HOWTO: Export NetBox Inventory for Ansible and Nornir¶

Purpose: Run the NetBox inventory exporter, validate both Ansible and Nornir output, and configure the CI/CD freshness check.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Track: IPAM-Driven Infrastructure

Overview¶

Inventory export is not a one-time task: it is a regular pipeline step that keeps Ansible and Nornir synchronised with NetBox. This HOWTO covers the export command, output validation, and the CI/CD integration that prevents automation runs on stale inventory data.

1. Running the Exporter¶

make inventory.netbox-export command.
Exporter configuration: NetBox URL, token, filter parameters.
Output file locations: netbox_hosts.yaml and netbox_inventory.yaml.

2. Validating Ansible Inventory Output¶

Schema structure: all.hosts, group memberships, host variables.
Required variables: ansible_host, env, role, site.
Confirming expected device count.

3. Validating Nornir Inventory Output¶

Schema structure: host entries with hostname, platform, groups, data.
Group resolution: env_* and role_* groups present.
Spot-checking a specific host entry.

4. Testing Device Reachability¶

Running an Ansible ping against a subset of hosts.
Running a Nornir connectivity test.
Diagnosing unreachable hosts: IP mismatch, firewall, DNS.

5. CI/CD Freshness Check¶

Freshness check configuration: max age in hours.
Pipeline step: make inventory.check-freshness.
Handling a freshness failure in the pipeline.

References¶

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