Understanding Ipam

By Author: Mike Smith
Total Articles: 102
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An overview of the key functions IP address management (IPAM) performs.

IPAM is comprised of three key functions:

IP address inventory of address blocks, subnets and individual IP addresses

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server management

Domain Name Server (DNS) server management

IP address inventory entails rigorously tracking your IPv4 and IPv6 address space, allocation of address blocks and subnets and inventorying individual IP address assignments, whether they are static addresses for routers or servers, or those within an address pool. For address pools within subnets, the configuration of DHCP servers must be performed in accordance with the address plan such that end users accessing the network may automatically obtain IP addresses from the proper pools using the DHCP protocol.

Likewise, for static addresses in the address plan, you're going to have routers and servers and other devices that are statically configured, hence their denoting as static addresses. Once configured, you can reach these devices by the corresponding IP address. But you might want to ...
... reach them by name as opposed to remembering each device's IP address. Fortunately, DNS provides a way to map a device name to an IP address so I can type in my router's name, which my browser looks up in DNS, to find the corresponding IP address and connect to it. DNS provides that hostname to IP address mapping, and a lot more.

To summarize, the IP address plan component of IPAM minimizes the chance of errors in assigning the same address to one or more static addressed devices, let alone to portions of an address pool configured on a DHCP server. The use of DHCP itself automates address assignment; once configured in accordance with the address plan, a DHCP server dispenses addresses from its pools to laptops, printers and other devices as needed to access the IP network without manual intervention. Likewise, DNS works behind the scenes to resolve host names into IP addresses so computers can communicate and people can use them. IPAM helps IP network administrators cohesively manage these three core components—IP inventory, DHCP and DNS—to provide users easy access to and use of the IP network. Like other aspects of network management, IP address management should follow a rigorous and disciplined approach.

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.