NMIS 9 Docker Deployment Guide

Overview

This guide provides instructions for deploying NMIS 9 using either Quick Start or Docker Compose methods, with optional Apache reverse proxy configuration. The solution can be deployed either with a containerized MongoDB instance or configured to use an external MongoDB server.

Prerequisites

Access to the internet to pull the latest container image
Docker Engine (20.10.0 or newer)
Apache2 with required modules (if using reverse proxy):
- mod_ssl
- mod_proxy
- mod_proxy_http
- mod_headers
SSL certificates (if using HTTPS)
A Valid UUID for the cluster_id. This can be generated on any linux OS with “uuidgen”

Minimum Requirements

*please note these are a bare minimum, and resource requirements for production environments will depend upon the number of nodes being monitored

RAM: 2GB dedicated for the NMIS container
Storage:
- 1GB for container image (840MB image size + buffer)
- Additional storage for logs and data (recommend minimum 10GB)
Network: Active internet connection for pulling images and updates

Additional Requirements for Full Stack (Docker Compose)

MongoDB Container:
- Additional 1GB RAM minimum
- 10GB storage for database files
- Total system RAM: 4GB minimum

Method 1: Quick Start (Single Container)

Pull the NMIS image:

docker pull public.ecr.aws/n2x4v8j4/firstwave/nmis9_omk:latest

Create required directories and files:

mkdir -p app_conf
touch app_conf/Config.nmis
touch app_conf/opCommon.json
touch app_conf/opLicense.json

Start the container:

docker run -d \
  --name nmis9 \
  -e NMIS_DB_USERNAME=root \
  -e NMIS_DB_PASSWORD=example \
  -e NMIS_DB_SERVER=mongodb.example.com \
  -e NMIS_SERVER_NAME=example-host-1 \
  -e NMIS_CLUSTER_ID=660f29ae-f150-4119-bf04-cd9296852449 \
  -v $(pwd)/app_conf/Config.nmis:/usr/local/nmis9/conf/Config.nmis \
  -v $(pwd)/app_conf/opCommon.json:/usr/local/omk/conf/opCommon.json \
  -v $(pwd)/app_conf/opLicense.json:/usr/local/omk/conf/opLicense.json \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -p 8042:8042 \
  nmis9:latest

Verify deployment:

docker ps | grep nmis9
docker logs nmis9

Method 2: Docker Compose (Full Stack)

Pull the NMIS image:

docker pull public.ecr.aws/n2x4v8j4/firstwave/nmis9_omk:latest

Create required directories and files:

mkdir -p app_conf
touch app_conf/Config.nmis
touch app_conf/opCommon.json
touch app_conf/opLicense.json

Create docker-compose.yaml:

version: '3.4'

services:
  mongo:
    image: mongo:4.4
    restart: always
    healthcheck:
      test: echo 'db.runCommand("ping").ok' | mongo mongo:27017/test --quiet
      interval: 60s
      timeout: 60s
      retries: 5
      start_period: 60s
    environment:
      MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME: root
      MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${MONGO_PASSWORD:-example}
    volumes:
      - mongo_data:/var/lib/mongodb
    networks:
      - backend

  nmis:
    image: nmis9:latest
    restart: always
    environment:
      NMIS_DB_USERNAME: root
      NMIS_DB_PASSWORD: ${MONGO_PASSWORD:-example}
      NMIS_DB_SERVER: mongo
      NMIS_SERVER_NAME: ${NMIS_SERVER_NAME:-example-host-1}
      NMIS_CLUSTER_ID: ${NMIS_CLUSTER_ID:-660f29ae-f150-4119-bf04-cd9296852449}
    depends_on:
      mongo:
        condition: service_healthy
    volumes:
      - log_data:/usr/local/nmis9/logs
      - var_data:/usr/local/nmis9/var
      - conf_data:/usr/local/nmis9/conf
      - database_data:/usr/local/nmis9/database
      - ./app_conf/Config.nmis:/usr/local/nmis9/conf/Config.nmis
      - ./app_conf/opCommon.json:/usr/local/omk/conf/opCommon.json
      - ./app_conf/opLicense.json:/usr/local/omk/conf/opLicense.json
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
      - "8042:8042"
    networks:
      - backend

networks:
  backend:

volumes:
  log_data:
  var_data:
  conf_data:
  database_data:
  mongo_data:

Start the services:

docker compose up -d

Monitor deployment:

docker compose ps
docker compose logs -f

Apache Reverse Proxy Configuration (Optional)

Enable required Apache modules:

sudo a2enmod ssl proxy proxy_http headers
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Create virtual host configuration:

# /etc/apache2/sites-available/nmis.conf
<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName nmis.example.com
    Redirect permanent / <https://nmis.example.com/>
</VirtualHost>

<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName nmis.example.com
    
    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile /etc/ssl/certs/nmis.crt
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/private/nmis.key
    
    # Security headers
    Header always set Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains"
    Header always set X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"
    Header always set X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block"
    Header always set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"
    
    # Logging configuration
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/nmis_error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/nmis_access.log combined
    
    ProxyPreserveHost On
    
    # NMIS Web Interface
    ProxyPass / <http://localhost:8080/>
    ProxyPassReverse / <http://localhost:8080/>
    
    # OMK Interface
    ProxyPass /omk/ <http://localhost:8042/>
    ProxyPassReverse /omk/ <http://localhost:8042/>
</VirtualHost>

Enable virtual host:

sudo a2ensite nmis.conf
sudo systemctl reload apache2

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

MongoDB Connection Issues:

Verify MongoDB container: docker compose ps
Check MongoDB logs: docker compose logs mongo
Verify credentials in environment variables

Apache Proxy Issues:

Check Apache error logs: tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log
Verify SSL certificate paths and permissions
Check SELinux policies if applicable

Security Considerations

Change default passwords:

MongoDB root password
NMIS admin credentials

SSL/TLS Configuration:

Use strong SSL protocols (TLSv1.2+)
Regularly update SSL certificates
Implement proper cipher suites

Network Security:

Implement proper firewall rules
Regular security updates

Maintenance

Backup Strategy:

# Backup MongoDB data
docker compose exec mongo mongodump --out /backup

# Backup configuration files
tar -czf nmis_config_backup.tar.gz app_conf/

Updates:

# Pull latest images
docker compose pull

# Restart services
docker compose down
docker compose up -d

Advanced Configuration

External MongoDB

To use an external MongoDB instance:

Remove the mongo service from docker-compose.yaml
Update NMIS environment variables with external MongoDB details
Ensure proper network connectivity and authentication

Custom Networking

For enhanced security:

Use custom network ranges
Implement network segmentation
Add additional security layers (WAF, IDS)

Support and Resources

NMIS Documentation: Introduction & Setup
Docker Documentation: https://docs.docker.com
MongoDB Documentation: https://docs.mongodb.com
Apache Documentation: https://httpd.apache.org/docs/