HOWTO: Allocate IPs from NetBox Before Provisioning¶

Purpose: Exercise the NetBox-backed authority path by reserving VM addresses before provisioning and carrying each allocation through validation and release.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Track: IPAM-Driven Infrastructure

Overview¶

In this NetBox-backed reference path, IP allocation is an explicit authority step before VM provisioning. The resulting address becomes a structured module input and remains traceable through post-provisioning validation and decommissioning. This HOWTO covers prefix selection, allocation, consumption, validation, and release.

1. Finding the Right Prefix¶

Querying prefixes by VLAN and site in NetBox.
Identifying available capacity.
Prefix selection policy (avoid management and reserved ranges).

2. Allocating an IP¶

Creating an IP address object via the NetBox API.
Required fields: address, status, assigned object.
Tagging with environment and role metadata.

3. Passing the IP to the Provisioning Module¶

Exporting the allocation as a module input.
Using the IPAM module output directly in the VM module input map.
Handling allocation failures gracefully.

4. Post-Provisioning Validation¶

Confirming the IP appears in NetBox as active.
Verifying the interface binding is correct.
Updating the DNS record if required.

5. Decommission and Release¶

Marking the IP as deprecated on VM shutdown.
Releasing the allocation after decommission.
Avoiding ghost allocations in long-running environments.

References¶

License: MIT-0 for code, CC-BY-4.0 for documentation unless otherwise stated.