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Overview

NMIS provides official Docker images for containerized deployment. The Docker setup includes:
  • NMIS application container
  • MongoDB 7.0 database
  • Redis cache (for OMK integration)
  • Apache httpd reverse proxy

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Docker Image

The official NMIS Docker image is based on perl:5.32.1-slim-threaded-bullseye and includes:
  • NMIS 9.6.5
  • MongoDB client tools
  • All required Perl modules
  • SNMP tools (fping, snmp, snmptrapd)
  • Network utilities (nmap, traceroute, mtr)

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Quick Start with Docker Compose

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Prerequisites

  • Docker Engine 20.10+
  • Docker Compose 2.0+
  • 4GB RAM minimum
  • 20GB disk space

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Docker Compose Configuration

Create a compose.yaml file: 
services:
  nmis:
    image: public.ecr.aws/n2x4v8j4/firstwave/nmis9_omk:v2.2
    restart: always
    environment:
      NMIS_DB_USERNAME: ${MONGODB_USERNAME}
      NMIS_DB_PASSWORD: ${MONGODB_PASSWORD}
      NMIS_DB_SERVER: mongo
      NMIS_SERVER_NAME: ${NMIS_SERVER_NAME}
    depends_on:
      - mongo
    volumes:
      - nmis_log_data:/usr/local/nmis9/logs
      - nmis_var_data:/usr/local/nmis9/var
      - nmis_conf_data:/usr/local/nmis9/conf
      - nmis_database_data:/usr/local/nmis9/database
      - nmis_models_custom:/usr/local/nmis9/models-custom
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"  # NMIS web interface
      - "8042:8042"  # OMK web interface
      - "2055:2055/udp"  # NetFlow
      - "161:161/udp"    # SNMP
      - "25:25"          # Mail relay
    networks:
      - nmis_net
      
  mongo:
    image: mongo:7.0
    restart: always
    healthcheck:
      test: echo 'db.runCommand("ping").ok' | mongosh mongo:27017/test --quiet
      interval: 60s
      timeout: 60s
      retries: 5
      start_period: 60s
    environment:
      MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME: ${MONGODB_USERNAME}
      MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${MONGODB_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - mongo_data:/data/mongodb
      - mongo_log:/var/log/mongodb
    ports:
      - "27017:27017"
    command: ["mongod", "--auth"]
    networks:
      - nmis_net

networks:
  nmis_net:
  
volumes:
  nmis_log_data:
  nmis_var_data:
  nmis_conf_data:
  nmis_database_data:
  nmis_models_custom:
  mongo_data:
  mongo_log:

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Environment Variables

Create a .env file: 
MONGODB_USERNAME=nmis
MONGODB_PASSWORD=your_secure_password_here
NMIS_SERVER_NAME=nmis.example.com
REDIS_PASSWORD=your_redis_password_here
Change the default passwords before deploying to production. Never commit the .env file to version control.

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Start the Containers

1

Start the stack

docker-compose up -d
This will:
  • Pull the NMIS and MongoDB images
  • Create network and volumes
  • Start all containers
2

Check container status

docker-compose ps
All containers should show Up status.
3

View logs

# NMIS logs
docker-compose logs -f nmis

# MongoDB logs
docker-compose logs -f mongo
4

Access the web interface

Open your browser to http://localhost:8080/nmis9Default credentials:
  • Username: nmis
  • Password: nm1888
Change the default password immediately after first login.

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Exposed Ports

The NMIS container exposes the following ports:
PortProtocolPurpose
8080TCPNMIS web interface
8042TCPOMK web interface (if installed)
161UDPSNMP trap receiver
162UDPSNMP trap receiver (alternate)
2055UDPNetFlow collector
25TCPMail relay (optional)

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Persistent Volumes

NMIS uses the following volumes for persistent data:

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NMIS Volumes

  • nmis_conf_data: Configuration files (/usr/local/nmis9/conf)
  • nmis_var_data: RRD files and runtime data (/usr/local/nmis9/var)
  • nmis_log_data: Log files (/usr/local/nmis9/logs)
  • nmis_database_data: Local database files (/usr/local/nmis9/database)
  • nmis_models_custom: Custom device models (/usr/local/nmis9/models-custom)

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Database Volumes

  • mongo_data: MongoDB data files
  • mongo_log: MongoDB logs
Back up these volumes regularly. See Backup and Restore for procedures.

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Custom Configuration

You can mount custom configuration files into the container: 
volumes:
  - ./Config.nmis:/usr/local/nmis9/conf/Config.nmis
  - ./opCommon.json:/usr/local/omk/conf/opCommon.json
Ensure database configuration in your custom Config.nmis matches the compose file settings.

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Container Entrypoint

The container entrypoint (docker-entrypoint.sh) performs these tasks:
  1. Setup: Creates directories and sets ownership 
    for d in assets var/nmis_system models-custom database conf logs
do
  chown -R nmis:nmis ${NMIS_HOME}/${d}
done
  2. Node Import: Automatically imports nodes from /usr/local/nmis9/import/*.json
  3. Database Setup: Runs MongoDB configuration 
    /usr/local/nmis9/admin/setup_mongodb.pl
  4. Start Services:
    • NMIS daemon (nmisd)
    • Web interface (nmisx) on port 8080
    • OMK services (if installed)

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Importing Nodes on Startup

To automatically import nodes when the container starts:
  1. Create node JSON files in a local import/ directory
  2. Mount the directory: 
    volumes:
  - ./import:/usr/local/nmis9/import
Example node file (router1.json): 
{
  "name": "router1",
  "host": "192.168.1.1",
  "community": "public",
  "version": "snmpv2c",
  "group": "Network",
  "active": true
}

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Health Checks

Monitor container health: 
# Check if NMIS daemon is running
docker-compose exec nmis ps aux | grep nmisd

# Check NMIS status
docker-compose exec nmis /usr/local/nmis9/bin/nmis-cli act=status

# Check MongoDB health
docker-compose exec mongo mongosh --eval 'db.runCommand("ping")'

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Troubleshooting

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Container Won’t Start

Check logs for errors: 
docker-compose logs nmis
Common issues:
  • Port conflicts (8080 already in use)
  • Insufficient memory
  • Volume permission errors

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Database Connection Failed

Verify MongoDB is healthy: 
docker-compose exec mongo mongosh -u nmis -p
Check environment variables match between NMIS and MongoDB.

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Web Interface Not Accessible

Check if nmisx is running: 
docker-compose exec nmis ps aux | grep nmisx
Restart the web interface: 
docker-compose restart nmis

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Upgrading

1

Backup data

docker-compose exec nmis /usr/local/nmis9/bin/nmis-cli act=config-backup
docker-compose exec mongo mongodump --authenticationDatabase admin -u nmis -p
2

Pull new image

docker-compose pull nmis
3

Restart containers

docker-compose up -d
4

Verify upgrade

Check the version:
docker-compose exec nmis /usr/local/nmis9/bin/nmis-cli version

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Production Considerations

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Resource Limits

Set resource limits in compose.yaml: 
services:
  nmis:
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          cpus: '2'
          memory: 4G
        reservations:
          cpus: '1'
          memory: 2G

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Restart Policies

Ensure automatic restart: 
restart: unless-stopped

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Network Configuration

For production, use a dedicated network: 
networks:
  nmis_net:
    driver: bridge
    ipam:
      config:
        - subnet: 172.28.0.0/16

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Security

  • Use secrets for passwords (Docker Swarm)
  • Run containers with read-only filesystem where possible
  • Enable SELinux or AppArmor
  • Restrict network access with firewall rules

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See Also

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