How to Install NetBox IRM on Ubuntu 24.04 Server Using Windows VPS

NetBox is an open-source Infrastructure Resource Management (IRM) tool designed to manage and document networks, IP addresses, and data center infrastructure. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for installing NetBox on an Ubuntu 24.04 server hosted on a Windows VPS using manual setup, Docker, Ansible, Kubernetes, and Terraform. We’ll also configure Let’s Encrypt for SSL and set up a domain. For reliable VPS hosting, consider Netcloud24 for high-performance Windows VPS solutions.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 24.04 VPS (e.g., from Netcloud24)
• SSH access with root or sudo privileges
• A registered domain name
• Basic knowledge of Linux commands

Method 1: Manual Setup

Step 1: Update System and Install Dependencies

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv python3-dev postgresql postgresql-contrib libpq-dev redis-server nginx git

Step 2: Configure PostgreSQL

sudo -u postgres psql
CREATE DATABASE netbox;
CREATE USER netbox WITH PASSWORD 'YourSecurePassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE netbox TO netbox;
\q

Step 3: Install NetBox

cd /opt
sudo git clone -b release https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox.git
cd netbox/netbox
sudo python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 4: Configure NetBox

Copy the configuration file and edit it:

sudo cp configuration.example.py configuration.py
sudo nano configuration.py

Update the following in configuration.py:

ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['yourdomain.com']
DATABASE = {
    'NAME': 'netbox',
    'USER': 'netbox',
    'PASSWORD': 'YourSecurePassword',
    'HOST': 'localhost',
    'PORT': '',
}
SECRET_KEY = 'your-secret-key'  # Generate a secure key
REDIS = {
    'tasks': {
        'HOST': 'localhost',
        'PORT': 6379,
        'DATABASE': 0,
    },
    'caching': {
        'HOST': 'localhost',
        'PORT': 6379,
        'DATABASE': 1,
    }
}

Step 5: Run NetBox Installation Script

sudo ./manage.py migrate
sudo ./manage.py createsuperuser
sudo ./manage.py collectstatic --noinput

Step 6: Configure Gunicorn and Nginx

Create Gunicorn service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/gunicorn.service

Add:

[Unit]
Description=gunicorn daemon for NetBox
After=network.target
[Service]
User=www-data
Group=www-data
WorkingDirectory=/opt/netbox
ExecStart=/opt/netbox/venv/bin/gunicorn --workers 3 --bind 127.0.0.1:8001 netbox.wsgi
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Configure Nginx:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/netbox

Add:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.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;
    }
}

Enable services:

sudo systemctl enable gunicorn
sudo systemctl start gunicorn
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/netbox /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Method 2: Docker Setup

Step 1: Install Docker

sudo apt install -y docker.io
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Step 2: Run NetBox with Docker Compose

mkdir netbox-docker && cd netbox-docker
nano docker-compose.yml

Add to docker-compose.yml:

version: '3'
services:
  netbox:
    image: netboxcommunity/netbox:latest
    environment:
      - DB_HOST=postgres
      - DB_NAME=netbox
      - DB_USER=netbox
      - DB_PASSWORD=YourSecurePassword
      - REDIS_HOST=redis
      - SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
  postgres:
    image: postgres:15
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=netbox
      - POSTGRES_USER=netbox
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=YourSecurePassword
  redis:
    image: redis:7

Run Docker Compose:

sudo docker-compose up -d

Access NetBox at http://yourdomain.com:8080.

Method 3: Ansible Setup

Step 1: Install Ansible

sudo apt install -y ansible

Step 2: Create Ansible Playbook

mkdir netbox-ansible && cd netbox-ansible
nano netbox.yml

Add to netbox.yml:

---
- hosts: all
  become: yes
  tasks:
    - name: Update apt cache
      apt:
        update_cache: yes
    - name: Install dependencies
      apt:
        name: "{{ packages }}"
        state: present
      vars:
        packages:
          - python3
          - python3-pip
          - postgresql
          - redis-server
          - nginx
          - git
    - name: Clone NetBox
      git:
        repo: 'https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox.git'
        dest: /opt/netbox
        version: release
    - name: Install Python requirements
      pip:
        requirements: /opt/netbox/requirements.txt
        virtualenv: /opt/netbox/venv

Step 3: Run Playbook

ansible-playbook netbox.yml

Method 4: Kubernetes Setup

Step 1: Install Kubernetes

sudo apt install -y kubeadm kubectl kubelet
sudo kubeadm init
mkdir -p $HOME/.kube
sudo cp -i /etc/kubernetes/admin.conf $HOME/.kube/config
sudo chown $(id -u):$(id -g) $HOME/.kube/config

Step 2: Deploy NetBox

kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/netbox-community/netbox-docker/master/k8s/netbox-deployment.yaml
kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/netbox-community/netbox-docker/master/k8s/netbox-service.yaml

Access NetBox via the Kubernetes service endpoint.

Method 5: Terraform Setup

Step 1: Install Terraform

sudo apt install -y terraform

Step 2: Create Terraform Configuration

mkdir netbox-terraform && cd netbox-terraform
nano main.tf

Add to main.tf (example for AWS, adjust for your provider):

provider "aws" {
  region = "us-east-1"
}
resource "aws_instance" "netbox" {
  ami           = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0" # Ubuntu 24.04 AMI
  instance_type = "t2.medium"
  tags = {
    Name = "NetBox-Server"
  }
  user_data = <<-EOF
              #!/bin/bash
              apt update && apt upgrade -y
              apt install -y python3 python3-pip postgresql redis-server nginx git
              git clone -b release https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox.git /opt/netbox
              EOF
}

Step 3: Apply Terraform

terraform init
terraform apply

Configuring Let’s Encrypt SSL

Step 1: Install Certbot

sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Step 2: Obtain and Install SSL Certificate

sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com

Follow the prompts to configure SSL. Certbot will update Nginx configuration.

Adding a Domain

Update your domain’s DNS records to point to your VPS’s public IP address. For Nginx, ensure the virtual host is configured as shown above.

Conclusion

You’ve now learned how to install NetBox IRM on an Ubuntu 24.04 Windows VPS using manual setup, Docker, Ansible, Kubernetes, and Terraform, along with Let’s Encrypt SSL and domain configuration. For a seamless hosting experience, choose Netcloud24 for reliable VPS solutions tailored for applications like NetBox.