Ip Address Management (ipam) Is Key

By Author: Mike Smith
Total Articles: 102
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Effective management of the IP network requires a set of disciplined processes and tools to plan, deploy and manage converged IP services. A key component among this set of tools and processes is IP address management (IPAM), which is employed to track and manage IP address spaceand supporting network services. IPAM involves the creation and tracking of an IP address plan to accurately model IP address and subnet assignments. This plan serves as the foundation upon which IP address moves, adds and changes can be applied.

The IP address plan also serves as the definitive source of configuration information supporting network services, namely, dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) and domain name system (DNS). DHCP and DNS network services provide automated IP address assignment and host name lookup services, respectively, and are critical to providing efficient and easy-to-use converged services.

Implementation of an IPAM system to administer the IP address plan and associated DHCP and DNS configurations can streamline and improve overall management performance of multiservice IP networks.

An IPAM tool ...
... can integrate the IP address plan with automated configuration of distributed DHCP and DNS servers. A centralized IPAM solution enables the entry of IP information once, leveraging this information across integrated IP inventory, DHCP and DNS configuration functions.

An IPAM solution can also buttress a disciplined enterprise-wide network-management approach. Depending on the scale and structure of the approach, IPAM functions can be performed independently using a standalone IPAM system or assimilate workflow using an IPAM system integrated within a documented process framework such as ITIL. Regardless of the approach, the following key IPAM functions should be performed.

Implement a hierarchical address plan matching the routing topology. This can help model address aggregation and streamline allocations. For example, each IP service may require its own addressing hierarchy due to differing routing treatment of voice over IP (VoIP) versus data traffic based on IP address.

Derive and automate DHCP and DNS server configurations based on the address plan. This can save time and money, especially with support for IP service-specific address assignment and device initialization parameters. Many IP service-specific devices, such as VoIP phones, require DHCP not only to obtain an IP address but also to acquire additional initialization parameters.

The ability to configure DHCP servers to identify such devices by client class and to assign corresponding standard and vendor-specific DHCP option values simplifies device provisioning, while providing cohesive cross-server configuration and control.

Automate DNS server configurations. Modeling and deploying IP service-specific domains, resource record types and related DNS configuration information using the IP Address Management (IPAM) system that manages IP address space facilitates information consistency.

Manage the IP plan and network-services configuration through discovery capabilities. This enables auditing and reconciliation of assigned addresses against the IP plan, which is critical to maintaining accurate inventory information as new end-users arrive, others move, and subnets and domains are added. Integrated multilevel discovery and reconciliation capabilities within the IPAM system can help detect rogue network changes and keep the database aligned with reality.

Change control and accountability tracking provide the ability to apply IPAM administrator access controls and to audit activity for compliance, troubleshooting and reporting.

About the Author:
BT Diamond IP, the market leaders in IP Management Software offer unsurpassed reliability, scalability and visibility for exceptional control over complex IP networks. We also provide comprehensive, scalable DNS AND DHCP management solutions along with Dhcp appliances, DNS appliances and IP address tracking to companies worldwide.