Networks
Viewing Networks
The Networks tab on the IPAM page provides a comprehensive overview of the IP address space accessible to you. By default, all networks are displayed, but you can use the filtering sidebar on the left to filter by IP ranges, DHCP scopes, and containers. The network list displays how the IP addresses are organized into named subnets and provides important details such as how much of the address space is used and backup plans for subnet failures. You can also view details for the selected network in the inspector on the right.
Use the buttons in the upper-right corner of the table to switch between a flat and a tree view.
The star button adds the selected network to a list of favorites. You can access the favorites list on the filtering sidebar.
When a network has no subranges, its utilization is displayed in the network list.
The left sidebar offers several options for filtering and organizing the networks: Menu, Folders, and DHCP services.
To narrow down the results shown when viewing networks, use the webapp-quick-filter. When using the tree view with an active filter, parent networks that do not match the search criteria will appear dimmed, while the matching results are highlighted. For example, in the image below, we searched for the string 3.1.
Creating Networks
When creating a network, Micetro automatically places it in the proper location within the network tree. You can create three types of networks:
Network (IP Ranges): A network is a block of IP addresses defined for partitioning the address space. Networks can include reserved addresses for network and broadcast functions, and they can be assigned to Active Directory (AD) sites for integration with directory services.
DHCP Scope: This type is a block of valid IP addresses available for lease or assignment to client computers on a subnet. DHCP scopes automatically configure network and broadcast addresses, managing the dynamic assignment of IP addresses within the specified range.
Container: Unlike networks and DHCP scopes, containers do not have network or broadcast addresses. They are used to organize and group other networks and scopes, providing a hierarchical structure for easier management and visualization.
To create a network:
On the IPAM page, click the Create button.
Select the type of network you want to create (network, scope, container).
Fill in the necessary details. The Create wizard varies depending on the type you selected:
For a network, you can reserve network and broadcast address, and lock the range if needed. You can also assign it to an AD site, see AD Sites and Subnets.
A DHCP scope can be created with the network and broadcast addresses automatically configured. If the server is configured to use a failover relationship, you can add the scope to the failover. Also, if DHCP Superscopes have been created on the server, you can add the scope to a superscope.
Note
When creating a DHCPv6 scope for a Microsoft or a Kea DHCP server, you must specify a preference value for the DHCP scope. If the scope is assigned to multiple servers, the DHCP client will select the server with the lowest preference value.
A container doesn’t have a network or broadcast address. Within a container, you can define address ranges and scopes, and you can set privileges that apply to the enclosed ranges and scopes through access inheritance. You cannot allocate IP addresses from a container unless you have enabled this functionality in the IPAM section of the System Settings.
You can also create a container by converting a network existing on a subnet into a container, or vice versa. Select the range(s) you wish to convert and select Convert to container on either the Action or the row … menu.
Complete the Properties page in the final step, using the properties defined in Custom Properties.
When you’re done, click Finish.
Editing Network Properties
You can edit the properties of a network.
Note
If the network has Event Hooks configured, these hooks will be triggered when changes are made.
To edit a network:
Select the network(s) in the list.
Select Properties on the taskbar or Edit network properties on the Row … menu.
Make the desired changes to the network.
When multiple networks are selected, the fields will show combined values from all the networks:
If all the selected networks have the same value for a property, that value will be displayed in the corresponding field.
If the networks have different values for a property, the fields will display “<multiple values>”.
You can replace a “<multiple values>” placeholder with a specific value if you want to apply that value to all selected networks.
Click Save.
Duplicating Networks
When you need to set up similar environments or scale existing configurations, you can duplicate networks along with their subranges, DHCP scopes and configurations under a new network address. This process helps standardize network layout by replicating the structure of the original network. Any modifications or overrides applied during duplication will be reflected across all duplicated ranges and their subranges.
To duplicate a network:
Select the network you wish to duplicate.
Select Duplicate on either the Action or the Row … menu.
In the Duplicate Networks dialog box, enter a new network address and title for the network you are creating.
Click Duplicate. The new network is added to the networks list.
Deleting Networks
When a network is deleted, its IP addresses will not be deleted. Instead, they are assigned to the parent network and will be listed when that network is opened. If the network being deleted contains subranges, those subranges will become children of the parent network of the unassigned networks.
When a DHCP scope is deleted, the IP addresses within that scope will no longer be managed dynamically. Associated DHCP objects such as Leases, Address Pools, Exclusions, Reservations, and their options are automatically removed from the DHCP server. Devices that were assigned IP addresses from the deleted scope will keep their addresses until they are no longer needed, but no new IP addresses will be allocated from the deleted scope. Be sure to reconfigure any devices or services that relied on the deleted DHCP scope to ensure they continue to function properly.
Warning
Deleting a DHCP scope is permanent and cannot be undone. Make sure to double-check your configuration and confirm that you want to proceed with the deletion.
To delete a network:
Select network(s) you wish to remove.
Select Delete network on either the Action or the Row … menu.
You are prompted to confirm your decision to delete the(se) network(s). Click Yes to delete the range, or No to cancel.
Viewing IP Addresses within Networks
To view a list of IP addresses within a specific network, double-click the network. This opens a list where you can view and edit the properties of individual IP addresses. You can filter the IP address list, so it displays only the IP addressees you need.
The PTR Status column shows the status of the Address (A) record and Pointer (PTR) record mappings. This column can have three values:
Empty: The status is empty if there are no DNS records for the host. It is also empty if a PTR record exists where the domain in the data section of the PTR record is not managed by the system.
OK: If there is a match between the A and the corresponding PTR record(s) the status is listed as OK.
Verify: There isn’t a match between the A and the PTR records for the host. Common reasons for this include:
An A record exists, but the PTR record is missing.
A PTR record exists, but the A record is missing.
The data section in the PTR record does not correspond to the name of the A record.
On the Action menu you can use the Find next free address option to select the next available IP address within the range. Alternatively, selecting Find random free address will randomly select an available IP address.
Viewing DHCPv6 scopes: Unlike DHCPv4 scopes, which display all addresses within a scope, a DHCPv6 scope only shows addresses that are currently in use or have been recently used. At the bottom of the view, you can see the number of active IP addresses being displayed. An IP address with the status free indicates that it was recently used. To see more information about an address, select View History for that address.
IP Address State
The State column in the IP Address list displays the current state of each address, allowing you to quickly see whether an address is free, assigned, or in another state. You can use the State section in the left-hand filtering sidebar to filter the list.
The following states indicate the IP address usage:
Free: IP addresses that are unassigned and available for use.
Assigned: IP addresses with a DHCP reservation or lease. Additionally, addresses are also considered assigned if they have a corresponding DNS record, a set custom property, or are currently undergoing discovery and ping tests. These settings can be configured in the General section of the System Settings.
It’s important to note that the rules defined in system settings do not apply to DHCP pools. In these pools an IP address is considered free if it is neither leased and not reserved, meaning the DHCP server is authorized to allocate it to clients or reserve it as needed.
Claimed: IP addresses that have been explicitly claimed using Micetro.
Held: a free IP address that has been temporarily reserved (for up to 10 minutes) for a user who requested it. During this period, the user can complete the necessary information, such as adding a DNS record. This reservation ensures that no other user can be assigned the same IP address within this timeframe, preventing duplicate allocations.
Reserved: IP addresses with a DHCP reservation configured on them.
Leased: IP addresses currently leased through DHCP but not specifically claimed.
Pending: This is specific to the Workflow module. It indicates that there is a pending Change Request for an A record associated with this IP address. Although the address is otherwise available, it is marked as Pending to avoid it from being assigned to another user while the change request awaits approval.
Allocating Subranges
You can create multiple subnets from an existing network that resides on subnet boundaries and currently has no subnets configured.
To allocate subranges:
On the IPAM page, select the network you want to allocate from.
Select Allocate subranges on either the Action or the Row … menu.
Configure the new subranges. If you select fewer subnets than fit within the network, you can set the offset from where to start the allocation. Click Next when you finish configuring.
Define the title and custom properties for the new subranges. Click Next when you’re done.
On the summary page, verify the new subranges and click Finish.
Joining Networks (Ranges)
With this feature, you can select and merge multiple networks. The Join ranges command becomes available if the selected networks can be joined.
To join networks:
On the IPAM page, select the ranges you want to join.
Select Join ranges on either the Action or the Row … menu.
Configure the properties for the joined range:
Use access from: Select the range from which you want to inherit access permissions.
Use properties from: Select the range from which you want to inherit properties.
Title: Enter a title for the new range.
Description: Add a description if needed.
Click Join.
Host Discovery
With this feature, you can monitor the presence of hosts on your network and track when they were last detected. Host discovery can be accomplished through two methods: using ping or querying routers for host information.
Configuring Host Discovery Using Ping
On the IPAM page, select one or more networks.
Select Set discovery schedule on either the Action or the Row … menu.
Select the Enable checkbox.
Enter the Frequency and select the frequency unit on the Every dropdown list.
Set the date and time for the Next run.
Click Save.
Once the schedule options have been configured, two columns - Last Seen and Last Known MAC Address - are added to the IP address list. The Last Seen column identifies the timestamp of when a host was last detected on the network.
Green: Host responded to the last PING request, displaying the date and time.
Orange: Host has responded in the past but did not respond to the last PING request. The date and time of the last response is shown.
Red: Host has never responded to a PING request, and the text Never is displayed.
Disabling Host Discovery
At any time if you wish to disable host discovery, do the following:
Select the network(s) for which you want to disable discovery.
On the Row … menu, select Set discovery schedule.
Clear the Enable checkbox.
Click Save.
Configuring Host Discovery by Querying Routers
See SNMP Profiles.
Subnet Discovery
The subnet discovery feature enables Micetro to obtain information about the subnets on the network through routers using SNMP. To activate the subnet discovery feature, ensure that Synchronize subnets … is selected in the SNMP profile. For more information about SNMP profiles, see SNMP Profiles.
Setting Subnet Monitoring
To adjust monitoring settings for a subnet:
Select the subnet(s) for which you want to change the monitoring setting.
Select Set subnet monitoring on either the Action or the Row … menu.
Complete the required details in the Subnet Monitoring dialog box.
Enabled: When selected, the subnet will be monitored.
Script to invoke: Enter the path of the script to run when the number of free addresses falls below the defined threshold. For information on the script interface and formatting, see Change Events.
Email addresses: Enter one or more email addresses separated by commas (for example, email@example.com,email@example.net) to receive notifications when the number of free addresses drops below the set threshold.
Dynamic Threshold: Define the threshold for the number of free addresses in a DHCP scope address pool. NOTE: For split scopes and scopes in a superscope (on MS DHCP servers) and address pools using the shared-network feature on ISC DHCP servers, the total number of free addresses in all of the scope instances is used when calculating the number of free addresses.
Static Threshold: Enter the threshold for the number of free addresses in a subnet.
Only perform action once (until fixed): Select this option to execute the action only once when the number of free addresses falls below the threshold.
Perform action when fixed: Choose this option to execute the action when the number of free addresses is no longer below the threshold.
Click OK to confirm your settings.
Adding and Modifying Related DNS Data
The inspector located on the right side of the IP address list displays the properties associated with the selected IP address. The information included in the inspector may vary, depending on the custom properties defined in Micetro, as well as the presence of DNS or DHCP related data.
In the Related DNS Data section, you can find all DNS records associated with the address. You can create new records or edit/delete the existing ones.
Adding a DNS Record
Select the desired IP address in the IP address list.
In the Related DNS data section of the inspector, click the create + button.
Fill in the Create DNS Record dialog box. Address is automatically filled with the selected IP address.
Click Create now or Add to request. See Workflow for further details.
Editing a DNS Record
In the Related DNS data section of the inspector, select Edit on the Row … menu for the relevant DNS record.
Make the desired changes and click Save now or Add to request. See Workflow for further details.
Removing a DNS Record
In the Related DNS data section of the inspector, select Delete on the Row … menu for the relevant DNS record.
Select Delete now or Add to request. See Workflow for further details.
The host details are deleted and removed from the inspector.
Working with Address (A) Records in DNS Zone Windows
When the IPAM module is enabled, you may notice some differences when working with Address (A) records in DNS zones. One key change is the restriction on allowed IP addresses.
The system administrator can control which IP addresses users are permitted to use and set a range of IP addresses they are allowed to work with. Additionally, administrators can decide whether users are allowed to use IP addresses already assigned in DNS. This means that there could be a predefined range of IP addresses that you’re permitted to work with, and the system may prevent you from using IP addresses outside of this range.
Related Topics: