The Infoblox IPAM WinConnect solution
delivers a powerful web-based GUI and
simplified, appliance-based delivery.

Product Overview

IP address management (IPAM) lets customers manage their IP environment and IP address data at an enterprise-wide level, delivering unified management, monitoring, and administration while providing centralized auditing and reporting.

The Infoblox IPAM WinConnect™ system provides powerful IP address management capabilities for Microsoft DNS and DHCP services, enabling IT administrators to replace spreadsheets, manual processes, and home-grown tools with a powerful, cost-effective, dedicated solution.

Infoblox IPAM WinConnect is delivered on a security-hardened appliance, making it extremely easy to install and configure. Communications with Microsoft servers uses the standard Microsoft Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) protocol and does not require installation of any software agents on the servers being monitored or managed. This non-invasive approach greatly simplifies installation and ongoing maintenance of the solution.

Importing data from your current network to the Infoblox IPAM WinConnect database is simple:

• You can easily import data from existing IPAM spreadsheets;
• Powerful network discovery tools efficiently sweep your network to detect devices (without flooding the network with excessive traffic);
• All DNS and DHCP data on Microsoft servers is automatically collected and maintained in real-time.

The Infoblox IPAM WinConnect solution also offer a tight integration into most existing Enterprise Management System (EMS) like CiscoWorks.

The powerful web interface provides senior IT administrators, technicians, and help desk personnel with appropriate visibility and control capabilities from anywhere, using any standard browser. Built entirely using industry standards, Infoblox IPAM WinConnect provides a powerful API that enables integration with other enterprise applications.

Infoblox IPAM WinConnect saves time and money by greatly simplifying and
distributing the management of your existing DNS/ DHCP infrastructure.

Architecture Overview

The Infoblox IPAM WinConnect system is delivered on Infoblox appliances running the Infoblox NIOS operating system. The NIOS OS is security-hardened and supports easy setup of the appliance and enables simple software updates. Infoblox IPAM WinConnect Connectors provide the link between the Infoblox IPAM WinConnect hardware and the Microsoft servers, and use AD domain membership to establish appropriate access rights. Infoblox IPAM WinConnect Connectors can be configured in read-only mode for those users that want to provide centralized data monitoring but do not want to enable any configuration changes to Microsoft DNS and DHCP services from the Infoblox IPAM for WinConnect GUI.

Infoblox IPAM WinConnect offers a powerful command-line interface (CLI) which enables manual or programmatic access to all commands and data from 3rd party applications.

IP addresses view: Provides subnet IP usage summary at-a-glance, and details
information on the IP address selected such as hostname, MAC address,
asset tag, DNS information, and device location.

Key Architectural Benefits

• One connector can manage up to 15 servers, several connectors can be installed
• Managing one DNS server in an AD domain is enough, no need to manage all of them
• Discovery will register the IP addresses missing from DNS/DHCP

Features

Integrated IP directory

• Centralizes IP data in a unified database, providing easy and fast access to information.
• IP directory is built on a per organization basis, allowing management of overlapping IP spaces.

Focused on management

• Provides management of existing, in-place Microsoft DNS and DHCP servers – no changes required to the current infrastructure.
  

Full synchronization of DNS and DHCP data

• Automatic import of DNS/DHCP data (including active leases) from existing Microsoft servers.
• Changes to DNS and DHCP configurations made via Microsoft Management Console (MMC) are automatically reflected in the Infoblox IPAM WinConnect database.
• Changes to DNS and DHCP configurations made via the Infoblox IPAM WinConnect GUI are instantly visible in Microsoft’s DNS/DHCP MMC plug-ins.

View and modify information for individual hosts

• Uses IP and/or MAC addresses as a key to store information.
• Allows easy IP provisioning.
• Powerful search tool enables fast, easy access to DNS and DHCP data.

Efficient and intuitive navigation

• Web GUI provides dedicated views for IP, DNS, and DHCP.
• Navigation is tree-based, allowing fast information lookup.

Modular and secure design

• Communication components are SSL encrypted.

Integrated IP directory

• Provides fine control of allowed user actions, based on domain (IP, DHCP, DNS) and operation.
• Constrains users to specific data zones (subnets, DNS zones, DHCP servers, etc.)