Planning, tracking and managing IP address usage is a complex, time consuming job.
Many network managers get by without dedicated management software, choosing instead to create complex spreadsheets or databases. But such tools are not good enough:
You need to manually edit information on IP addresses. This is tedious and error-prone.- You have to constantly update your plan to reflect any changes to your network.
- You might plan to allocate an IP to one device and end up allocating it to another.
- It’s difficult to determine which IP addresses are in use.
- IP address conflicts can stop devices from working, or in rare events cause a server outage.
- Processes for managing IP addresses and domain names are carried out on separate systems, leading to data inconsistencies.
- It is difficult to control who can edit what and put workflows in place.
- Only one person can safely work on IPAM data at a time and the risk of data loss is high.
- Reporting is often nothing more than “cutting and pasting” long lists of IP addresses.
A DDI solution like DNSBOX makes your IPAM easier through better planning and control.
Organise your IP address space
Using a purpose built IPAM tool is much easier than modifying data in a spreadsheet.
You can divide your address space into a hierarchy of blocks and sub-blocks/subnets, define them as either available for use or reserved, add fields/tags, search for specific records and even modify all data objects matching specific conditions.
Dynamically detect new devices
With options such as subnet scanning, you can automatically detect and add any new devices.
Automate address calculation
An IPAM application simplifies the process of calculating available IPs and eliminates the risk of address conflict by automatically identifying available blocks and addresses for you.
Synchronise IPAM with live DNS/DHCP data
Changes to DNS data and DHCP leases will be immediately visible alongside IPAM data and vice versa, giving you a real-time view of your IP space.
You don’t have to worry about scrapping your existing DNS / DHCP system. Some specialist DDI solutions allow you to overlay an IPAM platform onto your existing infrastructure.
Share responsibilities amongst users
You can delegate the management of certain IP blocks to organisations, groups or individuals.
For example, the accounting department in a university may have their own network administrator who will be able to log into the web interface and manage only their part of the IP address space.
All changes are made in real time and can be made simultaneously.
Plan and monitor address availability
Some IPAM platforms provide visual reports for a clear picture of your IP space. For instance, you can tell from a graph how many available IP addresses you have inside a particular block.
You can also schedule regular reporting by email to see things like all used IP addresses.
