IP Address Management – IPAM – is one of the most important parts of any IT documentation. There are constantly IP addresses assigned to new assets or removed from them as they are retired. In case something needs to be restored, you even need to know which IP addresses had been assigned to a device, this is where the history functionality of the asset database really helps you. But even your normal day to day tasks of finding an IP of an asset quickly in order to access and configure it, is a vital part of any day-to-day IT operation.
Out of this necessity, the IPAM or IP Address Management was integrated to the asset management database.
Before you can assign IP addresses, you begin with creating a VLAN and the according IP scope that resides within this VLAN. Once the IP scope exists, you can search for the IP and start assigning assets like printers, servers, infrastructure assets, other assets, workstations etc. to the IP address selected, or you go to the according asset and assign the IP address from the asset directly.
Further can IP addresses be referenced in DNS records, so you can see the whole picture. This of course does not make sense for any regular e.g., workstation / computer within your network, but any e.g., manual generated DNS record that points to an IP address on your internal DNS or your external DNS (provider DNS) is something you clearly want to document and record within the asset management database.
You will also notice you can assign an IP address to more than just a single asset. Of course, this wouldn’t make sense assuming two independent servers have the same IP address, but any cluster object like switch stacks, virtual routers etc. will share IP addresses and this needs to be documented and reflected in the IPAM.
Detailed information about the IP scope / CIDR will also be shown in the IPAM for each IP address. The IPAM can handle IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
Manual information for hostname and MAC address can also be recorded per IP address entry.
Available fields and references
- VLAN information – read only – depending on the IP address selected
- IP address – including detailed information about the IP scope
- IP Network / scope
- Subnet Mask and CIDR
- First usable IP
- Last usable IP
- Broadcast IP
- Total IPs in this scope (including network and broadcast)
- Total usable IPs in this scope
- IP Type – can be adjusted in settings
- select the status type like DHCP reservation, DHCP or static
- Description
- Manual Hostname
- Manual MAC address
- Assets using this IP – referencing to and from
- DNS relationsÂ
- Previous relations – shows you information about for which assets the IP address was used in the past
- TAGs
- Notes
- Created on and by
- Last edited on and by
- Record history