Re: [Netdisco] Referencing an external database?

[Christian R. <ram...@ne...>]

Hi

Yes there is something called "custom fields", which you can set on 
various things:

https://github.com/netdisco/netdisco/wiki/Configuration#custom_fields

E.g. we use this to put some information from ACI/APIC into the datbase, 
with sql like

UPDATE device_port
   SET custom_fields = jsonb_set custom_fields, '{dn}', 
'"topology/pod-1/node-102/sys/phys-[eth1/26]"' ::jsonb
WHERE ip = '10.5.1.22' AND port = 'Ethernet1/26';


The tricky bit is when and how to run this SQL. The best option is to 
put it into a discover hook 
(https://github.com/netdisco/netdisco/wiki/Configuration#hooks), it will 
run whenever a device is freshly discovered or updated.

Another option is to use "external links": 
<https://github.com/netdisco/netdisco/wiki/Configuration#external_links>. 
As the name suggests they don't show attributes directly but just add a 
link to another system, but they are easier to deal with. Plus they work 
for nodes as well while custom fields currently don't.

Cheers
Christian





On 04.02.2026 23:21, Johnson, Neil M via netdisco-users wrote:
> Is there a way to integrate data from an external database into Netdisco?
> 
> I’d like to include information for our facilities management system so 
> that when someone looks up a node or device  they can see information 
> like the jack, room, and building information for the switch port.’
> 
> Is there a way to do this? I’m willing to put some effort to figure it out.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> -Neil
> 
> *Neil Johnson
> *Network Architect, ITS Enterprise Infrastructure
> 2800 University Capitol Center, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
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-- 
Christian Ramseyer, netnea ag
Network Management. Security. OpenSource.
https://www.netnea.com
Phone: +41 79 644 77 64