Help with NetBox LibreNMS Plugin – No Data Syncing After Fresh Install

[t3l3c0mninja-commits]

Hello everyone,

I recently installed the NetBox LibreNMS plugin on a fresh NetBox instance. I’ve been using LibreNMS for a few years, mainly with SNMP auto-discovery to monitor my devices. However, I haven’t configured groups, locations, or other metadata in LibreNMS.

On the NetBox side, this is also a fresh install — no sites, tenants, device roles, manufacturers, or device types have been created yet. Essentially, both systems are in default state.

I’ve been searching for months for an auto-discovery solution that could help populate NetBox with my existing network data. This plugin looks like it could meet that need (especially since I already run LibreNMS), but after installation I don’t see any data syncing in the plugin section.

I’ve read through the README, but I’m still not fully clear on how the plugin works. Could you clarify:

Do I need to manually create Sites, Tenants, Device Roles, Manufacturers, etc. in NetBox before syncing?

Is the librenms_id custom field mandatory, and should I create one for each object type (device, interface, etc.)?

Do NetBox Sites need to match LibreNMS Locations for synchronization?

Should I first create devices in NetBox with their IP addresses, so that the plugin can match them to LibreNMS?

Right now I’m a bit confused about the expected workflow. Any guidance or a simple step-by-step would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[bonzo81]

Hi @t3l3c0mninja-commits ,

I'll try to help you.

At this time the plugin does not automatically populate Netbox with any data. (It might in the future). The main function is to pull interface, cable and IP address data for a device from the data available in LibreNMS.

The device needs to exist in Netbox before syncing data.

The plugin attempts to match one of the following to a device in LibreNMS:

• hostname
• primary ip address
• or DNS name

So one of these values needs to be added to the Netbox device prior to syncing data with LibreNMS. The LibreNMS sync page will indicate if the device is found

The librenms_id custom field is not mandatory but it is recommended for better matching of devices, interfaces, cables and IP addresses throughout the plugin.

Site & location sync is there to help identify inconsistencies between Netbox and LibreNMS. It allows you to update LibreNMS with Netbox data.

The plugin aims to keep Netbox and LibreNMS in sync but ensuring that Netbox remains the source of truth. It also saves time populating device data from LibreNMS.

I hope this helps.

[t3l3c0mninja-commits]

Thanks a lot for the clarification — that makes things much clearer.

So if I understand correctly:

I need to manually create the devices in NetBox first, with at least one matching identifier (hostname, primary IP, or DNS name).

Once that’s in place, the plugin can then pull interfaces, IPs, and cable data from LibreNMS into NetBox.

The librenms_id field is optional but helps with reliable syncing.

Sites/locations are mainly for consistency, and NetBox will remain the source of truth.

That helps set the right expectations. I was initially hoping it could auto-populate NetBox from LibreNMS, but now I see it’s more about syncing/enriching existing device records.

Do you perhaps have (or could point me to) a simple step-by-step workflow example? For example:

Create device in NetBox with hostname.

Run sync to pull interfaces/IPs.

Run sync to pull cables.
...etc.

I think a short workflow example would really help new users like me.

Thanks again for the suppor