I'm trying to fully document our environment in NetBox, including every patch cable and PDU port. The challenge is the huge upfront effort required to audit and import everything, especially since our live environment is constantly changing. It feels like trying to bail water from a leaky boat while more keeps pouring in. How have others tackled this initial data entry nightmare?
2 Answers
We ended up hiring a third-party team to come in and create videos of our racks. Then, some guys overseas took those videos to make the diagrams. Honestly, it felt like a complete waste of time, especially seeing how tangled things can get; I spent an hour once just trying to trace one cable! But I was considering an automated solution, so I'm curious how much you spent on that?
Honestly, I'm not sure if it’s worth the effort to document everything in detail. A higher-level overview in NetBox should work just fine for experienced people. Sometimes, simplicity is key.
I was thinking an automated approach might solve some of these issues. Did you find it effective in the end, or was it a hassle?