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Platform Map

The platform map is a YAML file that defines the mapping between values used in NetBox for Device Platforms and the templates to be used when rendering corresponding nodes in the output topology. A default platform map is provided with the copy of Netreplica templates, but it can and most likely should be customized by the user to match the actual platforms used in their NetBox instance.

By default, the nrx searches the file platform_map.yaml in the current directory, and then in the TEMPLATES_PATH folders. The path to the file can be overridden using the --platform-map argument or the PLATFORM_MAP parameter in the configuration file.

Sections of the platform map file

There are two main sections in the platform map file:

  • platforms - defines the mapping between NetBox platform names and the node kind values for each output format
  • kinds - defines the mapping between node kind values and the templates to be used for each output format

Platforms section

Example of the platforms section where ubuntu and arista-eos platform names from NetBox are mapped to linux and ceos node kind values for the Containerlab clab output format, while cisco-ios platform name is mapped to iosv node kind for the Cisco Modeling Labs cml output format:

platforms:
  ubuntu:
    kinds:
      clab: linux
  arista-eos:
    kinds:
      clab: ceos
  cisco-ios:
    kinds:
      cml: iosv

Kinds section

In the kinds section, it is possible to define multiple parameters for each node kind value. The following subsections describe key use cases.

Template files

The most important parameters are paths to the template files to render the node, its interface names and, when supported, an interface map. The example below demonstrates how to define the template files for the ceos node kind to be used with the Containerlab clab output format:

kinds:
  clab:
    ceos:
      nodes:
        template: clab/nodes/ceos.j2
      interface_names:
        template: clab/interface_names/default.j2
      interface_maps:
        template: clab/interface_maps/ceos.j2

Image tags

The image parameter is useful to override the value of this parameter from the template file. By default, the templates supplied with with nrx use image names that have local significance. For example, for ceos node kind, the image is ceos:latest. A user may choose to tag an actual ceos image it has as ceos:latest locally. Using the platform map file, an alternative approach becomes possible by providing image parameter for the ceos node kind:

kinds:
  clab:
    ceos:
      nodes:
        template: clab/nodes/ceos.j2
        image: some_corporate_container_registry/ceos:4.28.3M

Other custom kind parameters

Depending on the output format, there could be other parameters that could be used in the templates. In case of Containerlab, there is a set of generic node parameters that can be applied to any kind. In the templates supplied with nrx, there is a special file clab/node_params.j2 that can render most of such parameters if included in the node template. In order to activate any of such parameters, define them in the platform map. For examples, use cmd parameter to specify the command to be executed after the node is started, or exec parameter list for the commands to be executed during the node startup. The example below demonstrates how to override the image for the linux node kind and specify a command to be executed after the node is started:

kinds:
  clab:
    linux:
      nodes:
        template: clab/nodes/default.j2
        image: netreplica/ubuntu-host:latest
        cmd: /start.sh -sS
        exec:
          - bash -c "echo root:root | chpasswd"