netbox-catalyst-center 1.8.0

NetBox plugin to display Cisco Catalyst Center client details

NetBox Catalyst Center Plugin

A NetBox plugin that integrates Cisco Catalyst Center (formerly DNA Center) with NetBox, displaying network device details, wireless client information, compliance status, and security advisories.

Features

Network Device Integration

• Device Details Tab: Adds a "Catalyst Center" tab to Device detail pages
• Reachability Status: Shows device reachability and collection status
• Software Information: Displays software version, platform, and series
• Compliance Status: Shows PSIRT, IMAGE, CONFIG, and EOX compliance
• Security Advisories: Lists PSIRT advisories with links to Cisco security portal
• Sync to NetBox: Sync IP address, serial number, and SNMP location from Catalyst Center

Wireless Client Support

• Real-time IP Lookup: Shows current IP address for wireless clients
• Connection Status: Displays connected/disconnected state with health score
• AP Information: Shows connected access point, SSID, and location
• Signal Quality: Displays RSSI, SNR, and data rate for wireless clients

Device Import

• Search Catalyst Center: Search by hostname, IP address, or MAC address with wildcard support
• One-Way Import: Import devices from Catalyst Center into NetBox (one-way only)
• Auto-detect Device Role: Automatically maps Catalyst Center device family to NetBox roles
• Duplicate Detection: Shows which devices already exist in NetBox
• Interface Sync: Import all interfaces with type mapping, LAG membership, and IP addresses
• POE Sync: Sync POE mode and type (802.3af/at/bt) for switch interfaces

Virtual Chassis Support

• Stacked Switch Import: Import switch stacks as NetBox Virtual Chassis
• Member Devices: Creates one device per stack member (hostname.1, hostname.2, etc.)
• Interface Assignment: Physical interfaces assigned to correct member by slot number
• Configurable: Enable via enable_virtual_chassis setting (default: disabled)

General Features

• Configurable Device Mappings: Control which devices show the tab and lookup method
• Multi-strategy Lookup: IP address → hostname → fetch all with local filtering
• Caching: Caches API responses to reduce load on Catalyst Center

Screenshots

Device Tab - Network Device View

Device Tab - Wireless Client View

Import Devices from Catalyst Center

Settings Page

Dashboard Widget

Catalyst Center health widget showing device reachability and compliance summary.

Requirements

• NetBox 4.0 or higher (tested on NetBox 4.x only)
• Cisco Catalyst Center (DNA Center) 2.x or higher
• Python 3.10+

Note: This plugin is developed and tested exclusively on NetBox 4.x. It is not compatible with NetBox 3.x due to API and model changes.

Installation

From PyPI (recommended)

pip install netbox-catalyst-center

From Source

git clone https://github.com/sieteunoseis/netbox-catalyst-center.git
cd netbox-catalyst-center
pip install -e .

Docker Installation

Add to your NetBox Docker requirements file:

# requirements-extra.txt
netbox-catalyst-center

Or for development:

# In docker-compose.override.yml, mount the plugin:
volumes:
  - /path/to/netbox-catalyst-center:/opt/netbox/netbox/netbox_catalyst_center

Configuration

Add the plugin to your NetBox configuration:

# configuration.py or plugins.py

PLUGINS = [
    'netbox_catalyst_center',
]

PLUGINS_CONFIG = {
    'netbox_catalyst_center': {
        # Required: Catalyst Center URL
        'catalyst_center_url': 'https://dnac.example.com',

        # Required: API credentials
        'catalyst_center_username': 'api-user',
        'catalyst_center_password': 'your-password',

        # Optional settings
        'timeout': 30,           # API timeout in seconds (default: 30)
        'cache_timeout': 60,     # Cache duration in seconds (default: 60)
        'verify_ssl': False,     # Verify SSL certificates (default: False)

        # Virtual Chassis: Import stacked switches as virtual chassis (default: False)
        # When enabled, stacks create one device per member with interfaces assigned by slot
        'enable_virtual_chassis': False,

        # Device mappings (REQUIRED) - Controls which devices show the Catalyst Center tab
        # Each mapping specifies:
        #   - manufacturer: Regex pattern to match device manufacturer (slug or name)
        #   - device_type: Optional regex pattern to match device type (slug or model)
        #   - lookup: How to find the device in Catalyst Center:
        #       "network_device" - Uses IP → hostname → fetch all (for switches, routers, APs)
        #       "client" - Uses MAC address via Client API (for wireless clients)
        'device_mappings': [
            # All Cisco devices - lookup as network devices
            {'manufacturer': 'cisco', 'lookup': 'network_device'},

            # Vocera badges - lookup by MAC address as wireless clients
            {'manufacturer': 'vocera', 'lookup': 'client'},

            # Example: Specific device type only
            # {'manufacturer': 'cisco', 'device_type': 'catalyst-9300', 'lookup': 'network_device'},
        ],
    }
}

Note: The device_mappings configuration is required. Without it, the Catalyst Center tab will not appear on any devices.

Catalyst Center API User

Create an API user in Catalyst Center with these permissions:

• Network Services > Read - For client lookups
• System > Read - For device inventory

Usage

Once installed and configured:

1. Navigate to any Device in NetBox
2. Click the Catalyst Center tab
3. View real-time client details from Catalyst Center

Device Name as MAC Address

The plugin uses the device name as the MAC address for lookups. This works well for:

• Vocera badges (serial number = MAC address)
• Other wireless devices where name matches MAC

For devices where the name doesn't match the MAC, consider:

• Using a custom field for MAC address
• Naming devices with their MAC address

What's Displayed

Field	Description
Connection Status	Connected/Disconnected with health score
IP Address	Current IPv4 address
MAC Address	Client MAC address
SSID	Connected wireless network
VLAN	Assigned VLAN ID
Connected AP	Access point name and interface
Location	Physical location from Catalyst Center
Signal Quality	RSSI, SNR, and data rate

Troubleshooting

Client not found

• Verify the device name in NetBox matches the client MAC address in Catalyst Center
• Check that the client has connected to the network recently
• MAC format should be xxxxxxxxxxxx (no colons) or xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx

Connection errors

• Verify catalyst_center_url is accessible from NetBox container
• Check that the API credentials are correct
• For self-signed certificates, set verify_ssl: False

Authentication errors

• Verify the API user has required permissions
• Check that the password hasn't expired

Development

Setup

git clone https://github.com/sieteunoseis/netbox-catalyst-center.git
cd netbox-catalyst-center
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Code Style

black netbox_catalyst_center/
flake8 netbox_catalyst_center/

Documentation

Full documentation is available in the GitHub Wiki.

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for release history and breaking changes.

License

Apache License 2.0 - See LICENSE for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Submit a pull request

Support

If you find this plugin helpful, consider supporting development:

Related Projects

• netbox-graylog - Display Graylog logs in NetBox