Adding regions to prefixes

[elixdreamer]

Environment

• Python version: unknown
• NetBox version: v2.10.4

Proposed Functionality

Add a region to a specific prefix and not only a site.

Use Case

In our network design we have many sites(+4k) that will divided in 5 major regions.
Since we will allocating prefixes to specific regions we want to create some automatic IP allocation based on the region where the site is in.
I have tried adding the regions to a specific prefix but this isn't saved. Only sites are stored to the prefix.

Database Changes

Adding the region field to a prefixes

[sdktr]

How would this 'region allocation' be used? Where would this user seeking for a new site assignment get the hint that it is prefered to come from this region allocation?

[jeremystretch]

This directly conflicts with the assignment of a site. IMO it would make more sense to allow the assignment of multiple sites.

[pkomissarov]

For us it also would be usefull if prefix can be "super-prefix" for region and bound to the whole region, but not bound to any site. Important moment that one region can have several such "super-prefixes".

Use case

We need to build ACL for every site in region. In this ACL "super-prefixes" are used as destinations, to allow traffic within region.

Example

RegionX already owns two "super-prefixes" 10.100.0.0/16 and 10.200.0.0/16, and has a lot of sites.
Site1 and Site2 are two sites from this region but from different super-prefixes.
Site1 owns prefix 10.100.1.0/24.
Site2 owns prefix 10.200.1.0/24.

ACL for Site1:

permit ip 10.100.1.0/24 to 10.100.0.0/16
permit ip 10.100.1.0/24 to 10.200.0.0/16
deny ip any to any

ACL for Site2:

permit ip 10.200.1.0/24 to 10.100.0.0/16
permit ip 10.200.1.0/24 to 10.200.0.0/16
deny ip any to any

Such ACL is short. Another approach is to write "permit" line for every site in region, but ACL becomes much longer if there are a lot of sites in region.

Database Changes

Add region field to prefix. May be prohibit to set site field, if region field is set.

[tbk2]

We'd also need the ability to bind prefixes to regions.

Use case:

We have several regions. There is only one router within a region. A prefix may only be defined on one router. However, the prefix can be present in different sites within a region.

Database changes

Add region field to prefix. May be prohibit to set site field, if region field is set.

[elixdreamer]

How would this 'region allocation' be used? Where would this user seeking for a new site assignment get the hint that it is prefered to come from this region allocation?

The user will have a custom script where he will add hardware with a possibility to select a region.
If the regions are assigned to prefixes we can assign correct available IP's.

This directly conflicts with the assignment of a site. IMO it would make more sense to allow the assignment of multiple sites.

The problem here is that we will add sites based on implementation plan that is planned over multiple years. So at day one we will not have 4k sites availble in Netbox. They will be added on request. Since we need to add sites we need to know to what subnets they belong based on regions.

I hope we could get such an implementation as i can see some other users are identifying them self with this request.

[aodix]

How would this 'region allocation' be used? Where would this user seeking for a new site assignment get the hint that it is prefered to come from this region allocation?

There would be a total of 4000 sites, those 4000 sites will have 1 or more device. Those devices needs to have an IP that is in a prefix for that geographical region. That means

• Every geographical region has his prefix.
• When a new site/device will be added we know in what geographical region it would be added.
• The IP will needs to be selected in the prefix for that geographical region

[jeremystretch]

#5892 (the proposed introduction of a SiteGroup model) is likely relevant to this discussion.

[github-actions]

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[hyudra]

Is it possible to assign prefix to Site Group without a Site? @jeremystretch

[jeremystretch]

Actually, let's fold this into #6414 (prefix assignment to site groups) since it doesn't make sense to do one and not the other.