL is listed as partially supported, so verify the features you need before standardizing on it. Create a dedicated database and account, restrict that account to Netdot’s database, and back up the database before changing schemas or upgrading the host.

Allow for an older software stack

The project’s visible activity stops in 2021 and the manual’s metadata is from 2018. Current distributions may ship newer Perl, Apache, database clients or modules than the installation notes expect. Capture the working package list and configuration in your server build notes. If dependency resolution fails on a current distribution, reproduce the documented environment in a supported legacy image rather than silently mixing incompatible versions on a production server.

Install Netdot step by step

1. Obtain the source

Clone the project and enter its directory:

git clone https://github.com/cvicente/Netdot.git
cd Netdot

The repository is the project’s source of installation templates, scripts and documentation. Review the branch or tag you intend to deploy and keep a copy of the exact revision used in production.

2. Install operating-system packages

On Debian or Ubuntu, install the build tools and package prerequisites through the project target:

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make apt-install

On an RPM-based system, install make and run:

make rpm-install

These targets are convenience recipes, not a guarantee that every current distribution is compatible. Read their output and record packages that your platform resolves differently.

3. Check and resolve Perl dependencies

Check the dependency set first:

make testdeps

If modules are missing, use the project installer:

make installdeps

You can install individual CPAN modules when only a small number are absent. Re-run make testdeps until the check is clean. A failed dependency check is preferable to a partially working web interface: discovery scripts can fail later, leaving a misleadingly incomplete inventory.

4. Create site-specific configuration

Copy the default configuration and edit the site file rather than modifying the distributed defaults:

cp etc/Default.conf etc/Site.conf

Set the database connection, installation paths, web URL, authentication choices, mail or export settings and any local naming conventions in etc/Site.conf. Keep this file backed up separately because it contains the values that make one installation different from another.

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5. Initialize the database and application

Follow the installation steps in the manual for creating the database, loading the schema and setting ownership. The exact commands depend on the database engine and the values in Site.conf; do not substitute a generic schema import from another release. Confirm that the Netdot account can connect and that the tables are created before configuring Apache.

6. Configure Apache authentication and the virtual path

The distribution includes Apache templates for local authentication, RADIUS, Kerberos and LDAP. Select the template that matches your identity system, edit its site values, then include or enable the resulting Apache configuration. Reload Apache and check its error log before attempting discovery. A common first test is the configured Netdot path, normally:

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http://server-name/netdot/

Use HTTPS in production, protect the path with the organization’s access controls and limit administrative access to trusted networks. If Apache returns a 404, check the alias and Mason handler in the enabled configuration; if it returns a 500, inspect both the Apache and Perl error logs for missing modules or permissions.

7. Sign in and replace the initial password

The manual documents an initial admin login and explicitly instructs administrators to change that password after the first login. Do this immediately, then create named administrator or operator accounts as appropriate. Avoid sharing the built-in account because audit trails are far more useful when each change is attributable to one person.

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Add devices and run the first discovery

Use the web interface for a controlled first device

  1. Open Management -> Devices.
  2. Enter the device hostname or management IP address.
  3. Supply the SNMP community or other credential expected by that device.
  4. Set the owner, user, location and contacts so the record is useful even before topology is discovered.
  5. Save the device and start discovery from its record.
  6. Review interfaces, IP addresses, system identity and any warnings before adding a larger range.

Start with one representative switch and one router. This exposes SNMP view restrictions, naming conventions and firewall problems without filling the database with partial records.

Use the command line for repeatable imports

The update script supports several scopes and discovery modes:

Purpose Command form Use case
One device updatedevices.pl -H <device-name> -I -c <community> Test credentials and collect one known host.
Subnet updatedevices.pl -B 192.168.1.0/24 Process addresses in a defined IPv4 block.
Text list updatedevices.pl -E <text-file> -I Import a curated inventory or an externally generated list.
Additional collection Use the script’s ARP and forwarding-table modes Gather Layer 3 neighbor and Layer 2 location evidence.
Topology updatedevices.pl -T Build or refresh discovered links.
Recursive neighbor discovery Add --recursive Follow unknown neighbors found from a seed device.

Run the command as the account and environment used by cron, not only from an interactive shell. Use absolute paths in scheduled jobs and capture standard output and errors while validating a new command.

How Netdot maps topology

No single protocol reveals every physical and logical relationship. Netdot combines several evidence sources; each answers a different question.

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Evidence What it contributes Typical limitation
CDP or LLDP Neighbor identity and the local and remote interfaces advertising the relationship. Disabled protocols, vendor differences or incomplete management access can hide a link.
Spanning tree Bridge relationships and port state that help explain switched paths. It describes the spanning-tree view, not necessarily every cable or an administratively unused path.
Switch forwarding tables The switch port on which a MAC address was learned, useful for locating hosts and validating paths. Entries age out and may be absent for quiet devices or filtered VLANs.
Router point-to-point subnets Layer 3 links inferred from addressing on routed interfaces. Shared or unusual subnets may not represent a simple point-to-point cable.

Start topology discovery with updatedevices.pl -T. Add --recursive when you want Netdot to follow neighbors that are not yet in the database. Treat newly inferred links as evidence to review, especially when a device exposes only a partial SNMP view.

Correct links that discovery cannot see

You can manually define a fixed neighbor relationship when a link is not discoverable. This is useful for an unmanaged device, a disabled discovery protocol or a documented patch-panel relationship. Fixed neighbors are not self-healing: the manual warns that they can become stale when hardware or cabling changes. Record why the relationship was fixed and include it in change-control reviews.

Enrich each device record beyond discovery

SNMP can identify interfaces and addresses, but it rarely captures the physical and organizational context needed during an incident. Add the following information as part of onboarding:

  • Location and ownership: building, room, rack, owner and responsible team.
  • Contacts: escalation paths for operations, facilities and vendors.
  • Interface descriptions: circuit IDs, connected equipment, VLAN purpose or service name.
  • Physical plant: jacks, modules, patch-panel details and cable relationships.
  • Address data: IPv4 and IPv6 assignments, DNS names and observed MAC addresses.
  • Exceptions: manually fixed neighbors and the reason automated discovery is insufficient.

Use a consistent naming convention before importing hundreds of devices. A hostname that encodes site and role makes --matching filters practical and makes exported documentation easier to search.

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Use IPAM, tracking and generated configuration

Netdot provides hierarchical IPv4 and IPv6 blocks, visualizations and IP/MAC tracking. Model parent allocations before child subnets so utilization and ownership remain understandable. When an address moves, retain the history available in the application instead of editing a screenshot or spreadsheet; the point of IPAM is to make the current assignment and its relationship to the larger block visible.

The system can generate BIND DNS and ISC DHCPD configuration files. Treat generated files as build artifacts: review a sample, validate it with the target service’s configuration checker, and deploy through the same change process used for other infrastructure. A stale or incorrectly scoped block can produce incorrect DNS or DHCP data, so generation should follow a successful inventory refresh.

Netdot can also export or generate data for Nagios, Sysmon, RANCID, Cacti and SmokePing. These integrations are most reliable when Netdot is the authoritative inventory for names, addresses and device roles. Define which fields each downstream system consumes and test what happens when a device is retired or renamed.

Keep documentation current with scheduled jobs

A one-time discovery becomes inaccurate as soon as a switch, address or cable changes. The sample cron strategy in the project retrieves forwarding and ARP tables, rediscovers devices and topology, prunes old data, exports text documentation and generates configurations for external systems.

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Adapt the documented hourly example

The manual shows this example hourly job:

0 * * * * root /usr/local/netdot/bin/updatedevices.pl -DIFAT

The flags combine the project’s documented update functions. Treat the line as a starting point, not a universal interval. Polling every hour may be excessive for a large network, a constrained WAN or devices with strict SNMP rate limits; a small lab may need more frequent updates during a migration.

Limit a schedule with matching

Use --matching to restrict an update to a device-name pattern. For example, a site can schedule a faster job for a small group of core devices and a slower job for access switches. Keep separate logs for each job so a timeout on one segment does not look like a successful global refresh.

Build a safe automation sequence

  1. Poll device identity and interfaces.
  2. Retrieve ARP and forwarding tables where credentials and device support allow it.
  3. Run topology discovery, including recursive discovery only when the resulting scope is understood.
  4. Prune data according to the retention policy rather than deleting records blindly.
  5. Export text documentation and generate downstream configuration files.
  6. Validate generated files and alert on failed jobs, large device-count changes or unexpected address churn.

Before enabling pruning, take a database backup and confirm which records are considered old. Keep the cron account’s environment, Perl library path and working directory explicit; many “works manually, fails in cron” incidents are environment or permission problems rather than Netdot discovery failures.

Automate imports through the REST interface

The documented REST interface is available below /rest/. /rest/devinfo exposes extensive device information, while /rest/updatedev accepts device imports. Use REST when an inventory or provisioning system already knows about devices and you want a repeatable hand-off instead of manual web entry.

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Authorization is role-sensitive. Administrators can edit or delete generic REST resources; operators and regular users have narrower permissions and purpose-specific editing paths. Create the least-privileged account that can perform the required import, protect credentials like SNMP secrets, and log both the caller and the submitted device identifier. Test an import against a nonproduction device before allowing an external system to update the full inventory.

Troubleshoot the first failed discovery

The device record exists but contains little data

  • Verify that the server can route to the management address and that firewalls allow SNMP.
  • Check the community or SNMP credentials, including case and source-address restrictions.
  • Confirm the SNMP view exposes system, interface, IP, bridge and forwarding objects needed for the selected discovery modes.
  • Run the same command from a shell as the cron account and inspect its complete error output.

Topology shows missing or implausible links

  • Confirm CDP or LLDP is enabled where policy permits and that both endpoints expose neighbor information.
  • Run forwarding-table and spanning-tree collection; a neighbor protocol alone may not describe a host path.
  • Check whether entries have aged out or whether VLAN filtering hides the relevant MAC address.
  • For an unavoidable blind spot, add a documented fixed neighbor and schedule a review because the relationship can become stale.

The web interface fails after an update

  • Inspect Apache and Perl logs for a missing module, wrong file ownership or an invalid Mason path.
  • Re-run make testdeps in the deployed source tree.
  • Compare etc/Site.conf with the last known-good backup, especially database and path settings.
  • Do not overwrite a working production tree with an untested source checkout; stage the revision and database changes first.

Generated DNS or DHCP data is wrong

Check the underlying IPAM hierarchy, duplicate assignments, stale device records and the timestamp of the last successful polling job. Validate generated files with the target service before deployment and correct the Netdot record rather than hand-editing an output file that will be regenerated.

Operational and security checklist

  • Use HTTPS and restrict Apache access to management networks.
  • Replace the initial admin password immediately and use named accounts.
  • Prefer read-only SNMP credentials and limit them by source address and object view.
  • Protect Site.conf, REST credentials, cron logs and database backups.
  • Back up the database and site configuration before schema changes, pruning or upgrades.
  • Monitor job duration, error counts, discovered-device totals and unexpected topology changes.
  • Document every fixed neighbor and review it during cabling or hardware changes.
  • Stage the 1.0.8-era stack on a test host because the visible repository activity is from January 27, 2021 and does not establish support for current Linux releases.

A practical rollout plan

  1. Pilot: install on a test Linux server, configure MySQL, Apache and authentication, and add one switch and one router.
  2. Validate: compare interface, IP, neighbor and location data with known records; fix SNMP views and naming before expanding.
  3. Expand: import curated device lists or subnets, then run topology and recursive discovery in controlled batches.
  4. Enrich: add owners, contacts, racks, jacks, interface descriptions and documented exceptions.
  5. Integrate: test IPAM exports and generated DNS, DHCP and monitoring data without replacing existing production files immediately.
  6. Automate: schedule polling, exports and pruning at intervals appropriate to network size and SNMP capacity; alert on failures.
  7. Review: include Netdot records in change management so a new device, circuit or cable is reflected in the inventory as part of the change.

Installed this way, Netdot is more than a topology drawing: it is a database-backed record of how devices, addresses, interfaces, people and physical connections fit together. Its value depends on disciplined credentials, complete enrichment and scheduled rediscovery, particularly because the documented release and repository activity are several years old.

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