How to Use IP Address Manager to Monitor and Manage DHCP Servers

Networks are becoming larger and more sophisticated, increasing the likelihood of IP disputes. A huge network is complex, but a small network is easier to administer. System administrators dread network disruptions, which are never to be taken lightly by today’s digital norms. So, what can you do to avoid this and maintain a reliable network? The answer is in plain sight. You will need to monitor your network’s performance and the devices that connect to it. Simply put, you will need to monitor the whole network.

IP Address Manager (IPAM) 

Because every device has an IP address to connect to the internet, IP Address Manager is a great application (download here) for managing large networks. Monitoring your IP address infrastructure is critical to resolving IP address disputes and identifying illegal devices. However, with so many IP address management solutions available, selecting one that works well might be difficult. One of the reasons we use Solarwinds is its reputation in network and system administration.

To follow this instruction, you must have IPAM installed in your network. We already have a detailed IPAM tracking and monitoring article. The instructions will help you deploy the tool if you haven’t already. To add a DHCP server to IPAM, you must first add it as an external node. The associated guide will also lead you through it. When you’re ready, follow this tutorial.

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Adding DHCP Server

You may now add your DHCP server to IPAM as a DHCP server and start monitoring it. Once added to IPAM, network operators can manage the server’s scopes. How to make the node a server:

1. To access IPAM settings, go to Settings > All Settings > IPAM Settings.
2. To add your node as a DHCP server, select Add DHCP Server.
3. Now you must select the IPAM node from the drop-down menu.
4. Then choose a credential type or create a new one. Please ensure that the user credentials you supply are either DHCP User, DHCP Administrators, or Local Administrators. Finally, click Test to validate your credentials.
5. Then proceed to the DHCP Server Scan settings.
6. The default scan interval is four hours. You can adjust this to suit your needs.
7. Check the box to add scopes automatically.
8. You may also choose a hierarchical group from the menu. This allows IPAM to assign the DHCP server’s found subnet masks to the hierarchical group.
9. Once finished, click the Add DHCP Server button to add the node to IPAM.

Creating a scope on a DHCP Server

Creating a scope on a DHCP Server Whenever a DHCP client requests an IP address, the server searches the assigned Scope. Specifying scopes allows your DHCP server to control IP address assignment and distribution. How to make a scope:

1. Click DHCP & DNS Management under IP Addresses in the My Dashboards drop-down menu.
2. Select the server for which you want a scope.
3. Click Add New, then DHCP Scope.
4. This opens the Add DHCP wizard.
5. On the Defining page, you must offer a name for the Scope and a description and additional information. Then click Next.
6. Now you must specify the Scope’s IP address range. By selecting the Add Exclusion option, you may exclude an IP address from the range.
7. Then you may alter the DHCP Offer Delay duration in Define Scope Properties. If not, press Next.
8. This is done on the Scope Options page. Again, this is for advanced users only. After that, click Next.
9. Finally, check the scope details and click Build Scope to create the Scope for the specified DHCP server.

Scope Breaking

Once a scope is formed for a DHCP server, it can be shared amongst two DHCP servers to improve network availability. This may be done from the DHCP and DNS pages. Split a scope as follows:

1. Navigate to My Dashboards > DHCP and DNS Management.
2. Select the DHCP tab, then the DHCP server where the Scope already exists.
3. Select Split Scope from the Scopes drop-down menu.
4. This will lead you to Define Split Scope.
5. Give the secondary Scope a name here.
6. Select the server you want to split the range for and click Next.
7. Adjust the slider as needed. For example, if you pick a 70-30 split, the primary Scope will use the first 70% of the available IP addresses, and the rest will be assigned to the secondary Scope.
8. The secondary Scope has an Offer Delay in ms. Then click Finish.

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User Questions:

How can I monitor DHCP?

• The DHCP Server must be functioning.
• Check DHCP’s address allocation.
• Check your DHCP servers’ response time.
• Could you notify me when address pools are low?

What is DHCP?

• Choose Programs Administrative Tools (Common), DHCP Manager, from the Start Button.
• Locate the DHCP server for which you wish to build a DHCP scope.
• Define the IP address range for the IP Address Pool first.
• See all DHCP servers.

Want to know your network’s DHCP servers’ DNS names and IP addresses? If you’re using Active Directory, open a command prompt and run the netsh DHCP show server to see a list of approved DHCP servers.

Which DHCP server to use?

After installing the DHCP server role, access the DHCP administration console. Open System Manager and choose Tools DHCP. The DHCP console. To launch a DHCP server, you must first build a scope.

What does DHCP watch?

It sends a DHCP INFORM request to the target DHCP server on the same network, using UDP as the transport protocol, and waits for a DHCP ACK. The monitor doesn’t ask for or change IP addresses.