u/P_R_woker

We're setting up Netbox for the first time to replace an Excel-based infrastructure tracker. Looking for feedback on our proposed hierarchy before we start entering data.

Our environment:

• ~30-40 sites of varying complexity ranging from a single room with one device up to multi-building campuses with multiple IDFs
• Sites are loosely grouped into 3 organizational districts (not network-significant)
• Most larger sites have a Fortigate as the primary gateway with FortiSwitches and Ubiquiti APs
• Smaller remote locations use cellular routers (Cradlepoint) as their sole gateway
• Some larger parks have two completely independent networks each with their own ISP circuit and gateway device
• VLANs are mostly consistent across sites

Proposed hierarchy:

• Site Groups = organizational districts (3 total, not network-significant)
• Sites = one per ISP circuit + gateway device, regardless of size or complexity. A single room with a Cradlepoint and its own cellular circuit is a Site just like a multi-building campus with a Fortigate
• Locations = always at least one Location per Site since devices are assigned at Location level not Site level. For Sites with multiple buildings, the building is the first level Location with sub-locations beneath it for specific spaces like IDFs, reception areas, or other rooms. Example: Building A (parent) → IDF (child), Reception (child), Storage Room (child)

Specific questions:

1. Is "one ISP circuit + one gateway device = one Site" a good rule of thumb?
2. Should we always create at least one Location under every Site even for single-device Sites?
3. Is using the building as the parent Location with specific spaces (IDF, rooms) as child Locations the right approach, or should the IDF be the top level Location with everything else subordinate to it?
4. Any gotchas with this approach we should know about before entering data?