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Shadow IPserver: DHCP

Automates address management

DHCP automates the IP address assignment and network configuration parameters for all your network devices. This standards-based network service eliminates the time and expense of manually visiting each device to configure its network parameters. During the initial boot and then periodically (at lease renewal), clients request their address and configuration parameters from a DHCP server.

DHCP screen shot
DHCP delivers automated management of IP addresses and configurations

The DHCP server maintains configuration parameters and assignment guidelines to automatically deliver appropriate configuration data requested by clients. Since not all clients receive identical data, the server must allow for specific assignments to designated stations, as well as general assignments to "pools" of similarly configured stations.

An important parameter supplied by the server is the "lease time", or how long the assigned IP address can be used. The lease time also sets the interval at which DHCP clients will check with the server for configuration changes. At each check, the server has an opportunity to modify the client's configuration. This process means new information (addition of a new router, for example) can be disseminated quickly and automatically throughout the organization. The server can renew the client's address lease for an additional lease period or, at lease expiration, automatically recover the IP address for reassignment as necessary.

IPserver offers comprehensive DHCP.

A DHCP server is attempting to approximate the role of a network administrator. How comprehensive should its facilities be?

Shadow IPserver includes support for all standard DHCP options as well as support for complex topologies, flexible description of address rules, automated station identification to ensure appropriate configuration, and powerful tools to group and describe IP address assignment guidelines.

Centralized network administration lowers cost of PC ownership.

In place of network configurations entered on every PC, IPservers automatically distribute both common and unique configuration information from a single point of control.

Cost of ownership studies identify the ongoing cost of network configuration as a significant part of the total desktop management cost. Shadow IPservers automate and eliminate almost all of these costly manual activities.

DHCP efficiently allocates limited IP addresses.

Through the DHCP lease mechanism, IPservers share a limited allocation of IP addresses among a larger group of users on an as-needed basis. By quickly recovering and recycling addresses, network administrators can better satisfy growth or user population shifts.

Option Set
Powerful DHCP Option Sets offer policy-based management today.

DHCP Option Sets simplify description and automation of IP configuration profiles. Standard structured network configurations can be defined as "Option Sets," a named grouping of DHCP options. By grouping capabilities into Option Sets, a network administrator can quickly and easily apply standard profiles to individuals or groups of users.

For example, an Option Set called "Campus Backbone" might include a default router address. By changing the single value, all users assigned the Option Set will receive the new assignment at their next lease renewal. For additional flexibility, Option Sets can be nested and individual options overridden.

 

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