| Rapid Time to Value |
| DNS and DHCP setup wizards |
Using the basic configuration mode with setup wizards for the DHCP and DNS components, users can easily perform DHCP and DNS configuration by entering the parameters that are essential for the configuration. An advanced configuration mode is available for users with more in-depth experience with DHCP and DNS configuration. Users can quickly set up and configure Cisco Prime Network Registrar DHCP and DNS properly to facilitate IP-based services such as VoIP, LAN, and so on. |
| IPAM ease and speed of setup |
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IPAM accepts XLS or comma-separated value (CSV) files to import preexisting license data.
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The Import Wizard allows users to import address space and resource records.
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Automated discovery facilitates creation of a central IPAM repository of network IP addresses.
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| Standards and Regulatory Compliance |
| CableLabs® DOCSIS 3.0 support |
With support for DOCSIS 3.0, Cisco Prime Network Registrar DHCP provides cable multiple system operators (MSOs) the capability to roll out new revenue-generating services. |
| Full visibility into lease history for IPv4 and IPv6 |
Cisco Prime Network Registrar DHCP provides the ability to query DHCP lease history for IPv4 and IPv6. Searching of lease history is possible both at the local and regional cluster level and is compliant with European Union privacy regulations. Lease history maintains client identifier and DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem MAC addresses to expedite client lookups. This feature is used in lawful intercept solutions and for long-term storage of customer data for regulatory compliance and operational efficiency. |
| DNSSEC government mandate compliance |
For some U.S. government agencies, DNSSEC is an operational mandate. On 22 August 2008, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memorandum requiring U.S. federal agencies to deploy DNSSEC across.gov sites. In addition, in July 2011, several additional zones were signed using DNSSEC, including .net and .com. The Cisco Prime Network Registrar caching server offers DNSSEC support that helps to provide authenticated data to the end user, providing validation that DNS data has been signed. |
| IPAM Rich Graphical User Interface |
| Intuitive GUI |
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A web-based interface allows administrators to quickly visualize the network and allocate addresses based on current and future requirements. The GUI allows users to associate address blocks easily with geography, topology, or other user-defined hierarchies through the use of a container model.
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The GUI provides administrators with a real-time snapshot of the network that reduces the amount of time it takes a user to perform certain tasks, including key strokes, mouse clicks, pointing, selecting an item from a list, and more.
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Two-dimensional mega menus provide for easy navigation and greater visibility of available command options.
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| Context-aware menus and context-sensitive help |
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Context-aware menus display relevant commands only for expedited operations and faster decision making.
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Context-sensitive help offers information specific to the task for greater user productivity.
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| Simplified Dashboard, Tracking, and Reporting Capabilities |
| Real-time server status dashboards |
The DNS, DNS caching, and DHCP component dashboards provide at-a-glance, real-time indicators of the server health, system metrics, alarms and alerts, and inventories of the respective Cisco Prime Network Registrar servers. The dashboards display graphs for monitoring DHCP and DNS general information, throughput, and error data that can affect network operations. To measure address usage over time, the DHCP component dashboard can collect DHCP utilization information for a time period and present graphs showing trends that are useful for capacity planning. Benefits include improved network maintenance and increased uptime. |
| Resource notification and alerts |
The ability to set two levels of resource utilization notifications - warning and critical. Threshold levels can be defined by the administrator. Settings can:
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Provide an indication in the web user interface (UI) and CLI when one or more monitored resources exceed their critical or warning levels.
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Provide a report on the current state of the monitored resources in the Web UI and CLI.
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Provide a means to reset the peak monitored resource values.
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Generate traps when monitored resources exceed their critical or warning levels, and return to reasonable values.
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Provide a means to adjust the critical and warning levels for each monitored resource.
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| IPAM historic reporting, tracking, and trending |
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Address utilization data is tracked and trended for reporting purposes.
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Multiple graphical reports provide information at any level in the container or address block hierarchy to manage IP address space capacity from both an address pool perspective and a network/subnet perspective.
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| IPv4 and IPv6 audit, reporting and alert capabilities |
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Audit reporting promotes accountability and provides history tracking for administrators, subnets, devices, IP addresses, and containers.
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Utilization tracking, analysis, and reporting (with threshold alerting for notification of pending address depletions) help preempt potential service-affecting outages and prevent:
◦ Lost productivity
◦ Calls to the help desk or customer care
◦ Lost revenue
◦ Expensive troubleshooting time
These capabilities also assist in compliance initiatives such as:
◦ Proactive and preventative management and maintenance
◦ Inventory reporting
◦ Graphical reports
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| Global search capability |
Operators can quickly search for any full or partial IP address or any DNS name. |
| IP Address Planning |
| Planning for hierarchical IPv4 and IPv6 address space with a continual feedback loop |
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Planning tools facilitate development of a disciplined IPv4 and IPv6 address plan that can be deployed, monitored, and tracked automatically - for a continuous feedback loop to assure accuracy and provide an overall management view.
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Users can plan and stage the following interrelated entities for immediate or future deployment to DHCP and DNS servers: IP block or subnet allocation, IP address assignment, IPv6 prefixes and links, addition of a new DHCP pool and associated parameters, or DNS domain, server configuration, or resource records.
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Discovery-to-database reconciliation and exception reporting help enable operators to view plan discrepancies and potential errors or rogue users.
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| Creation and management of IPv6 prefixes and links |
Using IPv6 prefixes or links, operators can easily perform IPv6 address allocation, assignment, tracking, and search - for significant operational efficiencies compared to manual processes. |
| Definition of DHCPv6 options and client classes |
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Client classes may be used to associate classes of devices with policies and options. For instance, users can easily create a VoIP client class or a cable modem client class with a policy set to provide an address out of a given scope or prefix with associated options.
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Users can create a client class configuration where specific client detail is stored.
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| Creation and management of IPv4 and IPv6 client reservations |
Cisco Prime Network Registrar IPAM allows users to easily select and assign an IP address or prefix. |
| User definability/flexibility and management of IP address space |
The easy-to-use container architecture allows the user to define and manage topology, address space (including block allocations and subnets), device and block types, and associated attributes (through user-defined fields). This helps administrators to organize address space in a manner that best matches an organization's structure. |
| Address allocation: User‑defined policies and automation |
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Cisco Prime Network Registrar IPAM allows users to allocate space in a hierarchical, logical manner in accordance with the topology as defined in their IP address plan.
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Automated allocation prevents requiring the operator to manually enter IP addresses, improving worker productivity and network uptime, decreasing costs, and allowing service providers and enterprises to scale seamlessly.
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Optimal "best fit" address allocation maximizes address utilization efficiency.
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Customization through multiple block types provides multiple address subspaces for various applications or IP types such as data, VoIP, higher quality of service (QoS), and more.
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Simplified address renumbering allows movement of address space where it is needed.
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| Automated and manual IP address and subnet reclaim |
IPAM provides the ability to reclaim or free up IP addresses or entire subnets - a task that is crucial to assuring the IP inventory database is accurate. |
| Address utilization trending and forecasting |
IPAM allows trending and forecasting of address pools, helping to prevent network access failure through proactive management of available addresses and utilization trends. |
| Centralized DNS/DHCP Server Configuration |
| Automated configuration |
Operators can significantly reduce downtime with more accurate DNS/DHCP configurations. |
| Advanced configuration support |
Support for multitiered addressing, multihomed hosts (to model multiple IP addresses on a given device), DHCP client classes, MAC address processing, client ID, dynamic DNS, and more - all helping to meet complex network operator needs. |
| DHCP configuration verification and preview |
Verification and preview capabilities help limit network outages and IP conflicts. |
| IP Address Management |
| Discovery |
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Cisco Prime Network Registrar IPAM performs host discovery using a variety of methods including ping, TCP port 80 connections, DNS lookups, Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) cache data, and device OS mapping.
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The IPAM component performs integrated switch port mapping through Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Bridge-MIB polling, facilitating support of a broad variety of switches, and mapping of a subnet's VLAN.
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Router subnet discovery identifies which IPv4 and IPv6 subnets are provisioned on given router interfaces.
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IPAM collects rich network data from a broad variety of multivendor Layer 3 routers, Layer 2 switches, and DNS/DHCP servers.
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IPAM allows comparison of implemented network address data to the database to highlight discrepancies and reconcile conflicts.
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| User-defined thresholds and alerts |
Users can set up thresholds and alerts - for example, for notification if an address space is over a designated utilization percentile or if an address pool is forecasted to deplete within a designated time frame - for proactive management. These capabilities help to facilitate planning and minimize network outages and IP conflicts. |
| Granular administrator policies and tiered administration capabilities |
Granular administrator policies within Cisco Prime Network Registrar IPAM dictate access to and visibility and control of given functions, geographies, domains, subnets, and blocks. For service providers and enterprises with multiple operations personnel responsible for different portions of the network and/or different DHCP or DNS servers, administrators are empowered to delineate and partition responsibilities. |
| Static IP Address Management |
| Carrier-class lease reservation performance |
For users with needs for static IP address assignment, Cisco Prime Network Registrar DHCP can handle up to 500,000 lease reservations. Because Cisco Prime Network Registrar supports failover deployment, the enhanced lease reservation synchronizes the lease reservation between the main and the backup server to ensure that any update to the configuration will be populated between these servers. Modification to the reserved lease configuration can be done through the web UI, a CLI, and the Java Software Development Kit (SDK). |
| Full-Featured DHCP Server |
| Dynamic lease notification |
With dynamic lease notification, network operators can request perpetual or time-bounded external system notification whenever Cisco Prime Network Registrar DHCP issues a DHCPv4 or DHCPv6 lease. |
| DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 failover |
A simple failover model using TCP provides support for IP address, prefix, and variable-length prefix failover. This allows a backup DHCP server to take over for a main server if the main server is taken off the network for any reason. |
| Client reservations |
Cisco Prime Network Registrar DHCP provides client reservations for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses as well as IPv6 prefix delegation. This capability allows the DHCP server to reserve a permanent IP address assignment. These reservations can be stored internal to Cisco Prime Network Registrar (through the Cisco Prime Network Registrar client entries) or external to Cisco Prime Network Registrar - either in Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) or supplied through the DHCP server's extension interface from other external sources. This avoids the need to synchronize data with Cisco Prime Network Registrar's internal databases and provides for a much more dynamic and scalable reservation-based service. |
| Client class support |
Cisco Prime Network Registrar DHCP can classify incoming client packets in three ways for greater flexibility:
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Look up clients in a database (internal or external).
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Apply a customer-defined algorithm or algorithms based on incoming packet content.
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Call custom extensions or use third-party extensions written in C/C++ or Tool Command Language (Tcl).
The client class can specify the options supplied to the client - which subnet or prefix to use for address allocation, which DNS server to update, and how to generate the host name, and more - as required for the various device types and service classes in the network. For example, device types could include cable modems, customer premises equipment (CPE), and media terminal adapters (MTAs) in a cable network, and service types could include the various classes of Internet service offered. In an enterprise, device types might be phones, printers, and desktop computers. |
| Extensions |
Cisco Prime Network Registrar DHCP provides powerful extension support to allow for DHCP server processing customization. Extensions can be used to classify client types, add/remove/modify options in packets, query or update an external database, and much more. Extensions are flexible enough to be written in the service provider or enterprise development environment - they are written in either Tcl or C/C++ and support all operating platforms and all devices. |
| Gracefully handles difficult client situations |
The DHCP server will handle an avalanche of DHCP client requests by prioritizing and processing the most important requests using a patent-pending discriminating rate limiter. The DHCP server will not collapse under any load, no matter how extreme - it will rapidly work through any backlog and get the network back up as quickly as possible. Also, through the use of an extension, the Chatty Client Filter, the DHCP component handles misbehaving clients. For clients that do not have multiple packets outstanding but still frequently send requests to the DHCP server, the extension will automatically disable such clients and then, if their behavior improves, automatically re-enable them. In customer situations this has been shown to decrease packet traffic by more than 50 percent. |
| Bulk lease query support for DHCPv6 |
The DHCP server will respond to lease query requests for a large number of DHCPv6 leases using standards-compliant bulk lease query functionality. |
| Prefix stability for IPv6 |
Prefix stability allows a client to retain a delegated IPv6 address prefix when the client changes location - for example, during network maintenance, when an operator performs node splits, or during load-balancing events.
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Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) prefix stability supports the DOCSIS 3.0 requirements for prefix stability and allows a subscriber to retain his or her delegated prefix when an operator performs a load-balancing or reconfiguration event within a CMTS group. CMTS prefix stability must be deployed on a single DHCP server.
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Universal prefix stability allows subscribers to retain a delegated prefix anywhere in the network. Use of this feature requires administrative assignment of the delegated prefixes and use of a client or lease reservation. It can be deployed across multiple DHCP servers.
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| Prefix allocation groups |
Prefix allocation groups allow users to define multiple prefixes that do not result in multiple lease assignments to clients and to control the order in which the prefixes are used. |
| DNS Features |
| Standards-compliant DNS Authoritative server |
Cisco Prime Network Registrar DNS is a standards-compliant authoritative DNS server that offers an advanced feature set, with support for incremental zone transfers, dynamic updates, and notifications. To secure DNS services, the DNS component supports transactional signature (TSIG) to authenticate DNS zone transfer and update requests. |
| DNS caching server |
The DNS caching server is optimized for its specific role, performing the actual recursion to resolve a given name, resulting in greater simplicity and better performance overall. The server improves speed/performance of high volume recursive queries, and operators can expect increased performance in end-user applications. The server stores DNS query results locally, which helps to improve efficiency and reduce DNS traffic across the Internet. |
| DNSSEC support |
The Cisco Prime Network Registrar DNS caching server performs DNSSEC validation and authenticates DNS data as being published by zone administrators. This helps to ensure the authenticity and integrity of DNS records and servers being accessed. Specifically, DNSSEC validation provides assurance to end-user resolvers that DNS query responses are accurate for signed zones. The DNSSEC server validates signatures of each resource record ultimately to the root zone in accordance with standard DNSSEC protocol. DNSSEC also protects resource records against DNS vulnerabilities such as DNS cache poisoning. |
| DNS64 functionality |
The Cisco Prime Network Registrar DNS caching server supports DNS64, synthesizing AAAA (IPv6) records from A (IPv4) records in order to provide an IPv6-only client access to an IPv4-only resource. This capability helps facilitate the migration of IPv4 to IPv6. |
| DNS views support |
Cisco Prime Network Registrar provides simplified implementation support for and management of DNS views. DNS views allow presentation of alternate resource record sets (different “views” of the same data) based on the source or destination of the query and whether the query is recursive or not. End users only have to remember a single URL rather than an internal versus external URL. Operators can realize operating expense savings through the ability to have a single primary DNS server for both internal and external view servers. An enterprise domain could apply this concept to name spaces outside of the campus environment to create a true set of internal (on-campus) versus external (Internet-based clients) DNS name resolutions - for enhanced security for systems within a campus LAN. |
| DNS firewall |
Uses RPZ to define lists of fully qualified domain names, IPs, subnets, and prefixes of end nodes for blocked and allowed listing. DNS administrators can optimize the user experience by helping users get to a predefined URL. The DNS server can be configured to modify response to queries to redirect clients away from known risky web sites. Administrators can block a domain or list of domains, redirecting the user to a notification page. The DNS firewall supports zone transfers from a third party RPZ provider. |
| NXDOMAIN redirect |
Network operators can assist users when they query an invalid domain name (that is, the server has no entry) by returning an “NXDOMAIN” response, meaning nonexistent Internet or intranet domain name. |
| Internationalized domain name support |
Supports the use of the full Unicode character set to name DNS domains from the Cisco Prime Network Registrar web UI. This allows administrators to use localized domain names in the web UI. |
| DNS E.164 Number Mapping (ENUM) configuration |
ENUM allows telephone numbers to be resolved to URLs using a DNS-based architecture. Cisco Prime Network Registrar offers an easy way to input and manage ENUM records. By placing telephone numbers into the DNS server, ENUM can facilitate interoperability for a wide range of applications including VoIP, video, presence, and instant messaging. |
| External Systems Integration and Support |
| Representational State Transfer (REST)/RESTful API |
An industry standard web services REST API for lightweight, maintainable, and scalable web based services. Support includes get, add, modify, or delete operations, as allowed for each class. REST APIs are beneficial in supporting cloud-based implementations. |
| Integration with external systems |
Users are able to streamline intersystem workflow using robust API/CLIs for communication between related asset inventory and network management systems. The IPAM API is available for integration with third-party applications such as provisioning systems and change management systems. A callout manager service can trigger downstream flows (for example, to a router provisioning system), helping to automate the workflow process, improving accuracy, speeding up the provisioning process, and lowering operating expenses (OpEx). |
| Multivendor DHCP/DNS support |
The IPAM component cohesively supports the following additional DNS and DHCP servers: Internet Systems Consortium (ISC DHCP and BIND 9 DNS) and Microsoft, allowing support of existing infrastructure. Microsoft LDAP versions 1, 2, and 3 are supported for external authentication. |
| Import tool for Microsoft DHCP |
The DHCP migration tool enables an organization currently running a Microsoft DHCP server to easily move its configuration and current DHCP leases over to a Cisco Prime Network Registrar server. |
| Deployment Environments: Virtual, Physical, and Cloud |
| Virtual appliance deployment option |
Cisco Prime Network Registrar DHCP, DNS, and the DNS caching server can be deployed as a preconfigured virtual appliance and will run on any VMware ESXi 5.X-capable server running Linux or Windows. Deployment of a virtual appliance helps simplify installation, lower deployment risks, and reduce startup costs. |
| Software deployment option |
Physical deployment of Cisco Prime Network Registrar offers a choice of hardware and three operating systems: Solaris, Linux, and Windows or virtualization through VMware with Linux/Windows. |
| Cloud support and multitenant capabilities |
Multitenant capabilities help enable cloud-based DHCP and DNS services by providing subscribers with secure IP address management and self-service control. Additionally, the multitenant management feature provides the capability to segment data stored on regional and local clusters by tenant and is intended for use by managed service providers to consolidate many small customers on a limited number of local clusters. |
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