Unable to install nautobot_netbox_importer plugin

[Kani999]

Hello, I'm trying to install nautobot_netbox_importer but, I'm not able to build image with plugin configured.

Environment

• Python version: 3.8.5
• Nautobot version: Nautobot-Lab 1.0.0b4
• nautobot-netbox-importer version: Version 1.2.1

Expected Behavior

Nautobot-lab image built with nautobot_netbox_importer plugin

What happened instead?

Unable to find plugin nautobot_netbox_importer

#17 61.21 TASK [RUN MAKEMIGRATIONS] ******************************************************
#17 61.57 fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {"changed": true, "cmd": ["/opt/nautobot/bin/nautobot-server", "makemigrations"], 
"delta": "0:00:00.184857", "end": "2021-04-22 07:25:17.981318", "msg": "non-zero return code", "rc": 1, "start": "2021-04-22 
07:25:17.796461", "stderr": "Traceback (most recent call last):\n  File \"/opt/nautobot/lib/python3.8/site-
packages/nautobot/extras/plugins/utils.py\", line 63, in load_plugin\n    plugin = importlib.import_module(plugin_name)\n  File
 \"/usr/lib/python3.8/importlib/__init__.py\", line 127, in import_module\n    return _bootstrap._gcd_import(name[level:], package, level)\n  File \"<frozen importlib._bootstrap>\", line 1014, in _gcd_import\n  File \"<frozen importlib._bootstrap>\", line 991, in 
_find_and_load\n  File \"<frozen importlib._bootstrap>\", line 973, in _find_and_load_unlocked\nModuleNotFoundError: No 
module named 'nautobot_netbox_importer'\n\nThe above exception was the direct cause of the following 
exception:\n\nTraceback (most recent call last):\n  File \"/opt/nautobot/lib/python3.8/site-
packages/nautobot/core/runner/runner.py\", line 118, in settings_callback\n    initializer(\n  File 
\"/opt/nautobot/lib/python3.8/site-packages/nautobot/core/cli.py\", line 178, in _configure_settings\n    load_plugins(settings)\n  File \"/opt/nautobot/lib/python3.8/site-packages/nautobot/extras/plugins/utils.py\", line 53, in load_plugins\n   
 load_plugin(plugin_name, settings)\n  File \"/opt/nautobot/lib/python3.8/site-packages/nautobot/extras/plugins/utils.py\", line 66, in load_plugin\n    raise PluginNotFound(\nnautobot.extras.plugins.exceptions.PluginNotFound: Unable to import plugin 
nautobot_netbox_importer: Module not found. Check that the plugin module has been installed within the correct Python 
environment.", "stderr_lines": ["Traceback (most recent call last):", "  File \"/opt/nautobot/lib/python3.8/site-
packages/nautobot/extras/plugins/utils.py\", line 63, in load_plugin", "    plugin = importlib.import_module(plugin_name)", "  File \"/usr/lib/python3.8/importlib/__init__.py\", line 127, in import_module", "    return _bootstrap._gcd_import(name[level:], package, level)", "  File \"<frozen importlib._bootstrap>\", line 1014, in _gcd_import", "  File \"<frozen importlib._bootstrap>\", line 991
, in _find_and_load", "  File \"<frozen importlib._bootstrap>\", line 973, in _find_and_load_unlocked", "ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'nautobot_netbox_importer'", "", "The above exception was the direct cause of the following exception:", "", 
"Traceback (most recent call last):", "  File \"/opt/nautobot/lib/python3.8/site-packages/nautobot/core/runner/runner.py\", line
118, in settings_callback", "    initializer(", "  File \"/opt/nautobot/lib/python3.8/site-packages/nautobot/core/cli.py\", line 178, i
n _configure_settings", "    load_plugins(settings)", "  File \"/opt/nautobot/lib/python3.8/site-
packages/nautobot/extras/plugins/utils.py\", line 53, in load_plugins", "    load_plugin(plugin_name, settings)", "  File 
\"/opt/nautobot/lib/python3.8/site-packages/nautobot/extras/plugins/utils.py\", line 66, in load_plugin", "    raise 
PluginNotFound(", "nautobot.extras.plugins.exceptions.PluginNotFound: Unable to import plugin nautobot_netbox_importer:
 Module not found. Check that the plugin module has been installed within the correct Python environment."], "stdout": "", 
"stdout_lines": []}

PluginNotFound(", "nautobot.extras.plugins.exceptions.PluginNotFound: 
Unable to import plugin nautobot_netbox_importer: Module not found. 
Check that the plugin module has been installed within the correct Python environment."], "stdout": "", "stdout_lines": []}

Steps to Reproduce

1. Edit templates/requirements.txt
   • Add line nautobot-netbox-importer
2. Edit templates/nautobot_config.py
   • Edit variable PLUGINS = ["nautobot_netbox_importer"]
3. Edit Dockerfile
   • trying to install nautobot-netbox-importer extra RUN pip3 install nautobot-netbox-importer
4. Build nautobot-lab image
   • docker build -t nautobot-lab:latest .
     • Error occurs

---

Am I missing some other configuration?

[glennmatthews]

I think with the approach you’re using the plugin is getting installed to the global Python library, rather than the Nautobot virtualenv. Instead of your steps 1 and 3, try adding the following to pb_nautobot_install.yml between the INSTALL NAUTOBOT and RUN NAUTOBOT-SERVER INIT steps:

- name: "INSTALL PLUGIN"
  ansible.builtin.pip:
    name: "nautobot-netbox-importer==1.2.1"
    virtualenv: "{{ nautobot_root }}"
    virtualenv_command: "python3 -m venv"

[jtdub]

Hi @Kani999, @glennmatthews's approach should work perfectly. Let us know if that doesn't work for you.

[glennmatthews]

(If we don't already have plans to add some documentation on how to do exactly this, I'd recommend it. :-) )

[Kani999]

Everything works fine now.
Thank you.