NIOS 8.6.x Documentation

Infoblox NIOS 8.6.
x Documentation
06/14/2022
Infoblox NIOS 8.6.x
Contents
What's New ......................................................................................................................................................3
Getting Started ...............................................................................................................................................10
Support Matrix ................................................................................................................................................23
Installing NIOS ...............................................................................................................................................24
Upgrading NIOS .............................................................................................................................................26
Using the Grid Manager Interface ..................................................................................................................58
Administering NIOS......................................................................................................................................182
Using NIOS APIs ........................................................................................................................................1916
Using the NIOS CLI....................................................................................................................................1917
Reference Information................................................................................................................................2088
Copyright ©2022, Infoblox, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 2

Rev. D
What's New
The NIOS 8.6 release includes the following new features and enhancements:
Enabling and Disabling DNS Traffic Control Objects (RFE-7088)

NIOS 8.6.2 introduces the Enable Traffic Management Objects and the Disable Traffic Management Objects screens
using which you can enable or disable individual DNS Traffic Control objects. You can also disable the health monitoring
of a particular object to stop performing health checks. You can access the new screens from the Traffic Control panel on
the Data Management > DNS > Traffic Control tab. For more information about enabling and disabling DNS Traffic
Control objects, see the Managing DNS Traffic Control Objects.
Multi-Master DNS Failover for DDNS (RFE-5514)

In NIOS 8.6.2, if you have configured more than one Grid DNS primary server for DDNS updates for multi-master zones,
DHCP servers use the first available DNS primary server that is configured. If the first DNS primary server is not
reachable or is offline, then the DHCP servers reach for the next DNS primary server in the preferred multi-domain
DDNS list and so on. You can add upto a maximum of three DNS primary nameservers for each zone.
Configuring Microsoft Servers and Delegated Name Servers

(RFE-10168)
From NIOS 8.6.2 onwards, you will not be able to add a delegated name server group only if DNS synchronization is
enabled on any Microsoft server configured in NIOS. You also cannot enable DNS synchronization for Microsoft servers
in NIOS if delegated name servers are configured on them.
Support for Upgraded Splunk Version 8.2.4

NIOS 8.6.2 supports Splunk version 8.2.4.
vNIOS for Azure and vNIOS for AWS Support in IB-V5005

(RFE-7962)
IB-V5005 support is now extended to vNIOS for Azure and vNIOS for AWS. For detailed information see the Infoblox
Installation Guide for vNIOS for AWS and the Installation Guide for vNIOS for Microsoft Azure available at
docs.infoblox.com.
vNIOS for GCP Support in IB-V4015 and IB-V4025 (RFE-11349)

IB-V015 and IB-V4025 now support vNIOS for GCP. For detailed information see the Infoblox Installation Guide for
vNIOS for GCP at docs.infoblox.com.
DHCP Support on vNIOS for GCP (RFE-9945)

vNIOS for GCP instances running on NIOS 8.6.2 offer DHCP services for on-premise networks. For more information see
the Infoblox Installation Guide for vNIOS for GCP at docs.infoblox.com.

Rev. D
vNIOS for Nutanix AHV 5.20.3 (RFE-11997)
NIOS 8.6.2 supports the deployment of vNIOS on Nutanix AHV 5.20.3. For more details, see the Infoblox Installation
Guide vNIOS for Nutanix AHV at docs.infoblox.com.
Enabling and Disabling BFD Internal DNS Monitoring (SPTYRFE-49)

NIOS 8.6.2 introduces a new checkbox called BFD Internal DNS Monitoring in the Grid Member Properties editor >
Anycast tab. Selecting this checkbox enables the internal DNS monitor to send and receive DNS responses and to
retract the OSPF or BGP route if it does not receive a DNS response.
You can enable or disable the BFD Internal DNS Monitoring checkbox only if you select the Enable BFD checkbox. When
you enable the BFD Internal DNS Monitoring checkbox, you have the option to toggle between enabling or disabling the
internal DNS monitor. When you select this checkbox, Infoblox recommends that you also select the Enable DNS Health
Check checkbox in the Grid Properties Editor or the Member Properties Editor. The BFD Internal DNS
Monitoring checkbox is enabled by default. For more information see the About BFD.
Support for Cisco ISE Integration Through Outbound Endpoint

NIOS 8.6.2 supports Cisco ISE versions 3.0 and 3.1. Infoblox recommends that you configure Cisco ISE 3.0 and
3.1 using the Outbound Endpoint tab. Cisco ISE version 3.1 (pxGrid 2.0) is supported only through the Cisco outbound
endpoint. For more information see the Configuring Outbound Endpoints.
Enforcing the Global Proxy List

In NIOS 8.6.2, if you want to proxy the traffic through the MSP (Multi-Services Proxy) server and have categorized the
queried domains in the incoming traffic to the global proxy list, then the query resolves to an MSP virtual IP address and
NIOS generates a synthetic resolution. For more information, see the Scaling Subscriber Sites.
New DNSKEY Algorithm (RFE-6068 and RFE-9845)

You can now add the ECDSAP/SHA-256 and ECDSAP/SHA-384 cryptographic algorithms which the Grid Master can
use when it generates the Key-Signing Key Rollover (KSK) and Zone-Signing Key Rollover (ZSK).
Extensible Attribute-based Topology Rulesets (RFE-9107 and

RFE-11133)
You can now specify IPAM objects types, network containers, networks, ranges, and hosts and their External Attribute
(EA) values in the Extensible Attributes Source Types for Topology Rules field to be used as source types when defining
DNS Traffic Control topology rules. For more information, see the Configuring DNS Traffic Control Properties.
vNIOS Support for Microsoft Azure Stack Hub (RFE-8303)

You can now deploy the NIOS virtual appliance on Microsoft Azure Stack Hub. vNIOS for Microsoft Azure Stack Hub
which is a hybrid cloud platform that enables a vNIOS appliance to deliver Azure services in an on-prem environment.
You can deploy vNIOS for Azure Stack Hub instances from the Azure CLI or the Azure Stack Hub portal. For more
information, see the vNIOS Infoblox Installation Guide for Microsoft Azure at docs.infoblox.com.

Rev. D
Health Status of DNS Traffic Control Objects in API Responses
(RFE-9893)
The Grid Master Candidate now provides the health status of DNS Traffic Control objects such as servers, pools, and
LBDNs through WAPI requests.
Regenerating the Anycast Password (RFE-11117)

This release of NIOS introduces the set regenerate_anycast_password command that regenerates the anycast
service password. The regenerated 8-character alphanumeric password is saved to the NIOS database and is used
across all anycast configuration files (ospf.conf/bgp.conf/bfd.conf) for the following CLI commands: show ospf, show
bgp, show ipv6_ospf, show ipv6_bgp, show bfd.
This command is a maintenance mode command and has no arguments. Only superusers can execute this command.
The value of password and enable password in the output of the configuration file commands such as show bfd are
encrypted when you run the command. For more information, see the set regenerate_anycast_password.
Viewing Lightweight Access Point Details in Network Insight

(RFE-9556)
You can now view the discovered lightweight access points on the Data Management > Devices page. The table displays
the following information about the discovered lightweight access points: their name, IP address, device type, model,
vendor, and device version. You can also view the discovery statuses and other information in the Discovery Status table
(Data Management > Devices > Discovery Status).
Displaying the Lead Secondary Column in Name Server Group

(RFE-2804)
You can now determine which member is configured as a lead secondary by adding in a column to the Authoritative Zone
> Name Servers tab.
Support for creation_time for Host Records (RFE-8509)

NIOS 8.6.1 introduces the option of adding, updating, listing tthe creation timestamp value of DNS and non-DNS host
records using Grid Manager and WAPI.
Support for IB-V4015 on Red Hat OpenShift (RFE-11545)

Red Hat OpenShift is now supported on IB-V4015 virtual appliance. For more information, see the Infoblox Installation
Guide vNIOS for Red Hat OpenShift at docs.infoblox.com.
New Port Placements for the Infoblox 2205 and Infoblox 4005 Series
Appliances
The front panels of the Infoblox 2205 Series and the Infoblox 4005 Series have been modified to have slots for the four
ports (LAN2, HA, LAN1, MGMT) at the right. However, the Infoblox 2205 and Infoblox 4005 Series models that have the

Rev. D
ports located at the center are also being shipped. There is no difference in software functionality between the models
that have ports on the right and those that have ports in the center. Both the models will support NIOS versions prior to
8.5.4 and earlier.
For a visual representation of these models, see the Infoblox Installation Guide for 2205 Series Appliances and the
Infoblox Installation Guide for 4005 Series Appliances documentation at https://docs.infoblox.com
ACL Support for the Last Queried Time in DNS Scavenging

(RFE-7933)
You can now create an ACL or ACE for the Last Queried Time field in DNS scavenging and thus prevent a specified set
of ACLs or ACEs from updating the last queried timestamp. A new GUI field called Prevent the following ACLs or ACEs
from updating the last queried timestamp in the Grid DNS Properties > DNS Scavenging > Basic tab has been
introduced. The set of ACL or ACEs can include IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and networks. For more information, see DNS
Record Scavenging.
New Load Balancer to Add Persistence (RFE-6827)

You now have a new load balancing method called Source IP Hash to configure DNS Traffic Control pools. In this
method, requests are distributed based on the hash value of an IP address from an incoming query and the health status
of the pool or server. Here, clients have their own pool or server and are always associated with the same pool or server
for the same query as long as the pool or server is green. If the health status of the pool or server turns red, NIOS
switches the clients to the working pool or server and switches back when the health restores to green. For more
information, see Load Balancing Methods for DNS Traffic Control.
New DNS Responses When No DNS Traffic Control Responses are

Available (RFE-10212)
You now have the option to allow NIOS to either drop LBDN queries, or return DNS responses, or not return DNS
responses when DNS Traffic Control responses are not available. Two new options have been introduced in the Data
Management > DNS > Grid DNS Properties/Member DNS Properties > Traffic Control tab:
• Drop LBDN matched DNS queries during full health update: this option drops all LBDN queries when the DNS
service is waiting to receive a full health status update.
• No specific behavior: this option does not return DNS responses when DNS Traffic Control responses are not
available.
These options are in addition to the existing Return DNS response if there are no DNS Traffic Control responses
available option which is selected by default. For more information, see the Configuring DNS Traffic Control Properties.
Consolidated Health Checking for DNS Traffic Control Grid Members

(RFE-9427)
You can now choose the Grid members that must monitor health and share the health status. You can also select with
which other members the health status is to be shared. You can do this by enabling or disabling the new Full Health
Communication checkbox on the Data Management > DNS > Traffic Control > Health Monitors > Advanced tab. For
more information, see the Configuring DTC Monitors for Health Check.

Rev. D
Notification Rule Enhancements
NIOS now includes the Delete operation type in the Outbound notification rules. The Delete operation type has been
included for the DB Change DNS Record, DB Change DNS Zone, and Object Change Discovery Data event types. For
more information, see the Configuring Notification Rules.
Infoblox BloxConnect
The Infoblox Customer Experience Improvement Program is now called Infoblox BloxConnect. This screen appears
when you first log in to Grid Manager. The Infoblox Customer Experience Improvement Program checkbox used to
configure BloxConnect, has now been renamed to BloxConnect Data Collection and Opt-Out Notice. For information
about configuring BloxConnect, see the Setting Login Options.
IP Address in DHCP address conflict notification (RFE-5170)

NIOS now displays the conflicting IP address along with the conflict category when an email notification is sent in case of
an IPAM IP address conflict.
The content of the IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 SNMP trap is updated to STRING: DHCP address conflicts with an
existing host address. [IP address].
New Cluster Logout Event in the Syslog File (RFE-9840)

The syslog file now contains a cluster logout message to easily identify between network-related disconnects and
distribution-related logouts in real time. The message is in the following format: <date:time> daemon infoblox.localdomain
INFOBLOX-Grid[]: notice Cluster logout for node <node_name>, for node clean restart.
WAPI Performance Optimization (RFE-9986)

The performance of the WAPI GET method has been optimized for SRV, CNAME, and DNAME records.
Grid Backup Details in the Audit Log (RFE-9614)

The audit log file now logs information about who started the database backup and where the database backup file is
stored. For more information, see the Audit Log.
New CLI Command to Set DNS and Anycast Start and Restart
(RFE-10176)
This release of NIOS introduces the following commands:
• set restart_anycast_with_dns_restart: sets DNS and anycast start and restart sequences. This command
brings down the anycast service during the DNS restart or stops and redirects the traffic on the IP address of
anycast to another site. You can use this command only on Grid Master.
• show restart_anycast_with_dns_restart: displays the status of the set restart_anycast_with_dns_restart
command.
For more information about these commands, see the set restart_anycast_with_dns_restart and show
restart_anycast_with_dns_restart topics.

Rev. D
Hybrid HA Support
In NIOS 8.6, an HA setup can comprise a physical appliance and a virtual appliance. This setup is called a hybrid HA
setup. For information about hybrid HA and its limitations, see the About HA Pairs.
Single Network Interface of vNIOS for GCP (RFE-9995 and

RFE-9807)
This release of NIOS introduces an option to deploy vNIOS for GCP as a single network interface instance using VPC
(Virtual Private Cloud) and shared VPC networks on GCP. This instance provides core network services such as DNS
and IPAM services on a modular Infoblox solution. For more information, see the online Installation Guide for vNIOS for
GCP at https://docs.infoblox.com/display/ILP/Appliances.
Resolving CNAME and DNAME Chains in A and AAAA Alias Records

(RFE-9129)
NIOS now follows CNAME and DNAME chains if they appear as a target of an A or AAAA alias record and returns the
RDATA in the final link of the CNAME and DNAME chain as the answer. The chain itself will not be present as part of the
answer.
Resetting SNMP and CLI Credentials in Network Insight

(SPTYRFE-97)
If SNMP or CLI credentials become obsolete for devices polled by Network Insight, this release of NIOS introduces the
following new CLI commands to reset the credentials for all affected devices at once:
• reset snmp: clears obsolete SNMP credentials (community strings) of devices polled by Network Insight.
• reset cli: clears obsolete CLI credentials (community strings) of devices polled by Network Insight.
After clearing obsolete credentials, Network Insight reguesses the credentials for each device. For information about
these commands, see the reset snmp and reset cli topics.
Credential Grouping for Discovery Devices in Network Insight

In Network Insight, you can now group credentials and assign them to devices based on their group. You can do this for
devices globally, for probe members, or for individual devices.
Credentials apply to devices at the following levels:
• Grid Manager: settings apply across the Grid and all probe appliances licensed for discovery.
• Discovery probe appliances: you can use inherited Grid settings or override them.
• Individual devices: you can use inherited Grid or probe settings or override them with device-specific settings.
For more information, see the Configuring Discovery Properties.
Microsoft Server 2019 Support (RFE-10227)

NIOS 8.6 is supported on Microsoft Server 2019.

Rev. D
Discovery of Cisco Viptela SDN and SD-WAN devices
You can now discover SDN and SD-WAN devices from Cisco Viptela on-premise or cloud infrastructure using Network
Insight. For more information, see the Configuring Discovery Properties.
Adjustable Support Bundle Download Timeout

You can override the default timeout value for support bundle download by a custom value. For more information, see the
Downloading Support Bundles.
Support for New Vendors Using Advisor

A few more new vendors can use the Advisor service to monitor their device lifecycle and vulnerabilities. For more
information, see the Monitoring Device Lifecycle and Vulnerabilities Using Advisor.
Display of Source Device for Discovered Networks

You can now view the device on which a network is discovered by Network Insight. For more information, see
the Viewing Network Inventory.
Unbound Upgrade
The Unbound version has been upgraded to 1.10.1.
Enabling DDNS Updates from IPv6-Only DHCP Members

(RFE-5118)
You can now enable DDNS updates from IPv6-only DHCP members.
DHCP Fingerprint Updates

NIOS now contains new and updated DHCP fingerprints and the fingerprint configuration file has been upgraded to
version 10. For details about the fingerprint format, see the DHCP Fingerprint Detection.

Rev. D
Getting Started
This section helps you to get started using NIOS and familiarize yourself with NIOS terminology and UI conventions.
To... See...
Understand NIOS and Infoblox terminology Glossary of Terms
Understand the underlying architecture of various NIOS features and SSL and TLS Protocols
components
Know the NIOS system requirements Support Matrix
Get familiar with the Grid Manager interface About the Grid Manager Interface
Use NIOS through the CLI Using the NIOS CLI
Create and manage administrator, users, roles, and groups Managing Administrators
Learn about different types of licenses and how to add and manage licenses Managing Licenses
Create NIOS reports Infoblox Reporting and Analytics
Grid Manager Icons

This section contains the following information about icons used in Grid Manager, System Manager, and Orchestration
Server Manager:
• Icon: The graphical display of an icon.
• Icon Name: The icon name.
• Description: The task that Grid Manager performs after you click the icon.
• Tab/Table/Panel: Lists the tab, table, or panel in which the icon appears.
The following are common icons that appear in most of the tabs, tables, panels, and in the Toolbar:
Icon Icon Name Description
Active User Indicates a user is active on the Microsoft server
Add Adds an object
Add Bookmark Adds a bookmark for an object and displays it in the Bookmarks panel
Arrow (Down) Moves an object down in a list
Arrow (Up) Moves an object up in a list
Clear Clears specific data
Clock Displays a drop-down list for time

Rev. D
Configure/Manage Configures or manages a specific function
Delete Deletes an object
Disabled Indicates a disabled object
Download/Import Downloads/imports a file or data
Edit Displays the corresponding editor for modifying object configurations
Execute Now Executes a scheduled task immediately
Export Exports data displayed in the current panel
Extensible Attribute Configures extensible attributes for the selected object
Flat View Displays a list of objects in a flat view
Hierarchical view Displays objects in a hierarchical view
Help Displays information about an object
Indexer Indicates that the reporting member functions as an indexer
Information Displays informational data about an object
Locked Indicates a locked object
Microsoft Server Indicates a Microsoft server
Pause Pauses a process
Print Prints the information in the current panel
Restart Restarts services on appliances

Rev. D
Refresh Refreshes the current page or table
Report Displays a report, such as the capacity report
Search Searches for specific objects
Search Head Indicates that the reporting member functions as a search head
Start Starts a process
Stop Stops a process
Unlocked Indicates an unlocked object
User Indicates a user has logged out of the Microsoft server
User Profile Configures a user profile
View Lists data in the current panel or lists detailed status about an object
Warning Indicates a warning message
The following icons appear in the Data Management tab:
Icon Icon Name Description Tab/Table/Panel
Configure • Configures DHCP properties • Data Management tab -> DHCP tab
• Configures File Distribution -> Toolbar
properties • Data Management tab -> DHCP tab
• Configures Licenses -> Toolbar
• Grid tab-> Grid Manager tab ->
Toolbar
Conflict Indicates an IP address conflict Data Management tab -> IPAM tab -> Net Map
Convert Converts an object Data Management tab -> IPAM tab ->
network -> IP Map -> Toolbar
Discovery Performs a network discovery Data Management tab -> IPAM tab -> Toolbar
Force HA Failover Forces an HA failover Data Management tab -> DHCP tab -> Toolbar

Rev. D
Force Recovery Forces a recovery Data Management tab -> DHCP tab -> Members
tab -> Failover Associations tab -> Toolbar
Grid Manager Indicates the Grid Master Data Management tab -> DHCP tab -> Members
tab ->
Data Management tab -> IPAM tab
Grid Manager Candidate Indicates the Grid Master candidate Data Management tab -> DHCP tab -> Members
tab ->
Grid Member Indicates the Grid member Data Management tab -> DHCP tab -> Members
tab ->
Join Joins networks Data Management tab -> IPAM tab ->
network -> Toolbar
Key-signing Key Rollover Indicates the key-signing key that is due to rollover Data Management tab -> DNS tab
Microsoft Server Indicates a Microsoft server Data Management tab -> DHCP tab -> Members
tab ->
Multi-Ping Pings all the addresses in a network Data Management tab -> IPAM tab -> IP Map ->
Toolbar
Network Container Indicates a non-cloud network container Data Management tab -> IPAM tab or DHCP tab
Network Indicates a non-cloud network or a leaf network in Data Management tab -> IPAM tab or DHCP tab
a network container
Network Container (for Indicates a cloud network container Cloud tab -> Networks tab or
Cloud platform appliance) Data Management tab -> IPAM tab or DHCP tab
Network (for Cloud Indicates a cloud network Cloud tab -> Networks tab or
platform appliance) Data Management tab -> IPAM tab or DHCP tab
Network (Disabled) Indicates a disabled network Data Management tab -> IPAM tab or DHCP tab
Microsoft Network Indicates a network with Microsoft servers Data Management tab -> IPAM tab or DHCP tab
Infoblox Network Indicates a network with Infoblox appliances Data Management tab -> IPAM tab or DHCP tab
Ping Pings an IP address Data Management tab -> IPAM tab -> IP Map ->
Toolbar

Rev. D
Properties Configures Grid DNS properties Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Toolbar
Reclaim Reclaims an IP address Data Management tab -> IPAM tab -> IP Map ->
Toolbar
Resize Resizes a network Data Management tab -> IPAM tab ->
network -> Toolbar
Resolve Conflict Resolves an IP address conflict Data Management tab -> IPAM tab -> IP Map ->
Toolbar
Set Partner Down Sets partner down Data Management tab -> DHCP tab -> Members
tab -> Failover Associations tab -> Toolbar
Split Network Splits a network Data Management tab -> IPAM tab -> network ->
Toolbar
DNSSEC status Displays status for DNSSEC Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Toolbar
Secondary Zone Status Displays status for the secondary zone Data Management tab -> DNS tab
Zoom In Zooms in to the selected network Data Management tab -> IPAM tab -> Net Map
Zoom Out Zooms out from the selected network Data Management tab -> IPAM tab -> Net Map
Directory Indicates a directory Data Management tab -> File Distribution tab
The following icons appear in the Smart Folders tab:
Smart Folder Lists a smart folder Smart Folders tab
Smart Folder (Group By) Lists smart folders in a group-by list Smart Folders tab
Smart Folder (Link) Indicates a link to the smart folder Smart Folders tab and other selectors
The following icons appear in the Grid tab:
Backup Backs up the configuration file and Grid tab-> Grid Manager tab -> Toolbar
database
Restore Restores the configuration file and Grid tab-> Grid Manager tab -> Toolbar
database

Rev. D
bloxTools Performs bloxTools services Grid tab-> Grid Manager tab -> Toolbar
Certificate Creates, generates, uploads, or Grid tab-> Grid Manager tab -> Toolbar
downloads an HTTPS certificate
Control Restarts, reboots, or shuts down a Grid tab-> Grid Manager tab -> Members tab ->
member member -> Toolbar
Manage Services Manages member services Grid tab-> Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member
Syslog Displays the syslog file Grid tab-> Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member ->
Toolbar
Traffic Capture Captures the traffic report on a member Grid tab-> Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member ->
Toolbar
The following icons appear in the Administration tab:
Execute Now Executes a scheduled task immediately Administration tab -> Toolbar
Overlap Shows overlapping permissions Administration tab -> Permissions tab
Reschedule Reschedules a task Reschedules a task Administration tab

-> Toolbar
The following icons appear in the Finder panel:
Bookmarks Lists all bookmarked objects
Recycle Bin Lists all deleted objects
Smart Folders Lists all smart folders
URL Links Adds URL links
The following icons appear in the Load Balancer related panels:

Rev. D
Traffic Management Visualizer Views GLB object map
DNS View Mapping Maps NIOS DNS view to GLB DNS view
The following icons appear in Multi-Grid Manager:
Apply Template Applies templates
Delta Viewer Views snapshots
External Storage Access external storage
Glossary of Terms
The following table provides descriptions of some key terminology used in the Infoblox products. Some terms, such as
Grids and high availability, are used in different ways by other networking product vendors. The alphabetically arranged
table can help you understand the terms and concepts as Infoblox uses them and as they are used in this guide.
Active Node The NIOS appliance in an HA (high availability) pair that receives, processes, and responds
to all service requests. When an HA failover occurs, the active node becomes the passive
node in the HA pair.
API (Application Programming Interface) A set of rules and specifications that software programs follow to communicate with each
other. It serves as an interface between different software programs and facilitates their
interaction. Infoblox provides a Perl API to help facilitate the integration of Infoblox NIOS
appliances into network environments. It is an alternate method to the GUI (graphical user
interface) in which you use a mouse pointer to click and select options and items to perform
tasks.
Authenticated DHCP The process of authenticating a network device before a DHCP server assigns a lease. On
Infoblox appliances, you can divide a network into segments for unauthenticated,
authenticated, and guest users. The Infoblox DHCP server assigns clients to the
appropriate segment based on their MAC addresses and authentication credentials.
BIND (Berkeley Internet Name Domain) The most commonly used DNS server on the Internet. It allows a standard way to name
objects and resource records in distributed UNIX environments. It also provides operations
to store and retrieve information of these objects and records.
bloxSYNC An Infoblox proprietary mechanism for secure, real-time synchronization of the database
that maintains the data, system configuration, and protocol service configuration between
the active and passive nodes of an HA pair. With bloxSYNC, the nodes continuously
synchronize changes of their configurations and states. When a failover occurs, the passive
node can quickly take over services from the active node.
bloxTools An Infoblox pre-installed environment provides tools to create custom applications that
facilitate administrative tasks for an organization.
Bucket A bucket contains indexed data.

Rev. D
Bulk Host If you need to add a large number of A and PTR records, you can have the NIOS appliance
add them as a group and automatically assign host names based on a range of IP
addresses and the host name format you specify. Such a group of records is called a bulk
host, which the appliance manages and displays as a single bulk host record.
Captive Portal An Infoblox service that you enable on Grid members to register users, guest users, or both
types of users for authentication purposes on network segments that you define using the
authenticated DHCP feature.
CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) Notation A compact specification of an IPv4 or IPv6 address and its associated routing prefix. For
example, the CIDR notation of 192.168.100.1/24 represents the IPv4 address of
192.168.100.1 and its routing prefix of 192.168.100.0, or its subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.
The CIDR notation of 2001:DB8::/48 represents the IPv6 addresses from
2001:DB8:0:0:0:0:0:0 to 2001:DB8:0:FFFF:FFFF:FFFF:FFFF:FFFF.
CLI (Command-line Interface) A way to interact with Infoblox products by typing text-only commands to perform specific
tasks.
Cluster Grouping Grouping reporting appliances as a disaster recovery measure.
Dashboard Your home page on Infoblox Multi-Grid Manager, Grid Manager, and System Manager. It
provides easy access to tasks and to the status of your Grids and networks. It also provides
various widgets for viewing and managing data.
DDNS (Dynamic DNS) The automatic updating of real-time DNS configuration changes and other information on a
DNS server when a network device is assigned a new IP address.
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) A configuration protocol that provides address assignments to network devices within a
network. It keeps track of network configuration for each network device.
DHCP Failover Association The pairing of two DHCP servers that establish a TCP connection for their communications.
The servers form a pair of DHCP failover peers and provide DHCP protocol redundancy to
minimize DHCP service outages.
DHCP Filter A set of criteria and rules used to screen requesting hosts by matching MAC addresses,
relay agent identifiers, DHCP options, or RADIUS authentication results.
DHCP Template A set of predefined properties that you use to create IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP objects, such as
networks and DHCP ranges, on the Infoblox appliance.
DIW (Data Import Wizard) An Infoblox software tool that facilitates the import of DNS, DHCP, and TFTP data from
legacy servers to Infoblox NIOS appliances. DIW supports DNS data import in the following
formats: BIND 9, BIND 8, BIND 4, Microsoft DNS, Lucent VitalQIP, and Nortel NetID. It
supports DHCP data import in the following formats: ISC DHCP, Microsoft DHCP, Lucent
VitalQIP, and Nortel NetID.
DNS (Domain Name System) A hierarchical naming system that translates domain names of any network devices into IP
addresses for the purpose of locating and addressing these devices worldwide.
DNS View On Infoblox appliances, a DNS view provides the ability to serve one version of DNS data
to one set of clients and another version to another set of clients. With DNS views, the
Infoblox appliance can provide a different answer to the same DNS query, depending on
the source and match destinations of the query.
DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) A suite of IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) specifications to secure certain kinds of
information provided by DNS for use on IP networks. It is a set of extensions to DNS, which
provide DNS resolvers with the original authentication of DNS data, authenticated denial of
existence, and data integrity.
DNSone™ The software package that enables Infoblox appliances to provide DNS, DHCP and TFTP
services. You can add the Grid upgrade to Infoblox appliances running DNSone.
Endpoint An IP device such as a personal computer, laptop, or mobile handheld device. This term is
often used in a security context.

Rev. D
Extensible Attribute Metadata you define to capture additional information about an object managed by the
Infoblox NIOS appliance. You can use predefined attributes or create your own. You can
also specify required attributes and restrict the values that users can enter for each
attribute.
Filters Criteria the Infoblox NIOS appliance uses to request specific information in the database.
You can use filters to control the amount and the kind of data displayed in a panel or table
in Infoblox Multi-Grid Manager, Grid Manager, and System Manager.
FQDN (fully qualified domain name) A complete domain name that specifies its exact location in the hierarchy of the DNS. It
specifies all the domain levels, including the top-level domain and the root domain.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) A standard network protocol used to transfer files from one network device to another over
a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and
utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server.
Gateway The default router for the immediate network segment of an interface.
Grid™ Technology Infoblox's unique and patented high availability Grid technology ensures network reliability.
The Infoblox Grid provides resilient network services, failover, recovery, and seamless
maintenance for an Infoblox deployment inside a single building, across a networked
campus, or between remote locations. The Infoblox Grid establishes a distributed
relationship between individual or paired appliances to remove single points of failure and
other operational risks inherent in legacy DNS, DHCP, and IP address management
infrastructure.
Grid Manager The NIOS web interface that provides access to your Grid for performing IPAM, DNS, and
DHCP management and other administration tasks.
Grid Master The Grid member in an Infoblox Grid that maintains the NIOS database that is distributed
among all members of the Grid. You connect to the Grid Master to configure and monitor
the entire Grid.
Grid Member Any single Infoblox NIOS appliance or HA pair that belongs to a Grid. Each member can
use the data and services of the Grid. You can also modify settings so that a Grid member
can use unique data and member-specific services.
HA Pair Two physical Infoblox NIOS appliances that are linked to perform as a single virtual
appliance in an HA (high availability) configuration. The HA configuration provides hardware
redundancy to minimize service outages. In this configuration, one appliance is the active
node and the other is the passive node.
Host Record On Infoblox appliances, host records provide a unique approach that enables you to
manage multiple DNS records and DHCP and IPAM data collectively, as one object on the
appliance.
IBOS (Infoblox Orchestration Server) IBOS is the Infoblox IF-MAP (Interface to Metadata Access Points) server that contains a
searchable database for storing state information about network resources. It is the central
point with which IF-MAP clients communicate to send and retrieve real-time information
defined in the IF-MAP data format.
IF-MAP (Interface for Metadata Access Points) An open standard client-server protocol developed by the Trusted Computing Group as one
of the core protocols of the TNC (Trusted Network Connect) open architecture. IF-MAP
allows network resources to share real-time information.
IP Map In Infoblox Grid Manager or System Manager, this is a graphical representation of all IPv4
addresses in a given subnet.
IPAM (IP Address Management) Infoblox IPAM provides a means of planning, tracking, and managing IP address space in a
network. It glues DNS and DHCP services together so that each service is aware of
changes in the other. The Infoblox IPAM implementation offers an IP address-centric
approach so you can manage your networks and IP addresses through a centralized GUI.

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Leaf Network On Infoblox appliances, a network that does not contain any subnets. Lease Logging
Member An Infoblox Grid member that is designated to collect DHCP lease events.
License Pool A license pool is a container associated with the Grid and holds dynamic licenses for a
specific feature. Licenses in the pool can be dynamically allocated to and deallocated from
Grid members. When not in use, dynamic licenses are released back to the pool for future
allocation. There is no expiration for dynamic licenses.
Limited-Access User An admin user account that has specific roles and permissions assigned. Limited-access
users have restricted access to Infoblox Multi-Grid Manager, Grid Manager, and System
Manager, and can only perform certain tasks based on their assigned roles and
permissions.
Lite Upgrade On Infoblox appliances, a lite upgrade occurs when there are incremental changes to the
NIOS software that do not require any change to the database. The appliance can perform
a lite upgrade only if the format of the database between the existing NIOS version and the
upgrade version is the same. In general, when you upgrade from a major release to a patch
release or a patch release to another patch release, you are performing a lite upgrade.
Loopback Interface On Infoblox appliances, the virtual network interface on which you can consolidate DNS
servers for migration purposes, add anycast addresses to improve the performance of the
DNS service, and separate DNS traffic.
Managing Member An Infoblox Grid member that is configured to manage Microsoft DNS and DHCP servers.
Master Candidate An Infoblox Grid member that is designated to assume the role of the Grid Master as a
disaster recovery measure.
Master Grid A group of Infoblox appliances that are connected to provide a single point of administration
for multiple Grids and network management of these Grids.
Master Grid Member Any single Infoblox appliance or HA pair that belongs to the Master Grid. All Master Grid
members serve as Master Candidates.
Multi-Grid Manager The NIOS web interface that provides access to the Master Grid, from which you can
manage multiple Grids and their networks.
Multi-Grid Master The Infoblox Master Grid member that maintains the NIOS database that is distributed
among all Master Grid members. You connect to Multi-Grid Manager to configure and
monitor the Master Grid.
Multi-Grid Master Candidate An Infoblox Master Grid member that is designated to assume the role of the Multi-Grid
Master as a disaster recovery measure.
Name Server Group On Infoblox appliances, a server group that contains one primary DNS server and/or one or
more secondary DNS servers. Specifying a single name server group can simplify DNS
zone creation.
NAT (Network Address Translation) Group A group of Infoblox Grid members that are configured on the same side of a NAT appliance.
In a Grid configuration where the Grid Master is configured behind a NAT appliance and
there are Grid members on both sides of the NAT appliance, it is necessary to create a NAT
group to ensure that the Grid Master and Grid members use the correct NAT and interface
addresses for Grid communications.
Network Block On Infoblox appliances, an IP address space that is defined in the Master Grid. A network
block can consist of other network blocks, network containers, and leaf networks.
Network Container On Infoblox appliances, an automatically created container of multiple networks that are
subnets of the IP address space configured for the network container. A network container
cannot be assigned to a Grid member or be directly created.
Network Discovery A set of tools provided by the Infoblox NIOS appliance for detecting active hosts on
specified networks and specified VMware vSphere servers.

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Network Map In Infoblox Grid Manager and System Manager, Network Map presents a complete view of
your network space, including the different types of networks that are in it and its unused
address space. You can use Network Map to design and plan your network infrastructure,
configure and manage individual networks, and evaluate their utilization.
Network Mask or Netmask A numeric representation of the bits that are used to split an IP address into the network
portion and the host portion. In Infoblox products, this is represented by either quad-dotted
decimal representation or CIDR notation for IPv4 network masks, or by CIDR notation for
IPv6 network masks.
Network View On Infoblox appliances, a single routing domain with its own networks and shared
networks. A network view can contain both IPv4 and IPv6 networks. All networks must
belong to a network view on the Infoblox appliance.
NIOS An Infoblox proprietary system that powers Infoblox solutions with an embedded processor
that delivers core network services. It is the operating system that runs on the NIOS
appliances—a security-hardened, real-time set of appliances built to ensure the non-stop
operation of network infrastructure. NIOS automates the error-prone and time-consuming
manual tasks associated with deploying and managing IPAM, DNS, and DHCP required for
continuous IP network availability and business uptime.
NIOS Virtual Appliance Any Infoblox supported platform, such as AWS, VMWare, Azure appliances that runs the
vNIOS software. These appliances are also known as the vNIOS appliances.
Node A single Infoblox appliance of an HA (high availability) pair. An HA pair consists of an active
node and a passive node.
NTP (Network Time Protocol) A protocol for synchronizing the clocks of computer systems over packet-switched, variable
latency data networks; it essentially keeps network devices on a common clock by resisting
the effects of variable latency by means of a jitter buffer.
Passive Node The Infoblox NIOS appliance in an HA pair that constantly keeps its database synchronized
with that of the active node, so it can take over core network services when an HA failover
occurs. When an HA failover occurs, the passive node becomes the active node in the HA
pair.
PortIQ An Infoblox switch port appliance that enables quick discovery of the Ethernet switch ports.
PortIQ identifies ports that are not fully utilized and those that exceed their capacity. You
can use PortIQ to troubleshoot LAN environments.
Quick Filter A filter that stores specific filter criteria for requesting information displayed in a specific
panel in Infoblox Multi-Grid Manager, Grid Manager, and System Manager. For more
information, see "Filter."
Overlapping Network On Infoblox appliances, a network that exists in multiple locations, which can be multiple
Grids in the Master Grid or within various network views in a Grid.
Replication Database distribution among the Infoblox Grid Master and Grid members as well as among
the Multi-Grid Master and Master Grid members.
Replication Factor (Reporting - Multi-Site Cluster) The number of copies of reporting data in each bucket that the cluster maintains.
Reservation On Infoblox appliances, a static IP address that you create for future use. A reservation is a
pre-provisioned fixed address. You can reserve this static IP address on the NIOS
appliance and assign it to a client in the future.
Resource Records A collection of data in the DNS server database. Each resource record specifies information
about a DNS object. For example, an A (address mapping) record maps a host name to an
IP address, and a PTR (reverse-lookup pointer) record maps an IP address to a host name.
The DNS server uses these records to answer queries.
Roaming Host On Infoblox appliances, a host with a dynamically assigned IP address and a specific set of
properties and DHCP options. When you create a roaming host for a network device, the
device can receive any dynamically assigned address from the network to which it belongs.

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Scope A DHCP address range on a Microsoft server. Microsoft scope information is converted to
equivalent DHCP range information after Microsoft data is synchronized with the NIOS
appliance.
Search Factor The number of searchable copies of reporting data in each bucket that the cluster
maintains.
Shared Network On Infoblox appliances, a network segment to which you assign two or more subnets.
When subnets in a shared network contain IP addresses that are available for dynamic
allocation, the addresses are put into a common pool for allocation when client requests
arise.
Shared Record Group On Infoblox appliances, a set of resource records that you add to multiple DNS zones. You
can create resource records in a group and share the group among multiple zones. The
zones handle the shared resource records as any other resource record.
SSO (Single Sign On) An Infoblox feature that allows you to automatically sign in to selected Grids from the
Master Grid, without having to log in to each individual Grid each time you sign on.
Smart Folder On Infoblox appliances, a virtual folder in which you place the results of filter criteria that
you select to request specific data in the NIOS database. Once you set up a smart folder,
the appliance displays up-to-date information based on your filter and grouping criteria
each time you access the folder.
Subnet (or network) A logical division of an IP network. A subnet of network may also be called a network. For
example, 10.1.0.0/16 is a subnet of 10.0.0.0/8, and fc80:8:8:16::/64 is a subnet of
fc80:8:8::/48.
Superscope On a Microsoft server, superscope comprises multiple scopes or DHCP address ranges
created on a single physical network segment. Microsoft superscope information is
converted to equivalent network information after Microsoft data is synchronized with the
NIOS appliance.
Superuser An admin user account that has unrestricted access to Infoblox Multi-Grid Manager, Grid
Manager, or System Manager.
Support Bundle A tar.gz file that contains configuration files and system files of the Infoblox NIOS appliance.
You can download a support bundle for an independent appliance and for each member in
a Grid.
System Manager The NIOS web interface that provides access to an independent appliance (single or HA)
for performing IPAM, DNS, and DHCP management and other administration tasks.
TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) A data transfer service that provides devices—such as phones, RFID readers, IP cameras,
and other devices—with up-to-date software and configuration data.
Traffic Capture An Infoblox tools that captures the traffic on one or all of the ports on a NIOS appliance.
The NIOS appliance saves all captured traffic in a .cap file and compresses it into a .tar.gz
file.
Upgrade Group On Infoblox appliances, a group of Grid members that you put together so you can perform
software distribution and upgrade at the same time.
VIP (Virtual IP) On Infoblox appliances, the shared IP address of an HA pair. A VIP address links to the HA
port on the active node of an HA pair.
VRID (Virtual Router ID) VRID identifies the VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol) HA pair to which the
Infoblox appliance belongs. Through VRID, two HA nodes identify each other as belonging
to the same HA pair, and they obtain a virtual MAC address to share with a VIP. A VRID can
be any number between 1 and 255, and it must be unique on the local LAN so that it does
not conflict with any other Infoblox appliances using VRRP on the same subnet.
vNIOS The virtual version of NIOS. You can install Infoblox vNIOS software on any supported
virtual platform and configure the system as a vNIOS virtual appliance.

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VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol) An industry standard MAC address level HA failover mechanism.

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Support Matrix
This section lists requirements for the management system you use to access the NIOS appliance. The management
system is the computer from which you configure and manage the NIOS appliance. The management system must meet
the following requirements.
Hardware Requirements
• (Minimum) 1.4 GHz CPU with 1 GB RAM available to the product GUI, and 256 Kbps connectivity to NIOS
appliance
• (Recommended) 2.0 GHz (or higher) dual core CPU with 2 GB RAM
• Monitor Resolution:
• 1280 x 768 (minimum)
• 1280 x 1024 or better (recommended)
Software Requirements
For CLI access:
• Secure Socket Shell (SSH) client that supports SSHv2
• Terminal emulation program, such as minicom or Hilgraeve Hyperterminal®
For Grid Manager:
• JavaScript
• SSL version 3
• TLS version 1 connection
Supported Browsers
For information about supported browsers, see the NIOS 8.6 Release Notes on the Infoblox Support Site.

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Installing NIOS
NIOS comes with its own hardware box (appliance) on which NIOS will be installed. Ensure that you verify the hardware
that you receive.
Verifying the Hardware

To verify the secure delivery of the hardware:
• Use the tracking number of the order to review the status of the shipment.
• Inspect the tamper-evident seals for any signs of tampering.
• Verify the product by comparing the shipping slip with the invoice.
Prerequisites
Before you begin the configuration, ensure that you have all the necessary components. The following are needed and
must be acquired before continuing with this guidance:
• Supported NIOS appliances
• A management station or computer from which you configure and manage the NIOS appliance. See Support
Matrix for the system and browser requirements.
• The IP address of the appliance on your network.
Supported Appliances
For the list of supported physical appliances and virtual appliances that NIOS is supported on, see the Release Notes.
Downloading the NIOS Software

You can download NIOS from the Infoblox Support web site at https://support.infoblox.com/. You must be a registered
user to access this web site.
To download the software:
1. Log on to the Infoblox Support web site at https://support.infoblox.com/
2. Click the Downloads tab.
3. Select NIOS/vNIOS from the Infoblox Software drop-down list.
4. Select the General maintenance products with full engineering support for routine patches and bug fixes on all
significant issues option.
5. Select NIOS 8.6.1 from the Select version drop-down list.
The NIOS installer files are available for download. The installer files are of two sizes:
• Files of size 250 GB
• Files of size 70 GB
Infoblox recommends using a minimum size of 70 GB for any of these files that has resizable as part of the file name and
you can resize them depending on your requirement and deployment.
If you download the resizable files, a default disk size is defined on the VM. You then change the default disk size using
the VMware UI. When you start the VM for the first time, NIOS detects how much disk space has been reserved for the
virtual disk and allocates partitions within that space. You can increase the disk size upto a maximum of 2.5 terabytes.
If you want to resize the disk space from the current 250 GB to a lower size, remove the member from the Grid and add a
replacement member with the required disk size. If you want to resize a smaller disk to a higher size, back up the Grid
database, and deploy the new instance with the required disk size. After the deployment, restore the backed up

Rev. D
database. Infoblox recommends configuring a scheduled backup so that if the disk limit is reached and the system is
unresponsive, the earlier backup can be restored.
Infoblox recommends configuring instances of only 250 GB and higher as Grid Master and Grid Master Candidate.
 Note
• Images of types .vhd and .raw comprise only one file each and can be resized. The minimum size of
the .vhd image is 250 GB and that of the .raw image is 43 GB.
• Infoblox recommends that you provision 70 GB or more disk space for the NIOS instance while
deploying resizable images.
• If you add members to a FIPS mode -enabled Grid Master, ensure that the members have the same
NIOS build version. That is, the same NIOS build must be installed on Grid Master and members before
joining. You can perform upgrades and install hotfixes in FIPS mode.
Limitations of Using the Scalable Image File

The following are the limitations of using the scalable NIOS image:
• You can use the scalable image only on the following appliances: IB-V805, IB-V1405, IB-V2205, IB-V4005, IB-
V815, IB-V825, IB-V1415, IB-V1425, IB-V2215, IB-V2225, IB-V4015, IB-V4025, IB-FLEX, CP-V805, CP-V1405,
CP-V2205.
• If you use ovftool to deploy the OVA image, there is no command line option to increase the disk-size. As a
workaround, you can use ovftool to upload the image but before powering on the VM, you will need to use the UI
to change the disk size based on your requirement.
• The Parental Control feature fails to start because of no space left on the device when downloading Zvelo data.
• The primary disk size is full if you enable the bloxTools service on the member provisioned with the lower disk
size.
• Infoblox recommends to not run DNS/DHCP/updates on the member provisioned with the lower disk size.
• Do not try to join a resizable disk image to a Grid running an NIOS version earlier than 8.5.
• Infoblox does not recommend auto-synchronizing or downgrading resizable disk images to NIOS versions earlier
than 8.5.
• If you have resizable members whose provisioned disk space is lower than 85 GB, disable the rsync-batch mode
by running the set upgrade_dist rsync_batch disable command on Grid Master.
• If you have a reporting member as part of your Grid, then you must have a minimum disk space of 250 GB by
default.

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Upgrading NIOS
This topic explains how to manage upgrade groups and perform software upgrades and downgrades for NIOS
appliances. It also describes how to back up and restore configuration files. It includes the following sections:
• Upgrading NIOS Software

• Lite Upgrades
• Full Upgrades
• Guidelines for Scheduling Full Upgrades
• Managing Upgrade Groups
• Viewing Software Versions
• Downgrading Software
• Reverting the Grid to the Previously Running Software
• Applying Hotfixes
• Backing Up and Restoring Configuration Files
• Using Database Snapshots
• Downloading Support Bundles
• Guidelines for Upgrading, Backing Up, and Restoring Data
• Guidelines for Upgrading the Reporting and Analytics Solution
Upgrading NIOS Software

Infoblox frequently releases updated NIOS software. Contact Infoblox Technical Support to learn which file name to use
when downloading a new upgrade file, or watch your email for periodic notifications that a new software upgrade is
available. To get the latest upgrade, your local network must be capable of downloading a file from the Internet.
After you download and store the new upgrade file on your local network, complete the following tasks to upgrade an
Infoblox independent appliance or a Grid.
• Upload the new software to the Grid Master, as described in Uploading NIOS Software.
• Distribute the software upgrade files, as described in Distributing Software Upgrade Files.
• Optionally, test the upgrade, as described in Testing Software Upgrades.
• Perform the software upgrade, as described in Performing Software Upgrades.
Before upgrading, Infoblox recommends that all members in the Grid be connected to the network and operating
normally. If one or more members are offline when you upgrade the Grid, they automatically receive the distributed
software and upgrade when they join the Grid or come back online.
 Note
• You cannot upgrade directly to NIOS 5.x from NIOS releases earlier than 4.2r4. Refer to the release
notes for the appropriate upgrade and revert paths.
• In a Grid that is configured with an HA pair, Infoblox does not recommend that you disconnect any node
of the HA Grid Master and then join it back after installing a NIOS version that does not match with the
current running version of NIOS on the other node. If an upgrade operation is performed this way, the
Grid displays an unexpected behavior and will need a manual intervention of the Support team to
recover the Grid.
• The shared secret that you enter when adding a RADIUS authentication server in the Add RADIUS
Authentication Service wizard > RADIUS Servers > Shared Secret field must be between 4 and 64
characters (inclusive) in length. Otherwise, the upgrade will fail.
 Caution
Do not attempt to add or remove a member, or convert an HA pair to single members or vice versa during a
distribution or upgrade.

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When you upgrade from NIOS 6.4.0 to a later release, you can start, stop, or restart DNS and DHCP services, or only the
DHCP service on a member that has not been upgraded. When you start, stop, or restart other services, such as
reporting or file distribution, the operation is put in queue for execution until after the targeted member has been
upgraded.
Uploading NIOS Software

After you download the NIOS software upgrade to your management station, upload it to the Grid Master, as follows:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click Upload in the panel or from the Toolbar.
2. Navigate to the directory where you have stored the NIOS software upgrade, and then click Open or Upload.
The appliance uploads the file and displays the status of the upload in the status bar. You can click the Stop icon in the
status bar to stop the upload. Ensure that you do not navigate away from the Upgrade tab until after the upload is
complete. Otherwise, the upload process stops.
 Note
When you upload the NIOS software upgrade to an HA Grid Master, only the active node receives the software.
The passive node does not. Therefore, if the Grid Master fails over before a distribution starts, you must upload
the software again. If you do not, the distribution fails because the new active node does not have the uploaded
software.
Distributing Software Upgrade Files

Distributing the software upgrade files involves unpacking the software files and loading the new software. When you
perform a distribution, the NIOS appliance loads the new software code into an alternate disk partition, which overwrites
any previously saved version of code that is already there. Therefore, starting the distribution disables the appliance from
reverting to a release prior to the current version.
The time this process takes depends on the number of appliances to which the software is distributed; the more
appliances, the longer it takes. Therefore, you might want to schedule the Grid distribution during times when your
network is less busy. You can distribute the software immediately or schedule the distribution of any software upgrade
file, even if it is not Upgrade Lite compatible.
Distributing Software Immediately

The Grid Master distributes the software upgrade to each member in the Grid, including itself. As an alternative to
scheduling the Grid distribution (see Scheduling Distributions), you can distribute the software upgrade throughout the
Grid immediately, as follows:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click Distribute -> Distribute Now from the Toolbar.
2. In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes to start the distribution.
The distribution starts and if there is an active distribution scheduled, the appliance changes its status to inactive. The
appliance distributes the upgrade files and displays the status of the distribution in the status bar. You can pause,
resume, or stop the distribution by clicking the corresponding icon in the status bar. For information, see Managing
Distributions.
Note that starting a manual distribution cancels a scheduled distribution.
Scheduling Distributions
When you schedule a distribution, you schedule the distribution of the Grid Master as well as the upgrade groups,
including the Default group. The Grid Master distribution must always occur before the distribution of the upgrade groups.
To schedule a software distribution:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click Distribute -> Schedule Distribution from the Toolbar.

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2. In the Schedule Distribution editor, complete the following:
• Activate Distribution Schedule: Select this to enable the distribution schedule. Clear this if you are creating
a distribution schedule you plan to activate at a later date. You can configure and save information in this
editor even when you deactivate a scheduled distribution.
• Grid Master Distribution Start Information: Enter a Grid Master distribution date, time, and time zone. The
distribution date and time must be before those of the upgrade groups.
• Date: Enter a start date of the Grid Master distribution in YYYY-MM-DD (year-month-day) format.
You can click the calendar icon to select a date from the calendar widget.
• Time: Enter a start time of the Grid Master distribution in hh:mm:ss AM/PM (hour:minute:second in
AM or PM) format. You can also select a time from the drop-down list.
• Time Zone: Select a time zone that applies to the start time you enter. If this time zone is different
from the Grid time zone, the appliance converts the time you enter here based on the Grid time
zone, after you save this schedule. When you display this schedule again, it displays the
converted time. Selecting the time zone here does not affect any time zone settings in the Grid.
(For information about selecting the Grid and member time zones, see Managing Time Settings.)
• Admin Local Time: Displays the Grid Master distribution start date and time in the time zone of the
administrator, as explained in Creating Local Admins.
• In the upgrade group table, specify the following for each upgrade group by clicking the corresponding
field in each row:
• Start Distribution: Specify when the distribution occurs. Select one of the following from the drop-
down list:
• Date/Time: Select this to configure the distribution start date, time, and time zone.
• After <group> : Select After Grid Master to start the distribution immediately after the
completion of the Grid Master distribution. Select an upgrade group that must complete its
distribution before the group you are configuring. When you select this option, you cannot
enter a date, time, and time zone.
Date, Time, and Time Zone are enabled only when you select Date/Time for Start
Distribution.
• Date: Enter a distribution start date in YYYY-MM-DD (year-month-day) format. You can
click the calendar icon to select a date from the calendar widget.
• Time: Enter a distribution start time in hh:mm:ss AM/PM (hour:minute:second in AM or PM)
format. You can select a time from the drop-down list.
• Time Zone: By default, the appliance displays the time zone of the first Grid member in the
Upgrade Group. You can change this time zone if you want to enter the time using a
different time zone. After you save the schedule though, the appliance converts the time
you entered to the time zone of the upgrade group, if it is different. (For information about
setting the Grid and member time zones, see Managing Time Settings.) To change the
default time zone of the upgrade group, change the time zone of the first group member,
as explained in Adding Upgrade Groups.
• Admin Local Time: Displays the start date and time in the time zone of the administrator,
as explained in Creating Local Admins.
• Distribute to Members: Indicates whether the distribution within the group occurs
simultaneously or sequentially. You cannot edit this field here. You define this when you
create the upgrade group. To change this setting, see Modifying Upgrade Groups.
3. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.
Grid Manager confirms that the schedule is saved and indicates whether the distribution schedule is active. You can click
the Refresh icon to refresh the information in this panel.
Note that the appliance does not save the schedule and displays an error message if the schedule contains the following:
• Circular dependencies between upgrade groups. For example, the distribution of Group A is scheduled after
Group B, and the distribution of Group B Is scheduled after Group A.
• The distribution time is in the past.
Software Distribution Process

The following series of events occur after a Grid distribution starts:
• The appliance checks if a NIOS software upgrade was uploaded.

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• If the upgrade files are not uploaded, the distribution stops. The appliance displays an error message and
if the distribution is scheduled, the appliance deactivates the distribution schedule.
• If the upgrade files are uploaded, the distribution proceeds.
• A single Grid Master uploads the file to a backup partition and unpacks the contents, which overwrites any
existing backup software that might have been there. For an HA Grid Master, it is the active node that uploads the
file to a backup partition and unpacks the contents.
• The Grid Master (or active node of the HA Grid Master) sends a command to all nodes that are online to
copy their database and software to a backup software partition.
• For an HA Grid Master, the active node sends the command to the passive node as well.
• The nodes perform resynchronization on their backup partition, retrieving only the changed files from the
Grid Master.
• After the active node of an HA member receives the software, it then distributes it to the passive node.
When the distribution successfully completes, the appliance updates the distribution status and sets the schedule, if
configured, to inactive. The new software is now staged on all member appliances and is ready for use. Grid Manager
displays the software version in the Distribution field in the Grid Version Information section.
Managing Distributions
After you start a distribution, you can pause, resume, or stop it. For information, see Pausing and Resuming Distributions
and Stopping Distributions. Grid Manager displays the status of the overall distribution as well as the status of individual
members. You can view this information in the Upgrade tab.
Pausing and Resuming Distributions

The following are some operational guidelines for performing a distribution:
• You cannot create new upgrade groups, add members to a group, or remove members from a group after a
distribution starts.
• You can skip a member that is currently offline from a distribution. When both nodes of an HA pair are online, the
skip member function is not available.
To pause a distribution:
1. From the Grid Distribution Status bar, click the Pause icon.
2. When the appliance displays a confirmation dialog box, click Yes to pause the distribution.
The Grid Distribution Status bar indicates the distribution is paused. For information about the distribution status of each
member, see Monitoring Distribution and Upgrade Status.
To skip a member from a distribution:
1. From the Grid tab, click the Upgrade tab, and then click Toggle Member List View.
2. Select a member checkbox, and then click Skip Member from the Toolbar. Grid Manager automatically skips the
distribution of software to the members that are offline.
To resume a distribution:
1. From the Grid Distribution Status bar, click the Resume icon.
2. When the appliance displays a dialog box confirming that you want to resume the distribution, click Yes to
continue.
Members that have not completed or started distributions that were scheduled at an earlier time resume the distribution.
Stopping Distributions
You can stop a distribution immediately, for example, if there are offline members and you do not want to wait for them to
come back online, or if you realize that you have uploaded the wrong software version. When you stop a distribution, you
can do the following:
• If the Grid Master has completed its distribution, you can upgrade the Grid immediately. This forces members that
do not have a complete distribution to synchronize their releases with the Grid Master.

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• If the Grid Master does not have a valid distribution, you can restart the distribution.
• Upload another software upgrade.
Ending a distribution does not affect the upgrade schedule, if configured. The Grid upgrade starts as scheduled, as long
as the Grid Master completes its distribution.
To stop a distribution:
1. From the Grid Distribution Status bar, click the Stop icon.
2. When the appliance displays a dialog box confirming that you want to stop the distribution, click Yes to continue.
Testing Software Upgrades

After you successfully distribute a software upgrade to the Grid Master, you can test an upgrade on the Grid Master
before actually implementing it. This allows you to resolve potential data migration issues before the actual upgrade. The
length of time the upgrade test takes depends on the amount of data and the difference between the current NIOS
version and the software upgrade. The test does not affect NIOS services and you can perform other administrative tasks
during the upgrade test.
To start an upgrade test:
• From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click Test Upgrade from the Toolbar. Test upgrade is enabled
only for a major upgrade (not an Upgrade Lite compatible upgrade).
After you start an upgrade test, you can view its status in the status bar. You can also stop it at any time. To stop an
upgrade test:
• From the Grid Upgrade Test Status bar, click the Stop icon.
Note that if an admin restarts the Grid services or reboots the Grid Master, or if an HA failover occurs on the Grid Master
during the upgrade test, the appliance automatically stops the test. The appliance always resets the status of the Grid to
"Distributed" when it stops the upgrade test.
If the appliance encounters an error during the test, it stops the test and displays a message in the Upgrade Status panel
indicating that the upgrade test failed and the reason for the failure, such as a data translation error or data import error.
You can review the syslog for specific error messages before downloading the Support Bundle and contacting Infoblox
Technical Support.
After the test successfully finishes, the appliance displays a message confirming that the test upgrade is complete. You
can then perform the actual upgrade as described in Performing Software Upgrades.
Performing Software Upgrades
Performing a software upgrade involves rebooting the appliances and then running the new software. Essentially, each
appliance switches between the two software partitions on its system, activating the staged software and saving the
previously active software and database as backup.
 Note
Before you upgrade the software, Infoblox recommends that you back up the current configuration and
database. For information, see Backing Up and Restoring Configuration Files.
Depending on your upgrade paths, you can upgrade to a new release immediately or you can schedule the upgrade. For
information about how to upgrade immediately, see Upgrading the Grid Immediately. Before you schedule an upgrade,
ensure that you understand the limitations, as described in Managing Upgrade Groups. For information about how to
schedule an upgrade, see Scheduling Upgrades.
Upgrading the Grid Immediately

For unschedulable full upgrades, all the Grid members in the Grid must upgrade at the same time. For lite upgrades and
schedulable full upgrades, you can schedule the upgrades as described in Scheduling Upgrades, or you can upgrade all

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the Grid members at the same time.
To upgrade a Grid immediately:
• From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click Upgrade -> Upgrade Now from the Toolbar.
 Note
The Grid upgrades immediately and if there is an active upgrade schedule, it becomes inactive.
Scheduling upgrades
You can schedule lite upgrades and full upgrades for certain NIOS versions. For limitations about scheduling a full
upgrade, see Managing Upgrade Groups. When you schedule an upgrade, you schedule the upgrade for the Grid Master
and the upgrade groups, including the Default group. The Grid Master must always upgrade before the upgrade groups.
Depending on your upgrade paths, you can schedule the upgrade for the Grid Master and upgrade groups at different
times over a period of nine days. If you schedule an upgrade that takes more than nine days, the appliance displays a
warning.
To schedule an upgrade:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click Upgrade -> Schedule Upgrade from the Toolbar.
2. In the Upgrade Schedule editor, complete the following:
• Activate Upgrade Schedule: Select this to enable the upgrade schedule. Clear it if you are creating an
upgrade schedule that you plan to activate at a later date. You can configure and save information in this
editor even when you deactivate a distribution.
• Grid Master Upgrade Start Information: Enter a Grid Master upgrade date, time, and time zone. The date
and time must be before those of the upgrade groups.
• Date: Enter a start date of the Grid Master upgrade in YYYY-MM-DD (year-month-day) format. You
can click the calendar icon to select a date from the calendar widget.
• Time: Enter a start time of the Grid Master upgrade in hh:mm:ss AM/PM (hour:minute:second in
AM or PM) format. You can select a time from the drop-down list.
• Time Zone: Select a time zone that applies to the start time you enter. If this time zone is different
from the Grid time zone, the appliance converts the time you enter here based on the Grid time
zone, after you save this schedule. When you display this schedule again, it displays the
converted time. Selecting the time zone here does not affect any time zone settings in the Grid.
(For information about setting the Grid and member time zones, see Managing Time Settings.)
• Admin Local Time: Displays the Grid Master upgrade date and start time in the time zone of the
administrator, as explained in Creating Local Admins.
• In the upgrade member table, specify the following by clicking the corresponding field in each row:
• Group: The name of the upgrade group. You can assign a different upgrade group by selecting the
group from the drop-down list.
• Group Members: When you expand an upgrade group, this field displays the group members.
• Warning: This field turns yellow when there is a conflict among the upgrade groups. Hover your
mouse over the field and the tooltip displays the member that contains the conflict. It also displays
recommended upgrade groups in the Group column so you can change the group assignment to
resolve the conflict. The tooltip can display one of the following: GMC, DNS Primary, DHCP
Logging Member, or DHCP Failover. For information about how to resolve a conflict, see
Resolving Upgrade Warnings. Select an upgrade group from the drop-down list in the Group
column to assign a different upgrade group. Click Validate and Refresh to validate the new group
assignment.
• Start Upgrade: Specify when the upgrade occurs. Select one of the following from the drop-down
list:
• Date/Time: Select this to configure the upgrade start date, time, and time zone.
• After <group> : Select After Grid Master to start the distribution immediately after the
completion of the Grid Master distribution. Select an upgrade group that must complete its
distribution before the group you are configuring. If you select this option, you cannot enter
a date, time, and time zone.
Date, Time, and Time Zone are enabled only when you select Date/Time for Start
Upgrade.

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• Date: Enter an upgrade start date in YYYY-MM-DD (year-month-day) format. You can click the
calendar icon to select a date from the calendar widget.
• Time: Enter an upgrade start time in hh:mm:ss AM/PM (hour:minute:second in AM or PM) format.
You can select a time from the drop-down list.
• Time Zone: By default, the appliance displays the time zone of the first Grid member in the
Upgrade Group. You can change this time zone, if you want to enter the time using a different time
zone. After you save the schedule though, the appliance converts the time you entered to the time
zone of the upgrade group, if it is different. (For information about setting the Grid and member
time zones, see Managing Time Settings.) To change the default time zone of an upgrade group,
change the first group member in the Upgrade Group list, as explained in Adding Upgrade
Groups.
• Admin Local Time: Displays the data and time in the time zone of the administrator, as explained
in Creating Local Admins.
• Upgrade Members: Indicates whether the upgrade within the group occurs simultaneously or
sequentially. You cannot edit this field here. You define this when you create the upgrade group. To
change this setting, see Modifying Upgrade Groups.
3. Save the configuration.
The appliance does not save the schedule and displays an error message if the schedule contains the following:
• Circular dependencies between upgrade groups; for example, the upgrade of Group A is scheduled after Group
B, and the upgrade of Group B is scheduled after Group A.
• The upgrade time is in the past.
The appliance also does not save the schedule and displays a warning when there is a group assignment conflict. For
information about how to resolve these conflicts, see Resolving Upgrade Warnings .
Otherwise, the appliance confirms that the schedule is saved and indicates whether the upgrade schedule is active.
Resolving Upgrade Warnings

The appliance can generate the following warnings when you schedule an upgrade:
• GMC: To resolve this warning, put all Grid Master candidates in the first upgrade group.
• DNS Primary: To resolve this warning, put all the members that are serving as DNS primaries in the first upgrade
group.
• DHCP Logging Member: To resolve this warning, put the DHCP logging member in the first upgrade group.
• DHCP Failover: To resolve this warning, place the peers of a DHCP failover association in separate upgrade
groups. Ensure that you schedule upgrades of the failover peers close to each other to minimize configuration
rules. NIOS does not allow DHCP configuration changes that affect the communication between the peers until
both peers are upgraded.
Upgrading Groups Immediately

After you schedule an upgrade with multiple upgrade groups, you can choose to immediately upgrade an upgrade group
that has not been upgraded yet. This function is available only for scheduled upgrades.
To upgrade an upgrade group now:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click Toggle Group List View.
2. In the Group List view, click the Upgrade Group Now icon in the upgrade group row. Grid Manager immediately
upgrades the selected group.
Upgrading a Single Member Immediately

After the Grid Master has been upgraded, you can choose to immediately upgrade a specific member that has not been
upgraded yet. This function is available only for scheduled Grid upgrades from NIOS 6.4.0 to a later release. You can
upgrade a single member only when the Grid upgrade is paused, and you cannot upgrade the Grid Master, reporting
appliance, and an offline member. Once the member has been manually upgraded, the appliance skips this member

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when its scheduled upgrade time is reached.
To upgrade a specific member now:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab.
2. Pause the upgrade.
3. Click Toggle Member List View, and select the member checkbox from the table.
4. From the Toolbar, click Upgrade -> Upgrade Single Member. Grid Manager immediately upgrades the selected
member.
Reverting a Single Member

During an upgrade from NIOS 6.4.0 to a later release, you can revert a specific member that has already been upgraded
and is within its revert time window. The revert single member feature is useful when you want to troubleshoot issues,
such as service outages, on a specific member after it has been upgraded. You can revert a member only when the Grid
upgrade is paused, and you cannot revert the Grid Master, reporting appliance, and an offline member. If the upgrade is
paused and you have reverted a member in an upgrade group that has already completed the upgrade, you must move
the member to another upgrade group that has not been upgraded before you can proceed with the upgrade.
Once a member is upgraded, the appliance starts counting down and displays the time that is left for you to revert this
member. You can revert the member before the revert time window expires. The default time window to revert a member
is 24 hours. You can view the time that is left to revert the member in the Member List view, as described in Grid and
Member Status. You can also use the CLI commands setdefault_revert_window to configure the default revert time
window for the Grid. For information about this command, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide. Once a member exits the
revert time window, you must revert the entire Grid in order to revert the member.
 Note
You may potentially lose some data when you revert a member. The appliance keeps information about DHCP
leases and DNS records intact.
To revert a specific Grid member during a scheduled Grid upgrade:

2. Pause the upgrade.
3. Click Toggle Member List View, and then select the member checkbox.
4. From the Toolbar, click Revert -> Revert Single Member.
Grid Manager displays a message indicating that the revert process disrupts Grid services. Read the message
carefully, and then click Yes to confirm your decision to revert the member. Be aware that when you revert a
member, some changes made since the member was last upgraded may get lost.
Upgrade Process
When an upgrade starts, Grid Manager checks if the nodes of an HA Grid Master have the same NIOS software version
on their alternate partitions. If they do not have the same software version, the upgrade process stops. Grid Manager
displays an error message and if it is a scheduled upgrade, Grid Manager deactivates the schedule as well. Otherwise,
the upgrade process continues.
 Note
During the upgrade, you can view the status of the Grid Master in the serial console.
During the upgrade, if a Grid member has not completed its distribution, it automatically resynchronizes with the Grid
Master after the Grid Master upgrade is complete.
Due to the nature of the upgrade sequence, HA pairs fail over during the upgrade. Therefore, be aware that the active
and passive nodes reverse roles. The order in which Grid members upgrade, including when HA pairs fail over, is shown

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in the below figures Upgrade Sequence for an HA Grid Master and Grid Members and Upgrade Sequence for a Single
Grid Master and Grid Members.
Upgrade Sequence for an HA Grid Master and Grid Members
 Note
Grid members that do not have the correct NIOS version on their alternate partitions due to an incomplete
distribution automatically resynchronize the NIOS version with the Grid Master, and then upgrade.
Upgrade Sequence for a Single Grid Master and Grid Members

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The Grid Manager session terminates when the HA Grid Master fails over from Node 1 to Node 2, or when the single
Grid Master reboots and goes offline.
During a scheduled upgrade, the Grid members that have not upgraded yet can join the Grid and function normally until
their scheduled upgrade time. When the upgrade finishes, the upgrade schedule is set to inactive.
Managing Upgrades
During an upgrade, Grid Manager displays a system message at the top of the screen indicating the Grid is being
upgraded. After you start an upgrade, you can pause or resume it. For information, see Pausing and Resuming
Upgrades and Monitoring Distribution and Upgrade Status.
Pausing and Resuming Upgrades

The following are some operational guidelines for performing an upgrade:
• You may not be able to perform certain administrative tasks during an upgrade.
• The Grid Manager session terminates when an HA Grid Master fails over from Node 1 to Node 2, or when a
single Grid Master reboots and goes offline. You can log back in to the appliance after the upgrade.
• When you pause an upgrade, you can do the following
• Change the sequence of the upgrade groups
• Change the scheduled upgrade time for an upgrade group

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To pause an upgrade, from the Grid Upgrade Status bar, click the Pause icon. When you pause an upgrade, Grid
Manager displays a system message at the top of the screen indicating the upgrade is paused, until you resume the
upgrade. For information about the upgrade status of each member, see Monitoring Distribution and Upgrade Status.
To resume an upgrade:
1. From the Grid Upgrade Status bar, click the Resume icon.
2. When the appliance displays a dialog box confirming that you want to resume the upgrade, click Yes to continue.
Members that have not completed or started upgrades that were scheduled at an earlier time resume the upgrade.
Monitoring Distribution and Upgrade Status

During a distribution or an upgrade, Grid Manager displays the status of the distribution or upgrade in the status bar. It
also displays the process status for each member. You can view the status in either the Member List view or Group List
view from the Grid tab -> Upgrade tab.
When you perform a distribution or an upgrade, the status bar displays the overall Grid distribution status with a progress
bar that describes the process being performed. The status bar also displays the number of members that have
completed the distribution or upgrade.
A difference between a distribution and an upgrade process is that during an upgrade, the Grid Manager session
terminates when an HA Grid Master fails over from Node 1 to Node 2, or when a single Grid Master reboots and goes
offline. You can log back in to the appliance after the upgrade.
Grid and Member Status

You can view the distribution and upgrade process status at the Grid and member level. To view the process status, from
the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click Toggle Member List View.
The status bar displays the status of the overall Grid process. It contains a progress bar that indicates the percentage of
completion. It also shows the number of members that have completed the process.
Grid Manager displays the following information for each member:
• Member: The name of the Grid member.
• Group: The upgrade group to which the member belongs.
• HA: Indicates whether the member is an HA pair or not.
• Status: The current distribution or upgrade status. This can be Running (green) or Offline (red).
• IPv4 Address: The IPv4 address of the member.
• Running Version: The NIOS software version that is currently running on the member.
• Alternate Version: Displays the NIOS software version to which the appliance can revert.
• Distribution/Upgrade Status: The current distribution or upgrade status. When the distribution or upgrade is in
progress, Grid Manager displays a progress bar in this field to indicate the percentage of completion.
• Hotfix: The name of the hotfix that was last run on the member.
• Status Time: The date, time, and time zone of the status displayed.
• Member Revert: Indicates whether the member has been reverted or not. This appears only when the member
has been upgraded from NIOS 6.4.0 to a later NIOS release.
• Time to Revert: The time (in HH:MM:SS format) left to revert a member. This appears only when the member has
been upgraded from NIOS 6.4.0 to a later NIOS release.
• Site: The location to which the member belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes. The appliance
automatically refreshes the information in this panel.
Upgrade Group Status

You can view the distribution or upgrade status of an upgrade group in the group list view. In this view, the distribution or
upgrade status rolls up to the group level. You can expand an upgrade group to view the status of individual member.
However, you cannot view detailed status of a selected member from this view.
To view the process status of an upgrade group, from the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click Toggle Group
List View. Grid Manager displays the following information for each member in an upgrade group:

Rev. D
• Group: The upgrade group to which the member belongs.
• Member: The name of the Grid member.
• Status: The current member status. This can be Running (green) or Offline (red).
• IPv4 Address: The IPv4 address of the member appliance.
• IPv6 Address: The IPv6 address of the member appliance.
• Distribution Status: The current distribution status. For an upgrade group, Grid Manager displays a progress bar
to indicate the overall percentage of completion. For a member, Grid Manager displays the state of the
distribution process.
• Timestamp: The date, time, and time zone of the status displayed.
Detailed Status
You can view detailed process information of a member during a distribution or an upgrade. To view detailed process
information:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click Toggle Member List View.
2. Select a member and then click the Detailed Status icon.
Grid Manager displays a panel that shows the required steps during a distribution or an upgrade. It also displays a color
indicator, next to each step, to indicate the current status of each step. The color indicator can be one of the following:
• Grey: The process has not started yet.
• Green: The process is complete.
• Blue: The distribution or upgrade that is in progress.
• Red: There is an error; Grid Manager displays a description of the problem.
• Yellow: A warning message.
When the selected member is an HA pair, Grid Manager displays the status information for both nodes. The panel
remains open until you close it or select a different member.
Lite Upgrades
A lite upgrade occurs when there are incremental changes to the software that do not require any upgrade to the
database. The appliance can perform a lite upgrade only if the format of the database between the existing NIOS version
and the upgrade version is the same.
In general, when you upgrade from a patch release to another patch release, you are performing a lite upgrade. In a lite
upgrade, members can be running a different software version than the Grid Master. You can add objects, such as
zones, networks, and resource records to the members that are running an older NIOS version. Replication of zones,
networks, resource records, and DHCP leases is supported between the Grid Master and members. When you want to
revert a member however, you must revert the entire Grid.
Whenever possible, the appliance uses the lite upgrade mode to speed up the upgrade process. You can always
schedule a lite upgrade. Note that the appliance disables the testing function for lite upgrades because you do not need
to test a lite upgrade for any database translation. For information about how to schedule an upgrade, see Scheduling
Upgrades.
Full Upgrades
A full upgrade occurs when there are database schema changes between the existing and upgrade releases. In general,
when you upgrade to a major release, you are performing a full upgrade. Depending on the upgrade and revert paths
that your existing release supports, you may or may not be able to schedule a full upgrade. A full upgrade that cannot be
scheduled does not allow for data replication between the Grid Master and members. For information about supported
upgrade and revert paths, refer to the latest release notes on the Infoblox Support site.
Depending on the upgrade paths your current release supports, when you schedule a full upgrade, the Grid Master
immediately replicates certain core network service tasks to Grid members while putting other tasks in queue until the
members have been upgraded. For information about which data and tasks the Grid Master replicates to members

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immediately, see Guidelines for Scheduling Full Upgrades. For information about how to schedule an upgrade, see
Scheduling Upgrades.
Guidelines for Scheduling Full Upgrades

When scheduling a full upgrade in NIOS, the Grid Master replicates the following to the Grid members, including those
that have not been upgraded:
• DNS resource records
• DNS zones
• DNS views
• Name server groups
• Shared record groups
• IPv4 and IPv6 host addresses
• Roaming hosts
• IPv4 and IPv6 networks
• IPv4 and IPv6 shared networks
• Fixed addresses
• DHCP ranges
• DHCP failover association
• DHCP option spaces
• DHCP options
• DHCP filters
• MAC filter items
• Blacklist & NXDOMAIN rules
• DNSSEC key pairs
• DNSSEC import keyset operation
• Signed and unsigned zones
• DNSSEC rollover KSK and ZSK operations.
The following tasks can be performed during an upgrade:
• Upgrade a specific member during the scheduled Grid upgrade. For information about how to upgrade a single
member during a scheduled Grid upgrade, see Upgrading a Single Member Immediately.
• Revert a single member that has already been upgraded to troubleshoot issues, such as service outages, on that
specific member. The upgrade of that member can then be rescheduled. For more information, see Reverting a
Single Member.
• Clear authentication cache and authentication records.
• Perform AD (Active Directory) configurations. Note that the keytab file must be uploaded before the upgrade
starts.
Note the below restrictions when scheduling a full upgrade:
• Any action that requires a service restart for configuration changes to take effect are not recommended and can
result in upgrade issues.
• Do not add, modify, or delete an NS group.
• Do not add, modify, or delete manually created NS records.
• Do not add, modify, or delete a zone.
• Do not assign or unassign an NS group to a zone.
• Do not change the NS group assigned to a zone.
• Do not change the host name of the Grid members that are assigned to a zone if the members have not been
upgraded, have been reverted, or are in the revert time window.
• Do not restart DNS and DHCP services or schedule a restart for these services on Grid members that have not
been upgraded. For more information, see Restarting Groups.
• Do not add, delete, or modify a DHCP range, filter, or fixed address.
• Do not modify the settings for automated mitigation of phantom domain attacks using the CLI commands on a
Grid member until the member has completed the upgrade.

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The Grid Master and Upgrade Groups can be scheduled to upgrade at different times in order to limit service impact.
However, upgrades needs to be performed within a limited window of time (i.e. within a couple of days). If an upgrade
spans nine or more days, a warning is displayed in the NIOS UI.
NIOS does contain checks and rules to ensure data integrity that can cause undesirable results during the upgrade
process. However, when scheduling a full upgrade, the following rules and behavior has to be noted and followed to
ensure a seamless upgrade:
• Do not modify member properties for the following: DNS, DHCP, TFTP/HTTP/FTP, bloxTools, Captive Portal,
Reporting, and load balancing until the member has completed the upgrade and exited its revert time window.
• Do not delete DNS views until the entire Grid upgrade is complete.
• Do not delete DNS zones and IPv4 and IPv6 networks that are under Microsoft Management until the managing
member of the Microsoft servers has completed its upgrade and exited its revert time window.
• Synchronization between load balancers and the appliance is disabled until the load balancer managing member
has completed its upgrade. Do not change the managing member during the upgrade.
• Do not add, modify, or delete network views, rulesets, and DNS64 synthesis groups until the entire Grid upgrade
is complete.
• Replication of Grid and member DNS and DHCP properties is not supported.
• Do not create additional named Access Control Lists (ACLs) until after the entire Grid has been upgraded. For
information about named ACLs, see Configuring Access Control.
During a scheduled full upgrade, the Grid Master skips Grid members that do not complete their NIOS upgrade within 10
minutes, the default upgrade policy time, and moves to the next Grid member within the upgrade schedule.
During a scheduled full upgrade, do not perform the following tasks on a Grid member that has not been upgraded yet:
• Import the DHCP lease history file
• Use the DHCP expert mode configuration feature
• Clear the NAC authentication cache of a DHCP member
• Set the time zone for a Grid member
• View the capacity report of a Grid member
• Test the email configuration settings of a Grid member
• Check whether an IPv6 address is already configured on a Grid member
When scheduling a full upgrade from a previous NIOS release to a release that includes the DHCP fingerprint detection
feature, the following rules apply until the entire Grid has been upgraded:
• DHCP fingerprint detection is disabled
• Do not add DHCP fingerprint filters
• Do not apply DHCP fingerprint filters to any DHCP address range
When scheduling a full upgrade from a previous NIOS release to a release that includes the multi-primary zone feature,
the following rules apply until the entire Grid has been upgraded:
• Do not configure multiple primary servers for an authoritative zone or configure a name server group that
contains multiple primary servers.
• Do not assign or unassign a Grid member to an authoritative zone or name server group.
• Do not change the stealth state of an authoritative zone or name server group.
When scheduling a full upgrade from a previous NIOS release to a release that includes the Infoblox Threat Protection
feature, do not perform the following on a Grid member until the member has completed the upgrade:
• Start or stop the Threat Protection and DNS services.
• Activate a ruleset.
• Perform any threat protection related tasks such as adding custom rules and activating rulesets.
Before scheduling a full upgrade from a previous NIOS release to a release that includes the IPv6 Grid feature, the
following rules apply:
• If the Grid has an HA Master or HA member and if it is configured with IPv6 VIP address, IPv6 addresses must be
configured for both node 1 and node 2.
• Both the Grid Master and the Grid Master Candidate must have the same type of network connectivity.
• The current configuration and database must be backed up.

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• If the subscriber site has HA and the HA passive node is the first to upgrade, the data repository connectivity uses
the IPv4 protocol for the site members. If you want the data repository to be connected over the IPv6 protocol,
you must stop and restart the subscriber service in the upgraded Grid. The subscriber data is lost when the
service is stopped and restarted. It is recommended to stop/start the service of each member at a time to
synchronize the subscriber cache with the next active member on the same site.
When scheduling a full upgrade from a previous NIOS release to a release that includes the Secure Dynamic Updates
feature, the following rules apply until the Grid has completed the upgrade:
• All dynamic updated records are labelled as static records. Infoblox suggests to enable this feature only after all
records are changed to Dynamic.
• NIOS tags the RRsets that are not auto-generated as static records. For information about Secure Dynamic
Updates, see Secure Dynamic Updates.
When scheduling a full upgrade that includes the DNS Traffic Control feature, the following rules apply until the entire
Grid has been upgraded:
• Do not add an SNMP health monitor.
• Do not configure the All available load balancing method for a DTC pool.
• The record types are reset to default record types (A and AAAA records) and do not modify the record types for
an LBDN.
Upgrading Parental Control at DNS Cache Acceleration

Upgrading Infoblox subscriber services parental control at DNS Cache Acceleration using cached domain and subscriber
data has the following restrictions:
• Upgrade subscriber services using a staged upgrade. This does not affect subscriber data.
• You must update parental control category data download credentials after the upgrade.
• When you upgrade, designate a few members per site to run garbage collection as subscriber services does not
perform garbage collection.
• Restrictions when upgrading subscriber sites:
• You cannot add or remove members from a site during an upgrade.
• You cannot stop or start a subscriber secure service during an upgrade.
• You cannot change any subscriber service configuration during an upgrade.
Microsoft Management Rules

On a member that synchronizes data with Microsoft DNS and DHCP servers, the following functions are deactivated
during an upgrade:
• Synchronization of Microsoft DNS and DHCP data
• Rotation of Microsoft logs
• Start and stop of Microsoft servers
• Releases of DHCP leases from a Microsoft DHCP server
 Note
Deactivation of these functions does not affect data on the Microsoft servers. After the upgrade, the member
automatically restarts the synchronization of Microsoft data.
On a member that synchronizes data with Microsoft DNS and DHCP servers, the following rules apply:
• Do not modify the managing member if the old and new members have not been upgraded and have not exited
their revert time windows.
• Do not add, modify, or delete zones, IPv4 DHCP ranges, and IPv4 networks until the managing member has
been upgraded and exits the revert time window.
• Do not add, modify, or delete DNS resource records if the associated zone is managed by a Microsoft server and
the managing member is still in its revert time window.

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• Do not add, modify, or delete fixed addresses that are assigned to a Microsoft server and the managing member
is still in its revert time window.
• Wait until the new managing member is upgraded to configure it as a DNS primary or secondary.
DHCP Expert Mode Upgrade

Enabling DHCP expert mode allows administrators to directly manipulate sections of the DHCP configuration file. In this
mode, all built-in protections and error checking normally provided by Infoblox are bypassed.
Because these protections are removed, Infoblox is unable to provide support for DHCP while in the DHCP expert mode
except to confirm that administrator changes to the configuration file were written. The integrity of the configuration file
when the DHCP expert mode is enabled is entirely the responsibility of the administrator. If Infoblox support for DHCP is
required, first disable the DHCP expert mode and then reproduce the issue.
Infoblox strongly discourages the use of DHCP expert mode. Consider using it only after discussing the situation with
Infoblox Support.
Managing Upgrade Groups

To minimize the impact of Grid upgrades on your system operations, you can organize members into upgrade groups
and schedule their software distributions. This is useful, for example, in a large Grid spanning multiple time zones where
there are fluctuating network and downtime considerations at various locations. Note that you can also schedule their
upgrades, depending on the existing releases and their upgrade paths. For information about the different upgrade
methods, see Lite Upgrades and Full Upgrades
You can also import and export upgrade groups and their schedules in CSV format. For more information, see Infoblox
CSV Import Reference.
Infoblox provides two default upgrade groups:
• Grid Master: After you configure the Grid Master, it automatically becomes the only member of this group. You
cannot modify or delete this group.
• Reporting Member: After you configure a reporting member in a Grid, it automatically becomes the only member
of this group. This group will be upgraded automatically after the Grid Master and before other upgrade groups.
You cannot modify, delete, or schedule this upgrade group. For information about reporting, see Infoblox
Reporting and Analytics.
• Reporting Member (when you have configured reporting clustering Grid): When you upgrade from NIOS 7.3.200
to a later release, the Grid will be upgraded to the single indexer mode. You can change the configuration after
the upgrade. During an upgrade, the reporting members of the primary site are moved into separate groups to
ensure that there are always some peers available to receive events sent by the forwarders. To achieve this, the
replication factor must be equal to the search factor and the total number of reporting appliances.
 Note
During an upgrade, data loss might happen if the peers that hold all searchable copies of a bucket are
in the same group and they are all offline at the same time. To avoid this, ensure that you group the
members in separate groups.
• Default: This is the default upgrade group to which the appliance automatically assigns Grid members. If you do
not explicitly assign a member to an upgrade group, it remains in the Default group. You cannot delete or rename
this group. For information, see Modifying Upgrade Groups.
 Note
Make sure that the default group has at least one member associated with it, otherwise the appliance
displays that the upgrade process is still in progress even though it is complete. To avoid this, you can
either use the Infoblox > set grid_upgrade forced_end command to stop the upgrade process or
keep at least one member in the default group.

Rev. D
Grid Manager provides information about the upgrade group to which a member belongs. You can add or delete an
upgrade group and monitor the software version that is currently running on the Grid and on individual member. You can
do the following:
• Add an upgrade group, as described in Adding Upgrade Groups.
• Modify an upgrade group, as described in Modifying Upgrade Groups.
• View upgrade group information, as described in Viewing Upgrade Groups.
• Delete an upgrade group, as described in Deleting Upgrade Groups.
Adding Upgrade Groups

When you create an upgrade group, you select the Grid members for that group, and specify whether the software
distribution and upgrade occur on all group members at the same time, or successively in the order they are listed in the
group members list. A Grid member can belong to only one upgrade group.
 Note
The appliance displays a warning message when you create an upgrade group that includes the two peers of a
DHCP failover association. Infoblox recommends that you assign DHCP failover peers to separate upgrade
groups to minimize the risk of a loss in DHCP services. For example, if DHCP failover peers are in the same
upgrade group and its members upgrade simultaneously, the upgrade causes a loss in DHCP services.
Note the following recommendations when you create an upgrade group:

• Put the following members in the first upgrade group after the Grid Master upgrade: all Grid Master candidates,
DNS primaries, and the DHCP logging member.
• To minimize the risk of a loss in DNS services, put the name servers for a zone in different upgrade groups, and
assign the primary and secondary servers to separate upgrade groups.
To add an upgrade group:
2. Click Toggle Group List View to display the list of upgrade groups, and then click the Add icon.
3. In the Add Upgrade Group wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the upgrade group. The name can contain alphanumeric characters, spaces,
underscores, hyphens, and dashes.
• Distribute to Members: Select one of the following to specify how the Grid Master distributes software to
the members in the group.
• Simultaneously: Select this to distribute software upgrade files to all group members at the same
time.
• Sequentially: Select this to distribute software upgrade files to group members in the order they
are listed in the group members list.
• Upgrade Members: Select one of the following to specify how the group members upgrade to the new
software version.
• Simultaneously: Select this to upgrade all group members at the same time.
• Sequentially: Select this to upgrade group members in the order they are listed in the group
members list.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the upgrade group, such as the location of the group.
4. Click Next to select members for the group. Complete the following:
• Click the Add icon. Grid Manager adds a row to the Member Assignment table.

Rev. D
• Click Select. In the Member Selector dialog box, select the members you want to add to the group, and
then click the Select icon. Use Shift+click and Ctrl+click to select multiple members. Note that if you
choose to distribute and upgrade members sequentially, the distribution and upgrade occur in the order
the members are listed. You can reorder the list by dragging a member to a desired location or by
selecting a member and using the up and down arrows next to the checkbox to place the member at a
desired location. You can also delete a member from the list.
 Note
After you add a member, the appliance adds it to the group members list. The first Grid member
in the list determines the time zone of the group when you schedule the distribution and
upgrade. Therefore, Grid Manager displays the time zone of the first Grid member in the list.
(For information about setting time zones, see Managing Time Settings.)
Modifying Upgrade Groups

You can modify an existing upgrade group to change the group name or how the distribution and upgrade are performed.
You can also add and delete members.
To modify an upgrade group:
2. Select an upgrade_group checkbox, and then click the Edit icon in the row. You can also click the Edit icon
directly without selecting the checkbox.
3. The Upgrade Group editor provides the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify the fields as described in Adding Upgrade Groups.
• Member Assignment: Add or delete members as described in Adding Upgrade Groups.
Viewing Upgrade Groups

In the Upgrade tab, Grid Manager lists the Grid Master group, the Default group, and other upgrade groups you have
configured. You cannot modify or delete the Grid Master group. You can modify the Default group, but you cannot delete
it. To view the members in a specific upgrade group, click the arrow next to the group name to expand the group. All
groups are collapsed by default.
Before a distribution or upgrade starts, you can move members from one group to another, reorder the members, or
remove a member from an upgrade group. The member you remove automatically joins the Default group. (For
information, see Managing Distributions.) You cannot add, delete, or reorder members in an upgrade group while a
distribution or upgrade is in progress. You can skip a member in an upgrade group from a distribution only before the
distribution starts, or after you pause it. For information, see Pausing and Resuming Distributions.
To view the upgrade groups in a Grid:
Grid Manager displays the Grid Master at the top of the list. All other upgrade groups are listed alphabetically
after the Grid Master. You can click the arrow next to a group to view members in the group.
2. Grid Manager displays the following:
• Group: The name of an upgrade group to which the member belongs.
• Member: The name of the member.
• Status: Displays the overall status of an upgrade group at the group level and individual status for each
member when you expand the upgrade group. At the group level, this displays the most severe status
among the members. For example, when there are three out of five members are offline, the overall status
shows 3 of 5 members in red, which means offline.
• IP Address: The IP address of the member.
• Distribution Status: The distribution status of the group.
• Timestamp: The date, time, and time zone when a distribution or upgrade is complete.

Rev. D
You can hide some of the default columns, but you cannot sort the information in this table. You can use filters and the
Go to function to narrow down the list. With the autocomplete feature, you can just enter the first few characters of an
object name in the Go to field and select the object from the possible matches. You can also create a quick filter to save
frequently used filter criteria. For information, see Using Quick Filters.
Deleting Upgrade Groups

When you delete an upgrade group, members in the upgrade group that you want to delete will be moved to the Default
group. Grid Manager displays a warning before deleting an upgrade group.
To delete an upgrade group:
2. Select an upgrade-group checkbox, and then click the Delete icon.
3. In the Delete Confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
Viewing Software Versions

Before you upgrade, downgrade, or revert to a different NIOS software version, you can view the current software
version that is running on the Grid, the NIOS image you have uploaded, and the available version to which you can
revert. Grid Manager displays the software information in the Upgrade tab.
To view software information:
2. Grid Manager displays the following in the Grid Version Information section:
• Running: The NIOS software version that is currently running on the Grid.
• Uploaded: The latest NIOS image file you have uploaded and is available for distribution.
• Distribution: The NIOS software version used for distribution or is available for distribution.
• Revert: The NIOS software version to which the appliance can revert.
• DistributionSchedule: Displays the date and time of the next scheduled distribution.
• UpgradeSchedule: Displays the date and time of the next scheduled upgrade.
 Note
Grid Manager leaves a field empty when there is no available software for the specific function.
Grid Manager automatically refreshes the Upgrade tab with the latest information and displays the timestamp in the Last
Updated field below the Grid Version Information section.
Downgrading Software
Each Infoblox appliance model has a minimum required release of Infoblox software. Before downgrading an appliance,
refer to the document, Minimum Required Release Software for Hardware Platforms, that shipped with your product.
The downgrade procedure is for single independent appliances only. Infoblox does not support software downgrades for
Grid members, but you can revert to the previous NIOS release (see the next section) on a Grid Master.
 Note
Although the downgrade process preserves license information and basic network settings, it does not preserve
data. After you complete the downgrade procedure, all data in the database is lost.
To downgrade software on a single independent appliance running NIOS 4.0 or later:

1. From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click Downgrade from the Toolbar.
Grid Manager displays a warning indicating that reverting to the current release is not possible once you start the
downgrade. Read the warning carefully, and then click Yes to confirm your decision to downgrade.

Rev. D
2. In the Choose file dialog box, navigate to the downgrade image file, and then click Open to upload the file. The
appliance uploads the file to the Grid Master. You cannot stop the downgrade process once you start it. Grid
Manager displays the downgrade status in the status bar.
Reverting the Grid to the Previously Running Software

You can revert the Grid to a version of software that was previously running on your NIOS appliance. The NIOS
appliance stores the previous software version in its backup software partition. You can see if there is a software version
to which you can revert and its version number in the Alternate Version column in the Grid Version Information section of
the Upgrade tab. To view the software version, from the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab. Note that once you start
distributing a new NIOS version after an upgrade, you cannot revert to a previous NIOS version.
Be aware that when you revert to this software, changes made since the Grid was last upgraded are lost, including the
new DHCP leases and other DNS changes.
To revert to a version of software previously running on a Grid or on an independent appliance or HA pair:
• From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click Revert -> Revert Grid from the Toolbar.
Grid Manager displays a warning indicating that the revert process disrupts Grid services. Read the warning carefully,
and then click Yes to confirm your decision to revert.
Applying Hotfixes
Infoblox periodically releases hotfixes that contain resolved issues. Only superusers can apply hotfixes through Grid
Manager. When you install hotfixes through Grid Manager, you can apply them to the Grid Master and All Grid members,
the Grid Master only, the Grid Master and Grid Master Candidates, or selected Grid members. This feature is supported
on appliances running NIOS version 7.1 or later. Note that each hotfix addresses specific issues.
Infoblox recommends that you verify the hotfix before you apply it to ensure that it is the correct version.
After you apply a hotfix, Grid manager displays the hotfix status in the Upload Status bar. In addition, you can view the
history of the most recent list of applied hotfixes in the Hotfix History dialog box. For information about viewing hotfix
history, see Viewing Hotfix History.
 Note
A hotfix installation may fail if there is a mismatch in the NIOS software versions or if a hotfix image fails to meet
the software or hardware restrictions.
To apply a hotfix:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, and then click ApplyHotfix from the Toolbar and select one of the
following:
• ToGridMasterandallGridMembers: Click this to apply hotfix to the Grid Master and all Grid members.
• ToGridMaster: Click this to apply hotfix to the Grid Master only.
• ToGridMasterandGridMasterCandidates: Click this to apply hotfix only to the Grid Master and Grid Master
candidates.
• ToselectedGridMembers: Click this to apply hotfix to the selected Grid member. This option is available
only after you have selected a Grid member or members.
2. In the ApplyHotfix dialog box, click Select and navigate to the hotfix image file you want to upload. Click Open to
select the file, and click Upload.
 Note
If you have already installed a hotfix and subsequently try to upgrade or downgrade NIOS, the appliance
displays a warning message because resolved issues in the hotfix will no longer be valid if the upgrade or
downgrade version does not contain the original hotfix.
The appliance applies the hotfix to the targeted appliance(s). You cannot stop the hotfix process once you start it. Grid
Manager displays the hotfix status in the Upload Status bar.

Rev. D
Viewing Hotfix History
You can view hotfix history on selected members. To view the hotfix history:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Upgrade tab, click the Show Hotfix History icon in the Hotfix column.
2. The Hotfix History dialog box displays the following information:
• Date: The timestamp when the hotfix was applied.
• Hotfix: The name of the hotfix that was last run on the member. The name of the hotfix image file that was
applied to the member.
3. Click Close to close the Hotfix History dialog box.
Backing Up and Restoring Configuration Files

Infoblox recommends that you regularly back up your configuration files and/or discovery database files. You can back up
your system files locally on the appliance or to your management system, or use TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol),
FTP (File Transfer Protocol), or SCP (Secure Copy) to back them up to a remote server. Backing up and restoring the
configuration files using TFTP, FTP, or SCP is supported on both IPv4 and IPv6 communication protocols. You can select
to back up files manually or schedule automatic backups for a later date.
To avoid missing a backup when a remote server is unavailable during a scheduled automatic backup, you can choose to
save files locally on your appliance while backing up to the remote server. Both the local and remote backup files share
the same date because NIOS saves these files from the same backup. The backup file is a .tar.gz file that contains the
configuration settings, data set, and TFTP files. Note that the local backup contains only the Grid backup. It does not
contain backups for reporting or NetMRI.
 Note
While the content of the backup file in plaintext it does not contain any plaintext representation of any
passwords. These are either encrypted with AES-256 or salted hashed with SHA-128.
You may also schedule automatic backups of the discovery database, which consists of the complete discovery data for
networks and network devices such as core, distribution and edge routers, enterprise switches, security devices, and end
host devices. NIOS backs up the discovery database in a .tar.gz file, with the raw discovery data formatted as an XML
file.
 Note
Infoblox recommends that you backup the configuration after you convert a Grid to a different mode. Restoring
the old backup by performing a forced restore, may prevent the Grid members from rejoining the Grid Master
after the restore.
The following sections describe how to use the backup and restore functions:
• Backing Up Files
• Automatically Backing Up Data Files
• Backing Up Files
• Restoring Backup Files
• Downloading Backup Files from a Different Appliance
 Note
Infoblox highly recommends that you always back up the current configuration file before upgrading, restoring,
or reverting the software on the appliance. If you are performing these operations on appliances licensed for
Discovery and that perform discovery, the discovery database can be backed up and restored using the same
mechanisms.

Rev. D
Backing Up Files
You can back up system files and discovery databases periodically and on demand. You can then restore the files on the
same appliance or on a different appliance. For information about restoring files, see Restoring Backup Files. You can
configure the appliance to automatically back up the files on a weekly, daily, or hourly basis.
Infoblox recommends that you back up the system files during off-hours to minimize the impact on network services. By
default, the automatic backup function is turned off. You must log in with a superuser account to back up files.
You can back up system configuration and/or discovery database files to the following:
• A local directory
• The management system that you use to operate the appliance
• A TFTP server
• An FTP server. This option requires that you have a valid username and password on the server prior to backing
up files.
• An SSH server that supports SCP. This option requires that you have a valid username and password on the
server prior to backing up files.
Local Backup
You can store a backup file on the appliance itself. However, Infoblox recommends that you store backup files in an
alternate location. When you back up the system files locally, the appliance uses the following format to name the file:
BACKUP_YYYY_MM_DD_MM.tar.gz. For example, a file name of BACKUP_2013_11_30_23_00 means that the file is
backed up on November 30th, 2013 at 11:00 PM.
The appliance can save up to 20 configuration files, regardless of how often the files are saved (weekly, hourly, or daily).
Ensure that you take the size of the configuration file into consideration when backing up files because the storage limit
on an appliance is 5 Gb (gigabytes). If your configuration file is 500 Mb (megabytes), then the appliance can store 10
configuration files. When uploading configuration files on to a TFTP, FTP, or SCP server, you must consider the file size
on that server as well.
Using TFTP
TFTP is a client-server protocol that uses UDP as its transport protocol. It does not provide authentication or encryption,
therefore it does not require a username or password.
When you back up the system files to a TFTP server, you select the backup file you want to download, enter the name in
which the file is stored on the TFTP server and the server IP address.
Using FTP
FTP is a client-server protocol used to exchange files over TCP-based networks. The appliance, as the FTP client,
connects to a remote FTP server that you identify. When you use FTP to back up the system files, the password and file
contents are transmitted in clear text and may be intercepted by other users.
When you back up the system files to an FTP server, the appliance, as the FTP client, logs on to the FTP server. You
must specify the username and password the appliance uses to log on to the FTP server. The user account must have
write permission to the directory to which the appliance uploads the backup file.
Using SCP
SCP is more secure than TFTP and FTP. It uses the SSH protocol to provide authentication and security. You can use
SCP to back up the NIOS system files to a server running SSHv2.
When you use SCP to back up the system files to an SSH server, you must specify the username and password the
appliance uses to log on to the server. Note that you must use either "password" or "Password" in the SCP password
prompt because the appliance does not recognize "PASSWORD" in the prompt. Therefore, ensure that you customize
the SCP password prompt to say "Enter your password" or "Enter your Password." Otherwise, the SCP backup will fail.

Rev. D
The user account must have write permission to the directory to which the appliance uploads the backup file. In addition,
make sure that you enter the correct IP address of the SSH server; the appliance does not check the credentials of the
SSH server to which it connects.
 Note
The SCP protocol uses SSH for data transfer and thus provides the same authentication and security as SSH.
SCP uses LAN1 regardless of whether the MGMT port is enabled or not.
Automatically Backing Up Data Files

Infoblox recommends that you regularly back up your configuration files and/or discovery database files. The easiest way
to accomplish this task is to configure the appliance for scheduled automatic backups of the NIOS configuration files.
When you automatically back up a configuration file on the appliance, the file is named in the format
<GRIDNAME>_YYYY_MM_DD_HH.MM.tar.gz. The default time for an automatic backup is 3:00 AM. Infoblox
recommends scheduling configuration file backups to take place during the slowest period of network activity. You can
choose a schedule for when and how often files are backed up: weekly, daily, or hourly.
If a Grid has a discovery member, you may also schedule automatic backups of the Discovery database, which consists
of the complete discovery data for networks and network devices such as core, distribution and edge routers, enterprise
switches, security devices, and end host devices. NIOS backs up the Discovery database in a
.tar.gz file, with the raw Discovery data formatted as an XML file. For information on discovery features and requirements,
see the chapter Infoblox Network Insight.
To automatically back up a database file on an independent appliance or Grid Master:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Backup -> Schedule Backup from the Toolbar.
2. In the Schedule Backup dialog box, select the destination of the backup file from the Backup to drop-down list:
• TFTP: Back up system files to a TFTP server.
• Keep local copy: Select this to also save a local copy of the backup file on your appliance. This is disabled by
default. The local backup contains only the Grid backup, it does not contain backups for reporting and NetMRI.
Note that when you select this, the total backup time will increase.
• IP Address of TFTP Server: Enter the IP address of the TFTP server to which you want to back up the
system files.
• Directory Path: Enter the directory path of the file. For example, you can enter /archive/backups. The
directory path cannot contain spaces and backslash (\). The folder or directory you enter here must
already exist on the specified server. Do not include the file name in the directory path.
• Recurrence: Select how often you want to back up the files. You can select Weekly, Daily, or Hourly from
the drop-down list. When you select Weekly, complete the following:
• Every: Choose a day of the week from the drop-down list.
• Time: Enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can also click the clock icon and select a
time from the drop-down list. The Grid Master creates a backup file on the selected day and time
every week.
When you select Daily, enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can also select a time
from the drop-down list.
When you select Hourly, complete the following:
• Minutes after the Hour: Enter the minute after the hour when the Grid Master creates a backup file.
For example, enter 5 if you want the Grid Master to create a backup file five minutes after the hour
every hour.
• Disable Scheduled Backup: Select this if you want to disable automatic backups from occurring now.
You can still save the settings for future use.
• FTP: Back up system files to an FTP server.
• IP Address of FTP Server: The IP address of the FTP server.

Rev. D
• Username: Enter the username of your FTP account.
 Note
If you have configured AD server for authentication, you must specify "domain name\
\username".
• Password: Enter the password of your FTP account.

• Recurrence: Select how often the scheduled backups should occur. You can select Weekly, Daily, or
Hourly. For information, see TFTP.
• Disable Scheduled Backup: Select this if you want to disable automatic backups from occurring now, but
want to save the settings for future us
• SCP: Back up system files to an SSH server that supports SCP.
• IP Address of SCP Server: The IP address of the SCP server.
• Username: Enter the username of your SCP account.
 Note
\username".
• Password: Enter the password of your SCP account.

Hourly. For information, see the TFTP section.
• Disable Scheduled Backup:Select this if you want to disable automatic backups from occurring now.
You can still save the settings for future use.
 Note
When you select FTP or SCP, ensure that you have a valid user name and password on the
server prior to backing up the files.
New status types such as Upload keys triggered, Upload keys in progress, Upload keys done
are displayed in the Reporting Restore dialog box also.
• Grid Master (Local): Back up to a local directory on the Grid Master. This is the default.
By default, the Grid Master generates a backup file and saves it locally in its own storage at 3:00 AM daily.
Be aware that backing up the Grid and saving it locally on an hourly basis increases the turnover of files stored
on the Grid Master. Backing it up hourly to a remote server increases the overall amount of traffic on your
network.
• If the Grid has a discovery member, Grid Manager displays the NIOS data and Discovery data checkboxes. You
can select the NIOS data checkbox, to back up NIOS configuration data for the Grid and select the Discovery
data checkbox, to back up discovery data for the Grid.
If the Grid has a reporting member, Grid Manager displays the Infoblox Splunk App checkbox. You can select the
Infoblox Splunk App checkbox, to back up Splunk application reporting data.
• Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.
Manually Backing Up Data Files

You can manually back up a NIOS data file in addition to scheduling your backups. If a Grid has a discovery member,
you can also manually back up the current discovery database. Doing so backs up the complete discovery database that
is resident on the Consolidator appliance, which is a member of the Grid. Keep in mind that discovery processes may be
taking place on the associated NIOS appliances licensed for that task. NIOS will temporarily suspend the Discovery

Rev. D
service while the backup is being retrieved from the Consolidator appliance.
To back up manually:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Backup -> Manual Backup from the Toolbar.
2. In the Backup wizard, select the destination of the backup file from the Backup to drop-down list:
• My Computer: Back up system files to a local directory on your computer. This is the default.
• Filename: Enter the directory path and the file name of the backup file. For example, you can enter /
archive/backups/Infoblox_2009_10_20_15_30. The directory path cannot contain spaces and backslash
(\).
system files.
(\).
 Note
If you have configured AD server for authentication, you must specify "domain name//
username".

(\).
• Username: Enter the user name of your SCP account.
 Note
username".
• Use Keys: If you select this checkbox, you can back up files to SCP without entering the password. The
first time you select the checkbox, you need to enter the password. However, during subsequent times,
the Infoblox server verifies whether Infoblox keys are available on the SCP server. If they are available,
you can click the Backup button without entering the password. If Infoblox keys are not available on the
SCP server, the following message is displayed:
Infoblox SSH keys are not present on SCP server. Please upload the keys to the SCP
server or download the keys and manually add it to the SCP server.
Password: Enter the password of your SCP account.
• Keys Type: Select the SSH key type to be uploaded. At present, only ECDSA and RSA keys are
supported. Click Upload Keys to upload the keys to the SCP server. If the keys are not available, click
Download Keys to download the keys and manually add them to the SCP server.
 Note
• If you are using Fedora, ECDSA keys are supported only on Fedora versions later than Fedora
12.
• When you select FTP or SCP, ensure that you have a valid user name and password on the
server prior to backing up the files. Also ensure that the target SSH server has the required
permissions for an SCP backup. The permission must be 755 and the target server must have
write permission to the directory to which you upload the backup file.

Rev. D
• For an SCP backup, ensure that you are logged in as the user for whom the key was created.
Also ensure that the .ssh directory on the server and the files it contains, have the correct
permissions: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys && chmod 700 ~/.ssh/
• If you promote a Grid Master or perform an HA failover, you must upload the SSH key once
again for a successful SCP backup using keys.
• If the Grid has a discovery member, Grid Manager displays the NIOS data and Discovery data checkboxes. You
can select the NIOS data checkbox, to back up NIOS configuration data for the Grid and select the Discovery
data checkbox, to back up discovery data for the Grid.
If the Grid has a reporting member, Grid Manager displays the Infoblox Reporting & Analytics App checkbox. You
can select the Infoblox Reporting & Analytics App checkbox, to back up Splunk application reporting data.
• Click Backup.
Downloading Backup Files

You can save an existing backup file, or create and save a new one to your local management system, a TFTP server, an
FTP server, or a SCP server.
To download an existing backup file:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and the click Backup -> Manage Local Backup from the Toolbar.
Grid Manager displays the current backup files in the Manage Local Backups dialog box.
2. To download a backup file, select the checkbox of a backup file, and then click the Transfer icon. You cannot
select multiple files for downloading.
3. Select one of the following from the Backup to drop-down list:
• My Computer: Backup to a local directory on your computer. This is the default.
• TFTP: Save the backup file to a TFTP server.
• Filename: Enter the directory path and the file name of the backup file. For example, you can enter
/archive/backups/Infoblox_2009_10_20_15_30
.
• IP Address of TFTP Server: Enter the IP address of the TFTP server to which you want to save the
backup file.
• FTP: Save the backup file to an FTP server.
/archive/backups/Infoblox_2009_10_20_15_30.
• Username: Enter the username of your FTP server account.
• Password: Enter the password of your FTP server account.
• SCP: Save the backup file to an SSH server that supports SCP.
• Filename: Enter the directory path and the file name of the backup file. For example, you can enter/
archive/backups/Infoblox_2009_10_20_15_30.
• IPAddressofSCPServer: The IP address of the SCP server.
• Username: Enter the username of your SCP server account.
• Password: Enter the password of your SCP server account.
 Note
When you select FTP or SCP, ensure that you have a valid username and password on the server prior
to backing up the files.
• Click Transfer Copy.
Restoring Backup Files

You can restore a backup file of a NIOS configuration or a Discovery database to an appliance running the same NIOS
version as that of the appliance from which the backup file originates. You can also restore a backup file from an
appliance running a NIOS version to an appliance running a later NIOS version as long as the upgrade from the earlier

Rev. D
NIOS version to the later version is supported. For example, you can restore a backup file from an appliance running
NIOS 6.10.0 to an appliance running NIOS 7.3.200 because upgrading from NIOS 6.10.0 to 7.3.200 is supported.
However, you cannot restore a backup file from an appliance running NIOS 6.9.0 to an appliance running NIOS
7.3.200 because upgrading from NIOS 6.9.0 to 7.3.200 is not supported.
You can restore an existing backup file on the appliance from which it originates, or restore a backup file from a different
appliance (referred to as a forced restore). To download a backup file from a different appliance, see Downloading
Backup Files from a Different Appliance.
You must log in with a superuser account to back up and restore files. NIOS provides three ways to restore a backup file:
• From a local directory or the management system you use to operate the appliance
• From a TFTP server
• From a remote server using FTP. This option requires that you have a valid username and password on the FTP
server prior to performing a backup or restore.
 Note
When you restore NIC interfaces to a VM, ensure that you provision appropriate NIC interfaces with the
database content that must be restored to avoid any errors.
To restore a backup file to the same independent appliance or Grid Master:

1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Restore from the Toolbar.
2. In the Restore dialog box, choose one of the following from the Restore from drop-down list:
• My Computer: Restore a file from your local computer. This is the default.
• Filename: Click Select File to navigate to the configuration file.
• TFTP: Restore a file from a TFTP server.
• Filename: Enter the directory path and the file name you want to restore. For example, you can enter
/archive/backups/Infoblox_2009_10_20_15_30
.
• IP Address of TFTP Server: Enter the IP address of the TFTP server from which you restore the
configuration file.
• FTP: Restore a file from an FTP server.
/archive/backups/Infoblox_2009_10_20_15_30.
• Grid Master (Local): Restore from a local directory on the Grid Master. In the Backup Set table, select the file you
want to restore.
• To restore NIOS configuration data, select the NIOS data checkbox.
• To restore Discovery data, select the Discovery data checkbox. Discovery data should be restored to
Consolidator appliances with the correct licensing.
• To download a backup file from one appliance to a different appliance, select Force Restore from Different Grid to
enable the feature, and then select one of the following:
• Retain Current Grid Master IP Settings (this is the default)
• Overwrite Grid Master IP Settings
• Click Restore. In the Confirm Restore dialog box, click Yes.
After restoring the file, the appliance restarts. The restore process overwrites all existing data. All pending
scheduled tasks are not restored or reverted.
• Close your current browser window, wait a few minutes, and then reconnect to the NIOS appliance.
 Note
You cannot restore a backup from a HA GM to a single node GM, if the HA GM has specific HA passive
configuration.

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Downloading Backup Files from a Different Appliance
When you "force restore" a NIOS appliance, you download a backup file from one appliance to a different appliance. To
restore a backup file to the same appliance or Grid Master, use the Restore function as described in Restoring Backup
Files.
To download a backup file from one appliance to a different appliance:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Restore from the Toolbar.
2. In the Restore wizard, do the following:
• Restore from: Choose a source from which you restore the configuration file, as described in Restoring
Backup Files.
3. Select Force Restore from Different Grid to enable the feature, and then select one of the following:
4. Click Restore. In the Confirm Restore dialog box, click Yes.
After restoring the file, the appliance reboots. The restore process overwrites all existing data. All pending
5. Close your current browser window, wait a few minutes, and then reconnect to the NIOS appliance.
Using Database Snapshots

Infoblox recommends that you regularly create database snapshots that helps in mitigating the impact of any user errors
in the NIOS configuration. Whenever there is an error in the NIOS configuration, you can roll back the database (onedb)
to the snapshot that you have created earlier. This is potentially faster than restoring the database using the backup file.
The following sections describe how to create snapshots and roll back snapshots:
• Creating Database Snapshots
• Rolling Back Database Snapshots
Creating Database Snapshots

You can create a database snapshot periodically and save it locally on the appliance. You can create only one copy of
the database snapshot at any given time. Each time you create a new snapshot, it overrides the previous snapshot.
When you create a database snapshot, only data that is currently saved in the database is included in the snapshot. Only
superusers are allowed to create a database snapshot. Creating database snapshots does not have any impact on the
scheduled local backup. The snapshot saved locally on the appliance will not be affected if an HA failover occurs, but the
snapshot is deleted during a Grid Master Candidate promotion, upgrade, downgrade, or if you restore the appliance
using the backup file. Note that creating a database snapshot fails when any of the following operations are in progress:
• Rolling back database snapshot.
• When another database snapshot is being created.
• Restoring backup files. To create a snapshot:
1. From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, click Snapshot -> Create from the Toolbar.
2. In the Create Snapshot dialog box, enter information about the snapshot in the Comment field and click OK.
3. In the Create Snapshot confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
Rolling Back Database Snapshots

If you have already created a snapshot, you can roll back the database to the snapshot to recover from any user errors in
the NIOS configuration. Rolling back the database (onedb) to the snapshot is potentially faster than restoring the
database from a backup file. Rolling back to the snapshot changes only the database, not any other transient data, such
as file distribution, reporting splunk, discovery data, etc. Note that you might lose the data that you have saved after
creating the snapshot. Only superusers can perform the rollback operation.

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 When reporting cluster is enabled, rolling the database back to the snapshot that was created when reporting
was in the single-indexer mode might cause some data loss. The database settings will reset reporting to the
single-indexer mode, and the indexer might not have all the data indexed since reporting cluster was enabled.
To roll back the database to the snapshot:

1. From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, click Snapshot -> Rollback from the Toolbar.
2. The Rollback Snapshot dialog box displays the following information:
• Snapshot Time: The date and timestamp when the snapshot was created.
• Comment: Information about the snapshot.
3. Click OK.
Downloading Support Bundles

When you need assistance troubleshooting a NIOS appliance, you can log in to the appliance as a superuser, download
the support bundle of the appliance, and then send it to Infoblox Technical Support for analysis. A support bundle is a
tar.gz file that contains configuration files and the appliance system files. You can download a support bundle for an
independent appliance and for each member in a Grid. When you download a support bundle for an HA pair, it includes
the files of both nodes in the HA pair.
By default, the appliance includes the following files in the support bundle: core files, current logs, and rotated logs.
Because core files can be quite large and take a significant amount of time to download, Infoblox recommends that you
include core files in the support bundle only when requested by Infoblox Technical Support. You can include all the core
files or specific core files in the support bundle when Infoblox Support requests them. Note that the option of
downloading only specific core files is supported on appliances running NIOS version 8.0 or later. If your appliance
supports multiple primary servers for DNS authoritative zones, you can select to include cached zone data in the support
bundle. This data is not included in the bundle by default.
You can override the default support bundle download time which is 1200 seconds. To do so, go to Grid -> Grid
Manager -> Grid Properties -> Edit -> Advanced, and set a custom value for Support Bundle Download Timeout. You can
also use the set support_timeout command from the Administative Shell.
To download a support bundle:
1. From the Grid tab, select a member checkbox, and then click Download -> Support Bundle from the Toolbar.
2. In the Download Support Bundle dialog box, select the files you want to include in the support bundle, and then
click OK.
• Core Files: Infoblox recommends that you include these files only when requested by Infoblox Technical
Support.
• Current Logs: Infoblox recommends that you always include these files in the support bundle.
• Rotated Logs: These are rotated logs that contain historical information.
• Cached DNS Recursive Data: Select this to include cached DNS recursive data in the support bundle.
This is deselected by default.
• Cached Zone Data: Select this to include cached DNS zone data in the support bundle. This is deselected
by default.
• Subscriber Services Data: If you have configured Infoblox Subscriber Services, you can select this to
include subscriber services data in the support bundle. This is deselected by default. For information
about Infoblox Subscriber Services, see Infoblox Subscriber Services.
• Cloud Discovery Data: Select this to include cloud discovery data in the support bundle. This is
deselected by default.
• Files from the previously installed NIOS version: Select this to include files from the previously installed
NIOS version in the support bundle. This is deselected by default.
• Discovery SNMP Logs: Event logs related to device discovery SNMP probes of routers, switches and
other network infrastructure devices.
• Core Files: Infoblox recommends that you include these files only when requested by Infoblox Technical
Support.
• All Core Files: Select this to include all core files in the support bundle.

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• Select Core Files: Select this to include only specific core files in the support bundle. Click the Add
icon in the table. Grid Manager displays the Core Files Selector dialog box from which you can
select specific core files. You can delete a core file by selecting its checkbox and clicking the
Delete icon. Note that on an HA pair, you can select the core files of the active node only.
3. Navigate to the location you want to save the file and change the file name. Do not change the .tar.gz file
extension in the file name.
4. Send this file to Infoblox Technical Support.
Guidelines for Upgrading, Backing Up, and Restoring Data

You should take into consideration the impact on scheduled and approval tasks when you perform any of the following:
• When you upgrade from previous releases to NIOS 6.7 and later, the appliance converts all valid punycode data
to IDNs for DNS resource records and DNS zones. When you have a fresh installation of NIOS 6.7 and later, the
appliance converts all valid punycode data to IDNs for DNS zones only. It retains punycode data for resource
records.
• Upgrade the NIOS software: In a full upgrade, all scheduled and approval tasks are deleted. In a lite upgrade,
scheduled and approval tasks are not deleted.
• Back up the NIOS database: All scheduled and approval tasks are backed up for troubleshooting purpose.
• Restore the database: Scheduled and approval tasks are not restored.
• Promote a Grid member to a Grid Master: After the promotion, all scheduled and approval tasks that are past due
are executed immediately.
• Revert the NIOS software image: After the revert, all scheduled and approval tasks that are past due are
executed immediately.
• Restore data from the Recycle Bin: To restore a deleted parent object (such as a network) that contains a child
object (such as a DHCP range) associated with a scheduled or approval task, you must first delete the scheduled
or approval task for the child object.
Related topic
Scheduling Tasks
Guidelines for Upgrading the Reporting and Analytics Solution

When you upgrade from a previous NIOS release to NIOS 7.3.x and later releases, you will notice that some of the
reporting features and terminologies have changed. For example, searches and reports in previous NIOS releases are
now reports and dashboards respectively in the new reporting solution. In addition, your custom reports might be
affected. Infoblox recommends that you take some time to explore the new user interface and get familiar with the
terminologies.
You can continue to use the Infoblox predefined reports from previous releases in the new interface and customize them
to meet your specific requirements, or you can create new custom reports from the ground up using a powerful search
pattern.
 Note
Infoblox Reporting and Analytics integrates with Splunk to deliver an enhanced reporting interface so you can
create dashboards, reports, and alerts. This chapter attempts to explain all reporting functionality you can
perform through the enhanced interface. However, you may need to refer to the Splunk documentation for
certain functionality as indicated in specific sections of this chapter. In addition, some functions and capabilities
referenced in the Splunk documentation, such as setting up custom Python scripts, are not available or
applicable to the Infoblox Reporting and Analytics as some Splunk functionality in the Infoblox product may be
limited or modified by Infoblox. Infoblox does not represent or warrant that Infoblox Reporting and Analytics will
function in accordance with the Splunk documentation. Infoblox is also not responsible for the accuracy of the
Splunk documentation. For Infoblox Reporting and Analytics technical support, contact Infoblox Technical
Support. DO NOT contact Splunk.

Rev. D
When you upgrade from a previous NIOS release to NIOS 7.3.x and later, there are some significant changes to the
Reporting and Analytics solution. Some of the important changes are as follows:
• Terminology: The following table lists the terminology differences when you upgrade:
Reporting Terminology Changes
Pre-NIOS 7.3.0 Release NIOS 7.3.0 and later
Searches Reports
Reports Dashboards
• Object Management: NIOS no longer manages reporting objects such as searches, smart folders, alerts, and
reports. You will not be able to perform operations such as global search, quick filtering, bookmarking, and others
for these objects. You can now manage these objects through the new user interface.
 Note
Smart folders are migrated after an upgrade. However, data in the smart folders is not migrated, and all
filters for the smart folders are reset to default.
• Permissions: Permissions for all reporting objects are migrated to the new Reporting and Analytics solution and
managed through the new user interface after an upgrade. You may see the new built-in role, Everyone, when
configuring Reporting permissions. For best practices, do not alter permissions for this new built-in role. Note that
the Reporting Dashboard and Reporting Search global permissions have been removed. If an admin group or
admin role was granted these permissions before an upgrade, the permissions will still be displayed after an
upgrade. However, they won't take any effect. The Grid Reporting Properties permission is retained. In addition,
reporting object permissions for dashboards and searches (including global dashboards and searches) are
migrated. These object permissions are retained for applicable migrated users. If permissions were granted to a
specific admin group for a dashboard or search before an upgrade, only these admin users and superusers have
permissions to access the migrated dashboard and report after an upgrade. If a limited-access user group is
created through the new interface after the upgrade, users in this admin group will not be able to access the
dashboard and report even if they are granted access to the Infoblox Reporting and Analytics App. Superusers
must explicitly grant permissions to this limited-access admin group for users in this group to access the
dashboard and report. For more information, see Administrative Permissions
• Navigation and Visualization: Navigations for some reporting functions, such as searches, alerts, email and page
settings, and email PDF delivery, have changed. You can navigate through the new user interface to get familiar
with the changes in this release. In addition, all predefined reports might look different than the traditional ones
depending on your filtering configuration. The Grid Reporting Properties editor and Groups tab are moved under
the Administration tab –> Reporting tab.
 Note
Bookmarked groups are migrated after an upgrade. The bookmarked group navigates to
the Administration tab –> Reporting tab –> Groups tab.
• Extensible Attributes: The reports that supported filtering and grouping by multiple extensible attributes are
migrated to the new interface with filtering and grouping only by the extensible attribute Site. You must clone the
dashboard, add filter inputs and modify the view XML to support additional extensible attributes. For information,
see Editing the XML Source Code of a Dashboard.
• Searches and Reports: Only NIOS system and global reports and searches are migrated to NIOS 7.3.0 and later
versions as dashboards and reports respectively. All user private reports and searches are dropped. In addition,
bookmarked reports and searches are not migrated to 7.3.x release. If you want to keep any customization for the
user private dashboards and reports, do one of the following:
• Create global dashboards and reports using the same settings.

Rev. D
• After an upgrade, you can clone the corresponding migrated system or global dashboards and reports,
and then reconfigure the original settings, such as filters and scheduling in the new user interface.
• Custom Search: You can create your own search pattern and save it as a dashboard or report. For information,
see About Searches.
After completing the NIOS upgrade successfully, you configure the Grid Reporting properties and remote server (FTP,
SCP, or TFTP) to export search results. For information, see Grid Reporting Properties and Configuring an External
Server for Search Result Exports.
Related topic
Infoblox Reporting and Analytics

Rev. D
Using the Grid Manager Interface
This section explains the different components of Grid Manager and details how to use each of them. It covers the
following topics:
• About the Grid Manager Interface

• Performing Basic Operations Using Grid Manager
• SSL and TLS Protocols
• Managing Certificates
• Configuring Approval Workflows
• Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import
• Scheduling New IPAM/DHCP Objects and Associated Port Configurations
• Scheduling Tasks
• Smart Folders
• Dashboards
About the Grid Manager Interface

Grid Manager provides an easy-to-use interface that simplifies core network services management. Its navigational tools
enable you to quickly move through the application and retrieve the information you need. You can customize different
elements in your workspace, and hide and display panels as you need them. It also provides different types of Help, so
you can immediately access the information you need to complete your tasks.
The following Grid Manager Interface figure illustrates the typical layout of Grid Manager. It identifies common elements
of the interface and features that you can use:
Grid Manager Interface

Rev. D
System Messages
Grid Manager displays system messages at the top of the screen. In wizards and editors, it displays messages at the top
as well.
 Note
Some configuration changes require a service restart. Grid Manager displays a message whenever you make
such a change. Click the Restart icon that appears in the message to restart services.
Security and Informational Banners

Grid Manager displays banner messages on the header and footer of the screen. Only superusers can publish the
informational and security banner. There are two types of banners:
• Security Banner - Security banner indicates the security level of the Infoblox Grid. There are five security levels to
choose from the Security list box. The available security levels are Top Secret, Secret, Confidential, Restricted,
and Unclassified.
• Informational Banner - You can use the informational banner for multiple uses, such as to indicate whether the
Infoblox Grid is in production or a lab system. You can also publish messages of the day.
For more information, see Configuring Security Level Banner and Configuring Informational Level Banner.
Breadcrumbs Navigation
Breadcrumbs navigation displays your path to the current page. It helps you keep track of your location in Grid Manager.
You can click any of the links to get back to a previous page.
Global Search
Use Global Search to find data. Grid Manager searches the entire NIOS database for data that matches the criteria you
specify. For additional information on Global Search, see Using Global Search.
Finder Panel
The Finder panel appears on all pages in Grid Manager. It provides the following tools:
• Smart Folders: Use smart folders to organize your data according to criteria that you specify.
• Bookmarks: Stores data that you have marked for easy retrieval.
• Recycle Bin: Stores deleted objects that you can either restore or permanently remove.
• URL Links: You can add, modify, and delete third party URL links of frequently used portals and destination
pages.
You can resize, collapse, and expand the Finder panel.
Toolbar Panel
The vertical Toolbar panel provides easy access to commands. The Toolbar is available in all pages, except the
Dashboard. Its content changes depending on the type of data displayed in the work area. You can resize, collapse, and
expand the Toolbar panel.

Rev. D
Help Panel
The Help panel provides the following types of Help:
• Help: Expand this section to view information about the window currently displayed.
• Documentation: Expand this section to download the latest versions of the Infoblox Administrator Guide and
Infoblox API Documentation.
• Support: Expand this section to view links to the Infoblox web site and Technical Support site.
• About: Expand this section to view information about the NIOS software version.You can resize, collapse, and
expand the Help panel. In addition, each dialog box also provides a Help panel that contains information specific
to the dialog box. You can expand and collapse the Help panel in dialog boxes as well.
Wizards and Editors

Grid Manager provides a wizard for every object that you can create. You use wizards to enter basic information required
to create an object. If you want to configure additional parameters, you can then save the object and edit it.
Note that all required fields are denoted by asterisks.
Your connection to Grid Manager may time out if a save operation takes longer than 120 seconds to complete. This can
occur when multiple, complex operations are initiated by several users. It does not result in any data loss.
Tooltips
Tooltips display the function of each button. Hover your mouse over a button or icon to display its label.
Customizing Tables
Grid Manager uses dynamic tables to display information. You can customize tables by resizing columns, sorting the
data, and selecting certain columns for display. Your settings remain active until you log out.
To resize columns in a table:
1. In the table, place your pointer on the right border of the header of the column you want to resize.
2. Drag the border to the desired width.
To sort the data displayed in a table, click the header title. You can click the header title again to reverse the sort order.
Alternatively, you can do the following:
1. In the table, mouse over to a header title and click the down arrow key.
2. Select Sort Ascending or Sort Descending. To edit columns:
3. In the table, mouse over to a header title and click the down arrow key.
4. Select Columns > Edit Columns.
5. Do the following:
• Width: Specify the width of the column in pixels. The minimum is five and the maximum is 999.
• Sorted: Indicates whether the data in the column can be sorted
• Visible: Click the checkboxes of the columns you want to display, and clear the checkboxes of those you
want to hide.
6. Do one of the following:
• Click Apply to apply your settings to the column.
• Click Cancel to close the editor without saving your settings.
• Click Reset to reset the settings to the default.
Grid Manager displays the selected column in the table.
To reorder columns in a table, drag and drop the columns to the desired positions.

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Selecting Objects in Tables
In a table, Grid Manager displays data on multiple pages when the number of items to be displayed exceeds the
maximum number of items that can be displayed on one page. Use the navigational buttons at the bottom of the table to
page through the display.
You can select multiple rows in a table. For example, in a Windows browser, you can do the following to select multiple
rows:
• Use SHIFT+click to select multiple contiguous rows.
• Use CTRL+click to select multiple non-contiguous rows.
• Click the checkbox in the table header to select all rows on a page, as shown in the below figure Select all in a
Table.
When you click the select all checkbox in a table that contains multiple pages, only the rows on the current page are
selected. Grid Manager displays a message that indicates the total number of selected rows on the page. You can click
Select all objects in the dataset to select all rows in the entire table. When you select all rows in the table, Grid Manager
displays a message to indicate that. You can then click Clear Selection to deselect the rows.
After you select all rows on a page, you can deselect a specific row by clearing the checkbox of the row. You can also
click a row (not the checkbox) in the table to select the item and deselect the others.
In a table, when you select all the objects for deletion, the objects that are not deleted from the database remain in the
table after the operation is completed.
Select All in a Table
Modifying Data in Tables

Infoblox provides inline editing for certain fields in some tables. You can use this feature to modify data directly in a table
instead of going through an editor.
To update information in a table, you must have read/write permission to the data. When you enter or select a new value,
the appliance validates the data format before saving the updated data.
To modify data in a table:

Rev. D
1. From any panel that supports inline editing, double click the row of data that you want to modify. The appliance
displays the inline editing editor in the selected row, as shown in the Inline Editing figure.
2. Depending on the data type, enter the new data in the field or select an item from the drop-down list. Note that
some fields are read-only.
3. Click Save to save the changes, or click Cancel to discard them.
Inline Editing
Printing from Grid Manager

In Grid Manager, you can print information from panels and pages that support the Print function. Grid Manager prints
data one page at a time. The amount of data that is displayed in a specific panel depends on the table size configuration
that you set in your user profile. For information, see Specifying the Table Size.
To print:
1. Click the Print icon. You must allow pop-up windows in your browser for printing. Grid Manager displays a
separate browser window.
2. Click Print.
Grid Manager displays the Print dialog box.
3. Configure printer settings and parameters.
4. Depending on your browser, click OK or Print.
Performing Basic Operations Using Grid Manager

This section describes how to use some of the key NIOS features. It includes the following topics:
• Logging on to the NIOS UI

• Setting Login Options

Rev. D
• Browser Limitations
• Multilingual Support
• Managing Internationalized Domain Names
• Opening Technical Support Requests
• Finding and Restoring Data
Logging on to the NIOS UI

The NIOS UI (also called Grid Manager) is the web interface that provides access to your appliance for network and IP
address management. It provides a number of tools that you can use to effectively manage your appliance and IP
address space.
You can log in to Grid Manager as long as you have permission to log in to the NIOS appliance. Superusers have
unrestricted access to Grid Manager. Limited-access users require read-only or read-write permission to the data that
they want to manage through Grid Manager. Grid Manager allows limited-access users to view and manage only the
data for which they have permission. For example, to view IPv4 networks, you must have at least read-only permission to
IPv4 networks, or to run a discovery, you must have read/write permission to the Network Discovery feature.
Note that superusers must configure admin groups and accounts in Grid Manager application of the NIOS appliance. In
Grid Manager, superusers can set and change permissions for specific objects, such as IPv4 networks, IPv6 networks,
and resource records. For information about user accounts and administrative permissions, see Managing
Administrators.
Before you log in to Grid Manager, ensure that you have installed your NIOS appliance as described in the installation
guide, or the user guide that was shipped with your products and then configure your NIOS appliance accordingly. You
must upload the CA certificate(s) that issued the client certificate to ensure a successful SSL/TLS connection to the
appliance.
To log in to Grid Manager, complete the following:
1. Open an Internet browser window and enter https://<IPaddress_or_hostname_of_your_NIOSappliance>.
Grid Manager login page appears. For information, see Supported Browsers.
2. Enter your user name and password, and then click Login or press the ENTER key. The default user name is
admin and the default password is infoblox. Note that if your password expired or was reset by a superuser, you
may be required to enter a new password.
• If you are a smart card user and two-factor authentication is enabled on the appliance, your user name,
which is the same as your CN (common name) in the client certificate, appears automatically. Enter the
password you use to log in to the user account. For information about two-factor authentication,
see Authenticating Admins Using Two-Factor Authentication.
• In NIOS 8.5.2 or later, for a Grid Master or a standalone vNIOS instance deployed on AWS, you are
prompted to reset the password on the first login attempt. You must reset the default password as a
security requirement.
• To reset, enter a new password and confirm it. The minimum password length must be four
characters. It must consist of at least one uppercase character, one lowercase character, one
numeric character, and one symbol character. Example: Infoblox1!.
If the symbol character is at the beginning of the password, then include the password within
quotes (''). Example: '@Infoblox123'.
• Alternatively, you can define a new password in the User data field of the AWS console, in which
case, you are not prompted to reset the password on the first login in Grid Manager. For more
information, see Provisioning vNIOS for AWS Using the BYOL Model in the Installation Guide for
vNIOS for AWS documentation.
3. Read the Infoblox End-User License Agreement (EULA), and then click I Accept.
Note that if you want to view the privacy policy of Infoblox, then on the EULA screen, click Infoblox Privacy Policy.
Grid Manager displays the policy on a new browser tab.
4. Read the Data Collection and Opt-Out Notice and choose whether to enable (opt in) or disable (opt out) the
Infoblox BloxConnect feature.
By default, the feature is enabled. If you want to disable it, select To Opt-Out of BloxConnect, please click here.
Infoblox BloxConnect is the ability of the Infoblox DDI platform to send encrypted and automated snapshots of
system data and utilization information to the Infoblox business operations center. Infoblox uses this data to
improve product functionality and provide better customer service. The Data Collection and Opt-Out

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Notice screen is displayed only when you log in to Grid Manager for the first time. For more information,
see Configuring BloxConnect.
5. Click OK. The Grid Setup wizard appears.
Setting Login Options

Grid Manager provides several options that you can set to facilitate the login process. Additionally, you can manage CA
(Certificate Authority) and server certificates on the NIOS appliance. You can import certificates, select and view their
details, or remove them. To manage certificates, see Managing Certificates.
Specifying Grid Name and Host Name

To define the default host name that appears when the login prompt displays, complete the following:
1. On the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and select Grid Properties -> Set up (Grid Setup
Wizard).
2. On the Welcome page, select Configure a Grid Master, and then click Next.
3. Enter the Grid name in the Grid Name field and the host name in the Host Name field.
Creating a Login Banner

You can create a statement that appears at the top of the Login screen (a banner message). This function is useful for
posting security warnings or user-friendly information well above the username and password fields on the Login screen.
A login banner message can be up to 3000 characters long. In a Grid, perform this task on the Grid Master.
To create a login banner, complete the following:

1. On the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and select Grid Properties -> Edit.
2. In the Grid Properties Editor, on the Security tab, select Enable Login Banner. In the text field, enter the text that
you want to be displayed on the login screen.
Changing the Password and Email Address

Grid Manager creates and stores a user profile for each admin user. Each user profile contains information about the
admin group and admin type assigned to the user. You can modify certain information in your user profile any time after
the initial login. You can change your password to facilitate future logins and add your email address for reference.
Note that when multiple users log in to Grid Manager using the same admin account, they share the same user profile
and preference settings, such as the widget, table size and column settings, independent of their browser settings.
Instead of using the same admin account for multiple users, you can add multiple users to the same admin group so they
can share the same permissions. For information about configuring admin accounts and admin groups, see Managing
Administrators.
If you can access only the Tasks Dashboard, you may not see or configure certain fields in the User Profile editor.
To change your password and email address, complete the following:

1. At the top-right corner of the navigation bar, click the admin name and select Profile from the drop-down menu.
2. In the User Profile editor, complete the following:
• Name: Displays your user name.
• Last Login: Displays the timestamp of your last log in.
• Type: Displays your user type. There are two user types: Local and Remote. Local type admin accounts
are stored in the NIOS database. Remote type admin accounts are stored on another server, such as a

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RADIUS server. Grid Manager automatically deletes remote user profiles if users have not logged in for
more than six months.
• Group: Displays the admin group to which your account belongs. The admin group determines your
administrative permissions. Only superusers can define admin groups through Grid Manager.
• Password: You can set a new password according to the requirements that are displayed.
• Set Password: If you are a local user, select this checkbox to set a new password for your
account. If you are a remote user, this field does not appear.
• Old Password: Enter your current password.
• New Password: Enter the new password, and then re-enter it in the Retype Password field.
• Email Address: Enter your email address. Note that this address simply provides contact information. By
default, this field is blank.
Specifying the Table Size

You can specify the amount of data Grid Manager must display in a table or a single list view. You can improve the
display performance by setting a smaller table size. The setting you specify here applies to all tables in Grid Manager.
Note that if you can access only the Tasks Dashboard, you cannot configure table size.
To specify table size, complete the following:
2. In the User Profile editor, in the Table Size field, specify the number of lines of data you want a table or a single
list view to contain. You can set the number of lines from 10 to 256. The default is 20.
Selecting Your Home Page

When you first log in to Grid Manager, the Tasks Dashboard is your home page. You can change your home page for
subsequent logins. You can specify the maximum number of widgets that can be configured per dashboard. You can set
up to 20 widgets per dashboard. You can also set the auto refresh rate for dashboard widgets. This interval specifies how
often the content of the dashboard widgets is refreshed.
To change your home page, complete the following:
• Default Dashboard: Select Status or Task from the drop-down list.
• Maximum Widgets per Dashboard: Specify the maximum number of widgets that can be configured per
dashboard. You can enter a value between 1 and 20. The default value is 10. This limit does not apply to
the default dashboard.
Grid Manager displays the selected dashboard as your home page when you log in the next time.
Setting the Browser Time Zone

You can specify the time zone that Grid Manager uses to convert all displayed time values, such as the last discovered
and last login time. Grid Manager sets the time zone based on the time zone of your browser when you set the time zone
to auto-detect in the User Profile editor. When you set the time zone of your browser to auto-detect and Grid Manager
cannot automatically determine the time zone when you log in, the time zone is set to the UTC (Coordinated Universal
Time) standard. In this case, you can manually change the time zone in the User Profile editor.
To manually set the time zone of your browser, complete the following:
The User Profile editor displays your username, user type, and admin group.

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2. In the User Profile editor, select the time zone Grid Manager uses to convert all displayed time values. The
default is Auto-detect time zone. You must select a specific time zone when Grid Manager cannot automatically
detect the time zone of your browser.
Configuring BloxConnect
Infoblox BloxConnect is the ability of the Infoblox DDI platform to send snapshots of encrypted and automated system
data and utilization information to the Infoblox business operations center. Infoblox uses this data to improve product
functionality and provide better customer service. The BloxConnect feature collects and sends encrypted data during the
following instances:
• On the first setup of the system
• Daily, following an up time of 24 hours
• When a system reboots following a system failure
The Data Collection and Opt-Out Notice, which explains the BloxConnect feature, appears only when you log in to Grid
Manager from the NIOS UI for the first time. By default, data collection is enabled. If you want to disable it, select To opt-
out of BloxConnect, please click here, and then click OK. Snapshots include information about basic configuration,
features, and protocols collected from your physical and virtual systems. Additionally, snapshots provide health,
diagnostic, and utilization information related to CPU, disk, leases per second (LPS) , queries per second (QPS), IPAM,
and memory usage. The data does not include customer-sensitive or personal information.
Only administrators with superuser privileges can configure BloxConnect for a Grid Master or an independent
appliance. To configure BloxConnect, complete the following:
1. Log in to Grid Manager as a superuser.
2. Grid: On the Grid tab, select Grid Manager tab -> Members tab. Expand the Toolbar, and
click Grid Properties -> Edit.
Or
Standalone system: On the System tab, select System Manager tab -> Node tab. Expand the Toolbar and then
click System Properties -> Edit.
3. In the editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode to switch to the advanced mode.
Note that if the editor is already in the advanced mode, then you will see the Toggle Basic Mode button.
4. On the CSP Config tab -> Advanced tab, complete one of the following:
• To opt in for data collection, select the BloxConnect Data Collection and Opt-Out Notice checkbox.
Or
• To opt out of data collection, clear the BloxConnect Data Collection and Opt-Out Notice checkbox.
Infoblox recommends that you enable BloxConnect as Infoblox uses the data collected to improve its
technical support services.
Browser Limitations
• When you use Internet Explorer 7 or 8 without installing the latest updates, Grid Manager may stop loading a
page when you navigate from one tab to another or when you use the back navigation button to go back to a
previous page. To solve this problem, you can press Ctrl+F5 to refresh the browser or install the latest updates.
• When you use the zoom function in Internet Explorer 7 running on Microsoft Windows XP, Grid Manager may not
properly display some pop up windows. This is a known issue in Internet Explorer 7.
• In Internet Explorer 8, Grid Manager does not display the directory path of an uploaded file. Instead, it displays
"fakepath" in place of the directory path. To resolve this issue, you can add Grid Manager as a trusted site or
enable the "Include local directory path when uploading files to a server" feature in the browser. For information,
refer to the MSDN documentation at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms535128.aspx.
• When you use FireFox to access Grid Manager, tooltips do not display for disabled drop-down menu items. In
addition, when you run a large query of smart folders, Grid Manager may display a warning message about
"Unresponsive Script". Click Continue to proceed.
• Depending on the browser you use, Grid Manager may display a dialog box that indicates the system is
unavailable during a system restart or reboot.

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• Infoblox strongly recommends that you do not log in to Grid Manager from different browser windows using the
same user account. Depending on the browser you use, it may cache user information in one session and apply it
to another session. This can cause inconsistent behaviors within the browser sessions.
Multilingual Support
The NIOS appliance supports UTF-8 (Unicode Transformation Format-8) encoding for the following:
• Hostnames for Microsoft Windows clients that support Microsoft Windows code pages. For information, see
Configuring UTF-8 Encoding for Hostnames.
• Input fields through Grid Manager. For information, see UTF-8 Supported Fields.
UTF-8 is a variable-length character encoding standard for Unicode characters. Unicode is a code table that lists the
numerous scripts used by all possible characters in all possible languages. It also has a large number of technical
symbols and special characters used in publishing. UTF-8 encodes each Unicode character as a variable number of one
to four octets (8-bit bytes), where the number of octets depends on the integer value assigned to the Unicode character.
For information about UTF-8 encoding, refer to RFC 3629 (UTF-8, a transformation format of ISO 10646) and the ISO/
IEC 10646-1:2000 Annex D. For information about Unicode, refer to The Unicode Standard.
Depending on the OS (operating system) your management system uses, you must install the appropriate language files
in order to enter information in a specific language. For information about how to install language files, refer to the
documentation that comes with your management system.
UTF-8 Supported Fields

The NIOS appliance supports UTF-8 encoding in all of the comment fields and most input fields. You can enter non-
English characters in these data fields through Grid Manager and the Infoblox API. When you use the Infoblox API, all the
non-ASCII strings must be UTF-8 encoded so that you can use Unicode characters. The NIOS appliance does not
support UTF-8 encoding for data that is configurable through the Infoblox CLI commands.
In general, the following items support UTF-8 encoding:
• All the predefined and user-defined extensible attributes.
• All the comment fields in Grid Manager.
• File name fields for FTP and TFTP backup and restore operations.
• The login banner text field. When you use the serial console or SSH, the appliance cannot correctly display the
UTF-8 encoded information that you enter for the login banner.
 Note
For data fields that do not support UTF-8 encoding, the appliance displays an error message when you use
non-English characters.
UTF-8 Support Limitations

The NIOS appliance has the following UTF-8 support limitations:
• Object names that have data restrictions due to their usage outside of the Infoblox database do not support
UTF-8 encoding. For example, IP addresses and Active Directory domain names.
• When importing a database, most of the ASCII control characters cannot be encoded. This might cause failures in
upgrades or database restore operations.
• Search is based on the Unicode standard. Depending on the language, you might not be able to perform a case-
sensitive search.
• Binary data is encoded as text.
• UTF-8 encoding does not fully support regular expressions. It matches constant strings. However, It does not
encode characters that are inside square brackets or followed by regular expressions such as *, ?, or +.
• You can use UTF-8 characters to authenticate both the User Name and Password through the Infoblox GUI, but
not through the Infoblox CLI.

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• You cannot use UTF-8 characters to name a custom DHCP fingerprint. For information about DHCP fingerprint
detection, see DHCP Fingerprint Detection.
Managing Internationalized Domain Names

The Infoblox Grid supports IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names) for DNS zones and resource records to provide the
flexibility of specifying domain names in non-English characters.
An IDN is a domain name that contains a language-specific script or alphabet, such as Arabic, Chinese, Russian,
Devanagari, or the Latin alphabet-based characters with diacritics, such as French. IDNs are encoded in multi-byte
Unicode and are decoded into ASCII strings using a standardized mechanism known as Punycode transcription. For
example, DNS Zone 'инфоблокс.рф' (IDN in Russian) can be written as ‘xn--90anhdigczv.xn--p1ai’ in the punycode
representation. In addition, the appliance has a built-in conversion tool to assist you in identifying and troubleshooting an
IDN or the punycode representation of an IDN. For information about how to decode IDNs, see Decoding IDNs and
Encoding Punycode.
The appliance supports IDNs in certain fields. For more information, see IDN Supported Fields. There are certain
guidelines and limitations about IDN support. For more information, see IDN Support Limitations.
Decoding IDNs and Encoding Punycode

You can encode non-English characters into punycode and decode punycode to obtain a domain name in its original
character set. You can encode IDNs and decode punycode simultaneously. You can use special characters.
To encode non-English character set into punycode and decode punycode:
1. Select any tab in Grid Manager, and then click IDN Converter from the Toolbar.
2. In the IDN Converter wizard, complete the following:
• Specify the domain name in the Unicode text box and click Convert to Punycode. The Punycode field
displays the punycode representation of the domain name.
• Specify the punycode representation of a domain name in the Punycode field and click Convert to
Unicode.
The Unicode field displays the domain name in its original character set.
 Note
You can use special characters in the Unicode and Punycode fields.
• Click Clear to clear the entries. Note that when you click Clear for a specific conversion, the appliance
clears only the error message that corresponds to that conversion.
3. Click Close.
IDN Supported Fields

The NIOS appliance supports IDNs in all domain name fields. For information, see IDN Support For DNS Zones. You can
enter non-English characters in the domain name fields through Grid Manager and the Infoblox API. The NIOS appliance
does not support IDNs for data that is configurable through the Infoblox CLI commands. You can use the punycode
representation to configure data through the CLI commands.
The appliance supports IDNs in the following:
• You can use UTF-8 characters when defining your own hostname checking policy. For information, see
Specifying Hostname Policies.
• You can use both IDNs and punycode to search for IDN data through Global Search. For information, see Using
Global Search.
• Use smart folders to organize and monitor IDN data. However, if the content in a smart folder contains IDNs, then
the punycode representation is not available. For information, see Smart Folders.
• You can import data that contains IDNs in CSV format for the supported fields and objects using CSV import. For
more information, see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import. For a list of supported record types and
specific guidelines for creating a data file, refer to the Infoblox CSV Import Reference.

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• The IPAM tab displays IDNs for DNS resource records associated with IP addresses, such as A records, AAAA
records, hosts, and PTR records. For information, see About IP Address Management.
• The audit log entries are displayed in their original characters. The audit log contains IDN data as received by the
appliance and as specified by the administrators. Note that the punycode representation generated by NIOS is
not displayed in the audit log.
• When you upgrade from a previous NIOS release, the appliance converts all punycode to IDNs. If the conversion
fails, the appliance retains the punycode representation to avoid upgrade failure. For information about upgrades,
see Guidelines for Upgrading, Backing Up, and Restoring Data.
• When you restore a backup file from a previous NIOS release, the appliance converts all punycode to IDNs. If the
conversion fails, the appliance retains the punycode representation to avoid failure to restore the database. For
information, see Guidelines for Upgrading, Backing Up, and Restoring Data.
• If synchronized data between the appliance and Microsoft servers contains IDNs, the IDNs are preserved. For
information, see Managing Microsoft DNS Services.
IDN Support Limitations

The appliance has the following IDN support limitations:
• F5® load balancers does not support IDNs. The NIOS appliance does not encode punycode to IDNs for
F5 load balancer related objects. Only the punycode representation is available.
• Multi-Grid configuration does not support IDNs.
• The Infoblox CLI does not support IDNs.
• If a resource record containing an IDN is added to the Infoblox Grid through DDNS updates, the domain
name field displays the record name in UTF-8 encoded format. For more information, see Managing
Resource Records.
• The following FQDNs does not support IDNs:
• FQDN of an external DNS Server (direct or via name server group)
• FQDN of a DNS root server
• FQDN of a Microsoft server
• FQDN of an Infoblox Grid Member
• FQDN of an external authentication source (Active Directory, LDAP, OCSP, RADIUS, TACACS+)
• FQDN of an NTP server
• FQDN of a HSM SafeNet Module
• FQDN of an email relay server
• FQDN of a vSphere/ESX server
• FQDN of a Kerberos Key Distribution Center
Using IDNs for Unsupported Objects

The appliance accepts only punycode entries for objects that do not support IDNs. To use IDNs for these objects,
manually convert IDNs to punycode and use the punycode representation.
Use the punycode representation of IDNs for the following:
• When you configure domain names in forwarder servers, NXDOMAIN rulesets, blacklist rules, and DNS
resolver search lists.
• When you configure domain names for DHCP and DHCPv6 services, including DDNS domain name, any
DHCP options that accept domain names (host-name (12) string) or lists of domain names (domain-
search (119) domain-list), and DHCPv6 options that accept domain names (dhcp6.fqdn (39) string) or lists
of domain names (dhcp6.domain-search (24)) domain-list.
• When you add domains in the Inclusion list and Exclusion list. For information, see Excluding Domains
From Query and Response Capture.
• When you configure rules for a local RPZ and RPZ feed. For information, see Configuring Local
RPZs and Configuring Infoblox Threat Intelligence Feed.
Displaying IDN Entries in Punycode

The appliance displays IDN entries in punycode for the following:

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• The data of a zone for which an Infoblox Grid member is the secondary server.
• The CLI commands dig, ddns_add, ddns_delete, show dns, and set dns support punycode only. For
information about CLI commands, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.
• All syslog entries generated by DNS.
• IDN data in database files is stored in punycode.
• The DNS cache of a Grid member that contains IDNs.
• The Reporting tab displays all report data that contains IDNs in punycode. For information, see
Predefined Dashboards.
Opening Technical Support Requests

When you encounter product issues or require assistance, you can send a request to Infoblox Technical Support by
opening a support case through Grid Manager. When you submit a support case, product information such as software
version and serial number is automatically collected from the NIOS appliance on which you create the support case. You
should however provide detailed information about the issue or your request, business impact, and contact information to
ensure that the support request is being addressed by the appropriate resources in a timely manner. When you submit a
support request, Infoblox Technical Support automatically authenticates and authorizes the contact email address that
you use. It sends a confirmation email to the contact email address if the email address is registered on the Infoblox
Technical Support server. If the authentication fails, you will receive an email.
 Note
Make sure that you enable DNS Resolver or Use SMTP Relay to create a support case from the GUI. For
information about enabling DNS resolution and notifying administrators,
see Enabling DNS Resolution and Notifying Administrators.
Complete the following to create a support case:

1. Admin: At the top right corner of the navigation bar, click the Admin name and select Open a Support Case from the
drop-down menu.
Support: From the Help panel -> click Support -> Open a Support Case.
 Note
Click Go to the Editor and enable DNS Resolver or Use SMTP Relay if you have not already enabled either one
of them.
2. In the Open Support Case editor, complete the following:

• To Email Address: Enter an email address to access Infoblox Technical support. The default is
support@infoblox.com. If you change the default email address, the email is sent to the updated email
address instead of Infoblox Technical Support. Sending the email to your own email address allows you to
verify and alter the email content before you forward the email to support@infoblox.com or another email
address.
• Contact Email Address: Enter your email address or another contact email to which a confirmation is sent
when the support case is created. Ensure that the contact email is legitimate and approved by Infoblox as
this contact becomes the primary contact for the support case.
• CC Email Addresses: Click the Add icon to add additional email addresses. This is optional.
• CaseType: From the drop-down menu, select the case type:
• Administrative Issue: Select this if the request is related to administrative issues.
• Administrative Question: Select this if you have administrative questions.
• Product Issue: Select this if the request is related to product issues.
• Product Question: Select this if you have questions about Infoblox products.
• Severity: Select how urgent or severe this request affects your business.
• Low: Select this if the business impact is low.
• Medium: Select this if the issue has moderate impact on your business.

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• High: Select this if this issue is urgent and requires immediate attention.
• Subject: Enter a subject line for your support case.
• Description: Enter a detailed description about the issue.
• Attach a file: You can attach a file that contains additional information about your support case. Relevant
information can help the Infoblox Support team to identify problems and troubleshoot issues in a more
efficient manner
3. Click Send&Close to create the support case. Optionally, click Send&New to send the current request and then create
a new support request.
 Note
It might take up to 15 minutes before you get an email confirmation.
Finding and Restoring Data

Grid Manager provides tools for organizing and quickly retrieving your DNS, DHCP and IP address management data.
The Finder panel, which appears on all pages in Grid Manager, provides tools for organizing your data. The Finder panel
provides easy access to the following:
• Smart Folders: Contains a hierarchical list of smart folders that are available in My Smart Folders. For
information, see Smart Folders.
• Bookmarks: Contains bookmarked objects, such as networks and IP addresses. For information, see Using
Bookmarks.
• Recycle Bin: Contains deleted objects that can be restored or permanently removed. For information, see Using
the Recycle Bin.
• URL Links: Contains a list of third-party URLs that you previously added. You can add more URL links, and
modify and delete existing URL links. For information, see Managing Third Party URL Links.
In the Finder panel, you can expand and collapse these sections. To expand a section, click the + icon next to the
header. To collapse a section, click the - icon.
In addition, Grid Manager also provides the following:
• Filters to customize data displays. For more information, see Using Filters and Using Quick Filters.
• Global Search to search the NIOS database for objects that match your criteria. For more information, see
Applying Quick Filters.
• Go To function to quickly locate an object. For more information, see Using the Go To Function.
Using Bookmarks
The Bookmarks section displays objects for which you have created bookmarks. You can create bookmarks for objects
such as networks, DNS zones, and admin groups. To bookmark an object, navigate to its page and click the Bookmark
icon at the top of the page. If you have more than one network view, Grid Manager displays the name of the bookmark
with the network view to which the object belongs. For example, when you bookmark IP address 10.128.0.10 in the
default network view, Grid Manager displays the bookmark as default > 12.128.0.10.
However, if you have only one network view, Grid Manager displays only the object name 12.128.0.10. If you create
a bookmark before adding more network views, the bookmark name (without the network view) remains the same. You
can rename the bookmark at any time. You can create only one bookmark for each object, up to 500 objects. When your
bookmarks are close to 500, you may want to remove some to create room for new ones.
You can perform the following in Bookmarks:
• Access a bookmarked object
• Edit the name of a bookmark
• Delete a bookmark
To access a bookmarked object, click the name of the bookmark. Grid Manager displays the network view to which the
bookmarked object belongs. For example, clicking on the bookmark of network 10.0.1/24 takes you to the network list

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view. You cannot access an object that has been deleted.
You can arrange the order of the bookmarked objects by dragging and dropping the objects in the Finder panel.
To edit the name of a bookmark:
1. Mouse over to the bookmark.
2. Click the Edit icon.
3. Modify the name of the bookmark. Note that you cannot create multiple bookmarks with the same name.
To delete a bookmark:
1. Mouse over to the bookmark.
2. Click the Delete icon. Grid Manager removes the bookmark.
Using the Recycle Bin

The Recycle Bin section contains objects that you deleted. It provides a way to restore data where the deletion of the
object (such as a network) could result in a major data loss.
You must enable the Recycle Bin in Grid Manager to store and restore deleted objects. For information about how to
enable and disable the Recycle Bin, see Enabling and Disabling the Recycle Bin. When you use the Recycle Bin, you
can restore deleted objects to the active configuration. You can also permanently remove the objects from the Recycle
Bin. If you do not enable the Recycle Bin, the appliance immediately removes objects from the database when you
delete them using Grid Manager.
 Note
When you upgrade to a new NIOS release, the appliance permanently deletes the objects from the Recycle
Bin.
On a NIOS appliance, only superusers have permissions to fully manage the Recycle Bin. If you have limited-access
permissions, you can view, restore, and permanently remove only the objects that you deleted.
For Cloud Network Automation, the Recycle Bin is not supported on the Cloud Platform Appliance. Only deletions
perform on the Grid Master are stored in the Recycle Bin. Deleted objects can only be restored from the Grid Master. For
information about Cloud Network Automation, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation.
You can do the following in the Recycle Bin:

• View deleted objects
• Restore deleted objects
• Remove deleted objects
• Empty the Recycle Bin
Enabling and Disabling the Recycle Bin

To enable or disable the Recycle Bin:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Grid Properties -> Edit from the Toolbar.
2. In the Grid Properties Editor, select the General tab, and then complete the following:
Select Enable Recycle Bin to enable the Recycle Bin
or
Deselect Enable Recycle Bin to disable the Recycle Bin.

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Viewing Objects in the Recycle Bin
Grid Manager displays the short name of all deleted objects in the Recycle Bin. For example, the short names for hosts
and resource records are their domain names, and the short names for fixed addresses and reservations are their IP
addresses.
The Recycle Bin does not display all deleted objects; it can display up to 15 of the most recently deleted objects. When
the Recycle Bin contains objects that are not displayed in the Finder panel or multiple objects that have the same name,
the Show All button appears. Click the button to display the Recycle Bin dialog box that contains detailed information
about each deleted object. When you have multiple deleted objects that use the same name, you may want to view
detailed information about the deleted objects before taking any action. You can remove and restore selected objects and
empty the Recycle Bin in the Recycle Bin dialog box.
You can do the following in the Recycle Bin dialog box:
• Sort the data in ascending or descending order by column.
• Use filters and the search function to look for specific objects. For information about filters, see Using Filters.
• Create a quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria. For information, see Using Quick Filters.
• Use the GoTo function to quickly find the data in the list. With the autocomplete feature, you can just enter the first
few characters of an object name in the GoTo field and select the object from the possible matches.
To view detailed information about deleted objects:
1. In the Finder panel, expand Recycle Bin.
2. Click Show All.
Grid Manager displays the Recycle Bin dialog box that contains the following information for each object:
• Name: The short name of the object. For example, the short names for fixed addresses and reservations are their
IP addresses.
• Type: The object type.
• Parent/Container: The parent object or parent container to which the object belongs.
• Admin: The admin name of the user who deleted the object.
• Data: The data that the object contains, if any.
• Network View: The network view to which the object belongs.
• Time: The time stamp when the object was deleted. To close the dialog box, click Close.
Restoring Objects from the Recycle Bin

You can restore deleted objects from the Recycle Bin only if you enable the Recycle Bin, and only if you select an object
in the panel. You can restore only one object at a time. Deleted objects are stored in the Recycle Bin until you delete
them or empty the bin.
To restore items from the Recycle Bin:

2. Select the object you want to restore.
3. Click the Restore icon.
Grid Manager restores the object to its corresponding container or configuration. You can confirm the restoration by
checking that the object does not appear in the Recycle Bin any longer, and that it is reestablished in the appropriate
panel in the GUI.
Deleting Objects in the Recycle Bin

You can permanently delete individual objects in the Recycle Bin only if the Recycle Bin is enabled.
To delete objects in the Recycle Bin:
2. Select the object you want to delete.
3. Click the Delete icon.
Grid Manager displays the Confirm Delete dialog box.

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4. Click Yes to delete the object.
Emptying the Recycle Bin

You can permanently delete the contents of the Recycle Bin, if enabled. Only superusers can empty the Recycle Bin.
Because the Recycle Bin can grow large, you can periodically empty the Recycle Bin to free up disk space.
To empty the Recycle Bin:

2. Click Empty.
Grid Manager displays the Confirm Empty Recycle Bin dialog box to confirm that you wish to empty the Recycle
Bin.
3. Click Yes.
Managing Third Party URL Links

In the URL Links section, you can add the URL links of frequently used third party portals and destinations.
Adding URL Links

To add URL links:
1. In the Finder panel, expand URLLinks.
2. Click Add.
3. In the URL Configuration dialog box, complete the following:
• URL: Enter the URL of the destinati characters. When you enter the URL, the appliance validates the
entry. You cannot save the entry if the URL is not in a valid format.
• Name: Enter a name that represents the portal or site of the URL.
• Setasglobalparameter: This field appears only if you log in as a superuser. Select this checkbox to make
the URL link globally available to all users.
• Logo: Click Upload to add a logo to the URL. The appliance displays the logo in 16x16 pixels. Click
ResettoDefault to use the default logo.
Modifying URL Links

To modify the information you entered for an existing URL link:
2. Hover your mouse over the URL you want to modify, and then click the Edit icon.
3. In the URLConfiguration dialog box, modify the information as described in Adding URL Links.
Deleting URL Links

To permanently delete an URL link:
2. Hover your mouse over the URL you want to delete, and then click the Delete icon.
3. In the DeleteURLLink dialog box, click Yes.
Using Filters
You can control the amount and the kind of data displayed in a specific panel by adding filter criteria. When you add filter
criteria, the appliance screens the data based on your filter rules and displays only the information that matches the
rules. To narrow your search for specific information, you can add up to 10 filter rules. In some panels, such as the DHCP
Networks tab, you can switch between viewing information with and without the filter criteria by toggling the filter on and

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off. You can save filter criteria as quick filters so you can reuse the same filter rules to obtain updated information without
redefining them each time you log in to the appliance. For information about quick filters, see Using Quick Filters.
You can also use filters to find objects that have failed an operation. When you try to modify multiple objects with the
same extensible attribute, the appliance may not modify all of the selected objects. For information, see About Extensible
Attributes. For example, after you modify the extensible attribute "Building" with new value "West", you can find the
objects that are not updated by defining a filter with "Building" "does not equal" "West".
Depending on the filter criteria, you can use different filter operations to narrow down your search results. Grid Manager
supports the following filter operations based on your selected filter criteria:
• equals: Defines a specific value for a selected filter criterion
• does not equal: Defines a selected filter criterion that does not equal a specific value
• begins with: Specifies a beginning value for a selected filter criterion
• does not begin with: Specifies a selected filter criterion that does not begin with a specific value
• has a value: Specifies a selected filter criterion that contains a value
• does not have a value: Specifies a selected filter criterion that does not contain a value
• belongs to: Defines a selected filter criterion that belongs to a specific parent object
• Inheritance State equals: Specifies a specific inheritance state
To use a filter:
1. In a panel, click Show Filter to enable the function.
2. In the filter section, complete the following:
• In the first drop-down list, select a field such as an object name, comment, or an extensible attribute
(fields with a gray background) as the filter criterion. Grid Manager displays only the supported fields.
• In the operator drop-down list, select an operator for the filter criterion. Depending on what you select in
the first filter field, this list displays the relevant operators for the selection. The operator Inheritance State
equals is displayed only when you select an inheritable extensible attribute from the Type drop-down list.
This operator is not displayed if the extensible attribute is not inheritable.
• In the value field, enter or select the attribute value for the first filter field. Depending on what you select
for the first two filter fields, you can either enter a value or select an attribute from a drop-down list. For
example, if you select an extensible attribute in the first filter field, you can enter the attribute value here. If
you select an inheritable extensible attribute from the Type drop-down list, and select Inheritance State
equals in the operator drop-down list, the value field displays a drop-down list with these values: Inherited
and Overridden/No Parent. When you select Inherited, extensible attributes that are inherited by the
descendants are listed. When you select Overridden/No Parent, extensible attributes which are
overridden or do not have a parent are listed.
3. Optionally, click the + icon to add another filter rule. You can add up to 10 filter rules.
4. Click Apply to apply the rules
or
Click Reset to clear the filter criteria.
To view information with or without the filter criteria:
• Click ToggleFilterOn to apply filter criteria to the displayed data. Grid Manager displays only the filtered data in the
panel.
or
Click ToggleFilterOff to have the appliance list all data without applying filter criteria.
Using Quick Filters

A quick filter saves filter rules that you define in a specific panel. You can reuse a quick filter to find updated information
in a panel without specifying the same rules each time. Superusers can define quick filters and share them with local
users. Limited-access users can only create quick filters for their own use. You can create up to 10 global and 10 local
quick filters in each panel that supports filters. For information about filters, see Using Filters.
The appliance supports the following quick filters:
• System quick filters: These are predefined filters. You cannot modify the criteria of these filters. System quick
filters are prefixed with \[S\] in the quick filter list. Infoblox currently supports the following system quick filters in
the DNS data panels:
• All Forward Mapping Zones: This quick filter displays all forward mapping zones in lexicographical order.

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• All Reverse Mapping Zones: This quick filter displays all IPv4 and IPv6 reverse mapping zones in
numerical order. The appliance displays IPv4 zones before IPv6 zones.
• All IPv4 Reverse Mapping Zones: This quick filter displays only the IPv4 reverse mapping zones in
numerical order.
• All IPv6 Reverse Mapping Zones: This quick filter displays only the IPv6 reverse mapping zones in
numerical order.
• RPZ Logs: This quick filter displays only the RPZ syslog messages in CEF format. This option is
displayed only in the Syslog when RPZ license is enabled.
 Note
In the default DNS zone view, the appliance displays forward mapping zones first, followed by IPv4
reverse mapping zones, and then IPv6 reverse mapping zones.
• Global quick filters: Only superusers can define global quick filters. You can make global filters available to all
users. Limited-access users can use global quick filters, but they cannot modify them. Global filters are prefixed
with \[G\] in the filter lis
• Local quick filters: Limited-access users can create local quick filters for their own use. You cannot share local
quick filters with other users in the Grid. Local filters are prefixed with \[L\] in the filter list.
Adding Quick Filters

To add quick filters:
1. In a panel that supports filters, click Show Filters.
2. In the filter section, define filter criteria for the quick filter, as described in Using Filters.
3. Click Save.
4. In the Save Quick Filter dialog box, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the quick filter. The name must be 20 characters or longer. Ensure that you use a
unique name for each quick filter in a particular filter category. For example, you can use the same filter
name for both a global and local filter, but you cannot do so for two local filters.
• Set as a global quick filter: This displays only if you log in as a superuser. Select this checkbox to make
the quick filter globally available to all users.
The appliance adds the quick filter to the quick filter drop-down list in the specified panel.
Modifying Quick Filters

To modify quick filters:
1. In a panel that supports filters, click ShowFilters, and then select the quick filter you want to modify from the
QuickFilter drop-down list.
2. In the filter section, click the Edit icon next to the filter name.
3. Modify the filter criteria, as described in Using Filters.
4. Click Save.
5. In the SaveQuickFilter dialog box, you can click Save to save the modified filter criteria under the same quick filter
name. You can also modify the quick filter name, as described in Modifying Quick Filters, and save the entry as a
new quick filter.
Applying Quick Filters

To apply quick filters:
1. In a panel that supports filters, click Show Filters, and select the quick filter from the Quick Filter drop-down list.
2. Based on the filter criteria, the appliance displays the filtered information in the panel. The selected quick filter
remains active in the panel until you select another quick filter.

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Turning Off Quick Filters
You can do one of the following to turn off a quick filter:
• Select None from the quick filter drop-down list.
• Click ToggleFilterOff or Reset in the filter section.
• Delete a quick filter, as described in Deleting Quick Filters.
Deleting Quick Filters

To delete quick filters:
1. In a panel that supports filters, click ShowFilters, and then select the quick filter you want to delete from the
QuickFilter drop-down list.
2. In the filter section, click the Delete icon next to the filter name.
3. In the DeleteQuickFilter dialog box, click Yes to permanently delete the quick filter.
Using Global Search

You can use the global search function to search the entire NIOS database for data that matches a specific value and
filter criteria. You can define filter criteria and enter applicable search values to refine the search. Grid Manager supports
regular expressions in global search. Grid Manager can display up to 500 search results. When search results exceed
500, a warning message appears and you may want to refine your search. Search results remain in the Search dialog
box until you reset the search parameters or log out of Grid Manager. You can search for DNS zones and resource
records that contain IDNs. For information about IDNs, see Support for Internationalized Domain Names.
Based on your search requirements, you can choose to perform a basic search or an advanced search.
A basic global search provides a faster way to locate frequently searched results using one specific filter criterion. It is
designed to handle a large amount of data in an efficient manner. Supported filtering objects are DNS name (FQDN or
CNAME only), DUID, IP address and MAC address. This is the recommended global search method if you have a large
data set and only need to search by a single filter criterion. You cannot use regular expressions in a basic global search.
An advanced global search allows you to perform complex searches by defining multiple filter criteria. You can add up to
10 filtering rules. You can also include existing extensible attributes for the matching objects.
Note that if a search result contains duplicate records, the appliance displays only one record and discards others. For
example, if the canonical name matches an alias name, the appliance displays only one CNAME record in the result.
 Note
• Depending on the size of your database, global search may take a long time to complete. Grid Manager
times out when queries or searches take longer than 120 seconds. To expedite searches, use filters to
refine the search criteria. You can also use basic global searches if you have a large data set and you
only need to search by a single filter criterion.
• To search for any DHCP objects or its attributes using Global Search, you must have DHCP license
installed.
You can also do the following in the Results table:

• Click the Open icon to view detailed information of the matching object.
• Click the Edit icon to edit the matching object information. For information, see Editing Matching Objects in
Search Results.
• Click the Extensible Attributes icon to edit the value of the respective extensible attribute. For information, see
Editing Multiple Extensible Attributes in Search Results.
• Click the Export icon to export the data displayed in the Results table.
• Click the Print icon to print the data displayed in the Results table.
To perform a global search:
1. Click the Global Search icon on the navigation bar.
By default, the appliance opens the Basic tab of the Search dialog box.

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• If you want faster search results and you can search by DNS name, DUID, IP address, or MAC address,
do the following in the Basic tab:
Include Network Insight Devices and Interfaces: This appears only when you have the Network Insight
license installed. Select this checkbox to include devices and interfaces discovered through Network
Insight. Note that it might take longer than expected for the appliance to return results for these objects.
The setting is saved between user sessions.
• ChooseFilter: Select a value from the drop-down list. You can explicitly search by DNS name
(FQDN or CNAME only), DUID, IP address, or a MAC address. Note that you can apply only one
filter at a time.
• ChooseOperator: Select an operator for the filter criterion. Depending on what you select in the
first filter field, this list displays the relevant operators for the selection. Possible values include
equals, beginswith, and contains. For example, if you choose a DNSName filter, contains is the
only applicable operator.
• In the value field, enter the value for the filter field. For example, if you select DUID in the first filter
field, you can enter the DUID of the client's device in the value field.
• If you have a more complex search requirement and need to include multiple filter criteria, do the following
in the Advanced tab:
• In the first field, enter the value that you want your search results to match. For example, if you
want to search for hostnames that contain "Infoblox," enter Infoblox in this field. You can also
specify the value of an inheritable extensible attribute. You can use regular expressions in the
search value.
• In the Type drop-down list, select an object type, comment, or an extensible attribute (fields with a
gray background) as the filter criterion. Grid Manager displays all the supported fields in the drop-
down list. The default is Type. Grid Manager searches all objects when you use the default. You
can narrow down the search and improve the search performance by selecting an object type.
Extensible attributes are displayed with a gray background.
• In the operator drop-down list, select an operator for the filter criterion. Depending on what you
select in the first filter field, this list displays the relevant operators for the selection. The operator
InheritanceStateequals is displayed only when you select an inheritable extensible attribute from
the Type drop-down list. This operator is not displayed if the extensible attribute is not inheritable.
• In the value field, enter or select the attribute value for the first filter field. Depending on what you
select for the first two filter fields, you can either enter a value or select an attribute from a drop-
down list. For example, if you select an extensible attribute in the first filter field, you can enter the
attribute value here. If you use the default Type in the first filter field, you can select an object or
record type from the drop-down list. The default is ALL. Grid Manager searches all object types
when you use the default. If you select an inheritable extensible attribute from the Type drop-down
list, and select InheritanceStateequals in the operator drop-down list, the value field displays a
drop-down list with these values: Inherited and Overridden/NoParent. When you select Inherited,
extensible attributes that are inherited by the descendants are listed. When you select Overridden/
NoParent, extensible attributes which are overridden or do not have a parent are listed.
• Optionally, click the + icon to add another filter. You can add up to 10 filter rules.
• IncludeExtensibleAttributesValues: Select this checkbox to include extensible attributes in the
search results for the matching objects. Once selected, this configuration affects all future
searches for the current user. Note that it might take longer for the search results to appear if there
are a large number of extensible attributes associated with the matching objects.
 Note
You can save each search that contains multiple filter criteria as a quick filter for future
use. For information about quick filters, see Using Quick Filters.
3. Optionally, you can click Reset to clear the search results and start a new search. You can also click the Refresh
icon to refresh the search results.
Grid Manager stores the search results until you reset the search parameters or log out.
4. After you finish defining filters, click Search or press Enter.
In the Results table, Grid Manager displays the following information:

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• Name: The name of the matching object. This field displays the name of the matching object and the path to the
matching object if the object is a network or an IP address. You can click the link to open, view, and edit the
object.
• Type: The type of the matching object. For example, bulk host, NS record, forward-mapping authoritative zone, or
network container.
• MatchedProperty: The attribute or property of the matching object. For example, if the search value matches the
email address that corresponds to a hostname, this field displays Email. If the search value matches the DNS
view of a resource record in a DNS zone, this field displays DNSView/FQDN.
• MatchedValue: The value of the matching object. For example, if an IP address contains the search value, this
field displays the IP address. If a hostname contains the search value, this field displays the hostname.
• IPAddress: The IP address of the matching object. When you click the IP address link, Grid Manager displays the
corresponding IP address panel from which you can view detailed information.
• Comment: Comments that were entered for the matching object.
• Site: Values that were entered for the matching object.
 Note
If you have selected to include extensible attribute values, you can select the corresponding columns to be
displayed in the search results. Extensible attribute columns are hidden by default.
Editing Matching Objects in Search Results

Grid Manager displays search results in the Results table. You can open and view detailed information about an object.
You can also edit the properties of a selected object.
To edit an object in the Results table:
1. In the Results table, select the object checkbox.
2. Click the Open or Edit icon. You can also click the link of an object if Grid Manager displays the path. Grid
Manager displays the object in the corresponding editor depending on the type of object you selected.
3. Edit the properties of the object in the editor.
4. Save your changes.
Deleting Matching Objects in Search Results

You can delete one or multiple matching objects in the search Results table.
To delete a matching object:
1. In the Results table, select the object checkbox. You can delete multiple objects.
Grid Manager deletes the selected objects from the database. Most deleted objects are stored in the Recycle Bin. For
information, see Using the Recycle Bin.
You can print search results. You can also export search results in CSV (comma separated value) format. For
information, see About CSV Import and Exporting Displayed Data.
Editing Multiple Extensible Attributes in Search Results

You can edit one or multiple extensible attributes of the matching objects in the search Results table using the Multi-
Select Edit Extensible Attributes editor. When you change multiple extensible attribute values for selected objects, the
values of all selected extensible attributes will be updated.
To edit multiple extensible attributes:
1. In the Results table, select the object checkbox. You can edit multiple extensible attribute values.
2. Click the Extensible Attributes icon.

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3. In the Multi-Select Edit Extensible Attributes editor, click on the Value column to edit the value of the respective
extensible attribute. For information about which values you can edit, see Editing Multiple Extensible Attribute
Values.
Using the Go To Function

You can use the Go To function to quickly locate an object, such as a network or a DNS zone. With the autocomplete
feature, you can just type the first few characters of an object name in the Go to field and select the object from a list of
possible matches. You can also enter the entire object name, and then click Go to locate a specific object.
To use the Go to function:

1. From a selector, enter the first few characters of the object name in the Go to field. Grid Manager displays up to
ten possible matches in a drop-down list.
2. Click the object from the drop-down list or use the up and down arrow keys to select the object and then press
Enter. Grid Manager completes the operation based on the selected object.
SSL and TLS Protocols

When you log in to the NIOS appliance, your computer makes an HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure
Sockets Layer protocol) connection to the NIOS appliance. HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP, the client-server
protocol used to send and receive communications throughout the Web. HTTPS uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and/
or TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocols to secure the connection between a client and server. SSL/TLS provides
server authentication and encryption. The NIOS appliance supports TLS versions 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2. TLS provides cipher
suites that are used to negotiate the security settings for the secure connection. Infoblox has provided a few CLI
commands so you can enable and disable specific cipher suites. For detailed information about these CLI commands,
refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.
Note that enabling or disabling the TLS ciphers will enable or disable the equivalent SSHd cipher. The following table lists
the TLS suite name and the corresponding OpenSSL suite name, SSHd cipher name, and SSHd MAC name:
TLS Cipher Suites
TLS Suite Name Open SSL Suite Name SSHd Cipher SSHd MAC
TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA aes256-cbc hmac-sha1,

hmac-sha1-etm@openssh.com
TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA DHE-DSS-AES256-SHA aes256-cbc hmac-sha1,

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA AES256-SHA aes256-cbc hmac-sha1,

TLS_DH_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA EDH-RSA-DES-CBC3-SHA 3des-cbc hmac-sha1,

TLS_DH_DSS_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA EDH-DSS-DES-CBC3-SHA 3des-cbc hmac-sha1,

TLS_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA DES-CBC3-SHA 3des-cbc hmac-sha1,

TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA DHE-DSS-AES128-SHA aes128-cbc hmac-sha1,


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TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA DHE-DSS-AES128-SHA aes128-cbc hmac-sha1, hmac-sha1-
etm@openssh.com
TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA AES128-SHA aes128-cbc hmac-sha1,

TLS_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA RC4-SHA arcfour128 hmac-sha1,

TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA DHE-DSS-AES256-GCM- aes256- hmac-sha2-512,

384 SHA384 gcm@openssh.com hmac-sha2-512-
etm@openssh.com
TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA DHE-DSS-AES256-GCM- aes256- hmac-sha2-512,

etm@openssh.com
TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA2 DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA256 aes256-cbc hmac-sha2-256,

56 hmac-sha2-256-
etm@openssh.com
TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA2 DHE-DSS-AES256-SHA256 aes256-cbc hmac-sha2-256,

56 hmac-sha2-256-
etm@openssh.com
TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 AES256-GCM-SHA384 aes256- hmac-sha2-512,

gcm@openssh.com hmac-sha2-512-
etm@openssh.com
TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA DHE-DSS-AES128-GCM- aes128- hmac-sha2-256,

etm@openssh.com
TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA DHE-RSA-AES128-GCM- aes128- hmac-sha2-256,

etm@openssh.com
TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA2 DHE-RSA-AES128-SHA256 aes128-cbc hmac-sha2-256,

56 hmac-sha2-256-
etm@openssh.com
TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA2 DHE-DSS-AES128-SHA256 aes128-cbc hmac-sha2-256,

56 hmac-sha2-256-
etm@openssh.com
TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 AES128-GCM-SHA256 aes128- hmac-sha2-256, hmac-sha2-256-

gcm@openssh.com etm@openssh.com
TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256 AES128-SHA256 aes128-cbc hmac-sha2-256,

hmac-sha2-256-
etm@openssh.com
When a client first connects to a server, it starts a series of message exchanges, called the SSL/TLS handshake. During
this exchange, the server authenticates itself to the client by sending its server certificate. A certificate is an electronic
form that verifies the identity and public key of the subject of the certificate. (In SSL/TLS, the subject of the certificate is
the server.) Certificates are typically issued and digitally signed by a trusted third party, the Certificate Authority (CA). A
certificate contains the following information: the dates it is valid, the issuing CA, the server name, and the public key of
the server. For information about certificates, see Managing Certificates.
A server generates two distinct but related keys: a public key and a private key. During the SSL/TLS handshake, the

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server sends its public key to the client. Once the client validates the certificate, it encrypts a random value with the
public key and sends it to the server. The server decrypts the random value with its private key.
The server and the client use the random value to generate the master secret, which they in turn use to generate
symmetric keys. The client and server end the handshake when they exchange messages indicating that they are using
the symmetric keys to encrypt further communications.
SSL/TLS Handshake

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To avoid possible attacks in which HTTP or HTTPS connections are made to a web server and stay open much longer
than they should be, Infoblox provides the set connection_limit and show connection_limit CLI commands that
you can use to mitigate these attacks. In general, these attacks can result in the web server reaching its maximum
number of concurrent connections, and thus denying connections from legitimate sources. You can use the CLI

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commands to limit the number of concurrent HTTP and HTTPS connections from a given client that corresponds to a
particular IP address. For information about the CLI commands and how to use them, see Using the NIOS CLI..
Managing Certificates
This section covers the following:
• About HTTPS Certificates
• About Client Certificates
• About CA Certificates
• Converting CA Certificates to PEM Format
About HTTPS Certificates

The NIOS appliance generates a self-signed certificate when it first starts. A self-signed certificate is signed by the
subject of the certificate, and not by a CA (Certificate Authority). This is the default certificate. When your computer first
connects to the NIOS appliance, it sends this certificate to authenticate itself to your browser.
Because the default certificate is self-signed, your browser does not have a trusted CA certificate or a cached NIOS
appliance server certificate (saved from an earlier connection) to authenticate the NIOS appliance certificate. Also, the
hostname in the default certificate is www.infoblox.com, which is unlikely to match the hostname of your NIOS appliance.
Consequently, messages appear warning that the certificate is not from a trusted certifying authority and that the
hostname on the certificate is either invalid or does not match the name of the site that sent the certificate. Either accept
the certificate just for this session or save it to the certificate store of your browser.
To eliminate certificate warnings, you can replace the default self-signed certificate with a different certificate that has the
hostname of your NIOS appliance. The NIOS appliance supports X.509 certificates in .PEM format. After the initial login,
you can do one of the following:
• Generate another self-signed certificate with the correct hostname and save it to the certificate store of
your browser.
• Request a CA-signed certificate with the correct hostname and load it on the NIOS appliance. For more
information, see Generating Certificate Signing Requests.
• When you receive the certificate from the CA, upload it to the appliance. Additionally, you can upload a
certificate along with the private key, as described in Uploading HTTPS Certificates.
• Download the certificate from a trusted CA, as described in Downloading HTTPS Certificates.
Generating Self-Signed Certificates

You can replace the default certificate with a self-signed certificate that you generate. When you generate a
self-signed certificate, you can specify the correct hostname and change the public/private key size, enter valid dates
and specify additional information specific to the NIOS appliance. If you have multiple appliances, you can generate a
certificate for each appliance with the appropriate hostname. You can generate a self-signed certificate using either the
SHA-1 or SHA-256 (SHA-2) hash algorithm.
To generate a self-signed certificate:
1. Grid: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox, and then click
Certificates -> HTTPS Cert -> Generate Self-signed Certificate from the Toolbar. In a Grid, ensure that you select
the Grid Master when generating a self-signed certificate.
2. In the Generate Self-Signed Certificate dialog box, complete the following:

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• Secure Hash Algorithm and KeySize: You can select one of the following: SHA-1 with a RSA key size of
1024 or 2048, SHA-256 (SHA-2) with a RSA key size of 2048 or 4096, SHA-384 with a RSA key size of
2048 or 4096, SHA-512 with a RSA key size of 2048 or 4096. The default value is SHA-256 2048.
 Note
The SHA-384 and SHA-512 are not supported during scheduled full upgrades for the Grid. If
your Grid includes a reporting server, ensure that you DO NOT select a key size of 4096 bit for
SHA-256. Otherwise, the reporting feature might not function properly because Java does not
support SHA-256 with a 4096 key size.
• Days Valid: Specify the validity period of the certificate.

• Common Name: Specify the domain name of the NIOS appliance. You can enter the FQDN (fully qualified
domain name) of the appliance.
• Organization: Enter the name of your company.
• Organizational Unit: Enter the name of your department.
• Locality: Enter a location, such as the city or town of your company.
• State or Province: Enter the state or province.
• Country Code: Enter the two-letter code that identifies the country, such as US.
• Admin E-mail Address: Enter the email address of the appliance administrator.
• Comment: Enter information about the certificate.
• Subject Alternative Name: You can specify Subject Alternative Names (SAN) in order to secure additional
hostnames across different domains or subdomains. You can add the following entries to be included as
SAN extension to self-signed certificate: DNS, Email, IP Address, and URI. Click the Add icon and Grid
Manager adds a row to the table. Click the row and select the entry from the drop-down list, and then
enter the value for the SAN entry. You can add up to 30 entries. To remove an entry from the list, select
the SAN entry, and then click the Delete icon.
3. Click OK.
4. If the appliance already has an existing HTTPS certificate, the new certificate replaces the existing one. In the
Replace HTTPS Certificate Confirmation dialog box, click Yes. The appliance logs you out, or you can manually
log out. When you log in to the appliance again, it uses the new certificate you generated.
Generating Certificate Signing Requests

You can generate a CSR (certificate signing request) that you can use to obtain a signed certificate from your own
trusted CA. Once you receive the signed certificate, you can import it in to the NIOS appliance, as described in Managing
Certificates.
To generate a CSR:
Certificates -> HTTPS Cert -> Create Signing Request from the Toolbar.
2. In the Create Certificate Signing Request dialog box, enter the following:
• Secure Hash Algorithm and KeySize: You can select one of the following: SHA-1 with a RSA key size of
1024 or 2048, SHA-256 (SHA-2) with a RSA key size of 2048 or 4096, SHA-384 with a RSA key size of
2048 or 4096, SHA-512 with a RSA key size of 2048 or 4096. The default value is SHA-256 2048.
 Note
The SHA-384 and SHA-512 are not supported during scheduled full upgrades for the Grid.
• Common Name: Specify the domain name of the NIOS appliance. You can enter the FQDN of the
appliance.
• Locality: Enter a location, such as a city or town of your company.

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• Subject Alternative Name: You can specify Subject Alternative Names (SAN) in order to secure additional
hostnames across different domains or subdomains. You can add the following entries to be included as
SAN extension to CSR (Certificate Signing Requests): DNS, Email, IP Address, and URI. Click the Add
icon and Grid Manager adds a row to the table. Click the row and select the entry from the drop-down list,
and then enter the value for the SAN entry. You can add up to 30 entries. To remove an entry from the list,
select the SAN entry, and then click the Delete icon.
3. Click OK.
Uploading HTTPS Certificates

When you receive the certificate from the CA, and import it to the appliance, the NIOS appliance finds the matching CSR
and takes the private key associated with the CSR and associates it with the newly imported certificate. The appliance
then automatically deletes the CSR.
You can also upload the certificate along with its private key. When you do so, you do not need to generate a CSR on the
NIOS appliance. Before you upload the certificate, Infoblox recommends that you save the certificate on the local disk
and set the private key permissions to 600 and owned by root. Note that you might need to set the private key
permissions to other values, depending on your business requirements. Also ensure that both the certificate and the
private key are in PEM format and in the same upload file, and that the private key is not protected.
If the CA sends an intermediate certificate that must be installed along with the server certificate, you can upload both
certificates to the appliance. The appliance supports the use of intermediate certificates to complete the chain of trust
from the server certificate to a trusted root CA. This eliminates intermediate certificate security warnings that appear
when you open a web browser and try to connect to an Infoblox appliance. For instructions to upload a CA certificate,
see Uploading CA Certificates.
To import a HTTPS certificate:
Certificates -> HTTPS Cert -> Upload Certificate from the Toolbar.
2. Navigate to where the certificate is located and click Open.
3. If the appliance already has an existing HTTPS certificate, the new certificate replaces the existing one. In the
Replace HTTPS Certificate Confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
The appliance imports the certificate and logs you out. When you log in to the appliance again, it uses the
certificate you imported.
Downloading HTTPS Certificates

You can download the current certificate or a self-signed certificate, as described in Certificates.
To download a certificate:
Certificates -> HTTPS Cert -> Download Certificate from the Toolbar.
2. Navigate to where you want to save the certificate, enter the file name, and then click Save.
About Client Certificates

You can generate client certificates for a Grid Master or a Grid Master candidate, and then send it to another server, such
as a Hardware Security Module (HSM).
Generating a Client Certificate

To generate a client certificate:

Rev. D
1. Grid: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab.
Grid Master Candidate: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox.
2. From the Toolbar, click Certificates -> Client Cert -> Generate Client Certificate, and select either RSASHA1 or
RSASHA256.
• If you are generating a certificate for an HSM group with SafeNet Luna SA 4 devices, you must select
RSASHA1; and if the certificate is for an HSM group with SafeNet Luna SA 5 or Luna SA 6 devices, select
RSASHA256.
The appliance displays a confirmation dialog after it generates the certificate. If a certificate had been previously
generated, the appliance displays a dialog warning that if the previous certificate was registered with a server, then the
new certificate must be registered with the server.
Viewing Client Certificates

To view the client certificates that were generated:
2. From the Toolbar, click Certificates -> Client Cert -> View Client Certificate, and select either RSASHA1 or
RSASHA256.
The appliance displays the selected certificate.
Downloading Client Certificates

To download a client certificate:
2. From the Toolbar, click Certificates -> Client Cert -> Download Client Certificate, and select either RSASHA1 or
RSASHA256.
3. Save the certificate.
About CA Certificates
from the server certificate to a trusted root CA. This eliminates intermediate certificate security warnings that appear
when you open a web browser and try to connect to an Infoblox appliance.
When you configure two-factor authentication for smart card users, ensure that you upload the required CA certificates
before you enable the certificate authentication service. For information about two factor authentication and how to
configure it, see Defining the Authentication Policy. Only superusers and limited-access users with the required
permissions can manage CA certificates. For information about admin permissions, see Administrative Permissions for
Certificate Authentication Services and CA Certificates.
Also, see About CA Certificates for CISCO APIC.
Uploading CA Certificates
To upload a CA-signed certificate:
Member: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox.
2. Select Certificates -> Manage CA Certificates from the Toolbar.
3. In the CA Certificates editor, click the Add icon.
4. In the Upload dialog box, click Select and navigate to the certificate you want to upload.

Rev. D
5. Select the file and click Upload.
 Note
NIOS can only upload certificates that are in PEM format. A.PEM file can contain more than one certificate. For
information about how to convert CA certificates to .PEM format, see Converting CA Certificates to PEM
Repeat the steps to add additional CA-signed certificates.

The CA Certificates dialog box displays the following information about the intermediate certificates:
• Subject: The name of the certificate.
• Issuer: The name of the trusted CA that issued the certificate.
• Serial: The serial number of the certificate.
• Valid: The validity period of the certificate.
• Usedby: Displays SSL/TLS, when CA certificate is not used for certificate authentication, or CAS, when CA
certificate is associated with a certificate authentication service.
You can also do the following:
• Select a certificate and click the Delete icon to delete it.
• Print the data or export it in .csv format.
About CA Certificates for Cisco ACI

Grid Manager accepts CA certificates and certificate chains, therefore you can upload both root and intermediate (one-
file certificate chain) certificates. Following are recommendations and best practices for having valid Cisco ACI
certificates authenticated via Grid Manager.
For a Root CA certificate, complete the following on the Cisco ACI side:
1. Select the Root CA certificate as the default Certificate Authority.
2. Issue a Key Ring certificate request signed by this Certificate Authority. Make sure that the APIC Key Ring
certificate is created.
3. In the Cisco ACI GUI, select Fabric -> Fabric Policies -> Pod Policies -> Policies -> Management Access -
> default.
4. Make sure that the Admin Key Ring and Oper Key Ring correspond to the one created in step 2.
Now you can upload and select the Root CA certificate in Grid Manager.
For an Intermediate CA certificate, complete the following on the Cisco ACI side:
1. Select the certificate chain as the default Certificate Authority. This certificate chain must include at least one
Intermediate and Root CA certificate.
2. Issue a Key Ring certificate request signed by this Certificate Authority. Make sure that the APIC Key Ring
certificate is created.
3. In the Cisco ACI GUI, select Fabric -> Fabric Policies -> Pod Policies -> Policies -> Management Access -
> default.
4. Make sure that the Admin Key Ring and Oper Key Ring correspond to the one created in step 2.
Now you can upload and select the certificate chain in Grid Manager. If you are unable to select the whole chain
in the CISCO APIC Configuration tab, choose the Intermediate certificate.
Recommended best practices:
• Make sure that the CA marker is set to "True" in the CA certificate. You can check it in OpenSSL.
• Make sure that the Subject (CN) of the APIC Key Ring certificate is a fully qualified domain name or a
distinguished name of the requesting device.
When NIOS tries to establish a connection to the APIC using SSL, it compares the APIC hostname value with the
value specified in the APIC Key Ring certificate CN (common name). If they do not match, the certificate
verification fails. If you want to specify something different than FQDN, for example, an IP address, for the APIC
Key Ring certificate CN, include an additional Subject Alternative Name marker in X509v3 extensions:

Rev. D
X509v3 Subject Alternative Name:
IP Address:[ip-addr]
or
DNS:FQDN
or both of them
DNS:FQDN, IP Address:ip-addr
where ip-addr is a valid IP address of the APIC device, and FQDN is a valid fully qualified domain name.
• Make sure to include the following markers in the APIC Key Ring certificate:
X509v3 extensions:
X509v3 Basic Constraints:
CA:FALSE
Netscape Cert Type:
SSL Server
...
X509v3 Key Usage: critical
Digital Signature, Key Encipherment
X509v3 Extended Key Usage:
TLS Web Server Authentication
• Certificate date must be valid.
• The time settings in Cisco ACI and NIOS must be valid and accurate.
Converting CA Certificates to PEM Format

NIOS can only upload certificates that are in PEM format. PEM files are Base64 encoded ASCII files. You can use
OpenSSL to convert other certificate formats, such as P7B and DER, into PEM format.
You can run OpenSSL on Linux and Windows systems. For Linux, OpenSSL is pre-installed. For Windows, you can
manually install an OpenSSL for Windows. For information about OpenSSL, visit its web site at http://www.openssl.org/.
To convert a P7B file to PEM format using OpenSSL:

1. Download and unzip the CA certificate file in P7B format.
2. Navigate to the directory where you unzip the CA certificate file.
3. Identify the PKCS7 directory.
4. Use the following OpenSSL command to convert the P7B file to PEM format:
$ openssl pkcs7 -in xxxx.p7b -print_certs -out yyyy.pem
where xxxx is the name of the P7B file and yyyy is the name of the converted PEM file.
To convert a DER file to PEM format using OpenSSL:
1. Download and unzip the CA certificate file in DER format.
2. Navigate to the directory where you unzip the CA certificate file.
3. Use the following OpenSSL command to convert the DER file to PEM format:
$ openssl x509 -inform DER -outform PEM -in xxxx.cer -out yyyy.pem
where xxxx is the name of the DER file and yyyy is the name of the converted PEM file.
Configuring Approval Workflows

Approval workflows support routing certain core network service tasks submitted by an admin group to another for
approval. You can add an admin group to an approval workflow and define the group as a submitter or approver group.
Note that only superusers can create approval workflows. For information about how to set up admin groups, see About
Admin Groups.
In an approval workflow, you can add a submitter group and an approver admin group that you have previously defined.

Rev. D
You can also define when and to whom email notifications are sent, and configure options such as whether submitters or
approvers must enter a comment or a ticket number when they submit tasks for approval. Approval workflows are useful
when you want to control tasks that require reviews. For example, if you have a group of help desk users who can add,
modify, and delete hosts and you want members of an operation group to review these tasks, you can define the help
desk users as submitters, and then set up members of the operation group as approvers. You can then add the submitter
and approver groups to an approval workflow and configure notifications options and other configurations, such as
allowing the approvers to reschedule the submitted tasks.
Not all core network service tasks can be routed for approval. You can configure approval tasks associated with certain
objects. For a list of supported objects, see Supported Objects for Scheduled and Approval Tasks.
 Note
When an admin group is defined as a submitter group, there are certain operations the submitters cannot
perform even though they may have the permissions to do so. For information about such operations,
see Unsupported Operations for Submitters
To create an approval workflow, complete the following:

1. If you have not already done so, set up admin groups that you can configure as submitter groups and approver
groups in an approval workflow, as described in About Admin Groups.
2. Create an approval workflow and configure email notifications and other options, as described in Creating
Approval Workflows.
You can do the following after you have created approval workflows:
• View a list of approval workflows, as described in Viewing Approval Workflows
• Modify approval workflows, as described in Modifying Approval Workflows.
• Delete approval workflows, as described in Deleting Approval Workflows
• View a list of approval tasks, as described in Viewing Approval Tasks.
• View approval notifications, as described in Viewing Workflow Notifications.
Supported Tasks for Different Admin Groups

Depending on your admin permissions, you may or may not be able to perform certain tasks that are subject to
approvals. Supported Tasks for Different Admin Groups lists specific tasks and indicates which admin group can perform
the tasks.
Supported Tasks for Admin Groups
Admin groups that can perform the task
Tasks related to approval workflows Submitters Approvers Superusers
Change the schedule of a task when it is pending Yes No Yes

approval
Change the schedule of a task after it has been Yes (Task is re-submitted for approval) Yes Yes
approved
Execute the task now when it is pending approval No No No
Delete a task after it has been approved but No No Yes

pending
execution
Delete a task after it failed or has been executed No No Yes
Delete tasks by selecting the Select all objects in Yes Yes Yes
this
dataset option

Rev. D
Admin groups that can perform the task
Tasks related to approval workflows Submitters Approvers Superusers
Note: Not all tasks are deleted, depending on the

task status and the admin who performs the
deletion
Creating Approval Workflows

Before you create an approval workflow, ensure that you have admin groups that you can define as submitters and
approvers. Note that a submitter group can be added to only one approval workflow, and approver groups can be added
to multiple workflows. An approver can choose to approve a task and either keep or change the date and time when the
task is executed. For information about scheduling and rescheduling tasks, see Scheduling Tasks. An approver can also
reject a submitted task.
All submitted tasks are executed based on submitter permissions. When an admin submits a task, the appliance logs the
task in the audit log and associates it with a task ID. You can view your tasks in Task Manager, as described in Viewing
Tasks. Depending on your configuration, you can control when and to whom email notifications are sent. For example,
you can configure the appliance to send notifications to only the approver each time when a task requires approval, or
send notifications to both the submitter and approver group each time when a task is disapproved.
To create an approval workflow

1. From the Administration tab, select the Workflow tab -> Approval Workflows tab, and then click the Add icon
2. In the Add Approval Workflow wizard, complete the following:
• Submitter Group: From the drop-down list, select the admin group whose submitted tasks require approvals. Note
that performing CSV imports do not require approvals. If there is a warning that the submitter group has CSV
import permission, you may want to remove the permission.
• Approver Group: From the drop-down list, select the group that can approve tasks submitted by admins of the
submitter group. If the approver group you select does not have the permission to schedule tasks, the approvers
cannot reschedule the execution dates and times of the tasks when they approve them.
• Ticket Number: From the drop-down list, select one of the following to determine whether a ticket number is
required when a submitter submits a task for approval.
• Required: The submitter must enter a ticket number when submitting a task.
• Optional: The submitter can choose to enter a ticket number or not when submitting a task.
• Not Used: The Ticket Number field does not appear when the submitter creates a task.
• Submitter Comment: From the drop-down list, select whether the submitter must enter a comment or not when
submitting a task for approval. You can select Required, Optional, or Not Used.
• Approver Comment: From the drop-down list, select whether the approver must enter a comment or not when
approving a task. You can select Required, Optional, or Not Used.
3. Click Next and complete the following to specify notification options for the workflow:
• Approver Notification Address(es): Select one of the following to specify to which approver email addresses the
appliance sends workflow notifications. The default is Group Email Address(es).
• Group Email Address(es): Select this if you want the appliance to send notifications to the list of email
addresses configured for the admin group. For information about how to configure this list, see About
Admin Groups.
• User Email Address(es): Select this if you want the appliance to send notifications to individual email
addresses of the admin group.
• Notifications sent on: Select the operations that can trigger email notifications. When you select an operation, the
appliance sends a notification each time that operation occurs. By default, all operations are selected.
• Approval Required: The appliance sends an email notification each time an approval is required.
• Task Approved: The appliance sends an email notification each time a task is approved.

Rev. D
• Task Rejected: The appliance sends an email notification each time a task is rejected.
• Task Succeeded: The appliance sends an email notification each time a task is completed successfully.
• Task Failed: The appliance sends an email notification each time the execution of a task fails.
• Task Rescheduled: The appliance sends an email notification each time a task is being rescheduled.
• Notifications sent to: For each operation, select whether the Approver, Submitter, or Both are notified when the
operation occurs. The default value is Both for all operations. For information about email notifications, see
Viewing Approval Tasks.
4. Optionally, click Next to add extensible attributes to the approval workflow. For information, see About Extensible
Attributes.
Viewing Approval Workflows

Grid Manager lists all approval workflows in the Approval Workflows tab. Only superusers can view approval workflows
defined for the Grid. Limited-access users cannot view approval workflows.
To view approval workflows:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Workflow tab -> Approval Workflows tab.
2. Grid Manager displays the following for each approval workflow:
• Submitter Group: The name of the admin group whose tasks require approvals.
• Approver Group: The name of the admin group that can approve tasks submitted by members of the submitter
group.
• Ticket Number: Displays whether the submitter is required to enter a ticket number when submitting tasks that
require approvals. Possible values are Not Used, Optional, and Required.
• Submitter Comment: Displays whether the submitter is required to enter a comment when submitting tasks that
require approvals. Possible values are Not Used, Optional, and Required.
• Approver Comment: Displays whether the approver is required to enter a comment when approving tasks.
Possible values are Not Used, Optional, and Required.
• Site: Values that were entered for this predefined extensible attribute.
You can do the following in this tab:
• Modify some of the data in the table. Double click a row, and either modify the data in the field or select an item
from a drop-down list. Click Save to save the changes. Note that some fields are read-only.
• Select an approval workflow and click the Edit icon to modify data, or click the Delete icon to delete it.
• Use filters and the GoTo function to narrow down the list. With the autocomplete feature, you can just enter the
first few characters of an object name in the Go to field and select the object from the possible matches.
• Print and export the data in this tab.
Modifying Approval Workflows

You can modify information in an approval workflow, except for the submitter group. To modify approval workflow
configuration:
2. Select an approval workflow and click the Edit icon.
3. Grid Manager provides the following tabs from which you can modify information:
• General tab: You can modify the approver group and decide whether the ticket number, submitter
comment, and approver comment are required, but you cannot change the submitter group.
• Approval Notifications tab: You can modify when and to whom email notifications are sent.
• Extensible Attributes tab: You can add or modify values of extensible attributes. For information, see
About Extensible Attributes.

Rev. D
Deleting Approval Workflows
You can delete an approval workflow any time after you have created it. Note that when you delete a workflow that has
associated tasks that are pending approvals, the tasks will be rejected after you delete the workflow.
To delete an approval workflow:
2. Select an approval workflow and click the Delete icon.
3. Click Yes in the Delete Confirmation dialog.
Viewing Approval Tasks

If you belong to an approver admin group, you can view, approve, or reject tasks that are pending your approval in the
Task Manager tab. For information, see Viewing Tasks. Submitter's can view all pending and completed tasks they have
submitted.
Viewing Workflow Notifications

When a submitter and approver receives an email notification about their tasks, the appliance lists the approval status
and workflow related information such as task ID, submitter name, execution time, object type and action in the email
notification.
Following is a sample email notification:
Notification:
=============
Message: Task 32 submitted by subm has been approved The following task has been approved:
Task details
Task ID: 32 Submitter: subm Approver: jdoe

Submit time: 2012-10-09 05:55:01 (UTC) Coordinated Universal Time Execution time: N/A
Object type: NS Record Action: Add
Affected object: corp1.com Ticket number: MKTG245
Submitter comment: Create an NS record. Approver comment: Approved.
Click here to go to the task management tab - https://192.168.1.2/ui/?contextId=taskmanager
 Note
When you can click the hyperlink displayed in the notification, you can log in to Grid Manager and access
the Task Manager tab in a separate browser tab or window.
Unsupported Operations for Submitters

When admins are part of a submitter group in an approval workflow, there are certain operations they cannot perform
even though they may have the permissions to do so. Following is the list of operations that submitters cannot perform:
• Reclaim IPv4 or IPv6 addresses
• Expand networks
• Resize networks
• Split networks

Rev. D
• Sign (DNSSEC) zones
• Unsign DNSSEC signed zones
• Import DS to DNSSEC signed zones
• Perform KSK rollovers on a DNSSEC signed zones
• Copy records from one DNS zone to another
• Clear all discovered data
• Clear discovered timestamps
• Clear unmanaged addresses
• Resolve discovery conflicts
• Update extensible attributes on multiple objects at a the same time
• Delete or modify several objects at a time (using the "Select all objects in this dataset" option from Grid Manager)
• Order DHCP Ranges inside a network (feature is available only when used with Sophos)
• Configure member DHCP Captive Portal through the wizard
• Restore objects from the Recycle Bin
• Delete non-native NIOS DNS resource records. These objects can only be synchronized from a Microsoft DNS
server
• Copy rules from one Response Policy Zone to another
• Order Response Policy Zones
Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import

Use CSV Import to import DNS, DHCP, IPAM data, and subscriber site data through Grid Manager. You can use this
feature to migrate or add new data, overwrite existing data, merge new data with existing data, delete existing data, or
replace certain existing data in the database.
To import new data, you must first prepare a data file (include all required fields and follow the proper syntax), and then
start an import through Grid Manager. You can also export existing data to a data file, modify the data, and then import
the modified data to the database. You can either overwrite existing data with the modified data or merge new data with
the existing data. You can also delete data that is no longer required or replace certain existing data with new data in the
file. Note that the replace option is valid for authoritative zone data only whereas other options are valid for all supported
objects including zones. The replace operation creates a snapshot or a backup of the existing data in the database
before replacing the database with the data in the imported CSV file.
The appliance supports CSV import for most record types. You can use IDNs and punycode for the domain name field for
most of the DNS object types. For information about IDNs and punycode, see Support for Internationalized Domain
Names. Only superusers can import A and AAAA records with a blank name. Limited-access users must have read/write
permission to Adding a blank A/AAAA record in order to import A and AAAA records with a blank name, otherwise the
CSV import operation might fail. You can assign global permission for specific admin groups and roles to allow to import
A and AAAA records with a blank name. For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Adding Blank A or
AAAA Records. For each supported record type, you must include all required fields in the header row of the dataset that
you want to import. For a list of supported record types and specific guidelines for creating a data file, refer to the Infoblox
CSV Import Reference.
To import a data file:
1. Create a data file if you do not already have one. Follow the guidelines for the supported objects to ensure that
you include all the required fields in the file. For more information, refer to Infoblox CSV Import Reference. You
can also export existing data and then update the file for re-import. For information, see Importing and Exporting
Data using CSV Import#Exporting Data to Files.
2. Configure import options. For information, see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import#Configuring
Import Options.
3. Start a CSV import. For information, see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import#Configuring Import
Options.
 Warning
CSV imports and operations that involve massive data such as deleting large zones and recursive deletion of
networks and all child objects, will significantly affect member performance, resulting in service outage.

Rev. D
When you submit multiple CSV imports, the appliance puts the import jobs in queue and executes them one at a time in
the order they are submitted. When a job is being executed, it is in the Import in progress state. When a job is in queue
for execution, it is in the Import pending state. You can import multiple CSV files at a time, but at any given time you can
execute only one single task. Note that only one task at a time will be in the Import in progress state, while the others are
in the Import pending state. You can view the status of each import job through CSV Job Manager. Superusers can view
all import jobs while limited-access users can view only the jobs they submitted.
To access CSV Job Manager, from the Data Management tab, click CSV Job Manager from the Toolbar and select Jobs
Manager, or from the Tasks Dashboard, click CSV Import in the IPAM Task Pack. Superusers and limited-access users
that have applicable configurations and permissions can perform CSV imports and exports. For information about user
permissions for CSV imports and exports, see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import#CSV Import User
Permissions.
You can do the following in CSV Import:
• Add, overwrite, append, replace or delete data through the imported CSV file, as described in Importing and
Exporting Data using CSV Import#Configuring Import Options.
• Verify the content in the CSV file, as described in Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import#Configuring
Import Options.
• View a list of CSV import jobs, as described in Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import#Creating a Data
File for Import.
• Add and start CSV import jobs, upload data files, stop CSV imports, or edit the options of the uploaded file, as
described in Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import#Modifying CSV Import Jobs.
• Delete uploaded jobs, as described in Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import#Deleting Uploaded Jobs.
• Download the following: imported files, import errors, import results, or snapshots, as described in Importing and
Exporting Data using CSV Import#Downloading Files.
• Select a pending or saved job, and then click the Cancel icon to cancel the job.
• Click the Refresh icon to refresh the CSV Job Manager.
 Notes
• The list of CSV import jobs is not restored when you restore a backup file or when you promote a
master candidate.
• Superusers can view any jobs in the CSV Job Manager, and limited-access users can only view jobs
they submitted.
• A non-superuser can import or export CSV files for subscriber records.
CSV Import User Permissions

Superusers can perform any CSV import tasks. You must assign limited-access users the correct configurations and
permissions so they can perform CSV imports and exports. For information about how to configure the CSV Import task
for limited-access users, see Configuring Dashboard Templates. Limited-access users can import data to which they
have proper permissions. For information about admin permissions, see About Administrative Permissions.
Changes you make to user permissions can affect CSV import and export behaviors. The following table lists actions
performed on user permissions and the corresponding effects on CSV imports and exports:
Actions taken on user permissions CSV import and export behaviors associated with the affected user account
Delete a user account • CSV import jobs remain in the system and are accessible
by superusers only.
• All pending import jobs cannot be executed due to
authentication failures.
• If the action is taken during an import job that is in progress,
the rest of the import will fail.
• All stopped and successful jobs are available to superusers
only.

Rev. D
Actions taken on user permissions CSV import and export behaviors associated with the affected user account
Modify a user account • If the action is taken during an Import in progress import
job, the rest of the import will fail.
Remove user permissions in a user account • Pending import jobs may be completed with errors.
CSV Import Limitations

Ensure that you understand the following limitations before you start an import:
• You can import multiple CSV files at a time, but at any given time you can execute only one single task. The
import tasks are queued. Note that only one task at a time will be in the Import in progress state, while the others
are in the Import pending state.
• Do not use UTF-8 characters in the CSV file name.
• When you perform a CSV import that includes objects that have scheduled changes or updates associated with
them, the import fails. Only superusers can cancel the scheduled changes.
• When you stop an import, the appliance completes the import of the data row it is currently processing before it
stops the import. You cannot resume the import from where it stopped.
• You cannot roll back to previous data.
• The following data cannot be imported: Microsoft management, DNSSEC, and GSS-TSIG data.
• CSV import does not support DNSSEC zones, though resource records added for a signed zone are supported.
• Only editable data can be imported. Discovered data cannot be imported or manipulated.
• When you promote a new Grid Master during an import, the import stops; and it does not restart on the new Grid
Master. When a failover occurs during an import, the import stops on the old active node, and it does not restart
on the new active node.
• It may take longer than expected to import a large number of DHCP ranges that are associated with a single MAC
address filter.
• When a CSV import starts, the appliance validates the first 100,000 rows of data in the CSV file. If the file
contains more than 100,000 rows of data, the appliance validates the rest of the data as the import progresses.
• The appliance supports up to one million rows of data in each CSV import.
• You cannot import network containers.
• To successfully import RIR (Regional Internet Registries) organizations, you must also specify the maintainer
password. Note that the password field is not exported during a CSV export. For information about RIR updates,
see RIR Registration Updates.
• You can use the Replace operation to replace the current data in the database with the data in the imported CSV
file. Note that the replace option is valid for authoritative zone data only whereas the other options are valid for all
supported objects including zones. For more information, see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV
Import#Configuring Import Options.
• The Replace operation is available only for authoritative zones. This operation does not support DNS records that
are automatically generated or exported, but it supports NS records that are created manually.
• Use the delete function to delete import jobs that are uploaded. You can delete the content of a CSV file that you
have imported to the database. Note that you cannot delete jobs that are already imported.
• When you import CSV files for NS record updates, you must specify a value for zone_nameservers. NIOS
displays an error message if you do not specify a value for this field when you import the CSV file.
• When you perform a CSV export of automatically created NS records using Infoblox API, the zone_nameservers
field will have an empty value. Therefore, if you import the previously exported CSV file that includes
automatically created NS records through the Infoblox GUI, then the CSV import fails, and Grid Manager displays
an error message.
• If you upload a file and preview the file using the Preview option, and later update the content of the same CSV
file, and then try to view the edited file using the same Preview wizard, you may not be able to see the changes.
Infoblox recommends that you start a fresh CSV import to upload the edited file and navigate to the Preview
wizard to preview the file.
• You cannot perform the CSV import operation on a Microsoft Server zone object, but NIOS allows you to perform
the CSV import operation on records within a Microsoft Server zone. You may not see an error message when
you perform a CSV import using the replace operation on a Microsoft Server zone.

Rev. D
• You cannot perform merge, custom, and replace operations for subscriber records.
• A non-superuser can import or export CSV files for subscriber records.
Configuring Import Options

You can import CSV files and perform various operations to update the data in the database. You can choose from
several import options: add, override, merge, delete, and replace. You can add new rows from the imported file to the
database, overwrite existing rows in the database, append rows to the existing rows in the database, delete existing rows
in the database, or replace the existing rows in the database. You can verify whether the data in the imported file is
appropriate using the Test option before you import the file to the database. You can also view the results and progress
details of the operation.
To import a CSV file, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, click CSV Job Manager from the Toolbar.
2. In the CSV Job Manager wizard, select CSV Import and click the New CSV import job icon.
3. In the New CSV Import Wizard, complete the following:
• Type of Import
For all supported objects (including zones)
• Add: Select this to add new rows from the imported CSV file to the database. NIOS updates the
database with the new data that you have added to the imported CSV file and retains the rows
that do not have any changes.
• Override: Select this to overwrite the existing data in the database with the data from the uploaded
file. You cannot add new rows or delete existing rows. If you want to overwrite values in the
required fields, you must include the required fields and the corresponding _NEW_XXXX fields in
the data file.
• Merge: Select this to add values from the imported CSV file to the existing columns in the
database that do not have any data. It does not overwrite the existing data, even if the data file
contains new values for certain fields. If you want to overwrite values in the required fields, you
must include the required fields and the corresponding _NEW_XXXX fields in the data file.
• Delete: Select this to delete the rows in the imported CSV file from the database.
• Custom: Select this to apply custom import actions for individual data rows in your CSV file. When
preparing the CSV file for import with the Custom option, add an IMPORT-ACTION column to the
file and specify a custom import action for each data row. Use the following abbreviations for
import actions: 'I' (INSERT), 'M' (MERGE), 'O' (OVERRIDE), 'IM' (INSERT+MERGE),
'IO' (INSERT+OVERRIDE), 'D' (DELETE).
• For zones only
• Replace: Select this to replace the contents of the database with data provided in the CSV file.
NIOS cancels the replace operation and will not save the changes if it encounters an error. You
can replace the DNS records of a zone by importing a zone file that was exported previously. You
can only replace DNS records that are manually created. NIOS generates a results file listing the
file name, action performed, date and time, and result at the end of the validation. You can view
the results file only after the replace operation is complete. NIOS generates the backup file
automatically for every replace operation and saves it in the Infoblox Grid. Note that the CSV file
must contain data for one authoritative zone only, that is, you cannot insert records from different
authoritative zones into a single CSV file for replace operation.
 Note
The replace operation might affect system performance if you try to replace a zone with
a lot of changes. Infoblox recommends that you perform the replace operation for large
import files (more than 10,000 rows of changes) during non-peak hours. This operation
ignores _new_XXX fields in the imported CSV files.
4. Click Next to import the CSV file.

• Import Type: Displays the type of import option you have selected.
• Click Choose and select the CSV file that you want to import, and then click Open.
• On Error: Select one of the following to tell the appliance what to do when it encounters an error during an
import:

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• Stop import: Select this to stop the data import once it encounters an error in the uploaded file.
Grid Manager displays the row number at which it stops the import when it encounters an error.
NIOS saves the changes made to the CSV file before an error occurs. For example, if there are
100 rows of data and you select this option, and there is an error in row 90, the appliance displays
90 of 100 completed, 1 error.
• Skip to the next row and continue: Select this to skip over errors and continue the data import. You
can download an error report to identify the erroneous data. NIOS displays the total number of
rows it has processed by skipping over. For example, if there are 100 rows of data and you select
this option, the appliance displays 100 of 100 completed, 1 error.
5. Click Next to preview your CSV file. In the File Preview table, Grid Manager displays the header row, the first six
rows, and up to 15 columns of the imported data. You cannot edit the data here. Field names with asterisks
indicate required fields. Note that you must define these fields in the imported file. If any of the required fields
are missing, the appliance generates an error during the import operation. You can do the following in this wizard:
• Import type: The type of import option you have selected.
• Filename: The name of the CSV file you have selected.
• Separator: Select a separator for your CSV file from the drop-down list. The default value is Comma.
• OnError: The option you have selected.
6. Click Test to verify the content in your CSV file. Click Yes in the Test CSV Import for Replace Operation dialog
box to verify the content or click No to cancel the operation.
NIOS automatically analyzes the data in the imported file for any syntax errors or other violations. You can also
view a detailed report of the file that you are importing. Note that you can run the test as a background task. This
report also displays information about the number of deleted, updated and added files. It also displays error
messages, if any. NIOS generates a results file listing the file name, action performed, date and time, result, and
the number of failures at the end of the validation. You can view the results file only after the replace operation is
complete.
 Note
The Test button is enabled only when you select the Replace operation and is disabled for other import
options.
7. Click Import to import the CSV file to the database. Click Yes in the dialog box to import the CSV file or No to
cancel the operation.
8. You can view the progress and results of your import operation in the CSV Import Progress wizard. This wizard
displays the following information:
• Import type: The type of import option you have selected.
• Filename: The name of the CSV file you have selected.
• Separator: The separator you have selected for your CSV file. The default value is Comma.
• On Error: The option you have selected when the import operation encounters an error.
• Current status: If an import is in progress, this field displays its current status. Otherwise, it displays the
date and time of the last import.
• Last action: Displays the last operation and the admin who initiated it.
• Rows Completed: The number of rows of data the import has processed. Depending on the import
options, Grid Manager displays either the row number at which it stops an import when it encounters an
error or the total number of rows it has processed by skipping over the erroneous data. For example, if
there are 100 rows of data and you select "On error: Stop importing," and there is an error in row 90, Grid
Manager displays 90 of 100 here. If you select "On error: Skip to the next row and continue," Grid
Manager displays 100 of 100 here and displays 1 in Rows with Errors.
• Rows with Errors: The number of rows of data the import has detected errors. Click Download Errors to
download the CSV file that contains the fields and the rows of erroneous data. You can use this report as
a reference to update the data file before you import the file again.
9. You can also perform the following actions if needed:

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• To cancel the import operation, click Stop Import before the operation is complete.
• To close the wizard and execute the operation in the background, click Close & Run in Background.
• When the operation is complete, you can click Download errors to download and view the errors.
The Download errors button is enabled only if the operation encounters errors.
• Click Save & Close to save the operation and close the wizard.
 Note
Superusers can view all CSV import jobs and limited-access users can view only the jobs they submitted.
Viewing CSV Import Jobs

You can view the status of import jobs. To view the status:
2. In the CSV Job Manager wizard, click CSV Import. Grid Manager displays the following information about the
import jobs that were submitted in the past 30 days:
• User Name: The admin user who submitted the CSV import. Only superusers can view this column.
• Status: The current status of the import job. The status can be one of the following:
• Import successful: The import is completed without errors. Check the Message field for information
about the import.
• Import unsuccessful: The import is completed, but with errors. Check the Message field for
information about the error message.
• Import pending: The job is in queue for execution.
• Import inprogress: The job is being executed.
• Import stopped: The job has been stopped. You can select the job and restart the import.
• Test successful: Test is completed without errors. Check the Message field for information about
the test.
• Test unsuccessful: Test is completed, but with errors. Check the Message field for information
about the error message.
• Test pending: Test is in queue for execution.
• Test inprogress: Test is in progress.
• Test stopped: Test has been stopped. You can select the job and restart the import.
• Saved file: The data file has been uploaded, but the import has not started.
 Note
After a product restart, which can be caused by a failover, all Import in progress jobs go
into Import stopped state; all Import pending jobs continue to be queued for execution.

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• Submitted: The timestamp when the job was submitted.
• Completed: The timestamp when the job was completed. This field is blank if the job has not been
completed yet.
• File Name: The CSV data file name.
• Message: This field displays the number of rows of data that have been processed and the
number of rows of data the import has detected errors. Depending on the import options, Grid
Manager displays the row number at which it stops the import when it encounters an error, or the
total number of rows it has processed by skipping over the erroneous data. For example, if there
are 100 rows of data and you select "On error: Stop importing," and there is an error in row 90, the
appliance displays 90 of 100 completed, 1 error. If you select "On error: Skip to the next row and
continue," the appliance displays 100 of 100 completed, 1 error.
• FileSize: The size of the imported CSV file.
 Note
Superusers can view all CSV import jobs and limited-access users can view only the jobs they
submitted.
Modifying CSV Import Jobs

You can modify the options of the CSV file that you have already uploaded, delete the jobs that are uploaded, or
download the uploaded file or error file. After you configure the import options, you can select a data file and start an
import operation or upload a data file. For more information about configuring import options, see Importing and
Exporting Data using CSV Import#Configuring Import Options.
To edit the options of a file, complete the following:
• From the Data Management tab, click CSV Job Manager from the Toolbar.
• In the CSV Job Manager wizard, select CSV Import and select the import job that you want to update, click the
Action icon and select Edit.
• In Edit-CSV Import Job, select a type of import and perform the operations mentioned in Importing and Exporting
Data using CSV Import#Configuring Import Options.
• Click Download to download the uploaded file, snapshot file, or the results file. For more information,
see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import#Downloading Files.
• Click Save & Close to save the changes.
Deleting Uploaded Jobs

You can delete import jobs that are uploaded. You cannot delete jobs that are already imported. You can delete the
content of a CSV file that you have imported to the database. Note that the CSV import files and the backed up files are
saved for a period of 30 days, but the size limit is set to 1 GB. If these files increase in size, NIOS removes the older files
from the Grid. NIOS generates a syslog message if it encounters an error when generating the backup file.
 Note
When you delete a parent object from the CSV file, the child objects associated with the parent objects are also
deleted.
To delete uploaded jobs, complete the following:

2. In the CSV Job Manager wizard, select CSV Import and select the import job that you want to delete, click the
Action icon and select Delete or click the Delete pending job icon.
3. Click Yes to delete the uploaded job or No to cancel the operation in the Cancel Import Job wizard.

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Downloading Files
You can download various types of files based on the import operation that you have selected. You can download the
following files: uploaded, error, results, and snapshot. Superusers can download the original imported file.
Downloading Uploaded or Error Files

You can download CSV files that are already uploaded or download error files to check the errors that the import
operation encountered. The download options are valid for all import operations, except replace.
To download the file, complete the following:
• From the Data Management tab, click CSV Job Manager from the Toolbar.
• In the CSV Job Manager wizard, select CSV Import and select the import job that you want to download, click the
Action icon and select Download.
• Uploaded File: Select this to download the uploaded CSV import file.
• Error File: Select this to download the error file. This option is enabled only if the import operation
encountered an error.
You can export these files to your local system.
Downloading Uploaded, Snapshot, or Results Files

You can view the uploaded, result, and snapshot files. The snapshot and results files are enabled only for replace
operation.
To download the file, complete the following:

2. In the CSV Job Manager wizard, select CSV Import and select the import job that you want to download, click the
Action icon and select Edit.
3. In Edit - CSV Import Job, click the arrow beside the Download option and select one of the following:
• Uploaded File: Select this to download the uploaded CSV import file. The uploaded report displays the
content of the imported file, before it was uploaded, that is before the content of the database is changed.
• Snapshot File: Select this to download the backup file. NIOS automatically creates a backup of the
database before replacing the content of the database with the content in the imported CSV file. This
option is enabled only for the replace operation. NIOS generates an error message and saves it in the
syslog and the infoblox.log file when the backup file is not generated. You can download the backup file
after the replace operation is complete. NIOS saves the backup file and other results file in the Grid for a
period of 30 days. The name of the backup file has the following format:
csv-snapshot-10-\[view\]-\[zone\]-\[timestamp\].csv where 10 is the import ID of the
CSV import task, view is the DNS view name, zone is the FQDN of the zone being
replaced and timestamp is the timestamp at when the file is generated.
• Results File: Select this to download the results file. The file displays the content of the database after the
content of the file replaced the content of the database. You can view the results file only after the replace
operation is complete.
You can export these files to your local system.
Creating a Data File for Import

If you are migrating new data into the database, you must prepare the data file using the correct format and syntax
before you can import it successfully. You must include all the required fields and understand the dependencies among
some of the fields. For detailed information about the guidelines, supported record types, and interdependencies among
fields, refer to the Infoblox CSV Import Reference.

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Exporting Data to Files
You can export existing data to a CSV file. The appliance marks all required fields with an asterisk in the exported file.
It also adds a _new_XXXX field to each required field so you can use this field to update data. You cannot stop an export
once you start it.
To export all data to a CSV file:
1. From Grid Manager, navigate to the panel that contains the data you want to export. For example, if you want to
export data for all DNS zones, select the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones tab.
2. In the panel, select Export data in Infoblox CSV Import format from the Export drop-down menu.
3. In the Export dialog box, complete the following:
a. Separator: Select the separator used in the data file. The default is Comma.
b. Click Export.
The appliance exports all the fields of the records that are displayed in this panel based on your filter criteria. You can
either open the data file or save it to your computer. The appliance uses a default file name depending on the panel from
which you perform the export. For example, when you export the data from the IPAM tab, the default file name is
Allnetworks.csv. When you export data from the DNS tab, the default file name is Allzones.csv. The file contains a
header row that includes all the fields of the corresponding record type. You can update this data file, and then
re-import the data into the database.
You can also export the displayed fields in a panel. For information, see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV
Import#Exporting Displayed Data.
Exporting New CSV Jobs

You can use the Global CSV Export Wizard to export multiple objects at once. You can export multiple object data types
to a single CSV file through Grid Manager. Objects that have the least or no dependencies on other objects are placed at
the top of the list and the most dependent objects are displayed at the bottom of the list. The export command will not re-
execute after a Grid Manager HA failover.
For standalone appliances, the Grid Manager sends a single CSV export request that contains both Grid and member
CSV headers to export Grid and member properties. Similarly, Grid Manager combines GridDns and MemberDns
headers to export DNS properties and GridDhcp and MemberDhcp headers to export DHCP properties.
You cannot export the default DNS view if you have not created a custom DNS view. To export the default DNS view, you
must either create custom DNS views or use the CSV Global Export option.
Note that when you use the Global CSV Export option to export either all objects, all DNS objects, or all PTR records, the
appliance also exports the PTR system generated records from the auto-created zone "0.0.127.in-addr.arpa". When you
use the same file for import operation, the CSV import operation might fail due to the presence of these system
generated records. Infoblox recommends that you select the Skip to next row and continue option while performing the
CSV import operation. When you select this option, CSV import skips these rows with appropriate error messages and
then processes other rows in the CSV file.
To export DNS and DHCP data:
2. In the CSV Job Manager wizard, click CSV Export. Click the New CSV Export job icon and specify the following in
the Global CSV Export Wizard:
• Separator: Select a separator from the drop-down list: Comma, Semicolon, Space, and Tab.
• All Objects: The checkbox is selected by default. When you select this checkbox, all DHCP, global, and
DNS objects are selected by default.
• All DHCP Objects: Select this checkbox to select all DHCP objects that are listed. To select
specific DHCP objects, clear this checkbox and select respective checkboxes next to the DHCP
object names.
• Global Objects: Select this checkbox to select all global objects that are listed. To select specific
global objects, clear this checkbox and select respective checkboxes next to the global object
names.

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• All DNS Objects: Select this checkbox to select all DNS objects that are listed. To select specific
DNS objects, clear this checkbox and select respective checkboxes next to the DNS object
names.
3. Click ExportD ata to start the export process. In the Start global CSV Export dialog box, click Yes to confirm or
click No to cancel the process.
4. Grid Manager displays the CSV export progress and results in the CSV Global Export progress dialog box. It
• Separator: The separator used in the CSV file.
• Approximate number of objects to be exported: Indicates the total number of objects to be exported.
• Number of objects exported: Indicates the total number of objects that are exported.
• Current status: Indicates the current status of the export process.
5. Click Close to exit.
Managing CSV Export Jobs

You can view the list of CSV export operations using the CSV Job Manager.
1. From the Data Management tab, click CSV Job Manager from the Toolbar. In the CSV Job Manager wizard, click
CSV Export.
2. Grid Manager displays the following information:
• User Name: The admin user who submitted the CSV export. Only superusers can view this column.
• Status: The current status of the export job. The CSV export process runs in an asynchronous mode
similar to the CSV import. The status can be one of the following:
• Export pending: The job is in queue for execution.
• Export running: The job is being executed.
• Export stopped: The job has been stopped. You can select the job and restart the export.
• Export completed: The export is completed without errors. Check the Message field for information
about the export.
• Export failed: The export is completed, but with errors. Check the Message field for information
• Completed: The timestamp when the job was completed. This field is blank if the job has not been
completed yet.
• Failed Description: The appliance displays the error message in the Failed Description column if the CSV
export fails. You cannot start a failed CSV export task.
• File Size: The size of the generated CSV file.
Completed CSV export jobs are deleted 30 days from the date of submission. You can also perform the following
operations:
• Select a completed CSV export task and download the exported file.
• Cancel or stop a pending CSV export task using the Delete option.
• Purge all export tasks after an upgrade or restore.
• Start a new global CSV export job.
Modifying CSV Export Jobs

You can cancel an export job that is in progress or download an exported job. You can also schedule new export jobs.
The appliance deletes the CSV jobs that are completed after 30 days from the date of submission.
To update an exported job or delete one:
2. In the CSV Job Manager wizard, click CSV Export.
3. Select the export job that you want to update, click the Action icon. Click Cancel to cancel the export job that is in
progress. You can also click the Cancel job icon to delete the file. Click Download file to download the exported
file. For more information, see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import#Downloading Files.
4. Click the New CSV Export job icon to export a new job. For more information, see Exporting New CSV Jobs.
5. Click Close to exit.

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Exporting Displayed Data
You can export visible information, such as global search results and the syslog file, in CSV format from panels and
pages that support the Export function, and then easily convert the file to PDF and other file formats. You can also export
all data in a specific panel. For information, see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import#Exporting Data to Files.
To export displayed data:
1. From Grid Manager, navigate to the panel that contains the data you want to export. For example, if you want to
export data for DNS zones, select the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones tab.
2. In the panel, select Export visible data from the Export drop-down menu.
3. In the Export dialog box, click Start. Grid Manager displays a message about the time required to export data
could be long depending on the amount of data.
4. Click Download when the export is finished.
5. Depending on your browser and operating system, you may need to do one of the following in the Opening .csv
dialog box:
• Open with: Select a program with which you want to open the .csv file.
• Save to Disk: Select this if you want to save the .csv file to your local computer.
• Do this automatically for files like this from now on: Select this checkbox if you want Grid Manager to use the
same method for future exports. When you select this checkbox, Grid Manager does not display the Opening .csv
dialog box in the future.
• Click OK.
Depending on the selected option, Grid Manager opens the file using the program you select, or saves the file to your
local computer.
Related topic
CSV Import Reference
Scheduling New IPAM/DHCP Objects and Associated Port

Configurations
Specific IPAM/DHCP object types support scheduling of Port Configuration tasks as part of their object definition:
• New IPv4 and IPv6 Networks;
• IPv4 Reservations;
• Fixed IPv4 Addresses;
• Fixed IPv6 Addresses;
• Hosts;
• Infoblox Grid Members (including HA Pairs; discussed in the sections beginning in Adding Grid Members).
For all of these object types, you can click a Schedule for Later button at any step in the Wizard to commit the currently
defined settings for the new object to a new Grid Manager task. For example, consider creating a new IPv4 network.
After defining the IP address for the new network, you simply wish to create it and not to define any further
configurations. Click Schedule for Later to skip the intervening Wizard steps and display the final Scheduling page of the
Wizard, an example of which appears in the following Create Network Schedule for Later page figure.
Create Network Schedule for Later page

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1. To create the new object immediately, select Now and click Save & Close.
2. You can choose to have Grid Manager create the object at a later time. To do so, select Later. Choose a Selected
time by entering or selecting a Start Date (click the calendar icon to choose a calendar date) and a Start Time
(click the clock icon to choose a specific time in fifteen minute increments), and choose a Time Zone.
When you step through the entire Wizard process (without clicking Schedule for Later) and if you also define port
configuration settings, the object creation wizards provide a final Scheduling page with separate scheduling definitions,
for the object and for the object's port configuration, as shown in the following figure.
Scheduling Create Object and Port Configuration

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The final step for creating the Network, Fixed Address, Host, or IP reservation is to define when the task executes,
including associated port control definitions. The port configuration is performed in a separate task, defined on the same
wizard page. The port configuration task can be done at the same time that Grid Manager provisions the object, or may
be scheduled for a later time.
1. To create the new object immediately, select Now.
By selecting Now, no task is created by Grid Manager and it simply creates the object. The completed object
creation appears in the audit log. For more information, see Viewing Tasks. Grid Manager creates a task for object
creation only when you use Schedule for Later. Also, all port configuration and network provisioning instances
create a new task under the Task Manager.
2. You can instruct Grid Manager to create the network at a later time. To do so, select Later. Choose a Selected
time by entering or selecting a Start Date (click the calendar icon to choose a calendar date) and a Start Time (click
the clock icon to choose a specific time in fifteen minute increments), and choose a Time Zone.
3. Port configuration and network provisioning tasks can be synchronized to take place at the same time as the
creation of the new object under IPAM/DHCP; if so, keep the At same time as above option.Scheduling Recursive
Deletions
a. You can also schedule the task at a different time. To do so, select Later (under Port Configuration).
Choose a Selected time by entering or selecting a Start Date (click the calendar icon to choose a calendar
date) and a Start Time (click the clock icon to choose a specific time in fifteen minute increments), and
choose a Time Zone.
The Port Configuration provision cannot take place at a schedule time or date before the associated object
creation.
Object creation must successfully complete before its associated port configuration task begins.

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4. Click Save & Close to complete the configuration.
 Note
Port configuration tasks (or any operation that queries for or changes device configurations through Grid
Manager, including Discovery) are subject to a feature called Blackout Periods, which are defined elsewhere in
Grid Manager. Blackouts are a scheduled feature that instructs Grid Manager not to perform Discovery
operations and Port Control/provisioning operations on the managed network at specified times, days and
dates. See the section Defining Blackout Periods for details.
Scheduling Creation of new IPv4/IPv6 Networks and Associated Device

Provisioning
Defining new IP networks in Grid Manager supports scheduled Network Provisioning tasks on discovered and managed
infrastructure devices as part of their object definition:
• Provisioning IPv4 networks
• Provisioning IPv6 networks
These networks are managed on the IPAM and DHCP pages (unless the network is excluded from DHCP), with the
difference that Network Insight provisions the network directly on the specified router or switch-router. You may define
new networks under IPAM and under DHCP as one scheduled task, and may provision those networks on devices that
are discovered and managed under Network Insight, as another scheduled task.
Both tasks may be separately scheduled. They can take place immediately: the network is created first, then the network
is provisioned on the device, along with the necessary device configuration, which Grid Manager also handles using the
required CLI credentials; or either or both tasks may be scheduled for a later time.
The scheduled IPv4 or IPv6 network must be created under IPAM or DHCP in Grid Manager before scheduled device
configuration or provisioning of networks on those devices can take place.
When you define a new network under IPAM or DHCP, you can click Schedule for Later in any Wizard page to skip
further configuration in the Wizard and commit the network settings to Grid Manager. If you do not want to provision the
network, clicking Schedule for Later will display a shorter scheduling page:
Create Network Schedule page (After clicking Schedule for Later)

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In cases of this type, you schedule or execute only a single task: creating the new network under DHCP/IPAM. No
network provisioning task takes place.
When you provision the network without clicking Schedule for Later, the wizard provides a final Scheduling page with an
expanded set of two task schedules as shown in the below figure:
Scheduling Add Network and Network Provisioning Tasks

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1. To immediately create the new network, you can select Now.
2. You can choose to have Grid Manager create the network at a later time. To do so, select Later. Choose a
Selected time by entering or selecting a Start Date (click the calendar icon to choose a calendar date) and a
Start Time (click the clock icon to choose a specific time in fifteen minute increments), and choose a Time Zone.
3. The Network Provisioning task can be synchronized to take place at the same time as the creation of the new
network under IPAM/DHCP; if so, keep the At same time as above option.
4. You can also provision the network onto the device at a differently scheduled time. To do so, select Later (under
Network Provisioning). Choose a Selected time by entering or selecting a Start Date (click the calendar icon to
choose a calendar date) and a Start Time (click the clock icon to choose a specific time in fifteen minute
increments), and choose a Time Zone.
 Note
Network provisioning tasks (or any operation that queries for or changes device configurations through Grid
Manager, including Discovery) are subject to a feature called Blackout periods, which are defined elsewhere in
Grid Manager. Blackouts are a scheduled feature that instructs Grid Manager not to perform Discovery
operations and Port Control/provisioning operations on the managed network at specified times, days and
dates. See the section Defining Blackout Periods for details.
Scheduling Additions and Modifications

You can schedule the addition and modification of an object. For example, you can schedule the addition of a DNS
forward zone or the modification of a fixed address. After you schedule a task, administrators cannot modify the object
associated with the scheduled task until after the appliance executes the task. However, the object can still be updated
with DHCP leases and other system services.
To schedule an addition or a modification:
1. Add or modify a record following the instructions described in this guide.
2. Click the Schedule icon at the top of the corresponding wizard or editor.

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3. In the Schedule Change panel, complete the following:
• Now: Select this to have the appliance perform the task when you save the entry. This is selected by
default when there is no scheduled task associated with the object.
• Later: Select this to schedule the task for a later date and time. Complete the following:
• Date: Enter a date in YYYY-MM-DD (year-month-day) format. The appliance displays today's date.
You can also click the calendar icon to select a date from the calendar widget.
• Time: Enter a time in hh:mm:ss AM/PM (hours:minutes:seconds AM or PM) format. You can also
select a time from the drop-down list by clicking the time icon.
• Time Zone: Select a time zone for the scheduled date and time from the drop-down list. This field
displays the time zone of the browser that the admin uses to log in to Grid Manager.
Scheduling Appliance Operations

The appliance supports the scheduling of the following operations:
• IP discoveries—For information, see IP Discovery and vDiscovery.
• Service restarts—For information, see Restarting Services.
Scheduling Deletions
You can schedule the deletion of an object or an operation for a later date and time. However, you cannot schedule the
deletion of a previously scheduled task.
To schedule a deletion:
1. Navigate to the object.
2. Select Schedule Deletion from the Delete drop-down menu.
3. In the Schedule Deletion dialog box, complete the following:
• Delete Now: Select this to delete the object upon clicking Delete Now.
• Delete Later: Select this to schedule the deletion at a later date and time. Complete the following:
• Date: Enter the date in YYYY-MM-DD (year-month-day) format. The appliance displays today's
date. You can also click the calendar icon to select a date from the calendar widget.
• Time: Enter the time in hh:mm:ss AM/PM (hours:minutes:seconds AM or PM) format. You can also
4. Click Schedule Deletion.
The appliance performs the deletion at the scheduled date and time.
Scheduling Recursive Deletions of Network Containers and Zones

Superusers can determine which group of users are allowed to schedule the deletion of a network container and its child
objects as well as a zone and its child objects. For information about how to configure the recursive deletion of network
containers and zones, see Configuring Recursive Deletions of Networks and Zones.
To schedule the recursive deletion of network containers and zones:
1. Navigate to the object.
2. Select Schedule Deletion from the Delete drop-down menu.

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displays the time zone of the browser that the admin uses to log in to Grid Manager. Select one of
the following:
• Delete only the parent container: Select this to delete only the parent objects and re-parent
the child objects.
• Delete the parent container and its children: Select this to delete the parent objects and all
its child objects.
The appliance performs the deletion at the scheduled date and time.
Viewing Scheduled Tasks

After you schedule a task, you can view the pending task in the Administration tab -> Workflow tab -> Task Manager tab.
For more information, see Viewing Tasks. Superusers can view all scheduled tasks, and
limited-access admins can view their own scheduled tasks.
In certain panels such as the Network list panel and Smart Folders, Grid Manager displays a calendar icon next to
objects that are associated with scheduled tasks, except for the addition of an object. You can click the icon to view the
configuration and schedule. You can also reschedule the task if you are the owner of the task, a superuser, or an
approver of the task (after you have approved it). In the corresponding editor, the Schedule icon is green when there is a
pending scheduled task. For information, see Icons for Scheduled Tasks.
Icons for Scheduled Tasks

Grid Manager displays a scheduled task icon next to an object that is associated with a scheduled task (except for the
addition of an object), as shown in the below Icon for a Scheduled Task figure. When you mouse over the icon, an
informational dialog box appears displaying the type of action, the date and time of the scheduled task, and the person
who scheduled the task.
You can click the icon and Grid Manager displays the corresponding editor (for modification) or the Scheduled Deletion
dialog box (for deletion) in the read-only mode. If you are viewing a task that you scheduled, you can modify and save
the schedule, but you cannot modify the configuration of the object. If you are not the owner of a scheduled modification
or a superuser, you can only view the information. You cannot reschedule the task. If you are not the owner of a
scheduled deletion or a superuser, Grid Manager does not display the Scheduled Deletion dialog box when you click the
icon.
Icon for a Scheduled Task
In the editor, Grid Manager displays the Schedule icon in green to indicate a pending scheduled task associated with the
corresponding object, as shown in the Scheduling Icon Indicating a Pending Task figure. You can click the Schedule icon
to view the date and time of the scheduled task. You can also reschedule the task if you have the applicable permissions.
For information, see Rescheduling Tasks.
Scheduling Icon Indicating a Pending Task

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Pending Tasks for Operations
You can view all pending tasks for a network discovery or service restart in Task Manager if you have the applicable
permissions. For information, see Viewing Tasks. You can also view the pending tasks in their corresponding dialogs.
To view the pending tasks in an editor:
1. Network Discovery: From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab, and then click Discovery from the
Toolbar.
Service Restarts for the Grid: From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM, DHCP or DNS tab, and then click
Restart Services from the Toolbar, or from the Grid tab, click Restart Services from the Toolbar.
Service Restarts for Grid members: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP or DNS tab -> Members tab,
select a member checkbox, and then click Restart Services from the Toolbar.
2. Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard, and then select Click here to view/manage the scheduled items.
Note that this link appears only when you have one or more scheduled tasks.
3. Grid Manager displays the following information in the Scheduled Tasks:
• Scheduled Time: The date, time, and time zone when the appliance executes the task.
• Submitted Time: The date, time, and time zone when the task was submitted.
• Submitter: The admin who scheduled the task.
• Task Details: The message that appears in the audit log.
By default, the appliance sorts the tasks by Scheduled Time starting with the earliest scheduled start time. You can
do the following in this viewer:
• Sort the tasks in ascending or descending order by column, except for Task Details.
• Reschedule a selected task. For information, see Rescheduling Tasks Associated with Operations.
• Delete a selected task by selecting the task checkbox and clicking the Delete icon.
• Export and print the information in the table.
Rescheduling Tasks
Superusers can reschedule any scheduled task. Limited-access admins can reschedule only the tasks that they
scheduled, depending on their permissions. Approvers can reschedule tasks that they have approved, if they have the
scheduling permission. You can reschedule a task from different panels of Grid Manager, depending on your
permissions. When you reschedule a task from the object list panel, Grid Manager displays the object or operation
configuration in a read-only mode. You can modify the date and time to reschedule the task. However, you cannot modify
the configuration of the object or operation. You can also reschedule your own task or a task you have approved from
Task Manager.
To reschedule tasks associated with objects, see Rescheduling Tasks Associated With Objects.
To reschedule tasks associated with operations, see Rescheduling Tasks Associated with Operations.

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Rescheduling Tasks Associated With Objects
You can reschedule a task associated with an object from the Scheduled Tasks viewer or in an editor if you have the
applicable permissions.
To reschedule a task from Task Manager:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Workflow tab -> Task Manager tab -> scheduled_task checkbox, and then
click the Reschedule icon.
2. In the Reschedule dialog box, modify the date and time when you want the appliance to execute the task. You
can select Now to execute the task when you save the entry.
To reschedule a task in an editor:
1. Navigate to the object with a scheduled task that you want to reschedule.
2. Click the scheduled task icon next to the object.
3. For modification: In the editor, click the Schedule icon at the top of the editor. In the Schedule Change panel,
modify the date, time, and time zone. You can also select Now to execute the task upon saving the entry.
For deletion: In the ScheduleDeletion dialog box, modify the date, time, and time zone. You can also select
Delete Now to delete the object upon clicking Delete Now. The appliance puts the deleted object in the Recycle
Bin, if enabled.
Rescheduling object change tasks and associated port control tasks is a special case allowing for rescheduling of both
tasks in the same editor:
Rescheduling an object change task and a port control task

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Rescheduling Tasks Associated with Operations
To reschedule a network discovery or a service restart:
click the Reschedule icon.
or
Navigate to the operation and click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard. In the Schedule Change panel,
select Click here to view/manage the scheduled items. Grid Manager displays all scheduled tasks related to the
operation in the Scheduled Tasks viewer. Select the task checkbox, and then click the Reschedule icon.
2. Grid Manager displays detailed information about the task in the Reschedule dialog box.
3. Modify the date and time when you want the appliance to execute the task. You can also select Now to execute
the task when you save the entry.

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Canceling Scheduled Tasks
To cancel a scheduled task:
click the Delete icon.
2. In the Confirm Delete Request dialog box, click Yes.
The appliance deletes the scheduled task and does not perform the scheduled operation. Therefore, no change is
made to any record after you delete a scheduled task.
Scheduling Tasks
When you perform a task, such as adding a DNS zone or modifying a DHCP range, you can execute it immediately or
schedule it for a future date and time, depending on your permissions. The scheduling feature is useful when you want to
add, modify, or delete a record, or schedule a network discovery at a desired date and time. Using this feature, you can
streamline your day-to-day operations. For example, you can schedule the deletion of records that you use for testing
when the test time is up. You can also reassign an IP address to a fixed address when the location of the server to which
the fixed address is assigned changes from one network to another.
Certain tasks, scheduled or not, may be subject to approvals if approval workflows are defined for specific admin groups.
For information about how to define submitters and approvers for an approval workflow, see Configuring Approval
Workflows.
Note that not all tasks can be scheduled or routed for approval. For a list of supported objects, see Supported Objects for
Scheduled and Approval Tasks.
When you schedule a task or submit it for approval, consider the following:
• The appliance cannot execute a scheduled or approval task that is associated with an extensible attribute, if you
delete the extensible attribute after you have scheduled the task or submitted it for approval. For information
about extensible attributes, see About Extensible Attributes.
• The appliance cannot execute, reschedule, or delete a task that is associated with a child object (such as a
DHCP range) if you delete the parent object (such as a network) after you have scheduled the task or submitted it
for approval.
• There are certain guidelines about scheduled and approval tasks when you upgrade the software, back up the
database, and restore data. For information, see Guidelines for Upgrading, Backing Up, and Restoring Data.
You can schedule the addition, modification, and deletion of certain objects. For a list of the supported objects, see
Supported Objects for Scheduled and Approval Tasks.
Depending on your permissions and the admin group to which you belong, your scheduled tasks may be subject to
approvals by other admins in your organization. You may or may not receive email notifications about the status of your
scheduled tasks depending on the configuration of the approval workflows. Approvers can reschedule your tasks after
they have approved the tasks, if they have scheduling permissions. When you schedule and submit a task, you may
need to enter a ticket number associated with the task or a comment about the task. For more information about approval
workflows, see Configuring Approval Workflows.
Only superusers can view, reschedule, and delete all scheduled tasks. Limited-access admins can reschedule and delete
only their scheduled tasks. If your scheduled tasks require approvals, the approvers who have scheduling permissions
may reschedule your tasks to a different date and time after they have approved the tasks. Depending on your admin
permissions, there are certain scheduled and approval tasks that you may or may not be able to perform. For more
information, see Supported Tasks for Different Admin Groups.
The appliance sends email notifications to local admins, except for those who do not have email addresses, when email
notification is enabled for the admins and any of the following happens:
• A superuser schedules a task, and another superuser reschedules or deletes the task.
• A limited-access admin schedules a task, and a superuser reschedules or deletes the task.
• A superuser or a limited-access admin schedules a task, and the task fails.
• An admin is configured to receive notifications based on the configuration of an approval workflow. For
information about approval workflows, see Configuring Approval Workflows.

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Superusers can also grant scheduling permissions to other admin groups. When the scheduling permission is added or
inherited from an admin role, limited-access admin groups can schedule tasks. For information, see Administrative
Permissions for Discovery.
Supported Objects for Scheduled and Approval Tasks

• DNS zones (authoritative, forward, stub, and delegated)
• DNS views
• DNS resource records (except SOA records)
• Import resource records to DNS zones
• Lock and unlock DNS zones
• Hosts
• Bulk hosts
• Roaming hosts
• Shared records
• Shared record groups
• IPv4 and IPv6 networks
• IPv4 and IPv6 network containers
• IPv4 and IPv6 shared networks
• IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP ranges
• IPv4 and IPv6 reserved ranges
• IPv4 and IPv6 fixed addresses
• IPv4 reservations
• DHCP fingerprints
• DHCP filters (MAC, option, NAC, relay agent, and DHCP Fingerprint)
 Note
Only IPv4 MAC filters support approval workflows.
• IPv4 MAC address filter items

• Conversion of IPv4 and IPv6 static and dynamic leases
• Microsoft objects that are supported by NIOS
• Load balancer related objects
• DNS64 Synthesis Groups
• All IPAM tasks except CSV imports
• Response Policy Zones
• Response Policy records
• VLANs
You can also schedule the following operations or create approval workflows for them:
• Network Discovery
• Device Discovery
• VM Discovery
• Port Control provisioning tasks for setting Admin Status, VLAN assignments, and a Description;
• Defining infrastructure device port reservations for the following IPAM/DHCP objects:
• IPv4 Reservations
• IPv4/IPv6 Fixed Addresses
• Hosts
• Grid Members
• IPv4 and IPv6 Networks
• Service restarts (for scheduled tasks only)
 Note
Service restarts are not subject to approvals.

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About Long Running Tasks
A long running task is a task that requires more than 30 seconds to complete and involves a large amount of data.
When Grid Manager performs a long running task, it displays the Long Running Task dialog box that indicates whether
you can run the task in the background. You can navigate to another tab or perform other functions only if the task can be
run in the background. For information, see Running Tasks in the Background.
Grid Manager disconnects if a task takes more than five hours to perform. Though you can log back in to Grid Manager
while the appliance continues to perform the task, Grid Manager does not display the progress of the task.
 Note
You cannot stop a long running task once you start it.
The appliance supports the following long running tasks:

• Restoring the database
• Backing up the database
• Backing up licenses
• Signing DNS zones
• Unsigning DNS zones
• Exporting DS records and trust anchors
• Deleting all objects in a table or dataset
• Modifying multiple extensible attributes
• Viewing DNS and DHCP configuration properties
• Migrating bloxTools data
• IPAM tasks on the Tasks Dashboard
• Downloading the following:
• Audit logs
• Syslog files
• Support bundles
• SNMP MIB files
• NTP keys
• HTTPS certificates
• Traffic capture
Running Tasks in the Background

Grid Manager allows certain long running tasks to run in the background. You can navigate to other tabs and perform
other functions when Grid Manager performs tasks in the background. However, when you make changes to objects that
are currently affected by a long running background task, Grid Manger does not save the changes until after the long
running task is completed. Grid Manager can perform up to 10 background tasks at a time.
You can run the following tasks in the background:
• Signing DNS zones
• Unsigning DNS zones
• Modifying multiple extensible attributes
• Deleting all objects in a table or dataset
• Migrating bloxTools data
To run a task in the background:
1. Perform the task following the instructions described in this guide.
2. In the Long Running Task dialog box, click Run in Background.
You can view the progress of the task by clicking the progress bar at the top of the interface. For information, see
Monitoring Long Running Tasks.

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Monitoring Long Running Tasks
When you have one or more tasks running in the background, Grid Manager displays a progress bar next to the Global
Search icon at the top of the interface. You can click the progress bar to view detailed information about the tasks in the
Background / Long Running Task viewer. In this viewer, Grid Manager displays a progress bar for each task that is
currently running in the background. When all background tasks are completed, the progress bar at the top of the
interface disappears. Grid Manager displays a message at the top of the interface when the task is completed
successfully or if the task fails.
For other tasks that you cannot run in the background, the Long Running Task dialog box remains open until the task is
completed. You cannot navigate to other tabs or perform other functions when the long running task is in progress. Grid
Manager closes the dialog box when the task is completed. It also displays a message at the top of the interface when
the task is completed successfully or if the task fails.
Viewing Tasks
The appliance displays scheduled tasks and approval tasks in the Task Manager tab of Grid Manager. Scheduled tasks
are those with scheduled time listed and approval tasks contain approval status. A task can also be scheduled and
queued for approval at the same time. By default, all completed and rejected tasks are displayed in Task Manager for up
to 14 days before they are removed from the list. You can configure how long the completed and rejected tasks are
displayed in Task Manager using the CLI command set delete_tasks_interval. For more information about the CLI
command, see Infoblox CLI Guide.
The appliance logs all tasks in the audit log and associates each with a task ID. By default, Grid Manager sorts tasks by
Task ID in Task Manager. You can view tasks that you are allowed to see based on your permissions. For information
about admin permissions, see About Administrative Permissions.
To view tasks:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Workflow tab -> Task Manager tab.
2. Grid Manager displays the following information for each task:
Field Name Description
Task ID The ID associated with the task. The appliance assigns an ID to a task in chronological order. By
default, the appliance sorts tasks by Task ID.
Type Indicates key information about certain types of executing/executed jobs. The Type column lists
values for Port Control and for Object Change tasks undertaken by Grid Manager or submitted
by Grid Manager for approval by the administrator.
Affected Object The name or value of the object that is associated with the task. For example, if the task involves
an A record, this field displays the domain name of the record. If it is a fixed address, it displays
the IP address of the fixed address.
Scheduled Time The date, time, and time zone when the appliance executes the task.
Submitted Time The date, time, and time zone when the task was submitted.
Submitter The username of the admin who scheduled or submitted the task.
Ticket Number For an approval workflow, this number may be entered by the submitter to associate the task
with a help desk ticket number or a reference number.
Submitter Comment Comments entered by the submitter.
Approval Status The current approval status. Possible values are Approved, Not Applicable, Pending, and
Rejected.
Execution Status The execution status of the task. Possible values are Completed, Failed, Pending, and
Executing.

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Field Name Description
Executed Time The date, time, and time zone the task was executed.
Associated Task (hidden by default) Applies to Port Configuration tasks. If a port configuration task is dependent
on an object change task (such as a new Fixed Address or an edit to an existing object), this
could will show the Task ID value for the associated object change task.
Action The operation the appliance performs in this task. The can be: Add, Modify, Delete, Network
Discovery, Lock/Unlock Zone, or Restart Services.
Task Details Detailed information about the task. This message also appears in the audit log.
Approver The username of the admin who has approved this task.
Approver Comment Comments entered by the approver.
Object Type The object type. For example, the appliance can display A Record or Fixed Address.
You can do the following in the Task Manager tab:

• Sort the tasks in ascending or descending order by column, except for TaskDetails.
• Use filters and the search function to look for specific values.
 Note
You cannot use the search function to search for approval or execution status. Use filters to search for these
values.
• Create a quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria. Grid Manager provides the following default quick filters
that you can select from the Quick Filter drop-down list: PendingApprovals, RejectedTasks, and ScheduledTasks.
For more information, see Using Quick Filters.
• Control the display of information in the panel by toggling between a single-line view and a multi-line view.
• Reschedule a task, cancel a scheduled task, or execute a task immediately.
• For approvers, select a task and click the Approve icon to approve the task, or click the Reject icon to disapprove
the task. You can also reschedule the task while approving it.
 Note
If you have multiple pages of tasks in Task Manager, you can select multiple tasks on the current page for
approval or disapproval. If you click the Select all objects in this dataset link to select all the tasks in the
dataset, the Approve and Reject icons are disabled and you cannot approve or reject any task.
Using the Task Manager Action Menu

The Task Manager page provides an Action icon column with a series of menu options for features related to grid
Manager tasks to manage task execution, scheduling and approval. Menu choices change based upon the context and
the current state of tasks in the table; features available in the Action menu include the following:

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Figure 1.6 Task Manager Action menu
Features in Action Menu Description
(AppliesonlywithNetworkInsight) Approve and Reject Enables admins to approve or reject a pending job; rejecting a job immediately
cancels it.
AssociatedTask (applies only with port configuration tasks) Choosing this option opens the object change task, if any, for the currently selected
port configuration task.
ExecutionLog Opens a completed task's execution log window. the Execution Log lists the
complete communications sequence sent to a device to perform a port control
task.
ExecuteNow Force a selected pending task to execute immediately.
Re-execute Allows you to re-run the selected task. Combined with the Execution Log, this
process can aid in troubleshooting a failed port control task.
Reschedule Opens the Reschedule window for the selected task. To immediately execute this
task, click Now. Or, in the Reschedule panel, click Later, and then specify a date,
time, and time zone. You can reschedule the task if you have the applicable
permissions. Click Save to commit the changes.
Delete Deletes the pending task.
View Opens the Task Viewer to the currently selected task. For related information,
see Using the Task Viewer to View Job Logs and Approve Jobs.
Smart Folders
Use smart folders to organize your core network services data. Depending on your administrative roles and business
needs, you can filter your data by object types, names, extensible attributes, and discovered data such as conflicts,
unmanaged data, or the virtual entity data, and then place the filtered results in a smart folder. You can also group the
filtered results by defining up to 10 extensible attributes as the Group By rules. For example, you can create a smart
folder that contains all the networks you manage in Belgium, and then group the networks by building number, as
illustrated in the figure below.
Once you set up a smart folder, the appliance displays up-to-date information based on your filter and grouping criteria
each time you access the folder. You can also view and modify object information in the folder. For information, see
Viewing and Modifying Data in Smart Folders. With smart folders, you can organize your data in a meaningful way and
quickly obtain the information you need to perform specific tasks without searching the entire database.
Before you set up your smart folders, decide how you want to organize your data. You can specify search and Group By
criteria to help you group information in a meaningful way. You can also decide whether you want to include objects that
do not contain attribute values when you use the Group By criteria to group filtered data by extensible attributes. For
information, see Creating Smart Folders. Note that a smart folder becomes invalid when you delete an extensible
attribute that the folder uses as a filter or Group By criterion. You must redefine the extensible attribute and reconfigure
the folder criteria to validate the smart folder.
In Grid Manager, you can create smart folders in both the Global Smart Folders and My Smart Folders panels. In Global
Smart Folders, you can create smart folders to which other administrators can create links. Only administrators with
superuser accounts can create, edit, and delete global smart folders. For information, see Global Smart Folders. You can

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create personal folders as well as links to global smart folders in My Smart Folders. For information, see My Smart
Folders and Predefined Smart Folders.
Each smart folder you create can contain up to 2,000 objects. When the number of objects exceeds 2,000, Grid Manager
sorts and displays the first 2,000 objects only. It also displays a warning message at the top of the panel. In this case,
you may want to redefine your filter criteria to further refine the filtered data in your smart folders.
To create smart folders, follow these procedures:

1. Determine how you want to organize your core network services data.
2. Identify the fields that you want to use to group networks or define extensible attributes for the data that you want
to track. For information about extensible attributes, see Managing Extensible Attributes.
 Note
Infoblox strongly recommends that you use Type as one of the filter criteria to improve system performance.
3. Create smart folders in either the My Smart Folders or Global Smart Folders panel. For information, see Creating
Smart Folders.
Global Smart Folders

You can create global smart folders to share among administrators. You must log in as a superuser account to create,
edit, and delete global smart folders. All other users have read-only access to global smart folders. You can create as
many folders as you need in Global Smart Folders, but Grid Manager displays a maximum of 500 smart folders in the list
panel. You can also save a local copy of an existing folder, depending on your administrative permissions. For
information, see Saving Smart Folders Data.
Grid Manager displays a list of global smart folders in the list panel.
When you log in as a superuser and mouse over a global smart folder, the following icons appear:
• Information: Displays information about the selected smart folder. Information includes comments and filter
criteria for the folder. It also displays the Group By rules.
• Edit: Click this icon to edit the definition and filter criteria for the smart folder.
• Create link: Click this icon to create a link to the smart folder. The link to this folder is placed in My Smart Folders.
• Delete: Click this icon to delete the smart folder. This operation does not affect the objects that are in the folder.
Only the smart folder is deleted.
Creating Smart Folders

You can create personal smart folders in My Smart Folders. You can also create global folders to share among
administrators in Global Smart Folders when you log in as a superuser account. Each time you access a smart folder,
you obtain up-to-date information about the core network services data that match the filter criteria you set for the folder.
You can also set Group By rules to group the filtered data by extensible attributes. Grid Manager displays a hierarchical
view of the data using the Group By rules you define.
To create a smart folder:
1. Click the Smart Folders tab.
2. Click the My Smart Folders tab to create a personal smart folder.
or
If you logged in with a superuser account, click the Global Smart Folders tab to create a global smart folder.
3. Click Create.
4. In the SmartFolder data panel, complete the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the smart folder.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the smart folder.

Rev. D
• In the first drop-down list, select a field as the filter. You can select a network view or a record type as the
filter. Grid Manager highlights extensible attributes and Active Directory Sites in gray. You can also group
the default data by adding a Group By rule without adding a filter.
 Note
Infoblox strongly recommends that you use Type as the first filter criterion to improve system
performance.
• In the second drop-down list, select an operator for the filter.

• Enter or select a value for the selected field and operator. Depending on the field and operator that you select,
the field can be a text or an integer field. It can also be a drop-down list or a calendar widget. For example, if you
select Network/Zone/Range/Member in the Type field, Grid Manager displays all the networks, zones, DHCP
ranges, and members in the results table. The results table may display the name in its native characters if the
name was originally entered as an IDN (Internationalized Domain Name). For example, the Name column in the
results table displays 网络 , a zone name in Chinese.
• Optionally, click + to add another filter. You can also click Apply to view the filtered data in the results table.
• Optionally, select the Group Results checkbox to organize the filtered data. You can also disable a Group By filter
by deselecting the checkbox.
• From the Group by drop-down list, select an extensible attribute or an Active Directory Site by which you want to
group the filtered data. For example, if you want to group the filtered data by building number, you can select
Building from the drop-down list. To add additional Group By rules, click the + icon, and then select a field from
the drop-down list. You can apply up to 10 Group By rules. You can also delete a rule by selecting the rule and
clicking the - icon.
• After you add all filter criteria and Group By rules, click Apply. Grid Manager displays the filtered data in the
results table. Note that in the Name field, the appliance highlights disabled DHCP objects in gray. A DHCP object
can be a DHCP range, fixed address, reservation, host configured for DHCP, or roaming host with an allocated IP
address. If you select to include objects with no attribute values in the Group By rules, the appliance may take
longer to process the results. You can also choose to display Active Directory Site values in the table.
5. Click Save to save the smart folder.
Viewing and Modifying Data in Smart Folders

After you set up a smart folder, the appliance searches for matching objects based on the filter criteria you specified for
the folder. Grid Manager also groups the objects by the Group By rules you specify. If you select to include objects with
no attribute values, the appliance may take longer to process the results. Each smart folder you create can contain up to
2,000 objects. When the number of objects exceeds 2,000, Grid Manager sorts and displays the first 2,000 objects and
shows a message at the top of the panel. In this case, you may want to redefine your filter criteria to further refine the
filtered data in your smart folders.
Grid Manager displays smart folders hierarchically in a tree view based on your Group By rules as follows:
• Smart Folder section in the Finder panel.
• Selectors from which you can select a smart folder.
In the smart folder list panel however, Grid Manager displays all the smart folders in a flat list. You can modify some of
the data in the table. Double-click a row of data, and either edit the data in the field or select an item from a drop-down
list. Note that some fields are read-only. For more information about this feature, see About the Grid Manager Interface.
In the smart folder data panel, Grid Manager displays the first hierarchical level of the smart folder based on your Group
By rules. If you do not configure any Group By rules, Grid Manager displays all the objects in the results table. If you
select to include objects with no attribute values, Grid Manager also includes these objects in the hierarchical view.
Depending on your Group By rules, you can view detailed information about the objects by clicking the object link and
drilling down to the lowest hierarchical level, and then opening an object. To go back to a previous hierarchical view, click
the link of the corresponding level in the breadcrumb.
To view detailed information about an object, complete the following:

Rev. D
1. In the Smart Folder data panel, click the object link until you drill down to the last hierarchical level of the folder.
• Name: The name or IP address of the object.
• Comment: Information about the object.
• Site: The site to which the object belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
You can also select other available extensible attributes for display, and sort the data in ascending or descending
order by column.
1. Select an object checkbox, and then perform one of the following:
• Click the Open icon to display the data in the network list or IP address list.
• Click the Edit icon to modify or schedule the modification of the object configuration. Grid Manager
displays the corresponding editor depending on the object you select.
• Click the Delete icon to delete the object or click the Schedule Deletion icon to schedule the deletion of
the object.
You can also print or export the data in this panel. For information, see Using the Grid Manager Interface.
Modifying and Deleting Smart Folders

After you create a smart folder, you can either modify its filter and grouping criteria. You can even delete personal smart
folders in My Smart Folders.
Modifying Smart Folders

1. Go to Smart Folders.
2. Click My Smart Folders to modify personal smart folders.
or
Click Global Smart Folders to modify global smart folders if you logged in with a superuser account.
3. Mouse over to the smart folder that you want to modify.
4. Click the Edit icon. You can also click the Edit icon next to the name of the smart folder in the data panel.
5. Make the appropriate changes in the Smart Folder data panel as described in Creating Smart Folders.
Deleting Smart Folders

You can delete personal smart folders in My Smart Folders. However, you must log in as a superuser account to delete
global smart folders.
To delete a smart folder:
1. Click the Smart Folders tab.
2. Click the My Smart Folders tab to delete personal smart folders.
or
Click the Global Smart Folders tab to delete global smart folders.
3. Mouse over to the smart folder that you want to delete.
4. Click the Delete icon. In the Delete Smart Folder dialog box, click Yes.
Saving Smart Folders Data

You can make a copy of an existing smart folder, add or change filter criteria, and then rename the folder accordingly.
You can also create a local copy of the global smart folder in its current state for editing purposes. In My Smart Folders,
you can save a folder copy only in My Smart Folders. In Global Smart Folders however, you can save a folder copy in
either My Smart Folders or Global Smart Folders. You must have superuser permissions to save a global smart folder
copy in Global Smart Folders. Note that when the original global smart folder is updated, information in your local copy is
not updated.

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To save a copy of a smart folder:
1. Click My Smart Folders to save a folder copy in this tab.
or
Click Global Smart Folders to save a folder copy in either this tab or My Smart Folders. To save a smart folder
copy in Global Smart Folders, log in as a superuser account.
2. Select the smart folder that you want to save as a copy.
3. Click Save copy as.
4. Grid Manager saves the folder copy in My Smart Folders when you save the folder copy in this tab.
or
The Save Smart Folder As dialog box appears when you perform this function in Global Smart Folders. Select
one of the following:
• MySmartFolders: Saves the copy in My Smart Folders.
• Global Smart Folders: Saves the copy in Global Smart Folders.
Click OK.
 Note
For the folder copy, the appliance appends the word Copy to the original name of the smart folder. You can
change the name of the folder at anytime by editing the folder.
Printing and Exporting Data in Smart Folders

You can print the list of networks that are on the current smart folder page, or you can export all the data in CSV (comma
separated value) format. For information, see Scheduling Tasks and Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import.
My Smart Folders and Predefined Smart Folders

Grid Manager has two types of smart folders available:
• My Smart Folders
• Pre-defined Smart Folders
My Smart Folders
In My Smart Folders, you can create personal smart folders and links to global smart folders. When you create links to
global smart folders, you can only view information in the folders. However, you can create a local copy of the global
smart folder in its current state for editing purposes. Note that when the original global smart folder is updated,
information in your local copy is not updated. For information, see Saving Smart Folders Data. When you delete a link to
a global smart folder in this tab, only the link is deleted. There is no impact on the information in the original global smart
folder.
Grid Manager displays a list of smart folders in the list panel. The same list of smart folders is also displayed in the Finder
panel. For information, see Finder Panel.
When you mouse over a smart folder in the list panel, the following icons appear:
• Information: Displays information about the selected smart folder. Information includes comments and filter
criteria of the folder. It also displays how you grouped the filtered data.
• Edit: Click this icon to edit the definition and filter criteria for the smart folder.
• Delete: Click this icon to delete the smart folder. This operation does not affect the objects or networks that are in
the folder. Only the smart folder is deleted.

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Predefined Smart Folders
The appliance can detect remote clients through their DHCP fingerprints, or through device information discovered
through SNMP and other device and network detection protocols. You can use predefined smart folders to view lease
history, IP addresses, network infrastructure devices, and other related information for remote clients that contain DHCP
fingerprint information related to the following device groups:
• Smartphone,PDA,Tablet Devices: Includes all devices that were detected as smartphones, PDAs, and tablets.
• Microsoft Windows Devices: Includes all devices that were detected to be running Windows OS.
• Apple MAC OS Devices: Includes devices that were detected to be running MAC OS.
• Conflicts: Includes hosts detected in the network that have a MAC Address conflict. A discovered host has a MAC
address conflict when its MAC address is different from that specified in its fixed address, DHCP lease, or host
record.
• Discovered Routers/Switches: Includes core network infrastructure devices of the specific Router, Switch, or
Switch-Router types discovered by NIOS using the discovery feature set. Clicking on a device name opens the
device page under DataManagement–>Devices and shows the Interfaces page for the chosen device.
• Active Directory Sites: Includes all names that were detected as Active Directory Sites. Clicking on an Active
Directory Site opens the Active Directory Site Properties editor where you can edit the name, add, or delete
networks that are associated with the Active Directory Site. For more information, see Managing Active Directory
Sites and Associated Networks.
• Gaming Console Devices: Includes devices that were detected as gaming consoles.
• Router and Wireless Access Point Devices: Includes devices there were detected as routers or wireless access
point devices.
• Unmanaged: Shows all unmanaged devices.
Related topics
DHCP Fingerprint
Infoblox Network Insight
Dashboards
The Dashboard is your home page on Grid Manager and provides easy access to tasks and a quick overview to the
status of your Grid and DNS, DHCP and IPAM services. It provides easy access to tasks and a quick view to the status
of your Grid and core network services. Grid Manager provides the following dashboards:
• Tasks: The Tasks dashboard contains task packs that provide easy access to commonly performed tasks. A task
pack is a collection of tasks that belong to a specific service or function, such as IPAM or Automation. For
information, see Tasks Dashboard.
• Status: A status dashboard contains widgets from which you can view and manage DNS, DHCP, and IPAM status
and data. You can configure multiple status dashboards for managing a large number of Grid members. For
information, see Status Dashboard.
• Reporting Clustering Status: The Reporting Clustering Status dashboard displays the reporting clustering status.
This tab is displayed only if you have configured reporting clustering. For information, see Report Clustering
Dashboard
When you first log in to Grid Manager, the tasks dashboard is your home page. You can change your home page for
subsequent logins.
To change your home page:
1. Navigate to any tab in Grid Manager (except for the Dashboards tab).
2. Click User Profile from the Toolbar and complete the following In the User Profile dialog box:
Default Dashboard: Select Status or Task from the drop-down list.
Grid Manager displays the selected dashboard as your home page when you log in the next time.

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Tasks Dashboard
The Tasks Dashboard provides easy access to commonly performed tasks, such as adding networks and adding host
records. Tasks are grouped by service-specific task packs. You must install valid licenses on the appliance to see and
perform specific tasks on the Tasks Dashboard. For information about the required licenses for IPAM tasks, see Required
Licenses for IPAM Tasks.
You must also have at least read-only permission to a task-related object to add or hide the task in its task pack. To
execute a task, you must have the appropriate permissions to the member and objects that are related to the tasks. For
example, to add a host record from the Tasks Dashboard, you must have at least read-only permission to the host
records task and read/write permission to the zone and network in which the host records are created. For information
about permissions, see Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks.
Task Packs
Grid Manager displays task packs, including the IPAM and NetMRI task packs, based on valid licenses installed on the
appliance. To access the IPAM task pack, you must have valid DNS or DHCP license installed on the NIOS appliance. To
access the Automation task pack, you must first set up an Infoblox NetMRI appliance, install the Automation Change
Management license on the NIOS appliance, and register as a user. For information about how to activate the
Automation task pack, refer to the Infoblox NetMRI Administrator Guide.
 Note
The Tasks Dashboard will not appear in the NIOS system if no task packs are licensed for the system. Some
task packs will also have dependencies. For example, the NetMRI Task Pack licensing activates along with
either the MS license or the NIOS DHCP/DNS combination license. Should either of those licenses be disabled
for any reason, the NetMRI Tasks will also be disabled.
To use the Automation Task Pack, you must enable the NetMRI Tasks feature set and establish a working connection
between the NIOS appliance and an Infoblox NetMRI appliance. See Enabling NetMRI Tasks for details. Each task in a
task pack opens a workflow dialog in which you can create task-related objects without navigating through other tabs and
editors in Grid Manager. Depending on the task you perform, Grid Manager displays task results in the Result page from
which you can access newly created objects, such as networks and host records. Note that when a task takes longer
than usual to complete, it becomes a long running task. For information about long running tasks, see About Long
Running Tasks.
With valid licenses and proper registrations, Grid Manager displays the following task packs in the Tasks Dashboard:
• IPAM Task Pack

• NetMRI Task Pack
IPAM Task Pack

The IPAM task pack contains the following tasks:
• Add Networks
• Add Hosts
• Add Fixed Addresses
• Add A Record
• Add CNAME Record
• Add TXT Record
• Add MX Record
• CSV Import

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Depending on your administrative permissions and the Dashboard template configuration, Grid Manager displays tasks
you can access in specific task packs. You can configure your task packs by adding or hiding certain tasks. For
information about Dashboard templates, see Configuring Dashboard Templates.
To hide tasks in a task pack:
1. Click the Configure icon at the upper right corner of the task pack.
2. In the configuration panel, select the tasks you want to hide from the Active Tasks table. You can use SHIFT+click
and CTRL+click to select multiple tasks.
3. Click the left arrow to move the selected tasks to the Available Tasks table.
Click the Configuration icon again to hide the configuration panel after you complete the modification.
Required Licenses for IPAM Tasks

The below Required Licenses for IPAM Tasks table lists the required licenses for viewing and performing IPAM tasks on
the Tasks Dashboard.
Required Licenses for IPAM Tasks
Task Required Licenses
Add Networks DHCP or MSMGMT license
Add Hosts DNS or DHCP license
Add Fixed Addresses DHCP or MSMGMT license
Add A Record DNS or MSMGMT license
Add CNAME Record DNS or MSMGMT license
Add TXT Record DNS or MSMGMT license
Add MX Record DNS or MSMGMT license
For information about how to install licenses, see Managing Licenses.
Add Networks
You can create IPv4 and IPv6 networks from the Tasks Dashboard (either from scratch or from a network template that
contains predefined properties). You can also create networks from the Data Management tab. For more information
about IPv4 and IPv6 networks, see Configuring IPv4 Networks and Configuring IPv6 Networks.
To add networks from the Tasks Dashboard:
1. Click Add Networks in the IPAM task pack and complete the following in the Add Networks wizard:
• Regional Internet Registry: This section appears only when support for RIR updates is enabled. For
information about RIR, see RIR Registration Updates. Complete the following to create an RIR IPv4
network container or network:
• Internet Registry: Select the RIR from the drop-down list. The default is RIPE. When you select
None, the network is not associated with an RIR organization.
• Organization ID: Click Select Organization and select an organization from the RIR Organization
Selector dialog box.
• Registration Status: The default is Not Registered. When adding an RIR allocated network, you
can change this to Registered and select the Do not update registrations checkbox below. Note
that when you select API as the communication method, the registration status will be updated
automatically after the registration update is completed. However, when you select Email as the
communication method, the registration status will not be automatically updated. If you are
creating a new network and the registration update is completed successfully, the status will be
changed to Registered. If the update fails, the status will be changed to Not Registered. The

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updated status and timestamp are displayed in the Status of last update field in the IPv4 /IPv6
Network Container or IPv4/IPV6 Network editor.
• Registration Action: Select the registration action from the drop-down list. When you select Create,
the appliance creates the IPv4 or IPv6 network and assigns it to the selected organization. When
you select None, the appliance does not send registration updates to RIPE. When you are adding
an existing RIR allocated network to NIOS, select None. When you are adding networks to an RIR
allocated network (a parent network), select Create. Ensure that the parent network associated
with an RIR organization already exists.
• Do not update registrations: Select this checkbox if you do not want the appliance to submit RIR
updates to RIPE. By default, the appliance sends updates to the RIR database based on the
configured communication method.
• Network View: This appears only when you have multiple network views. From the drop-down list, select
the network view in which you want to create the network.
• Protocol: Select IPv4 to add IPv4 networks and IPv6 to add IPv6 networks.
• Netmask: Enter the netmask or use the netmask slider to select the appropriate number of subnet mask
bits for the network.
• Template: Click Select Template to select a network template. When you use a template to create a
network, the configuration of the template applies to the new network. If the template specifies a fixed
netmask, you cannot edit the netmask in this dialog. You can click Clear to remove the template. For
information about templates, see About IPv6 Network Templates.
• Use Active Directory Sites: This checkbox is displayed only if you install the Microsoft license. Click the
Add icon to associate multiple Active Directory Sites with the network. When you click Add, the appliance
displays the following:
• Active Directory Domain: The Active Directory Domains that are synchronized from the Microsoft
server.
Click an Active Directory Domain that you want to associate.
To search for a particular Active Directory Domain, specify the respective name and click Go. If
there are multiple Active Directory Domains, the appliance displays the list of such domains by
paging to the next page. You can use the page navigation buttons that are displayed at the bottom
of this column to navigate through the Active Directory Domains. You can also refresh the values
in the column using the Refresh icon.
• Active Directory Site: The Active Directory Sites that are associated with the selected Active
Directory Domain. Click an Active Directory Site that you want to associate with the network.
To search for a particular Active Directory Site, specify the respective name and click Go. If there
are multiple Active Directory Sites, the appliance displays the list of such sites by paging to the
next page. You can use the page navigation buttons that are displayed at the bottom of this
column to navigate through the Active Directory Sites. You can also refresh the values in the
column using the Refresh icon.
• Click Add to add the selected Active Directory Sites to the network or click Cancel to cancel the
operation. The appliance displays these domains and sites in the respective columns. Click the x
icon if you want to close the Active Directory Domains and Sites selector.
• Click the Delete icon to delete Active Directory Sites that are associated with the network.
For more information about Active Directory Domains and Sites, see Configuring Active Directory Sites and Services.
NIOS may execute discovery on the newly created network after you save your settings. When you create a network in
NIOS, it inherits its discovery capabilities (whether or not it is immediately discovered, its polling settings, and any
possible exclusions from discovery), from its parent network (if it has one) or its network container. If the new network is a
parent network, it inherits its polling settings from the Grid and its discovery member selection and Enable Discovery
action must be defined by the user.
• Networks: Do one of the following to add new networks:
Click the Add icon to create a new network.
• For IPv4 networks: Grid Manager adds a row to the table. Enter the network address in the Network field.
Click the Add icon to add another network. You can also select a network and click the Delete icon to
delete it.
• For IPv6 networks: If you are adding a network for a previously defined global IPv6 prefix, you can select
the prefix from the IPv6 Prefix drop-down list. The default is None, which means that you are not creating
an IPv6 network for a previously defined subnet route. If you have defined a global prefix at the Grid level,
the default is the global prefix value. Click Add and Grid Manager adds a row to the table. Enter the

Rev. D
network address in the Network field. When you enter an IPv6 address, you can use double colons to
compress a contiguous sequence of zeros. You can also omit any leading zeros in a four-hexadecimal
group. For example, the complete IPv6 address 2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:0000:0102:0304 can be
shortened to 2001:db8::0102:0304. Note that if there are multiple noncontiguous groups of zeros, the
double colon can only be used for one group to avoid ambiguity. The appliance displays an IPv6 address
in its shortened form, regardless of its form when it was entered. Click Add again to add another network.
You can also select a network and click the Delete icon to delete it.
or
Click the Next Available icon to have the appliance search for the next available network. For more information
about the next available network, see Configuring the Next Available Network or IP Address. Complete the following
in the Next Available Networks section:
• Create new network(s) under: Enter the network container in which you want to create the new
network. When you enter a network that does not exist, the appliance adds it as a network container.
When you enter a network that is part of a parent network, the parent network is converted into a network
container if it does not have a member assignment or does not contain address ranges, fixed addresses,
reservations, shared networks, and host records that are served by DHCP. When you enter a network that
has a lower CIDR than an existing network, the appliance creates the network as a parent network and
displays a message indicating that the newly created network overlaps an existing network. You can also
click Select Network to select a specific network in the Network Selector dialog box. For information about
how the appliance searches for the next available network, see Configuring the Next Available Network or
IP Address.
• Number of new networks: Enter the number of networks you want to add to the selected network
container. Note that if there is not enough network space in the selected network to create the number of
networks specified here, Grid Manager displays an error message. The maximum number is 20 at a time.
Note that when you have existing networks in the table and you select one, the number you enter here
includes the selected network.
• Click Add Next to add the networks. Grid Manager lists the networks in the table. You can click Cancel to
reset the values.
 Note
You must click Add Next to add the network container you enter in
the Next Available Networks section. If you enter a network in
the Next Available Networks section and then use the Add icon to add another network, the
appliance does not save the network you enter in the Next Available Networks section until you
click Add Next.
• Extensible Attributes: Click the Add icon to enter extensible attributes. Grid Manager adds a row to the table each
time you click the Add icon. Select the row and the attribute name from the drop-down list, and then enter the
value. All inheritance attributes which can be inherited from a parent object will be automatically inherited when
you add a network. Inheritable extensible attributes that are required are automatically displayed. Optional
extensible attributes that are not inheritable are not automatically displayed. For more information about
extensible attributes, see Managing Extensible Attributes.
• If you are adding an RIR network, the RIR network attribute table appears. For information about these attributes
and how to enter them, see Managing RIR Attributes.
Preview RIR Submissions: Click this to view the updates before the appliance submits them to the RIPE
database. This button is enabled only when the registration action is Create, Modify, or Delete, and the Do not
update registrations checkbox is not selected.
or
Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, click Later and
enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Managing Extensible Attributes.

Rev. D
The appliance saves the networks you just created, and Grid Manager displays them in the Result page. When you click
a newly created network on this page, Grid Manager displays the IP Map panel from which you can view detailed
information about the network. For information about the IP Map panel, see Viewing and Managing IPv4 Addresses.
You can also add and modify other information about the networks you just created. For information about modifying
network information, see Managing IPv4 DHCP Data and Managing IPv6 DHCP Data.
Add Hosts
Host records provide a unique approach to the management of DNS, DHCP, and IPAM data. By using host records, you
can manage multiple DNS records and DHCP and IPAM data collectively, as one object on the appliance. You can add
IPv4 and IPv6 addresses to host records from the Tasks Dashboard or the Data Management tab. Note that when you
add a host record from the Tasks Dashboard, they are configured only for DNS. For more information about Infoblox host
records, see About Host Records.
To add host records from the Tasks Dashboard:
1. Click Add Hosts in the IPAM Task Pack and complete the following in the Add Hosts wizard:
the network view in which you want to create the host record.
• Zone Name: Click Select to select a DNS zone from the Zone Selector dialog box.
• Exclude from Network Discovery and Immediate Discovery. When creating the new Host record, you can
direct NIOS to immediately discover the host, or to exclude it from network discovery. By default, the Add
Hosts task enables immediate discovery.
• DNS View: Displays the DNS view of the selected zone.
• Hosts: Do one of the following to add a host record:
Click the Add icon and the appliance adds a row to the table. Complete the following in the table to add a new
host record:
• Name: Enter the name of the host record.
• Zone: Displays the DNS zone you select in Zone Name. When you enter a different zone here, the
appliance displays an error message.
• Address: Enter the IP address you want to associate with this host record.
or
Click the Next Available icon to have the appliance search for the next available IP address for the host
record. For information about the next available IP address, see Configuring the Next Available Network or IP
Address. Complete the following in the Next Available IP section:
• Create new host addresses under: Click Select to select the network or address range in the
Network/Range Selector dialog box from which you want the appliance to search for the next
available IP address for this host record.
• Number of new host addresses: Enter the number of host addresses. Note that if there is not
enough space in the selected network or address range to create the number of host addresses
specified here, Grid Manager displays an error message. The maximum number is 20 at a time.
Note that when you have existing host addresses in the table and you select one, the number you
enter here includes the selected host address.
• Click Add Next to add the IP addresses to their corresponding hosts. Grid Manager lists the host
addresses in the table. Ensure that you enter a name for each host record.
• Extensible Attributes
• Apply to all above hosts: Select this to associate extensible attributes with all hosts that you have
defined. This is selected by default. You can define and associate multiple extensible attributes
with multiple hosts at once.
• Apply to selected host: Select this to associate extensible attributes with the selected host only.
Note that when you select this option for another host in the list, the Extensible Attributes table is
refreshed for you to associate a different set of extensible attributes with the selected host.
• Extensible Attributes table: Click the Add icon to enter extensible attributes. The appliance adds a
row to the table each time you click the Add icon. Select the row and the attribute name from the
drop-down list, and then enter the value. All inheritance attributes which can be inherited from a
parent object will be automatically inherited when you add a host. Inheritable extensible attributes

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that are required are automatically displayed. Optional extensible attributes that are not inheritable
are not automatically displayed. For more information about extensible attributes, see Managing
Extensible Attributes.
2. Save the configuration. or
enter a date, time, and time zone. For information about how to schedule a task, see Scheduling Tasks.
The appliance saves the host records you just created, and Grid Manager displays them in the Result page. When you
click a newly created host on this page, Grid Manager displays the Data Management -> DNS -> Zones tab from which
you can view information about the host record.
You can also add and modify other information about the host records. For information about modifying host information,
see About Host Records.
Add Fixed Addresses

You can add IPv4 and IPv6 fixed addresses from the Tasks Dashboard or from the Data Management tab. For more
information about fixed addresses, see Configuring IPv4 Fixed Addresses and Configuring IPv6 Fixed Addresses.
To add fixed addresses from the Tasks Dashboard:
1. Click Add Fixed Addresses in the IPAM task pack and complete the following in the Add Fixed Addresses wizard:
the network view in which you want to create the fixed address.
• Protocol: Select IPv4 to add IPv4 addresses and IPv6 to add IPv6 addresses.
• Template: Click Select Template to select a fixed address template. When you use a template to create a
fixed address, the configuration of the template applies to the new fixed address. You can also click Clear
to remove the template. For information about templates, see Managing DHCP Templates.
• Exclude from Network Discovery and Immediate Discovery. When creating the new fixed address, you
can direct NIOS to immediately discover the device associated with the fixed address, or to exclude it
from network discovery. By default, the Add Fixed Addresses task enables immediate discovery.
• Addresses: Do one of the following to add fixed addresses:
Click the Add icon and Grid Manager adds a row to the table. Complete the following to create fixed addresses:
• For IPv4 fixed addresses: Enter the IPv4 address and MAC address. Click the Add icon to add
another fixed address.
• For IPv6 fixed addresses: Enter the IPv6 address and DUID. Click the Add icon again to add
another fixed address.
or
Click the Next Available icon to have the appliance search for the next available address. Complete the
following:
• Create new fixed addresses under: Click Select to select the network or address range in the Network/
Range Selector dialog box from which you want the appliance to search for the next available IP address
for this fixed address.
• Number of new fixed addresses: Enter the number of fixed addresses you want to add to the selected
network or address range. Note that if there is not enough space in the selected network or address range
to create the number of fixed addresses specified here, Grid Manager displays an error message. The
maximum number is 20 at a time. Note that when you have existing fixed addresses in the table and you
select one, the number you enter here includes the selected fixed address.
• Click Add Next to add the fixed addresses. The appliance lists the fixed addresses to the table. Ensure
that you enter the MAC address or DUID for each fixed address.
• Extensible Attributes table: Click the Add icon to enter extensible attributes. The appliance adds a row to the table
each time you click the Add icon. Select the row and the attribute name from the drop-down list, and then enter
the value. All inheritance attributes which can be inherited from a parent object will be automatically inherited
when you add a fixed address. Inheritable extensible attributes that are required are automatically displayed.
Optional extensible attributes that are not inheritable are not automatically displayed. For more information about
extensible attributes, see Managing Extensible Attributes.

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or
enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.
The appliance saves the fixed addresses you just created, and Grid Manager displays them in the Result page. When
you click a newly created fixed address on this page, Grid Manager displays the Data Management -> IPAM -> IP Map or
List tab from which you can view information about the fixed address.
You can also add and modify other information about the fixed addresses you just created. For more information about
modifying fixed address information, see Managing IPv4 DHCP Data and Managing IPv6 DHCP Data.
Add A Record
An A (address) record is a DNS resource record that maps a domain name to an IPv4 address. You can add an A record
from the Tasks Dashboard or from the Data Management tab. For more information about managing A records, see
Managing Resource Records.
To add networks from the Tasks Dashboard:
1. Click Add A Record in the IPAM task pack and complete the following in the Add A Record wizard:
2. In the Add A Record wizard, do the following:
• Name: If Grid Manager displays a zone name, enter the hostname that you want to map to an IP address.
The displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the zone from which you are adding the
host record. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to specify a different zone, click Select Zone.
When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. Click a zone name
in the dialog box and then enter the hostname. The name you enter is prefixed to the DNS zone name
that is displayed, and the complete name becomes the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) of the host.
For example, if the zone name displayed is corpxyz.com and you enter admin, then the FQDN becomes
admin.corpxyz.com. Ensure that the domain name you enter complies with the hostname restriction policy
defined for the zone. To create a wildcard A record, enter an asterisk * in this field.
• DNS View: This field displays the DNS view to which the DNS zone belongs.
• Shared Record Group: This field appears only when you are creating a shared record from the Data
Management tab. Click Select Shared Record Group. If you have only one shared record group, the
appliance displays the name of the shared record group here. If you have multiple shared record groups,
select the shared record group in the Shared Record Group Selector dialog box. You can use filters or the
Go to function to narrow down the list.
• Hostname Policy: Displays the hostname policy of the zone.
• In the IP Addresses section, click the Add icon and do one of the following:
• Select Add Address to enter the IPv4 address to which you want the domain name to map.
or
• Select Next Available IPv4 to retrieve the next available IP address in a network.
If the A record is in zone that has associated networks, the Network Selector dialog box lists the
associated networks. If the zone has no network associations, the Network Selector dialog box
lists the available networks. When you select a network, Grid Manager retrieves the next available
IP address in that network.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the A record.
• Create associated PTR record: Select this option to automatically generate a PTR record that
maps the specified IP address to the hostname. To create the PTR record, the reverse-mapping
zone must be in the database.
• Disable: Select this checkbox to disable the record. Clear the checkbox to enable it.
3. Click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see Managing Extensible Attributes.
4. Save the configuration or click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. For information
about how to schedule a task, see Scheduling Tasks.
5. Click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.

Rev. D
Add CNAME Record
A CNAME record maps an alias to a canonical name. You can use CNAME records in both IPv4 forward- and IPv4
reverse-mapping zones to serve two different purposes. (At this time, you cannot use CNAME records with IPv6 reverse-
mapping zones.) For more information about CNAME records, see Managing CNAME Records.
To add a CNAME record from the Tasks Dashboard:
1. Click Add CNAME Record in the IPAM task pack and complete the following in the Add CNAME Record wizard:
• Network View: This appears only when you have multiple network views. From the drop-down list, select the
network view in which you want to create the CNAME record.
• Alias: Click Select Zone to select a DNS zone from the Zone Selector dialog box. If you have only one zone, Grid
Manager displays the zone name here when you click Select Zone. Enter the alias for the canonical name. For an
IPv4 reverse-mapping zone, enter the host portion of an IP address. For example, if the full IP address is 10.1.1.1
in a network with a 25-bit netmask, enter 1. (The 10.1.1.0/25 network contains host addresses from 10.1.1.1 to
10.1.1.126. The network address is 10.1.1.0, and the broadcast address is 10.1.1.127.)
• Shared Record Group: This field appears only when you are creating a shared record from the Data Management
tab. Click Select Shared Record Group. If you have only one shared record group, the appliance displays the
name of the shared record group here. If you have multiple shared record groups, select the shared record group
in the Shared Record Group Selector dialog box. You can use filters or the Go to function to narrow down the list.
• Canonical Name: This field displays the domain name of either the current zone or the last selected zone. To add
a CNAME record to a forward-mapping zone, enter the complete canonical (or official) name of the host. To add a
CNAME record to a reverse-mapping zone, enter host_ip_addr.prefix.network .in-addr.arpa (host IP address +
2317 prefix + network IP address + in-addr.arpa). For example, enter 1.0.25.1.1.10.in-addr.arpa. This IP address
must match the address defined in the PTR record in the delegated child zone.
• Comments: Enter useful information about this record.
• Disable: Select the checkbox to disable the record without deleting its configuration. Clear the checkbox to enable
the record.
2. Save the configuration, or click Next to define extensible attributes. For information about extensible attributes,
see Managing Extensible Attributes.
or
3. Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, click Later and
Click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.
Add TXT Record

A TXT (text record) record contains supplemental information for a host. For example, if you have a sales server that
serves only North America, you can create a text record stating this fact. You can create more than one text record for a
domain name. You can add a TXT record from the Tasks Dashboard or the Data Management tab. For more information
about TXT records, see Managing TXT Records.
To add TXT records from the Tasks Dashboard:
1. Click Add TXT Record in the IPAM task pack and complete the following in the Add TXT Record wizard:
network view in which you want to create the TXT record.
• Name: If Grid Manager displays a zone name, enter the name to define a TXT record for a host or subdomain. If
no zone name is displayed or if you want to specify a different zone, click Select Zone. When there are multiple
zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. Click a zone name in the dialog box. Then, enter the
TXT record name. The appliance prefixes the name you enter to the domain name of the selected zone. For
example, if you want to create a TXT record for a web server whose host name is www2.corpxyz.com and you
define the TXT record in the corpxyz.com zone, enter www2 in this field. To define a TXT record for a domain
whose name matches the selected zone, leave this field empty. The appliance automatically adds the domain

Rev. D
name (the same as the zone name) to the TXT record. For example, if you want to create a TXT record for the
corpxyz.com domain and you selected the corpxyz.com zone, leave this field empty.
in the Shared Record Group Selector dialog box. You can use filters or the Go to function to narrow down the list.
• Text: Enter the text that you want to associate with the record. It can contain substrings of up to 255 bytes, up to a
total of 512 bytes. Additionally, if you enter leading, trailing, or embedded spaces in the text, add quotes around
the text to preserve the spaces. For example: " v=spf1 include:corp200.com -all "
• Comments: Enter useful information about this record.
the record.
2. Save the configuration, or click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see Managing Extensible
Attributes.
or
 Note
In a signed zone, if you add or delete a TXT record that has @in its host name, you must also create or delete
the corresponding NSEC3 record.
Add MX Record
An MX (mail exchanger) record maps a domain name to a mail exchanger. A mail exchanger is a server that either
delivers or forwards mail. You can specify one or more mail exchangers for a zone, as well as the preference for using
each mail exchanger. A standard MX record applies to a particular domain or subdomain. You can add an MX record
from the Tasks Dashboard or the Data Management tab. For more information about MX records, see Managing MX
Records.
To add MX records from the Tasks Dashboard:
1. Click Add MX Record in the IPAM task pack and complete the following in the Add TXT Record wizard:
network view in which you want to create the MX record.
• Mail Destination: If Grid Manager displays a zone name, enter the mail destination here. If no zone name is
displayed or if you want to specify a different zone, click Select Zone. When there are multiple zones, Grid
Manager displays the ZoneSelector dialog box. Click a zone name in the dialog box, and then enter the mail
destination. If you want to define an MX record for a domain whose name matches the zone you selected, leave
this field blank. Grid Manager automatically adds the domain name (the same as the zone name) to the MX
record. For example, if you want to create an MX record for a mail exchanger serving the corpxyz.com domain
and you selected the corpxyz.com zone, and leave this field empty. If you want to define an MX record for a
subdomain, enter the subdomain name. The appliance prefixes the name you enter to the domain name of the
selected zone. For example, if you want to create an MX record for a mail exchanger serving site1.corpxyz.com—
a subdomain of corpxyz.com—and you define the MX record in the corpxyz.com zone, enter site1 in this field.If
you want to define an MX record for a domain and all its subdomains, enter an asterisk ( * ) to create a wildcard
MX record.
in the Shared Record Group Selector dialog box. You can use filters or the Goto function to narrow down the list.
• Host Name Policy: Displays the hostname policy of the selected zone. Ensure that the hostname you enter
complies with the hostname restriction policy defined for the zone.

Rev. D
• Mail Exchanger: Enter the fully qualified domain name of the mail exchanger. You can even enter a dot character
in this field (.). When you enter a dot, it mean that the domain is a parked domain and will not receive or send
email.
• Preference: Select an integer from 10 to 100, or enter a value from 0 to 65535. The preference determines the
order in which a client attempts to contact the target mail exchanger with 0 being the highest preference.
• Comment: Enter useful information about this record.
the record.
2. Save the configuration, or click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see Managing Extensible
Attributes.
or
enter a date, time, and time zone. For information about scheduling tasks, see Scheduling Tasks.
CSV Import
You can access CSV Import Manager and perform CSV imports, manage import jobs, and view import status. You can
perform CSV imports from the Task Dashboard and the Toolbar. You can also click CSV Import Manager, which allows for
importing of data, managing import jobs, and viewing import status.
You can click New CSV import job icon in the CSV Job Manager wizard to import a CSV file to the database. You can
also verify the content in your CSV file before replacing the content of the database with the content in the imported CSV
file. For detailed information about the CSV import feature, see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import.
NetMRI Task Pack

The NetMRI Tasks pack or, alternatively, Automation Tasks pack, requires the configuration, licensing and connection of
an Infoblox NetMRI appliance to support automation tasks.
This topic describes the following:
• Enabling NetMRI Tasks
• Disabling NetMRI Tasks
• Registering NetMRI with NIOS
• Running NetMRI Tasks
• Viewing Tasks Execution Logs and Approving Tasks in the Task Viewer
• Viewing Tasks Execution Logs in NetMRI
Enabling NetMRI Tasks

After you install the NetMRI appliance into a managed network and ensure the appliance is reachable by the NIOS Grid
Master, register the NetMRI appliance with NIOS.
1. Click the Configure icon at the top right corner of the Tasks page.
2. Choose Enable NetMRI Tasks.
The Enable NetMRI Tasks dialog box appears, requesting verification of your action:
Though you can see the change immediately, other users who are currently logged in will not see the change until
they log in again.
Are you sure you want to proceed?
3. Click Yes to enable the NetMRI Tasks set.
After a moment, the NetMRI Tasks panel appears.
 Note

Rev. D
If two superusers are logged in to the NIOS system and one superuser enables the NetMRI Tasks pack on their
console, the other superuser will not see the task pack on their console until their next login;
the Disable NetMRI Tasks from the Configure icon menu shows the correct state.
Disabling NetMRI Tasks

To disable the NetMRI Tasks pack:
1. Click the Configure icon at the top right corner of the Tasks page.
2. Choose Disable NetMRI Tasks.
The Disable NetMRI Tasks dialog box appears, requesting verification of your action:
Though you can see the change immediately, other users who are currently logged in will not see the change until
they log in again.
Are you sure you want to proceed?
3. Click Yes to disable the NetMRI Tasks pack.
Registering NetMRI with NIOS

You must register a NetMRI appliance with NIOS using Grid Manager to support NetMRI Tasks. You need an account
with admin privileges on the NetMRI appliance and the appliance hostname or IP address.
 Note
Ensure that the user account that you use for the registration and further communication between the products
is identical to the existing valid account on the NetMRI appliance.
To register NetMRI with NIOS:

1. From the Dashboards tab, select the Tasks tab.
2. At the top right corner of the Automation Tasks panel, click the down arrow icon -> NetMRI Registration.
3. In the NetMRI Registration dialog, do the following:
a. Enter the IP address or resolved host name of the NetMRI appliance supporting the Automation Tasks
pack.
Note that when you register NetMRI with a NIOS HA pair, you can register only one interface at a time.
Use the IP address of the LAN1 interface, not the VIP address, for registration. When an HA failover
occurs, the NetMRI registration is disabled. You can register the NetMRI appliance again after the failover.
b. Enter the Admin Password.
4. Click Register.
After registration, the NetMRI Registration menu item changes to read NetMRI Deregistration to support disconnecting
from the NetMRI appliance.
 Note
After you successfully register a NetMRI appliance with NIOS, you can use the Ecosystem > Cisco ISE
Endpoint feature. It is available with the NetMRI license or Network Insight license that is installed by default on
the discovery member in NIOS installations. This feature enables you to enhance identity management across
devices and applications that are connected to your network routers and switches. You can monitor domain
users, the IP addresses they log on to, the login status, and the time duration of their current status in
the IPAM tab. For information about how to collect user and device information from Cisco ISE, see Integrating
Cisco ISE into NIOS.
Running NetMRI Tasks

The NetMRI task pack contains the following tasks:
• Network Provisioning
• Port Activation

Rev. D
• VLAN Reassignment
• Bare Metal Provisioning
• Rogue DHCP Server Remediation
Depending on your administrative permissions, Grid Manager displays tasks that you can access in the Automation tasks
panel. You can configure the displayed tasks pack by adding or hiding tasks.
To hide tasks:
1. Click the Configure icon at the upper right corner of the Automation Tasks panel.
2. In the Active Tasks pane, select the tasks you want to hide from the pack. You can use SHIFT+click and
CTRL+click to select multiple tasks.
3. Click the left arrow to move the selected tasks to the Available Tasks pane.
4. Click the Configuration icon again to hide the panes.
NetMRI Task Options

Tasks allow the assignment of job scripts to change and expand task functionality. These scripts reside on the NetMRI
appliance and must be readable by the NIOS system to run the automation tasks. You can also select different scripts to
execute for automation tasks that provide that feature in NIOS. Three NetMRI tasks allow for the choosing of non-default
scripts for task operation:
• Network Provisioning Task
• Port Activation Automation Task
• Specifying a Port Activation Script
Network Provisioning
The Network Provisioning task runs in two modes: a basic mode with a much shorter list of configuration options, and a
more complex mode that provides detailed configuration for provisioning a network, including the use of NIOS network
views, extensible attributes and network templates.
New networks can be provisioned on routed networks and on switched networks. In the latter case, you can specify the
new VLAN number and VLAN name for provisioning, along with the Device Group Device and Interface. the Device
Group values are taken from the Device Groups defined on the NetMRI appliance from which NIOS obtains its data.
Network Provisioning supports two types of networks: IPv4, in which the new network is IPv4 only, and IPv4 and IPv6, in
which the new network runs both protocol stacks.
Simple vs. Complex Provisioning

Use of a Network View determines whether you use the simple or detailed views of provisioning a network. A network
view is a single routing domain with its own networks and shared networks. In NIOS, all networks must belong to a
network view. You can manage networks in one network view independently of other network views. Because network
views are mutually exclusive, the networks in each view can have overlapping address spaces with multiple duplicate IP
addresses without impacting network integrity.
Also, the same network segment can be present in multiple network views. When you create a new network, you select
one view in which to place it, and preserve those values to apply to another view.
You also have the option to provision a single network segment without recourse to NIOS network views. The simple
network provisioning option (accessible by simply clicking the IPv4 tool at the top of the Network Provisioning dialog box)
allows you to specify as few as three values to configure a network.
The NIOS system also provides a default network view, which appears as an option for network provisioning.
If a single network view is configured in NIOS, you will not see a Network View option in the Network Provisioning task.
Applying Extensible Attributes

Extensible attributes are associated with a specific network view, and are referenced by the Network Provisioning task.
Should you configure a new network using a network view, you may need to consider the application of extensible
attributes to the new network (they are not automatically applied, but will appear in the Network Provisioning dialog if

Rev. D
those attributes are defined in the chosen Network View). Extensible attributes are generally defined for descriptive and
tracking purposes in the network. A network view may have attributes such as Building, Country, Region, Site, State or
VLAN, for example. Attributes are defined for network views in NIOS but are not defined by the NetMRI appliance.
If the NIOS system supports only a single network view, no View selections are made for the purposes of network
provisioning.
To perform an automatic network provisioning task:
1. From the Dashboards tab, select the Tasks tab -> Network Provisioning.
2. Select the network type for provisioning: IPv4 or IPv4 and IPv6.
3. To configure IPv4 provisioning:
a. Enter the required name value in the Interface Hostname field. (Examples include "eth0" and "serial0.")
b. Select the DNS Zone under which the hostname operates.
c. Choose a device group from the Device Group drop-down list.
d. From the Device drop-down list, choose the switch or router on which the network will originate.
e. If the selected device is a router, the VLAN Number and VLAN Name fields will be disabled.
f. From the Interface list, choose the interface to which the network will be reassigned. The drop-down list
contains all the interfaces from the chosen network device, and also shows the ports' respective states
(up/down, up/up and so on).
g. If the chosen device is a switch, enter the new VLAN Number on which the new network segment runs.
h. If the chosen device is a switch, enter the new VLAN Name on which the new network segment runs.
i. Click Provision Network to commit settings.
j. Enter the Parent Network value (or click Select Network to choose the parent network from a list if using a
Network View).
k. Choose the Network Template from the drop-down list if one is provided by the chosen Network View. The
Network template is otherwise optional.
l. The Provision Network task provides subnetting tools.
m. Drag the Netmask slider to the required CIDR mask bit depth (1-32).
n. In the New Network field, enter the IP prefix for the new network.
o. In the Router Address field, enter the IP address for the router interface.
p. Select any Extensible Attributes in the list if they are provided; otherwise, you can create new ones by
clicking Add and choosing the Attribute Name, Value and the Required setting.
4. To configure IPv6 provisioning:
a. Enter the Parent Network value. Or, if using a Network View, click Select Network to choose the parent network
from the list.
b. Choose the Network Template from the drop-down list if one is provided by the chosen Network View. The
Network template is otherwise optional.
The Provision Network task provides subnetting tools.
c. Drag the Netmask slider to the required CIDR mask bit depth (1-32).
d. In the New Network field, enter the IP prefix for the new network.
e. In the Router Address field, enter the IP address for the router interface.
f. Select any Extensible Attributes in the list if they are provided; otherwise, you can create new ones by clicking
Add and choosing the Attribute Name, Value and the Required setting.
5. Enter the required name value in the Interface Hostname field. (Examples include "eth0" and "serial0.")
6. Select the DNS Zone under which the hostname operates.
7. Choose a device group from the Device Group drop-down list.
8. From the Device drop-down list, choose the switch or router on which the network will originate.
9. If the selected device is a router, the VLAN Number and VLAN Name fields will be disabled.
10. From the Interface list, choose the interface to which the network will be reassigned. The drop-down list contains all
the interfaces from the chosen network device, and also shows the ports' respective states (up/down, up/up and so on).
If an interface shows Routed or Switched, it cannot be selected for provisioning as it is already being used as part of
an active network.
11. If the chosen device is a switch, enter the new VLAN Number on which the new network segment runs.
12. If the chosen device is a switch, enter the new VLAN Name on which the new network segment runs.
13. Click Provision Network to commit settings.
The system sends the configuration request to the NetMRI appliance and displays the task configuration sequence.

Rev. D
Defining Options for the Network Provisioning Task
The Network Provisioning task provides several configuration options that affect how the task operates.
Hostname provisioning for interfaces is useful for troubleshooting purposes in the network, usually to ensure that an
admin knows which router interface they are connecting through to communicate with the device. The hostname value is
actually provisioned from within the Network Provisioning task. Enabling the Hostname Required? checkbox sets the
NetMRI appliance to provision the network with hostnames applied to the router interfaces for easier identification.
Network provisioning requires that the system know exactly which IP address the gateway for the network will reside. For
provisioning most networks, an Offset value of 1 indicates that the provisioned network gateway IP address ends with the
host address of ...1, as in 192.168.1.1. An Offset value of 1 will be by far the most common value for provisioning
networks. Specifying an offset value other than 1 indicates that the gateway IP is a specified number of host values from
the prefix address of the network. For example, setting an IPv4 Gateway Address Offset of 12 indicates that the IP for the
gateway ends in *..*.12, as in 10.1.1.12. Offsets work the same way for any size network: for an example such as
10.1.1.64/26, and an offset of 12, the provisioned gateway IP would be 10.1.1.76.
 Note
Make sure the defined offset value lies within the addressable boundaries of the provisioned network.
The same principles also apply for IPv6 networks, except that the IPv6 value is entered manually in hexadecimal instead
of being selected from a drop-down list. Most provisioned IPv6 networks will use a /64 network address.
You can also select a different script from the default for the Network Provisioning task. To define settings for the Network
Provisioning task:
1. From the Dashboards tab, select the Tasks tab. Under the Network Provisioning task, click the settings icon on
the top right.
2. If the provisioning process requires a hostname, enable the Hostname Required? checkbox. (The network
interface hostname ("eth0," "serial0") and the Zone that it belongs to are defined in the Network Provisioning
task.)
3. Choose a gateway offset value from the IPv4 Gateway Address Offset drop-down list. If no value is selected, the
offset value defaults to 1 for the provisioned network address.
4. If an IPv6 offset is required for provisioning an IPv6 network or for provisioning a network that supports both IPv4
and IPv6 addressing, enter the IPv6 Gateway Address Offset value in hexadecimal. If no value is entered, the
offset value defaults to 0000.0000.0000.0001 for the provisioned network address, indicating an offset value of 1
for the gateway IP address.
5. In the Script Name dropdown, choose the script that you wish to run for the Port Activation task. The scripts are
located on the Trinzic Automation 4000 appliance, and referenced for use by NIOS. By default, the bundled Port
Activation script is selected.
6. Click Save.
7. Click Cancel to close the dialog.
The system sends the request to the NetMRI appliance and displays a Provisioning Network Config updated notification
message.
Port Activation
The Port Activation task provides a central console on which the interfaces for any device anywhere in the managed
network can be conveniently enabled or disabled. Ports can be taken administratively Up or Down using this task, and all
interfaces on a selected device can be activated or deactivated with a series of mouse clicks.
1. From the Dashboards tab, select the Tasks tab -> Port Activation.
2. Choose the Device Group from the drop-down list.
3. From the Device drop-down list, choose the network device on which port activation will be executed.
The Interfaces table lists all interfaces on the current device. The VLAN and VLAN Name columns list the VLAN
assigned to each port (VLAN 1/Default resides on all ports without an explicit VLAN assignment). The OP Status
column will show the current state of each interface.
4. Scroll down the table to locate the interface(s) you want to activate.
5. From the Admin Status column, select Up (or Down) from the drop-down list for the chosen interface.
6. Set any other interfaces on the current device based on your assigned task.

Rev. D
7. Click Apply.
The system sends the request to the NetMRI appliance and displays the task configuration sequence.
The Port Activation task will also write the full running configuration to memory, making it the saved configuration. If the
user made a change to the running configuration, in parallel with the port activation change, and did not save it, those
changes will also be saved.
Specifying a Port Activation Script

The Port Activation task provides a central console on which the interfaces for any device in the managed network can
be conveniently activated. Ports can be taken administratively Up or Down using this task, and all interfaces on a
selected device can be activated or deactivated with a series of mouse clicks.
The NetMRI appliance provides the ability to create new automation scripts for many purposes. You may, for example,
wish to create a new Port Activation script and use that as an automation task.
To select a different script from the default choice in the software:
1. From the Dashboards tab, select the Tasks tab. Under the Port Activation task, click the settings icon.
2. For Port Activation Options, choose a new script from the Script Name drop-down list. The scripts are located on
the Trinzic Automation 4000 appliance, and automatically referenced for use by NIOS. By default, the bundled
Port Activation script is selected.
3. Click Save.
The system sends the request to the NetMRI appliance and displays a notification message.
VLAN Reassignment
VLANs can be reassigned to new interfaces on individual L2/L3 switches in the managed network. A VLAN can have a
path across several switches; when you make changes on a given switch, make sure that the path is maintained.
To ensure end-to-end connectivity, you may need to change VLAN port assignments on more than one switch in the
path. This feature operates with the VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP). VLAN switching is changed across one port per
switch at a time. Should you need to change VLAN assignments across more than one switch in the path, plan
accordingly.
VLANs must already be configured on the switch(es) being changed, and be detected by the NetMRI appliance.
1. From the Dashboards tab, select the Tasks tab -> VLAN Reassignment.
2. Begin by selecting the Device Group from the drop-down list. For VLAN Reassignments, you typically choose the
Switching device group.
3. From the Device drop-down list, choose the switch on which port reassignment will be executed.
4. From the Port list, choose the interface to which the VLAN will be reassigned. The Port list also shows the
Administrative and Operational states of each interface on the current device (Administratively Up/Operationally
Down, for example.)
 Note
You can reassign a VLAN to a port that is operationally or administratively Down.The Current VLAN
value will show the VLAN to which the selected interface is currently assigned.
5. Choose the new VLAN value for port reassignment from the New VLAN drop-down list.
6. Click Move VLAN.
The system sends the configuration request to the NetMRI appliance and displays the task configuration sequence.
The VLAN Reassignment task will also write the full running configuration to memory, making it the saved configuration.
If the user made a change to the running configuration, in parallel with the port activation change, and did not save it,
those changes will also be saved.
Assigning a New Script to the VLAN Reassignment Task

Rev. D
The NetMRI appliance provides the ability to create new automation scripts for many purposes. You can create and
assign a new VLAN Reassignment script and use that for the automation task.
To select a different script from the default choice in the software:
1. From the Dashboards tab, select the Tasks tab. Under the VLAN Reassignment task, click the settings icon.
2. For Port Activation Options, choose a new script from the Script Name drop-down list.
3. Click Save to commit settings.
The system sends the request to the NetMRI appliance and displays a notification message.
The VLAN Reassignment task will also write the full running configuration to the device's memory, making it the saved
configuration. If the user made a change to the running configuration, in parallel with the port activation change, and did
not save it, those changes will also be saved.
Bare Metal Provisioning

The Bare Metal Provisioning automated task enables automated installation of new switches and routers into the
network. The Trinzic Automation task enables cost and convenience savings by detecting the default behavior of new
devices on the network, pointing them to customized TFTP servers from which standardized bare-metal configuration
files are downloaded and installed onto the new devices.
The Bare Metal Provisioning automated task does not provide NIOS-based optional settings; configuration for this task is
done in the Trinzic Automation 4000 NetMRI user interface. The automated task is automatically triggered by detection of
a network device requiring configuration.
Rogue DHCP Server Remediation

All DHCP servers on the network should be under administrative control. If any device offering DHCP leases to clients on
the network is not properly administered, it violates many security guidelines and at the very least may cause
configuration problems throughout the network. Some events may be unwitting or innocuous (an office worker installing a
wireless access point in their cube to share a resource), or may be an attempt to hijack clients and steal information. To
prevent such issues, the Rogue DHCP Server Remediation task enables the detection, location and isolation of such
devices.
Viewing Tasks Execution Logs and Approving Tasks in the Task Viewer
You can view the logged results from any task run from the Automation Tasks panel through Grid Manager's Task Viewer
that displays the following pages:
• Job History: Provides a log history of all NetMRI tasks that have recently run, including all automation task types
in the dashboard.
• Issues & Approvals: Provides links to two important items:
• Issue Details: Displays details about any network issue related to NetMRI tasks and jobs in an Issue
Viewer from the NetMRI appliance.
• Approve Jobs: These are jobs that must be approved before the NetMRI appliance can execute the job.
For example, the Isolate Rogue DHCP Server job must be approved before it will run and attempt to
isolate the detected rogue DHCP server in the network.
To view and approve tasks:
2. In the Automation Tasks panel, click the down arrow icon on the right and select Task Viewer.
The Task Viewer window appears, displaying a scrollable and sortable Job History table. Important columns
include the Start Time, the Job ID (a numeric value with a clickable link to the TAE Job Details Viewer, which will
open in a new browser tab), the Job Name, the User account that executed the task, the job Status and the #
Devices (the number of devices) against which the task ran. The Job History page shows the most recent subset
of executed NetMRI jobs. A yellow bar at the top of the table provides a click here to see more link, which takes
the user to the NetMRI appliance Job History page in a new browser tab.
3. If an item appears in the Issues & Approvals page, do one of the folllowing in the Action column:
a. To view an issue in more detail, click an Issue Details link. This displays the NetMRI appliance Job Details
page in a new browser tab for the selected job.

Rev. D
b. To approve a job, click an Approve Job link. This displays the Summary page of the NetMRI Job Wizard.
Click Approve Job.
4. Click Close to close the Task Viewer.
Viewing Tasks Execution Logs in NetMRI

You can start NetMRI directly from the Grid Manager's Dashboards tab to view tasks execution logs:
2. In the Automation Tasks panel, click the down arrow icon on the right and select Launch NetMRI.
NetMRI launches in a new browser tab.
3. Go to Configuration Management –> Job Management side tab –> Scripts and check the Last Run column.
Status Dashboard
A status dashboard contains widgets from which you can view and manage data. Widgets are the building blocks of
status dashboards. For more information about widgets, see Adding Widgets to Dashboards. They provide information
about different aspects of your Grid and networks. For example, the Member Status widget provides general information
about a Grid member, and the Network Statistics widget provides data for a specified network.
The appliance provides a default status dashboard. Grid Manager displays the default dashboard only when there is
more than one widget on the dashboard. You can add and modify widgets in the default dashboard, but you cannot
rename or delete it. From a dashboard, you can access your most commonly accessed tasks and monitor appliance
status. You can configure your own status dashboards to which you can add widgets that help you manage different data.
Configuring multiple status dashboards helps organize widgets in a meaningful way and improves dashboard and widget
performance. This is especially useful when you have a Grid serving a large number of Grid members. When you
configure a new dashboard, you can use the existing dashboard as a template. You can create up to 100 copies at a time
using the Add Dashboard option. For information about how to add status dashboards, see Adding Status Dashboards.
You can add widgets to different dashboards, however, you can add only one widget at a time on each dashboard. The
default number of widgets per dashboard is 10. The maximum number of widgets that you can add on each dashboard is
20 at a time. You can define the number of widgets that can be configured on each dashboard in User Profile. This
limitation applies only to dashboards that you configure and does not apply to the default dashboard. For information
about how to specify the widget limit, see Configuring Widget Limit per Dashboard.
Grid Manager provides a default Security dashboard if you have installed any or all of the following licenses on the
appliance: Threat Protection, RPZ, and Threat Analytics. The Security dashboard contains widgets that help you monitor
the security status of the Grid. In the Security dashboard, you can add and remove widgets, but you cannot rename or
delete them.
 Note
To ensure that the Security dashboard displays correct data, use NTP to synchronize the time of the Grid
members with that of the Grid Master.
If you have configured a lot of status dashboards, you can use the Quick Navigation icon to quickly access each status
dashboard. For information, see Using Quick Navigation. The Status Dashboard figure below illustrates the typical layout
in Grid Manager after you configure multiple status dashboards.
Status Dashboard

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Configure Icon Dashboard Options List of Configured Dashboards Quick Navigation
You can do the following in the Status tab:

• Add new status dashboards, as described in Adding Status Dashboards
• Rename a dashboard, as described in Renaming Status Dashboards
• Copy or move a widget, as described in Copying or Moving Widgets
• Reorder dashboards, as described in Reordering Status Dashboards
• Delete dashboards, as described in Deleting Status Dashboards
• Configure widget limit, as described in Configuring Widget Limit per Dashboard
• Configure Security dashboard properties, as described in Configuring Security Status Thresholds
Adding Widgets to Dashboards

You can add all or some of the following widgets to your status dashboards depending on whether you are managing a
Grid, an independent appliance, or an Infoblox Orchestration server:
• Grid Status
• Grid Upgrade Status
• Member Status (System Status)
• DNS Statistics
• Ranges Over Threshold
• IPv4 Failover Associations Status
• DHCP Statistics
• Network Statistics
• IPv4 Networks Over Threshold
• Discovery Status
• Advanced Discovery Status
• My Commands
• DDNS Statistics

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• System Activity Monitor
• File Distribution Statistics
• Active WebUI Users
• Microsoft Servers Status Widget
• CSV Import Manager
• Pending Approvals
• Infoblox Community
• Mobile Devices Status
• Threat Protection Status for Grid
• Threat Protection Status for Member
• DNS Integrity Check
• Cloud Statistics
• Security Status for Grid
• Security Status for All Members
• Pool Licenses Statistics
• DNS Record Scavenging
Grid Manager displays the Security dashboard if you have any or all of the following licenses installed on your appliance:
Threat Protection, RPZ, and Threat Analytics. The Security dashboard contains the following widgets, depending on the
licenses installed on your appliance:
• Security Status for Grid
• Security Status for All Members
• Threat Protection Status for Grid
• Threat Protection Status for Member
• Response Policy Zone (RPZ) Status for Grid
• Response Policy Zone (RPZ) Status for Member
Note that you must have at least read-only permission to the objects that a widget displays. Otherwise, though you are
allowed to select and place the widget on the dashboard, it does not display any information.
To add widgets to your dashboard:

1. Default Status Dashboard: From the Dashboards -> Status tab -> Default tab, click the Configure icon -> Add
Content. This is applicable when you have the default dashboard only.
Configured Status Dashboards: From the Dashboards -> Status tab, select the configured status dashboard, click
the Configure icon -> Add Content.
Security Status Dashboard: From the Dashboards -> Status tab -> Security tab, click the Configure icon -> Add
Content. This is applicable only when at least one member in the Grid has Threat Protection, RPZ, or Threat
Analytics license. Note that the Security Status dashboard is a default dashboard and it cannot be renamed or
deleted.
Grid Manager displays thumbnails of the available widgets. Use the scroll bar on the right to scroll through the
widgets, as illustrated in the below Widgets Panel figure.
2. Click an icon on the filter panel, as illustrated in the Widgets Panel figure, to add a widget to the desired
dashboard. The Filter panel is categorized into the following: Cloud , Security , DNS/DHCP , and
Reset . When you click on an icon, Grid Manager displays thumbnails of the widgets belonging to the
respective filter. If you click filters one after the other without clicking Reset, Grid Manager displays thumbnails of
all widgets along with the icon that indicates the category to which the widget belongs. Click Reset to view only
those widgets that belong to the selected category.
3. Select and drag a widget to the desired location on your dashboard. You can also click icon to add a widget
to the desired dashboard.
After you add a widget to the dashboard, you can configure it to provide relevant data. You can also copy or move
a widget, by selecting and dragging it to its new location on your dashboard. Grid Manager saves your dashboard
configuration and displays it the next time you log in.
You can turn on auto-refresh by clicking On in the Turn Auto Refresh field at the top of the dashboard to
periodically refresh the contents of all widgets in the dashboard. Click Off to disable auto-refresh for all widgets in
the dashboard. When auto-refresh is disabled, you can enable it for individual widgets by clicking the Configure

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icon in the corresponding widgets. You can specify the auto-refresh period in seconds. The default auto-refresh
period is 30 seconds.
 Warning
If the Detailed Status panel is open, the following actions take place:
• Grid Manager auto refreshes at a rate of 30 seconds.
• Widgets that support user-specified auto refresh, refresh at the rate specified in the Auto
Refresh Period field.
Therefore, even if you set the session timeout to be to greater than the auto refresh rate, auto refresh
still takes place. The Grid Manager session does not time out because auto refresh takes precedence
over the session timeout. For more information about widgets, see Status Dashboard.
Widgets have the following icons:

• Copy/Move: Click to copy or move the widget from a dashboard to another. For information about how to copy or
move, see Copying or Moving Widgets.
• Span Up/Span Down: Click to resize the widget. Click Span Up to increase the width of the widget. Click Span
Down to decrease the width of the widget. Note that the fully spanned widgets are moved to the top of the
dashboard.
• Refresh: Click to update the content of the widget. Each widget contains a status bar at the bottom that displays
the last date and time it was updated.
• Configure: Click to hide and show the configuration options of the widget.
• Toggle: Click to minimize and restore the widget.
• Close: Click to remove the widget from a dashboard.
Widgets Panel
Configuring Widget Limit per Dashboard

You can define the number of widgets that can be configured on each dashboard. This limitation applies only to
dashboards that you configure and does not apply to the default dashboard.
1. From the Dashboards -> Status tab, click the Configure icon -> User Profile.

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• Maximum Widgets per Dashboard: Specify the maximum number of widgets that can be configured per
Dashboard. You can enter a value between 1 and 20. The default value is 10. This limit does not apply to the
default dashboard.
Adding Status Dashboards

You can create your own status dashboards and add the widgets that you need. You can configure up to 100 status
dashboards at a time. When you create multiple instances of a dashboard, the appliance names each dashboard by
adding an incremental suffix to the name of the new dashboard. For example, if you name a new dashboard
"Corp_Dashboard" and specify the number of instances as three, then the appliance creates three instances of this new
dashboard. In this example, the appliance creates three dashboards: Corp_Dashboard, Corp_Dashboard1, and
Corp_Dashboard2. Note that the dashboards you create will not be available to other users. You cannot share
dashboards you have created with other users.
Note that "Security" is reserved for the default Security dashboard. Grid Manager displays an error message if you name
a new dashboard "Security".
To add a new status dashboard, complete the following:

1. From the Dashboards -> Status tab, click the Configure icon -> Add Dashboard.
2. In the Add Dashboard wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the new dashboard.
• Add <> instances of this new dashboard: Enter the number of dashboards you want to create. The
maximum number of dashboards you can create is 100 at a time.
• Copy initial content from an existing dashboard: Select this checkbox if you want the appliance to copy
the contents from an existing status dashboard into the new dashboard. After you select this checkbox,
the appliance displays the list of configured dashboards. Select a dashboard from the list. By default, this
checkbox is not selected.
The appliance displays all dashboard instances in the Status tab.
Using Quick Navigation

You can use the Quick Navigation icon to quickly access a specific dashboard. The appliance provides the Quick
Navigation icon at the right corner of the status dashboards, as illustrated in the Status Dashboard figure above.
To quickly navigate to a dashboard, complete the following:

1. From the Dashboards -> Status tab, click the Quick Navigation icon at the right corner of the dashboards. The list
of configured dashboards is displayed.
2. Select a dashboard or specify the name of the dashboard in the text box. The appliance displays the selected
dashboard.
Renaming Status Dashboards

You can rename only the status dashboards that you have configured. You cannot rename the default dashboard and the
Security dashboard.
To rename a dashboard, complete the following:

1. From the Dashboards -> Status tab, click the Configure icon -> Rename Dashboard.
2. In the Rename Dashboard wizard, complete the following:
• Select a dashboard: Select a dashboard from the drop-down list.
• Name: Enter the new name of the dashboard.

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• Click Save and Close to save the new name and close the wizard.
• Click Save to save the new name and continue to rename other dashboards.
To rename a specific dashboard:
1. From the Dashboards -> Status tab, select a dashboard that you want to rename.
2. Click the Configure icon -> Rename Dashboard.
3. In the Rename Dashboard wizard, enter the new name in the Name text box.
4. Click Save and Close to save the new name and close the wizard.
Copying or Moving Widgets

You can copy or move a widget from one dashboard to another. When you add a widget that already exists, the
appliance displays an error message. When you move a widget, it is moved from the source to the destination
dashboard. The moved widget will not be available in the source dashboard anymore. When you copy a widget, the
widget is duplicated and is available in both the source and destination dashboards. Note that the Copy/Move icon is not
available in a widget if the appliance has only the default status dashboard.
To move or copy a widget, complete the following:

1. From the Dashboards -> Status tab, select a status dashboard.
2. Select the widget that you want to copy or move, and then click the Copy/Move icon.
3. In the Copy/Move <name of the widget> wizard, complete the following:
• Copy: Select this to copy a widget.
• Move: Select this to move a widget.
• To Dashboard: Select the name of the destination dashboard.
4. Click OK.
Reordering Status Dashboards

You can change the order of your status dashboards. When you add a new status dashboard, it is added as a tab. When
you create multiple instances of a dashboard, they are added as subsequent tabs. You can arrange the order of each
dashboard through the reordering process.
To reorder status dashboards, complete the following:

1. From the Dashboards -> Status tab, click the Configure icon -> Reorder Dashboards.
2. The following are displayed in the Order Dashboards wizard:
• Ordering: You can use the up and down arrows to move dashboards in the desired order or drag and drop
them to the desired positions.
• Dashboard: Displays the list of all the status dashboards.
3. Click OK to save the changes.
Deleting Status Dashboards

You can delete status dashboards that you have configured. You cannot delete the default status dashboard and the
Security dashboard. You can delete multiple dashboards at the same time. Note that you cannot restore a deleted
dashboard.
To delete multiple dashboards, complete the following:

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1. From the Dashboards -> Status tab, click the Configure icon -> Delete Dashboards.
2. In the Delete Dashboards wizard, select the Dashboard checkbox. You can select multiple checkboxes for
multiple dashboards.
3. Click Delete.
4. Click Yes in the confirmation dialog box. To delete a specific dashboard:
5. From the Dashboards -> Status tab -> select the <Status Dashboard> tab.
6. Click the Configure icon -> Delete Dashboard.
Configuring Security Status Thresholds

You can configure thresholds to determine the overall status of Threat Protection, DNS RPZ (Response Policy Zone),
and DNS Threat Analytics services in the Grid. Grid Manager provides a view of the overall security status of the Grid in
the Security Status for Grid dashboard widget. For information, see Security Status for Grid.
To configure the thresholds for security status, complete the following:

1. From the Dashboards -> Status tab, click the Configure icon -> Global Dashboard Properties.
2. In the Global Dashboard Properties editor, complete the following:
• Threat Protection Thresholds: Define the thresholds for each severity level of the threat protection events for the
following colors:
• Yellow: Specify the low threshold value for Critical, Major, and Warning severity level. The default values
are 1, 20, and 100 for Critical, Major, and Warning respectively.
• Red: Specify the high threshold value for Critical, Major, and Warning severity level. The default values
are 5, 100, and 1000 for Critical, Major, and Warning respectively.
Depending on the specified thresholds, Grid Manager determines the status of threat protection service as follows, which
is displayed in the Status column of the Security Status for Grid widget:
• Green (OK): When the number of threat protection events are less than the low threshold value specified
for the yellow color for all the severity levels.
• Yellow (Warning): When the number of threat protection events equals or exceeds the threshold value
specified for the yellow color but less than the threshold value specified for the red color for any of the
severity levels.
• Red (Critical): When the number of threat protection events equals or exceeds the high threshold value
specified for the red color for any of the severity levels.
• Response Policy Zone Thresholds: Define the threshold values for the following colors to determine the overall
status of RPZ:
• Yellow: Specify the low threshold value for Blocked, Substitute, and Passthru RPZ rules. The default
values are 10, 1, and 100 for Blocked, Substitute, and Passthru respectively.
• Red: Specify the high threshold value for Blocked, Substitute, and Passthru RPZ rules. The default values
are 100, 10, and 1000 for Blocked, Substitute, and Passthru respectively.
Depending on the specified thresholds, Grid Manager determines the status of RPZ as follows, which is displayed in the
Status column of the Grid Security Status widget:
• Green (OK): When the number of RPZ hits are less than the low threshold value specified for the yellow
color for all the rule types.
• Yellow (Warning): When the number of RPZ hits equals or exceeds the threshold value specified for the
yellow color but less than the threshold value specified for the red color for any of the rule types.
• Red (Critical): When the number of RPZ hits equals or exceeds the high threshold value specified for the
red color for any of the rule types.
• Threat Analytics Thresholds: Define the thresholds for the following colors, to determine the overall status of DNS
Threat Analytics:
• Yellow: Specify the low threshold value for DNS Tunneling events. The default value is 1.
• Red: Specify the high threshold value for DNS Tunneling events. The default value is 5.
Depending on the specified thresholds, Grid Manager determines the status of DNS Threat Analytics as follows, which is
displayed in the Status column of the Grid Security Status widget:

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• Green(OK): When the number of DNS tunneling attacks are less than the low threshold value specified for
the yellow color.
• Yellow(Warning): When the number of DNS tunneling attacks equals or exceeds the threshold value
specified for the yellow color but less than the threshold value specified for the red color.
• Red(Critical): When the number of DNS tunneling attacks equals or exceeds the high threshold value
specified for the red color.
 Note
If you have configured the same threshold value for both Yellow and Red color in
the Global Dashboard Properties editor and if the same number of events are triggered, then Grid Manager
displays the status in red in the Grid Security Status widget.
Grid Status
The Grid Status widget provides status information about the Grid members and services. Add the Grid Status widget to
your Dashboard to monitor the Grid status.
You can configure the Grid Status widget to display information about all Grid members or only Grid members that have
service errors. To modify the Grid Status widget, click the Configure icon and select one of the following:
• Show all Grid members (this is the default)
• Only show members with service warnings or errors: When you select Only show members with service warnings
or errors, the widget displays only the members that have service errors. The widget does not display any data in
the member table if all the services on all members are running properly.
• Group Members by: If you want to group members by the same extensible attribute value, select this and choose
an extensible attribute from the drop-down list. The appliance groups Grid members that have the same
extensible attribute value, and the Grid Status displays the following information:
• <Extensible Attribute Name>: The value of the selected extensible attribute. You can click the link of the
extensible attribute value to view all the members in this group in the Grid/Members view.
• Status: This is the overall status for all members in the group. Depending on the status of each member,
the overall status can be one of the following:
• Working: Indicates that all the members in the group are running properly.
• Warning: Indicates that one of the members in the group has operational problems. For example,
if there are two members in a group with one member Running and another member is Offline,
then the overall status will be Warning.
• Failed: Indicates that at least one of the members in the group is in the failed status and none of
the members in the group are in the Running or Working status. For example, if there are two
members in the group and one of them is in Failed status and the other is Offline, then the overall
status is Failed.
• Offline: Indicates that one or more members in the group is offline and none of the members in the
group are in the Failed or Running status. For example, if a member is in the Working status and
another member is in the Offline status, then overall status is Offline.
• Inactive: Indicates that one or more members in the group is inactive and none of the members in
the group are in the Failed, Offline, Working, or Running status.
• Unknown: Indicates that the status of all the members in the group is unknown.
 Note
You can click a member link to monitor the detailed status of the selected member. Grid Manager
displays the Grid tab -> Member tab. You can click on a group to show the members of the group in the
Grid/Members view.
The Grid Status widget also displays the following information in the member table:
• Member Name: The name of the member.

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• Status: The current status of the member.
• System Uptime: The duration of time (days, hours, and minutes) that the Grid member has been up and running.
In the upper section of the widget, Grid Manager displays the overall status of the Grid. The Grid status represents the
status of the most critical member in the Grid. When all Grid members are running properly, the overall Grid status is
green. When one of the members has operational issues, the overall Grid status is red. The status icon can be one of the
following:
Icon Color Meaning
Green All Grid members are operating normally in a "Running" state.
Yellow At least one of the Grid members is connecting or synchronizing with its Grid Master.
Red At least one of the Grid members does not have a Grid license, is offline, upgrading,
downgrading, or shutting down.
This section also displays the overall operational status of the DNS, DHCP, NTP, FTP, TFTP, HTTP (File Distribution),
bloxTools, Captive Portal, DNS Accelerator usage, and Reporting services that are currently running on the Grid. The
status icon can be one of the following:
The enabled service is running properly on one or more Grid members.

Green
At least one of the Grid members is having issues with the enabled service.
Yellow
The enabled service is not running properly on at least one of the members. (A red status icon can also appear
Red temporarily when the service is enabled and begins running, but the monitoring mechanism has not yet notified
Grid Manager.)
The service is not configured or is disabled on at least one Grid member.

Gray
Grid Upgrade Status

The Grid Upgrade Status widget provides upgrade status of the Grid Master and members. Add the Grid Upgrade Status
widget to your Dashboard to monitor the upgrade status of the Grid and its members.
The Grid Upgrade Status widget displays the following information:

• Upgrade Status: The current upgrade status of the Grid. This can be Running, Paused, Canceled, or Inactive.
• Grid Member Upgrade Process Status: The pie chart shows the number of members that are still processing the
upgrade, members that have completed the upgrade, and members that are waiting for the upgrade to happen.
• Detailed Upgrade Status: Click this link to access the Grid tab -> Upgrade tab to see detailed information about
the upgrade.
The table on the right shows a summary of the upgrade status of the upgrade groups. It displays the following
information:
• Group: The name of the upgrade group.

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• Date/Time: The date and time when the upgrade started on this upgrade group. Note that the time zone is the
time zone of the first member in the upgrade group.
• Completed: Indicates whether the upgrade is complete or not.
Member Status (System Status)

The Member Status widget provides status information about the system resources and services of a Grid member,
including the reporting server. The System Status widget provides the operational status about an independent
appliance. Add a Member Status widget to your Dashboard for each Grid member that you want to monitor. The widget
always displays the services that a Grid member is running. You can then configure it to display additional information
and specify how the information is displayed.
You can modify the Member Status or the System Status widget by clicking the Configure icon. If you have an
independent appliance, you can only configure some of the following:
• For Member Status widget only: Click Select Member to select a Grid member for display. When you select the
reporting server, the widget displays reporting usage.
• Select the information you want to display:
• Show Role: For Member Status widget only. Click to display whether the appliance is a Grid Master, Grid
Master candidate, or Grid member. An independent appliance does not have a Grid license installed.
• Show Hardware Type: Click to display the appliance hardware model.
• Show HA Status: Click to display whether the appliance is part of an HA pair. It displays one of the
following:
• Standalone: The Grid member is an independent appliance.
• HA OK: The Grid member is part of an HA pair that is functioning properly.
• HA Broken: The appliance is part of an HA pair that is not operating properly. You can check the
logs to determine the problem.
• Show System Uptime: Click to display the duration of time (days, hours, and minutes) that the Grid
member has been up and running.
• Statistics: Select the data that you want to display and its format:
• CPU: Click to display the percentage of CPU that is in use. Select either Dial or Bar for the display format.
• Memory: Click to display the current percentage of memory that is in use. Select either Dial or Bar for the
display format.
• Database: Click to display the percentage of the database that is in use. Select either Pie or Bar for the
display format.
• Disk: Click to display the percentage of the data partition on the hard disk drive in use. Select either Pie or
Bar for the display format.
• System Temperature: Click to display the system temperature. Depending on the hardware model, the
system temperature may not be available. Select to display the temperature in either Celsius or
Fahrenheit.
• CPU Temperature: Click to display the CPU temperature. Depending on the hardware model, the CPU
temperature may not be available. Select to display the temperature in either Celsius or Fahrenheit.
Click the Configuration icon again to hide the configuration panel after you complete the modification.
Grid Manager displays the hostname of the appliance at the top of the widget. You can click the name link to view
detailed information about the appliance. The widget also displays the upgrade status if the member is currently in the
process of an upgrade. If the member is scheduled for an upgrade, the Scheduled for upgrade link appears. You can
click this link to access the Grid tab -> Upgrade tab to view more details about the date and time of the scheduled
upgrade.
The widget also displays the service status of the following: FTP, TFTP, HTTP (File Distribution), DNS, DHCP, NTP,
bloxTools, Captive Portal, DNS Accelerator, and Reporting in the Services section. The service status can be one of the
following:

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Icon Color Meaning
Green The service is enabled and running properly.
Yellow The service is enabled, but there may be some issues that require attention.
Red The service is enabled, but it is not running properly or is out of synchronization. (A red status
icon can also appear temporarily when a service is enabled and begins running, but the
monitoring mechanism has not yet notified the GUI engine.)
Gray The service is not configured or is disabled.
The widget also displays the statistics you specified, such as CPU usage, memory, and database usage, in the format
you selected.
When you select the reporting server, you can also see the reporting usage information:
• Reporting Usage: Displays the daily consumption rate for the reporting service.
For more information about reporting, see Infoblox Reporting and Analytics.
DNS Statistics
The DNS Statistics widget provides statistics for a member or for a zone. The zone statistics are cumulative, collected
from all the members that are authoritative servers for zones or are hosting stub zones. The widget displays the totals for
each type of DNS response as well as a line graph that tracks the responses per second.
You can add a DNS Statistics widget to your Dashboard for each zone or member DNS server on the Grid. To configure
the DNS Statistics widget, click the Configure icon and do the following:
• Click Select Member. In the Member Selector dialog box, choose a Grid member to display statistics for all its
stub zones and authoritative zones.
or
• Click Select Zone. In the Zone Selector dialog box, choose a DNS zone to display statistics for that zone only.
The widget displays only the option that you selected on your subsequent logins. For example, if you clicked Select
Member, the widget displays the Select Member option only, and not the Select Zone option, when you log in again.
• Graph Configuration: Select which DNS messages you want to track in the Responses per Second graph.
• Success: The number of successful queries.
• NXDOMAIN: The number of queries for domain names that did not exist in the database.
• Referral: The number of queries that became referrals.
• NXRRSET: The number of queries for domain names that did not have the requested records.
• Failure: The number of queries that failed due to reasons other than nonexistent domain names or
records in a domain.
• Recursion: The number of recursive queries for which the name server sent queries to other name
servers.
The widget displays the following information:
• DNS Responses tab: Displays a pie chart and the total number of each type of message. It also displays the total
number of full and incremental zone transfers that the Grid member performed.
• Responses per Second tab: Displays a line graph that tracks the DNS responses received per second, within an
hour. The time is displayed according to the time zone specified in the User Profile. If the auto-detect time zone

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option is enabled and Grid Manager cannot determine the browser time zone, then the time is displayed in UTC
format. You can mouse over the graph to display the coordinates of any point in the graph.
Ranges Over Threshold

The Ranges Over Threshold widget enables you to monitor IPv4 DHCP range usage from your Dashboard. It lists the
IPv4 ranges that are allocated above a specified threshold and thus may warrant your attention. The default threshold is
75%. For information, see Configuring Thresholds for DHCP Ranges. Note that the appliance highlights disabled IPv4
ranges in gray.
The widget displays the IPv4 ranges with utilization percentages that surpass the threshold. To configure the Ranges
Over Threshold widget, click the Configure icon and do the following:
• Network View: Select a network view in which you want to monitor the IPv4 ranges. This field is displayed only
when you have more than one network view.
• Threshold: Enter a new threshold value. The default is 75%.
In addition, you can do the following:
• Click the Export button to export the list of IPv4 ranges that surpass the threshold to a file in CSV format.
• Click the Refresh button to refresh the data in the list.
IPv4 Failover Associations Status

The IPv4 Failover Associations Status widget enables you to monitor the status of the failover associations from your
Dashboard. It lists all the failover associations in the Grid and displays their names and status. The widget also displays
the primary and secondary servers in the association. When you click a failover association link or a status link, Grid
Manager displays the Failover Association section where you can get detailed information about the failover association.
For information, see Managing Failover Associations.
In addition, you can do the following:

• Click the Export button to export the list of failover associations to a file in CSV format.
DHCP Statistics
The DHCP Statistics widget displays statistics about the different types of DHCP messages that a Grid member sends
and receives. The widget displays the totals for each type of DHCP message as well as a line graph that tracks the
messages per second.
You can add a DHCP Statistics widget to your Dashboard for each member DHCP server in the Grid. If the DHCP
service is not enabled or is offline, the widget displays a message indicating that the DHCP statistic are not available.
To configure the DHCP Statistics widget, click the Configure icon and do the following:
• Protocol: Select either IPv4 or IPv6.
• Click Select Member. In the Member Selector dialog box, select a Grid member from the list.
• Graph Configuration: This section lists IPv4 or IPv6 messages, depending on the protocol you selected.
• Select which IPv4 messages you want to track in the Messages per Second graph.
• Discovers: The number of DHCPDISCOVER messages that the Grid member received from DHCP
clients. A DHCP client broadcasts a DHCPDISCOVER message to obtain an IP address.
• Offers: The number of DHCPOFFER messages that the Grid member sent to DHCP clients. If the Grid
member has an IP address that it can allocate to the DHCP client that sent the DHCPDISCOVER
message, the Grid member responds with a DHCPOFFER message that includes the IP address and
configuration information.
• Requests: The number of DHCPREQUEST messages that the Grid member received from DHCP clients.
A DHCP client sends DHCPREQUEST messages when it selects a lease, connects to the network, and if
it renews the lease.

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• Acks: The number of DHCPACK messages that the Grid member sent to DHCP clients. When the Grid
member receives a DHCPREQUEST message, it responds with a DHCPACK message to confirm the IP
address selected by the DHCP client.
• Nacks: The number of DHCPNACK messages that the Grid member sent to DHCP clients. The Grid
member sends a DHCPNACK message when a DHCP client requests an IP address that is not valid for
the network.
• Declines: The number of DHCPDECLINE messages that the Grid member received. A DHCP client sends
a DHCPDECLINE message to a DHCP server when it discovers that the IP address offered by a DHCP
server is already in use.
• Informs: The number of DHCPINFORM messages that the Grid member received. A client that did not
receive its IP address from the DHCP server can send it a DHCPINFORM message to retrieve
configuration parameters, such as the IP addresses of DNS servers in the network.
• Releases: The number of DHCPRELEASE messages that the Grid member received. A DHCP client
sends a DHCPRELEASE message when it terminates its lease and releases its IP address.
Select which IPv6 messages you want to track in the Messages per Second graph.
• Declines: The number of Decline messages that the Grid member received. A DHCP client sends a
Decline message to a DHCP server when it discovers that the IP address offered by a DHCP server is
already in use.
• Renews: The number of Renew messages that the Grid member received. A DHCP client sends a Renew
message to a DHCP server to extend the lifetimes on the leases granted by the DHCP server and to
update other properties.
• Information Requests: The number of Information-Request messages that the Grid member received. A
client sends an Information-Request message to retrieve configuration parameters, such as the IP
addresses of DNS servers in the network.
• Solicits: The number of Solicit messages that the Grid member received, including Solicit messages
embedded in Relay-Forward messages. A DHCP client sends a Solicit message to locate DHCP servers.
• Requests: The number of Request messages that the Grid member received. A DHCP client sends a
Request message to request one or more IP addresses and configuration parameters from a DHCP
server.
• Rebinds: The number of Rebind messages that the Grid member received. A DHCP client sends a Rebind
message to extend the lifetime of its lease and to update configuration parameters.
• Releases: The number of Release messages that the Grid member received. A DHCP client sends a
Release message when it terminates its lease and releases its IP address.
• Advertises: The number of Advertise messages that the Grid member sent. When a DHCP server
receives a Solicit message, it can respond with an Advertise message to indicate that the server is
available for DHCP service.
• Replies: The number of Reply messages that the Grid member sent. A DHCP server sends a Reply
message that includes IP addresses and configuration parameters when it responds to Solicit, Request,
Renew or Rebind message. It sends a Reply message with configuration parameters only when it
responds to an Information-Request message.
• DHCP Messages tab: Displays a pie chart and the totals for each type of DHCP message. It also displays the
number of Deferred Updates, which are DDNS update requests which are deferred because the DNS primary
was not reachable when the update was first attempted.
• Messages per Second tab: Displays a line graph that tracks the DHCP messages that were sent and received per
second, within an hour. The time is displayed according to the time zone specified in the User Profile. If the auto-
detect time zone option is enabled and Grid Manager cannot determine the browser time zone, then the time is
displayed in UTC format. You can mouse over the graph to display the coordinates of any point in the graph.
Network Statistics
The Network Statistics widget provides information about IP address usage in an IPv4 network. You can monitor several
networks simultaneously to view the distribution of address resources. Such information can indicate if there is a
sufficient number of available addresses in each network. It can also provide information about the distribution of address
resources, indicating if there are too many unused addresses in one network while all the addresses in another are in
use.

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Add a Network Statistics widget to your Dashboard for each network that you want to monitor. You can monitor IPv4
networks only.
To configure the Network Statistics widget, click the Configure icon and do the following:
• Select one of the following chart types:
• Pie
• Bar
• Click Select Network. In the Network Selector dialog box, choose a network from the list and click Select.
Note that if multiple network views were previously configured, Grid Manager displays the default network view.
You can choose another network view from the drop-down list, and then select a network. The Network Statistics
widget displays the following information about the selected network:
• IPAM Utilization: When you define a network, this is the percentage based on the IP addresses in use divided by
the total addresses in the network. For example, in a /24 network, if there are 25 static IP addresses defined and
a DHCP range that includes 100 addresses, the total number of IP addresses in use is 125. Of the possible 256
addresses in the network, the IPAM utilization is about 50% for this network. When you define a network
container that contains subnets, this is the percentage of the total address space defined within the container
regardless of whether any of the IP addresses in the subnets are in use. For example, when you define a /16
network and then 64 /24 networks underneath it, the /16 network container is considered 25% utilized even when
none of the IP addresses in the /24 networks is in use.
You can use this information to verify if there is a sufficient number of available addresses in a network. The IPAM
utilization is calculated approximately every 15 minutes.
• Unmanaged: The number of discovered IP addresses that do not have corresponding records on the appliance,
such as A records, PTR records, fixed address records, host records, or leases. To obtain this data, you must run
a discovery process on the network first.
• Conflicts: The number of IP addresses that have either a MAC address conflict or a DHCP range conflict. To
obtain this data, you must run a discovery process on the network first. A discovered host has a MAC address
conflict when its MAC address is different from that specified in its fixed address, DHCP lease, or host record. A
discovered host has a DHCP range conflict when it is part of a DHCP range, but it does not have a matching fixed
address or DHCP lease, and it is not part of an exclusion range.
Network Users - Active Users

The Network Users Active Users widget displays up to 10 active users for Windows devices managed by the Grid. To
modify the Network Users Active Users widget, click the Configure icon and select one of the following:
• Only show networks with: Select At least or Fewer than from the drop-down list and specify the number of users
in the Users field. The default values are set to At least and 10 users.
• All Network Views: Select this to monitor active users on the managed Active Directory domains in all network
views.
• Select Network View: Click Select to select the network view in which you want to monitor active users.
The Network Users-Active Users widget displays the following information:
• Network: The network address. You can click the network link to view network details.
• Active Users: All users who are currently using the Active Directory domains. You can also export the list to a .csv
file.
IPv4 Networks Over Threshold

The IPv4 Networks Over Threshold widget enables you to monitor IPv4 network and IP address usage from your
Dashboard. It lists the IPv4 networks that are allocated above a specified threshold and thus might warrant your
attention. The default threshold is 75%.
For network containers, the threshold is the percentage of IP address space that has been allocated. For subnets, it is
the percentage of used addresses, except the broadcast and network addresses. The widget displays the network
containers and subnets with utilization percentages that surpass the threshold.
You can also select to view IPv4 cloud networks only if you have deployed Cloud Network Automation. For information
about this feature, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation.

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To configure the Networks Over Threshold widget, click the Configure icon, and then complete the following:
• Threshold: Enter a new threshold value. The default is 75%.
• Type: Select IPAM Utilization or IPv4 DHCP Utilization. For information, see Managing IPv4 DHCP Data.
• All Network Views: Select this to monitor threshold for IPv4 networks in all network views.
• Select Network View: Click Select to select the network view in which you want to monitor the threshold.
To view information related to cloud networks, select View Cloud Networks Only, and then select one of the following:
• All Tenants: Displays information for all tenants.
• Select Tenant: Click Select to select a specific tenant. In addition, you can do the following in this widget:
• Click the Export button to export the list of networks that surpass the threshold to a file in CSV format.
Port Status
The Port Status widget provides a quick way to inspect the interface status for any discovered device in the network. The
widget shows an overview of all interfaces on all devices or for a single device (called the Data Scope).
Click the Configure icon to change settings for the widget.

1. You can choose a Bar or Pie chart for the Total Switch or Switch-Router chart, which shows the percentage of
ports that are operationally Active and that are operationally Down.
2. Under Data Scope, the All Devices setting allows the widget to show the total counts for all discovered network
infrastructure devices. This is the default.
3. To use the widget to display port information for a single device, such as a switch, enable the Select Device radio
button. Choose the device in the Device Selector window. The widget adjusts its reported values to the scale of
the selected device.
4. You can also choose the Media Type. to further filter port status information. Choices include: Ethernet Interface,
Layer 2 Virtual LAN, Proprietary Serial Interface, Proprietary Virtual/Internal Interface, Loopback Interface and
Tunnel Interface.
The counters in the widget include Total Switch and Switch-Router Ports, Total Down Switch and Switch-Router Ports
and Total Active Switch and Switch-Router Ports.
Discovery Status
The appliance can run an IP discovery to detect and obtain information about active hosts in specified networks. For
information about the discovery process, see About Discovery.
You can add the Discovery Status widget to your Dashboard. From this widget, you can access Discovery Manager and
configure parameters for a discovery. You can do the following from the widget:
• Start a discovery immediately. For more information about immediate discovery, see Configuring IP Discovery.
• Schedule a discovery for a later date and time. For more information about discovery, see Configuring IP
Discovery.
• Configure a recurring discovery. For more information about recurring discovery, see Configuring IP Discovery.
• Click the Start button to start a discovery process.
• Click the Pause button to temporarily pause the process.
• Click the Stop button to stop the process.
This widget displays the status of discovery tasks. If there are no active discovery tasks, the widget displays the
discovery results of the previous tasks. For information about starting and scheduling a discovery task, see Guidelines
Before Starting a Discovery.
After you start a discovery, the Discovery Status widget displays a status bar that indicates the discovery is in progress. It
also tracks the number of networks in an IP discovery. You can click the Refresh icon to update the discovery status.
The widget displays the following information about the discovery process:

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• Current Status: If a discovery is in progress, this field displays its current status. Otherwise, it displays the date
and time of the last discovery.
• Last Action: Displays the last operation and the admin who initiated it.
• IPv4 Device Discovery: Displays the total number of IPv4 networks and the IPv4 network and IP address range
on which the IP discovery is currently running. You can click Refresh to update this information.
The Discovery Status widget also displays the following information about the last discovery:
• Discovered: The total number of active hosts in the network.
• Managed: The number of discovered IP addresses that are managed by the NIOS appliance. These IP addresses
have an A record, PTR record, fixed address record, host record, lease, or are within a configured DHCP range.
• Unmanaged: The number of discovered IP addresses that do not have corresponding records on the appliance,
such as A records, PTR records, fixed address records, host records, or leases.
• Conflicts: The number of discovered hosts that have a MAC address conflict or are part of a configured DHCP
range, but do not have a fixed address or lease record and are not part of an exclusion range.
Advanced Discovery Status

With the correct licensing, dedicated NIOS appliances operating as Grid members can perform infrastructure device
discovery. NIOS appliances with the Discovery license operate primarily for discovery tasks and do not perform core
DNS or DHCP network functions. Discovery appliances, called Probes, collect all network device data and compile it into
a database. A separate NIOS appliance, called a Consolidator, aggregates the collected device information from the
Probes and synchronizes with the Infoblox Grid Master.
For more information about discovery and its features and requirements, see Infoblox Network Insight and its associated
sections.
The Advanced Discovery Status widget provides several basic counts describing the general state of device discovery
within the Grid, and for networks outside the Grid being inventoried by the NIOS appliances designated for discovery.
The widget divides counters into two categories: Networks and Assets. Network counters refer to counts of managed and
unmanaged networks discovered by Probe appliances. Asset counters refer to counts of specific types of network
devices, termed Assets, which are comprised of end hosts, enterprise servers, enterprise printers, and any other
enterprise asset that exists in an end-user network segment. The widget counters include:
In the Networks category:

• Discovered: The total number of networks discovered by Probe appliances.
• Managed: The number of discovered networks that are currently managed by the NIOS Grid. These IP networks
have been converted from Unmanaged status to Managed status.
• Unmanaged: The number of discovered networks that are counted as Unmanaged by the NIOS Grid Master. After
a network is discovered and catalogued by a Probe appliance, its default state as a network is Unmanaged.
In the Assets category:
• Discovered: The total number of Assets discovered by Probe appliances.
• Managed: The number of discovered assets that are currently managed by the NIOS Grid. These devices have
been converted from Unmanaged status to Managed status.
• Unmanaged: The number of IPs with discovered data that are counted as Unmanaged by the NIOS Grid Master,
and have not been converted into a Host or a Fixed IP Address. After an Asset is discovered and cataloged by a
Probe appliance, its default state is Unmanaged.
• Conflicts: The number of discovered assets that have a MAC address conflict or are part of a configured DHCP
range, but do not have a fixed address or lease record and are not part of an exclusion range.
My Commands
The My Commands widget provides easy access to commands that you frequently use, so you can perform your tasks
without leaving the Dashboard. You can add one My Commands widget to your Dashboard.
To configure the My Commands widget, click the Configure icon and do the following:

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• Select a command from the Available list and click the > arrow to move it to the Selected list. You can always
toggle the commands between the two lists. Select multiple commands by using SHIFT-click and CTRL-click.
DDNS Statistics
The DDNS Statistics widget provides information about the dynamic DNS (DDNS) updates that occur on the DNS service
of a selected Grid member. The widget displays the total number of DDNS updates that succeeded, failed, and that were
rejected. It also displays a line graph that tracks the status of the DDNS updates per second.
You can add a DDNS Statistics widget to your Dashboard for each DNS server on the Grid that accepts dynamic DNS
updates.
To configure the DDNS Statistics widget, click the Configure icon and do the following:
• Click Select Member. In the Member Selector dialog box, select a Grid member from the list.
• Graph Configuration: Select which updates you want to track in the Updates per Second graph:
• Success: The number of DDNS update requests that succeeded.
• Prerequisite Reject: The number of DDNS update requests that were rejected because the prerequisite
conditions specified in the request were not met.
• Reject: The number of DDNS update requests that were rejected by the DNS service.
• Failure: The number of DDNS update requests that failed.
• DDNS Updates tab: Displays totals for each type of update.
• Updates per Second tab: Displays a line graph that tracks the status of the DDNS updates. The time is displayed
according to the time zone specified in the User Profile. If the auto-detect time zone option is enabled and Grid
Manager cannot determine the browser time zone, then the time is displayed in UTC format. You can mouse over
the graph to display the coordinates of any point in the graph.
System Activity Monitor

The System Activity Monitor widget provides information about the following resources on the selected Grid member:
CPU and its utilization, system memory, NIC usage, top processes, and information about VLAN interfaces. By default,
the widget displays the system activity of the Grid Master. You can add a System Activity Monitor widget to your
Dashboard for each Grid member whose resources you want to monitor.
To configure the System Activity Monitor widget, click the Configure icon and select a Grid member and the resources
that you want to track:
• Click Select Member. In the Member Selector dialog box and select a Grid member from the list.
• CPU: Select which type of CPU usage you want to track:
• User: The CPU usage of user applications, such as programs and libraries.
• System: The CPU usage of the kernel and drivers.
• Idle: The percentage of CPU that is not in use.
• System Memory: Select which portion of the system memory you want to track:
• Real Memory Used: The physical RAM usage.
• Swap Used: The swap area usage. The swap area is the disk area that temporarily holds a process
memory image.
• NIC Usage: Select how you want to measure network traffic:
• Bytes: Reports the number of bytes.
• Packets: Reports the number of packets.

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• NIC Settings: Select the port on which you want to measure network traffic. If you have configured VLANs, Grid
Manager displays them in the format LAN1 nnnn or LAN2 nnnn, where nnnn represents the associated VLAN ID.
For example, a VLAN configured on LAN1 can be displayed as LAN1 297 and a LAN2 VLAN can be LAN2 21.
For more information about VLANs, see VLAN Management.
 Note
For vNIOS appliances, some of the options in the drop-down list may vary depending on your vNIOS
configuration. For example, if you are using a single network interface instance of vNIOS for GCP, you
will see choices specific to the LAN1 interface only. For more information, see the vNIOS documentation
specific to your product at Appliances.
• CPU Utilization and Top N Processes: Set the auto refresh period in this section. NIOS displays the information
for all available cores.
• Auto Refresh Period for CPU Utilization and Top N Processes: Enter the time interval in seconds for the
CPU Core Utilization graph and the top N process data to auto refresh and display the CPU core
utilization information. If you enter 12, the graph displays new information after every 12 seconds. You can
enter a minimum refresh interval of 10 seconds and a maximum refresh interval of 30 seconds. By
default, the time interval is set to 10 seconds. This field is applicable only to the CPU Utilization and Top N
Processes tabs.
• Auto Refresh Period: Enter the refresh interval in seconds for the data in the CPU, System Memory, and NIC
Usage tabs to auto refresh.
The System Activity Monitor widget displays a tab for each resource: CPU, System Memory, NIC Usage, CPU Utilization,
Top N Processes.
Each tab contains a line graph that tracks the resource utilization per second.
• CPU: The graph on the CPU tab tracks the percentage of CPU usage.
• System Memory: The graph on the System Memory tab tracks the memory utilization percentage.
• NIC Usage: The graph on the NIC Usage tab tracks either bytes or packets per second.
• CPU Utilization: If you select the Live option, the graph tracks live CPU utilization data for the last 10 minutes for
all CPUs in your Grid member. The graph is refreshed based on the time interval you specify in the Auto Refresh
Period for CPU Utilization and Top N Processes field. Each CPU is denoted in a different color. If you select the
Historical option, you can view the CPU utilization data for up to a maximum of past 60 minutes based on the time
range you specify in the Earliest and Latest fields. For example, if you enter 2019-09-05 and 09:20:42 AM in the
Earliest field and 2019-09-05 and 10:20:42 AM in the Latest field, the graph displays the CPU utilization data for
5th September 2019 between 9:20:42 AM and 10:20:42 AM. You can view data for a maximum of past of 5 days
but the time difference between Earliest and Latest time should not exceed 60 minutes.
• Top N Processes: If you select the Live option, the table displays the process ID and name of the top N
processes that are consuming CPU utilization. N is the number that you specify in the Number of Top Processes
field on the Monitoring tab of the Grid Properties editor. It also displays the percentage of CPU utilized by each
process. The data is refreshed based on the time interval you specify in the Auto Refresh Period for
CPU Utilization and Top N Processes field. If you select the Historical option, you can view past top N process
data based on the time range you specify in the Earliest and Latest fields. For example, if you enter 2019-09-05
and 09:20:42 AM in the Earliest field and 2019-09-05 and 10:20:42 AM in the Latest field, the graph displays the
top process data on 5th September 2019 between 9:20:42 AM and 10:20:42 AM. You can view data for a
maximum of 5 days.
The time is displayed according to the time zone specified in the User Profile. If the auto-detect time zone option is
enabled and Grid Manager cannot determine the browser time zone, then the time is displayed in UTC format. You can
mouse over the graph to display the coordinates of any point in the graph.
File Distribution Statistics

The File Distribution Statistics widget enables you to monitor the status of file distributions services from the Dashboard.
The widget provides an overall status of file distribution on all members in the Grid. It also displays the file system
utilization for the file distribution subsystem.
The service status displays one of the following:

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• OK: All file distribution services are running properly.
• Stopped: All file distribution services are stopped.
• Warning: The file distribution services are not running properly.
• Error: The file distribution services encounter an error.
You can click the link to view detailed information about the file distribution services. Grid Manager displays the Members
tab in the File Distribution tab.
To configure the File Distribution Statistics widget, click the Configure icon and select one of the following chart types:
• Pie
• Bar
The File Distribution Statistics widget displays the following information:
• File System Utilization: The percentage of utilization of the overall allocated file distribution subsystem space on
all members. You can use this information to verify if there is sufficient space for file distribution in the Grid.
Active WebUI Users

The Active WebUI Users widget provides information about the users who are logged in to Grid Manager or System
Manager. It does not include users who are using the Infoblox API or are logged in to the serial console.
You can add only one Active WebUI Users widget to the Dashboard. You must have a superuser account to add this
widget to the Dashboard.
It displays the following information about each user:

• User ID: The user name.
• Source Address: The IP address of the management station the user used to connect to Grid Manager.
• Logged In Since: The date and time the user logged in.
• Idle Time: The number of minutes the user has not had any activity on Grid Manager. Note that the idle session
timeout is 2 hours, so the idle time is cleared every 2 hours.
• User Agent: The system used to access Grid Manager, such as the browser version and platform information. You
can sort the columns and hide or display each one. You can also export the list to a .csv file.
Microsoft Servers Status Widget

The Microsoft Servers Status widget displays the operational status of each Microsoft server managed by the Grid. Grid
Manager displays this widget only when at least one member in the Grid has a Microsoft management license. You can
configure this widget to display the status of all Microsoft servers or only those with warnings and errors. You can also
view the monitor and control status for the DNS and DHCP service on the Microsoft server. To modify the Microsoft
Servers Status widget, click the Configure icon and select one of the following:
• Show all Microsoft servers
• Only show servers with service warnings or errors
The Microsoft Servers Status widget displays the following information about each Microsoft server:
• Server Name: The hostname of the Microsoft server.
• IP Address: The IP address of the Microsoft server.
• Status: The connection status of the Microsoft server.
• OK: The Grid member is connected to the Microsoft server.
• Connecting: The Grid member is connecting to the Microsoft server.
• Error: The Grid member tried to connect to the Microsoft server, but failed. You can check the syslog for
any messages.
• Not Available: The Microsoft server is disabled. The Grid member does not try to connect to disabled
servers.
• DNS: The status of the DNS service on the Microsoft server. The DNS service status can be one of the following:

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Icon Color Meaning
Green The DNS service is functioning properly.
Red The Microsoft server is unavailable.
Yellow The DNS service is starting or stopping.
Gray The DNS service is stopped or management of the Microsoft DNS server is disabled.
• DHCP: The status of the DHCP service on the Microsoft server. The DHCP service status can be one of the
following:
Icon Color Meaning
Green The DHCP service is functioning properly.
Yellow The DHCP service is starting or stopping.
Gray The DHCP service is stopped or management of the Microsoft DHCP server is
disabled.
• Active Directory Sites: The status icon in green indicates the synchronization status of Active Directory Sites on
the Microsoft server.
• Enable DNS Monitor & Control: Displays Yes if the monitor and control status is enabled for the DNS service on
the Microsoft server and displays No if it is disabled.
• Enable DHCP Monitor & Control: Displays Yes if the monitor and control status is enabled for the DHCP service
on the Microsoft server and displays No if it is disabled.
CSV Import Manager

The CSV Import Manager on the Status Dashboard displays the status of CSV import jobs you have submitted. You can
start a file import from CSV Import Manager and control and monitor it from this widget. You can also launch CSV Import
Manager from the Task Dashboard or the Toolbar. You can also delete uploaded CSV files. For more information,
see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import. You can click the Refresh icon or configure auto refresh to update
the status.
The widget displays the following information about the import jobs that were submitted in the past 30 days:
• User Name: The admin user who submitted the CSV import. Only superusers can view this column.

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• Status: The current status of the import job. The status can be one of the following:
• Import successful: The import is completed without errors. Check the Message field for information about
the import.
• Import unsuccessful: The import is completed, but with errors. Check the Message field for information
• Import pending: The job is in queue for execution.
• Import in progress: The job is being executed.
• Import stopped: The job has been stopped. You can select the job and restart the import.
• Test successful: Test is completed without errors. Check the Message field for information about the test.
• Test unsuccessful: Test is completed, but with errors. Check the Message field for information about the
error message.
• Test pending: Test is in queue for execution.
• Test in progress: Test is in progress.
• Test stopped: Test has been stopped. You can select the job and restart the import.
• Saved file: The data file has been uploaded, but the import has not started.
 Note
After a product restart, which can be caused by a failover, all Import in progress jobs go
into Import stopped state; all Import pending jobs continue to be queued for execution.

• Completed: The timestamp when the job was completed. This field is blank if the job has not been completed yet.
• File Name: The CSV data file name.
• Message: This field displays the number of rows of data that has been processed and the number of rows of data
the import has detected errors. Depending on the import options, Grid Manager displays the row number at which
it stops the import when it encounters an error, or the total number of rows it has processed by skipping over the
erroneous data. For example, if there are 100 rows of data and you select "On error: Stop importing," and there is
an error in row 90, the appliance displays 90of100completed,1error. If you select "On error: Skip to the next row
and continue," the appliance displays 100 of 100 completed, 1 error.
• File Size: The CSV data file size.
 Note
Superusers can view all CSV import jobs and limited-access users can view only the jobs they submitted.
Pending Approvals
The Pending Approvals widget provides information about tasks that are pending your approvals. Add the Pending
Approvals widget to your Dashboard to monitor tasks that require your approvals.
You can select a task and perform the following:
• Click the Approve icon to approve the task.
• Click the Reject icon to disapprove the task.
You can also click Task Manager to access the Administration tab -> Workflow tab -> Task Manager tab.
The Pending Approvals widget displays the following information about each task that requires your approval:
• Task ID: The ID associated with the task. The appliance assigns an ID to a task in chronological order.
• Submitter: The username of the admin who scheduled or submitted the task.
• Ticket Number: The reference number entered by the submitter to identify the task. You can enter up to 20
alphanumeric characters.
• Scheduled Time: The date, time, and time zone when the task was scheduled for execution.
• Affected Object: The name or value of the object that is associated with the task. For example, if the task involves
an A record, this field displays the domain name of the record. If it is a fixed address, it displays the IP address of
the fixed address.
• Object Type: The object type. For example, the appliance can display A Record or Fixed Address.

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• Action: The operation the appliance performs in this task. The operation can be: Add, Modify, Delete, or Network
Discovery.
• Submitte Time: The date, time, and time zone when the task was submitted. You can select this for display. It is
not displayed by default.
Infoblox Community
The Infoblox Community widget displays the latest news from Infoblox. It provides links to video clips that show you how
to perform certain tasks, such as how to prepare for IPAM Express and how to add a network. You can click available
links in the widget to get more information about Infoblox products and solutions.
Note that content in the Infoblox Community widget may not be displayed in certain versions of Mozilla FireFox, Google
Chrome, and Microsoft Internet Explorer due to restrictions these browsers use to block certain secure data.
Follow these steps to unblock the Infoblox Community widget and view data in your respective browser:
• MozillaFireFox: Click the Shield icon in the address bar and choose DisableProtectiononThisPage from the
drop-down list. The icon in the address bar changes to a warning triangle and content is displayed in the
InfobloxCommunity widget. For more details, refer to information at https://blog.mozilla.org/tanvi/2013/04/10/
mixed-content-blocking-enabled-in-firefox-23/.
• Google Chrome: Click the Shield icon in the address bar and click Load unsafe script in the pop-up box.
Chrome automatically refreshes the webpage and loads the content in the Infoblox Community widget. For more
details, refer to information at https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/1342714?hl=en.
• Internet Explorer: Click the Compatibility View icon adjacent to the address bar. The browser refreshes and
the Security Warning dialog box is displayed. Click No in the dialog box. The Only Secure content is displayed
pop-up blocker is displayed at the bottom of the browser. Click the Show all content button in this pop-up blocker
to view the content. For more details, refer to the information at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/internet-
explorer/use-compatibility-view#ie=ie-8.
Mobile Devices Status

The Mobile Devices widget provides information about the number of active leases of the DHCP fingerprint devices
managed by the Grid. The widget displays a pie chart indicating the number of active leases in percentile for each of the
device category. You can click the Refresh icon or configure auto refresh to update the status.
 Note
The Mobile Devices widget updates its data every 15 minutes. A device might not be displayed in this widget if
its lease expires within 15 minutes.
To configure the Mobile Devices widget, click the Configure icon and do the following:
• Click Select Network View. In the Network View Selector dialog box, select a network view from the list and click
OK.
Note that if multiple network views were previously configured, Grid Manager displays the default network view. You can
select another network view from the Network View Selector dialog box.
The widget displays the number of active leases for the following device classes:

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• MacOS - Displays all devices that were detected to be running Mac OS.
• Windows - Displays all devices that were detected to be running Windows.
• Android Mobile - Displays Smartphones/PDAs/Tablets that were detected to be running Android.
• Apple Mobile - Displays Smartphones/PDAs/Tablets that were detected to have Apple in the DHCP fingerprint
information.
• No Match - Displays all devices whose fingerprint information does not match with any of the standard/custom
DHCP fingerprint data stored in the appliance. For information about Standard and Custom DHCP Fingerprints,
see Standard and Custom DHCP Fingerprints.
• Other - Displays all devices that belong to a device class other than those listed above.
List of device types and classes
Category Device Class Device Type
Windows Windows Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows 2003
Microsoft Windows 8
Microsoft Windows Vista/7 or Server 2008
Microsoft Windows XP
Mac OS Macintosh Apple Mac OS 9
Apple Mac OS X, TV (HD)
Apple Mobile Smartphones/PDAs/Tablets Apple iPod
Apple iPod, iPhone, iPad or TV (SD)
Android Mobile Smartphones/PDAs/Tablets Android Phone/Tablet (Generic)
Android Phone/Tablet (HTC, older devices)
Android Phone/Tablet (Motorola, older devices)
Android Phone/Tablet (Sony Ericsson, older devices)
Android Phone/Tablet (Unknown devices)
Android Phone/Tablet (Vizio tablet, Others)
Android Phone/Tablet (newer devices)
Android tablets (Samsung, Others)
ZTE N9120 Android
DNS Integrity Check

The DNSIntegrityCheck widget displays status about DNS data discrepancies that have been detected through DNS
integrity check that is designed to mitigate DNS domain hijacking. This widget displays top-level or parent authoritative
zones that have been selected for DNS data monitoring. For information about how to configure DNS integrity check to
mitigate possible DNS domain hijacking, see Configuring DNS Integrity Check for Authoritative Zones.
The widget displays the following information (note that this table is sorted by Status.):

Rev. D
• : Left click the Action icon next to a zone to perform the following:
• View Syslog: Select this to open the Syslog Preview dialog and view data discrepancy events for the
selected zone.
• Check Now: Select this to perform DNS integrity check to immediately query current DNS data from the
top-level parent domain. When you select this, verbose logging for DNS integrity check is automatically
enabled. After the operation is complete, the appliance updates the timestamp for the Last Checked
column.
• Zone: Displays the name of the top-level authoritative zones that is being monitored for DNS integrity check. You
can click the zone name and the appliance opens the zone viewer for the selected zone.
• Status: Displays the current DNS data discrepancy status. The status can be one of the following:
• Critical (red): Data in the NS RRsets for the authoritative and delegate zones are completely out of
synchronization.
• Severe (orange): Some data in the NS RRset between the authoritative and delegate zones overlaps and
some data is different.
• Warning (yellow): The NS RRset for the authoritative zone is a subset of the NS RRset for the delegate
zone. It is possible that incorrect IP addresses have been entered at the registrar.
• Informational (blue): The NS RRset for the delegate zone is a subset of the NS RRset for the authoritative
zone. This could indicate a possible delay in domain registration.
• Normal (green): There are no DNS data discrepancies between the NS RRsets for the authoritative and
delegated zones.
• None (black): No DNS discrepancies data has been collected or DNS integrity check has not been
performed.
• Last Checked: The timestamp in YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS when the parent domain was last queried for its DNS
data.
• Description: Information about the zone.
Previewing Syslog Events

When you select View Syslog from the DNS Integrity Check widget for a selected zone, the Syslog Preview dialog is
displayed. You can view related syslog events for the selected zone in this dialog, as follows:
• Timestamp: The timestamp in YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS when the event was logged.
• Facility: The location that determines the processes and daemons from which the log messages are generated.
• Level: The severity level of the DNS data discrepancies. This can be Critical, Severe, Warning, Information, or
Normal. For more information, see descriptions for the Status field.
• Server: The name of the Grid member that performed the data check.
• Message: Syslog information about the event. If you have enabled verbose logging, this displays detailed
information about the event. For information about how to enable verbose logging, see Configuring DNS Integrity
Check for Authoritative Zones.
You can also click Go to Syslog Viewer on the upper right corner of the dialog to view all events in the syslog. For more
information about the syslog, see Viewing the Syslog.
Cloud Statistics
The Cloud Statistics widget appears only when you have deployed the Cloud Network Automations license on the Grid
Master. This widget displays statistical information for cloud objects. It contains the following tabs: Tenant & VMs, Fixed
vs. Floating and Available vs. Allocated. You must install valid cloud related licenses to access this widget. For more
information about installing licenses and enabling Cloud Network Automation, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation.
To modify the Cloud Statistics widget, click the Configure icon and select one of the following:
• Show Statistics From:
• All Tenants: Select this to display statistics for all tenants.
• Select Tenant: Click Select to choose a specific tenant for which statistics are displayed.
• Show:
• All IP Addresses: Select this to display all IP address allocation for all tenants or the tenant of your choice.
• Fixed: Select this to display only fixed IP address allocation for all tenants or the tenant of your choice.
Fixed IP addresses correspond to OpenStack Fixed IP Addresses.

Rev. D
• Floating: Select this to display only floating IP address allocation for all tenants or the tenant of your
choice. Floating IP addresses correspond to OpenStack Floating IP Addresses.
Dig Request
The Dig Request widget enables you to perform a DNS lookup on the Grid Master or on the specified Grid member and
displays the output of the dig command.
 Note
When RPZ license is installed on both the Grid Master and the Grid member, the RPZ rule might not be
triggered if you perform dig on the Grid member from the Grid Master.
To perform a DNS lookup using the dig command, complete the following:
• Run dig command on: Select one of the following. The default is Grid Master.
• Grid Master: Select this to perform a DNS lookup on the Grid Master.
• Grid Member: Select this to perform a DNS lookup on the Grid member. Click Select Member to select a
Grid member. If there are multiple members, the Member Selector dialog box is displayed, from which you
can select a member. Click the required member name in the dialog box. You can also click Clear to clear
the displayed member and select a new one.
• Name Server to Query(Optional): Optionally, specify the name server on which you want to perform a DNS
lookup. You can enter either the name, IPv4 address, or IPv6 address of the name server.
• Record Type: Select the resource record type from the drop-down list. You can select Any to query all the
resource record types or select one of the following from the drop-down list: A, AAAA, CAA, CNAME, DNAME,
MX, NAPTR, NS, PTR, SRV, TXT, AXFR. If the record type is Unknown, then directly enter the type of unknown
record. For example, for an unknown record of type RP, enter RP. The default is Any.
• Send Recursive Query: Select this to send recursive queries for the domain. This checkbox is selected by default.
• Domain Name to Query: Enter the domain name to query.
Click Perform Dig. The widget displays the status and output of the dig command.
Note that if you have installed RPZ license and enabled RPZ logging in the Grid, you can view RPZ syslog messages by
clicking View RPZ Syslog if the specified domain name matches the RPZ rule.
Security Status for Grid

The Security Status for Grid widget displays the overall status of Threat Protection, RPZ (Response Policy Zone), and
DNS Threat Analytics services on the Grid members that support Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection, hardware or
Software ADP, and Infoblox Threat Insight. Grid Manager displays this widget only when at least one member in the Grid
has the Threat Protection, RPZ, or Threat Analytics license installed. You can add this widget to the Security dashboard
to monitor the overall security status of the Grid. The statistics displayed in this widget are cumulative, collected from all
the Grid members that support Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection, hardware or Software ADP, and Infoblox Threat
Insight. This widget displays data for the last 30 minutes. The overall status of Threat Protection, RPZ, and DNS Threat
Analytics is determined by the threshold values configured in the Global Dashboard Properties editor. For information,
see Configuring Security Status Thresholds.
 Note
If the Threat Protection license is not installed on any of the Grid members, Grid Manager does not display any
threat protection related information in this widget. Similarly, if the RPZ license is not installed on any of the Grid
members, Grid Manager does not display RPZ and DNS Threat Analytics related information in this widget and
if the Threat Analytics license is not installed on any of the Grid members, Grid Manager does not display DNS
Threat Analytics related information in this widget.

Rev. D
The widget displays the following information for Threat Protection, RPZ, and DNS Threat Analytics:
• Status: It displays the overall status of the security service in the Grid based on the events collected from all the
members that support Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection and Infoblox Threat Insight. It represents the status of
the most critical member in the Grid.
The status icon can be one of the following for the Threat Protection, RPZ, and DNS Threat Analytics service:
• OK (Green): The license for the security service is installed and the security service is running. The
rulesets for the security service are available and the number of events triggered are less than the yellow
and red threshold values configured in the Global Dashboard Properties editor for the corresponding
security service.
• Warning (Yellow): The license for the security service is installed and the security service is running. The
rulesets for the security service are available and the number of events triggered for any of the
parameters equals or exceeds the yellow threshold value, but less than the red threshold value configured
in the Global Dashboard Properties editor for the corresponding security service.
• Critical (Red): The license for the security service is installed and the security service is running. The
rulesets might not be available or the number of events triggered for any of the parameters, equals or
exceeds the red threshold value configured in the Global Dashboard Properties editor for the
corresponding security service.
• Not Setup (Black): The license for the security service is installed, but the security service is not running.
• Unknown (Black): The data is not available from the Grid member.
You can hover your mouse over the Threat Protection, RPZ, and Threat Analytics status icon and view the Threat
Protection Status for Grid widget, Response Policy Zone (RPZ) Status for Grid widget, and Threat Analytics Status for
Grid widget respectively. For information about Threat Protection Status for Grid widget, Response Policy Zone (RPZ)
Status for Grid widget, and Threat Analytics Status for Grid widget, see Threat Protection Status for Grid, Response
Policy Zone (RPZ) Status for Grid, and Threat Analytics Status for Grid respectively.
• Events from <> of <> security capable members: This column displays the cumulative event counts collected
from the online Grid members that support the Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection and Infoblox Threat Insight.
• Threat Protection: Displays the total threat protection event counts for the following severity levels:
• Critical (Red): The total number of critical events.
• Major (Orange): The total number of major events.
• Warning (Yellow): The total number of warning events.
• Informational (Blue): The total number of informational events.
• RPZ: Displays the total number of hits received for the following RPZ rules:
• Blocked hits (Red): Total number of queries that triggered a Block (No Data) or Block (No Such
Domain) RPZ rule.
• Passthru hits (Yellow): Total number of queries that triggered a Passthru RPZ rule.
• Substituted hits (Orange): Total number of queries that triggered a Substitute (Domain Name) or
Substitute (Record) RPZ rule.
• Analytics: Displays the total number of DNS tunneling events.
• Definitions/Rules: This column displays the status of the latest ruleset available in the database. For RPZ, the
definition status is based on the latest RPZ feed received from Infoblox specific feeds. You can hover your mouse
over the definition status to see the RPZ definition status when RPZ definitions exists.
• Configuration Status: This column indicates whether the security service is enabled and running properly or not.
Grid manager displays a green check mark if the security service is enabled and running properly in the Grid. If
the security service is disabled, a gray pause mark is displayed. You can hover your mouse over the gray pause
mark to see the status of the security service.
In addition, you can click the Configure icon and do the following:
• Click Configure Security Status Thresholds to configure the thresholds for the security status of the Grid. In the
Global Dashboard Properties editor, you can define the threshold values for Threat Protection, RPZ, and DNS
Threat Analytics. For information, see Configuring Security Status Thresholds.
• Select the Auto Refresh Period checkbox to turn on auto-refresh and specify the auto-refresh period in seconds.
The default auto-refresh period is 30 seconds.
 Warning

Rev. D
• Widgets that support user-specified auto refresh, refresh at the rate specified in the Auto Refresh Period
field.
Therefore, even if you set the session timeout to be to greater than the auto refresh rate, auto refresh still takes
place. The Grid Manager session does not time out because auto refresh takes precedence over the session
timeout. For more information about widgets, see Status Dashboard.
Click the Configure icon again to hide the configuration panel after you complete the modification.
Security Status for All Members

The Security Status for All Members widget displays information about the status of all the Grid members that support
Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection, hardware or Software ADP, and Infoblox Threat Insight. Grid Manager displays this
widget only when at least one member in the Grid has the Threat Protection or RPZ license. You can add this widget to
the Security dashboard to monitor the status of the Grid members that support Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection,
hardware or Software ADP, and Infoblox Threat Insight.
 Note
When an HA Grid Master fails over, the new active node re-collects data from all the Grid members. Hence, it
might take a few seconds until the data is displayed in the Security dashboard. When an HA Grid member fails
over, the Grid Master stops collecting data from the HA member.
The Security Status for All Members widget displays the following information:
• Overall Status: The current overall security status of the members that support Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection
and Infoblox Threat Insight. This can be OK, Warning, Critical, or Unknown.
The security status for a member might be Unknown if NTP service is out of synchronization for the member. Hence, to
ensure that the correct data is displayed for the member, use NTP to synchronize the time of the member with that of the
Grid Master.
• Member: The name of the member. You can hover your mouse over the member name and view the Member
Status widget. For information about the Member Status widget, see Member Status (System Status).
• Threat Protection Status: The status of the threat protection service running on the member. This can be either
OK, Warning, Critical, NotSetup, or Unknown. You can hover your mouse over the threat protection status and
view the Threat Protection Status for Member widget. For information about the Threat Protection Status for
Member widget, see Threat Protection Status for Member.
• RPZ Status: The status of the RPZ service running on the member. This can be either OK, Warning, Critical,
NotSetup, or Unknown. You can hover your mouse over the RPZ status and view the
ResponsePolicyZone(RPZ)Statistics widget. For information about the Response Policy Zone (RPZ) Statistics
widget, see Response Policy Zone (RPZ) Status for Member.
• Analytics Status: The status of the DNS Threat Analytics service running on the member. This can be either OK,
Warning, Critical, NotSetup, or Unknown.
You can also do the following in this widget:
• Turn on auto-refresh. Click the Configure icon and select the AutoRefreshPeriod checkbox to turn on auto-
refresh. Specify the auto-refresh period in seconds. The default auto refresh period is 30 seconds.
 Warning

Rev. D
• Click the Action icon (shown as a gear in each row of the table) next to the overall status of each member, and
select ViewSyslog to view all the events logged in the syslog. Grid Manager displays the syslog messages in the
Syslog Preview window.
• Click the Export icon to export the data displayed in this widget.
• Click the Print icon to print the data displayed in this widget.
• Click Response Policy Zones link in the GoTo field at the top of the widget to view the RPZs configured on the
member. Grid Manager displays the Response Policy Zones tab in the DNS tab. To navigate back to the Security
dashboard, click Back to Security Dashboard at the top left corner of the navigation bar in the Response Policy
Zones tab.
• Click Threat Protection link in the Go To field at the top of the widget to view the threat protection rulesets
configured on the member. Grid Manager displays the Threat Protection Rules tab in the Security tab. To navigate
back to the Security dashboard, click Back to Security Dashboard at the top left corner of the navigation bar in the
Threat Protection Rules tab.
• Click Threat Analytics link in the Go To field at the top of the widget to view the whitelist domains configured on
the member. Grid Manager displays the Threat Analytics tab. To navigate back to the Security dashboard, click
Back to Security Dashboard at the top right corner of the panel in the Threat Analytics tab.
• Click Members link in the Go To field at the top of the widget to view the members configured in the Grid. Grid
Manager displays the Members tab in the Grid Manager tab. To navigate back to the Security dashboard, click
Back to Security Dashboard at the top left corner of the navigation bar in the Members tab.
Threat Protection Status for Grid

The Threat Protection Status for Grid widget displays the statistical information about the threat protection events
triggered on all the members in the Grid that support Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection, hardware or Software ADP, and
Infoblox Threat Insight. This widget contains the following tabs: Total Events by Severity, Top 10 Grid Members, Events
Over Time, Top 10 Rules, and Top 10 Clients.
You can do the following in this widget:
• Turn on auto-refresh.
Click the Configure icon, select the Auto Refresh Period checkbox, and specify the refresh period in seconds. The
default auto refresh period is 30 seconds. You can click the Configure icon again to hide the configuration panel.
 Warning
• Click the Total Events by Severity tab to view information about threat protection related events by the severity
level. For information, see Total Events by Severity.
• Click the Top 10 Grid Members tab to view information about the top 10 Grid members that have the most
number of threat protection events. For information, see Top 10 Grid Members.
• Click the Events Over Time tab to view information about the total event count for each type of event severity in
the given time frame. For information, see Events Over Time.
• Click the Top 10 Rules tab to view information about the top 10 threat protection rules with the most number of
hits. For information, see Top 10 Rules.
• Click the Top 10 Clients tab to view information about the top 10 clients that have the most number of threat
protections events. For information, see Top 10 Clients.

Rev. D
Total Events by Severity
The Total Events by Severity tab displays statistics about the Threat Protection events for each type of event severity.
This tab displays a bar chart that lists the total event counts for each severity level. Each severity level is represented by
a different color. The event statistics are cumulative, collected from all the members in the Grid that support Infoblox
Advanced DNS Protection and Infoblox Threat Insight.
This line graph displays the event counts for the following severity levels:
• Critical (Red): The total number of critical events.
• Major (Orange): The total number of major events.
• Warning (Yellow): The total number of warning events.
• Informational(Blue): The total number of informational events.
If you have configured a reporting member in the Grid, the Go To History link is displayed in this tab. You can click Go To
History to view the Threat Protection Event Count By Severity Trend report in the Reporting tab. To navigate back to the
Security dashboard from the Reporting tab, click Back to Security Dashboard at the top left corner of the navigation bar in
the Reporting tab.
Top 10 Grid Members

The Top 10 Grid Members tab displays a stacked bar chart that tracks the top Grid members with the most total counts of
threat protection events. Each severity level is represented with a different color. The report displays the top 10 members
in descending order.
History to view the Threat Protection Event Count By Member/Member Group Trend report in the Reporting tab. To
navigate back to the Security dashboard from the Reporting tab, click Back to Security Dashboard at the top left corner of
the navigation bar in the Reporting tab.
Events Over Time

The Events Over Time tab displays a line graph that tracks the event count for each event severity in a given time frame.
You can view the event counts for the following severity level: Critical, Major, Warning, and Informational. The event
statistics are cumulative, collected from all the members in the Grid that supports Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection and
Infoblox Threat Insight. Each severity level is represented with a different color.
History to view the Threat Protection Event Count By Severity Trend report in the Reporting tab. To navigate back to the
the Reporting tab.
Top 10 Rules
The Top 10 Rules tab displays a horizontal bar chart that tracks the top threat protection rules that have the most number
of hits. Each severity level is represented with a different color. The report displays the top 10 rules in descending order.
History to view the Threat Protection Top Rules Logged report in the Reporting tab. To navigate back to the Security
dashboard from the Reporting tab, click Back to Security Dashboard at the top left corner of the navigation bar in the
Reporting tab.

Rev. D
Top 10 Clients
The Top 10 Clients tab displays a horizontal bar chart that tracks the total number of threat protections events triggered
by top clients (source IP addresses). This tab displays the IP addresses of the top 10 clients. For NAT clients, it displays
the NAT addresses for the clients.
If you have configured a Reporting member in the Grid, the Go To History link is displayed in this tab. You can click Go To
History to view the Threat Protection Top Rules Logged by Source report in the Reporting tab. To navigate back to the
the Reporting tab.
 Note
The data displayed in this widget may not be consistent with the data displayed in
the Threat Protection Top Rules Logged by Source report.
Threat Protection Status for Member

The Threat Protection Status for Member widget displays statistics about the threat protection events for a specific Grid
member that supports Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection, hardware or Software ADP. For information about the threat
protection feature, see About Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection.
To configure the Threat Protection Status for Member widget, click the Configure icon and complete the following:
• Click Select Member. In the Member Selector dialog box, select a Grid member from the list that supports
Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection, hardware or Software ADP.
• Select either Dial or Bar as the display format for the following resources: Smart NIC CPU, Traffic being dropped,
Traffic being received. Note that Smart NIC CPU selection is displayed only when you select a Grid member that
supports Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection.
• SNIC Settings: Select the interface for which you want to view the interface usage information. You can select
one of the following from the drop-down list: HA, LAN1, or LAN2. You can view the interface usage information for
the selected interface in the Interface Usage tab. This is displayed only when you select a Grid member that
supports Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection.
Note that you can select the HA port even though the Grid member is not an HA pair, because the HA port on a
single member can be exposed to potential attacks.
• NIC Settings: Select the interface for which you want to view the interface usage information. You can select one
of the following from the drop-down list: HA, LAN1, or LAN2. You can view the interface usage information for the
selected interface in the Interface Usage (LAN1) tab. This is displayed only when you select a Grid member that
supports Software ADP.
• Events Over Time: Select the severity level, Critical, Major, Warning, or Informational, to view the details for a
specific severity level. You can select one or all the available severity levels.
• Select the AutoRefreshPeriod checkbox to turn on auto-refresh, and specify the auto-refresh period in seconds.
The default is 30 seconds.
 Warning
Click the Configure icon again to hide the configuration panel after you complete the modification. You can do the
following in this widget:
• Click the Summary tab to view the statistics for the following resources in the format you selected:

Rev. D
• Smart NIC CPU: The percentage of Smart NIC CPU that is in use. This is displayed only when you select a Grid
member that supports Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection.
• Traffic being dropped: The percentage of traffic dropped. It is displayed for both LAN1 and LAN2 interfaces.
• Traffic being received: The percentage of traffic received. It is displayed for both LAN1 and LAN2 interfaces.
• Click the Events Over Time tab to view information about the threat protection event counts for each severity level
over the given time frame. It displays line graphs that show the threat protection event counts for each event
severity over the last 30 minutes. Each event severity is represented by a different color line graph. You can
hover your mouse over the graph to view the coordinates of any point in the graph. You can also click the Events
Over Time legend and use it as a filter to view the graph for specific severity level.
• Click the Top 10 Rules tab to view information about the threat protection rules that have the most number of hits.
It displays a bar chart to track the top 10 threat protection rules with the most number of hits for critical, major,
and warning severity levels. Each event severity is displayed in a different color.
If you have configured a Reporting member in the Grid, the Go To History link is displayed in this tab. You can
click Go To History to view the Threat Protection Top Rules Logged report in the Reporting tab. To navigate back
to the Security dashboard from the Reporting tab, click Back to Security Dashboard at the top left corner of the
navigation bar in the Reporting tab.
• Click the Top 10 Clients tab to view information about the top sources (client IP addresses) that triggered threat
protection rules. It displays a bar chart to track the top 10 clients with the most number of hits.
If you have configured a Reporting member in the Grid, the Go To History link is displayed in this tab. You can
click Go To History to view the Threat Protection Top Rules Logged by Source report in the Reporting tab. To
navigate back to the Security dashboard from the Reporting tab, click Back to Security Dashboard at the top left
corner of the navigation bar in the Reporting tab.
• Click the Interface Usage tab to view information about the interface usage (in megabytes per second) over a
given time frame. It displays line graphs that show the interface usage trends for the selected interface over the
last 30 minutes. You can hover your mouse over the graph to view the coordinates of any point in the graph.
• Click the Smart NIC CPU tab to view the information about the percentage of CPU usage over a given time
frame. It displays line graphs that show the CPU usage trends over the last 30 minutes. You can hover your
mouse over the graph to view the coordinates of any point in the graph. This is displayed only when you select a
Grid member that supports Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection.
Response Policy Zone (RPZ) Status for Grid

The Response Policy Zone (RPZ) Status for Grid widget provides statistical information about RPZ hits for the Grid. This
widget contains the following tabs: Top 10 Grid Members, RPZ Recent Hits, Trend and Health.
• Select a graph configuration, Client Hits, Passthru Hits, Blocked Hits, or Substituted Hits, to view details of a
specific RPZ rule. You can select either one or all the available graph configurations. Note that Client Hits is
displayed only when the graph type is Line Diagram.
• Select a graph type, Stacked Diagram or Line Diagram, to display data in the required diagrammatic format. This
option is enabled only when you click the Trend tab and disabled when you click the Top 10 Grid Members, RPZ
Recent Hits, or Health tabs. For more information, see Trend.
• Click the Top 10 Grid Members tab to view information about the top 10 Grid members that have the most
number of RPZ hits. For more information, see Top 10 Grid Members.
• Click the RPZ Recent Hits tab to view information about the latest five RPZ hits with unique client addresses. For
more information, see RPZ Recent Hits.
• Click the Trend tab to view RPZ hit statistics for the Grid. For more information, see Trend.
• Click the Health tab to view information about RPZ zones and their last updated times. For more information, see
Health.
Note that you must install the RPZ license and enable RPZ logging to access this widget. For more information about
installing licenses and enabling RPZ logging, see License Requirements and Admin Permissions and Setting DNS
Logging Categories.

Rev. D
Top 10 Grid Members
RPZ hits. Each RPZ hit type is represented with a different color. The report displays the top 10 members in descending
order.
RPZ Recent Hits

The RPZ Recent Hits tab displays the data that is collected from the most recent hits of five unique clients, identified by
their IP addresses, during the last 24 hours. NIOS retrieves this data from the syslog. This tab does not display any data
when there are no syslog messages or if RPZ logging is disabled. NIOS displays an error message if RPZ logging is
disabled. For more information about enabling RPZ logging, see Setting DNS Logging Categories.
Grid Manager retrieves recent hits from the Grid members. If a member has an RPZ license installed, then NIOS will
parse the syslog every 60 seconds to collect the data. NIOS parses the generated data to identify the five most recent
hits. It searches for these fields in the syslog message: CEF: data string(RPZ syslog) and src fields.
The NIOS appliance remembers the start and end time of previously searched operations to optimize the recent hits data
collection, so that the same data is not searched again. Note that when the same client makes repeated queries in the
last 24 hours, then there might be less than five unique client hits. You cannot sort or filter values in this tab.
This tab displays the following information:
• Client IP Address: IP address of the client that made the recent hits.
• Requested FQDN: The domain name or IP address that triggered the RPZ rule. For example, consider an RPZ
rule test.com.rpz.com, which queries for test.com. In this example, test.com is the requested FQDN.
• RPZ Entry: The RPZ rule that queried a domain name or an IP address. In the above example, test.com.rpz.com
is the RPZ rule.
• Timestamp: The date and time when the hit occurred.
Consider an example in which you query an RPZ zone and the NIOS appliance logs the following message in the syslog:
CEF:0|Infoblox|NIOS|6.9.0-219291|RPZ-QNAME|NODATA|4|app=DNS dst=10.35.101.14 src=10.36.0.251
spt=44460 view=_default qtype=A msg="rpz QNAME NODATA rewrite w18.vg \[A\] via
w18.vg.fireeye.com"
This tab displays information in the corresponding fields as follows:
Fields Description
Client IP Address Data is retrieved from the src field. Example: 10.36.0.251
Requested FQDN It is retrieved from the data between the rewrite and [A] via fields. Example:
w18.vg.
RPZ Entry It is retrieved from the data after the via in msg field. Example:
w18.vg.fireeye.com
Timestamp This is listed in the syslog.
You can export data displayed in this tab by clicking the Export icon. For more information, see Exporting Displayed
Data.
Trend
The Trend tab displays statistics of RPZ hits during the last 60 minutes for the Grid. You can use a stacked graph or a
line graph to view the hits. Each of the RPZ policy is represented with a different color. This tab displays the following
information:
• Client Hits: Total number of queries that triggered an RPZ policy. Note that this option is not displayed when you
choose Stacked Diagram, but displayed only when you choose Line Diagram.
• Passthru Hits: Total number of queries that triggered a Passthru RPZ rule. For more information about passthru
rules, see Managing Passthru Rules.

Rev. D
• Blocked Hits: Total number of queries that triggered a Block (No Data) or Block (No Suc hDomain) RPZ rule. For
more information, see Managing Block (No Data) Rules or Managing Block (No Such Domain) Rules respectively.
• Substitute Hits: Total number of queries that triggered a Substitute (Domain Name) or Substitute (Record) RPZ
rule. For more information, see Managing Substitute (Domain Name) Rules and Managing Substitute (Record)
Rules.
• Timestamp: The graph displays a 24 hours time window. Note the following about this tab:
• The statistical data in DNS service will be reset when you stop and restart the DNS service or if you force an
active DNS service to restart regardless of its state. This results in loss of prior data.
• Using this graph, you can view the timestamp of statistics collection.
Health
The Health tab displays information of RPZ zones and their last updated date and time. This data is retrieved directly
from the database. Note that you cannot sort or filter values in this tab. You can export the data displayed in this tab by
clicking the Export icon. For more information, see Exporting Displayed Data.
Response Policy Zone (RPZ) Status for Member

The Response Policy Zone (RPZ) Status for Member widget provides statistical information about RPZ hits for the
selected member. This widget contains the following tabs: RPZ Recent Hits, Trend, and Health.
• Click Select Member. In the Member Selector dialog box, choose a Grid member to view the RPZ hits, or
statistics, or RPZ zones and their last updated date and time.
• Select a graph configuration, ClientHits, Passthru Hits, Blocked Hits, or Substituted Hits, to view details of a
specific RPZ rule. You can select either one or all the available graph configurations. Note that Client Hits is
displayed only when the graph type is Line Diagram.
• Select a graph type, Stacked Diagram or Line Diagram, to display data in the required diagrammatic format. This
option is enabled only when you click the Trend tab and disabled when you click the Top 10 Grid Members, RPZ
Recent Hits, or Health tabs. For more information, see Trend.
• Click View Syslog to view the last 20 RPZ events that are logged in the syslog. For more information, see
Previewing the Syslog.
• Click the RPZ Recent Hits tab to view information about the latest five RPZ hits with unique client addresses. For
more information, see RPZ Recent Hits.
• Click the Trend tab to view RPZ hit statistics on the selected member. For more information, see Trend.
• Click the Health tab to view information about RPZ zones and their last updated times. For more information, see
Health.
Note that you must install the RPZ license and enable RPZ logging to access this widget. For more information about
installing licenses and enabling RPZ logging, see License Requirements and Admin Permissions and Setting DNS
Logging Categories.
RPZ Recent Hits

The RPZ Recent Hits tab displays the data that is collected from the most recent hits of five unique clients, identified by
their IP addresses, during the last 24 hours. NIOS retrieves this data from the syslog. This tab does not display any data
when there are no syslog messages or if RPZ logging is disabled. NIOS displays an error message if RPZ logging is
disabled. For more information about enabling RPZ logging, see Setting DNS Logging Categories.
Grid Manager retrieves recent hits from the selected member. If a member has an RPZ license installed, then NIOS will
parse the syslog every 60 seconds to collect the data. NIOS parses the generated data to identify the five most recent
hits. It searches for these fields in the syslog message: CEF: data string(RPZ syslog) and src fields.
The NIOS appliance remembers the start and end time of previously searched operations to optimize the recent hits data
collection, so that the same data is not searched again. Note that when the same client makes repeated queries in the
last 24 hours, then there might be less than five unique client hits. You cannot sort or filter values in this tab.
This tab displays the following information:
• Client IP Address: IP address of the client that made the recent hits.
• Requested FQDN: The domain name or IP address that triggered the RPZ rule. For example, consider an RPZ
rule test.com.rpz.com, which queries for test.com. In this example, test.com is the requested FQDN.

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• RPZ Entry: The RPZ rule that queried a domain name or an IP address. In the above example, test.com.rpz.com
is the RPZ rule.
Consider an example in which you query an RPZ zone and the NIOS appliance logs the following message in the syslog:
CEF:0|Infoblox|NIOS|6.9.0-219291|RPZ-QNAME|NODATA|4|app=DNS dst=10.35.101.14 src=10.36.0.251
spt=44460 view=_default qtype=A msg="rpz QNAME NODATA rewrite w18.vg \[A\] via
w18.vg.fireeye.com"
This tab displays information in the corresponding fields as follows:
Fields Description
Client IP Address Data is retrieved from the src field.
Example: 10.36.0.251
Requested FQDN It is retrieved from the data between the rewrite and [A] via fields. Example:
w18.vg.
RPZ Entry It is retrieved from the data after the via in msg field. Example:
w18.vg.fireeye.com
Timestamp This is listed in the syslog.
Trend
The Trend tab displays statistics of RPZ hits on the selected member during the last 60 minutes. You can use a stacked
graph or a line graph to view the hits. DNS service generates RPZ statistics for the selected member. Each of the RPZ
policy is represented with a different color. This tab displays the following information:
• Client Hits: Total number of queries that triggered an RPZ policy. Note that this option is not displayed when you
choose Stacked Diagram, but displayed only when you choose Line Diagram.
• Passthru Hits: Total number of queries that triggered a Passthru RPZ rule. For more information about passthru
rules, see Managing Passthru Rules.
• Blocked Hits: Total number of queries that triggered a Block (No Data) or Block (No Such Domain) RPZ rule. For
more information, see Managing Block (No Data) Rules or Managing Block (No Such Domain) Rules respectively.
• Substituted Hits: Total number of queries that triggered a Substitute (Domain Name) or Substitute (Record) RPZ
rule. For more information, see Managing Substitute (Domain Name) Rules and Managing Substitute (Record)
Rules.
• Timestamp: The graph displays a 24 hours time window.
Note the following about this tab:
• The statistical data in DNS service will be reset when you stop and restart the DNS service or if you force an
active DNS service to restart regardless of its state. This results in loss of prior data.
• Using this graph, you can view the timestamp of statistics collection.
Health
The Health tab displays information of RPZ zones on the selected member and their last updated date and time. This
data is retrieved directly from the database. Note that you cannot sort or filter values in this tab. You can export the data
displayed in this tab by clicking the Export icon.
Previewing the Syslog

You can view the RPZ events that are logged in the syslog for a selected Grid member. Note that the preview displays
only the last 20 RPZ events from the syslog. This wizard displays the following information:
• Facility: The location on the syslog server sorting the log message.

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• Level: The severity of the message. This can be ALERT, CRITICAL, DEBUG, EMERGENCY, ERROR, INFO,
NOTICE, or WARNING.
• Server: The name of the server that logged this message, plus the process ID.
• Message: Detailed information about the RPZ query. You can click the Go to Syslog Viewer link to view the RPZ
events that are logged in the syslog. NIOS displays all the RPZ events that are logged in the syslog for the
selected member and the Quick Filter is set to RPZ Incident Logs by default. For more information, see
Tenant & VMs

The Tenant & VMs tab displays a table that shows the total number of Tenants, Cloud VMs, and IP Addresses,
depending on your configuration. It also displays the average number of cloud VMs and IP addresses per tenant.
Fixed vs. Floating

The Fixed vs. Floating tab displays IP address allocation for cloud objects. It displays the total number of fixed address
allocation and floating address allocation, depending on your configuration. It also displays a pie chart indicating the
percentage for each allocation.
Available vs. Allocated

The Available vs. Allocated tab displays IP address allocation for available versus allocated IP addresses. It displays the
total number of available IP addresses versus allocated IP addresses, depending on your configuration. It also displays a
pie chart indicating the percentage for each allocation.
Threat Analytics Status for Grid

The Threat Analytics Status for Grid widget displays the statistical information about the DNS tunneling events. This
widget contains the following tabs: Detections Over Time, Top 10 Grid Members, and Detections.
• Turn on auto-refresh.
Click the Configure icon, select the AutoRefreshPeriod checkbox, and specify the refresh period in seconds. The
default auto refresh period is 30 seconds. Click the Configure icon again to hide the configuration panel after you
complete the modification.
 Warning
• Click the Detections Over Time tab to view information about the detected DNS tunneling events in a given time
frame.
• Click the Top 10 Grid Members tab to view information about the top 10 Grid members with the most total counts
of detections by type.
• Click the Detections tab to view information about all the detected DNS tunneling events.
Detections Over Time

The Detections Over Time tab displays a line graph that tracks the number of detected DNS tunneling events over the
given time frame. You can hover your mouse over the graph to view the coordinates of any point in the graph.

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Top 10 Grid Members
detected DNS tunneling events by type. The report displays the top 10 Grid members in descending order.
Detections
The Detections tab displays information about all the detected DNS tunneling events. This tab displays the following
information about each detection in table format:
• Client IP Address: The IP address of the client.
• Domain: The domain name of the client.
• Timestamp: The timestamp when the event occurred.
• Module: Displays the threat analytics module.
Threat Analytics Status for Member

The Threat Analytics Status for Member widget displays statistics about the DNS tunneling events for a specific Grid
member.
To configure the Threat Analytics Status for Member widget, click the Configure icon and complete the following:
• Click SelectMember to select a Grid member. If there are multiple members, the MemberSelector dialog box is
displayed, from which you can select a member. Click the required member name in the dialog box. You can also
click Clear to clear the displayed member and select a new one.
• Select the AutoRefreshPeriod checkbox to turn on auto-refresh, and specify the auto-refresh period in seconds.
The default is 30 seconds.
 Warning
Click the Configure icon again to hide the configuration panel after you complete the modification.
• Click the Detections Over Time tab to view information about the DNS tunneling event count for the selected Grid
member in a given time frame. It displays a line graph that tracks the number of DNS tunneling event detections
in a given time frame. You can hover your mouse over the graph to view the coordinates of any point in the graph.
• Click the Detections tab to view information about all the detected DNS tunneling events. This tab displays the
following information in table format:
• Client IP Address: The IP address of the client.
• Domain: The domain name of the client.
• Timestamp: The timestamp when the event occurred.
• Module: Displays the threat analytics module. This tab displays only the last 15 detections.
Pool Licenses Statistics

The Pool Licenses Statistics widget displays information about pool license allocation in your Grid. Pool licenses are
dynamic service and feature licenses, such as vNIOS, DNS, DHCP, and Cloud Platform that you purchase for vNIOS and
cloud deployments based on your evolving business needs. The Grid Master keeps track of dynamic licenses that are
allocated to vNIOS members and adjusts the total number of available dynamic licenses for each feature and service.
In the widget, you can select the license type and Grid Manager displays the total numbers of assigned and available

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licenses based on the selected license type.
To configure the Pool Licenses Statistics widget, click the Configure icon and complete the following:
• Show Usage for: From the drop-down list, select a license type for which you want the appliance to display
dynamic license usage.
The widget displays license usage and the numbers of assigned and available licenses.
You can also view the total number of dynamic licenses installed for each feature and service, the number of active and
available licenses, their usage, and other related information in the Grid tab -> Licenses tab -> Pool tab of Grid Manager.
For information about how to view dynamic licenses, see Managing Licenses.
DNS Record Scavenging

The DNS Record Scavenging dashboard widget displays statistics about the scavenging of stale DNS records. The
widget displays the following information for the current or last known scavenging activities:
• Status: The status of the scavenging operation.
• Start: The start time of the scavenging operation.
• End: The end time of the scavenging operation.
• User: The user who initiated the scavenging operation.
• Selected Object: The Grid, view, or zone affected by record scavenging.
• Action: The action applied to the scavenging operation.
• Processed Records: The number of DNS records processed.
• Reclaimable Records: The number of DNS records marked as reclaimable.
• Reclaimed Records: The number of DNS records removed during the scavenging operation.
Click an icon on the filter panel, as illustrated in the Figure 2.2, to add a widget to the desired dashboard. Filterpanel is
categorized in to the following: Cloud , Security , DNS/DHCP , and Reset . When you clickon an icon, Grid Manager
displays thumbnails of the widgets belonging to the respective filter. If you click filtersone after the other without clicking
Reset, Grid Manager displays thumbnails of all widgets along with the icon that indicates the category to which the
widget belongs. Click Reset to view only those widgets that belong to the selected category.
Report Clustering Dashboard

The Reporting Clustering Status dashboard provides detailed information on the status of the entire indexer cluster. You
can get information on the status of each peer node, search head, and indexes. You can view the number of peers
(reporting members), searchable copies, and number of copies (buckets).
 Note
The Reporting Clustering Status dashboard is available only when you configure the reporting clustering and
you must also have the global read-only permissions for Grid Reporting Properties.
The default dashboard includes the following information:

• Indicates whether the reporting data is fully searchable. Displays Yes to indicate that all buckets in the cluster
have a primary copy.
• Indicates whether the search and replication factors are met.
• Displays the number of indexes and peers that are searchable.
This dashboard might also display the following messages depending on the health of your cluster: Some data is not
searchable, All Data is Searchable, Replication factor not met, and Search factor is not met.
Viewing Reporting Clustering Status

To view the Reporting Clustering Status dashboard:

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1. From the Dashboards -> Reporting Clustering Status tab. In the Peers tab, you can view the following
information:
• Peer Name: The name of the reporting member.
• Fully Searchable: Indicates whether the peer currently has a complete set of primaries and is fully
searchable.
• Status: The status of the reporting member.
• Buckets: The number of copies stored on the peer node. The number of buckets for which the peer has
copies
• The Indexes tab displays the following information:
• Index Name: The name of the indexer.
• Fully Searchable: Indicates whether the peer currently has a complete set of primaries and is fully
searchable.
• Searchable Data Copies Status: The status of the reporting member.
• Replicated Data Copies: The replicated number of copies.
• Buckets: The number of buckets for which the peer has copies.
• Cumulative Raw Data Size: The size of the index, excluding hot buckets.
• The Search Heads tab displays the following information:
• Search Head Name: Name of the search head.
• Status: The status of the search head.
Configuring Dashboard Templates

Superusers can specify the tasks an admin group can perform from the Tasks Dashboard tab by creating a dashboard
template and assigning it to the admin group. When you create a dashboard template, you define the tasks users in an
admin group can perform and specify whether the users can configure their own dashboards when they log in to Grid
Manager. When you assign a dashboard template to an admin group, all users in this group can see and perform the
tasks you define in the template, provided that the users also have the correct permissions to the objects related to the
tasks. For information about administrative permissions, see Administrative Permissions for Dashboard Tasks.
If the assigned template is unlocked, users can configure tasks on their dashboard. If you lock the dashboard template,
users cannot configure task packs on their own dashboards.
Superusers can also restrict limited-access users to access only the Tasks Dashboard tab when they log in to Grid
Manager. These users cannot manage other core network services through Grid Manager. They can only see the Tasks
Dashboard tab and access only the tasks defined in the dashboard template, if applicable. This feature is useful when
you want to define different levels of admin users and restrict them to specific tasks based on their organizational
functions. For information about how to set this restriction, see Creating Limited-Access Admin Groups.
To configure and apply dashboard templates, complete the following:
1. Configure dashboard templates, as described in Configuring Dashboard Templates.
2. Assign dashboard templates to admin groups, as described in About Admin Groups.
Adding Dashboard Templates

Only supersuers can configure dashboard templates. Limited-access users may configure task packs depending on the
configuration of their assigned dashboard templates.
To add a dashboard template:
1. Log in as a superuser.
2. From the Dashboards -> Tasks tab, click the Configure icon at the top right corner of a task pack.
3. Select tasks from the Active Tasks table and use the left arrow to move them to the Available Tasks table to hide
the tasks, and vice versa. Grid Manager displays the tasks you place in the Active Tasks table. Repeat the steps
for all task packs.
4. At the top right corner of the Tasks Dashboard panel, click the Configure icon -> Configure Template.
5. In the Dashboard template configuration section, click Create new template.
6. In the Save Dashboard Template dialog box, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the new dashboard template.

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• Locked: When you select this checkbox and assign this template to an admin group, users in the admin group
can only perform the tasks you configure to appear in this template. They cannot configure their dashboards.
When you clear this checkbox, users can still only see the tasks you configure for this template, but they can now
configure tasks in the task packs on their dashboards. Note that when you lock a template, it applies to all users
in the admin group, including those who have customized dashboards.
1. Click Save & Close.
The appliance saves the template and adds it to the Template drop-down list.
Resetting Dashboard Templates

Only users with an unlocked dashboard template assigned can reset their dashboards to the template that was originally
assigned to them. Users with locked dashboard template cannot configure or reset their dashboards. Also, only
superusers can configure dashboard templates.
To reset a dashboard template:
1. Select the Dashboards -> Tasks tab.
2. For superusers: At the top right corner of the Tasks Dashboard panel, click the Configure icon -> Reset. Note that
the Configure icon appears only if you are a superuser.
For limited-access users: At the top right corner of the Tasks Dashboard panel, click Reset.
The appliance reset your dashboard to the original dashboard template that was assigned to your admin group.
Modifying Dashboard Templates

You can modify an existing dashboard template by locking or unlocking it, and adding or removing tasks from a task
pack. However, you cannot change the name of the template. When you change the name of a template, the appliance
clones the template and adds the new template to the list. Note that when you modify a locked template that is assigned
to an admin group, users in the group automatically adopt the changes you make to the template the next time they log
in to Grid Manager.
To modify a dashboard template:
1. From the Dashboards -> Tasks tab, click the Configure icon at the top right corner of the panel.
2. In the Dashboard template section, select the template you want to modify from the Template drop-down list. Note
that Grid Manager displays [L] before the name of a locked template.
3. In the task pack, click the Configure icon at the top right corner.
4. Select tasks from the Active Tasks table and use the left arrow to move them to the Available Tasks table to hide
the tasks, and vice versa. Grid Manager displays the tasks you place in the Active Tasks table. Repeat the steps
for all task packs.
5. Click Save.
6. In the Save Dashboard Template dialog box, modify other information, as described in Configuring Dashboard
Templates.
Deleting Dashboard Templates

Only superusers can delete dashboard templates. To delete a dashboard template that is currently assigned to an admin
group, you must first unassign the template from the admin group. For more information, see Creating Limited-Access
Admin Groups.
To delete a dashboard template:
1. From the Dashboards -> Tasks tab, click the Configure icon at the top right corner of the panel.
2. In the Dashboard template section, select the template you want to delete from the Template drop-down list.
3. Click Delete.
4. In the Delete Dashboard Template dialog box, click Yes.

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Assigning Dashboard Templates
After you create a dashboard template, you can assign it to an admin group. Admin users in this admin group can access
the tasks you define in the template.
To assign a dashboard template to an admin group, see About Admin Groups.

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Administering NIOS
This section provides information about configuring admin groups, roles, and accounts, and defining the appropriate
permissions. It explains how to configure and manage a Grid or an independent appliance, and set operational
parameters. It also describes the file distribution services (TFTP, FTP, and HTTP) and the bloxTools environment. It
includes the following topics:
• Appliance Administration
• IP Address Management
• Configuring Super Hosts
• DNS
• DHCP
• Configuring Microsoft Windows Servers
• Monitoring
• Infoblox Reporting and Analytics
• Infoblox Infrastructure Security
• Infoblox Subscriber Services
• VLAN Management
Appliance Administration
This section provides information about configuring admin groups, roles, and accounts, and defining the appropriate
permissions. It explains how to configure and manage a Grid or an independent appliance, and set operational
parameters. It also describes the file distribution services (TFTP, FTP, and HTTP) and the bloxTools environment. It
includes the following chapters:
• Managing Administrators
• Deploying a Grid
• Deploying Independent Appliances
• Deploying Cloud Network Automation
• Managing Appliance Operations
• File Distribution Services
• bloxTools Environment
• RIR Registration Updates
Managing Administrators
This section describes the various tasks associated with setting up admin groups, admin roles, admin accounts, and
permissions. It contains the following sections:
About Admin Accounts

A user must have an admin account to log in to the NIOS appliance. Each admin account belongs to an admin group,
which contains roles and permissions that determine the tasks a user can perform. For information, see About Admin
Groups.
When an admin connects to the appliance and logs in with a username and password, the appliance starts a two-step
process that includes both authentication and authorization. First, the appliance tries to authenticate the admin using the
username and password. Second, it determines the authorized privileges of the admin by identifying the group to which
the admin belongs. It grants access to the admin only when it successfully completes this process.
The NIOS appliance can authenticate users that are stored on its local database as well as users stored remotely on an
Active Directory domain controller, a RADIUS server, a TACACS+ server or an LDAP server. The group from which the
admin receives privileges and properties is stored locally.

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NIOS can authenticate users based on X.509 client certificates irrespective of the client certificate source. For example,
smart card holders such as U.S. Department of Defense CAC users and PIV card holders. The status of these
certificates is stored remotely on OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) responders. NIOS uses two-factor
authentication to validate these users. For more information about two-factor authentication and how to configure it, see
Authenticating Admins Using Two-Factor Authentication.
The tasks involved in configuring administrator accounts locally and remotely are listed in Storing Admin Accounts
Locally and Remotely table
NIOS Appliance RADIUS server/AD Domain Controller/TACAS+ server/

LDAP server/Certificate authentication service
To store admin accounts • Use the default admin group ("admin-

locally
group") or define a new group
• Set the privileges and properties for the
group
• Add admin accounts to the group
To store admin accounts • Configure communication settings with a • Configure communication settings with
remotely
RADIUS server, an Active Directory domain the NIOS appliance
controller, TACACS+ server, or LDAP server If you use admin groups:
If you use admin groups on the RADIUS server, Active
Directory domain controller, TACACS+ server, or LDAP server: • Import Infoblox VSAs (vendor-specific
attributes) (if RADIUS)
• Configure admin groups that match the • Define an admin group with the same
remote admin groups name as that on the NIOS appliance
• Set the privileges and properties for the • Define admin accounts and link them
groups to an admin group
If you do not use admin groups on the RADIUS server, Active If you do not use admin groups:
Directory domain controller, TACACS+ server, or LDAP server:
• Define admin accounts
• Assign an admin group as the default
The admin policy defines how the appliance authenticates the admin: with the local database, RADIUS, Active Directory,
TACACS+, or LDAP. You must add RADIUS, Active Directory, TACACS+, or LDAP as one of the authentication methods
in the admin policy to enable that authentication method for admins. See Defining the Authentication Policy for more
information about configuring the admin policy.
 Note
Local passwords are stored in the database as part of the user object. Values for passwords are stored after
applying a random salt and hashed with SHA-128.
The following figure illustrates the relationship of local and remote admin accounts, admin policy, admin groups, and
permissions and properties.
Privileges and Properties Applied to Local and Remote Admin Accounts

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Complete the following tasks to create an admin account:
1. Use the default admin group or create an admin group. See About Admin Groups.
2. Define the administrative permissions of the admin group. See About Administrative Permissions.
3. Create the admin account and assign it to the admin group.
• To add the admin account to the local database, see Creating Local Admins.
• To configure the appliance to authenticate the admin account stored remotely, see About Remote Admins.
About Admin Groups

All administrators must belong to an admin group. The permissions and properties that you set for a group apply to all
administrators assigned to that group. You can assign a dashboard template to an admin group. A dashboard template
specifies the tasks an admin group can access through the Tasks Dashboard tab when they log in to Grid Manager. For
information about dashboard templates, see Configuring Dashboard Templates. You can also restrict certain user groups
to manage specific tasks in the Tasks Dashboard tab only. These users cannot manage other core network services
through Grid Manager. For information about how to apply this restriction, see Limited-Access Admin Groups.
To define admins who can perform specific core network service tasks, you can set up admin groups and assign them
permissions for those tasks. To control when and whether certain tasks should be performed, you can add an admin
group to an approval workflow and define the admins as submitters or approvers. A submitter is an admin whose tasks
require approvals before execution, and an approver is an admin who can approve the submitted tasks. When you add
submitter and approver groups to an approval workflow, you have control over who can perform which mission critical
tasks and whether and when the tasks should be executed. For more information about how to create and configure
approval workflows, see Configuring Approval Workflows.
There are three types of admin groups:

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• Superuser – Superuser admin groups provide their members with unlimited access and control of all the
operations that a NIOS appliance performs. There is a default superuser admin group, called admin-group, with
one superuser administrator, admin. You can add users to this default admin group and create additional admin
groups with superuser privileges. Superusers can access the appliance through its console, GUI, and API. In
addition, only superusers can create admin groups.
• Limited-Access – Limited-access admin groups provide their members with read-only or read/write access to
specific resources. These admin groups can access the appliance through the GUI, API, or CLI. They cannot
access the appliance through the console.
• Default – When upgrading from previous NIOS releases, the appliance converts the ALL USERS group to the
Default Group when the ALL USERS Group contains admin accounts. The appliance does not create the Default
Group if there is no permission in the ALL USERS group. The permissions associated with the ALL USERS group
are moved to a newly created role called Default Role. Supported in previous NIOS releases, the ALL USERS
group was a default group in which you defined global permissions for all limited-access users. This group
implicitly included all limited-access users configured on the appliance.
All limited-access admin groups require either read-only or read/write permission to access certain resources, such as
Grid members, and DNS and DHCP resources, to perform certain tasks. Therefore, when you create an admin group,
you must specify which resources the group is authorized to access and their level of access.
Only superusers can create admin groups and define their administrative permissions. There are two ways to define the
permissions of an admin group. You can create an admin group and assign permissions directly to the group, or you can
create roles that contain permissions and assign the roles to an admin group.
You must create admin groups and assign them access to the cloud API and applicable permissions so they have
authority over delegated objects. When you assign permissions for objects that have not been delegated, these admin
groups or admin users assume applicable permissions to these un-delegated objects. For example, you can create an
admin group that can access a specific set of networks while another can access another set of networks. Note that you
cannot create a new admin group using the same name. For information about Cloud Network Automation, see
Deploying Cloud Network Automation.
Complete the following tasks to assign permissions directly to an admin group:

1. Create an admin group, as described in Creating Limited-Access Admin Groups.
2. Assign permissions to the admin group, as described in About Administrative Permissions. Complete these tasks
to assign admin roles to an admin group:
3. Create an admin role, as described in About Admin Roles.
4. Define permissions for the newly created admin role, as described in Creating Admin Roles.
5. Create an admin group and assign the role to the group, as described in Creating Limited-Access Admin Groups.
After you have created admin groups and defined their administrative permissions, you can assign administrators to the
group.
• For local admins, see Creating Local Admins.
• For remote admins, see About Remote Admins.
Creating Superuser Admin Groups

Superusers have unlimited access to the NIOS appliance. They can perform all operations that the appliance supports.
There are some operations, such as creating admin groups and roles, that only superusers can perform.
Note that there must always be one superuser admin account, called "admin", stored in the local database to ensure that
at least one administrator can log in to the appliance in case the NIOS appliance loses connectivity to the remote admin
databases such as RADIUS servers, AD domain controllers, TACACS+ servers, LDAP servers, or OCSP responders.
NIOS comes with a default superuser admin group (admin-group). It also automatically creates a new admin group,
fireeye-group, when you add the first FireEye RPZ (Response Policy Zone). Infoblox recommends that you do not add
another admin group with the same name as the default or FireEye admin group. Note that the FireEye admin group is
read-only and you cannot assign permissions to it. For more information about FireEye RPZs, see About FireEye
Integrated RPZs.
When you install valid licenses and configure your Grid for Cloud Network Automation, NIOS enables the cloud-api-only

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admin group. You can assign admin users to this group so they are authorized to send cloud API requests to the Cloud
Platform Appliances. Note that you cannot delete this admin group or create a new admin group using the same name.
For information about Cloud Network Automation, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation.
You can create additional superuser admin groups, as follows:

1. From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Groups tab, and then click the Add icon.
2. In the Add Admin Group wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the admin group.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the group, such as location or department. For fireeye-group,
NIOS displays Group used to receive FireEye alerts in this field.
• Disable: Select this to retain an inactivated profile for this admin group in the configuration. For example,
you may want to define a profile for recently hired administrators who have not yet started work. Then
when they do start, you simply need to clear this checkbox to activate the profile.
3. Click Next and complete the following:
• Superusers: Select this to grant the admin accounts that you assign to this group full authority to view and
configure all types of data and perform all tasks.
• Allowed Interfaces: Superusers admin groups are automatically granted access to the Infoblox GUI (Grid
Manager), API, and CLI. You can specify which API the superusers group can access. Note that you must
have the Cloud Network Automation or Cloud Platform license installed to configure access to the cloud
API.
GUI: This is selected by default. The superusers admin group automatically has full access to Grid
Manager.
API: This is selected by default. Note that the following options are displayed only if a cloud license is
installed in the Grid.
CLI: This is selected by default. The superusers admin group automatically has full access to the NIOS
CLI.
• API (WAPI/PAPI only): The superusers admin group has full access to the RESTful API and the Infoblox API by
default.
• Cloud API: Select this to allow the superusers admin group to use the cloud API. This option is available only if a
cloud license is installed in the Grid. Select one of the following:
• Cloud API only (no PAPI): Select this to allow the admin group to use WAPI (RESTful API) to send cloud
API requests. Note that the Cloud API uses WAPI exclusively. The group has no access to the Infoblox
API.
• Cloud API and PAPI (No WAPI): Select this to allow the admin group to send API requests and have
access to the Infoblox API. However, the group cannot use WAPI to send cloud API calls.
 Note
When you assign cloud API access to an admin group, the group assumes full authority over all delegated
objects. You must however specifically assign object permissions to the admin group for the group to gain
authority over non-delegated objects. For information about how to assign object permissions,
see Defining Object Permissions.
4. Click Next and complete the following to define the dashboard template:
• Dashboard Template: From the drop-down list, select the dashboard template you want to assign to this
superuser group. When you apply a dashboard template to an admin group, the template applies to all users in
the group. The default is None, which means that users in this group can access all licensed tasks in the Tasks
Dashboard tab if they have the correct permissions to the task-related objects. Note that if you want to delete a
template, you must first unassign the template from an admin group, or select None, before you can delete it. For
more information about dashboard templates, see About Dashboards.
5. Click Next to add admin email addresses if you want the appliance to send approval workflow notifications to a list of
email addresses for the admin group. Complete the following in the Email Address table:
Click the Add icon and Grid Manager adds a row to the table. Enter the email address of the admin who should receive
workflow notifications. You can click the Add icon again to add more email addresses. You can also select an email

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address and click the Delete icon to delete it. To modify an email address, click the Email Address column and modify the
existing address.
 Note
When you configure an approval workflow and select Group Email Address(es) as the approver notification
addresses, the appliance sends workflow notifications to all email addresses you have added to this table. For
information, see Configuring Approval Workflows .
6. Optionally, click Next to add extensible attributes to the admin group. For information, see About Extensible
Attributes.
7. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen. You can do one of the following after
you create a superuser admin group:
• Add local admins to the superuser group. For information, see Creating Local Admins.
• Assign the superuser group to remote admins. For information, see About Remote Admins.
Creating Limited-Access Admin Groups

When you create a limited-access admin group, you can assign roles to it. The group then inherits the permissions of its
assigned roles. In addition, you can assign permissions directly to the group. Only superusers can create admin groups.
To create a limited-access admin group:

• From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Groups tab, and then click the Add icon.
• In the Add Admin Group wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the admin group.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the group, such as location or department.
• Click Next and complete the following:
• Superusers: Clear this checkbox to create a limited-access admin group.
• Roles: Optionally, click the Add icon to add an admin role to the admin group. In the Role Selector dialog
box, select the roles you want to assign to the admin group, and then click the Select icon. Use Shift+click
and Ctrl+click to select multiple admin roles. You can assign up to 21 roles to an admin group. The
appliance displays the selected roles in the list box. When an admin group is assigned multiple roles, the
appliance applies the permissions to the group in the order the roles are listed. Therefore if there are
overlapped permissions among the roles, the appliance uses the permission from the role that is listed
first and ignores the others. You can reorder the list by selecting a role and clicking the arrow keys to
move the role up and down the list. To delete a role, select it and click the Delete icon.
• Allowed Interfaces: Specify whether the admin group can use the Infoblox GUI (Grid Manager) and the
API (application programming interface) to configure the appliance. Note that you must have the Cloud
Network Automation or Cloud Platform license installed to configure access to the cloud API.
GUI: Select this to allow the admin group to use the Infoblox GUI, Grid Manager.
CLI: Select this to allow the admin group access to the Infoblox CLI. You can select all the commands that
you want the group to execute by selecting the command group from the drop-down list. You can then
select individual commands from the command group that the admin group can execute . For example, if
you want to grant access to the admin group to run all commands related to the Grid command group,
select Grid from the drop-down list and select all the commands. You can also select individual
commands from the Grid command group that you want the admin group to execute.
API: Select this to allow the admin group access to the Infoblox API. The following options are available
only if a Cloud Network Automation or Cloud Platform license is active in the Grid. You must first select
this option to enable the following options.

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• API (WAPI/PAPI only): Select this to allow the admin group to use only the RESTful API and
Infoblox API.
• Cloud API: Select this to allow the admin group to use the cloud API. This option is available only if
a Cloud Network Automation or Cloud Platform license is installed in the Grid. Select one of the
following:
• Cloud API only (No PAPI): Select this to allow the admin group to use WAPI (RESTful API)
to send cloud API requests. Note that the Cloud API uses WAPI exclusively. The group has
no access to the Infoblox API.
• Cloud API and PAPI (No WAPI): Select this to allow the admin group to send API requests
and have access to the Infoblox API. However, the group cannot use RESTful API to send
cloud API calls.
 Notes
• When you assign cloud API access to an admin group, the group assumes full authority over all
delegated objects. You must however specifically assign object permissions to the admin group for the
group to gain authority over non-delegated objects. For information about how to assign object
permissions, see Defining Object Permissions.
• The GUI permission that you assign to the admin group is independent of the CLI permission that you
assign. That is, you have to assign each of these permissions separately to non-super users. You can
track actions and commands of non-super-users in the audit.log file.
• If you enable CLI commands for reporting users, they will not be able to login to the CLI unless they log
in to the Reporting tab in Grid Manager.
• SAML-only users will not be able to run CLI commands, because such users are created dynamically
and hence do have the password. However, users belonging to the saml_local group can run the set
series of commands.
• Cloud users will not be able to run CLI commands because they are delegated users.
4. Click Next and complete the following to define the dashboard template:
• DashboardTemplate: From the drop-down list, select the dashboard template you want to assign to this superuser
group. When you assign a dashboard template to an admin group, the template applies to all users in the group.
The default is None, which means that users in this group can perform all licensed tasks in the TasksDashboard
tab if they have the correct permissions to the task-related objects. Note that if you want to delete a template, you
must first unassign the template from an admin group, or select None, before you can delete it. For more
information about dashboard templates, see About Dashboards.
• Display Task flow Dashboards Only: Select this checkbox if you want to restrict this admin group to access only
the Tasks Dashboard in Grid Manager. Note that when you select this checkbox, users in this admin group have
access to the tasks you specified in the selected dashboard template, if applicable. They cannot perform any
other tasks or manage any core network services in Grid Manager the next time they log in to the system.
5. Click Next to add admin email addresses if you want the appliance to send approval workflow notifications to a list of
email addresses for the admin group. Complete the following in the Email Address table:
Click the Add icon and Grid Manager adds a row to the table. Enter the email address of the admin who should receive
workflow notifications. You can click the Add icon again to add more email addresses. You can also select an email
address and click the Delete icon to delete it. To modify an email address, click the Email Address column and modify the
existing address.
 Note
When you configure an approval workflow and select Group Email Address(es) as the approver notification
addresses, the appliance sends workflow notifications to all email addresses you have added to this table. For
information, see Creating Approval Workflows.
6. Optionally, click Next to add or delete extensible attributes for this admin group. For information, see About

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About Admin Roles

An admin role is a group of permissions that you can apply to one or more admin groups. Roles allow you to quickly and
easily apply a suite of permissions to an admin group. You can define roles once and apply them to multiple admin
groups. The appliance contains the following system-defined admin roles:
• DHCP Admin: Provides read/write access to all network views, all DHCP MAC filters, all Grid members, and all
Microsoft servers that are managed by the Grid. It also provides read-only access to all DHCP templates and
DHCP lease history.
• DNS Admin: Provides read/write access to all Grid members, all Microsoft servers that are managed by the Grid,
all shared record groups, and all DNS views.
• DTC Admin: Provides read/write access to all DTC objects, such as LBDNs, LBDN records, pools, servers,
monitors, certificates, GeoIP, and topologies.
• File Distribution Admin: Provides read/write access to Grid file distribution properties.
• Grid Admin: Provides read/write access to all DNS views, all shared record groups, all members, all Microsoft
servers that are managed by the Grid, all network views, all DHCP MAC filters, all DHCP templates, DHCP lease
history, Grid File distribution properties, network discovery, task scheduling, and all Dashboard tasks.
• Load Balancer Admin: Provides read/write access to all load balancer resources.
• PKI Admin: Provides read/write access to all HSM groups, all certificate authentication services, and all CA
certificates.
• DHCP Fingerprint: Provides read/write access to all DHCP fingerprint related objects.
• Super Host Admin: Provides read/write access to all super host objects.
• VLAN Admin: Provides read/write access to all VLAN views, ranges, and objects.
You can assign these system-defined roles to admin groups and create additional roles based on the job functions in
your organization. If you are creating a role that has similar permissions to an existing role, you can copy the role and
then make the necessary modifications to the new role. Thus you do not have to create each new role from scratch.
You can assign up to 21 roles to an admin group, and you can assign a role to more than one admin group. When you
make a change to a role, the appliance automatically applies the change to that role in all admin groups to which the role
is assigned.
Creating Admin Roles

There are two ways to create an admin role. You can create a new role and define its permissions, or you can copy an
existing role and redefine the configuration for the new role.
To create a new role from scratch:

1. From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Roles tab, and then click the Add icon.
2. In the Add Role wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the role.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the role. For example, if you are creating a role for IT personnel,
you can put the information here.
• Disable: Select this to retain an inactivated profile for this admin role in the configuration.
3. Optionally, click Next to add extensible attributes to this role. For information, see About Extensible Attributes.
4. Click Next and select one of the following:
• Save & Add Permissions: Save the entry and add permissions to the role. Grid Manager displays the
Permissions tab with the newly created role selected. You can then add permissions to this role. For
information, see About Administrative Permissions.
• Save & Close: Save the entry and close the wizard.
• Save & Edit: Save the entry and continue to edit.
• Save & New: Save the entry and open a new wizard.
To copy an existing role:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Roles tab -> admin_role checkbox, and then click
Clone from the Toolbar.

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2. The Copy Role editor provides the following tabs from which you can modify data for the new role:
• General: Enter the name and information about the new role. You can also disable the role in this tab.
• Admin Groups: Displays a list of admin groups that are currently using this role. You cannot modify the list.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with the admin role. You
can also modify the values of the extensible attributes. For information, see About Extensible Attributes.
3. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen. The appliance displays the new role
in the Roles tab.
After you create roles, you can do the following:
• Define their permissions. For information and guidelines on defining permissions, see About Administrative
Permissions.
• Assign roles to admin groups, as described in Creating Limited-Access Admin Groups.
Managing Admin Groups and Admin Roles

After you create an admin group or an admin role, you can view, modify, and delete it.
Modifying Admin Groups and Roles

To modify an admin group:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Groups tab -> admin_group checkbox, and then
click the Edit icon.
2. The Admin Group editor provides the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: You can modify the following data.
• Name: Modify the name of the admin group.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the group, such as location or department.
• Allow Access from: To control access to the GUI and API, select one of the following. You can restrict
access using a named ACL or define individual ACEs. For information about named ACLs,
see Configuring Access Control.
 Note
This group-based authentication is applicable for Grid-wide settings only. NIOS authenticates user credentials
only after it authenticates the Grid-wide settings.
• Any: Select this to allow any clients to access the GUI and API. This is selected by default.
• Named ACL: Select this and click Select Named ACL to select a named ACL that contains only IPv4 and
IPv6 addresses and networks. When you select this, the appliance allows GUI and API access for all
ACEs in the named ACL. You can click Clear to remove the selected named ACL.
• Set of ACEs: Select this to configure individual access control entries (ACEs). You can define ACEs for
selected admin groups from which users can log in to the application. Click the Add icon and select one of
the following from the drop-down list. Depending on the item you select, Grid Manager either adds a row
for the selected item or expands the panel so you can specify additional information about the item you
are adding.
• IPv4 Address and IPv6 Address: Select this to add an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address. The Type column
displays either IPv4 address or IPv6 address based on the item you select from the drop-down list. Click
the Value field and enter the IP address. The appliance allows this client to access the GUI and API and
restricts others.
• IPv4 Network and IPv6 Network: Select this to add an IPv4 network or IPv6 network. The Type column
displays either IPv4 address or IPv6 address based on the item you select from the drop-down list. Click
the Value field and enter the network. The appliance allows this network to access the GUI and API and
restricts others.

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• After you have added access control entries, you can do the following:
• Select the ACEs that you want to consolidate and put into a new named ACL. Click the
Create new named ACL icon and enter a name in the Convert to Named ACL dialog box. The appliance
creates a new named ACL and adds it to the Named ACL panel. Note that the ACEs you configure for this
operation stay intact.
• Reorder the list of ACEs using the up and down arrows next to the table.Select an ACE and click the
Delete icon to delete the entry. You can select multiple ACEs for deletion.
• Roles: Modify the data as described in Creating Limited-Access Admin Groups.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with the admin group. You can also
modify the values of the extensible attributes. For information, see About Extensible Attributes.
Configuring Account Lockout for Admin Groups

You can enable password security such that if a group user tries to log in to Grid Manager by using an incorrect
password, NIOS locks the account for a configured time period after the configured number of failed login attempts. Only
superusers can enable and configure this feature.
To configure account lockout for admin groups:

click the Edit icon
2. In the Admin Group editor, select the Security tab -> Basic tab.
3. NIOS automatically populates some field values based on account lockout configurations for the Grid. For more
information, see Configuring Account Lockout for Grid. Click the Override button to modify the following data:
• Enable Account Lockout: Select the checkbox to enable account lockout for the group user. This option is
disabled by default.
• Maximum number of attempts: Enter the maximum number of invalid login attempts to Grid Manager after
which NIOS locks the account. You can specify a value from 1 to 99. The default value is 5.
• Lockout duration: Enter the time duration in minutes for which the account must be locked. You can
specify a value from 1 to 1440. The default value is 5.
• Never Unlock: Select the checkbox to permanently lock a group user account, which is already locked.
Only a superuser can clear the checkbox to unlock the account. This option is not applicable to superuser
accounts because you cannot permanently lock a superuser account. This option is disabled by default.
 Note
NIOS displays an error on Save & Close, if the Never Unlock option is enabled for superusers.
Deleting Admin Groups and Roles

You can remove any default or custom admin group as long as it is not your own admin group or the last admin group.
You can also delete any default or custom admin role. The appliance puts the deleted roles in the Recycle Bin, if
enabled.
 Note
You cannot delete the cloud-api-only and splunk-reporting-group admin groups. These admin groups are
automatically created when you configure your Grid for Cloud Network Automation and Reporting and Analytics
respectively. For information about Cloud Network Automation and Reporting and Analytics,
see Deploying Cloud Network Automation and Infoblox Reporting and Analytics.
To delete an admin group:

To delete an admin role:

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3. From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Roles tab -> admin_role checkbox, and then click
the Delete icon.
Configuring Password Duration for Admin Groups

You can set a time duration for the password for each admin group such that the password is valid only for that duration.
After the specified duration expires, the password for the users of the group expires.
 Warning
The password expiry settings are applicable only to local users.
To set the time duration for a password for each admin group:
1. Go to the Administration tab, Administrators tab -> Groups tab, and select the checkbox next to the group for
which you want to set the password time duration, and then click the Edit icon.
2. Click the Password tab.
3. Click the Override button if you want the time duration that specify here to override the time duration you set
when specifying admin passwords using Grid Properties Editor.
 Note
The options in the screen are enabled only if you click the Override button. If you do not click Override,
the time duration you set when specifying admin passwords using Grid Properties Editor applies.
4. Select the Password must expire checkbox.

5. In the Password must expire every _ days field, enter the number of days for which the password must be valid.
For example, if you enter 11, the password is valid for 11 days.
6. In the Reminder _ days prior to expiration field, enter the number of days before the expiry that NIOS sends a
reminder. The range of days is from 1 to 30. The number that you enter here must always be lower than the
number you enter in the Password must expire every _ days field.
 Note
• If you click the Override button and do not select the Password must expire checkbox, it means
that the password for the admin group will never expire.
• The time duration that you set here does not apply to the saml_group and splunk-reporting
groups.
Viewing Admin Groups

You can view the list of admin groups that are currently in the Grid. To view admin groups, from the Administration tab,
select the Administrators tab -> Groups tab.
Grid Manager displays the following information:

• Name: The name of the admin group.
• Superuser: Indicates whether the admin accounts that you assign to this group have full authority to view and
configure all types of data. The value can be Yes or No.
• Comment: The information about the admin group.
You can select the additional fields, Disabled and Site, for display.
• Use filters and the Go to function to narrow down the list. With the autocomplete feature, you can just enter the

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• Modify some of the data in the table. Double click a row of data, and either edit the data in the field or select an
item from a drop-down list. Note that some fields are read-only. For more information about this feature, see
Modifying Data in Tables.
• Print or export the data.
Viewing Admin Roles

You can view the list of admin roles that are currently in the Grid. To view admin roles, from the Administration tab, select
the Administrators tab -> Roles tab.
Grid Manager displays the following information:

• Name: The name of the admin role.
• System: Indicates whether the admin role is system defined or not. The value can be Yes or No.
• Comment: The information about the admin role.
You can select the additional fields, Disabled and Site, for display. You can also do the following:
Viewing Admin Group Assignments

After you define permissions for an admin role, you can assign it to multiple admin groups. You can view the list of admin
groups to which an admin role is assigned, as follows:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Roles tab -> admin_group checkbox, and then click
the Edit icon.
2. In the Role editor, select the Admin Groups tab.
Grid Manager displays the list of admin groups to which the role is assigned.
Disabling Multiple Login Sessions

You can disallow multiple logins for the same NIOS session. That is, if one user in the group has logged on to a NIOS
session, for example https://255.255.255.0, no other users in the group can log on to the same IP address from another
browser or from another system.
 Warning
Disabling multiple login sessions is possible only for local users.
To do this:
which you want to disallow multiple logins and click the Edit icon.
2. Click the Security tab.
3. Click the Override button if you want the override the multiple login sessions setting that you specified for the
Grid.

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4. Select the Disable Concurrent Login checkbox to disallow a member of the group to log on to multiple sessions of
the same NIOS system; that is to disallow multiple login sessions per user.
 Note
Before you disable multiple logins for a group in a NIOS system, ensure that all existing sessions (if
any) of members of that group in that NIOS system are logged out. If not, the existing sessions will
continue to remain active even after you disable multiple logins.
Disabling Inactive Users

You can disable a group of users who have not logged in to NIOS for a specified duration of time.
 Warning
Disabling inactive users is possible only for local users.
To do this:
which you want to disable users.
2. Click the Security tab.
3. Click the Override button if you want to override the disable setting that you specified for the Grid.
4. Select the Disable Inactive Users checkbox.
5. In the Disable account if user has not logged in for <time period> days field, specify the time period (in days) after
which users who have not logged in must be disabled. The range of days is from 2 to 9999. You can also specify
a reminder to be sent in the Remind <days> prior to expiration field. The range of days is from 1 to 30. The
number of days you specify in this field is the time from which users start getting daily email reminders that their
account will be disabled. NIOS sends the email reminder only if an email address has been configured for the
user.
6. Select the Allow user to reactivate account via serial console and Allow user to reactivate account via remote
console checkboxes if you want users to activate their account after it has been disabled. To reactivate using the
serial console, see Deploying a Single Independent Appliance. To reactivate using the remote console, type ssh
<user name>@<ip address>.
 Note
Reactivating the account using the serial console or the remote console is possible only for superusers.
About Administrative Permissions

You can assign permissions to admin roles which you then assign to admin groups, or you can assign permissions
directly to an admin group. The following are permissions you can grant admin groups and roles:
• Read/Write (RW): Allows admins to add, modify, delete, view, and search for a resource.
• Read-Only (RO): Allows admins to view and search for a resource. Admins cannot add, modify, or delete the
resource.
• Deny: Prevents admins from adding, modifying, deleting, and viewing a resource. This is the default permission
level for all resources.
By default, the superuser group (admin-group) has full access to all resources on the appliance. Superusers can create
limited-access admin groups and grant them permissions to resources at the global and object levels.
Limited-access admin groups must have either read-only or read/write permissions assigned in order to view information
or perform tasks on any supported objects.

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When you assign permissions at the global level, the permissions apply to all objects that belong to the specified
resource. For example, when you define a read/write permission to all DHCP networks, the permission applies to all
DHCP ranges and fixed addresses in the networks. For information about global permissions, see Defining Global
Permissions.
You can also define permissions at a more granular level, such as for a specific Grid member, DNS zone, Response
Policy Zone, network, and even an individual database object, such as a resource record or fixed address. When you
define a permission at the object level, admins with this permission can only manage the specified object and its
associated objects. For information about object permissions, see Defining Object Permissions.
You can use global and object permissions to restrict admins to specific DNS and DHCP resources on specific Grid
members by assigning the appropriate permissions. You can use this feature to separate DNS and DHCP administration
on selected Grid members. For more information, see Defining DNS and DHCP Permissions on Grid Members.
You can configure global permissions, object permissions, and member DNS and DHCP permissions for default and
custom admin groups and roles. You cannot however define permissions for the factory default roles, such as DHCP
Admin.
The appliance supports the following permissions:
Permissions Description
Grid permissions Includes Grid DNS properties, Grid DHCP properties, all Grid members, Microsoft
servers that are managed by the Grid, network discovery, task scheduling, CSV imports,
and all dashboard tasks.
IPAM permissions Includes network views, IPv4 and IPv6 networks, and host records.
DHCP permissions Includes Grid DHCP properties, network views, IPv4 networks, host records, DHCP
ranges, DHCP fixed addresses/reservations, DHCP enabled host addresses, Mac filters,
shared networks, DHCP templates, lease history, and roaming hosts.
DNS permissions Includes Grid DNS properties, DNS views, DNS zones, Response Policy Zones, host
records, bulk hosts, all DNS resource records, all shared records, and adding a blank A/
AAAA record.
File distribution permissions Includes Grid-level file distribution properties.
Reporting permissions Includes Grid-level reporting properties.
Administration permissions Includes all certificate authentication services, CA certificates and object change
tracking.
GLB (Global Load Balancer) permissions Includes all NIOS managed GLB objects.
DHCP fingerprint permissions Includes all DHCP fingerprint related objects.
Named ACL permissions Includes all named ACLs (access control lists).
Cloud permissions Includes all tenant objects.
Super Host Permissions Includes all super host objects.
NIOS applies permissions hierarchically in a parent-child structure. When you define permissions for a resource, all
objects within that resource inherit the same permissions. For example, when you grant an admin group read/write
permission for a network, the admin group automatically has read/write permission for objects in that network. To
override permissions set at a higher level, you define permissions at a more specific level. For example, you can override
the read/write network-level permission by setting read-only or deny permission for a fixed address or a DHCP-enabled
host address. To define permissions for a more specific level, see the following:
• Permissions for common tasks, as described in Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks.
• Permissions for the Grid and Grid members, as described in Administrative Permission for the Grid.
• Permissions for IPAM resources, such as IPv6 networks, as described in Administrative Permissions for IPAM
Resources.
• Permissions for DNS resources, such as DNS views and A records, as described in Administrative Permissions
for DNS Resources.

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• Permissions for DNS resource with associated IP addresses in networks and ranges, as described
in Administrative Permissions for DNS Resources with Associated IP addresses in Networks and Ranges.
• Permissions for DHCP resources, such as network views and fixed addresses, as described in Administrative
Permissions for DHCP Resources.
• Permissions for file distribution services, as described in Administrative Permissions for File Distribution Services.
• Permissions for certificate authentication services and CA certificates, as described in Administrative Permissions
for Certificate Authentication Services and CA Certificates.
• Permissions for object change tracking, as described in Administrative Permissions for Object Change Tracking
• Permissions for GLB and GLB objects, as described in Administrative Permissions for Load Balancers.
• Permissions for Cloud objects, as described in Administrative Permissions for Cloud Objects.
When you set permissions that overlap with existing permissions, Grid Manager displays a warning about the overlaps.
You can view detailed information and find out which permissions the appliance uses and which ones it ignores. For
information, see Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps.
Defining Global Permissions

You can define permissions at a global level for an admin group or admin role. To define global permissions:
1. For an admin group: From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Permissions tab ->
admin_group in the Groups table, and then click the Add icon -> Global Permissions from the Create New
Permission area or select Add -> Global Permissions from the Toolbar.
or
For an admin role: From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Permissions tab -> admin_role in
the Roles table, and then click Add icon -> Global Permissions from the Create New Permission area or select
Add -> Global Permissions from the Toolbar.
2. Grid Manager displays the Manage Global Permissions editor. For an admin group, the appliance displays the
selected admin group in the Group Permission field. For an admin role, the appliance displays the selected admin
role in the Role Permission field. You can also select a different group or role from the drop-down list.
3. Select the resources that you want to configure from the Permission Type drop-down list. Depending on your
selection, Grid Manager displays the corresponding resources for the selected permission type in the table.
4. Select Read/Write, Read-Only, or Deny for the resources you want to configure. By default, the appliance denies
access to resources if you do not specifically configure them.
5. Optionally, select additional resources from the Permission Type drop-down list. Grid Manager appends the new
resources to the ones that you have already configured. Define the permissions for the resources you select.
The below Global Permissions table lists global permissions you can assign to admin groups or admin roles:
Global Permissions
Permissions (Read/Write, Read-Only, or Deny)
Administration All Certificate Authentication For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Certificate Authentication Services
Permissions Services and CA Certificates.
All CA Certificates
Object Change Tracking For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Object Change Tracking.
Cloud Permissions All Tenants For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Cloud Objects.
Named ACL Named ACL For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Named ACLs.
Permissions
DHCP Permissions Grid DHCP Properties For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks.
All Network Views For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Network Views.

Rev. D
All IPV4/IPv6 Networks For more information, see Administrative Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 Networks and
Shared Networks.
All Hosts For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Hosts.
All DHCP Fingerprints For more information, see Administrative Permissions.
All DHCP MAC Filters For more information, see Administrative Permissions for MAC Address Filters.
All IPv4/IPv6 DHCP Fixed For more information, see Administrative Permissions for IPv4 or IPv6 Fixed Addresses and
Addresses/Reservations IPv4 Reservations.
All IPv4/IPv6 Host Addresses For more information, see Administrative Permissions for DHCP Resources.
All IPv4/IPv6 Ranges For more information, see Administrative Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Ranges.
All IPv4/IPv6 Shared For more information, see Administrative Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 Networks and
Networks Shared Networks.
All IPv4/IPv6 DHCP For more information, see Administrative Permissions for IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP Templates.
Templates
All Microsoft Superscopes For more information, see Administrative Permissions for IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP Templates.
All Roaming Hosts For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Roaming Hosts.
DHCP IPv4/IPv6 Lease For more information, see Administrative Permissions for the IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Lease
History Histories.
DNS Permissions DNS Properties For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks.
Grid
All DNS Views For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks.
All DNS Zones For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks.
All IPV4/IPV6 Host For more information, see Administrative Permissions for DNS Resources with Associated IP
Addresses addresses in Networks and Ranges.
All Resource Records (A, For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks.
AAAA, CAA, CNAME,
DNAME, NAPTR, MX, PTR,
SRV, TXT, TLSA and
Bulkhost)
All Shared Record Groups

For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Shared Record Groups.
All Shared Records (A, For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks.
AAAA, MX, SRV and TXT)
All Rulesets (BLACK List For more information, see Administrative Permissions for DHCP Resources.
Rulesets and NXDOMAIN
Rulesets)
All DNS64 Synthesis Groups For more information, see Administrative Permissions for DNS64 Synthesis Groups.

Rev. D
All Response Policy Zones For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Zones and License Requirements
and Admin Permissions.
All Response Policy Rules For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Zones and License Requirements
and Admin Permissions.
All DTC Objects (LBDN For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Zones and License Requirements
Records, LBDNs, Pools, and Admin Permissions.
Servers, Monitors,
Certificates, GeoIP and
Topologies)
Adding a blank A/AAAA For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks.
record
File Distribution Grid File Distribution

Permissions Permissions For more information, see Administrative Permissions for File Distribution Services.
Grid Permissions All Members For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks.
Network Discovery For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Discovery.
Schedule Tasks For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Scheduling Tasks.
CSV Import For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Named ACLs.
All Microsoft Servers For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Microsoft Servers.
All Dashboard Tasks For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Dashboard Tasks.
All Kerberos keys For more information, see Configuring GSS-TSIG keys.
All Active Directory Domains For more information, see Managing Active Directory Sites.
IPAM Permissions All Network Views For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks.
All IPv4 Networks For more information, see Administrative Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 Networks and
Shared Networks.
All IPv6 Networks For more information, see Administrative Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 Networks and
Shared Networks.
All IPv4 Host Addresses For more information, see Administrative Permissions for DNS Resources with Associated IP
addresses in Networks and Ranges.
All IPv6 Host Addresses For more information, see Administrative Permissions for DNS Resources with Associated IP
addresses in Networks and Ranges.
Port Control For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Discovery.

Rev. D
SAML Permissions SAML Authentication For more information, see Administrative Permissions for SAML.
Services
Super Host Super Host Permissions For more information, see About Administrative Permissions for Super Hosts.
Permissions
Security Grid Security Permissions For more information, see Administrative Permissions.
Permissions
Reporting Grid Reporting Permissions For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks.
Permissions
Reporting Dashboard For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Reporting.
Reporting Search For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Reporting.
VLAN Permissions VLAN views, VLAN ranges, For more information, see Administrative Permissions for VLAN Management.
and VLAN objects
Defining Object Permissions

You can add permissions to specific objects for selected admin groups or roles. When you add permissions to objects,
you can select multiple objects with the same or different object types. When you select multiple objects with the same
object type, you can apply permissions to the selected objects as well as the sub object types that are contained in the
selected objects. As described in the below figure Selecting Multiple Objects with the Same Object Type, when you select
five DNS forward-mapping authoritative zones, the appliance displays the object type "AuthZone" for all the zones. Since
all five DNS zones are of the same object type, you can also apply permissions to all the resource records in these
zones. The appliance displays the resources in the resource section of the Create Object Permissions editor. You can
choose one or more of the resources to which you want to apply permissions.
In Cloud Network Automation, admin groups and admin users who have cloud API access have full permissions to
delegated. However, you must specifically assign permissions for objects that have not been delegated in order for any
admin groups or admin users to gain permission to these objects. Therefore, an admin group that has access to the
cloud API would have full permissions to all delegated objects but limited permissions to non-delegated objects.
For information about how to allow cloud API access to an admin group, see Creating Limited-Access Admin Groups. For
information about guidelines for authority delegation, see About Authority Delegation.
Selecting Multiple Objects with the Same Object Type

Rev. D
When you select multiple objects with more than one object type, you can add permissions to the selected objects as
well as to the sub object types that are common among the selected objects. For example, when you select three DNS
forward-mapping authoritative zones and two DNS IPv4 reverse-mapping authoritative zones as illustrated in the below
figure Multiple Objects with Common Sub Object Types, you can apply permissions to all the five DNS zones as well as
to the CNAME, DNAME, and host records in these zones because CNAME, DNAME, and host records are the common
sub object types in these zones.
Multiple Objects with Common Sub Object Types

When you select three DNS forward-mapping authoritative zones and two IPv4 reverse-mapping authoritative zones, you
can apply object permissions to all the DNS zones as well as the CNAME, DNAME and Host records in these DNS
zones.
To define object permissions for an admin group or role:

admin_group in the Groups table, and then click the Add icon -> Object Permissions from the Create New
Permission area or select Add -> Object Permissions from the Toolbar.
or
the Roles table, and then click Add icon -> Object Permissions from the Create New Permission area or select
Add -> Object Permissions from the Toolbar.

Rev. D
2. Grid Manager displays the Create Object Permissions wizard. For an admin group, the appliance displays the
selected group in the Group Permission field. For an admin role, the appliance displays the selected admin role in
the Role Permission field. You can also select a different group or role from the drop-down list.
3. Click Select Object(s). Grid Manager displays the Object Selector dialog box.
4. In the Object Selector dialog box, complete the following:
• Enter a value or partial value of an object in the first field. This field is not case-sensitive. For example, if
the object to which you want to define permissions contains "Infoblox", enter Infoblox here.
• Select the object type for which you are searching in the Type drop-down list. By default, the appliance
searches all object types.
• In the operator drop-down list, select an operator for the filter criteria. Depending on what you select in the
first filter field, this list displays the relevant operators for the selection.
• In the value field, enter or select the attribute value for the first filter field. Depending on what you select
for the first two filter fields, you can either enter a value or select a value from a drop-down list.
5. Click Search. The appliance lists all matching objects in the table. You can select multiple object types by clicking
the Add icon to add more filter criteria. You can also click Reset to clear all entries.
6. Select the checkboxes of the objects to which you are defining permissions, and then click the Select icon.
7. In the Create Object Permissions wizard, do the following:
• Object: Displays the name of the selected object. When you select multiple objects, the appliance
displays Multiple here. Mouse over to the information icon to view the list of objects to which you are
defining permissions.
• Object Type: Displays the object type of the selected object. When you select more than one object type,
the appliance displays Multiple here.
• Resource: Displays the selected objects. When you select more than one object type, the appliance
displays Multiple Selected Objects here. Mouse over to the information icon to view the list of objects to
which you are defining permissions. Grant the resources an appropriate permission: Read/Write,
Read-Only, or Deny.
Grid Manager displays a warning message when the permissions you define here overlap with other permissions in the
system. Click See Conflicts to view the overlapping permissions in the Permissions Conflict dialog box. For information,
see Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps.
You can also set permissions for specific objects from the objects themselves. For example, to define permissions for a
particular Grid member, navigate to that Grid member and define its permissions.
To define the permissions of a specific object:
1. Navigate to the object. For example, to define permissions for a particular network, from the Data Management
tab, select the IPAM tab -> network checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the editor, select the Permissions tab, and then do one of the following:
• Click the Add icon to add permission to the object. In the Admin Group / Role Selector dialog box, select
an admin group or role to which you want to assign the permission, and then click the Select icon.
• Modify the permission and resource type of a selected admin group or role.
• Select an admin group or role and click the Delete icon to delete it.
Defining DNS and DHCP Permissions on Grid Members

You can restrict certain admin groups or roles to perform specific DNS and DHCP tasks on specific Grid members by
assigning the correct global and object permissions. You can use this feature to separate the DNS and DHCP
administration on different Grid members. For example, you can create an admin group or role that can only create,
modify, and delete DHCP ranges in a specific network on a specific member in the Grid. This admin group or role is
restricted to the specified tasks on the selected Grid member. It cannot perform other DNS or DHCP tasks on this
member, and it cannot perform the specified tasks on other Grid members.
For example, you can define permissions that allow admins to create, modify, and delete DHCP ranges in network
10.0.0.0/8 on Grid member "sales.infoblox.com" by granting read/write object permissions to all DHCP ranges, network
10.0.0./8, and member DHCP on sales.infoblox.com. Admins with these permissions can only add, modify, and delete
DHCP ranges in network 10.0.0.0/8 on Grid member sales.infoblox.com. They cannot perform other DHCP or DNS tasks
on the member, and they cannot perform these tasks on other Grid members.
For information about required permissions for specific DNS and DHCP tasks, see Administrative Permissions for

Rev. D
Common Tasks.
You can define the following DNS and DHCP permissions for an admin group or role:
• Grid DNS or Grid DHCP: Admins with read/write permissions can manage any DNS or DHCP resources on any
Grid members. They can also modify Grid DNS or Grid DHCP properties and any member DNS and member
DHCP properties. Admins with read-only permissions can only view DNS or DHCP resources. They cannot
modify any DNS or DHCP resources or restart related services.
• Member DNS or Member DHCP: Admins with read/write permissions can perform the defined DNS or DHCP
tasks only on the specified Grid member, not any other members. They can also modify DNS or DHCP properties
on the specified member. Admins with read-only permission cannot assign the Grid member to any DNS or DHCP
resources.
• Restart DNS or Restart DHCP on member: Admins with read/write permissions can restart the DNS or DHCP
service on the specified Grid member, not any other members. However, they cannot modify DNS or DHCP
properties on the member. They can assign the specified Grid member to any DNS or DHCP resources, but they
cannot assign any other Grid members to DNS or DHCP resources.
To specify member DNS and DHCP permissions, define DNS or DHCP permissions at the global or object level for an
admin group or admin role, as described in Defining Global Permissions and Defining Object Permissions. Ensure that
you include the Grid member object to which you want to restrict DNS or DHCP administration. You can assign valid
permissions to administrators to manage kerberos keys. For more information, see Configuring GSS-TSIG keys.
You can also control whether the admins can modify DNS or DHCP properties on a member, as described in Modifying
Permissions on a Grid Member.
Modifying Permissions on a Grid Member

Admins can perform different tasks on a Grid member based on the permissions they have. The following table Member
Permissions and Tasks outlines the permissions and the tasks admins can perform on a Grid member:
Member Permissions and Tasks
Grid Member Member DNS or DHCP Properties Restart DNS or DHCP on Grid Member
Read/ • Modify member properties • Modify member DNS or • Restart member DNS or
Write
• Restart, reboot, and shutdown DHCP properties DHCP service
member • Restart member DNS • Assign and un-assign
• Modify member DNS and DHCP or DHCP service member to DNS or DHCP
properties • Assign and un-assign objects
• Restart member DNS and DHCP member to DNS or
services DHCP objects
• Assign and un-assign member to
DNS and DHCP objects
Read-only • View member DNS and DHCP • View member DNS or • N/A (You cannot define a
properties DHCP properties read-only permission)
Deny • Cannot modify member, DNS, and • Cannot modify • Cannot modify member,
DHCP properties member, DNS, and DNS, and DHCP
• Cannot restart related services DHCP properties properties
• Cannot assign member to DNS and • Cannot restart related • Cannot restart related
DHCP objects services services
• Cannot assign member • Cannot assign member to
to DNS and DHCP DNS and DHCP objects
objects
After you add permissions to an admin group or role for a specific Grid member, you can modify the member permissions
and resources. Note that when you modify the member permissions and resources, the appliance updates the
permissions of the admin group or role accordingly.
To modify Grid member permissions:

Rev. D
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP or DNS tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member, and then click
the Edit icon.
2. In the Member DHCP Properties or Member DNS Properties editor, select the Permissions tab.
3. Click a permission in the Permissions table, select a different permission from the Permissions drop-down list or
select a different resource from the Resources drop-down list. Note that when you select Restart DNS or Restart
DHCP, the admins with this permission can only restart the DNS or DHCP service on the selected member. They
cannot modify DNS or DHCP properties of this member.
4. Save the configuration. Note that the appliance automatically updates the permissions of the corresponding
admin group or role in the Administration tab.
Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps

When an admin tries to access an object, the appliance checks the permissions of the group to which the admin belongs.
Because permissions at more specific levels override those set at a higher level, the appliance checks object
permissions hierarchically—from the most to the least specific. In addition, if the admin group has permissions assigned
directly to it and permissions inherited from its assigned roles, the appliance checks the permissions in the following
order:
1. Permissions assigned directly to the admin group.
2. Permissions inherited from admin roles in the order they are listed in the Roles tab of the Admin Group editor.
For example, an admin from the DNS1 admin group tries to access the a1.test.com A record in the test.com zone in the
Infoblox default view. The appliance first checks if the DNS1 admin group has a permission defined for the a1.test.com A
record. If there is none, then the appliance checks the roles assigned to DNS1. If there is no permission defined for the
a1.test.com A record, the appliance continues checking for permissions in the order listed in the Permission Checking
table. The appliance uses the first permission it finds.
Permission Checking
The appliance checks object permissions from the most to the least For each object, the appliance checks permissions in the order listed.
specific, as listed.
1. a1.test.com A record a. DNS1 admin group

2. A records in test.com b. Role 1, Role 2, Role 3…
3. test.com
4. All zones in the default view
5. Default view
6. All A records
7. All zones
8. All DNS views
An admin group that is assigned multiple roles and permissions can have overlaps among the different permissions. As
stated earlier, the appliance uses the first permission it finds and ignores the others. For example, as shown in the below
Directly-Assigned Permissions and Roles table, if an admin group has read/write permission to all A records in the
test.com zone and a role assigned to it is denied permission to test.com, the appliance provides read/write access to A
records in the test.com zone, but denies access to the test.com zone and all its other resource records.
Directly-Assigned Permissions and Roles
Permission assigned to the admin group Read/Write to all A records in the test.com zone
Permission inherited from an admin role Deny to the test.com zone
Effective permissions Deny to the test.com zone
Read/Write to all A records in test.com zone
Deny to all other resource records in test.com zone

Rev. D
If the group has multiple roles, the appliance applies the permissions in the order the roles are listed. If there are
overlaps in the permissions among the roles, the appliance uses the permission from the role that is listed first. For
example, as shown in the Multiple Roles table, the first role assigned to the admin group has read-only permission to all
A records in the test.com zone and the second role has read/write permission to the same records. The appliance applies
the permission from the first admin role.
Multiple Roles
Role 1 permission Read-only to all A records in the test.com zone
Role 2 permission Read/Write to all A records in test.com zone
Read/Write to all MX records in test.com zone
Effective permissions Deny to the test.com zone

Read-only to all A records in the test.com zone Read/Write to all MX records in test.com
zone
You can check for overlapped permissions when you add permissions to roles and to admin groups, and when you
assign roles to an admin group. When you create a permission that overlaps with existing permissions, Grid Manager
displays a warning message and the SeeConflicts link on which you click to view the overlapped permissions. For
information, see Viewing Overlapping Permissions. You can also use the quick filter Overlaps to filter overlapped
permissions, the appliance lists permissions that overlap with other permissions. If you want to change the permission
the appliance uses, you must change the order in which the roles are listed or change the permissions that are directly
assigned to the admin group. For information, see Creating Limited-Access Admin Groups.
Viewing Overlapping Permissions

When you click See Conflicts to view overlapping permissions, Grid Manager displays the following information in the
Permission Overlap dialog box:
1. Resource: The name of the object or resource.
2. Type: The object type.
3. Permission: The permission granted. This can be Read/Write, Read-Only, or Deny.
4. Inherited From: Indicates the source from which the permission is inherited.
5. Conflict Status: Indicates whether the permission is being used or ignored. In a permission overlap, the group
permission always overrides the role permission if both permissions are set at the same level (global or object).
However, if the permissions are set at different levels, the permission at a more specific level overrides that set at
a higher level.
6. Role/Group Name: The name of the admin group or admin role.
You can click the arrow key next to the resource to view the permission that is being ignored in the overlap.
Managing Permissions
After you define permissions for an admin group and role, you can do the following:
• View the permissions, as described in Viewing Permissions.
• Modify the permissions, as described in Modifying Permissions.
• Delete the permission, as described in Deleting Permissions.
Viewing Permissions
Only superusers can view the permissions of all admin groups.
To view the permissions of an admin group or role:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Permissions tab.
2. For an admin group: Select an admin group in the Groups table.
or
For an admin role: Select an admin role in the Roles table.

Rev. D
3. Grid Manager displays the following information in the Permissions table:
• Group/Role: The name of the admin group or role.
• Permission Type: The type of permissions. This can be Administration Permissions, Analytics Permissions, Cloud
Permissions, Named ACL Permissions, DHCP Permissions, DNS Permissions, File Distribution Permissions, Grid
Permissions, IPAM Permissions, Reporting Permissions, or Security Permissions.
• Resource: The name of the object. For example, this field displays All Hosts if you have defined permissions for
all the hosts in the Grid.
• Resource Type: The object type. For example, this can be Host, PTR record, or Shared Network.
• Permission: The defined permission for the resource.
When you click Show All for Admins, Groups, and Roles, Grid Manager displays all the admin accounts, admin groups,
and admin roles in their respective tables.
Filtering the List of Permissions

You can filter the permissions you want to view by selecting one of the following from the quick filter menu:
• Effective Permissions: Select to view only the permissions that the appliance is using for this group. The
permissions that were ignored due to overlaps are not listed in this view.
• Overlaps: Select to view only the overlapped permissions.
• All Configured Permissions: Select to view all permissions.
Modifying Permissions
You can modify the permissions of user-defined admin roles and admin groups. You cannot modify the permissions of
system-defined admin roles. When you change the permissions of a role that has been assigned to multiple admin
groups, the appliance automatically applies the change to the role in all admin groups to which it is assigned.
To modify the existing permissions of a role or an admin group:
2. For an admin group: Select an admin group in the Groups table. or
3. For an admin role: Select an admin role in the Roles table.
4. In the Permissions table, select the resource that you want to modify, and then click the Edit icon.
5. In the Mange Global Permissions or Create Object permissions editor, select the new permission: Read/Write,
Read-Only or Deny for the resource.
Deleting Permissions
You can remove permissions from user-defined admin roles and admin groups. You cannot remove permissions from
system-defined admin roles. When you remove permissions from a role, they are removed from the role in all admin
groups to which the role is assigned. You can remove a permission from a group as long as it is not inherited from a role.
You cannot remove permissions that are inherited from a role.
To delete a permission:
2. For an admin group: Select an admin group in the Groups table.
or
For an admin role: Select an admin role in the Roles table.
3. In the Permissions table, select the resource that you want to modify, and then click the Delete icon.
4. In the Delete Permission Confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
Authenticating Administrators
The NIOS appliance supports the following authentication methods: local database, RADIUS, Active Directory, LDAP,
TACACS+, and SAML. The appliance can use any combination of these authentication methods. It authenticates admins
against its local database by default. Therefore, if you want to use local authentication only, you must configure the
admin groups and add the local admin accounts, as described in Creating Local Admins.

Rev. D
Depending on where admin user credentials are stored, you can configure the NIOS appliance to authenticate admins
locally or remotely or using SAML. When you configure the authentication type as "local," NIOS authenticates admins
against its local database. When you configure the authentication type as "remote," NIOS authenticates admins whose
user credentials are stored remotely on authentication servers, such as RADIUS servers, AD domain controllers, LDAP
servers, or TACACS+ servers. When you configure the authentication type as "SAML Only," NIOS authenticates admins
against their user credentials in the IDP (Identity Provider).
Note the following when you configure remote authentication type for local admins:
• You cannot define two local admins that have the same name and belong to different authentication server
groups.
• Only superusers can modify the authentication type for other admin accounts.
• At least one superuser account must use the remote authentication type.
To authenticate admins using RADIUS, Active Directory, TACACS+, or LDAP in addition to local authentication, you must
define those services on the appliance and define the admin authentication policy. For information, see About Remote
Admins. To authenticate admins using SAML, see Authenticating Admins Using SAML.
NIOS also supports two-factor authentication where it authenticates the following:
1. Administrators through the admin authentication policy.
2. Admin client certificates through the certificate authentication service.
For more information about two-factor authentication and how to configure it, see Defining the Authentication Policy.
 Note
If you are using remote authentication, you must always have at least one local admin in a local admin group to
ensure connectivity to the NIOS appliance in case the remote servers become unreachable.
Creating Local Admins

When you create an admin account, you must specify the authentication type, name, password, and admin group of the
administrator. You can also control in which time zone the appliance displays the time in the audit log and the DHCP and
IPAM tabs of Grid Manager, such as the DHCP Lease History and DHCP Leases panels. The appliance can use the time
zone that it automatically detects from the management system that the admin uses to log in.
Alternatively, you can override the time zone auto-detection feature and specify the time zone. To create an admin
account and add it to an admin group:
2. From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Admins tab, and then click the Add icon.
or
From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Groups tab -> admin_group, and then click the Add
icon.
3. In the Add Administrator wizard, complete the following:
• Authentication Type: The default is Local. When you select Local, NIOS authenticates admins against the
local database.
Local: The following fields are displayed when you select Local authentication type. Enter the following:
• Login: Enter a name for the administrator. This is the user name that the administrator uses to log
in to the appliance. This user name is stored in the NIOS local database.
• Password: Enter a password for the administrator. This is the password that the administrator uses
to log in to the appliance. This password is stored in the NIOS local database.

Rev. D
• Confirm Password: Enter the same password.
 Note
In NIOS 8.5.2 or later, when you set up the account for a Grid Master or a standalone
vNIOS instance that is deployed on AWS, the minimum password length must be four
characters. The password must consist of at least one uppercase character, one
lowercase character, one numeric character, and one symbol character. Example:
Infoblox1!
If the symbol character is at the beginning of the password, then include the password
within quotes (''). Example: '@Infoblox123'
• Use AWS SSH authentication keys: To prevent CLI login failures after upgrading, you will need to
enable Use AWS SSH authentication keys for each user that needs CLI access to AWS appliances. When
you select Use AWS SSH authentication keys, NIOS allows you to access the CLI either by using a key
pair and entering a password, or only by using the key pair which means the password-only
authentication is blocked for the user. You can upload the SSH key by using the Manage SSH Public
Keys field. It is mandatory to upload a valid SSH public key if you select the Use AWS SSH authentication
keys option.
If you use the User data field in the AWS console to install a NIOS license, the Use AWS SSH
authentication key option is enabled by default. For more information about the User data field, see
the Initializing New Infoblox vNIOS for AWS Instances with the AWS User Data Field section in
the Installation Guide for vNIOS for AWS documentation.
 Note
For a TE-V4025 appliance, if you use the User data field to install the TE-4025 license, the Use
AWS SSH authentication key option will not be enabled by default. Therefore, Infoblox
recommends that you first deploy the vNIOS instance without specifying the IB-4025 license,
and then install the license from the NIOS CLI.
• Authentication Method: You can choose Key pair or Key pair + Password methods from the Authentication
Method drop-down list. A server generates two distinct, but related keys: a public key that you upload and
a corresponding private key that is stored in the system. A Key pair is the combination of these two related
keys and is the default authentication method. If you select Key pair as the authentication method, then
a user can access the CLI with a valid key pair. If you select Key pair + Password as the authentication
method, the user must provide a password to access the CLI even after a successful key pair
authentication. For information on defining and managing passwords, see Managing Passwords.
• Manage SSH Public Keys: You need to upload a valid SSH public key file. The supported key types are
RSA, EDSA, and ED25519. TheKey TypeandKey Valuefields in theMANAGE SSH PUBLIC KEYS are
automatically updated once you upload a valid SSH key.
 Note
From NIOS 8.5.2 onwards, the Use AWS SSH authentication keys, Authentication
Method, and Manage SSH Public Keys fields are not available for the Remote and SAML
Only authentication types. That is, you cannot use the CLI to access vNIOS for AWS if you are a
remote user or a SAML user.
• Remote: When you select Remote, NIOS authenticates admins based on the user credentials stored
remotely on authentication servers, such as RADIUS servers, AD domain controllers, LDAP servers, or
TACACS+ servers. The Login field is displayed when you select Remote authentication type. Enter a
name for the administrator that is stored in the database of the remote server. This is the user name that
the administrator uses to log in to the appliance.
• SAML Only: When you select SAML Only, NIOS authenticates admins based on the user credentials
stored in the IDP (Identity Provider). An admin can log in to NIOS only by clicking the SSO Login button
and if the user credentials exist in the IDP account.
• SAML/Local: When you select SAML/Local, NIOS authenticates admins based on the user credentials
stored in the IDP, when the SSO Login button is clicked or against the local database when the User
name and Password is supplied and the Login button is clicked. For SSO Login, the user name and

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password need not be supplied in the NIOS GUI, rather it should be supplied in the IDP's login
prompt. For information about SAML authentication, see Authenticating Admins Using SAML.
 Note
You cannot configure the Remote authentication type for NIOS admin users who belong to the fireeye-
group admin groups.
Email Address: Enter the email address for this administrator. The appliance uses this email address to send scheduling
notifications.
• Admin Group: Click Select to specify an admin group. If there are multiple admin groups, Grid Manager displays
the Admin Group Selector dialog box from which you can select one. An admin can belong to only one admin
group at a time.
NIOS appliance creates a new group, fireeye-group, when you add the first FireEye zone. The FireEye admin group is
read-only and you cannot assign permissions to it. Select fireeye-group for the admin group and add users to this group.
For more information, see About FireEye Integrated RPZs.
 You cannot add a NIOS admin user that uses the Remote authentication type to the fireeye-group admin group.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the administrator.

• Disable: Select this checkbox to retain an inactive profile for this administrator in the configuration. For example,
you might want to define a profile for a recently hired administrator who has not yet started work. Then when he
or she does start, you simply need to clear this checkbox to activate the profile.
• Status: Displays the status of the administrator. The status can be one of the following:
• Active: The administrator account is active. This is the default status.
• Disabled: The administrator account is disabled.
• Locked: The administrator account is locked because the password has been entered incorrectly a
specified number of times.
• Inactive:The administrator account is inactive because the account has not been logged in to for a
specified period of time. For more information, see Configuring Security Features.
4. Optionally, click Next to add extensible attributes to the admin account. For information, see About Extensible
Attributes.
Managing Passwords
Superusers can define requirements for the passwords of local admins according to your organization's policies. In
addition to specifying the minimum password length, you can define rules that specify the character types that are
allowed in the password. You can also specify whether passwords expire, their duration, and when reminders are sent to
the users. Additionally, you can specify whether the history of used password needs to be stored, and you can require
admins to change their passwords when they first log in or after their passwords are reset.
You set the requirements at the Grid level, so they apply to all local admins who log in to the Grid. You can also set the
requirements at the standalone system level. The requirements that you define appear in the User Profile of all local
admins and when users are required to change their password.
To define the password requirements for local admins:

1. Grid: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab. Expand the Toolbar and select Grid Properties -> Edit.
or,
Standalone system: From the System tab, select the System Manager tab. Expand the Toolbar and select
System Properties Editor.
2. In the editor, select the Password tab and complete the following:
• Minimum Password Length: Specify the minimum number of characters that are required in a password.

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• Password Complexity: You can set up some requirements around how users compose a password by
specifying the category and the number of characters and/or symbols the password must contain. The
default is 0 for all categories, which means the password is not required to contain those characters.
Specify the minimum number of characters the password must contain for the following:
• lowercase characters [a-z]
• uppercase characters [A-Z]
• numeric characters [0-9]
• symbol characters. Allowed characters are: ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( )
• character changes from previous passwords. To discourage users from reusing previous
passwords, you can require a minimum change of characters from previous passwords.
• password encryption. Passwords with more than 64 characters are not encrypted.
• Password must expire: Specify the number of days after which the password must expire and the number
of days before which NIOS must send a reminder to the user that the password will expire.
• Enforce Password History: Select this checkbox to store the history of used passwords in the NIOS
database. This option is disabled by default.
• In the Remember last passwords field, specify the number of passwords to be stored. You can
specify a value from 1 to 20. The default value is 5.
• Minimum password age: Specify the minimum number of days the password must be active before the
user can attempt to change it. You can specify a value between 0 to 9998. The recommended value is 2.
 If the Password must expire checkbox is enabled, you must set the Minimum password age to a
value less than the password expiration interval value. Superusers can override the Minimum
password age and reset the passwords of local admins.
• Force password change at next login: Select this checkbox to force all new users to change their
passwords when they log in for the first time, and to force existing users whose passwords were reset by
superusers or whose passwords were just reset to change their passwords.
 The "force password change at next login" feature does not apply to admin users in the fireeye-group. These
users will not be prompted to change their passwords at the next login. Their original passwords continue to
work. For information about FireEye integrated RPZs, see About FireEye Integrated RPZs.
Modifying and Deleting Admin Accounts

You can modify and delete admin accounts that you create, but you can only partially modify the default superuser
account "admin"—and only when you are logged in as a superuser account. Furthermore, because there must always be
a superuser account on the appliance, you can only remove the default "admin" account after you create another
superuser account.
To modify an admin account:

1. From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Admins tab -> admin_account checkbox, and then
or
From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Groups tab -> admin_group -> admin_account
checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The Administrator editor provides the following tabs from which you can modify data:

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• General: In the General Basic tab, modify the data of the admin account.
 Note
If the Use AWS SSH authentication keys option was previously disabled and is
allowed when modifying an existing admin account, then password-only authentication is blocked.
If the Use AWS SSH authentication keys option was earlier enabled and is now disabled, then
password-only authentication is allowed.
On the General Advanced tab, complete the following:

• Time Zone: Select a time zone from the drop-down list if you want to specify the time zone for the
administrator. By default, the appliance automatically detects the time zone from the management system
that the administrator uses to connect to the appliance. The appliance uses this time zone when it
displays the timestamps for relevant data.
• Enable Certificate Authentication: Select the checkbox to enable the certificate authentication service. You
must also specify the serial number of the client certificate and associate a CA certificate that signs the
client certificate. For more information, see Enabling Certificate Authentication Service for a User.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with the admin account. You can
also modify the values of the extensible attributes. For information, see About Extensible Attributes.
To delete an admin account:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Admins tab -> admin_account checkbox, and then
or
From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Groups tab -> admin_group -> admin_account
checkbox, and then click the Delete icon.
When you remove a Grid member from the Grid, local admin accounts are not removed and you will still be able to see
these admin accounts.
About Remote Admins

NIOS can authenticate admins whose user credentials are stored remotely on RADIUS servers, AD domain controllers,
LDAP servers, or TACACS+ servers. You can configure authentication server groups for each type of server to which
NIOS sends authentication requests. For example, you can create a server group for RADIUS servers and another
server group for AD domain controllers. Then in the admin authentication policy, you can list which authentication server
groups to use and in what order.
In addition, if admin groups are configured on the remote authentication server, you can configure admin groups with the
same names on the NIOS appliance and list them in the authentication policy as well. Then if the remote authentication
server provides the admin group name while authenticating an admin, NIOS can automatically assign the admin to the
matching admin group specified in the authentication policy. You can also create a default admin group for all admins that
are authenticated through a remote authentication service.
Managing Administrators illustrates the authentication and authorization process for remote admins. In the example, two
authentication server groups are configured—a RADIUS server group and an AD server group. When an admin logs in
with a user name and password, the appliance uses the first service listed in the admin policy to authenticate the admin.
If authentication fails, the appliance tries the next service listed, and so on. It tries each service on the list until it is
successful or all services fail. If all services fail, then the appliance denies access and generates an error message in
syslog.
If authentication succeeds, the NIOS appliance tries to match the admin group names in the admin policy to any groups
received from the remote server. If it finds a match, the NIOS appliance applies the privileges of that group to the admin
and allows access. If the appliance does not find a match, then it applies the privileges of the default group. If no default
group is defined, then the appliance denies access.
Authenticating Remote Admins

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Only superusers can perform the following tasks to configure NIOS to authenticate admins using remote authentication
servers:
• Configure the authentication server groups. You can create multiple RADIUS, LDAP, and AD server groups, and
certificate authentication services, but only one TACACS+ server group.
• For information about RADIUS authentication, see Authenticating Admins Using RADIUS.
• For information about AD authentication, see Authenticating Admins Using Active Directory.
• For information about TACACS+ authentication, see Authenticating Admin Accounts Using TACACS+.
• For information about LDAP authentication, see Authenticating Admins Using LDAP.
• For information about the certificate authentication service, see Authenticating Admins Using Two-
FactorAuthentication.
• Configure admin groups with names that match those on the remote server. For information about admin groups,
see About Admin Groups.
• Configure the admin policy, as described in Defining the Authentication Policy.
 Note
Infoblox strongly recommends that even if you are using remote authentication, you always have at least one
local admin in a local admin group to ensure connectivity to the appliance in case the remote servers become
unreachable. Also, when you delete an authentication server group, the appliance removes it from the system.
Deleted authentication server groups are not moved to the Recycle Bin. Once deleted, the authentication
server groups no longer exist in the system.
When remote authentication is successful, the appliance creates a remote admin user object in the NIOS database,
which stores user preferences such as time zone, table size, and active Dashboard widgets for the remote user. If the
remote user does not log in to the appliance for more than 180 days, the appliance removes the corresponding admin
user object from the database. Although the remote user can still log in to the appliance, user preferences are lost. The
Grid Master performs this clean up action once a day.
You can also authenticate users based on X.509 client certificates. You can configure NIOS to authenticate these admins
through the two-factor authentication method. For more information about two-factor authentication and how to configure
it, see Defining the Authentication Policy.

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Authenticating Admins Using RADIUS
RADIUS provides authentication, accounting, and authorization functions. The NIOS appliance supports authentication
using the following RADIUS servers: FreeRADIUS, Microsoft, Cisco, and Funk.
When NIOS authenticates administrators against RADIUS servers, NIOS acts similarly to a network access server
(NAS), which is a RADIUS client that sends authentication and accounting requests to a RADIUS server. The following
figure illustrates the RADIUS authentication process.
Authentication using a RADIUS server
Authentication Protocols
When you configure the NIOS appliance to authenticate admins against a RADIUS server group, you must specify the
authentication protocol of each RADIUS server, which can be either PAP (Password Authentication Protocol) or CHAP
(Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol).
PAP tries to establish the identity of a host using a two-way handshake. The client sends the user name and password in
clear text to the NIOS appliance. The appliance uses a shared secret to encrypt the password and sends it to the
RADIUS server in an Access-Request packet. The RADIUS server uses the shared secret to decrypt the password. If the
decrypted password matches a password in its database, the user is successfully authenticated and allowed to log in.
With CHAP, when the client tries to log in, it sends its user name and password to the NIOS appliance. The appliance
then creates an MD5 hash of the password together with a random number that the appliance generates. It then sends
the random number, user name, and hash to the RADIUS server in an Access-Request package. The RADIUS server
takes the password that matches the user name from its database and creates its own MD5 hash of the password and
random number that it received. If the hash that the RADIUS server generates matches the hash that it received from the
appliance, then the user is successfully authenticated and allowed to log in.
You can configure one of the following modes to send the authentication request to the RADIUS server:
• Ordered: In this mode, the authentication request is sent to the first server in the list. The authentication request is
sent to the next server only when the first server is out of service or unavailable.
• Round Robin: In this mode, the first authentication request is sent to a server chosen randomly in a group. If there
is no response from the server, continued attempts are performed sequentially until it selects the last server in the
list. Then it starts with the first server in the list and continues the selection process until all the servers have been
attempted.

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Accounting Activities Using RADIUS
You can enable the accounting feature on the RADIUS server to track whether an administrator has initiated a session.
After an administrator successfully logs in, the appliance sends an Accounting-Start packet to the RADIUS server.
Configuring Remote RADIUS Servers

For NIOS to communicate with a RADIUS server, you must also set up the remote RADIUS server to communicate with
the NIOS appliance.
 Note
If you have two Infoblox appliances in an HA pair, enter both the members of the HA pair as separate access
appliances and use the LAN or MGMT IP address of both appliances (not the VIP address), if configured.
Depending on your particular RADIUS server, you can configure the following RADIUS server options to enable
communication with the NIOS appliance:
• Authentication Port
• Accounting Port
• Domain Name/IP Address of the NIOS appliance
• Shared Secret Password
• Vendor Types
Configuring Admin Groups on the Remote RADIUS Server

Infoblox supports admin accounts on one or more RADIUS servers.
On the remote RADIUS server, do the following to set up admins and associate them with an admin group:
• Import Infoblox VSAs (vendor-specific attributes) to the dictionary file on the RADIUS server
• For third-party RADIUS servers, import the Infoblox vendor file (the Infoblox vendor ID is 7779)
• Define the admin group
• Associate one or more remote admin accounts with the admin group
• Add and activate a policy for the admin accounts, but do not associate the policy with a policy group that contains
an infoblox-group-info attribute.
Refer to the documentation for your RADIUS server for more information.
Configuring RADIUS Authentication

To configure NIOS to use one ore more RADIUS server groups to authenticate administrators, you must do the following:
• Configure at least one RADIUS authentication server group. For more information, see Configuring a RADIUS
Authentication Server Group.
• Define admin groups for the admins that are authenticated by the RADIUS servers and specify their privileges
and settings. The group names in NIOS must match the admin group names on the RADIUS server. See About
Admin Groups for information about defining admin groups.
• In the authentication policy, add the RADIUS server groups and the admin groups that match those on the
RADIUS server. You can also designate an admin group as the default group for remote admins. NIOS assigns
admins to this group when it does not find a matching group for a remote admin. See Defining the Authentication
Policy for more information about configuring the policy.
Configuring a RADIUS Authentication Server Group

You can add multiple RADIUS servers to the group for redundancy. When you do, the appliance tries to connect to the
first RADIUS server on the list and if the server does not respond within the maximum retransmission limit, then it tries
the next RADIUS server on the list. NIOS tries to connect to each RADIUS server in the order the servers are listed. If it

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does not receive a response within the configured timeout period and has tried to connect the specified retry value, then
it tries the next RADIUS server on the list. It logs an error to syslog when it fails to connect to any of the servers in the
group.
After you add a RADIUS server to the NIOS appliance, you can validate the configuration. The appliance uses a
pre-defined username and password when it tests the connection to the RADIUS server. The pre-defined user name is
"Infoblox_test_user" and the password is "Infoblox_test_password". Do not use these as your administrator username
and password.
To configure a RADIUS authentication server group :
1. From the Administration tab, click the Authentication Server Groups tab.
2. Click the Add icon in the RADIUS Services subtab.
3. In the Add RADIUS Authentication Service wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the server group.
• RADIUS Servers: Click the Add icon and enter the following:
• Server Name or IP Address: Enter the FQDN or the IP address of the RADIUS server that is used
for authentication.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the RADIUS server.
• Authentication Port: The destination port on the RADIUS server. The default is 1812. This field is
required only if you do not enable accounting on the RADIUS server. This field is not required if
you enable accounting to configure an accounting-only RADIUS server.
• Authentication Type: Select either PAP or CHAP from the drop-down list. The default is PAP.
• Shared Secret: Enter the shared secret that the NIOS appliance and the RADIUS server use to
encrypt and decrypt their messages. This shared secret is a value that is known only to the NIOS
appliance and the RADIUS server.
• Enable Accounting: Select this to enable RADIUS accounting for the server so you can track an
administrator's activities during a session. When you enable accounting, you must enter a valid
port number in the Accounting Port field.
• Accounting Port: The destination port on the RADIUS server. The default is 1813.
• Connect through Management Interface: Select this so that the NIOS appliance uses the MGMT
port for administrator authentication communications with just this RADIUS server.
• Disable server: Select this to disable the RADIUS server if, for example, the connection to the
server is down and you want to stop the NIOS appliance from trying to connect to this server.
• Click Test to test the configuration. If the NIOS appliance connects to the RADIUS server using the
configuration you entered, it displays a message confirming the configuration is valid. If it is unable
to connect to the RADIUS server, the appliance displays a message indicating an error in the
configuration.
• Click Add to add the server to the list.
When you add multiple RADIUS servers, the appliance lists the servers in the order you added them. This list also
determines the order in which the NIOS appliance attempts to contact a RADIUS server. You can move a server up or
down the list by selecting it and clicking the up or down arrow.
You can also delete a RADIUS server by selecting it and clicking the Delete icon.
• Authentication: Optionally, modify the authentication settings. These settings apply to all RADIUS servers that you
configure on the NIOS appliance.
• Timeout(s): Specify the number of seconds that the appliance waits for a response from the RADIUS server.
• Retries: Specify how many times the appliance attempts to contact an authentication RADIUS server.
The default is 5.
If you have configured multiple RADIUS servers for authentication and the NIOS appliance fails to contact the first server
in the list, it tries to contact the next server, and so on.
• Accounting: Optionally, modify the Accounting settings.
• Timeout(s): Specify the number of seconds that the appliance waits for a response from the RADIUS
server.
• Retries: Specify how many times the appliance attempts to contact an accounting RADIUS server. The
default is 1000.
• Mode: Specifies how the appliance contacts the RADIUS servers. The default is Ordered List.
• Ordered List: The Grid member always selects the first RADIUS server in the list when it sends an
authentication request. It queries the next server only when the first server is considered down.

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• Round Robin: The Grid member sends the first authentication request to a server chosen randomly in a
group. If there is no response from the server, the Grid member selects the next server in the
group.Continued attempts are performed sequentially until it selects the last server in the group. Then it
starts with the first server in the group and continues the selection process until all the servers have been
attempted.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the RADIUS service.
• Disable: Select this to disable RADIUS authentication for the servers listed in the table.
Note that the following fields in the wizard do not apply to this feature: Enable NAC Filter, Cache Time to Live, and
Recovery Interval. They are used with the NAC Integration feature described in Authenticated DHCP.
Authenticating Admins Using Active Directory

Active Directory™ (AD) is a distributed directory service that is a repository for user information. The NIOS appliance can
authenticate admin accounts by verifying user names and passwords against Active Directory. In addition, the NIOS
appliance queries the AD domain controller for the group membership information of the admin. The appliance matches
the group names from the domain controller with the admin groups on its local database. It then authorizes services and
grants the admin privileges, based upon the matching admin group on the appliance.
The following figure illustrates the Active Directory authentication process.
Authentication Using a Domain Controller
To configure NIOS to authenticate administrators using Active Directory domain controller groups, you must first
configure user accounts on the domain controller.
 Note
Do not create Microsoft user accounts with the following characters: "", +, ,, ;, <, =, >, \. Microsoft does not allow
creating users with these characters and such characters will be replaced by an underscore _.
Then, on the NIOS appliance, do the following:

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• Configure one or more AD authentication server group on the appliance and add AD domain controllers to the
group. For information about configuring an AD authentication service group for admins, see Configuring an
Active Directory Authentication Service Group.
• If you configured admin groups on the AD controller, you must create those same groups on the NIOS appliance
and specify their privileges and settings. Note that the admin group names must match those on the AD domain
controller. You can specify a default group as well. The NIOS appliance assigns admins to the default group if
none of the admin groups on the NIOS appliance match the admin groups on the AD domain controller or if there
are no other admin groups configured. For information about configuring group permissions and privileges, see
About Admin Groups .
• Add the newly configured Active Directory service to the list of authentication services in the admin policy, and
add the admin group names as well. See Defining the Authentication Policy for more information about
configuring an admin policy.
Configuring an Active Directory Authentication Service Group

You can add multiple domain controllers to an AD authentication server group for redundancy. The NIOS appliance tries
to connect with the first domain controller on the list. If it is unable to connect, it tries the next domain controller on the
list, and so on.
To configure an Active Directory authentication server group on the NIOS appliance:
2. Click the Active Directory Services subtab and click the Add icon.
3. In the Add Active Directory Authentication Service wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the service.
• Active Directory Domain: Enter the AD domain name.
• Domain Controllers: Click the Add icon and complete the following to add an AD domain controller:
• Server Name or IP Address: Enter the FQDN or the IP address of the AD server that is used for
authentication.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the AD server.
• Authentication Port: Enter the port number on the domain controller to which the appliance sends
authentication requests. The default is 389.
• Encryption: Select SSL from the drop-down list to transmit through an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
tunnel. When you select SSL, the appliance automatically updates the authentication port to 636.
Infoblox strongly recommends that you select this option to ensure the security of all
communications between the NIOS appliance and the AD server. If you select this option, you
must upload a CA certificate from the AD server. Click CA Certificates to upload the certificate. In
the CA Certificates dialog box, click the Add icon, and then navigate to the certificate to upload it.
port for administrator authentication communications with just this AD server.
• Disable server: Select this to disable an AD server if, for example, the connection to the server is
down and you want to stop the NIOS appliance from trying to connect to this server.
• Click Test to test the configuration. If the NIOS appliance connects to the domain controller using
the configuration you entered, it displays a message confirming the configuration is valid. If it is
unable to connect to the server, the appliance displays a message indicating an error in the
configuration.
• Click Add to add the domain controller to the group.
When you add multiple domain controllers, the appliance lists the servers in the order you added them. This list also
determines the order in which the NIOS appliance attempts to contact a domain controller. You can move a server up or
down the list by selecting it and clicking the up or down arrow.
You can also delete a domain controller by selecting it and clicking the Delete icon.
• Timeout(s): The number of seconds that the NIOS appliance waits for a response from the specified
authentication server. The default is 5.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the service.
• Disable: Select this to retain an inactive AD authentication service profile.

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Enabling Active Directory Authentication for Nested Groups
Windows servers support nesting groups in which you can add a group of admin users as a member of another group.
Nested groups consolidate admin accounts and help reduce the number of permissions required for individual users or
groups. In NIOS, you can enable a nested group query so the appliance can recursively look up and use the AD
authentication service to authenticate members or admin accounts. These members or admin accounts can be part of
the default nested group, outside of the default nested group, or located within a non-default custom organizational unit.
When an admin belongs to multiple paths of hierarchy, you can enable nested group query in order to apply the AD
authentication service hierarchically in a parent-child structure. This enables the NIOS appliance to apply the AD
authentication service to all the groups of which an admin is a member. For example, if User 1 is a member of the default
nested Group C, and Group C is a member of Group B, and Group B is a member of Group A, then the authentication
service is applicable to all the groups of which User 1 is a member. In this example, the appliance performs a recursive
lookup in Group C, Group B, and Group A while authenticating User 1.
You can also define multiple organizational units and add non-default AD admins and groups to these units. You must
specify the search paths for such organizational units in Additional Search Paths when you configure AD authentication
for nested groups.
 Note
• Microsoft recommends that you create all non-default users and groups in different organizational units
to apply Group Policy Objects and prevent corruption or misuse of critical default accounts and groups.
• In Active Directory, objects are referred to by the DN (Distinguished Name), which contains CN
(Common Name), OU (Organizational Unit), and DC (Domain Component) that are delimited by
commas and indicate where the object resides in an AD hierarchy.
Infoblox supports AD authentication for nested groups in the following scenarios:

• Scenario 1: When the user is located within the default Users group.
In this example, the DC ad-31.local contains CN=Users that is the default user group or the container. Users
Username, VPNUsers, and Computers are located within the default user group. When you enable a nested group
query, the appliance uses the AD authentication service to authenticate the admin accounts that are within the
default nested group CN=Users. The DN for users within the default user group are as follows:
• DN: CN=Username, CN=Users, DC=ad-31, DC=local
• DN: CN=VPNUsers, CN=Users, DC=ad-31, DC=local
• DN: CN=Computers, CN=Users, DC=ad-31, DC=local
• Scenario 2: When the user is located outside the default Users group.
In this example, users CN=Username2 and CN=Infrastructure are not located within the default user group or the
container. The DN for users within the DC ad-31.local are as follows:
• DN: CN=Username2, CN=Users, DC=ad-31, DC=local
• DN: CN=Infrastructure, CN=Users, DC=ad-31, DC=local
• Scenario 3: When the user is located within a non-default organizational unit.
Example of an additional search path for an organizational unit that is located within another one: OU=OU_New1,
OU=OU_New, where directory OU_New1 is situated within the directory OU_New. This organizational unit contains
the following users: Admin, ITadmins, and Users. The DN for these users are as follows:
• DN: CN=Admin, OU=OU_New1, OU=OU_New
• DN: CN=ITadmins, OU=OU_New1, OU=OU_New
• DN: CN=Users, OU=OU_New1, OU=OU_New
Note that additional search paths are not valid for scenarios 1 and 2 mentioned above and you must enable the
default search path for these scenarios by clearing the Disable Default Search Path checkbox.
The following figure illustrates how you can configure default and non-default nested groups and add users to these
groups in a Windows Active Directory. It contains a DC ad-31.local that can contain default users group, organizational

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units or individual users. When you select the Disable Default Search Path checkbox, the AD authentication service
authenticates the admin account that is mentioned in the additional search path for a non-default organizational unit.
Active Directory Authentication for Nested Groups
To enable AD authentication for nested groups on the NIOS appliance:

• NestedGroupQuery: This checkbox is deselected by default, meaning the nested group query is disabled. When
nested group query is disabled, AD authentication service is applied to only one group of which the AD admin is a
member. When you select this checkbox, AD authentication service is applied to all the nested groups of which
an AD admin is a member. This setting is applicable to all the AD servers configured for the Active Directory
authentication service.
• Disable Default Search Path: Select the checkbox to disable the default search path. When you disable
the default search path, the Active Directory authentication service searches for an AD admin in the non-
default organizational units that are listed in Additional Search Paths.
• Additional Search Paths: Click the Add icon to configure a list of additional search paths for the respective
AD admin that is in a non-default organizational unit. Click the Delete icon to delete the selected search
path. Note that you must not specify the DC when you define an additional search path for non-default
organizational units. Example of an additional search path for an organizational unit that is located within
another one: OU=OU_New1, OU=OU_New, where directory OU_New1 is situated within the directory
OU_New.
• Save the configuration.

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Authenticating Admin Accounts Using TACACS+
You can configure NIOS to authenticate admins against TACACS+ (Terminal Access Controller Access-Control System
Plus) servers. TACACS+ provides separate authentication, authorization, and accounting services. To ensure reliable
delivery, it uses TCP as its transport protocol, and to ensure confidentiality, all protocol exchanges between the
TACACS+ server and its clients are encrypted. For detailed information about TACACS+, refer to the Internet draft http://
tools.ietf.org/html/draft-grant-tacacs-02.
In addition, you can configure a custom service, infoblox, on the TACACS+ server, and then define a user group and
specify the group name in the custom attribute infoblox-admin-group. Ensure that you apply the user group to the custom
service infoblox. On NIOS, you define a group with the same name and add it to the authentication policy.
Then when the TACACS+ server responds to an authentication and authorization request and includes the infoblox-
admin-group attribute, NIOS can match the group name with the group in the authentication policy and automatically
assign the admin to that group.
The following figure illustrates the TACACS+ authentication and authorization process when PAP/CHAP authentication is
used.
TACACS+ Authentication
TACACS+ Accounting
When you enable TACACS+ accounting, NIOS sends the TACACS+ accounting server a TACACS+ accounting event
with the same information that it sends to the Audit Log for any user command/event. NIOS sends an accounting start
packet when a user first logs in successfully using TACACS+ authentication, and it sends an accounting STOP packet
when a user logs out of the GUI or CLI or when a GUI or CLI session times out. If a product restarts or software failure
occurs, NIOS drops any outstanding accounting packets. Note that audit log entries that are greater than 3,600
characters are truncated in accounting events sent to TACAS+ servers.

Rev. D
Configuring TACACS+
Complete the following tasks to enable NIOS and the TACACS+ servers to communicate. On each TACACS+ server that
you are adding to the authentication server group:
• For Windows TACACS+ servers, add the NIOS appliance as an AAA client. This step is not required for LINUX
TACACS+ servers.
• Determine which user group on the TACACS+ server is used to match the admin group in NIOS, and then
configure the following settings for the user group:
• Add "infoblox" as a custom service.
• Define the custom attribute for the group, in the format: infoblox-admin-group= group_name. For example,
infoblox-admin-group=remoteadmins1. The group name can have a maximum of 64 characters.
On the NIOS appliance:
• Create a TACACS+ authentication server group. You can create only one TACACS+ server group. For more
information, see Configuring a TACACS+ Authentication Server Group.
• Create the local admin group in NIOS that matches the user group on the TACACS+ server. Note that the NIOS
admin group name must match the group name specified in the TACACS+ server and in the custom attribute. For
example, if the custom attribute is infoblox-admin-group=remoteadmins1, then the admin group name must be
remoteadmins1. In addition, you can designate a default admin group for remote admins. For information about
configuring group permissions and privileges, see About Admin Groups.
• In the authentication policy, add the newly configured TACACS+ server group and the TACACS+ admin group
name. See Defining the Authentication Policy for more information about configuring an admin policy.
Configuring a TACACS+ Authentication Server Group

You can add multiple TACACS+ servers to the TACACS+ authentication server group. NIOS sends authentication
requests to the TACACS+ servers in the order they are listed. NIOS sends authentication requests to the first server on
the list. If that server is unreachable or generates an error, then NIOS sends the request to the next server in the list that
has not been previously queried, and so on. NIOS logs an error message in syslog if all servers have been queried and
they all generate errors or are unreachable.
To configure a TACACS+ authentication server group:
2. Click the TACACS+ Services subtab and click the Add icon.
3. In the Add TACACS+ Service wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the server group.
• TACACS+ Servers: Click the Add icon and complete the following:
• Server Name or IP address: The name or IP address of the TACACS+ server.
• Comment: You can enter additional information about the server.
• Port: The TCP destination port for TACACS+ communication. This port is used for authentication,
accounting and authorization packets. The default is port 49.
• Authentication Type: Select ASCII, PAP or CHAP. The default is CHAP.
• Shared Secret: The shared key that the NIOS appliance and the TACACS+ server use to encrypt
and decrypt messages.
• Enable Accounting: Select this to enable NIOS to send accounting information to the TACACS+
server.
• Connect through Management Interface: Select this checkbox to enable the appliance to use the
MGMT port to communicate with the TACACS+ server. Ensure that the MGMT port is configured.
Otherwise, the appliance will use the LAN interface
• Disable Server: Select this to prevent queries from being sent to this server. You can retain the
configuration, but disable the service.
Click Test to test the configuration. Click Add to add the TACACS+ server to the list.
When you add multiple TACACS+ servers, the appliance lists the servers in the order you added
them. This list also determines the order in which the NIOS appliance attempts to contact a
TACACS+ server. You can move a server up or down the list by selecting it and clicking the up or
down arrow.

Rev. D
• Authentication/Authorization: Optionally, modify the authentication and authorization settings.
These settings apply to all TACACS+ servers that you configure on the NIOS appliance.
• Timeout(s): Specify the number of seconds or milliseconds that the appliance waits for a
response from the TACACS+ server before it tries to contact it again. The amount of time
before the server is retried. The default and minimum is 5000, and the maximum is 60000.
• Retries: Specify how many times NIOS attempts to contact a TACACS+ server and fails
before it tries to contact the next server on the list. The default is 0. The maximum is 5.
• Accounting: Optionally, modify the Accounting settings.
• Timeout(s): Specify the number of seconds or milliseconds that the appliance waits for a
response from the TACACS+ server. The amount of time before the server is retried. The
default and minimum is 1000, and the maximum is 30000.
• Retries: Specify how many times the appliance attempts to contact an accounting
TACACS+ server and fails before it tries to contact the next accounting server on the list.
The default is 0. The maximum is 5.
• Disable: Select this to retain an inactive TACACS+ authentication service profile.
Authenticating Admins Using LDAP

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is an internet protocol for accessing distributed directory services. The
NIOS appliance can authenticate admin accounts by verifying user names and passwords against LDAP. The NIOS
appliance queries the LDAP server for the group membership information of the admin. The appliance matches the group
names from the LDAP server with the admin groups in its local database. It then authorizes services and grants the
admin privileges, based upon the matching admin group on the appliance. The following figure illustrates the LDAP
authentication process.
Authenticating using an LDAP server

Rev. D
Authentication Protocols
When you configure the NIOS appliance to authenticate admins against an LDAP server group, you must specify the
authentication protocol of each LDAP server, which can be either anonymous or authenticated. The NIOS appliance
connects anonymously to the LDAP server when the authentication type is anonymous. With authenticated type, the
NIOS appliance connects using the bind DN and bind password defined for that server.
You can configure one of the following modes to send the authentication request to the LDAP server:
• Ordered: In this mode, the authentication request is sent to the first server in the list. The authentication request is
sent to the next server only when the first server is out of service or unavailable.
• Round Robin: In this mode, the first authentication request is sent to a server chosen randomly in a group. If there
is no response from the server, continued attempts are performed sequentially until it selects the last server in the
list. Then it starts with the first server in the list and continues the selection process until all the servers have been
attempted.
You can also specify the authentication type, for admins who belong to specific groups. The NIOS appliance uses the
selected group authentication type to query the LDAP server and retrieve the group names to which the admin belongs.
In LDAP, you can group users by any custom object classes. Example: objectclass groupofNames, objectclass
posixGroup, etc. In NIOS, when you select Member Group Attribute as the group authentication type, the appliance uses
custom LDAP group attributes to query the LDAP server and retrieve the group names for authentication. Example:
memberOf, isMemberOf, etc. When you select Posix Group as the authentication type, the appliance uses "memberuid"
and "objectClass" to query the server and retrieve the group names for authentication.
Configuring LDAP
Do the following to configure NIOS to use one or more LDAP server groups to authenticate administrators:

Rev. D
• Configure at least one LDAP authentication server group. For more information, see Configuring an LDAP Server
Group.
• Define admin groups for the admins that are authenticated by the LDAP servers and specify their privileges and
settings. The group names in NIOS must match the admin group names on the LDAP server. For more
information about defining admin groups, see About Admin Groups.
• In the authentication policy, add the LDAP server groups and the admin groups that match those on the LDAP
server. You can also designate an admin group as the default group for remote admins. NIOS assigns admins to
this group when it does not find a matching group for a remote admin. For more information about configuring the
policy, see Defining the Authentication Policy.
Configuring an LDAP Server Group

You can add one or more LDAP servers to an LDAP group for redundancy. The NIOS appliance tries to connect with the
LDAP server based on the method you configure for the authentication request. If it does not receive a response within
the configured timeout period and has tried to connect the specified retry value, then it tries the next LDAP server on the
list. The appliance makes a syslog entry when it fails to connect to any of the servers in the group and sends an SNMP
trap and an email notification if configured.
To configure an LDAP server group on the NIOS appliance:
2. Click the Add icon in the LDAP Services subtab.
3. In the Add LDAP Authentication Service wizard, complete the following:
• LDAP Servers: Click the Add icon and enter the following:
• Server Name or IP Address: Enter the FQDN (fully-qualified domain name) of the server or enter the IPv4/
IPv6 address.
• LDAP Version: Select the LDAP version. The NIOS appliance supports both LDAPv2 and LDAPv3. The
default LDAP version is v3.
• Base DN: Enter the base DN (Distinguished Name) value. All entries stored in an LDAP directory have a
unique DN.
• Authentication Type: Select the authentication type from the drop-down list. The supported authenticated
types are as follows:
• Anonymous: Select this to connect to the LDAP server anonymously. This is selected by default.
• Authenticated: Select this to connect using the bind DN and bind password defined for that server.
• Bind User DN: Enter the bind user DN.
• Bind Password: Enter the bind password.
• Encryption: Select the encryption type from the drop-down list.
• SSL: This is selected by default. All the network traffic is encrypted through an SSL (Secure
Sockets Layer) protocol. The appliance automatically updates the authentication port to 636 for
SSL. You must upload a CA certificate that verifies the LDAP server certificate. Click CA
Certificates to upload the certificate. In the CACertificates dialog box, click the Add icon, and then
navigate to the certificate to upload it.
• NONE: Select this to unencrypt the connection. Note that Infoblox strongly recommends that you
select the SSL option to ensure the security of all communications between the server and the
member.
• Network Port: Enter the authentication port number on the LDAP server to which the appliance sends
authentication requests. The default value is 636. When you select NONE from the Encryption drop-down
list, the appliance automatically updates the authentication port to 389.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the LDAP server.
• Connect through Management Interface: Select this so that the NIOS appliance uses the MGMT port for
administrator authentication communications with just this LDAP server.
• Disable Server: Select this to disable the LDAP server if, for example, the connection to the server is
down and you want to stop the NIOS appliance from trying to connect to this server. You cannot disable
the only server in a group if it is already being used by the remote authentication policy.
• Click Test to test the configuration. If the NIOS appliance connects to the LDAP server using the
configuration you entered, it displays a message confirming the configuration is valid. If it is unable to
connect to the server, the appliance displays a message indicating an error in the configuration.

Rev. D
• Click Add to add the LDAP server to the group.
When you add multiple LDAP servers, the appliance lists the servers in the order you added them. This
list also determines the order in which the NIOS appliance attempts to contact an LDAP server. You can
move a server up or down the list by selecting it and clicking the up or down arrow.
You can also delete a server by selecting it and clicking the Delete icon.
• Server Timeout(s): Specify the number of seconds that the appliance waits for a response from the LDAP server.
The default value is 5 seconds.
• Retries: Specify how many times the appliance attempts to contact an authentication LDAP server. The default
value is 5.
If you have configured multiple LDAP servers for authentication and the NIOS appliance fails to contact the first
server in the list, it tries to contact the next server after completing the specified number of attempts, and so on.
• Mode: Specifies the order in which a Grid member connects to an LDAP server.
• Ordered List: The Grid member always selects the first LDAP server in the list when it sends an
authentication request. It queries the next server only when the first server is considered down. This is the
default.
• Round Robin: The Grid member sends the first authentication request to a server chosen randomly in a
group. If there is no response from the server, the Grid member selects the next server in the group.
Continued attempts are performed sequentially until it selects the last server in the group. Then it starts
with the first server in the group and continues the selection process until all the servers have been
attempted.
• Recovery Interval: Specify the number of seconds that the appliance waits to recover from the last failed attempt
in connecting to an LDAP server. Select the time unit from the drop-down list. The default is 30 seconds. This is
the time interval that NIOS waits before it tries to contact the server again since the last attempt when the
appliance could not connect to the LDAP server or when the LDAP server did not send a reply within the
configured response timeouts and retry attempts.
• Group Authentication Type: Select the group authentication type for LDAP authentication service from the drop-
down list. By default, Member Group Attribute authentication type is selected.When you select Member Group
Attribute, you can specify custom LDAP group attribute in the Group Membership Attribute field. For example,
memberOf, isMemberOf, etc. The appliance uses this attribute to retrieve the group names to which the admin
belongs. When you select Posix Group, the appliance uses "memberuid" and "objectClass" to retrieve the group
names to which the admin belongs.
• Group Membership Attribute: Specify the LDAP group attribute (such as "memberOf" and "isMemberOf"). This is
used to query the server and retrieve the group names to which the admin belongs. This field is enabled only
when you select Member Group Attribute in the Group Authentication Type drop-down list. The default value is
memberOf.
• LDAP Search Scope: To search for an admin user name in the LDAP directory, select one of the following LDAP
search scope:
• Base: Specify Base to perform search only on base in the LDAP directory. This is the top level of the
LDAP directory tree.
• One Level: Specify One Level to perform search on base DN and one level below the base in the LDAP
directory.
• Subtree: Specify Sub tree to perform search on base and all the entries below the base DN in the LDAP
directory.
The default value is One Level.
• User ID: Specify the attribute associated with the user object in the LDAP server, such as "uid" and "cn". This
attribute is used to match the NIOS user name.
• Map LDAP Field to Extensible Attribute (for Captive Portal Users only): If you configure the LDAP authentication
server group to authenticate the captive portal users, you can map an LDAP attribute value to an existing
extensible attribute. This mapping is optional. By doing so, the LDAP attribute value will be queried from the
LDAP server once the captive portal user authentication is successful. The attribute value received from the
LDAP server is mapped to the corresponding extensible attribute. NIOS updates or creates a MAC address filter
depending on the captive portal user or the client's hardware and name.
Click the Add icon and enter the following:
• LDAP Field: Enter the LDAP attribute. This attribute is queried in the LDAP directory server.

Rev. D
• Extensible Attributes: Select an attribute from the drop-down list. The drop-down list displays only the
extensible attributes configured with attribute type as string. Infoblox recommends that you avoid
confidential data while mapping extensible attribute to an LDAP attribute because this data is visible in the
extensible attribute field of the corresponding MAC address filter.
 Note
Mapping an extensible attribute to an LDAP attribute must be unique for a given LDAP server.
Attribute not defined in the LDAP directory for a given user is considered as null and is mapped
to the corresponding extensible attribute with a default value. The default value of extensible
attribute is Not Found. This default value is not configurable and they do not cause the
authentication to fail.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the LDAP server group.

• Disable: Select this to disable the LDAP authentication server group. Note that you cannot disable an LDAP
group if it is already being used to authenticate one or more administrators and/or captive portal users.
Authenticating Admins Using SAML

NIOS uses SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) 2.0 authentication support for Single-Sign-On in NIOS. SAML
provides a standard vendor-independent grammar and protocol for transferring information about a user from one web
server to another independent of the server DNS domains. SAML enables IT administrators to manage user access
rights in a single place. By enabling SAML, user management is delegated to an external application, thus relieving IT
administrators the complexity of maintaining user accounts in all the applications (also known as Service Providers)
being used by the organization. Instead, IT administrators need to maintain one account in the Identity Provider (IDP)
which can be used across Service Providers (SPs). IDP is the application server that maintains the user accounts of the
entire organization. IT administrators can manage users access rights at one place. User can login to the IDP directly
and once logged in, they can be traverse towards the required SP without being prompted for the user ID and password.
SAML helps NIOS delegate Identity Management to a third-party SSO application (IDP) and thereby eases administrative
efforts.
 Note
You need super user permissions to perform SAML-related configurations.
SAML Login Use Cases

The following is a list of use cases and the outcome of NIOS users trying to log in using SAML authentication and not
using SAML authentication:
• If SAML is enabled and users have already logged in to the IDP account and the corresponding user account is
present in NIOS, users can directly start using Grid Manager without logging in to NIOS.
• If a user has logged in to the IDP account and the corresponding IDP account is not present in NIOS, if the Auto
Create User checkbox is selected, the user can directly start using Grid Manager without logging in to NIOS. For
information about the Auto Create User checkbox, see Auto Creating SAML Users in NIOS.
• If a NIOS user who is not SAML-authorized tries to log in to NIOS using the SSO Login button, the login fails.
However, the user can log in using the Login button.
Prerequisites for Configuring SAML Authentication

Ensure that you meet the following prerequisites before you configure SAML for NIOS:
• When adding the NIOS application in IDP, specify the Grid Manager URL in the https://<Grid Manager IP
address>:8765/?acs format. This is referred to as the Assertion Consumer Service URL or ACS URL. The 8765
port is opened for SAML services.

Rev. D
• After you add NIOS to the IDP, either copy the metadata or the metadata URL or specify it in the SAML
configuration screen.
• Ports 443 (HTTPS) and 80 (HTTP) must be allowed on the firewall to allow NIOS to communicate with IDP.
• Ensure that the group that you specify in the IDP also exists in NIOS with the same users as that in the IDP. If you
did not specify a group attribute in IDP, SAML authenticated users are added to the default SAML group: saml-
group.
Enabling SAML Authentication

To enable SAML authentication for NIOS users, perform the following steps:
1. Login as a super user.
2. Click the SAML Authentication Services tab.
3. From the Toolbar, click Add -> SAML Service.
4. In the Add SAML Authentication Service wizard:
• Name: Enter a name for the authentication service.
• IDP Type: Select the IDP type that you want to configure for the authentication service. NIOS supports the
following IDP types: Azure SSO, Okta, Ping Identity, Shibboleth SSO, Others.
• SSO Metadata URL: Enter the metadata URL of the IDP. Alternatively, copy the metadata into a file and
upload the file. For information on obtaining the metadata, see Obtaining Metadata.
• SSO Redirect IP Address/FQDN: Enter the IP address or the FQDN of Grid Master. If you enter a value
other than the IP address or FQDN, the SAML service will not work. A best practice is to enter the FQDN
because it is used by the IDP for the SAML response.
• Session Timeout: Enter the amount of time that a SAML user can be idle after which the session must
terminate. The time that you specify here supersedes the session timeout time specified in the Grid
Properties - > Security - > Session Timeout(s) field. For more information about session timeout in the
Grid, see Managing Security Operations.
• IDP Group Attribute: Enter a group attribute name. The group attribute name that you enter must have the
same value as the Group Attribute in your IDP configuration. If the value in NIOS is different from what is
configured in the IDP, or if the value is missing, the incoming SAML user is placed in the default SAML
group saml-group. If the value matches, the IDP’s group attribute filter passes the user’s group
membership to NIOS. If there is a NIOS group that exactly matches a group name from the list of groups
from the IDP, and the NIOS group is configured for SAML, the user get placed into that NIOS group. If
there is no matching NIOS group, the user gets placed in the default SAML group saml-group.
• Comment: Enter additional comments if any.
Now, if you log out and try to relogin, the SSO Login button is displayed.
When SAML authorized users try to login for the first time by clicking the SSO Login button, they are directed to their IDP
login page. If the user credentials they specified exist in the IDP, they are redirected to the NIOS home page.
Obtaining Metadata
This section explains how to obtain the metadata URL of the IDP. The procedures in this section may vary a little
depending on the type of IDP that you select. The procedure in this section uses Okta as an IDP example. If you are
using an IDP other than Okta, contact your IT administrator for the metadata URL.
To obtain the metadata URL of Okta:
1. Log in to your Okta account.
2. Go to My Applications and click the URL of your Grid Manager.
3. You can either copy the XML metadata for the Grid Manager into a file or use the URL of the metadata.
Auto Creating SAML Users in NIOS

After enabling SAML authentication, you can configure NIOS such that users who belong to a particular group in IDP are
automatically created in NIOS. Once the users are automatically created in NIOS, if they log in to their IDP account, they
can directly access Grid Manager.

Rev. D
1. Login as a super user.
2. Create a group by the same name as that of the group in the IDP account. For information about creating groups,
see About Admin Groups.
3. Click the Administration → Administrators tab.
4. Select the group that you created and click the Edit icon. The out-of-the-box group for SAML authenticated users
is saml-group.
5. Click the SAML tab.
6. Select Auto Create User for users in the IDP group to be automatically created in NIOS. When a new IDP user
logs in to NIOS, that user is created in NIOS.
7. Select Persist Auto Created User after logout if you want to retain the SAML user accounts in NIOS even after the
session times out. The session timeout value is specified in the Session Timeout field when you enabled SAML
authentication. For more information, see Enabling SAML Authentication. If you do not select the Persist Auto
Created User after logout checkbox, if the session times out, users for whom the SAML Only option was selected
in the Authentication Type field, are deleted from NIOS. For information about the Authentication Type field,
see Creating Local Admins.
 Note
If you select the Persist Auto Created User after logout checkbox and the session times out, you must manually
verify whether the user account exists in IDP or not. If the user account is deleted from IDP, then you must
manually delete the account in NIOS.
Authenticating SAML Users

When you create administrators, you can authenticate them either as a SAML-only administrator or as a SAML/local
administrator. Depending on the authentication type, administrators can log in using either the SSO Login button or the
Login button. For more information see Creating Local Admins.
Defining the Authentication Policy

The authentication policy defines which authentication server groups the appliance uses to authenticate admins and lists
the local admin groups that map to the remote admin groups.
By default, the appliance provides the "Local Admin" service for authenticating users against the local database. You
cannot modify or delete this default service.
Configuring a List of Authentication Server Groups

To enable NIOS to use multiple authentication server groups, define a prioritized list as follows:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Authentication Policy tab.
2. From the Authenticate users against these services in this order section, click the Add icon to add an
authentication server group.
3. Select one of the following in the Add Authentication Service section:
• Active Directory: Select this to add an AD authentication server group, and then select a group from the
drop-down list.
• RADIUS: Select this to add a RADIUS authentication server group, and then select a group from the drop-
down list.
• TACACS+: Select this to add the TACACS+ authentication server group, and then select a group from the
drop-down list.
• LDAP: Select this to add the LDAP authentication server group, and then select a group from the drop-
down list.
• Certificate Authentication Service: Select this to add a certificate authentication service, and then select a
service from the drop-down list.
• SAML: Select this to use SAML SSO as the authentication service.
4. Click Add.

Rev. D
You can reorder the list by selecting an authentication server group and moving it up or down the list using the arrow
keys.
 Note
Using a remote authentication service causes high memory utilization on discovery members. However, this
does not affect the operation of other processes.
Configuring a List of Remote Admin Groups

In order for NIOS to assign a remote admin to the correct group, you must list the admin groups in the local database that
match the remote admin groups. You can also define a default admin group to which NIOS assigns remote users with no
admin groups listed.
The appliance matches a remote admin to a group in the order the groups are listed. When the appliance receives
information that an admin belongs to one or more groups, the appliance assigns the user to the first group in the list that
matches. It assigns the admin to the default group, if specified, if no groups are returned by the authentication server, or
if the appliance does not find a group in the local database that matches the group returned by the authentication server.
To configure the remote admin group list:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Authentication Policy tab.
2. In the Authentication Server Groups is the authority for section, select one of the following:
• Remote users, their passwords and their groups ownership: Select this to use the authentication server
groups to define the list of remote users, their passwords and their group ownerships. This is selected by
default. You can add the list of admin groups to map the remote admin group to a local group in the Map
the remote admin group to the local group in this order section.
• Passwords of Local users: Select this to authenticate a remote user when you do not know to which
remote admin group the user belongs.
• Map the remote admin group to the local group in this order: In order for the appliance to assign a remote
admin to the correct group, you must list the admin groups in the local database that match the remote
admin groups. The appliance matches a remote admin to a group in the order the groups are listed. You
can also define a default admin group to which NIOS assigns remote users with no admin groups listed.
This section is disabled when you select Passwords of Local users in the Authentication Server Groups is
the authority for section.
When the appliance receives information that the admin belongs to one or more groups, the appliance
selects the first group in the list that matches, and assigns that group to the admin. If no groups are
returned by the authentication server, the default group is assigned (if specified).
Complete the following to configure the remote admin group list:

• Click the Add icon to add an admin group to the list. In the Admin Group Selector dialog box,
select an admin group. Use Shift+click and Ctrl+click to select multiple admin groups.
• You can reorder the list by selecting an admin group and using the arrow keys to move it up or
down the list.
• Assign user to this group if remote admin group cannot be found: Click Select to assign a user to a
specific admin group if the remote admin group is not found. In the Admin Group Selector dialog
box, select an admin group. You can also click Clear Selection to clear the displayed member and
select a new one.
Authenticating Admins Using Two-Factor Authentication

You can configure NIOS to use the two-factor authentication method to authenticate users based on X.509 client
certificates. In two-factor authentication, NIOS first negotiates SSL/TLS client authentication to validate client certificates.
It then authenticates the admins based on the configured authentication policy. You must first configure an authentication
policy, and then configure and enable the certificate authentication service for the two-factor authentication to take effect.
NIOS uses certificate authentication service as the authentication policy. For information about how to set up an
authentication policy, see Defining the Authentication Policy.

Rev. D
Using the certificate authentication service, you can choose how the client certificate associates with the CA certificate.
NIOS allows you to associate the client certificate manually and automatically. With manual certificate binding option, you
must associate a certificate for a particular user manually, which is verified with the CA certificate. With automatic match
policy, NIOS extracts the username from the client certificate, which is then matched with the certificate authentication
service. When you configure certificate authentication service, NIOS searches the CA certificates associated with each
admin group to detect a valid certificate authentication service for the client's certificate. You can either select a direct
match or an automatic match for a certificate authentication service.
The Infoblox certificate authentication service uses the OCSP, which is an internet protocol that validates certificate
status for X.509 digital certificates that are assigned to specific admins. NIOS allows you to choose Authority Information
Access (AIA) extension from a certificate as a source of OCSP configuration or define OCSP servers manually. You can
also disable OCSP check for a particular certificate authentication service. For more information about OCSP, refer to
RFC 2560 at http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2560.
The status of these client certificates is stored on OCSP responders to which NIOS sends requests about certificate
status. A certificate status can be "good," revoked," or "unknown." After a successful SSL/TLS client authentication, NIOS
authenticates the admin based on the configured authentication policy. If the authentication fails at this point, the
appliance denies access to the admin. If the authentication policy has passed, the appliance sends a request to the
OCSP responder for client certificate status about the admin. If the appliance receives a "good" status from the OCSP
responder, the two-factor authentication is successful. The admin can now access the appliance. If the appliance
receives a "revoked" or "unknown" status from the OCSP responder, the two-factor authentication fails. The admin
cannot access the appliance even though the admin authentication policy has passed.
When there are multiple OCSP responders configured, the appliance contacts the responders based on their configured
order. For the same client certificate, the appliance always takes the status reported by the first responder on the list that
actually responds, even when there are different OCSP replies from different responders. When the appliance cannot
contact the first responder or if the first responder does not reply, the appliance then takes the OCSP reply from the
second responder and so on.
 Note
Authentication for both the admin authentication policy and OCSP validation must be successful on NIOS.
Figure 4.7 illustrates the two-factor authentication and authorization process.

Rev. D
Best Practices for Configuring Two-Factor Authentication
Only superusers and limited-access users with the correct permissions can configure two-factor authentication. For
information about admin roles and permissions, see Managing Admin Groups and Admin Roles. To configure two-factor
authentication, consider the following:
• You must first set up an certificate authentication service and enable it.
• You can configure only one certificate authentication service that contains one or multiple OCSP responders to
which NIOS sends requests about client certificate status. The appliance supports IPv4 and IPv6 OCSP
responders.
• When you configure multiple OCSP responders, you can put them in an ordered list. The appliance contacts the
first responder on the list. If the connection fails, it moves on to the second one, and so on. The result of the
status check for a client certificate is based on the status reported by the first responder that replies.
• You can configure the timeout value and retry attempts that the appliance waits and tries before it moves on to
the next OCSP responder.
• You can upload server certificates for each responder for OCSP response validation. You must upload an OCSP
server certificate if you select the direct trust model.
• You can disable a specific responder if the server is out of service for a short period of time.
• Before you add an OCSP responder to the server group, you can test the server credentials.

Rev. D
To configure and enable two-factor authentication, complete the following tasks:
1. For local and remote authentication, ensure that the admin names for smart card users match the CNs (Common
Names) used in the client certificates. For information about local and remote authentication, see About Admin
Accounts.
2. Upload the CA (Certificate Authority) certificate, as described in About CA Certificates. The CA-signed certificates
are used to validate OCSP server certificates and admin OCSP client certificates. Ensure that the CA certificate is
in .PEM format. The .PEM file can contain more than one certificate.
 Note
The uploaded CA certificates must be the ones that issued the client certificates to be authenticated.
Otherwise, clients such as browsers, cannot establish a successful SSL/TLS client authenticated
HTTPS session to the appliance.
3. Configure a certificate authentication service and enable it, as described in Configuring Certificate Authentication
Services.
4. View certificate authentication services, as described in Viewing Certificate Authentication Services.
5. Modify certificate authentication services, as described in Modifying Certificate Authentication Services.
6. Delete certificate authentication services, as described in Deleting Certificate Authentication Services.
Note that once you save the certificate authentication service configuration, the appliance terminates administrative
sessions for all admin users. After you enable the certificate authentication service, you can verify whether two-factor
authentication is enabled. Go to the Administration -> Administrators -> Authentication Policy tab, Grid Manager displays
the "Two-Factor Authentication Enabled" banner in this tab.
Configuring Certificate Authentication Services

To configure and enable the certificate authentication service, complete the following:
2. Click the Certificate Authentication Services subtab and click the Add icon.
3. In the Add Certificate Authentication Service wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the certificate authentication service.
• Username/password request: Select the checkbox if the certificate authentication service must request
username and password from the user. When you select this checkbox, NIOS populates the username
from the certificate and requests password from the user. If you do not select the checkbox, only the
certificate is necessary to log in to the appliance. The appliance ignores the username and password
when the user provides both. You can only see the login button and do not have to provide the password.
The appliance displays the username when you click the login button.
• Auto-populate username: Select a value from the drop-down list. You can define how the appliance must
authenticate a particular user and its associated group. The values in the list are Auto-match and Direct-
match. When you select Direct-match, NIOS searches for users with directly assigned certificates, which
contains issuer details and serial attributes, in the local database. Users with directly assigned certificates
can use certificate based authentication only.
• Auto match by: Select a value from the drop-down list. This field is enabled only when you select Auto-
match for Auto-populate username. NIOS extracts the username from the certificate and searches for it in
effective authorization policies based on the configured match policies. The values in the list are:
• AD Issuer Subject: Select this from the drop-down list to authenticate the user based on the Active
Directory mentioned by the user.
• SAN Email: Select this from the drop-down list to authenticate the user based on the email
address in the SAN (Subject Alternative Name).
• SAN UPN: Select this from the drop-down list to authenticate the user based on the UPN (User
Principal Name) in the SAN (Subject Alternative Name).
• Serial Number: Select this from the drop-down list to authenticate the user based on the serial
number.
• Subject DN Common Name: Select this from the drop-down list to authenticate the user based on
the subject DN (Distinguished Name) common name. A Subject DN can include information about

Rev. D
the user who is being authenticated, including common name, name of the organization, country
code, and so on.
• Subject DN Email: Select this from the drop-down list to authenticate a user based on the subject
DN email address.
• Enable remote lookup for user membership: Select the checkbox to enable lookup on remote servers.
NIOS performs lookup against local users by default. For a remote lookup, you must specify the
username and password for the authentication service. You can perform a look up for a user membership
only if the remote service admin that is configured for remote lookup has enough permissions to read
other user's membership information. You must also select the remote service that must be used for
lookup. Note that NIOS supports remote lookup for Active Directories only.
 Note
You can select the above
checkbox, Authentication Service and Service Account Credentials fields only when you
select Auto-match for Auto-populate username. You must not select the Username/
password request checkbox when you select the checkbox
for Enable remote lookup for user membership.
• Authentication Service: Select an authentication service from the drop-down list.

• Service Account Credentials: Enter a username and password for authenticating lookup on remote
servers.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the certificate authentication service.
4. Click Next to save the configuration and add OCSP responders to the table.
5. You can add multiple OCSP responders for failover purposes.
• OCSP Check Type: Select a value from the drop-down list to perform OCSP checks. The values in the
drop-down list are:
• AIA and Manual: Select this from the drop-down list to use AIA (Authority Information Access)
extension of X.509 certificate, when it is present, to authenticate the user. Note that AIA points to
the certificate authentication service that is used to verify the certificate. If AIA is not available, then
the authentication fails. If the certificate does not contain AIA, then the appliance uses manual
OCSP for authentication.
• AIA only: Select this from the drop-down list to use AIA only to authenticate the user. AIA points to
the certificate authentication service that is used to verify the certificate. By selecting this option
you restrict NIOS to use AIA only. If the certificate does not contain AIA or it is not complete, then
the authentication fails.
• Disabled: Select this from the drop-down list if you do not want to perform an OCSP check.
• Manual: Select this from the drop-down list to define OCSP settings and upload CA certificates
manually. When you select this option, NIOS ignores AIA even though it is present.
• OCSP Responders: Click the Add icon and complete the following in the Add OCSP Responder section:
• Server Name or IP Address: Enter the FQDN or the IP address of the OCSP responder that is
used for authentication. The appliance supports IPv4 and IPv6 OCSP responders.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the OCSP responder.
• Port: Enter the port number on the OCSP responder to which the appliance sends authentication
requests. The default is 80.
• Server Certificate: Click Select to upload a server certificate. In the Upload dialog box, click Select
to navigate to the certificate, and then click Upload. The appliance validates the certificate when
you save the configuration. A server certificate is required for the direct trust model.

Rev. D
• Disable Server: Select this checkbox to disable the OCSP responder if, for example, the
connection to the server is down and you want to stop the NIOS appliance from trying to connect
to this server.
 Note
You cannot save the OCSP configuration when you disable all OCSP responders, thus the
certificate authentication service is disabled and two-factor authentication is no longer in effect.
You cannot add OCSP responders when you select AIA only or Disabled from the drop-down list
for OCSP Check Type.
Click Add to save the configuration and add the responder to the table. You can add multiple OCSP
responders for failover purposes. You can use the up and down arrows to place the responders in the order
you desire. The appliance tries to connect with the first responder on the list. If the connection fails, it tries the
next responder on the list, and so on. Grid Manager displays the following for each responder:
• Responder: The FQDN or the IP address of the OCSP responder.
• Comment: Information you entered about the OCSP responder.
• Port: The port number on the OCSP responder to which the appliance sends authentication
requests.
• Disabled: Indicates whether the OCSP responder is disabled or not. Note that you must enable at
least one responder to enable the certificate authentication service.
You can also click Test to test the configuration. If the appliance connects to the responder using the
configuration you entered, it displays a message confirming the configuration is valid. If it is unable to connect
to the responder, the appliance displays a message indicating an error in the configuration.
• Response Timeout (s): Enter the time the appliance waits for a response from the specified OCSP
responder.
The default is 1 second. You can select the time unit from the drop-down list.
• Retries: Enter the number of times the appliance tries to connect to the responders after a failed attempt.
The default is 5.
• Recovery Interval: Enter the time the appliance waits to recover from the last failed attempt in connecting
to an OCSP responder. Select the time unit from the drop-down list. The default is 30 seconds. This is the
time interval that NIOS waits before it tries to contact the responder again since the last attempt when the
appliance could not connect with the responder or when the responder did not send a reply within the
configured response timeouts and retry attempts.
• Trust Model: Select Direct or Delegated from the drop-down list as the trust model for OCSP responses.
In a direct trust model, OCSP responses are signed with an explicitly trusted OCSP responder certificate.
You must upload the OCSP responder certificate if you select Direct. In a delegated trust model, OCSP
responses are signed with a trusted CA certificate. A server certificate is not required when you select
Delegated. The default is Direct.
6. Click Next to save the configuration and associate CA Certificates with the respective certificate authentication
service. You can associate multiple CA certificates with the service.
Note that enabling the certificate authentication service terminates administrative services for all users. Ensure that you
have uploaded the correct CA certificates before enabling the service. Your login names must also match the common
name used in the certificate. When you configure multiple OCSP responders, ensure that you place them in the correct
order because the status check for a client certificate is based on the OCSP reply sent by the first OCSP responder that
replies.
NIOS detects a valid certificate authentication service for a client's certificate by searching through the assigned CA
certificates for each group. NIOS matches issuer field in the client's certificate with the CA certificate to find the
appropriate match. Note that the subject in CA certificate must match the issuer in the client's certificate and
corresponding certificate authentication service.
Note the following about the certificate authentication service:
• You cannot assign the same CA certificate to the same group twice or to a different certificate authentication
service. However, different certificate authentication services can contain CA certificates with the same subject.
To distinguish such groups you can use Client Subject name to determine which certificate must match the CA

Rev. D
certificate to be associated with the certificate authentication service. If the client certificate does not match any
certificate authentication service, then the authentication fails. A CA certificate verifies the client certificate.
7. Click Add to associate CA certificates with the certificate authentication service. The following information is
displayed when you associate a CA certificate:
• Valid From: The date from which the certificate becomes valid.
• Valid To: The date until which the certificate is valid. You can do the following:
• Select a certificate and click the Delete icon to delete it.
You can also do the following for a certificate authentication service:
• Use Global Search to search for certificate authentication services. For information, see Global Search.
• View audit log entries for the certificate authentication service. For information, see Viewing the Audit Log.
• Select a certificate authentication service and click the Delete icon to delete it. In the Delete Confirmation dialog
box, click Yes to confirm deletion.
• Modify a certificate authentication service as mentioned in Modifying Certificate Authentication Services.
Enabling Certificate Authentication Service for a User

You can restrict users to use certificate based authentication only. Note that certificate authentication service with a
direct-match searches only for users with certificate authentication service enabled. Such users are successfully
authenticated by the certificate authentication service using auto-match.
1. From the Administration tab, click the Administrators tab -> Admins tab -> admin_account checkbox, and then
2. In the Administrator editor, click the General tab, and then click the Advanced tab.
3. In the General Advanced tab, complete the following:
• Enable Certificate Authentication: Select this checkbox to enable certificate authentication for the selected user.
You must configure certificate authentication service and associate a valid client CA certificate with the selected
user. This is disabled by default.
• Client Certificate Number: You can specify a client certificate number only when you select the Enable Certificate
Authentication checkbox. This is disabled by default. Enter the serial number as mentioned in the certificate.
Examples: 397F9435000100000032 (hexadecimal format), 123 (decimal format), and so on.
• Client CA Certificate: You must associate a CA certificate that signs the client certificate. Click Select to associate
a CA certificate. When you select a CA certificate from the list, NIOS displays the subject of the selected CA
certificate. The CA Certificate Selector dialog box displays the following information about CA certificates:
• Valid To: The date until which the certificate is valid.
Click OK to select and associate the client CA certificate with the selected admin user.
Viewing Certificate Authentication Services

To view the certificate authentication service, complete the following:
2. Click the Certificate Authentication Services subtab.
3. Grid Manager displays the following about the certificate authentication service:
• Name: The name of the certificate authentication service.
• Comment: Comments about the certificate authentication service.
You can also display the following column:

Rev. D
• Disabled: Indicates if the certificate authentication service is enabled or disabled.
• Select the certificate authentication service and click the Edit icon to modify data, or click the Delete icon to delete
it.
Modifying Certificate Authentication Services

To modify a certificate authentication service:
1. From the Administration tab, click the Authentication Server Groups tab -> Certificate Authentication Services
subtab -> select a certificate authentication service, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The Certificate Authentication Service editor provides the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: In this tab, modify certificate authentication service data, as described in Configuring Certificate
Authentication Services.
• OCSP: Modify associated OCSP responders. For more information, see Configuring Certificate
Authentication Services.
• CA: Add and delete CA certificates that are associated with the certificate authentication service. For more
information, see Configuring Certificate Authentication Services.
Deleting Certificate Authentication Services

You can delete a certificate authentication service any time after you have created it. To delete a certificate authentication
service:
1. From the Administration tab, click the Authentication Server Groups tab -> Certificate Authentication Services
subtab, select a certificate authentication service and then click the Delete icon.
Changing Password Length Requirements

Password length requirements control how long a password must be for a NIOS appliance admin account. Increasing
this value reduces the likelihood of hackers gaining unauthorized access.
To change password length requirements:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then select Grid Properties -> Edit from the Toolbar.
2. In the Grid Properties editor, select the Password tab.
3. Enter a number from 4 to 64 in the Minimum Password Length field.
Notifying Administrators
You can notify individual administrators about system status through email, or notify a group of people using an alias
email address. If you have configured DNS resolution on your network, the E-mail relay configuration function is not
required. If you did not configure the settings on the DNS Resolver section, you must enter a static IP address of the
target system in the Relay Name/IP Address field. The appliance sends e-mail to administrators when certain events
occur. This functionality supports both IPv4 and IPv6 networks. Here is a list of events that trigger e-mail notifications:
• Changes to link status on ports and online/offline replication status
• Events that generate traps, except for upgrade failures (ibUpgradeFailure). For a list of events, see Infoblox MIBs.
The appliance attempts to send the email notification once after an event. It does not try to send the notification again, if
the first attempt fails. Infoblox recommends that you use the Test Email settings button to test the email settings and to
verify that the recipient received the notification.
You can define the email settings at the Grid and member levels.

Rev. D
Grid Level
To notify an administrator of an independent appliance or a Grid:
2. In the Grid Properties editor, select the Email tab, and then complete the following:
• Enable Email notification: Select this for NIOS to send email notifications.
• From Email Address: Enter the email address from which to send email notifications. If this field is
blank, the member host name is used by default. For example, no-reply@member_host_name
• To Email Address: Enter the email address of the administrator. Use an email alias to notify
multiple people.
• Use SMTP Relay: Select this if the NIOS appliance must send email to an intermediary SMTP (Simple
Mail Transfer Protocol) server that relays it to the SMTP server responsible for the domain name specified
in the email address. Some SMTP servers only accept email from certain other SMTP servers and might
not allow email from the NIOS appliance. In this case, specify the DNS name or IP address of a different
SMTP server that does accept email from the NIOS appliance and that will then relay it to the SMTP
server that can deliver it to its destination.
Clear this if it is unnecessary to use an email relay server.
• SMTP Relay Name or Address: If you have configured DNS resolution, enter the DNS name of the
relay server.
If DNS resolution is not configured, enter the IP address of the relay server.
3. Optionally, click Test Email settings to confirm this feature is operating properly.
Member Level
To define email settings for a member:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> member checkbox, and then select the Edit icon.
2. In the Grid Member Properties editor, select the Email tab, and then click Override to override Grid-level settings.
3. Complete the email configuration as described in Grid Level.
Administrative Permissions for Common Tasks

Permissions for Common Tasks table lists some of the common tasks admins can perform and their required
permissions. Permission for Network Discovery table lists tasks related to device discovery, with their required
permissions.
All the permission tables in this chapter use the following definitions:
RW = Read/Write permission
RO = Read-only permission
Permissions for Common Tasks

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Administrative Permission for the Grid
By default, the Grid Master denies access to Grid members when a limited-access admin group does not have defined
permissions. You can grant an admin group read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to all Grid members or
you can grant permission to specific Grid members, as described in Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps.
 Note
Only superusers can modify DNS and DHCP Grid properties.
The following sections describe the types of permissions that you can set with Grid permissions:
• Administrative Permissions for Grid Members
• Administrative Permissions for Network Discovery
• Administrative Permissions for Scheduling Tasks
• Administrative Permissions for Microsoft Servers
Administrative Permissions for Grid Members

Grid Member Permissions table below lists the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for Grid
members.
Grid Member Permissions
Grid Member Member Restart Restart DNS DNS Networks DHCP

Member(s) DNS DHCP Member Member Views Zones Ranges
Properties Properties DNS DHCP
Tasks
Assign member to DNS RW RW

zones
Assign member to RW RW
networks
Assign member to RW
DHCP ranges
Configure member RW
properties
Add a member to a RW
Match Members list of a
DNS view
Delete a view with RO

members in a Match
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View DNS and DHCP RO RO

member properties

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Grid Member Member Restart Restart DNS DNS Networks DHCP
Member(s) DNS DHCP Member Member Views Zones Ranges
Properties Properties DNS DHCP
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View and download RO

syslog
View DNS and DHCP RO RO

configuration file
View network statistics RO
Restart DNS service on RW

the member
Restart DHCP service RW

on the member
Administrative Permissions for Network Discovery

Limited-access admin groups can initiate a discovery and manage discovered data based on their administrative
permissions.
You can set global permissions for network discovery as described in Defining Global Permissions. The following table
lists the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for network discovery.
Permissions for Network Discovery
Network Discovery DNS Zones Networks Selected for

Discovery Port Control
Tasks
Initiate and control a discovery on selected RW RW

networks
View discovered data RO
Add unmanaged data to existing hosts, and resolve RW

conflicting IP addresses
Convert unmanaged data to a host, fixed address, RW RW

reservation, A record, or PTR record
Configure device interfaces, provision networks on RW RW

interfaces, de-provision networks
Administrative Permissions for Scheduling Tasks

You can schedule tasks, such as adding hosts or modifying fixed addresses, for a future date and time. To schedule
tasks, you must first enable the scheduling feature at the Grid level, and then define administrative permissions for admin
groups and admin roles. For information, see Scheduling Tasks. Only superusers can enable and disable this feature and

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grant scheduling permissions to admin groups. Limited-access admin groups can schedule tasks only when they have
scheduling permissions.
Superusers can do the following:
• Enable and disable task scheduling at the Grid level
• Grant and deny scheduling permissions to admin groups and admin roles
• Schedule tasks for all supported object types
• Reschedule and delete any scheduled task
You can set global permissions to schedule tasks as described in Defining Global Permissions. The following table lists
the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions. Users with read/write permission to scheduling can view,
reschedule, and delete their own scheduled tasks.
Table 4.10 Scheduling Task Permissions
Scheduling Task All Networks All DNS Views

All Shared
Record Groups
Tasks
Schedule the addition, modification, and deletion of RW RW RW RW

all supported object types
View, reschedule, and delete scheduled tasks RW RW RW RW
Convert unmanaged data to a host, fixed address, RW RW RW

To schedule tasks for specific resources, admins must have Read/Write permission to scheduling tasks, plus the required
permissions to the supported resources. For information about permissions for specific resources, see the following:
• Grid members—See Administrative Permission for the Grid.
• DNS resources—See Administrative Permissions for DNS Resources.
• DHCP resources—See Administrative Permissions for DHCP Resources.
Note that the appliance deletes all pending scheduled tasks when superusers disable task scheduling at the Grid level.
The appliance deletes an admin's scheduled tasks when superusers do the following:
• Set the scheduling permission of admin groups and roles to "Deny"
• Delete or disable an admin group or an admin role
• Delete or disable local admins
• Delete the scheduling permission from any admin group or admin role that contains users with pending
scheduled tasks
• Change the admin group of a limited-access admin
Administrative Permissions for Microsoft Servers

By default, only superusers can add Microsoft servers as managed servers to the Grid. Limited-access admins can add
and manage Microsoft servers from the Grid based on their administrative permissions.
The following table lists the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions. Note that only superusers can add a
Microsoft server to a name server group.
Microsoft Server Permissions

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Microsoft Grid Network DNS DNS Resource Networks DHCP Superscope
Server(s) Member(s) Views Views Zones Records Ranges s
Tasks
Assign Microsoft server to RW RW

member
Assign a network view to RW RW RW

the Microsoft server
Assign a DNS view to the RW RW RW

Microsoft server
Assign Microsoft server RW RW RW

as primary or secondary
to DNS zones
Remove a Microsoft RW
server as the primary or
secondary server of a
zone
Remove a zone from a RW

Microsoft server
Edit zones and resource RW RW

records of Microsoft
servers
Assign a Microsoft server RW RW

to a network
Assign a Microsoft server RW RW

to a DHCP range
Remove a network RW RW
served by a Microsoft
server
Remove a DHCP range RW RW

(scope) from a Microsoft
server
Add, modify and remove RW RW RW

Microsoft superscopes
Clear leases from RW RW

Microsoft server
Edit Microsoft server RW

properties

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Microsoft Grid Network DNS DNS Resource Networks DHCP Superscope
Server(s) Member(s) Views Views Zones Records Ranges s
Tasks
View Microsoft server RO

properties
View and download RO

Microsoft logs
Start/Stop DNS or DHCP RW

on the Microsoft server
Remove a Microsoft RW
server from the Grid
Administrative Permissions for IPAM Resources

Limited-access admin groups can access certain IPAM resources only if their administrative permissions are defined. By
default, the appliance denies access when a limited-access admin group does not have defined permissions. You can
grant admin groups read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to the following IPAM resources:
• Network views
• IPv4 networks
• IPv6 networks
• Hosts
The appliance applies permissions for IPAM resources hierarchically. Permissions to a network view apply to all networks
and resources in that view. You can also grant an admin group broad permissions to IPAM resources, such as read/write
permission to all IPv4 networks and IPv6 networks in the database. In addition, you can grant permission to a specific
host in a network. Permissions at more specific levels override global permissions.
The following sections describe the types of permissions that you can set for IPAM resources:
• Administrative Permissions for Network Views
• Administrative Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 Networks
• Administrative Permissions for Hosts
Administrative Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 Networks

Limited-access admin groups can access IPv4 and IPv6 networks only if their administrative permissions are defined.
Permissions for a network apply to all its DNS and DHCP resources, if configured. To override network-level permissions,
you must define permissions for specific objects within the networks. You can also define permissions for specific DHCP
objects and Grid member to restrict admins to perform only the specified DHCP tasks on the specified member. For more
information, see Defining DNS and DHCP Permissions on Grid Members.
You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to networks, as follows:
• All IPv4 or IPv6 networks—Global permission that applies to all networks in the database.
• A specific network—Network permissions apply to all objects in the network. This overrides global permissions.
• A specific network on a specific member—Network permissions apply to all objects in the network and member
permissions apply to the specific member. For information about member permissions, see Modifying
Permissions on a Grid Member.

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Administrative Permissions for Hosts
A host record can contain both DNS and DHCP attributes if you configure them. When applying administrative
permissions to host records, the permissions apply to all relevant DNS and DHCP resources within the host records. You
can define global permissions to all hosts. To override global permissions, you must define permissions for specific hosts.
You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to host records, as follows:
• All hosts—Global permission that applies to all host records in the Grid.
• A specific host—Object permission that applies only to a selected host.
Administrative Permissions for DHCP Fingerprint Permissions

NIOS provides a global permission for all All DHCP Fingerprints; however, it does not support object level permissions for
fingerprints. To use fingerprint filters, you must have superuser privileges.
Administrative Permissions for Network Insight Tasks

The below table summarizes the permissions you need to perform various tasks related to device discovery.
Permissions for Network Discovery
Network DNS Networks Permissions for

Discovery Zones Selected for Port Control All Network Object
Discovery Views/ All IPv4
Networks/ All
Tasks IPv6 Networks
Initiate and control a discovery on RW RW

selected networks
View discovered data RO
Resolve conflicting IP addresses RW
Convert unmanaged objects to a host, RW RW

fixed address, reservation, A record,
or PTR record
Configure device interfaces, provision RW RW

networks on interfaces
Configure a Blackout schedule for RW RO

networks or DHCP ranges
Creating/editing port reservations for a RW RO

Grid member, host, fixed address,
Administrative Permissions for DNS Resources

You can grant roles and admin groups read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to the following DNS
resources:
• DNS Views
• DNS Zones
• Response Policy Zones
• All RPZ Rules

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• Hosts
• Bulk Hosts
• A records
• AAAA records
• CNAME records
• DNAME records
• MX records
• PTR records
• SRV records
• TXT records
• Hosts
• Bulk Hosts
• Shared Record Groups
• Shared A records
• Shared AAAA records
• Shared CNAME records
• Shared MX records
• Shared SRV records
• Shared TXT records
• DNS64 synthesis groups
• Adding a blank A/AAAA record
The appliance applies permissions for DNS resources hierarchically. Permissions to a DNS view apply to all zones and
resource records in that view. Permissions for a zone apply to all its subzones and resource records, and resource
record permissions apply to those resource records only. To override permissions set at higher level, you must define
permissions at a more specific level. To assign permissions, see Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps.
You can also define permissions for specific DNS objects and Grid member to restrict admins to perform only the
specified DNS tasks on the specified member. For more information, see Defining DNS and DHCP Permissions on Grid
Members.
The following sections describe the different types of permissions that you can set for DNS resources:
• Administrative Permissions for DNS Views
• Administrative Permissions for Zones
• Administrative Permissions for Resource Records
Administrative Permissions for DNS Views

Limited-access admin groups can access DNS views, including the default view, only if their administrative permissions
are defined. Permissions to a DNS view apply to all its zones and resource records. To override view-level permissions,
you must define permissions for its zones and resource records. For example, you can grant an admin group read-only
permission to a view and read/write permission to all its zones. This allows the admins to display the view properties, but
not edit them, and to create, edit and delete zones in the view.
You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to DNS views, as follows:
• All views—Global permission that applies to all DNS views in the database.
• A specific view—Applies to its properties and its zones, if you do not define zone-level permissions. This
overrides the global view permissions.
• All zones in a view—If you do not define permissions for zones, they inherit the permissions of the view they are
in.
For information on setting permissions for a view and its zones, see Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps.
The following table lists the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for DNS views.
Permissions for DNS Views
Tasks Grid All DNS Views Specific DNS All DNS

Member(s) View Zones
Create, modify, and delete DNS views RW

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Tasks Grid All DNS Views Specific DNS All DNS
Member(s) View Zones
Create, modify, and delete DNS zones with assigned members RW RW
Create, modify, and delete DNS zones without assigned members RW
Modify and delete a specific DNS view RW
Create, modify, and delete DNS zones, subzones, and resource records RW RW
in a specific DNS view
Add Grid members to a Match Members list of a DNS view RW RW
Delete a DNS view with Grid members in a Match Members list RW RW
View DNS view properties, DNS zones, and resource records RO
View DNS zone properties, subzones, and resource records RO
Restart services from the DNS tab RO RW
Administrative Permissions for Zones

By default, zones inherit administrative permissions from the DNS view in which they reside. You can override view-level
permissions by setting permissions for specific zones. Permissions set for a zone are inherited by its subzones and
resource records. To override zone-level permissions, set permissions for specific subzones and resource records.
For example, you can grant an admin group the following permissions:
• Read-only to a zone and to all its A, AAAA, and PTR records (in reverse and forward-mapping zones)
• Read/Write permission to all MX and SRV records in the zone
• Deny to all the other resource records—CNAME, DNAME, TXT, host, and bulk host You can grant read-only or
read/write permission, or deny access to zones as follows:
• All zones —Global permission that applies to all zones in all views.
• All zones in a view—Permissions at this level override the global permissions.
• A specific zone—Applies to the zone properties and resource records, if you do not define permissions for its
resource records. This overrides global and view-level permissions. If you delete a zone and reparent its
subzone, the subzone inherits the permissions of the new parent zone.
• All Response Policy Zones—Global permission that applies to all the Response Policy Zones.
• All Response Policy Rules—Global permission that applies to all the local Response Policy Zone rules.
 Note
Object permissions are not applicable to Response Policy Zone rules.
• Each resource record type in a zone—For example, you can define permissions for all A records and for all PTR
records in a zone. if you do not define permissions for resource records, they inherit the permissions of the zone
in which they reside.
For information on setting permissions for zones and resource records, see Applying Permissions and Managing
Overlaps.
The following table lists the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for zones.
DNS Zone Permissions

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Tasks Grid Member(s) Specific DNS All DNS Specific DNS Resource Shared
View Zones Zone Records Record
Group
Create, modify, and delete zones, RW RW

subzones and resource records with
assigned members
Create, modify, and delete zones, RW

subzones and resource records
without assigned members
Lock and unlock a zone RW
Delete a zone with assigned Grid RW RW

members
Create, modify, and delete all zones, RW RW

subzones, and resource records in a
specific view
Assign a name server group RW RW

(member) to a zone
Delete a zone with name server RW RW

groups assigned
Assign a shared record group to a RW RW

zone
View zone properties, subzones, and RO

resource records of a specific zone
Search for zones, subzones, and RO RO

resource records in a specific DNS
view
Copy resource records from one zone RO RO

to another: Source zone
Copy resource records from one zone RW RW

to another: Destination Zone
Administrative Permissions for Resource Records

Resource records inherit the permissions of the zone to which they belong. You can override zone-level permissions by
setting permissions for specific resource records.
You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to resource records as follows:
• Each resource record type in all zones and in all views—Global permission that applies to all resource records of
the specified type; for example, all A records in the database.
• Each resource record type in a zone— Permissions at this level override global permissions.
• A specific resource record—Overrides zone-level permissions.
For information on setting permissions for resource records, see Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps. The
following table lists the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for resource records.

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DNS Resources
Tasks Resource Record Type Specific Resource Record
Create, modify, and delete resource records for a specified type, such as all A RW
records or all PTR records
View resource records for a specified type only RO
Search for records of a specified type RO
View a specific resource record RO
View, modify, and delete a specific resource record RW
The following are additional guidelines:

• Only admins with read/write permission to bulk host records and read/write permission to reverse zones can
create bulk host records and automatically add reverse-mapping zones.
• To create host records, admins must have read/write permission to the network and zone of the host.
• Admins must have read-only permission to the host records in a zone to view the Host Name Compliance Report.
Admins must have read/write permission to the resource records in a zone to modify host names that do not
comply with the host policy.
Administrative Permissions for Adding Blank A or AAAA Records

By default, only superusers can add and edit A, AAAA, shared A, and shared AAAA records with a blank name. Limited-
access admin groups can add and edit A, AAAA, shared A, and shared AAAA records with a blank name, only if their
administrative permissions are defined. You can grant read/write or deny permission to Adding a blank A/AAAA record
for specific admin groups, which applies to all admin roles in the group. You can define global permissions for specific
admin groups and roles to allow limited-access users to add and edit blank A, AAAA, shared A, and shared AAAA
records, as described in Defining Global Permissions.
Administrative Permissions for Shared Record Groups

By default, only superusers can add, edit, and delete shared record groups. Limited-access admin groups can access
shared record groups, only if their administrative permissions are defined.
You can set different permissions for a shared record group and for each type of shared resource record in the group.
For example, you can grant a role or an admin group the following permissions:
• Read-only to a shared record group and to all its shared A, AAAA, and CNAME records
• Read/Write permission to all the shared MX and SRV records in the shared record group
• Deny to the TXT records
You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to shared record groups, as follows:
• All shared record groups—Global permission that applies to all shared record groups in the database.
• A specific shared record group—Overrides global permissions.
• Each shared record type in all shared record groups — The shared resource record types include shared A
records, shared AAAA records, shared CNAME records, shared MX records, shared SRV records, and shared
TXT resource records.
• Each shared record type in a shared record group— Permissions at this level override global permissions.
• A specific shared record—Overrides zone-level permissions. Note the following guidelines:
• Shared record group permissions override zone permissions.
• Even if a zone is locked, superusers and limited-access users with read/write access can still edit or delete a
shared record in the zone.

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For information on setting permissions for shared record groups, see Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps. The
following table lists the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for shared record groups.
Permissions for Shared Record Groups
Tasks All Shared Specific Shared Shared Specific Specific

Record Record Group Record DNS Shared
Groups Type Zone Record
Create, modify, and delete shared record groups RW
Modify and delete a shared record group RW
View a shared record group RO
Create, modify, and delete shared records for a specific type RW
View or search for shared records of a specific type RO
Create, modify, and delete shared records for a specific type in a RW RW

specified shared record group
View shared records for a specific type in a specified shared RO RO

record group only
Create, modify, and delete a shared record RW
View a specific shared record RO
Assign a shared record group to DNS zones RW RW
Change the DNS zones associated with a shared record RW RW
Delete zones with a shared record group assigned. Before you RW RW

delete a shared record group, you must remove all zones
associated with it.
Administrative Permissions for DNS64 Synthesis Groups

By default, only superusers can add, edit, and delete DNS64 synthesis groups. Limited-access admin groups can access
synthesis groups, only if their administrative permissions are defined.
You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to synthesis groups, as follows:
• All synthesis groups—Global permission that applies to all shared record groups in the database.
• A specific synthesis group—Overrides global permissions.
For information on setting permissions for synthesis groups, see Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps. The
following table lists the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for synthesis groups.
Permissions for DNS64 Synthesis Groups

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Tasks All Synthesis Groups Specific Grid Specific Member Specific DNS View
Specific Synthesis Shared Record
Group Group
Create, modify, and delete synthesis RW

groups
Modify and delete a specific synthesis RW

group
View a synthesis group RO
Apply a synthesis group to the Grid RO RW
Apply a synthesis group to a member RO RW
Apply a synthesis group to a DNS view RO RW
Administrative Permissions for DNS Resources with Associated IP addresses in Networks

and Ranges
You can further control permissions for DNS resources that have associated IP addresses in a network container,
network, or address range. These DNS resources include A records, AAAA records, PTR records, and DNS hosts.
Permissions for these resources have been added so you now have more control over who can perform which tasks for
these DNS resources without affecting permissions defined for the networks and ranges to which the resources belong.
For example, if you want to allow an admin to add, modify, and delete A records associated with IP addresses within a
specific network but you do not want the same admin to modify or delete the network, you can grant the admin read-only
permission for the specified network and read/write permission for A records in that network.
Similar behavior applies to AAAA records, PTR records, and DNS hosts.
As a superuser, you can now grant permissions to admin groups for more granular access to the following resources:
• IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP fixed addresses and IPv4 reservations in a range
• IPv4 and IPv6 host addresses in a range
• A and AAAA records in a network container, network, or range
• IPv4 and IPv6 PTR records in a network container, network, or range
For information about how to configure new permissions for these resources, see Configuring Permissions for DNS
Resources in Networks and Ranges.
Best Practices for Configuring Permissions in Networks and Ranges

Before using permissions for DNS resources in networks and ranges, consider the following:
• You can enable and disable these permissions using the set dns_perm_for_nw_range CLI command. When you
disable permissions after you have enabled and defined them, the appliance retains the permissions in an
inactive mode. Inactive permissions are not verified nor displayed in Grid Manager. When you re-enable the
permissions, the appliance activates them and displays them in Grid Manager. You can also use the show
dns_perm_for_nw_range CLI command to verify the status of new permissions.
Note that permissions for fixed addresses and reservations are not controlled by the CLI command; they are always
enabled.
You can also enable and disable permissions for DNS Resources in Networks and Ranges through Grid Manager, as
described in Enabling Permissions for DNS Resources in Networks and Ranges.

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• When you switch between enabling and disabling these permissions, changes take effect immediately and a
service restart in Grid Manager is not required. However, you may need to refresh Grid Manager to view the
changes.
• You can assign these permissions when DNS, DHCP, or Microsoft Management licenses are installed. If you
remove all of these licenses after you have configured relevant permissions for supported resources, the
appliance retains the permissions, but you will not be able to see the permissions nor configure them.
Changes to Default Behavior

This section describes changes to the default behavior when you enable permissions for DNS resources with associated
IP addresses in networks and ranges. The following table lists behavior in previous releases and changes made in this
release for supported resources. Review these changes before you configure permissions for these resources. For more
information about how to define these permissions, see Permission Examples.
Resources Behavior in Previous NIOS Releases Changes in NIOS 6.10.4
A Records • Admins can add, modify, and delete A, • When you enable new permissions, you
AAAA Records AAAA, PTR records and DNS hosts that can define the following permissions for
have associated IP addresses in a the admins to add, modify, and delete A,
PTR Records
network or range when they have read/ AAAA, PTR records and DNS hosts that
DNS Hosts write permission for the respective zone have associated IP addresses in a
or a higher level DNS parent object (even network container, network, or range:
if they have deny or read-only permission • Read/write permission for the
for the network to which the DNS specific records in the zone or a
resources belong). higher level DNS parent object.
and
• Read/write permission for the
records in the specified network
container, network, or range to
which the resources belong.
Note: Fields for A, AAAA, PTR records and DNS hosts in a

zone or a higher level DNS parent object, except Name, IP
Address, MAC Address, DUID and Disabled, can be
modified by admins who do not have write permission for
the same records in the specified network container,
network, or range.
• You cannot define read-only permission

for A, AAAA, and PTR records in a range.
The read operation for A, AAAA, PTR,
and host records is based on DNS
permission hierarchy. In other words,
read-only permission for a parent DNS
zone allows you to view DNS objects,
regardless of the permission you have
defined for these resources in their
associated ranges.

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Resources Behavior in Previous NIOS Releases Changes in NIOS 6.10.4
DHCP-enabled Hosts • Admins can add, modify, and delete • When you enable new permissions and
DHCP-enabled host addresses when they you want to allow the admin to add,
have read/write permission for hosts in modify, and delete DHCP-enabled hosts
the specified zone and read/write that fall within a specific address range,
permission for the network to which the IP define read/write permission for hosts in
addresses belong. (This behavior stays that specified range. Note that if the
the same in NIOS 6.10.4.) admin has read/write permission for the
network, they can add, modify, and
delete hosts that do not fall within a
specific address range.
Note: Fields for DHCP-enabled host addresses, except

Name, Enable in DNS, IPv4/IPv6 Address, MAC Address,
DUID, and Disabled, can be modified by admins who do
not have write permission for the same addresses in the
specified network container, network, or range.
• Regardless of whether new permissions

are enabled, DHCP-enabled host
addresses always appear in their
respective network containers or
networks. However, host addresses in a
range appear in the range only when new
permissions are enabled.
Fixed Addresses/ • Admins can add, modify, and delete fixed • When you enable new permissions and
Reservations
addresses and reservations in an address you want to allow the admin to add,
range when they have read/write modify, and delete fixed addresses and
permission for DHCP fixed addresses for reservations in a specific address range,
the network to which the range belongs. define read/write permission for fixed
addresses or reservations in that
specified range. Note that if the admin
has read/write permission for the
network, they can add, modify, and
delete fixed addresses and reservations
that do not fall within a specific address
range.
• Fixed addresses appear in their
respective network containers, networks,
and ranges regardless of whether new
permissions are enabled.
Enabling Permissions for DNS Resources in Networks and Ranges

To enable permission for DNS Resources in Networks and Ranges:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab.
2. Expand the Toolbar and select Grid Properties -> Edit.
3. In the Grid Properties editor, select the General tab -> Advanced tab, and then complete the following:
• Enable DNS Object Permissions in Networks and Ranges: Select this checkbox to enable DNS object
permissions in networks and ranges. When you enable this, admins with Read/Write permission for specific
records in a zone or a higher-level DNS parent object, and admins with Read/Write permission for resource
records in specified network containers, networks, or ranges can add, modify, and delete A, AAAA, PTR records,
and DNS hosts that have associated IP addresses in the network containers, networks, or ranges.

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Configuring Permissions for DNS Resources in Networks and Ranges

To define permissions for resources that are associated with IP addresses in a network container, network, or address
range, complete the following:
1. Log in to the appliance through the Infoblox CLI and use the set dns_perm_for_nw_range command to enable
new permissions, as follows:
Infoblox > set dns_perm_for_nw_range on
You can also enable permission for DNS resources in networks and ranges through the Infoblox GUI, as
described in Enabling Permissions for DNS Resources in Networks and Ranges.
2. Log in to Grid Manager and depending on which permission you want to define, do one of the following:
Network View: From the Administration tab, select the Networks View tab -> network_view checkbox and click the
Edit icon.
Network Container: From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network_container checkbox and
Network: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -
> network checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
DHCP Range: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network ->
addr_range checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
Fixed Address: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network ->
fixed_address checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
Reservation: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network ->
reservation checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
Zone: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone checkbox, and then click the
Edit icon.
 Note
You cannot assign permissions for zones that are auto-created.
3. In the editor, click the Permissions tab, and select the supported permission from the Permissions drop-down list
for the admin group or role.
4. Select a resource from the drop-down list in the Resources column.
Permission Examples
The following table lists examples for configuring new permissions for fixed addresses (or reservations) in network
10.1.2.0/24 and range 10.1.2.1-10.1.2.10.
Action Permission for Permission for range Action Allowed? Comment

network 10.1.2.0/24 10.1.2.1-10.1.2.10 (Yes/No)
Add, modify, or delete No No No N/A

fixed address 10.1.2.5
Add, modify, or delete No Read/write for "Fixed Yes Read/write permission at the range level is
fixed address 10.1.2.5 addresses in sufficient for creating a fixed address that
10.1.2.1-10.1.2.10 Range" falls within the range.
Add, modify, or delete Read/write for Deny for "Fixed addresses in Yes Since fixed address 10.1.2.100 does not
fixed address "Fixed addresses in 10.1.2.1-10.1.2.10 Range" belong to the 10.1.2.1-10.1.2.10 range,
10.1.2.100 10.1.2.0/24 read/write permission for "Fixed
Network" addresses in 10.1.2.0/24 Network" is
sufficient for the operation.

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The following table lists some examples for configuring DNS resources that have associated IP addresses in a network
or range:
Action Permission for DNS Permission for Permission for range Action Comment
zone corpxyz.com network 10.1.2.1-10.1.2.10 Allowed?
10.1.2.0/24 (Yes/No)
Add, modify, or Read/write permission for No No No Read/write permission for "A

delete an A corpxyz.com Records in 10.1.2.1-10.1.2.10
record with IP range" is also required.
address
10.1.2.8
Add, modify, or Read/write permission for No Read/write for "A Yes Since 10.1.2.8 falls within the
delete an A corpxyz.com Records in 10.1.2.1-10.1.2.10 range, read/
record with IP 10.1.2.1-10.1.2.10 write permission for "A Records
address in 10.1.2.1-1 0.1.2.10 Range"
10.1.2.8 and read/write for corpxyz.com
are both required.
Add, modify, or Read/write permission for Read-only Yes for A Admins can add, modify, and
delete an A corpxyz.com permission for record delete A records because they
record with IP network Read/write for "A have read/write permissions for
address 10.1.2.0/24 Records in No for the zone and range; but they
10.1.2.8, and 10.1.2.1-10.1.2.10 network cannot modify or delete
modify or delete Range networks because they have
a network read-only permission for
network 10.1.2.0/24.
Add, modify or Yes if the host is a DNS host. Read/write No Yes Host address 10.1.2.22 is within
delete DHCP- permission for the 10.1.2.0 network but outside
enabled host N/A if the host is a DHCP host. "IPv4 Hosts in of the 10.1.2.1- 10.1.2.10 range,
address 10.1.2.0 network" so read/write permission for
10.1.2.22 "IPv4 Hosts in 10.1.2.0 network"
is sufficient.
Add, modify, or Yes if the host is a DNS host. Read-only Read/write for "Hosts Yes for A Admins can add, modify, and
delete DHCP- permission for in 10.1.2.1-10.1.2.10 record delete DHCP-enabled hosts
enabled host N/A if the host is a DHCP host. network Range because they have read/write
address 10.1.2.0/24 No for permissions for "Hosts in
10.1.2.8, and network 10.1.2.1010.1.2.10 range"; but
modify or delete they cannot modify or delete
a network networks because they have
read-only permission for
network 10.1.2.0/24.
The following table list an example for permissions required to configure PTR records that have associated IP addresses
in a network:
Action Permission for DNS Permission for Permission for rev Action Comment
zone corpxyz.com network erse zone Allowed?
10.1.2.0/24 0.0.10.in- (Yes/No)
addr.arpa
Add, modify, or delete a Read/write permission for No Yes Yes Read/write permission for
PTR record with IP corpxyz.com “PTR Records in
address 5.0.0.10. Note: corpxyz.com and 0.0.10.in-
You can also add, addr.arpa” is required.
modify, or delete PTR
records in the IPv6
reverse-mapping zone.

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Administrative Permissions for DHCP Resources
Limited-access admin groups can access certain DHCP resources only if their administrative permissions are defined. By
default, the appliance denies access when a limited-access admin group does not have defined permissions. You can
grant admin groups read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to the following DHCP resources:
• Network views
• IPv4 networks
• Hosts
• IPv4 DHCP ranges
• IPv4 DHCP fixed addresses
• IPv4 DHCP reservations
• MAC address filters
• IPv4 shared networks
• IPv4 network templates
• IPv4 DHCP range templates
• IPv4 fixed address templates
• IPv4 DHCP enabled host addresses
• IPv4 DHCP lease history
• Roaming hosts
• IPv6 networks
• IPv6 DHCP ranges
• IPv6 DHCP fixed addresses
• IPv6 DHCP enabled host addresses
• IPv6 shared networks
• IPv6 network templates
• IPv6 DHCP range templates
• IPv6 fixed address templates
• IPv6 DHCP lease history
You can grant an admin group broad permissions to DHCP resources, such as read/write permission to all IPv4 or IPv6
networks and shared networks in the database. In addition, you can grant permission to specific resources, such as a
specific IPv4 or IPv6 network or DHCP range, or an individual address in an IPv4 or IPv6 network. Permissions at more
specific levels override global permissions.
You can also define permissions for specific DHCP objects and Grid member to restrict admins to perform only the
specified DHCP tasks on the specified member. For more information, see Defining DNS and DHCP Permissions on Grid
Members.
The following sections describe the different types of permissions that you can set for DHCP resources:
• Administrative Permissions for Network Views
• Administrative Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 Networks and Shared Networks
• Administrative Permissions for IPv4 or IPv6 Fixed Addresses and IPv4 Reservations
• Administrative Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Ranges
• Administrative Permissions for IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP Templates
• Administrative Permissions for Roaming Hosts
• Administrative Permissions for MAC Address Filters
• Administrative Permissions for the IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Lease Histories
Administrative Permissions for Network Views

Limited-access admin groups can access network views, including the default network view, only if they have read-only
or read/write permission to a specific network view or to all network views. Permissions granted to a network view apply
to all its IPv4 and IPv6 networks, shared networks, DHCP ranges and fixed addresses.
You can grant admin groups read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to network views as follows:
• All network views—Global permission that applies to all network views in the database.
• A specific network view—Permission to a specific network view applies to the properties you set in the Network
View editor, and to all the IPv4 and IPv6 networks and shared networks in the network view. This overrides the

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global permission to all network views. When you configure permissions for a network view, you can also set
permissions for the following:
• All IPv4 and IPv6 networks in the selected network view—If you do not define permissions for IPv4 or
IPv6 networks, they inherit the permissions of their network view.
• All IPv4 and IPv6 shared networks in a specific network view—If you do not define permissions for IPv4 or
IPv6 shared networks, they inherit the permissions of their network view.
Note that you can grant an admin group read-only or read/write permission to specific IPv4 or IPv6 networks in a network
view, without granting them permission to that network view. For information, see Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6
Networks and Shared Networks.
For information on how to define permissions for network views, see Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps.
The following table lists the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for network views.
Network View Permissions
Tasks All DNS Specific DNS All Network Specific All IPv4 or All IPv4 or
Views View Views Network View IPv6 Networks IPv6 Shared
Networks
Create and delete network views and RW RW

their associated DNS views
Create and delete a network view and RW RW

its associated DNS views
Create, modify, and delete IPv4 and RW

IPv6 networks and shared networks in
all network views

IPv6 networks and shared networks in a
network view
View the properties of all network views RO
View network statistics of all network RO

views
View and search for all IPv4 and IPv6 RO

networks and shared networks
View the properties of a network view RO
View and search for IPv4 and IPv6 RO

networks and shared networks in a
network view
Expand and join IPv4 and IPv6 networks RW
Expand and join IPv4 and IPv6 networks RW

in a specific network view

IPv6 networks, DHCP ranges and fixed
addresses in a specific network view

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Tasks All DNS Specific DNS All Network Specific All IPv4 or All IPv4 or
Views View Views Network View IPv6 Networks IPv6 Shared
Networks
View network statistics and properties of RO

all networks in a network view
Search for IPv4 and IPv6 networks in a RO

network view
Create, modify, and delete all IPv4 or RW

IPv6 shared networks
View the properties of all IPv4 or IPv6 RO

shared networks
View and search for IPv4 and IPv6 RO

shared networks in a network view
Restart services from the DHCP tab RO RW
Administrative Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 Networks and Shared Networks
Limited-access admin groups can access IPv4 and IPv6 networks, including shared networks, only if their administrative
permissions are defined. Permissions for a network apply to all its DHCP ranges and fixed addresses. To override
network-level permissions, you must define permissions for specific DHCP ranges and fixed addresses. For example,
you can grant an admin group read-only permission to a network, read/write permission to its DHCP ranges, and read-
only permission to its fixed addresses.
You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to networks, as follows:
• All IPv4 or IPv6 networks—Global permission that applies to all IPv4 or all IPv6 networks in the database.
• All IPv4 or IPv6 shared networks—Global permission that applies to all IPv4 or all IPv6 shared networks in the
database.
• A specific IPv4 or IPv6 network—Network permissions apply to its properties and to all DHCP ranges, fixed
addresses and hosts in the network, if they do not have permissions defined. This overrides global permissions.
• All IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP ranges in a network—If you do not define permissions for DHCP ranges, they inherit the
permissions of the network in which they reside.
• All IPv4 or IPv6 fixed addresses in a network—If you do not define permissions for fixed addresses, they inherit
the permissions of the network in which they reside.
To define permissions for a specific IPv4 or IPv6 network and its DHCP ranges and fixed addresses, see Applying
Permissions and Managing Overlaps.
The following table lists the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 networks.
Network Permissions
Tasks Grid All IPv4 or Specific All IPv4 or Specific All IPv4 All IPv4 or IPv4 or
Member(s) IPv6 IPv4 or IPv6 DNS Zone or IPv6 IPv6 Fixed IPv6
Networks IPv6 Shared DHCP Addresses Network
Network Networks Ranges Template
Create, modify, and delete RW

IPv4 or IPv6 networks, DHCP
ranges, and fixed addresses
without assigned Grid
members

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Create, modify, and delete RW RW

IPv4 or IPv6 networks, DHCP
ranges, and fixed addresses
with assigned Grid members
Assign a Grid member to a RW RW

specific IPv4 or IPv6 network
and its DHCP ranges
Expand and join IPv4 or IPv6 RW

networks
Create IPv4 or IPv6 networks RW RO

from templates
Create, modify, and delete an RW

IPv4 or IPv6 network
View IPv4 or IPv6 network RO

properties and statistics, and
search for DHCP ranges and
fixed addresses in a specific
network

IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP ranges
and fixed addresses in a
specific network
Create and split an IPv4 or RW RW

IPv6 network and
automatically create a reverse
DNS zone

IPv4 or IPv6 shared networks
View IPv4 or IPv6 shared RO

networks
Create, modify, and delete RW RW

with an assigned member in a
specific network

View and search for IPv4 or RO

IPv6 DHCP ranges in a
specific network

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IPv4 or IPv6 fixed addresses
View and search for IPv4 or RO

IPv6 fixed addresses in a
specific network
Administrative Permissions for IPv4 or IPv6 Fixed Addresses and IPv4 Reservations
IPv4 and IPv6 fixed addresses and IPv4 reservations inherit the permissions of the networks in which they reside. You
can override network-level permissions by defining permissions for fixed addresses.
You can grant read-only or read-write permission, or deny access to fixed addresses, as follows:
• All IPv4 fixed addresses/reservations—Global permission that applies to all IPv4 fixed addresses and
reservations in the database.
• All IPv6 fixed addresses—Global permission that applies to all IPv6 fixed addresses in the database.
• All IPv4 fixed addresses/reservations in a network— Permissions at this level override global permissions. If you
do not define permissions for fixed addresses and reservations, they inherit the permissions of the network in
which they reside.
• All IPv6 fixed addresses in a network— Permissions at this level override global permissions. If you do not define
permissions for IPv6 fixed addresses, they inherit the permissions of the network in which they reside.
• A single IPv4 fixed address/reservation—Overrides global and network-level permissions.
• A single IPv6 fixed address—Overrides global and network-level permissions.
For information on setting permissions for fixed addresses, see Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps.
The following table lists the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 fixed addresses.
Permissions for Fixed Addresses/Reservations
Tasks Specific IPv4 or IPv6 All IPv4 or IPv6 fixed Specific IPv4 or IPv6 Fixed
Network Addresses/ IPv4 Address/ IPv4 Reservation
Reservations
Create, modify, and delete IPv4 fixed addresses/ RW

reservations or IPv6 fixed addresses
Create, modify, and delete IPv4 fixed addresses/ RW

reservations or IPv6 fixed addresses in a specific network
Modify and delete an IPv4 fixed address/reservation or RW

IPv6 fixed address
View and search for all IPv4 fixed addresses/reservations RO

or IPv6 fixed addresses
View and search for IPv4 fixed addresses/reservations or RO RO

IPv6 fixed addresses in a network
View and search for an IPv4 fixed address/reservation or RO

IPv6 fixed address

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Administrative Permissions for IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP Enabled Host Addresses
A read-write permission to IPv4 or IPv6 Host Address gives limited-access users the ability to create, modify, and delete
IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP enabled host addresses in a specified network. Admin users with a read-write permission can
create, modify, and delete IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP enabled host addresses only in the specified network. They do not have
the ability to create, modify or delete any networks or objects, such as fixed addresses, in those networks.
You can also grant admin users read-only permission or deny access to the following:
• IPv4 Host Address—Object permission that applies to all IPv4 DHCP enabled host addresses in a specified
network.
• IPv6 Host Address—Object permission that applies to all IPv6 DHCP enabled host addresses in a specified
network.
For information about setting permissions for DHCP enabled host addresses, see Applying Permissions and Managing
Overlaps.
The following table lists tasks that admins can perform and the required permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP enabled
host addresses.
Permissions for DHCP Enabled Host Addresses
Tasks Specific IPv4 or IPv6 Network All IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP enabled
host Addresses
Create, modify, and delete IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP enabled host addresses in RW
a specified network
Modify and delete a specific IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP enabled host address RW
View and search for all IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP enabled host addresses RO
View and search for IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP enabled host addresses in a RO
specified network
Administrative Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Ranges

DHCP ranges inherit the permissions of the networks in which they reside. You can override network-level permissions
by defining permissions for DHCP ranges. You can read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to DHCP address
ranges, as follows:
• All IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP ranges—Global permission that applies to all IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP ranges in the database.
• All IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP ranges in a network—Permissions at this level override global permissions. If you do not
define permissions for DHCP ranges, they inherit the permissions of the network in which they reside.
• A single IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP range—Overrides global and network-level permissions.
For information on setting permissions for DHCP ranges, see Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps. The
following table lists the tasks admin can perform and the required permissions for DHCP ranges.
DHCP Ranges
Tasks Grid Member(s) Specific IPv4 or All DHCP Specific IPv4 or MAC Address
IPv6 Network IPv4 or IPv6 IPv6 DHCP Filter
Ranges Range
Create, modify, and delete IPv4 or IPv6 RW RW

DHCP ranges with an assigned member or a
failover association

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Tasks Grid Member(s) Specific IPv4 or All DHCP Specific IPv4 or MAC Address
IPv6 Network IPv4 or IPv6 IPv6 DHCP Filter
Ranges Range
Create, modify, and delete IPv4 or IPv6 RW RW

DHCP ranges in a network with assigned
members
Modify and delete an IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP RW RW

range with an assigned member
View and search for all IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP RO RO

ranges with an assigned member
View and search for IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP RO RO

ranges in a network with assigned members
View and search for an IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP RO RO

range with an assigned member
View and search for an IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP RO

range without an assigned member
Apply relay agent and option filters to an RW

IPv4 DHCP range
Apply a MAC address filter to an IPv4 DHCP RW RO

range
Administrative Permissions for IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP Templates

There are three types of DHCP templates for IPv4 and IPv6 objects—network, DHCP range, and fixed address/
reservation templates. To access any of these templates, a limited-access admin group must have read-only permission
to the template. Limited-access admin groups cannot have read/write permission to the templates. Only superusers can
create, modify and delete network, DHCP range, and fixed address templates. An admin group with read-only permission
to the DHCP templates can view them and use them to create networks, DHCP ranges and fixed addresses, as long as
they have read/write permissions to those DHCP resources as well.
You can set global read-only permission that applies to all DHCP templates, and you can set permissions to specific
templates as well.
For information on setting permissions, see Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps. The following table lists the
tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for DHCP templates.
Permissions for DHCP Templates
Tasks IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP All IPv4 or IPv6 All IPv4 or IPv6 All IPv4 or IPv6 Fixed
Templates Networks DHCP Ranges Addresses/ IPv4
Reservations
Create IPv4 or IPv6 networks from templates RO RW
Create IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP ranges from RO RW

templates
Create IPv4 fixed addresses/reservations or RO RW

IPv6 fixed addresses from templates

Rev. D
Tasks IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP All IPv4 or IPv6 All IPv4 or IPv6 All IPv4 or IPv6 Fixed
Templates Networks DHCP Ranges Addresses/ IPv4
Reservations
View templates RO
Note the following additional guidelines:

• DHCP range templates and fixed address templates do not inherit their permissions from network templates. You
must set permissions for each type of template.
• An admin group can create a network using a network template that includes a DHCP range template and a fixed
address template, even if it has no permission to access the DHCP range and fixed address templates.
Administrative Permissions for Roaming Hosts

Limited-access admin groups can access roaming hosts only if their administrative permissions are defined. The
appliance denies access to roaming hosts for which an admin group does not have defined permissions.
You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to roaming hosts as follows:
• All roaming hosts in the database—Global permission that applies to all the roaming hosts in the database.
• A specific roaming host—Permissions that applies to specific roaming host.
tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for roaming host.
Permissions for Roaming Hosts
Tasks Grid DHCP Properties Specific IPv4 or IPv6 All Roaming Host
Roaming Host
Enable roaming hosts RW
View roaming host RO RO RO
Create, modify, and delete roaming hosts RO RW
Modify and delete roaming host RO RW
Administrative Permissions for MAC Address Filters

Limited-access admin groups can access MAC address filters only if their administrative permissions are defined. The
appliance denies access to MAC address filters for which an admin group does not have defined permissions.
You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to MAC address filters as follows:
• All MAC address filters in the database
• A specific MAC address filter
tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for MAC address filters.
Permissions for MAC Filters
Tasks All MAC Address Filters Specific MAC Address Specific IPv4 DHCP
Filter Ranges
Create, modify, and delete MAC address filters RW

Rev. D
Tasks All MAC Address Filters Specific MAC Address Specific IPv4 DHCP
Filter Ranges
Create, modify, and delete MAC address entries for a MAC RW

address filter
Modify and delete a MAC address filter RW
Apply a MAC address filter to an IPv4 DHCP range RO RW
Delete a MAC address filter from an IPv4 DHCP range RO RW
View MAC address filters and their MAC address entries RO
View a MAC address filter and its MAC address entries RO
Administrative Permissions for the IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Lease Histories
A limited-access admin group can view and export the IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP lease histories if it has read-only permission
to the IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP lease history. Permissions to the IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP lease histories are different from the
network permissions. Therefore, an admin group can access the IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP lease histories, regardless of its
network permissions. Note that only superusers can import a DHCP lease history file.
To define permissions for the IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP lease histories:
Permission area or select Add -> Global Permissions from the Toolbar.
or
Add -> Global Permissions from the Toolbar.
2. Complete the following in the Manage Global Permissions dialog box:
• Permission Type: Select DHCP Permissions from the drop-down list.
• In the table, select Read/Write, Read-only, or Deny for All IPv4 DHCP Lease History and All IPv6 DHCP
Lease History.
Administrative Permissions for File Distribution Services

You can restrict access to the TFTP, HTTP and FTP services provided by the appliance. By default, the appliance denies
access to the TFTP, HTTP and FTP services, unless an admin group has their administrative permissions defined.
You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to the following resources:
• Grid File Distribution Properties—Applies to the Grid and its members, directories, and files. You can set this from
the Administrators perspective only.
• Member File Distribution Properties—Applies to the Grid member properties only.
• A specific directory—Applies to the directory and its files.
tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for file distribution services.
Permissions for File Distribution Services

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Tasks Grid File Distribution Member Distribution Specific Directory
Properties Properties
Create and remove directories and files RW
Modify the Grid and member file distribution RW

properties
View the Grid and member file distribution properties, RO

directories, and files
Modify the member file distribution properties RW
View the member file distribution properties RO
Add and delete a directory, subdirectories, and files RW

in the directory
View a directory and its subdirectories and files RO
Administrative Permissions for Dashboard Tasks

Limited-access admin groups can configure IPAM tasks on the Tasks Dashboard only if their administrative permissions
are defined. The appliance denies access to IPAM tasks for which an admin group does not have defined permissions.
You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to IPAM tasks as follows:
• All IPAM tasks on the Tasks Dashboard
• A specific IPAM task
When you deny access to an IPAM task for an admin group, uses cannot configure the task on their dashboards. Users
must have at lease read-only permission to a specific task to see it in the task pack. To perform a specific task, users
must also have read/write permission to the objects associated with the task. For information about specific permissions
for IPAM, DNS, and DHCP objects, see Administrative Permissions for IPAM Resources, Administrative Permissions for
DNS Resources, and Administrative Permissions for DHCP Resources.
For information about setting permissions, see Applying Permissions and Managing Overlaps. The following table lists
the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for configuring IPAM tasks on the Tasks Dashboard.
Permissions for IPAM Tasks
Tasks All Dashboard Add Networks Add Add Fixed Add Add TXT Add MX
Tasks Hosts Addresses CNAME Record Record
Record
Configure all tasks in the RO RW

IPAM task pack
Configure the Add Networks RO RW

task
Configure the Add Hosts task RO RW
Configure the Add Fixed RO RW

Addresses task

Rev. D
Tasks All Dashboard Add Networks Add Add Fixed Add Add TXT Add MX
Tasks Hosts Addresses CNAME Record Record
Record
Configure the Add CNAME RO RW

Record task
Configure the Add TXT RO RW

Record task
Configure the Add MX RO RW

Record task
Administrative Permissions for Certificate Authentication Services and CA Certificates

Limited-access admins can configure certificate authentication services and CA certificates only if their administrative
roles and permissions are defined. If you want to allow admins to configure two-factor authentication, you can assign the
PKI Admin role to limited-access admins or grant them read/write permissions to the following:
• All certificate authentication services
• All CA Certificates
the admin tasks and required permissions for configuring certificate authentication services and managing CA
certificates.
Administration Permissions
Tasks Grid Member(s) All Certificate Authentication All CA Certificates

Services
Create, modify, and delete certificate RW

authentication services
Create, modify, and delete CA certificates RW RW
Administrative Permissions for Object Change Tracking

Infoblox stores updated objects in the NIOS database. Users with read-only permission can query and view these
objects. Grid Manager allows you to grant the following permissions:
• Read-only permission to view deleted objects information. If the users have a read-only permission and the
exclude_deleted flag is not set, then they will receive information about the deleted objects only.
• Deny to prevent the users from accessing updated objects information. If the users have a Deny permission, then
they cannot query for any object updates even if the exclude_deleted flag is not set.
Users with a read-only permission must have permissions on all the objects to perform a full or an incremental
synchronization. For example, consider that a user, user1, has read-only permission on DNS views, but does not have
permission on network views. If user1 performs a full synchronization, NIOS does not include network views in the
response as user1 does not have permission to view these objects. Hence, Infoblox recommends that you give
permissions to all the objects in the NIOS database.

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Administrative Permissions for Load Balancers
Limited-access admins can view and manage GLBs (Global Load Balancers), load balancer synchronization groups, and
their associated objects if their administrative roles and permissions are defined. If you want to allow admins to manage
GLB objects, assign the Load Balancer Admin role to limited-access admins and grant them the following permissions:
• Read/write, read-only, or deny permission to NIOS managed GLB groups and independent load balancers
• Read/write, read-only, or deny permission to NIOS managed GLB objects
• Read-only or deny permission to GLB objects, such as DNS profiles and iRules, that are synchronized from the
GLB but cannot be managed through NIOS
the admin tasks and required permissions for configuring GLBs, load balancer synchronization groups, and their
associated objects.
Administration Permissions for Load Balancers and Load Balancer Synchronization Groups
Tasks Grid Member(s) All Load Balancer All Load Balancers All Load Balancer
Objects Groups
View load balancer objects RO RO
Add and modify synchronized load balancer RW RW

objects
Add, modify, and delete synchronized load RW RW RW RW

balancer objects
Modify and delete synchronized load balancer RW RW RW

groups
Administrative Permissions for Named ACLs

Only superusers and limited-access users with Read/Write permission to All Named ACLs and Read/Write permission to
the corresponding objects and operations can manage named ACLs and their ACEs.
For information about access control and named ACLs, see Configuring Access Control. The following table lists the
operations and required permissions for managing named ACLs.
Administration Permissions
Tasks Grid Member(s) All Named DNS Views Related DNS File Distribution
ACLs objects
Create, modify, and delete named ACLs RW RW RW RW RW

for all supported operations
View named ACLs and ACEs RW RO RO RO RO
Administrative Permissions for DNS Threat Protection

You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to the following resources:
• Grid Security Properties—Applies to the Grid and its members.
• Member Security Properties—Applies to the Grid members only.

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the tasks admins can perform and the required permissions for the threat protection service.
Permissions for hardware-based Threat Protection Service
Tasks Grid Security Properties Member Security Properties
View Grid security properties RO
Update Grid Security properties RW
View member security properties for specific Grid members RO RO
Update member security properties for specific Grid members RW RW
Start and stop threat protection service for a Grid member RW RW
Publish rules for a Grid member RW RW
View rule categories and rules for the Grid RO
Enable and disable rules for the Grid RW
Update rule versions for any rules on the Grid RW
Revert to a previous rule version for any rules on the Grid RW
Modify configuration parameters, such as action and severity, for rules RW

on the Grid
Create custom rules from rule templates for the Grid RW
Delete custom rules for the Grid RW
View rule categories and rules on a Grid member RO RO
Enable and disable rules on a Grid member RW RW
Update rule versions for any rules on a Grid member RW RW
Revert to a previous rule version for any rules on a Grid member RW RW
Modify configuration parameters, such as action and severity, for rules RW RW

on a Grid member
View threat protection related event statistics on a Grid member RO RO
Upgrade rulesets for a Grid RW

Rev. D
Permissions for Software ADP
Tasks Grid Security Properties Member Security Properties
View the list of Threat Protection profiles in the Profiles Viewer RO RO
View profile settings in the Threat Protection Profile Editor RO
Create a Threat Protection profile RW
Clone a Threat Protection profile from an existing profile (This also clones all settings for RW
the ruleset from an old profile.)
Clone a Threat Protection profile from an existing member settings RW
Update the profile settings (name, comment, events per second, disable multiple TCP RW
DNS request, list of members)
Change the ruleset that is assigned to a profile (This internally merges all customizations RW
for an old ruleset to a new ruleset.)
View the profile rules and rule settings RO
Enable/disable rules in the profile RW
Change the rule parameters for rules in the profile (action, log severity, events per RW
second etc.)
Merge two profiles RW
Assign/remove a profile from Member Security properties RW RW
Delete a profile RW
Administrative Permissions for DNS Threat Analytics

Only superusers and limited-access users with Read/Write permission can manage Threat Analytics service.
You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to the following:
• Grid Threat Analytics Properties—Applies to the Grid and its members.
For information about setting permissions, Managing Permissions. The following table lists the tasks admins can perform
and the required permissions for the threat analytics service.
Permissions for Threat Analytics Service
Tasks Grid Threat Analytics RPZ Zones Grid Members DNS Views
Properties
View Grid Threat Analytics properties RO RO
Update Threat Analytics properties RW RW RW RW

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Tasks Grid Threat Analytics RPZ Zones Grid Members DNS Views
Properties
Start and stop Threat Analytics service RW RW
Create an RPZ and use it as mitigation blacklist feed RW RW RW RW
View whitelisted domains RO RO
Move blacklisted domains to the whitelist RW RW
Update Threat Analytics module and whitelist sets RW
Viewing threat analytics module and whitelist versions RO
Define the Threat Analytics Update policy RW
Manually Upload Threat Analytics Updates RW
Administrative Permissions for All Rulesets

You can grant permissions for individual ruleset objects to admin users. NIOS provides a global permission ALL Rulesets
for admin groups. To perform operations on an NXDOMAIN ruleset, a blacklist rule, or an RPZ ruleset, you must have
permission to the rule or ruleset to which the ruleset object belongs.
Administrative Permissions for Cloud Objects

You can grant read-only or read/write permission, or deny access to the following cloud related objects:
• All tenant—Applies to all tenants.
• Per tenant object—Applies to selected tenants only.
You need appropriate permissions to make changes to all tenants or a specific tenant object through Grid Manager. Note
that following:
• Update the tenant object: You must have permission on all tenant objects or the specific tenant object that is
being updated. When you modify any tenant object associated with a tenant, it requires explicit Read/Write
permission on the specific tenant object, whether permission on the associated tenant exists or not.
• Read-Only: This operation returns all tenant objects if you have the all tenant permission, or returns only specific
tenant objects for which you have access.
• Permission for a tenant object implicitly gives the read permission to any object that is associated with the tenant.
• Note that creating and deletion operations do not need any permission.
Administrative Permissions for CSV Import

The following CSV import permissions are applicable to local users on the NIOS appliance. They are not valid for AD or
RADIUS users.
• When you delete a user, CSV import tasks associated with the respective user are not deleted. Superusers can
access these tasks. Pending CSV import tasks will not be executed due to authentication failure.
• If you change user permissions, the pending and running CSV import tasks are executed, but may finish with
errors. Note that the appliance re-establishes database transaction after every 500 lines are imported. If you
delete or modify the respective user entry between these transactions, the rest of the import may fail.
• Superusers can manage any stopped, failed, or completed CSV import tasks belonging to a deleted user.

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Administrative Permissions for Reporting
NIOS supports global and object permissions for reporting: Reports and Searches. Consider the following when applying
permissions for reports and searches:
• When you view a DNS report, DHCP report, or search options, you can view all the data in the corresponding
report or search results, even if you do not have permissions to view the DNS or DHCP objects.
• A limited-access user needs relevant permissions to view any report or search.
• When you grant a read-only permission for a specific report to a user, the user receives read-only access to
everything the report displays.
• A user can view report data returned by a search operation even when the user is denied access to the search
operation.
• You can only view pre-defined reports, global reports and customized reports or searches. A user, including
superuser, cannot view customized reports or searches of other users.
• You cannot edit pre-defined reports.
• Only a superuser can edit global reports or searches.
• Only an owner of the customized report or search operation can modify the report.
• Superuser may create reports up to system wide limit.
• A limited-access admin can create up to five reports by default. You can configure this limitation through Grid
Manager.
Administrative Permissions for VLAN Management

A superuser has RW access for all VLAN related objects.
Global permissions and object permissions are supported for VLAN views, ranges, and objects. Permissions set at
specific levels override global permissions for VLAN ranges, views, and objects. For more information see About
Administrative Permissions.
A user who belongs to the VLAN Admin role has the following permissions set:
Permission Type Object Task Permission
VLAN Permissions VLAN view Creating VLAN views RW
Editing VLAN views RW
Deleting VLAN views RW
VLAN Permissions VLAN range Creating VLAN ranges RW
Editing VLAN ranges RW
Deleting VLAN ranges RW
VLAN Permissions VLAN object Creating VLAN objects RW
Editing VLAN objects RW
Deleting VLAN objects RW
IPAM Permissions Network view Creating network views RO
Editing network views RO
Deleting network views RO
IPAM Permissions IPv4/IPv6 network RW

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For information about VLAN management, see VLAN Management.
Administrative Permissions for SAML

A user who belongs to the SAML Admin role has the following permissions set:
Permission Type Resource Type Permission
SAML Permissions SAML Admin group RW
SAML Permissions SAML Authentication Services RW
For information about SAML authentication, see Authenticating Admins Using SAML.
Deploying a Grid
To deploy a Grid, it is important to understand what a Grid is, how to create a Grid Master and add members, and how to
manage the Grid. This section explains in detail about a grid and covers the topics:
• About Grids
• About HA Pairs
• Creating a Grid Master
• Adding Grid Members
• Configuring an IPv6-only Grid
• Auto-Provisioning NIOS Appliances
• Pre-Provisioning NIOS and vNIOS Appliances
• Configuring a Grid
• Managing a Grid
• Grid Bandwidth Considerations
• Automatic Software Version Coordination
• NAT Groups
About Grids
A Grid is a group of two or more NIOS appliances that share sections of a common, distributed, built-in database and
which you configure and monitor through a single, secure point of access: the Grid Master. A Grid can include Infoblox
appliances and vNIOS appliances. A vNIOS appliance is a non-Infoblox hardware platform running the vNIOS software
package. For supported vNIOS platforms, see vNIOS Appliances.
Infoblox appliances support both IPv4 and IPv6 networks and you can configure a Grid in one of the following modes:
• IPv4-only: An IPv4-only Grid uses IPv4 as the Grid communication protocol and it includes an IPv4 Grid Master
and the Grid members, which can be either IPv4 or dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) independent and HA appliances.
Note that when you add a dual mode HA member to an IPv4-only Grid, the communication protocol between the
two nodes of an HA pair must be IPv4.
• IPv6-only: An IPv6-only Grid uses IPv6 as the Grid communication protocol and it includes an IPv6 Grid Master
and the Grid members, which can be either IPv6 or dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) independent and HA appliances.
Note that when you add a dual mode HA member to an IPv6-only Grid, the communication protocol between the
two nodes of an HA pair must be IPv6.

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• IPv4 and IPv6 (Dual mode): A dual mode Grid can use either IPv4 or IPv6 as the Grid communication protocol. A
dual mode Grid includes a dual mode Grid Master and the Grid members, which can be either IPv4, IPv6, or dual
mode independent and HA appliances.
 Note
Infoblox appliances support IPv4 and IPv6 networking configurations in most deployments cited in this chapter.
You can set the LAN1 port to an IPv6 address and use that address to access Grid Manager. All HA (high
availability) operations can be applied across IPv6. Topics in this and following chapters generally use IPv4
examples. Also note that the LAN2, MGMT, and VLAN ports also support IPv6. DNS services are fully
supported in IPv6 for the LAN1, LAN2, MGMT, and VLAN ports. DHCP services are fully supported in IPv6 for
the LAN1 and LAN2 ports. Examples throughout this chapter use IPv4 addressing. Interfaces on NIOS
appliances support both IPv4 and IPv6 transports and intra-Grid communication is based on the type of IP
address used by the Grid member to join the Grid.
The following table summarizes the possible setups of a Grid configuration:

Possible Setups of Grid configuration
Grid Configuration VRRP Protocol for Grid Communication Grid Connection via Additional IPv4 Additional IPv6
HA Pair Protocol MGMT Addresses Addresses
IPv4 Grid Master IPv4 IPv4 NA Yes Yes
IPv6 Grid Master IPv6 IPv6 NA Yes Yes
Dual mode Grid Master IPv4 or IPv6 IPv4 or IPv6 NA Yes Yes
IPv4 Grid member IPv4 IPv4 IPv4 Yes Yes
IPv6 Grid member IPv6 IPv6 IPv6 Yes Yes
Dual mode Grid member IPv4 or IPv6 IPv4 or IPv6 IPv4 or IPv6 Yes Yes
 Note
Infoblox recommends that appliances with disk sizes below 250 GB must not be configured as Grid Masters.
You can also add supported Reporting platforms as a logging and reporting devices in your Grid. Infoblox provides a few
Infoblox platforms that you can use as the logging and reporting device. For information about the supported appliances,
see Configuring Reporting Clustering. Infoblox reporting solution supports both IPv4 and IPv6 networks and you can
configure a reporting member in either IPv4, IPv6, or in dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) network environment. An IPv4-only
Grid uses IPv4 as the Grid communication protocol, so you can add an IPv4 or dual mode reporting member to an IPv4-
only Grid. An IPv6-only Grid uses IPv6 as the Grid communication protocol, so you can add an IPv6 or dual mode
reporting member to an IPv6-only Grid. However, a dual mode Grid can use either IPv4 or IPv6 as the Grid
communication protocol, so you can add an IPv4, IPv6, or a dual mode reporting member to a dual mode Grid. The
reporting appliance collects data from members in the Grid and stores the data in the database. It then uses the data to
generate predefined and user-defined reports that you can access through Grid Manager. These reports provide useful
information about the IPAM, DNS, DHCP, and system activities and usage in your Grid. For more information about
reporting, see Infoblox Reporting and Analytics.
Instead of manually provisioning IP addresses and DNS name spaces for network devices and interfaces, you can add
Cloud Platform Appliances to leverage DNS and DHCP features of the Grid to manage your CMPs (Cloud Management
Platforms). For information about the Infoblox Cloud Network Automation solution and supported Grid configurations, see
Deploying Cloud Network Automation.

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The following figure shows the basic concept of a Grid, database distribution (or "replication"), and reporting.
Grid and Partitioned Database Replication
The Grid Master can be either an HA master or a single master; that is, an HA (high availability) pair or a single
appliance. Similarly, a Grid member can be either a single member or an HA member. You can add single appliances and
HA pairs to a Grid, forming single members and HA members respectively. A single Grid member can be either an
Infoblox appliance or a vNIOS appliance. An HA Grid member can be a pair of Infoblox appliances or vNIOS appliances.
For information, see vNIOS Appliances.
The Grid Master communicates with every Grid member in a hub-and-spoke configuration. Intra-Grid communication is
based on the type of IP address used by the Grid member to join the Grid Master. An IPv4-only Grid Master uses IPv4
and an IPv6-only Grid Master uses IPv6 for intra-Grid communication. However, a dual mode Grid Master uses either
IPv4 or IPv6 depending on the IP address type used by the Grid member to join the Grid Master. For an HA member, the
Grid Master communicates with the active node, which in turn communicates with the passive node, as shown in the
following figure.
Grid Communications to an HA Member

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When adding vNIOS appliances to a Grid, you centralize the management of core network services of the virtual
appliances through the Grid Master. vNIOS appliances support most of the features of the Infoblox NIOS software, with
some limitations as described in vNIOS Appliances.
By default, Grid communications use the UDP transport with a source and destination port of 1194. This port number is
configurable. For a port change to take effect, one of the following must occur: the HA master fails over, the single master
reboots, or the Grid restarts services.
After adding an appliance or HA pair to a Grid, you no longer access the Infoblox GUI on that appliance. Instead, you
access the GUI running on the Grid Master. Although you can create multiple administrator accounts to manage different
services on various Grid members, all administrative access is through the Grid Master. So even if someone has
administrative privileges to a single Grid member, that administrator must access the GUI running on the Grid Master to
manage that member.
You can access the Infoblox GUI through an HTTPS connection to one of the following IP addresses and ports on the
Grid Master:
• The VIP address, which links to the HA port on the active node of an HA Grid Master
• The IP address of the LAN1 port on a single Grid Master
• The IP address of the MGMT port (if enabled) of the active node of an HA or single Grid Master. See Using the
MGMT Port.
Grid Communications
The Grid Master synchronizes data among all Grid members through encrypted VPN tunnels. The default source and
destination UDP port number for VPN tunnels is 1194. You can continue using the default port number or change it. For
example, if you have multiple Grids, you might want each Grid to use a different port so that you can set different firewall
rules for each. Whatever port number you choose to use for the VPN tunnels in a Grid, all the tunnels in that Grid use
that single port number.
Before an appliance or HA pair forms a tunnel with the master, they first authenticate each other using the Challenge-
Response Authentication Mechanism (CRAM). The source and destination port number for this traffic is 2114. During the
CRAM handshake, the master tells the appliance or HA pair what port number to use when building the subsequent VPN
tunnel.
VPN Tunnels within a Grid

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Another type of traffic, which flows outside the tunnels, is the VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol)
advertisements that pass between the active and passive nodes in an HA pair. The VRRP advertisements act like
heartbeats that convey the status of each node in an HA pair. If the active node fails, the passive node becomes active.
The VIP (virtual IP) address for that pair then shifts from the previously active node to the currently active node.
Master Grids
A Master Grid provides centralized management of multiple Grids. When a Grid is managed by a Master Grid, the Master
Grid icon appears on the left side of the top panel of Multi-Grid Manager. Assuming you have permission, you can click
this icon to access Multi-Grid Manager. In addition, the Toolbar provides several functions for joining the Master Grid,
editing its properties and leaving the Master Grid. For more information about the Master Grid and these functions, refer
to the Multi-Grid Manager Administrator Guide.
About HA Pairs
You can configure two appliances as an HA (high availability) pair to provide hardware redundancy for core network
services and Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection. For more information, see About Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection. An
HA pair can be a Grid Master, a Grid Master candidate, a Grid member, or an independent appliance. An HA pair can
also comprise a physical appliance and a virtual appliance, two physical appliances, or two virtual appliances. The two

Rev. D
nodes that form an HA pair—identified as Node 1 and Node 2—are in an active/passive configuration. The active node
receives, processes, and responds to all service requests. The passive node constantly keeps its database synchronized
with that of the active node, so it can take over services if a failover occurs. A failover is the reversal of the active/passive
roles of each node; that is, when a failover occurs, the previously active node becomes passive and the previously
passive node becomes active. You can configure an HA pair in either IPv4, IPv6, or in dual mode. An IPv4 HA pair uses
IPv4 as the communication protocol between the two nodes and an IPv6 HA pair uses IPv6 as the communication
protocol between the two nodes. But in a dual mode HA pair, you can select either IPv4 or IPv6 as the communication
protocol between the two nodes. Note that when you add a dual mode HA member to a Grid, the communication protocol
between the two nodes of an HA pair must the same as the Grid communication protocol.
 Note
HA Grid Master and HA Grid Master Candidate configurations are not supported when Threat Protection
licenses are installed on the appliance.
When you configure an HA pair using the IB-4030-10GE (Rev-1 or Rev-2) appliance for DNS cache acceleration, the
passive node does not operate with a pre-loaded cache or hot cache during a failover; it builds up the DNS cache over
time. For more information about HA and other limitations for the IB-4030-10GE appliances, refer to the Infoblox DNS
Cache Acceleration Application Guide. For Infoblox , only the active node in an HA pair handles DNS traffic. The passive
node is in a standby mode ready to take over if a failover occurs.
The appliance uses the following components in the HA functionality:
• bloxSYNC: An Infoblox proprietary mechanism for secure, real-time synchronization of the database that
maintains the data, system configuration, and protocol service configuration between the two nodes. With
bloxSYNC, the nodes continuously synchronize changes of their configurations and states. When a failover
occurs, the passive node can quickly take over services. For information, see About HA Failover.
• VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol): An industry-standard, MAC-level HA failover mechanism. VRRP
utilizes the concept of an active and passive node that share a single VIP (virtual IP) address. When the active
node that owns the VIP becomes unavailable, the passive node takes over the VIP and provides network core
services. For information about VRRP, refer to RFC3768,Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) and VRRP
Advertisements.
Using bloxSYNC and VRRP combined, if the active node fails or is taken offline for maintenance purposes, the passive
node assumes the VIP and continues to respond to requests and services with minimal interruption. You can deploy an
HA pair as a Grid Master, a Grid member, or an independent HA. To deploy an independent HA pair, see Deploying an
Independent HA Pair. To deploy an HA Grid Master, see Creating a Grid Master.
Planning for an HA Pair

To achieve high availability, the HA and LAN1 (or VLAN) ports on both the active and passive nodes are connected to
switches on the same network or VLAN. Both nodes in an HA pair share a single VIP address and a virtual MAC address
so they can appear as a single entity on the network. You can also assign IPv6 addresses for each of the active and
passive nodes, in addition to the IPv6 VIP address.
 Tip
• Infoblox uses VRRP advertisements for the active and passive HA design. Therefore, all HA pairs must
be located in the same location connected to the highly available switching infrastructure. Any other
deployment is not supported without a written agreement with Infoblox. Contact Infoblox Technical
Support for more information about other deployment support.
• You can enable ARP on the passive node of an HA pair and monitor its status externally. To enable ARP
on the passive node of an HA pair, see Enabling ARP on the Passive Node of an HA Pair.
In HA, each node must configure two addresses: the VRRP public address on the LAN1 interface and the VRRP HA
address on the HA interface. An HA pair consists of a set of five IP addresses, all of which must belong to the same
subnet. Each device in an HA pair joins the multicast address on both the HA and public interfaces.

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As illustrated in the following figure, the VIP and virtual MAC addresses link to the HA port on each node. Select five IP
addresses on the same network before you configure an HA pair, as follows:
• VIP: For core network services and for management purposes when the MGMT port is disabled. Both nodes
share the same VIP. The VIP is the true public address in which services and daemons are active.
• Node 1 HA (active): Source IP for the VIP and VRRP advertisements. Listens on both its LAN and HA ports. For
an active HA node, both the LAN interface/address and the HA interface/address belong to the VRRP multicast
group.
• Node 1 LAN1 (active): For management through SSHv2 and listens for VRRP advertisements from the HA port.
• Node 2 HA (passive): Listens for VRRP advertisements on the LAN port. For a passive HA node, only the LAN
interface/address belongs to the VRRP multicast group (using the LAN port's MAC address).
• Node 2 LAN1 (passive): Source IP for SSL VPN to the VIP of the active node and receives bloxSYNC from the
VIP.
The above configuration holds good only for IPv4 VRRP configurations. IPv6 VRRP configurations require only three
addresses: the VIP and the LAN1 interfaces. For the IPv6 dedicated HA interfaces, NIOS uses the link local IPv6 address
which you do not need to provide.
HA Pair
When you deploy a vNIOS HA pair, ensure that the port connection allows for more than one MAC address per vNIC. For
example, if you deploy a vNIOS HA pair in VMware vSphere, the port-profile to which the vNIOS HA and LAN ports
connect should allow for more than one MAC address per vNIC. You can do this by changing the security settings of the
port-group to accept "MAC address changes" and "Forged transmits," as illustrated in the following figure.
Configuring port-profile in VMware vSphere

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Limitations of Using a Combination of a Physical Appliance and a Virtual Appliance for HA
Although you can use a combination of a physical and virtual appliance for an HA pair, using the deployment has the
following limitations:
• Check whether the NIOS licenses that you subscribed to support both physical and virtual appliances.
• Ensure that the same licenses are installed on both the physical appliance and the virtual appliance.
• You cannot have tagged and untagged interfaces on the same subnet on VMware ESXi hypervisors.
• Virtual appliances do not support tagging.
• LOM (Lights Out Management) is not supported in a hybrid HA setup.
• DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point) services are not supported on virtual appliances. Therefore, you
cannot configure the DSCP value in an HA setup.
• Because port settings are not available for virtual appliances, you cannot join a node if the port settings are
overridden.
• You cannot combine a platform on which Advanced DNS Protection hardware is running with a platform on which
Advanced DNS Protection Software is running.
• You cannot configure MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) in a hybrid HA setup.
• You cannot have a combination of an IB-FLEX and a non IB-FLEX appliance.
• Auto-provisioning is not supported on virtual appliances; therefore, you cannot use the auto-provisioning feature
in a hybrid HA setup.
• A hybrid HA setup may cause some performance impact because hybrid HA performance depends on many
factors such as the hardware on which the VM is running, the number of VMs contending for the same CPU,
RAM, input/output resources, and the overhead generated by the virtualisation layer.
• Minor performance differences are expected between the two nodes of a hybrid HA pair. Hybrid HA performance
may vary, and it depends on the hardware components on which different virtualization platforms are running and
the performance delivered by Infoblox hardware appliances. Different use cases will produce different numbers
(slightly increased or decreased CPU usage, disk access time, and so on). Such performance variation is
expected and is not a cause of concern.
About HA Failover

Rev. D
The appliance supports HA through bloxHA™, which provides a robust failover mechanism. As described in Planning for
an HA Pair, both nodes in an HA pair share a single VIP address and a virtual MAC address. The node that is currently
active is the one whose HA port owns the VIP address and virtual MAC address. When a failover occurs, these
addresses shift from the HA port of the previous active node to the HA port of the new active node, as illustrated in the
figure below.
 Note
For a vNIOS HA pair, you must configure both LAN1 and HA interfaces to operate. When there is a notification
about failure in any one of the port, make sure that both of these ports are working. If one of the port is down
and another port is still working, the HA pair believes its peer is active. But, there will be connectivity issues as
one of the port is down. An HA failover occurs on vNIOS appliances only when both of these ports are down.
For details about configuring these virtual NICs, refer to the Infoblox Installation Guide vNIOS for VMware.
VIP Address and Virtual MAC Address and HA Failover

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Enabling ARP on the Passive Node of an HA Pair
You can enable ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) on the passive node of an HA pair and monitor its status externally.
For example, when the active node of an HA pair fails over to the passive node, you can ping the passive node from an
external location and monitor its status. By default, ARP is disabled on the passive node of an HA pair. ARP settings on
an HA member are preserved during a system restart or reboot, HA switch over, and upgrade. In addition, you do not
need to restart the appliance when you modify ARP settings. When the active node becomes passive during an HA
failover, ARP on an HA member inherits the settings configured in the database.
You can view detailed status for both nodes of an HA pair through the Detailed Status panel. To view the Detailed Status
panel, from the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox -> Detailed Status icon
in the horizontal navigation bar. In the Detailed Status panel, you can view ARP connectivity status for the passive node
of an HA pair (Green = The passive HA node is connected to the local router; Yellow = The passive HA node fails to
connect to the local router; Gray = ARP is disabled on the passive node of an HA pair). The passive HA node uses arping
to test the ARP connectivity with the local router. If the local router is not configured, you may see false warnings even if
the ARP connectivity is fine. In case of an ARP connectivity failure, the appliance sends an SNMP trap and an email
notification, if configured.
Note that the ARP setting is not preserved on a passive HA node when you reset the appliance using the CLI command
reset all or reset the database using the CLI command reset database.
To enable ARP on an HA passive node:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab.
2. Select an HA member and click the Edit icon.
3. In the Grid Member Properties editor, select the Network tab -> Advanced tab and complete the following:
• Enable ARP on HA Passive Node?: Select one of the following:
• Disable (default): Select this to disable ARP on an HA passive node. This is selected by default.

Rev. D
• Enable (not recommended): Select this to enable ARP on an HA passive node.
 Warning
Enabling ARP on the passive node of an HA interface might affect VRRP on the local net
work and could cause the firewall to send false alerts
 Note
For the Grid having an HA Grid Master and the Enable ARP on HA Passive Node? option enabled, if you try to
restore from the HA Grid Master to a single node Grid Master the Grid breaks the configuration and if you try to
recover the configuration the system becomes unusable. However, you can recover the configuration by
resetting the database.
HA failover on DNS Nameservers

When an HA failover occurs on NIOS, there is an approximate 4-5 second time interval in which the network is adjusted
for the new active node and the new passive node. During this failover period, the active node becomes unresponsive.
After the new active node comes up on the network, the DNS service loads all Response Policy Zone (RPZ) files if RPZ
is configured. The larger the RPZ files, the longer it takes to load them, and the longer it takes the DNS service to start
serving DNS. For example, on a TE-1425 with RPZs that contain 15 million resource records, it can take approximately
one and a half minutes to start serving DNS.
If your nameserver uses Grid replication to keep internal zones up to date and is not configured to use RPZ, then the
delay before the DNS service starts serving DNS is slightly longer that it is for the HA failover itself.
VRRP Advertisements
VRRP advertisements are periodic announcements of the availability of the HA node linked to the VIP. The two nodes in
an HA pair include a VRID (virtual router ID) in all VRRP advertisements and use it to recognize VRRP advertisements
intended for themselves. Only another appliance on the same subnet configured to use the same VRID responds to the
announcements. The active node in an HA pair sends advertisements as multicast datagrams every second. It sends
them from its HA port using the source IP address of the HA port (not from the VIP address) and the source MAC
address 00:00:5e:00:01:vrrp_id. The last two hexadecimal numbers in the source MAC address indicate the VRID
number for this HA pair. For example, if the VRID number is 143, then the source MAC address is 00:00:5e:00:01:8f (8f
in hexadecimal notation = 143 in decimal notation).
The destination MAC and IP addresses for all VRRP advertisements are 00:00:5e:00:01:12 and 224.0.0.18
(00:00:5e:00:02:12 and FF02::12 for IPv6 only configurations). Because a VRRP advertisement is a multicast datagram
that can only be sent within the immediate logical broadcast domain, the nodes in an HA pair must be in the same subnet
together.
As illustrated in the figure below, when you configure an HA pair, only the appliance configured to listen for VRRP
advertisements with the same VRID number processes the datagrams, while all other appliances ignore them. The
passive node in an Infoblox HA pair listens for these on its HA port and the active node listens on its LAN1 or LAN1
(VLAN) port. If the passive node does not receive three consecutive advertisements or if it receives an advertisement
with the priority set to 0 (which occurs when you manually perform a forced failover or request the active node to restart,
reboot, or shut down), it changes to the active state and assumes ownership of the VIP address and virtual MAC
address.
If both nodes go offline, the one that comes online first becomes the active node. If they come online simultaneously, or if
they enter a dual-active state—that is, a condition arises in which both appliances assume an active role and send VRRP
advertisements, possibly because of network issues—then the appliance with the numerically higher VRRP priority
becomes the active node. The priority is based on system status and events.
If both nodes have the same priority, then the appliance whose HA port has a numerically higher IP address becomes the
active node. For example, if the IP address of the HA port on Node 1 is 10.1.1.80 and the IP address of the HA port on
Node 2 is 10.1.1.20, then Node 1 becomes the active node.
For more information about VRRP, see RFC 3768, Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP).

Rev. D
VRRP Advertisements with a Unique VRID
 Note
For a dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) HA Master or HA member, you can set either IPv4 or IPv6 for VRRP
advertisements.
Creating a Grid Master

To create a Grid, you first create a Grid Master, and then add members. Although the Grid Master can be a single
appliance (a "single master"), a more resilient design is to use an HA pair (an "HA master") to provide hardware
redundancy. For information about HA pairs, see About HA Pairs. The basic procedure for forming two appliances into an
HA master is shown in the Initially Configuring a Pair of Appliances as a Grid Master figure. You can create a Grid
Master in either IPv4, IPv6, or dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6). An IPv4 Grid Master uses IPv4 as the Grid communication
protocol, so it supports IPv4 and dual mode Grid members. An IPv6 Grid Master uses IPv6 as the Grid communication
protocol, so it supports IPv6 and dual mode Grid members. A dual mode Grid Master supports IPv4, IPv6, and dual mode
Grid members. You can set either IPv4 or IPv6 as the communication protocol. All Infoblox hardware platforms, except for
appliances with a 50 GB disk, support configuration as a Grid Master or Grid Master candidate. For information about
which vNIOS appliance supports configuration as a Grid Master, see vNIOS Appliances.
Initially Configuring a Pair of Appliances as a Grid Master

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After the two nodes form an HA pair, Node 2 initiates a key exchange and creates an encrypted VPN tunnel with Node 1.
The two nodes communicate between the VIP interface linked to the HA port on Node 1 and the LAN1 port on Node 2.
The initialization of VPN communications between the two nodes is shown in the below figure.
Establishing a VPN Tunnel for Grid Communications

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After the nodes establish a VPN tunnel between themselves, Node 1 sends Node 2 its entire database (its configuration
settings and service data). Since the configuration contains the VRID (virtual router ID) for the HA pair, Node 2 starts
listening for VRRP advertisements containing that VRID number. Also, since Node 1 is already sending such
advertisements, Node 2 receives one and assumes the passive role in the HA pair.
After the initial transmission of its database, Node 1 continues to send Node 2 real-time database updates through the
VPN tunnel.
Node 1 maintains the synchronization of the database throughout the Grid—which, at this point, has no other members—
sends VRRP advertisements indicating its physical and network health, and—if configured to do so— provides network
services. Node 2 maintains a state of readiness to assume the mastership in the event of a failover. You can see the flow
of HA and Grid-related traffic from ports on the active node to ports on the passive node in the Traffic and Ports that an
HA Grid Master Uses figure. This illustration also shows the ports that you can use for management traffic and network
service.
Traffic and Ports that an HA Grid Master Uses

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From the management system, you can manage the active node of the HA Master by making an HTTPS connection to
the VIP interface and using the GUI, and by making an SSHv2 connection to the LAN1 port (and MGMT port, if enabled)
and using the CLI. If you enable the MGMT port on an HA pair, you can make an HTTPS connection through the MGMT
port on the active node, and you can make an SSHv2 connection through the LAN1 or MGMT port on the active and
passive nodes.
 Note
For information about enabling and using the MGMT port, SSH, and the Infoblox GUI,
see Using the MGMT Port, Restricting GUI/API Access, and Logging on to the NIOS UI.
Port Numbers for Grid Communication

If connectivity between Grid members must pass through a firewall, the firewall policies must allow the initial key
exchange and subsequent VPN traffic to pass. The key exchange uses UDP with a source and destination port of 2114.
VPN traffic uses UDP with a default source and destination port of 1194. The VPN port number is configurable.
To configure the VPN port number, complete the following:

1. On the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar, and then select Grid Properties -> Edit.
2. On the General tab of the Grid Properties editor, type a new port number in the VPN Port field.
4. When Grid Manager displays a warning indicating that a product restart is required, click Yes to continue. The
product automatically restarts.
A member and master first perform a handshake to authenticate each other and exchange encryption keys. Then, they
build an encrypted VPN tunnel between themselves. The member typically initiates both of these connections. The
master only initiates a key exchange if you manually promote a member to the role of master, (see Promoting a Master

Rev. D
Candidate). The figure Establishing a VPN Tunnel for Grid Communications shows the typical connection exchange and
default port usage not only between the two nodes forming an HA pair but also between a member and master when the
member joins a Grid.
The member and master key exchange occurs when an appliance joins a Grid, during master promotion, and when a
member reconnects to a Grid after becoming disconnected. At all other times, Grid-related communications occur
through encrypted VPN tunnels.
Grid Setup Wizard

The Grid Setup Wizard simplifies configuring a Grid. You can use it to configure an HA or single Grid Master and to join
appliances to a Grid. The Grid Setup Wizard appears when you first log in to the appliance. After that, you can access it
at any time as follows:
1. On the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab.
2. Expand the Toolbar and select Grid Properties -> Setup (Grid Setup Wizard).
Creating an HA Grid Master

To create a Grid, you first create a Grid Master and then add members. Although you can define a single appliance as a
Grid Master, using an HA pair provides hardware redundancy for this vital component of a Grid. You can create an HA
Master in either IPv4, IPv6, or in dual mode. An IPv4 HA Master uses IPv4 as the communication protocol between the
two nodes and for Grid communication. An IPv6 HA pair uses IPv6 as the communication protocol between the two
nodes and for Grid communication. But in a dual mode HA pair, you can select either IPv4 or IPv6 as the communication
protocol between the two nodes and for Grid communication. The following procedure explains how to put two NIOS
appliances on the network and use the Grid Setup Wizard to configure them as Nodes 1 and 2 to form an HA Grid
Master. For information about which vNIOS appliance supports configuration as an HA Grid Master, see vNIOS
Appliances.
Configuring the Connecting Switch

To ensure that VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol) works properly, configure the following settings at the port
level for all the connecting switch ports (HA, LAN1, and LAN2):
• Spanning Tree Protocol: Disable this or enable this with Portfast. For vendor specific information, search for "HA"
in the Infoblox Knowledge Base system at https://support.infoblox.com.
• Trunking: Disable.
 Note
If VLAN tagging is enabled on an Infoblox HA appliance, you must enable trunking at the port level.
• EtherChannel: Disable.
• IGMP Snooping: Disable.
• DHCP Snooping: Disable or Enable Trust Interface.
 Note
You must disable DHCP Snooping to successfully run DHCP services on the Grid. For more information
about DHCP services, see About Infoblox DHCP Services.
• Port Channeling: Disable.

• Speed and Duplex settings: Match these settings on both the Infoblox appliance and switch.

Rev. D
• Disable other dynamic and proprietary protocols that might interrupt the forwarding of packets.
 Note
By default, a NIOS appliance automatically negotiates the optimal connection speed and transmission type (full
or half duplex) on the physical links between its LAN1 or LAN1 (VLAN), HA, and MGMT ports and the Ethernet
ports on the connecting switch. If the two appliances fail to auto-negotiate the optimal settings,
see Modifying Ethernet Port Settings for steps you can take to resolve the problem.
Placing Both Appliances on the Network

1. Connect the power cable from each NIOS appliance to a power source and turn on the power. If possible,
connect the appliances to separate power circuits. If one power circuit fails, the other might still be operative.
2. Connect Ethernet cables from the LAN1 port and the HA port on each appliance to a switch on the network.
3. Use the LCD on one appliance or make a console connection to it and configure the network settings of its LAN1
port so that it is on the local subnet and you can reach it on the network. LCD supports only IPv4 addressing and
not IPv6 addressing. You can configure IPv6 address for the appliance through CLI or GUI. IPv4 addressing is
supported on the LCD; ensure that you have the correct network address values before configuration of the
appliance.
 Note
For details about using the LCD and console, refer to the installation guide that shipped with your
product.
4. Similarly, configure the LAN1 port on the other appliance so that it is in the same subnet as the first appliance.
5. Connect your management system to the network so that it can reach the IP addresses of the LAN1 ports on both
appliances.
HA Master – Node 1
1. On your management system, open a browser window, and connect to https://ip_addr, where ip_addr is the IP
address of the LAN1 port on Node 1. IPv4 and IPv6 values are valid, based on the LAN1 port configuration.
2. Log in using the default username and password: admin and infoblox. For detailed information about logging in to
the GUI, see Logging on to the NIOS UI.
By default, the feature is enabled. If you want to disable it, select To Opt-Out of BloxConnect, please click
here. The Data Collection and Opt-Out Notice screen is displayed only when you log in to Grid Manager for the
first time. For more information, see Configuring BloxConnect.
6. On the first screen, select Configure a Grid Master and click Next.
7. On the next screen, specify the Grid properties and click Next:
• Grid Name: Enter a text string that the two appliances use to authenticate each other when establishing a
VPN tunnel between them. The default Grid name is Infoblox.
• Shared Secret: Enter a text string that both appliances use as a shared secret to authenticate each other
when establishing a VPN tunnel between them. The default shared secret is test.
• Confirm Shared Secret: Enter the shared secret again.
• Hostname: Enter a valid domain name for the appliance.
• Type of Network Connectivity: Select the type of network connectivity from the drop-down list:
• IPv4 and IPv6: Select this to configure a dual mode HA Master.
• IPv4: Select this to configure an IPv4 HA Master.
• IPv6: Select this to configure an IPv6 HA Master.
• Is the Grid Master an HA pair?: Select Yes.

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• Send HA and Grid Communication over: This field is displayed only when you are configuring a
dual mode HA pair. Select either IPv4 or IPv6 as the communication protocol for VRRP
advertisements.
 Note
• Infoblox recommends that you back up the configuration after you convert a Grid to a
different mode.
• Restoring the old backup by performing a forced restore, may prevent the Grid members
from rejoining the Grid Master after the restore.
8. On the next screen, specify the network properties and click Next:
• Virtual Router ID: Enter the VRID (virtual router ID). This must be a unique VRID number—from 1 to 255
—for this subnet.
• Ports and Addresses: This table lists the network interfaces based on the type of network connectivity of
the HA Master.
For IPv4 HA Master, specify the network information for VIP (IPv4), Node1 HA (IPv4), Node2 HA (IPv4),
Node1 LAN1 (IPv4), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv4) interfaces.
For IPv6 HA Master, specify the network information for VIP (IPv6), Node1 LAN1 (IPv6), and Node2 LAN1
(IPv6) interfaces.
For a dual mode HA Master, if you select IPv4 in the Send HA and Grid Communication over field, specify
the network information for the following interfaces: VIP (IPv4), Node1 HA (IPv4), Node1 LAN1 (IPv4),
Node2 HA (IPv4), Node2 LAN1 (IPv4), VIP (IPv6), Node1 LAN1 (IPv6), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv6)
interfaces.
For a dual mode HA Master, if you select IPv6 in the Send HA and Grid Communication over field, specify
the network information for the following interfaces: VIP (IPv4), Node1 LAN1 (IPv4), Node2 LAN1 (IPv4),
VIP (IPv6), Node1 LAN1 (IPv6), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv6) interfaces.
Enter correct information for the following by clicking the field:
• Interface: Displays the name of the interface. You cannot modify this.
• Address: Type the IPv4 or IPv6 address depending on the type of interface.
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): Specify an appropriate subnet mask for IPv4 address
or prefix length for IPv6 address. The prefix length ranges from 2 to 127.
• Gateway: Type the IPv4 or IPv6 address of the default gateway depending on the type of
interface. For the IPv6 interface, you can also type Automatic to enable the appliance to acquire
the IPv6 address of the default gateway and the link MTU from router advertisements.
 Note
You can now define a link-local address as the default IPv6 gateway and isolate the LAN
segment so that the local router can provide global addressing and access to the
network and Internet. This is supported for both LAN1, LAN2, and VLAN interfaces, as
well as LAN1, LAN2, VLAN in the failover mode. However, the link-local address does
not support the following:
• IPv6 link local gateway for the MGMT interface.
• IPv6 link local is not supported for addresses. It supported only for gateways.
• VLAN Tag: For a VLAN, enter the VLAN tag or ID. You can enter a number from 1 to 4094. Ensure
that you configure the corresponding switch accordingly.
• Port Settings: From the drop-down list, choose the connection speed that you want the port to use.
You can also choose the duplex setting. Choose Full for concurrent bidirectional data transmission
or Half for data transmission in one direction at a time. Select Automatic to instruct the NIOS
appliance to negotiate the optimum port connection type (full or half duplex) and speed with the
connecting switch automatically. This is the default setting. You cannot configure port settings for
vNIOS appliances.
9. Optionally, enter a new password and click Next. The password must be a single string (no spaces) that is at
least four characters long.
10. Select the time zone of the Grid Master and indicate whether the Grid Master synchronizes its time with an NTP
(Network Time Protocol) server.

Rev. D
• If you choose to enable NTP, click the Add icon and enter the IP address of an NTP server. Entries may
be an IPv4 or IPv6 address. You can enter IP addresses for multiple NTP servers.
• If you choose to disable NTP, set the date and time for the appliance.
• Click Next.
11. The last screen displays the settings you specified in the previous panels of the wizard. Verify that the information
is correct and click Finish. The application restarts after you click Finish.
 Note
The Grid Setup Wizard provides options such as not changing the default password and manually
entering the time and date. However, changing the password and using an NTP server improves
security and accuracy (respectively), and so these choices are presented here.
Record and retain this information in a safe place. If you forget the shared secret, you need to contact
Infoblox Technical Support for help. When you add an appliance to the Grid, you must configure it with
the same Grid name, shared secret, and VPN port number that you configure on the Grid Master.
12. Close the management window. The configuration for Node 1 is complete.
HA Master – Node 2
1. On your management system, open a new browser window, and connect to https://ip_addr, where ip_addr is the
IP address of the LAN1 port on Node 2. IPv4 or IPv6 values are valid.
When you enter an IPv6 address, enclose the address in square brackets (as in https://[ip_addr] or https://
[2001:db8::256:ABCD:EF12:34:1].
2. Log in using the default username and password admin and infoblox.
6. On the first screen, select Join Existing Grid and click Next.
7. On the next screen, specify the Grid properties and click Next.
VPN tunnel between them. This must match the Grid name you entered for Node 1.
• Grid Master's IP Address: Enter the same VIP you entered for Node 1.
when establishing a VPN tunnel between them. This must match your entry in Node 1.
8. On the next screen verify the IP address settings of the member and click Next.
The last screen displays the settings you specified in the previous panels of the wizard.
9. Verify that the information is correct and click Finish.
The setup of the HA master is complete. From now on, when you make an HTTPS connection to the HA pair, use
the VIP address.
The communication protocol for all the services in a dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) HA Master is the same protocol as the
one used for VRRP advertisements. For example, if you select IPv4 in the Send HA and Grid Communication over field
in step 2 of the Grid Setup wizard, then IPv4 is set as the communication protocol for all the services. However, you can
override the communication protocol for all the services in a dual mode HA Master. For information, see Changing the
Communication Protocol for a Dual Mode Appliance.
Creating a Single Grid Master

Although using an HA master is ideal because of the hardware redundancy it provides, you can also use a single
appliance as the Grid Master. You can create a single Grid Master in either IPv4, IPv6, or dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6).
Infoblox recommends frequent backups if the Grid Master is a single appliance, and there is no Master Candidate. For

Rev. D
information about which vNIOS appliance supports configuration as a single Grid Master, see vNIOS Appliances.
Setting up an appliance as a single Grid Master is very easy. If the appliance has the DNSone package with the Grid
upgrade, it is already a Grid Master. You simply need to define the network settings for its LAN1 port. The various
procedures for defining the network settings for the LAN1 port of a single independent appliance apply here as well.
Therefore, you can use any of the following procedures to define the network settings for the LAN1 port of the appliance
that you want to make a single Grid Master:
• LCD: See Method 1 – Using the LCD. (LCD configuration does not support IPv6 address entry.)
• Console port: See – Method 2 – Using the CLI.
You can also use the NIOS Grid Setup Wizard to create a single Grid Master. In addition to providing a simple method
accompanied by helpful information, the setup wizard allows you to change the admin password and configure time
settings for the appliance.
Using the Setup Wizard

To create a single Grid Master using the Grid Setup Wizard, complete the following:
1. Connect the power cable from the NIOS appliance to a power source and turn on the power.
2. Connect an Ethernet cable from the LAN1 port on the appliance to a switch on the network.
3. If you have not changed the default IP address (192.168.1.2/24) of the LAN1 port through the LCD or CLI—and
the subnet to which you connect the appliance does not happen to be 192.168.1.0/24—put your management
system in the 192.168.1.0/24 subnet and connect an Ethernet cable between your management system and the
NIOS appliance.
4. Open a web browser and make an HTTPS connection to the IP address of the LAN1 port. To reach the default IP
address, enter: *https://192.168.1.2* .
Several certificate warnings appear during the login process. This is normal because the preloaded certificate is
self-signed (and, therefore, is not in the trusted certificate stores in your browser) and has the host name
www.infoblox.com, which does not match the destination IP address you entered in step 3. To stop the warning
messages from occurring each time you log in to the GUI, you can generate a new self-signed certificate or
import a third-party certificate with a common name that matches the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) of the
appliance. For information about certificates, see Managing Certificates.
5. Log in using the default username admin and password infoblox.
6. Read the Infoblox End-User License Agreement, and then click I Accept. Note that if you want to view the privacy
policy of Infoblox, then click Infoblox Privacy Policy. Grid Manager displays the policy on a new browser tab.
8. Click OK. The Grid Setup Wizard appears.
10. On the next screen, specify the Grid properties and click Next:
• Grid Name: Enter a text string that the Grid Master and appliances joining the Grid use to authenticate
each other when establishing a VPN tunnel between them. The default Grid name is Infoblox.
• Shared Secret: Enter a text string that the Grid Master and appliances joining the Grid use as a shared
secret to authenticate each other when establishing a VPN tunnel between them. The default shared
secret is test.
• Hostname: Enter a valid domain name for the appliance.
• Type of Network Connectivity: Select the type of network connectivity for the Grid Master from the drop-
down list:
• IPv4 and IPv6: Select this to configure a dual mode Grid Master.
• IPv4: Select this to configure an IPv4-only Grid Master.
• IPv6: Select this to configure an IPv6-only Grid Master.
 Note

Rev. D
• Infoblox recommends that you back up the configuration after you convert a Grid
to a different mode.
• Restoring the old backup by performing a forced restore, may prevent the Grid
members from rejoining the Grid Master after the restore.
• Is the Grid Master an HA pair?: Select No.

11. On the next screen, configure the network settings and click Next:
a. Ports and Addresses: This table lists the network interfaces based on the type of network connectivity of
the Grid Master. For IPv4 Grid Master, specify the network information for LAN1 (IPv4) port and for IPv6
Grid Master, specify the network information for LAN1 (IPv6) port. For a dual mode Grid Master, specify
the network information for both LAN1 (IPv4) and LAN1 (IPv6).
• Address: Type the IPv4 or IPv6 address depending on the type of interface. An IPv6 address is a
128-bit number in colon hexadecimal notation. It consists of eight 16-bit groups of hexadecimal
digits separated by colons (example: 2001:db8:0000:0123:4567:89ab:0000:cdef or
2001:db8::123:4567:89ab:0:cdef).
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): Specify an appropriate subnet mask for the IPv4
address or prefix length for the IPv6 address. The prefix length ranges from 2 to 127.
 Note
You can now define a link-local address as the default IPv6 gateway and isolate the LAN
segment, so the local router can provide global addressing and access to the network
and Internet. For information about the link-local address limitations, see the Gateway
field description in the HA Master – Node 1 section.
vNIOS appliances.
12. Optionally, enter a new password and click Next. The password must be a single alphanumeric string (no spaces)
that is at least four characters long. The password is case-sensitive.
13. Select the time zone of the Grid Master and indicate whether the Grid Master synchronizes its time with an NTP
(Network Time Protocol) server, and then click Next.
• If you choose to enable NTP, click the Add icon and enter the IP address of an NTP server. Entries may
be an IPv4 or IPv6 address. You can enter IP addresses for multiple NTP servers.
• If you choose to disable NTP, set the date and time for the appliance.
is correct and click Finish. The application restarts after you click Finish.
 Note
The Grid Setup wizard provides options such as not changing the default password and manually entering the
time and date. However, changing the password and using an NTP server improves security and accuracy
(respectively), and so these choices are presented here.
Record and retain this information in a safe place. If you forget the shared secret, you need to contact Infoblox
Technical Support for help. When you add an appliance to the Grid, you must configure it with the same Grid
name, shared secret, and VPN port number that you configure on the Grid Master.

Rev. D
The last screen of the setup wizard states that the changed settings require the appliance to restart. When you click
Finish, the appliance restarts.
The setup of the single master is complete. From now on, when you make an HTTPS connection to the appliance, use its
new IP address.
In a dual mode Grid Master, the communication protocol for all the services is set to IPv4, by default. You can change the
default communication protocol for the services. For information, see Changing the Communication Protocol for a Dual
Mode Appliance.
Adding Grid Members
 Note
You may provision a Port Reservation for the new Grid Member. When doing so, you select the device to which
you expect the new Grid Member to connect; In the context of a Grid member, this device type is usually an
Ethernet Switch or Switch-Router. The Add Grid Member Wizard provides a step in which you define the port
reservation settings, as described in the following section Adding a Single Member. The process also can be
applied when defining an HA pair, as described in the
sections Creating an HA Grid Master and Adding an HA Member.
You can add single appliances and HA pairs to a Grid, forming single members and HA members, respectively. A single
Grid member can be either an Infoblox appliance or a vNIOS appliance. You can configure Grid members in either IPv4,
IPv6, or dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6). For information about which vNIOS appliance supports configuration as an HA Grid
member, see vNIOS Appliances.
You can also define an HA member on the Grid Master and then add two individual NIOS appliances to the Grid as Node
1 and Node 2 to complete the HA member you defined on the master.
New members inherit all settings that you create at the Grid level unless you override them at the member level. You can
also define port reservations for the network infrastructure devices to which the Grid members will connect.
The process for adding either a single appliance or HA pair to a Grid involves the following steps:
1. Adding and configuring Grid members on the Grid Master. In addition to defining the network and appliance
settings for a member, you can also configure service settings before you join the member or HA pair to the Grid.
2. Reserving a port on a switch or switch-router for connectivity to the Grid member.
3. Joining the appliance or HA pair to the Grid. This includes defining the VIP or IP address of the Grid Master, the
Grid name, and the shared secret on the single appliance or HA pair. If an appliance or HA pair cannot join the
Grid because of MTU (maximum transmission unit) limitations on its network link, you can reduce the MTU that
the master uses when communicating with it. See Setting the MTU for VPN Tunnels. If the Grid Master is behind
a NAT device and there are members on both sides of that NAT device, you must create a NAT group, as
described in NAT Groups.
In a large-scale deployment of Grids across multiple sites, consider remotely provisioning your Grid members before
joining them to the Grid. For more information about this feature, see Auto-Provisioning NIOS Appliances.
In situations where you want to define certain configurations on an offline Grid member and associate DNS and DHCP
data to the member before deploying it, you can use the pre-provisioning feature to accomplish this. For more
information, see Pre-Provisioning NIOS and vNIOS Appliances.
Adding a Single Member

The basic steps necessary to add a single member are as follows:
1. Define the network settings of the LAN1 port of the single appliance on the Grid Master.
2. Initiate the join Grid operation during which you specify the VIP or IP address of the Grid Master, the Grid name,
and the shared secret on the single appliance. For information, see Joining Appliances to the Grid.
On the Grid Master, you can configure any service settings such as DNS zones and records, DHCP networks and
address ranges, and other services for a member before or after you join the appliance to the Grid. The basic steps for

Rev. D
adding a single member are presented in the following section.
For information on how to configure a vNIOS appliance as a Grid member, refer to the Quick Start Guide for Installing
vNIOS Software on VMware Platforms.
Configuring a Single Member on the Grid Master

2. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Add Grid Member.
3. In the Add Grid Member wizard, enter the following and click Next:
• Member Type: Specify the appliance type of the Grid member. If the member is an Infoblox appliance, select
Infoblox, which is the default. For a vNIOS appliance, select Virtual NIOS for vNIOS virtual appliances, including
cloud virtual appliances.
• Host Name: Type the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) of the appliance that you are adding to the
Grid. Ensure to use a host name containing characters (A-Z or a-z), numbers (0–9), ".", "-", and "_". Additional
special characters cannot be used.
• Time Zone: If the Grid member is in a different time zone from the Grid, click Override and select a time zone.
• Comment: Type a comment that provides some useful information about the appliance, such as its location.
• Master Candidate: Select this option to designate this appliance as a Master Candidate. For supported vNIOS
appliances, see vNIOS Appliances.
• Enter the following information about the member that you are adding to the Grid and click Next:
• Type of Network Connectivity: Select the type of network connectivity for the Grid member from the drop-down
list:
• IPv4 and IPv6: Select this to configure a dual mode Grid member.
• IPv4: Select this to configure an IPv4 Grid member.
• IPv6: Select this to configure an IPv6 Grid member.
 Note
Infoblox recommends that you back up the configuration after you convert a Grid to a different mode.
Restoring the old backup by performing a forced restore, may prevent the Grid members from rejoining
the Grid Master after the restore.
• Standalone Member: Select this option.

• Required Ports and Addresses: This table lists the network interfaces based on the type of network connectivity
of the Grid member. For IPv4 Grid member, specify the network information for LAN1 (IPv4) port and for IPv6
Grid member, specify the network information for LAN1 (IPv6) port. For a dual mode Grid member, specify the
network information for both LAN1 (IPv4), and LAN1 (IPv6).
• Address: Type the IPv4 or IPv6 address depending on the type of interface. An IPv6 address is a 128-bit number
in colon hexadecimal notation. It consists of eight 16-bit groups of hexadecimal digits separated by colons
(example: 2001:db8:0000:0123:4567:89ab:0000:cdef or 2001:db8::123:4567:89ab:0:cdef).
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): Specify an appropriate subnet mask for IPv4 address or prefix length
for IPv6 address. The prefix length ranges from 2 to 127.
• Gateway: Type the IPv4 or IPv6 address of the default gateway depending on the type of interface. For IPv6
interface, you can also type Automatic to enable the appliance to acquire the IPv6 address of the default gateway
and the link MTU from router advertisements.
• VLAN Tag: For a VLAN, enter the VLAN tag or ID. You can enter a number from 1 to 4094. Ensure that you
configure the corresponding switch accordingly.
• Port Settings: From the drop-down list, choose the connection speed that you want the port to use. You can also
choose the duplex setting. Choose Full for concurrent bidirectional data transmission or Half for data transmission
in one direction at a time. Select Automatic to instruct the NIOS appliance to negotiate the optimum port
connection type (full or half duplex) and speed with the connecting switch automatically. This is the default
setting. You cannot configure port settings for vNIOS appliances.

Rev. D
• DSCP Value: Displays the Grid DSCP value, if configured. To modify, click Override and enter the DSCP value.
You can enter a value from 0 to 63. For information about DSCP, see Implementing Quality of Service Using
DSCP.
5. In the Port Reservation page, do the following:
Begin by checking the Reserve Port checkbox. Note that reserving a switch port does not guarantee its availability once
the device must connect. The port is automatically assigned for connectivity to the LAN1 port on the appliance.
Optionally, you can skip connecting port configuration by clicking Next. Click the Clear button to remove the selected
device from the configuration.
• Click the Select Device button to choose the device for which the port reservation will be associated. You should
know the identity of the device to which the Infoblox appliance will connect before taking this step. For Grid
member connectivity, the chosen device should be either a switch or a switch-router.
• After choosing the device, choose the Interface with which the reservation will be bound. The drop-down list
shows only interfaces that are most recently found to be available by Grid Manager during the last Discovery
cycle. This list will not include any ports that are Administratively Up and Operationally Up or that are otherwise
already assigned to other networks or Objects.
• The Wizard page also shows a list of any VLANs that are currently configured in the chosen device (The following
VLANs are configured). This Wizard page does not allow the definition of new VLANs for port configuration–only
the assignment of an existing VLAN in the device to your new port reservation. (Recall that you may specify the
VLAN Tag across which Grid member traffic will travel, when you specified the Grid member information in Step 2
of the Wizard.)
• Check the Configure Port checkbox to define specific Port Control settings for the port reservation.
• Choose the Data VLAN and/or the Voice VLAN settings you may need for the port assignment. Depending on the
selected device, the Voice VLAN field may or may not appear.
• Set the Admin Status to Up if you need to activate the port after assignment in the current task.
• All Port Control operations require CLI credentials to be entered into Grid Manager. Because some IPAM
and DHCP Objects will use Port Control features as part of object creation, CLI credentials are
automatically leveraged as part of discovery. Ensure you have the correct sets of CLI credentials for
devices in your network.
• Enter a Description for the port assignment. Infoblox recommends doing so to help other technicians to recognize
the port assignment event.
• When finished, click Next to continue in the wizard.
6. Optionally, define extensible attributes. For information, see About Extensible Attributes.
7. The final step for adding a Grid member is to define when the associated Port Configuration task executes. You may
execute it immediately or schedule it for another time and date.
• To create the new port configuration immediately, select Now. The port control task is automatically synchronized
to take place at the same time as the activation of the new Grid member.
• You can choose to have Grid Manager execute the port control task at a later time. To do so, select Later. Choose
a Selected time by entering or selecting a Start Date (click the calendar icon to choose a calendar date) and a
Start Time, and choose a Time Zone.
8. Choose one of the following from the Save &... drop-down button menu:
• Click Save & Close to add the single member to the Grid and close the wizard (this is the default).
• Click Save & Edit to add the single member to the Grid and launch the editor. You can configure additional
properties, such as the MTU size, or add the member to a NAT group.
• Click Save & New to add the single member to the Grid and launch the wizard again to add another
member.
The communication protocol for all the services in a dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) Grid member is set to IPv4, by default.
You can change the default communication protocol for all the services. For information, see Changing the
Communication Protocol for a Dual Mode Appliance.
Adding an HA Member
The basic steps necessary to add an HA member are as follows:
1. Define the network settings of the HA pair on the Grid Master.

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2. Initiate the join Grid operation, during which you specify the VIP or IP address of the Grid Master, the Grid name,
and the shared secret on the HA pair. For information, see Joining Appliances to the Grid.
In addition, on the Grid Master you can configure the service settings such as DNS zones and records, DHCP networks
and address ranges, and so on for a member before or after you join the HA pair to the Grid. The basic steps for adding
an HA member are presented below.
 Note
The procedure for adding an HA pair to a Grid when it uses the MGMT port of the active node for Grid
communications differs slightly from that described below. See Grid Communications.
Configuring an HA Member on the Grid Master

• Member Type: Specify the appliance type of the Grid member. If the member is an Infoblox appliance,
select Infoblox, which is the default. For a vNIOS appliance on VMware, select Virtual NIOS.
• Host Name: Type the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) for the HA member. Ensure to use a host name
containing characters (A-Z or a-z), numbers (0–9), ".", "-", and "_". Additional special characters cannot be
used.
• Time Zone: If you want the Grid member to have a different time zone, click Override and select a time
zone.
• Comment: Type a comment that provides some useful information about the appliance, such as its
location.
• Master Candidate: select this checkbox to designate this appliance as a Master Candidate. For supported
vNIOS appliances, see vNIOS Appliances.
4. Enter the following information about the member that you are adding to the Grid and click Next:
• Type of Network Connectivity: Select the type of network connectivity for the HA member from the drop-
down list:
• IPv4 and IPv6: Select this to configure a dual mode HA member.
• IPv4: Select this to configure an IPv4 HA member.
• IPv6: Select this to configure an IPv6 HA member.
• High Availability Pair: Select this option.
• Virtual Router ID: Enter a unique VRID number—from 1 to 255—for the local subnet.
• Send HA and Grid Communication Over: This field is displayed only when you are configuring a
dual mode HA member. Select either IPv4 or IPv6 as the communication protocol for VRRP
advertisements and for joining the Grid Master.
 Note
Infoblox recommends that you back up the configuration after you convert a Grid to a
different mode.
Restoring the old backup by performing a forced restore, may prevent the Grid members
from rejoining the Grid Master after the restore.
• Required Ports and Addresses: This table lists the network interfaces based on the type of network connectivity.
For IPv4 HA member, specify the network information for VIP (IPv4), Node1 HA (IPv4), Node2 HA (IPv4), Node1
LAN1 (IPv4), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv4) interfaces. For IPv6 HA member, specify the network information for VIP
(IPv6), Node1 LAN1 (IPv6), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv6) interfaces.
For a dual mode HA member, if you select IPv4 in the Send HA and Grid Communication over field, specify the
network information for the following interfaces: VIP (IPv4), Node1 HA (IPv4), Node1 LAN1 (IPv4), Node2 HA
(IPv4), Node2 LAN1 (IPv4), VIP (IPv6), Node1 LAN1 (IPv6), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv6) interfaces.
For a dual mode HA member, if you select IPv6 in the Send HA and Grid Communication over field, specify the
network information for the following interfaces: VIP (IPv4), Node1 LAN1 (IPv4), Node2 LAN1 (IPv4), VIP (IPv6),

Rev. D
Node1 LAN1 (IPv6), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv6) ports.
• Address: Type the IPv4 or IPv6 address depending on the type of interface. An IPv6 address is a 128-bit number
in colon hexadecimal notation. It consists of eight 16-bit groups of hexadecimal digits separated by colons
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): Specify an appropriate subnet mask for IPv4 interface or prefix
length for IPv6 interface. The prefix length ranges from 2 to 127.
• Gateway: Type the IPv4 or IPv6 address of the default gateway depending on the type of interface. For IPv6
interface, you can also type Automatic to enable the appliance to acquire the IPv6 address of the default gateway
and the link MTU from router advertisements.
• VLAN Tag: For a VLAN, enter the VLAN tag or ID. You can enter a number from 1 to 4094. Ensure that you
configure the corresponding switch accordingly.
• Port Settings: From the drop-down list, choose the connection speed that you want the port to use. You can also
choose the duplex setting. Choose Full for concurrent bidirectional data transmission or Half for data transmission
in one direction at a time. Select Automatic to instruct the NIOS appliance to negotiate the optimum port
• DSCP Value: Displays the Grid DSCP value, if configured. To modify, click Override and enter the DSCP value.
You can enter a value from 0 to 63. For information about DSCP, see Implementing Quality of Service Using
DSCP.
 Note
When the system operates in HA mode, should the IPv6–addressed VIP value be deleted, the IPv6
address of the HA port will also be deleted.
5. Optionally, define extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes .
• Click Save & Edit to add the HA member to the Grid and launch the editor. You can configure additional
properties, such as the MTU size, or add the member to a NAT group.
• Click Save & New to add the HA member to the Grid and launch the wizard again to add another member.
• Click Save & Close to add the HA member to the Grid and close the wizard.
The communication protocol for all the services in a dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) HA member is the same protocol as the
one that is used for VRRP advertisements. For example, if you select IPv4 in the Send HA and Grid Communication over
field in step 2 of the Add Grid Member wizard, then IPv4 is set as the communication protocol for all the services.
However, you can override the communication protocol for all the services in a dual mode HA member. For information,
see Changing the Communication Protocol for a Dual Mode Appliance.
Changing the Member Type

When you change the Member Type from Infoblox to Virtual NIOS, Infoblox displays an error indicating that the network
port of a vNIOS member must be set to Automatic. If you encounter this error, follow the steps mentioned below to
change the Member Type to Virtual NIOS:
3. In the Add Grid Member wizard, leave the Member Type as Infoblox, fill other details and click Next.
4. In the Network tab select High Availability Pair.
5. Change the port settings to Automatic for Node1 HA.
6. Select Standalone Member.
7. Click Previous and change the Member Type to vNIOS.

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Changing the Communication Protocol for a Dual Mode Appliance
You can change the default communication protocol for a dual mode appliance. You can force the appliance to use a
specific protocol to join the Grid Master and for the reporting services. But for services with two types of resolution (A and
AAAA records), you can set the preferred communication protocol.
To change the communication protocol for a dual mode appliance:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. In the Grid Member Properties editor, select the Network tab -> Basic tab, and then complete the following:
• Communication Protocol Settings and Preferences: This setting is not applicable for an HA pair. Select
either IPv4 or IPv6 from the drop-down list. This setting will force the appliance to use the specified
protocol for Grid and reporting services and this is the preferred protocol for services with two types of
resolution (A and AAAA records).
• Customized Settings: Select this and do the following:
• Always use this Communications Protocol for: For a Grid Master, you can select either IPv4 or
IPv6 from the Reporting drop-down list. This setting will force the Grid Master to use the specified
communication protocol for reporting service. For a Grid member, you can select either IPv4 or
IPv6 from the Grid and Reporting drop-down list. This setting will force the Grid member to use the
specified communication protocol for Grid and reporting service.
• Always Prefer this Communications Protocol for: This field lists the services which has two types
of resolution (A and AAAA records). Select either IPv4 or IPv6 from the drop-down list for the
service which you want the appliance to use this as the preferred communication protocol. The
appliance uses the preferred protocol first for the service.
Joining Appliances to the Grid

Grid members can join the Grid using IPv4 protocol in an IPv4-only Grid and using IPv6 protocol in an IPv6-only Grid. In
a dual mode Grid, the Grid members may join the Grid using IPv4 or IPv6. Similarly, a Grid Master candidate can join the
Grid using IPv4 in an IPv4-only Grid and using IPv6 in an IPv6-only Grid. But for a Grid Master candidate to join a dual
mode Grid, it should be configured in dual mode. If you have configured the MGMT port for the Grid member, then the
Grid member can join the Grid using the MGMT port. You can use the Grid Setup Wizard or access the Join Grid dialog
box to join appliances to a Grid. The Grid Setup Wizard launches when you first log in to an appliance. You can also
launch it from the Toolbar as described in Grid Setup Wizard.
To join a single appliance and HA pair to a Grid using the Grid Manager GUI:
1. Log in to the appliance or HA pair that you want to add to the Grid. The appliance or HA pair must be online and
able to reach the Grid Master.
3. Expand the Toolbar and click Join Grid.
4. In the Join Grid dialog box, enter the following:
• Virtual IP of Grid Master: Type the VIP address of the HA Grid Master or the LAN1 address of the single
Grid Master for the Grid to which you want to add the appliance. Entries may be an IPv4 or IPv6 address.
• Grid Name: Type the name of the Grid.
• Grid Shared Secret: Type the shared secret of the Grid.
• Use MGMT port to join Grid: If you have already enabled the MGMT port (see Grid Communications), this
option becomes available. Select it to connect to the Grid through the MGMT port.
5. Click OK to begin the join operation.
To confirm that the appliance has successfully joined the Grid, log in to the Grid Master and navigate to the Grid
tab, select the Grid Manager -> Members tab. This panel lists the Grid members. Check the icon in the Status
column of the newly added member. (green = the appliance has joined the Grid and is functioning properly;
yellow = the appliance is in the process of joining the Grid; red = the appliance has not joined the Grid). You can
also use the CLI command set network to join an appliance to a Grid.
To join a single appliance and HA pair to a Grid using the Grid Setup Wizard:
1. Log in to the appliance or HA pair that you want to add to the Grid. The appliance or HA pair must be online and
able to reach the Grid Master.
3. Expand the Toolbar and click Grid Properties -> Setup (Grid Setup Wizard).

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4. On the next screen, specify the Grid properties and click Next
VPN tunnel between them. This must match the Grid name you entered for node 1.
• Grid Master's IP Address: Enter the same VIP you entered for node 1.
when establishing a VPN tunnel between them. This must match your entry in node 1.
5. On the next screen verify the IP address settings of the member and click Next.
is correct and click Finish.
To confirm that the appliance has successfully joined the Grid, log in to the Grid Master and navigate to the Grid
tab, select the Grid Manager -> Members tab. This panel lists the Grid members. Check the icon in the Status
column of the newly added member. (Green = The appliance has joined the Grid and is functioning properly;
Yellow = The appliance is in the process of joining the Grid; Red = The appliance has not joined the Grid). You
can also use the CLI command set network to join an appliance to a Grid.
Grouping Members by Extensible Attributes

When you have a few members in your Grid, you can organize and group them by extensible attributes that contain the
same values. Using the Group Results function, you can organize your members in a meaningful way and quickly identify
them based on common data. When you group members by multiple extensible attributes, the appliance groups the
members hierarchically based on the order of the filters. For example, when you filter members first by extensible
attribute "Site equals London" and then by extensible attribute "Organization equals Engineering," the appliance groups
corresponding members first by Site and then by Organization based on the values you enter. In the Grid tab -> Grid
Manager tab ->Members tab, Grid Manager displays the grouped members in a hierarchical view that displays the
member group name (London). You can click the London link and drill down to the next level of grouping. In this case,
Grid Manager displays the organization group (Engineering) in the Members tab. When you click the Engineering link to
drill down to the next level, all associated members that belong to this member group (London -> Engineering) are
displayed.
To go back to a previous hierarchical view, click the link of the corresponding level in the breadcrumb.
To group members by extensible attributes:
or
From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Services tab.
 Note
You can use the "Group Results" function for the following services: DNS, DHCP, TFTP, FTP, HTTP,
NTP, bloxTools, Captive Portal, and Reporting services.
or
From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP, File Distribution, or DNS tab -> Members/Servers tab.
2. Complete the following to group members with the same extensible attribute value:
• Group Results: Select this checkbox to enable the appliance to group members by extensible attributes.
• Group By: From the drop-down list, select the first extensible attribute that you want the appliance to use
for filtering members.
Grid Manager displays data per group of members configured with the same extensible attribute value.
To add additional Group By filter, click the + icon, and then select a value from the drop-down list. You can apply up to 10
Group By filters. You can also delete a filter by clicking the - icon.
When you enable reporting service on the Grid and configure multi-site cluster, you can group reporting members by
reporting site extensible attributes. For information about reporting clusters, see Configuring Reporting Clusters.
Grid Manager displays the following information for the specified extensible attribute:
• <Selected extensible attribute>: Displays the selected extensible attribute value.

Rev. D
• Status: This is the overall status for all members in the group. Depending on the status of each member, the
overall status can be one of the following: Working, Warning, Failed, Offline, Inactive, or Unknown. For
information about the status, Status Dashboard.
 Note
In an HA pair, when one of the appliances is in the Working status and the other appliance has a status
other than Working, Inactive, and Unknown, then the overall status of HA members is Warning. When
you use filters and the group by extensible attribute feature, filters take precedence over the group by
function.
When you drill-down to the member level, Grid Manager displays the members in the group.
Configuring an IPv6-only Grid

An IPv6-only Grid uses IPv6 as the communication protocol and it includes an IPv6 Grid Master and the Grid members,
which can be either IPv6 or dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6). In order to configure an IPv6-only Grid, you have to first create
an IPv6 Grid Master and then join the Grid members using their IPv6 addresses.
The process of configuring an IPv6-only Grid involves the following steps:
1. Make a console connection to the Grid Master and configure an IPv6 address for the Grid Master using the CLI
command set network. For information, see Method 2 – Using the CLI.
2. Open a web browser and make an HTTPS connection to the IPv6 address of LAN1 port of the Grid Master.
3. Log in using the default username and password admin and infoblox. For detailed information about logging in to
the GUI, see Logging on to the NIOS UI.
4. The Grid Setup Wizard appears when you first log in to the appliance. You can use it to create an IPv6 HA Master
or IPv6 single Grid Master. For information about creating an HA Master, see Creating an HA Grid Master and for
information about creating a single Grid Master, see Creating a Single Grid Master.
The type of network connectivity for the Grid Master should be set to IPv6. To verify, navigate to the Grid tab ->
Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon. In the Grid Member Properties editor, select
the Network tab -> Basic tab, check that the Type of Network Connectivity is set to IPv6. The Grid members can
join the Grid Master using IPv6 only.
 Note
• You can add additional IPv4 and IPv6 addresses for LAN2 and MGMT ports for the Grid
services, in the Additional Ports and Addresses table. But for an IPv6-only Grid, you can
configure IPv6 address for the VLAN port.
• Legacy Data Connector virtual machines are not supported on IPv6-only Grids.
5. Add IPv6 single members and HA members to the Grid. For information, see Adding Grid Members.
 Note
To add a discovery member to an IPv6-only grid, add the member first and then install its discovery
license. If the system displays the "Cannot configure IPv6-only settings on member because it has a
discovery license installed." in the Grid Member Properties Editor dialog box of the discovery member,
disregard the error message.
6. You can use the Grid Setup Wizard or access the Join Grid dialog box to join appliances to a Grid. See Joining
Appliances to the Grid.
You can also configure IPv6 address for the MGMT interface of the appliance and join the Grid through the MGMT
interface.

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Transforming to an IPv6-only Grid
After an upgrade from a previous NIOS release to NIOS 7.0 or later, each node in the Grid is set to either IPv4 or dual
mode (IPv4 and IPv6). Transforming an IPv4-only Grid to an IPv6-only Grid may take a longer duration. Hence, before
removing the IPv4 addresses from each Grid member, you have to configure additional IPv6 Grid communication
protocol for each Grid member so that all the services function properly using IPv6.
Note the following before converting an IPv4-only or a dual mode Grid to an IPv6-only Grid:
• If a Grid member is designated as a Master Candidate, the Grid manager does not allow you to change the type
of network connectivity of the Grid Master or the Grid Master Candidate. Therefore, you must disable the Grid
member from being a Grid Master Candidate before changing the type of network connectivity of the Grid Master
or the Grid Master Candidate. You can deselect the Master Candidate option in the General tab of the Grid
Member Properties editor to disable a member from being a Master Candidate. Note that at this point, the Grid
will not have a Grid Master Candidate and this may result in an unrecoverable condition, if the Grid Master goes
down.
• You must stop all services on the Grid Master and Grid members that uses IPv4.
• If external servers like authentication servers, forwarders, root name servers, backup servers, etc. is configured
with IPv4 addresses, then it will not work after converting the Grid to an IPv6-only Grid. Hence, make sure that
you change the IPv4 address of the external server to IPv6 address before converting the Grid to an IPv6-only
Grid.
 Note
Infoblox recommends that you back up the configuration after you convert a Grid to IPv6-only mode.
Restoring the old backup by performing a forced restore, may prevent the Grid members from rejoining
the Grid Master after the restore.
The process of transforming an IPv4-only or dual mode Grid to an IPv6-only Grid involves the following steps:
1. Convert the Grid Master into dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) if it is in IPv4 mode, as follows:
• Login to the Grid Master, from the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> select the Grid Master and
• In the Grid Member Properties editor, select the Network tab -> Basic tab.
• In the Type of Network Connectivity field, select IPv4 and IPv6 from the drop-down list and enter the network
information for LAN1 (IPv6) address in the Ports and Addresses table.
For HA Master, select IPv4 in the Send HA and Grid Communication Over field, and enter the network information
for VIP (IPv6), Node1 LAN1 (IPv6), Node2 LAN1 (IPv6) in the Ports and Addresses table.
• Similarly, convert all the Grid members into dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) if it is in IPv4 mode. All the members will
rejoin the Grid using IPv4.
• Force each Grid member to rejoin the Grid using IPv6, as follows:
• From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
• In the Always Force or Prefer this Communications Protocol field, select IPv6 from the drop-down list, and
also select IPv6 in the Send HA and Grid Communication over field if the member is an HA pair.
This setting will force the Grid member to rejoin the Grid using IPv6 and it uses IPv6 for all the services.
• Configure each Grid member to provide DNS service using IPv6, as follows:
• From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
• In the Member DNS Properties editor, select the General tab -> Basic tab.
• Enable the IPv6 checkbox for the desired interface (LAN1, LAN2, or MGMT) under DNS Interfaces.
• Ensure that the primary and secondary servers are configured with an IPv6 address for each zone, before
disabling the IPv4 checkbox for LAN1, LAN2, or MGMT interface.
 Note

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• When you transform an IPv4-only or dual mode Grid to an IPv6-only Grid, the LAN1 port
for IPv4 is always enabled. The LAN1 port is disabled only when the Grid is configured
using IPv6 from the beginning.
• For vNIOS appliances, some of the options in the DNS Interfaces section may vary
depending on your vNIOS configuration. For example, if you are using a single network
interface instance of vNIOS for GCP, you will see choices specific to the LAN1 interface
only. For more information, see the vNIOS documentation specific to your product
at Appliances.
• Configure each Grid member to provide DHCP service using IPv6, as follows:
• From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
• In the Member DHCP Properties editor, select the General tab -> Basic tab.
• Disable the IPv4 checkbox for LAN1 and LAN2 interface under DHCP Interfaces.
• Enable the IPv6 checkbox for the desired interface (LAN1 or LAN2) under DHCP Interfaces.
If IPv6 network is not configured, you can create an IPv6 network. For information, see Managing IPv6
Networks.
• Enable each Grid member and the Grid Master to use IPv6 for all the services, as follows:
• In the Grid Member Properties editor, select the Network tab -> Basic tab, and select Customized Settings
and specify the following:
• Always Force this Communication Protocol for: Select IPv6 from the drop-down list for the Grid
and reporting service.
• Always Prefer this Communication Protocol for: Select IPv6 from the drop-down list as the
preferred communication protocol for the listed services which has two types of resolution (A and
AAAA records). The appliance uses the preferred protocol first for the service.
• When all the services are functioning using IPv6, you can remove the IPv4 addresses from all the Grid members
by converting the Grid member from dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) to IPv6 mode, as follows.
• In the Type of Network Connectivity field, select IPv6 from the drop-down list.
• Similarly, you can convert the Grid Master from dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) to IPv6 mode after converting all the
Grid members to IPv6 mode.
 Note
Remove the IPv4 addresses from the Grid Master only after you remove the IPv4 addresses from all the
Grid members.
Auto-Provisioning NIOS Appliances

In addition to using the Grid Setup Wizard or access the Join Grid dialog box to join appliances to a Grid, you can set up
an appliance using the auto-provisioning feature, which allows a DHCP server to automatically assign an IP address to
the appliance. You can then join the auto-provisioned appliance to the Grid.
Auto-provisioning is enabled by default for new installations of physical appliances, but it is not supported for vNIOS
appliances. When you connect the appliance to the network, a lease request is automatically sent to the DHCP server.
The DHCP server fingerprints the client as "Infoblox Appliance," as the DHCP client provides the unique option sequence
(1,28,2,2,3,3,15,6,12) and vendor ID (INFOBLOX). The DHCP server assigns a DHCP lease and a dynamic IP address
to the appliance. If the DHCP lease request fails, the default IP address (192.168.1.2) is assigned to the appliance. The
DHCP client tries to send the lease request for a duration of one minute when the appliance is either in the factory default
state or in the auto-configured default IP address state after a reboot. If you do not use
auto-provisioning to set up the appliance, then you can wait one minute before connecting the appliance to the network.
Otherwise, the DHCP server will assign a dynamic IP address to the appliance. Note that if you have already set the IP
address for the appliance through the Infoblox CLI, GUI, or API, then auto-provisioning is disabled for the appliance and
the lease address is not requested. When auto-provisioning is enabled for an appliance, the DNS, DHCP, FTP, TFTP,

Rev. D
HTTP, NTP, bloxTools, Captive Portal, Reporting services, as well as backup and restore are disabled for the member
until a static IP address is set for the appliance. You can join a single appliance or HA pair to the Grid. After the appliance
joins the Grid, the static IP address is set for the appliance.
 Note
• Auto-provisioning supports only IPv4 addressing and not IPv6 addressing.
• Auto-provisioning supports only physical appliances. You cannot auto-provision a hybrid HA setup of a
physical and virtual appliance.
When you upgrade or downgrade the appliance to a release that includes this feature, auto-provisioning is disabled for
the appliance.
Setting Up Physical Appliances Using Auto-Provisioning

Complete the following to set up an appliance using auto-provisioning and to join the auto-provisioned appliance to the
Grid Master:
1. Connect the appliance to a network using an Ethernet cable, connect it to a power source, and then turn on the
power. For information about cabling the appliance to a network and powering the appliance, refer to the user
guide or installation guide that ships with the product.
A lease request is automatically sent to the DHCP server that assigns a DHCP lease and a dynamic IP address
to the appliance. The DHCP client tries to send the lease request for a duration of one minute and if the request
fails, the default IP address (192.168.1.2) is assigned to the appliance.
2. Join the appliance to the Grid Master. You can join the auto-provisioned appliance to the Grid Master using the
Connect dialog box. For more information, see Joining Auto-Provisioned Appliances to the Grid. You can also join
an appliance to the Grid using the JoinGrid dialog box. For more information, see Joining Appliances to the Grid.
A static IP address is set and auto-provisioning is automatically disabled for the appliance after it joins the Grid.
Only the following physical platforms supports Auto-Provisioning:
IB-4015, IB-4025, TE-815, TE-825, TE-1415, TE-1425, TE-2215, TE-2225, TR-1405, TR-2205, TR-4005.
 Note
When auto-provisioning is disabled for an appliance and the network address is not preserved, auto-
provisioning will be re-enabled and a DHCP lease request is sent to the DHCP server if you reset the appliance
using the CLI command reset all auto_provision or reset the database using the CLI command reset
database auto_provision. However, if the static IP address for an appliance is set and network settings are
preserved, auto-provisioning will be re-enabled for the appliance but the lease address will not be requested if
you reset the database using the CLI command reset database auto_provision.
Joining Auto-Provisioned Appliances to the Grid

You can join a predefined appliance with a DHCP lease to the Grid Master using the Connect dialog box. You can join a
single appliance or an HA pair to the Grid Master. For an HA pair, the member which is offline will join the Grid Master
and it will become the active node. When both the members of an HA pair are offline, Node 1 of an HA pair is joined to
the Grid Master.
Only superusers can join a Grid member to the Grid Master. If the Grid member fails to join the Grid, then the remote
console is enabled for the appliance and you can join the appliance to a Grid through the remote console. You can log in
to the remote console using the user name, admin and the Grid shared secret as the password.
To join a single appliance or an HA pair to a Grid Master, complete the following:
1. Log in to the Grid Master. Note that the single appliance or the HA pair must be online and the Grid Master must
be able to reach the appliance.
3. Add the appliance as a Grid member. For information about adding Grid members to the Grid, see Adding Grid
Members.
4. Select the Grid member that you want to join to the Grid Master, expand the Toolbar and click Connect.

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5. The following fields are displayed in the Connect dialog box:
• Host Name: The name of the member.
• Configured IPv4 Address: The IPv4 address of the member.
• Site: The site to which the IP address belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
• Temporary IPv4 Address: Enter the IPv4 address of the DHCP lease or click Select to select the DHCP
lease.
Grid Manager displays the Lease Selector dialog box from which you can select the DHCP lease. Note
that the Lease Selector displays the active DHCP leases which are fingerprinted as "Infoblox Appliance".
6. Click Next to retrieve the appliance information.
The Grid Master uses SSL to connect to the appliance and it gets the appliance information. Grid Manager
displays the following information for the appliance:
• Remote Appliance Type: The appliance type.
• Remote Appliance Serial Number: The serial number of the appliance.
• Licenses: Grid Manager displays the Grid license and the licenses that are pre-provisioned on the member.
It displays the following information:
• Type: The license type.
• String: The license string. If the license string is not displayed, you can enter or paste it here.
• Click Connect to join the appliance to the Grid Master.
To confirm that the appliance has successfully joined the Grid, check the status in the Status column of the newly
added member. (Green = The appliance has joined the Grid Master and is functioning properly; Yellow = The
appliance is in the process of joining the Grid Master; Red = The appliance has not joined the Grid Master).
Pre-Provisioning NIOS and vNIOS Appliances

Before joining a member to the Grid, you can first enable provisional licenses and make necessary configurations on the
offline member, which allows DNS and DHCP data to be associated with the member prior to its deployment. Note that
pre-provisioned members are treated as offline members. There are a few guidelines to consider before you pre-
provision a member. For more information about the guidelines, see Guidelines for Pre-provisioning Offline Grid.
When you add a new member to the Grid, the Pre-Provisioning tab is displayed in the Grid Member Properties editor.
You can pre-provision the member by defining its hardware model and enable certain provisional licenses through the
Pre-Provisioning tab. This tab is not displayed after the member successfully joins the Grid. NIOS supports the following
provisional licenses: Cloud Platform, DHCP, DNS, DNS Traffic Control, Enterprise (formerly Grid), FireEye, Microsoft
Management, RPZ (Response Policy Zone), and vNIOS. You must enable provisional licenses before you can make
supported configurations on the pre-provisioned member. For more information about these licenses, see About
Provisional Licenses.
 Note
You must have the Enterprise and vNIOS licenses pre-provisioned in order for a vNIOS appliance to join the
Grid. For a cloud virtual appliance, include the Cloud Platform license.
To pre-provision an offline Grid member and join it to the Grid at a later time, complete the following:
1. Add a new single member or HA member to the Grid, as described in Adding a Single Member or Adding an HA
Member.
2. Pre-provision the offline member, as described in Configuring Pre-Provisioned Members.
3. Configure services to use the pre-provisioned member.
4. Obtain permanent licenses you have specified for pre-provisioning and use the set license CLI command to
install the licenses on the member. For more information about CLI commands, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.
5. Join the pre-provisioned member to the Grid, as described in Joining Appliances to the Grid. For guidelines about
joining pre-provisioned members, see Guidelines for joining Pre-Provisioned Members.
Guidelines for Pre-provisioning Offline Grid Members

Before you pre-provision a Grid member, consider the following:

Rev. D
• A pre-provisioned Grid member is an offline member. When you upgrade a Grid that has a pre-provisioned
member, the upgrade behaves the same way as it does when you upgrade the Grid that has an offline member.
Note that you cannot pre-provision a member or update its settings during a scheduled upgrade. For more
information about upgrades, see Upgrading NIOS.
• You cannot change the pre-provisioned member configuration after you save it. To change the configuration, you
must first delete the member and pre-provision it again. If you want to delete certain provisional licenses or
change the hardware model for the pre-provisioned member, you must also first delete the existing member and
define a new one. For information about deleting a member, see Removing a Grid Member.
• When you assign a network, zone, or IPv4 DHCP failover association to a pre-provisioned member, the Restart
Service button is not displayed. If you restart any service on a pre-provisioned member, no action is actually
taken even though you may receive a message indicating that the operation may take a few minutes. When you
join the member to the Grid, NIOS will run respective member services on the joined member. For more
information about service restarts, see Restarting Services.
• NIOS allows you to backup information about the pre-provisioned member. When you perform a forced restore
however, NIOS does not restore the pre-provisioned licenses if you have already installed permanent NIOS
licenses on the corresponding member. For more information about backup and restore, see Backing Up and
Restoring Configuration Files.
• You can use Manage Member Services to manage the pre-provisioned member services. For more information,
see Monitoring Member Services.
Configuring Pre-Provisioned Members

The pre-provisioning feature is disabled by default. You must select a supported hardware model for the member to
enable this feature.
To pre-provision an offline member, login to the Grid Master and complete the following:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab, and then click the Add icon.
2. In the Add Grid Member wizard, add a new member as described in Adding a Single Member.
3. After you add the member to the Grid, select the member in the Members tab and click the Edit icon.
4. In the Grid Member Properties editor, select the Pre-Provisioning tab, and complete the following:
• Member Type: Displays the member type that you have selected in the General tab. The pre-provisioning feature
is supported only for Infoblox and Virtual NIOS member types. Note that you must select a hardware model for
the member in order to enable the pre-provisioning feature.
• Hardware Model: Select the hardware model from the drop-down list. Grid Manager displays only the supported
hardware models for the specified member type. Once you select the hardware model, the pre-provisioning
feature is enabled for the member. NIOS allows you to pre-provision HA members that have the same or different
hardware models for Node 1 and Node 2. A few hardware specific features, such as DSCP, VLAN, LAN2, and
LOM (Light Out Management), are enabled based on the pre-provisioned hardware model you specify here.
• Provisional Licenses: Select the licenses that you want to enable for the pre-provisioned member. You can select
the licenses only after you have specified the hardware model for the member. Once you select and enable a
license, you can no longer modify the hardware model for the member. Note that the permanent licenses that you
later add to the member must include the ones that are specified for pre-provisioning.
 Note
After you save the configuration, you can no longer modify the hardware model for the member. You
also cannot disable any provisional licenses, though you can add new ones. To disable provisional
licenses, you must first remove the pre-provisioned member and then configure a new one.

Rev. D
About Provisional Licenses
If a member has never joined a Grid, you can pre-provision this member provided that you define the hardware model for
the member and assign provisional licenses to it. Provisional licenses are not permanent NIOS licenses. Though they do
not have expiration dates or validity periods, you must replace these licenses with corresponding permanent licenses
before you join the member to the Grid.
 Note
Before you join the member to the Grid, use the CLI command set license to add corresponding permanent
licenses that you have specified for pre-provisioning. For information about CLI commands, refer to the Infoblox
CLI Guide{_}. You can also allocate pre-purchased licenses from the pool. For information, see You can use the
following OpenStack cloud-init template to configure an IB-V815 as a Grid Master
NIOS supports the following provisional licenses: Cloud Platform, DHCP, DNS, DNS Traffic Control, Enterprise (formerly
Grid), FireEye, Microsoft Management, RPZ (Response Policy Zone), and vNIOS.
After you configure the offline member, you can select the pre-provisioned member from the corresponding wizards and
editors based on the required license(s). The following table lists the wizards and editors from which you can select a
pre-provisioned member when required pre-provisioned licenses are enabled:
Wizards and editors from which you can select a pre-provisioned member Required
license(s)
DNS Zones and Name Server Groups dns
DHCP IPv4 and IPv6 networks dhcp
IPv4 DHCP Failover Association dhcp
Microsoft servers ms_manag

ement
Note that the initial synchronization with Microsoft servers is read-only. When you join the appliance to the Grid, the appliance removes
all Microsoft management objects that you have configured on the Microsoft servers after the synchronization. The configuration on the
Microsoft servers will replace the configuration on the NIOS appliance.
Grid Members vnios
Grid license enterprise
Response Policy Zones RPZ
Response Policy Zones FireEye
DNS Traffic Control DTC
Cloud tabs and related wizards and editors cloud_api
 Note
If you configure a DHCP Failover using an online member and a pre-provisioned member, assign it to a range,
and start DHCP service, no addresses will be served because the initial synchronization does not happen due
to the pre-provisioned offline member. NIOS logs the following message in the syslog:
2013-12-24T08:37:23+00:00 daemon (none) dhcpd[8790]: info DHCPDISCOVER from
cb:86:a8:45:6c:5c via 10.120.21.236: not responding (recovering)

Rev. D
Guidelines for Joining Pre-Provisioned Members to the Grid
Before you join a pre-provisioned member to the Grid, ensure that you verify the appliance model and provisional
licenses for the member. For information about how to join a member to the Grid, see Joining Appliances to the Grid.
Note the following about joining a pre-provisioned member to the Grid:
• If you install fewer permanent licenses than the specified provisional licenses, you cannot join the member to the
Grid.
• If the pre-provisioned member does not have any provisional licenses enabled, you can join the member to the
Grid provided that you install a permanent Grid license on the member.
• You must install at least the set of permanent licenses that were specified for pre-provisioning along with any
other needed licenses, except for the following:
• You can join the member to the Grid if the pre-provisioned member is a vNIOS virtual appliance and has
only the DNS license enabled, and you install both the vNIOS and DNS licenses on the member.
• Similarly, you can join the member to the Grid if the pre-provisioned member is a vNIOS virtual appliance
and has both DNS and DHCP licenses enabled, and you install the vNIOS, DNS, and DHCP licenses on
the member.
• After you successfully join the pre-provisioned member to the Grid, provisional licenses are removed and
permanent licenses take effect.
• After the member joins the Grid successfully, the Pre-Provisioning tab is not displayed in the Grid Member
Properties editor.
Configuring a Grid
You can configure an IPv4-only, IPv6-only, or a dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) Grid, but the configuration example uses IPv4
addresses. In this example, you configure seven NIOS appliances in a Grid serving internal DHCP and DNS for an
enterprise with the domain name corpxyz.com. There are four sites: HQ and three branch offices. A hub-and-spoke VPN
tunnel system connects the sites, with HQ at the hub. The distribution and roles of the NIOS appliances at the four sites
are as follows:
• HQ site (four appliances in two HA pairs):
• HA Grid Master: Hidden primary DNS server
• HA member: Secondary DNS server and DHCP server for HQ
• Site 1 (two appliances in an HA pair): HA member, secondary DNS server and DHCP server for Site 1
• Site 2 (one appliance): Single member, secondary DNS server and DHCP server for Site 2
 Note
When adding an Infoblox appliance to an existing Grid, you must first check whether the Grid is running the
minimum required software release of the appliance. For information, refer to the
document, Minimum Required Release Software for Hardware Platforms, that was shipped with your product.
To create a Grid, you first create a Grid Master and then add members. The process involves these three steps:
1. Configuring two appliances at HQ as the Grid Master. For more details, see Create the Grid Master.
2. Logging in to the Grid Master and defining the members that you want to add to the Grid; that is, you configure
Grid member settings on the Grid Master in anticipation of later joining those appliances to the Grid. For more
details, see Define Members on the Grid Master.
3. Logging in to the individual appliances and configuring them so that they can reach the Grid Master over the
network and join the Grid. For more details, see Join Appliances to the Grid.
After creating the Grid and adding members, you use the Data Import Wizard to import DHCP and DNS data from legacy
servers. For more details, see Import DHCP Data and Import DNS Data.
Finally, you transition DHCP and DNS service from the legacy servers to the Infoblox Grid members. For more details,
see Enable DHCP and Switch Service to the Grid.
Network Diagram

Rev. D
Cable All Appliances to the Network and Turn On Power
Cable the NIOS appliances to network switches. After cabling each appliance to a switch and connecting it to a power
source, turn on the power. For information about installing and cabling the appliance, refer to the user guide or
installation guide that ships with the product.
1. At HQ and Site 1, connect Ethernet cables from the LAN1 and HA ports on the appliances in each HA pair to a
switch, connect the appliances to power sources, and turn on the power for each appliance.
 Note
When connecting the nodes of an HA pair to a power source, connect each node to a different power
source if possible. If one power source fails, the other might still be operative.
2. At Site 2, connect an Ethernet cable from the LAN1 port on the single appliance to a switch, connect the
appliance to a power source, and turn on the power for that appliance.

Rev. D
Creating the Grid Master
 Note
IPv6 addressing is fully supported on Infoblox Grid Masters, HA pairs and standalone HA pairs, and appliances.
Examples in the sections of this chapter use IPv4.
Configure two appliances at HQ to be the two nodes that make up the HA pair forming the Grid Master.
Grid Master – Node 1

1. By using the LCD or by making a console connection to the appliance that you want to make Node 1 of the HA
pair for the Grid Master, change the default network settings of its LAN1 port to the following:
• IP Address: 10.0.1.6
• Netmask: 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: 10.0.1.1
2. Connect your management system to the HQ network, open a browser window, and connect to https://10.0.1.6.
3. Log in using the default username and password admin and infoblox.
4. Review the End-User License Agreement and click I Accept.
5. Read about the Infoblox Customer Experience Improvement Program and choose whether to participate (opt in)
or not participate (opt out) in the program. By default, participation is enabled. If you want to opt out of the
program, select To Opt-Out of the alert program, please click here. For more information about the
program, see Configuring the Customer Experience Improvement Program.
8. Specify the Grid properties:
• Grid Name: Enter corpxyz.
• Shared Secret: Enter Mg1kW17d.
• Confirm Shared Secret: Enter Mg1kW17d.
• Hostname: Enter ns1.corpxyz.com.
• Type of Network Connectivity: Select IPv4 from the drop-down list.
• Is the Grid Master an HA pair?: Select Yes.
9. Specify the network properties and click Next:
• Virtual Router ID: Enter 143.
• Required Ports and Addresses: Enter the following to set up the HA pair:
Interface Address Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Gateway Port Settings
Length (IPv6)
VIP (IPv4) 10.0.1.10 255.255.255.0 10.0.1.1 Automatic
Node1 HA (IPv4) 10.0.1.7 255.255.255.0 10.0.1.1 Automatic
Node1 LAN1 (IPv4) 10.0.1.6 255.255.255.0 10.0.1.1 Automatic
10. Enter a new password: 1n85w2IF. Retype it and click Next.

11. Then, complete the following:
• Time zone: Select (UTC – 8:00 Pacific Time (US and Canada), Tijuana
• Enable NTP, click the Add icon and enter the IP address of the NTP server: 10.120.3.10
12. Click Finish. When you click Finish, the Infoblox GUI application restarts.

Rev. D
Grid Master – Node 2
1. By using the LCD or by making a console connection to the appliance that you want to make Node 2 of the HA
pair for the Grid Master, change the default network settings of its LAN1 port to the following:
• Netmask: 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: 10.0.1.1
2. In the login window, type 10.0.1.8 in the Hostname field.
3. Log in using the default username and password, admin and infoblox.
4. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox.
5. Expand the Toolbar and click Join Grid and specify the following:
• Virtual IP of Grid Master: 10.0.1.10
• Grid Name: Enter corpxyz
• Grid Shared Secret: Enter Mg1kW17d
6. Confirm the configuration, and then on the last screen of the wizard, click Finish. The HTTPS session terminates,
but the login window remains open.
7. In the login window, type 10.0.1.10 (the VIP address for the Grid Master) in the Hostname field.
8. Log in using the default username admin and the password 1n85w2IF.
9. To check the status of the two nodes of the HA Grid Master, navigate to the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager ->
Members tab. This panel lists the Grid members. Check the icon in the Status column of the Grid Master. The
colors indicate the following:
a. Green: The appliance has joined the Grid and is functioning properly.
b. Yellow: The appliance is in the process of joining the Grid
c. Red: The appliance has not joined the Grid.
You can also use the CLI command set network to join an appliance to a Grid. Check that the status
indicators are all green in the Detailed Status panel.
During the joining process, an appliance passes through the following four phases:
1. Offline: The state when a Grid member—in this case, the second node of the HA pair composing the Grid Master
—is not in contact with the active node of the master.
2. Connecting: The state when an appliance matching a member configuration contacts the master to join the Grid
and negotiates secure communications and Grid membership.
3. Synchronizing: The master transmits its entire database to the member.
4. Running: The state when a member is in contact with the master and is functioning properly.
 Note
Depending on the network connection speed and the amount of data that the master needs to synchronize with
the member, the process can take from several seconds to several minutes to complete.
Defining Members on the Grid Master

Before logging in to and configuring the individual appliances that you want to add to the Grid, define them first on the
Grid Master. You can configure a Grid member in IPv4, IPv6, or a dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6), but the configuration
example uses IPv4 addresses.
HQ Site – HA Member
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager -> Members tab.
3. In the Add Grid Member wizard, complete the following and click Next:
• Member Type: Select Infoblox.
• Host Name: Enter ns2.corpxyz.com.
• Comment: Enter HQ Site - ns2.corpxyz.com.
4. Enter the following information about the member that you are adding to the Grid and click Save & Close:

Rev. D
• Virtual Router ID: 210
• Required Ports and Addresses:
Interface Address Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length Gateway Port Settings
(IPv6)
Site 1 – HA Member
• Member Type: Select Infoblox.
• Host Name: Enter ns3.site1.corpxyz.com
• Comment: Enter Site 1 - ns3.site1.corpxyz.com
4. Specify the following information about the member that you are adding to the Grid and click Save & Close:
• Required Ports and Addresses:
Interface Address Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length Gateway Port Settings
(IPv6)
Site 2 – Single Member

1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager -> Members tab.
• Member Type: Select Infoblox
• Host Name: ns4.site2.corpxyz.com
• Comment: Site 2- ns4.site2.corpxyz.com

Rev. D
4. Specify the following information about the member that you are adding to the Grid and click Next:
• Standalone Member: Select this option.
• Required Ports and Addresses: Click the empty fields and enter the following information:
• Address: Enter 10.2.1.10.
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): Enter 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: Enter 10.2.1.1
• Port Settings: Select AUTOMATIC.
6. Log out from the Grid Master.
Join Appliances to the Grid

To complete the process of adding appliances to the Grid, log in to and configure each individual appliance so that it can
contact the Grid Master.
HQ Site – HA Grid Member (Node 1)

Make a console connection to the appliance that you want to make Node 1 in the HA pair, and then enter the following:
Infoblox > set network
NOTICE: All HA configuration is performed from the GUI. This interface is used only to configure a
standalone node or to join a Grid.
Enter IP address: 10.0.2.6
Enter netmask : 255.255.255.0
Enter gateway address : 10.0.2.1
Configure IPv6 network settings? (y or n):n Become Grid member? (y or n): y
Enter Grid Master VIP: 10.0.1.10
Enter Grid Name: corpxyz
Enter Grid Shared Secret: Mg1kW17d
New Network Settings: IP address: 10.0.2.6
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway address: 10.0.2.1
Join Grid as member with attributes: Grid Master VIP: 10.0.1.10
Grid Name: corpxyz
Grid Shared Secret: Mg1kW17d
WARNING: Joining a Grid will replace all the data on this node!
Is this correct? (y or n): y
Are you sure? (y or n): y
The Infoblox application restarts. After restarting, the appliance contacts the Grid Master and joins the Grid as Node 1.
HQ Site – HA Member (Node 2)

Make a console connection to the appliance that you want to make Node 2 in the HA pair, and then enter exactly the
same data you entered for Node 1 except that the IP address is 10.0.2.8.
After the application restarts, the appliance contacts the Grid Master and joins the Grid as Node 2, completing the HA
member configuration for the HQ site.
Site 1 – HA Grid Member (Node 1)

Make a console connection to the appliance that you want to make Node 1 in the HA pair at Site 1 and use the set
network command to configure its basic network and Grid settings. Use the following data:
• Netmask: 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: 10.1.1.1
• Grid Master VIP: 10.0.1.10

Rev. D
• Grid Name: corpxyz
• Grid shared secret: Mg1kW17d
The Infoblox application restarts. After restarting, the appliance contacts the Grid Master and joins the Grid as Node 1.
Site 1 – HA Grid Member (Node 2)

Make a console connection to the appliance that you want to make Node 2 in the HA pair at Site 1 and enter exactly the
same data that you entered for Node 1 except that the IP address is 10.1.1.8.
After the application restarts, the appliance contacts the Grid Master and joins the Grid as Node 2, completing the HA
member configuration for Site 1.
Site 2– Single Grid Member

Make a console connection to the appliance that you want to make Node 1 in the HA pair at Site 1 and use the set
network command to configure its basic network and Grid settings. Use the following data:
• IP Address: 10.2.1.10
• Netmask: 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: 10.2.1.1
• Grid Master VIP: 10.0.1.10
• Grid name: corpxyz
• Grid shared secret: Mg1kW17d
The Infoblox application restarts. After restarting, the appliance contacts the Grid Master and joins the Grid.
To check the status of all the Grid members, log in to the Grid Master at 10.0.1.10, and from the Grid tab, select the Grid
Manager tab -> Members tab, select 10.0.1.10 and click the Detailed Status icon. Check that the status indicators are all
green in the Detailed Status panel. As an appliance joins a Grid, it passes through the following phases: Offline,
Connecting (Downloading Release from Master), Synchronizing, and Running.
 Note
Depending on the network connection speed and the amount of data that the master needs to synchronize with
the member, the process of joining a Grid can take from several seconds to several minutes to complete.
The Grid setup is complete.
Import DHCP Data

The Data Import Wizard is a software tool that you can download from the Infoblox Support site to your management
system. With it, you can import data from legacy DHCP and DNS servers to NIOS appliances. In this example, you use it
to import both DHCP and DNS data to the Grid Master at 10.0.1.10, which then uses the database replication
mechanism to send the imported data to other Grid members. In the wizard, you also specify which Grid members serve
the imported data. The wizard supports various types of DHCP formats, such as the following:
• ISC DHCP
• Lucent VitalQIP
• Microsoft
• Nortel NetID
• CSV (comma-separated values); you can also import IPAM data in CSV format. In this example, all the DHCP
data is in standard ISC DHCP format.
Importing DHCP Data for HQ and Site 2

1. Save the DHCP configuration file from your legacy DHCP server at 10.0.2.20 to a local directory.

Rev. D
2. Visit https://support.infoblox.com, log in with your support account, and download the Data Import Wizard. The
Data Import Wizard application downloads to a container within a Java sandbox on your management system
and immediately launches, displaying the Welcome page.
3. After reading the information in the left panel, click Next.
4. Select Import to Infoblox Appliance, enter the following, and then click Next:
• Hostname or IP address: 10.0.1.10
• Username: admin
• Password: 1n85w2IF
5. Select the following, and then click Next:
• What kind of data would you like to import? DHCP/IPAM
• Which legacy system are you importing from? ISC DHCP
• Which appliance will be serving this data? 10.0.2.10
6. Type the path and file name of the DHCP configuration file saved from the legacy server, and then click Next.
Or
Click Browse, navigate to the file, select it, click Open, and then click Next.
7. In the Global DHCP Configuration table, double-click the Value cell for the domain-name-servers row, and change
the IP addresses to 10.0.2.10.
8. When satisfied with the data, click Import.
You can view the status of the importation process and a summary report in the Data Import Wizard Log.
9. To enable DDNS updates, log in to the Grid Master, from the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab,
expand the Toolbar and click Grid DHCP Properties.
10. In the DDNS -> Basic tab of the Grid DHCP Properties editor, select Enable DDNS Updates.
12. To check the imported DHCP configuration file, from the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, ->
Members tab -> 10.0.2.10 checkbox. Expand the Toolbar and click View DHCP Configuration.
13. In the DHCP configuration file, check that all the imported subnets are present, and navigate to the beginning of
the file and check that you see the
ddns-updates on
statement. (If you see
ddns-updates
off, enable DDNS updates for the Grid as explained in steps 9-12.)
Importing DHCP Data for Site 1

1. Repeat the steps in Importing DHCP Data for HQ and Site 2, saving the DHCP configuration file from your legacy
DHCP server at 10.1.1.20, and importing it to the Grid Master at 10.0.1.10 for the member with IP address
10.1.1.10 to serve.
2. Check the imported DHCP configuration file by logging in to the Grid Master and from the Data Management tab,
select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> 10.1.1.10 checkbox. Expand the Toolbar and click View DHCP
Configuration.
Importing DHCP Data for Site 3

1. Repeat the steps in Importing DHCP Data for HQ and Site 2, saving the DHCP configuration file from your legacy
DHCP server at 10.1.1.20, and importing it to the Grid Master at 10.0.1.10 for the member with IP address
10.3.1.10 to serve.
2. After the importation process completes, check the imported DHCP configuration file by logging in to the Grid
Master and from the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> 10.3.1.10 checkbox. Expand
the Toolbar and click View DHCP Configuration.
Import DNS Data

Using the Infoblox Data Import Wizard, import DNS data from the legacy hidden primary server at 10.0.1.5 to the new
hidden primary server at 10.0.1.10 (the Grid Master). The following are three phases to this task:
1. Before Using the Wizard:
• Save the named.conf file from the legacy server to a file in a local directory on your management system.
• Enable the legacy server to perform zone transfers to the NIOS appliance.

Rev. D
• Configure three name server groups for the Grid and allow the Grid Master/hidden primary DNS server at
10.0.1.10 to receive DDNS updates from the Grid members at 10.0.2.10, 10.1.1.10, and 10.3.1.10. These
members act as secondary DNS servers and DHCP servers.
2. Using the Wizard: Define the source, destination, and type of DNS data in the DNS configuration file
(named.conf) that you want to import.
3. After Using the Wizard: Check the imported DNS configuration file.
In this example, all the DNS data is in BIND 9 format. The Data Import Wizard supports various types of DNS formats,
such as the following:
• BIND 4, 8, and 9
• Microsoft
• Lucent VitalQIP
• Nortel NetID
Before Using the Wizard

You must set up the legacy server and Grid Master before using the Data Import Wizard.
Legacy Server
1. Log in to the legacy name server at 10.0.1.5 and save the named.conf file, which contains all the DNS settings
that you want to import into the Infoblox name server, to a local directory on your management system.
2. On the legacy server, enable zone transfers to the NIOS appliance.
Infoblox Grid Master – DDNS Updates

1. Log in to the Grid Master at 10.0.1.10, and from the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Members tab
-> 10.0.1.10 checkbox and select the Edit icon.
2. In the Member DNS Configuration editor, select the Updates tab -> Basic tab and enter the following:
• Select Override.
• Allow updates from: Click the Add icon and select IPv4 Address. Enter 10.0.2.10 in the Name field of the
new row.
3. Click the Add icon again and add 10.1.1.10 and 10.2.1.10 as IP addresses from which you allow DDNS updates.
 Note
When all DNS servers are members in the same Grid, the members use database replication to
synchronize all their data—including DNS zone data. You can change the default behavior so that Grid
members use zone transfers instead. In this example, Grid members use database replication.
Infoblox Grid Master – Name Server Groups

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Name Server Groups tab.
2. Click the Add icon to open the Add Name Server Group wizard.
3. Enter the following:
• Name Server Group Name: HQ-Group
4. Click the Add icon and add the following:
• Grid Primary: ns1.corpxyz.com; Stealth: Select this checkbox.
• Grid Secondary: ns2.corpxyz.com; Grid replication (recommended): Select this checkbox.
5. Click Save & New.
6. Repeat steps 2 to 4 to create another group. Name it Site1-Group, and use ns1.corpxyz.com as the hidden
primary server, ns3.site1.corpxyz.com as a secondary server, and Grid replication for zone updates.
7. Repeat steps 2 to 4 to create another group. Name it Site2-Group, and use ns1.corpxyz.com as the hidden
primary server, ns4.site2.corpxyz.com as a secondary server, and Grid replication for zone updates.

Rev. D
Using the Wizard
While progressing through the Data Import Wizard, you must define the source, destination, and type of DNS data that
you want to import. You then make some simple modifications to the data and import it.
Defining the Source, Destination, and Type of DNS Data

1. Launch the Data Import Wizard.
2. After reading the information in the left panel of the welcome page, click Next.
3. Select Import to Infoblox Appliance, enter the following, and then click Next:
• Hostname or IP address: 10.0.1.10
• Username: admin
• Password: 1n85w2IF
The Data Import Wizard Log opens in a separate window behind the wizard. Leave it open while you
continue.
• What kind of data would you like to import?: DNS
• Which legacy system are you importing from?: BIND 9
• Which appliance will be serving this data?: 10.0.1.10
• What BIND 9 DNS configuration file would you like to use?: Click Browse, navigate to the named.conf file
you saved from the legacy server, select it, and then click Open.
• What type of BIND 9 DNS data do you want to import?: DNS zone information and DNS record data
• Where is the BIND 9 DNS record data?: Zone transfer(s) from a DNS server; 10.0.1.5
The wizard displays two tables of data. The upper table contains global DNS server configuration parameters. The lower
table contains zone configurations.
The Data Import Wizard Log presents a summary listing the number of views, zones, and DNS records in the
configuration file.
 Note
Only superusers can import A, AAAA, shared A, and shared AAAA records with a blank name. Limited-access
users must have read/write permission to Adding a blank A/AAAA record to import A, AAAA, shared A, and
shared AAAA records with a blank name, otherwise, the import operation might fail. You can assign global
permission for specific admin groups and roles to allow to import A, AAAA, shared A, and shared AAAA records
with a blank name. For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Adding Blank A or AAAA Records.
Modifying DNS Data

While importing data from the legacy DNS server, you cancel the importation of global configuration settings, and apply
the name server groups you created in Before Using the Wizard to the zones you want to import.
1. In the Global DNS Configuration table, select all rows by clicking the top row and then SHIFT+click the bottom
row.
2. Right-click the selected rows to display the Set Import Options dialog box, select Do not import, and then click
Apply.
3. In the DNS Zones table, clear the Import checkbox for the default view.
4. Select corpxyz.com, lab.corpxyz.com and all the corresponding reverse-mapping zones.
Tip: You can use SHIFT+click to select multiple contiguous rows and CTRL+click to select multiple noncontiguous
rows.
5. Right-click the selected rows, and then select Set Import Options.
6. In the Set Import Options dialog box, enter the following, and then click Apply:
• Set Zone Type: No change

Rev. D
• Set Import Option: No change
• Set View: default
• Set Member: HQ-Group master
7. Select site1.corpxyz.com and all the reverse-mapping zones with 1 in the second octet in the zone name
(1.1.10.in-addr.arpa, 2.1.10.in-addr.arpa, 3.1.10.in-addr.arpa, and so on).
9. In the Set Import Options dialog box, make the same selections as in 6, but choose Site1-Group master from the
Set Member drop-down list.
10. Similarly, select site2.corpxyz.com and all the reverse-mapping zones with 2 in the second octet in the zone
name.
12. In the Set Import Options dialog box, make the same selections as in 6, but choose Site2-Group master from the
Set Member drop-down list.
Importing DNS Data

1. Click Import.
The wizard imports the global DNS parameters and zone-specific configuration settings from the named.conf file
and performs a zone transfer of the data from the legacy server.
2. Use the Data Import Wizard Log to monitor progress and review results afterward.
The log lists all the zones that the wizard imports and concludes with a total of all the successfully and
unsuccessfully imported zones.
 Note
If the wizard is unable to import a zone, an error message with an explanation appears in the log.
3. To close the Data Import Wizard, click Exit. This closes the Data Import Wizard Log as well.
After Using the Wizard

After you import data, you must restart services on the Grid Master and delete the A records for the legacy servers from
the corpxyz.com zone. You can also confirm that the imported data is correct and complete by checking the DNS
configuration and the forward- and reverse-mapping zones.
1. Log in to the Grid Master (10.0.1.10), select the Grid tab, expand the Toolbar, and then click the Restart Services
icon.
 Note
When importing data through the wizard rather than entering it through the GUI, the Restart Services
icon does not change to indicate you must restart service for the appliance to apply the new data. Still,
restarting service on the Grid Master is necessary for the imported configuration and data to take effect.
2. To remove A records for the legacy servers, from the Data Management tab, select DNS tab -> Zones tab ->
corpxyz.com.
3. Expand the Records section, select the following A records in the corpxyz.com zone, and then click the Delete
icon:
1. ns1 (for 10.0.1.5)
2. ns2 (for 10.0.2.5)
3. ns3.site1.corpxyz (for 10.1.1.5)
4. ns4.site3.corpxyz (for 10.2.1.5)
• Remove the respective A records for legacy servers from the site1.corpxyz and site3.corpxyz subzones.

Rev. D
• To check the imported DNS configuration file, from the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Members
tab -> 10.0.1.10 checkbox. Expand the Toolbar and click View -> View DNS Configuration.
 Note
If you do not see the imported DNS configuration file, ensure that you enabled DNS and restarted the
services.
• Scroll through the DNS configuration log to check that each imported zone has an allow-update statement like the
following one for the 10.1.10.in-addr.arpa reverse-mapping zone:
zone "10.1.10.in-addr.arpa" in {
…
allow-update { key DHCP_UPDATER; 10.0.2.10; 10.1.1.10; 10.2.1.10; };
…
};
Enable DHCP and Switch Service to the Grid

Finally, you must enable DHCP service on the three Grid members at 10.0.2.10, 10.1.1.10, and 10.2.1.10, and switch
DNS and DHCP service from the legacy DNS and DHCP servers to them.
1. Log in to the Grid Master (10.0.1.10) and from the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab
-> 10.0.2.10 checkbox. Expand the Toolbar and click Start.
2. Repeat step 1 to enable DHCP on 10.1.1.10 and 10.3.1.10.
 Note
Start the DNS service, as described in Starting and Stopping the DNS Service. The Grid members are
ready to serve DHCP and DNS, and send DDNS updates.
3. Take the legacy DHCP and DNS servers offline.
Managing a Grid
After you configure a Grid Master and add members, you might need to perform the following tasks:
• Changing Grid Properties

• Configuring Security Level Banner
• Configuring Notice and Consent Banner
• Configuring Informational Level Banner
• Configuring Recursive Deletions of Networks and Zones
• Setting the MTU for VPN Tunnels
• Removing a Grid Member
• Promoting a Grid Master Candidate
• Testing the Connection of the Master Candidate with the Grid Members
• Promoting the Master Candidate
• Enabling Read-only API Access on the Grid Master Candidate
Changing Grid Properties

You can change a Grid name, its shared secret, and the port number of the VPN tunnels that the Grid uses for
communications. Note that changing the VPN port number, time zone, date or time requires a product restart.
To modify the properties of a Grid:

Rev. D
3. In the Grid Properties editor, select the General tab -> click the Basic tab, and then modify any of the following:
• Grid Name: Type the name of a Grid. The default name is Infoblox.
• Shared Secret: Type a shared secret that all Grid members use to authenticate themselves when joining the Grid.
The default shared secret is test.
• Shared Secret Retype: Type the shared secret again to confirm its accuracy.
• Time Zone: Choose the applicable time zone from the drop-down list.
• Date: Click the calendar icon to select a date or enter the date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
• Time: Click the clock icon to select a time or enter the time in HH:MM:SS format.
• VPN Port: Type the port number that the Grid members use when communicating with the Grid Master through
encrypted VPN tunnels. The default port number is 1194. For more information, see Port Numbers for Grid
Communication.
• Enable Recycle Bin: Select the checkbox to enable the Recycle Bin. The Recycle Bin stores deleted items when
the user deletes Grid, DNS, or DHCP configuration items. Enabling the Recycle Bin allows you to undo deletions
and to restore the items on the appliance at a later time. If you do not enable this feature, deleted items from the
GUI are permanently removed from the database.
• Audit Logging: Select one of the following:
• Detailed: This is the default type. It is automatically selected. It provides detailed information on all
administrative changes such as the date and time stamp of the change, administrator name, changed
object name, and the new values of all properties.
• Brief: Provides information on administrative changes such as the date and time stamp of the change,
administrator name, and the changed object name. It does not show the new value of the object.
• WAPI Detailed: Select this option to view detailed WAPI (RESTful API) session information logs for
successful WAPI calls such as PUT, POST, and DELETE. You can view the URI, InData and response
time for each WAPI call. For more information, see Monitoring Tools.
• In the Grid Properties editor, select the General tab -> click the Advanced tab (or click Toggle Advanced Mode)
and modify any of the following:
• Enable GUI Redirect from Member: Select this checkbox to allow the appliance to redirect the Infoblox
GUI from a Grid member to the Grid Master.
 Note
If read-only API access is enabled for a Grid Master Candidate, then selecting
the Enable GUI Redirect from Member checkbox for the Grid Master Candidate does not
redirect the Infoblox GUI from the Grid Master Candidate to the Grid Master. For more
information about enabling read-only API access on a Grid Master Candidate,
see Enabling Read-only API Access on the Grid Master Candidate.
• Enable GUI/API Access via both MGMT and LAN1/VIP: Select this checkbox to allow access to the Infoblox GUI
and API using both the MGMT and LAN1 ports for standalone appliances and MGMT and VIP ports for an HA
pair. This feature is valid only if you have enabled the MGMT port. For information about enabling the MGMT port,
see Appliance Management.
 Note
The appliance uses the MGMT port only to redirect the Infoblox GUI from a Grid member to the Grid
Master even after you enable the Enable GUI/API Access via both MGMT and LAN1/VIP feature.
• Show Restart Banner: Select this checkbox to enable the appliance to display the Restart Banner at the top of
Grid Manager whenever the appliance notifies you that a service restart is required.
• Require Name: Select this checkbox to prompt the administrator to input the username before performing the
service restart. When you select this checkbox, the appliance displays the Confirm Restart Services dialog box.
Enter the username in the Name field and click Restart Services. For information about restarting service, see
Restarting Services.

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If you changed the VPN port number, time zone, date or time, Grid Manager displays a warning indicating that a product
restart is required. Click Yes to continue, and then log back in to Grid Manager after the application restarts.
Configuring Security Level Banner

You can publish a security banner that indicates the security level of the Infoblox Grid. It appears on the header and
footer of all pages of Grid Manager. The security level can be Top Secret, Secret, Confidential, Restricted, and
Unclassified. Each message type is associated with a predefined security level color. You can modify this color at any
point of time. Grid Manager automatically uses an appropriate contrasting text font color that goes with the banner color.
Only superusers can configure and enable this feature.
To configure the advanced security level banner for a Grid:
3. In the Grid Properties editor, select the Security tab -> Advanced tab.
4. Complete the following:
• Enable Security Banner: Select this to enable the display of the security banner.
• Security Level: From the drop-down list, select the security level for the banner.
• Security Level Color: The default color is displayed in the drop-down. If necessary, using the drop-down
list, select the required color for the security level banner. When you change the security level, Grid
Manager resets default color for that level.
• Classification Message: Enter the message you want to display in the security banner. You can enter up
to 190 characters.
Security banner appears on the header and footer of the Grid Manager screen including the Login screen.
Configuring Notice and Consent Banner

You can configure and publish a notice and consent banner as the first login screen that includes specific terms and
conditions you want end users to accept before they log in to the Infoblox Grid. When an end user tries to access Grid
Manager, this banner is displayed as the first screen. The user must accept the terms and conditions displayed on the
consent screen before accessing the login screen of Grid Manager. Only superusers can configure and enable this
feature.
To configure the notice and consent banner:
3. In the Grid Properties editor, select the Security tab -> Advanced tab, and then complete the following:
• Enable Notice and Consent Banner: Select the checkbox to enable the display of the notice and consent banner.
In the text field, enter the message that you want to be included in the banner. The message cannot exceed
10,000 characters.
This banner appears as the first screen when users access Grid Manager. Users must read the terms and conditions and
then click Accept on the consent screen before they can access the login screen of Grid Manager.
Configuring Informational Level Banner

You can publish the informational banner for multiple uses, such as to indicate whether the Infoblox Grid is in production
or a lab system. The banner can also be used for issuing messages of the day. The informational level banner appears
on the header of the Grid Manager screen. You can publish the banner information you want and set the banner color.
Grid Manager automatically uses an appropriate contrasting text font color that goes with the banner color. Only
superusers can configure and enable this feature.
To configure the advanced informational banner for a Grid:
3. In the Grid Properties editor, select the General tab -> Advanced tab

Rev. D
• Enable informational GUI Banner: Select the checkbox to enable the display of the informational banner
message.
• Banner Color: The default color is displayed in the drop-down. If necessary, using the drop-down list,
select the required color for the informational level banner.
• Message: Enter the message you want to display in the informational banner. You can enter up to 190
characters.
Informational banner appears on the header of the Grid Manager screen.
Configuring Recursive Deletions of Networks and Zones

Through Grid Manager, you can configure the group of users that are allowed to delete or schedule the deletion of a
network container and its child objects as well as a zone and its child objects. For information about how to delete a
network container or zone, see Deleting Network Containers and Removing Zones.
When you select All Users or Superusers, these users can choose to delete a parent object and reparent its child
objects, or they can choose to delete a parent object and all its child objects. These options appear only if a network
container or a zone has child objects. For information about scheduling recursive deletion of network containers and
zones, see Scheduling Recursive Deletions of Network Containers and Zones.
When you select Nobody, all the users can delete the parent object only. All the child objects, if any, are re-parented. For
information about scheduling deletions, see Scheduling Deletions. Note that you can restrict specific users to perform
recursive deletions of network containers and zones only through Grid Manager. These settings do not prevent other
users from performing recursive deletions through the API.
 Note
You must have Read/Write permission to all the child objects in order to delete a parent object. Recursive
deletion is applicable to all zone types except stub and forward-mapping zones.
The appliance puts all deleted objects in the Recycle Bin, if enabled. You can restore the objects if necessary. When you
restore a parent object from the Recycle Bin, all its contents, if any, are re-parented to the restored parent object. For
information about the Recycle Bin, see Using the Recycle Bin.
To configure the group of users to perform recursive deletions:
3. In the Grid Properties editor, select the General tab -> Advanced tab.
4. Under Present the option of recursive deletion of networks or zones to, select one of the following:
• All Users: Select this to allow all users, including superusers and limited-access users, to choose whether
they want to delete the parent object and its contents or the parent object only when they delete a network
container/network or a zone. This is selected by default.
• Superuser: Select this to allow only superusers to choose whether they want to delete the parent object
and its contents or the parent object only when they delete a network container/network or a zone.
• Nobody: When you select this, users can only delete the parent object (network container or zone). All
child objects, if any, are re-parented.
Setting the MTU for VPN Tunnels

You can configure the VPN MTU (maximum transmission unit) for any appliance with a network link that does not support
the default MTU size (1500 bytes) and that cannot join a Grid because of this limitation. If an appliance on such a link
attempts to establish a VPN tunnel with a Grid Master to join a Grid, the appliance receives a PATH-MTU error, indicating
that the path MTU discovery process has failed. For information about the MTU discovery process, see RFC 1191, Path
MTU Discovery.
To avoid this problem, you can set a VPN MTU value on the Grid Master for any appliance that cannot link to it using a
1500-byte MTU. When the appliance contacts the master during the key exchange handshake that occurs during the

Rev. D
Grid-joining operation, the master sends the appliance the MTU setting to use.
To set the VPN MTU for a Grid member:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. Select the Network -> Advanced tab of the Grid Member Properties editor.
3. In the VPN MTU field, enter a value between 600 and 1500.
Removing a Grid Member

You might want or need to remove a member from a Grid, perhaps to disable it or to make it an independent appliance or
an independent HA pair. Before you remove a member, make sure that it is not assigned to serve any zones or networks.
To remove a Grid member, from the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox,
and click the Delete icon.
Promoting a Grid Master Candidate

To promote a Master candidate to a Grid Master, you must have previously designated a Grid member as a Master
Candidate. Select the Master Candidate option in the General tab of the Grid Member Properties editor to designate the
member as a Master Candidate. You can designate any member as a Master Candidate. The Grid Master Candidate
gets a complete copy of the Grid database. Therefore, Infoblox recommends that you configure the same appliance
models for the Grid Master and Grid Master Candidates. By default, Grid Master promotion uses UDP port 1194. Make
sure that UDP 2114 and UDP 1194 ports are open between the Grid members and newly designated Grid Master. During
a Grid Master promotion, the newly-promoted Grid Master continuously contacts all Grid members, including the original
Grid Master on UDP port 2114 until it reaches them. It notifies all Grid members that it is the new Grid Master. The Grid
Members restart and then attempt to establish normal Grid communications (via BloxSync) with the newly promoted Grid
Master. Before promoting a Master Candidate, check your firewall rules to ensure that the Master Candidate can
communicate with all the Grid members. For information, see Grid Communications.
Testing the Connection of the Master Candidate with the Grid Members
Before promoting a Grid Master Candidate, you can check whether the Grid Master Candidate is connected to the rest of
the Grid members by scheduling a test promotion. You can do this either by using Grid Manager or by using the NIOS
CLI. For information about scheduling a test promotion using the NIOS CLI, see show test_promote_master and set
test_promote_master.
The connection of the Grid Master Candidate to the rest of the Grid members is checked by sending specifically crafted
test packets from the Grid Master Candidate and checking whether the Grid members are able to receive these packets.
To test the connection of the Grid Master Candidate with the Grid members, complete the following:
1. From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar, and then click GMC Promote Test.
2. In the GMC Promote Test editor, complete the following:
a. Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard, and in the Schedule Change panel, complete one of the
following:
• To run the test promotion immediately, select Now.
• To schedule the test promotion to run later, select Later, and then enter a date, a time, and select
the time zone.
b. From the Select GMC drop-down list, select the Grid Master Candidate that you want to promote to Grid
Master.
c. In the Timeout (secs) field, set the timeout for the packet to be received in seconds. That is, if the packet
is not received by the Grid members within this timeout, the connection is deemed to have failed.
d. Select the Continuous Testing checkbox if you want the Grid Master Candidate to send packets to the
selected Grid members on a continual basis. The maximum period of time for which packets can be sent
is 120 seconds.
e. In the Members table, select the Grid members to which the Grid Master Candidate must establish a
connection.
3. Click Start to start the test promotion. You can click Stop at any time to stop the test promotion.
4. Click GMC Promotion Test Results to view the status of the test promotion.

Rev. D
 Notes
• You cannot upgrade the Grid during a test promotion.
• You can do a test promotion of only one Grid Master Candidate at a time.
• If new members are added when a test promotion is in progress, connection of the new members to the
Grid Master Candidate will not be tested.
• If Threat Protection is enabled in the Grid and the member running the Threat Protection service is in
the list of tested members, you must set the value in the Timeout field to at least 30 seconds. This is
because Threat Protection needs to publish a new rule that allows traffic to pass from tested members.
If you set a lower timeout value, the packets may be dropped, and the test will report that the member
cannot connect to the tested Grid Master Candidate.
• Communication between DUT and Grid Master is not tested because of firewall complications and
running the OpenVPN connection. Communication is supposed to be already checked and DUT is
already connected to Grid Master.
• You cannot run continuous testing when a regular test is in progress and you cannot run a regular test
when continuous testing is in progress.
• If multiple public cloud instances such as AWS, Azure, GCP and so on are configured as the Grid
Master Candidate, ensure that these instances are able to communicate with other public cloud
instances. Otherwise, the Grid Master Candidate promote test does not work.
• When you configure a Grid Master Candidate which includes an External NTP server and when you
promote a Grid Master Candidate to Grid Master, the External NTP is enabled in the Grid Master
Candidate. In case you try to edit the member properties an error message is displayed. Therefore,
Infoblox recommends that you remove the External NTP configuration before you promote the Grid
Master Candidate.
Promoting the Master Candidate

To promote a Master Candidate, you can make a direct serial connection to the console port on the active node of an HA
Candidate or to the console port on a single Candidate. You can also make a remote serial connection (using SSH v2) to
the candidate. Enter the following Infoblox CLI command to promote a Master Candidate:
set promote_master.
You can do one of the following to promote a Master Candidate:

• Immediately notify all Grid members about the promotion.
• Set a sequential notification to provide wait time for Grid members to join the new Grid Master. Staggering the
restarts of Grid members can minimize DNS outages. The sequential order for Grid members to join the new Grid
Master begins with the old Grid Master and then the Grid members in FQDN order. The default delay time is 120
seconds. You can configure the delay time from a minimum of 30 seconds up to 600 seconds.
 Notes
• During a Grid Master promotion, ensure that you do not designate a Grid member as a Grid Master
Candidate or promote a Master Candidate. In addition, wait up to two hours since the last promotion to
perform another Grid Master promotion. Otherwise, you might experience unnecessary member
reboots. Whenever possible, separate any operations that require product restarts by at least an hour.
• When a Grid Master Candidate is selected as a subscribing member, then after Grid Master Candidate
promotion, the subscription still takes place through the previous Grid Master Candidate member which
is new a Grid member.
To promote a Master Candidate, do the following:

1. Establish a serial connection (through a serial console or remote access using SSH) to the Master Candidate. For
information about making a serial connection, see Method 2 – Using the CLI.

Rev. D
2. At the CLI prompt, use the command set promote_master to promote the Master Candidate and send
notifications to all Grid members immediately, or promote the Master Candidate to the Grid Master immediately
and specify the delay time for the Grid members to join the new Grid Master. For more information about the
command, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.
3. To verify the new master is operating properly, log in to the Infoblox Grid Manager on the new master using the
VIP address for an HA master or the IP address of the LAN1 port for a single master.
4. Check the icons in the Status column. Also, select the master, and then click the Detailed Status icon in the table
toolbar. You can also check the status icons of the Grid members to verify that all Grid members have connected
to the new master. If you have configured delay time for Grid member notification, it will take some time for some
members to connect to the new master. You can also check your firewall rules and log in to the CLI to investigate
those members.
 Note
Note that when you promote the Master Candidate to a Grid Master, the IP address will change
accordingly. If you have configured a FireEye appliance, then any changes in the Grid Master IP
address, FireEye zone name, associated network view or the DNS view will affect the Server URL that
is generated for a FireEye appliance. The FireEye appliance will not be able to send alerts to the
updated URL when there is a change in the IP address. You must update the URL in the FireEye
appliance to send alerts to the NIOS appliance. For more information, see ConfiguringFireEye RPZs.
Enabling Read-only API Access on the Grid Master Candidate

You can enable read-only API access on the Grid Master Candidate to provide additional scalability of read/write API
requests on the Grid Master, which in turn improves the performance of the Grid Master. The read-only API access is
disabled by default for new installations. When you enable read-only API access on an HA Grid Master Candidate, you
can access the API service only on the active node. If the API service is disabled for an admin group, the users in the
admin group cannot access read-only API service on the Grid Master Candidate, even though read-only API access is
enabled for the Grid Master Candidate. Also, the users in the admin group should have at least read-only permission to
access the API service.
 Note
When you upgrade the Grid Master Candidate to NIOS 7.1 and later, read-only API access is disabled. But
when you upgrade the Grid Master Candidate from NIOS 7.1 to a later release with read-only API access
enabled, then this setting is retained after the upgrade is completed.
The appliance logs all API logins in the audit log and syslog. You can view the audit log and syslog of the Grid Master
Candidate under the Administration -> Logs tab.
To enable read-only API access on the Grid Master Candidate:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_Master_Candidate checkbox, and then
• In the Grid Member Properties editor, select the General tab -> Basic tab, and then do the following:
Read Only API access: This field is displayed only when the Grid member is designated as a Master Candidate.
Select this checkbox to enable read-only API access on the Grid Master Candidate. Enabling this checkbox will
only allow read-only API access and not write API access. Note that if you enable this checkbox, you cannot
access the GUI using the IP address of the Grid Master Candidate.
Grid Bandwidth Considerations

Infoblox Grid technology relies upon database replication for its core functionality. When designing a Grid, it is important
to consider the amount of traffic generated by this replication and the overall number of Grid members. Other
communication between Grid members (such as log retrieval and monitoring functions) occurs as well. All of this traffic is

Rev. D
securely communicated between the Grid Master and Grid members through encrypted VPN tunnels.
One component of the traffic through the tunnels is database replication traffic. There are three types to consider:
• Complete database replication to a Master Candidate — Occurs when a Master Candidate joins or rejoins a Grid.
The Grid Master sends the complete database to a Master Candidate so that it has all the data it needs if it ever
becomes promoted from member to master.
• Partial database replication — Occurs when an appliance or HA pair joins or rejoins the Grid as a regular member
(which is not configured as a Master Candidate). The Grid Master sends it the section of the database that mainly
applies just to the member.
• Ongoing database updates — Occurs as changes are made to the Grid configuration and data. The Grid Master
sends all ongoing database updates to Master Candidates and individual member-specific updates to regular
members.
If there are no or very few DNS dynamic updates, and no or very few DHCP lease offers and renewals issued, then this
type of replication traffic is minimal.
If there are many DDNS (dynamic DNS) updates (many per second) and/or many DHCP lease offers and renewals
(many per second), then the replication traffic is the largest component of the VPN traffic among Grid members.
 Note
A Grid Master replicates data to single members and to the active node of HA members. The active node then
replicates the data to the passive node in the HA pair.
At a minimum, there must be 256 Kbps (kilobits per second) bandwidth between the Grid Master and each member, with
a maximum round-trip delay of 500 milliseconds. For ongoing database updates, the amount of data sent or received is
15 Kb for every DDNS update, and 10 Kb for every DHCP lease -offer/renew. The baseline amount for heartbeat and
other maintenance traffic for each member is 2 Kbps. Measure the peak DNS and DHCP traffic you see in your network
to determine the bandwidth needed between the Grid Master and its members for this activity.
For example, you might decide to place your Grid members in the locations shown in the below figure.
Grid Deployment

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In this example, the Grid Master is optimally placed in the Data Center West. There are a total of seven members: the HA
Grid Master, three HA members, and three single members. If all the members are Master Candidates, the Grid Master
replicates all changes to the other six members. Assuming that the master receives 20 dynamic updates per minute and
40 DHCP lease renews per minute, the calculation for Grid bandwidth is:
20 DDNS updates/minute/60 secs = 0.333 DDNS updates/sec * 15 Kb = 5 Kbps *6 members= 30 Kbps
40 DHCP leases/minute/60 secs = 0.666 DHCP leases/sec * 10 Kb = 6.7 Kbps * 6 members = 40.2 Kbps
2 Kbps of Grid maintenance traffic * 6 members = 12 Kbps
Total 82.2 Kbps
Another component is the upgrade process. See Upgrading NIOS Software for more information.
Bandwidth requirements, database size, and update rate determine the maximum size of the Grid you can deploy. Based
on the various factors discussed above, you can determine the amount of bandwidth your Grid needs. If your calculations
exceed the available bandwidth, then you might need to modify your deployment strategy, perhaps by splitting one large
Grid into two or more smaller ones.
 Note
This calculation does not take into account existing traffic other than DNS and DHCP services, so factor and
adjust accordingly.

Rev. D
For international networks, because of bandwidth and delay requirements, a geographical grouping of Grid members
might be the best approach. For example, if you have a global presence, it may make the most sense to have a North
American Grid, a South American Grid, a European Grid, and an Asia/Pacific Grid.
Automatic Software Version Coordination

When you add an appliance or HA pair to a Grid as a new member, it is important that it is running the same version of
software as the other members in the Grid. Infoblox provides two methods for coordinating the software version:
• Manual Upgrade and Downgrade: Before adding an appliance or HA pair to a Grid, you can manually upgrade or
downgrade the software on the appliance or HA pair to the version used by the rest of the Grid.
• Automatic Upgrade and Downgrade: The Grid Master automatically compares the software version of each
appliance attempting to enter a Grid with that in use by the rest of Grid. If the versions do not match, the Grid
Master downloads the correct version to the new appliance or HA pair.
 Note
The Grid Master checks the software version every time an appliance or HA pair joins the Grid. The
software version check occurs during the initial join operation and when a member goes offline and then
rejoins the Grid.
Automatic Upgrade of An Appliance Joining a Grid
When a single appliance attempts to join the Grid for the first time, the following series of events takes place:
1. The appliance establishes an encrypted VPN tunnel with the Grid Master.
2. The master detects that the software version on the appliance is different from that in the rest of the Grid. For
example, the appliance is running NIOS 6.10.0 software but the rest of the Grid is running NIOS 7.3.200 software.
3. The appliance downloads the NIOS 7.3.200 software from the Grid Master.
4. After the upgrade is complete, the NIOS application automatically restarts.

Rev. D
5. After the appliance reboots, it again contacts the Grid Master and step 1 is repeated. Because the software
versions now match, the appliance can complete its attempt to join the Grid.
When an HA pair attempts to join the Grid for the first time, the following series of events takes place:
1. The active node of the HA pair establishes an encrypted VPN tunnel with the Grid Master.
2. The master detects that the software version on the node is different from that in the rest of the Grid. For
example, the active node is running NIOS 6.10.0 software but the rest of the Grid is running NIOS 7.3.200
software.
3. The appliance downloads the NIOS 7.3.200 software from the Grid Master.
4. After the upgrade is complete, the NIOS application on the active node automatically restarts. This causes an HA
failover.
5. The new active node (which was previously the passive node) attempts to join the Grid, repeating steps 1 – 4.
6. When the NIOS application on the currently active node restarts, there is another failover, and the currently
passive node becomes active again.
7. The active node again contacts the Grid Master and step 1 is repeated. Because the software versions now
match, it can complete its attempt to join the Grid.
NAT Groups
 Note
Infoblox NAT and NAT groups do not support NAT IPv6 operation.
NAT groups are necessary if the Grid Master is behind a NAT appliance and there are members on both sides of that
NAT appliance. Any members on the same side as the master go into the same NAT group as the master and use their
interface addresses for Grid communications with each other. Grid members on the other side of that NAT appliance do
not go in the same NAT group as the master and use the master's NAT address for Grid communications. These other
members outside the NAT appliance can—but do not always need to be—in a different NAT group. To see when NAT
groups become necessary for Grid communications, compare the figure NAT without NAT Groups below with the figures
Grid Master in NAT Group and Grid Master and Master Candidate in NAT Groups.
NAT without NAT Groups

Rev. D
 Note
A single or HA member using its MGMT port for Grid communications cannot be separated from the Grid
Master behind a NAT appliance. For more information, see Using the MGMT Port.
Grid Master in NAT Group

Rev. D
The same use of NAT groups that applies to a Grid Master also applies to Master Candidates. If there are no other
members behind the same NAT appliance as a Master Candidate, then the Master Candidate does not need to be in a
NAT group. It always uses its NAT address for Grid communications. If another member is behind the same NAT
appliance as the Master Candidate, then both the candidate and that member need to be in the same NAT group so that
—if the candidate becomes master—they can use their interface addresses to communicate with each other (see the
figure below).
Grid Master and Master Candidate in NAT Groups

Rev. D
Although some members might not need to be in a NAT group, it is good practice to put all members in NAT groups in
anticipation of adding or rearranging Grid members within the network. For example, in NAT without NAT Groups – Grid
Master and Master Candidate in NAT Groups, Member 4 did not need to be in a NAT group until it became configured as
a Master Candidate. At that point, because Member 5 is also behind the same NAT appliance, it became necessary to
create NAT Group 2 and add Members 4 and 5 to it. Similarly, if you add another member behind the NAT appliance in
front of Member 3, then you must create a new NAT group and add Member 3 and the new member to it. Always using
NAT groups can simplify such changes to the Grid and ensure that NAT appliances never interrupt Grid communications.
To create a NAT group:
3. In the Grid Properties editor, select the NAT Groups tab.
4. Click the Add icon, and enter a name in the Name field and optionally, a comment in the Comment field.
To add members to the NAT group:
2. Select a Grid member and click the Edit icon.
3. In the Grid Member Properties editor, select the Network -> Advanced tab and complete the following:
• Enable NAT Compatibility (IPv4 only): Select this checkbox. NAT group is not supported by IPv6
appliances.
• NAT Group: From the drop-down list, select the NAT group you previously created.
• NAT Addresses: For a single Grid Master or member, enter the address configured on the NAT appliance
that maps to the interface address of the LAN1 port. A single master or member that serves DNS uses this
NAT address for Grid communications and—if it serves DNS—DNS messages.
For an HA Grid Master or member, enter the address configured on the NAT appliance that maps to its VIP address. An
HA master uses its VIP NAT address when communicating with Grid members. An HA member that serves DNS uses its
VIP NAT address for its DNS messages. It uses its LAN1 port NAT address for Grid communications.
• Node 1 (if HA)

Rev. D
• NAT IP Address: Enter the address configured on the NAT appliance that maps to the interface address of
the LAN1 port on Node 1. When Node 1 of an HA member is active, it uses its NAT address for Grid
communications.
• Node 2 (if HA)
• NAT IP Address: Enter the address configured on the NAT appliance that maps to the interface address of
the LAN1 port on Node 2. When Node 2 of an HA member is active, it uses its NAT address for Grid
communications.
Deploying Independent Appliances

This section explains how to deploy single independent appliances and independent HA pairs. Independent appliances
run NIOS without the Grid upgrade and are deployed independently from a Grid. This chapter includes the following
topics:
• Independent Deployment Overview

• Deploying a Single Independent Appliance
• Configuration Example: Deploying a NIOS Appliance as a Primary DNS Server
• Deploying an Independent HA Pair
• Configuration Example: Configuring an HA Pair for Internal DNS and DHCP Services
• Verifying the Deployment
• Infoblox Tools for Migrating Bulk Data
Independent Deployment Overview
 Note
Infoblox appliances support IPv4 and IPv6 networking configurations in most deployments cited in this chapter.
You can set the LAN1 port to an IPv6 address and use that address to access the NIOS UI and the NIOS Setup
Wizard. All HA operations can be applied across IPv6. You can also set a dual mode appliance by configuring
both IPv4 and IPv6 address for the LAN1 port. Topics in this and following chapters generally use IPv4
examples. Also note that LAN2 and the MGMT port also support IPv6. DNS services are fully supported in IPv6
for the LAN1, LAN2, MGMT and VLAN ports. DHCP services are fully supported in IPv6 for the LAN1 and
LAN2 ports. Example networks throughout this chapter use IPv4 addressing.
You can deploy the NIOS appliance as a Grid member in an Infoblox Grid or independently as a standalone deployment.
NIOS appliances support both IPv4 and IPv6 networks and you can deploy them in either IPv4, IPv6, or dual mode (IPv4
and IPv6). Grids offer many advantages for large organizations while independent deployments can be sufficient for
smaller sites. For example, if your ISP hosts one name server to respond to external DNS queries, you can deploy a
single independent NIOS appliance as the other name server, as shown in the below figure.
Single Independent Appliance as a DNS Server

Rev. D
Using primary and secondary name servers provides DNS protocol redundancy, and configuring two DHCP servers as
DHCP failover peers provides DHCP protocol redundancy. However, you can only have hardware redundancy if you
deploy appliances in an HA (high availability) pair. Should the active node in an HA pair fail, the passive node becomes
active and begins serving data, as shown in the below figure. For more information about HA pairs, see About HA Pairs.
Independent HA Pair
System Manager GUI

When you deploy an independent appliance, you use System Manager to manage the appliance. Though other chapters
in this guide contain information that assumes a Grid deployment and describes the Grid Manager GUI, most of the
configuration procedures are applicable to an independent appliance, with the following differences:
• In the Dashboard, there is no Grid Status widget, and the Members Status widget in Grid Manager is the System
Status widget in System Manager.
• Functions related to a Grid, such as joining a Grid and managing Grid licenses, do not exist in System Manager.
• The Grid related tabs and functions in Grid Manager are the system related tabs and functions in System
Manager.

Rev. D
• Functions related to the Members tab in Grid Manager appear in the Nodes tab or the Toolbar of another subtab
in System Manager.
For example, the following navigation path for a Grid:
• From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox, and then click HTTPS Cert
-> Download Certificate from the Toolbar.
is the following for an independent appliance:
• From the System tab, select the System Manager tab -> Nodes tab, and then click HTTPS Cert -> Download
Certificate from the Toolbar.
Deploying a Single Independent Appliance

To deploy a single independent NIOS appliance, connect its LAN1 port to the network and change its default IP settings
so that it can connect to its surrounding IP address space. The default LAN settings are as follows:
• IP address: 192.168.1.2
• Netmask: 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: 192.168.1.1
When deploying a single independent appliance, you can use one of the following methods to set up the initial
configuration:
• Method 1 - Using the LCD
• Requirements: Physical access to a powered up NIOS appliance.
• Advantage: You do not need any other equipment.
• Method 2 - Using the CLI
• Requirements: A serial connection from your management system to the console port on the NIOS
appliance. You can also enable remote console access so that you can use the CLI over a network
connection. For more information, see Restricting GUI/API Access.
• Advantage: You do not need to change the IP address of the management system to connect to the NIOS
appliance.
• Method 3 - Using the Infoblox NIOS Startup Wizard
• Requirements: An HTTPS connection from your management system to the LAN1 port on the NIOS
appliance.
• Advantage: The wizard provides step-by-step guidance for changing not only the IP settings for the LAN1
port, but also changing the appliance host name and admin password, setting the system clock, and—if
using NTP (Network Time Protocol)—enabling the NIOS appliance to be an NTP client.
Note that you can configure network settings using the Startup wizard any time after you have configured the appliance.
To start the wizard, from System Manager, select the System tab, and then click System Properties -> Startup Wizard
from the Toolbar.
After you configure the network settings on a single independent appliance, you can migrate data from legacy DNS and
DHCP servers to the NIOS appliance. Several tools and methods are available for migrating data and configuration
settings. For a list of the available options, see Infoblox Tools for Migrating Bulk Data.
Method 1 – Using the LCD

Some of the NIOS appliances have an LCD and navigation buttons on the front panel that allow you to view system
status and license information, as well as configure network settings for the LAN1 port.
Infoblox LCD and Navigation Buttons

Rev. D
You can deploy a single independent NIOS appliance by setting its LAN1 port IP address, netmask, and gateway through
the LCD. This is the simplest method because you do not need anything other than a physical access to the appliance to
complete the initial configuration.
 Note
LCD does not support IPv6 addressing.
1. Connect the power cable from the NIOS appliance to a power source and turn on the power.
At startup, the Infoblox logo appears in the LCD on the front panel of the appliance. Then the LCD scrolls
repeatedly through a series of display screens.
2. To change the network settings for the LAN1 port, press one of the navigation buttons.
The LCD immediately goes into the input mode, in which you can enter the IP address, netmask, and gateway for
the LAN1 port.
3. Use the navigation buttons to enter an IP address, netmask, and gateway address for the LAN1 port.
4. Cable the LAN1 port of the NIOS appliance to a network as described in the installation guide that shipped with
your product.
Method 2 – Using the CLI

You can use the Infoblox CLI to make an initial network configuration through the set network command. To access the
CLI, make a direct serial connection from your management system.
1. Connect a console cable from the console port on your workstation to the male DB-9 console port on the NIOS
appliance. The DB-9 pin assignments follow the EIA232 standard. You can use one RJ-45 rollover cable and two
female RJ-45-to-female DB-9 adapters, or a female DB-9-to-female DB-9 null modem cable.
Console Connection

Rev. D
2. Use a serial terminal emulation program, such as Hilgraeve Hyperterminal® (provided with Windows® operating
systems), to launch a session. The connection settings are as follows:
• Bits per second: 9600
• Data bits: 8
• Parity: None
• Stop bits: 1
• Flow control: Xon/Xoff
3. Log in to the appliance using the default username and password (admin and infoblox).
4. At the Infoblox command prompt, enter set network to change the network settings, such as the IP address,
netmask, and gateway for the LAN1 port. You can configure either IPv4 or IPv6 address for the LAN1 port.
 Note
In the following example, the variable ip_addr1 is the IP address of the LAN1 port and ip_addr2 is the IP
address of the gateway for the subnet on which you set the ip_addr1 address. Infoblox appliances
support IPv4 and IPv6 networking configurations in all deployments cited in this chapter. You can set the
LAN1 port to an IPv6 address and use that address to access the NIOS UI.
You can configure an IPv4 address for the LAN1 port as follows:
NOTICE: All HA configuration is performed from the GUI. This interface is used only to
configure a standalone node or to join a Grid.
Enter IP address: ip_addr1
Enter netmask: netmask
Enter gateway address: ip_addr2
Configure IPv6 network settings? (y or n): y
Enter IPv6 address [Default: none]: 2001:db8:a22:a00::29

Enter IPv6 Prefix Length [Default: none]: 64
Enter IPv6 gateway [Default: none] 2001:db8:a22:a00::1

Become Grid member? (y or n): n
To avoid configuring IPv6 network settings, you can press N at the command line.
You can configure an IPv6 address for the LAN1 port as follows:
configure a standalone node or to join a grid.
Enter IP address : 2620:010A:6000:2400:0000:0000:0000:6508
Enter IPv6 Prefix Length: 64
Enter IPv6 gateway [Default: none]: 2620:010A:6000:2400:0000:0000:0000:0001

Configure IPv4 network settings? (y or n):n
Become grid member? (y or n): n

To configure IPv4 network settings, you can press Y at the command line and configure IPv4 address, netmask,
and the gateway address. After you confirm your network settings, the Infoblox application automatically restarts.
You can press N to avoid configuring IPv6 on the command line. After you confirm your network settings, the
Infoblox application automatically restarts.

Rev. D
5. Cable the LAN1 port to a network. For information about installing and cabling the appliance, refer to the user
guide or installation guide that was shipped with the product.
Method 3 – Using the Infoblox NIOS Startup Wizard

When you first make an HTTPS connection to a NIOS appliance, the Infoblox NIOS Startup Wizard guides you through
the deployment options and basic network settings. You can also change the password of the superuser (admin) and set
up the system clock.
Note that you can configure network settings using the Startup wizard any time after you have configured the appliance.
To start the wizard, from Grid Manager, select the System tab, and then click System Properties -> Startup Wizard from
the Toolbar.
To make an HTTPS session to the appliance, you must be able to reach its IP address from the management system.
 Note
If you have already set the IP address of the LAN1 port through the LCD or CLI so that you can reach it over
the network—and you have already cabled the appliance to the network—you can skip the first step.
1. If you have not changed the default IP address (192.168.1.2/24) of the LAN1 port through the LCD or CLI—and
the subnet to which you connect the appliance is not 192.168.1.0/24—put your management system in the
192.168.1.0/24 subnet and connect an Ethernet cable between the management system and the appliance.
2. Open an Internet browser window and enter https://<IP_address_of_the_appliance> to make an HTTPS
connection. For information about supported browsers, see Supported Browsers.
Several certificate warnings may appear during the login process, because the preloaded certificate is self-signed
and has the host name www.infoblox.com, which may not match the destination IP address you entered in step 1.
To stop the warning messages from occurring each time you log in to Grid Manager, you can generate a new self-
signed certificate or import a third-party certificate with a common name that matches the FQDN (fully qualified
domain name) of the appliance. For information, see Managing Certificates.
3. Enter the default username and password (admin and infoblox) on the Grid Manager login page, and then click
Login or press ENTER. For information, see Logging on to the NIOS UI.
program, select To Opt-Out of the alert program, please click here. For more information about the
program, see Configuring the Customer Experience Improvement Program.
7. In the first screen of the NIOS Setup wizard, complete the following:
8. Type of Network Connectivity: Select the type of network connectivity for the appliance from the drop-down list:
• IPv4 and IPv6: Select this to configure a dual mode appliance.
• IPv4: Select this to configure an IPv4 appliance.
• IPv6: Select this to configure an IPv6 appliance.
9. Are you configuring an HA pair or a standalone appliance?: Select Configuring a standalone appliance. To
configure an independent HA pair, see Deploying an Independent HA Pair.
10. Click Next and complete the following to configure network settings:
• Host Name: Enter a valid domain name for the appliance.
• Ports and Addresses: This table lists the network interfaces based on the type of network connectivity of
the appliance. For an IPv4 appliance, specify the network information for LAN1 (IPv4) interface and for an
IPv6 appliance, specify the network information for LAN1 (IPv6) interface. For a dual mode appliance,
specify the network information for both LAN1 (IPv4) and LAN1 (IPv6) interfaces.

Rev. D
• IP Address: Type the IPv4 or IPv6 address depending on the type of interface. An IPv6 address is
a 128-bit number in colon hexadecimal notation. It consists of eight 16-bit groups of hexadecimal
digits separated by colons (example: 2001:db8:0000:0123:4567:89ab:0000:cdef or
2001:db8::123:4567:89ab:0:cdef).
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): Specify an appropriate subnet mask for IPv4 address
or prefix length for IPv6 address. The prefix length ranges from 2 to 127.
• Port Settings: Select the port settings from the drop-down list. The list contains all the settings
supported by the hardware model. The default is Automatic. The appliance automatically detects
the port settings.
11. Click Next and complete the following to set admin password:
• Yes: To change the default password.
• No: To keep the default password. Infoblox recommends that you change the default password.
When you select Yes, complete the following:
• Password: Enter a password for the superuser admin account. The password must be a single
alphanumeric string without spaces and at least four characters long. The password is case-sensitive.
• Retype Password: Enter the same password.
12. Click Next and complete the following to configure time settings:
• Time Zone: Select the applicable time zone from the drop-down list. The default is (UTC) Coordinated
Universal Time.
• Would you like to enable NTP?:
• Select Yes to synchronize the time with external NTP servers, and then click the Add icon. Grid Manager
adds a row to the NTP Server table. Click the row and enter either the IP address (IPv4 or IPv6) or the
resolvable host name of an NTP server. You can view a list of public NTP servers at ntp.isc.org.
• Select No to specify the time settings for the appliance.
• Date: Enter the date in YYYY-MM-DD format. You can also click the calendar icon to select a date from
the calendar widget.
• Time: Enter the time in HH:MM:SS AM/PM format. You can also click the clock icon to select a time from
the drop-down list.
13. Click Next to view the summary of the configuration. Review the information and verify that it is correct. You can
change the information that you entered by clicking Previous to go back to a previous step.
14. Click Finish. The appliance restarts and disconnects Grid Manager.
In a dual mode independent appliance, the communication protocol for all the services is set to IPv4 by default. You can
change the default communication protocol for the services. For information, see Changing the Communication Protocol
for a Dual Mode Independent Appliance.
Changing the Communication Protocol for a Dual Mode Independent Appliance

You can change the default communication protocol for a dual mode appliance. You can force the appliance to use a
specific protocol for the reporting services and for services with two types of resolution (A and AAAA records), you can
set the preferred communication protocol.
To change the communication protocol for a dual mode independent appliance, complete the following:
1. From the System tab, select the System Manager tab -> click System Properties from the Toolbar, and select Edit
2. In the System Properties editor, select the Network tab -> Basic tab, and then complete the following:
• Communication Protocol Settings and Preferences: Select either IPv4 or IPv6 from the drop-down list.
This setting will force the appliance to use the specified protocol for the reporting services and this is the
preferred protocol for services with two types of resolution (A and AAAA records).
• Customized Settings: Select this and perform the following:
• Always use this Communications Protocol for: Select either IPv4 or IPv6 from the drop-down list.
This setting will force the appliance to use the specified communication protocol for reporting
services.

Rev. D
• Always prefer this Communications Protocol for: Select either IPv4 or IPv6 from the drop-down list
to specify the preferred communication protocol for the listed services, which has two types of
resolution (A and AAAA records). The appliance uses the preferred protocol first for the service.
Configuration Example: Deploying a NIOS Appliance as a Primary DNS Server

In this example, you will configure the NIOS appliance as a primary DNS server for corpxyz.com. Its FQDN (fully-
qualified domain name) is ns1.corpxyz.com. The interface IP address of the LAN1 port is 10.1.5.2/24. Because this is a
private IP address, you must also configure the firewall to perform NAT (network address translation), mapping the public
IP address 1.1.1.2 to 10.1.5.2. Using its public IP address, ns1 can communicate with appliances on the public network.
The FQDN and IP address of the external secondary DNS server are ns2.corpxyz.com and 2.2.2.2. The ISP hosts this
server. You can deploy NIOS appliance in IPv4, IPv6, or dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6), but the configuration example uses
IPv4 addresses.
The primary and secondary servers answer queries for the following public-facing servers in the DMZ:
• www.corpxyz.com
• mail.corpxyz.com
• ftp.corpxyz.com
When you create the corpxyz.com zone on the NIOS appliance, you import zone data from the legacy DNS server at
10.1.5.3.
Example 1 Network Diagram
Cabling the Appliance to the Network and Turning On Power

Connect an Ethernet cable from the LAN1 port of the NIOS appliance to a switch in the DMZ network and turn on the
power. For information about installing and cabling the appliance, refer to the user guide or installation guide that ships
with the product.

Rev. D
Specifying Initial Network Settings
Before you can configure the NIOS appliance through Grid Manager, you must be able to make a network connection to
it. The default network settings of the LAN1 port are 192.168.1.2/24 with a gateway at 192.168.1.1 (the HA and MGMT
ports do not have default network settings). To change these settings to suit your network, use either the LCD or the
console port.
In this example, you change the IP address/netmask of the LAN1 port to 10.1.5.2/24, and the gateway to 10.1.5.1.
LCD
The NIOS appliance has an LCD and navigation buttons on its front panel.
At startup, the Infoblox logo appears in the LCD on the front panel of the appliance. Then the LCD scrolls repeatedly
through a series of display screens.
1. To change the network settings from the default, press one of the navigation buttons.
The LCD immediately goes into input mode, in which you can enter the IP address, netmask, and gateway for the
LAN1 port.
2. Use the navigation buttons to enter the following information:
• Netmask: 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: 10.1.5.1
Specifying Appliance Settings

When you make the initial HTTPS connection to the NIOS appliance, the NIOS Startup Wizard guides you through the
basic deployment of the appliance on your network. Use the wizard to enter the following information:
• Deployment: single independent appliance
• Host name: ns1.corpxyz.com
• Password: SnD34n534
• NTP (Network Time Protocol) server: 10.120.3.10; time zone: (UMT – 8:00 Pacific Time (US and Canada),
Tijuana
1. Open an Internet browser window and enter https://10.1.5.2.

2. Accept the certificate when prompted.
Several certificate warnings may appear during the login process. This is normal because the preloaded
certificate is self-signed and has the hostname www.infoblox.com, which does not match the destination IP
address you entered in step 1. To stop the warning messages from occurring each time you log in to Grid
Manager, you can generate a new self-signed certificate or import a third-party certificate with a common name
that matches the FQDN (fully-qualified domain name) of the appliance. This is a very simple process. For
information about certificates, see Creating a Login Banner.
4. Read the Infoblox End-User License Agreement, and then click I Accept to proceed.
program, select To Opt-Out of the alert program, please click here. For more information about the program, see
Configuring the Customer Experience Improvement Program.
6. Click OK. Grid Manager may take a few seconds to load your user profile.
7. In the first screen of the NIOS Startup wizard, complete the following:
• Are you configuring an HA pair or a standalone appliance?: Select Configuring a standalone appliance. To
configure an independent HA pair, see Deploying an Independent HA Pair.
• Click Next and complete the following to configure network settings:

Rev. D
• Ports and Addresses: Specify the network settings for LAN1 (IPv4) port.
• IP Address: Enter 10.1.5.2 as the IPv4 address for the LAN1 port.
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): Enter 255.255.255.0 as the subnet mask for the
LAN1(IPv4) port.
• Gateway: Enter 10.1.5.1 as the gateway of the subnet on which the LAN1 port is set.
• Port Settings: Use the default value Automatic.
• Click Next and complete the following to set admin password:
• Would you like to set admin password?: Click Yes.
• Password: Enter SnD34n534.
• Retype Password: Enter SnD34n534 again.
• Click Next and complete the following to configure the time settings:
• Time Zone: Select UMT – 8:00 Pacific Time (US and Canada), Tijuana from the drop-down list.
• Would you like to enable NTP?: Select Yes to synchronize the time with external NTP servers, and then
click the Add icon. Grid Manager adds a row to the NTP Server table. Click the row and enter 10.120.3.10
in the NTP Server field.
• Click Next to view the summary of the configuration. Review the information and verify that it is correct. You can
change the information you entered by clicking Previous to go back to a previous step.
• Click Finish.
Enabling Zone Transfers on the Legacy Name Server

To allow the appliance to import zone data from the legacy server 10.1.5.3, you must configure the legacy server to allow
zone transfers to the appliance at 10.1.5.2.
Legacy BIND Server

1. Open the named.conf file using a text editor and change the allow-transfer statement as shown below:
• For All Zones — To set the allow-transfer statement as a global statement in the named.conf file for all
zones:
options {
zone-statistics yes;
directory "/var/named/named_conf"; version "";
recursion yes;
listen-on { 127.0.0.1; 10.1.5.3; };
…
allow-transfer {10.1.5.2; }; transfer-format many-answers;
};
• For a Single Zone — To set the allow-transfer statement in the named.conf file for the corpxyz.com zone:
zone "corpxyz.com" in { type master;
allow-transfer {10.1.5.2;};
notify yes;
};
2. After editing the named.conf file, restart DNS service on the appliance for the change to take effect.
Legacy Windows 2000/2003 Server

1. Click Start -> All Programs -> Administrative Tools -> DNS.
2. Click + (for ns1) -> + (for Forward Lookup Zones) -> corpxyz.com.
3. Right-click corpxyz.com, and then select Properties -> Zone Transfers.
4. On the Zone Transfers page in the corpxyz.com Properties dialog box, enter the following:
• Allow zone transfers: Select this.
• Only to the following servers: Select this.
• IP address: Enter 10.1.5.2, and then click Add.
5. To save the configuration and close the corpxyz.com Properties dialog box, click OK.

Rev. D
Importing Zone Data on an Independent Appliance
You can import zone data from a legacy server or manually enter it. When you import both forward-mapping and reverse-
mapping zone data, the NIOS appliance automatically creates Infoblox host records if corresponding A and PTR records
are present. You can then modify the host records to add MAC addresses. However, if you only import forward-mapping
zone data, the NIOS appliance cannot create host records from just the A records. In that case, because you cannot later
convert A records to host records, it is more efficient to create the corpxyz.com zone, and define host records manually.
Infoblox host records are data models that represent IP devices within the Infoblox semantic database. The NIOS
appliance uses a host object to define A, PTR, and CNAME resource records in a single object, as well as a DHCP fixed
address if you include a MAC address in the host object definition. The host object prevents costly errors because you
only maintain a single object for multiple DNS records and a DHCP fixed address. Therefore, it is advantageous to use
host records instead of separate A, PTR, and CNAME records.
 Note
If you only have forward-mapping zones on your legacy servers and you want to add reverse-mapping zones,
automatically convert A records to host records in the imported forward-mapping zones, and create reverse
host records in corresponding reverse-mapping zones, create the reverse-mapping zones on the NIOS
appliance and then import the forward-mapping zones data. The NIOS appliance automatically converts the
imported A records to host records in the forward-mapping zones and creates reverse host records in the
reverse-mapping zones.
You also have the option of using the Data Import Wizard for loading DNS and DHCP data. For large data sets, this
option is an efficient approach. To download the Data Import Wizard, visit www.infoblox.com/import/.
In this example, when you create the corpxyz.com forward-mapping zone, you import zone data for the existing
corpxyz.com zone from the legacy server at 10.1.5.3. When you create the 1.1.1.0/24 reverse-mapping zone, you also
import the reverse-mapping zone records from the legacy server. After the appliance has both the forward- and reverse-
mapping zone data, it converts the A and PTR records to Infoblox host records.
Creating a Name Server Group

1. Open an Internet browser window, enter https://10.1.5.2, and then log in to Grid Manager using the username
admin and password SnD34n534.
2. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Name Server Groups tab, and then click the Add icon ->
Name Server Group.
3. In the Name Server Group wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter corpxyz as the group name.
• Name Servers: Click the Add icon -> Primary.
• In the Add Primary section, Grid Manager displays the host name of the independent appliance. Click
Add.
Grid Manager adds the independent system as the primary server.
• Click the Add icon -> External Secondary.
• In the Add External Secondary section, complete the following:
• Name: Enter ns2.corpxyz.com.
• Address: Enter 2.2.2.2.
• Stealth: Clear this checkbox.
• Click Add. Grid Manager adds the external secondary to the name server group.
Creating a Forward-Mapping Zone
 Note
To import zone data, you must first create a zone and save it.

Rev. D
1. To create an authoritative zone, from the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab, and then click
the Add icon -> Authoritative Zone.
2. In the Add Authoritative Zone wizard, select Add an authoritative forward-mapping zone.
• Name: Enter corpxyz.com.
• Comment: Enter DNS zone.
4. Click Next to assign a name server group to the zone.
5. Click the Zones tab, select the corpxyz.com checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
6. In the Authoritative Zone editor, select the Name Servers tab, and then complete the following:
• Use this name server group: Select this, and then select corpxyz from the drop-down list.
Importing Zone Data

1. To import zone data to the corpxyz.com zone that you created earlier, click the Zones tab, select the corpxyz.com
checkbox, and then click Import Zone from the Toolbar.
2. In the Import Zone editor, complete the following:
• Address: Enter the IP address 10.1.5.3 of the DNS server from which you want to import zone data.
• Create Hosts and Bulk Hosts during import: Select this option to allow the appliance to merge imported
records into hosts and bulk hosts. If you do not select this option, then resource records are imported one-
to-one with each DNS record from the imported zone producing a corresponding DNS record on the NIOS
appliance.
• Create PTR records for Hosts if necessary: Select this to create host records from the imported
address records, even if the corresponding PTR records or the authoritative reverse zones that
would contain them, do not exist. If you do not select this option, then host records will be created
for imported address records only if a corresponding PTR record exists.
• Create PTR records for Bulk Hosts if necessary: Select this to create bulk host records from the
imported address records, even if the corresponding PTR records or the authoritative reverse
zones that would contain them, do not exist. If you do not select this option, then bulk host records
will be created for the imported address records only if the corresponding PTR records exist.
3. Click Import.
4. After successfully importing the zone data, click corpxyz.com in the Zones tab.
You can see all the imported forward-mapping zone data in the Records panel. Because you have not yet
imported the reverse-mapping zone data, most of the records appear as A records.
5. To import the reverse-mapping zone data, from the Zones tab, click the Add icon -> Authoritative Zone.
6. In the Add Authoritative Zone wizard, select Add an authoritative IPv4 reverse-mapping zone.
• IPv4 Network: Enter 1.1.1.0.
• Netmask: Select 24 from the drop-down list.
• Comment: Enter Reverse-mapping zone.
9. To assign a name server group to the reverse-mapping zone, click the Zones tab, select the 1.1.1.in-addr.arpa
10. In the Authoritative Zone editor, select the Name Servers tab, and then complete the following:
• Use this name server group: Select this, and then select corpxyz from the drop-down list.
12. To import reverse-mapping zone data, click the Zones tab, select the corpxyz.com checkbox, and then click
Import Zone from the Toolbar.
13. In the Import Zone editor, complete the following:
• Address: Enter the IP address 10.1.5.3 of the DNS server from which you want to import zone data.
14. Click Import.
15. After successfully importing the zone data, click 1.1.1.in-addr.arpa on the Zones tab. You can see all the imported
reverse-mapping zone data in the Records panel.
16. Click corpxyz.com in the Forward Mapping Zones list.
Because you have now imported both the forward- and reverse-mapping zone data, most of the records appear
as host records.

Rev. D
17. Finally, you must remove the ns1 host record for the legacy server (value 1.1.1.3). To remove it, select the ns1
checkbox (the host record for 1.1.1.3), and then click the Delete icon.
Designating the New Primary on the Secondary Name Server (at the ISP Site)
In this example, the external secondary name server is maintained by an ISP, so you must contact your ISP administrator
to change the IP address of the primary (or master) name server. (If you have administrative access to the secondary
name server, you can make this change yourself.)
Because a firewall performing NAT exists between the secondary and primary name servers, specify the NAT address
1.1.1.2 for the primary name server instead of 10.1.5.2.
Secondary BIND Server

1. Open the named.conf file using a text editor and set ns1 (with NAT address 1.1.1.2) as the primary from which
ns2 receives zone transfers in the named.conf file for the corpxyz.com zone.
2. After editing the named.conf file, restart DNS service for the change to take effect.
Secondary Windows 2000/2003 Server

2. Click + (for ns2) -> + (for Forward Lookup Zones) -> corpxyz.com.
3. Right-click corpxyz.com, and then select Properties -> General.
4. On the General page in the corpxyz.com Properties dialog box, enter the following:
• Zone file name: corpxyz.com.dns
• IP address: Enter 1.1.1.2 and then click Add.
• In the IP Address field, select 1.1.1.3 (the NAT IP address of the legacy DNS server), and then click
Remove.
5. To save the configuration and close the corpxyz.com Properties dialog box, click OK.
Configuring NAT and Policies on the Firewall

Change the NAT and policy settings on the firewall to allow bidirectional DNS traffic to and from ns1.corpxyz.com and
NTP traffic from ns1.corpxyz.com to the NTP server at 10.120.3.10.
For example, enter the following commands on a Juniper firewall running ScreenOS 4.x or later:
set address dmz ns1 10.1.5.2/32
set address untrust ntp_server 10.120.3.10/32 set interface ethernet1 mip 1.1.1.2 host 10.1.5.2
set policy from dmz to untrust ns1 any dns permit
set policy from untrust to dmz any mip(1.1.1.2) dns permit set policy from dmz to untrust ns1
ntp_server ntp permit
At this point, the new DNS server can take over DNS service from the legacy server. You can remove the legacy server
and unset any firewall policies permitting traffic to and from 10.1.5.3.
Deploying an Independent HA Pair

To deploy an independent HA pair, you cable the HA and LAN1, LAN1 (VLAN), or LAN2, LAN2 (VLAN) ports to the
network and configure the IP settings for these ports and the VIP address within the same subnet. For more information
about HA pairs, see About HA Pairs.
The default LAN1 or LAN2 settings are as follows:

• IP address: 192.168.1.2
• Netmask: 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: 192.168.1.1

Rev. D
You can configure an HA pair using the Infoblox NIOS Startup Wizard. IPv4 and IPv6 network values are supported for
the NIOS Startup Wizard and for HA Pair configuration. The NIOS appliance MGMT port also can be configured to
support an IPv6 address.
• Requirements: HTTPS connections from your management system to the Ethernet ports on the two appliances.
• Advantage: The startup wizard provides step-by-step guidance for configuring the network settings of the VIP
address and HA and LAN1 or LAN1 (VLAN) ports on both nodes, for setting the host name, admin password, and
system clock, and—if using NTP (Network Time Protocol)—for enabling the HA pair as an NTP client.
Using the Infoblox NIOS Startup Wizard to Configure an HA Pair

When you first make an HTTPS connection to the NIOS appliance, the Infoblox NIOS Startup Wizard guides you through
various deployment options, basic network settings, and opportunities for changing the password of the superuser admin
and for setting the system clock.

level for all the connecting switch ports (HA, LAN1, LAN1 (VLAN), LAN2, and LAN2 (VLAN)):
• Spanning Tree Protocol: Disable. For vendor specific information, search for "HA" in the Infoblox Knowledge Base
system at https://support.infoblox.com.
• Trunking: Disable
• EtherChannel: Disable
• IGMP Snooping: Disable
• Port Channeling: Disable
• Speed and Duplex settings: Match these settings on both the Infoblox appliance and switch
• Disable other dynamic and proprietary protocols that might interrupt the forwarding of packets
 Note
By default, a NIOS appliance automatically negotiates the optimal connection speed and transmission type (full
or half duplex) on the physical links between its LAN1, HA, and MGMT ports and the Ethernet ports on the
connecting switch. If the two appliances fail to auto-negotiate the optimal settings,
see Modifying Ethernet Port Settings for steps you can take to resolve the problem.
Putting Both Nodes on the Network

1. Use one of the methods described in Deploying a Single Independent Appliance to configure the network settings
of the LAN1 port of each node so that they are on the same subnet and you can reach them across the network.
2. Cable the LAN1 port and the HA port on each node to the network switch.
3. Cable your management system to the network switch.
Configuring Node 1
1. Open an Internet browser window and enter https://* *<the IP address of the appliance> to make an HTTPS
connection to the first node. For information about supported browsers, see Supported Browsers.
Several certificate warnings may appear during the login process because the preloaded certificate is self-signed
and has the hostname www.infoblox.com, which may not match the destination IP address that you entered in
step 1. To stop the warning messages from occurring each time you log in to Grid Manager, you can generate a
new self-signed certificate or import a third-party certificate with a common name that matches the FQDN (fully
qualified domain name) of the appliance. For information, see Creating a Login Banner.

Rev. D
6. In the first screen of the Grid Setup wizard, select Configure a Grid Master and click Next.
7. Specify the following:
• Grid Name: Type the name of the Grid. The default name is Infoblox.
• Shared Secret: Enter the shared secret that both nodes use to authenticate each other when establishing
a VPN tunnel for ensuing bloxSYNC traffic. The default shared secret is test.
• Host Name: Enter a valid domain name for the node.
• IPv4 and IPv6: Select this to configure a dual mode HA pair.
• IPv4: Select this to configure an IPv4 HA pair.
• Select Yes in the Is the Grid Master an HA pair field for the first appliance of the HA pair.
• Send HA and Grid Communication over: Select either IPv4 or IPv6. This field is displayed only
when you configure a dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) HA pair.
8. Click Next and complete the following to set properties for the first node:
• Virtual Router ID: Enter the VRID (virtual router ID). This must be a unique VRID number—from 1 to 255—for this
subnet.
• Ports and Addresses: This table lists the network interfaces depending on the type of network connectivity. For
IPv4 HA pair, specify the network information for VIP (IPv4), Node1 HA (IPv4), Node2 HA (IPv4), Node1 LAN1
(IPv4), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv4) interfaces. For IPv6 HA pair, specify the network information for VIP (IPv6),
Node1 LAN1 (IPv6), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv6) interfaces.
For a dual mode HA pair, if you select IPv4 in the Send HA and Grid Communication over field in step 2 of the
NIOS Startup wizard, specify the network information for the following interfaces: VIP (IPv4), Node1 HA (IPv4),
Node1 LAN1 (IPv4), Node2 HA (IPv4), Node2 LAN1 (IPv4), VIP (IPv6), Node1 LAN1 (IPv6), and Node2 LAN1
(IPv6) ports. If you select IPv6 in the Send HA and Grid Communication over field in step 2 of the NIOS Startup
wizard, specify the network information for the following interfaces: VIP (IPv4), Node1 LAN1 (IPv4), Node2 LAN1
(IPv4), VIP (IPv6), Node1 LAN1 (IPv6), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv6).
Click the empty fields and complete the following information:
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): Specify an appropriate subnet mask for IPv4 address or
prefix length for IPv6 address. The prefix length ranges from 2 to 127.
• Gateway: Type the IPv4 or IPv6 address of the default gateway depending on the type of interface. For
IPv6 interface, you can also type Automatic to enable the appliance to acquire the IPv6 address of the
default gateway and the link MTU from router advertisements.
• Port Settings: Select the port settings from the drop-down list. The list contains all settings supported by
the hardware model. The default is Automatic. The appliance automatically detects the port settings.
• Click Next and complete the following to set admin password:
• Yes: To change the default password.
• No: To keep the default password.
If you select Yes, complete the following:
• Password: Enter a password for the superuser admin account. The password cannot contain spaces and
it must be at least four characters long. The password is case-sensitive.
• Click Next and complete the following to configure time settings:
• Time Zone: Select the applicable time zone from the drop-down list. The default is (UTC) Coordinated
Universal Time.
• Would you like to enable NTP?:
• Select Yes to synchronize the time with external NTP servers. Click the Add icon. Grid Manager adds a
row to the NTP Server table. Click the row and enter either the IPv4 or IPv6 address or the resolvable
host name of an NTP server. You can view a list of public NTP servers at ntp.isc.org.
• Select No to specify a date and time.
• Date: Enter the data in YYYY-MM-DD format. You can also click the calendar icon to select a date
from the calendar widget.

Rev. D
• Time: Enter the time in HH:MM:SS AM/PM format. You can also click the clock icon to select a
time from the drop-down list.
• Click Next to view the summary of the configuration. Review the information and verify that it is correct. You can
• Click Finish.
Configuring Node 2
1. Open an Internet browser window and enter https://* *<the IP address of the appliance> to make an HTTPS
connection to the second node. For information about supported browsers, see Supported Browsers.
Several certificate warnings may appear during the login process because the preloaded certificate is self-signed
and has the host name www.infoblox.com, which may not match the destination IP address you entered in step 1.
To stop the warning messages from occurring each time you log in to Grid Manager, you can generate a new self-
signed certificate or import a third-party certificate with a common name that matches the FQDN (fully qualified
domain name) of the appliance. For more information, see Creating a Login Banner.
2. Enter the default username and password (admin and infoblox) on the Grid Manager login screen, and then click
Login or press ENTER. For more information, see Logging on to the NIOS UI.
• IPv4 and IPv6: Select this to configure a dual mode HA pair.
• Select Configuring an HA pair to configure an independent HA pair and click No to configure the first node
of an HA pair
• HA Virtual IP address: Enter the VIP (virtual IP) address and its netmask.
• HA Pair Name: Enter a name for the HA pair. The default name is Infoblox. Ensure that you use the same
name as the first node.
• Shared Secret: Enter a text string that both nodes use as a shared secret to authenticate each other when
establishing a VPN tunnel. The default shared secret is a test. This must be the same shared secret that
you entered on the first appliance.
• Show Password: Click this to display the shared secret. Clear it to conceal the shared secret.
8. Click Next, and then complete the following to set properties for the second appliance:
• IP Address: Enter the IPv4 or IPv6 address of the appliance.
• Subnet Mask: Enter the subnet mask of the appliance.
Or
Prefix Length: Enter the prefix length if you have entered the IPv6 address in the IP Address field. The
prefix length ranges from 2 to 127.
• Gateway: Enter the IP address of the gateway of the subnet of the interface.
10. Click Finish.
The setup of the HA pair is complete. When you next make an HTTPS connection to the HA pair, use the VIP address.
The communication protocol for all the services in a dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) HA appliance is the same protocol as the
one used for VRRP advertisements. For example, if you select IPv4 in the Send HA and Grid Communication Over field
on the first screen of the NIOS Setup wizard, then IPv4 is set as the communication protocol for all the services.
However, you can override the communication protocol for all the services in a dual mode HA pair. For information, see
Changing the Communication Protocol for a Dual Mode Independent Appliance.

Rev. D
Configuration Example: Configuring an HA Pair for Internal DNS and DHCP Services
In this example, you set up an HA pair of NIOS appliances to provide internal DNS and DHCP services. The HA pair
answers internal queries for all hosts in its domain (corpxyz.com). It forwards internal queries for external sites to
ns1.corpxyz.com at 10.1.5.2 and ns2.corpxyz.com at 2.2.2.2. It also uses DHCP to provide dynamic and fixed addresses.
You can deploy the HA appliance in IPv4, IPv6 or dual mode(IPv4 and IPv6), but the configuration example uses IPv4
addresses.
The HA pair consists of two appliances (nodes). The IP addresses of the VIP (virtual IP) address of the HA pair and the
HA and LAN1 ports on each node are as follows:
HA Pair IP Addresses
VIP 10.1.4.10 (the address that the active node of the HA pair uses)
Node 1 Node 2
• LAN1 10.1.4.6 • LAN1 10.1.4.8

• HA 10.1.4.7 • HA 10.1.4.9
The virtual router ID number for the HA pair is 150. The ID number must be unique for this network segment. When you
create the corpxyz.com zone on the HA pair, you import DNS data from the legacy server at 10.1.4.11.
Example 2 Network Diagram

Rev. D
An HA pair of NIOS appliances provide internal DNS services. It answers internal queries for all hosts in its domain. It
forwards internal queries for external sites to ns1 and ns2. It also serves DHCP, providing both dynamic and fixed
addresses.
Cabling Appliances to the Network and Turning On Power

Connect Ethernet cables from the LAN1 and HA ports on both NIOS appliances to a switch in the server network and
turn on the power for both appliances. For information about installing and cabling the appliance, refer to the user guide
or installation guide that ships with the product.
Specifying Initial Network Settings

Before you can configure the appliances through Grid Manager, you must be able to make a network connection to them.
The default network settings of the LAN1 port are 192.168.1.2/24 with a gateway at 192.168.1.1 (the HA and MGMT

Rev. D
ports do not have default network settings). To change these settings, you can use the LCD or make a console
connection to each appliance.
Node 1
Using the LCD or console port on one of the appliances, enter the following information:
• IP Address: 10.1.4.6 (for the LAN1 port)
• Netmask: 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: 10.1.4.1
Node 2
Using the LCD or console port on the other appliance, enter the following information:
• IP Address: 10.1.4.8 (for the LAN1 port)
• Netmask: 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: 10.1.4.1
After you confirm your network settings, the Infoblox GUI application automatically restarts.
Specifying Appliance Settings

When you make the initial HTTPS connection to a NIOS appliance, the Infoblox NIOS Startup Wizard guides you through
the basic deployment of the appliance on your network. To set up an HA pair, you must connect to and configure each
appliance individually.
Node 1
1. Open an Internet browser window and enter https://10.1.4.6.
2. Accept the certificate when prompted. Several certificate warnings may appear during the login process. This is
normal because the preloaded certificate is self-signed and has the hostname www.infoblox.com, which does not
match the destination IP address you entered in step 1. To stop the warning messages from occurring each time
you log in to Grid Manager, you can generate a new self-signed certificate or import a third-party certificate with a
common name that matches the FQDN (fully-qualified domain name) of the appliance. This is a very simple
process. For information about certificates, see Creating a Login Banner.
Login or press Enter. For information, see Logging on to the NIOS UI.
• Type of Network Connectivity: Select IPv4 as the communication protocol from the drop-down list.
• Select Configuring an HA pair and click Yes to configure the first appliance.
• Send HA and Grid Communication over: Select IPv4 from the drop-down list for VRRP advertisements.
8. In the NIOS Startup wizard, select Configuring an HA pair. Click Yes to configure the first appliance.
• HA Pair Name: Use the default name Infoblox.
• Shared Secret: Enter 37eeT1d.
10. Click Next and complete the following to set properties for the first node:
• Required Ports and Addresses: In the table, click the empty fields and enter the following information for
each corresponding interface in the table:
• VIP (IPv4): 10.1.4.10
• Node 1 HA (IPv4): 10.1.4.7

Rev. D
• Node 2 HA (IPv4): 10.1.4.9
• Node 1 LAN1 (IPv4): 10.1.4.6
• Node 2 LAN1 (IPv4): 10.1.4.8
• Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: 10.1.4.1
 Note
Some fields are prepopulated by Grid Manager based on the existing configuration of the
appliance. All fields are required.
11. Click Next and complete the following to set admin password:
• Would you like to set admin password?: Click No.
12. Click Next and complete the following to configure time settings:
• Time Zone: Select UMT – 8:00 Pacific Time (US and Canada), Tijuana from the drop-down list.
• Would you like to enable NTP?: Select Yes to synchronize the time with external NTP servers, and then
click the Add icon. Grid Manager adds a row to the NTP Server table. Click the row and enter 10.120.3.10
in the NTP Server field.
14. Click Finish.
Node 2
1. From the System tab, select the System Manager tab, and then click System Properties -> Setup Wizard from the
Toolbar.
• Type of Network Connectivity: Select IPv4 as the communication protocol from the drop-down list.
• Select Configuring an HA pair and click Yes for configuring node 2 of the HA pair.
3. In the NIOS Startup wizard, select Configuring an HA pair to configure an independent HA pair. Click No for
configuring node 2 of the HA pair.
4. Click Next, and then complete the following to configure network settings:
• HA Virtual IP address: Enter 10.1.4.10.
• HA Pair Name: Use the default name Infoblox.
• Shared Secret: Enter 37eeT1d.
• Show Password: Click this to display the shared secret.
5. Click Next, and then complete the following to set properties for the second appliance:
• IP Address: Enter 10.1.4.8.
• Subnet Mask: Enter 255.255.255.0.
• Gateway: Enter 10.1.4.1.
7. Click Finish.
The setup of the HA pair is complete. From now on, when you make an HTTPS connection to the HA pair, use the VIP
address 10.1.4.10.
Enabling Zone Transfers

To allow the NIOS appliance to import zone data from the legacy server at 10.1.4.11, you must configure the legacy
server to allow zone transfers to the appliance at 10.1.4.10.
Legacy BIND Server

1. Open the named.conf file using a text editor and change the allow-transfer statement to allow zone transfers to
the appliance at 10.1.4.10. For a sample of the required changes to the named.conf file.

Rev. D
Legacy Windows 2000/2003 Server
Navigate to the corpxyz.com Properties dialog box, and then add 10.1.4.10 to the list of IP addresses to which you want
to allow zone transfers.
Importing Zone Data

You can import zone data from a legacy server to an independent HA pair. Use the following information:
• Forward-mapping zone: corpxyz.com
• Import zone from: 10.1.4.11
• Reverse-mapping zone: 1.1.1.0
Defining Networks, Reverse-Mapping Zones, DHCP Ranges, and Infoblox Hosts

In this task, you enter data manually. For large data sets, you have the option of using the Data Import Wizard for loading
DNS and DHCP configurations and data to make the process more efficient. To download the Data Import Wizard, visit
www.infoblox.com/import/.
Networks
You can create all the subnetworks individually (which in this example are 10.1.1.0/24, 10.1.2.0/24, 10.1.4.0/24, and
10.1.5.0/24), or you can create a parent network (10.1.0.0/16) that encompasses all the subnetworks and then use the
Infoblox split network feature to create the individual subnetworks automatically. The split network feature accomplishes
this by using the IP addresses that exist in the forward-mapping zones to determine which subnets it needs to create.
This example uses the split network feature. For information about creating networks, see Configuring IPv4 Networks.
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab, and then click Add -> Add IPv4 Network from the Toolbar.
2. In the Add Network wizard, complete the following:
• Address: 10.1.0.0
• Netmask: Use the netmask slider to select the /16 (255.255.0.0) netmask.
• Click Next to select a server. Click the Add icon. Grid Manager displays ns3.corpxyz.com in the table.
• Click Save & Close.
• On the IPAM tab, select the 10.1.0.0/16 checkbox, and then select Split from the Toolbar.
• In the Split Network dialog box, complete the following:
• Subnetworks: Move the slider to 24.
• Immediately Add: Select Only networks with ranges and fixed addresses.
• Automatically create reverse-mapping zones: Select this checkbox.
• Click OK.
The appliance creates the following 24-bit subnets for the imported Infoblox hosts:
• 10.1.1.0/24
• 10.1.2.0/24
• 10.1.4.0/24
• 10.1.5.0/24
• From the IPAM tab, select the 10.1.1.0/24 checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
• In the DHCP Network editor, enter information on the following tabs:
• General: Comment: MGT
• Server Assignment: Add ns3.corpxyz.com as a server
• Click Save & Close.
• To modify the other networks, repeat steps #8 – 10 for each network and use the following information:
• 10.1.2.0/24 Network:
• Comment: Dev
• Server Assignment: ns3.corpxyz.com
• 10.1.4.0/24 Network:
• Comment: Server

Rev. D
• 10.1.5.0/24 Network:
• Comment: DMZ
DHCP Ranges
1. On the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> 10.1.1.0/24, and then click Add -> DHCP
Range from the Toolbar.
2. In the Add Range wizard, complete the following:
Start: 10.1.1.10
End: 10.1.1.50
3. Click Next, and then select Server. Grid Manager displays ns3.corpxyz.com as the assigned member.
5. In the Networks tab, click 10.1.2.0/24, and then click Add -> DHCP Range from the Toolbar.
6. In the Add Range wizard, complete the following:
Start: 10.1.2.10
End: 10.1.2.50
7. Click Next, and then select Server. Grid Manager displays ns3.corpxyz.com as the assigned member.
Infoblox Hosts
Defining both a MAC and IP address for an Infoblox host definition creates a DHCP host entry—like a fixed address—
that you can manage through the host object. To add a MAC address to each host record that the appliance created
when you imported forward—and reverse—mapping zone records:
1. On the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> 10.1.1.0/24 -> 10.1.1.2.
2. In the Related Objects tab, select the checkbox of the host record, and then click the Edit icon.
3. In the Host Record editor, click the MAC Address field, and then enter the following:
• MAC Address: 00:00:00:aa:aa:aa
5. Follow steps 1 – 4 to modify hosts with the following information:
• printer2
• MAC Address: 00:00:00:bb:bb:bb
• storage1
• MAC Address: 00:00:00:dd:dd:dd
• storage2
• MAC Address: 00:00:00:ee:ee:ee
• proxymail
• AC Address: 00:00:00:ff:ff:ff
• proxyweb
• MAC Address: 00:00:00:11:11:11
• www
• MAC Address: 00:00:00:55:55:55
• mail
• MAC Address: 00:00:00:66:66:66
• ftp
• MAC Address: 00:00:00:77:77:77

Rev. D
Defining Multiple Forwarders
Since ns3.corpxyz.com is an internal DNS server, you configure it to forward DNS queries for external DNS name
resolution to the primary and secondary DNS servers—ns1.corpxyz.com at 10.1.5.2 and ns2.corpxyz.com at 2.2.2.2.
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, and then select System DNS Properties from the Toolbar.
2. In the System DNS Properties editor, click the Add icon on the Forwarders tab. Grid Manager adds a row to the
table. Complete the following:
• Address: Type 2.2.2.2. Click Add again to add another forwarder.
• Address: Type 10.1.5.2.
Each of the forwarders is assigned a random response time. The appliance sends the initial outbound query to the
forwarder that has the lowest response time. If the first forwarder does not reply, the appliance tries the one with the next
lowest random response time. The appliance adjusts and keeps track of the response times of the forwarders and uses
the quicker one for future queries. If the quicker forwarder does not respond, the appliance then uses another one.
Enabling Recursion on External DNS Servers

Since the HA pair forwards outbound queries to the two external DNS servers ns1.corpxyz.com (10.1.5.2) and
ns2.corpxyz.com (2.2.2.2) for resolution, you must enable recursion on those servers. When a DNS server employs
recursion, it queries other DNS servers for a domain name until it either receives the requested data or an error that the
requested data cannot be found. It then reports the result back to the server that queried—in this case, the internal DNS
server ns3.corpxyz.com (10.1.4.10), which in turn reports back to the DNS client.
Infoblox Server in the DMZ Network (ns1.corpxyz.com, 10.1.5.2)

1. On the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, and then click System DNS Properties from the Toolbar.
2. In the System DNS Properties editor, select the Allow Recursion checkbox on the Queries tab, and then click the
Add icon -> IPv4 Address. Grid Manager adds a row to the Allow recursive queries from table. Complete the
following:
• Permission: Select Allow from the drop-down list.
• Name: Enter 10.1.1.52.
BIND Server at ISP Site (ns2.corpxyz.com, 2.2.2.2)

1. Open the named.conf file using a text editor and change the recursion and allow-recursion statements to allow
recursive queries from 1.1.1.8 (the NAT address of ns3).
options {
directory "/var/named/named_conf"; version"";
recursion yes;
listen-on { 127.0.0.1; 2.2.2.2; };
…
allow-recursion {1.1.1.8;};
transfer-format many-answers;
};
Windows 2000/2003 Server at ISP Site (ns2.corpxyz.com, 2.2.2.2)

2. Right-click ns3, and then select Properties -> Advanced.
3. On the Advanced page in the ns3 Properties dialog box, clear the Disable recursion checkbox.

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4. To save the configuration change and close the ns3 Properties dialog box, click OK.
Modifying the Firewall and Router Configurations

Configure the firewall and router in your internal network to allow the following DHCP, DNS, and NTP traffic:
• To allow messages to pass from the DHCP clients in the DMZ—the web, mail, and FTP servers—to ns3 in the
Server network, configure policies and DHCP relay agent settings on the firewall.
• To forward DHCP messages from DHCP clients in the MGT and Dev networks to ns3 in the Server network,
configure relay agent settings on the router.
• To translate the private IP address of ns3 (10.1.4.10) to the public IP address (1.1.1.8) when forwarding DNS
queries from ns3 to ns2, set a MIP (mapped IP) address on the firewall.
• To allow DNS queries from ns3 to ns1 and ns2 and NTP traffic from ns3 to the NTP server, configure firewall
policies.
Firewall
For example, enter the following commands on a Juniper firewall running ScreenOS 4.x or later:
DHCP Relay Configuration

set address trust ns3 10.1.4.10/32
set interface ethernet2 dhcp relay server-name 10.1.4.10
set policy from dmz to trust ns1 ns3 DHCP-Relay permit
DNS Forwarding
set interface ethernet1 mip 1.1.1.8 host 10.1.4.10
set policy from trust to untrust ns3 ns2 dns permit
set policy from trust to dmz ns3 ns1 dns permit
NTP
set policy from dmz to untrust ns1 ntp_server ntp permit
Router
For example, enter the following commands on a Cisco router running IOS for release 12.x or later:
DHCP Relay Configuration

interface ethernet1
ip helper-address 10.1.4.10 interface ethernet2
ip helper-address 10.1.4.10
Enabling DHCP and Switching Service to the NIOS Appliance

With the Infoblox in place and the firewall and router configured for relaying DHCP messages, you can switch DHCP
service from the legacy DHCP server at 10.1.4.11 to the HA pair at 10.1.4.10 (VIP address).
 Note
To minimize the chance of duplicate IP address assignments during the transition from the legacy DHCP server
to the appliance, shorten all lease times to a one-hour length in advance of the DHCP server switch. Then,
when you take the legacy DHCP server offline, the DHCP clients quickly move to the new server when their
lease renewal efforts fail, and they broadcast DHCPDISCOVER messages. To determine how far in advance

Rev. D
you need to shorten the lease length, find the longest lease time (for example, it might be two days). Then
change the lease length to one hour at a slightly greater interval of time before you plan to switch DNS service
to the appliance (for example, three days before the switch over).
By changing the lease length this far in advance, you can be sure that all DHCP leases will be one-hour leases
at the time of the switch-over. If the longest lease length is longer—such as five days—and you want to avoid
the increased amount of traffic caused by more frequent lease renewals over a six-day period, you can also
employ a stepped approach: Six days before the switch-over, change the lease lengths to one-day leases.
Then two days before the switch-over, change them to one-hour leases.
1. Open an Internet browser window, enter https://10.1.4.10, and then log in to the appliance using the username
admin and password SnD34n534.
2. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, and then click Start from the Toolbar.
3. In the Start Member DHCP Service dialog box, click Yes. The HA pair is ready to provide DHCP service to the
network.
4. Take the legacy DHCP server at 10.1.4.11 offline.
When the DHCP clients are unable to renew their leases from the legacy DHCP server, they broadcast
DHCPDISCOVER messages to which the new DHCP server responds.
Managing and Monitoring

Infoblox provides tools for managing IP address usage and several types of logs to view events of interest and DHCP
and DNS data. After configuring the appliance, you can use the following resources to manage and monitor IP address
usage, DNS and DHCP data, and administrator and appliance activity.
IPAM (IP Address Management)

IPAM offers the following services:
• Simple IP address modification: Within a single IP address-centric data set, you can modify the Infoblox host,
DHCP, and DNS settings associated with that IP address.
• Address type conversion: Through IPAM functionality, you can make the following conversions:
• Currently active dynamic addresses to fixed addresses, reserved addresses, or Infoblox hosts.
• Fixed addresses to reservations or hosts.
• Reservations to hosts.
• Device classification: You can make detailed descriptions of appliances in DHCP ranges and appliances defined
as Infoblox hosts and as fixed addresses.
• Three distinct views of IP address usage: To monitor the usage of IP addresses on your network, you can see the
following different views:
• High-level overall network view: On the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> member. You can
view the network usage in the Net Map or List view. You can also drill down to specific IP address to get
detailed information.
• DHCP lease history records: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Leases tab ->
Lease History.
Logs
The following list has some useful information:
• Logs, as described in Monitoring the Appliance.
• Audit Log – Contains administrator-initiated events.
• System Log – Contains events related to hardware and software operations.
• DNS statistics, as described in Configuring DNS Services.
• DNS Configuration – Contains DNS server settings for the Infoblox DNS server.
• Zone Statistics – Contains the results of all DNS queries per zone.
• DHCP information, as described in Configuring DHCP Properties.
• DHCP Configuration – Contains DHCP server settings and network, DHCP range, and host settings for
the Infoblox DHCP server.

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• DHCP Leases – Contains a real-time record of DHCP leases.
• DHCP Lease History – Contains a historical record of DHCP leases.
• DHCP Statistics – Contains the number of currently assigned static and dynamic addresses, and the high
and low watermarks per network.
• Network Statistics – Contains the number of static hosts, dynamic hosts, and available hosts per network.
Verifying the Deployment

After you deploy a single independent appliance or HA pair, you can make an HTTPS connection to it, log in, and check
its status.
Single Independent Appliance

From the Dashboard, check the appliance status in the System Status widget. For information, see Member Status
(System Status).
• If the Status icon is green, the appliance has a network connection and is operating properly.
• If the Status icon is red, there is a problem. To determine what it is, look at the system log file for this appliance by
selecting the Administration tab -> Logs tab -> Syslog.
Independent HA Pair
1. Make an HTTPS connection to the VIP address of the HA pair, log in, and check the status of both nodes.
2. From the Dashboard, check the appliance status in the SystemStatus widget. For information, see Member
Status (System Status).
• If the Status icon is green, both nodes have connectivity with each other and are operating properly.
• If the Status icon is yellow, the two nodes are in the process of forming an HA pair.
• If the Status icon is red, the passive node is offline or there is a problem. To determine what it is, look at the
system log file by selecting the Administration tab -> Logs tab -> Syslog. You can also gather information from the
System tab -> SystemManager tab.
Infoblox Tools for Migrating Bulk Data

Typically, the next step after cabling a single independent appliance to a network and configuring its network settings—or
cabling two independent appliances to a network and configuring them as an HA pair—is to import data from legacy
DNS, DHCP, and TFTP servers. Infoblox provides several tools to accomplish this:
• The CSV import feature allows you to import DNS, DHCP, and IPAM data through Grid Manager. You can add,
overwrite, or merge data using this feature. The appliance updates the database based on import settings and the
data you specify in the data files. From the Data Management tab of Grid Manager, you can access the Import
Manager editor from which you start a data import. You can also export existing data to a CSV file. You can use
this file to modify data, and then re-import the data into the database using the CSV import feature. For
information, see About CSV Import .
• The Infoblox Data Import Wizard is a useful tool that simplifies the importation of DNS, DHCP and IPAM, and
TFTP settings and data into a NIOS appliance. For large data sets, this option is an efficient approach. To
download the Data Import Wizard, visit www.infoblox.com/import/.
• For smaller DNS data sets, you can use the zone import feature, which allows you to import data on a per-zone
basis (see Importing Zone Data).
Deploying Cloud Network Automation

The Infoblox Cloud Network Automation solution automates IPAM (IP address management) for physical and virtual
network devices on your CMP (whether it is private, public, or hybrid). Instead of manually provisioning IP addresses and
DNS name spaces for network devices and interfaces, you can use Cloud Network Automation to leverage DNS and
DHCP features of the Grid to manage your cloud networks. When your cloud consists of a large number of servers and
VMs (virtual machines) that have multiple associated network interfaces, manually provisioning and de-provisioning IP

Rev. D
addresses and managing DNS and DHCP data can become error-prone. Utilizing Cloud Network Automation can
minimize human errors by streamlining IPAM, improve visibility of your cloud networks, and maximize the flexibility and
efficiency that virtualization offers in your cloud environment.
To maximize the capability of Cloud Network Automation, ensure that you understand the operations of Cloud Network
Automation and how to deploy necessary components to suit your network topology and CMP. For detailed information
about the Cloud Network Automation operations, see Cloud Network Automation.
With valid licenses installed, you can configure Cloud Platform Appliances in your Grid to provide DNS and DHCP
services for virtual machines and network devices deployed through a CMP (Cloud Management Platform). To deploy a
Grid that contains cloud members, it is important to understand the required components, how to configure the members
to enable Cloud Network Automation, and which cloud API objects are supported.
• Cloud Network Automation

• Licensing Requirements
• Licensing Configurations
• Administrative Permissions
• Cloud Network Automation Administrative Permissions
• Supported Cloud Platform Appliance Models
• Setting Up Cloud Network Automation
• About Cloud API Service
• About Cloud API Requests
• About Authority Delegation
• Configuring Grid and Member Cloud API Properties
• Extensible Attributes for Cloud Objects
• Viewing Cloud Objects
Related topic
Cloud Network Automation

The Cloud Network Automation figure shows the basic concept and operations of Cloud Network Automation, which
includes two major components: the Grid Master that has a Cloud Network Automation license installed and one or more
Cloud Platform Appliances that provide the ability to process API requests. Instead of sending all API requests to the Grid
Master, you can send requests directly to the Cloud Platform Appliances. The Cloud Network Automation license installed
on the Grid Master enables visibility and reporting on cloud tenants, VM IP addresses, and DNS record allocation. This
license can be used in conjunction with Cloud Platform Appliances to provide local survivability and additional scalability
of cloud API requests within individual data centers, or it can be used with an existing Grid Master servicing all cloud API
requests.
A Cloud Platform Appliance is a Grid member designed and dedicated to accept and process WAPI (RESTful API)
requests related to cloud objects, in addition to serving DNS and DHCP protocols. You can deploy multiple Cloud
Platform Appliances within your Grid to scale the processing of API requests or to provide redundancy. Cloud Platform
Appliances include built-in HTTPS proxy capability that redirects cloud API requests to the appropriate Cloud Platform
Appliance or to the Grid Master for processing. In other words, cloud API requests can be sent to any of the Cloud
Platform Appliances within the Grid and the call is either processed locally or transparently forwarded to the appliance
that is authoritative for the object referenced in the cloud API request. For information about supported Cloud Platform
Appliances and their specifications, see Supported Cloud Platform Appliance Models. Once you have installed the Cloud
Platform license on the appliance, fixed address configuration takes effect immediately by default and no DHCP service
restart is required on the Cloud Platform Appliance. For information about this feature, see Configuring Fixed Addresses
without Restarting DHCP Service. You can also add and delete IPv4 and IPv6 fixed addresses, reservations, and host
records within any delegated IP address ranges through Grid Manager (the Infoblox GUI), in addition to using cloud API
calls. For more information, see Managing IPv4 DHCP Data and Managing IPv6 DHCP Data.
On the CMP, you can either deploy a cloud adapter and use it as the cloud API client for sending cloud API requests to
the Cloud Platform Appliances, or you can customize your CMP to make cloud API requests directly to Cloud Platform
Appliances or to the Grid Master. The cloud adapter can be configured to send API requests always to a single Cloud
Platform Appliance or to different Cloud Platform Appliances to handle situations where the primary Cloud Platform

Rev. D
Appliance may not be available or to distribute API load among multiple Cloud Platform Appliances. Infoblox Cloud
Network Automation supports the following cloud adapters: Infoblox IPAM Plug-In for VMware, OpenStack Adapter, and
AWS (Amazon Web Services) API Proxy. For information about the IPAM Plug-In for VMware and OpenStack Adapter,
refer to their respective Quick Start Guides. For information about the AWS API Proxy and how to set up AWS
configurations, refer to the InfobloxInstallationGuideforvNIOSforAWS.
In order to distribute API processing and provide additional scalability both for updating APIs and serving DNS and DHCP
protocols, Cloud Network Automation enables you to delegate specific sets of IPAM, DNS, and DHCP data to one or
more Cloud Platform Appliances. Once authority for an object or set of objects has been delegated to a Cloud Platform
Appliance, cloud API requests to create, modify, or delete objects under the scope of delegation for that appliance are
processed locally and available immediately for serving DNS and DHCP to VMs within the cloud. This eliminates the
need to send requests to the Grid Master to create, modify, or delete objects within the Grid. Changes made to objects
on individual Cloud Platform Appliances are synchronized with the Grid Master in near real time using Grid replication to
provide centralized visibility while retaining distributed processing capability. If a Cloud Platform Appliance is not
authoritative for the object referenced in the cloud API requests, it automatically proxies that request to the Cloud
Platform Appliance that is authoritative for the object or to the Grid Master (if it is authoritative for the object). Similarly,
cloud API requests made to the Grid Master are proxied to the authoritative Cloud Platform Appliance or processed
locally on the Grid Master if it is authoritative for the object. For information about authority delegation for supported
objects, see About Authority Delegation. For information about proxying cloud API requests, see Proxying Cloud API
Requests.
Cloud API requests are processed through the cloud API service that operates on the Cloud Platform Appliance. This
service can also be enabled on the Grid Master as well as other Cloud Platform Appliances. The cloud API service is
HTTPS-based; therefore, to ensure that the cloud API service functions properly, port 443 for HTTPS connectivity must
be open between the CMP and each Cloud Platform Appliance and/or the Grid Master receiving the cloud API requests.
To ensure that the proxying function works properly, port 443 for HTTPS must be open bi-directionally between each of
the Cloud Platform Appliances as well as between each Cloud Platform Appliance and the Grid Master. You must also
configure your firewalls and ACLs accordingly. Note that this service uses the VIP address on each Infoblox appliance as
the destination address.
All objects created, modified, or deleted by the cloud adapter are reflected in the NIOS database. You can view cloud
objects and their associated data in the Cloud tab of Grid Manager if the Cloud Network Automation license is installed
on the Grid Master. For more information, see Viewing Cloud Objects. Note that it is possible to use Cloud Platform
Appliances without deploying the Cloud Network Automation license. However, without the Cloud Network Automation
license, VM and tenant information is only displayed as extensible attributes associated with IPAM, DHCP, and DNS
objects in Grid Manager rather than in separate tables under the Cloud Tab.
Before you can send cloud API requests to a Cloud Platform Appliance or the Grid Master, you must create admin groups
that have cloud API access. Only admin users that have cloud API access and applicable permissions may be used for
sending cloud API requests. If the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on the Grid Master, it is also possible to
assign Tenant permissions to admin users to restrict these users to only be able to view objects related to a given tenant
or a set of tenants. For information about admin groups and how to manage admin users, see Managing Administrators.
Note that there is no current capability to bi-directionally synchronize NIOS data with CMP data. Therefore, cloud
information in NIOS is accurate only up to the point when specific cloud API requests are received by the Cloud Platform
Appliance from an adapter running on a CMP. Only cloud information obtained through API requests to the Infoblox API
service will be available in NIOS.
 Note
Unlike standard WAPI requests, all cloud API related events are logged to the NIOS syslog instead of the NIOS
audit log.

Rev. D
Related topic
Deploying Cloud Network Automation
Licensing Requirements
To enable Cloud Network Automation, you must install valid licenses on the Grid Master and Cloud Platform Appliance
members. Depending on your deployment scenarios, you can take advantage of Elastic Scaling to automatically deploy
virtual cloud appliances, either inside or outside your CMP.
The following valid licenses are part of the Cloud Network Automation solution:
• Cloud Network Automation license on the Grid Master and Grid Master Candidate
• Cloud Platform license on the Cloud Platform AppliancesThe license you install on the Grid Master enables the
Cloud user interface functions in Grid Manager and Tenant permissions.
The license you install on the Cloud Platform Appliance enables the cloud API service on the Cloud Platform Appliance.
Note that it is possible to use the Cloud Network Automation solution only with the Cloud Network Automation license or
with one or more Cloud Platform Appliances. In the case when only the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on
the Grid Master, all cloud API requests are sent to the Grid Master instead of to individual Grid members. Creation of
cloud objects through cloud API requests is visible in the Cloud tab of Grid Manager on the Grid Master.
When Cloud Platform Appliances are used without the Cloud Network Automation license, cloud API requests are sent
either to the Cloud Platform Appliances or to the Grid Master. However, the Cloud tab in Grid Manager is not available on
the Grid Master for viewing cloud objects created through cloud API requests.
You can also use the CLI command set temp_license to generate and install temporary licenses. This provides licensed
features and functionality for the interim, while you wait for your permanent licenses to arrive. For information about how
to install a temporary license, see Adding Temporary Licenses. Note that the temporary license is only effective on the
Grid Master, not the Grid Master Candidate.
For an HA pair, ensure that you use the same appliance models for both nodes and install the Cloud Platform license on
both nodes as well. For information about supported models, see Supported Cloud Platform Appliance Models. If a

Rev. D
failover occurs and the passive node does not have a valid license, the cloud API service will stop and all resource
delegations to the Cloud Platform Appliance will also stop.
Note that the Cloud Network Automation license on the Grid Master is incompatible with the following licenses:
• Multi-Grid Manager
• Reporting
Cloud Platform licenses are only supported on Cloud Platform Appliances. They may not be installed on any other
Infoblox physical or virtual appliances. The following licenses and functionality are not supported on the Cloud Platform
Appliances:
• Microsoft Management
• Multi-Grid Management
• Network Insight
• Reporting
• Tiered DNS Cache Acceleration
• DNS Cache Acceleration
• Load Balancing
• Infoblox
• RIR (Regional Internet Registry)
Before you install or remove the Cloud Platform license, consider the following:
• Installing or removing the Cloud Platform license stops the cloud API service.
• When you remove the Cloud Platform license from the appliance, it still serves DNS and DHCP if those licenses
are installed on the appliance. However, the appliance will no longer be able to run the cloud API service. In
addition, you cannot delegate authority to this member for objects that have not already been delegated to this
appliance. Existing delegations to this member remain in the NIOS database, but API requests proxied from other
Cloud Platform Appliances or from the Grid Master will fail.
Licensing Configurations
Depending on your Grid configuration and how you want to deploy Cloud Network Automation, Infoblox supports the
following licensing configurations. For information about cloud licenses and how to install them, see Licensing
Requirements.
• In an Infoblox Grid, the Grid Master has the Cloud Network Automation license installed and the Cloud Platform
Appliance has the Cloud Platform license installed: The Grid Master can process both regular RESTful API and
cloud API requests and the Cloud Platform Appliance can process cloud API requests. With the Cloud Platform
license installed, cloud API requests can be proxied among the Grid Master and Cloud Network Appliances based
on the delegation authority of the referenced objects. You can also manage the cloud API service and cloud
objects through the Cloud tab in Grid Manager
• In an Infoblox Grid, the Grid Master does not have the Cloud Network Automation license installed but the Cloud
Platform Appliance has the Cloud Platform license installed: The Grid Master can process both regular RESTful
API and cloud API requests and the Cloud Platform Appliance can process cloud API requests. With the Cloud
Platform license installed, cloud API requests can be proxied among the Grid Master and Cloud Network
Appliances based on the authority delegation of the referenced objects. Without the Cloud Network Automation
license however, only objects whose authority has been delegated to Cloud Platform Appliances can be managed
through Grid Manager. You will not have visibility of cloud objects, such as tenant information, through Grid
Manager because the Cloud user interface function (the Cloud tab) is not available without the Cloud Network
Automation license. You may manage cloud objects and their respective data through cloud API requests.
• In an Infoblox Grid with other Grid members but without Cloud Platform Appliances, the Grid Master has the
Cloud Network Automation license installed: The Grid Master can process both regular RESTful API and cloud
API requests. You can also manage cloud objects through the Cloud tab in Grid Manager.
• Standalone Grid Master with the Cloud Network Automation license installed: The appliance can process both
regular RESTful API and cloud API requests. You can also manage the cloud API service and cloud objects
through the Cloud tab in Grid Manager.
• Standalone Grid Master without the Cloud Network Automation license installed: The appliance can process only
regular RESTful API requests, but not cloud API requests. You cannot manage the cloud API service nor cloud
objects through Grid Manager because the Cloud user interface function (the Cloud tab) is not available.

Rev. D
The following table summarizes the supported licensing scenarios:
Cloud Network Supports Supports Cloud API

Automation License Cloud Platform Regular Calls on Grid Master Cloud User
on Grid Master License on Cloud RESTful API and/or Cloud Interface Function
Platform Calls on Grid Platform Appliance(s) in Grid Manager
Appliance Master
Infoblox Grid with Cloud Platform

Appliance(s)
Infoblox Grid with Cloud Platform

Appliance(s)
Infoblox Grid with other Grid

members but without Cloud
Platform Appliance(s)
N/A
Standalone Grid Master N/A
Standalone Grid Master N/A
Administrative Permissions
You must define admin users and their permissions in the admin group and assign specific roles to it before you can use
these admin users to send cloud API requests. You can also define object permissions to specific admin groups or admin
users so they can manage specific objects through cloud API requests. For more information, see About Admin Accounts
and About Admin Groups.
 Note
When you deploy Cloud Network Automation, the cloud-api-only is created automatically. You cannot delete this
admin group.
Depending on where a cloud API request is sent and whether the scope of delegation for an object is explicit or implicit,
permissions configured for the admin user and object may or may not apply. In addition, depending on the objects
referenced in cloud API requests, specific restrictions may apply. For supported objects and their restrictions, see
Supported Cloud API Objects.
For cloud API requests, admin permissions are applied based on the delegation status of the objects referenced in the
requests. If an object is not delegated (owned by the Grid Master) and the cloud API request is sent directly to the Grid
Master or proxied to the Grid Master, all applicable admin and object permissions apply. On the other hand, if authority
for an object referenced in a cloud API request is explicitly delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance and the request is
sent to this appliance, the admin user has full permission for this object within the scope of delegation. In this case,
specific permissions configured for the admin user and the referenced object are ignored. For more information about
admin and object permissions, see About Administrative Permissions.
It is important to note that once you delegate authority of an object to the Cloud Platform Appliance, specific admin and
object permissions are not enforced. Therefore, if you do not want certain objects to be created or modified through a
cloud API request, do not delegate the authority of these objects and their parent objects to a Cloud Platform Appliance.
For example, if you do not want host records to be created through cloud API requests, do not delegate the authority of
the relevant networks, zones, or both to the Cloud Platform Appliance. On the other hand, if you want the ability to restrict
permissions for specific objects referenced in cloud API updates, you can create different admin groups or admin users

Rev. D
that are authorized to make cloud API updates on respective Cloud Platform Appliances. The following example
illustrates this capability.
Configuration Example
If you want to restrict the creation and modification of records for networks 10.10.10.0/24 and 10.10.20.0/24 through
cloud API updates, do the following:
1. Create two admin users APIUser1 and APIUser2 in an admin group.
2. Delegate the authority of network 10.10.10.0/24 to Cloud Platform Appliance 1 (CP1) and 10.10.20.0/24 to Cloud
Platform Appliance 2 (CP2).
3. On CPI, add APIUser1 and on CP2, add APIUser2 to the list of administrators that can send cloud API requests,
as described in Configuring Grid and Member Cloud API Properties.
Now when you use APIUser1 to send cloud API requests, you can add and modify records for network 10.10.10.0/24, but
you cannot do so for network 10.10.20.0/24. Conversely, you can add and modify records for network 10.10.20.0/24 only
when you use APIUser2.
Cloud Network Automation Administrative Permissions

You must define admin users and their permissions in the admin group and assign specific roles to it before you can use
these admin users to send cloud API requests. You can also define object permissions to specific admin groups or admin
users so they can manage specific objects through cloud API requests. For more information, see About Admin Accounts
and About Admin Groups.
 Note
When you deploy Cloud Network Automation, the cloud-api-only is created automatically. You cannot delete this
admin group.
Depending on where a cloud API request is sent and whether the scope of delegation for an object is explicit or implicit,
permissions configured for the admin user and object may or may not apply. In addition, depending on the objects
referenced in cloud API requests, specific restrictions may apply. For supported objects and their restrictions, see
For cloud API requests, admin permissions are applied based on the delegation status of the objects referenced in the
requests. If an object is not delegated (owned by the Grid Master) and the cloud API request is sent directly to the Grid
Master or proxied to the Grid Master, all applicable admin and object permissions apply. On the other hand, if authority
for an object referenced in a cloud API request is explicitly delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance and the request is
sent to this appliance, the admin user has full permission for this object within the scope of delegation. In this case,
specific permissions configured for the admin user and the referenced object are ignored. For more information about
admin and object permissions, see About Administrative Permissions.
It is important to note that once you delegate authority of an object to the Cloud Platform Appliance, specific admin and
object permissions are not enforced. Therefore, if you do not want certain objects to be created or modified through a
cloud API request, do not delegate the authority of these objects and their parent objects to a Cloud Platform Appliance.
For example, if you do not want host records to be created through cloud API requests, do not delegate the authority of
the relevant networks, zones, or both to the Cloud Platform Appliance. On the other hand, if you want the ability to restrict
permissions for specific objects referenced in cloud API updates, you can create different admin groups or admin users
that are authorized to make cloud API updates on respective Cloud Platform Appliances. The following example
illustrates this capability.
If you want to restrict the creation and modification of records for networks 10.10.10.0/24 and 10.10.20.0/24 through
cloud API updates, do the following:
1. Create two admin users APIUser1 and APIUser2 in an admin group.
2. Delegate the authority of network 10.10.10.0/24 to Cloud Platform Appliance 1 (CP1) and 10.10.20.0/24 to Cloud
Platform Appliance 2 (CP2).

Rev. D
3. On CPI, add APIUser1 and on CP2, add APIUser2 to the list of administrators that can send cloud API requests,
as described in Configuring Grid and Member Cloud API Properties.
Now when you use APIUser1 to send cloud API requests, you can add and modify records for network 10.10.10.0/24, but
you cannot do so for network 10.10.20.0/24. Conversely, you can add and modify records for network 10.10.20.0/24 only
when you use APIUser2.
Supported Cloud Platform Appliance Models

The following table lists the Infoblox vNIOS virtual appliances that you can use as Cloud Platform Appliances. A Cloud
Platform Appliance can only be configured as a Grid member, not a standalone appliance. To configure an HA pair, you
must use the same vNIOS models for both the active and passive nodes. For information about HA pairs, see About HA
Pairs.
 Note
Cloud Platform Appliances do not support auto-provisioning. Pre-provisioning is supported for DNS and DHCP
data. For information about pre-provisioning Cloud Platform Appliances, see Pre-
Provisioning NIOS and vNIOS Appliances.
Supported Cloud Platform Appliances
vNIOS Appliance Storage (GB) # of CPU Cores Virtual CPU Core Frequency Memory Allocation
CP-V805 250 2 2000 MHz 16 GB
CP-V1405 250 4 6000 MHz 32 GB
CP-V2205 250 8 12000 MHz 64 GB
Setting Up Cloud Network Automation

To set up Cloud Network Automation, ensure that you understand the required components, licenses, and firewall
configuration, as described in Cloud Network Automation Operations. You also need to understand what a Grid is and
how to set up a Grid and deploy vNIOS appliances. For more information, see About Grids.
Following are high-level steps for setting up Cloud Network Automation:
1. Evaluate your network topology and IPAM requirements, and then decide how you want to set up your Grid in the
cloud environment. Based on your requirements, install and configure a cloud adapter that supports Cloud
Platform Appliances on your CMP. This adapter functions as the cloud API client. For information about how to
install and configure the cloud adapter, refer to the Quick Start Guide for the cloud adapter you are deploying,
available on the Infoblox Support site. If you are implementing Cloud Network Automation in your Amazon VPCs
(Virtual Private Clouds), refer to the Infoblox Installation Guide for vNIOS for AWS.
2. Obtain valid licenses through your Infoblox representatives. Note that Cloud Platform licenses may only be
installed on cloud virtual appliances. They may not be installed on physical or virtual Trinzic Enterprise
appliances. Deploy the Cloud Platform Appliances and install the Cloud Platform license along with the
Enterprise, vNIOS, DHCP, and DNS licenses included in the license bundle for the Cloud Platform Appliance. If
you plan to use the Cloud user interface functionality on the Grid Master, obtain a Cloud Network Automation
license for your Grid Master and Grid Master Candidate. For information about how to obtain and install licenses,
see Managing Licenses.
If you are implementing Cloud Network Automation in AWS, consider Elastic Scaling to see if it better fits your business
needs when you purchase your licenses. You can purchase multiple dynamic licenses and automatically pre-provision
vNIOS cloud appliances according to your business needs.

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1. If the Cloud Platform Appliance is not part of the Grid, join it to the Grid. For more information about how to join a
member to the Grid, see Joining Appliances to the Grid. If you have implemented Elastic Scaling, ensure that you
follow the necessary steps to automatically provision your vNIOS cloud appliances and join them to the Grid. For
more information, see Using Elastic Scaling to Pre-provision and Launch vNIOS Members.
2. Log in to Grid Manager and complete the following:
• Start the cloud API service on the Cloud Platform Appliance, as described in Starting the Cloud API
Service.
. The cloud API service is disabled by default.
• Define admin groups and admin permissions for Cloud Network Automation, as described in About Admin
Accounts and About Admin Groups.
• Control which users can send API requests, as described in Configuring Grid and Member Cloud API Properties.
• Add global and object permissions for admin users who can manage cloud objects, as described in Managing
Permissions.
You can now start sending API requests through the cloud adapter or AWS API Proxy. To understand the API request
process and the supported API objects, see About Cloud API Requests.
About Cloud API Service

The cloud API service provides the ability to automate management of IP addresses and DNS records so your cloud
environment can take full advantage of IPAM, DNS, and DHCP capabilities in NIOS without the need for manual
intervention. This service is supported for the following scenarios:
• Communication between the cloud adapter (acting as an API client) and the Cloud Platform Appliance or between
Cloud Platform Appliances. This cloud API service accepts and processes a subset of the WAPI requests that are
currently supported on the Grid Master either directly from an adapter or proxied through another Cloud Platform
Appliance or from the Grid Master.
• Communication between the cloud adapter and the Grid Master, or between Cloud Platform Appliances and the
Grid Master. This cloud API service processes requests received directly from the cloud adapter or processes
requests received by other Cloud Platform Grid members.
The admin users that you use to send cloud API requests must have applicable access to the cloud API in order for the
API requests to be processed. For information about admin groups, see Managing Admin Groups and Admin Roles.
Starting the Cloud API Service

To start the cloud API Service:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Services tab -> cloud_member checkbox.
2. Click Cloud API on the top navigation bar, and then click Start from the Toolbar.
Monitoring Cloud API Service

To monitor the status of the cloud API service, from the Cloud tab, select the Members tab -> cloud_member link. Grid
Manager displays the service status, as described in Service Status.
You can also monitor the cloud API service through the following:
• View the cloud API service through the Member service status, as described in Member Status.
• Configure the appliance to receive SNMP traps for the cloud API service, as described in Monitoring with SNMP.
• View Cloud Statistics widget on the Dashboard, as described in Cloud Statistics.
• Review event messages in the syslog, as described in Viewing the Syslog.
About Cloud API Requests

In your cloud environment, the cloud adapter acts as the cloud API client. Only API requests made by admin users who
have the correct permissions on the cloud API ACL (Access Control List) are processed by the cloud API service. When
the Cloud Platform Appliance receives a cloud API request, it processes the request based on authority delegation of the
objects and respective cloud extensible attributes. For information about cloud extensible attributes, see Extensible

Rev. D
Attributes for Cloud Objects. If the Cloud Platform Appliance is not authoritative for the referenced objects, it proxies the
request to the authoritative appliance that can be another Cloud Platform Appliance or to the Grid Master if no authority
delegation is defined. For information about proxying cloud API requests, see Proxying Cloud API Requests.
 Note
For the cloud API service to function properly, configure your networks and firewalls accordingly to allow port
443 HTTPS connectivity between the cloud adapter and Cloud Platform Appliance, between the cloud adapter
and the Grid Master (if applicable), between the Grid Master and Cloud Platform members, and between each
Cloud Platform member.
If you are using the AWS API Proxy to send API requests, ensure that you understand how to set up and configure the
proxy. For detailed information, refer to the Infoblox Installation Guide for vNIOS for AWS.
When implementing Cloud Network Automation in AWS, you can use Elastic Scaling to allocate and deallocate dynamic
licenses and automatically spin up vNIOS Grid members and join them to the Grid. You can purchase and install NIOS
feature licenses in advance and store them in a license pool container on the Grid Master. You can then decide when
and how to automatically provision and configure vNIOS for AWS cloud virtual appliances. When you remove a vNIOS
cloud appliance, the licenses on this appliance are released and returned to the license pool and are available for the
next deployment.
Cloud API Request Process

As described in the below table, all cloud API requests are subject to the following process before responses are
returned. The appliance
Cloud API Request Process
Steps Descriptions Configuration that affects the outcome of this

step
Authentication and All cloud API requests are authenticated based on the Define admin user accounts that can be used to
categorization authentication sources. Once authenticated, the requests are send cloud API requests.
categorized as either a cloud API request or not. All
requests that specify user identity as users defined in admin For information, see Managing Admin Groups
groups with cloud API access are Managing Admin Groups and Admin Roles.
and Admin Roles categorized as cloud API requests.
Authorization All cloud API requests are subject to authorization based on Define ACLs on the Grid Master or Cloud
the ACLs (Access Control Lists) defined for the Grid or Cloud Platform Appliance.
Platform Appliance. You can control which admin accounts For information, see Configuring Grid and
can be used to send API requests. The ACLs can contain Member Cloud API Properties.
admin users in admin groups with cloud API access or
remote authenticated users.
Proxying Requests If a Cloud Platform Appliance is not authoritative for a cloud Ensure that HTTPS connectivity between each
API request, it proxies the request either to the authoritative Cloud Platform member and between each
Cloud Platform Appliance or to the Grid Master for Cloud Platform member and the Grid Master is
processing. Similarly, if an object has been delegated and functioning properly for proxying.
the API request is made to the Grid Master, the Grid Master For information, see Proxying Cloud API
proxies that request to the authoritative Cloud Platform Requests.
Appliance.
Validation NIOS performs a final validation on the cloud API request Define admin permissions for admin groups with
based on permissions configured for the admin users and cloud API access.
restrictions for the applicable objects. If the request is For information, see About Admin Groups.
processed within the scope of an explicit delegation, the
admin user is considered to have full permissions within the
scope, and any permission defined for admin groups with
cloud API access is ignored. Otherwise, the request is
subject to validation for all permissions defined for admin
groups with cloud API access.

Rev. D
Auditing Cloud API related events are logged to the NIOS syslog of Configure syslog server for the cloud member.
the Grid member that processes the API requests instead of For information, see Viewing the Syslog.
to the NIOS audit log.
Supported Cloud API Objects

The Supported Cloud API Objects for Cloud API Service table lists all the supported cloud API object types, methods,
and functions. In your cloud API requests, you cannot include RESTful API object types, methods, and functions that are
not listed in the table, even when the Grid Master supports them for other purposes. Note that the supported types and
operations for cloud API requests are sub sets of all types and operations supported on the Grid Master.
Before you send any cloud API requests, ensure that you understand the implications and restrictions for each supported
object. NIOS uses extensible attributes to associate specific information with a cloud object. For information about the
default cloud extensible attributes and how to use them, see Extensible Attributes for Cloud Objects.
In AWS (Amazon Web Services), you can create a VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) and a subnet using the same network
address and subnet mask. For example, you can add 172.29.02.0/24 as the VPC and 172.29.2.0/24 as the subnet and
create VMs in the subnet. However, you cannot add a network container and a network using the same network address
and subnet mask in NIOS. Therefore, when you send an API request to create such VPC and subnet in AWS, NIOS
recognizes only the VPC, not the subnet. As a result, you are not able to create VMs under the subnet. For more
information about how to create VPCs and subnets in AWS for NIOS, refer to the Infoblox Installation Guide for vNIOS for
AWS.
In addition, when you delegate authority for supported cloud objects, NIOS may process the requests differently based
on the following:
• How the object was first created.
• Whether authority for the object has already been delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance.
For details about authority delegation and restrictions for each object, see About Authority Delegation.
 Note
NIOS does not process cloud API requests that contain unsupported object types or any combination of
supported object types with unsupported methods and functions. Although you can use all the fields in a
supported object type, some restrictions may apply to supported values for some of these fields. For
restrictions, see the Comments field in the below Supported Cloud API Objects for Cloud API Service table for
the corresponding object.
Supported Cloud API Objects for Cloud API Service
 Note
The cloud API service does not support scheduling and workflow approval requests. Objects deleted through a
cloud API request are not stored in the Recycle Bin, except for DNS zones and network views. For information
about the Recycle Bin, see Using the Recycle Bin .
Supported Object Cloud API Object Allowed Operations in cloud Authority Delegation and Required Extensible
Type API Requests Restrictions Attributes in cloud API
Requests (for creations
only)
Network View networkview Read, Create, Modify, Delete See Network Views for information Tenant ID
about authority delegation.
Cloud API Owned
CMP Type

Rev. D
only)
IPv4 Network networkcontainer Read, Create, Modify, Delete Split network, join networks, and Tenant ID
Container RIR related operations are not
Function: supported. See IPv4 andIPv6 Cloud API Owned
next_available_network Networks and Network Containers CMP Type
for information about authority
delegation.
IPv6 Network ipv6networkcontai Read, Create, Modify, Delete Split network, join networks, and Tenant ID
Container ner RIR related operations are not
Function: supported. See IPv4 andIPv6 Cloud API Owned
next_available_network Networks and Network Containers CMP Type
delegation.
IPv4 Network network Read, Create, Modify, Delete Split network, join networks, and Tenant ID
RIR related operations are not
Function: next_available_ip supported. See IPv4 andIPv6 Cloud API Owned
Networks and Network Containers CMP Type
delegation.
IPv6 Network ipv6network Read, Create, Modify, Delete Split network, join networks, and Tenant ID
RIR related operations are not
Function: next_available_ip supported. See IPv4 andIPv6 Cloud API Owned
Networks and Network Containers CMP Type
delegation.
IPv4 DHCP Range range Read, Create, Modify, Delete See DHCP Ranges for information Tenant ID
Function: next_available_ip Cloud API Owned
CMP Type
IPv6 DHCP Range ipv6range Read, Create, Modify, Delete See DHCP Ranges for information Tenant ID
Function: next_available_ip Cloud API Owned
CMP Type
IPv4 Fixed Address fixedaddress Read, Create, Modify, Delete See IPv4 and IPv6 Fixed Tenant ID
(Reservation) Addresses for information about
Function: next_available_ip authority delegation. Cloud API Owned
You can also create and delete CMP Type

through Grid Manager. All
required Cloud EAs are
automatically populated in the
GUI.
IPv6 Fixed Address ipv6fixedaddress Read, Create, Modify, Delete See IPv4 and IPv6 Fixed Tenant ID
(Reservation) Addresses for information about
Function: next_available_ip authority delegation. Cloud API Owned
You can also create and delete CMP Type

GUI.

Rev. D
only)
DNS View view Read, Modify See DNS Views for information Tenant ID
Cloud API Owned
CMP Type
DNS Zone zone_auth Read, Create, Modify, Delete See DNS Zones for information Tenant ID
Cloud API Owned
CMP Type
Host Record record:host Read, Create, Modify, Delete See Host Records for information Tenant ID
You can also create and delete Cloud API Owned
required Cloud EAs are CMP Type
GUI.
record:host_ipv4a Read, Create, Modify, Delete

ddr
Function: next_available_ip
You can also create and delete

GUI.
record:host_ipv6a Read, Create, Modify, Delete

ddr
You can also create and delete

GUI.
Resource Record record:a Read, Create, Modify, Delete See DNS Resource Records for Tenant ID
information about authority
Function: next_available_ip delegation. Cloud API Owned
CMP Type
record:aaaa Read, Create, Modify, Delete
record:cname Read, Create, Modify, Delete
record:ptr Read, Create, Modify, Delete
record:mx Read, Create, Modify, Delete
record:naptr Read, Create, Modify, Delete
record:srv Read, Create, Modify, Delete
record:txt Read, Create, Modify, Delete

Rev. D
only)
Grid Member member Read only API requests calling for service N/A
restarts on a Grid member can be
Function: restartservices processed by the Cloud Platform
Appliance only if the member
requested is also the Cloud
Platform Appliance processing the
request.
Grid grid Read only All cloud API requests calling for N/A
service restarts are proxied to the
Function: restartservices Grid Master.
Extensible Attribute extensibleattribute Read only You can use cloud attributes as N/A
def source objects to obtain the next
available IP address or network.
When doing so, you must also
include the respective network
view for the object.
Proxying Cloud API Requests

In Cloud Network Automation, the primary Cloud Platform Appliance that receives cloud API requests can act as a proxy
for other authoritative Cloud Platform members and for the Grid Master. This proxying mechanism is important when the
Cloud Platform Appliance cannot process requests that contain objects for which it is not authoritative, or when objects in
the requests do not have authority delegation and must be processed by the Grid Master.
Note that only successfully authenticated and authorized requests that require proxying are sent to the respective
appliance for processing. Proxying is limited to one hop within the Grid. Therefore, if the destination appliance cannot
process a proxied request, the request will not be forwarded and an error is returned to the client.
 Note
Only cloud API requests can be proxied.
To ensure that the proxying mechanism functions properly, configure your systems to allow for the following
communication:
• Allow all HTTPS connectivity among the Cloud Platform Appliances as well as to the Grid Master based on your
organization's firewall requirements.
• Ensure that you use the VIP or the MGMT address if it is enabled (including that for the Grid Master) as the
destination IP for the HTTPS connectivity. Note that this is a per member setting.
• Grant appropriate permissions to admin groups with cloud API access to ensure that tasks for objects outside of
the delegation function properly on the Grid Master.
Sample Cloud API Requests

This section includes sample cloud API requests for supported objects:
Adding a network view:
curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -k1 -u cloud:infoblox -X POST https://10.0.0.2/wapi/
v2.0/networkview -d '{"name": "netview1", "extattrs": { "Tenant ID":{"value": "1011"} ,"Cloud
API Owned":{"value":"True"},"CMP Type":{"value":"vCO/vCAC"}}}'
Adding a network within the delegated network view in the above example:
v2.0/network -d '{ "network": "20.0.0.0/24","network_view":"netwview1","extattrs": { "Tenant
ID":{"value": "1011"} ,"Cloud API Owned":{"value":"True"},"CMP Type":{"value":"vCO/vCAC"}}}'

Rev. D
Adding a DHCP range within the network created in the above example:
v2.0/range -d '{ "end_addr": "20.0.0.40", "member": {"_struct": "dhcpmember1", "ipv4addr":
"10.0.0.2", "name": "corpxyz.com"},"network": "20.0.0.0/24", "network_view": "netview1",
"start_addr": "20.0.0.35", "extattrs": {"Tenant ID":{"value": "1011"} ,"CMP Type":
{"value":"vCO/vCAC"},"Cloud API Owned":{"value":"True"}}}'
Adding an A Record:
v2.0/record:a -d '{"name": "corp200.com", "ipv4addr":"20.0.0.2","view":
"default.netview1","extattrs": {"Tenant ID":{"value": "1011"} , "CMP Type":{"value":"vCO/
vCAC"},"Cloud API Owned": {"value":"True"},"VM ID":{"value":"12"}}}'
Adding a Fixed address:

v2.0/fixedaddress -d '{"ipv4addr": "20.0.0.5", "network_view":
"netview1","mac":"15:06:32:16:00:00","extattrs": { "Tenant ID":{"value": "1011"} ,"CMP Type":
{"value":"vCO/vCAC"} ,"VM ID":{"value":"352"},"Cloud API Owned":{"value":"True"}}}'
Adding a zone:
v2.0/zone_auth -d '{ "fqdn":"test.com","grid_primary": [{"name": "infoblox.localdomain",
"stealth": false},{"name": "corpxyz.com", "stealth": false}],"view":
"default.netview1","extattrs": { "Tenant ID":{"value": "1011"} , "CMP Type":{"value":"vCO/
cCAC"} ,"Cloud API Owned":{"value":"True"}}}'
Adding a network container:

v2.0/networkcontainer -d '{ "network": "200.0.0.0/24","network_view": "netview1","extattrs":
{ "Tenant ID":{"value": "1011"} ,"Cloud API Owned":{"value":"True"},"CMP Type":{"value":"vCO/
vCAC"}}}'
Add a host record:

v2.0/record:host -d '{ "ipv4addrs": [{ "configure_for_dhcp": false,"ipv4addr": "20.0.0.1",
"mac": "11:11:22:22:33:33"}],"ipv6addrs": [{"configure_for_dhcp": false,"duid": "11:22",
"ipv6addr": "13::1"},{"configure_for_dhcp": false,"duid": "21:22", "ipv6addr":
"13::2"}],"name": "host.corpxyz.com", "view": "default.netview1"}'
Adding an MX Record:
v2.0/record:mx -d '{ "mail_exchanger": "abc.com","name":"def.corpxyz.com", "preference":
10,"view":"default.netview1","extattrs": { "Tenant ID":{"value": "1011"} , "CMP Type":
{"value":"vCO/vCAC"}, "Cloud API Owned":{"value":"False"},"VM ID":{"value":"230"}}}
Sample Cloud API Requests for Elastic Scaling
Creating a Member:
curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -k1 -u cloud:cloud -X POST https://10.40.240.88/wapi/
v2.2/member -d '{"platform": "VNIOS", "host_name": "test1.com", "vip_setting": {"address":
"1.1.1.1", "gateway": "1.1.0.2", "subnet_mask": "255.255.0.0"}}'
Getting a Member:

Rev. D
curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -k1 -u cloud:cloud -X GET https://10.40.240.88/wapi/
v2.2/member
Adding Pre-Provisioned Information for the Member:

curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -k1 -u cloud:cloud -X PUT https://10.40.240.101/wapi/
v2.2/member/b25lLnZpcnR1YWxfbm9kZSQ3:test1.com -d '{"pre_provisioning": {"hardware_info":
[{"hwmodel": "CP-V1405", "hwtype": "IB-VNIOS"}], "licenses": ["cloud_api", "dhcp", "dns",
"enterprise", "vnios"]}}'
Creating and Delegating a Network View:

v2.2/networkview -d '{"name":"testnv", "extattrs":{"Tenant ID":{"value": "1011"} , "CMP Type":
{"value":"vm130ctest"}, "Cloud API Owned":{"value":"True"}} }
Creating and Delegating a Network:

v2.2/network -d '{"network":"21.0.0.0/8", "network_view":"default", "cloud_info":
{"delegated_member": {"ipv4addr": "1.1.1.1","name":"test1.com"}},"extattrs":{ "Tenant ID":
{"value": "1011"} , "CMP Type":{"value":"vm130ctest"}, "Cloud API Owned":{"value":"True"}} }'
Undelegating a Network:
curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -k1 -u cloud:cloud -X PUT https://10.40.240.88/wapi/
v2.2/network/ZG5zLm5ldHdvcmskMjEuMC4wLjAvOC8w:21.0.0.0/8/ default -d '{"cloud_info":
{"delegated_member": null }}'
Creating and Delegating an Authoritative Zone

v2.2/zone_auth -d '{"fqdn": "test.com", "grid_primary": [{"name": "test1.com", "stealth":
false}], "view": "default", "extattrs":{ "Tenant ID":{"value": "1011"} , "CMP Type":
{"value":"vm130ctest"}, "Cloud API Owned":{"value":"True"}}}'
Deleting a Member:
curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -k1 -u cloud:cloud -X DELETE https://10.40.240.88/
wapi/v2.2/member/b25lLnZpcnR1YWxfbm9kZSQ3:test1.com
Creating Token for the Pre-Provisioned Member (note that only superuser can create a token; you must configure
superusers admin groups with cloud API access):
v2.2/member/b25lLnZpcnR1YWxfbm9kZSQ3:test1.com?_function=create_token
Reading Token for the Pre-Provisioned Member (note that only superuser can create a token; you must configure
superusers admin groups with cloud API access):
v2.2/member/b25lLnZpcnR1YWxfbm9kZSQ3:test1.com?_function=read_token
About Authority Delegation

Authority delegation in Cloud Network Automation is the ability to assign full and exclusive control of IP addresses and
DNS name spaces to a Cloud Platform Appliance. You can perform authority delegation only through the Grid Master.
When you delegate the authority of IP addresses and DNS name spaces to a Cloud Platform Appliance, the Grid Master
loses its authority over the scope of delegation for these IP addresses and name spaces as well as any objects within
them. Note that authority delegation for an object can be explicitly assigned or inherited from parent objects. For
information about how to delegate authority for supported object types, see Guidelines for Delegating Authority.
NIOS admin users who do not belong to admin groups with cloud API access are not allowed to create new cloud
objects, nor can they modify or delete existing cloud objects in delegated spaces; but they can modify the permissions
and certain extensible attribute values for these objects. Only admin users with cloud API access and the correct global

Rev. D
and object permissions can be used to send cloud API requests to create, modify, and delete objects within the delegated
scope.
 Note
You can delegate authority only to Cloud Platform Appliances, but not to other Grid members.
Objects that are in queue for scheduled executions or approvals are locked and cannot be delegated. Authority
delegation and reclaiming of authority are subject to approval and can be scheduled.
Guidelines for Delegating Authority

You can initiate explicit delegation of authority only through Grid Manager on the Grid Master. The cloud API service can
only be used for implicit or automatic delegation of an object such as creating a network under a network container that
has been delegated, in which network is implicitly delegated to the member to which the network container is delegated.
The Grid Master can explicitly delegate authority only for the following object types:
• Network View
• Network Container (both IPv4 and IPv6)
• Network (both IPv4 and IPv6)
• DHCP Range (IPv4 and IPv6)
• DNS Authoritative Zone (Note that zones are implicitly delegated if the assigned name server is a Cloud Platform
Appliance.)
Consider the following when you delegate authority for an object:
• You can delegate authority for supported objects to one and only one Cloud Platform Appliance, except for DNS
zones.
• When delegating authority for a parent object, all child objects within the scope of delegation inherit the same
authority delegation.
• You cannot delegate authority for the following:
• Objects whose parents already have a delegation configured.
• Individual IPAM and DNS records including fixed addresses, host records, A/AAAA/PTR records, etc.
• When you use Elastic Scaling to pre-provision an offline Cloud Platform Appliance, any object authority delegated
to this offline member does not take effect until the member joins the Grid. Therefore, you can still create child
objects through Grid Manager under the delegated objects when the member is offline.
• You can override the inheritance of authority delegation at the object level only if the parent object has not been
delegated. The Grid Master assumes authority for objects that do not fall within the scope of delegation.
• If a supported object has already been delegated, you cannot re-delegate it to another appliance. If you want to
re-delegate this object, you must first un-delegate it.
• For explicitly delegated objects, you can only modify the permission and extensible attributes from Grid Manager
and the Infoblox API other than cloud API requests. For explicitly delegated zones however, you can modify any
properties from Grid Manager and the Infoblox API other than cloud API requests.
• When you create or delete a delegated object through a cloud API request, the appliance returns an OK message
if the operation is successful. It returns an ERROR message if the operation fails. You can then change the
options in the request and try again. The appliance sends a WARNING message when certain operations require
attention.
• You can reclaim the authority that you delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance. Once the authority is reclaimed, it
goes back to the Grid Master. Before you reclaim authority for any object, ensure that the Cloud Platform
Appliance is online and properly connected to the Grid Master for the reclaiming process to function properly.
• The Cloud Platform Appliance can run discovery on any network containers or networks that are reachable by the
appliance. The default discovery settings for network containers and networks are inherited from their parent
objects. For information about discovery, see About Discovery.

Rev. D
 Note
Any Cloud Platform Appliances that are removed from the Grid automatically lose authority over objects that
were delegated to them. The Grid Master becomes authoritative for these objects.
Delegating Authority for Cloud Objects

You can delegate authority when you create a new object that has not been delegated or does not inherit authority
delegation from one of its parent objects.
See the following sections for detailed information about delegating authority for supported objects.
Network Views
Consider the authority delegation guidelines mentioned in the table below when you create, modify, or delete a network
view. See Sample Cloud API Requests for a sample cloud API request.
For information about how to create network views from the Grid Master, see Adding Network Views.
Authority Delegation for Network Views
Cloud API Requests Standard API and WAPI Requests Comments
• You can delegate authority for • You can delete a network view • When you create a network
a network view to only one from the Grid Master only if it has view through a cloud API
Cloud Platform Appliance. not been delegated to any Cloud request, you must include the
• When you create a new Platform Appliance. following extensible attributes
network view, authority is • When you create a network view in the cloud API request:
automatically delegated to the on the Grid Master, it is shared Tenant ID, Cloud API Owned,
Cloud Platform Appliance that among all Grid members in the and CMP Type.
processes the request. Grid.
• To balance network views • You can delegate a network view
among multiple Cloud Platform from the Grid Master to a Cloud
Appliances in the Grid, ensure Platform Appliance only if the child
that you configure your cloud objects within the network view are
adapter accordingly. delegated to the same Cloud
• If you want to share a network Platform Appliance.
view among different Cloud • When you reclaim authority for a
Platform members, you must network view, any DNS zones in
manually provision it and its the network view remain assigned
child objects and delegate to their name servers, including the
them to the respective Cloud Cloud Platform Appliance that has
Platform members. lost authority over the network
view. In other words, the DNS zone
remains under the authority of that
Cloud Platform Appliance.
IPv4 and IPv6 Networks and Network Containers

Consider the authority delegation guidelines mentioned in the table below when you create, modify, or delete a network
or network container. See Sample Cloud API Requests for a sample cloud API request. For information about how to
create IPv4 and IPv6 networks from the Grid Master, see Adding IPv4 Networks and Adding IPv6Networks.
For information about how to create IPv4 and IPv6 networks using network templates from the Grid Master, see
Adding IPv4 Network Templates and Adding IPv6 Network Templates.
Authority Delegation for Networks and Network Containers

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• You can delegate authority for a • You cannot create, modify, or • When you create a network or
network or network container to delete a network or network network container through a
only one Cloud Platform Appliance, container on the Grid Master if cloud API request, you must
but you can delegate authority of the object has been delegated include the following extensible
multiple networks and network to a Cloud Platform Appliance. attributes in the request: Tenant
containers to the same Cloud • You can create a network or ID, Cloud API Owned, and CMP
Platform Appliance. network container and Type.
• When you create a new network or delegate it to a Cloud Platform • If a network is explicitly
network container through a cloud Appliance using a network delegated (not through
API request, authority is template. inheritance), you can convert a
automatically delegated to the • You can delegate a network or network to a network container
primary Cloud Platform Appliance network container to a Cloud only if the size of the network
that processes the request. Platform Appliance only if the remains the same; the network
• When you create a network using a child objects within the delegation is transferred to the
network template, you must network or network container network container.
provide the name of the template are delegated to the same • The Cloud Platform Appliance
and reference it in the cloud API Cloud Platform Appliance. does not support split network,
request. • You cannot perform a john networks, and RIR related
• Delegation for a network or recursive deletion of a network operations.
network container (except for container if one of the child
unmanaged networks) can be done objects in the container has
through explicit delegation or been delegated.
inheritance from the parent object. • DHCP utilization usage for a
• You cannot delete networks and network or network container
network containers using cloud API is only updated on the Grid
requests if they have already been Master.
explicitly delegated. You must first • Discovered IP addresses that
un-delegate them before deleting are within a delegated network
them. are created on the Grid Master
• Networks and network containers and replicated to the Cloud
associated with a DNS zone Platform Appliance that is
cannot be delegated. relevant to the IP addresses.
• You can delegate a network or
network container if all the
following are true:
• It has not been delegated to
a Cloud Platform Appliance.
• It is not part of a network or
network container that has
been delegated to a Cloud
Platform Appliance.
• It does not contain any
networks or DHCP ranges
that are delegated to a
different Cloud Platform
Appliance.
• It does not belong to a
delegated network view.
• All discovery related attributes for a
network or network container return
the default values.

Rev. D
• You cannot modify the discovery

settings for networks that are in a
delegated network container. You
cannot create discovered networks
in a network container whose
authority has been delegated. You
also cannot convert unmanaged
networks. A discovered
unmanaged IP address may co-
exist with an IP address created
through a cloud API request.
• Although no DHCP service restart
is required, you can perform a
DHCP service restart on a Cloud
Platform Appliance through a cloud
API request.
DHCP Ranges
Consider the authority delegation guidelines mentioned in the table below when you create, modify, or delete a DHCP
range. See Sample Cloud API Requests for a sample cloud API request.
For information about how to create IPv4 and IPv6 ranges, see Adding IPv4 Address Ranges and Modifying IPv6
Address Ranges.
For information about how to create IPv4 and IPv6 ranges using range templates, see Adding IPv4 Range Templates
and Adding IPv6 Range Templates.
Authority Delegation for DHCP Ranges

Rev. D
• You can delegate authority for a DHCP range to • You cannot create, modify, • When you create a
only one Cloud Platform Appliance, but you can or delete a DHCP range DHCP range through
delegate authority for multiple DHCP ranges to the on the Grid Master if it has a cloud API request,
same Cloud Platform Appliance. been delegated to a Cloud you must include the
• When you create a new DHCP range, authority is Platform Appliance. following extensible
automatically delegated to the Cloud Platform • You can create a DHCP attributes in the
Appliance that processes the request or to the Grid range and delegate it to a request: Tenant ID,
Master if the Grid Master processes the request. Cloud Platform Appliance Cloud API Owned,
• When you create a DHCP range using a range using a range template. and CMP Type.
template, you must know the name of the template • You can increase the size
and reference it in the cloud API request. of a DHCP range that has
• You can delegate authority for reserved ranges in been explicitly delegated
a Microsoft synchronized network if: to a Cloud Platform
• It is not included in any exclusions. Appliance. The increased
• It does not conflict with another reserved size is available for use by
range. the Cloud Platform
You can manage these range addresses through a Appliance after replication.
cloud adapter, such as the IPAM Plug-In for
VMware.
• Delegation for a DHCP range can be done through
explicit delegation or inheritance from the parent
object. You cannot override inherited delegation.
• Note that you cannot delete DHCP ranges using
cloud API requests if they have already been
explicitly delegated. You must first un-delegate
them before deleting them. However, if the
delegation is inherited, you can delete the objects
• You can delegate a DHCP range to a Cloud
Platform Appliance if all the following are true:
• It has not been delegated to a Cloud
Platform Appliance.
• It is not part of a delegated network or
network container in the same network
view.
• It does not belong to a delegated network
view.
• It is a reserved range or a range that has
been assigned to a DHCP member that is
the same Cloud Platform Appliance to
which you want to delegate the range.
• You cannot delegate a DHCP range that has been
assigned to a failover association, nor can you
assign a DHCP range that has been delegated to
a failover association.
• Authority is delegated from the start address to the
end address, including exclusions. Note that the
exclusions can be used only to restrict IP
addresses generated by the next available IP
feature.
• All discovery related attributes for a DHCP range
return the default values.

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• Although no DHCP service restart is required, you

can perform a DHCP service restart on a Cloud
Platform Appliance through a cloud API request.
IPv4 and IPv6 Fixed Addresses

Consider the following authority delegation guidelines when you create, modify, or delete a fixed address:
• You can delegate authority for a fixed address only through inheritance from one of its parent objects, such as its
associated network view, network container, network, or DHCP reserved range.
• When you create or modify an IPv4 or IPv6 fixed address, you must include the following extensible attributes in
the cloud API request: Tenant ID, Cloud API Owned, and CMP Type.
• You can create a fixed address from the Grid Master using a fixed address template. Note that when you want to
reference a template in the cloud API request, you must know the name of the template beforehand.
• When performing any operations on a Cloud Platform Appliance, all discovery related attributes for a fixed
address return the default values.
• No DHCP service restart is required when performing any operations for a fixed address on the Cloud Platform
Appliance unless automatic DHCP restart is disabled on the appliance. You can however perform a DHCP
service restart on the Cloud Platform Appliance to which authority is delegated for a fixed address through a
cloud API request.
• You can create, modify, or delete an IPv4 or IPv6 fixed address and reservation on the Grid Master through Grid
Manager if the fixed address or reservation is within the scope of a network view, network container, network, or
DHCP reserved range whose authority has been delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance.
See Sample Cloud API Requests for a sample cloud API request.
For information about how to create IPv4 and IPv6 fixed addresses, see Adding IPv4 Fixed Addresses and Adding IPv6
Fixed Addresses.
For information about how to create IPv4 and IPv6 fixed address templates, see Adding IPv4 Fixed Address/Reservation
Templates and Adding IPv6 Fixed Address Templates.
DNS Views
Consider the following authority delegation guidelines when you create, modify, or delete a DNS view:
• You cannot explicitly delegate authority for a DNS view. The Cloud Platform Appliance automatically gains
authority over any DNS view that exists in the network view whose authority is delegated to that appliance.
• You cannot create or delete a DNS view from the Cloud Platform Appliance.
• Through a cloud API request, you can update DNS views defined in a network view that has been delegated to
the Cloud Platform Appliance.
• You cannot create, modify, or delete a DNS view in network views that have been delegated to a Cloud Platform
Appliance through a standard API request.
• You cannot delete a DNS view as long as it contains at least one DNS zone that has been delegated to a Cloud
Platform Appliance.
DNS Zones
Consider the following authority delegation guidelines mentioned in the table below when you create, modify, or delete a
DNS zone. See Sample Cloud API Requests for a sample cloud API request.
For information about how to create DNS zones, see Configuring Authoritative Zones.
Authority Delegation for DNS Zones

Rev. D
• The Grid primary of a DNS zone • You cannot create, modify, • Only authority for authoritative
automatically gains authority for the or delete a DNS zone in a forward-mapping and reverse-
zone if the primary is a Cloud network view whose mapping zones can be
Platform Appliance. When there are authority has been delegated. You cannot delegate
multiple primaries configured for the delegated to a Cloud authority for forward zones, stub
zone, multiple delegations to these Platform Appliance. zones, and delegated zones
primaries are allowed as long as • You cannot assign a Cloud even though they may exist in a
they are Cloud Platform Appliances. Platform Appliance as the delegated network view.
• You cannot assign both a Microsoft Grid primary for a zone that • When you create a DNS zone
server and a Grid member as is locked or disabled. using a cloud API request, you
primaries at the same time, although • You can modify extensible must include the following
you can assign a Microsoft server as attributes of any DNS zone extensible attributes in the
the Grid primary and a Cloud whose authority has been request: Tenant ID, Cloud API
Platform Appliance as the Grid delegated from the Grid Owned, and CMP Type.
secondary. This allows the Microsoft Master.
server to serve changes sent from
the cloud adapter.
• All resource records in a DNS zone
inherit authority delegation from the
zone. However, you cannot modify
the NS record through a cloud API
request.
• You can modify all the fields for a
zone whose authority has been
explicitly delegated.
• The cloud member to which authority
for a network view is delegated
automatically gains authority for
authoritative zones defined in that
network view. This Cloud Platform
Appliance is the only cloud member
that can be the Grid primary for the
zones defined in this network view.
The Grid Master does not have
authority for any zone in this network
view unless it is assigned as a Grid
primary.
• The Cloud Platform Appliance can
create, modify, and delete a DNS
zone in any DNS view defined in a
network view whose authority has
been delegated to that cloud
member.
• The Cloud Platform Appliance that is
authoritative for a DNS zone can
perform changes to the assigned
Grid primaries, Grid secondaries,
and external servers assigned to the
zone as long as the Cloud Platform
Appliance remains a Grid primary.
But it cannot create, modify, or
delete the NS record.

Rev. D
• The Cloud Platform Appliance that is

authoritative for a DNS zone can
create, modify, and delete DNS
delegations that are directly parented
to that zone. In particular, it may
specify any Grid primary, Grid
secondary, or external server for that
zone.
• DNSSEC operations, network
associations, and zone locking are
not supported if at least one Cloud
Platform Appliance is assigned as
the Grid primary for any DNS zones.
• Although no DHCP service restart is
required, you can perform a DHCP
service restart on a Cloud Platform
Appliance through a cloud API
request.
DNS Resource Records

resource record, including A, AAAA, CNAME, PTR, MX, SRV, TXT, NAPTR records.
See Sample Cloud API Requests for a sample cloud API request.
Authority Delegation for DNS Resource Records

Rev. D
• Authority delegation for resource • You cannot create, modify, or • When you create a resource
records (A, AAAA, CNAME, PTR, delete a resource record if it is record through a cloud API
MX, SRV, TXT, and NAPTR) is in a network view whose request, you must include the
inherited from their parent zones. authority has been delegated following extensible attributes in
You can delegate authority for to a Cloud Platform Appliance. the request: Tenant ID, Cloud
these records by delegating API Owned, and CMP Type.
authority for their respective parent
zones.
• All resource records in a DNS zone
inherit authority delegation from
their parent zones. However, you
cannot modify the NS record
• If the Cloud Platform Appliance is a
Grid primary for a zone, requests
that include a supported record is
processed locally by the Cloud
Platform Appliance. Otherwise, the
request is proxied to the Cloud
Platform Appliance that is assigned
as the only Grid primary for the
zone.
• If the DNS resource records belong
to a zone that is served only by
Cloud Platform Appliances,
authority for these records are
considered delegated. You must
create, modify, or delete these
records on one of these Cloud
Platform Appliances.
Host Records
host record. See Sample Cloud API Requests for a sample cloud API request.
Authority Delegation for Host Records

Rev. D
• Authority delegation for a host record • IP addresses defined in the • When you create a host record
is inherited from both the DNS and host record that is enabled through a cloud API request,
DHCP portions of the record. For DHCP follow the same rules you must include the following
DNS, you can delegate authority for for a fixed address. See extensible attributes in the
all DNS zones for which the host IPv4and IPv6 Fixed request: Tenant ID, Cloud API
record is defined. For DHCP, you can Addresses for more Owned, and CMP Type.
delegate authority for the parent information.
network view, network container, • Names or aliases defined in
network, or DHCP range defined for the host record follow the
the host record. same rules set for resource
• You can create, modify, or delete a records. See DNS
host record or a host IP address Resource Records for more
whose authority is delegated to a information.
Cloud Platform Appliance through
Grid Manager. Note that when you
create a host record, you must enable
it for DNS within the delegated
network view. Otherwise, you will not
be able to save the host record.
• The Cloud Platform Appliance can
process a cloud API request that
includes a host record only if it has
gained authority for both DNS and
DHCP portions of the host record, as
follows:
• All IP addresses enabled for
DHCP within one or more
delegation scopes are
delegated to the same Cloud
Platform Appliance.
• All DNS records defined for
one or more DNS zones have
the same Cloud Platform
Appliance assigned as the
Grid primary.
• IP addresses defined in the host

record that is enabled for DHCP
follow the same rules set for a fixed
address. See IPv4and IPv6 Fixed
Addresses for more information.
• Names or aliases defined in the host
record follow the same rules set for
resource records. See DNS Resource
Records for more information.
• Although no DHCP service restart is
required, you can perform a DHCP
service restart on a Cloud Platform
Appliance through a cloud API
request.

Rev. D
Configuring Grid and Member Cloud API Properties
Only admin users in admin groups with cloud API access can be used to send cloud API queries by default. For
information about how to add users to an admin group, see Creating Local Admins. To control which admin users, either
from this group or from remote servers, can perform cloud API tasks, you can further define ACLs at the Grid and
member levels.
1. Grid: From the Cloud tab, click Grid Cloud API Properties from the Toolbar. Configuration done for the Grid only
applies to the current Grid Master; it is not inherited by other Cloud Platform Appliances.
Member: From the Cloud tab, select the Members tab -> member checkbox, and then click the Action icon
and select Edit from the menu. Configuration done at the member level applies only to the Grid member.
2. In the Grid Cloud API Properties (for the current Grid Master) or the Member Cloud API Properties editor, select
the General tab, and then complete the following:
Administrator allowed to make WAPI request on the Grid Master
• None: When you select this, none of the admin users in admin groups with cloud API access can send cloud API
requests to the Grid Master or Cloud Platform Appliance.
• All: When you select this, all admin users in admin groups with cloud API access can send cloud API requests to
the Grid Master or cloud Platform Appliance. This is the default.
• Set of administrators: Select this to create a list of admin users, both remote and local, who can send cloud API
requests. Local users are users defined in admin groups with cloud API access. Remote users are users who log
in from other remote servers. These users will be authenticated before they can access the Grid Master or Cloud
Platform Appliance.
To add local users, click the Add icon and select Local. In the Cloud API Admin Selector, select an admin user
from the list. Grid Manager adds the selected user to the table. If you have only one cloud API user, Grid Manager
automatically adds this user to the table.
To add remote users, click the Add icon and select Remote. Grid Manager adds a row to the table. Click the
Admin column to add the username of the administrator. Note that the username you enter here must match the
username used on the remote server. Depending on the remote server type, you must create a server group for
these remote users and add the group to the admin authentication policy to ensure these admin users can send
cloud API requests. For information about how to configure admin server groups and admin authentication policy,
see About Remote Admins.
Click the Add icon again to add additional admin users.
Recycle cloud objects: This only applies to the Grid Master. Select this checkbox to enable the recycling of cloud
objects. This is selected by default.
Extensible Attributes for Cloud Objects

When you first enable Cloud Network Automation, NIOS installs a set of extensible attributes that are specific for cloud
usage. Use these cloud extensible attributes to tag objects that belong to the CMP. Note the following when defining
cloud extensible attributes through Grid Manager:
• You cannot assign cloud extensible attributes to other NIOS objects, yet you can create smart folders using these
cloud attributes or modify their definitions.
• You can define and update cloud extensible attributes on Grid Master, through cloud API requests or Grid
Manager, as long as the authority for the corresponding cloud objects are not delegated.
• Existing extensible attributes are automatically enrolled for cloud usage when cloud licensed are installed.
• All cloud extensible attributes are displayed in the Administration tab -> Extensible Attributes tab in Grid Manager.
To identify a cloud object, you must reference some of these cloud attributes when you create, modify, or delete a
specific object. For more information about which extensible attributes are required for cloud API requests, see
The following table lists the default cloud extensible attributes come installed on the appliance. Note that some of the
attributes are read-only and you cannot modify their properties. These attributes are applicable for specific object types
or for identification purposes. See Comments for more information about each attribute.
Extensible Attributes for Cloud Usage

Rev. D
Attribute Name Attribute Type Comments
Account String The CMP user account for creating networks.
Allocation ID String The allocation ID of the Elastic IP. Limited to Elastic IP

only. Example: eipalloc-5723d13e.
Application Type String Indicates the application type, such as Web, DB, or CRM.
Association ID String Association ID specific to Elastic IP only.
Attachment ID String The attachment ID of the network interface. This is valid

for Elastic IP only and present when Network
Interface is attached to an instance. Example: eni-attach-
d94b09b0.
Availability Zone String
Cloud API Owned List [True, False] This is read-only. Defines whether an object was created
by the cloud adapter.
Cloud Region String A region name for an VPC object. Example: us-west-1.
CMP Type String This is read-only. Defines the type of CMP, such as
VMware or OpenStack.
Host Aggregates String
Interface Name String The name of the interface.
Is External List [True, False] This is read-only. Limited to the object type Network and
Network Container.
Is Primary Interface List [True, False] This is read-only.
Is Shared List [True, False] This is read-only. Limited to the object type Network and
Network Container.
IP Type List [Private, Public, Fixed, Floating, Elastic] This is read-only. Type of IP address.
Location String
Network Encap String
Network ID String Network ID in OpenStack
Network Name String Network name
Physical Network Name String
Port Attached Device - Device ID String Device ID for associated device, such as OpenStack or
equivalent, in other CMPs.
Port Attached Device - Device Owner String Device name for associated device, such as OpenStack
or equivalent, in other CMPs (e.g. compute:nova,
network:dhcp, or netowrk:router_interface).
Port Group String VMware or equivalent in other Hypervisors or CMPs.

Rev. D
Attribute Name Attribute Type Comments
Port ID String Port ID for associated device, such as OpenStack or

Port Name String Port name for associated device, such as OpenStack or
Private IP String One or more secondary private IP addresses that are

assigned to the given Network Interface.
Segmentation ID String
Subnet ID String
Subnet Name String
Tenant ID String This is read-only. The unique ID for the tenant object.
vDC String
VLAN ID Integer The VLAN ID.
VM ID String This is read-only. This is the Instance ID in OpenStack.
VM Name String Instance Name in OpenStack.
vCD App String The application name defined in vCloud Director;

previously vApp
vCD Org String The organization name defined in vCloud Director;

previously vOrg.
VPC ID String This is read-only. This is a naming convention that is used

at the time of creation. Example: vpc-1a2b3c4d.
VPC Name String An optional name tag for the VPC.
VPCs List String List of all the VPCs.
You can modify some of the properties for the cloud extensible attributes, except for the read-only attributes. By default,
all cloud extensible attributes are configured to allow Read/Write access for the Cloud Platform Appliances. You can
change this configuration to read-only so the Cloud Platform Appliances can only access the attribute values, but not
modify them. Note that when you reference modification for a read-only attribute in a cloud API request, the Cloud
Platform Appliance returns an error because it cannot modify the attribute value. For information about how to configure
extensible attributes, see About Extensible Attributes.
 Note
An upgrade could fail if the name of an existing extensible attribute matches the name of any of the cloud
extensible attribute for a different object type. You must define values for all required cloud extensible attributes
in a cloud API request.
Extensible Attributes for Tags in AWS and Azure

You can define metadata in the form of tags for AWS and Azure which are captured through a vDiscovery process and
you can save the tags as extensible attributes in NIOS. You can use predefined attributes or create your own tags that

Rev. D
consists of an user-defined key and an optional value. The tag values defined in AWS and Azure are translated into
corresponding extensible attribute values in NIOS.
Note the following about saving tags defined in AWS and Azure as extensible attributes in NIOS:
• You must add extensible attributes in NIOS with the same name as the tags added in AWS or Azure.
• You can add or delete tags in Azure, but cannot update the tags.
• The tags are translated only when the corresponding extensible attributes are created in NIOS.
• The tags are discovered only during the next vDiscovery process after creating the corresponding extensible
attributes in NIOS.
• It is not recommended to delete the extensible attributes which you have created for the tags defined in AWS and
Azure.
The following table shows the translation of tags defined in AWS and Azure, as extensible attributes in NIOS:
Tag Translation
AWS Object Azure Object NIOS Object
EC-2 Instance Virtual Machine VM
Interface Virtual Interface Managed private IP address: Any DNS record, fixed address, or
reservation associated with that IP address.
Interface (tags are the same for private Public IP address (Public IP Managed public IP address: Any DNS record, fixed address, or reservation
IP address and public IP address of the address has specific tags in associated with the IP address.
same interface) Azure)
VPC Virtual Network VPC
Subnet Subnet (no tags for subnet Network

in Azure)
 Note
NIOS generates alert messages about tags that are translated and tags that are skipped due to missed
extensible attributes or incorrect extensible attributes types will be displayed in the syslog and infoblox.log file.
Viewing Cloud Objects

When you enable the Cloud Network Automation license on the Grid Master, NIOS adds the ability to view new cloud
objects such as Tenants and VM IP addresses. You can view cloud objects and their related information in the Cloud tab
of Grid Manager. The Cloud tab provides the following sub tabs for viewing different information related to cloud objects:
Tenants, VPCs, Networks, VMs (by IP Address), and Cloud Platform Members.
In addition to viewing data in these tabs, you can do the following:
• Click the Action icon and select an action from the menu.
• Select Show Active Users to view all the users who are currently active on the Active Directory domain.
For information, see Viewing Active Network Users.
from a drop-down list. Click Save to save the changes. Note that some fields are read-only.
• Edit the properties of an object.
• Select the object, and then click the Edit icon.
• Export the list of objects to a .csv file.
• Click the Export icon.
• Print the list of objects.
• Click the Print icon.
• Use filters and the Goto function to narrow down the list. With the autocomplete feature, you can just enter the
first few characters of an object name in the Goto field and select the object from the possible matches.
• Create a quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria:

Rev. D
• In the filter section, click Show Filter and define filter criteria for the quick filter.
• Click Save and complete the configuration In the SaveQuickFilter dialog box.
The appliance adds the quick filter to the quick filter drop-down list in the panel. Note that global filters are prefixed with
[G], local filters with [L], and system filters with [S].
Viewing All Tenants

The Tenants tab lists all tenants from the CMP. Tenant is an abstract administrative concept. Similar to a tenant in the
CMP, a tenant object in NIOS encompasses all network elements such as networks, zones, VMs, and IP addresses
(fixed and floating), network views, default DNS view, and all related extensible attributes associated with that tenant.
Multiple tenants can be mapped to the same network view. A tenant can also have VMs (with IP addresses) in its shared
or external networks that are in different network views.
In Grid Manager, you can click a tenant name in the Cloud tab -> Tenants tab and drill down to the Networks and VMs
(by IP Address) sub tabs to view networks and VMs associated with the selected tenant. In the Tenants tab -> VMs tab,
you can click a VM name and drill down more to view the Networks and IP Addresses sub tabs for the selected VM. You
can always click the bread crumb at the top of the viewer to go back to the Tenants home tab.
Each tenant has a name and a unique tenant ID. The tenant ID is provided through cloud API requests. You cannot
create or delete tenant objects through Grid Manager. All tenants are created and deleted through cloud API requests.
However, you can modify the name, extensible attributes, and permissions for a specified tenant through the Tenant
editor in Grid Manager if you have valid tenant permissions: All Tenants or per tenant object. Note that you cannot
delegate the authority of any given tenants.
To view all tenant objects:
1. From the Cloud tab, click the Tenants tab.
2. Grid Manager displays the following information for each tenant:
• Actions: Click the action icon (shown as a gear in each row) next to a selected tenant and choose from the
following:
• Edit: Modify certain general properties.
• Extensible Attributes: Add or modify extensible attributes.
• Permissions: Modify the administrative permissions.
• Mgmt Platform: Displays the CMP that manages this tenant. When it displays Amazon, it indicates a successful
validation of the Amazon account from NIOS to AWS.
• Name: The tenant name.
• ID: The unique tenant ID.
• VMs: The total number of VM objects associated with this tenant. This can include the following object types:
Host Record, Fixed Address, and any resource record type such as A, AAAA, PTR, and CNAME records. It also
includes unmanaged IP addresses that are associated with the tenant.
• Networks: The total number of IPv4 and IPv6 networks and network containers associated with this tenant.
Note that this number includes only networks and network containers created by the cloud adapter.
• Created: The timestamp when the tenant was first created. You cannot modify this field. This timestamp reflects
the time when the tenant object was first seen by the Grid Master, so it may not match the timestamp when the
original cloud API request was sent.
• Last Updated: The timestamp when the last event associated with this tenant happened. You cannot modify this
field. This timestamp reflects the time when the last event associated with this tenant was processed by the Cloud
Platform Appliance, so it may not match the timestamp when the original cloud API request was sent.
• Comment: Information about this tenant.
• Network Views: The network view to which this tenant belongs.
• Managed: Indicated whether this tenant is a managed or an unmanaged object in NIOS.
• Site: The value entered for this predefined extensible attribute.
You can also select other cloud extensible attributes for display by clicking the down arrow next to any column header
and selecting Columns -> Edit Columns.
 Note
The vDiscovery for the OpenStack management platform discovers all tenants if the OpenStack user has the
admin role in at least one tenant.

Rev. D
Viewing All VPCs (Virtual Private Clouds)
The VPCs tab displays all AWS VPCs . You can also manage selected VPCs, primarily for changing permissions,
defining or changing extensible attributes, and changing the delegation settings for a VPC to a different NIOS Cloud
member. An Amazon VPC is analogous to a network container in NIOS, and is hence represented as a network container
with a special icon.
To view all VPCs:
1. From the Cloud tab, click the VPCs tab.
2. Grid Manager displays the following information for each VPC:
• Actions: Click the action icon (shown as a gear in each row) next to a selected tenant and choose
from the following:
• Mgmt Platform: Displays the CMP that manages the VPC. When it displays Amazon, it indicates a
successful validation of the Amazon account from NIOS to AWS.
• VPC Name: The AWS virtual private cloud name. The name is automatically defined by AWS. Each VPC
name is a link that opens the Networks tab for the selected VPC. This page lists the individual private
networks that exist within the VPC.
• Networks: The number of individual private networks contained in the VPC.
• VMs: The number of Amazon EC2 virtual machine instances currently discovered in the VPC. (You can
run a vDiscovery in any VPC.) For information about how to start a vDiscovery, see Configuring
vDiscovery Jobs.
• Tenants: The number of cloud tenants associated with each VPC.
• Cloud Usage: indicates whether the VPC is associated with any specific cloud extensible attributes or
within a scope of delegation. It can be one of the following:
• Cloud from adapter: Indicates that this object has been created by a cloud adapter and it may or
may not be within a scope of delegation at the moment.
• Cloud from delegation: Indicates that this object is within the scope of delegation or the object
itself defines a scope of authority delegation, and it is not created by a cloud adapter.
• Used by cloud: Indicates that this network or network container is associated with the extensible
attribute Is External or Is Shared and the value is set to True, which implies the network is a
private or shared network managed by the CMP, and it is not Cloud from adapter or Cloud from
delegation.
• Non-cloud: The object is a regular NIOS object and is not within the scope of any authority
delegation nor is it associated with any of these extensible attributes: Cloud API Owned, Is
External or Is Shared. NIOS admin users can modify this object based on their permissions.
• Owned By: A cloud object can be owned by the Grid Master or the cloud adapter. When the object is
created by the Grid Master, this shows Grid. If the object is created by the cloud adapter, this shows Cloud
Adapter.
• Delegated to: The NIOS Cloud appliance to which management of the AWS VPC is delegated. This field
tells you whether or not a cloud object (in this case, a virtual private cloud) has been delegated to a Cloud
Platform Appliance.
• Network: The network IP. The network listed in this column for the VPC is also viewable from the main
Data Management –> IPAM tab.
• Site: Extensible Attribute listing the site information for the VPC.
• Availability Zone: the Amazon availability zone in which the VPC resides.
Viewing All Cloud Networks

The Networks tab displays all IPv4 and IPv6 networks and network containers from the CMP as well as all delegated
networks. You can select a specific network or network container and modify its properties in the Cloud IPv4 Network or

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Cloud IPv6 Network editor.
To view all cloud networks and network containers:
1. From the Cloud tab, click the Networks tab.
2. Grid Manager displays the following information for each network and network container:
• Actions: Click the action icon (shown as a gear in each row) next to a selected tenant and choose
from the following:
• Go to Tenant: Go to the Tenant tab to view associated tenant.
• Go To DHCP Network Details: Go to the DHCP -> Networks tab to view associated details.
• Go To IPAM Network Details: Go to the IPAM -> Networks tab to view associated details.
• Go To Network View Details: Go to the IPAM -> Network View tab to view associated details.
• Mgmt Platform: Displays the CMP that manages the network. When it displays Amazon, it indicates a
successful validation of the Amazon account from NIOS to AWS.
• Network: The IP address and netmask of the network.
• Tenant: The associated tenant for the network.
• VPC Name: The name of the associated VPC in AWS.
• Cloud Usage: This field indicates whether this object is associated with any specific cloud extensible
attributes or within a scope of delegation. It can be one of the following:
delegation.
created by the Grid Master, this shows Grid. If the object is created by the cloud adapter, this shows
Adapter.
• Delegated To: This tells you whether a cloud object has been delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance or
not. If the cloud object has a parent object and the parent has been delegated, this field shows the parent
delegation and you cannot modify the field.
• Network View: The network view to which this network belongs.
• Active Users: Displays the number of active users on the selected network.
Viewing All Cloud VMs

The VMs tab lists all cloud VMs by IP addresses. A VM object is an abstract object representing a virtual machine that is
running on the CMP. A VM belongs to one and only one tenant. However, the same VM may have more than one IP
addresses (including unmanaged IP addresses) associated with it. Each VM may have an IP address that is part of an
overlapping private IP address space and one or more IP addresses in the shared or external networks.
A VM object in NIOS can be a collection of supported object types that have the same value for the extensible attribute
VM ID. Only the following NIOS object types are considered as existing VMs when they are tagged with the VM ID
attribute: Host Record, A Record, AAAA Record, and PTR Record, and Fixed Address. A VM object may be defined by
objects from different network views, and it can have more than one IP addresses associated with it.
Note: Since a VM can be defined by objects from different network views, the same IP address may appear multiple
times if it has been defined in more than one network view. A VM object is a read-only abstract object, therefore you
cannot create, modify, or delete it.

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After a vDiscovery job is completed, the appliance displays discovered data for each VM in this tab. Available data is
displayed based on the vDiscovery configuration and your CMP. For example, if your CMP is AWS, discovered data can
include the VPC to which the VM belongs. You can click a VM name and drill down to the Networks and IP Addresses
sub tabs to view networks and IP addresses associated with the selected VM. For more information about vDiscovery,
see Configuring vDiscovery Jobs.
Note that in addition to managing discovered data through Grid Manager, you can clear any managed or unmanaged
discovered data, or clear all discovery data related to a vDiscovery job through a cloud API request. You can use this
feature to properly identify VMs that you spin up or de-provision through a cloud adapter. For example, when you use
Infoblox IPAM Plug-In for VMware as the cloud adapter to de-provision a VM, you can send a cloud API call to remove
the discovered data for this VM so you can avoid IP address conflict with IP addresses manually allocated by the
VMware vCenter. For information about cloud API requests, see About Cloud API Requests.
In the VMs tab, discovered VMs are highlighted in different background colors, as follows:
• Yellow: Unmanaged VMs that do not have associated NIOS objects.
• White: Discovered VMs that have at least one associated NIOS object and there is no conflicting information
between the discovered data and the NIOS data.
• Red: Discovered VMs that have at least one associated NIOS object and there is conflicting information between
the discovered data and the NIOS data. Depending on the nature of the conflict, you can resolve them as
described in Resolving Conflicting Addresses. You may also be able to convert or clear unmanaged data, as
described in Managing Unmanaged Data.
To view all VM objects in NIOS:
1. From the Cloud tab, click the VMs tab.
2. Grid Manager displays the following information for all cloud VM by IP address:
• Actions: Click the action icon (shown as a gear in each row) next to a selected tenant and select the
action you want to perform.
• Mgmt Platform: Displays the CMP to which this tenant belongs. This can be Amazon, OpenStack, or
VMware.
• VM Name: The name of the VM.
• VM ID: The unique tenant ID to which this VM belongs.
• Networks: The number of networks that belong to this VM.
• IP Address: The IP address of the VM.
• VM VPC: The VPC to which this VM belongs.
• VM Tenant: The tenant to which this VM belongs.
• Port ID: The port ID for the VM.
• Network View: The network view to which this VM belongs.
• Active Users: The number of active users on the selected network.
• FQDN: The FQDN of the VM.
• VM Last Updated: The timestamp when the VM data was last updated.
• First Discovered: The timestamp when the VM was first discovered.
• Last Discovered: The timestamp when the VM was last discovered.
• Task Name: The name of the task that collected the discovered data. It is usually the ID or task name that
collected the discovered data.
• Comment: Information about the VM.
Depending on you CMP, you can also select additional discovered fields to be displayed in the VMs tab by clicking the
down arrow next to any column header and selecting Columns -> Edit Columns. Note that some of these fields contain
discovered data that is only relevant to your CMP.
Viewing All Cloud Platform Members

The Members tab displays all members that are currently running the cloud API service. To view all cloud members in
NIOS:
1. From the Cloud tab, click the Members tab.
2. Grid Manager displays the following information for each member:
• Actions: Click the action icon (shown as a gear in each row) next to a selected tenant and select the
action you want to perform.

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• Name: The member name.
• Status: The current status of this member.
• Comment: Information about this cloud member.
Select other cloud extensible attributes for display by clicking the down arrow next to any column header and selecting
Columns -> Edit Columns.
Managing Appliance Operations

Managing the operations of a NIOS appliance involves defining system parameters such as time, security, and port
settings. It also includes configuring operations such as scheduling tasks, defining approval workflows, managing
licenses, managing extensible attributes, and configuring access control for supported operations.
The tasks covered in this section include:
• Configuring Access Control

• Configuring the Orphan Mode
• Administrative Permissions
• Operations that Support Access Control
• Applying Access Control to Operations
• Defining Named ACLs
• Managing Named ACLs
• Managing Time Settings
• Using NTP for Time Settings
• Managing Extensible Attributes
• Configuration Examples for Inheritable Extensible Attributes
• Managing Security Operations
• Configuring Proxy Servers
• Configuring Ethernet Ports
• Using the LAN2 Port
• Using the MGMT Port
• About Lights Out Management
• Setting Static Routes
• Enabling DNS Resolution
• Managing Licenses
• About IB-FLEX
• Configuring DNS Cache Acceleration
• About Elastic Scaling
• Managing the Order of Match Lists
• Managing NIOS Appliances
• Managing the Disk Subsystem on the Infoblox-4010
• Restarting Services
Configuring Access Control

To effectively manage your core network services, you can grant legitimate hosts access to specific tasks and operations
using an access control list (ACL) or anonymous access control entries (ACEs). Depending on your admin permissions,
you can configure a named ACL, and then apply it to multiple operations, such as file distribution and DNS zone
transfers. For information about admin permissions, see About Administrative Permissions.
When you define a named ACL, you add access control types such as IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, IPv4 and IPv6
networks, nested named ACLs, and TSIG key based ACEs to a list, and then grant each entry in the list the Allow or
Deny permission. For information about named ACLs and how to configure them, see Defining Named ACLs. Note that
each operation supports specific access control types. You cannot apply a named ACL to an operation that does not
support the access control types contained in the named ACL. For more information about which NIOS operations
support access control and which access control types each operation supports, see Operations that Support Access
Control.

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When you add or modify a named ACL, or when you import named ACLs and ACEs to an existing named ACL through
CSV import, the appliance does not automatically validate the ACEs in the list. For more information about how to import
named ACLs and ACEs, refer to the Infoblox CSV Import Reference. To avoid conflicts and unexpected results, you must
perform validations for all named ACLs before you use them for access control. When the appliance detects a conflict or
an optimized issue about a specific ACE during the validation process, it displays detailed information in a CSV file. For
more information about ACL validation, see Validating Named ACLs.
Configuring the Orphan Mode

After you enable NTP on a Grid, the Grid members including Grid Manager can function as NTP servers to clients. For
information on how to configure a NIOS appliance as an NTP server, see NIOS Appliances as NTP Servers.
 Warning
Setting a proper stratum value is important for time and service synchronization among Grid members. Unless
a special configuration is required, use the default values. In case you configure the values, keep the
configuration as simple as possible.
The NIOS NTP service is configured with external NTP servers, and the NTP service stratum is derived from these
external NTP servers. Sometimes, in the absence of the external NTP servers, NIOS Grid members, through the
disconnected NTP server deliver the NTP service to the clients. Depending on your admin permissions, you need to
configure the NTP service stratum values for Grid Manager and Grid members to facilitate the disconnected NTP service.
The disconnected NTP service uses the service stratum values to help Grid Manager or members act as NTP servers.
Once the external NTP server is accessible, the Grid connects to the external NTP server and receives the stratum
values from the external NTP server. When the NTP service is in a disconnected state, it is referred to as the orphan
mode.
You can configure stratum values for Grid Manager and Grid member at the Grid level, and for individual member at Grid
member level using Grid Manager or CLI commands. For information on how to configure orphan mode stratum values,
see Defining NTP Orphan Mode and for information about admin permissions, see About Administrative Permissions.
 Note
The Grid member value configuration takes precedence over Grid Manager value configuration.
Limitation of Orphan Mode

Note the following limitation of orphan mode:
• You can use the disconnected NTP service only if you have configured stratum values for NTP services on Grid
Manager or a Grid member.
• When the member is offline and the Grid member and Grid Manager are at the default stratum, NIOS changes
the stratum value of the local clock from 14 to 12.
Guidelines for Setting Stratum Values

The following is a list of guidelines for setting stratum values:
• Either use the default NTP stratum values for Grid Manager as well as Grid members, or configure the NTP
stratum values for Grid Manager as well as Grid members.
• To avoid the scenario where Grid Manager does not have internet access for a long period of time, add an
external NTP server for the Grid member.
• With the default NTP stratum values, when the external NTP server is not reachable, Grid Manager sets
the stratum value of the fallback local source to 12 even though the actual NTP stratum value is 1 greater than
the fallback local source's stratum value, 13.
• When a Grid member synchronizes with Grid Manager, the NTP stratum value of the Grid member is 1 greater
than the NTP stratum value of Grid Manager, 14. However, if Grid Manager is not suitable as an NTP clock

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source, then the Grid member uses its fallback local source's stratum value, 14, and the actual NTP stratum
value of the Grid member is 1 greater than the fallback local source's stratum value, 15.
• When you configure the NTP stratum values, Grid Manager uses the fallback local source's stratum value of 1
less than the set NTP stratum value. For example, if the NTP stratum value is set to 8, the fallback local source's
stratum value of Grid Manager is set to 7; if the external NTP servers are not reachable, then the NTP stratum
value of Grid Manager becomes 8.
• When the external NTP servers are either not reachable or not configured, Grid Manager uses its local source
and sets the NTP stratum value. In this scenario, however, the following applies to Grid members:
• If a Grid member is configured to synchronize with only Grid Manager, then
• If Grid Manager is reachable, then the Grid member's stratum value is 1 greater than the NTP
stratum value of Grid Manager.
• If Grid Manager is not reachable, then the Grid member's stratum value is set to the member's
stratum value configured either at the Grid level or member level.
• If the Grid member is configured to synchronize with only a set of external NTP servers, then the Grid
member's stratum value is set to 1 greater than the NTP stratum value of the server that has the best
quality and the lowest stratum value. However, if none of the external NTP servers can be reached, then
the Grid member's stratum value is set to the member's stratum value configured either at the Grid level
or member level.
• If the Grid member is configured to synchronize with external NTP servers as well as Grid Manager, then
• If the NTP servers as well as Grid Manager are reachable, then the Grid member synchronizes
with the best available NTP source according to its reachability, stratum values, jitter, and offset,
by setting its stratum value to 1 greater than the NTP stratum value of the best source.
• If the external NTP servers are not reachable but Grid Manager is reachable, then the NTP
stratum value is set to 1 greater than the NTP stratum value of Grid Manager.
• If the NTP servers and Grid Manager are not reachable, then the Grid member synchronizes with
the local clock and the stratum value is set to the member's stratum value configured either at the
Grid level or member level.
You can configure a named ACL at the Grid level and override it at the member and object level. Superusers and limited-
access users with Read/Write permission to All Named ACLs can create, modify, and delete named ACLs. Users with
Read-only permission to All Named ACLs can apply a named ACL to a supported object if they have Read/Write
permission to the respective object. Other users can only view named ACLs and their entries. For information about
admin permissions, see About Administrative Permissions.
Operations that Support Access Control

On the appliance, only certain operations support access control. You can apply one named ACL or multiple anonymous
ACEs to each operation. However, you cannot apply multiple named ACLs or use a combination of named ACLs and
ACEs. Note that each operation supports different access control types. For example, DNS zone transfers support IPv4
and IPv6 addresses and networks as well as TSIG key based ACEs, while AAAA filtering supports only IPv4 addresses
and networks.
When you apply a named ACL to an operation, the appliance validates to ensure that the named ACL contains ACEs that
are supported by the operation. The appliance also validates any new ACEs that you add to an existing named ACL. If a
named ACL contains access control types that an operation does not support, the appliance displays an error message
and you cannot apply that named ACL to the operation. Thus when defining a named ACL for a specific operation or
applying an existing named ACL, ensure that it contains access control types that the operation supports. The below
table lists access control types for NIOS operations that support access control.
Operations that Support Access Control

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Operation Type Supported Access Control Types
IPv4 IPv6 DNSone Any Address and

Addresses and Addresses and TSIG Key 2.x TSIG Key Network
Networks Networks Based ACEs
GUI and API Access Yes Yes No No No
NTP Service and NTP Queries Yes Yes No No Yes
File Distribution Services Yes No No No No
Syslog Proxy Access Control Yes Yes No No No
DNS Zone Transfers (excludes zone Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
transfers for Microsoft servers)*
Dynamic DNS Updates Yes Yes Yes No Yes
DNS Queries Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Recursive Queries Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Blackhole Lists Yes Yes No No Yes
AAAA Filtering Yes No No No Yes
Forward DNS Updates Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Match Clients for DNS Views Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Match Destinations for DNS Views Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
DNS64 Clients Yes Yes No No Yes
DNS64 Mapped Yes No No No Yes
DNS64 Exclude IPv6 No Yes No No Yes
 Note
* Zone transfers for Microsoft servers do not support named ACLs. However, you can still use individual ACEs
to configure access control. For more information about how to configure zone transfer settings for Microsoft
servers, see Setting Zone Properties. In addition, the DNSone 2.x TSIG key supports only the "Allow"
permission. You cannot change "Allow" to "Deny."
Complete the following tasks to use a named ACL:

1. Define a named ACL, as described in Defining Named ACLs.

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2. Validate the named ACL, as described in Validating Named ACLs.
3. Apply the named ACL to specific operations, as described in Applying Access Control to Operations.
Applying Access Control to Operations

When you apply access control to NIOS operations, you can use anonymous ACEs or a named ACL. You cannot
combine ACEs and named ACLs for access control. Depending on the access control types each operation supports,
you may or may not be able to apply a named ACL to a specific operation. For information about which access control
types each operation supports, see Operations that Support Access Control table.
 Note
If you disable access control or select None or Any for an operation, the appliance removes the previously
applied named ACL or the configured anonymous ACEs. To avoid losing your ACE configuration, Infoblox
recommends that you convert the ACEs to a named ACL.
For information about how to apply access control to each supported operation, see the following:
• DNS zone transfers, as described in Enabling Zone Transfers
• DNS queries, as described in Controlling DNS Queries
• Recursive queries, as described in Enabling Recursive Queries
• Dynamic DNS updates, as described in Configuring DNS Servers for DDNS
• AAAA filtering, as described in Controlling AAAA Records for IPv4 Clients
• Blackhole list, as described in Configuring a DNS Blackhole List
• Match clients list for DNS views, as described in Defining Match Clients Lists
• Match destinations for DNS views, as described in Defining a Match Destinations List
• DNS64 clients, DNS64 mapped IPv4 addresses, and DNS64 excluded IPv6 addresses, as described in Setting
DNS64 Group Properties
• File distribution services, as described in Configuring Access Control for File Distribution
• Grid Manager and API access, as described in Configuring Security Features
• NTP access control, as described in Defining NTP Access Control
• Syslog proxy access, as described in Configuring Syslog for Grid Members
Defining Named ACLs

Depending on how you plan to use a named ACL and which access control types an operation supports, you can add
one or all of the following when you define a named ACL: IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, IPv4 and IPv6 networks, TSIG key
based ACEs, DNSone 2.x TSIG keys. You can also add an existing named ACL as a nested ACL to a new or existing
named ACL.
When configuring a named ACL, ensure that you define it correctly for the intended operations using the supported
access control types. For example, if you want to apply a named ACL to AAAA filtering, do not include IPv6 addresses or
networks in the named ACL because AAAA filtering does not support IPv6 addresses and networks. For information
about supported access control types, see Operations that Support Access Control table.
To define a named ACL:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Named ACLs tab, and then click the Add icon.
2. In the Add Named ACL wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the named ACL. You can enter up to 64 characters.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the named ACL.
• Click Next. Complete the following to add ACEs to the named ACL:
• Click the Add icon and select one of the following access control types from the drop-down list. Depending on
your selection, Grid Manager adds a row to the table directly or expands the panel before adding a row.
• IPv4 Address: Select this to add an IPv4 address. Click the Entry field and enter the IPv4 address. The
Operation column displays Allow by default. You can change it to Deny by clicking the field and selecting
Deny from the drop-down list.

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• IPv4 Network: When you select this, enter the network address in the Address field, select the netmask
using the slider, and then select Allow or Deny from the Permission drop-down list. Click Add and Grid
Manager adds the entry to the table.
• IPv6 Address: Select this to add an IPv6 address. Click the Entry field and enter the IPv6 address. The
Operation column displays Allow by default. You can change it to Deny by clicking the field and selecting
• IPv6 Network: When you select this, enter the network address and its netmask in the Address field, and
then select Allow or Deny from the Permission drop-down list. Click Add and Grid Manager adds the entry
to the table.
• TSIGKey: In the AddTSIGKey panel, complete the following, and then click Add to add the TSIG key to
the list:
• Key name: Enter a meaningful name for the key, such as a zone name or the name of the remote
name server. This name must match the name of the same TSIG key on other name servers.
 Note
A Key name must be a valid domain name without any space and it cannot begin with
DHCP_UPDATER.
• Key Algorithm: Select either HMAC-MD5 or HMAC-SHA256.

• Key Data: To use an existing TSIG key, type or paste the key in the Key Data field. Alternatively,
you can select the key algorithm, select the key length from the Generate Key Data drop down list,
and then click Generate Key Data to create a new key.
• DNSone 2.x TSIG Key: Select this when the client is a NIOS appliance running DNS One 2.x code. The
appliance automatically populates the value of the key in the Entry field. The Operation column displays
Allow by default. You cannot change the default permission.
• Any Address/Network: Select this to allow or deny permission for any addresses and networks.
• Named ACL: When you select this, Grid Manager displays the Named ACLs Selector. Select the named
ACLs you want to add to the new ACL. If you have only one existing named ACL, Grid Manager
automatically adds the named ACL to the list. The selected named ACL becomes a nested ACL in the
newly created named ACL.
 Note
The Order field in the table displays the position of each entry based on the order it is placed in
the list. You can modify this number to change the order of an ACE. You can also select the ACE
checkbox and use the up and down arrows next to the table to place the entry in the desired
position.
• Click Next to enter extensible attributes for the named ACL. For information, see About Extensible Attributes.
Managing Named ACLs

You can do the following after you have configured named ACLs for access control:
• Preview the list of ACEs in a named ACL, as described in Previewing ACEs in Named ACLs.
• Validate ACEs in a named ACL, as described in Validating Named ACLs.
• View a complete list of configured named ACLs, as described in Viewing Named ACLs.
• Modify information in a named ACL, as described in Modifying Named ACLs.
• Apply a named ACL to supported operations, as described in Applying Access Control to Operations.
• Delete a named ACL, as described in Deleting Named ACLs.
• Export and print the list of named ACLs.
Previewing ACEs in Named ACLs

You can preview the list of ACEs in a named ACL when you add or modify it. When you click the Preview icon in the Add
Named ACL wizard or Named ACL editor, the appliance lists all the entries in the named ACL, even if you have selected

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only one or a few entries in the wizard or editor.
To preview a named ACL:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Named ACLs tab -> named_acl checkbox, and then click the Preview
icon.
2. In a separate browser window, Grid Manager displays the following information for each ACE in the named ACL:
• Entry: Displays one of the following: IPv4 or IPv6 address, IPv4 or IPv6 network, or TSIG key. Note that if
the named ACL contains nested ACLs, all entries in the nested ACLs are displayed in a flat view. Grid
Manager does not display the name of the nested ACL.
• Type: The access control type of the entry. This can be IPv4 Address, IPv6 Address, IPv4 Network, IPv6
Network, TSIG Key, or DNSone 2.x TSIG Key.
• Operation: Displays the access permission for the entry. This can be Allow or Deny.
Validating Named ACLs

When you add or modify a named ACL, the appliance does not automatically validate the ACEs in the list. In addition,
when you import named ACLs or ACEs to a named ACL, no automatic validation is performed. To avoid unintended
consequences, ensure that you validate your named ACLs before you save them or use them for access control.
 Note
When you click the Validate icon in the Add Named ACL wizard or Named ACL editor, the appliance validates
all the entries in the named ACL, even if you have selected only one or a few entries in the wizard or editor.
The following examples demonstrate the importance of validating named ACLs:

Example 1
You configure a named ACL "foo" that includes a Deny permission to 10.0.0.0/16. You then assign "foo" to DNS zone
transfers. You later import an "Allow/10.0.0.0/24" entry to "foo" through CSV import. The appliance appends the entry to
the end of "foo." When you perform an ACL validation on "foo" after a DNS service restart, the appliance displays a
warning message indicating that the new "Allow/10.0.0.0/24" entry is now included in the previously
configured "Deny/10.0.0.0/16" entry. Since DNS service works on a first-match access control basis, zone transfers will
not be allowed for the 10.0.0.0/24 network, which is probably not your original intent. You can then modify the named
ACL to correct this error. On the other hand, if you do not perform the ACL validation, the appliance is not notified about
the new network entry in "foo." As a result, you are not notified about the denial of zone transfers to 10.0.0.0/24.
Example 2
You add a nested named ACL "bar" as the first entry to the named ACL "foo." You then add a "Deny All" entry right after
"bar" (as the second entry). You later import a new "Allow All" entry to "bar" through CSV import. The "Allow All" entry will
be appended to the end of "bar." When you perform an ACL validation on "foo" after the CSV import, the appliance
detects a conflict between the "Allow All" (in "bar") and "Deny All" (right after "bar") permissions and displays a warning.
Imagine if you do not perform the ACL validation on "foo," the appliance is not notified about the new "Allow All" entry in
"bar" and therefore cannot detect the conflict between the "Allow All" and "Deny All" entries. As a result, almost all hosts
will get zone transfers, which may not be the outcome you have intended.
 Note
It is important that you manually validate each named ACL after a CSV import to ensure data and performance
integrity. The appliance does not automatically perform ACL validation.
To validate a named ACL:

1. From the Administration tab, select the Named ACLs tab -> named_acl checkbox, and then click the Validate
icon.
or
In the Add Named ACL wizard or Named ACL editor, click the Validate icon.

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2. Grid Manager validates all the ACEs in the named ACL and displays a system message at the top of the screen
indicating whether all ACEs in the named ACL are valid or not, depending on the validation results. When the
appliance detects conflicts or issues related to specific ACEs, it displays the results in a CSV file. You can save
the file or open it. Grid Manager displays the following information in the file:
• Defined ACL: The name of the named ACL.
• Type of Issue: The type of issue found. This can be one of the following:
• Optimize: An ACE is a duplicate of a previous entry or an ACE configuration can be a subset of
another entry. See optimized suggestions in the Issue field.
• Conflict: The same IP address or network has a conflicting permission. Re-configure the ACE
based on your requirements.
• Warning: An ACE is a subset of a previously configured entry, but it has a conflicting permission.
• ACE A: The ACE that has a conflict or an optimized issue with ACE B.
• ACE B: The ACE that has a conflict or an optimized issue with ACE A.
• Issue: Detailed information and optimized suggestions about the conflict or issue.
 Note
It may take a long time to validate a named ACL that contains a large number of ACEs.
Viewing Named ACLs

To view a list of named ACLs:
• From the Administration tab, select the Named ACLs tab. Grid Manager displays the following information for
each named ACL:
• Name: The name of the named ACL.
• Comment: Information about the named ACL.
• Site: The site to which the named ACL belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
You can also do the following in the Named ACLs tab:
• Modify data in the table. Double click a row, and either modify the data in the field or select an item from a drop-
down list. Click Save to save the changes or Cancel to exit.
• Sort the named ACLs in ascending or descending order by column.
• Select a named ACL and click the Edit icon to modify data, or click the Delete icon to delete it.
• Print and export data in this tab.
Modifying Named ACLs

You can modify ACEs in an existing named ACL. When you update a named ACL, the appliance validates the updates to
ensure that ACEs in the named ACL are valid for the operations to which the name ACL has been applied. For example,
if a named ACL is used for file distribution access, you are not allowed to add IPv6 address access control to it because
the file transfer operation does not support IPv6 addresses.
To modify a named ACL:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Named ACLs tab -> named_acl checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The Named ACL editor provides the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• Genera Basic: You can modify data in this tab as described in Defining Named ACLs.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a specific named ACL.
You can also modify the values of the extensible attributes. For information, see About Extensible
Attributes.
• Permissions: This tab appears only if you belong to a superuser admin group. For information, see
Managing Permissions.

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Deleting Named ACLs
When you delete a named ACL, the appliance puts it in the Recycle Bin, if enabled. You can restore the named ACL later
if needed.
 Note
You cannot delete a named ACL that has been applied to an operation or is currently in use by another
operation.
To delete a named ACL:

1. From the Administration tab, select the Named ACLs tab -> named_acl checkbox, and then click the Delete icon.
You can select multiple named ACLs for deletion.
Managing Time Settings

You can define the date and time settings for your NIOS appliance using the Infoblox Appliance Startup Wizard.
Alternatively, you can set the date and time of the appliance anytime after you first configure it if you did not do so using
the startup wizard or if you need to change it if, for example, you move an appliance from a location in one time zone to a
location in a different time zone. To set the date and time of the appliance, you can either manually enter the values or
configure the appliance to synchronize its time with a public NTP server.
Changing Time and Date Settings

If you do not use the NTP service, you can set the date and time for a Grid.
 Note
You cannot manually set the date and time if the NTP service is enabled.
To set the time and date for a Grid using the Grid Properties editor:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid Properties -> Edit.
2. In the General tab of the Grid Properties editor, complete the following:
• Date: Click the calendar icon to select a date or enter the date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
• Time: Click the clock icon to select a time or enter the time in HH:MM:SS format. For afternoon and
evening hours, use the integers 13-24.
 Note
Changing the date and time resets the application and terminates the management session.

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Changing Time Zone Settings
Whether you enable NTP (Network Time Protocol) or manually configure the date and time, you must always set the time
zone manually. You can set the time zone for a Grid, which then applies to all members. If different members are in
different time zones, you can choose the time zone that applies to most members at the Grid level, and then override the
setting for the remaining members.
 Note
Changing the time zone does not reset the application nor does it terminate the management session.
To set the time zone for a Grid or member:

1. Grid: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid Properties -> Edit.
Member: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox, and then
To override an inherited property, click Override next to it and complete the appropriate fields.
2. In the General tab of the editor, select the appropriate time zone.
Monitoring Time Services

In a Grid, the Grid Master and its members use an internal NTP daemon to synchronize their time. It is not user-
configurable and functions regardless of how you set the time on the Grid Master. The Detailed Status panel contains an
NTP Synchronization icon so you can monitor the internal NTP daemon that runs within a Grid to ensure the time among
its members is synchronized.
To display the Detailed Status panel, from the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member
checkbox, and then click the Detailed Status icon in the table toolbar of the Members panel. The following are
descriptions of the NTP status icons in the Detailed Status panel:
Icon Color Meaning
Green The NTP service is running properly.
Yellow The appliance is synchronizing its time.
Red The NTP service is not running properly. View the corresponding description for additional information.
Using NTP for Time Settings

NTP (Network Time Protocol) is a standard protocol that system clocks use to ensure their time is always accurate.
Appliances that use NTP try to get their time as close as possible to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), the standard
timescale used worldwide. NTP uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol) on port 123 for communications between clients
and servers.
NTP is based on a hierarchy where reference clocks are at the top. Reference clocks use different methods such as
special receivers or satellite systems to synchronize their time to UTC. NTP servers on the first level of the hierarchy
synchronize their time with the reference clocks, and serve time to clients as well. Each level in the hierarchy is a
stratum; stratum-0 is a reference clock. Stratum-1 servers synchronize their clocks with reference clocks. Stratum-2
servers synchronize their clocks with stratum-1 servers, and so forth. The stratum number indicates the number of levels

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between the NTP server and the reference clock. A higher stratum number could indicate more variance between the
NTP server and the reference clock.
You can configure a NIOS appliance to function as an NTP client that synchronizes its clock with an NTP server. For
more information, see NIOS Appliances as NTP Clients. NTP clients typically use time information from at least three
different sources to ensure reliability and a high degree of accuracy. There are a number of public NTP servers on the
Internet with which the NIOS appliance can synchronize its clock. For a list of these servers, you can access http://
www.ntp.org . When NTP is configured, it listens on all interfaces, including the loopback interface on the NIOS
appliance.
In a Grid, the Grid Master and Grid members can function as NTP clients that synchronize their clocks with external NTP
servers. They can in turn function as NTP servers to other appliances in the network. For more information, see NIOS
Appliances as NTP Servers. Note that when the Grid Master functions as an NTP server, it synchronizes its local clock
with its NTP clients and does not synchronize time with any other external NTP server. This allows you to deploy multiple
NTP servers to ensure accurate and reliable time across the network. To configure the Grid Master and Grid members as
NTP clients, you must first enable the NTP service and configure external NTP servers at the Grid level. You can then
configure the Grid Master and Grid members to override the Grid-level NTP servers and use their own external NTP
servers. Note that a Grid member will not function as an NTP client if you do not enable the NTP service at the Grid level.
A Grid member synchronizes its clock with the Grid Master if you do not configure it to use external NTP servers. When
an NTP service-enabled member goes offline from the grid, that member sets the Grid Master's NTP configurations. If
the Grid Master goes offline (because of a shutdown or a disconnecting network, and so on), the Grid Master Candidate
and Grid members synchronize with the external NTP servers.
In case of leap second insertion, the Infoblox Grid handles the leap second over a period of time instead of performing a
one-time adjustment. In other words, when using the Grid as the NTP server, it follows the standard NTP recovery
process by slewing over a certain period of time when handling the leap second. The slewing process could therefore
cause synchronization issues among NTP clients. The out-of-sync state is usually resolved when all NTP clients catch up
with the server.
The following figure illustrates how NIOS appliances (the Grid Master and Grid members) in a Grid function as the NTP
server or the NTP client, depending on your NTP configuration.
 Note
The NTP service supports both IPv4 and IPv6 networks.
Infoblox Appliances as NTP Servers

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Authenticating NTP
To prevent intruders from interfering with the time services on your network, you can authenticate communications
between a NIOS appliance and a public NTP server, and between a NIOS appliance and external NTP clients. NTP
communications within the Grid go through an encrypted VPN tunnel, so you do not have to enable authentication
between members in a Grid.
NTP uses symmetric key cryptography, where the server and the client use the same algorithm and key to calculate and
verify a MAC (message authentication code). The MAC is a digital thumbprint of the message that the receiver uses to
verify the authenticity of a message.
As shown in the figure below, the NTP client administrator must first obtain the secret key information from the
administrator of the NTP server. The server and the client must have the same key ID and data. Therefore, when you
configure the NIOS appliance as an NTP client and want to use authentication, you must obtain the key information from
the administrator of the external NTP server and enter the information on the NIOS appliance. When you configure a
NIOS appliance as an NTP server, you must create a key and send the key information to clients in a secure manner. A
key consists of the following:
• Key Number: A positive integer that identifies the key.
• Key Type: Specifies the key format and the algorithm used to calculate the MAC (message authentication code)
of a message.

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• M: The key is a 1-31 character ASCII string using MD5 (Message Digest).
• S: The key is a 64-bit hexadecimal number in DES (Data Encryption Standard) format. The high order 7
bits of each octet form the 56-bit key, and the low order bit of each octet is given a value so that the octet
maintains odd parity. You must specify leading zeros so the key is exactly 16 hexadecimal digits long and
maintains odd parity.
• A: The key is a DES key written as a 1-8 character ASCII string.
• N: The key is a 64-bit hexadecimal number in NTP format. It is the same as the S format, but the bits in
each octet have been rotated one bit right so the parity bit is in the high order bit of the octet. You must
specify leading zeros and odd parity must be maintained.
• Key String: The key data used to calculate the MAC. The format depends on the Key Type you select.
When the NTP client initiates a request for time services to the NTP server, it creates the MAC by using the agreed upon
algorithm to compress the message and then encrypts the compressed message (which is also called a message digest)
with the secret key. The client appends the MAC to the message it sends to the NTP server. When the NTP server
receives the message from the client, it performs the same procedure on the message — it compresses the message it
received, encrypts it with the secret key and generates the MAC. It then compares the MAC it created with the MAC it
received. If they match, the server continues to process and respond to the message. If the MACs do not match, the
receiver drops the message.
The following table lists the NTP client server behaviour in different scenarios:
Scenario Behavior
No authentication on both the NTP client and server The NTP client will synchronize with the server
Authentication on the NTP server, no authentication on the NTP client The NTP client will synchronize with the server
Authentication on both the NTP server and client The NTP client will synchronize with the server
No authentication on the NTP server, authentication on the client The NTP client will be out-of-synchronization with the server
NTP Client Administrator Obtaining Secret Key from NTP Server Administrator

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NIOS Appliances as NTP Clients
You can configure an independent NIOS appliance, a Grid Master, or any Grid member in a Grid as an NTP client that
synchronizes its system clock with an external NTP server.
 Note
You can configure NIOS appliance as NTP client in either IPv4, IPv6, or dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) network
environment.
When you enable a NIOS appliance to function as an NTP client, you must specify at least one NTP server with which
the appliance can synchronize its clock. Infoblox recommends that you specify multiple NTP servers that synchronize
their time with different reference clocks and that have different network paths. This increases stability and reduces risk in
case a server fails. For a list of public NTP servers, you can access www.ntp.org.
When you specify multiple NTP servers, the NTP daemon on the appliance determines the best source of time by
calculating round-trip time, network delay, and other factors that affect the accuracy of the time. NTP periodically polls the
servers and adjusts the time on the appliance until it matches the best source of time. If the difference between the
appliance and the server is less than five minutes, the appliance adjusts the time gradually until the clock time matches
the NTP server. If the difference in time is more than five minutes, the appliance immediately synchronizes its time to
match that of the NTP server.
To secure communications between a NIOS appliance and an NTP server, you can authenticate communications
between the appliance and the NTP server. When you configure authentication, you must obtain the key information from
the administrator of the NTP server and enter the key on the appliance. For information, see Authenticating NTP.
In a Grid, you can configure the Grid Master and Grid members to synchronize their clocks with external NTP servers.
When you enable the NTP service on the Grid, the Grid Master automatically functions as an NTP server to the Grid
members. A Grid member can synchronize its time with the Grid Master, an external NTP server, or another Grid
member. When Grid members synchronize their times with the Grid Master, the Grid Master and its members send NTP

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messages through an encrypted VPN tunnel, as shown in the following figure. When a Grid member synchronizes its
time with another Grid member, the NTP messages are not sent through a VPN tunnel.
 Note
Grid member cannot act as an NTP server to the Grid Master.
Grid Master as NTP Client
Configuring the Grid to Use NTP

In a Grid, the Grid Master and Grid members can synchronize their clocks with external NTP servers. They then forward
the clock time to other appliances in the network. Likewise, in an independent HA pair, the active node communicates
directly with an external NTP server. The passive node then synchronizes its clock with the active node.
In a Grid, you must first enable the NTP service and configure external NTP servers at the Grid level before you
configure the Grid Master and Grid members as NTP clients.
To configure a Grid Master as an NTP client, perform the following tasks:

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• If you want to enable authentication between the Grid members and NTP servers, you must specify the
authentication keys before enabling the NTP service. You can specify authentication keys at the Grid and
member levels. For information, see Adding NTP Authentication Keys.
• Enable the NTP service on the Grid and specify one or more external NTP servers. For information, see
Synchronizing the Grid with External NTP Servers.
Adding NTP Authentication Keys

To enable authentication between the appliance and the NTP servers, add the authentication keys before enabling the
NTP service on the Grid. You can specify authentication keys at the Grid and member levels.
To add NTP authentication keys:
1. Grid: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click NTP -> NTP Grid Config.
Member: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox. Expand the
Toolbar and click NTP -> NTP Member Config.
2. Click the Add icon in the NTP Keys section and enter the following information.
• Key Number: A positive integer that identifies a key.
• Type: Specifies the key format and the algorithm used to calculate the MAC (message authentication
code) of a message.
• MD5 in ASCII format (M): The key is a 1-31 character ASCII string using MD5 (Message Digest).
• DES in hex format (S): The key is a 64-bit hexadecimal number in DES (Data Encryption
Standard) format. The high order 7 bits of each octet form the 56-bit key, and the low order bit of
each octet is given a value so that the octet maintains odd parity. You must specify leading zeros
so the key is exactly 16 hexadecimal digits long and maintains odd parity.
• DES in ASCII format (A): The key is a DES key written as a 1-8 character ASCII string.
• DES in NTP format (N): The key is a 64-bit hexadecimal number in NTP format. It is the same as
the S format, but the bits in each octet have been rotated one bit right so the parity bit is in the
high order bit of the octet. You must specify leading zeros and odd parity must be maintained.
• String: The key data used to calculate the MAC. The format depends on the Key Type you select.
3. Click Save to save the entry and keep the editor open so you can enable the Grid to synchronize its time with
external NTP servers.
Note that if you enter a new key, the appliance checks if the key already exists in the key list. If the key exists, but either
the key type or key string does not match, the NIOS appliance sends an error message.
After you enter an authentication key, you can modify or delete it. Note that you cannot delete a key that an NTP server
references. You must first delete all NTP servers that reference that key and then delete the key.
Synchronizing the Grid with External NTP Servers

To enable the Grid to synchronize its time with external NTP servers:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click NTP -> NTP Grid Config.
2. In the General tab of the Grid NTP Properties editor, select Synchronize the Grid with these External NTP
Servers.
3. Click the Add icon to add external NTP servers and enter the following information in the Add NTP Server dialog
box:
• NTP Server (FQDN or IP Address): Enter either the IP address or the resolvable host name of an NTP
server. Entries may be an IPv4 or IPv6 address. You can view a list of public NTP servers at ntp.isc.org.
To check whether the DNS server can resolve the NTP server host name, click Resolve Name. You must
have a DNS name resolver configured. For information, see Enabling DNS Resolution.
As a best practice when configuring NTP servers using the FQDN (instead of an IP address), configure an
external DNS name resolver that is reachable by NIOS appliance. Otherwise, the NIOS system startup
can be delayed.

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• Enable Authentication: Select this option to enable authentication of NTP communications between the
external NTP server and the NIOS appliance (the Grid Master or Grid member in a Grid, an independent
NIOS appliance, or the active node in an independent HA pair).
 Note
To prevent intruders from interfering with the time services on your network, you can
authenticate communications between a Grid member and an external NTP server, as well as
between a Grid member and external NTP clients. NTP communications within the Grid go
through an encrypted VPN tunnel, so you do not have to enable authentication between the Grid
Master and Grid members.
Authentication Key: Select a key that you previously entered from the drop-down list.
• Click Add to add the NTP server to the list or Cancel to cancel the operation. In the table, you can
configure some of the following settings:
• Preferred: Select this to mark an external NTP server as the preferred NTP server. You can select
only one server as the preferred NTP server. NIOS uses the responses from this preferred server
over responses from other external NTP servers. A response from a preferred server will be
discarded if it differs significantly from the responses of other servers. Infoblox recommends that
you select an NTP server that is known to be highly accurate as the preferred server, such as one
that has special time monitoring hardware. Note that this option is enabled only when you have
selected the checkbox Synchronize the Grid with these External NTP Servers.
• Server: Displays the FQDN or IP address of the NTP server that you added.
• Authentication: When you enable authentication, this column displays Yes. Otherwise, it displays
No.
• Key Number: Displays the authentication key that you have selected.
• BURST: Select this checkbox to configure the NTP client to send a burst of eight packets if the
external NTP server is reachable and a valid source of synchronization is available. The NTP
client transmits each packet at a regular interval of two seconds. After you add an NTP server and
save the configuration, the appliance will enable this option by default. When you deselect this
checkbox, the client sends a single packet only once to the server.
• IBURST: Select this checkbox to configure the NTP client to send a burst of eight packets if the
external NTP server is not reachable when the client sends the first packet to the server. The NTP
For information about adding NTP authentication keys, see Adding NTP Authentication Keys.
Configuring Grid Members to Use NTP

Once you configure a Grid member to use external NTP server, make sure that the NTP service is enabled at Grid level.
Otherwise, the Grid member will not function as an NTP client. For information, see Synchronizing the Grid with External
NTP Servers.
To configure Grid members to synchronize their time with external NTP servers:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click NTP -> NTP Member Config.
3. In the General tab of the Member NTP Properties editor, do the following:
• Enable the NTP Server on this Member: Select this checkbox to configure a Grid Master or a Grid
member as an NTP server. If you have configured DNS anycast on the appliance, it can answer NTP
requests through the anycast IP address.
• Synchronize this Member only with the Grid Master: Select this checkbox to enable this Grid member to
synchronize its time with the Grid Master. This is the default.
• Synchronize this Member with other NTP Servers: Select this checkbox to enable this Grid member to use
external NTP servers. When you select this checkbox, you must enter at least one external NTP server for
the member.
• Exclude the Grid Master as an NTP Server: Select this checkbox if you want to exclude the Grid Master
from being one of the time sources. By default, the appliance automatically configures the Grid Master as

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the backup NTP server for a Grid member. When the member cannot reach any of its configured NTP
servers, it uses the Grid Master as the NTP server. The appliance does not display the Grid Master in the
NTP external server list. For a Grid Master, this checkbox has no meaning.
• External NTP Servers: Click Override and then click the Add icon. In the Add NTP Server dialog box,
enter the following information:
• NTP Server (FQDN or IP Address): Enter either the IP address or the resolvable host name of an NTP
server. You can view a list of public NTP servers at ntp.isc.org. To check whether the DNS server can
resolve the NTP server host name, click Resolve Name. You must have a DNS name resolver configured.
• Enable Authentication: Select this checkbox to enable authentication of NTP communications between the
external NTP server and the NIOS appliance (the Grid Master or Grid member in a Grid, an independent
NIOS appliance, or the active node in an independent HA pair).
 Note
To prevent intruders from interfering with the time services on your network, you can
authenticate communications between a Grid member and an external NTP server, as well as
between a Grid member and external NTP clients. NTP communications within the Grid go
through an encrypted VPN tunnel, so you do not have to enable authentication between the Grid
Master and Grid members.
Authentication Key: Select a key that you previously entered from the drop-down list. Note that you must
enter authentication keys at the Grid level when you configure a Grid Master or Grid member to use
• Click Add to add the NTP server to the list or Cancel to cancel the operation. In the table, click Override in
the table to override configurable settings. To inherit the same properties as the Grid, click Inherit.
• Preferred: Select this to mark an external NTP server as the preferred NTP server. You can select
only one server as the preferred NTP server. NIOS uses the responses from this preferred server
over responses from other external NTP servers. A response from a preferred server will be
discarded if it differs significantly from the responses of other servers. Infoblox recommends that
you select an NTP server that is known to be highly accurate as the preferred server, such as one
that has special time monitoring hardware. Note that this option is enabled only when you have
selected the checkbox Synchronize this Member with other NTP Servers.
• Server: Displays the FQDN or IP address of the NTP server that you added.
• Authentication: When you enable authentication, this column displays Yes. Otherwise, it displays
No.
• Key Number: Displays the authentication key that you have selected.
• BURST: Select this checkbox to configure the NTP client to send a burst of eight packets if the
external NTP server is reachable and a valid source of synchronization is available. The NTP
• IBURST: Select this checkbox to configure the NTP client to send a burst of eight packets if the
external NTP server is not reachable when the client sends the first packet to the server. The NTP
 Note
NTP members inherit NTP properties from the Grid. Click Override in
the Member NTP Properties wizard to override configurable settings. To inherit the same
properties as the Grid, click Inherit.
For information about adding NTP authentication keys, see Adding NTP Authentication
Keys.

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Managing External NTP Servers
You can specify multiple NTP servers for failover purposes. The NIOS appliance attempts to connect to the NTP servers
in the order they are listed. A Grid member uses the Grid Master as the NTP server when it cannot reach any of its
You can change the order of the list by selecting an NTP server and dragging it to its new location or by clicking the up
and down arrows. You can add and delete servers and modify their information as well.
NIOS Appliances as NTP Servers

After you enable NTP on a Grid, the Grid members—including the Grid Master—can function as NTP servers to clients in
different segments of the network. Similarly, after you enable NTP on an independent appliance or an HA pair, and it
synchronizes its time with an NTP server, you can configure it to function as an NTP server as well. When you configure
DNS anycast addressing on a Grid member and use it as an NTP server, the member can answer NTP requests from
other NTP clients through the anycast IP address.
Grid Members as NTP Servers

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To configure a NIOS appliance as an NTP server, perform the following tasks:
• Enable the appliance as an NTP server.
• Enable authentication between the appliance and its NTP clients.
• Optionally, specify which clients can access the NTP service of the appliance.
• Optionally, specify which clients can use ntpq to query the appliance.
Configuring a NIOS Appliance as an NTP Server

You can configure a Grid member—including the Grid Master—or an independent appliance or HA pair to function as an
NTP server. When you enable a NIOS appliance to function as an NTP server, you can enable authentication between a
NIOS appliance functioning as an NTP server and its NTP clients. When you enable authentication, you must specify the
keys that the appliance and its clients must use for authentication. In a Grid, you can enter NTP authentication keys at
the Grid level so that all the members can use them to authenticate their clients. You can also
enter keys at the member level, if you want that member to use different keys from those set at the Grid level. After you
enter the keys, you can download the key file and distribute the file to the NTP clients.
On an HA member, the NTP service runs on the active node. If there is an HA failover, the NTP service is automatically
launched after the passive node becomes active and the NTP traffic uses the HA port on one of the nodes from an HA
pair, instead of the LAN1 port. You might receive an error message indicating that the NTP is out of synchronization.
During another HA failover, the currently passive node becomes active again and the NTP traffic uses the LAN1 port, and
the NTP is back in synchronization. For information, see About HA Pairs.
To enable an appliance as an NTP server and authenticate NTP traffic between a NIOS appliance and an NTP client,
perform the following tasks:
• Enable an appliance as an NTP server and define authentication keys. For information, see Enabling an
Appliance as an NTP Server.
• Optionally, define NTP access control, including KoD packet configuration. For information, see Defining NTP
Access Control.
• Optionally, configure anycast addressing for DNS and use the anycast IP address for NTP requests. For
information about how to configure DNS anycast, see Configuring Anycast Addresses.
Enabling an Appliance as an NTP Server

To enable an appliance as an NTP server and add authentication keys:
2. Expand the Toolbar and click NTP -> NTP Member Config.
3. In the General tab of the Member NTP Properties editor, do the following:
• Enable the NTP Server on this Member: Select this option to configure a Grid Master or a Grid member as
an NTP server. If you have configured DNS anycast on the appliance, it can answer NTP requests
through the anycast IP address.
• Click Override in the NTP Keys section to enter NTP authentication keys at the member level. The
member uses these keys when acting as an NTP server and authenticates requests from NTP clients.
Clear the checkbox to use the Grid-level authentication keys.
4. Click Add in the NTP Keys section. For information, see Adding NTP Authentication Keys.
After you enter the authentication keys, you can download the key file (usually called ntp.keys) and distribute it to NTP
clients as follows:
Member: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click NTP -> Download NTP Keys.
3. In the Opening ntp.keys dialog box, save the file, and then click OK.
4. Distribute this to the NTP clients using a secure transport.

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Defining NTP Access Control
The NTP access control list specifies which clients can use a NIOS appliance as an NTP server. If you do not configure
access control, then the NIOS appliance allows access to all clients. You can configure access control at the NTP Grid
level and override that at the member level.
In addition, the NIOS appliance can accept queries from clients using ntpq, the standard utility program used to query
NTP servers about their status and operational parameters. You can specify from which clients the NIOS appliance is
allowed to accept ntpq queries. The appliance does not accept ntpq queries from any client, by default.
You can use an existing named ACL (access control list) or multiple ACEs (access control entries) to control which clients
can use the NIOS appliance as an NTP server, as well as those clients from which the appliance can accept queries
using ntpq. For information about access control, see Configuring Access Control.
To specify which clients can access the NTP service of a NIOS appliance and from which clients a NIOS appliance can
accept ntpq queries, and to enable or disable KoD, complete the following:
1. Grid: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click NTP -> NTP Grid Config.
Member: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox. Expand the
Toolbar and click NTP -> NTP Member Config.
2. In the Access Control tab of the Grid or Member NTP Properties editor, select one of the following to configure
NTP access control:
• None: Select this if you do not want to configure access control for NTP service. When you select None,
the appliance allows all clients to access the NTP service. This is selected by default.
• Use Named ACL for Time only: Select this and click Select Named ACL to select a named ACL that
contains only IPv4 addresses and networks. NTP queries do not support TSIG key based ACEs. When
you select this, the appliance allows clients that have the Allow permission in the named ACL to use its
NTP service. NTP queries from the named ACL entries specified here are denied. You can click Clear to
remove the selected named ACL and the appliance accepts ntpq queries from those NTP clients.
• Use Named ACL for Time + NTP Control (NTPQ): Select this and click Select Named ACL to select a
named ACL that contains only IPv4 addresses and networks. NTP queries do not support TSIG key based
ACEs. When you select this, the appliance allows clients that have the Allow permission in the named
ACL to use its NTP service, and for the appliance to accept ntpq queries from those clients as well. You
can click Clear to remove the selected named ACL.
• Use this set of ACEs: Select this to configure individual ACEs. Click the Add icon and select one of the
following from the drop-down list. Depending on the item you select, Grid Manager either adds a row for
the selected item or expands the panel so you can specify additional information about the item you are
adding, as follows:
• IPv4 Address: Select this to add an IPv4 address. Click the Value field and enter the IPv4 address.
The default permission is Allow, which means that the appliance allows access to and from this
IPv4 client. You cannot change the default permission. In the Service field, select Time only to
allow this client for using the NTP service on the appliance; or select Time + NTP Control (NTPQ)
to also accept ntpq queries from this client.
• IPv4 Network: Select this to add an IPv4 network. Click the Value field and enter the IPv4 network.
IPv4 network. You cannot change the default permission. In the Service field, select Time only to
allow this network for using the NTP service on the appliance; or select Time + NTP Control
(NTPQ) to also accept ntpq queries from this network.
• IPv6 Address: Select this to add an IPv6 address. Click the Value field and enter the IPv6 address.
IPv6 client. You cannot change the default permission. In the Service field, select Time only to
allow this client for using the NTP service on the appliance; or select Time + NTP Control (NTPQ)
to also accept ntpq queries from this client.
• IPv6 Network: Select this to add an IPv6 network. Click the Value field and enter the IPv6 network.
IPv6 network. You cannot change the default permission. In the Service field, select Time only to
allow this network for using the NTP service on the appliance; or select Time + NTP Control
(NTPQ) to also accept ntpq queries from this network.

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• Any Address/Network: Select this to allow access to all IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and networks.
The default permission is Allow, which means that the appliance allows access to and from all
IPv4 and IPv6 clients. You cannot change the default permission. In the Service field, select Time
only to allow clients for using the NTP service on the appliance; or select Time + NTP Control
(NTPQ) to also accept ntpq queries from all clients.
After you have added access control entries, you can do the following:
Create new named ACL icon and enter a name in the Convert to Named ACL dialog box.
The appliance creates a new named ACL and adds it to the Named ACL panel. Note that
the ACEs you configure for this operation stay intact.
• Reorder the list of ACEs using the up and down arrows next to the table.
• Select an ACE and click the Edit icon to modify the entry.
• Select an ACE and click the Delete icon to delete the entry. You can select multiple ACEs
for deletion.
• Enable KoD: When you select this checkbox, the appliance (when acting as an NTP server) sends
a KoD (Kiss-o'-Death) packet to the NTP client if the client has exceeded the rate limit. The KoD
packet contains the stratum field set to zero and the ASCII string in the Reference Source
Identifier field set to RATE, indicating the packets sent by the client have been dropped by the
server. When you clear the checkbox, the NTP server drops the packets but does not send any
KoD packet to the client. This checkbox is deselected by default. For more information about KoD,
see Enabling Kiss-o'-Death for NTP.
Enabling Kiss-o'-Death for NTP

When an NTP server denies service to an NTP client, which has exceeded the rate limit, it typically drops the packets
without notifying the client. In this case, the client, unaware of the situation, continues to transmit packets. To notify the
client so it either slows down or stops the packet transmission, you can enable the NIOS appliance (when acting as an
NTP server) to transmit a KoD (Kiss-o'-Death) packet. This packet contains the stratum field which is set to zero, implying
the sent packet was invalid, and the ASCII string that contains RATE in the reference identifier field, indicating the status
of the transmitted packet and access control. When the client receives the KoD packet, it may reduce transmission rate
or stop packet transmission to the server. For more information about KoD, refer to RFC 5905 (Network Time Protocol
Version 4: Protocol and Algorithms Specification). You can enable KoD at the Grid level and override it at the member
level. For more information about enabling KoD, see Defining NTP Access Control.
Defining NTP Orphan Mode

The NTP orphan mode allows you to configure a stratum value that enables the Grid members to continue serving NTP
uninterruptedly using the disconnected NTP service in the absence of external NTP servers of the Grid. When the
external NTP servers are reachable again, the Grid connects with the server to serve NTP and derive the NTP stratum
values and the Grid automatically switches to the connected mode. For information about orphan mode, see Configuring
the Orphan Mode.
To configure a user specified stratum for NTP service on a Grid to use the disconnected NTP services, complete the
following:
 Note
• Unless a special configuration is required, use the default values. In case you configure the values,
keep the configuration as simple as possible.
• When you select the Use Default option for the stratum value of either the Grid Manager or the Grid
member, you will not be able to add or edit the stratum values.
• You can use the set ntp_stratum CLI command in maintenance mode to set the local NTP stratum
value for both the Grid Manager and member.
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click NTP -> NTP Grid Config.
2. In the Orphan Mode tab of the Grid NTP editor, specify the following:

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• Use Default: Select this if you want to use the default values and do not want to configure the stratum for
the Grid Manager and the Grid members. When you select the Use Default option, NIOS uses the default
stratum value of 12 for the Grid Manager and 14 for the Grid level members.
• Grid Manager local NTP stratum: Specify the NTP stratum value for the Grid Manager, enter a stratum
value that is between 2 to 14, both inclusive.
• Member local NTP stratum: Specify the NTP stratum for the Grid members at Grid level, enter a stratum
value that is between 3 to 15, both inclusive. However, the minimum NTP stratum value of the member
needs to be 1 more than the Grid Manager NTP stratum value.
To configure a user specified stratum for NTP service on a member to use the disconnected NTP services, complete the
following:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox. Expand the Toolbar
and click NTP -> NTP Member Config.
To override a Grid level inherited stratum value, click Override. To inherit the same values as the Grid,
click Inherit.
2. In the Orphan Mode tab of the Member NTP Properties editor, specify the following:
• Use Default: Select this if you want to use the default values and do not want to configure the stratum
value for the Grid Member. When you select the Use Default option, NIOS uses the default stratum value
of 14 for the Grid member.
• Member local NTP stratum: Specify the NTP stratum value for the Grid member, enter a stratum value
that is between 2 to 15, both inclusive. By default, if the Grid Manager is set as the NTP server for
the Grid member, then the Grid member will generate the stratum value by using the stratum value of the
Grid Manager.
The NTP service will restart automatically once the configuration has been modified.
Monitoring NTP
When you enable the Grid to synchronize its time with external NTP servers, you can monitor the status of the NTP
service by checking the NTP status icons in the Member Services panel. To access the panel, from the Grid tab, select
the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox, and then select the Manage Member Services icon in
the table toolbar of the Members tab.
The following are descriptions of the NTP status icons in the Members Services panel. The type of information that can
appear in the Description column corresponds to the SNMP trap messages. For information about the Infoblox SNMP
traps, see Configuring SNMP.
Icon Color Meaning
Green The NTP service is enabled and running properly.
Yellow The NTP service is enabled, and the appliance is synchronizing its time.
Red The NTP service is enabled, but it is not running properly or is out of synchronization.
Gray The NTP service is disabled.
After you upgrade the Grid to 6.6.x or later, the color of the Grid status icon changes based on the following:

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• If you activate an external synchronization, or start the NTP service using the Grid Manager, or do not configure
any external NTP servers, except local, then the NTP behavior remains the same and the NIOS appliance
displays the Grid status icon in green.
• If you activate an external synchronization and configure one or more external NTP servers, or if the servers are
in synchronization with the Grid Master, then the Grid status icon is as follows:
• Green: NTP is synchronizing with an external server.
• Red: NTP is synchronizing with the local server and none of the external NTP servers are reachable. This
status icon also indicates if there are problems with the NTP service.
• Yellow: NTP is synchronizing with the local server and at least one external NTP server is reachable; but
there could be problems on the external server, such as an exceeded root distance error.
Managing Extensible Attributes

Extensible attributes are identifiers that you use to further define and track a NIOS object. For example, to specify the
location of a network, you can add the predefined attribute Site and enter a specific location for the network. You can also
specify whether an extensible attribute is required for an object or restrict the values that can be entered when you create
a new object.
You can also specify if an extensible attribute is inheritable by other objects in an inheritance chain. When you enable the
inheritance of an extensible attribute, all descendants in the inheritance chain can inherit the extensible attribute so you
do not have to configure it at all object levels. For example, if you define an extensible attribute for a network, the
attribute and its value can be automatically added for DHCP ranges and fixed addresses in the network.
An extensible attribute is inheritable by descendants in an inheritance chain if its definition does not restrict it to objects
that are not part of an inheritance chain. The appliance supports this inheritance chain: Network View -> Network
Container -> Network -> Range -> Host/Fixed Address/Reservation. A parent object can have descendants at one or
more levels. For example, a network view, network container, network or DHCP range can be a parent object and have
descendants at one or more levels, while a host, fixed address, and reservation can only be a descendant, not a parent.
You can set an extensible attribute to be inheritable by selecting the Enable Inheritance option when you define an
attribute. For more information, see Configuring Inheritable Extensible Attributes.
 Note
Only superusers can configure extensible attributes.
You can use predefined extensible attributes or specify new ones for different objects. For more information on supported
object types and their corresponding fields for the extensible attributes, see Subscriber Record. The appliance provides
the following predefined extensible attributes that you can customize:
• Region
• Country
• State
• Site
• Building
• VLAN
• ReportingSite (Report Clustering)
• Parental-Control-Policy
• Proxy-All
• User-Name
• White-List
• Black-List
• Subscriber-Secure-Policy
• PC-Category-Policy
 Note
Using the CSV import option, if you import DHCP network, fixed address or reservation address with Parental
control extensible attributes, then the subscriber records are not created.

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When you use a predefined attribute, you can modify it and change its name, but you cannot change the type of data it
accepts. You can also delete predefined attributes that you do not use. All predefined attributes accept text strings. You
can define other settings though, as described in Modifying Extensible Attributes. You can also create your own
extensible attributes, as described in Adding Extensible Attributes.
For example, you can configure the predefined attribute Site for fixed addresses and hosts, and define a new attribute
Department for admin groups. If you enable the option Allow NATed Subscribers only in subscriber site, then the
extensible attributes used as the default policy for the network, fixed, and reservation address for the DHCP server
members, which belong to a Subscriber Site is not supported. For more information on enabling the Allow NATed
Subscribers only option, see, Adding Subscriber Sites
When you configure an extensible attribute, you can specify the following:
• The type of data that admins enter, such as text strings, integers, or email addresses. You can also restrict
admins to a list of values.
• Whether admins can enter multiple values
• A default value
• Whether the attribute is required
 Note
You can specify whether an extensible attribute is required or not only by selecting the Required
checkbox on the Administration > Extensible Attributes tab in Grid Manager. You cannot specify whether
an extensible attribute is required or not by using CSV or WAPI. For more information about extensible
attribute options, see Adding Extensible Attributes.
• Whether the attribute is inheritable

• The objects associated with the attribute, such as admin groups, DNS views, or DHCP networks.
• Whether the appliance makes an entry in the audit log each time an object with the attribute is added or modified.
Activities such as additions, modifications, and deletions of inheritable extensible attributes, are recorded in the audit log.
For more information about how to use the audit log, see Using the Audit Log.
Using Extensible Attributes to Define Network Devices figure illustrates a network with different device types. Each
device is represented as a host in the NIOS appliance database. You can configure Device Type, Location and Owner as
required attributes for hosts. Then when admins add hosts, they will be required to enter values for these attributes in the
Extensible Attributes tab of the Add Host wizard.
Using Extensible Attributes to Define Network Devices

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After you configure extensible attributes for an object, the attributes become available in the Extensible Attributes tab of
the wizard and editor of the corresponding object. Users then add or edit the attribute values, based on your
configuration. Users can also specify attributes when searching for data and add attributes as columns in the tables of
Grid Manager. For example, you can add the predefined Site attribute as a column in the Records panel of the Zones
tab. For more information about adding columns to tables, see Customizing Tables.
Users can also group objects in smart folders according to their attributes. For example, a user can create a smart folder
that contains all networks in a certain site.
Users can enable the appliance to group members by extensible attributes. For more information, see Grouping
Members by Extensible Attributes.
When you first enable Cloud Network Automation, NIOS installs a set of extensible attributes that are specific for cloud
usage. You should avoid adding these extensible attributes manually before enabling Cloud Network Automation. For
more information, see Extensible Attributes for Cloud Objects.
Adding Extensible Attributes

To add a new extensible attribute:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Extensible Attributes tab.
2. Click the Add icon on any of the toolbars.
3. In the Add Extensible Attribute wizard, complete the following:

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• Name: Enter the name of the attribute. This is a required field and is case-sensitive. You can enter up to
128 UTF-8 characters.
• Type: Specify the type of data that you want to capture for an object. Select one of the following:
• String: Select this when the attribute is used to define string values, such as names. When you
select this type, the wizard displays the Number of Characters field where you can enter the
minimum and maximum number of characters that users can enter.
• List: Select this when you want to define a list of values for the attribute. Users can then select a
value from this list. For example, if you want to restrict an attribute to five specific values, you can
define the attribute as a List and then list the five values in the List Values section. When a user
uses the attribute, they are limited to selecting from one of the five values.
When you select List, the wizard displays the List of values table, where you add the allowed
values. These values appear in the drop-down list when a user defines the attribute. Click the Add
icon to enter values in the table. You can enter up to 64 UTF-8 characters for each value.
You can also modify list values at a later time. When you modify list values, all object attributes
using the modified values are updated to the new values.
You can also delete values from the list. Note that when you delete a list value, all attributes using
the deleted values are removed from the objects. For objects with multiple attribute values, only
the deleted values are removed.
You can also move a value up or down in the list.
• Integer: Select this when the attribute is used to track whole numbers, such as serial numbers.
When you select this type, the wizard displays the Value Limits fields where you can enter the
range of allowed values. Note that you cannot change your entries in the Value Limits fields if you
modify the attribute at a later date.
• Email: Select this when the attribute is used for email addresses. Email addresses are entered in
the format user@domain.com.
• URL: Select this when the attribute is used for tracking URLs (Uniform Resource Locators). URLs
must be entered in a valid format.
• Date: Select this when the attribute is used for dates. The date value is in YYYY-MM-DD format.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the attribute. You can enter up to 256 UTF-8 characters.
• Enable Inheritance: Select this checkbox if you want to allow the extensible attribute and its values to be
inherited by descendants in an inheritance chain. When you select this checkbox, inheritance is enabled
for network related objects only. When you select this checkbox and restrict an attribute to certain objects,
then the extensible attribute and its value will be inherited by those objects only.
Note the following:
• If you create an extensible attribute with inheritance disabled and later enable it, the Descendant
Actions dialog box may be displayed with the available options for adding an extensible attribute.
For more information, see Managing Inheritable Extensible Attributes at the Parent and
Descendant Level.
• If you create an extensible attribute with inheritance enabled and later disable it, the Descendant
Actions dialog box may be displayed with the available options for deleting an extensible attribute.
For more information, see Deleting Inheritable Extensible Attributes Associated with Parent
Objects.
• Allow multiple values: Select this checkbox if you want to allow multiple values for this attribute to be set
on an object. You cannot change this value for predefined attributes. Once you select this checkbox, you
cannot deselect it. That is, you cannot allow a single attribute to be set if you selected to allow multiple
values to be set on an object.
Restricting synchronization of extensible attributes
• Disable sync to MGM: Select this checkbox to disable synchronization of extensible attributes from the
managed Grid to the Multi-Grid Master. This checkbox is available only on the managed Grid when it
remains joined with the Multi-Grid Master.
• Default Value: Enter the default value that the appliance displays for the attribute. Leave this blank if there
is no default value for this attribute. If the attribute type is String, you can enter up to 256 UTF-8
characters. If the attribute type is List, the value must be one of the list values and can be up to 64 UTF-8
characters.
• Required: If you select this option, it is required to enter a value for this attribute when adding or modifying
the corresponding object in the GUI.
• Recommended: If you select this option, it is recommended to enter a value for this attribute when adding
or modifying the corresponding object in the GUI.

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• Optional: This is selected by default. By selecting this option, you may or may not enter a value for this
attribute when adding or modifying the corresponding object in the GUI.
• Restrict to Specific Object Types: Click the Add icon to select the object type with which you want to
associate the attribute. The appliance adds a row to the table. To delete an object type, select an object
type and click the Delete icon. By default, the appliance associates an extensible attribute with all the
supported object types.
• Log Attribute Values When Objects are Updated: Select this checkbox if you want the appliance to make
an entry in the audit log each time an object with this attribute is added or modified. When you select
attribute values for audit, they are included in all the audit log entries. For more information about the audit
log, see Using the Audit Log.
• Allow cloud members to have the following access to this extensible attribute: Select this if you are
configuring this extensible attribute for Cloud Network Automation. When you select this checkbox, the
Cloud Platform Appliance can access this extensible attribute and perform requested tasks based on the
cloud API requests. This function is enabled by default for all cloud specific extensible attributes. Note that
if you disable this function for any cloud attributes, you will receive an error when you try to perform tasks
that involve these attributes through cloud API requests. You can select Read/Write or Read only. For
more information about this feature, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation.
• Read/Write (and disallow Write access from the GUI and the standard API): When you select this,
the Cloud Platform Appliance can access and modify the value of this extensible attribute based
on the tasks requested only through cloud API requests. You cannot modify this attribute using
Grid Manager or the Infoblox API.
• Read only: When you select this, the Cloud Platform Appliance can access this extensible attribute
and report the value based on the cloud API requests, but it cannot modify the value. You receive
an error if you try to modify this attribute when this option is selected.
 Warning
The Cloud Platform member is evicted from the Grid Master if you modify the extensible
attribute using Grid Manager.
Grid Manager adds the attribute to the Extensible Attributes tab in either the wizard or editor for the specified object
types.
 Note
Infoblox recommends that you define values for mandatory extensible attributes using the Grid only and do not
use PAPI or RESTful API to define values.
Configuring Inheritable Extensible Attributes

An extensible attribute can be inherited by descendants when it is at the top or in the middle of the inheritance chain.
When you add a new extensible attribute to a parent object, the same extensible attribute may or may not already exist at
the descendant levels. If the extensible attribute exists on a descendant, you can choose to have the descendant inherit
the value from the parent, or retain the original value from the descendant. When the extensible attribute does not exist
on the descendant, you can choose to have the descendant either inherit the extensible attribute and its value from the
parent or not inherit anything from the parent.
When you add a range, host, fixed address or IPv4 reservation to a parent object which has inheritable extensible
attributes, the newly added object can inherit extensible attributes from the parent object. For example, if you create an
IPv4 network with inheritable extensible attributes, and then add a host, the values you specified for the extensible
attributes while creating the network can be inherited by the host.
To assist you in identifying whether an extensible attribute value is inherited or overridden, the appliance displays the
inheritance state of an attribute in the Inheritance State column of an extensible attribute. This column is displayed only
for objects that support inheritance. For more information about how to view inheritance states, see Modifying Inheritable
Following are the supported inheritance states:
Inheritance States

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Inheritance State Description
Inherited The extensible attribute inherits its value from the parent. You cannot edit the value of an attribute
when the inheritance state is set to Inherited. You can change the state to Overridden and then
change the value of the attribute or change the state to Not Inherited to remove the inherited value.
Overridden The extensible attribute overrides the value inherited from the parent. You can change the state to
Inherited and restore the original inherited value or change the state to Not Inherited and remove the
inherited value.
Not Inherited The extensible attribute can inherit its value from the parent, but the attribute does not exist on the
descendant. You can change the state to Inherited and restore the original inherited value or change
the state to Overridden and change the value of the attribute.
Note that when the state of an inheritable extensible attribute is Not Inherited, the corresponding
attribute will not be added as a new extensible attribute for objects that are currently not inheriting this
extensible attribute.
No Parent The inheritance state is set to No Parent when an object has a parent, but the parent does not have
an extensible attribute or the parent's extensible attribute is set to Not Inherited.
Disabled Extensible attribute inheritance is not enabled for the attribute.
No Change The extensible attributes of the selected objects do not have the same inheritance state for all
objects. This state allows you to retain the current state on the selected objects. Note that this state is
only seen in the Multi-object Extensible Attributes editor.
When you add an inheritable extensible attribute to an object, if there are descendants of this object the Descendant
Actions dialog box is displayed which will provide options for the descendants. Following is a summary of these options:
• Retain the original value of the attribute for all descendants.
• Inherit the extensible attribute and its value from the parent object.
• Inherit the extensible attribute and its value when it does not exist on descendants.
• If the extensible attribute does not exist on the descendant, do not add it.
• If you are deleting an inherited extensible attribute from a parent object you can retain or remove the extensible
attribute from the object's descendants.
To configure default descendant actions for inheritable extensible attributes:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid Properties -> Edit.
2. In the Extensible Attribute Inheritance tab, complete the following:
When adding an extensible attribute that already exists on a descendant:
• Keep the descendant's existing value and change the inheritance state to Override: Select this if you want
to retain the existing extensible attribute values for all direct descendants, irrespective of the values you
define at the parent level. The inheritance state for all direct descendants will be set to Overridden. Note
that this is applicable only when you add a new extensible attribute to the parent object that already exists
on the descendant. If you modify the value of an existing extensible attribute that is already inherited by
the descendant, and select the above option in the Descendant Actions dialog box, then the new value
will be inherited by the descendant, but the inheritance state will remain Inherited. For example, consider
a network 10.0.0.0/16 that has an extensible attribute Site with the value SA (native). When you add
another network 10.0.0.0/24, extensible attribute Site inherits its value, SA, from the parent object. Now, if
you add network 10.0.0.0/8, assign extensible attribute Site and set its value to NY, then when you
choose this option, the value of Site will remain as SA, but the inheritance state will be changed to
Overridden for network 10.0.0.0/16; however, network 10.0.0.0/24 will still have its value as SA for Site
with the inheritance state set to Inherited.
• Inherit the parent's value and change the inheritance state to Inherit: Select this to inherit the extensible
attribute values from the parent for all descendants. The inheritance state for all descendants will be set to
Inherited.
• Change the inheritance state to Inherit only if the descendant's value is the same as the parent's value.
Otherwise, change the state to Override: Select this to set the inheritance state to Inherit if the
descendants have the same extensible attribute value as the parent. Otherwise, retain the original
extensible attribute value on the descendants and change the inheritance state to Overridden.
When adding an extensible attribute that does not exist on a descendant:Do not inherit the value from the parent
and change the inheritance state to Not Inherited: Select this if the extensible attributes do not exist on the

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descendants and you do not want them to inherit the attributes from the parent. The inheritance state is set to Not
inherited.
• Inherit the value from the parent and change the inheritance state to Inherited: Select this if you want all
descendants to inherit extensible attributes from the parent, and the inheritance state for all descendants
will be set to Inherited.
When deleting an extensible attribute:
• Keep the descendant's value and change the inheritance state to No Parent: Select this if you want to
preserve extensible attributes on all descendants when you delete an inheritable extensible attribute. The
inheritance state for direct descendants will be set to No Parent.
• If the current inheritance state is Inherited, remove the extensible attribute. If the current inheritance state
is Overridden, keep the value and change the inheritance state to No Parent: Select this if you want to
remove the extensible attributes that are inherited by the descendants. If the inheritance state of the
extensible attributes is set to Inherited on the descendant, the attributes will be removed; however, if the
inheritance state is set to Overridden, then the state will be changed to No Parent.
For more information about how to configure inheritable extensible attributes, see Configuration Examples for Inheritable
Admin Permissions and Inheritable Extensible Attributes

Permissions for descendant objects can affect the results of the actions that are chosen in the Descendant Actions
dialog box:
• When you add an extensible attribute to the parent object: The descendants to which you have read-write
permission will behave as expected with any of the chosen options in the Descendant Actions dialog box.
• When you change the extensible attribute value on the parent object: The descendants that have the same
extensible attribute set to Inherited will be automatically changed to the new value, even though you may not
have write permission for those descendants.
• When you select to preserve descendant values while removing an extensible attribute associated with the parent
object, values will be preserved even if you do not have write read-write permission for those descendants.
• When you select to remove an extensible attribute on descendants when removing a parent's extensible attribute,
an error message will be displayed if you do not have read-write permission to some of the descendants.
Guidelines for Configuring Inheritable Extensible Attributes

• When you add an inheritable extensible attribute to a parent object, you can choose to have descendants inherit
or override the parent's extensible attribute value. You can also choose that the extensible attribute not be added
to a descendant.
• When you add a new parent with an inheritable extensible attribute, the options for changes to descendants
remain the same as when you add a new inheritable extensible attribute to a parent. For more information, see
Configuring Inheritable Extensible Attributes.
• When you add a new descendant to the existing parent with inheritable attributes, the descendant inherits all the
extensible attributes. However, you can select if you want to inherit or override the values. If you set the
inheritance state to Not Inherited, then the extensible attribute will not exist on the descendant, but you can later
change the state to Inherited or Overridden. For more information, see Managing Inheritable Extensible Attributes
at the Parent and Descendant Level.
• When you delete an inheritable extensible attribute associated with the parent, you can either preserve the
extensible attribute values on the descendants or delete the inherited extensible attributes. For more information,
see Deleting Inheritable Extensible Attributes Associated with Parent Objects.
• When you delete a parent object and if there is grandparent, then the extensible attribute will be re-parented
when you choose preserve. The current inheritance state of the attribute will be retained. If you delete a parent
object and if there is no grandparent, then the inheritance state of the extensible attribute is changed to No
Parent when you choose preserve.
• When you split a network, the extensible attribute will be copied to the newly created networks. For inheritable
extensible attributes, the newly created network inherits the extensible attributes and the state is set to Inherited.
For more information, see Managing Inheritable Extensible Attributes at the Parent and Descendant Level.
• When you join two networks to form a larger network, the Descendant Actions dialog box is displayed with the
following options:
When joining networks, select the action(s) you want to apply to the merged networks:

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• Preserve extensible attributes for all descendants of the merged networks and change the inheritance
state to No Parent: Select this if you want to preserve the extensible attributes for all descendants of the
merged networks. The inheritance state of the attributes will be changed to No Parent.
• Remove extensible attributes from descendants of the merged networks: Select this if you want to remove
extensible attributes that are inherited by descendants.
 Note
The options above apply only to extensible attributes which no longer have a parent, due to the
merge. If the extensible attributes on descendants are also on the resulting merged network,
then they will retain their current state.
When you add multiple inheritable networks, new networks will automatically inherit all extensible
attributes from the parent.
Managing Inheritable Extensible Attributes at the Parent and Descendant Level

You can define if descendants will inherit values from the parent when a new extensible attribute is added to the parent.
You can also choose to override the values of the extensible attributes on the descendants.
When you delete an existing attribute, you can choose to either preserve the values at the descendant level or delete the
values inherited by the descendants.
 Note
The Descendant Actions dialog box is displayed only when an object has descendants and you are modifying
extensible attributes that affects those descendants. However, the dialog box is always displayed when a join is
performed for a network that has inheritable extensible attributes.
The following section describes configuration changes for inheritable extensible attributes:
1. Network Container: From the Dashboards tab, select the Tasks tab -> click Add Networks. Select a network, enter
the required details. You can edit the inheritable extensible attributes that are displayed automatically. If this is a
parent object, then you can add extensible attributes.
IPv4 Network: From the Data Management tab -> select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab. In the Networks section,
select IPv4 Network from the Add drop-down menu. In the Add IPv4 Network wizard, enter the attributes in the
Extensible Attributes tab after specifying the required details.
IPv6 Network: From the Data Management tab -> select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab. In the Networks section,
select IPv6 Network from the Add drop-down menu. In the Add IPv6 Network wizard, enter the attributes in the
Extensible Attributes tab after specifying the required details.
IPv4 Range: From the Data Management tab > select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks tab -> network
> click addr_range, select Range from the Add drop-down menu. In the Add IPv4 Range wizard, enter the
attributes in the Extensible Attributes tab after specifying the required details.
IPv6 Range: From the Data Management tab > select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks tab -> network
> click addr_range, select Range from the Add drop-down menu. In the Add IPv6 Range wizard, enter the
Zones: From the Data Management tab > select the DNS tab - > Zones tab - > click Add. In the Add
Zone wizard, enter the attributes in the Extensible Attributes tab after specifying the required details.
DNS View: From the Data Management tab > select the DNS tab - > In the toolbar select Add - > Select DNS
View. In the Add DSN View wizard, enter the attributes in the Extensible Attributes tab after specifying the
required details.
Host: From the Data Management tab > select the DNS tab - > Zones tab - > click Add. In the Add section,
select Host or Bulk Host from the Add drop-down menu. In the Add DNS View wizard, enter the attributes in
the Extensible Attributes tab after specifying the required details.
Record: From the Data Management tab > select the DNS tab - > Zones tab - > click Add. In the Add section,
select Record from the Add drop-down menu select the record type. In the Add DNS View wizard, enter the
VLAN Range: From the Data Management tab > select the VLANs tab - > click Add, select VLAN Range from the
Add drop-down menu. In the Add VLAN Range Wizard, enter the attributes in the Extensible Attributes tab after

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specifying the required details.
VLANs: From the Data Management tab > select the VLANs tab - > click Add, select VLAN from the Add drop-
down menu. In the Add VLAN wizard, enter the attributes in the Extensible Attributes tab after specifying the
required details.
2. You can either add new extensible attributes to the parent object or modify original extensible attribute values.
Click on the extensible attribute value displayed in the Value column of the respective attribute to modify the
original value or click the Add icon to add a new attribute.
3. Select a state from the drop-down list displayed in the Inheritance State column. Note that you can only change
the inheritance state of a descendant. You must select Overridden from the drop-down list to enter a new value.
For more information about inheritance states, see Inheritance States table. When an object has a parent and the
parent does not have the object's inheritable extensible attribute, then the inheritance state of the extensible
attribute is set to No Parent and the state cannot be changed.
4. Select the inheritable extensible attributes for which you want to modify descendant actions: Select this checkbox
if you would like to apply the actions of the Descendant Actions dialog box for existing extensible attributes.
Before you select this checkbox, you must select the extensible attributes which will be affected by the actions of
the Descendant Actions dialog box.
 Note
This checkbox is not displayed for hosts, fixed addresses, and reservations since they do not have
descendants.
5. In the Descendant Actions dialog box, select options that will be applied for descendant objects as described in
Configuring Inheritable Extensible Attributes
The Descendant Actions dialog box displays all the mentioned options when you perform add and delete
operations simultaneously. Consider an example where you add a new inheritable extensible attribute Site, and
delete an existing inheritable attribute Region from the parent object, and then click Save to save both changes.
In this case, the Descendant Actions dialog box displays all the options.
Viewing Extensible Attributes

To view the configured extensible attributes, from the Administration tab, select the Extensible Attributes tab. The panel
• Name: The name of the extensible attribute.
• Type: The type of data defined by the attribute.
• Comment: Comments entered for the extensible attribute.
• Required: Indicates whether users are required to complete this field.
• Restricted to Objects: The object types that are associated with the attribute.
• Inheritance Enabled: Indicates whether inheritance is enabled or not. You can do the following in this panel:
• Sort the displayed data in ascending or descending order by column.
• Group results by extensible attributes. For more information, see Grouping Results by Extensible Attributes.
• Add or delete extensible attributes.
Modifying Extensible Attributes

When you modify an extensible attribute, all objects using the modified attributes are updated. You can perform inline
editing by double-clicking the row of data that you want to modify. The appliance displays the inline editing editor in the
selected row. Click Save after modifying the data. Note that you cannot edit extensible attributes that have multiple
values.
To modify an extensible attribute:

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1. In the Administration tab, select the Extensible Attributes tab.
2. Select the attribute and click the Edit icon.
3. In the General tab of the Extensible Attributes editor, you can only change the name of the attribute. You cannot
change the data type. The data type for predefined attributes is string.
4. In the Additional Properties tab, you can modify any of the fields described in step 4 of Adding Extensible
Attributes.
Modifying Inheritable Extensible Attributes

When values are inherited by a descendant, the inheritance state of the inherited extensible attribute is displayed as
Inherited. You can select Overridden and specify a new value or select Inherited to retain the same value as the parent. If
you select Not Inherited, the extensible attribute and its value will not be inherited. The inherited value will have a strike-
through and you cannot edit the value when the state is set to Not Inherited.
In addition to the attribute values, the Value column of an inheritable extensible attribute also displays the name of the
source and the object type of the extensible attribute. For example, a Network Container has a descendant, Network,
which inherits an extensible attribute value from Network Container and Network has a descendant, Fixed Address that
inherits the same extensible attribute value. In this case, Fixed Address shows Network Container as the source.
The following table displays various inheritance states and corresponding changes to source and object types that are
displayed in the Value column of an extensible attribute.
Inheritance State Source and Object Type in the Value Column
If an extensible attribute is a native attribute (an object which is at the Source is not displayed in the Value column. This column will not display
top of the inheritance chain, or does not have ancestors), the source details, if none of the selected objects support inheritance.
If the state of an extensible attribute is set to Inherited, then the Source and object is displayed. You cannot change the value of the
If the state of an extensible attribute is set to Overridden or Not then the Source will have a strike-through. You can change the state of
Inherited, such extensible attributes. You cannot change the value of the extensible
attribute when the inheritance state is set to Not Inherited.
To modify the value and inheritance state of an inheritable extensible attribute:

1. For IPv4 and IPv6 Network: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab ->
Networks → network -> addr_range checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
For IPv4 Range, IPv6 Range, Fixed Address, Reservation, and Host: From the Data Management tab > select
the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks tab -> network > click addr_range, click the Edit icon.
For DNS View: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab - > Zones tab - > select the checkbox of
the DNS View - > click the Edit icon.
For VLANs: From the Data Management tab, select the VLAN tab - > select the checkbox of the VLAN Range /
VLAN - > click the Edit icon.
2. In the editor, click the Extensible Attributes tab, select the checkbox of the respective attribute.
3. At the parent level, click on the value you want to change and enter the new value.
At the descendant level, click on the value you want to change and enter the new value. Note that you can
change the value only when the inheritance state is set to Overridden.
4. Select a state from the drop-down list displayed in the Inheritance State column. Note that you can only change
the inheritance state of a descendant. You must select Overridden from the drop-down list to enter a new value.
For more information, see Inheritance States table.
5. Select the inheritable extensible attributes for which you want to modify descendant actions: Select this checkbox
if you would like to apply the actions of the Descendant Actions dialog box for existing extensible attributes.
Before you select this checkbox, select the extensible attributes which will be affected by the actions of the
Descendant Actions dialog box. For more information about the Descendant Actions dialog box, see Managing
Inheritable Extensible Attributes at the Parent and Descendant Level.

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Deleting Extensible Attributes
When you delete an extensible attribute, the appliance removes the attribute. All the attribute values set on the selected
object types are removed from those objects. Once deleted, the attribute no longer exists in the system. Deleted
attributes are not moved to the Recycle Bin. This operation might take a long time depending on the amount of data that
needs to be deleted.
To delete extensible attributes:
1. In the Administration tab, select the Extensible Attributes tab.
2. Select the attribute and click the Delete icon.
3. When the confirmation dialog box appears, click Yes.
Deleting Inheritable Extensible Attributes Associated with Parent Objects

When you remove an inheritable extensible attribute, which is associated with a parent object, you can choose to retain
the descendant extensible attribute or remove it from all the descendants.
Note that you cannot delete extensible attributes that have the inheritance state set to Overridden, Inherited, and Not
Inherited. You can delete an extensible attribute that is directly assigned to the object and has its inheritance state set to
No Parent or if the inheritance state is Disabled.
To remove an inheritable extensible attribute associated with a parent object:
1. IPv4 and IPv6 Network: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks ->
network -> addr_range checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
For IPv4 Range, IPv6 Range, Fixed Address, Reservation, and Host: From the Data Management tab DHCP
-> tab -> Networks tab -> Networks tab -> network > click addr_range, select the object and click Edit icon.
For DNS View: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab - > Zones tab - > select the checkbox of
the DNS View - > click the Edit icon.
For VLANs: From the Data Management tab, select the VLAN tab - > select the checkbox of the VLAN Range /
VLAN - > click the Edit icon.
2. In the editor, click the Extensible Attributes tab, select the attributes and then click the Delete icon.
3. When you click Save and Close, the Descendant Actions dialog box is displayed automatically with the following
options:
Select the action(s) you want to apply to descendant objects that have the following extensible attribute(s):
When deleting an extensible attribute:
• Keep the descendant's value and change the inheritance state to No Parent: Select this if you want to preserve
extensible attributes for all descendants. The inheritance state of the extensible attribute changes to No Parent.
• If the current inheritance state is Inherited, remove the extensible attribute. If the current inheritance state is
Overridden, keep the value and change the inheritance state to No Parent: Select this if you want to remove the
extensible attributes that are inherited by the descendants. If the inheritance state of the extensible attributes is
set to Inherited on the descendant, the attributes will be removed; however, if the inheritance state is set to
Overridden, then the state will be changed to No Parent.
• Click Yes to save the configuration or No to exit.
 Note
The deleted extensible attributes will not be moved to the Recycle Bin and you cannot restore
extensible attributes that are deleted.
After a superuser admin configures the attributes of an object, they become available in the wizard and editor of the
object. This section describes how users can then add and manage the attributes that were configured.
Grid Manager displays the required extensible attributes in the Extensible Attribute tab. You must enter values for all
required attributes. If an object does not have required attributes, you can add the available optional attributes.
In the Extensible Attribute tab of an object, such as a network or host record, you can do the following:
• Enter values for extensible attributes
• Add attributes
• Change the inheritance state of an extensible attribute
• Select if descendants must inherit extensible attribute values from its parent

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• Delete optional attributes
To enter values for the extensible attributes of an object:
1. Open the editor of the object. For example, to enter values for the attributes of a network, select it and click its
Extensible Attributes tab.
2. Click the Value column of the attribute. You must enter values for all required attributes.
3. Depending on the required attribute type, either enter or select a value for the attribute from the Value column.
4. Based on whether the attribute is inheritable, the values are displayed in the Inheritance State column. This value
can be set to Inherited, Overridden or Not inherited. If the object is at the top of the inheritance chain (Network
View), then the inheritance state is not displayed. The inheritance state is set to No Parent only if an object has a
parent, but the parent does not have the inherited extensible attribute. This column is not displayed if all selected
objects do not belong to the supported inheritance chain. Example: Zones, DNS View, DNS records, etc.
To add attributes:
1. Click the Add icon. Grid Manager adds a row to the table with the default attribute displayed.
2. Click the default attribute and expand the list of available attributes.
3. Select an attribute from the drop-down list.
4. Enter or select a value for the attribute from the Value column. To delete an attribute:
5. Click the checkbox beside the attribute you want to delete.
 Note
You cannot delete an extensible attribute which has its inheritance state set to Inherited, Overridden,
and Not Inherited. You can delete an extensible attribute that is directly assigned to the object and has its
inheritance state set to No Parent or if the inheritance state is Disabled.
To delete all attributes:

1. Click the Attribute Name checkbox.
 Note
You can delete only attributes that are not required. If you have one or more required attributes, you
cannot use the delete all function.
Editing Multiple Extensible Attribute Values

You can also manage the extensible attributes of multiple objects at the same time. For example, you can select several
zones, and view and modify their extensible attributes all at once in the Multi-Select Edit Extensible Attributes editor.
Note that Grid Manager may not apply the changes you made to all the selected objects. It applies the change to objects
that meet the following criteria:
• You have read/write permission to the object.
• The selected object is not locked by another user or does not have a scheduled pending task.
• If the attribute was restricted to certain object types, the object must be one of those types. To edit multiple
extensible attribute values:
1. Select the objects whose extensible attributes you want to modify. You can select specific objects or select all
objects in a dataset, as described in Selecting Objects in Tables.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Extensible Attributes.
Grid Manager displays the Multi-Select Edit Extensible Attributes dialog box which lists the extensible attributes of
the selected objects. It displays the following information for each attribute:
• Attribute Name: This field displays the name of the extensible attribute associated with the selected object.
• Value: If the selected objects have the same value for the attribute, Grid Manager displays that value in this field.
If the selected objects have different values for the attribute or if some have values and others do not, this field

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displays Multiple Values and the cell is highlighted in gray.
An attribute can have multiple rows if it allows multiple values. Grid Manager displays the values that all objects
have in common, if any. Otherwise, it displays Multiple Values. This column displays the source for inherited
extensible attributes only. Note that when you add new extensible attributes, edit values of existing extensible
attributes or delete an extensible attribute, then the Descendant Actions dialog box is displayed, even if the
objects do not have any descendants. For more information about Source values, see Modifying Inheritable
• If you select objects that have the same inherited extensible attributes, but objects have different parents, then
the Source column will display Multiple Ancestors.
• If the inheritance state of an extensible attribute is Not Inherited, then the extensible attribute will not be added as
a new extensible attribute to objects that are currently not inheriting this extensible attribute.
• Inheritance State: This field displays the inheritance state of an extensible attribute. The column value can be
Inherited, Not Inherited, No Parent, No Change or Overridden. This column is not displayed if all selected objects
do not belong to the supported inheritance chain. Example: Zones, DNS View, DNS records, etc.
If extensible attributes for the selected objects have the same inheritance state, then the respective inheritance
state is displayed in this column. When objects have different inheritance states, this column displays No Change,
so that the current inheritance state is retained on the selected objects. If you then change the inheritance state
of an extensible attribute to a specific state, the corresponding attribute will be changed to the selected
inheritance state on all selected objects where the extensible attribute is currently inherited. If the object is at the
top of the inheritance chain (Network View), then the inheritance state is not displayed. The inheritance state is
set to No Parent only if an object has a parent, but the parent does not have the inherited extensible attribute. For
more information about inheritance states, see Inheritance States table.
• Required: This field displays Yes if the attribute is required in at least one object associated with the attribute. It
displays No if the attribute is not required in any of the objects.
• You can do the following:
• Change the value of an attribute. Depending on the attribute type, select the value and either enter a new
value or select one from the drop-down list.
• Add an attribute to the selected objects. Click the Add icon. In the Attribute Name field of the new row,
select an attribute from the list of available attributes and specify its value. If the attribute that you added
was configured as a required attribute, the Required field displays Yes. Otherwise, it displays No.
• Delete an attribute. You can delete an attribute if it is not required. Select the attribute and click the Delete
icon.
• Click OK when you are finished modifying the extensible attributes.
Grid Manager applies your changes to the applicable objects. This operation might take a long time, depending on the
amount of data being modified. You can choose to run this operation in the background, as described in Tasks
Dashboard.
Grouping Results by Extensible Attributes

You can enable the appliance to group members and services with the same extensible attributes. Grid Manager
displayed group data with the same value for the specified extensible attribute.
To group results by extensible attributes:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab or Services tab.
From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP or DNS tab -> Members/Servers tab.
2. Complete the following to group members with the same extensible attribute value:
• Group By: Select an extensible attribute by which you want to group members from the drop-down list.
To add additional Group By filter, click the + icon, and then select a value from the drop-down list. You can
apply up to 10 Group By filters. You can also delete a filter by clicking the - icon.
• Do not inherit the value from the parent and change the inheritance state to Not Inherited: Select this if the
extensible attributes do not exist on the descendants and you do not want them to inherit the attributes from the
parent. The inheritance state is set to Not inherited.
• Inherit the value from the parent and change the inheritance state to Inherited: Select this if you want all
descendants to inherit extensible attributes from the parent, and the inheritance state for all descendants will be
set to Inherited.

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Configuration Examples for Inheritable Extensible Attributes
All examples in this section are based on the inheritance chain Network View -> Network Container -> Network -> Range
-> Host/Fixed Address/Reservation, in which network view is at the top level and host, fixed address and reservation at
the bottom of the inheritance chain.
Example 1
When you add an extensible attribute to the top object, the inheritance state is set to No Parent. For example, if you add
a new inheritable extensible attribute, Building, to a network view, the inheritance state of this extensible attribute is set to
No Parent for the network view.
Example 2
When you add an extensible attribute Site to the parent object Network that has a descendant Range, you can define
Site as inheritable and add it to the Network. The descendant, Range, may or may not have the same extensible
attribute. Infoblox displays a list of options that lets you either inherit the value or retain or override the existing value of
the extensible attribute at the descendant level. Another option is to inherit the value of Site, only if the value for this
attribute in Range is same as that in Network. You can also decide if Range should acquire the same value for Site, if it is
not defined for Range. This change can be inherited by the descendants of Range.
Depending on your configuration, the inheritance state of the extensible attribute can display Inherited, Overridden or Not
Inherited. If the object is at the top of the inheritance chain (Network View), then the inheritance state is not displayed.
The inheritance state is set to No Parent only if an object has a parent, but the parent does not have the inherited
Example 3
Examples in this section show different results when you add a new inheritable extensible attribute to an object located at
the top or in the middle of the inheritance chain based on the following:
Object Type Extensible Attribute Extensible Attribute Value Inheritance State
10.0.0.0/8 Network
Containe
r
10.0.0.0/16 Network Region ABC Native
10.1.0.0/16 Network
Example 3.1: Add an extensible attribute Region with value DEF to 10.0.0.0/8
You select the following options for the existing extensible attribute:
• • For descendants that already have this extensible attribute, the existing extensible attribute will always be
set to Inherit.
• For descendants that do not have this extensible attribute, the descendants will inherit this extensible
attribute.
Result:
10.0.0.0/8 Network Container Region DEF Native
10.0.0.0/16 Network Region DEF Inherited from 10.0.0.0/8

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Example 3.2: Add an extensible attribute Region with value DEF to 10.0.0.0/8
You select the following options for the existing extensible attribute:
• For descendants that already have this extensible attribute, the existing extensible attribute will always be set to
Override.
• For descendants that do not have this extensible attribute, the descendants will not inherit this extensible attribute
(extensible attribute is set to Do not Inherit).
Result:
Object Type Extensible Attribute Extensible Attribute Inheritance State

Value
10.0.0.0/16 Network Region ABC Overridden
10.1.0.0/16 Network Region
Example 3.3: Add an extensible attribute Region with value DEF to 10.0.0.0/8 8
You select the following options for the existing extensible attributes:
• For descendants that already have this extensible attribute, the existing extensible attribute will always be set to
Inherit.
• For descendants that do not have this extensible attribute, the descendants will not inherit this extensible attribute
(extensible attribute is set to Do not Inherit).
Result:

Value
10.0.0.0/16 Network Region DEF Inherited,

Source 10.0.0.0/8
Example 4
Examples in this section show different results when you remove an existing inheritable extensible attribute from an
object located at the top or in the middle of the inheritance chain based on the following:
10.0.0.0/16 Network Region DEF Inherited from

10.0.0.0/8
Example 4.1: Remove extensible attribute Region with value DEF from 10.0.0.0/8

Rev. D
You select the following option for the existing extensible attribute:
• Remove extensible attributes with inheritance state set to Inherited. Extensible attributes with the state set to
Overridden are not removed.
Result:
10.0.0.0/8 Network Container Region
Example 4.2: Remove extensible attribute Region with value DEF from 10.0.0.0/8 You select the following option for the
existing extensible attribute:
• Preserve all descendant extensible attributes, whether the state is set to Inherited or Overridden. Result:
10.0.0.0/8 Network Container
10.0.0.0/16 Network Region DEF Native
10.1.0.0/16 Network Region ABC Native
Example 5
Examples in this section show different results when you remove parent object based on the following:

Value
10.0.0.0/16 Network Container Region DEF Inherited from 10.0.0.0/8
10.1.0.0/24 Network Region ABC Overriden
10.10.0.0/16 Network Container Region GHI Overriden
10.10.0.0/24 Network Region GHI Inherited from 10.10.0.0/16
10.10.0.0/24 Network Region JKL Overridden
Example 5.1: Removing object 10.0.0.0/8 from the parent level You select the following option for the existing extensible
attribute:
• Remove extensible attributes with the inheritance state set to Inherited. Extensible attributes with the state set to
Overridden are not removed.
Result:

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Value
10.0.0.0/24 Network
10.10.0.0/16 Network Container Region GHI Overridden
Example 5.2: Removing object 10.0.0.0/8 from the parent level

You select the following option for the existing extensible attribute on descendants:
• Preserve all extensible attributes on the descendant.
Result:

Value
10.10.0.0/16 Network Container Region GHI Native
Example 5.3: Remove object 10.10.0.0/16 from the parent level

You select the following option for the existing extensible attribute on descendants:
• Remove extensible attributes with the inheritance state set to Inherited. Extensible attributes with the state set to
Overridden are retained.
Result:

Value

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Value
10.0.0.0/16 Network Container Region DEF Inherited from 10.0.0.0/8
Example 6
Examples in this section show different results after you add an object in the middle of the inheritance chain based on the
following:

Value
10.0.0.0/8 Network Container Owner Admin Native
10.0.0.0/16 Network Container Owner Admin Inherited from 10.0.0.0/8
10.0.0.0/24 Network Owner Admin Inherited from 10.0.0.0/8
10.0.1.0/24 Network Owner Joe Overridden
10.10.1.0/24 Network Owner Annie Overridden
Example 6.1: Adding object 10.10.0.0/16 without extensible attributes You select the following option for the existing
extensible attribute:
• Retain values if the extensible attribute already exists, and inherit the attribute from the parent object if it does not
exist.
Result:

Value
10.0.0.0/8 Network Container Owner Admin Native

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10.0.1.0/24 Network Owner Joe Overridden
10.10.1.0/24 Network Owner Annie Overridden
Example 7
Examples in this section show different results after you modify inheritable extensible attributes with multiple values
based on the following:
10.0.0.0/16 Network Container Region MNO Native
Region PQR Native
Example 7.1: Adding extensible attribute Region with value GHI to 10.0.0.0/8 You select the following option for the
existing extensible attributes:
• The descendants that already have this extensible attribute will inherit the value from the parent object.
Result: Multiple values will be replaced with the single inherited value.

Value
10.0.0.0/16 Network Container Region GHI Inherited from 10.0.0.0/8
Example 7.2: Adding extensible attribute Region with value GHI to 10.0.0.0/8 You select the following option for the
existing extensible attributes:
• The descendants that already have this extensible attribute will override the value.
10.0.0.0/16 Network Region DEF Overridden
Region ABC Overridden

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Example 8
Examples in this section show different results after you modify existing inheritable extensible attribute of an object, but
you do not have required permission to modify some descendants. For information about admin permissions, see About
Object Type Extensible Attribute Extensible Attribute Value Inheritance State P

er
mi
ss
io
n
10.0.0.0/8 Network Container Owner Sam Native W

rit
e
10.0.0.0/16 Network Container Owner Sam Inherited from 10.0.0.0/8 R

ea
d
10.0.0.0/24 Network Owner Sam Inherited from 10.0.0.0/8 R

ea
d
10.0.1.0/24 Network Owner Bob Overridden W

rit
e
10.10.0.0/16 Network Container Owner John Inherited from 10.0.0.0/16 R

ea
d
10.10.1.0/24 Network Owner Max Overridden R

ea
d
10.20.0.0/16 Network Container Owner Sam Inherited from 10.0.0.0/8 W

rit
e
10.20.0.0/24 Network Owner R

ea
d
10.20.1.0/24 Network Owner R

ea
d
Example 8.1: Removing object 10.0.0.0/8

You select the following option for the existing inheritable extensible attribute:
• Retain extensible attribute values on descendants that are inherited from this parent object.
Result:
Object Type Extensible Extensible Inheritance State Permission

Attribute Attribute Value
10.0.0.0/16 Network Container Owner Sam Native Read
10.0.0.0/24 Network Owner Sam Native Read

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Object Type Extensible Extensible Inheritance State Permission
Attribute Attribute Value
10.0.1.0/24 Network Owner Bob Overridden Write
10.10.0.0/16 Network Container Owner John Overridden Read
10.10.0.0/24 Network Owner John Inherited from 10.10.0.0/16 Read
10.10.1.0/24 Network Owner Max Overridden Read
10.20.0.0/16 Network Container Owner Sam Native Write
10.20.0.0/24 Network Read
Example 8.2: Removing object 10.0.0.0/8

You select the following option for the existing inheritable extensible attribute:
• Remove extensible attribute values from descendants that are inherited from this parent object.
The appliance displays an error message when you remove an extensible attribute that is associated with a descendant
for which you do not have required permission.
Result:
Object Type Extensible Attribute Extensible Attribute Inheritance State Permission

Value
10.0.0.0/16 Network
Container
10.0.0.0/24 Network
10.0.1.0/24 Network Owner Bob Overridden Write
10.10.0.0/16 Network Owner John Overridden Read

Container
10.10.0.0/24 Network Owner John Inherited from Read

10.10.0.0/16
10.20.0.0/16 Network Owner Max Overridden Read
10.20.0.0/24 Network Write

Container

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Example 9
Examples in this section show different results after you join multiple networks, based on the following:
10.1.0.0/16 Network Owner John Native
10.1.0.1 Fixed Address Owner John Inherited from 10.1.0.0/16
10.2.0.0/16 Network Owner Sam Native
10.2.0.1 Fixed Address Owner Jane Overridden
Example 9.1: Joining networks 10.0.0.0/8 with 10.1.0.0/16

• Join networks 10.0.0.0/8 with 10.1.0.0/16.
Result:

Value
10.0.0.0/8 Network Container Owner John Native
10.1.0.1 Fixed Address Owner John Inherited from 10.0.0.0/8
Example 9.2: Joining networks 10.0.0.0/8 with 10.2.0.0/16

• Join networks 10.0.0.0/8 with 10.2.0.0/16.

Value
10.0.0.0/8 Network Container Owner Sam Native
10.1.0.1 Fixed Address Owner Sam Inherited from 10.0.0.0/8
Managing Security Operations

The Grid provides certain security-related features. The following sections describe the different security-related features
that you can set.

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Restricting Remote Console Access
You can restrict admins from accessing the Infoblox CLI from a remote location using an SSH (Secure Shell) v2 client.
When you select this only admins who have access rights will be able to access the Infoblox CLI using an SSH (Secure
Shell) v2 client. By default, this option is disabled.
Restricting GUI/API Access

You can specify the IP addresses from which administrators are allowed to access the NIOS appliance. When the NIOS
appliance receives a connection request, it tries to match the source IP address in the request with IP addresses in the
list. If there is at least one item in the HTTP Access Control list and the source IP address in the request does not match
it, the NIOS appliance ignores the request.
Caution: If you specify an address or network other than the one from which you are currently accessing the appliance,
when you save your configuration, you will lose your administrative session and be unable to reconnect. If you have
enabled the Enable GUI/API Access via both MGMT and LAN1/VIP feature and configured ACLs to control access to the
GUI and API, then the same set of ACLs are applicable on both the interfaces (LAN1 and MGMT port). For information,
see Enabling GUI and API Access on the MGMT and LAN1/VIP Ports and Configuring Security Features.
Enabling HTTP Redirection

You can enable the NIOS appliance to redirect administrative connection requests using HTTP to the secure HTTPS
protocol. When you disable redirection, the NIOS appliance ignores any administrative connection requests not using
HTTPS. By default, the NIOS appliance does not redirect HTTP connection requests to HTTPS. When you change this
setting, the application restarts and your management session terminates.
Modifying the Session Timeout Setting

You can set the length of idle time before an administrative session to the Infoblox GUI times out. The default timeout
value is 600 seconds (10 minutes).
If a user does not interact with the application for the specified time, the appliance displays a message that a timeout has
occurred. Click OK to restart the GUI session. Note that the session timeout is not honored when the Infoblox GUI
supports auto-refresh. This means that the Infoblox interface page is automatically refreshed even after you have set the
session timeout value.
 Warning
• Widgets that support user-specified auto refresh, refresh at the rate specified in the Auto Refresh Period
field.
Therefore, even if you set the session timeout to be greater than the auto refresh rate, auto refresh still takes
place. The Grid Manager session does not time out because auto refresh takes precedence over the session
timeout. For more information about widgets, see Status Dashboard.
 Note
If you change the session timeout value, the new setting takes effect only after you log out and log back in.

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Disabling the LCD Input Buttons
By default, the LCD input function is enabled, which allows you to use the LCD buttons on the front panel of a NIOS
appliance to change the IPv4 address settings of the LAN port. You can disable this function if the appliance is in a
location where you cannot restrict access exclusively to NIOS appliance administrators and you do not want anyone to
be able to make changes through the LCD.
Configuring Security Features

You can manage only certain features at the member level. To configure security features for the Grid or an individual
member:
2. On the Security tab, complete the following:
• Session Timeout(s): This field is in the Grid Properties editor only. Enter a number between 60 and
31536000 seconds (one minute – one year) in the Session Timeout field. The default session timeout is
600 seconds (10 minutes).
• Minimum Password Length: This field is in the Grid Properties editor only. Specify the minimum number of
characters allowed for an admin password.
• Redirect HTTP to HTTPS: This field is in the Grid Properties editor only. Select this option to have the
appliance redirect HTTP connection requests to HTTPS.
• Restrict GUI/API Access: To control access to the GUI and API, select one of the following. You can
restrict access using a named ACL or define individual ACEs. For information about named ACLs,
see Configuring Access Control.
• Allow Any: Select this to allow any clients to access the GUI and API. This is selected by default.
• Named ACL: Select this and click Select Named ACL to select a named ACL that contains only
IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and networks. GUI and API access restriction does not support TSIG
key based ACEs. When you select this, the appliance allows GUI and API access for all ACEs in
the named ACL. You can click Clear to remove the selected named ACL.
• Set of ACEs: Select this to configure individual access control entries (ACEs). Click the Add icon
and select one of the following from the drop-down list. Depending on the item you select, Grid
Manager either adds a row for the selected item or expands the panel so you can specify
additional information about the item you are adding.
• IPv4 Address and IPv6 Address: Select this to add an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address.
Click the Value field and enter the IP address. The appliance allows this client to access
the GUI and API and restricts others.
• IPv4 Network and IPv6 Network: Select this to add an IPv4 network or IPv6 network. Click
the Value field and enter the network. The appliance allows this network to access the GUI
and API and restricts others.
for deletion.
• Access Restrictions Apply to Remote Console: Select this to restrict admins from accessing the
Infoblox CLI from a remote location using SSH (Secure Shell) v2 client.
• Enable Remote Console Access: Select this option to enable superuser admins to access the
Infoblox CLI from a remote location using SSH (Secure Shell) v2 clients. You can set this at the
Grid and member levels.
• Enable Support Access: Select this checkbox to enable an SSH (Secure Shell) daemon that only
Infoblox Technical Support can access. You can set this at the Grid and member levels.

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• Restrict Remote Console and Support Access to the MGMT Port: This field is in the Grid Member
Properties editor only. Select this checkbox to restrict SSH (Secure Shell) v2 access to the MGMT
port only. This restricts Infoblox Technical Support and remote console connections—both of which
use SSH v2—to just the MGMT port. For an HA pair, you can make an SSH v2 connection to the
MGMT port on both the active and passive node.
Clear the checkbox to allow SSH v2 access to both the MGMT and LAN ports.
• Permanently Disable Remote Console and Support Access: This field is in the Grid Properties
editor only.
Select this option to permanently disable remote console (Secure Shell v2) access for appliance
administration and for Infoblox Technical Support.
• Enable LCD Input: Select this checkbox to allow use of the LCD buttons on the front panel of a
NIOS appliance to change the IP address settings of the LAN port. Clear this checkbox to disable
this function. You can set this at the Grid and member levels.
• Disable Concurrent Login: Select this checkbox to disallow multiple logins per user for the same
NIOS session. That is, if you have already logged on to one NIOS session (for example https://
255.255.255.0) you cannot log on to the same IP address from another browser or from another
system.
 Note
Before you disable multiple logins to a NIOS system, ensure that all its existing sessions
(if any) are logged out. If not, the existing sessions continue to remain active even after
you disable multiple logins.
• Enable Account Lockout: Select the checkbox to enable account lockout for the local user. You
can enable password security such that if a local user tries to log in to Grid Manager by using an
incorrect password, NIOS appliance locks the user account after the configured number of failed
login attempts for a configured time period. Only superusers can enable and configure this feature.
This feature is applicable only to local users. This option is disabled by default.
• Maximum number of attempts: Enter the maximum number of invalid login attempts to Grid
Manager after which NIOS locks the account. You can specify a value from 1 to 99. The
default value is 5.
• Lockout duration: Enter the time duration in minutes for which the account must be locked.
You can specify a value from 1 to 1440. The default value is 5 mins.
• Never Unlock: Select the checkbox to permanently lock a local user account which is
already locked. Only a superuser can clear the checkbox to unlock the account. NIOS
displays a warning message if you enable this option. This option is not applicable to
superuser accounts because you cannot permanently lock a superuser account. This
option is disabled by default.
You can also configure account lockout for admin groups. For more information,
see Configuring Account Lockout for Admin Group.
• Disable Inactive Users: Select this checkbox to disable users who have not logged in to NIOS for
a specified period of time. You can specify the time period (in days) in the Disable account if user
has not logged in for <time period> days field. The range of days is from 2 to 9999. You can also
specify a reminder to be sent in the Remind <days> prior to expiration field. The range of days is
from 1 to 30. The number of days you specify in this field is the time from which users start getting
daily email reminders that their account will be disabled. NIOS sends the email reminder only if an
email address has been configured for the user.
Select the Allow user to reactivate account via serial console and Allow user to reactivate account
via remote console checkboxes if you want users to activate their account after it has been
disabled. To reactivate using the serial console, see Deploying a Single Independent Appliance. To
reactivate using the remote console, type ssh <user name>@<ip address>.
Note: Reactivating the account using the serial console or the remote console is possible only for
superusers.

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Enabling and Disabling Remote Console and Infoblox Technical Support Access
Infoblox Technical Support might need access to your NIOS appliance to troubleshoot problems. This function enables
an SSH (Secure Shell) daemon that only Infoblox Technical Support can access. By default, this option is disabled. This
function also makes it possible for a superuser admin to access the Infoblox CLI from a remote location using an SSH
(Secure Shell) v2 client. The management system must have an SSH v2 client to use this function. After opening a
remote console connection using an SSH client, log in using a superuser name and password. By default, this option is
disabled. Note that only superusers can log in to the appliance through a console connection.
You can permanently disable remote console (Secure Shell v2) access for appliance administration and for Infoblox
Technical Support to perform remote troubleshooting. Disabling this type of access might be required in a high-security
environment.
 Warning
After permanently disabling remote console and support access, you cannot re-enable them! Not even resetting
an appliance to its factory default settings can re-enable them.
If you have any questions, contact Infoblox Technical Support. To enable or disable remote console and Infoblox
technical support access:
1. Grid: From the Grid tab, select Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid Properties -> Edit.
Independent appliance: From the System tab, select the System Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click
System Properties -> Edit.
2. In the editor, select the Security tab -> Advanced tab, and then complete the following in the
Remote Console and Infoblox Technical Support Access section:
• Enable Remote Console Access: Select this checkbox to enable superuser admins to access the Infoblox
CLI from a remote location using SSH (Secure Shell) v2 clients. You can set this at the Grid and member
levels.
• Enable Support Access: Select this checkbox to enable an SSH (Secure Shell) daemon that only Infoblox
Technical Support can access. You can set this at the Grid and member levels.
• Support Access Info: Displays the support access code and the expiration time of the code. Note that the
Enable Support Access is disabled after the expiration time.
• Permanently Disable Remote Console and Support Access: This field is in the Grid Properties editor only.
Select this checkbox to permanently disable remote console (Secure Shell v2) access for appliance
administration and for Infoblox Technical Support.
Configuring Proxy Servers

If your network environment does not allow direct HTTP or HTTPS communication with the Internet through a firewall
from a secure location in which the Grid Master or standalone appliance resides, you can configure your appliance to use
a proxy server so you can receive automatic updates, such as threat protection rulesets and threat analytics bundles,
through this connection. You can also configure a proxy server to perform AWS related communication, such as using a
proxy server as the AWS API Proxy, performing vDiscovery on AWS endpoints, and pulling DNS data from Amazon
Route 53. For information about AWS deployments, refer to the Installation Guide for vNIOS for AWS. For information
about vDiscovery, see Configuring vDiscovery Jobs.
 Note
• Configured proxy settings are for the entire Grid. You cannot configure proxy settings for individual
members.

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• Infoblox supports only basic authentication for vDiscovery jobs performed over a proxy server as not all
proxy options used by customers are validated at the Infoblox lab.
Depending on the updates you want to download, you may need to install the respective licenses in your Grid. For
example, to download threat protection ruleset updates, the Grid must have the Threat Protection Update license
installed. To download threat analytics bundles, you must install the Threat Analytics license. When you configure your
appliance to obtain periodic ruleset updates, all updates go through the MGMT port on the Grid Master by default. You
can, however, delegate this function to a Grid member using a different interface such as LAN1 or LAN2. For information
about how to delegate updates to a Grid member and configure the interface, see Configuring Members and Interfaces
for Automatic Updates.
To configure proxy settings for the Grid, complete the following steps:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Edit -> Grid Properties from the Toolbar.
2. In the Grid Properties editor, select the Proxy Settings tab -> Basic tab, and complete the following:
• Use Proxy Server: When you select this checkbox, the appliance uses the connection that has been
established with the proxy server to establish connection with endpoints or download automatic updates,
such as threat protection rulesets and threat analytics bundles. The reporting member sends API requests
to the proxy server for threat details. For more information, see Threat Protection Reports. Similarly, the
Grid Master sends API requests to the proxy server for all threat context details. For more information, see
Viewing the RPZ Threat Details. This setting applies to the entire Grid. When you clear this checkbox, the
appliance does not use the proxy server; however, the configuration will not be affected.
• Name or IP Address and Port: Enter the name or IP address and port number of the proxy server you plan
to use for this connection.
• HTTPS Proxy Content Inspection: From the drop-down list, select one of the following methods the proxy
server uses to inspect packet content. Note that this section does not apply to AWS deployments.
• None: Select this to use HTTP for the connection. This method does not allow certificate
authentication for the proxy server.
• Allow Deep Packet Inspection: This option is not supported for AWS deployments. To eliminate
man-in-the-middle attacks, select this to allow deep pack inspection and information extraction for
non-compliant protocol, intrusions, or other criteria that determine whether the packets should be
routed to an alternate destination. When you select this, you must click Proxy Server Certificate
and navigate to the proxy server certificate to upload it to the Grid, or you must ensure that a
trusted chain has been established before the proxy server can perform deep packet inspection.
When you have uploaded a certificate, the appliance displays Loaded.
• Enable Strict Host Name Checking: This option is enabled only when you select Allow
Deep Packet Inspection. As part of the SSL handshake process, the appliance verifies that
the CN (Common Name) of the public certificate of the proxy server exactly matches the
host name of the proxy server.
Credentials for Proxy Server (if configured at proxy server)
• Use user name and password to connect to proxy server if configured: If you have configured user credentials on
the proxy server, enter the Username and Password here. This is optional.
Configuring Members and Interfaces for Automatic Updates

If you want to download specific rulesets or updates from external servers, you can configure members and
corresponding interfaces to receive updates automatically. Note that these members must have access to external
servers from where the updates are delegated automatically. For a member to access an external server, you must
specify the interface that you configure here when you set up an external server.
To delegate automatic updates to a Grid member or change the interface for downloads, complete the following steps:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Edit -> Grid Properties from the Toolbar.
2. In the Grid Properties editor, select the Proxy Settings tab -> Basic tab, and complete the following:
• In the Members table, click the Add icon and select Add Member. In the Member Selector, select the
member to which you want to delegate the automatic update function. The appliance adds the Grid
member to the table. You can add up to five members for automatic updates. When you add multiple
members, you can place the selected members in the order you prefer using the arrows next to the table.

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If for any reasons the first member is unable to receive updates, the appliance goes down the list in the
order the members are placed until the next reachable member receives the updates.
• Click the Interface column, and from the drop-down list select the interface (Any, LAN2, MGMT or VIP)
you want the corresponding member to use for automatic updates. Ensure that the selected interface is
configured properly on the member. The default is Any, which maps to the LAN1 interface for all appliance
models, except for the PT models. For all PT appliances, Any maps to the MGMT interface. You can
select MGMT or Any for threat protection members. Note that VLANs are not supported.
You can click the Test connectivity to all members icon to ensure that the connectivity between the ruleset
download web site and all Grid members is properly established using the selected interface. The
appliance displays a message indicating the connectivity status in the feedback panel.
The table displays the following:
3. Name: Displays the member name. For the Grid Master, this field displays Grid Master.
4. Interface: Displays the selected interface that is used for automatic updates.
 Note
The appliance generates an SNMP trap if any of the configured Grid members failed to receive updates.
Configuring Ethernet Ports

Depending on your deployment and configuration choices, the Ethernet ports on the NIOS appliance perform different
functions. The Ethernet ports that handle traffic on the NIOS appliance are as follows:
• LAN1 port – A 10/100/1000-Mbps gigabit Ethernet port that connects the appliance to the network. This is the
default port for single independent appliances, single Grid members, and passive nodes in HA pairs. You must
use the LAN1 port to set up the appliance initially. It handles traffic for all management services if you do not
enable the MGMT and LAN2 ports. The passive node in an HA pair uses this port to synchronize the database
with the active node.
• LAN2 port – A 10/100/1000-Mbps gigabit Ethernet port that connects the appliance to the network. The LAN2 port
is not enabled by default. You can enable the LAN2 port and define its use through the GUI after the initial setup.
By default, the appliance uses the LAN1 port (and HA port when deployed in an HA pair). To enable and configure
the LAN2 port, you must have read/write permission to the Grid member on which you want to enable the port.
The LAN2 port is available on the TE-815, TE-825, TE-1415, TE-1425, TE-2215, TE-2225, TE-4015 and TE-4025
appliances. For information about how to use the LAN2 port, see Using the LAN2 Port.
• HA port – A 10/100/1000-Mbps gigabit Ethernet port through which the active node in an HA (high availability) pair
connects to the network using a VIP (virtual IP) address. HA pair nodes also use their HA ports for VRRP (Virtual
Router Redundancy Protocol) advertisements.
MGMT port – A 10/100/1000-Mbps gigabit Ethernet port that you can use for appliance management or DNS
service. You can enable the MGMT port and define its use through the GUI after the initial setup. If the MGMT
port is enabled, the NIOS appliance uses it for management services (see Sources and Destinations for Services
for specific types).
You can do the following on some of the Ethernet ports, depending on your network requirements and configurations:
• Assign VLANs (Virtual LANs) to the LAN1 and LAN2 ports so that NIOS can provide DNS service to different
subnetworks on the same interface. For more information about VLANs, see About Virtual LANs.
• Implement DiffServ (Differentiated Services) on the appliance by configuring the DSCP (Differentiated Services
Code Point) value. For more information about DiffServ and DSCP, see Implementing Quality of Service Using
DSCP.

Rev. D
Enabling GUI and API Access on the MGMT and LAN1/VIP Ports
You can access the Infoblox GUI and API through the MGMT and LAN1 or VIP interfaces simultaneously. To do so, you
must first configure the MGMT port on the appliance, and then enable the Enable GUI/API Access via both MGMT and
LAN1/VIP feature. For information about the MGMT port, see Using the MGMT Port. When you enable this feature, you
can use the MGMT and LAN1ports for standalone appliances and MGMT and VIP ports for an HA pair. This feature is
disabled for all new installations and upgrades.
 Note
When the Threat Protection service is running on the Advanced Standalone Appliance, then the GUI and API
access is allowed only on the MGMT port.
To enable GUI and API access on the MGMT and LAN1/VIP ports:
3. In the Grid Properties editor, select the General tab -> click the Advanced tab (or click Toggle Advanced Mode)
and complete the following:
• Enable GUI/API Access via both MGMT and LAN1/VIP: Select this checkbox to allow access to the Infoblox GUI
and API using both the MGMT and LAN1 ports for standalone appliances and allow both the MGMT and VIP
ports for an HA pair. This feature is valid only if you have enabled the MGMT port. For information about enabling
the MGMT port, see Appliance Management.
• Click Save to save the changes.
About Virtual LANs

You can assign VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks) to the LAN1, LAN2, and VIP (for HA pairs) interfaces so the
appliance can provide DNS service to different subnetworks on the same interface. You can also configure VLANs
interfaces on supported Network Insight appliances and use them exclusively for discovery purposes. VLANs are
independent logical networks that are mutually isolated on the interface so that IP packets can pass between them
through one or more switches or routers. You can assign VLANs to provide segmentation services to address issues
such as scalability, security, and network management. For example, you can partition your network into segments such
as DHCP address allocation, DNS service, guest network, and DMZ (demilitarized zone) to achieve a higher level of
security and to increase performance by limiting broadcast domains. You can also add quality of service schemes to
optimize your network traffic on the VLAN trunk links by configuring the DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point) value
for the corresponding physical and virtual interfaces. For information about DSCP, see Implementing Quality of Service
Using DSCP.
 Note
When you configure VLANs on the following Network Insight appliances: ND-1405, ND-2205, ND-4000, ND-
V1405, and ND-V2205, the VLAN interfaces are used exclusively for discovery. You cannot bind other services
on these VLAN interfaces of the supported Network Insight appliances. For more information about Network
Insight, see About Network Insight.
VLAN Tagging
When your VLANs span across multiple networks, VLAN tagging is required. This enables the NIOS appliance to
connect to different networks using the same port. VLAN tagging involves adding a VLAN tag or ID to the header of an IP
packet so the appliance can identify the VLAN to which the packet belongs. In addition, switches use the VLAN tag to
determine the port to which it should send a broadcast packet. The appliance uses the IEEE 802.1Q networking standard
to support VLANs and VLAN tagging. On the appliance, you can configure VLANs as tagged networks by adding VLAN

Rev. D
tags to them. You can create up to 10 IPv4 and IPv6 addresses per interface and configure a VLAN ID from one to 4094.
You can also configure an address, gateway, and a netmask for VLAN. Any IPv4 or IPv6 address with a VLAN ID is
considered as a tagged network. For HA pairs, the appliance supports only one VLAN interface for VRRP over an IPv4 or
IPv6. It supports one untagged IPv4 and IPv6 address for each interface and considers this as the primary IP address for
the network. For an HA pair, if you have multiple VLANs assigned to a VIP interface, then a network failure in any one of
the VLAN interface does not trigger a failover of the active member.
Untagged networks are those without VLAN tags assigned to them. When you set up a VLAN as either a tagged or
untagged network, ensure that you properly configure the corresponding switch for the VLAN to function properly.
 Note
A tagged VLAN interface receives only those packets that belongs to the tagged network, but an untagged
VLAN interface receives all the packets belonging to the tagged and untagged networks of the interface.
VLANs and VLAN tagging are supported on both IPv4 and IPv6 transports. This feature is currently supported on the
following Infoblox appliances: Trinzic 1405, 1415, 1425, 2205, 2215, 2225, 4005, Infoblox-4030-10GE, PT-1405,
PT-2205, CP-VM-800, CP-VM-1400, and CP-VM-2200. It is also supported on all the Trinzic virtual appliances. VLAN
tagging is not supported on TE-100, TE-805, ND-805, TR-805, TE-815, and TE-825. For information about these
appliances, refer to the respective installation guides on the Infoblox Support web site at http://www.infoblox.com/support.
Currently, only the DNS service can listen on specific VLAN interfaces. The DHCP service listens only on the primary
VLAN interface (tagged or untagged). You can also specify VLANs as the source port for sending DNS queries and notify
messages. For information about how to configure these, see Specifying Port Settings for DNS.
Additional VLAN support is available exclusively for discovery on the following Network Insight appliances: ND-1405,
ND-2205, ND-4000, ND-V1405, and ND-V2205. Binding other services on the VLAN interfaces of the Network Insight
appliances is not supported.
 Note
When you join an appliance that supports VLANs to a Grid that does not support VLANs or revert the appliance
to a NIOS version that does not support VLANs, the appliance will become unreachable after joining the Grid or
being reverted. You must remove VLAN tagging from the corresponding switch in order to reach the
downgraded appliance.
Consider the following guidelines when tagging VLANs on the LAN1 and LAN2 ports:
• You can assign VLAN addresses to an interface and add VLAN tags to them. However, you must designate one
of the tagged VLANs as a primary address.
• If the primary IPv4 address is tagged with a VLAN ID, all other addresses on the same interface must be tagged
with a VLAN ID as well.
• You can use the same VLAN ID to tag only one IPv4 and one IPv6 address on the same interface. You cannot
use the same VLAN ID to tag multiple IPv4 and IPv6 addresses on the same interface.
• You can assign one untagged IPv4 and one untagged IPv6 address to the same interface. These addresses are
designated as the primary address for the interface.
• For IPv6, you must have a primary IPv6 address (either tagged or untagged) before you can add other tagged
IPv6 addresses on the same interface.
• If you have multiple VLANs assigned to the LAN1 interface and the primary VLAN is untagged, DHCP listens on
all VLAN interfaces and thus DHCP lease requests will succeed for the additional VLANs assigned to the LAN1
interface, but the request will actually be handled by the primary untagged VLAN interface.
• You can set up the system to define only tagged networks:
• When the VLAN tag is not set, the appliance considers the network as an untagged network.
• You can specify a single untagged IPv4 and IPv6 network per interface.
• The primary network can be tagged or untagged, but you must tag the additional VLANs.

Rev. D
• VMware ESXi does not support tagged and untagged subnets on the same interface simultaneously. As a result,
VMware vSwitch cannot perform tag translation on a tagged VLAN ID if there is another untagged VLAN on the
same interface.
Configuring VLANs
When you first set up a NIOS appliance, you can assign VLANs through the Grid Setup Wizard. For more information,
see Using the Setup Wizard. After the initial setup, you can assign VLANs to the LAN1 or LAN2 ports in the Required
Ports and Addresses table, as described in Modifying Ethernet Port Settings.
On a Grid member, you can assign up to 10 VLANS for each protocol (IPv4 or IPv6) on the LAN1 and LAN2 ports. You
can assign up to 10 IPv4 VLAN addresses and 10 IPv6 VLAN addresses for each interface. You can configure only IPv4
VLAN addresses for an IPv4 Grid member and only IPv6 VLAN addresses for an IPv6 Grid member, but for a dual mode
Grid member you can configure both IPv4 and IPv6 VLAN addresses.
To assign additional VLANs to the LAN1 or LAN2 port, complete the following:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox, and then click the
Edit icon.
2. Select the Network -> Basic tab in the Grid Member Properties editor.
3. In the Additional Ports and Addresses table, click the Add icon and select either MGMT (IPv4), MGMT (IPv6),
LAN2 (IPv4), LAN2 (IPv6), Additional Address (loopback) (IPv4), Additional Address (loopback) (IPv6), LAN1
(VLAN)(IPv4), LAN1 (VLAN)(IPv6), LAN2 (VLAN)(IPv4) or LAN2 (VLAN)(IPv6) from the drop-down list. You can
add up to 10 IPv4 and 10 IPv6 VLANs for each interface.
 Note
• You can configure only IPv4 VLAN addresses for an IPv4 Grid member and only IPv6 VLAN
addresses for an IPv6 Grid member, but for a dual mode Grid member you can configure both
IPv4 and IPv6 VLAN addresses.
• For vNIOS appliances, some of the options in the drop-down list may vary depending on your
vNIOS configuration. For example, if you are using a single network interface instance of vNIOS
for GCP, you will see choices specific to the LAN1 interface and Additional Address only. For
more information, see the vNIOS documentation specific to your product at Appliances.
• MGMT (IPv4): Select this to configure IPv4 address for MGMT port.
• MGMT (IPv6): Select this to configure IPv6 address for MGMT port.
• LAN2 (IPv4): Select this to configure IPv4 address for the LAN2 port for DHCP or DNS. This is not
applicable to Trinzic 100 appliance.
• LAN2 (IPv6): Select this to configure IPv6 address for the LAN2 port for DHCP or DNS. This is not
applicable to Trinzic 100 appliance.
• Additional Address (loopback) (IPv4): Select this to add a non-anycast IPv4 address to the loopback
interface. Note that you can configure this for IPv4 and dual mode Grid member.
• Additional Address (loopback) (IPv6): Select this to add a non-anycast IPv6 address to the loopback
interface. Note that you can configure this for IPv6 and dual mode Grid member.
• LAN1 (VLAN) (IPv4): Select this to add a VLAN to the LAN1 interface. You can add up to 10 IPv4 VLAN
addresses. Note that you can configure this for IPv4 and dual mode Grid member. This is supported on
the following Infoblox appliances: Trinzic 1405, 1415, 1425, 2205, 2215, 2225, 4005, Infoblox-4030-10GE,
PT-1405, PT-2205, CP-VM-800, CP-VM-1400, and CP-VM-2200. It is also supported on all the Trinzic
virtual appliances. VLAN tagging is not supported on TE-100, TE-805, ND-805, TR-805, TE-815, and
TE-825.
• LAN1 (VLAN) (IPv6): Select this to add a VLAN to the LAN1 interface. You can add up to 10 IPv4 and 10
IPv6 VLAN addresses. Note that you can configure this for IPv6 and dual mode Grid member. This is
supported on the following Infoblox appliances: Trinzic 1405, 1415, 1425, 2205, 2215, 2225, 4005,
Infoblox-4030-10GE, PT-1405, PT-2205, CP-VM-800, CP-VM-1400, and CP-VM-2200. It is also
supported on all the Trinzic virtual appliances. VLAN tagging is not supported on TE-100, TE-805,
ND-805, TR-805, TE-815, and TE-825.

Rev. D
TE-825.
TE-825.
4. Enter the following:
• Interface: Displays the name of the VLAN interface. This can be LAN1 (VLAN)(IPv4), LAN1 (VLAN)(IPv6),
LAN2 (VLAN)(IPv4), or LAN2 (VLAN)(IPv6) depending on your selection. You cannot modify this.
• Address: Type the IP address for the VLAN port.
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): For IPv4 address, specify an appropriate subnet mask and
for IPv6 address, specify the prefix length. The prefix length ranges from 2 to 127, with common-sense
values ranging from /48 to /127 due to the larger number of bits in the IPv6 address.
• Gateway: Type the IPv4 or IPv6 default gateway address for the VLAN port depending on the type of
interface. For IPv6 interface, you can also type Automatic to enable the appliance to acquire the IPv6
address of the default gateway and the link MTU from router advertisements.
You can now define a link-local address as the default IPv6 gateway and isolate the LAN segment so the
local router can provide global addressing and access to the network and Internet. This is supported for
both LAN1 and LAN2 interfaces as well as LAN1 and LAN2 in the failover mode.
• VLAN Tag: Enter the VLAN tag or ID. You can enter a number from 1 to 4094. Ensure that you configure
the corresponding switch accordingly. For information about VLANs, see About Virtual LANs.
• Port Settings: For IPv4 only. From the drop-down list, choose the connection speed that you want the port
to use. You can also choose the duplex setting. Choose Full for concurrent bidirectional data transmission
or Half for data transmission in one direction at a time. Select Automatic to instruct the NIOS appliance to
negotiate the optimum port connection type (full or half duplex) and speed with the connecting switch
automatically. This is the default setting. You cannot configure port settings for vNIOS appliances.
• DSCP Value: Displays the Grid DSCP value, if configured. To modify, click Override and enter the DSCP
value. You can enter a value from 0 to 63. For information about DSCP, see Implementing Quality of
Service Using DSCP.

Rev. D
Implementing Quality of Service Using DSCP
You can implement DiffServ (Differentiated Services) on the appliance by configuring the DSCP (Differentiated Services
Code Point) value. DiffServ is a scalable and class-based mechanism that provides relative priorities to the type of
services on your network. It can provide low latency for critical network traffic while providing simple best-effort service
for non-critical services. The Infoblox DSCP implementation fully conforms to RFC 2475. For more information about
DiffServ, refer to RFC 2475, An Architecture for Differentiated Services.
In IPv4 and IPv6 headers, DiffServ uses the DS (Differentiated Services) field for packet classification purposes. The DS
field defines the layout of the ToS (Type of Services) octet in IPv4 and the Traffic Class octet in IPv6. The first six bits of
the DS field are used as the DSCP value, which determines the PHBs (per-hope behaviors) on DiffServ compliant nodes
and enables priorities of services to be assigned to network traffic. For more information about the DS field, refer to RFC
2474, Definition of the Differentiated Services Field (DS Field) in the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers.
When you configure the DSCP value for DiffServ, the appliance sets priorities for all outgoing IP traffic. It implements
QoS (quality of service) rules so you can effectively classify and manage your critical network traffic. To ensure that core
network services, such as DNS services, continue to operate in the event of network traffic congestion, you can set the
DSCP value for the entire Grid and override it at the member level. Note that on an appliance, all outgoing IP traffic on all
interfaces uses the same DSCP value.
DSCP is supported on both IPv4 and IPv6 transports and the DSCP value for both IPv4 and IPv6 transports must be the
same. This feature is currently supported on the following Infoblox appliances: Trinzic 2215, 2225, Infoblox-4030-10GE,
PT-1405, PT-2205, TE-1415, TE-1425, and TE-4015. For information about these appliances, refer to the respective
installation guides on the Infoblox Support web site at http://www.infoblox.com/support.
 Note
You can set the DSCP value of the primary LAN using the set network CLI command. DSCP values for all other
interfaces and VLANs must be set through Grid Manager.
Configuring the DSCP Value

The DSCP value is set to zero (lowest priority) by default. You can change this value for the Grid and override the value
at the member level. When you configure the DSCP value at the Grid or member level, all outgoing IP traffic on all
interfaces uses the same value. Valid DSCP values are from 0 to 63. You can also set the DSCP value using the Infoblox
CLI. For more information, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.
To configure the DSCP value for the Grid:

1. From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, click Grid Properties -> Edit from the toolbar.
2. In the General -> Advanced tab of the Grid Properties editor, complete the following:
• DSCP Value: Enter a value from 0 to 63. The default is 0 and it represents the lowest priority.
To override the DSCP value for a member:
Edit icon.
2. In the Network tab -> Basic tab of the Grid Member Properties editor, complete the following:
• DSCP Value: Click Override, and then enter a value from 0 to 63. The default is 0 and it represents the lowest
priority.
You can override the Grid and member DSCP value at the interface level. For more information, see the following:
• For the LAN1 port, see Modifying Ethernet Port Settings.

Rev. D
• For the LAN2 port, see Using the LAN2 Port.
• For the MGMT port, see Using the MGMT Port.
Ethernet Port Usage

This section provides tables that detail the port usage and source and destination ports for different services, depending
on your Grid configuration. The below table displays the type of traffic per port for both Grid and independent
deployments. For a more detailed list of the different types of traffic, see Sources and Destinations for Services.
Appliance Roles and Configuration, Communication Types, and Port Usage
Appliance Role HA HA MGMT Database Core Network Management GUI Access

Pair Status Port Synchronization Services Services
HA Grid Master Yes Active Disable VIP on HA VIP on HA LAN1 VIP on HA

d
HA Grid Master Yes Passive Disable LAN1 – LAN1 –

d
Single Grid No – Disable LAN1 LAN1 LAN1 LAN1

Master d
HA Grid Member Yes Active Disable LAN1 VIP on HA LAN1 –

d
HA Grid Member Yes Passive Disable LAN1 – LAN1 –

d
Single Grid No – Disable LAN1 LAN1 LAN1 –

Member d
Independent HA Yes Active Disable VIP on HA VIP on HA LAN1 VIP on HA

Pair d
Independent HA Yes Passive Disable LAN1 – LAN1 –

Pair d
Single No – Disable – LAN1 LAN1 LAN1

Independent d
HA Grid Master Yes Active Enable VIP on HA VIP on HA MGMT MGMT

d
HA Grid Master Yes Passive Enable LAN1 – MGMT –

d
Single Grid No – Enable LAN1 LAN1 or MGMT MGMT MGMT and

Master d LAN1/VIP
HA Grid Member Yes Active Enable LAN1 or MGMT VIP on HA MGMT –

d
HA Grid Member Yes Passive Enable LAN1 or MGMT – MGMT –

d

Rev. D
Appliance Role HA HA MGMT Database Core Network Management GUI Access
Pair Status Port Synchronization Services Services
Single Grid No – Enable LAN1 or MGMT LAN1 or MGMT MGMT –

Member d
Independent HA Yes Active Enable VIP on HA VIP on HA MGMT MGMT

Pair d
Independent HA Yes Passive Enable LAN1 – MGMT –

Pair d
Single No – Enable – LAN1 or MGMT MGMT MGMT

Independent d
Reporting No – Enable LAN1 or MGMT LAN1 or MGMT MGMT MGMT

Member d
Appliance Roles and Configuration, Communication Types, and Port Usage for Appliances with LAN2 Ports
Appliance Role HA MGMT LAN2 Database Core Network Management GUI

Statu Port Port Synchronization Services Services Access
s
HA Grid Master Activ Disabled Enable VIP on HA VIP on HA LAN1 or LAN2 VIP on HA
e d
HA Grid Master Passi Disabled Enable LAN1 – LAN1 or LAN2 –

ve d
Single Grid – Disabled Enable LAN1 LAN1 and/or LAN2 LAN1 or LAN2 LAN1
Master d
HA Grid Activ Disabled Enable LAN1 VIP on HA LAN1 or LAN2 –

Member e d
HA Grid Passi Disabled Enable LAN1 – LAN1 or LAN2 –

Member ve d
Single Grid – Disabled Enable LAN1 LAN1 and/or LAN2 LAN1 or LAN2 –
Member d
Independent HA Activ Disabled Enable VIP on HA VIP on HA LAN1 or LAN2 VIP on HA

Pair e d
Independent HA Passi Disabled Enable LAN1 – LAN1 or LAN2 –

Pair ve d
Single – Disabled Enable – LAN1 and/or LAN2 LAN1 or LAN2 LAN1

Independent d
HA Grid Master Activ Enabled Enable VIP on HA VIP on HA MGMT MGMT

e d

Rev. D
Appliance Role HA MGMT LAN2 Database Core Network Management GUI
Statu Port Port Synchronization Services Services Access
s
HA Grid Master Passi Enabled Enable LAN1 – MGMT –

ve d
Single Grid – Enabled Enable LAN1 LAN1, LAN2 MGMT MGMT

Master d and/or MGMT
HA Grid Activ Enabled Enable LAN1 or MGMT VIP on HA MGMT –

Member e d
HA Grid Passi Enabled Enable LAN1 or MGMT – MGMT –

Member ve d
Single Grid – Enabled Enable LAN1 or MGMT LAN1, LAN2 MGMT –

Member d and/or MGMT
Independent HA Activ Enabled Enable VIP on HA VIP on HA MGMT MGMT

Pair e d
Independent HA Passi Enabled Enable LAN1 – MGMT –

Pair ve d
Single – Enabled Enable – LAN1, LAN2 MGMT MGMT

Independent d and/or MGMT
Reporting – Enabled Enable LAN1 or MGMT LAN1, LAN2, MGMT MGMT

Member d and/or MGMT
To see the service port numbers and the source and destination locations for traffic that can go to and from a NIOS
appliance, see Sources and Destinations for Services. This information is particularly useful for firewall administrators so
that they can set policies to allow traffic to pass through the firewall as required.
 Note
The colors in both tables represent a particular type of traffic and correlate with each other.
Sources and Destinations for Services
Service SRC IP DST IP Pro S DST Notes

to R Port
C
P
or
t

Rev. D
Key Exchange LAN1 or MGMT on all Grid VIP on HA Grid Master, or 17 2 2114 Initial key exchange for
(Member members (including Grid LAN1 on single Grid Master UD 1 establishing VPN
Connection) Master and Grid Master P 1 tunnels
Candidate) VIP on HA Grid Master 4 Required for Grid
Candidate, or LAN1 on
VIP on HA Grid Master single Grid Master
Candidate, or LAN1 on Candidate
single
Grid Master Candidate
Key Exchange VIP on HA Grid Master, or LAN1 or MGMT on all Grid 17 2 2114
(Grid Master LAN1 on single Grid members (including Grid UD 1
Candidate Master Master and Grid Master P 1
Promotion) Candidate) 4
VIP on HA Grid Master

Candidate or LAN1 on
Single Grid Master
Candidate
Accounting LAN1 or MGMT on Grid VIP on HA Grid Master, or 17 1 1194 Default VPN port 1194 for
member LAN1 on single Grid Master UD 1 or Grids with new DNSone 3.2
VIP on HA Grid Master P 9 5002 installations and 5002 for
Candidate, or LAN1 on 4 , or Grids upgraded to DNSone
single or 1024 3.2; the port number is
Grid Master Candidate 5 -> configurable
0 6399
0 9 Required for Grid
2,
or
1
0
2
4
->
6
3
9
9
9
Network Insight LAN1 or LAN2 on Probes LAN1 or LAN2 on UD 1 1194 All default VPN tunnels for
VPN Consolidator P 1 Network Insight
9
4
Discovery LAN1 or LAN2 on Probes UD 161 SNMP

P
Discovery LAN1 or LAN2 on Probes UD 260 SNMP - Needed for full

P discovery of some older
Check Point models
Discovery LAN1 or LAN2 on Probes IC n/a Ping Sweep

MP
Discovery LAN1 or LAN2 on Probes UD 53 DNS

P,
TC
P
Discovery LAN1 or LAN2 on Probes IC Path Collection, for IPv4

MP addresses

Rev. D
Discovery LAN1 or LAN2 on Probes UD 3343 Path Collection. Standard
P 4+1 traceroute, for IPv6
per addresses
prob
e
pack
et
Discovery LAN1 or LAN2 IC Port scan - all configured by

on Probes MP, us
UD
P,
TC
P
Discovery LAN1 or LAN2 on Probes UD 137 NetBIOS

P
Discovery LAN1 or LAN2 on Probes UD 4012 NMAP, UDP Ping, and

P 5 credential checking
Discovery LAN1 or LAN2 TC 23 Telnet can be used based on

on Probes P Network Insight
configuration for Network
Discovery.
Discovery LAN1 or LAN2 TC 22 SSH can be used based on

on Probes P Network Insight
configuration for Network
Discovery.
DHCP Client LAN1, LAN2, VIP, or 17 6 67 Required for IPv4 DHCP

broadcast on NIOS UD 8 service
appliance P
DHCP LAN1, LAN2 or VIP on Client 17 6 68 Required for IPv4 DHCP

NIOS appliance UD 7 service
P
DHCP Client LAN1, LAN2, VIP, or 17 5 547 Required for IPv6 DHCP
broadcast on NIOS UD 4 service
appliance P 6
DHCP LAN1, LAN2 or VIP on Client 17 5 546 Required for IPv6 DHCP
NIOS appliance UD 4 service
P 7
DHCP Failover LAN1, LAN2 or VIP on LAN1, LAN2 or VIP on 6 1 519, Required for DHCP failover
Infoblox DHCP Infoblox DHCP failover peer TC 0 or
failover peer P 2 647
4
→
6
5
5
3
5

Rev. D
DHCP Failover VIP on HA Grid Master or LAN1, LAN2 or VIP on Grid 6 1 7911 Required for DHCP failover
LAN1 or LAN2 on single member in a DHCP failover TC 0
master pair P 2
4
->
6
5
5
3
5
DDNS Updates LAN1, LAN2, or VIP LAN1, LAN2, or VIP 17 1 53 Required for DHCP to send
UD 0 DNS dynamic updates
P 2
4
→
6
5
5
3
5
DNS Transfers LAN1, LAN2, VIP, or LAN1, LAN2, VIP, or MGMT 6 5 53 For DNS zone transfers,
MGMT, or client TC 3, large client queries, and for
P or Grid members to
1 communicate with external
0 name servers
2
4 Required for DNS
->
6
5
5
3
5
DNS Queries Client LAN1, LAN2, VIP, or 17 5 53 For DNS queries

broadcast on NIOS UD 3,
appliance P or Required for DNS
1
0
2
4
→
6
5
5
3
5
DNS Queries Client LAN1, LAN2, VIP, or 6 5 53 For DNS queries

broadcast on NIOS TC 3,
appliance P or Required for DNS
1
0
2
4
→
6
5
5
3
5

Rev. D
NTP NTP client LAN1, LAN2, VIP, or MGMT 17 1 123 Required if the NIOS
UD 0 appliance is an NTP server
P 2
4
->
6
5
5
3
5
NTP NTP client LAN1, LAN2, VIP, or MGMT 17 1 123 Required if the NIOS
UD 0 appliance is an NTP server.
P 2 On an HA member, the NTP
4 service runs on the active
-> node. If there is an HA
6 failover, the NTP service is
5 automatically launched after
5 the passive node becomes
3 active and the NTP traffic
5 uses the LAN2, VIP, or
MGMT port on one of the
nodes from an HA pair,
instead of the LAN1 port.
During another HA failover,
the currently passive node
becomes active again and
the NTP traffic uses the
LAN1 port, and the NTP is
back in synchronization.
RADIUS NAS (network access LAN1 or VIP 17 1 1812 For proxying RADIUS
Authentication server) UD 0 Authentication-Requests.
P 2 The default destination
4 port number is 1812, and
– can be changed to 1024 –
6 63997. When configuring an
5 HA pair, ensure that you
5 provision both LAN IP
3 addresses on the RADIUS
5 server.
RADIUS NAS (network access LAN1 or VIP 17 1 1813 For proxying RADIUS
Accounting server) UD 0 Accounting-Requests. The
P 2 default destination port
4 number is 1813, and can be
– changed to 1024 – 63998.
6
5
5
3
5
RADIUS Proxy LAN1 or VIP RADIUS home server 17 1 1024 Required to proxy requests
UD 8 -> from RADIUS clients to
P 1 6399 servers. The default source
4 7 port number is 1814, and
(auth although it is not
), or configurable, it is always two
1024 greater than the port number
-> for RADIUS authentication.
6399
8
(acct
)

Rev. D
ICMP Dst Port VIP, LAN1, LAN2, or LAN1, LAN2, or 1 – – Required to respond to the
Unreachable MGMT, UNIX-based client IC UNIX-based traceroute tool
or UNIX-based client MP to determine if a destination
Typ has been reached
e3
ICMP Echo VIP, LAN1, LAN2, or VIP, LAN1, LAN2, or MGMT, 1 – – Required for response from
Reply MGMT, or client or client IC ICMP echo request (ping)
MP
Typ
e0
ICMP Echo VIP, LAN1, LAN2, or VIP, LAN1, LAN2, or 1 – – Required to send pings and
Request MGMT, MGMT, or client IC respond to the Windows-
or client MP based traceroute tool
Typ
e8
ICMP TTL Gateway device (router or Windows client 1 – – Gateway sends an ICMP
Exceeded firewall) IC TTL exceeded message to a
MP Windows client, which then
Typ records router hops along a
e data path
11
NTP LAN1 on active node of NTP server 17 1 123 Required to synchronize

Grid Master or LAN1 of UD 0 Grid, TSIG authentication,
independent appliance P 2 and DHCP failover
4
-> Optional for synchronizing
6 logs among multiple
5 appliances
5
3
5
SMTP LAN1, LAN2, or VIP Mail server 6 1 25 Required if SMTP alerts are
TC 0 enabled
P 2
4
→
6
5
5
3
5
SNMP NMS (network VIP, LAN1, LAN2, or MGMT 17 1 161 Required for SNMP
management system) UD 0 management
server P 2
4
→
6
5
5
3
5

Rev. D
SNMP Traps MGMT or LAN1 on Grid NMS server 17 1 162 Required for SNMP trap
Master or HA pair, or UD 0 management.
LAN1 on independent P 2 Uses MGMT (when enabled)
appliance 4 or LAN1 on Grid Master or
-> HA pair, or LAN1 on
6 independent appliance for
5 the source address,
5 depending on the
3 destination IP address.
5
SSHv2 Client LAN1, LAN2, VIP, or MGMT 6 1 22 Administrators can make an

on NIOS TC 0 SSHv2 connection to the
appliance P 2 LAN1, LAN2, VIP, or MGMT
4 port
->
6 Optional for management
5
5
3
5
Syslog LAN1, LAN2, or MGMT of syslog server 17 1 514 Required for remote syslog
NIOS appliance UD 0 logging
P 2
4
→
6
5
5
3
5
Traceroute LAN1, LAN2, or UNIX- VIP, LAN1, LAN2, or MGMT, 17 1 3300 NIOS appliance responds
based appliance or client UD 0 0→ with ICMP type code 3 (port
P 2 6553 unreachable)
4 5
→
6
5
5
3
5
TFTP Data LAN1 or MGMT TFTP server 17 1 69, For contacting a TFTP
UD 0 then server during database and
P 2 1024 configuration backup and
4 → restore operations
→ 6399
6 9
5
5
3
5
VRRP HA IP on the active node Multicast address 224.0.0.18 112 8 For periodic announcements
of HA pair VR 0 of the availability of the HA
RP 2 node that is linked to the
VIP. The nodes in the HA
pair must be in the same
subnet.

Rev. D
HTTP Management System VIP, LAN1, or MGMT 6 1 80 Required if the HTTP-
TC 0 redirect option is set on the
P 2 Grid properties security
4 page
->
6
5
5
3
5
HTTPS/SSL Management System VIP, LAN1, or MGMT 6 1 443 Required for administration
TC 0 through the GUI
P 2
4
→
6
5
5
3
5
Reporting Reporting Forwarders LAN1, LAN2, or MGMT on 6 1 9997 Required for the reporting
the indexer TC 0 service. Communication is
P 2 single directional from
4 forwarders to the indexer.
- For example, a forwarder
6 detects events and forwards
5 them to the indexer.
5
3
5
Reporting - All Reporting Members LAN1, LAN2, MGMT on TC 1 7887 Splunk cluster peer
Peer each reporting member P 0 replication (traffic among
Replication 2 reporting members)
4
-
6
5
5
3
5
Distributed All Reporting Members LAN1, LAN2, MGMT on TC 1 7089 Distributed searches from
Search each reporting member P 0 Search Head to Reporting
2 Members
4
-
6
5
5
3
5
Reporting All Reporting Members LAN1, LAN2, MGMT on TC 1 8089 Grid Master to reporting
Management each reporting member P 0 members
2
4
-
6
5
5
3
5

Rev. D
Management each reporting member P– 0 members
IPv 2
4 4
-
6
5
5
3
5
Management each reporting member P– 0 members
IPv 2
6 4
-
6
5
5
3
5
Threat VIP on HA Grid Master or N/A (using FQDN = https:// HT N/ 443 For threat protection rule
Protection MGMT on single ts.infoblox.c) TP A updates.
appliance (with threat S
protection service running)
Threat Insight Client N/A (using FQDN = https:// HT N/ 443 For downloading module set
ts.infoblox.co) TP A and whitelist updates.
S
Microsoft Managing Member Microsoft Server TC 1 135, Note that TCP ports 135
Management P 0 445 and 445 must be open
2 Dyna on the Microsoft server,
4 mic in addition to the
- Port dynamic port range.
6 Ran Ports 135 and 445 are
5 ge used by the port
5 1025 mapper interface,
3 -500 which is a service on
5 0 the Microsoft server
(Win that provides
dows information to clients
Serv on which port to use to
er connect to a specific
2003 service, such as the
) service that allows the
management of the
Dyna DNS service.
mic
Port
Ran
ge
4915
2-65
535
(Win
dows
Serv
er
2008
)
DNS NIOS Appliance BloxOne Threat Defense TC 4 443 csp.infoblox.com

Forwarding to Cloud P 4
BloxOne 3
Threat Defense
Cloud: Cloud
Services Portal

Rev. D
DNS NIOS Appliance BloxOne Threat Defense TC 4 443 cp.noa.infoblox.com
BloxOne 3
Threat Defense
Cloud: Platform
Management
DNS NIOS Appliance BloxOne Threat Defense TC 4 443 app.noa.infoblox.com

BloxOne 3
Threat Defense
Cloud:
Application
Management
DNS NIOS Appliance BloxOne Threat Defense UD 1 123 ntp.ubuntu.com

BloxOne 3
Threat Defense
Cloud: NTP
Server (Only if
time sync with
EXSi is
disabled)
DNS NIOS Appliance BloxOne Threat Defense UD 1 123 ubuntu.pool.ntp.org

BloxOne 3
Threat Defense
Cloud: NTP
Server (Only if
time sync with
EXSi is
disabled)
DNS NIOS Appliance BloxOne Threat Defense UD 1 123 52.119.40.100

BloxOne 3
Threat Defense
Cloud: BloxOn
e Threat
Defense Cloud
DNS server
Modifying Ethernet Port Settings

By default, the NIOS appliance automatically negotiates the optimal connection speed and transmission type (full or half
duplex) on the physical links between the 10/100Base-T and 10/100/1000Base-T ports on the NIOS appliance and the
Ethernet ports on a connecting switch. It is usually unnecessary to change the default auto-negotiation setting; however,
you can manually configure connection settings for a port if necessary.
Occasionally, for example, even though both the NIOS appliance and the connecting switch support 1000-Mbps
(megabits per second) full-duplex connections, they might fail to auto-negotiate that speed and type, and instead connect
at lower speeds of either 100 or 10 Mbps using potentially mismatched full- and half-duplex transmissions. If this occurs,
first determine if there is a firmware upgrade available for the switch. If so, apply the firmware upgrade and test the
connection. If that does not resolve the issue, manually set the ports on the NIOS appliance and on the switch to make
1000-Mbps full-duplex connections.
To change Ethernet port settings:

Edit icon.
Note: You must enable the MGMT port before modifying its port settings. See Using the MGMT Port.

Rev. D
2. In the Network tab of the Grid Member Properties editor, the Required Ports and Addresses table lists the network
settings that were configured. This table lists the network settings of LAN1(IPv4) interface for an IPv4 member
and LAN1(IPv6) interface for an IPv6 member. For a dual mode Grid member, this table lists the settings for both
LAN1(IPv4) and LAN1(IPv6) interfaces. Complete the following to modify port settings:
• Address: Click the field and modify the IP address for the LAN1 port, which must be in a different subnet
from that of the LAN2 and HA ports.
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): For IPv4 address, click the field and specify an appropriate
subnet mask and for IPv6 address, specify the prefix length.
• Gateway: Click the field and modify the default gateway for the LAN1 port.
• VLAN Tag: Click the field and enter the VLAN tag ID if the port is configured for VLANs. You can enter a
number from 1 to 4095. For information about VLAN, see About Virtual LANs.
• Port Settings: From the drop-down list, choose the connection speed that you want the port to use. You
can also choose the duplex setting. Choose Full for concurrent bidirectional data transmission or Half for
data transmission in one direction at a time. Select Automatic to instruct the NIOS appliance to negotiate
the optimum port connection type (full or half duplex) and speed with the connecting switch automatically.
This is the default setting. You cannot configure port settings for vNIOS appliances.
• DSCP Value: Displays the Grid DSCP value. To modify, click Override and enter the DSCP value. You can
enter a value from 0 to 63. For information about DSCP, see Implementing Quality of Service Using
DSCP.
 Note
The port settings on the connecting switch must be identical to those you set on the NIOS appliance.
Using the LAN2 Port
 Note
NIC failover for LAN1 and LAN2 is not supported on AWS members.
The LAN2 port is a 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet connector on the front panel of the TE-815, TE-825, TE-1415, TE-1425,
TE-2215, TE-2225, TE-4015 and TE-4025 appliances. By default, the LAN2 port is disabled and the appliance uses the
LAN1 port (and HA port when deployed in an HA pair). Before you can enable and configure the LAN2 port on a Grid
member, you must first configure the member and join it to the Grid. You must also have read/write permission to the Grid
member on which you want to enable the port. When you enable the LAN2 port and SNMP, the appliance sends traps
from this port for LAN2 related events.
You can configure the LAN2 port in different ways. You can enable the port redundancy or port failover feature, which
groups the LAN1 and LAN2 ports into one logical interface. The LAN1/LAN2 grouping can be activated for both IPv4 and
IPv6. Alternatively, you can configure the LAN2 port on a different IP network than LAN1, and enable the LAN2 port to
provide DNS and DHCP services.
Note that you cannot use the LAN2 port to access the GUI and the API, or to connect to the Grid. This can impact the
ability of other appliances, such as the NetMRI and PortIQ appliances, to communicate with the Grid Master. Any IPv6
services enabled for the LAN2 port also require provisioning of an IP address on the LAN2 port.
About Port Redundancy

You can configure the LAN2 or LAN2 (VLAN) port to provide redundancy and additional fault tolerance in your network.
Port redundancy is transparently supported for both IPv4 and IPv6. When you enable port redundancy, the LAN1 or
LAN1 (VLAN) and LAN2 or LAN2 (VLAN) ports are grouped into one logical interface. They share one IP address and
appear as one interface to the network. Then, if a link to one of the ports fails or is disabled, the appliance fails over to
the other port, avoiding a service disruption.
You can connect the LAN1 or LAN1 (VLAN) and LAN2 or LAN2 (VLAN) ports to the same switch or to different switches,
but the VLAN configuration between LAN1 and LAN2 must match. One port is active and the other port is idle at all

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times. In case of failure in the LAN1 or LAN1 (VLAN) port, the LAN2 or LAN2 (VLAN) port becomes active and once the
LAN1 or LAN1 (VLAN) port is active again, the LAN2 or LAN2 (VLAN) port becomes passive if the Use LAN1 when
available option is enabled. For more information, see Enabling Port Redundancy.
 Note
• When configuring port redundancy, the speed of the interfaces is not taken into consideration when
selecting the active interface.
The LAN1 or LAN1 (VLAN) and LAN2 or LAN2 (VLAN) ports share the IP address of the LAN1 or LAN1 (VLAN) port; the
port that is currently active owns the IP address. When you enable services on the appliance, such as DNS and DHCP,
clients send their service requests to the LAN1 or LAN1 (VLAN) port IP address and receive replies from it as well. The
port supports the services and features supported on the LAN1 or LAN1 (VLAN) port as listed in Appliance
Roles table and Sources and Destinations for Services table. You cannot enable the port redundancy feature if the LAN2
or LAN2 (VLAN) port is serving DNS or DHCP.
For example, you can use the MGMT port for Grid communications, and the LAN1 and LAN2 ports are connected to the
same switch. The LAN1 and LAN2 port share the IP address of the LAN1 port, which is 1.1.1.5. In the illustration, LAN1
is the active port.
You can also have the MGMT port disabled and configure LAN1 and LAN2 for port redundancy. You can enable port
redundancy on single or HA independent appliances and Grid members.
Using the LAN2 Failover Feature

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Enabling Port Redundancy
Before you enable port redundancy, ensure that both LAN1 and LAN2 are enabled. To enable port redundancy:
Edit icon.
2. In the Network -> Basic tab of the Grid Member Properties editor, select the Enable port redundancy on LAN1/
LAN2 checkbox.
3. Select the Use LAN1 when available checkbox to enable the NIOS appliance to automatically revert to the LAN1
port when it is available. In case of a connection failure, if the LAN1 port is not available, the NIOS appliance fails
over to the LAN2 port. If you do not enable this option, the NIOS appliance will not automatically revert from the
LAN2 port to the LAN1 port when it is available.

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The Detailed Status panel displays the status of both the LAN1 and LAN2 ports. In an HA pair, both nodes display the
port information when port redundancy is enabled.
Configuring the LAN2 Port

Before you enable the LAN2 port to provide DHCP and DNS services, you must specify its IP address and other
properties. You can configure both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses for the LAN2 port of an IPv4, IPv6 and dual mode (IPv4 and
IPv6) Grid member.
To configure the LAN2 port:
Edit icon.
2. In the Network -> Basic tab of the Grid Member Properties editor, click the Add icon of the Additional Ports and
Addresses table and select LAN2 (IPv4) or LAN2 (IPv6) from the drop-down list. Enter the following:
• Address: Type the IP address for the LAN2 port, which must be in a different subnet from that of the LAN1
and HA ports.
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): Specify an appropriate subnet mask for IPv4 address and
prefix length for IPv6 address.
• Gateway: Type the default gateway for the LAN2 port.
• VLAN Tag: Enter the VLAN tag ID if the port is configured for VLANs. You can enter a number from 1 to
4095.For information about VLAN, see About Virtual LANs.
• Port Settings: From the drop-down list, choose the connection speed that you want the port to use. You
can also choose the duplex setting. Choose Full for concurrent bidirectional data transmission or Half for
data transmission in one direction at a time. Select Automatic to instruct the NIOS appliance to negotiate
the optimum port connection type (full or half duplex) and speed with the connecting switch automatically.
This is the default setting. You cannot configure port settings for vNIOS appliances.
• DSCP Value: Displays the Grid DSCP value. To modify, click Override and then enter the DSCP value.
You can enter a value from 0 to 63. For information about DSCP, see Implementing Quality of Service
Using DSCP.
• LAN2 Virtual Router ID (if HA): If the appliance is in an HA pair, enter a VRID number.
The Detailed Status panel displays the status of the LAN2 port. In an HA pair, only the active node displays the LAN2
information.
Configuring LAN1/LAN2 for Automated Failover

You can use both LAN1 and LAN2 interfaces for DNS recursion. Both these interfaces have different gateways and you
can send the DNS query source using the ANY IP address. If the default route interface goes down, the route
redundancy feature configures another working interface so that there is automatic failover of recursion traffic from the
failed interface to the working interface. This provides for a seamless flow of recursive traffic movement.
To configure automated failover, ensure that LAN1 and LAN2 have the same network configuration. Automated failover is
supported on VLAN, IPv4, and IPv6 configurations.
To enable route redundancy:
Edit icon.
2. In the Network -> Basic tab of the Grid Member Properties editor, select the Enable default route redundancy on
LAN1/LAN2 checkbox.
The Detailed Status panel displays the status of both the LAN1 and LAN2 ports.
If you select the Enable default route redundancy on LAN1/LAN2 checkbox and then run the show routes CLI
command, the output displays two default routes each having a different metric number. The primary default route that is
set using the set default_route LAN1|LAN2 CLI command has a metric value of 0 and the secondary default route
has a metric value of 10 for IPv4 networks. For IPv6 networks, the primary default route has a metric value of 1024 and
the secondary default route has a metric value of 1124. For more information, see show routes.

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In case of a failover, there may be a delay of a few seconds before the switchover to the secondary interface occurs.
If you want to enable port redundancy on LAN2 using WAPI, you have to use the entire lan2_port_setting struct even
though the LAN2 IP addresses are already configured. The lan2_port_setting struct does not support partial updates.
Enabling DHCP on LAN2

You can configure an appliance to provide DHCP service through the LAN1 port, LAN2 port, or both the LAN1 and LAN2
ports. Note that when you enable both ports, they must be connected to different subnets. You can also start and stop
DHCP service for IPv4 or IPv6 on the LAN1 or LAN2 port after you have enabled the service.
After you configure the LAN2 port, you can enable DHCP services on the LAN2 port as follows:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox, and then click
the Edit icon.
2. If you are running DHCP for IPv4: In the General -> Basic tab of the Member DHCP Configuration editor, select
the IPv4 checkbox for LAN2 under DHCP Interfaces.
If you are running DHCP for IPv6: In the General -> Basic tab of the Member DHCP Configuration editor, select
the IPv6 checkbox for LAN2 under DHCP Interfaces. (An IPv6 address must also be provisioned for the port.)
You can run either or both protocols for DHCP depending on your network deployment.
Enabling DNS on LAN2

If you enable DNS on an appliance, it always serves DNS on the LAN1 port. Optionally, you can configure the appliance
to provide DNS services through the LAN2 port as well. For example, the appliance can provide DNS services through
the LAN1 port for internal clients on a private network, and DNS services through the LAN2 port for external clients on a
public network.
After you configure the LAN2 port, you can enable DNS services on the LAN2 port as follows:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox, and then click
the Edit icon.
2. In the General -> Basic tab of the Member DNS Configuration editor, do the following:
If you are running DNS for IPv4: In the General -> Basic tab of the Member DHCP Configuration editor, select
the IPv4 checkbox for LAN2 under DNS Interfaces.
If you are running DNS for IPv6: In the General -> Basic tab of the Member DHCP Configuration editor, select
the IPv6 checkbox for LAN2 under DNS Interfaces. (An IPv6 address must also be provisioned for the port.)
You can run either or both protocols for DNS depending on your network deployment.
• Automatically create glue A and PTR records for LAN2's address: The NIOS appliance can automatically
generate A (address) and PTR records for a primary name server whose host name belongs to the name
space of the zone. Select this checkbox to enable the appliance to automatically generate an A and PTR
record.
• Automatically create IPv6 glue AAAA and PTR records for LAN2's address: automatically generate AAAA
and PTR records for the LAN2 IPv6 address. A glue record is the IP address of a name server held at the
domain name registry. They are needed to set a domain's name server to a host name within the domain.
Example: to set the name servers of ns1.corpxyz.com and ns2.corpxyz.com, provide the glue records,
which are in effect the IP addresses, for ns1.corpxyz.com and ns2.corpxyz.com, within specific DNS
record types.
Without the glue records, DNS requests never resolve to the correct IP address because the domain
registry does not associate the IP with the correct records.
3. In the General -> Advanced tab (click Toggle Advanced Mode if necessary), select one of the following from the
Send queries from and the Send notify messages and zone transfer request from drop-down lists:
• VIP: The appliance uses the IP address of the HA port as the source for queries, notifies, and zone
transfer requests.
• MGMT: The appliance uses the IP address of the MGMT port as the source for queries, notifies, and zone
transfer requests.
• LAN2: The appliance uses the IP address of the LAN2 port as the source for queries, notifies, and zone
transfer requests.
• Any: The appliance chooses which port to use as the source for queries, notifies, and zone transfer
requests.

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The Send queries from drop-down list also includes loopback IP addresses that you configured. You can
select a loopback address as the source for queries.
5. Click Restart to restart services.
Using the MGMT Port

The MGMT (Management) port is a 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet connector on the front panel of the TE-815, TE-825,
TE-1415, TE-1425, TE-2215, TE-2225, TE-4015 and TE-4025 appliances. It allows you to isolate the following types of
traffic from other types of traffic on the LAN and HA ports:
• Appliance Management
• Grid Communications
• DNS Services
For information about what types of traffic qualify as appliance management, Grid communications, and DNS services,
see Sources and Destinations for Services.
 Note
The MGMT port currently does not support DHCP, NAT, or TFTP. IPv6 addressing may be applied to the MGMT
port.
Some NIOS appliance deployment scenarios support more than one concurrent use of the MGMT port. The following
table depicts MGMT port uses for various appliance configurations.
Supported MGMT Port Uses for Various appliance Configurations
Appliance Configuration Appliance Management Grid Communications DNS Services
Single Independent Appliance Not Applicable
Independent HA Pair Not Applicable
Grid Master
Grid Master Candidate
HA Grid Member
Single Grid Member
* Although you manage all Grid members through the Grid Master, if you enable the MGMT port on common Grid
members, they can send syslog events, SNMP traps, and e-mail notifications, and receive SSH connections on that port.
Infoblox does not support MGMT port usage for some appliance configurations (indicated by the symbol in
Supported MGMT Port Uses for Various appliance Configurations table ) because it cannot provide redundancy through
the use of a VIP. A Grid Master that is an HA pair needs the redundancy that a VIP interface on the HA port provides for

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Grid communications. Similarly, DNS servers in an HA pair need that redundancy to answer DNS queries. Because the
MGMT port does not support a VIP and thus cannot provide redundancy, Grid Masters (and potential Grid Masters) do
not support Grid communications on the MGMT port.
In addition, NIOS appliances in an HA pair support DNS services on the active node only (indicated by the symbol
in Supported MGMT Port Uses for Various appliance Configurations table ). Only the active node can respond to queries
that it receives. If a DNS client sends a query to the MGMT port of the node that happens to be the passive node, the
query can eventually time out and fail.
The MGMT port is not enabled by default. By default, a NIOS appliance uses the LAN port (and HA port when deployed
in an HA pair). You must log in using a superuser account to enable and configure the MGMT port. You can configure
both IPv4 address and IPv6 address for the MGMT port of a Grid member. You can enable the MGMT port through the
Infoblox GUI, as explained in the following sections.
Appliance Management
You can restrict administrative access to a NIOS appliance by connecting the MGMT port to a subnet containing only
management systems. This approach ensures that only appliances on that subnet can access the Infoblox GUI and
receive appliance management communications such as syslog events, SNMP traps, and e-mail notifications from the
appliance.
If you are the only administrator, you can connect your management system directly to the MGMT port. If there are
several administrators, you can define a small subnet—such as 10.1.1.0/29, which provides six host IP addresses
(10.1.1.1–10.1.1.6) plus the network address 10.1.1.0 and the broadcast address 10.1.1.7—and connect to the NIOS
appliance through a dedicated switch (which is not connected to the rest of the network). The figure below shows how an
independent appliance separates appliance management traffic from network protocol services. Note that the LAN port is
on a different subnet from the MGMT port.
Appliance Management from One or More Management Systems

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Similarly, you can restrict management access to a Grid Master to only those appliances connected to the MGMT ports
of the active and passive nodes of the Grid Master.
To enable the MGMT port on an independent appliance or Grid Master for appliance management and then cable the
MGMT port directly to your management system or to a network forwarding appliance such as a switch or router:
Edit icon.
2. In the Network -> Basic tab of the Grid Member Properties editor, add the MGMT port to the Additional Ports and
Addresses table as follows:
3. Click the Add icon and select MGMT (IPv4) to configure an IPv4 address or select MGMT (IPv6) to configure an
IPv6 address for the MGMT port. You can configure both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses for the MGMT port.
Grid Manager adds a row for the MGMT port. For an HA pair, it adds two rows, one for each node.
4. Enter the following in the row of the MGMT port for a single Grid Master or independent appliance, and in the
rows of the two nodes for an HA Grid Master or independent HA pair:
• Address: Type the IP address for the MGMT port, which must be in a different subnet from that of the LAN
and HA ports.

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• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): For IPv4 address, specify an appropriate subnet mask for the
number of management systems that you want to access the appliance through the MGMT port. For IPv6
address, specify the prefix length.
• Gateway: Type the default gateway for the MGMT port. If you need to define any static routes for traffic
originating from the MGMT port—such as SNMP traps, syslog events, and email notifications—destined
for remote subnets beyond the immediate subnet, specify the IP address of this gateway in the route.
• Port Settings: Choose the connection speed that you want the port to use. You can also choose the
duplex setting. Choose Full for concurrent bidirectional data transmission or Half for data transmission in
one direction at a time. Select Automatic to instruct the NIOS appliance to negotiate the optimum port
• DSCP Value: Displays the Grid DSCP value. To modify, click Override and then enter the DSCP value.
You can enter a value from 0 to 63. For information about DSCP, see Implementing Quality of Service
Using DSCP.
5. In the Network -> Advanced tab, make sure that the Enable VPN on MGMT Port checkbox is not selected.
7. Log out of Grid Manager.
8. Cable the MGMT port to your management system or to a switch or router to which your management system
can also connect.
9. If your management system is in a subnet from which it cannot reach the MGMT port, move it to a subnet from
which it can.
The Infoblox Grid Manager GUI is now accessible through the MGMT port on the NIOS appliance from your
management system.
10. Open an Internet browser window and enter the IP address of the MGMT port as follows: https://<IP address of
MGMT port>.
11. Log in to Grid Manager.
12. Check the Detailed Status panel of the Grid member to make sure the status icons are green.
Grid Communications
You can isolate all Grid communications to a dedicated subnet as follows:
• For Grid communications from the Grid Master, which can be an HA pair or a single appliance, the master uses
either the VIP interface on the HA port of its active node (HA master) or its LAN port (single master). Neither a
single nor HA Grid Master can use its MGMT port for Grid communications. (This restriction applies equally to
Master Candidates.)
• Common Grid members connect to the Grid Master through their MGMT port.
This ensures that all database synchronization and Grid maintenance operations are inaccessible from other network
elements while the common Grid members provide network protocol services on their LAN ports.
The below figure shows how Grid members communicate to the master over a dedicated subnet.
Grid Communications

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Enabling Grid Communications over the MGMT Port for Existing Grid Members
To enable the MGMT port for Grid communications on an existing single or HA Grid member:
1. Log in to the Grid Master with a superuser account.

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Edit icon.
 Note
You must enable the MGMT port before modifying its port settings. See Using the MGMT Port.
IPv6 address for the MGMT port. You can configure both IPv4 address and IPv6 address for the MGMT port.
• Address: Type the IP address for the MGMT port, which must be in a different subnet from that of the LAN
and HA ports.
• Gateway: Type the default gateway for the MGMT port. If you need to define any static routes for traffic
originating from the MGMT port—such as SNMP traps, syslog events, and email notifications—destined
for remote subnets beyond the immediate subnet, specify the IP address of this gateway in the route.
• Port Settings: Choose the connection speed that you want the port to use. You can also choose the
duplex setting. Choose Full for concurrent bidirectional data transmission or Half for data transmission in
one direction at a time. Select Automatic to instruct the NIOS appliance to negotiate the optimum port
• DSCP Value: Displays the Grid DSCP value. To modify, click Override and enter the DSCP value. You can
enter a value from 0 to 63. For information about DSCP, see Implementing Quality of Service Using
DSCP.
6. In the Network -> Advanced tab, select the Enable VPN on MGMT Port checkbox.
7. In the Security tab, do the following:
• Restrict Remote Console and Support Access to MGMT Port: Select this checkbox to restrict SSH
(Secure Shell) v2 access to the MGMT port only. This restricts Infoblox Technical Support and remote
console connections—both of which use SSH v2—to just the MGMT port. For an HA pair, you can make
an SSH v2 connection to the MGMT port on both the active and passive nodes.
Clear the checkbox to allow SSH v2 access to both the MGMT and LAN ports. For an HA pair, you can
make an SSH v2 connection to the MGMT and LAN ports on both the active and passive nodes.
The master communicates the new port settings to the member, which immediately begins using them. The
member stops using its LAN port for Grid communications and begins using the MGMT port.
9. To confirm that the member still has Grid connectivity, check that the status icons for that member are green on
the Detailed Status and Grid panels.
DNS Services
You can configure a single independent appliance or single Grid member to provide DNS services through the MGMT
port in addition to the LAN port. For example, the appliance can provide DNS services through the MGMT port for
internal clients on a private network, and DNS services through the LAN port for external clients on a public network.
While providing DNS services on the MGMT port, you can still use that port simultaneously for appliance management.
The figure below shows a management system communicating with a single independent appliance through its MGMT
port while the appliance also provides DNS services on that port to a private network. Additionally, the appliance provides
DNS services to an external network through its LAN port.
DNS Services on the LAN and MGMT Ports, and appliance Management on the MGMT Port

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Like a single independent appliance, a single Grid member can also support concurrent DNS traffic on its MGMT and
LAN ports. However, because you manage all Grid members through the Grid Master, a Grid member only uses an
enabled MGMT port to send SNMP traps, syslog events, and email notifications, and to receive SSH connections.
In addition, the active node of an HA pair can provide DNS services through its MGMT port. To use this feature, you must
enable DNS services on the MGMT ports of both nodes in the HA pair and specify the MGMT port IP addresses of both
nodes on the DNS client as well, in case there is a failover and the passive node becomes active. Note that only the
active node can respond to queries that it receives. If a DNS client sends a query to the MGMT port of the node that
happens to be the passive node, the query can eventually time out and fail.
To enable DNS services on the MGMT port of an appliance:
Edit icon.
 Note
• You must enable the MGMT port before modifying its port settings. See Using the MGMT Port.
• You must mandatorily configure the LAN interface before joining the HA nodes to the Grid. If you
join the nodes with VLAN tagging already enabled on HA, the new nodes must join with VLAN
tagging only. If you join the nodes using the MGMT interface, you must enable VLAN tagging for
the new nodes.
IPv6 address for the MGMT port. You can configure both IPv4 and IPv6 address for the MGMT port.

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• Address: Type the IP address for the MGMT port, which must be in a different subnet from that of the LAN and
HA ports.
• Gateway: Type the default gateway for the MGMT port. If you need to define any static routes for traffic originating
from the MGMT port—such as SNMP traps, syslog events, and email notifications—destined for remote subnets
beyond the immediate subnet, specify the IP address of this gateway in the route.
• Port Settings: Choose the connection speed that you want the port to use. You can also choose the duplex
setting. Choose Full for concurrent bidirectional data transmission or Half for data transmission in one direction at
a time. Select Automatic to instruct the NIOS appliance to negotiate the optimum port connection type (full or half
duplex) and speed with the connecting switch automatically. This is the default setting. You cannot configure port
settings for vNIOS appliances.
• DSCP Value: Displays the Grid DSCP value. To modify, click Override and enter the DSCP value. You can enter a
value from 0 to 63. For information about DSCP, see Implementing Quality of Service Using DSCP.
• Click Save & Close to save your settings for the MGMT port.
• From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox, and then
• In the General -> Basic tab of the Member DNS Properties editor, do the following:
• If you are running DNS service for IPv4, select the IPv4 checkbox for MGMT under DNS Interfaces.
• If you are running DNS service for IPv6, select the IPv6 checkbox for MGMT under DNS Interfaces.
• In the General -> Advanced tab, select one of the following from the Send queries from and the Send notify
messages and zone transfer requests from drop-down lists:
• VIP: The appliance uses the IP address of the HA port as the source for queries, notifies, and zone
transfer requests.
• MGMT: The appliance uses the IP address of the MGMT port as the source for queries, notifies, and zone
transfer requests.
• LAN2: The appliance uses the IP address of the LAN2 port as the source for queries, notifies, and zone
transfer requests.
• Any: The appliance chooses which port to use as the source for queries, notifies, and zone transfer
requests.
The Send queries from drop-down list also includes loopback IP addresses that you configured. You can
select a loopback address as the source for queries.
To see that the appliance now also serves DNS on the MGMT port:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click View -> View DNS Configuration.
3. Check that the IP address of the MGMT port appears in the address match list in the listen-on substatement.

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About Lights Out Management
Infoblox LOM (Lights Out Management) is an implementation of the remote management and monitoring of Infoblox
appliances that are LOM ready, such as the Trinzic 2010 appliances.
The LOM feature is useful when you want to monitor your platforms remotely or consolidate your data centers. When you
monitor your systems remotely, you can avoid issues such as overheating of a problematic system by remotely powering
down the system. To conserve energy, you can also power up and down any systems based on service requirements.
You can enable LOM for the entire Grid and override the Grid settings for specific members. You can also configure LOM
on independent appliances and HA pairs.
 Note
You can configure LOM only on appliances that support LOM. This port automatically negotiates a speed of up
to 1000 Mbps. Devices connected to the LOM port must be configured to auto-negotiate and must not have a
fixed speed of 1000 Mbps.
LOM is disabled by default. Before you can configure LOM and remotely manage the appliance, ensure that the IPMI
(Intelligent Platform Management Interface) port on your appliance is properly connected to the network. Consider the
following security measures before you enable the IPMI interface for LOM:
• Use an authentication method other than the RAKP (Remote Authenticated Key-Exchange Protocol) for the IPMI
interface. Any implementation that uses the RAKP can become vulnerable.
• Secure the network to which the IPMI interface is connected. Infoblox recommends that you use a separate and
secure network for all IPMI traffic.
• Use strong passwords for all IPMI users. At least 10 random characters are recommended. Attacks are only
effective against weak passwords.
• IPMI is disabled by default. DO NOT enable IPMI on the appliances if it is not being used.
By default, IPMI uses UDP port 623. You can then enable LOM and add LOM users through the Infoblox GUI. When you
add LOM users, you can assign them specific roles so they can perform only certain functions. When you add a LOM
user, you can configure the user to be an "operator" or a "user" depending on the functions you want the user to perform.
An operator can access an appliance remotely and perform the following functions:
• Access the serial console
• Reset the appliance
• Power up and down the appliance
• Monitor system status, such as CPU usage and system temperature
A user role can only monitor system status. Users with this role cannot perform any other functions remotely.
After you set up and configure your appliance, perform the following tasks through Grid Manager to enable LOM and set
up LOM users:
1. Enable LOM for the Grid or members that support IPMI, as described in Enabling LOM.
2. Add LOM users based on your organizational needs, as described in Adding LOM User Accounts.
3. Configure the IPMI network interface on the appliance, as described in Configuring the IPMI Network Interface.
4. After you have configured LOM and set up the IPMI interface, install a utility such as IPMItool on your Linux
management system. For information about IPMItool, visit the IPMItool web site at http://ipmitool.sourceforge.net.
For the most commonly used commands and examples, see IPMI Commands and Examples.
You can also do the following from Grid Manager after you configure LOM:
• Enable and disable LOM for the Grid or members, as described in Enabling LOM.
• Modify LOM settings, as described in Modifying LOM Settings.
• View LOM users, as described in Modifying LOM Settings.
Enabling LOM
Before you can add LOM users and manage Infoblox appliances remotely, you must enable LOM. When LOM is
configured for the entire Grid, all members inherit the Grid settings. You can also override the Grid settings for specific

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members. For an HA pair, you can configure LOM on the node that supports IPMI.
To enable and disable LOM:
2. In the LOM tab, complete the following:
• Enable Lights Out Management: LOM is disabled by default. Select this checkbox to enable LOM. When LOM is
enabled or disabled for the Grid, all members inherit the same setting.
Adding LOM User Accounts

You can add up to eight LOM user accounts. Admins must use the configured user name and password to remotely log
in to the appliance.
Note that when you add LOM user accounts at the Grid level, all members inherit them. You can configure user accounts
specific to a member by overriding the Grid accounts. When you click Override to modify the inherited Grid accounts, the
appliance creates copies of the Grid level user accounts and saves them at the member level. These are new accounts
at the member level and do not affect the Grid accounts or any accounts configured on other Grid members. You can
also reset member accounts to the Grid accounts by clicking Inherit. When you do that however, all changes you
previously made to the member accounts are lost.
To add a LOM user account:
2. In the LOM tab, complete the following:
• User Accounts: Click the Add icon and complete the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the LOM user account.
• Password: Enter the password for the LOM user account. Note that while the maximum length
allowed for the password is 15 characters and the minimum length is 4 characters. If you are
running NIOS on the IB-4000 or the ND-4000 platform, you must enter a minimum password
length of 8 characters. Otherwise, an error message is displayed.
• Confirm Password: Enter the password again.
• Role: From the drop-down list, select the role for the LOM user account. Operator allows users to
perform all supported LOM related functions. User allows admins to only monitor system sensors
such as temperature and CPU usage.
• Disable: Select this to deactivate the user account but keep a user profile.
• Click Add to add the new user account.
Configuring the IPMI Network Interface

You must configure the IPMI network interface before you can access the appliance remotely. To configure the IPMI
network interface:
1. Independent appliance: From the System tab, select the System Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click
2. In the LOM tab, complete the following in the Network Configuration table:
• Address: Enter the IPMI interface address here.

Rev. D
• Subnet Mask: Enter the subnet mask for the IPMI interface.
• Gateway: Enter the gateway address for the IPMI interface.
Modifying LOM Settings

To modify LOM settings:
2. Modify the following:
• Enable Lights Out Management: LOM is disabled by default. Select this checkbox to enable LOM. When
you enable or disable this for the Grid, all members inherit the same setting.
• Network Configuration: Click the fields in the table to modify the IPv4 address, subnet mask, and gateway
address for the IPMI interface. For an HA pair, the appliance displays information only for the nodes that
support IPMI. Enter the information for the following fields: Address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway. The
Node and LAN Address fields are read-only, and you cannot modify them. The LAN address is the IPMI
interface address.
• User Accounts: Click the Add icon to add new LOM users. You can also select an existing LOM user and
click the Edit icon to modify the user settings, as described in Adding LOM User Accounts.
Viewing LOM Users

To view information about LOM users:
2. In the LOM tab, Grid Manager displays the following information for each LOM user:
• Name: The name of the LOM user.
• Role: The user role to which the LOM user was assigned. This can be Operator or User.
• Disabled: Indicates whether the LOM user account is disabled or not. When a LOM user account is
disabled, the user cannot access the appliance remotely.
IPMI Commands and Examples

This section describes some of the most commonly used IPMITool commands and examples. For more information
about the IPMI commands and usage, visit the IPMItool web site a http://ipmitool.sourceforge.net.
To use IPMI commands, complete the following:
1. Ensure that you have properly enabled and configured LOM and the IPMI network interface.
2. Install IPMITool on a Linux management system. For information, visit the IPMItool web site athttp://
ipmitool.sourceforge.net.
Access IMPITool and enter an IPMI command to perform a specific task. The appliance displays the
corresponding output.
Following are some of the most commonly used IPMI commands and their sample outputs. Note that command
outputs vary by appliances. The following sample commands were performed on a Trinzic 1415 appliance. All
sample commands in this section use the following syntax:
ipmitool -H <LOMIPAddress> -U username -P password -L [OPERATOR/USER] -I lanplus
<supported commands>

Rev. D
 Note
If you reset IB-2225 using LOM and the interval between power off and power on is lower than 10 minutes, a
hardware watchdog timeout message may be displayed in the syslog and may reset the newly powered on
system thus putting it in an unstable state. If the interval is longer, the watchdog timer is released before the
system is up, and a restart will bring the system in a good state without the watchdog timeout messages.
Command to be Used with Caution
power reset variant
Caution: Using this command has the same effect as pulling the power cord off the appliance.
Checking Power Status with User Role

Command:
ipmitool -H 10.37.2.70 -U user -P infoblox -L USER -I lanplus power status
Command output:
Chassis Power is on
Checking Various Sensors [Temperature, Voltage, FANS, Physical Security, Power supply, OEM] with User Role
Command:
ipmitool -H 10.37.2.70 -U user -P infoblox -L USER -I lanplus sensor
Command output:
System Temp | 23.000 | degrees C | ok | -9.000 | -7.000 | -5.000 | 75.000 | 77.000 | 79.000
CPU Temp | 0x0 | discrete | 0x0000| na | na | na | na | na | na
FAN 1 | 10390.000 | RPM | ok | 215.000 | 400.000 | 585.000 | 29260.000 | 29815.000 |
30370.000
FAN 2 | na | RPM | na | na | na | na | na | na | na
FAN 3 | 9835.000 | RPM | ok | 215.000 | 400.000 | 585.000 | 29260.000 | 29815.000 |
30370.000
FAN 4 | 11870.000 | RPM | ok | 215.000 | 400.000 | 585.000 | 29260.000 | 29815.000 |
30370.000
FAN 5 | 10390.000 | RPM | ok | 215.000 | 400.000 | 585.000 | 29260.000 | 29815.000 |
30370.000
CPU Vcore | 0.832 | Volts | ok | 0.640 | 0.664 | 0.688 | 1.344 | 1.408 | 1.472
+3.3VCC | 3.264 | Volts | ok | 2.816 | 2.880 | 2.944 | 3.584 | 3.648 | 3.712
+12 V | 11.978 | Volts | ok | 10.494 | 10.600 | 10.706 | 13.091 | 13.197 | 13.303
CPU DIMM | 1.528 | Volts | ok | 1.152 | 1.216 | 1.280 | 1.760 | 1.776 | 1.792
+5 V | 5.088 | Volts | ok | 4.096 | 4.320 | 4.576 | 5.344 | 5.600 | 5.632
-12 V | -12.486 | Volts | ok | -13.844 | -13.650 | -13.456 | -10.934 | -10.740 | -10.546
VBAT | 3.120 | Volts | ok | 2.816 | 2.880 | 2.944 | 3.584 | 3.648 | 3.712
+3.3VSB | 3.264 | Volts | ok | 2.816 | 2.880 | 2.944 | 3.584 | 3.648 | 3.712
AVCC | 3.264 | Volts | ok | 2.816 | 2.880 | 2.944 | 3.584 | 3.648 | 3.712
Chassis Intru | 0x0 | discrete | 0x0000| na | na | na | na | na | na PS Status | 0x1 | discrete |
0x01ff| na | na | na | na | na | na

Rev. D
Printing System Event Log with User Role
Command:
ipmitool -H 10.37.2.70 -U user -P infoblox -L USER -I lanplus sel list
Command output: The appliance displays all event log entries (if any)
Getting FRU Information with User Role

Command:
ipmitool -H 10.37.2.70 -U user -P infoblox -L USER -I lanplus fru
Command output:
FRU Device Description : Builtin FRU Device (ID 0) Board Mfg Date : Sun Dec 31 15:00:00 1995
Board Mfg : Supermicro Board Serial : Product Serial :
Powering Off the Appliance with Operator Role

Command:
ipmitool -H 10.37.2.70 -U operator -P infoblox -L OPERATOR -I lanplus power off
Command output:
Chassis Power Control: Down/Off
Powering On the Appliance with Operator Role

Command:
ipmitool -H 10.37.2.70 -U operator -P infoblox -L OPERATOR -I lanplus power on
Command output:
Chassis Power Control: Up/On
Activating the Serial Console Port using Operator role

Command:
ipmitool -H 10.37.2.70 -U operator -P infoblox -L OPERATOR -I lanplus sol activate
Command output:
[SOL Session operational. Use ~? for help] login: admin
password:
Infoblox NIOS Release 6.4.0-163715 (64bit)
Copyright (c) 1999-2012 Infoblox Inc. All Rights Reserved. type 'help' for more information
Infoblox >
Setting Static Routes

When you put the NIOS appliance on a segment of the network where there is a single path to and from it, a single
default route is sufficient. For example, in the figure Single Default Route, the appliance is in the DMZ behind a firewall
and connects to the rest of the network through the DMZ interface on the firewall. For example, when hosts send DNS
queries from the Internet and the internal network to the appliance and when the appliance replies to those hosts, the
firewall takes care of all the routing.
Single Default Route

Rev. D
When the NIOS appliance is on a segment of the network where there are multiple gateways through which traffic to and
from the appliance can flow, a single default route is insufficient. For an example, see the below figure.
Erroneously Routed DNS Replies

Rev. D
To resolve the problem illustrated in the figure Erroneously Routed DNS Replies, add a second route pointing traffic
destined for 10.1.1.0/24 to use the gateway with IP address 1.2.2.2 on firewall-2. This is shown in the below figure.
Properly Routed DNS Replies

Rev. D
Whenever you want the NIOS appliance to send traffic through a gateway other than the default gateway, you need to
define a separate route. Then, when the appliance performs a route lookup, it chooses the route that most completely
matches the destination IP address in the packet header.
When you enable the MGMT port, the gateway you reference in a static route determines which port the NIOS appliance
uses when directing traffic to a specified destination.
• If a route definition references a gateway that is in the same subnet as the IP and VIP addresses of the LAN (or
LAN1) and HA ports, the NIOS appliance uses the LAN (or LAN1) or HA port when directing traffic to that
gateway.
• If a route definition references a gateway that is in the same subnet as the MGMT port, the NIOS appliance uses
the MGMT port when directing traffic to that gateway
Static Routes for the LAN and MGMT Ports

Rev. D
The need for routes can apply to any type of traffic that originates from the appliance, such as DNS replies, DHCP
messages, SNMP traps, ICMP echo replies, Infoblox GUI management, and Grid communications.
To set a static route, do the following:
Edit icon.
2. In the Network -> Advanced tab of the Grid Member Properties editor, click the Add icon for the IPv4 Static
Routes table, and then enter the following:
• Network Address: Type the address and netmask of the remote network to which the NIOS appliance
routes traffic.
• Gateway Address: Type the IP address of the gateway on the local subnet through which the NIOS
appliance directs traffic to reach the remote network. The gateway address must meet the following
requirements:
• It must belong to a working gateway router or gateway switch.

Rev. D
• It must be in the same subnet as the NIOS appliance.
 Note
Consult your network administrator before specifying the gateway address for a static
route on the appliance. Specifying an invalid gateway address can cause problems, such
as packets being dropped or sent to an incorrect address.
Defining IPv6 Static Routes

Principles and applications related to IPv4 static routing in this section apply equally to IPv6. In the figure Static Routes
for IPv6 Traffic, a NIOS appliance supports both IPv4 and IPv6 on its LAN1 port. IPv6 is routed to the internal network
while the default IPv4 route remains to the outbound 10.2.2.1 address.
You can use prefix notation to enter an IPv6 network address; the full 128-bit gateway value must be entered. To set an
IPv6 static route, do the following:
Edit icon.
2. In the Network -> Advanced tab of the Grid Member Properties editor, click the Add icon for the IPv6 Static
Routes table, and then enter the following:
• Network Address: Type the prefix and prefix length of the remote network to which the NIOS appliance
routes traffic. As an example: 2001:DB8::256:/64. The double colon is required at the end of the prefix.
NIOS performs validity checks on the address while it is being entered.
• Gateway Address: Type the IP address of the gateway on the local subnet through which the NIOS
appliance directs traffic to reach the remote network. As an example: 2001:DB8::256:ABCD:EF12:1234:1.
The gateway address must meet the following requirements:
• It must belong to a working gateway router or gateway switch.
• It must be in the same subnet as one of the interfaces of the NIOS appliance.
• The gateway address cannot be the same value as that for the VIP.
 Note
Consult your network administrator before specifying the gateway address for a static
route on the appliance. Specifying an invalid gateway address can cause problems, such
as packets being dropped or sent to an incorrect address.
Static Routes for IPv6 Traffic

Rev. D
Enabling DNS Resolution
You can specify a network server to perform domain name queries and specify up to two name servers for resolving a
DNS name. You can specify the IP address of a preferred name server and that of an alternate name server, plus use a
search list for performing partial name resolution.
To enable DNS resolution for a Grid or for an independent appliance or HA pair:
Member: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member check box, and then
2. In the Grid Properties or Member Properties editor, select the DNS Resolver tab, and then enter the following:
• Enable DNS Resolver: Select the check box to enable the NIOS appliance to send DNS queries to the preferred
or alternate name servers whose IP addresses you specify in the following fields.
Click the Add icon and enter the IP addresses (IPv4 or IPv6) of the servers to which the appliance sends queries.
The first address that you add is the primary DNS resolver and the second address that you add is the secondary

Rev. D
DNS resolver. The appliance attempts to send queries to the servers in the order they are listed if it does not
receive a response from a listed name server. To move a server up or down on the list, select it and drag it to its
new location or click the up and down arrows.
 Note
If you are using the Infoblox Subscriber Parental Control feature, set the primary DNS resolver to a
loopback address (127.0.0.1) to enable parental control.
• Search List: You can define a group of domain names that the NIOS appliance can add to partial queries that do
not specify a domain name. For example, if you define a RADIUS authentication home server as "as1", and you
list "corpxyz.com" and "hq.corpxyz.com" in the domain group list, then the NIOS appliance sends a query for
as1.corpxyz.com and another query for as1.hq.corpxyz.com to the preferred or alternate name server. To specify
domain names containing IDNs, manually convert it into punycode and specify domain names in punycode.
To add a domain name, click the Add icon and type a domain name in the Search List field. To remove a domain
name from the group, select it, and then click Delete.
Managing Licenses
You must install valid licenses for services and features to function properly in your Infoblox Grid. Different license types
that are available are discussed in this topic. You can choose to obtain licenses for the desired features and services,
and install them as static, dynamic, or Grid-wide licenses, depending on your network and business requirements.
After you install your licenses, you can monitor them through Grid Manager. Licenses are listed on the Grid tab ->
Licenses tab. Grid Manager also displays the number of licenses that have expired and those that are expiring within the
next 30 and 90 days respectively.
NIOS licenses are valid for SOT (Son Of Trinzic) 2016 hardware appliances, both physical and virtual. A NIOS license
can be permanent or have an expiration date.
This topic includes the following sections:
• License Types
• Managing Static Licenses
• Retrieving the Hardware ID of an Appliance
• Obtaining Static Licenses
• Downloading License Keys
• Managing Dynamic Licenses
• Obtaining Dynamic Licenses
• Manually Allocating Dynamic Licenses
• Manually Deallocating Dynamic Licenses
• Manually Revoking Dynamic Licenses
• Managing Grid-wide Licenses
• About the Flex Grid Activation License
• About the Flex Grid Activation for Managed Services License
• Obtaining Grid-wide Licenses
• Adding Permanent or Subscription Licenses
• Adding Temporary Licenses
• Viewing Licenses
• Viewing Member Licenses
• Viewing Dynamic Licenses
• Viewing Grid-wide Licenses
• Backing Up Licenses
• Removing Licenses
• NIOS Licenses

Rev. D
License Types
Infoblox licenses are divided into the following classes:
• Static: Static licenses are member specific. They are installed and tied to the Grid Master or specific Grid
members. Static licenses are mapped to the hardware ID for each individual NIOS or vNIOS appliance.
• Dynamic: These are floating licenses that are dynamically allocated to specific Grid members in the Grid.
Dynamic licenses belong to a license pool, which is associated with the entire Grid. When not in use, they can be
released back to the pool of licenses for further allocation. In an environment, such as a CMP (Cloud
Management Platform), where you need to spin up multiple remote vNIOS appliances at different times based on
business requirements, you can consider installing dynamic licenses.
• Grid-wide: Grid-wide licenses are associated with the entire Grid. They are not tied to any particular member.
When installed, Grid-wide licenses are replicated to all members in the Grid. Although a Grid-wide license entitles
all Grid members to run a particular feature, other conditions and factors determine whether the feature can be
enabled on a particular member. For example, a member might not be able to run the Reporting and Analytics
feature because it does not have the reporting appliance model. The currently supported Grid-wide licenses are
Security Ecosystem, Reporting Subscription, RPZ, Threat Analytics, Flex Grid Activation, and FireEye. To
configure Grid-wide licenses for RPZ, see Grid-wide licenses for RPZ.
The static, dynamic, and Grid-wide licenses can have one of the following terms of duration:
• Perpetual: Perpetual licenses are permanent licenses that do not have expiration dates.
• Subscription licenses: Unlike perpetual licenses, subscription licenses come with an expiry date and will be valid
till the expiry of the contract. After subscription licenses expire, the renewed licenses must be downloaded from
the support portal and applied. These licenses can be static or Grid-wide licenses. For more information, see
Subscription Licensing.
• Temporary licenses: You can enable one of several sets of temporary service licenses through the CLI command
set temp_license. The duration for a temporary license is 60 days. They provide licensed features and
functionality for the interim, while you wait for your permanent or subscription licenses to arrive. After these
licenses expire, you cannot subscribe to the temporary licenses again. Note that pool licenses are not supported
as temporary licenses.
Before any non-perpetual (subscription or temporary) licenses expire, an expiration warning appears during the Grid
Manager login process. The warning reappears during each login until you renew the license. To renew a license, contact
your accounts representative at Infoblox.
 Note
Grid Manager does not distinguish between subscription and temporary licenses.
Managing Static Licenses

Static licenses member-specific licenses that are mapped to the hardware IDs (also called as serial numbers) of
individual NIOS or vNIOS appliances. Static licenses cannot be transferred among appliances. They come pre-installed
on physical NIOS appliances according to the software packages you order at the time of purchase.
Static licenses can be perpetual or non-perpetual. A perpetual license does not have an expiration date. When you install
a new static license with an expiration date beyond the existing license, it replaces the existing license. After you install
static licenses on an appliance, you can view their status in Grid Manager.
Retrieving the Hardware ID of an Appliance

After you have set up or pre-provisioned a physical appliance or vNIOS virtual appliance, obtain the hardware ID or the
virtual host hardware ID in case of a vNIOS virtual appliance:
1. Log in to the NIOS CLI, or open a terminal session for the VM and open the NIOS CLI.
2. Run the show hwid command as shown in the following example:
nios-vm-ib-1420-gm > show hwid
Hardware ID: 564d41e13a1cc55affb9bad4e3b5c48a
Copy and paste the Hardware ID value for convenience.

Rev. D
You can also run a show license command to obtain the same information:
nios-vm-ib-1420-gm > show license
Version : 6.11.0-248090
Hardware ID : 564d41e13a1cc55affb9bad4e3b5c48a
 Note
Make a note of the hardware IDs that you obtain during this procedure. Each of these unique Hardware
ID values can be associated with a License Activation ID from your Contract Notification email. If a
license key is installed for the current VM, that key value also appears in the output for
the show license command.
Obtaining Static Licenses

You can retrieve a license key for a static license either in CSV (comma separated values) format or in .txt format. It
includes the following information in the format: serial number, hardware ID, license type, end date, and license string.
You can either upload the CSV file to the appliance or copy the license information from the .txt file and paste it in the
Paste License(s) field on the Grid tab -> Licenses tab -> Member tab -> Add dialog in Grid Manager. For more
information, see the Adding Permanent or Subscription Licenses section.
To obtain permanent static licenses from Infoblox:
1. Log in to the support portal at https://support.infoblox.com using Google Chrome for best performance.
2. Click My Products.
An overview page that contains the list of appliance (hosts) maintenance contracts, software entitlements
(assigned and unassigned), and subscriptions is displayed.
3. For partners only: In the Select Account drop-down list, select the account for which you want to obtain licenses.
4. To obtain the license for a new VM:
a. Click Create Virtual Host.
b. In the Create Virtual Host dialog box, enter the virtual host hardware ID and choose the license
technology as DDI (for NIOS and BloxOne) or NetMRI.
c. Click Save & Assign Software.
The Manage Software of Host <host name> page is displayed for the host you created.
d. In the Software available to be assigned to Host section, enter the quantity to be assigned in the Qty to
Assign field of the applicable license.
e. Click Assign Software to assign the licenses.
f. Click the Download License Keys button to download the licenses.

5. To obtain the license for a new physical appliance:
a. Click the Hosts tab.
b. In the search box, enter criteria to search for your appliance.
c. In the Manage column of your appliance, select Manage Software from the drop-down list.
The Manage Software of Host <host name> page is displayed.
d. Assign licenses to the appliance or unassign them if not needed:
i. In the Software available to be assigned to Host section, enter the quantity to be assigned in the
Qty to Assign field of the applicable license, and click Assign Software.
ii. In the Software currently assigned to Host section, enter the quantity to be unassigned in the Qty
to Unassign field of the applicable license, and click Unassign Software.

Rev. D
e. Click the Download License Keys button to download the licenses.
6. To obtain the license for an existing physical or a virtual appliance for which you are unsure of license
entitlements or want to obtain a new listing of your license keys:
a. Click the Hosts tab.
b. In the search box, enter criteria to search for your appliance.
c. In the Manage column of your appliance, select Download License Keys from the drop-down list.
d. Additionally, you may assign or unassign licenses and download them from the Manage Software for Host
<host name> page as explained in step 5.
 Note
Each VM License Activation ID should have a Hardware ID associated with it. As you install and spin up each
virtual machine, establish written records for each Hardware ID with the VM License Activation IDs in a one-to-
one ratio. These value pairs are necessary should you need to contact Infoblox Technical Support.
Downloading License Keys

You can download the license information either in CSV or TXT format. The following options are available in the Support
portal:
• To download the license information for an individual appliance, click Download License Keys that is available on
the My Products tab -> Hosts tab -> drop-down list, or on the Manage Software for Host <host name> page.
• To download the DDI license information for all your appliances at a time, click Download All DDI License Keys
that is available on the My Products tab -> Hosts tab.
In the Download License Keys dialog that opens, complete the following steps:
1. Select between TXT or CSV format.
2. Click Download.
3. In the Save as dialog, choose the location where you want to save the file.
4. Click Save.
Managing Dynamic Licenses

Dynamic licenses are multiple licenses you obtain for NIOS appliances, both physical and virtual. You can install dynamic
licenses in advance for different services and features and deploy them on demand, based on your business needs. The
appliance stores these licenses in their respective license pools and allocates them when you deploy vNIOS virtual
appliances. When you remove a vNIOS appliance from your Grid, the applicable licenses are automatically released
back to the license pool. The appliance adjusts the total number of licenses accordingly. You can use dynamic licenses to
automatically pre-provision and deploy vNIOS appliances. For more information about this feature, see About Elastic
Scaling.

Rev. D
For a dynamic license, you can either upload the license file to the appliance or copy the information and paste it in the
Paste License(s) field on the Grid tab -> Licenses tab -> Pool tab in Grid Manager. You must copy the entire string and
save it to the text field. When you restore or perform a factory reset operation, you will lose the existing dynamic licenses.
License pools for a particular license type are an aggregate of the subpools that contain the respective license type.
Subpools are either perpetual or non-perpetual with different expiration dates. NIOS displays non-perpetual and
perpetual subpools with different expiration dates within the same pool.
Dynamic licenses can be allocated from a pool based on the aggregate install count. You can allocate licenses from a
pool as long as the allocated count of perpetual and non-perpetual licenses does not exceed the count of perpetual and
active non-perpetual licenses that are installed.
 Note
You must install both the Grid and vNIOS licenses on a vNIOS appliance for it to join the Grid. You can add
other licenses such as DNS, DHCP, or Cloud Platform depending on how you deploy your vNIOS virtual
appliances.
Obtaining Dynamic Licenses

When you purchase licenses for specific features and services, you may deploy the licenses as dynamic licenses.
License information is stored in a license file with the following information for each license: LSN-P (License Serial
Number - Proxy), LK-P (License Key Proxy, LSN (License Serial Number) and LK (License Key). License keys are
generated based on the LPC_UID (License Pool Container Unique ID) of the Grid Master. You must first obtain the
LPC_UID of the Grid, also called the Grid license UID from the Grid Master and then contact Infoblox Technical Support
to obtain dynamic licenses.
Infoblox stores information related to dynamic licenses in a license file. When you install dynamic licenses, you must
upload the entire license file to the Grid Master, as described in the Adding Permanent or Subscription Licenses section.
To obtain dynamic licenses:
1. Log in to Grid Manager and obtain the LPC_UID from the Grid Master:
a. From the Grid tab, select the Licenses tab -> Pool tab, and then click Export All Licenses in the Toolbar.
b. Save the CSV file.
c. Open the CSV file. The LPC_UID is displayed in the SIGNATURE row. Copy this ID. You will need this ID
when contacting Infoblox Technical Support.
 Note
You can also use the show license_pool_container CLI command to display the LPC_UID.
2. Contact Infoblox Technical Support or your Infoblox representative to obtain the dynamic licenses.
Manually Allocating Dynamic Licenses

To allocate a particular feature license to a NIOS member:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Licenses tab -> Pool tab.
2. Select the feature license and click the Action icon next to the license, and then select Allocate from the list.
3. In the Allocate Pool Licenses dialog, click Select Member Node.
4. From the Member Selector, click the FQDN of the NIOS member on which you want to install the feature license.
The appliance displays the member in the To this member: field.
5. Click Allocate to install this license on the selected member or click Cancel to cancel this action.
NIOS allocates the license and adjusts the numbers in the Assigned and Available fields on the Pool tab.
Manually Deallocating Dynamic Licenses

To deallocate a particular feature license from a NIOS member:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Licenses tab -> Member tab.
2. Select the license and click the Action icon next to the checkbox, and then select Deallocate from the list.

Rev. D
3. In the Deallocate Pool Licenses dialog, select the licenses you want to deallocate from the Pool Licenses table.
4. Click Deallocate to remove the licenses from the members or click Cancel to cancel this action.
NIOS deallocates the license from the respective members and adjusts the numbers in the Assigned and
Available fields on the Pool tab.
Manually Revoking Dynamic Licenses

To remove a particular feature license from the pool:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Licenses tab -> Pool tab.
2. Select the feature license and click the Action icon next to the checkbox, and then select Revoke from the list.
3. In the Remove Licenses dialog, click the Number field and enter the number of licenses you want to remove for
the selected license type.
4. Click Remove Licenses to remove the licenses or click Cancel to cancel this action.
NIOS removes the licenses and adjusts the numbers in the Assigned and Available fields on the Pool tab.
Managing Grid-wide Licenses

NIOS supports Grid-wide licenses that are valid across the entire Grid. You can obtain Grid-wide licenses for features
listed in this section. Although a Grid-wide license entitles all Grid members to run a particular feature, other conditions
and factors determine whether the feature can be enabled on a particular member. For example, a member might not be
able to run the Reporting and Analytics feature because it does not have the reporting appliance model.
For a Grid-wide license, you can either upload the license file to the appliance or copy the information and paste it in the
text field on the Paste License(s) field on the Grid tab -> Licenses tab -> Grid Wide tab of Grid Manager. You must copy
the entire string (license type, expiry date, and license string). The Flex Grid Activation license is bundled with the
following licenses: Grid, Unbound, DNS Cache Acceleration, DNS, DHCP, DNS Traffic Control, Response Policy Zone,
Software Threat Protection, Threat Protection Update, DNSFW, NXDOMAIN Redirect, Dual Engine DNS (only for
recursive DNS), Microsoft Management, Threat Analytics, Security Ecosystem, and Cloud Network Automation (applies
only to the IB-FLEX Grid Master).
Note the following about Grid-wide licenses:

• When you restore or perform a factory reset operation, you will lose the existing Grid-wide licenses.
• NIOS restores any Grid-wide licenses that are present in a restored database.
• When you restore a database from another Grid, NIOS replaces the UID of the Grid and the Grid-wide licenses
from the other Grid.
• Static and Grid-wide licenses of the same type can co-exist in the same Grid.
• If a member is pre-provisioned for a specific feature, it is allowed to join the Grid that has the Grid-wide license for
that feature even if the member does not have a license for that feature.
About the Flex Grid Activation License

Flex Grid Activation is a permanent Infoblox license that you can implement as a NIOS Grid-wide license to enable the
following features at the same time:
• Grid
• Unbound
• DNS
• DHCP
• DNS Traffic Control
• Response Policy Zone
• Software ADP
• Threat Protection Update
• DNSFW
• NXDOMAIN Redirect
• Query rewrite
• Threat Analytics
• Security Ecosystem

Rev. D
• Captive Portal
• Cloud Network Automation (only if IB-FLEX is used as a Grid Master)
For more information, see About IB-FLEX. After you install the Flex Grid Activation license, you can view it on the Grid
tab -> Licenses tab -> Grid Wide tab of Grid Manager.
You can install the Flex Grid Activation license on a Grid Master even if IB-FLEX is not a part of the Grid, but this license
is effective only for an IB-Flex member. The Infoblox License Portal allows you to acquire any number of Flex Grid
Activation license keys for each individual Grid. To install a temporary license, use the set temp_license CLI command.
About the Flex Grid Activation for Managed Services License

Flex Grid Activation for Managed Services is a combination of all existing Infoblox licenses that you can implement as a
NIOS Grid-wide license. If you install this license, you do not need to install each license separately. The Flex Grid
Activation for Managed Services license comprises the following licenses:
• Grid
• Unbound
• DNS
• DHCP
• Response Policy Zone
• NXDOMAIN Redirect
• Dual Engine DNS (only for recursive DNS)
• Software Threat Protection
• Threat Protection Update
• Threat Analytics
• Security Ecosystem
• Cloud Network Automation (applies only to the IB-FLEX Grid Master)
You can install the Flex Grid Activation for Managed Services license only on a Grid Master or a standalone appliance. To
install a temporary license, use the set temp_license CLI command.
 Note
If you install the Flex Grid Activation for Managed Services license, you cannot install the Flex Grid Activation
license and if you install the Flex Grid Activation license, you cannot install the Flex Grid Activation for Managed
Services license.
Obtaining Grid-wide Licenses

When you purchase licenses for specific features and services, the licenses may be Grid-wide licenses. License
information is stored in a license file with the following information for each license: LSN-P (License Serial Number -
Proxy), LK-P (License Key Proxy, LSN (License Serial Number) and LK (License Key).
License keys are generated based on the license UID of the Grid Master. You must first obtain the UID of the Grid and
then contact Infoblox Technical Support to obtain the Grid-wide licenses.
 Note
Ensure that you obtain the license UID of the Grid Master. If you use the license UID of a Grid member or an
appliance that has not yet joined the Grid, you might not be able to properly install the Grid-wide license.
The license file (CSV) format for Grid-wide licenses are as follows:
GRID_WIDE,license_uid,license_type,[expiry_date],license_string

Rev. D
Infoblox stores information related to Grid-wide licenses in a license file. When you install Grid-wide licenses, you must
upload the entire license file to the Grid Master, as described in the Adding Permanent or Subscription Licenses section.
To obtain Grid-wide licenses:
1. Log in to Grid Manager and obtain the license UID of the Grid Master as follows:
a. From the Grid tab, select the Licenses tab -> Grid Wide tab, and then click Export All Licenses from the
Toolbar.
b. Save the CSV file.
c. Open the CSV file. The UID is displayed in the SIGNATURE row. Copy this ID. You will need this ID when
contacting Infoblox Technical Support.
 Note
To obtain the UID of the Grid, you can use the show license_uid command on the Grid Master.
For more information, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.
2. Contact Infoblox Technical Support or your Infoblox representatives to obtain the Grid-wide licenses.
Adding Permanent or Subscription Licenses

To add permanent or subscription licenses:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Licenses tab -> Member tab or Pool tab or Grid Wide tab and click the Add icon.
2. Select one of the following:
• Upload License File: Use this method to upload static, dynamic, and Grid-wide license files. Click
Select File, navigate to the license file, and click Open.
• Paste License(s): Paste the license key in this text field. You must paste the entire string in CSV format:
serial number, hardware ID, license type, end date (in the mm/dd/yyyy format), and license string. If you
are pasting multiple licenses, start each string on a new line. For
example, 564daaa3ef07e648a563434a2b412834,564daaa3ef07e648a563434a2b412834,DNS,12/05/201
8,EwAAADU+PZEOjFsMAXxw4nlfHyZ6tdw
3. Click Save License(s).
The appliance validates the license and adds it to the table. Close the browser window and log in to Grid
Manager. If you are activating licenses for an HA pair, you must follow this procedure for both nodes.
 Note
• Once the NIOS license is installed, you must wait for NIOS to restart (if prompted) before you install
other licenses.
• To transfer licenses between vNIOS on VMware appliances, refer to
the Infoblox Installation Guide for vNIOS for VMware.
Adding Temporary Licenses

Use the set temp_license command to generate and install temporary licenses. This can provide licensed features and
functionality for the interim, while you wait for your permanent license to arrive.
To generate a temporary license:
1. Log in to the NIOS appliance through a remote console window.
For more information on how to open a remote console window, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.
2. At the Infoblox command prompt, enter set temp_license.
The appliance lists the available licenses, and you select those you need.
3. Enter the number of licenses you want to install.

Rev. D
4. Confirm the selection when prompted, and the following message appears:
Temporary license is installed.
 Note
Once the NIOS license is installed, you must wait for NIOS to restart before you install other licenses.
Viewing Licenses
If the appliance is part of a Grid, you must log in to the Grid Master to view license information from Grid Manager. If the
appliance is an independent appliance, log in to System Manager on the appliance. If you have transferred licenses from
one vNIOS appliance to another, you can view information about the new and replaced licenses.
Grid Manager displays licenses on the Grid tab -> Licenses tab. You can view license information for all static and
dynamic licenses (including temporary licenses) on the Member tab, and a summary of dynamic licenses on the Pool
tab.
Viewing Member Licenses

To view the information about active licenses, including static and dynamic licenses that are currently assigned or
allocated to NIOS and vNIOS appliances:
1. Log in to Grid Manager on the Grid Master or System Manager on an independent appliance.
2. Select the Grid or System tab -> Licenses tab -> Member tab. The appliance displays the following information:
• Type of License: The license category. This can be Static, Dynamic, Grid Wide, or Paid NIOS. Static
licenses are individual licenses you obtain and are currently assigned to specific appliances. These
licenses are tied to specific hardware IDs and you cannot deallocate them. Dynamic licenses are pooled
licenses that support the Elastic Scaling feature, which enables central tracking, granting, and
management of NIOS feature licenses for vNIOS entities in the Grid. You can manually allocate and
deallocate dynamic licenses. When installed, Grid-wide licenses are replicated to all members in the Grid.
The currently supported Grid-wide licenses are Security Ecosystem, Reporting Subscription, RPZ, Flex
Grid Activation and FireEye. Paid NIOS represents the pay-as-you-go licensing model for vNIOS virtual
appliances. In the AWS Marketplace, when you use the Paid NIOS model to launch the vNIOS for AWS
virtual appliance, the virtual appliance comes pre-installed with the following permanent licenses: vNIOS,
Grid, DNS, and CNA (Cloud Network Automation). As long as the virtual appliance is up and running, you
can use the NIOS features that these licenses provide. You cannot add, delete, import, or export Paid
NIOS licenses. For information about the Paid NIOS in AWS Marketplace, refer to the Installation Guide
for vNIOS for AWS.
• Feature: Indicates the features for which the license was installed. For example, if the license was
installed for DNS service, this shows DNS.
• Name: The FQDN of the appliance.
• HA: Indicates whether the appliance is an HA pair.
• IPv4 Address: The IPv4 address of the appliance, if applicable.
• IPv6 Address: The IPv6 address of the appliance, if applicable.
• Hardware ID: The unique hardware ID of the appliance. The ID is highlighted in red if the license on the
appliance was removed.
• Serial Number: The serial number of the appliance.
• Type Context: Depending on the license type, this field displays the attribute (such as Model) that the
license controls. This field is blank if the license does not control any attribute type. This field can display
• Leases: Indicates that this DHCP license supports a specific number of DHCP leases. The
number of leases supported is displayed in the Type Details field.
• Model: Indicates that this vNIOS license supports a specific vNIOS virtual appliance model. The
model supported is displayed in the Type Details field.
• Type Details: Information about the attribute type that the license monitors. This field can display the
following information for each attribute:
• Leases: The number of DHCP leases that the DHCP license supports.
• Model: The model of the NIOS virtual appliance, such as IB-V1410 or IB-V2215.
• Expiration: The expiration date of the license.

Rev. D
• Replaced Hardware ID: The hardware ID of the appliance whose license was removed.
Viewing Dynamic Licenses

You can install dynamic licenses on the Grid Master for future vNIOS appliance deployments. When you install dynamic
licenses, the Grid Master store them in a license pool. You can view these licenses and evaluate license usage for
vNIOS virtual appliances.
For a particular feature, such as DNS or DHCP, Grid Manager displays dynamic licenses in sub pools so you can view
the number of permanent licenses, the number of licenses that are expiring on a particular date, and those that are
expired. NIOS highlights the licenses that are going to expire soon using a yellow background. Licenses that are
approaching expiry are highlighted with a pink background.
 Note
The overall license status for a particular feature reflects the most critical status among all licenses in the pool.
For example, if there are expired licenses in the pool, the overall status for this license type appears as expired.
To view dynamic licenses in the pool and their usage information:

1. Log in to Grid Manager on the Grid Master.
2. Select the Grid tab -> Licenses tab -> Pool tab. The appliance displays the following information:
• Feature: The feature for which you have obtained the license.
• Installed: The number of licenses that have been installed for the specified feature.
• Assigned: The number of licenses currently allocated to vNIOS virtual appliances.
• Available: The number of licenses that are currently available for the specified feature.
• License Model: For vNIOS license only. Indicates the model type of the vNIOS virtual appliance. Note that
the vNIOS license you install on the vNIOS appliance must match the appliance model. You can use
vNIOS license that has a higher capacity on a vNIOS appliance that has a smaller capacity, but not vice
versa. For example, you can install a CP-V1405 license on a CP-V805 or CP-V1405 appliance, but not on
a CP-V2205.
• Limit Context: Depending on the license type, this field displays the attribute (such as Model) that the
• Limit Value: Information about the attribute type that the license monitors. This field can display the
• Model: The model of the vNIOS virtual appliance, such as IB-V410 or IB-V2215.
• Expiration: The expiration date and time of the license. It displays Permanent for permanent licenses and
Expired for licenses that expired.
3. Click the arrow mark next to the checkbox of a specific feature to view the list of licenses and their respective
expiration dates.
Viewing Grid-wide Licenses

Grid Manager displays the licenses that are configured for the respective Grid. To view Grid-wide licenses:
1. Log in to Grid Manager on the Grid Master.
2. Select the Grid tab -> Licenses tab -> Grid Wide tab. The appliance displays the following information:
• Feature: The feature for which you have obtained the license.
• Limit Context: Depending on the license type, this field displays the attribute (such as Model) that the

Rev. D
• Limit Value: Information about the attribute type that the license monitors. This field can display the
• Model: The model of the vNIOS virtual appliance, such as IB-V1410 or IB-V2215.
• Expiration: The expiration date and time of the license. It displays Permanent for permanent licenses.
You can do the following:
• Delete a Grid-wide license as explained in the Removing Licenses section.
• Click the Export icon to export the list of licenses to a .csv file.
• Click the Print icon to print the list of licenses.
To search for specific licenses on the Member, Pool and Grid Wide tabs, you can use filters and the Go to function (the
Go to function is not supported in the Pool tab) to narrow down the list. With the autocomplete feature, you can just enter
the first few characters of an object name in the Go to field and select the object from the possible matches. You can also
create a quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria. For information, see Using Quick Filters.
Backing Up Licenses
You can back up all static licenses, dynamic licenses added in the license pool container, and Grid-wide licenses in case
you need to re-install them at a later time. Infoblox recommends backing up the licenses before removing any of them.
 Note
Dynamic licenses are not exported to this file. Dynamic licenses are automatically released and returned to the
license pool on the Grid Master when a member leaves the Grid. Unallocated dynamic Licenses are available
for allocations.
When you back up the licenses, Grid Manager creates a CSV file that lists the following information for each license:
serial number, hardware ID, license type, end date, and license string.
To back up licenses:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Licenses tab.
2. Click Export All Licenses in the toolbar. Grid Manager generates a CSV file that contains all the licenses.
Depending on the browser you use, you can then open the file or save it to a specified location.
Removing Licenses
You can remove licenses and reset a NIOS appliance to its factory default settings. For example, if you have a NIOS
appliance running the DNSone package with the Grid upgrade, but you want to use it as an independent appliance, you
can remove the Grid license. Infoblox recommends that you back up licenses before removing them, in case you decide
to re-install them at a future time.
When you remove a Grid-wide license, the licensed feature is deactivated on all the members that are affected by the
license. On the other hand, when you remove a Grid member from the Grid, the member no longer has the ability to run
the feature associated with the Grid-wide license now that is it not part of the Grid.
 Note
• Exercise caution when removing licenses; you may render an appliance unusable by removing the
wrong license. Other feature sets may be affected once you remove a license; for example, removing
licensing for DNS and DHCP services will also disable task packs on the NIOS Dashboards –
> Tasks page.

Rev. D
• Infoblox does not recommend deleting CNA temporary licenses as it may result in unexpected behavior.
For example, after deleting a CNA temporary license, running a vRA workflow to create a reservation on
a vNIOS setup followed by a vDiscovery job, can result in a VM affiliation conflict. To clear the conflict,
as a workaround, you must install a CNA permanent license, and then delete it. For assistance, contact
the Infoblox Technical Support.
To remove an active license:

1. From the Grid tab, select the Licenses tab -> Member tab or Grid Wide tab.
2. Select the license and click the Delete icon.
Check the license that you are about to remove. Note that removing the wrong license can render an appliance
unusable.
3. Click Yes when the confirmation dialog appears.
4. Close the browser window and log in to the Infoblox GUI.
NIOS Licenses
The following table lists NIOS licenses and the behavior when the subscription licenses expire:
License Supported Features When the License Expires
Advanced DNS Advanced DNS Protection / Existing functionality continues to work as is. You can add new custom rules and publish.
Protection (ADP) / Threat protection You may not be able to upload new ruleset, but old rulesets remain functional.
Threat Protection
Software Advanced Virtual advanced DNS

DNS Protection / protection / Threat protection
Threat Protection
(software add-on)
Threat Protection Receive and update threat

Update protection rules and rule
updates
Threat Protection • Threat protection

and Threat
Protection Update
• Elastic scaling
Security Ecosystem Outbound Notification Existing functionality continues to work as is with existing and new endpoints and
notifications. Integrations such as the FireEye feed will stop functioning as it is dependent
on RPZ.
FireEye FireEye Existing functionality continues to work as is.
DNS Cache DNS Cache Acceleration Existing functionality continues to work as is. Changes and new additions work fine.
Acceleration (DCA)
DNS DNS Existing functionality continues to work as is. Allows addition of new zones and networks.
DNS Traffic Control DNS Traffic Control Existing functionality continues to work as is.
(DTC)
Threat Analytics Threat Insight/Threat Analytics Existing functionality continues to work as is. New RPZ may not take effect as Named
server does not restart after license expiry.
DHCP DHCP Existing functionality continues to work as is. Allows addition of new zones and networks.

Rev. D
Microsoft • Management of New data (new zone) added on Microsoft server is not synchronized to NIOS.
Management (MS
MGMNT)
Microsoft DNS and
DHCP servers from
Infoblox Grid
Manager.
• Synchronization of
DNS and DHCP
data to the Grid
database.
Cloud Network Cloud network automation Existing functionality continues to work as is.
Automation (only if
IB-FLEX is used as
a Grid Master)
Cloud Platform Cloud Platform Existing functionality continues to work as is. The Cloud API is available. In Grid Manager,
you can manage cloud objects from the Grid -> Grid Manager -> Cloud-API tab.
You may not be able to add an A record on a zone that has Cloud Platform members
assigned to it.
Response Policy Response Policy Zone RPZ Feed zones and zone transfer continue to work. RPZ feeds will stop.
Zone (RPZ)
Dual Engine DNS Unbound DNS Functionality continues to work as is.

(only for recursive
DNS)
NIOS/vNIOS NIOS services Functionality continues to work as is.
Grid • When installed on a Functionality continues to work as is with existing members. You may not be able to add
new members to the Grid.
member that has no
other Infoblox
licenses installed,
you can Join the
member to a Grid.
• When installed on a
Grid Master, you
can get the UID
required to obtain
dynamic licenses.
Query Redirection Query Redirection/ Functionality continues to work as is.

NXDOMAIN Redirect
Reporting Reporting Reporting functionality continues to work as is and reports update. If the license related to
FireEye expires, old data does not show in the FireEye Alerts report.
Multi-Grid Multi-Grid Management Functionality continues to work as is.

Management
(MGM)
Network Discovery Network Discovery Functionality continues to work as is.

(ND)
Licenses that are bundled with multiple licenses:

Rev. D
DNSone includes the • DNS -

following licenses:
• DHCP
• DNS
• DHCP
The Flex Grid Activation • Grid Functionality continues to work as is for all features except for the Grid license,
license includes the where functionality works for existing members. You may not be able to add new
following licenses:
• Unbound members to the Grid.
• Grid • DNS Cache
• Unbound Acceleration
• DNS Cache • DNS
Acceleration • DHCP
• DNS • DNS Traffic Control
• DHCP • Response Policy Zone
• DNS Traffic • Software ADP
Control • Threat Protection
• Response Update
Policy Zone • DNSFW
• NXDOMAIN • NXDOMAIN Redirect
Redirect • Query rewrite
• Dual Engine • Threat Analytics
DNS (only for • Security Ecosystem
recursive • Captive Portal
DNS) • Microsoft Management
• Software • Cloud Network
Threat Automation (only if IB-
Protection FLEX is used as a Grid
• Threat Master).
Protection
Update
• Threat
Analytics
• Security
Ecosystem
• Microsoft
Management
• Cloud
Network
Automation
(applies only
to the IB-
FLEX Grid
Master)

Rev. D
The Flex Grid Activation Same features as the Flex Grid

for Managed Services Activation license.
license installed only on
Grid Master or a
standalone appliance,
includes the same set
of licenses bundled with
the Flex Grid Activation
license.
 Note
NTLMv2 is the only authentication method supported for Microsoft servers managed from Infoblox Grids. For
information about managing Microsoft Windows servers from Grid Manager, see Managing Microsoft Windows
Servers.
About IB-FLEX
IB-FLEX is a virtual platform that is scalable based on the resource that you allocate to the virtual machine. NIOS
automatically detects the capacity of the virtual machine and scales it to the appropriate platform after you provision the
IB-FLEX member.
You must first install the Grid license on a non IB-FLEX appliance that is designated as the Grid Master to allow
members to join the Grid, even if you have already installed an Flex Grid Activation license. This license does not affect a
non IB-FLEX Grid Master.
An IB-FLEX appliance designated as a member does not require any license, either Grid or vNIOS, while joining the
Grid. When you register an IB-FLEX member, the appliance checks for the Grid (enterprise) license and changes it to a
non IB-FLEX member. For an IB-FLEX appliance, it checks for an Flex Grid Activation Grid-wide license before node
registration.
IB-FLEX members can join the Grid through the MGMT interface when Software ADP is enabled. You can configure an
IB-FLEX appliance to function as a Grid Master or a member. To enable reporting for a Grid member that is running
Software ADP, you must configure the MGMT interface.
A non IB-FLEX appliance designated as a member requires either a Grid and/or vNIOS/NIOS licenses installed to join
the Grid. Similarly, for a reporting appliance to join the Grid, you must install a Grid and/or vNIOS/NIOS licenses. You
cannot assign pool licenses to an IB-FLEX appliance. IB-FLEX supports HA for appliances that are running Software
ADP.
Infoblox supports elastic scaling on IB-FLEX members that use the Flex Grid Activation Grid-wide license. It also
supports pre-provisioning for Software ADP on the supported platforms. You must add the new IB-FLEX model to the list
of supported pre-provisioning hardware types, so that you can select it during the member pre-provisioning. To pre-
provision a non IB-FLEX Grid member, you must have valid pool licenses and pre-provisioned those members in the
Grid.
 Important
To set up a supported virtual appliance as an IB-FLEX, you must first define the hardware type of the virtual
appliance as IB-FLEX before you configure it. Depending on the platform or environment in which you are
installing IB-FLEX, you can define the hardware_type parameter to IB-FLEX during the cloud-init process, or
you can manually set the hardware type using the set hardware-type CLI command. For more information,
see set hardware-type.
Limitations of IB-FLEX
• It is not compatible with the traditional node-based licensing and it supports capacity based licensing only.
• An IB-FLEX instance will not start if you do not configure the required minimum level of resources.

Rev. D
• The resources assigned to IB-FLEX for cores and memory must be equal to or exceed the minimum designated
values for the platform. For more information about IB-FLEX platforms, see About IB-FLEX Instances and
Platform Settings.
• IB-FLEX does not support DNS64 on appliances running NIOS version 8.2.0.
• IB-FLEX on AWS does not support ADP and DCA features.
Installing IB-FLEX
Depending on your network environment, you can install IB-FLEX just like how you install other Infoblox virtual
appliances. Before you deploy an IB-FLEX, ensure that you set the hardware type of the appliance to IB-FLEX. You can
do so either through the cloud-init process during deployment or manually through the set hardware-type CLI command.
For more information about installing IB-FLEX in the VMware environment, see Deploying vNIOS Appliances on VMware.
For information about installing IB-FLEX in the OpenStack environment, see Deploying vNIOS for KVM in OpenStack
Using Elastic Scaling.
About IB-FLEX Instances and Platform Settings

An IB-FLEX instance supports capacity-based licensing only, but it is compatible with NIOS Grid Master that uses node-
based licensing. You can upgrade an IB-FLEX instance from a low-end platform to a high-end platform by increasing the
resource allocation of the virtual machine. An IB-FLEX instance selects the default internal settings for a respective
instance platform based on the resource settings detected during the startup.
An IB-FLEX instance supports VMware ESXi with or without SR-IOV enabled and OpenStack with KVM both with or
without SR-IOV. The table below provides information about the IB-FLEX platform resource specification:
IB-FLEX Platform Resource Specification
Resource Type Allowed Range of Recommended Value Description

Values
Virtual NUMA Nodes 1 1 Single virtual CPU socket
Disk Size 250 GB 250 GB Fixed size virtual disk
The table below provides information about the IB-FLEX platform and various platform settings:
Total Resource Usage for Different Use Cases
Intended Use Total CPU Total Virtual Memory Total Virtual Memory Database Object Grid Master
GB (Without GB (With Software Count Capable
Software ADP) ADP)
Small Authoritative DNS 4 8 10 100,000 No
Medium Authoritative DNS 8 16 22 600,000 Yes
Large Authoritative DNS 16 32 40 5,000,000 Yes
Recursive DNS (without acceleration) 6 14 18 200,000 Yes
Large Recursive DNS (without 14 28 36 2,000,000 Yes

acceleration)
Small Grid Master 10 18 26 1,000,000 Yes

Rev. D
Intended Use Total CPU Total Virtual Memory Total Virtual Memory Database Object Grid Master
GB (Without GB (With Software Count Capable
Software ADP) ADP)
Medium Grid Master 12 22 30 2,000,000 Yes
Large Grid Master 16 32 40 16,000,000 Yes
Small Recursive DNS (with acceleration) 10 12 20 100,000 No
Medium Recursive DNS (with 16 20 28 100,000 No

acceleration)
Large Recursive DNS (with acceleration) 26 30 38 100,000 No
Large Grid Master 20 38 16,000,000 Yes
Note the following about IB-FLEX:

• You cannot mark an IB-FLEX appliance as a Grid Master or Grid Master Candidate with resources that
are intended for small authoritative DNS, small recursive DNS (with acceleration), medium recursive DNS
(with acceleration), and large recursive DNS (with acceleration). For more information, see Total Resource Usage
for Different Use Cases.
• Infoblox recommends that you increase the memory to the following for IB-FLEX members to use certain
features:
• 16 GB, instead of the standard 14 GB, to use DNS analytics.
• 20 GB, instead of the standard 18 GB, to use Threat analytics when RPZ is assigned to the IB-FLEX
member.
Configuring DNS Cache Acceleration on IB-FLEX

When you enable virtual DNS cache acceleration on the IB-FLEX, the appliance acts as a high-speed DNS caching-only
name server. This feature provides DNS cache acceleration support for recursive UDP DNS queries on the IB-FLEX. The
DNS cache acceleration feature is bundled with the Tiered licensing. When you install this license, you are entitled to use
the DNS cache acceleration feature on IB-FLEX.
IB-FLEX supports RPZ, but the response for RPZ queries are not cached by the DNS cache accelerator. Instead,
these queries are bypassed to the host and you can configure cache expiry period for RPZ queries. Note that the
maximum cache lifetime for DNS cache acceleration on IB-FLEX is set to 300 seconds if the RPZ license is installed.
You can also use Elastic Scaling to pre-provision DNS cache acceleration on IB-FLEX. IB-FLEX supports Intel
x86_64 systems with IOMMU, Hugepages processors, virtio-net, and Intel 82599 10 G NIC and SRIOV with Intel
82599 ethernet controllers for DNS cache acceleration.
You can configure DNS cache acceleration on IB-FLEX using the Grid Manager or API. To view accelerated
cache details, you can either log in to Grid Manager, or use CLI commands, or Infoblox API. If the tiered license usage is
exceeded then a message is displayed in the Grid Manager. A warning message is displayed on the Grid Manager, if the
QPS is going over the threshold on these platforms based on Tiered license installed.
Infoblox supports Auto Scaling that contains OpenStack packages to automatically scale the required number
of resources based on your application. For more information, refer to Auto Scaling for Virtual DNS Cache Acceleration.
For detailed information about configuring DNS Cache Acceleration, see Configuring DNS Cache Acceleration.
Reports for IB-FLEX

Infoblox supports a selected set of reports on IB-FLEX. To view all available reports, from the Reporting tab, select
the Dashboards tab. The table below lists all the supported reports for IB-FLEX. For information about how to create and
manage user-defined reports, see Infoblox Reporting and Analytics.
Supported Reports for IB-FLEX

Rev. D
DNS Reports Security (DNS) Reports System Reports
DNS Query Rate by Query Type DNS Top RPZ Hits Flex Grid Licensing Features Enabled
DNS Query Rate by Member DNS Top RPZ Hits by Client CPU Utilization Trend
DNS Daily Query Rate by Member DNS RPZ Hits Trend By Mitigation Memory Utilization Trend
Action
DNS Daily Peak Hour Query Rate by Member
DNS Replies Trend
DNS Cache Hit Rate Trend
DNS Top Requested Domain Names
DNS Top NXDOMAIN / NOERROR (no data)
DNS Top Clients
DNS Top Timed-Out Recursive Queries
DNS Response Latency Trend
DNS Top SERVFAIL Errors Sent
DNS Top SERVFAIL Errors Received
DNS Object Count Trend for Flex Grid License
DNS Effective Peak Usage Trend for Flex Grid

License
Configuring DNS Cache Acceleration

The software-based DNS acceleration feature supports IB-Flex and non-IB-Flex (IB-2215, IB-2225, IB-V2215, IB-V2225,
IB-4015, IB-4025, IB-V4015, and IB-V4025) platforms. When you enable the virtual DNS cache acceleration feature on
IB-Flex and non IB-Flex appliances, it acts as a high-speed DNS caching-only name server. This feature provides DNS
cache acceleration support for recursive UDP DNS queries.
The DNS cache acceleration feature is bundled with the Tiered licensing for IB-Flex appliances and for non-IB-Flex
appliances it is based on the type of tiered license that is installed. Only the Tier 1 (unlimited QPS up to capability)
license can be installed on IB-2215 and IB-V2225 appliances. When you install the license, you are entitled to use the
DNS cache acceleration feature. For non-IB-Flex appliances, the warning message is based on the tiered license that is
installed, and the QPS is rate-limited which is based on the type of license installed. If the tiered license and the QPS
exceed the threshold, a warning message is displayed. For more information on the Tiered licensing feature, see
Features on the Software DNS Cache Acceleration Platforms for features on the Software DNS cache acceleration
platforms.

Rev. D
All the appliances support RPZ, but the response for RPZ queries are not cached by the DNS cache accelerator. Instead,
these queries are bypassed to the host. You can configure the cache expiry period for RPZ queries. Note that the
maximum cache lifetime for DNS cache acceleration is set to 300 seconds if the RPZ license is installed. However, for
IB-Flex appliances, you must configure RPZ zones for a member.
You can also use Elastic Scaling to pre-provision DNS cache acceleration. These appliances support Intel x86_64
systems with IOMMU, Hugepages processors, virtio-net, and Intel 82599 10 G NIC and SRIOV with Intel 82599 ethernet
controllers for DNS cache acceleration.
You can configure DNS cache acceleration using the Grid Manager or API. To view accelerated cache details, you can
either log in to Grid Manager, or use CLI commands, or Infoblox API. Infoblox supports Auto Scaling that contains
OpenStack packages to automatically scale the required number of resources based on your application. For more
information, refer to Auto Scaling for Virtual DNS Cache Acceleration.
Associated characteristics of the supported appliance include the following:
• Cache delete through the Grid Manager, CLI, or Infoblox API. For more information, see Clearing DNS Cache.
• ACL for IPv4 and IPv6.
• Sending SNMP traps for DNS cache acceleration service.
• SNMP queries for supported appliances.
• Fixed RRSET order for accelerated responses, for A and AAAA record types, for IPv4, and IPv6.
• Both non-accelerated recursive and authoritative DNS with Software ADP.
The following table lists the features that are either supported or not supported on the Software DNS cache
acceleration platforms:
Features on the Software DNS Cache Acceleration Platforms
Features IB-Flex IB- IB-2 IB- IB- IB-4 IB-4 IB- IB-
22 225 v2215 v2225 015 025 v4015 v40
15 25
Tiered licensing Licensing is based on the Flex Grid IB-40x5 appliances support four tiers of DNS QPS and the QPS levels
Activation license on the Grid. Note that the are enforced by rate limiting
queries per second are limited by the
number of CPUs for IB-FLEX.
RPZ Yes, the maximum cache lifetime for DNS Yes, the maximum cache lifetime for DNS cache acceleration is set to
cache acceleration is set to 300 seconds if 300 seconds if the RPZ license is installed.
RPZ zones are configured for the member.
Caching (A, AAAA, MX, Yes Yes

CNAME, PTR)
Do not cache (EDNS, TCP, Yes Yes

Any, TSIG)
Caching over additional Yes Yes

interfaces (v4, v6)
Dump Acceleration Cache Yes Yes

(CLI, GUI, PAPI)
Clear Acceleration Cache Yes Yes

(CLI, GUI, PAPI)
Cache pre-fetch and cache Yes Yes

refresh

Rev. D
22 225 v2215 v2225 015 025 v4015 v40
15 25
ACLs (Allow-queries/ Yes Yes

Responses, Match-Clients/
Destination, Blackhole)
AAAA Filtering (Bypassed Yes Yes

but support configuring)
Fixed RRSET ordering Yes Yes
DNS64 Yes Yes
DNS monitoring feature Yes Yes

(netmon)
DNS Query logging (BIND Yes Yes

only)
DNS Views Yes, it supports up to six DNS views. Yes, it supports up to six DNS views.
Forward/Stub zones Yes Yes
Unbound as DNS resolver Yes, unbound is supported through the Flex Yes, unbound is supported if the Dual Engine DNS license is installed.
Grid Activation license.
DNS cache acceleration Yes, for NIOS version 8.2.0, restrictions are No
related restrictions for enforced based on whether the DNS cache
configuration acceleration feature is enabled or disabled.
Reporting Yes, for more information, see Reports for Yes

IB-FLEX.
VLAN Yes Yes
DSCP No, Infoblox does not support DSCP for Infoblox does not support DSCP for physical or virtual appliances only
virtual appliances. if DCA is enabled.
Sort list Yes Yes
Anycast (OSPF and BGP) Yes Yes
BFD (Bidirectional Yes

Forwarding Detection)
HA Support Yes, only for non-SRIOV. Yes
NIC Bonding Yes Yes

Rev. D
22 225 v2215 v2225 015 025 v4015 v40
15 25
Multiple-Interfaces on the No No
same subnet
IP Rate-limit and No No
Response logging
EDNS Client Subnet No No

support
NXDomain-redirection Yes Ye
DNSSEC (Bypassed but Yes Yes

support configuring)
Debug enhancements Yes Yes
SNMP Support for DCA Yes Yes

service-related traps
SNMP stats support for Yes Yes

DNS QPS and CHR
NX Mitigation No No
NetFilter (Tracking tables) No
Traffic-capture (All modes) Yes, there is partial support. Note that Yes, there is partial support. Note that tcpdump captures both queries
tcpdump captures both queries and and responses.
responses.
No flush-mode support for Yes Yes

DNS cache acceleration
cache
Per-interface UDP DNS Yes Yes

cache acceleration
response counters
CLI commands You can use the commands set dns-accel You can use the commands set dns-accel and show dns-accel to
and show dns-accel to view and set DNS view and set DNS cache acceleration information. For more
cache acceleration information. For more information, see CLI Commands.
information, see CLI Commands.
DNS Query rewrite No No

(Bypassed but supports
configuring)

Rev. D
22 225 v2215 v2225 015 025 v4015 v40
15 25
Threat Protection Supported on IB-FLEX platforms. Allows Supported on IB-FLEX platforms. Allows enabling Software ADP and
enabling Software ADP and DNS cache DNS cache acceleration simultaneously.
acceleration simultaneously on IB-FLEX
platforms.
Subscriber Secure Policy Yes Yes
 Note
By default, all malformed packets are dropped early when the accelerated threat protection service is enabled.
Viewing Accelerated Cache Details

When you view cached contents of the DNS accelerator through the Grid Manager, there might be a slight impact on the
DNS query performance of the selected member.
To view accelerated cache from the Grid Manager:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Members tab -> Member checkbox.
Choose View from the Toolbar, and then click View Cache.
2. Click Yes in the View Acceleration Cache dialog box.
3. The system displays a File Download was Successful message and the cache data is displayed in table format
in a new browser tab or browser window.
Limitations for Virtual DNS Cache Acceleration

• You cannot enable the DNS cache acceleration feature during a scheduled NIOS upgrade, but if you have
already enabled this feature, it will function normally during the upgrade process.
• The appliance prompts for a reboot when you enable the DNS cache acceleration feature for the first time.
You must accept it to start the service.
• You must disable the DNS cache acceleration feature and reboot the appliance manually to switch from
virtual DNS cache acceleration to authoritative servers.
• The appliance prompts for a reboot when you enable virtual DNS cache acceleration and Software ADP on IB-
FLEX, IB-22x5 and IB-40x5 platforms .
• DSCP is not supported if vDCA is enabled on IB-FLEX 22x5 and IB-40x5.
• DHCP license cannot be installed if the DCA license is installed and vice versa.
• DCA and Microsoft Management licenses cannot be installed and configured simultaneously.
• On all vNIOS appliances that support vDCA (virtual DNS Cache Acceleration) or vADP (virtual Advanced DNS
Protection), you must run vDCA or vADP on a single virtual NUMA node. If the configuration of the virtual NUMA
node and physical NUMA node are not the same, it may result in performance degradation.
Limitations for DNS Cache Acceleration in Subscriber Services Parental Control

Enabling DNS Cache Acceleration for subscriber services in the Parental Control tab has the following limitations:
• The DNS Cache Acceleration subscriber site features, query count logging and blocked and allowed list
support are applicable on Virtual DNS Cache Acceleration, and the features are available on IB-4030, however
they are not supported.
• The DNS Cache Acceleration subscriber site features, query count logging and blocked and allowed list support
and retains only unknown bits and does not support unknown policies (AVP).
• DNS Cache Acceleration uses BIND to process the guests behind Customer Premises Equipment (CPEs).
• The appliance prompts for a reboot when there is a configuration change.
• DNSTAP is required for query count logging.

Rev. D
• DNS Cache Acceleration does not cache blocked domains from BIND as it only uses category information for
resolved domains.
• At Virtual DNS Cache Acceleration, the subscriber has access only to the primary MSP IP address.
• DNS Cache Acceleration subscriber site feature supports only 16 additional blocking policies.
• Before blocking another opt in subscriber at DNS Cache Acceleration, an opt in subscriber must resolve a
domain.
• Proxy-All replies comes from DNS Cache Acceleration as long as the client connection status to MSP is
"connected." If the client connection status is "disconnected," the first few queries goes to BIND, and future
requests comes from DNS Cache Acceleration. Note that, TCP idle connections are closed every 20 seconds by
MSP.
• The query name for the subscriber allowed and blocked list must contain a known TLD (top-level domain) and, if
there are any prefixes, must conclude with a '.'.
• Only domain names are supported by the subscriber allowed and blocked lists, the wildcards and services are
not supported.
For Information on Upgrading Parental Control at DNS Cache Acceleration, see Upgrading Parental Control at DNS
Cache Acceleration.
IB-FLEX Platform Settings for DNS Cache Acceleration

When you enable the DNS cache acceleration feature on IB-FLEX, ensure that it has enough CPU and memory to
start the service, and that it does not contain any authoritative zones. Note that you cannot start the service if the total
CPU is less than 8 cores or if memory is less than 12G. To start the service, see the number of mandatory resources
mentioned in Total Resource Usage for Different Use Cases.
If the DNS cache acceleration feature is enabled on a pre-provisioned member and fails to start due to insufficient
resources on the member, the DCA status is displayed as failed. If you disable DCA on a member with insufficient
resources, the member is not displayed in the DCA -> Members tab.
 Note
• Under certain circumstances, the DNS cache acceleration feature may not function normally when you
perform a product restart. This happens due to increased resource allocation on the virtual machine and
the appliance does not log any entries in the syslog. Infoblox recommends that you restart or reboot the
system and free up server resources if you encounter this issue.
• Before enabling DNS Cache Acceleration or ADP on virtual platforms, ensure that the ssse3, sse4_1,
and sse4_2 CPU flags are set on the host server. For more information, see https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/
serverguide/DPDK.html.en
• If you see the "/usr/bin/fast-path.sh: error starting /usr/bin/fp-rte. Check logs for details" error message
in the infoblox.log file, ensure that the ssse3, sse4_1, and sse4_2 flags are set for the VM.
About Elastic Scaling

Elastic Scaling provides the capability to automatically pre-provision and deploy vNIOS appliances on-demand for IPAM
(IP Address Management), DNS, and/or DHCP. Compared to standard appliance deployment and licensing
management, you now have the flexibility to purchase multiple service and feature licenses and install them as dynamic
licenses for future vNIOS or cloud deployments based on your evolving business needs and deploy them as needed.
When you remove a vNIOS or cloud appliance from the Grid, the dynamic licenses on the appliance are automatically
released and returned to the license pool on the Grid Master for reuse at a later time. Elastic scaling includes a full set of
APIs for pre-provisioning, deployment, and de-provisioning vNIOS appliances, making it simple to add or remove DNS or
DHCP capacity on-demand to meet changing infrastructure requirements, which is critical for realizing the benefits of
dynamic Cloud environments. For information about the Infoblox cloud solution, see Deploying Cloud Network
Automation.
You can purchase licenses of any type, such as vNIOS, DNS, DHCP, Enterprise (formerly Grid) and Cloud Platform,
deploy them as dynamic licenses on the Grid Master , and allocate them to vNIOS virtual appliances manually or
automatically through Elastic Scaling.
All dynamic licenses are tied to a specific Grid Master. You must first obtain the LPC_UID (License Pool Container

Rev. D
Unique ID) of the Grid Master before obtaining the licenses from Infoblox Technical Support. For more information, see
Obtaining Dynamic Licenses.
When you use Elastic Scaling to pre-provision and launch vNIOS appliances, licenses are automatically installed on the
newly spun-up appliances during the process as long as you have the correct vNIOS licenses in the license pools for the
vNIOS models you plan to deploy. For example, you can install a CP-V1405 license on a CP-V1405 or CP-V805, but you
cannot do so on a CP-V2205. If there are no licenses available in the pool for the specified appliance models, the Grid
Master notifies you with an error message (for Cloud Platform Appliances, the API calls fail). Note that you cannot add a
vNIOS Grid member when no dynamic licenses are available. When you spin down vNIOS appliances, its assigned
licenses are released and returned to the NIOS license pool.
The Grid Master keeps track of dynamic licenses that are allocated to vNIOS members and adjusts the total number of
available dynamic licenses for each feature and service. You can view the total number of dynamic licenses installed for
each feature and service, the number of active and available licenses, their usage, and other related information in the
Grid tab -> Licenses tab -> Pool tab of Grid Manager. For information about how to view dynamic licenses, see Viewing
Dynamic Licenses.
Infoblox supports elastic scaling for Software ADP profiles on the supported platforms and provides the following pool
licenses: Threat Protection (Software add-on) and Threat Protection Update. For more information about Software ADP
profiles, see Configuring Threat Protection Profiles. Threat protection members use management port for IPv4 and IPv6
communication with the Grid. Infoblox supports cloud API calls for such members to join the Grid using MGMT port and
VPN on the MGMT port. To know more about using the MGMT port, see Using the MGMT Port.
You can also manually allocate and deallocate dynamic licenses as your business requirements evolve. For more
information, see Manually Allocating Dynamic Licenses and Manually Deallocating Dynamic Licenses.
Using Elastic Scaling to Pre-provision and Launch vNIOS Members

You can use Elastic Scaling to deploy on-demand vNIOS virtual members in a Grid and in your cloud environment and
pre-provision them to manage networks and zones. For information about how to utilize Elastic Scaling to provision
Cloud Platform Appliances and join them to the Grid using cloud API calls, see Sample Cloud API Requests for Elastic
Scaling.
Complete the following tasks to pre-provision and launch vNIOS appliances:
1. Obtain dynamic licenses and install them on the Grid Master, as described in Obtaining Dynamic Licenses. You
can also use a temporary license to spin up a Grid Master VM.
2. Create an offline Grid member or HA pair, as described in Adding a Single Member or Adding an HA Member.
3. Pre-provision the offline Grid member you just created, as described in Configuring Pre-Provisioned Members.
Note that there are a few guidelines that you might want to review before pre-provisioning your Grid member. For
more information, see Guidelines for Pre-provisioning Offline Grid Members.
 Note
You must include the Grid and vNIOS provisional licenses for pre-provisioned vNIOS members in order
to join them to the Grid.
4. Generate a token for the Grid member, as described in Generating Tokens for Grid Members.
 Note
For HA pairs, the appliance generates two tokens—one for each node of the HA pair.
5. Use cloud API calls to add network views, networks, or zones and then delegate the objects to the offline Grid
member. For information about sample cloud API requests, see Sample Cloud API Requests for Elastic Scaling.
6. Use API requests to join the Grid member to the Grid. For sample API requests, see Sample Cloud API Requests
for Elastic Scaling. If for any reasons the automated process of Elastic Scaling fails or if you are unable to send
API calls, you can use CLI commands to join the Grid member to the Grid as a workaround. For more
information, see Using CLI Commands to Join Grid Members.
7. Verify the Grid member has successfully joined the Grid, as described in Viewing Status.
8. Verify the dynamic licenses have been allocated correctly by viewing the license usage, as described in Viewing
Dynamic Licenses.

Rev. D
Generating Tokens for Grid Members
Before you can automatically allocate dynamic licenses to a pre-provisioned member, you must request a one-time token
from the Grid Master. This token allows the member to register and authenticate itself to the Grid Master before a
specified date and time (the default is 60 minutes from the time you generate the token). When the token is not used
after the expiration date and time, it becomes invalid and you must generate another token for the member. You can
configure the token usage timeout so the appliance can send syslog messages to alert you about the unused token. For
information about how to set the token usage timeout value, see Configuring Token Usage Timeout.
Using a one-time token eliminates the need for the Grid Master credentials to be exposed to other Grid members and the
CMP (Cloud Management Platform) in the case of cloud implementation. Note that only superusers can generate and
view the token for a pre-provisioned Grid member.
 Note
You can use API calls as part of the automated deployment process to generate a token for the vNIOS Grid
member before joining it to the Grid. For information about sample API requests you can use to generate a
token, see Sample Cloud API Requests for Elastic Scaling. As a workaround, you can also generate a token
through Grid Manager.
To generate a token through Grid Manager, complete the following:

2. Click the Action icon next to the vNIOS member and select Generate Token from the list.
3. In the Your Permission Token dialog, the appliance displays the token and the Expiration Date of the token. You
must generate a new token for the member if the token is not used before the expiration date.
 Note
Copy this token and paste it at the CLI when you use the set token on command to set the token and
generate the token file.
Configuring Token Usage Timeout

You can configure the appliance to send syslog messages to alert you about an unused token that has been generated
for a pre-provisioned member. Depending on the timeout interval you configure, the appliance sends a syslog message
for each timeout interval until the token expires.
To configure the token usage timeout value:
1. From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, click Grid Properties -> Edit from the toolbar.
2. In the Grid Properties editor, select the General tab -> Basic tab and complete the following:
• Token usage timeout: Enter the time interval (in minutes) for which the appliance sends a syslog message to alert
you about the unused permission token for a pre-provisioned member. For example, if you enter 5 here, the
appliance sends a syslog message every five minutes. The default is 10.
Using CLI Commands to Join Grid Members
 Note
If for any reasons the automated process of Elastic Scaling does not function properly, you can use CLI
commands to join Grid members to the Grid as a workaround.

Rev. D
When using Elastic Scaling, ensure that you have generated a token for the member, as described in Generating Tokens
for Grid Members before joining the member to the Grid.
To join the vNIOS member to the Grid:
1. Access the Infoblox CLI using an SSHv2 connection through an SSHv2 client. You can also access the CLI by
connecting a serial cable directly from the console port of a management system to the console port on the
appliance, and then using a terminal emulation program such as Hilgraeve Hyperterminal® (provided with
Windows® operating systems) and launch a session. The connection settings are:
• Bits per second: 9600
• Stop bits: 1
• Data bits: 8
• Flow control: Xon/Xoff
• Parity: None
2. Log in using the default user name and password admin and infoblox. User names and passwords are case-
sensitive.
3. To change the network settings from the default, enter the set network command. Then enter information as
prompted to change the IP address, netmask, and gateway for the LAN1 port.
configure a standalone node or to join a grid.
Enter IPv4 address [Default: n.n.n.41]: <Enter the LAN1 port IP address>
Enter netmask: [Default: 255.255.255.0]: <Enter the LAN1 port netmask>
Enter gateway address [Default: n.n.n.1]: <Enter the gateway IP address>
NOTICE: Additional IPv6 interface can be configured only via GUI.
Become grid member? (y or n): n
 Note
You must enter n to use Elastic Scaling. If you enter y, the member becomes a Grid member and you
will not be able to set token and join the pre-provisioned member to the Grid.
4. Use the set token on command to set the member token, the Grid Master IP address and certificate to the
token file. Following is an example:
Infoblox > set token on
Enter GM-IP [Current: not defined]: <Enter the Grid Master IP address>
Enter Token [Current: not defined]: Copy token from the Your Permission Token dialog in Grid
Manager.
New Token Settings:
GM-IP: 1.1.1.1
Token: b25lLnZpcnR1YWxfbm9kZSQx
Is this correct? (y or n): y
Do you want to download the certificate form GM and validate (y or n): y
Is this correct and valid (y or n): y
Are you sure to apply and save settings to file?: y
The token and certificate are saved.
5. To verify the token:
Infoblox > show token
The CLI displays the current token setting and certification information. Verify this information.
 Note
If there is incorrect information, use set token off to remove the token file.
6. Use the set token join command to register the Grid member and get licenses from the license pool before
joining the member to the Grid. Once the member joins the Grid, the token become invalid—you can use the
token only once.
Infoblox > set token join
Are you sure to start Member registration Client? (y or no): y Starting Member registration

Rev. D
Client...
Connecting...
 Note
For HA pairs, repeat the CLI commands on both nodes.
Using OpenStack cloud-init template to configure Grid Master and join Grid members
You can use the following OpenStack cloud-init template to configure an IB-V815 as a Grid Master:
#infoblox-config remote_console_enabled: y default_admin_password: infoblox
temp_license: nios IB-V815 dns dhcp enterprise
lan1:
v4_addr: 10.2.0.132
v4_netmask: 255.255.255.0
v4_gw: 10.2.0.1
mgmt:
v4_addr: 10.1.0.69
v4_netmask: 255.255.255.0
v4_gw: 10.1.0.1
You can use the following OpenStack cloud-init template to join an IB-V815 member to the Grid:

temp_license: nios IB-V815 dns dhcp enterprise sw_tp tp_sub lan1:
v4_addr: 10.2.0.140
v4_netmask: 255.255.255.0
v4_gw: 10.2.0.1
mgmt:
v4_addr: 10.1.0.77
v4_netmask: 255.255.255.0
v4_gw: 10.1.0.1
gridmaster:
token: xqyv+gEcPiUp9ETdHqmS2VcPIHEd81/U ip_addr: 10.39.8.109

join_intf: mgmt
certificate:-----BEGIN
CERTIFICATE-----MIIDdzCCAl8CEBgaTP/XX2lAxDokwClJub4wDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEFBQAwejELMAkGA1UEBh
MCVVMxEzARBgNVBAgTCkNhbGlmb3JuaWExEjAQBgNVBAcTCVN1bm55dmFsZTERMA8GA1UEChMISW5mb2Jsb3gx
FDASBgNVBAsTC0VuZ2luZWVyaW5nMRkwFwYDVQQDExB3d3cuaW5mb2Jsb3guY29tMB4XDTE3MDMwNTE0NTE1M1
oXDTE4MDMwNTE0NTE1M1owejELMAkGA1UEBhMCVVMxEzARBgNVBAgTCkNhbGlmb3JuaWExEjAQBgNVBAcTCVN1
bm55dmFsZTERMA8GA1UEChMISW5mb2Jsb3gxFDASBgNVBAsTC0VuZ2luZWVyaW5nMRkwFwYDVQQDExB3d3cuaW
5mb2Jsb3guY29tMIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEAsRf7VSVyYgRZCsdEgqU5m531Pk0H
qOlZ5CqWrcyGiKDYrbByPGATWSOKcQ9opUMj7VF3vttXOoY/f2pI8OAKrOr8ADWh70fqXFDWFAYsxGmP0dkFTd
NajI0reIrlYE0tF3FTBOZiXixfTUsI0hX96xNMU/0tHptloQxXz9+Uolf7ovFi6D0QBwjtBHmcVYhIJh0CfRUm
MsIZgCupKVfwXNo3BMQfyNKsePjfVvoxCWTXF+KfAv3JSOOARbwuAZiYcMl2rdKb+8vBq4+IaMwr83QaJV8cph
Ahyt5s7PebgS+GJLWzcIdUXSecDl3HEpJxLMnV0ko8ZByN5T4mywz6GQIDAQABMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBBQUAA4IB
AQCWYwlB8Z5usHU0HL2WgyMkAZW8PYsjQNlv/aI/0kEkiJsvZc5H72frgbTA+whnz/CqsRu8Rd06VEi+3UqR7n
+0wRwSL6gWmlVBLNP3BZfsTKn0Bhd89hzUrSGtK07xF/kY2qUEb6LnJ91B1O46h7LUJutmzSPK2w10yY295kLe

Rev. D
NhQgG35oMWgztc7II6V7ViTnkqzEPWxILV0W1odIAodG46eycOCu5NPRWpN/FRn9gzSvL03YilJ4d/bii31s0S
BZumFP+Q5e0i7bcElTmmhy5gsweITpfybUrFZAhXNs09832Ej11Q3lVKL42IDsiXTKIFwbG+cNM7b7zfC0Oj81
----END CERTIFICATE
temp_license: nios IB-V1415 dns dhcp enterprise sw_tp tp_sub
#temp_license: nios IB-FLEX
lan1:
v4_addr: 10.2.0.28
v4_netmask: 255.255.255.0
v4_gw: 10.2.0.1
ha:
v4_addr: 10.2.0.30
v4_netmask: 255.255.255.0
v4_gw: 10.2.0.1
mgmt:
v4_addr: 10.1.0.29
v4_netmask: 255.255.255.0
v4_gw: 10.1.0.1
gridmaster:
token: 0rPidqD1Iau91adaIL7zlO7sZb0qxuk1 ip_addr: 10.39.52.19

join_intf: mgmt
certificate: -----BEGIN
CERTIFICATE-----MIIDdzCCAl8CEChqLtGPEl/kEVjEE488HtkwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEFBQAwejELMAkGA1UEBh
FDASBgNVBAsTC0VuZ2luZWVyaW5nMRkwFwYDVQQDExB3d3cuaW5mb2Jsb3guY29tMB4XDTE3MDIyMjA5MDEyOV
oXDTE4MDIyMjA5MDEyOVowejELMAkGA1UEBhMCVVMxEzARBgNVBAgTCkNhbGlmb3JuaWExEjAQBgNVBAcTCVN1
5mb2Jsb3guY29tMIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEA02LEbIeAjjRZhBQSsPRIMoeR6GZC
SftQV+DPHPQAmvzPeJqaH8obCcRi6pfrPToxTKRCde7W87Tdy/uurZVXbJNWdtW7xhfelFVmdFuUGR+PId7oJd
nd9qmBLmUUPRniQDkk5pM8+g+olWjXPv2yn+zad+LaZpXUslP7TSfVvIeo6t2lwsUUxyozUnGLN9Pm91u/k/pz Cog2e+3y/
F2WPYQzmAC5KU5vY8Rl8iX8z/03eHhnVFITSrk15xgE5IQtlJG5C/RksFt/b5gcAFqh/7yUhCPvW2 pd8/xw/
caXsY2nFUC1b3jgUg+EfXpXE7EMD/thxqkhMNNK9GOhPrbVdQIDAQABMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBBQUAA4IB
AQBiTz2cbVfUHIoQiLefSaf5Yv1fM6AyZ/sjPlVjYa0DBOdn4n1iiIL0tibPML3v3SVd2suAFPLmZdf1XTqkaT
rN8SLE0RR7fS/7Nz7eibPlXWGgeY6se8Br9cLWm+1AP7ugAPvjSZxBn87Spz6BfZKQ7L1NKHeqfu0UDuUvv2rO
tdlbRSHhb0INmm20LlMmLwmLxTCg/o7W2YaJa9lggyzz20oaZHGD1dLEP+mh2TsRyX/fxXYpwiAvmZ/VkccLgC xcj/
fU44hxLfFa+Ibz5sjYp1gExYfGFwUBDuf/7ftrBNh90qcXzXncrQAebGBHhRYtsDpRnpWH+qGAzTdJXTm8
---END CERTIFICATE---
temp_license: nios IB-V825 dns dhcp enterprise
lan1:
v6_addr: 2620:10a:6000:2708::17
v6_cidr: 64
v6_gw: 2620:10a:6000:2708::1

Rev. D
mgmt:
v6_addr: 2620:10a:6000:2701::a
v6_cidr: 64
v6_gw: 2620:10a:6000:2701::1
gridmaster:
token: IDUxCCzc/o08PHUURVVTG2KoeSUsq0x0 ip_addr: 2620:10a:6000:2701::8

join_intf: mgmt
certificate: -----BEGIN
CERTIFICATE-----MIIDdzCCAl8CEDdxmmxPWBgZpzPXFjO1fzowDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEFBQAwejELMAkGA1UEBh
FDASBgNVBAsTC0VuZ2luZWVyaW5nMRkwFwYDVQQDExB3d3cuaW5mb2Jsb3guY29tMB4XDTE3MDExMTEzNDY0OV
oXDTE4MDExMTEzNDY0OVowejELMAkGA1UEBhMCVVMxEzARBgNVBAgTCkNhbGlmb3JuaWExEjAQBgNVBAcTCVN1
5mb2Jsb3guY29tMIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEArDd9+rSVV7zah8S/zRSFPtmiEO0X
6SLPbXWFtI+5PdVyIzl+IcGrl0Z09hoNGddZvXTyzCJCKI/J5WA9+PzjJJnjRRjGaB8QLe3Pq8Dpe24VVpaL92
vVSkHAruKS9IjNZk2OxGrPC0EMVb8/8H6Q/Ym1Wmm8IocHXxL9syaSG6lyhJstsaNDV/J1U7d0Qwmx/wJ0OZv2
pJsHFKWGC8pnxH4IWSCPyKv1scJYmgUttVKzCzlAgQ6+qEbAMJXkfAF39Hak/gKwLArENOheQVZg0lbZV6fhIl
etmXNsr84wzELT7h2Xe4i6Dd01g287MCZAaLXzqDSGAhfVKcBkaCvs4wIDAQABMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBBQUAA4IB
AQACqr/Sjo8e07Vqp/gUhzwRv27NISHpI0VXp0/j2Vl4JZ3kkPAIDgcmT9flHr6QLJc2KsU2WVyt8XPB0XYWes
jEJ4m468NVwGDkveDCnJ5le7/oYub3aKOYN8/Bkd5hju/GNmcKXybx8yPjw9hnXfG1sPT6H9UaMpxHx2cVH9se
EvLNbxIF2hVg/yX0kE+YOQP892up9IANVKjSFCsQEkZ6os961IZjzY/MQYr4aWoP1KfU825chZ7BqCCDQMj0Vx
CX2pHKzuFoCYB8a3/Tt0znlm/7ulRuHftqHAKLXeabLmxMJBW/5ZoX0RSjbr4OvcekwS2e7MuklnCMuSlJA2uL
---END CERTIFICATE---
To configure an IB-FLEX Grid Master using the Flex Grid Activation license, you can use the following OpenStack cloud-
init template:
#infoblox-config
remote_console_enabled: y
hardware_type: IB-FLEX
temp_license: flex_grid
lan1:
v4_addr: 10.39.51.33
v4_netmask: 255.255.255.0
v4_gw: 10.39.51.1
mgmt:
v4_addr: 10.39.50.22
v4_netmask: 255.255.255.0
v4_gw: 10.39.50.1
lan2:
nic_bonding_enabled: Y
bonding_failback_interface: lan1
mac:
mgmt: fa:16:3e:14:3a:ae
lan1: fa:16:3e:01:29:0b
ha: fa:16:3e:25:43:8a
lan2: fa:16:3e:8e:26:4c

Rev. D
Managing the Order of Match Lists
When you configure certain DNS and DHCP functions, you can create match lists that the appliance uses to filter specific
IP addresses for specific operations. For example, you can create a DNS blackhole list for including and excluding DNS
traffic to certain IP addresses, configure a list of IP addresses for allowing and denying DDNS updates, or define a Match
Destinations list that identifies destination addresses and TSIG keys that are allowed access to a DNS view.
The appliance matches rules in these lists from top to bottom. Rules at the top always take precedence over those at the
bottom. Therefore, ensure that you put the most specific rules at the top of the list, and then put the more general rules at
the bottom. For example, when you add network 10.10.0.0/24 to a DNS blackhole list, all 256 IP addresses in the
network are put on the blackhole list. To allow DNS traffic to the specific IP addresses 10.10.0.55 and 10.10.0.88, you
must add these two addresses at the top of the blackhole list before the network address 10.10.0.0/24, and then set their
permissions to "Exclude." The same applies when you set up the list of clients for DDNS updates. If you want to deny
DDNS updates from a specific client (10.0.0.99) and allow DDNS updates from all other clients in the 10.0.0.0/24
network, you must put 10.0.0.99 at the top of the list and configure the appliance to deny DDNS updates from this client.
You then add network 10.0.0.0/24 for allowing DDNS updates from all other clients at the bottom of the list.
Managing NIOS Appliances

To reboot and shut down a NIOS appliance, you can use Grid Manager or the Infoblox CLI. To reset a NIOS appliance,
you must use the Infoblox CLI. You can also restart a Grid member or restart a GUI session through Grid Manager. You
can also force an HA failover using the GUI.
Restarting a Grid Member

You can restart a single Grid member or an HA pair on the NIOS appliance. When you restart a Grid member, the
appliance logs the task in the audit log.
To restart a single Grid member:
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Control -> Restart.
3. In the Restart Product on Member dialog box, click OK to restart the Grid member.
Rebooting a NIOS Appliance

You can reboot a single NIOS appliance, a single node in an HA pair, or both nodes in an HA pair. To reboot a single
NIOS appliance or one or both nodes in an HA pair:
1. From the Grid tab, select the GridManager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Control -> Reboot.
• For an HA pair, choose whether to boot one node (and which one) or both nodes, and then click OK.Depending
on the browser you use, Grid Manager may display a dialog box that indicates the system is unavailable during a
restart or reboot.
To reboot a single NIOS appliance using the CLI:
1. Log in to the Infoblox CLI using a superuser account for the NIOS appliance that you intend to reboot.
2. Enter the following CLI command: reboot

Rev. D
Shutting Down a NIOS Appliance
Under normal circumstances, you do not need to turn off or shut down a NIOS appliance. It is designed to operate
continuously. However, if you want to turn off a NIOS appliance, use the GUI or the CLI to shut down the appliance,
instead of just turning off the power switch.
 Note
If there is a disruption in power when the NIOS appliance is operating, the NIOS appliance automatically
reboots itself when power is restored.
To shut down a NIOS appliance:

1. From the Grid tab, select the GridManager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Control -> Shutdown.
• For an HA pair, choose whether to shut down one node (and which one) or both nodes, and then click OK.
The NIOS appliance shuts down. The fans might continue to operate until the appliance cools down.
To shut down a NIOS appliance using the CLI:
1. Log in to the Infoblox CLI using a superuser account.
2. Enter the following CLI command: shutdown
Forcing an HA Failover
If you want to change which node in an HA pair is active and which is passive, you can force a failover to occur. Within
five seconds after initiating a failover, the previously passive node becomes active and assumes ownership of the VIP
address. Note that a forced failover causes a temporary service disruption. To proceed with the forced failover, click OK.
The appliance logs this task in the audit log.
To restart a single Grid member:
 Note
The Grid member that you select must be an HA pair.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Control -> Force HA Failover.

3. In the For HA Failover dialog box, click OK to change the node in an HA pair.
Restarting GUI Sessions

You can restart a GUI session through Grid Manager. When you restart GUI on a specific member, the appliance logs off
all other GUI sessions that are currently running even though they are opened in different browsers or another system.
The appliance logs this task in the audit log.
To restart GUI sessions on a Grid member:
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Control -> Restart GUI.
3. In the Restart GUI dialog box, click OK to restart the NIOS appliance.
Resetting a NIOS Appliance

There are three ways to reset a NIOS appliance:
• Resetting the Database
• Resetting a NIOS Appliance to Factory Settings

Rev. D
• Resetting the NIOS Appliance to Factory Settings and Removing Licenses You can perform these functions only
through the CLI.
Resetting the Database
You can reset the database if you lose the administrator account and password or if you want to clear the database but
preserve the log files to diagnose a problem. This function removes the configuration files, and the DNS and DHCP data
from the appliance database. During this procedure, you are given the option to preserve the network settings of the
appliance, which are the IP address and subnet mask, the IP address of the gateway, the host name, and the remote
access setting.
To reset the database:
2. Enter the following CLI command: reset database
The appliance then displays a message similar to the following:
The following network settings can be restored after reset: IP Address: 10.1.1.10
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 10.1.1.1
Host Name: ns1.corpxyz.com Remote Console Access: true
The entire database will be erased.
Do you wish to preserve basic network settings? (y or n)
3. Press the Y key to preserve the network settings or the N key to return the network settings to their default values
(192.168.1.2, 255.255.255.0, 192.168.1.1).
Resetting a NIOS Appliance to Factory Settings

You can reset a NIOS appliance to its original factory settings. This removes the database, network settings, logs, and
configuration files. Then, it reboots with its factory settings, which are the default user name and password, and default
network settings. When you perform this procedure, the appliance does not give you the option to preserve your network
settings.
 Note
If you have previously imported HTTPS certificates, the appliance regenerates the certificates and replaces
them.
To reset the NIOS appliance to its factory settings:

2. Enter the following CLI command: reset all
Resetting the NIOS Appliance to Factory Settings and Removing Licenses

You can also reset a NIOS appliance to its original factory settings and remove all the licenses installed on the appliance.
This removes the database, network settings, logs, configuration files, and licenses. The appliance then reboots with its
factory settings, which are the default user name and password, and default network settings.
 Note
If you have previously imported HTTPS certificates, the NIOS appliance regenerates the certificates and
replaces them.
To reset the NIOS appliance to its factory settings and remove all its licenses:
2. Enter the following CLI command: reset all licenses.

Rev. D
Managing the Disk Subsystem on the Infoblox-4010
Among its many features, the Infoblox-4010 use a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) 10 array to provide the
optimum mix of high database performance and redundant data storage with recovery features in the event of disk
failures. The disk array is completely self managed. There are no maintenance or special procedures required to service
the disk subsystem.
Caution: Never remove more than one disk at a time from the array. Removing two or more disks at once can cause an
array failure and result in an unrecoverable condition. You should replace only one disk at a time, using a replacement
disk from Infoblox. For information, see Replacing a Failed Disk Drive.
About RAID 10
RAID 10 (or sometimes called RAID 1+0) uses a minimum of four disk drives to create a RAID 0 array from two RAID 1
arrays, as shown in RAID 10 Array Configuration. It uses mirroring and striping to form a stripe of mirrored subsets. This
means that the array combines—or stripes—multiple disk drives, creating a single logical volume (RAID 0). RAID 10
combines the high performance of RAID 0 and the high fault tolerance of RAID 1. Striping disk drives improves database
write performance over a single disk drive for large databases. The disks are also mirrored (RAID 1), so that each disk in
the logical volume is fully redundant.
RAID 10 Array Configuration
When evaluating a fault on the Infoblox-4010, it is best to think of the disk subsystem as a single, integrated unit with four
components, rather than four independent disk drives. For information, see Evaluating the Status of the Disk Subsystem.
Evaluating the Status of the Disk Subsystem

You can monitor the disk subsystem through the Infoblox Grid Manager GUI, the scrolling front panel LCD display, and
four front panel LEDs next to the disk drives. In addition, you can monitor the disk status by using the CLI command show
hardware_status. The following example displays the status of an Infoblox-4010 using the command:
Infoblox > show hardware_status
POWER:Power OK

Rev. D
Fan1:7258 RPM
Fan2:6887 RPM
Fan3:7258 RPM
CPU1_TEMP: +20.0 C
CPU2_TEMP: +24.0 C
SYS_TEMP: +35 C
RAID_ARRAY: OPTIMAL
RAID_BATTERY: OK READY Yes 103 HOURS
The Detailed Status panel provides a detailed status report on the appliance and service operations. To see a detailed
status report:
• From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox -> Detailed Status
icon in the table toolbar.
After displaying the Detailed Status panel, you can view the status of the selected Grid member. For more information on
the Detailed Status panel, see Status Dashboard.
The RAID icons indicate the status of the RAID array on the Infoblox-4010.
Icon Color Meaning
Green The RAID array is in an optimal state.
Yellow A new disk was inserted and the RAID array is rebuilding.
Red The RAID array is degraded. At least one disk is not functioning properly. The GUI lists the
disks that are online. Replace only the disks that are offline.
The appliance also displays the type of each disk. In the event of a disk failure, you must replace the failed disk with one
that is qualified and shipped from Infoblox and has the same disk type as the rest of the disks in the array.
Infoblox-4010 uses only the IB-Type 3 disk type. All disk drives in the array must have the same disk type for the array to
function properly. You can have either IB-Type 1, IB-Type 2, or IB-Type-3, but you cannot mix both in the array. When you
have a mismatched disk in the array, you must promptly replace the disk with a replacement disk from Infoblox to avoid
operational issues.
Disk Drive Front Panel LEDs

The disk drives of the Infoblox-4010 are located on the appliance front panel. To the right of each drive, two LEDs display
connection and activity status. The below table lists the disk drive LED combinations and the states they represent.
Infoblox-4010 Disk Drive LED Combinations
Online/Activity LED (Green) Fault/UID LED (Amber/Blue) Description
On, off, or blinking Alternating amber and blue The drive has failed, or it has received a predictive failure
alert; it also has been selected by a management application.
On, off, or blinking Steadily blue The drive is operating normally.
On Amber, blinking regularly (1 Hz) The drive has received a predictive failure alert. Replace the
drive as soon as possible.
On Off The drive is online but it is not currently active.

Rev. D
Online/Activity LED (Green) Fault/UID LED (Amber/Blue) Description
Blinking regularly (1Hz) Off Do not remove the drive. The drive is rebuilding. Removing
the drive may terminate the current operation and cause data
loss.
Blinking irregularly Amber, blinking regularly The drive is active, but it has received a predictive failure
(1 Hz) alert. Replace the drive as soon as possible.
Blinking irregularly Off The drive is active and operating normally.
Off Steadily amber A critical fault condition has been identified for this drive, and
the controller has placed it offline. Replace the drive as soon
as possible.
Off Amber, blinking regularly The drive has received a predictive failure alert. Replace the
(1 Hz) drive as soon as possible.
Off Off The drive is offline, a spare, or not configured as part of an

array.
Replacing a Failed Disk Drive

The Infoblox-4010 is designed to provide continuous operation in the event of a failed disk. Replace an original RAID
disk only when there is a disk failure. Hot-swapping a disk drive is a simple process that does not require issuing
commands or a GUI operation.
When you replace a failed disk, you must replace it with an Infoblox supplied disk. To ensure that you receive the correct
replacement disk, report the disk type or part number of the failed disk. The appliance displays the disk type in the
Detailed Status panel, and the Infoblox part number is printed on the disk. Installing disks that are not qualified and
shipped from Infoblox could cause failures in the appliance.
To replace a disk drive, follow this procedure:
1. Identify and verify the failed drive via the Grid Manager, front panel LCD, or CLI.
2. Make sure you have identified the correct drive.
 Note
Do not remove a correctly functioning drive.
3. Push in the latch for the drive and pull the release lever out towards you.
4. When the drive disengages, wait about 30 seconds for the disk to completely stop spinning.
5. Slide it out of the slot.
Replacement drives are shipped as a complete unit, ready to insert into the appliance. There is no preparation required.
To install a replacement drive, follow this procedure:
1. Insert the replacement drive into the drive bay slot.
2. Gently slide the drive into place. When you feel the release lever engage, continue applying gentle pressure to
the drive while pushing the release lever towards the appliance.
3. The release lever locks into place and the LED next to the disk drive lights up. Note that if the alarm buzzer is
sounding, it automatically turns off about 20 seconds after the drive is inserted.
4. The disk drive automatically goes into rebuild mode.
Disk Array Guidelines

Infoblox has designed the disk array to be completely self managed. There are no maintenance procedures required for
a normally functioning disk array. Mishandling the disk array can cause an unrecoverable error and result in a failed
appliance. Infoblox highly recommends that you observe the following guidelines:
• Remove only one disk at a time. Do not remove two or more disks from the appliance at the same time.
Removing two or more disks at the same time might result in an appliance failure and require an RMA of the
appliance. This rule applies to both powered and powered down appliances.

Rev. D
• If the status of the array is degraded, remove the failed or failing disk drive only. Do not remove an optimally
functioning drive.
• If your acceptance procedure requires a test of the RAID hot swap feature, remove only one disk drive at a time.
You can remove a second disk only after you replace the first disk and the array completes its rebuilding process.
• Do not remove a disk drive if the array is rebuilding. This could result in an appliance failure. Verify the status of
the array before removing a disk drive.
• Use the following procedure to remove a spinning disk:
a. Unlatch and pull the disk about two cm (one inch) to disengage contact.
b. Wait about 30 seconds for the disk to completely stop spinning.
c. Remove the disk and handle it with care. Do not drop the disk or ship it loosely in a carton.
• You can hot swap a drive while the appliance remains in production.
• There are some conditions that may require powering down the appliance to replace a failed unit. This normally
happens if the RAID controller detects an error that could damage the array. If you insert a replacement drive into
a live array and the controller doesn't recognize the drive, power down the appliance.
• If you inadvertently remove the wrong disk drive, do not immediately remove the disk drive that you originally
intended to remove. Verify the status of the array and replace the disk drive that you removed earlier before
removing another drive. Removing a second drive could render the appliance inoperable.
• Older appliances have an audio alarm buzzer that sounds if a drive fails. The alarm automatically stops about 20
seconds after a functional disk has been inserted into the array.
• All disks in the RAID array should have the same disk type for the array to function properly.
• In the unlikely event that two disk drives fail simultaneously and the appliance is still operational, remove and
replace the failed disk drives one at a time.
• Rebuild time depends on a number of factors, such as the system load and Grid replication activities. On very
busy appliances (over 90% utilization), the disk rebuild process can take as long as 40 hours. On a Grid Master
serving a very large Grid, expect the rebuild process to take at least 24 hours.
• Replace a failed or mismatched disk only with a replacement disk shipped from Infoblox. When you request a
replacement disk, report the disk type displayed in the Detailed Status panel of the GUI or the Infoblox part
number on the disk.
Restarting Services
Whenever you make a change such as adding a zone or a network, Grid Manager notifies you that a service restart is
required. You can enable the appliance to display the Restart Banner whenever it requires a service restart and prompt
the administrator to input the user name before restarting the services. For information about how to enable the restart
banner, see Changing Grid Properties. To view all pending activities that are waiting for service restart s , you can click
View Changes in the restart banner at the top of Grid Manager.
The pending activities include additions, modifications, and deletions performed by all administrators. You can also view
pending changes through the Restart <Grid/ Member> Services dialog box.
There are several ways to restart services on the affected Grid members. You can restart services at the Grid or member
level, or you can restart services by groups, as described in:
• Restarting Grid Services
• Restarting Member Services
• Restarting Services by Groups
You can configure services restart settings such as restart timeout or delay as described in Configuring Restart Settings.
 Note
When you make configuration changes for DNS or DHCP and the service is enabled on at least one Grid
member, Grid Manager suggests a restart even if the service is disabled on the member affected by the
change.
User Permissions for Restarting Services

The following rules apply to superusers and limited-access users:

Rev. D
• You can cancel a schedule task that you create to restart a service. A superuser can cancel any scheduled restart
task.
• Only superusers and administrators with read/write permission to all Grid members can schedule a Grid restart
task.
• When a superuser schedules a Grid restart task, a limited-access user cannot schedule a member-level restart
task.
• Limited-access users cannot cancel a superuser's scheduled tasks.
• Limited-access users cannot create or modify a scheduled restart task for a Grid member if a scheduled restart
task for the member (created by another user) already exists.
The system writes every scheduled change action to the audit log as follows:
USER logon_id action service restart schedule 'schedule' on Grid (or member) Grid name or
member node id
For example:
USER jdoe insert service restart schedule '02/20/2007 01:30:00' on Grid Infoblox USER jdoe
deleted service restart schedule '02/22/2007 01:30:00' on node id 3
For more information on the audit log, see Using the Audit Log.
Restarting Grid Services

Only superusers and administrators with read/write permission to all Grid members can schedule a Grid restart task. You
can restart services at the Grid level either simultaneously or sequentially, and can also specify the restart time.
If you schedule the restart at a specific date and time, the system schedules the restart at the specified time on each Grid
member.
To restart services at the Grid level:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP, DNS, or Grid tab, or select the Administration tab, and then
click Restart Services from the Toolbar.
The Restart Grid Services dialog appears.
1. You can specify whether the member restarts services when necessary or you can force it to restart services.
Select one of the following in the RestartGridServices section:
• Ifneeded: Select this to restart all active DNS and DHCP services if there are any changes requiring a
service restart.
• Forceservicerestart: Select this to force a service restart even if it is not needed. A forced restart may be
delayed if there are pending restarts for the same service.
2. Select one of the following in the RestartMethod section:
• RestartAllRestartGroups: Restarts the services in the affected Grid members in the order defined for
restart groups.
• Simultaneouslyforallmembers: Restarts the services on all of the members in a Grid at the same time.
• Sequentiallyforallmembers: Restarts the services on each Grid member one after one.
AffectedMembersandServices: Click the Poll Members icon to display the affected members and services
when the system restarts. Grid Manager displays the member names and one of the following for each
service:
• YES: The service is active and the system will restart the service upon execution of this task.
• NO: The service will not restart unless the Forceservicerestart option is selected.
• DISABLED: The service is currently disabled.
ViewPendingChanges: You can view the list of pending changes that will take effect when you restart the
services. You can use filters to look for specific objects and view the following information for each
pending activity:
• Timestamp: The timestamp of the operation.
• Admin: The admin user who performed the operation.
• Action: The type of operation that was performed by an administrator. This can be Created, Modified,
Deleted, Called, or Message.
• ObjectType: Displays the object type. For example, DNS View, Named ACL, IPv4 MAC Filter, Blacklist
Rule, and so on.
• ObjectName: The name of the object.

Rev. D
• Message: Description of the activity.
3. To schedule a service restart task, click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard. In the ScheduleChange panel,
complete the following:
• Now: Restarts services upon clicking Restart.
• Later: Enter the following information to schedule all Grid members to restart services at a certain date
and time:
• Time: Enter a time in hh:mm:ss AM/PM (hours:minutes:seconds AM or PM) format. When you
enter the time in a 24-hour format such as 23:00, Grid Manager displays 11:00:00 PM. You can
also select a time from the drop-down list by clicking the time icon.
• TimeZone: Select a time zone for the scheduled date and time from the drop-down list. This field
4. Click Restart to restart services immediately or click ScheduleRestart to create a scheduled restart task.
 Note
When you restart services at the Grid level, the services are restarted only on those members for which you
have permissions.
Restarting Member Services

The member restart time always supersedes the Grid restart time. If the member restart time is later than the Grid restart
time, then the member restarts services at its scheduled time. If the member restart time is before the Grid restart time,
then the member restarts services at its scheduled restart time, and again during the Grid restart time.
To restart member services:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox.
or
From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then select a member checkbox.
2. Click Restart Services from the Toolbar.
3. You can specify whether the member should restart services when necessary or you can force it to restart
services. Select one of the following in the Restart Member Services section:
• If needed: Select this to restart all active DNS and DHCP services, if there are any changes requiring a
service restart.
• Force service restart: Select this to force a service restart even if it is not needed. A forced restart may be
Affected Services: This table displays the affected services when the system restarts. It can display one of
the following for each service:
• YES: The service is active and the system will restart the service upon execution of this task.
• NO: The service will not restart unless the Force service restart option is selected.
• DISABLED: The service is currently disabled.
View Pending Changes: You can view the list of pending changes that will take effect when you restart the
services. You can use filters to look for specific objects and view the following information for each
pending activity:
• Timestamp: The timestamp of the operation.
• Admin: The admin user who performed the operation.
• Action: The type of operation that was performed by an administrator. This can be Created, Modified,
Deleted, Called, or Message.
• Object Type: Displays the object type. For example, DNS View, Named ACL, IPv4 MAC Filter, Blacklist
Rule, and so on.
• Object Name: The name of the object.
• Message: Description of the activity.
4. To schedule a service restart task, click the Schedule icon at the top of the editor. In the Schedule Change panel,
• Now: Restarts services immediately.

Rev. D
• Later: Enter the following information to schedule the member to restart services at a certain date and
time:
5. Click Restart to restart services immediately or click Schedule Restart to create a scheduled restart task.
Restarting Services by Groups

You can use the group restart feature for the DHCP and DNS services. You do this by adding Grid members to groups
and defining the restart order. Each service has a separate set of groups. You can specify whether a group is restarted
sequentially or simultaneously and can also create a recurring schedule for restarts.
To access restart groups:
1. Click Grid –> Grid Manager –> DHCP or DNS.
2. On the Services tab, click Toggle Restart Groups View.
You can arrange group restart order for each service independently. Members in a group can restart simultaneously or
sequentially, depending on your choice. When members are started sequentially, they are started in alphabetical order.
When you have several restart groups, they all restart sequentially in the order that you define. For information, see
Ordering Restart Groups.
For each service, there exists the Default restart group in Grid Manager: Default DHCP group and Default DNS group. All
Grid members belong to the Default group until you add them to another custom restart group. By default, the members
of the Default group are restarted sequentially. The Default group is always restarted in the last place in the restart
sequence for a service.
 Note
You can manage restart groups only if you are a superuser. If you are a limited-access user, you can see the
restart groups and their restart status only if these groups include members for which you have permissions.
When you restart services by groups, the services are restarted only on those members for which you have
permissions.
For more information on how to create and manage restart groups, see the following sections. For how to restart services
by groups, see Restarting Groups.
Creating a Restart Group

You can add a member to a group if the member has a license for the corresponding service. Only members with the
appropriate license are available for grouping. For pre-provisioned members, you can add them to groups, but the restart
requests are not created for such members.
When you assign members to restart groups, Grid Manager checks if the restart may affect the service operation. If the
restart with the current grouping configuration can lead to a service interruption, a warning message is displayed. For
example, you cannot add two members from a DHCP failover association to the same group configured to restart its
members simultaneously.
To create a restart group:
1. Click Grid –> Grid Manager –> DHCP or DNS.
2. On the Services tab, click Toggle Restart Groups View.
3. Click the Add icon.
4. Specify the general information for the group:
• Name
• Comment

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• Restart order for group members: simultaneously or sequentially
 Note
For how to delay service restarts, see Configuring Restart Settings.
5. Click Next.
6. Add members by clicking the Add icon for each new member.
7. Click Next.
8. If you want to create a restart schedule for this group, select Enable Restart Schedule and specify the required
parameters.
 Note
The restart schedule can run either once or on a recurring basis. It does not create scheduled tasks. If a
schedule is configured for a restart group, you can still perform one-time restarts independently for Grid
members or restart groups and create scheduled tasks for these restarts.
9. Select the restart type for the services on the affected members:
• If needed: Select this to restart services only if there are changes requiring a service restart.
10. Click Next.
11. If necessary, specify the extensible attributes.
Editing a Restart Group

You can edit a restart group at any time, even when the restart process is running. The changes do not affect the current
restart process.
To edit a restart group:
1. In the restart groups list, select the checkbox of the group to edit.
3. Edit the group properties as described in Creating a Restart Group.
4. Click Save or Save & Close.
Deleting a Restart Group

Yo can delete any restart group, except the Default group. When you delete a group, all its members are automatically
moved to the Default restart group. You can delete a restart group at any time, even when the restart process is running.
The deletion does not affect the current restart process.
To delete a restart group:
1. In the restart groups list, select the checkbox of the group to delete.
Ordering Restart Groups

You can modify the order in which multiple groups are restarted. You cannot change the order for the Default group, as it
always restarts in the last position by default.
To order restart groups:
1. Go to the restart groups view for the DNS or DHCP service.
2. In the toolbar, click Order Restart Groups.
3. Reorder the groups by using the drag-and-drop operation or by clicking the up and down arrows.
4. Click OK.

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Restarting Groups
When you already have restart groups defined, you can restart services by specific groups at any time after you make
configuration changes.
To restart services by groups:
1. Go to the restart groups view for the DNS or DHCP service.
2. Select the groups to restart.
3. In the toolbar, click Restart –> Restart Groups.
4. In the Restart Group Confirmation window, select the restart type for the services on the affected members:
• If needed: Select this to restart services only if there are changes requiring a service restart.
5. To schedule a service restart, click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard. In the Schedule Change panel,
• Now: Restarts services immediately.
• Later: Enter the following information to schedule the member to restart services at a certain date and
time:
6. Click Restart to restart services immediately or click Schedule Restart to schedule the restart.
 Note
Normally, you cannot restart or schedule a restart of services when a scheduled full Grid upgrade is in
progress. However, you can do so for the Default DNS or DHCP restart group. In this case, only the
Grid Master is restarted. The other members of the group remain in the Timed Out status and are
restarted after Grid Manager gets a response from them. For more information about the full Grid
upgrades, see Guidelines for Scheduling Full Upgrades.
Configuring Restart Settings

To configure the service restart settings for the Grid:
1. Click Grid–>Grid Manager–>DHCP or DNS tab.
2. In the toolbar, click Edit–>Grid DHCP Properties or Grid DNS Properties.
3. Click Toggle Advanced Mode–>Restart.
4. If necessary, modify the service restart settings:
• Delay between Restart Groups. This is the delay between the restarts of separate restart groups. The default is
10 seconds.
 Note
If the delay time from the previous group restart has not elapsed yet, the new restart requests are
displayed with the Pending restart status. To speed up the new restarts, you change the delay between
restart groups to a smaller value at any time.
• Member Restart Timeout. This is the amount of time that the appliance waits for a response from a member. The
default is 1 minute.
5. Optionally, select the checkbox Apply restart requests to offline members when they connect.

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Canceling a Scheduled Restart Task
Limited-access users can only cancel a scheduled task that they created. Superusers can cancel a scheduled task that
any user created. You can cancel scheduled restart tasks from Task Manager. For information, see Viewing Tasks.
When you delete a scheduled restart task, the system cancels the scheduled task to restart services on the member or
Grid and does not restart services. To cancel a scheduled restart, see Cancelling Scheduled Tasks.
You can also turn off the automatic service restart feature for other scheduled tasks. For example, if you set a recurring
automatic restart for a restart group, you may not need the automatic service restart which should normally happen after
a scheduled change of an object. You can do so from the Infoblox CLI using the set scheduled command. For
information, see the section set scheduled in the Infoblox CLI Guide.
Alternatively, administrator users with the approver role can cancel the automatic service restart for individual tasks when
approving them. If you are an approver, you can do so by deselecting the Enable automatic service restart option for a
task in the Task Manager. For information, see Viewing Tasks.
File Distribution Services

This section describes the file distribution services on the NIOS appliance. It contains the following topics:
• About File Distribution Services

• File Distribution Storage
• Managing File Distribution Services
• Managing Directories
• Managing Files
• Viewing Files
• Managing Users
About File Distribution Services

You can upload files to the NIOS appliance and to individual Grid members using TFTP, HTTP, and FTP, clients. You can
also upload files using the Grid Manager web interface or the API. Using access control lists, you can specify which
network devices can upload files or retrieve files. You can use the Group Results function for file distribution services
(TFTP, FTP, and HTTP) to group members by extensible attributes that contain the same values. For information about
how to group members by extensible attributes, see Grouping Members by Extensible Attributes.
 Note
File distribution services using TFTP, HTTP, and FTP is not supported by IPv6-only appliances.
Network devices, such as VoIP phones, can use the DHCP services on the appliance for IP address assignments and
use the file distribution services for IP device configuration downloads. Downloads can be accomplished with TFTP,
HTTP, or FTP.
Uploading and retrieving files

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File uploads and downloads by FTP and TFTP file distribution clients are logged in the syslog under the Administration->
Logs tabs. The logs store the following information:
• Client IP
• Date and Time
• Event type
• File(s) downloaded and/or uploaded
File Distribution Storage

This section describes the storage capacity for file distribution, and how to manage file distribution storage settings.
Maximum storage space allowed for all file distribution services on a Grid is equal to the storage space allowed on the
Grid member with the smallest amount of space allowed.
Maximum storage space is shown in the below table.
Maximum Storage Space by Platform Type
Member Type Description Max Limit
INFOBLOX_MEMBER All Infoblox appliances 10GB
VNIOS_MEMBER All virtual appliances (VMWare) 5GB
VM_MEMBER Virtual IPAM member (IPAM Free Ware) 1GB
Usage Threshold Alerts

An SNMP trap generates an alarm message when a member nears storage capacity. The default threshold value is 90%,
and the default reset value is 70%. If email notification is enabled, NIOS sends an email when either of these thresholds
are reached.
• When the Grid member storage capacity reaches 100%, the SNMP trap generates a "High Usage" message. For
information on how to modify the threshold values, see Defining Thresholds for Traps.
• File distribution clients will fail to PUT files if the file is large enough that it will put the member over the storage
limit.
Modifying File Distribution Storage Limits

1. From the Data Management tab, select the File Distribution tab, and then click Grid File Distribution Properties
from the Toolbar.
2. In the Grid File Distribution Properties editor, complete the following:
• Storage Limit (MB): Enter the maximum storage space in megabytes.

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• Include files and directories in system backup: This is selected by default to ensure that the appliance
includes the uploaded files in the backup. You can clear this checkbox to improve the backup
performance if you have stored these files separately.
 Note
To avoid data loss, after you change the storage limit FD services will be disrupted briefly and will take
some time to resume. Wait until the File Distribution services are running again on the members before
you upload any files.
Managing File Distribution Services

This section describes how to configure file distribution services such as TFTP, FTP and HTTP. This section also
describes how to configure access control lists which determine which clients are granted access to the service, and
which clients are denied access to the service.
Configuring the TFTP Service

The TFTP file distribution service is disabled on the appliance by default. To allow file distribution access using TFTP, you
must specify the clients that are allowed to use the service and then enable the service on the appliance. If you do not
specify this information or enable the service, the appliance denies access to all clients. The appliance provides read-
only access to the files.
The TFTP service is supported only on LAN1 and MGMT interfaces. For more information, see Configuring Ethernet
Ports.
To configure the TFTP file distribution service on a member:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the File Distribution tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox, and then
2. In the Member File Distribution Properties editor, select the TFTP tab, and then complete the following:
• Listen on Port: Enter the number of the port on which the appliance receives TFTP file distribution
requests.
The default is port 69.
• Allow file transfers from: Configure the appliance to grant or deny permissions to TFTP file distribution
requests from clients, as described in Configuring Access Control for File Distribution.
After you configure the TFTP service, you must enable the service to allow file distribution access. For information, see
Starting and Stopping File Distribution Services.
Configuring the FTP Service
The FTP file distribution service is disabled on the appliance by default. To allow file distribution access using FTP, you
must create at least one user (see Managing Users), specify the clients that are allowed to use the service, and then
enable the FTP service on the appliance. If you do not specify this information or enable the service, the appliance
denies access to all clients. User creation is not necessary to access the FTP service if anonymous is enabled at Grid
level.The appliance provides read-only access to the files.
To configure the FTP file distribution service on a member:
2. In the Member File Distribution Properties editor, select the FTP tab, and then complete the following:
• Listen on Port: Enter the number of the port on which the appliance receives FTP file distribution requests.
The default is port 21.
• Login Banner: Enter your own login banner text that appears after you establish an FTP connection or use
the default (Restricted Access Only).
• FTP Passive Mode: By default, this is selected to enable FTP in passive mode; otherwise, it is in active
mode. An FTP connection between a client and server can be in active or passive mode. In active mode,
the server initiates the data connection. In passive mode, the client initiates the data connection.

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Depending on your firewall policy, firewalls can block active mode connections. There is no firewall
filtering in passive mode.
• FTP File Listing: Select this to allow users to list files and subdirectories on the appliance.
• Allow file transfers from: Configure the appliance to grant or deny permissions to FTP file distribution
Enabling FTP Anonymous User

The 'anonymous' FTP login is disabled by default, except when upgrading an earlier version in which case anonymous
FTP is automatically enabled.
When you enable anonymous FTP at Grid level, you enable anonymous FTP on all Grid members running the FTP
service. Anonymous user is only allowed to download files, even if the member is enabled to allow uploads.
1. From the Data Management tab, select Grid File Distribution Properties on the toolbar.
2. In the Grid File Distribution Properties dialog box, select the Enable Anonymous FTP checkbox.
Configuring the HTTP Service

To allow file distribution access using HTTP, you must specify clients that can request the service and then enable the
HTTP service on the appliance.
Before you enable the HTTP service, however, be aware of the following configuration rules:
• HTTP only runs on the active member of an HA pair.
• HTTP can run on the master or any member.
• HTTP always runs on the LAN port, never the MGMT port.
• HTTP to HTTPS redirect becomes non-functional if the file distribution service is enabled and all administrative
access is run on the LAN port. For more information on HTTP redirect, see Enabling HTTP Redirection. For
information on how to specify the MGMT port for HTTP, see Using the MGMT Port. To configure the HTTP file
distribution service on a member:
2. In the Member File Distribution Properties editor, select the HTTP tab, and then complete the following:
• Allow Any: This is selected by default to allow HTTP file distribution requests from any client.
• Only these addresses: Select this to configure the access control list for allowing HTTP file distribution
Configuring Access Control for File Distribution

You can select a named access control list (ACL) or create individual access control entries (ACEs) for each file
distribution service (TFTP, FTP, HTTP) to control access to file distribution requests from specific clients. You can grant
or deny access from specific IPv4 addresses and IPv4 networks, but you cannot do so for IPv6 addresses and IPv6
networks as well as TSIG key based ACEs.
 Note
For HTTP service, you can grant permissions to all clients or specific clients, but you can deny permissions only
to all clients, not specific clients.
When you grant access to a network for a specific file distribution service, all clients in the network are allowed to request
file distribution service. You can deny services to specific IP addresses within the network by adding these addresses to
an access control list and denying access to the service. Ensure that you list these IP addresses before the network
address in the list because the appliance applies permissions to the addresses in the order they are listed. You can use
the arrow keys to move the addresses up and down the list after you add them. For information about how to create a

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named ACL, see Configuring Access Control.
To configure an access control list for a file distribution service:
2. In the Member File Distribution Properties editor, select a service tab: TFTP, FTP, or HTTP.
3. In the Allow these clients to perform file transfers section, select one of the following:
• Any: Select this to allow any clients to use the HTTP file distribution service. This is selected by default.
• Named ACL: Select this and click Select Named ACL to select a named ACL that contains only IPv4
addresses and networks. File distribution does not support IPv6 addresses/networks and TSIG key based
ACEs. When you select this, the appliance allows clients that have the Allow permission in the named
ACL to use the file distribution service. You can click Clear to remove the selected named ACL.
• Set of ACEs: Select this to configure individual access control entries (ACEs). Click the Add icon and
select one of the following from the drop-down list. Depending on the item you select, Grid Manager either
adds a row for the selected item or expands the panel so you can specify additional information about the
item you are adding.
• IPv4 Address: Select this to add an IPv4 address. Click the Value field and enter the IP address.
The Permission column displays Allow by default. You can change it to Deny by clicking the field
and selecting Deny from the drop-down list.
• IPv4 Network: In the Add IPv4 Network panel, complete the following, and then click Add to add
the network to the list:
• Address: Enter an IPv4 network address and either type a netmask or move the slider to
the desired netmask.
• Permission: Select Allow or Deny from the drop-down list.
• Any Address/Network: For TFTP and FTP only. Select this to allow or deny access to all IPv4
addresses and networks. The default permission is Allow, which means that the appliance allows
access to and from all IPv4 clients. You can change this to Deny to block access.
• Select the ACEs that you want to consolidate and put into a new named ACL. Click the Create
new named ACL icon and enter a name in the Convert to Named ACL dialog box. The appliance
creates a new named ACL and adds it to the Named ACL panel. Note that the ACEs you configure
for this operation stay intact.
• Select an ACE and click the Delete icon to delete the entry. You can select multiple ACEs for
deletion.
Modifying Access Control Lists

2. In the Member File Distribution Properties editor, select the tab of the service to which the list belongs.
3. In the Allow file transfers from section, modify the fields as described in Configuring Access Control for File
Distribution.
• Add a new permission. For information, see Configuring Access Control for File Distribution.
• Delete a permission by selecting it and clicking the Delete icon.
• Reorder the list by selecting a permission and clicking an arrow next to the list to move the permission up or
down the list.
Starting and Stopping File Distribution Services

You can enable and disable a file distribution service on a specific Grid member or on multiple members. You must have
read/write permission to the Grid members to start and stop a service on them.

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Starting a service on a member:
click the Start icon from the Toolbar. You can select multiple members by selecting their checkboxes.
2. From the Start drop-down menu, select the service you want to start.
3. In the Start Service dialog box, click Yes.
Grid Manager enables the selected service on the selected member and displays the service status in the Status
column in the panel.
Stopping a service on a member:

click the Stop icon from the Toolbar. You can select multiple members by selecting their checkboxes.
2. From the Stop drop-down menu, select the service you want to stop.
3. In the Stop Service dialog box, click Yes.
Grid Manager disables the selected service on the selected member and displays the service status in the Status
column in the panel.
 Note
When you start or stop a service, there may be a short delay before Grid Manager displays the correct
status.
Monitoring File Distribution Services

To view the current status of the file distribution services:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the File Distribution tab -> Members tab.
• Name: The name of the Grid member.
• Address: The IP address of the Grid member.
• Status: The overall status of the file distribution services running on the member. You can mouse over on
the field to view the status of each service. This field can display one of the following:
• Not Running: All the file distribution services are disabled.
• Running: One or more of the file distribution services are running properly.
• Warning: The services are functioning properly. However, there are some issues, such as storage
space has reached 90%, about the services.
• Error: One or more of the services have service issues.
• Comment: Information about the member.
• Site: The location to which the member belongs. This is one of the pre-defined extensible attributes.
You can sort the information in ascending or descending order by columns. You can also print and export the information
in this panel.
Managing Directories
You can create directories on the Grid Master and on Grid members, in which you can store your files. You can manage
the directories in the following ways:
• Create a directory structure for file distribution, as described in Adding Directories.
• Modify the directory name and permissions, as described in Modifying Directories.
• Create a Virtual TFTP root directory, as described in Creating a Virtual TFTP Root Directory.
• View the directories, as described in Viewing Directories From the Files Tab.

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Adding Directories
To add a directory:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the File Distribution tab -> Files tab.
2. Click the parent directory link, and then click Add -> Directory from the Toolbar.
3. Grid Manager adds a new directory to the parent directory and gives it the default name NewDirectory. You can
modify the directory name and permissions, as described in Modifying Directories.
Modifying Directories
2. Select a directory checkbox and click the Edit icon.
3. The Directory editor provides the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: You can modify the directory name here, except for the Root directory.
• Virtual TFTP Root: You can add an IP Address, a Network or a Range of IP addresses to support VMware
ESX hosts who need different PXE boot images based on where they are in the network.
• Permissions: You can add or delete admin permissions in this tab. For information, see About
You can also select a directory and click the Delete icon to delete it.
 Note
When you delete a directory, the appliance automatically removes all its contents in that directory.
Creating a Virtual TFTP Root Directory

This section describes how to create a Virtual TFTP root directory for a specific IP address, network, or range of IP
addresses. Note that Virtual TFTP root is supported only for file downloads, but not for file uploads using TFTP client.
 Note
Root directory can not be a virtual TFTP root.
2. Select the directory checkbox and click the Edit icon.
3. In the Directory editor select Virtual TFTP Root. Click the Add icon and select one of the following:
• IP Address: This creates a virtual TFTP directory that the clients from a specified IP address will see as
the root directory.
• Network: This creates a virtual TFTP directory that the clients on a specified network will see as the root
directory.
• Range: This creates a virtual TFTP directory that the clients in a specified range of IP addresses will see
as the root directory.
4. From the drop-down in the Member column, select the member on which to make the virtual TFTP root directory.
5. In the Address/Network column, enter a value:
• IP Address: Enter the IP address of the client that will have access to the virtual TFTP root directory. This
IP address must be on the allow list in the TFTP access control list.
• Network: Enter a network address using the format 10.0.0.0/24. This allows all clients in that network to
access the virtual TFTP root directory. This network address must be on the allow list in the TFTP access
control list.
• Range: Enter the first IP address in the range Address/Network column, and the last IP address in the
range in the End column. This allows all clients in that range to access the virtual TFTP root directory. This
range must be on the allow list in the TFTP access control list.
6. Click Save & Close. Click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.
7. To create more virtual TFTP root directories, repeat Steps 3 through 5.

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Viewing Directories From the Files Tab
2. Grid Manager displays the following information in the Root directory.
• Name: The name of the directory or file.
• Type: Depending on the file type, this can be Directory or File.
• Size: The file size in B, KB, or MB depending on whether the file size crosses the unit limit or not. For
example, if the file size is 1023, Grid Manager displays 1023 B. If the file size is 1025, Grid Manager
displays 1 KB. For a directory, Grid Manager displays a dash (-).
• Date Modified: The timestamp when the directory was last created or when the file was last modified.
3. Click the directory link to view files and directories in a specific directory. You can also do the following in this
panel:
• Sort the information in ascending or descending order by columns.
• Use the breadcrumb to go to a specific directory.
• Print and export the information in this panel.
• Add a directory or a file. For information, see Adding Directories and Managing Files.
• Open and edit a directory. For information, see Modifying Directories.
Managing Files
This section describes how to upload files using the Grid Manager or a file transfer client. You can upload files to the Grid
Master or to individual members.
Uploading Files
Some things to keep in mind when you upload files:
• When you use the Grid Manager to upload files, you can upload files only to the Grid Master, not to individual
members of the Grid.
• To upload files to a member, you must use an FTP client, TFTP client or HTTP client. Files uploaded by file
transfer clients to any member, will be synchronized back to Grid Master.
• The logs for file transfers using third party clients can be found in syslog.
• You can use a third party file transfer client to upload and retrieve files:
• If the 'anonymous' login is enabled, you can retrieve files but this 'anonymous' user can not upload files
even if the "Allow uploads" option is enabled.
• If you create a user to use with a third party transfer client, this must be an FTP user with read/write
permissions in their directory.
• You can upload a maximum of 10,000 files.
• If uploading a file exceeds the storage limit of 2 GB for a single file, NIOS logs a message and does not upload
the file. For information about file distribution storage, see Modifying File Distribution Storage Limits.
• If you upload a file that has the same name and path as an existing file, NIOS automatically replaces the old file.
 Note
Administrators with superuser privileges can manage uploading files. Limited-access admins with read/write
permissions to specific directories can upload files to the directories. For information,
see Administrative Permissions for File Distribution Services.

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Enabling Upload to Grid Members
1. From the Data Management tab, select Grid File Distribution Properties on the toolbar.
2. In the Grid File Distribution Properties dialog box, select the Allow Upload to Grid Members checkbox.
Uploading Files using Grid Manager

The Grid Manager uploads files only to the Grid Master. The Grid Master propagates the files to the members. You must
use a third party file transfer client to upload files directly to an individual member:
• If the 'anonymous' login is enabled, you can retrieve files but this 'anonymous' user can not upload files even if
the "Allow uploads" option is enabled.
• If you create a user to use with a third party transfer client, this must be an FTP user with read/write permissions
in their directory.
2. Select the destination directory link.
3. Click the Add icon -> File from the Toolbar.
4. Select the Extract files after upload (.zip, .tar, .gz, .tgz) checkbox in the Upload dialog box if you are
uploading .zip, .tar, .gz, or.tgz files and you want to automatically extract the files upon upload.
 Note
The directory structure in the compressed file is restored when the files are extracted. A directory that
already exists it will be replaced by an extracted directory with the same name.
5. Click Select to navigate to the file you want to upload.

6. Select the file you want to upload, and then click Open.
7. If you want to upload more than one file, repeat Steps 4 and 6 until you have selected all the files you want to
upload. You can upload a maximum of ten files at one time.
 Note
You can delete an incorrect file selection by clicking the red icon next to the filename before you click
Upload
8. To verify the upload was successful. roll the mouse cursor over the green check mark next to the file name. If the
upload was successful, the message "Upload succeeded." appears.
Uploading Files Using TFTP, FTP, or HTTP File Transfer Client

You can upload files to the Grid Master or to individual members using a third party FTP client. Files uploaded by file
transfer clients to any member, will be synchronized back to Grid Master.
To upload files to a member, you must first enable the Allow Upload to Grid Members checkbox in the Grid File
Distribution Properties dialog box. See Enabling Upload to Grid Members.
You must add an FTP user before you can upload files using a third party FTP client. This must be an FTP user. It is not
the NIOS admin. For information see Adding FTP Users through Grid Manager.
Deleting Files From the Grid Master

If the FTP user has read/write permissions, then that user can delete files from the Grid member wherever that FTP user
is connected. Only files can be deleted but not directories.
2. Grid Manager displays the files and folders in the Root directory. Click the directory link to see the files in a
specific directory.
3. To delete a file, select the checkbox and then click the Delete icon.

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Deleting Files From a Member
You can delete files from a member only if "No" appears in the Synchronized with Grid Master column.
If the FTP user has Read/Write permissions, then that user can delete files from the Grid member wherever that FTP
user is connected. Only files can be deleted but not directories.
2. Grid Manager displays the files and folders in the Root directory. Click the directory link to see the files in a
specific directory.
3. If "No" appears in the Synchronized with Grid Master column, select the checkbox, then click the Delete icon.
Viewing Files
You can view files from the Files Tab and from the Members Tab.
Viewing Files from the Files Tab

• Name: The name of the file.
You can view files and directories in a specific directory by clicking the directory link.
Viewing Files from the Members Tab

1. From the Data Management tab, select the File Distribution tab -> Members tab.
• Name: Member name.
• IPv4Address: Member's IP address.
• Status: State of the member, running or not running.
• Comment: Additional comments about the member.
• Site: User defined information about the site.
3. To see the files on the Grid Master, click on the name of the Grid Master. Grid Manager displays the following
information:
Tip: When you drill down on the Grid Master from the Members tab, the Add icon is activated.
4. To see the files on a member, click on the name of the member. Grid Manager displays the following information:

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• Synced with Grid Master: You cannot delete files with a value other than "No". If this value is "No", you
must delete the file.
 Note
You cannot upload, modify, or delete a file or a directory when you drill down from the Members
tab.
You can also do the following in this panel:

• Sort the information in ascending or descending order by columns.
• Use the breadcrumb to go to a specific directory.
• Print and export the information in this panel.
• Add a directory or a file. For information, see Adding Directories and Managing Files.
• Open and edit a directory. For information, see Modifying Directories.
• You can enable "group by" function to organize your members in a meaningful way and quickly identify them
based on common data. Complete the following to group members with the same extensible attribute value:
• Group By: From the drop-down list, select the first extensible attribute that you want the appliance to use
for filtering members.
For more information about grouping by extensible attributes, see Grouping Members by Extensible
Attributes.
Managing Users
This section describes how to add and modify user accounts for use with an FTP client.
You must be a NIOS admin user with super user privileges to add, modify, or delete FTP users. FTP users are created at
Grid level, so the same users will be available to access FTP service on all members.
• Each user must have unique Username.
• By default, the home directory with the user name is under the /ftpusers directory. However, the user can also
choose to use an existing directory outside of /ftpusers as his home directory. If the admin specified home
directory is not available then it will raise an error.
• Permission: Read-write or Read-only are assigned for each FTP user. Users with read-write permissions are
allowed to upload files, delete files and list the files and directories under his home directory.
• You can have multiple users to use same home directory. One user may have read-only permissions while others
have read-write permissions on same home directory.
• FTP users are not allowed to add, modify, or delete the directories, even with read-write permissions.
• If the "Allow uploads on the member" is disabled, then users with read-write permission also can not upload files
to his home directory.
Users Default Home Directory

• FTP users default home directory is /ftpusers.
• The /ftpusers directory is created by default and listed in the 'Files' viewer under the root directory.By default,
home directories for FTP users are under this directory.
• NIOS admin is allowed to upload and delete files to and from users home directories.
• Files uploaded by FTP users are visible in the Grid Manager.

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Adding FTP Users through Grid Manager
1. From the Data Management tab, select the File Distribution tab -> FTP Users tab, and then click the Add icon.
2. In the Add FTP User dialog box, complete the following:
• Username: Enter a name for the user. This is the username that the user uses to log in.
• Password: Enter a password for the user to use when logging in.
• Permissions: From the drop down choose from the following:
• Read Only: This allows the user to display files, but not to upload, or delete files using a third party
FTP client.
• Read/Write: This allows the user to upload, delete and list files using a third party FTP client.
• Choose a directory for this user. This is the directory where files uploaded with this Username will go:
• Create Home DIrectory: This creates a directory using the Username.
• Choose Specified Directory: This allows the user to choose an existing directory.
Adding FTP Users through CSV Import

You can add an FTP User by importing a CSV file with the headers in the following format:
version 1.0,,,,
header-ftpuser,username*,password*,create_home_dir,home_dir,permission
ftpuser,user1,passwd1,True,/ftpusers/user1,RO
Modifying FTP Users

1. From the Data Management tab, select the File Distribution tab -> FTP Users tab.
2. Select the checkbox for the user you want to modify and click the Edit icon.
3. In the FTP User Editor you can modify the following:
• Password: Enter a password for the user to use when logging in.
• Permissions: From the drop down choose from the following:
• Read Only: This allows the user to display the files and their properties, but not to edit them.
• Read/Write: This allows the user to display and edit the files and their properties.
bloxTools Environment
The bloxTools environment provides a pre-installed environment for hosting custom web-based applications. This section
• About the bloxTools Environment

• Using the bloxTools Environment
• Monitoring the Service
About the bloxTools Environment

The bloxTools environment provides tools for creating custom applications that facilitate the administrative tasks in your
organization. It provides a pre-installed environment for running applications using Perl, Python, PHP, CGI scripting, and
Infoblox API libraries. Note that no direct external remote user (telnet and ssh, for example) or shell access is available in
this environment.
The bloxTools environment "borrows" resources such as CPU, memory, disk space, and networking from the host
Infoblox appliance, but is logically separated from the NIOS. The logical separation ensures that any failure in the
bIoxTools service does not affect the other services running on the appliance.

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The bloxTools environment can only be configured to run on an independent appliance or a Grid member. You cannot run
the bloxTools service on a Grid Master or a Grid Master candidate.
 Note
In previous NIOS releases, you could run the bloxTools service only on a Grid Master. If bloxTools has been
configured to run on a Grid Master before an upgrade, the bloxTools service continues to run on the Grid
Master after an upgrade. This configuration is preserved mainly for migration purposes only. Infoblox strongly
recommends that you move the bloxTools service to a Grid member after the upgrade. For information,
see Moving the bloxTools Service.
In a Grid, you can run the bloxTools service only on one Grid member at a time, and you cannot configure this member
as a Grid Master candidate. However, you can move the bloxTools service from one member to another. For information,
see Moving the bloxTools Service.
On an HA member, the bloxTools service runs on the active node. If there is an HA failover, the bloxTools service is
automatically launched after the passive node becomes active. For information, see About HA Pairs.
 Note
When you run the bloxTools service on an independent appliance or a Grid member, the performance of other
services running on the appliance may be affected. Infoblox recommends that you run the bloxTools
environment on a member that does not host critical services.
After you enable the bloxTools service and configure its built-in file transfer services, you can upload content to the
bloxTools portal using either an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) client. The uploaded
content is included in system backups and you can restore it from the backups.
If you have further questions about bloxTools, visit the community site at https://community.infoblox.com.
System Requirements
The following table shows which Infoblox physical appliances support the bloxTools service.
Supported Infoblox Appliance
TE-815
TE-1415
TE-2215
The following table shows which Infoblox appliances support the bloxTools service and the memory requirement for
each. The service "borrows" host resources such as CPU, memory, and disk space from the host Infoblox appliance.
Supported Infoblox Appliance Memory Requirement
IB-V1410 128 MB to 2048 MB

IB-V1415 The default is 256 MB
IB-V1420
IB-V1425
IB-V2210 128 MB to 2048 MB

IB-V2220
IB-V2225

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Supported Infoblox Appliance Memory Requirement
IB-V4015 128 MB to 4096 MB

Using the bloxTools Environment

Complete the following tasks to upload custom applications to the bloxTools environment:
1. Log in to the appliance as a superuser and configure the bloxTools service, as described in Configuring the
Service.
2. Use an FTP or a SFTP client to upload content to the bloxTools environment.
In addition, you can schedule tasks as described in Scheduling Tasks, and monitor the bloxTools service as described in
Monitoring the Service.
WARNING: Resetting the Grid member using either the reset all or reset database CLI commands permanently deletes
the content you uploaded to the bloxTools environment. Infoblox recommends that you backup the appliance before
using any of these commands.
Configuring the Service

When you configure the bloxTools service, you can enable FTP, SFTP, and HTTPS, and set their operational parameters.
FTP and SFTP are the services you use to upload data. You can disable these services when they are not in use.
HTTPS must remain enabled to allow the web based bloxTools applications to run. Note that the bloxTools service uses
the same SSL certificate as the host Infoblox appliance. For information on certificates, see Managing Certificates.
You can configure the bloxTools service on port 443, 444 or on a port between 1024 to 63999. You can also enable
HTTP to HTTPS redirection for the bloxTools service from the default HTTP port 80 to any specified HTTPS port. When
you enable HTTP to HTTPS redirection, all the requests sent to the HTTP port are redirected to the HTTPS port
configured for the bloxTools service. By default, NIOS appliance does not redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS.
 Note
When you redirect HTTP to HTTPS, the connection is not as secure as compared to connecting directly
through HTTPS.
Note the following when you configure the bloxTools service on port 443:
• HTTP to HTTPS redirection from Grid member to Grid Master is disabled.
• HTTP file distribution service is not allowed.
In previous NIOS releases, you could run the bloxTools service on a Grid Master or a Grid Master candidate. If you have
not removed the bloxTools service from a member before you upgrade it to NIOS 6.11.0 or later, you cannot configure the
bloxTools service on port 443 until you move the bloxTools service to an upgraded Grid member. For information, see
Moving the bloxTools Service.
To configure the bloxTools service:
2. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click bloxTools. In the Services tab, click Edit -> Grid
bloxTools Properties from the Toolbar.
3. In the Grid bloxTools Properties editor, complete the following:
• Enable Web Service: Select HTTPS Port to enable users to access the applications through an HTTPS
connection. The default port is 444. You can change the default HTTPS port to 443 or to a port between
1024 to 63999.

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• Redirect Bloxtools HTTP to HTTPS: Select this checkbox to enable redirection from the default HTTP port
to the HTTPS port. The default HTTP port is 80. This is disabled by default.
• Enable FTP Service: Select FTP Port to enable the FTP service. The default port is 26. You can change
the port number to suit your environment.
• Enable SFTP Service: Select SFTP Port to enable the SFTP service for secure file transfer. The default
port is 28. You can change the port to a number between 1024 and 63999, provided that the port is not
currently used for another purpose.
• Login: Enter the username for the FTP and SFTP services. The username can contain lower case letters,
numbers, underscores (_), and dollar signs ($), and it must begin with a letter, not a number.
• Set Password: Enter the password for the FTP and SFTP services in this field.
 Note
The password is sent as clear text when you use the FTP service. To maintain security on the Infoblox
appliance, this password should be different from the password set for the Infoblox appliance.
When you configure the bloxTools service on an independent appliance, you can configure the allocated memory in the
System bloxTools Properties editor. For information, see Allocating Memory.
Allocating Memory
You can configure the memory you want to allocate to the bloxTools service. You must configure this at the member level.
If you run the bloxTools service on an independent appliance, you can configure the allocated memory in the System
bloxTools Properties editor.
To configure the allocated memory:
2. From the Grid tab, select the GridManager tab, and then click bloxTools. In the Services tab, click Edit ->
MemberbloxToolsProperties from the Toolbar.
3. In the MemberbloxToolsProperties editor, complete the following:
• Allocated Memory (MB): The service "borrows" host resources such as CPU, memory, and disk space from the
host Infoblox appliance. The default amount of memory the appliance allocates for the bloxTools environment is
256 MB. You can change this allocation, depending on the appliance platform. See System Requirements for the
requirements and allowed values of each appliance.
Uploading Files
Use an FTP or a SFTP client to upload content, such as Perl modules, JavaScript files, PHP files, CGI files, and image
files, to the bloxTools environment. You can upload a maximum of 4 GB of data. After you have uploaded content to your
bloxTools environment, you should disable the FTP and SFTP services to prevent unauthorized or accidental changes.
To upload files using the FTP service:
1. Open an Internet browser window and log in to the FTP service by entering:
ftp://Grid_member_ip_addr:ftp_port
For example, if the IP address of the Grid member is 10.1.1.1 and the FTP port number is 26, enter: ftp://
10.1.1.1:26
2. In the Authentication Required dialog box, enter the username and password. This is the username and
password you entered for the FTP service in the bloxTools Environment editor on the appliance.
3. Follow the instructions provided by your FTP client to upload the files.
To upload files using the SFTP service:
1. Open a terminal window and log in to the SFTP service by entering:
sftp -oPort=sftp_port sftp_user@Grid_member_ip_addr
For example, if the IP address of the Grid member is 10.1.1.1, the login username for the SFTP service is jdoe,

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and the SFTP port number is 28, enter:
sftp -oPort=28 jdoe@10.1.1.1
2. Enter the password. This is the password you entered for the SFTP service in the bloxTools Environment editor
on the appliance.
3. Follow the instructions provided by your SFTP client to upload the files.
 Note
On a computer running Microsoft Windows, you can use WinSCP as the FTP or SFTP client for uploading files.
The bloxTools environment stores the uploaded data in the /portal directory.
Scheduling Tasks
bloxTools includes support for the Perl module Config::Crontab so you can manage scheduler services. You can use the
scheduler to execute commands in the future. You can also schedule recurring commands. For example, you can
schedule the creation of a host record or schedule recurring reports. The scheduler allows default "user level" crontab
access and you can use the user account 'nobody' to submit commands. The Grid Master replicates the crontab data to
the Master Candidates.
Moving the bloxTools Service

In a Grid, you can move the bloxTools service from one Grid member to another. When you move the bloxTools service,
the source member synchronizes data with the Grid Master, and the Grid Master synchronizes data with the destination
member. The time to resynchronize the bloxTools data on to the destination member depends on the amount of data to
synchronize and the Grid configuration. If the migration takes longer than two minutes, it becomes a long running task.
This allows the move of the bloxTools service to run in the background while you perform other tasks. Note that on an
independent appliance, you cannot move the bloxTools service to another member.
After an upgrade from previous NIOS releases, Grid Manager displays a warning message in the system message panel
if you have previously configured to run the bloxTools service on the Grid Master. You can click Move in this panel to
launch the Move bloxTools dialog box to move the bloxTools service to a Grid member.
To move the bloxTools Service:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab, and then click bloxTools -> Move from the
Toolbar.
2. In the Move bloxTools dialog box, complete the following:
• Source Member: Displays the name of the Grid member that is currently running the bloxTools service.
You cannot modify this field.
• Destination Member: Click Select. In the Member Selector dialog box, select the member to which you
want to move the bloxTools service. Grid Manager displays the name of the selected member here.
3. Click Move.
The appliance synchronizes data with the Grid Master, and the Grid Master synchronizes data with the destination
member. This may take a while to complete depending on your Grid configuration and the amount of data.
Monitoring the Service

Infoblox provides several tools for monitoring the bloxTools Environment. The bloxTools Environment has its own syslog
service which you can access to view logs generated by the bloxTools service and its processes. The Detailed Status
panel also displays the status of the bloxTools Environment.
Viewing the Logs

The bloxTools Environment generates the following logs:
• access.log: The Apache access log
• error.log: The Apache error log

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• syslog.log: The bloxTools Environment system log
These log files are included in the support bundle. You can download the log files using FTP. You can also connect to the
CLI of the member running the bloxTools environment and use the following commands to view the logs:
• Use the show file command to view the list of log files.
• Use the show bloxtools command to view the status of the bloxTools Environment.
• Use the show file bloxtools portal_access command to view the web portal access log.
• Use the show file bloxtools portal_error command to view the web portal error log.
• Use the show file bloxtools portal_log command to view the web portal system log.
Viewing Detailed Status

You can view the status of the bloxTools Environment from the Services tab of the Grid Manager tab. To display the
bloxTools service status, from the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Services tab, and then click bloxTools. Grid
Manager displays all Grid members that can host the bloxTools service. The name of the Grid Master is displayed only if
you have completed an upgrade and previously configured the bloxTools service to run on the Grid Master. Though you
can continue to run the bloxTools service on the Grid Master, Infoblox strongly recommends that you move the bloxTools
service to a Grid member. For information, see Moving the bloxTools Service.
Grid Manager displays the following information about all Grid members:
• Name: The Grid member name.
• Service Status: Indicates the current operational status of the bloxTools service running on the member. This can
include the migration status if you are moving the bloxTools service to another member.
• IP Address: The IP address of the member.
• Comment: Information about the bloxTools Environment.
• Sit: The location to which the member belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
The service status icon indicates the operational status of the bloxTools Environment and the usage percentages for the
CPU, memory and disk resources. The status icon can be one of the following:
Icon Color Meaning
Gray The bloxTools Environment is disabled or offline.
Green The CPU, memory, and disk usage is below 80%.
Yellow Usage of at least one of the following resources is greater than or equal to 80%: CPU,
memory or disk. The description indicates the percentage of each resource.
Red The bloxTools Environment is down, or an essential service within the bloxTools
Environment has failed.
RIR Registration Updates

This section explains how to configure the Infoblox Grid to manage RIR (Regional Internet Registries) allocated
addresses and submit registration updates to the RIPE database. It includes the following topics:
• RIR Address Allocation and Registration Updates

• Configuring RIR Registration Updates
• Managing RIR Data
• Managing RIR Attributes
• Monitoring RIR Data
• Requirements and Permissions

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RIR Address Allocation and Registration Updates
You can configure the Infoblox Grid to manage allocated IP address blocks that ISPs (Internet Service Providers) receive
from their RIRs (Regional Internet Registries). An RIR is an entity that manages the Internet number resources, which
include IP addresses and autonomous system numbers, within a specific region of the world. RIRs use SWIP (Share
WHOIS Project) or RWhois (Referral WHOIS) servers to provide address allocation information for IP address blocks.
Typically, an RIR determines the address blocks to be allocated for specific organizations (typically ISPs), while an ISP
manages the allocated address blocks, associated organizations and corresponding RIR registrations. An organization
can determine when to request for more address blocks from its RIR. Most ISPs manage multiple organizations and
synchronize network address data with their RIRs every few months.
To leverage IPAM (IP Address Management) on the NIOS appliance, you can enable the Infoblox Grid to manage RIR
allocated addresses and send registration updates to the RIPE (Réseaux IP Européens) database as often as you
update RIR data on NIOS. RIPE is one of the five RIRs in the world that manages the allocation and registration of
Internet number resources for Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
 Note
The RIR registration update feature is not supported in a Multi-Grid configuration.
About the RIPE Database

The RIPE database contains registration details of IP addresses and AS numbers originally allocated by the RIPE NCC
(RIPE Network Coordination Center). The database contains information such as organizations that hold IP resources,
where the allocations were made, and contact details for the networks. Organizations or individuals that hold the
allocated address blocks are responsible for updating information in the database.
The NIOS appliance supports submitting registration and reassignment updates to the RIPE database, which can be
accessed through the RIPE API interface or an email template. For more information, see Configuring RIR
Communication Settings.
 Note
Before the NIOS appliance sends registration updates to the RIPE database, it does not validate the data you
submit. Therefore, if you enter invalid information that cannot be mapped to the RIPE database, your updates
will fail. In addition, the NIOS appliance does not synchronize data from the RIPE database
Requirements and Permissions

To manage RIR allocated addresses, organizations, and network utilization that contain RIR assignments, you must first
enable support for RIR registration updates, and then configure the RIR communication method. Note that once you
have enabled support for RIR registration updates, settings and fields that are relevant to this feature are enabled in Grid
Manager. You do not need a special license to use this feature.
Only superusers can create, modify, and delete RIR organizations. Limited-access users can manage RIR allocated
address blocks if they have the required permissions to the objects.
To view and manage RIR related data, admins must have permissions to the applicable resources. For example, to view
RIR networks, admins must have read-only permission to the networks; and to edit them, admins must have read/write
permission to them. For more information about admin permissions, see About Administrative Permissions.

Rev. D
Configuring RIR Registration Updates
To manage RIR allocated addresses and send registration updates through NIOS, you first add RIR organizations and
create RIR allocated networks in NIOS. You can then reassign network addresses within the RIR allocated address block
to other organizations based on your requirements, and then configure NIOS to send registration updates directly to the
RIPE database. Any data you manage through the Grid is handled by the Grid Master.
When the Grid Master is an HA pair, the active node handles the submission of data. If an HA failover occurs during a
submission, the failing node immediately aborts the submission. The new active node resumes the next submission. For
information about HA pairs, see About HA Pairs.
To manage and submit updates to the RIPE database, you must first enable the Grid to support RIR registration updates.
You can then enter RIR information, such as RIR organizations and RIR attributes.
To configure the Grid to manage RIR allocated addresses and submit updates to RIPE, complete the following:
1. Enable support for RIR registration updates, as described in Enabling Support for RIR Registration Updates.
2. Define the method to communicate updates to RIPE, as described in Configuring RIR Communication Settings.
3. Add and configure RIR organizations and RIR organizational attributes, as described in Adding RIR
Organizations.
4. Add allocated address blocks and assign specific network addresses to RIR organizations, as described in
Adding and Assigning RIR Networks.
5. Review and submit registration updates to RIPE, as described in Previewing Registration Updates. You can also
perform the following tasks:
• View a list of RIR organizations, as described in Viewing RIR Organizations.
• Modify RIR organizations and RIR organizational attributes, as described in Modifying RIR Organizations.
• Monitor network utilization for networks that contain RIR assignments. For information, see IPAM Home or
Viewing Networks.
Enabling Support for RIR Registration Updates

Before you can manage RIR data through Grid Manager, you must first enable support for RIR registration updates. To
enable support for RIR registration updates:
2. In the Grid Properties editor, select the General tab -> Advanced tab, and complete the following:
• Enable Updates of RIR Registrations: Select this to enable the support for submitting RIR registration updates to
the RIPE database. When you enable this feature, you can configure the appliance to send registration updates
to RIPE for network reassignments and reallocations.
 Note
Ensure that you configure DNS resolvers for the Grid when you enable this feature. For information
about how to configure DNS resolvers, see Enabling DNS Resolution.
Configuring RIR Communication Settings

You can configure the appliance to send RIR address updates to RIPE through the RIPE REST API or through an email
using the maintainer email address specified in the RIR organization. Note that when you use the API method to delete a
registered address block, you do not need to submit RIR attributes that match the data in the RIPE database. However,
when you use the email method, you must enter RIR attribute values that match the data in the database. Otherwise,
your submission will fail. To view examples of registration updates that NIOS sends, see Previewing Registration
Updates.
To configure the RIR communication settings:
1. From the Administration tab, select the RIR tab, and then select RIR Settings -> RIPE from the Toolbar.

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2. In the RIR Communication Settings - RIPE editor, select one of the following to determine how the appliance
sends updates to RIPE. The default is API.
• API: The appliance sends RIR updates to RIPE through the RIPE API. The default destination is https://
rest.db.ripe.net for accessing the production database and https://rest-test.db.ripe.net for accessing the
test database. Click Override and enter a different URL to override the default value. When you select this
as the communication method, the registration status will be updated automatically after the registration
update is completed. Note that RIPE supports only secure connections using HTTPS.
• Email: The appliance sends RIR updates to RIPE through the email address displayed in the field. The
default is auto-dbm@ripe.net. Click Override and enter a different email address to override the default
value. The appliance uses a special email template that includes values of certain RIR attributes. If any of
the RIR attribute values do not match the database in the RIPE database, your submission will fail. When
you select Email as the communication method, ensure that you enable email notifications at the Grid
level. For information how to enable email notifications, see Setting SNMP and Email Notifications. Note
that when you select this as the communication method, the registration status will not be automatically
updated. You can manually change the status. For information, see Modifying RIR Network Data.
• None: The appliance does not send RIR updates to RIPE.
Managing RIR Data

An RIR organization provides information about an entity that has registered a network resource in the RIPE Database.
This entity can be a company (such as an ISP), a nonprofit group, or an individual. You can add RIR organizations
defined in the RIPE database and start managing their data through NIOS.
After you have enabled support for RIR updates and configure the desired communication method for the updates, you
can do the following to manage RIR data:
• Add RIR organizations and their associated data, as described in Adding RIR Organizations.
• Add the RIR allocated addresses to NIOS and assign specific address blocks to ISP organizations, as described
in Adding and Assigning RIR Networks.
• View a list of organization objects, as described in Viewing RIR Organizations.
• Review the reassignment information before sending the updates to RIPE, as described in Previewing
Registration Updates.
• Modify RIR organizational data and attributes, as described in Modifying RIR Organizations.
• Modify RIR network data and attributes, as described in Modifying RIR Network Data.
• Delete RIR organizations, as described in Deleting RIR Organizations.
• Delete delegated addresses from an organization, as described in Deleting RIR Networks.
Adding RIR Organizations

Before you can submit any RIR updates to the RIPE database, you must first add the RIR organization and its
corresponding data to NIOS. You can also create additional organizations for ISP customers.
To add an organization:
1. From the Administration tab, select the RIR tab, and then click Add -> RIPE Organization.
2. In the Add RIPE Organization wizard, complete the following:
• Internet Registry: The default is RIPE. This is the RIR that allocates address blocks to your organization.
You cannot change this.
• Organization Name: Enter the name of the organization that holds the resources allocated by RIPE NCC.
You can enter up to 256 characters. Enter the name in this format: A list of words separated by white
space. A word can be made up of letters, digits, the character underscore "_", and the character hyphen
"-". The first character of a word must be a letter or digit and the last character of a word must be a letter,
digit or a period. For example, you can enter
SPRINT REGION2.
• Organization ID: Enter the handle or ID of the organization. You can enter up to 23 characters. Enter the
ID in this format: Start with ORG- followed by two to four characters, then followed by up to five digits and
a source specification. Note that the first digit cannot be "0". The source specification starts with "-"
followed by the source name that contains up to nine characters in length. For example, you can enter
ORG-CA1-RIPE or

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ORG-CB2-TEST
.
• Maintainer: Enter the name of the maintainer for this organization. This is required. You can enter up to
256 characters; however, note that the RIPE database has an 80 characters limit for this field. A
maintainer is any registrant or person to whom the authority to update has been delegated by another
registrant either directly or indirectly, and who holds an identifier that allows updates to be authenticated
and authorized. Data entered here must match exactly how the maintainer appears in RIPE.
Enter the maintainer name in this format: Use letters, digits, the character underscore "_", and the
character hyphen "". The first character must be a letter, and the last character must be a letter or a digit.
You cannot use the following words (they are reserved by RPSL): any, as-any, rs-any, peer, as, and, or,
not, atomic, from, to, at, action, accept, announce, except, refine, networks, into, inbound, outbound. Also
note the following: Names starting with certain prefixes are reserved for certain object types. For example,
names starting with "as" are reserved for as set names. Names starting with "rs-" are reserved for route
set names. Names starting with "rtrs-" are reserved for router set names. Names starting with "fltr-" are
reserved for filter set names. Names starting with "prng-" are reserved for peering set names. Names
starting with "irt-" are reserved for irt names.
• Password: Enter the maintainer password. This is required. You can enter up to 256 characters.
• Maintainer Email: Enter the originating or source email address of the maintainer. This is required.
RIR Organizational Attributes: This table lists all predefined RIR attributes associated with the RIR organization.
Click the Value field of an attribute in the table to enter a value. The Required field indicates whether a value for
the corresponding attribute is required.
You can add custom attributes by clicking the Add icon and select an attribute from the drop-down list. You can
also delete an RIR attribute by selecting its checkbox and clicking the Delete icon.
For information about the attributes and how to enter their values, see RIR Organizational Attributes.
 Note
You cannot leave an optional RIR attribute value empty. If you do not have a value for an RIR attribute,
you must delete it from the table. You can enter up to 256 characters for all RIR attributes.
3. Save the configuration. Note that you cannot schedule the creation, modification, or deletion of an RIR
organization.
Modifying RIR Organizations

To modify an RIR organization:
1. From the Administration tab, select the RIR tab -> rir_organization checkbox, and click the Edit icon.
2. In the Organization editor, modify the organization information, as described in Adding RIR Organizations. You
can also reorder the list of RIR organizational attributes using the up and down arrows.
Deleting RIR Organizations

You can delete an RIR organization that does not have any networks assigned to it. When you delete an RIR
organization, the appliance moves it to the Recycle Bin, if enabled. You can later restore the network if needed. For
To remove an RIR organization:
1. From the Administration tab, select the RIR tab -> rir_organization checkbox, and then click the Delete icon.
2. In the Delete Confirmation (RIR Organization) dialog box, click Yes.
Adding and Assigning RIR Networks

Before you can assign network addresses within an RIR allocated address block to an organization, you must first add
the allocated address block to NIOS. Infoblox supports IPv4 and IPv6 network containers and networks. You can also
create network templates that are specific for RIR networks. For information about creating network templates, see About

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IPv4 Network Templates and About IPv6 Network Templates.
Note that when you add network containers or networks to NIOS, the appliance does not validate whether the
corresponding networks actually exist in the RIPE database. Even though you can create the networks in NIOS, the
submission of updates for the network may fail. For example, if you create a child network and the parent network is not
registered in RIPE, the registration update will fail.
In addition, each network can only be associated with an RIR in one network view. If you have a network address block
registered with RIPE in a specific network view, you must not register the same address block in a different network view.
When you enable the support for updates of RIR registrations, Grid Manager displays the appropriate data fields that you
can use to add or modify RIR related networks. You can do the following to add IPv4 and IPv6 networks:
• Add RIR allocated IPv4 networks to NIOS, or assign addresses to specific organizations. For information see
Adding IPv4 Networks.
• Add RIR allocated IPv6 networks to NIOS, or assign addresses to specific organizations. For information, see
• Add IPv4 network templates that are specific to RIR address allocation. For information, see About IPv4 Network
Templates.
• Add IPv6 network templates that are specific to RIR address allocation. For information, see About IPv6 Network
Templates.
You can also do the following to modify specific data about the RIR networks:
• Modify RIR allocated or assigned IPv4 networks. For information see Modifying IPv4 Networks.
• Modify RIR allocated or assigned IPv6 networks. For information see Modifying IPv6 Networks.
• Modify IPv4 network templates that are specific to RIR address allocation. For information, see Modifying IPv4
Network Templates.
• Modify IPv6 network templates that are specific to RIR address allocation. For information, see Modifying IPv6
Network Templates.
You can preview the information before the appliance submits updates to the RIPE database. To preview registration
updates, click Preview RIR Submissions in the Add IPv4 Network or Add IPv6 Network wizards. For more information,
see Previewing Registration Updates.
 Note
You can also add RIR networks through Task Dashboard. For information, see The Tasks Dashboard.
After you create an RIR network container or network, you can perform the following:
• Split a network that has an organization ID. A child network that is created does not contain an organization ID by
default. You must assign an organization ID to the child network after splitting it. For information about splitting an
RIR network, see Splitting IPv4 Networks into Subnets and Splitting IPv6 Networks into Subnets.
• Resize an IPv4 RIR network that contains an organization ID and has been registered with RIPE. For more
information, see Resizing IPv4 Networks.
Viewing RIR networks

You can view a list of IPv4 and IPv6 RIR networks in the Data Management tab -> IPAM tab or the Data Management tab
-> DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section. For more information, see IPAM Home and Viewing Networks.
Modifying RIR Network Data

You can modify certain RIR network information in the RIR Registration tab of the IPv4 and IPv6 Network editors. To
modify RIR network information, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
or
From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section -> network checkbox,
and then click the Edit icon.

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2. In the IPv4 or IPv6 Network Container or Network editor, click the RIR Registration tab, and then complete the
following to modify RIR related data for the IPv4 or IPv6 network container or network:
• Internet Registry: Displays the RIR that allocates RIR address blocks. The default is RIPE. You cannot
change this.
• Organization ID: Displays the organization ID with which this network is associated. You cannot change
this.
• Registration Status: Displays the current registration status. This can be Registered or Not Registered.
Registered indicates that the network has a corresponding entry in the RIPE database. Note that when
you select API as the communication method, the registration status will be updated automatically after
the registration update is completed. However, when you select Email as the communication method, the
registration status will not be automatically updated. You can modify this by selecting the appropriate
status from the drop-down list.
• Status of last update: Displays the registration status, communication method, timestamp of the last
registration update. The status can be Pending, Sent, Succeeded, or Failed. The displayed timestamp
reflects the timestamp used on the Grid Master. Each time you send a registration update to create,
modify, or delete a network container or network, the updated status and timestamp will be displayed
here. If you have selected not to send the registration update, the previous status and timestamp are
retained.
• Registration Action: From the drop-down list, select what you want to do with the RIR network updates. If
you are creating a top-level network block that has already been assigned to the organization, select
None. If you are creating a child network within the allocated address block, you can select one of the
following:
• None: The appliance does not submit the updates.
• Create: The appliance creates the network container or network for the specified organization.
• Modify: Modifies data for this network container or network.
• Delete: Deletes the RIR network from the organization. When you select this, you must enter a
reason for deleting this entry in the Delete Reason field.
• Do not update registrations: By default, the appliance sends updates to RIPE if you specify Create,
Modify, or Delete as the registration action. Select this if you do not want the appliance to submit updates
to the RIPE database.
RIR Network Attributes: Modify the value of RIR network attributes by clicking the Value field of an attribute and
entering a new value. You can add a new RIR network attribute by clicking the Add icon and selecting an attribute
from the drop-down list. You can also select any optional attributes and click the Delete icon to delete them. For
information about RIR network attributes, see RIR Network Attributes.
You can enter up to 256 characters for all RIR network attributes, unless otherwise noted.
Preview RIR Submissions: Click this to view the updates before the appliance submits them to the RIPE
database. This button is enabled only when the registration action is Create, Modify, or Delete, and the Do not
update registrations checkbox is not selected. For more information, see Previewing Registration Updates.
To schedule this task, click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard. In the Schedule Change panel, click Later,
and then specify a date, time, and time zone.
Deleting RIR Networks

When you delete an RIR network or network container, the appliance moves it to the Recycle Bin, if enabled. You must
enter the reason for deleting the RIR network or network container and indicate whether you want to send the deletion
update to RIPE. You can delete multiple networks at the same time.
To delete an RIR network or network container:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network checkbox, and then click the Delete icon. You
can choose to delete the network immediately or schedule its deletion.
2. In the Delete Confirmation (IPv4 or IPv6 Network) or Schedule Deletion dialog box, complete the following:
• Justification: Enter the reason for deleting this network.
• Do not update registrations: Select this checkbox if you do not want the appliance to submit updates to
RIPE.
3. Optionally, you can click Preview RIR Submissions to view the RIR network information before deleting the
network. Grid Manager displays the preview data in a separate browser window. For information, see Previewing
Registration Updates

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4. Click Yes. If you are scheduling a deletion, enter the data and time for execution, and then click Schedule
Deletion.
Managing RIR Attributes

Before you can successfully submit RIR data updates, you must ensure that all RIR required attributes contain valid
values that can be mapped to data in the RIPE database. The appliance does not validate data with the RIPE database
before you submit your updates. The appliance also does not synchronize data from the database.
 Note
RIPE does not support UTF-8 data in the Description and Remarks fields. After an upgrade, the NIOS
appliance keeps the UTF-8 data in these fields. However, if you want to modify these fields after the upgrade,
you must remove the UTF-8 data before you can save the changes.
When you enter a value for the following RIR attributes that cannot be mapped to a valid reference in the RIPE database,
updates to the RIR database will fail. However, these values will still be displayed in the IPv4 or IPv6 network or network
container panels of Grid Manager.
• RIPE Routes Maintainer
• RIPE Lower Level Maintainer
• RIPE Reverse Domain Maintainer
• RIPE Admin Contact
• RIPE Technical Contact
• RIPE Computer Security Incident Response Team
You can add multiple values for certain RIR attributes. When you add multiple values of the same attribute, the appliance
groups the values in the order they are listed in the attribute table. You can also reorder the RIR attributes using the up
and down arrows in the attribute tables.
RIR Organizational Attributes

The following table lists RIR organizational attributes, the format you must use to enter values, and whether they are
required or optional.
Organizational Attribute Corresponding RIPE Description and Format Required/ Optional

Attribute
RIPE Description descr Enter a short description about the organization. Optional
RIPE Country country From the drop-down menu, select the country name, followed Required
by the two-letter ISO 3166 country code, of the country or area
within the RIPE NCC service region or through Local Internet
Registries.
RIPE Admin Contact admin-c Enter the name of the on-site admin contact for the Required
organization. Enter the name in this format: Start with two to
four optional characters, followed by up to six optional digits,
and then follow by a source specification. The first digit cannot
be "0". The source specification starts with "-" followed by the
source name that contains up to nine characters in length.
RIPE Technical Contact tech-c Enter the name of the technical contact for the organization. Required
Enter the name in this format: Start with two to four optional
characters, followed by up to six optional digits, and then follow
by a source specification. The first digit cannot be "0". The
source specification starts with "-" followed by the source name
that contains up to nine characters in length.
RIPE Remarks remarks Enter remarks about the organization. Optional

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Attribute
RIPE Notify notify Enter the email address to which notifications of changes to the Optional
organization will be sent.
RIPE Registry Source source From the drop-down list, select the registry at which the Optional
organization is registered. The default is RIPE. Select RIPE for
the RIPE database, which is the authoritative database. Select
TEST for the RIPE TEST database that operates in the same
way as the RIPE database but contains only test data. Note that
test data is cleaned out at the start of each month and a
predetermined set of basic objects is re-inserted. You can use
the RIPE TEST database to learn how to update the database
and try out special scenarios. The RIPE TEST database has
fewer restrictions which allows you to create encompassing or
parent objects you may need for testing.
RIPE Organization Type org-type From the drop-down list, select one of the following organization Optional
type:
• IANA for Internet Assigned Numbers
Authority
• RIR for Regional Internet Registry
• NIR for National Internet Registry
• LIR for Local Internet Registry
• WHITEPAGES for special industry people
• DIRECT_ASSIGNMENT for direct contract
with RIPE NCC
• OTHER for all other organizations
Note: Only the RIPE database admin can set the organization
type, and there are no NIRs in the RIPE NCC service region.
RIPE Address address Enter the organization address. Optional
RIPE Phone Number phone Enter the organization phone number in numeric format starting Optional
with the + character, followed by the country code, area code,
and the phone number. For example, you can enter
+18089991000. You can also use one of the following formats:
• '+' <integer-list>
• '+' <integer-list> "(" <integer-list> ")" <integer-
list>
• '+' <integer-list> ext. <integer list>
• '+' <integer-list> "(" integer list ")" <integer-
list> ext. <integer-list>
RIPE Fax Number fax-no Enter the organization fax number in numeric format starting Optional
with the + character, followed by the country code, area code,
and the fax number. For example, you can enter
+16052529000. You can also use one of the following formats:
• '+' <integer-list>
• '+' <integer-list> "(" <integer-list> ")" <integer-
list>
• '+' <integer-list> ext. <integer list>
• '+' <integer-list> "(" integer list ")" <integer-
list> ext. <integer-list>
RIPE Email email Enter the organization email address. Required
RIPE Abuse Mailbox abuse-mailbox Enter the email address to which abuse complaints are sent. Optional

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Attribute
RIPE Reference Notify ref-nfy Enter the email address to which notifications are sent when a Optional
reference to the organization object is added or removed.
RIR Network Attributes

When you create or edit an RIR associated network, ensure that you enter valid values for the RIR network attributes.
The following table lists RIR network attributes, the format you must use to enter values, and whether they are required
or optional:
Network Correspon Descriptions and Formats Requi

Attributes ding RIPE red/
Attribute Optio
nal
RIPE Admin admin-c The name of the on-site admin contact for the network address. This attribute is populated from the Requi
Contact organizational attribute. red
You can modify the value in this format: Start with two to four optional characters, followed by up to six
optional digits, and then follow by a source specification. The first digit cannot be "0". The source
specification starts with "-" followed by the source name that contains up to nine characters in length.
RIPE mnt-irt The name of the Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) that handles security incidents for the Optio
Computer network address. nal
Security You can enter the value in this format: Use letters, digits, the character underscore "_", and the character
Incident hyphen "-". The value must start with "irt-", and the last character of a name must be a letter or a digit. You
Response must enter a minimum of five characters.
Team
RIPE country The two-letter ISO 3166 country code of the country within the RIPE NCC service region or through Local Requi
Country Internet Registries. This attribute is populated from the organizational attribute. You can select a different red
country code from the drop-down list.
RIPE descr Enter a short description about the network. Requi

Description red
RIPE IPv4 status The status of the IPv4 network address. From the drop-down list, select one of the following status: Requi
Status ALLOCATED PA red
ALLOCATED PI
ALLOCATED UNSPECIFIED
LIR-PARTITIONED PA
LIR-PARTITIONED PI
SUB-ALLOCATED PA
ASSIGNED PA
ASSIGNED PI
ASSIGNED ANYCAST
EARLY-REGISTRATION
NOT-SET
RIPE IPv6 status The status of the IPv6 network address. From the drop-down list, select one of the following: Requi
Status ALLOCATED-BY-RIR red
ALLOCATED-BY-LIR
ASSIGNED
ASSIGNED ANYCAST
ASSIGNED PI

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Network Correspon Descriptions and Formats Requi
Attributes ding RIPE red/
Attribute Optio
nal
RIPE Lower mnt-lower Enter the name of the registered maintainer for hierarchical authorization purposes. This can protect the Optio
Level creation of networks directly (one level) below in the hierarchy of a network container or another network. The nal
Maintainer authentication method of the maintainer will be used upon creation of any network directly below the network
that contains the "mnt-lower:" attribute.
Enter the maintainer name in this format: Use letters, digits, the character underscore "_", and the character
hyphen "-". The first character must be a letter, and the last character must be a letter or a digit. You cannot
use the following words (they are reserved by RPSL): any, as-any, rs-any, peer, as, and, or, not, atomic, from,
to, at, action, accept, announce, except, refine, networks, into, inbound, outbound. Also note the following:
Names starting
with certain prefixes are reserved for certain object types. Names starting with "as-" are reserved for as set
names. Names starting with "rs-" are reserved for route set names. Names starting with "rtrs-" are reserved
for router set names. Names starting with "fltr-" are reserved for filter set names. Names starting with "prng-"
are reserved for peering set names. Names starting with "irt-" are reserved for irt names.
RIPE netname The name of the IP address range. You can enter up to 80 characters. Enter the network name in this format: Requi
Network Use letters, digits, the character underscore "_", and the character hyphen "-". The first character must be a red
Name letter, and the last character must be a letter or a digit.
RIPE Notify notify Enter the email address to which notifications of changes to the object must be sent. Optio
nal
RIPE source From the drop-down list, select the registry at which the organization is registered. The default is RIPE. Requi
Registry Select RIPE for the RIPE database, which is the authoritative database. Select TEST for the RIPE TEST red
Source database that operates in the same way as the RIPE database but contains only test data. Note that test data
is cleaned out at the start of each month and a predetermined set of basic objects is re-inserted. You can use
the RIPE TEST database to learn how to update the database and try out special scenarios. The RIPE TEST
database has fewer restrictions which allows you to create encompassing or parent objects you may need for
testing.
RIPE remarks Enter remarks about the network. Optio

Remarks nal
RIPE mnt- Enter the name of a registered maintainer used for reverse domain authorization. This can protect domain Optio
Reverse domains objects. The authentication method of this maintainer will be used for any encompassing reverse domain nal
Domain object.
Maintainer Enter the maintainer name in this format: You can use letters, digits, the character underscore "_", and the
character hyphen "-". The first character must be a letter, and the last character must be a letter or a digit.
You cannot use the following words (they are reserved by RPSL): any, as-any, rs-any, peer, as, and, or, not,
atomic, from, to, at, action, accept, announce, except, refine, networks, into, inbound, outbound. Also note
the following: Names starting with certain prefixes are reserved for certain object types. Names starting with
"as-" are reserved for as set names. Names starting with "rs-" are reserved for route set names. Names
starting with "rtrs-" are reserved for router set names. Names starting with "fltr-" are reserved for filter set
names. Names starting with "prng-" are reserved for peering set names. Names starting with "irt-" are
reserved for irt names.
RIPE mnt-routes This attribute references a maintainer that is used in determining authorization for the creation of route Optio
Routes objects. Enter the name in this format: Start with the reference to the maintainer, followed by an optional list nal
Maintainer of prefix ranges inside of curly brackets or the keyword "ANY". The default, when no additional set items are
specified, is "ANY". For more information, refer to RFC-2622. Example: <mnt-name> [ { list of <address-
prefix-range> } | ANY ].
RIPE tech-c The name of the technical contact for the network. Enter the name in this format: Start with two to four Requi
Technical optional characters, followed by up to six optional digits, and then follow by a source specification. The first red
Contact digit cannot be "0". The source specification starts with "-" followed by the source name that contains up to
nine characters in length.
Monitoring RIR Data

You can view RIR organizations and networks you added to NIOS through Grid Manager. The appliances sends SNMP
traps and email notifications about registration updates. It also logs RIR events in the Infoblox syslog. Note that

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sometimes due to network timeout from RIPE, your registration updates may fail.
You can do the following to monitor RIR data:
• View RIR update events in the syslog, as described in Viewing the Syslog.
• View RIR organizations, as described in Viewing RIR Organizations.
• View RIR IPv4 and IPv6 network containers and networks, as described in IPAM Home and Viewing Networks.
• Preview RIR updates before submitting them to RIPE, as described in Previewing Registration Updates.
Viewing RIR Organizations

You can view the list of RIR organizations that have received address allocation and the ones you have added
associated networks.
To view RIR organizations:
1. From the Administration tab, select the RIR tab.
2. Grid Manager displays the following information for each RIR organization:
• Organization ID: The RIR organization ID.
• RIR: The RIR that allocates the address block to the organization.
• Maintainer: The name of the maintainer for the organization.
You can also select Organization Name and RIR organizational attributes for display.
from a drop-down list. Click Save to save the changes. Note that some fields are read only.
• Select an organization and click the Edit icon to modify data, or click the Delete icon to delete it.
• Click the Permissions icon to configure permissions for the admin account.
• Create a quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria. For information about quick filters, see Using Quick
Filters.
Previewing Registration Updates

Before the appliance submits RIR updates to RIPE, you can preview the data in Grid Manager. The appliance uses the
email template when displaying preview data in a separate browser window.
Preview data includes the subject line for the email, followed by the inetnum or inet6num template for the network and
other associated data, such as network name, organization name, and others. When there are multiple operations
involved, such as deleting multiple networks, the preview data includes a separate subject line for each operation.
You can preview registration updates when you create a new RIR network. In the Add Networks wizard, click Preview
RIR Submissions in the wizard. For information about how to create or assign RIR networks, see Adding and Assigning
RIR Networks.
Following is a sample preview for a network creation request:

Subject: CREATE inetnum 100.200.0.0 - 100.200.255.255 KEYWORDS: NEW inetnum: 100.200.0.0 -
100.200.255.255
netname: corpxyz_network
descr: RIR network for corpxyz. status: ASSIGNED PA
org: ORG-MC1-TEST
country: US source: TEST
changed: jdoe@corpxyz.com 20120809 notify: jdoe@corpxyz.com
admin-c: NP1-TEST tech-c: NP1-TEST mnt-by: JohnDoe password: *** password: ***
Following is a sample preview for a network modification request:
Subect: MODIFY inetnum 100.200.0.0 - 100.200.255.255 KEYWORDS: inetnum: 100.200.0.0 -
100.200.255.255

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org: ORG-MC1-TEST
admin-c: NP1-TEST tech-c: NP1-TEST mnt-by: JohnDoe password: ***
Following is a sample preview for deleting multiple networks:

Subect: DELETE inetnum 100.200.0.0 - 100.200.255.255 KEYWORDS: inetnum: 100.200.0.0 -
100.200.255.255
org: ORG-MC1-TEST
admin-c: NP1-TEST tech-c: NP1-TEST mnt-by: JohnDoe password: ***
delete: Removed network.
Subect: DELETE inetnum 100.300.0.0 - 100.300.255.255 KEYWORDS: inetnum: 100.300.0.0 -

100.300.255.255
netname: corp200_network
descr: RIR network for Corp200. status: ASSIGNED PA
org: ORG-MC1-TEST
changed: jsmith@corp200.com 20120809 notify: jsmith@corp200.com
admin-c: NP1-TEST tech-c: NP1-TEST mnt-by: JohnSmith password: ***
delete: Removed network.
Requirements and Permissions

To manage RIR allocated addresses, organizations, and network utilization that contain RIR assignments, you must first
enable support for RIR registration updates, and then configure the RIR communication method. Note that once you
have enabled support for RIR registration updates, settings and fields that are relevant to this feature are enabled in Grid
Manager. You do not need a special license to use this feature.
Only superusers can create, modify, and delete RIR organizations. Limited-access users can manage RIR allocated
address blocks if they have the required permissions to the objects.
To view and manage RIR related data, admins must have permissions to the applicable resources. For example, to view
RIR networks, admins must have read-only permission to the networks; and to edit them, admins must have read/write
permission to them. For more information about admin permissions, see About Administrative Permissions.
IP Address Management
IPAM (IP Address Management) is the allocation, administration, reporting, and tracking of IP addresses, network
devices, and their associated data. This section provides information about IPAM and how to use the Infoblox tools to
perform IPAM tasks and manage your entire IP network. It includes the following topics:
• Managing IP Addresses
• IP Discovery and vDiscovery
• Infoblox Network Insight
Managing IP Addresses
This section describes how to manage your networks and IP addresses through the Infoblox IPAM (IP Address
Management) implementation. It contains the following topics:
• About IP Address Management

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• About Host Records
• Managing IPv4 Networks
• Viewing and Managing IPv4 Addresses
• Viewing IPv6 Data
• Managing IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses
• Configuring Thresholds for IPAM Utilization
• Viewing Identity Mapping Information
About IP Address Management

IPAM is the allocation, administration, reporting, and tracking of public and private IP spaces, network devices, and their
associated data. It comprises the deployment of DNS and DHCP services and the monitoring of network devices and
performance to ensure data integrity and security of your networks.
The Infoblox IPAM implementation is a feature-rich and easy-to-use solution that encompasses support for IPv4, IPv6,
network discovery, and automated monitoring. Infoblox IPAM provides tools that integrate the allocation, administration,
reporting, and tracking of your entire network space. The below figure highlights the Infoblox IPAM implementation.
Infoblox IPAM Features
You can perform the following IPAM tasks to effectively manage and control your network:
• Create host records. Host records integrate the DNS records and DHCP data of a network device. You can use a
host record to manage a network device from one central point. For more information, see About Host Records.
• Create IPv4 and IPv6 networks. For information, see About Network Containers.
• Discover devices in IPv4 and IPv6 networks and other Objects created in IPAM. For more information, see
Adding IPv4 and IPv6 Network Containers and Networks, Adding Host Records. View your IPv4 network and
address utilization in a graphical mode. For information, see IPv4 Network Map and IP Map.
• When necessary, resize, join, or split networks. For information, see Resizing IPv4 Networks, Splitting IPv4
Networks into Subnets, Joining IPv4 Networks,Splitting IPv6 Networks into Subnets, and Joining IPv6 Networks.
• Manage IPv4 and IPv6 address data. For information, see Viewing and Managing IPv4 Addresses,Viewing IPv6
Data , and Managing IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses.

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• Add and manage DNS resource records associated with IP addresses. For information, see DNS
ResourceRecords.
• Monitor your core service network data using the Dashboard, audit log, syslog, and reports. For information,
see Infoblox Reporting and Analytics.
• Discover and track network devices. For information, see IP Discovery and vDiscovery and DHCPFingerprint
Detection.
About Host Records

Host records provide a unique approach to the management of DNS, DHCP, and IPAM data. By using host records, you
can manage multiple DNS records and DHCP and IPAM data collectively, as one object on the appliance.
When you create a host record, you are specifying the name-to-address and address-to-name mappings for the IP
address that you assign to the host. The Infoblox DNS server then uses this data to respond to DNS queries for the host.
When the server receives a name-to-address query, it responds with an A record for an IPv4 host or an AAAA record for
an IPv6 host that contains the data from the host record. Likewise, when it receives an address-to-name query for the
host, the appliance responds with a PTR record that contains data from the host record.
 Note
The appliance cannot respond if there is no PTR record and a PTR record is not created if there is no
corresponding reverse-mapping zone.
Additionally, if you specify an alias in the host record, the appliance uses this data as a CNAME record to respond to
queries with the alias. It maps the alias to the canonical name and sends back a response with the canonical name and
IP address of the host. Thus, a single host record is equivalent to creating A, PTR, and CNAME resource records for an
IPv4 address and AAAA and PTR records for an IPv6 address. The appliance supports IDNs for a host record. You can
specify alias and domain names in the native character set. For information about IDN support, see Support for
Internationalized Domain Names.
Hosts also support prefix delegation for IPv6. For example, you can specify an IPv6 prefix in the host record of a router.
The router then advertises this prefix on one of its interfaces, so hosts that connect to the interface can generate their IP
addresses, using the stateless autoconfiguration mechanism defined in RFC 2462, IPv6 Stateless Autoconfiguration.
In addition, if the Infoblox DHCP server manages the IP address assigned to the host, the server uses it as a fixed
address record as well. The DHCP server assigns the IP address to the host when it receives a DHCP request with the
matching MAC address or DUID. Its response includes configuration information, and any DHCP options defined for the
host or inherited from the network to which the fixed address belongs. You can also assign multiple IPv4 and IPv6
addresses to a host, as described in Assigning Multiple IP Addresses to a Host.
You can copy an existing host record and turn it into a new one. When you copy a host record, other than the new host
name and IP address, all DHCP and IPAM configuration including the MAC address and extensible attributes apply to the
new record. You can also modify information, except for the host name and IP address, of an existing host record. For
information about how to copy or modify a host record, see Copying and Modifying Host Records. Note that you can also
modify an IPv4 host record and turn it into a IPv4 reservation. For information, see Configuring IPv4 Reservations.
You can execute immediate discovery on a host record. This simple setting enables you to determine the precise type of
device that is associated with the host, along with its IP addresses, its name and other information.
You can define extensible attributes for a host record to further describe the device. You can include information such as
its location and owner for IP address management purposes. For information about extensible attributes, see About
The below figure illustrates how the appliance uses the host record for both DHCP and DNS.
Using the Host Record for DHCP and DNS

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Note that If the zone of the host record is associated with networks, the IP addresses must belong to the associated
networks. For example, if the host record is in the corpxyz.com zone, which is associated with 10.1.0.0/16 network, then
the IP addresses of the host record must belong to the 10.1.0.0/16 network. For information about associating zones and
networks, see Associating Networks with Zones.
Assigning Multiple IP Addresses to a Host

You can assign multiple IPv4 and IPv6 addresses to a host depending on the function of the device. For example, you
can create a host record for a router that supports three network interfaces in two different networks, and assign IP
addresses to each interface, as illustrated in the figure Assigning Multiple IP Addresses to one Host Record. When the
DNS server responds to DNS queries for the host, it includes an A or AAAA record for each IP address.
In addition, if the IP addresses belong to different networks, they can have different DHCP configurations and options. As
shown in the figure Assigning Multiple IP Addresses to one Host Record, the configuration information and DHCP options
of the interface with the IPv6 address 2001:db8:1::2 may be different from the other two interfaces, 10.31.209.5 and
10.31.209.7, because it is in a different network.
Assigning Multiple IP Addresses to one Host Record

Rev. D
Adding Host Records
You can add host records from the Toolbar of the IPAM, DHCP and DNS tabs of the Data Management tab and from the
Tasks Dashboard. For information about the Tasks Dashboard, see Tasks Dashboard.
When you create a host record, you must specify its zone and at least one IP address. If the zone of the host record is
associated with one or more networks, the IP addresses must belong to one of the associated networks. If a zone of a
host record contains IDNs, the appliance displays the zone name in the native character set.
For Cloud Network Automation, you can create host records within a delegated network view only when you enable DNS
for the host record.
To add a host from the Data Management tab:
1. From the IPAM, DHCP or DNS tab of the Data Management tab, expand the Toolbar.
2. Click Add and select the option to add a host from the drop-down menu.
3. In the first page of the Add Host wizard, do the following:
• Name: If Grid Manager displays a zone name, enter the host name here. The displayed zone name can
either be the last selected zone or the zone from which you are adding the host. If no zone name appears
or if you want to specify a different zone, click Select Zone. When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager
displays the Zone Selector dialog box. Click a zone name in the dialog box, and then enter a unique name
for the host. The name you enter is prefixed to the DNS zone name that is displayed, and the complete
name becomes the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) of the host. For example, if the zone name
displayed is corpxyz.com and you enter admin, then the FQDN is admin.corpxyz.com.
• Enable in DNS: This is selected by default. It enables DNS service for the host. If you clear this checkbox,
DNS does not serve this host and you cannot assign it to a zone.
• Protected: This is selected by default. To mark the record as protected in order to restrict DDNS updates
to this record, select the Protected checkbox. This applies to both static and dynamic records.
 Note
If you select to protect the record, ensure that you also select the Prevent dynamic updates to
RRsets containing protected records checkbox in the advanced updates properties of the Grid,
view, zone, or Standalone appliance.
Alternatively, you can protect records by selecting them, individually or in bulk, in the Resource Records Viewer
and clicking Protect Records -> Enable Protection in the Toolbar.
• DNS View: Displays the DNS view for the host record. This appears only when you enable the host record in
DNS.
• Host Name Policy: Displays the host name policy of the selected zone. This appears only when you enable the
host record in DNS.
• RRset Order: Select one of the following RRset orders that the appliance uses to return A and AAAA records of
the host. This checkbox appears only when you have enabled the configuration of RRset order for the Grid and
there are multiple IP addresses in this host record. For information about how to enable this feature, see Enabling
the Configuration of RRset Orders.
• Cyclic: The records are returned in a round robin pattern. This is the default.
• Fixed: The records are returned in the order you specify in this host record. When you select this
checkbox, the appliance displays up and down arrows next to the IPv4 and IPv6 address tables. You can
use these arrows to reorder the address list. The appliance returns the A and AAAA records of this host
based on the order you define in the address tables.
• Random: The records are returned in a random order.
Note that when you specify Fixed as the RRset order, the appliance places the resource records as
follows:
• A and AAAA records of the host in the fixed order you specify in the address tables. Note that the order of
the returned A and AAAA records are independent of each other.
• Other A and AAAA records in an undefined order.
• Other record types in the default cyclic order.
For more information about RRset order, see Enabling the Configuration of RRset Orders.

Rev. D
• In the IPv4 Addresses and IPv6 Addresses sections, specify the IP addresses of the host record. Click the Add
icon do one of the following:
• Select Next Available IP Address to retrieve the next available IP address in a network. Infoblox
recommends this option to ensure that you assign an IP address from the appropriate network.
If the host record is in a zone that has one associated network, Grid Manager retrieves the next available
If the host record is in zone that has multiple associated networks, the Network Selector dialog box lists
the associated networks. If the zone has no network associations, the Network Selector dialog box lists
the available networks. When you select a network, Grid Manager retrieves the next available IP address
in that network.
If you want to enter a link-local IPv6 address, you must enter an IPv4 address and the host MAC address
first, and then click the Add (+) icon again to enter the link-local IPv6 address. When you select the link-
local IPv6 address, the MAC address is automatically filled in. For information, see Understanding DNS
for IPv6.
Optionally, you can delete an IP address from the host by selecting an IP address in the table and clicking
the Delete icon.
or
• Select Add Address to enter an IPv4 or IPv6 address. You can also enter an IPv6 prefix. Note that when
you use this option, you could specify an IP address from a network that has not yet been defined. To
avoid this, use the Next Available IP Address option instead.
• MAC Address: For an IPv4 address, enter the MAC address of the network device associated with this
host IP address. Note that you must enter a MAC address if DHCP is enabled for the host IP address.
or
• DUID: For an IPv6 address, enter the DHCP Unique Identifier (DUID) of the network device associated
with this host IP address. Note that you must enter a DUID if DHCP is enabled for an IPv6 host address.
• DHCP: Select this to enable the DHCP services to manage the host IP address. If you do not select this
option, the host IP address is not managed by the DHCP server.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the host record.
• Disable: Select this option to temporarily disable the host record. For example, you might want to disable
a host when you need to update the network device.
The Cloud section appears when the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on the Grid Master.
For information, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation. This section displays the following information:
• Cloud Usage: This field indicates whether this object is associated with any specific cloud extensible
attributes or within a scope of delegation. It can be one of the following:
delegation.
created by the Grid Master, this shows Grid. If the object is created by the cloud adapter, this shows
Adapter.
Delegate authority from the Grid Master
• Delegate To: This field indicates whether the authority for the object you want to create has already been
delegated. If so, it displays the name of the delegation.
• (Applies only to Network Insight) In the current Wizard step, you can optionally define the following identification
values and settings for the new object's port reservation:
• Choose the Device Type: Router, Switch-Router, Switch, MSFT (Microsoft) Server, NetMRI, NIOS,
VNIOS, or ESX (VMware) Server.
The values on this page are not required for defining the actual port reservation in a later wizard step.
• Choose the Device Vendor: Cisco, Juniper, Aruba, Dell, Infoblox, or HP.

Rev. D
• You can also enter a Location and a Description. These values are advisory and not required for
configuration.
After you define this group of settings, you will still need to define a device port reservation.
• (Applies only with Network Insight) Click Next to initiate or disable discovery of the new host.
• Choose either Exclude from Network Discovery or Enable Immediate Discovery. If you choose to Exclude,
discovery will not execute on the host. If you choose Enable Immediate Discovery, discovery will execute
on the host after you save your settings. You may also choose to leave both options disabled.
• By default, the new host inherits its SNMP credentials from those defined at the grid level. Should you
wish to override them for a local set of credentials, check the Override Credentials checkbox and select
the SNMPv1/SNMPv2 or SNMPv3 option and enter the locally used credentials. For more information,
see the sections Configuring SNMP1/v2 Credentials for Polling and Configuring SNMPv3 Properties for a
complete description of SNMP credentials for discovery. (You can also test SNMP credentials to ensure
they work before use.)
• For the new object, you can check the Override CLI Credentials checkbox to override the inherited set of
CLI credentials taken from the Grid level. This set of credentials may be used for the device that is directly
associated with the new object (in this case, a Host) in its port reservation.
• You can also click Test CLI Credentials to enter and test a set of CLI login credentials against a device
based on its IP address.
Port control operations require CLI credentials for the involved devices. (If you are not using port control
for the new object, usage of CLI credentials is optional.) Because some IPAM and DHCP objects will use
port control features as part of object creation, CLI credentials are automatically leveraged as part of
discovery. Ensure you have the correct sets of CLI credentials for devices in your network. For more
information, the section Configuring CLI Discovery Properties.
• SSH is the default for CLI operations. Check the Allow Telnet checkbox if you know the device involved in
the object assignment may support Telnet but may not support SSH, or if you want Telnet as an option.
• (Applies only with Network Insight) Click Next to define switch port connectivity for the device that will be
associated with the new host record. This step is optional and not required for creating the new host record. This
feature set is also termed port control in Grid Manager. The device to which the new host record will be
associated should already be discovered and managed from Grid Manager.
• Begin by checking the Reserve Port checkbox. Note that reserving a switch port does not guarantee its
availability.
Optionally, you can skip connecting port configuration by clicking Next.
Click the Clear button to remove the selected device from the configuration.
• Click the Select Device button to choose the device for which the port reservation will be associated. You
should know the identity of the device to whose interface the new object will be associated before taking
this step. For more information, see the section Using the Device Selector.
• After choosing the device, choose the Interface with which the port reservation will be bound. The drop-
down list shows only interfaces that are most recently found to be available by Grid Manager during the
last discovery cycle. This list will not include any ports that are Administratively Up and Operationally Up
or that are otherwise already assigned to other networks or objects.
• The Wizard page also shows a list of any VLANs that are currently configured in the chosen device (The
following VLANs are configured). This Wizard page allows only the assignment of an existing VLAN in the
chosen device to the new port reservation.
• Check the Configure Port checkbox to define specific port control settings for the port reservation.
• Choose the Data VLAN and/or the Voice VLAN settings you may need for the port assignment.
Depending on the selected device, you may or may not be able to apply VLAN settings.
All port control operations require CLI credentials to be entered into Grid Manager. Because some IPAM
and DHCP objects will use port control features as part of object creation, CLI credentials are
automatically leveraged as part of discovery and configuration of port configurations such as Admin Up/
Down status.
Ensure you have the correct sets of CLI credentials for devices in your network.
• Enter a Description for the port assignment. Infoblox recommends doing so to help other technicians to
recognize the port assignment task.
• Click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
• As the final step in the Add Host wizard, you define when Grid Manager creates the new object by scheduling it.
As a separate task, you also schedule when the associated Port Configuration task executes.
• To create the new Host and its associated port reservation immediately, select Now. The port control
event is automatically synchronized to take place at the same time as the activation of the new host.

Rev. D
• You can choose to have Grid Manager execute the port reservation at the same time as the host object
creation. To do so, select At same time as Host.
• You can have Grid Manager execute the port reservation at a later time by selecting Later. Choose a
Selected time by entering or selecting a Start Date (click the calendar icon to choose a calendar date) and
a Start Time, and choose a Time Zone.
• Choose one of the following from the Save & ... drop-down button menu:
• Click Save & Close to add the Host object and close the wizard (this is the default).
• Click Save & Edit to add the Host object and launch the editor.
• Click Save & New to add the Host object and launch the wizard again to add another Host object.
Copying and Modifying Host Records

You can create a new host record by copying an existing one. When you copy a host record, other than the new host
name and IP address, all DHCP and IPAM configuration including the MAC address and extensible attributes apply to the
new record. You can also modify information, except for the host name and IP address, of an existing host record.
To copy or modify an existing host record:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM, DHCP, or DNS tab.
2. In the selected tab, search for or navigate to the host record that you want to copy or modify.
• To copy a host record, select the record and expand the Toolbar, and then click Add -> Host -> Copy Host.
Grid Manager displays the Host Record editor.
• To modify a host record, select the record and click the Edit icon. Grid Manager displays the Host Record
editor.
4. The Host Record editor provides the following tabs from which you can modify all the fields:
• General: Enter the new hostname and specify at least one IP address. Optionally, you can modify the information
you entered through the wizard as described in Adding Host Records.
Note that when you are modifying a DHCP enabled host address, you can apply IPv4 logic filters. To apply IPv4
logic filters, complete the following in the IPv4 Addresses section:
• Select the IP address and click the Edit icon.
• Click the Filters tab in the Advanced tab and complete the following:
• Filters: You can keep the inherited IPv4 logic filters or override them and add a new IPv4 logic
filter. For information, see Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
• Device Information: You can change advisory Device Information settings for the object's port reservation;
settings are described in the section Adding Host Records.
• TTL: This tab displays the default TTL settings the record inherited from the Grid or the DNS zone, if you enabled
override TTL settings at the zone level. You can keep the default settings or override them. To override the
inherited value, click Override to enable the configuration. Specify how long the record is cached. Select the time
period in seconds, minutes, hours, days, or weeks from the drop-down list. To enable the record to inherit the Grid
or zone TTL settings, click Inherit.
• Aliases: Click the Add icon. Grid Manager displays a new row in the table. Enter a fully qualified domain name (a
CNAME record for the host) in the Aliases column. You can delete an alias by selecting the alias checkbox and
clicking the Delete icon.
• IPv4 Discovered Data: Displays the discovered data of the IPv4 addresses, if any, of the host record. For
information, see Viewing Discovered Data.
• Port Reservation: Review and edit any device port reservations that may be defined for the current object, or
create a new port reservation and schedule it. For a closer look, see the section Port Control Features in Network
Insight, and steps 4-8 in the section Adding Host Records.
• IPv6 Discovered Data: Displays the discovered data of the IPv6 addresses, if any, of the host record. For
information, see Viewing Discovered Data.
• Extensible Attributes: You can add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a host record. You
can also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
• Permissions: This tab appears only if you belong to a superuser admin group. For information, see About
• Click Restart Services on the Toolbar for the changes to take effect.

Rev. D
About Network Containers
Grid Manager uses network containers to group IPv4 and IPv6 networks. A network container is a parent network that
contain other network containers and leaf networks. A leaf network is a network that does not contain other networks. For
example, the following figure illustrates the IPv4 20.0.0.0/8 network, which is a network container with two network
containers, 20.8.0.0/13 and 20.72.0.0/13. The 20.8.0.0/13 network has two leaf networks, 20.8.0.0/16 and 20.9.0.0/16.
The 20.72.0.0/13 network has one leaf network, 20.72.0.0/16.
IPv4 Network Container
From Grid Manager, you can click the link of the network container 20.0.0.0/8 in the IP List panel and drill down to the
two network containers, 20.8.0.0/13 and 20.7.0.0/13, as shown in the below figure. You can click the network container
links to drill down further to the leaf networks.
IP List View of Network Containers
In the IPAM tab, when you create an IPv4 or IPv6 network that belongs to a larger network, the appliance automatically
creates a network container and puts the leaf network in the container. The appliance also creates network containers
when you split IPv4 or IPv6 networks into smaller networks. For information, see Splitting IPv4 Networks into Subnets
and Splitting IPv6 Networks into Subnets.

Rev. D
Adding IPv4 and IPv6 Network Containers and Networks
To add an IPv4 or IPv6 network container or network:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab.
2. Click the Add icon and select either IPv4 Network or IPv6 Network.
3. In the Add Network wizard, create a network as described in Adding IPv4 Networks or Adding IPv6 Networks.
Modifying IPv4 and IPv6 Network Containers and Networks

You can modify existing network settings, with the exception of the network address and subnet mask. To modify an IPv4
or IPv6 network container or network:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the DHCP Network editor, modify the network settings as described in Modifying IPv4 Networks or Modifying
IPv6 Networks.
Deleting Network Containers

Depending on the configuration, you may or may not be able to delete or schedule the deletion of a network container
and all its contents. Contents in a network container can include other network containers, leaf networks, and associated
objects. For recursive deletions, only network containers and networks are considered. Objects such as hosts are not
considered for recursive deletions.
Superusers can determine which group of users are allowed to delete or schedule the deletion of a network container
and all its contents. For information about how to configure the recursive deletion of network containers, see Configuring
Recursive Deletions of Networks and Zones.
Note that you must have Read/Write permission to all the contents in order to delete a network container. When you
delete a network container only, the appliance reparents the other network containers and leaf networks.
To delete a network container:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network_container checkbox. You can select multiple
network containers for deletion.
3. Do one of the following in the Delete Confirmation dialog box:
• Select one of the following. Note that these options appear only if you are allowed to delete the network
container and all its contents. For information about how to configure this, Configuring Recursive
Deletions of Networks and Zones.
• Delete only the network container and re-parent the subnets: Select this to delete only the network
container and re-parent its subnets.
• Delete the network container and all its subnetworks: Select this to delete both the network and its
contents.
• Click Yes.
The appliance puts the deleted network container in the Recycle Bin, if enabled. You can also schedule the deletion for a
later time. Click Schedule Deletion and in the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information,
see Scheduling Deletions. For information about scheduling recursive deletions of network containers, see Scheduling
Recursive Deletions of Network Containers and Zones.
Managing IPv4 Networks

In Grid Manager, you use the Net Map (network map) and List panels to manage your IPv4 network infrastructure. After
you select a network container from the IPAM tab, Grid Manager displays it in the Net Map panel, by default. The Net
Map panel provides a graphical view of your networks and has a number of features that simplify network management.
The List panel displays the networks in table format.

Rev. D
You can always switch your view of a network container between the Net Map and List panels. Grid Manager keeps track
of which panel you last used. When you select a network container, Grid Manager displays it in the Net Map or List panel,
depending on which one you last used. For information about each panel, see IPv4 Network Map and IPAM Home.
Use the IP Map and List panels to manage the IP addresses in leaf networks. For information,
see Viewing and Managing IPv4 Addresses.
After you create an IPv4 network, you can modify its properties, resize it, use the split network feature to create subnets,
enable discovery to discover routers, switches, firewalls, wireless access points and other device types within it, or join it
to another network to create a larger network that encompasses adjacent subnets.
You can do the following from both the Net Map and List panels:
• Resize a network. For information, see Resizing IPv4 Networks.
• Split a network into subnets. For information, see Splitting IPv4 Networks into Subnets.
• Join a network. For information, see Joining IPv4 Networks.
• Discover devices in the network. For information, see Discovering Networks (Under Network Insight only).
IPv4 Network Map

After you select an IPv4 network container from the IPAM tab, Grid Manager displays it in the Net Map (network map)
panel, by default. Net Map provides a high-level view of your IPv4 network address space. You can use Net Map to
design and plan your network infrastructure, configure and manage individual networks, and evaluate their utilization. Its
unique display of the IPv4 network address space across multiple rows is similar to a road map that starts with the first IP
address in the network and ends with the last address. Net Map displays the network address space across a maximum
of eight rows, depending on the size of the network. It automatically scales the map so that it displays the entire address
space of a network container.
The Net Map panel presents a complete view of the network space, including the different types of networks that are in it
and its unused address space. IP addresses that belong to a network are blocked off. Each color-coded block represents
a network container, a leaf network, or a block of networks that are too small to be displayed individually in the map. For
example, in a /8 or /16 network, networks smaller than /20 or /28 respectively and that are beside each other are
represented as a multiple network block. In addition, the fill pattern of the blocks indicates their utilization. Therefore, you
can quickly evaluate how many and what type of networks are in a network container, their relative sizes, utilization, and
how much space you have left.
As you mouse over areas of the map, it displays IP information about the area. Net Map also has a zoom feature that
allows you to enlarge or reduce your view of a particular area.
The below figure displays the network map of a 20.0.0.0/8 network, which is a network container that has network
containers and leaf networks.
20.0.0.0/8 Network Map

Rev. D
Rev. D
Displaying IP Information
As shown in 20.0.0.0/8 Network Map, as you mouse over the map, Net Map displays IP information about the area.
When you mouse over an unused area, Net Map displays the following information:
• The start and end IP address
• The number of IP addresses that can fit in that space
• The largest possible network
• The number of /16 and /24 networks that can fit in that space
When you mouse over a network, Net Map displays the following information:
• Network address and netmask
• Utilization of the network. For a leaf network, Net Map reports the percentage of used IP addresses, except the
broadcast and network addresses. For a network container, Net Map reports the percentage of the IP address
space that has been allocated to either network containers or leaf networks.
• The first and last IP address of the network
• The total number of IP addresses in the network
When you mouse over a block of multiple networks, Net Map displays the following information:
• The start and end IP address of that block of networks
• The total number of IP addresses in that block of networks
• The number of networks in that block
Zooming In and Out

Use the zoom function to enlarge and reduce your view of a selected area. You can zoom in on any area in your network.
You can zoom in on an area until it displays 128 addresses per row, for a total of 1024 addresses for the map. When you
reach the last possible zoom level, the Zoom In icon in the Net Map task bar and the menu item are disabled.
After you zoom in on an area, you can click the Zoom Controller icon to track where you zoomed in. The Zoom Controller
lists all the areas that you zoomed in and updates its list dynamically. You can click an item on the list to view that area
again. Click the Zoom Controller again to close it.
To select an area and zoom in:
1. Right-click and select Zoom In, or click the Zoom In icon in the Net Map task bar. The pointer changes to the
zoom in selector.
2. Select a starting point and drag to the end point. The starting point can be anywhere in the map. It does not have
to be at the beginning of a network.
Net Map displays a magnified view of the selected area after you release the mouse button. As you mouse over
the zoomed in area, Net Map displays IP information about it.
3. You can do the following:
• Select an area and zoom in again.
• Add a network. If you zoom in on an area and click Add without selecting an open area first, Net Map
selects the area where it can create the biggest possible network in that magnified area.
• Select a network and perform any of the following operations:
• Split the network.
• Join it to another network.
• Resize the network.
• Edit its properties.
• Open it to display its network or IP map.
• Right-click and select Zoom Out, or click the Zoom Out icon in the Net Map task bar. Each time you
click Zoom Out, Net Map zooms out one level and the Zoom Controller is updated accordingly.
Net Map Tasks

From Net Map, you can create IPv4 networks, and evaluate and manage your network resources according to the needs
of your organization.

Rev. D
• Zoom in on specific areas, as described in Zooming In and Out.
• Add a network, as described in Adding a Network from Net Map.
• Select a network and view either its network or Net Map, as described in Viewing Network Details.
• Select a network and edit its properties, as described
in Modifying IPv4 and IPv6 Network Containers and Networks.
• Split a network, as described in Splitting IPv4 Networks into Subnets.
• Join networks, as described in Joining IPv4 Networks.
• Resize a network, as described in Resizing IPv4 Networks.
• (Applies only with Network Insight) Execute vDiscovery on the selected network, as described
in Configuring vDiscovery Jobs.
• (Applies only with Network Insight) View Discovery Status for the selected network, as described
in Viewing Discovery Status.
• (Applies only with Network Insight) Execute Discovery Diagnostics on the selected network, as described
in Executing Discovery Diagnostics.
• (Applies only with Network Insight) Direct NIOS to discover devices on the selected network (Discover Now). The
network must have discovery enabled before this button will be active. For more information about requirements
and discovery features, see the topics under About Network Insight.
 Note
If the Discover Now button and other associated discovery elements are disabled on the Toolbar, it
indicates that discovery is not enabled for the parent network of the selected network or IP, or the
network is not associated with a discovery appliance.
Delete one or multiple networks, as described in Discovering Networks (Under Network Insight only).
• Clear All Unmanaged Data or Clear All Discovered Data, as described in the section Clearing Discovered Data.
• Switch to the List view of the network. For information, see IPAM Home.
• When you select one or more networks in Net Map and then switch to the List view, the list displays the
page with the first selected network.
• If you select one or more networks in the List view and then switch to the Net Map view, the first network
is also selected in Net Map. If you select a network in the List view that is part of a Multiple Networks
block in Net Map, it is not selected when you switch to the Net Map view.
Adding a Network from Net Map

When you create networks from Net Map, you can evaluate your network infrastructure and add networks accordingly.
You can view the address space to which you are adding a network, so you can determine how much space is available
and which IP addresses are not in use. When you mouse over an open area, Net Map displays useful information, such
as the largest possible network that fits in that area and the total number of IP addresses. In addition, you can create
networks without having to calculate anything. When you add a network, Net Map displays a netmask slider so you can
determine the appropriate netmask for the size of the network that you need. As you move the slider, it displays network
information, including the total number of addresses. After you select the netmask, you can even move the new network
around the open area to select another valid start address.
To add a network from the Net Map panel:
• Click the Add icon.
Net Map displays the netmask slider and outlines the open area that can accommodate the largest
network.
• Select an open area, and then click the Add icon.
Net Map displays the netmask slider and outlines the largest network that you can create in the open area
that you selected.
2. Move the slider to the desired netmask. You can move the slider to the netmask of the largest network that can
be created in the open area.
As you move the slider, Net Map displays the netmask and its corresponding number of IP addresses. The outline
in the network map also adjusts as you move the slider. When you mouse over the outline, it displays the start
and end address of the network.

Rev. D
3. After you set the slider to the desired netmask, you can drag the new network block around the open area to
select a new valid starting address. You cannot move the block to a starting address that is invalid.
4. Click Launch Wizard to create the network.
The Add Network wizard displays the selected network address and netmask.
5. You can add comments, automatically create reverse mapping zones, and edit the extensible attributes. For
information, see Adding IPv4 Networks. You cannot change the network address and netmask, but you can edit
the description and enable or disable a network by selecting the network and clicking the Edit icon. To disable a
network, you can double click the respective row, select the checkbox in the Disabled column and click Save.
Grid Manager displays a warning message when you select the checkbox. Click Yes to confirm or No to cancel.
You can also delete or restore a network. Grid Manager displays a warning message during deletion and when
you restore the network indicating that the process may take a longer time if the amount of data is huge. Click
Yes to continue or No to cancel the process.
6. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen. Grid Manager updates Net Map with
the newly created network.
Viewing Network Details

From the Net Map panel, you can focus on a specific network or area and view additional information about it. If you have
a network hierarchy of networks within network containers, you can drill down to individual leaf networks and view their IP
address usage.
1. Select a network or area.
2. Click the Open icon.
• If you selected a network container, Grid Manager displays it in the Net Map panel. You can drill down
further by selecting a network or open area and clicking the Open icon again.
• If you selected a block of multiple networks, Grid Manager displays the individual networks in the Net Map
panel. You can then select a network or open area for viewing.
• If you selected a leaf network, Grid Manager displays it in the IP Map panel.
• If you selected an open area, Grid Manager displays an enlarged view of that area in the Net Map panel.
This is useful when you are creating small networks in an open area.
IPAM Home
The IPAM Home panel is an alternative view of an IPv4 and IPv6 network hierarchy. For a given network, the panel
shows all the networks of a selected network view in table format. This panel displays only the first-level subnets. It does
not show further descendant or child subnets. You can open a subnet to view its child subnets. Subnets that contain child
subnets are displayed as network containers. If the number of subnets in a network exceeds the maximum page size of
the table, the network list displays the subnets on multiple pages. You can use the page navigation buttons at the bottom
of the table to navigate through the pages of subnets.
The IPAM home panel displays the following:
• Network: The network address.
• Comment: The information you entered about the network.
• RIR Organization: This appears only if support for RIR updates is enabled. This displays the name of the RIR
organization to which the network is assigned.
• RIR OrganizationID: This appears only if support for RIR updates is enabled. This displays the ID of the RIR
• RIR RegistrationStatus: This appears only if support for RIR update is enabled. This field displays the RIR
registration status. This can be Registered or Not Registered. Registered indicates that the network has a
corresponding entry in the RIPE database.
• Last Registration Updated: Displays the timestamp when the last registration was updated. The displayed
timestamp reflects the timestamp used on the Grid Master.
• Status of Last Registration Update: Displays the registration status and communication method of the last
registration update. The status can be Pending, Sent, Succeeded, or Failed. Each time you send a registration
update to create, modify, or delete a network container or network, the updated status will be displayed here. If
you have selected not to send registration updates, the previous status is retained.
• IPAM Utilization: For a network, this is the percentage based on the IP addresses in use divided by the total
addresses in the network. For example, in a /24 network, if there are 25 static IP addresses defined and a DHCP

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range that includes 100 addresses, the total number of IP addresses in use is 125. Of the possible 256 addresses
in the network, the IPAM utilization is about 50% for this network.
For a network container that contains subnets, this is the percentage of the total address space defined within the
container regardless of whether any of the IP addresses in the subnets are in use. For example, when you define
a /16 network and then 64 /24 networks underneath it, the /16 network container is considered 25% utilized even
when none of the IP addresses in the /24 networks is in use.
You can use this information to verify if there is a sufficient number of available addresses in a network. The
appliance updates the IPAM utilization data immediately for a network container, but for a network it is updated
every 15 minutes.
The IPAM utilization data is displayed in one of the following colors:
• Red: The IPAM utilization percentage is above the configured Trigger value.
• Blue: The IPAM utilization percentage is below the configured Trigger value.
• Active Users: The number of active users on the selected network.
• Discovery Engine: Displays the discovery engine that performs the discovery process. This can
be Network Insight, NetMRI, or vDiscovery. This field displays None if you have added or imported the network
container or network manually.
• Site: The site to which the IP address belongs. This is a predefined extensible attribute.
• Bridge Domain: The name of the discovered bridge domain. This column will display values only for IP addresses
that are discovered from Cisco APIC by Network Insight or NetMRI. If discovered by NetMRI, the value will be
populated through IPAM Sync. Otherwise, this column will be blank. For information about how to configure Cisco
APIC, see Configuring Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC).
• Tenant: The name of the discovered tenant. This column will display values only for IP addresses that are
discovered from Cisco APIC by Network Insight or NetMRI. If discovered by NetMRI, the value will be populated
through IPAM Sync. Otherwise, this column will be blank. For information about how to configure Cisco APIC,
see Configuring Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC).
Additionally, you can select the following columns for display:
• Disabled: Indicates whether the network is disabled.
• Leaf Network: Indicates whether the network is a leaf network or not. A leaf network is a network that does not
contain other networks.
• Discovery Enabled: (Applies only with Network Insight) Indicates whether discovery is allowed on the network
container or the network.
• Discover Now: (Applies only with Network Insight) Indicates when the network is undergoing a current discovery
process. A "Pending" icon appears in this column when you start the discovery and displays Completed after the
completion of the discovery process.
• Discovered VLAN ID: (Applies only with Network Insight) The VLAN ID on the switch port.
• Discovered VLAN Name: (Applies only with Network Insight) The VLAN name on the switch port.
• Assigned VLAN ID: VLAN ID of the VLAN object assigned to the network.
• Assigned VLAN Name: VLAN name of the VLAN object assigned to the network.
• VRF Name: The name of the discovered VRF that uses IP addresses of the network, as discovered by Network
Insight or NetMRI.
• VRF Description: The description of the discovered VRF.
• VRF RD: The address of the route distinguisher of discovered VRF.
 Note
As a general rule for the VRF-related columns, a column displays a specific value if there is a single
non-empty value or several same values for the IP addresses in the network. Otherwise, the column
displays “Multiple”. For example, if the VRF names for a network have the same value, the VRF
Name column displays this value for the network. If more than one VRF are discovered for a network
and their names are different, the VRF Name column displays “Multiple”. However, if for a number of
VRFs there is only one VRF description or VRF RD value among other empty strings, the columns VRF
Description and VRF RD display “Multiple” as this is regarded as distinct VRFs.
To see values for each IP address in the network, click the network -> List tab.

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• BGP AS: The number of the discovered BGP Autonomous System that uses IP addresses of the network.
 Note
If more than one BGP AS are discovered for a network and their numbers are different, the BGP
AS column displays “Multiple”. If the BGP AS numbers have the same value, the BGP AS column
displays this value for the network. To see values for each IP address in the network, click the network
-> List tab.
• Managed: (AppliesonlywithNetworkInsight) Indicates whether the network is set to Managed status under Grid
Manager. For more information, see the
section Converting Unmanaged Networks under IPAM to Managed Status.
• First Discovered: (Applies only with Network Insight) The date and timestamp of the first occasion that Grid
Manager discovered the network.
• Last Discovered: (Applies only with Network Insight) The date and timestamp of the last occasion that Grid
Manager performed discovery on the network. The timestamp is updated whenever any new IP from this network
is discovered.
• Extensible attributes and RIR attributes: You can select the extensible attributes such as Building, Country,
Region, State, and VLAN for display. When you enable support for RIR registration updates, you can also select
associated RIR attributes for display. For information about RIR attributes, see Managing RIR Attributes.
• Active Directory Sites: You can also select Active Directory Sites for display. For information about Active
Directory Sites, see About Active Directory Sites and Services.
The Toolbar and the Action menu provide access to actions you can take on the selected network where applicable, as
follows:
• Click Show Device View to view the devices whose interfaces are in the selected network. To view device details
and a list of all the interfaces associated with it, click the name of the device.
• Click Convert to change the status of an unmanaged network to managed status under IPAM.
• Click Discover Now to apply Network Insight discovery to a listed network.
• Click Edit to open the network editor.
• Click Delete to delete or schedule deletion of the selected network. To delete the network now, in the Delete
Confirmation dialog box, click Yes. Grid Manager displays a warning message. Click Yes to continue or No to
cancel the process.
• Click Extensible Attributes to open the network editor’s Extensible Attributes page for the selected network.
• Click Permissions to open the network editor’s Permissions page for the selected network.
• Click Move Networks to move a network to a destination Active Directory site.
• Click Show Active Users to view all the users who are currently active on the Active Directory domain.
You can sort the list of networks in ascending or descending order by columns. For information about customizing tables
in Grid Manager, see Customizing Tables.
You can also modify some of the data in the table fields. Double click a row of data, and either edit the data in the field or
select an item from a drop-down list. Note that some fields are read-only. For more information about this feature,
see Modifying Data inTables.
Tip: If you select a network from the list and switch to the Net Map panel, the network is also selected in the network
map.
Filtering the Network List

You can filter the network list, so it displays only the networks you need. You can filter the list based on certain
parameters, such as network addresses, comments and extensible attributes. When you expand the list of available
fields you can use for the filter, note that the extensible attributes are those with a gray background.
Resizing IPv4 Networks

You can resize a network to increase or decrease the network size and the number of IP addresses in the network. When
you resize a network to a smaller netmask, you increase the number of IP addresses within that network. You can

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change the size of an IPv4 network when the operation does not affect existing objects in the network. You can resize an
existing network only if the resized network does not exceed the upper network limit or create orphan objects, such as
hosts and DHCP ranges. When a network has a parent network or subnets, the upper limit of the network size is marked
in red in the resize network slider, and you cannot resize beyond this limit. For example, if a network has a /16 parent
network, you cannot resize the network to a network that is larger than /16.
Before you resize an RIR allocated network block, ensure that the network block has already been registered at the
corresponding RIR. Otherwise, when you reassign addresses within this block, the registration updates may fail. For
information about RIR registration updates, see RIR Registration Updates.
To resize a network:
1. From the Net Map or List panel, select a network, and then click Resize from the Toolbar.
2. In the Resize Network editor, do the following:
• Address: Displays the network address. You cannot modify this field.
• Netmask: Displays the netmask of the network as you resize the network. You cannot modify this field.
• Resize slider: Use the resize network slider to specify the appropriate subnet masks for the subnets.
When you move the slider, Grid Manager displays the number of subnets and IP addresses within that
subnet.
• Automatically create reverse-mapping zone: This is enabled only when you resize a /8, /16, or /24
network. Select this checkbox to have the appliance automatically create reverse-mapping zones for the
subnet. The appliance automatically creates reverse-mapping zones only for /8, /16, and /24 netmasks.
3. Click OK.
Splitting IPv4 Networks into Subnets

You can create smaller subnets simultaneously within a network by splitting it. You do not have to configure each subnet
individually. You can create smaller subnets with larger netmasks. A larger netmask defines more networks with a smaller
number of IP addresses.
These subnets inherit the address properties of the parent network, such as member assignments. The exceptions are
the default router and broadcast address configuration. The default router and broadcast address configuration for
address ranges and fixed address are disabled by default after splitting a network. You can enable these properties for
each subnet after splitting the parent network.
Note that you cannot split a network that is part of a shared network.
To split a network:
1. From the Net Map or List panel, select the checkbox of a network, and then click Split from the Toolbar.
2. In the Split Network editor, do the following:
• Netmask: Displays the netmask of the network. You cannot modify this field.
• Subnetworks: Displays the number of subnets and IP addresses for each subnet.
• Split network slider: Use the split network slider to specify the appropriate subnet masks for each subnet.
When you move the slider, Grid Manager displays the number of subnets and the IP address range within
that subnet.
• Immediately Add: Select one of the following options.
• Only networks with ranges and fixed addresses and unmanaged: Adds only the networks that
have DHCP ranges, fixed addresses, and unmanaged addresses.
• All possible networks: Adds all networks that are within the selected netmasks. The is enabled
only when you split the /8 networks to /9 or /16 networks.
Note that when you add a large number of networks, it could take a little longer for Grid Manager
to display the networks.
• Automatically create reverse-mapping zone: Select this checkbox to have the appliance automatically
create reverse-mapping zones for the subnets.
3. Click OK.

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Joining IPv4 Networks
Joining multiple networks into a larger network is the opposite of splitting a network. You can select a network and
expand it into a larger network with a smaller netmask. A smaller netmask defines fewer networks while accommodating
a larger number of IP addresses. Joining or expanding a network allows you to consolidate all of the adjacent networks
into the expanded network. Adjacent networks are all networks falling under the netmask of the newly-expanded network.
You can expand the selected network to a new size and add all other subnets into the new network. When you join
networks, you need not define all small networks that cover the address spaces for a larger network.
Each of the adjacent networks join the expanded network and inherit the DHCP member configuration options of the
selected network. The expanded network does not inherit the default router and broadcast address configurations of the
adjacent networks. Those configurations are disabled by default.
 Note
The member assignment for the expanded network combines all member assignments of the joining networks.
Note that the join and resize features work identically only when you have a single network. If the resize feature is
disabled and if you have a single network object with additional new networks, then you must use the join feature to
combine all networks.
To join or expand a network:
1. From the Net Map or List panel, select a network, and then click Join from the Toolbar.
2. In the Join Network editor, do the following:
• Netmask: Displays the netmask of the network as you expand the network.
• Join Network slider: Use the join network slider to specify the available subnet masks for the newly
expanded network. Select a smaller netmask value, based on your requirements of the newly-expanded
network. When you move the slider, a dialog box displays the total number of IP addresses and the IP
address range of a selected subnet mask.
• Automatically create reverse-mapping zone: Select this checkbox to configure the expanded network to
support reverse-mapping zones Adding Grid Members.
3. Click OK.
Discovering Networks (Under Network Insight only)
 Note
When you add a new network and select the Enable Discovery option in the Add IPv4 Network Wizard window,
network discovery begins automatically, and you do not need to click Discover Now.
If the Discover Now button and other associated discovery elements are disabled on the Toolbar, it indicates
that discovery is not enabled for the parent network of the selected network or IP, or that a discovery appliance
(known as a Probe) is not associated with the network that you wish to discover.
To discover IPv4 or IPv6 networks:

• From the Net Map or List panel, select a network, and then click Discover Now from the Toolbar. NIOS asks you
to confirm that you wish to launch discovery on the selected network.
In the Net Map panel, you can click on IP addresses in the network being discovered. As new data becomes available,
NIOS updates the Discovered Data section of the panel with any information found on the device associated with the
selected IP.
For more information about requirements and discovery features, see the topics under About Network Insight.

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Deleting Networks
From the IPAM tab, you can delete multiple IPv4 and IPv6 networks. When you delete a network, all of its data, including
all of its DHCP records, subnets, and records in its subnets, is deleted from the database and goes to the Recycle Bin, if
enabled. Because of the potentially large loss of data that can occur when you delete a network, Grid Manager requires
a confirmation to move the data to the Recycle Bin.
To delete IPv4 or IPv6 networks:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network checkbox. You can select multiple checkboxes
for multiple networks.
2. Select Delete or Schedule Delete from the Delete drop-down menu.
3. To delete the network now, in the Delete Confirmation dialog box, click Yes. To schedule a deletion,
see About Extensible Attributes.
The appliance puts the deleted network in the Recycle Bin, if enabled.
Viewing and Managing IPv4 Addresses

You can view and manage IPv4 address data in the IP Map and List panels. Grid Manager displays the IP Map and List
panels for a specific network after you navigate through the network hierarchy, or when the selected network does not
have subnets under it.
IP MAP
The IPv4 Map panel provides a graphical representation of all IPv4 addresses in a given subnet. IP Map displays cells
that represent IPv4 addresses. Each cell in the map represents an IPv4 address, and its color indicates its status as
described in the legend section. You can run a network discovery on the selected network, and the status of each IP
address is updated accordingly. For information, see About Discovery.
Each IP Map panel can accommodate up to 256 cells with each cell representing an IP address. If a given network has
more than 256 addresses, additional IP addresses are displayed by paging to the next page. You can use the page
navigation buttons to page through the IP addresses. To go to a specific IP address, you can enter the IP address in
the Go to field or click a specific cell in IP Map. IP Map has a basic and an advanced view. You can toggle between these
views by clicking Toggle Basic View or Toggle Advanced View. As illustrated in the figure IP Map - Advanced View , the
status of an IP address is represented with a different color in the IP Map panel.
In the basic view, the IP Map panel displays the following IP address status:
• Unused: An IP address that has not been detected and is not associated with any network device or active host
on the network.
• Conflict: An IP address that has either a MAC address conflict or a DHCP lease conflict detected through a
network discovery.
• Used: An IP address that is associated with an active host on the network. It can be a resource record, fixed
address, reservation, DHCP lease, or host record.
• Pending: An IP address that is associated with a scheduled task or approval workflow, and the associated
operation has not been executed yet. This IP address is not considered when using the next available IP address
function.
• Selected IP Address: The IP address that you selected.
• DHCP Range: The IP addresses within a DHCP range in the network. The appliance highlights the cells using a
green background.
• Reserved Range: A range of IP addresses that are reserved for statically configured hosts. They are not served
as dynamic addresses. You can allocate the next available IP from the reserved range when you create a static
host.
IP Map - Advanced View

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In the advanced view, the IP Map panel displays additional status as follows:
• Unmanaged: An IP address that has a discovered host, is not previously known to the appliance, and does not
have an A record, a PTR record, fixed address, host address, lease, or is not within a DHCP range. You can
change an unmanaged address to a host, DHCP fixed address, A record, or PTR record. You can also clear an
unmanaged address. All existing administrator permissions apply to the unmanaged addresses.
• Fixed Address/Reservation: A host that is either a fixed address or reservation.
• DNS Object: An object that is configured for DNS usage.
• Host Not in DNS/DHCP: An IP address that is associated with a host record, but is not configured for DHCP or
DNS services.
• Active Lease: An IP Address that has an active DHCP lease.
• DHCP Exclusion Range: A range of IP addresses within a DHCP range. The appliance cannot assign addresses
in the exclusion range to a client. You can use these addresses as static IP addresses. This prevents address
conflicts between statically configured devices and dynamically configured devices.
 Note
For a Microsoft split-scope range, the appliance highlights the cells using a combination of orange and
pink background colors when the network is managed by two Microsoft servers. For a DHCP exclusion
range, the appliance highlights the cells using an orange background.
• Reserved Exclusion Range: A range of IP addresses that are reserved for statically configured hosts. IP
addresses residing within the exclusion range are excluded from the pool of available IP addresses and are not
available for lease.
Under the IP map, Grid Manager displays the following information for the IP address that you have selected in the map:
• Type: The object type that is associated with the IP address. For example, this can
be Lease, IPv4 DHCP Range or Fixed Address.
• Comment: Additional information about the IP address.
• Lease State: The lease state of the IP address. This can be one of the
following: Free, Backup, Active, Expired, Released, Abandoned, Reset, BootP, Static, Offered, or Declined.

Rev. D
• Name: The name of the object type associated with the IP address. This field displays the name of the object type
in the native character set if a host record contains IDNs. If a host record contains IDNs in punycode, this field
displays the name in the punycode representation. For example, if the IP address belongs to a host record, this
field displays the hostname. For IDNs, this field displays the name in the native character set. If punycode is
used, then the appliance displays name in punycode.
• MAC Address: The discovered MAC address of the host. This is the unique identifier of a network device. The
discovery acquires the MAC address for hosts that are located on the same network as the Grid member that is
running the discovery. This can also be the MAC address of a virtual entity on a specified vSphere server. The
appliance displays an X mark beside the MAC address if it is invalid. For more information about invalid MAC
addresses, see Synchronizing IP Addresses with Invalid MAC Addresses.
• DHCP Fingerprint: The name of the DHCP fingerprint or vendor ID of the network device that was identified
through DHCP fingerprint detection. This field displays No Match for devices that do not have any DHCP
fingerprint information. For information about DHCP fingerprints, see DHCP Fingerprint Detection.
Depending on the selected object, you may also see information about neighboring devices, port, etc. For more
information, see IP List Neighbor Information.
You can do the following in the IP Map panel:
• Click Go to DHCP View to view DHCP properties of a selected network.
• Select an address range by clicking once on a start address and then use SHIFT+click on the end address.
Click Add -> Range from the Toolbar to add the selected range as an IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP range or reserved
range.
• Click the Resolve Conflict icon to resolve IP address conflicts. For information,
see Resolving Conflicting Addresses.
• Click the Ping icon to ping a selected IP address. For information, see Pinging IP Addresses.
• Click the Reclaim icon to reclaim an IP address. For information,
see Reclaiming Objects Associated with IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses.
• Click the Clear icon to clear an active lease. For information, see Clearing Active DHCP Leases. You can also
select an IP address from the IP Map panel and view the following information:
• General information, as described in IP Address Header Panel.
• Data retrieved through a network discovery or integrated from a PortIQ appliance and Trinzic NetMRI appliance.
For information, see Viewing Discovered Data.
• The records associated with the IP address, as described in Related Objects.
• The audit history, as described in Audit History.
• Detailed lease information, as described in Viewing Detailed Lease Information.
• Click DHCP View to view DHCP properties of the selected network. For information,
see Modifying IPv4 Networks.
• View active network users, as described in Viewing Active Network Users.
IP Address List
The IP address List panel displays all IPv4 addresses of a selected subnet in table format. The list provides information
about the IP addresses in a hierarchy view. You can use this list to view detailed information about each IP address and
its related objects in a selected network. This list provides information such as address status, object type, and usage.
You can configure filter criteria to display only IP addresses that you want to see in the table. For example, you can enter
"MAC Address begins with 00" as the filter criteria to view only IP addresses that have associated MAC addresses that
begin with 00. You can also enter a specific IP address in the Go to field to view information about the address.
Grid Manager can display the following information for the IP addresses. You can edit the columns to display information
that is not shown by default.
• IP Address: The IP address of the corresponding record. The appliance highlights disabled DHCP objects in gray.
A DHCP object can be an DHCP address range, fixed address, reservation, host configured for DHCP, or
roaming host with an allocated IP address.
• Name: The name of the object type associated with the IP address. For example, if the IP address belongs to a
host record, this field displays the hostname.
• MAC Address: The discovered MAC address of the host. This is the unique identifier of a network device. The
discovery acquires the MAC address for hosts that are located on the same network as the Grid member that is
running the discovery. This can also be the MAC address of a virtual entity on a specified vSphere server.

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• Bridge Domain: The name of the discovered bridge domain. This column will display values only for IP addresses
that are discovered from Cisco APIC through Network Insight or NetMRI. If discovered by NetMRI, the value will
be populated through IPAM Sync. Otherwise, this column will be blank. For information about how to configure
Cisco APIC, see Configuring Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC).
• Tenant: The name of the discovered tenant. This column will display values only for IP addresses that are
discovered from Cisco APIC through Network Insight or NetMRI. If discovered by NetMRI, the value will be
populated through IPAM Sync. Otherwise, this column will be blank. For information about how to configure Cisco
APIC, see Configuring Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC).
• EPG: The name of the end point group. This column will display values only for IP addresses that are discovered
from Cisco APIC through Network Insight or NetMRI. If discovered by NetMRI, the value will be populated through
IPAM Sync. Otherwise, this column will be blank. For information about how to configure Cisco APIC,
see Configuring Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC).
• DHCP Client Identifier: For an IPv4 address, the DHCP Unique Identifier of the host.
• Port Reservation: Lists any Port Reservation from Network Insight that is associated with the IP address. The
information takes the form of device name:interface name.
• VIP: Indicates when the IP address is operating as a Virtual IP and operates in router redundancy.
• Status: The current status of the corresponding record. This can be Used or Unused.
• Type: The object type that is associated with the IP address. For example, this can
be Broadcast, Lease, IPv4 DHCP Range or Fixed Address.
• Discover Now: Indicates when the network is undergoing a current discovery process. A "Pending" icon appears
in this column when you start the discovery and displays Completed after the completion of the discovery
process.
• Usage: Indicates whether the IP address is configured for DNS or DHCP.
• Lease State: The lease state of the IP address. This can be one of the
following: Free, Backup, Active, Expired, Released, Abandoned, Reset, BootP, Static, Offered, or Declined.
• User Name: The name of the user who received the lease for the IP address.
collected the data. It is defined on the corresponding Trinzic NetMRI appliance when you import the discovered
data to the NIOS appliance. The task name should be defined in the vDiscovery task manager for vDiscovery.
• Comment: Additional information about the IP address.
• First Discovered: The timestamp when the IP address was initially discovered. This data is read-only.
• Last Discovered: The timestamp when the IP address was last discovered. This data is read-only.
• OS: The operating system of the discovered host. Sometimes this field also displays the percentage of certainty
about the discovered OS. The OS value can be one of the following:
• Microsoft: This value is displayed for all discovered hosts that have a non-null value in the MAC
addresses using the NetBIOS discovery method.
• A value that a TCP discovery returns.
• The OS of a virtual entity on a vSphere server.
• DHCP fingerprint.
• Information about the device OS from Network Insight. For network devices, OS information is collected
by SNMP. Depending on the device SNMP settings, this field can display the OS version or remain empty
(rarely).
For end hosts, the OS information is collected using active TCP fingerprint scanning by nmap. To enable
this, select the following checkboxes in the Grid basic discovery properties: Port Scanning and Profile
Device.
For Windows end hosts, you can enable Network Insight to use the SMB v1 protocol during fingerprinting.
To enable this, go to Grid Discovery Properties -> Advanced and add port 445 with smb1 service and TCP
type.
If nmap fails to detect the OS precisely, a list of most likely guesses is displayed. The end host's Device
Type field always displays the OS family.
• NetBIOS Name: The returned NetBIOS name from the last discovery.
• Device Type(s): The type of device associated with the IP address, if any: Router, Switch-Router, and other types.
• Open Port(s): Lists any TCP/UDP ports that are open on the current IP address.
• VRF Name: The name of the discovered VRF to which the interface with this IP address belongs, as discovered
by Network Insight or NetMRI.
• VRF Description: The description of discovered VRF.
• VRF RD: The address of the route distinguisher of discovered VRF.
• BGP AS: The number of the discovered BGP Autonomous System that uses the IP address.
• Discovered Name: The name of the discovered IP address, if any was previously assigned by an administrator.

Rev. D
• Discoverer: The identity of the appliance that discovered the IP address.
• Fingerprint: The name of the DHCP fingerprint or vendor ID of the network device that was identified through
DHCP fingerprint detection. This field displays No Match for devices that do not have any DHCP fingerprint
information. For information about DHCP fingerprints, see DHCP Fingerprint Detection.
Disabled (hidden): Indicates whether the DHCP or DNS record is disabled.
 Note
For an IP address that falls within a DHCP range, Grid Manager displays extensible attribute values for the
DHCP range and fixed address or host record. When you view the same IP address in the DHCP tab however,
Grid Manager displays only the extensible attribute values associated with the fixed address or host record, but
not the DHCP range. For example, when you define extensible attribute State with the value California for
DHCP range 1.0.0.1 – 1.0.0.5, and then define extensible attribute State with the value of Alaska for fixed
address 1.0.0.3, Grid Manager displays both California and Alaska in the State field for IP address 1.0.0.3 in
the IP Address List view. However, when you view 1.0.0.3 from the DHCP tab, the State field
displays Alaska only
IP List Neighbor Information

Other values are available for display in the IP list. Most of the hidden columns consist of information discovered by Grid
Manager, to identify devices connected to the network interfaces neighboring the listed IP addresses. These data
columns are hidden and must be enabled for display by selecting the Visible checkbox for each field when editing the
columns for the table. Most of this information does not appear unless a device is recognized in IPAM or is in managed
state under IPAM. Additional IP list neighbor information includes:
• Discovered Name: The discovered name of the device bound to the IP address. The IP address may be just one
of several or many IP addresses bound to the device on a specific interface.
• Discovered MAC Address: The discovered MAC of the interface bound to the IP address.
• Discoverer: Name of the Infoblox appliance that discovered the IP address and its associated information.
• Attached Device Description: Listing of the device neighboring to the IP address.
• Attached Device Address: The IP address of the device neighboring to the current IP.
• Attached Device Name: The host name of the device neighboring to the current IP.
• Attached Device Vendor: The vendor of the device neighboring to the current IP address.
• Attached Device Model: The vendor's model number for the device neighboring to the current IP address.
• Attached Device Port Description: An admin-provided description for the neighboring IP address, if any is
discovered.
• Attached Device Port Name: The name of the switch port or port channel connected to the end device. For Cisco
devices with virtual port channel configured, this field also displays the list of physical interfaces that form the
virtual port channel. The first vPC peer's IP address is displayed in the field Attached Device Address mentioned
above, and other vPC data is displayed in the Attached Device Port Name field in the following format:
virtual port channel name: list of physical interfaces of the first device, IP address of the second device/virtual port
channel name: list of physical interfaces of the second device
Example:
An end device is connected to devices 192.168.1.2 and 192.168.1.3 using vPC. The first vPC peer's IP
address 192.168.1.2 is displayed in the Attached Device Address field. Other vPC data is displayed in
the Attached Device Port Name field:
port-channel-1: Ethernet4/11, Ethernet5/11, 192.168.1.3/port-channel-1: Ethernet3/12,
Ethernet4/12
• Attached Device Type: Indicates the device type for the neighboring device: Router, Switch-Router, Switch, and
other types.
• Port Duplex: Discovered Duplex setting for the neighboring port, when applicable.
• Port Link: Indicates the state of the link: Connected or Disconnected.
• Port Speed: Indicates the speed of the network connection.

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Using the List Panel Action Menu
The IP address List panel provides an Action icon with a series of menu options for features related to IP address
management and IP data management under IPAM. Menu choices change based upon the context and the current state
of IP addresses in the table; features available in the List panel action menu include the following:
• (Applies only with Network Insight) View Router Redundancy information for discovered IP addresses in an IPv4
network. For active VIPs, you will see several sets of related information:
Virtual IPs and discovered redundancy information
• Active: lists the active interface in the redundancy pair;

• VIP: The Virtual IP for the router redundancy pair;
• Standby: The standby IP interface for the router redundancy.
Discovery of all three IP components of the Router Redundancy instance also provides related information for all three IP
entities:
• Show IPAM Address: opens the IPAM page to the listed IP address;
• VIP: Opens the virtual interface in the host device's Interfaces page;
• Associated router: The third item lists the hostname router for each of the three IP address entities
comprising the redundancy instance. The currently active router will be identified with
the Active and VIP objects; the second Standby router is identified with the Standby IP address.
• Show Interfaces View: Displayed only if there is a device interface associated with this IP address. It displays the
interface name. Clicking the interface name opens the interfaces list view for that device. The interfaces list view
is pre-populated with the interface name.
• Assets View –> Show Assets: Opens the IP address's list of network assets that are connected to the IP address
or reachable through the IP address in some way, such as through a routable path. Provides a quick look at basic
connectivity provided by the selected IP address; for more information about Assets views,
see Viewing Assets Associated with Discovered Devices.
• Clear: Allows you to remove data associated with the currently selected IP address, form three categories:
• Clear Lease: If the IP interface gets its configuration from a DHCP lease, choosing this option will clear
the IP's DHCP configuration. Applies only to IP addresses that are fully managed through IPAM;
• Clear Unmanaged Data: Clears the discovered data for an unmanaged IP address;
• Clear Discovered Data: Clears discovered data from the IPAM object, and re-launches discovery
afterwards if necessary.
• Convert: Conversion feature to convert the currently unmanaged IP address to an object fully managed by
IPAM: Network, To Host, To A Record, To PTR Record, or To Fixed Address. (For related information,
see Managing Discovered Data, About Host Records, Managing A Records and Managing PTR Records.)
• Discover Now: Requests Grid Manager to execute discovery on the selected IP address.
• Exclusion: Exclude or disable exclusion of the current IP address from discovery. For related information,
see Excluding IP Addresses from Discovery.
• Show Active Users: Displays all the users who are currently active on the selected network. For information,
see Viewing Active Network Users.

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Additional IP List Information
You can display all available extensible attributes. You can also sort the list of IP addresses in ascending or descending
order by IP Address only. If you enabled the IP Discovery feature, you can configure the IP List panel to display
discovered data and fields imported from NetMRI appliances. For information about integrating discovered data from
NetMRI, see Integrating Discovered Data From NetMRI.
You can select an IP address from the List panel and view the following information about it:
• General information, as described in IP Address Header Panel.
• Data retrieved through a network discovery or integrated from a PortIQ appliance, as described
in Viewing Discovered Data.
• The records associated with the IP address, as described in Related Objects.
• Audit history, as described in Audit History.
• Detailed lease information, as described in Viewing Detailed Lease Information.
You can also do the following from the IP List panel:
• Click Go to DHCP View to view DHCP properties of a selected network. For information,
see Modifying IPv4 Networks.
• Click the Ping icon to ping a selected IP address. For information, see Pinging IP Addresses.
Filtering the IP Address List

You can filter the IP address list, so it displays only the IP addresses you need. You can filter the list based on any
combination of extensible attributes and the parameters displayed in the IP address list, such as usage and type. When
you expand the list of available fields you can add to the filter, note that the extensible attributes are those with the gray
background.
IP Address Header Panel

When you select an IP address from the IP Map or List panel, Grid Manager displays information about the highest
priority object associated with the IP address. Depending on the object type, Grid Manager displays all or some of the
following information. For example, if the highest priority object is a fixed address, Grid Manager displays only the object
type, MAC address, lease state, and comment of the object.
• Type: The object or record type, such as A record, PTR record, or host record.
• Name: The name of the object. For example, if the IP address belongs to a host record, this field displays the
hostname. The appliance highlights disabled DHCP objects in gray. A DHCP object can be a DHCP address
range, fixed address, reservation, host configured for DHCP, or roaming host with an allocated IP address.
• MAC: The MAC address of the network device associated with the IP address.
• Lease Sate: The current status of the DHCP lease.
• Comment: Comments about the IP address.
Discovered Data
The Discovered Data tab displays discovered data through a network discovery or integrated from PortIQ and NetMRI
appliances. For information about viewing discovered data, see Viewing Discovered Data.
Related Objects
The Related Objects tab displays the following information about the records associated with the IP address:
• Name: The name of the object. For example, if the IP address belongs to a host record, this field displays the
hostname. The appliance highlights disabled DHCP objects in gray. A DHCP object can be a DHCP range, fixed
address, reservation, host configured for DHCP, or roaming host with an allocated IP address.
• Type: The object type, such as DHCP lease, host, A record, and bulk host.
• Comment: Information about the object. You can also select the following for display:
• DNS view: The DNS view to which the object belongs. You can do the following in this tab:
• Add a resource record. You can select the following from the drop-down list:

Rev. D
• Host Record—For information, see Adding Host Records.
• Range—For information, see Adding IPv4 Address Ranges.
• Fixed Address—For information, see Adding IPv4 Fixed Addresses.
• Reservation—For information, see Adding IPv4 Reservations.
• A Record—For information, see Adding A Records.
• PTR Record—For information, see Adding PTR Records.
• Edit the properties of the selected object. Depending on the type of object, Grid Manager displays the
corresponding editor for the object. For example, if the selected object is a fixed address, Grid Manager displays
the fixed address editor. When you select a lease object, Grid Manager displays the lease viewer.
• You can also modify some of the data in the table. Double click a row of data, and either edit the data in the field
or select an item from a drop-down list. Note that some fields are read-only. For more information about this
feature, see Modifying Data in Tables. Delete a selected object or multiple objects.
• When you select a lease object and click the Show Details icon, you can view the lease start and end dates.
• Depending on the object type, you can convert a selected object to one of the following:
• Reservation
• Host
• Fixed Address
• View detailed lease information about the IP address, as described in Viewing Detailed Lease Information.
• Print and export the information in the Related Objects table.
Audit History
By default, the Audit History tab displays the following information about the last five actions performed on the selected
IP:
• Timestamp: The day, date, and time of the operation.
• Action: The type of operation that was performed by the administrator.
• Object Type: The object type of the entry.
• Object Name: The name of the object.
• Admin Name: The name of the administrator who performed the operation.
• Message: The description of the administrative activity.
 Note
If you change the IP address of an existing record to a new one in the IP MAP tab when the
Grid Audit Logging is set to Brief, then NIOS will not display modification or transition details about the
new IP address in this tab. You can only view subsequent modifications and deletions to the new IP
address. However, you can view the audit log history and transition details of the old IP address, but you
cannot view the initial transition from an old IP address to the new IP address.
Managing IPv4 Addresses

You can do the following from the IP Map and List panels:
• Add IP addresses to existing hosts. For information, see Adding IP Addresses to Existing Host Records.
• Clear unmanaged IP addresses. For information, see Clearing Unmanaged Data.
• Convert objects to other object types. For information, see Converting Objects Associated with IP Addresses.
• Reclaim IP addresses. For information, see Reclaiming Objects Associated with IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses.
• Ping IP addresses. For information, see Pinging IP Addresses.
• Configure and run a network discovery. For information, see IP Discovery and vDiscovery.
• Resolve discovery conflicts. For information, see Resolving Conflicting Addresses.
• Clear discovered data. For information, see Clearing Discovered Data.
Adding IP Addresses to Existing Host Records

You can add unused and unmanaged addresses, including all their information, to existing host records. When you add
an unmanaged address to a host record, the appliance adds the discovered data to the host record. You can select the

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desired host to which you want to add the unmanaged address.
To add an unmanaged IP address to an existing host record:
1. From the IP Map or List panel, select an IP address, and then click Add -> Add to Existing Host from the Toolbar.
2. In the Select Host dialog box, do the following:
• In the table, select the host to which you want to add the selected IP address. You can also use the filters
or the Go To field to narrow down the host list. For information,
see Using Filters and Using the Go To Function.
• Click the Select icon.
Grid Manager displays the Host Record editor.
3. In the Host Record editor, update the host properties.
4. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen. To close the editor without saving
the changes, click the Close icon.
Clearing Unmanaged Data

You can clear the status of unmanaged data at the network and IP address levels. When you clear an unmanaged
address, the status of the IP address changes to Unused. An unmanaged address is an IP address with a discovered
host, is not previously known to the appliance, and does not have an A record, PTR record, fixed address, host address,
lease, or is not within a DHCP range. You can change an unmanaged address to a host, a DHCP fixed address, an A
record, or a PTR record. You can also clear the unmanaged data associated with the address.
To clear unmanaged data:
1. From the IP Map or List panel, select the IP address for which you want to clear unmanaged data, and then
click Clear -> Clear Unmanaged Data from the Toolbar. You can select multiple IP addresses.
2. In the Clear Unmanaged data dialog box, click Yes.
Viewing Router Redundancy Information for Virtual IPs (VIPs)

2. In CSV Job Manager, click the CSV Import tab and select the import job that you want to delete. Click the Action
icon and select Delete or click the Delete pending job icon.

In Grid Manager, you can use the IPv6 Net Map (network map) and List panels to manage your IPv6 network
infrastructure. After you select a network container from the IPAM tab, Grid Manager displays it in the Net Map panel, by
default. The Net Map panel provides a graphical view of your networks and has a number of features that simplify
network management. The List panel displays the networks in table format.
You can always switch your view of a network container between the Net Map and List panels. Grid Manager keeps track
of which panel you last used. When you select a network container, Grid Manager displays it in the Net Map or List panel,
depending on which one you last used. For information about each panel, see IPv4 Network Map and IPAM Home.
You can use Grid Manager to manage IPv6 networks and their AAAA, PTR and host resource records. You can configure
IPv6 networks and track IP address usage in those networks. You can also split and join IPv6 networks, when necessary.
IPv6 Network Map

After you select an IPv6 network container from the IPAM tab, Grid Manager displays it in the IPv6 Net Map (network
map) panel, by default. Just like the IPv4 Net Map, the IPv6 Net Map provides a high-level view of the network address
space. You can use Net Map to design and plan your network infrastructure, and to configure and manage individual
networks.
The Net Map panel presents a complete view of the network space, including the different types of networks that are in it
and its unused address space. IP addresses that belong to a network are blocked off. Each color-coded block represents
a network container, a leaf network, or a block of networks that are too small to be displayed individually in the map. For
example, in a /64 or /96 network, networks smaller than /76 or /108 respectively and that are beside each other are
represented as a multiple network block. In addition, the fill pattern of the blocks indicates their utilization. Therefore, you
can quickly evaluate how many networks are in a network container, their relative sizes, utilization, and how much space
you have left.

Rev. D
As you mouse over areas of the map, it displays IP information about the area. Net Map also has a zoom feature that
allows you to enlarge or reduce your view of a particular area.
The below figure displays the network map of a 1111::/16 network, which is a network container that has network
containers and leaf networks.
IPv6 Network Map
Displaying Network Information

As shown in the figure IPv6 Network Map, as you mouse over the map, Net Map displays IP information about the area.
When you mouse over an unused area, Net Map displays the following information:
• The start and end IP address
• The largest possible network
• The number of /64 networks that can fit in that space

Rev. D
When you mouse over a network container, Net Map displays the following information:
• IPAM utilization
When you mouse over a network, Net Map displays the following information:
When you mouse over a block of multiple networks, Net Map displays the following information:
• The start and end IP address of that block of networks
Zooming In and Out

Use the zoom function to enlarge and reduce your view of a selected area. You can zoom in on any area in your network.
You can zoom in on an area until it displays 128 addresses per row, for a total of 1024 addresses for the map. When you
reach the last possible zoom level, the Zoom In icon in the Net Map task bar and the menu item are disabled.
After you zoom in on an area, you can click the Zoom Controller icon to track where you zoomed in. The Zoom Controller
lists all the areas that you zoomed in and updates its list dynamically. You can click an item on the list to view that area
again. Click the Zoom Controller again to close it.
To select an area and zoom in:
1. Right-click and select Zoom In, or click the Zoom In icon in the Net Map task bar. The pointer changes to the
zoom in selector.
2. Select a starting point and drag to the end point. The starting point can be anywhere in the map. It does not have
to be at the beginning of a network.
Net Map displays a magnified view of the selected area after you release the mouse button. As you mouse over
the zoomed in area, Net Map displays IP information about it.
3. You can do the following:
• Select an area and zoom in again.
• Add a network. If you zoom in on an area and click Add without selecting an open area first, Net Map
selects the area where it can create the biggest possible network in that magnified area.
• Select a network and perform any of the following operations:
• Edit its properties.
• Open it to display its IP List.
• Delete it immediately, or schedule its deletion.
• Right-click and select Zoom Out, or click the Zoom Out icon in the Net Map task bar. Each time you click
Zoom Out, Net Map zooms out one level and the Zoom Controller is updated accordingly.
Net Map Tasks

From Net Map, you can create IPv6 networks, and evaluate and manage your network resources according to the needs
of your organization. You can do the following:
• Zoom in on specific areas, as described in Zooming In and Out.
• Use the Go to function to find a network in the current zoom level of Net Map.
• Add a network, as described in Adding a Network from Net Map.
• Select a network and view IP address list, as described in Viewing IPv6 Data.
• Select a network and edit its properties, as described in Modifying IPv4 and IPv6 Network Containers and
Networks.
• Split a network, as described in Splitting IPv6 Networks into Subnets.
• Join networks, as described in Joining IPv6 Networks.
• Delete one or multiple networks, as described in Discovering Networks (Under Network Insight only).
• Switch to the List view of the network. For information, see IPv6 Network List.
• When you select one or more networks in Net Map and then switch to the List view, the list displays the
page with the first selected network.

Rev. D
• If you select one or more networks in the List view and then switch to the Net Map view, the first network
is also selected in Net Map. Although, if you select a network in the List view that is part of a Multiple
Networks block in Net Map, it is not selected when you switch to the Net Map view.
Adding a Network from Net Map

When you create networks from Net Map, you can view the address space to which you are adding a network, so you
can determine how much space is available and which IP addresses are not in use. When you mouse over an open area,
Net Map displays useful information, such as the largest possible network that fits in that area. In addition, you can create
networks without having to calculate anything. When you add a network, Net Map displays a netmask slider so you can
determine the appropriate netmask for the size of the network that you need. As you move the slider, it displays network
information, including the total number of addresses. After you select the netmask, you can even move the new network
around the open area to select another valid start address.
To add a network from the Net Map panel:
Net Map displays the netmask slider and outlines the open area that can accommodate the largest
network.
• Select an open area, and then click the Add icon.
Net Map displays the netmask slider and outlines the largest network that you can create in the open area
that you selected.
2. Move the slider to the desired netmask. You can move the slider to the netmask of the largest network that can
be created in the open area. You can also move the slider to the smallest network that can be placed in the
current zoom level of Net Map.
As you move the slider, Net Map displays the netmask. The outline in the network map also adjusts as you move
the slider. When you mouse over the outline, it displays the start and end address of the network.
3. After you set the slider to the desired netmask, you can drag the new network block around the open area to
select a new valid starting address. You cannot move the block to a starting address that is invalid.
4. Click Launch Wizard to create the network.
The Add Network wizard displays the selected network address and netmask.
5. You can add comments, automatically create reverse mapping zones, and edit the extensible attributes. (For
information, see Adding IPv6 Networks.)
6. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen. Grid Manager updates Net Map with
the newly created network.

From Net Map, you can focus on a specific network or area and view additional information about it. If you have a
network hierarchy of networks within network containers, you can drill down to individual leaf networks and view their IP
address usage.
1. Select a network or area.
2. Click the Open icon.
• If you selected a network container, Grid Manager displays it in the Net Map panel. You can drill down
further by selecting a network or open area and clicking the Open icon again.
• If you selected a block of multiple networks, Grid Manager displays the individual networks in the Net Map
panel. You can then select a network or open area for viewing.
• If you selected a leaf network, Grid Manager displays it in the Network List panel.
• If you selected an open area, Grid Manager displays an enlarged view of that area in the Net Map panel.
This is useful when you are creating small networks in an open area.
IPv6 Network List

The Network list panel is an alternative view of an IPv6 network hierarchy. For a given network, the panel shows all the
networks of a selected network view in table format. A network list displays only the first-level subnets. It does not show
further descendant or child subnets. You can open a subnet to view its child subnets. Subnets that contain child subnets
are displayed as network containers. If the number of subnets in a network exceeds the maximum page size of the table,
the network list displays the subnets on multiple pages. You can use the page navigation buttons at the bottom of the

Rev. D
table to navigate through the pages of subnets.
The IPAM home panel displays the following:
• Comment: Information you entered about the network.
• IPAM Utilization: For a network, this is the percentage based on the IP addresses in use divided by the total
addresses in the network. You can use this information to verify if there is a sufficient number of available
addresses in a network. The IPAM utilization is calculated approximately every 15 minutes.
• Active Users: The number of active users on the selected network. You can select the following columns for
display:
• Disabled: Indicates whether the network is disabled.
• Leaf Network: Indicates whether or not the network is a leaf network.
• Other available extensible attributes
You can sort the list of subnets in ascending or descending order by columns. For information about customizing tables
You can also modify some of the data in the table. Double click a row of data, and either edit the data in the field or select
an item from a drop-down list. Note that some fields are read-only. For more information about this feature, see Modifying
Data in Tables.
Tip: If you select a network from the list and switch to the Net Map panel, the network is also selected in the network
map.
Filtering the Network List

You can filter the network list, so it displays only the networks you need. You can filter the list based on certain
parameters, such as network addresses, comments and extensible attributes. When you expand the list of available
fields you can use for the filter, note that the extensible attributes are those with a gray background.
Splitting IPv6 Networks into Subnets

You can create smaller subnets simultaneously within a network by splitting it. You do not have to configure each subnet
individually. You can create smaller subnets with larger netmasks. A larger netmask defines a larger number of network
addresses and a smaller number of IP addresses.
Note that you cannot split a network that is part of a shared network. To split an IPv6 network:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network checkbox, and then click Split from the Toolbar.
2. In the Split Network editor, do the following:
• Net mask: Specify the appropriate netmask for each subnet.
• IPv6 Prefix Collector Network: If you split a network with prefix delegations that are not tied to specific addresses,
specify the network in which all prefix delegations are assigned. If you leave this field blank, the server assigns all
prefix delegations that are not tied to specific addresses to the first network.
• Immediately create: Select one of the following:
• Only networks with ranges and fixed addresses: Adds only the networks that have DHCP ranges and
fixed addresses.
• All possible networks: Adds all networks that are within the selected netmasks. You can select this option
only when you increase the CIDR by 8 bits.
• Automatically create reverse-mapping zone: Select this checkbox to have the appliance automatically create
reverse-mapping zones for the subnets. This function is enabled if the netmask of the network is a multiple of
four, such as 4, 12 or 16.
• Click OK.

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Joining IPv6 Networks
Joining multiple networks into a larger network is the opposite of splitting a network. You can select a network and
expand it into a larger network with a smaller netmask. A smaller netmask defines fewer networks while accommodating
a larger number of IP addresses. Joining or expanding a network allows you to consolidate all of the adjacent networks
into the expanded network. Adjacent networks are all networks that fall under the netmask of the newly-expanded
network.
To join or expand a network:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network checkbox, and then click Join from the Toolbar.
2. In the Join Network editor, do the following:
• Netmask: Enter the netmask of the expanded network.
• Automatically create reverse-mapping zone: Select this checkbox to configure the expanded network to
support reverse-mapping zones . The appliance automatically creates reverse-mapping zones only if the
netmask is between /4 through /128, in increments of 4 (that is, /4, /8, /12, and so on until /128).
3. Click OK.
Viewing IPv6 Data

To the configured IP addresses in an IPv6 network:
by selecting an IPv6 leaf network from the Network List panel
• For a leaf network that is not in a network container, from the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab, and
then click the IPv6 network you want to view.
• For a leaf network that is in a network container, from the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab →
network_container -> network.
Grid Manager lists the configured IPv6 addresses. You can export and print the list. It displays the following information
about each IP address:
• IP Address: The name of the IPv6 DHCP object, which can be a DHCP range, fixed address, host configured for
DHCP, or a roaming host with an allocated IP address.
• Name: The name of the record associated with the IP address.
• DUID: The DHCP Unique Identifier (DUID) of the device that was assigned the IP address.
• Status: The status of the IPv6 object, such as Used or Unused.
• Type: The object type associated with the IP address, such as AAAA record, IPv6 Fixed Address, or Unmanaged.
• Usage: Indicates whether the IPv6 address is configured for DNS or DHCP.
• Exclude: (Applies only with Network Insight) Denotes whether the IP is excluded from discovery.
• Lease State: (Applies only with Network Insight) The lease state of the record, such as Active.
• First Discovered: (Applies only with Network Insight) The date and timestamp of the first occasion that NIOS
discovered the IP address.
• Last Discovered: (Applies only with Network Insight) The date and timestamp of the last occasion that NIOS
discovered the IP address.
• OS: The operating system of the IP.
• NetBIOS Name: The returned NetBIOS name from the last discovery.
• Device Type(s): Shows the device type for the device associated with the IP address.
• Fingerprint: The name of the DHCP fingerprint or vendor ID of the network device that was identified through
DHCP fingerprint detection. This field displays No Match for devices that do not have any DHCP fingerprint
information. For information about DHCP fingerprints, see DHCP Fingerprint Detection.
• Comment: Displays comments about the record.
You can display all available extensible attributes. You can also sort the list of IP addresses in ascending or descending
order by IP Address only.
You can drill down further and view the records associated with an IP address. To view the associated records of an IP
address, select it and Grid Manager displays information about the IP address in the Related Objects and Audit History
tabs.

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Related Objects
Grid Manager displays the following information about the records associated with the IP address:
• Name: The record name. For example, if the IP address belongs to a host record, this field displays the
hostname.
• Type: The object type. For example, AAAA Record, PTR Record, Host Record, IPv6 Fixed Address.
• Comment: Additional information that was entered in the record about the IP address.
Audit History
Grid Manager displays the following information about the last five actions performed on the selected IP:
• Timestamp: The day, date, and time of the operation.
• Action: The type of operation that was performed by the administrator.
• Object Type: The object type of the entry.
• Admin Name: The name of the administrator that performed the operation.
• Message: Description of the administrative activity.
Filtering the IP Address List

You can filter the IP address list, so it displays only the IP addressees you need. You can filter the list based on any
combination of extensible attributes and the parameters displayed in the IP address list, such as usage and type. When
you expand the list of available fields you can add to the filter, note that the extensible attributes are those with the gray
background.
Managing IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses

Grid Manager uses IP addresses as the entry point to the data set containing Infoblox host, DNS, DHCP, and other
information related to that address. You can view the data, modify it, assign extensible attributes to the objects
associated with the address, and convert DHCP lease types, such as changing a currently active dynamic lease to a
fixed address or host record.
You can view and manage IPv4 address data in the IP Map panel, and view and manage IPv4 and IPv6 data in the IP
List panel. You can do the following for IPv4 and IPv6 data from the IP List panel:
• Convert objects to other object types. For information, see Converting Objects Associated with IP Addresses.
• Reclaim IP addresses. For information, see Reclaiming Objects Associated with IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses.
• Ping IP addresses. For information, see Pinging IP Addresses.
• Clear DHCP leases. For information, see Clearing Active DHCP Leases.
You can also print and export in CSV format the information displayed in any panel that supports these functions.
Converting Objects Associated with IP Addresses
The NIOS appliance provides a simple mechanism for converting unmanaged IP addresses to resource records, such as
host records and A or AAAA records. You can also convert the active lease of a dynamically assigned IPv4 or IPv6
address to a fixed address or host, and convert an IPv4 lease to an IPv4 reservation. Using the conversion mechanism,
you can keep the existing information of a network device during the conversion.
The appliance supports the following conversions for IPv4 objects:
• DHCP leases to fixed addresses, reservations, or host records
• Fixed addresses to reservations or host records
• Unmanaged addresses to host records, A records, PTR records, or fixed addresses
• A records to host records
• PTR records to host records
The appliance supports the following conversions for IPv6 objects:

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• DHCP leases to fixed addresses or host records
• Fixed addresses to host records
• AAAA records to host records
• IPv6 PTR records to host records
 Note
You cannot convert unmanaged IP addresses or leases served by Microsoft DHCP servers to host records.
Converting DHCP Leases
To create a fixed address, you bind an IPv4 address to a MAC address or an IPv6 address to a DUID. You can make that
binding by converting an active dynamically leased address to a fixed address. The lease conversion transforms the
temporary binding between the IPv4 address and MAC address or the IPv6 address and DUID in the dynamic lease to a
persistent one. The lease must be active so that the NIOS appliance has an IPv4-to-MAC address or IPv6-to-DUID
binding to convert into a fixed address.
The appliance uses the following rules when converting a DHCP lease:
• If an IPv4 DHCP lease is converted to a fixed address, the appliance copies the client identifier to the fixed
address, based on information in the lease. If the appliance finds the client identifier in the lease information, the
appliance includes it when it creates the host. If it finds the MAC address, the appliance includes it when it
creates the host. If it finds both, the appliance includes only the MAC address (default) when it creates the host.
• If an IPv6 DHCP lease is converted to a fixed address, the appliance copies the DUID to the fixed address.
• If you try to convert an IPv4 DHCP lease or a fixed address with a client identifier, not a MAC address, to a host,
the appliance displays an error message in the host editor. This ensures that you do not attempt this operation
and lose the data.
• You cannot create two IPv4 fixed addresses with the same client identifier or MAC address in the same network.
You cannot create two IPv6 fixed addressed with the same DUID in the same network.
• If the appliance receives a second IPv4 DHCP request with the same client identifier, it provides the same fixed
IP address if the lease is still binding.
The below figure illustrates converting a dynamic IPv4 lease to a fixed lease.
Converting a Dynamic IPv4 Lease to a Fixed Lease

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An advantage of converting an active dynamic lease is that you do not need to learn the MAC address or DUID of the
device to which you want to assign an IP address and manually enter it in the fixed address configuration.
An IPv4 reservation is an address that you exclude from DHCP use because you intend to configure that address
manually on a device, such as a firewall, router, or printer. You can also convert an IPv4 fixed address or a dynamic
address with an active lease to a reservation.
When you convert an address in a DHCP range to a reservation, you reduce the total number of dynamically assignable
addresses in that range by one. Correspondingly, this reduces the number of allocated addresses needed to exceed a
high or low watermark threshold for that range.
 Note
To return an IP address to its place in a DHCP range after converting it from an active dynamic lease to a fixed
address, reservation, or Infoblox host, delete the fixed address, reservation, or host to which you previously
converted the IP address. The IP address then becomes part of the DHCP range to which it first belonged.
You can convert IPv4 fixed addresses to reservations, as shown in the below figure.
Converting an IPv4 Dynamic Lease or Fixed Address to a Reservation

DHCP Client and Server Statically Configured Device and DHCP Server

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To convert an object:
1. From the IP Map, select an IPv4 address or from the IP List panel, select an IPv4 or IPv6 address.
2. In the Related Objects tab, select the checkbox of the object, and then click Convert from the Toolbar or
navigation bar.
3. Select the object type to which you want to convert the object. Grid Manager displays the corresponding editor for
the object type.
4. For all IPv4 conversions, Grid Manager populates the discovered information in the corresponding editor.
Depending on the type of conversion, do one of the following:
• For host record conversions, see About Host Records.
• For IPv4 reservation conversions, see Modifying IPv4 Reservations.
• For fixed address conversions, see Modifying IPv4 Fixed Addresses.
• For A record conversions, see Modifying A Records.
• For PTR record conversions, see Modifying PTR Records.
 Note
When you select an object for conversion, Grid Manager displays only the available conversion types for the
object. You must save the changes in the editor for the conversion to take place.
Reclaiming Objects Associated with IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses
You can use the reclaim IP function to delete all objects, except the active DHCP lease, that are associated with a
selected IP address. To delete a DHCP lease, use the clear lease function as described in Clearing Active DHCP
Leases. When you reclaim an IP address, Grid Manager deletes the associated objects and puts them in the Recycle
Bin, if enabled. You can reclaim any used and unmanaged IP addresses. You can also select multiple IP addresses for
this function. After you reclaim an IP address, the address status changes to Unused. You can then reassign the IP
address to other objects. For example, when you reclaim a fixed address, Grid Manager deletes the fixed address object

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and puts it in the Recycle Bin. When you reclaim an IP address that is associated with a host record and the address is
the only address in the host, Grid Manager deletes the host record.
Grid Manager deletes all the objects that are associated with the selected IP addresses and puts them in the recycle bin,
with the following exceptions:
• When you reclaim IP addresses that are in a DHCP range, all the objects that are associated with the IP
addresses are deleted and the IP addresses remain in the DHCP range.
• When you select an IP address that is part of a host record, only the selected IP address is deleted from the host.
However, if the selected address is the only address in the host, Grid Manager deletes the host record.
Grid Manager does not reclaim the following:
• Unused IP addresses
• Bulk hosts
To reclaim an IP address:
1. From the IP Map or List panel, select the IP address you want to reclaim, and then click Reclaim from the Toolbar.
You can select multiple IP addresses.
Grid Manager puts the deleted objects in the Recycle Bin, if enabled.
Pinging IP Addresses
You can find out whether an IP address is accessible and active by pinging the address. Grid Manager sends a packet to
the selected IP address and waits for a reply when you ping the address. You can ping individual IP addresses from the
IP Map and IP List panels. You can ping all IP addresses from the IP Map panel and all IP addresses on the selected
page from the IP List panel.
To ping an IPv4 or IPv6 address:
• From the IP Map or IP List panel, select the IP address that you want to ping, and then click Ping from the
Toolbar.
To ping all IPv4 addresses:
• From the IP Map panel, click Multi-ping from the Toolbar. Grid Manager pings all IP addresses displayed in the IP
Map panel and displays the ping status in the panel. When the ping or multi-ping is complete, the status bar
displays the number of active IP addresses detected through the ping. To close the ping status bar, click the
Close icon.
• From the IP List panel, click Multi-ping from the Toolbar. Grid Manager pings all IP addresses visible on the
selected page. When the ping or multi-ping is complete, the status bar displays the number of active IP
addresses detected on the selected page. To close the ping status bar, click the Close icon.
Clearing Active DHCP Leases

A DHCP lease specifies the amount of time that the DHCP server grants to a network device the permission to use a
particular IP address. You may sometimes need to terminate an active lease. The following are some of the reasons for
clearing active DHCP leases:
• When a network device is moved to another network.
• Reset a DHCP lease to fix other problems.
In Grid Manager, you can select multiple IP addresses and clear their active DHCP leases.
To clear an active lease:
1. From the IP Map or List panel, select the IP address for which you want to clear a DHCP lease, and then click
Clear -> Clear Lease from the Toolbar. You can select multiple IP addresses.
2. In the Clear DHCP Lease Confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

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Configuring Thresholds for IPAM Utilization
You can define thresholds for IPAM utilization in a network or network container and configure the appliance to send
SNMP trap and email notifications to a designated destination when IPAM utilization in a network or network container
crosses the configured threshold. IPAM utilization for a network is the percentage based on the IP addresses in use
divided by the total addresses in the network and for a network container that contains subnets, it is the percentage of
the total address space defined within the container regardless of whether any of the IP addresses in the subnets are in
use. The appliance sends an SNMP trap and email notification only once when the IPAM utilization in a network or
network container exceeds the Trigger value and when it drops below the Reset value. The default Trigger value is 95%
and the default Reset value is 85%. The IPAM utilization notifications are sent for IPv4 networks and IPv4 network
containers only. The appliance updates the IPAM utilization data immediately for a network container, but for a network it
is updated every 15 minutes.
You can define thresholds for IPAM utilization at the Grid level and network level. The appliance applies the settings
hierarchically in a parent-child structure. By defining thresholds at a higher level, all networks can then inherit the same
settings and you do not have to redefine them for each network. For example, if you set the thresholds for IPAM
utilization at the Grid level, then the settings applies to all the network containers and networks in any network view.
However, if you override these settings at the network container or network level, then the settings applies to that network
or network container and any network within that network or network container in the same network view. If you set the
thresholds for an individual network, then it overrides settings at a higher level.
 Note
Infoblox recommends that you do not enable SNMP traps and email notifications for IPAM utilization during an
upgrade, because if you have configured notifications you may have to unconfigure them during an upgrade.
You can configure the thresholds for IPAM utilization at the Grid level and override them at the network level. To configure
the IPAM utilization thresholds at the Grid level, see Defining Thresholds for Traps.
To configure the IPAM utilization thresholds for a IPv4 network, network container, or network template, complete the
following:
1. Network Container: From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network_container checkbox, and
Network: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network
checkbox, and click the Edit icon.
Network Template: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Templates tab -> DHCP_template
checkbox, and click the Edit icon.
2. In the editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode, select the IPv4 IPAM Utilization Notification tab, and then complete the
following:
• IPAM Utilization Notification: Click Override to override the inherited property, and specify the following:
• Enable SNMP Notifications: Select this for the appliance to send an SNMP trap to the trap receiver
that you define for the Grid when IPAM utilization crosses the configured threshold.
• Enable Email Notifications: Select this for the appliance to send an email notification to a
designated destination if IPAM utilization crosses the configured threshold.
• IPAM Threshold Settings: Click Override to override the inherited property, and specify the following:
• Trigger: Enter a Trigger value between 0 to 100. The appliance sends an SNMP trap and—if
configured to do so—sends an email notification to a designated destination when the IPAM
utilization exceeds the Trigger value. The default Trigger value is 95.
• Reset: Enter a Reset value between 0 to 100. The appliance sends an SNMP trap and —if
configured to do so—an email notification to a designated destination when the IPAM utilization
drops below the Reset value. The default Reset value is 85.
• Email Addresses: Click Override to override the inherited property. Click the Add icon, and then enter an
email address to which you want the appliance to send email notifications when IPAM utilization for the
network or network container crosses the configured threshold. You can create a list of email addresses.

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Viewing Identity Mapping Information
You can view user information associated with networks, end-host devices, Active Directory domains, routers and
switches when you enable the Identity Mapping feature on the appliance. Access to user information related to networks
and devices help network administrators to understand how the network resources are consumed and by whom. Each
network user being mapped can use different devices to access their network environment. So using the identity
mapping feature and synchronizing servers, such as Microsoft servers and Cisco ISEs, on the Infoblox appliance provide
visibility of user interaction with their environments. By enabling this feature, you can monitor domain users, the IP
addresses they log on to, the login status, and the time duration of their current status in the IPAM tab. For information
about Identity Mapping for Active Directory users, see Configuring Identity Mapping and how to collect about user and
device information from Cisco ISEs, see Configuring Cisco ISE on NIOS. You can generate the user login history report
to monitor user login activities in a given time frame. For information, see User Login History Report.
You can do the following in the Network Users tab:
• View active network users, as described in Viewing Active Network Users.
• View user login history, as described in Viewing Network Users Login History.
Enabling Identity Mapping

You must first enable the Identity Mapping feature to view user information of a network or device. Complete the following
to enable this feature:
2. In the Grid Properties Editor, select the General tab -> Advanced tab, and then complete the following:
• Enable Network Users feature: Select this checkbox to enable the Identity Mapping feature on the appliance.
Note that the Network Users tab is available only after you enable this feature.
 Note
On an Infoblox appliance, the Enable Network Users Feature option is disabled by default for all new
installations.
Viewing Active Network Users

You can view all the users who are currently active on a network in the Active Users tab. Using the Action icon , you
can do the following in the Active Users tab:
• Go To IPAM IP Address Details: Select this to open the IPAM Home page to view the network address of the
device. This option is greyed out for devices that have an IP address and is not part of an IPAM network.
• Go To DHCP Network Details: Select this to open the DHCP > Networks tab to view the network address of the
device. This option is greyed out for devices that have an IP address and not managed by the Grid.
• Go To IPAM Network Details: Select this to open the IPAM Map for the selected user. The page shows network
information in graphical format. This option is greyed out for devices that have an IP and not managed by the
Grid.
To view active users:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the Network Users tab > Active Users tab.
or
You can use the Action icon in the following tabs to open the Active Users dialog box:
IPAM tab: From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab, click the Action icon next to the respective
network and select Show Active Users.
DHCP tab: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab > Networks tab, click the Action icon next to
the respective network and select Show Active Users.
Cloud tab:
• In the Networks tab, click the Action icon next to the respective network and select Show Active Users.

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• In the VMs tab, click the Action icon and select Show Active Users.
DNS tab: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab > Zones tab > Records tab, click the Action icon
and select Show Active Users.
The Active Users tab or Active Users dialog box displays the following information:
• User Name: Displays the logon name of the user. When the same user logs in to the domain from multiple clients,
entry for each IP address is displayed separately. If multiple users logs in to the same domain, entry for each user
is listed separately.
• Domain: The name of the domain.
• First Seen: The timestamp when the user logged in to the network for the first time.
• IP Address: The IP address of the client.
• Data Source: The IP address of the Microsoft server or the API method.
• Data Source IP Address: Displays the source from which the data is collected. It can be Cisco ISE, Microsoft
server or the API method.
• Last Seen: The timestamp when the user was last seen accessing the network.
• Last updated: Displays the timestamp when the user information was last updated.
Viewing Network Users Login History

You can view the login history of end-host devices, networks, and Active Directory domain users. You must first enable
the identity mapping feature to view user login information. For information about enabling Identity Mapping feature, see
Enabling Identity Mapping.
To view network user login history:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the Network Users tab -> User History tab. Grid Manager displays the
following information:
• User Name: The logon name of the user. When the same user logs in to the Active Directory domain from
multiple clients, entry for each IP address is displayed separately. If multiple users logs in to the same
Active Directory domain, entry for each user is listed separately.
• Domain: Name of the Active Directory domain.
• First Seen: The timestamp when the user logged in to the Active Directory domain for the first time.
• Log Out Time: Displays the log out time of the user.
• IP Address: The IP address of the client.
• Data Source: The IP address of the Microsoft server or the API method.
• Status: Displays the status of the user. The status can be one of the following: Active (logged in), Logged
Out, and Timed Out.
• Active: The user is logged in and active.
• Logged Out: The user has logged out of the system.
• Timed Out: The user is logged in but has been idled for a certain period of time. The default is two
hours. You can configure this time interval, as described in Configuring Active User Timeout
Session.
• Last Seen: The timestamp when the user was last seen accessing the network.
• Last updated: The timestamp when the user information was last updated.
Configuring Active User Timeout Session

You can configure the amount of time that an active session of a user changes to timed out. When the idle session time
is reached, the user status changes to inactive status. The default idle time is 2 hours. You can change it to minutes,
hours, or days. The user status can be one of the following: Active, Logged Out, and Timed Out.
To configure active user timeout interval:
1. From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid Properties -> Edit.
2. Select Microsoft Integration tab in the Grid Properties Editor and complete the following in the Basic tab:
• Assumed Network Users Time Out: Specify the time period after which the user status changes to Timed Out.
Select the time period in minutes, hours, or days from the drop-down list.

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IP Discovery and vDiscovery
This section provides information about the Infoblox IP discovery and vDiscovery, and how you can use them to detect,
collect, and manage information about active hosts in predefined networks as well as virtual entities in private, public,
and hybrid clouds managed through CMPs (Cloud Management Platforms) such as VMware vCenter servers and
vSphere Hypervisor, OpenStack, and AWS (Amazon Web Services). It also explains how to integrate and view
discovered data from the NetMRI appliances.
This chapter includes the following topics:
• About Discovery
• IP Discovery Process
• Supported IP Discovery Methods
• Guidelines Before Starting a Discovery
• Configuring IP Discovery
• Configuring vDiscovery Jobs
• Viewing Discovered Data
• Managing Discovered Data
• Integrating Discovered Data from NetMRI
About Discovery
 Note
The discovery features described in this chapter apply to NIOS Grid deployments that do not use the Discovery
license and its accompanying features under Network Insight. Network Insight provides the ability to discover,
query, and catalog routed and switched networks and the devices within them, including infrastructure routers,
enterprise switches, security devices such as firewalls, wireless access points, end host computer systems,
and more. For more information about Network Insight, see Infoblox Network Insight.
Infoblox provides IP discovery for detecting and obtaining information about active hosts in predefined networks, and
vDiscovery for discovering virtual entities and interfaces (such as vSwitch and vRouter) in private, public, and hybrid
clouds managed through CMPs (Cloud Management Platforms) such as VMware vCenter servers and vSphere
Hypervisor, OpenStack, and AWS (Amazon Web Services). You can configure multiple discovery tasks on one or more
discovering members.
• IP discovery: You execute an IP discovery (Data Management tab -> IPAM tab -> Discovery from the Toolbar) to
detect active hosts on specified networks in a network view. You can configure the appliance to perform an IP
discovery using one of the following protocols: ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol), NetBIOS (Network
Basic Input/Output System), and TCP (Transmission Control Protocol). For more information, see Supported IP
Discovery Methods. You can start an IP discovery immediately after you configure it, schedule it for a later date
and time, or configure a recurring discovery based on a recurrence pattern. For information about how to
configure an IP discovery, see Configuring IP Discovery.
• vDiscovery: This is an extension to the former VM discovery, in which the NIOS appliance only discovers virtual
entities on VMware vCenter and vSphere servers. A vDiscovery job (from the Data Management tab -> IPAM tab
-> vDiscovery from the Toolbar, or Cloud tab -> any sub tab -> vDiscovery from the Toolbar) now detects virtual
entities and interfaces in private, public, and hybrid clouds that are managed through VMware vCenter servers
and vSphere Hypervisor, OpenStack, Azure, or AWS. You can define vDiscovery jobs through the vDiscovery Job
wizard and manage all configured vDiscovery jobs through the vDiscovery Job Manager. Note that for a specific
vDiscovery job, NIOS synchronizes successive discovered data (not the associated NIOS objects) with the data
in the targeted CMP. For example, if you change the IP address of a VM, this information is reflected in the next
discovery of the same vDiscovery job. If you terminate a VM, the VM is deleted from the NIOS database. If you
delete certain information on the CMP, the respective discovered data is removed from the NIOS database. Be
aware that if you change the parameters of a vDiscovery Job, the last discovered data from this job will be
automatically cleaned up so that the appliance can continue to synchronize data from one discovery to the next. If

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you do not want to lose discovered data for a specific vDiscovery job, you should create a new vDiscovery job for
this new collection instead of modifying the current job. For information about how to configure vDiscovery jobs
for specific CMPs and how to manage them, see Configuring vDiscovery Jobs and Managing vDiscovery Jobs.
 Note
For new installations, an IP discovery task is automatically created by default. You can choose to
disable the IP discovery after you have set up your appliance. However, you must configure and
manually schedule vDiscovery jobs in order for the appliance to detect and collect information about
virtual entities in the clouds. When you upgrade from a previous NIOS release to NIOS 7.2 and later,
former VM Discovery tasks are divided into separate vDiscovery jobs based on the server endpoints
defined in the VM Discovery tasks. All new vDiscovery jobs inherit the same discovery schedule from
the old tasks. You must manually enable the new vDiscovery schedules in order for the appliance to
perform vDiscovery jobs. For information about how to enable the vDiscovery schedule,
see Scheduling vDiscovery Jobs.
After a discovery, the appliance updates the database with the discovered data based on the discovery configuration. For
example, you can configure the appliance to merge newly discovered data, consolidate managed data, or update
unmanaged data. The appliance also identifies unmanaged and conflict data after a discovery. Unmanaged data is
discovered data that is not configured for DNS or DHCP and has no associated NIOS objects. Conflict data is discovered
data that is configured for DNS or DHCP and has associated NIOS object or objects, but certain key values are different
than those in the NIOS database. For information about guidelines the appliance uses to update discovered data, see
Guidelines Before Starting a Discovery and Guidelines for Configuring vDiscovery Jobs.
Grid Manager displays discovered data in the Discovered Data section of the IP address properties panel when you drill
down to individual IPs. For information about how to view and manage discovered data, see Viewing Discovered Data
and Managing Discovered Data. The appliance records admin operations in the audit log and discovery operations in the
syslog.
The figure High-Level Discovery Process shows a high-level perspective of the discovery processes. You can configure
and initiate an IP discovery from the Discovery Manager wizard and a vDiscovery from the vDiscovery Job wizard. You
must first select a Grid member that runs the discovery tasks. After you configure an IP discovery task and a vDiscovery
job, the Grid Master sends the discovery requests to the selected member. Based on the configuration of the discovery
tasks, the selected member runs the discovery and collects information about discovered hosts and virtual entities from
the specified networks and cloud platforms. The Grid member then reports the discovered results to the Grid Master.
Based on the discovery configuration, the Grid Master updates the database with discovered data.
High-Level Discovery Process

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You can initiate a discovery and manage discovered data based on your administrative permissions. You must have
read/write permission to "Network Discovery" to initiate and manage IP discovery and vDiscovery. You must have at least
read-only permission to "All Tenants" and "All Network Views" to view discovered data in the VMs (by IP Address) tab in
the Cloud tab. To take actions on discovered data, such as resolving conflicts or clear unmanaged data, you must have
read/write permissions. For information about how to configure admin permissions, see About Administrative
Permissions.
Following are permission guidelines for initiating and controlling a discovery:
• Superusers can initiate and control a discovery on all networks and CMPs.
• Administrators with read/write permission to "Network Discovery" can initiate and control a vDiscovery job or an
IP discovery. For IP discovery, only the objects with IP addresses to which the administrators have read/write
permission are updated to include the discovered data.
After a discovery is completed, the following permission guidelines apply to viewing and managing discovered data:
• Superusers can view and manage all discovered data.
• Administrators with read/write permission to networks can view all discovered data. They can also add
unmanaged data to existing hosts, and resolve IP address conflicts.
• Only administrators with read/write permission to a DNS zone or specific record type can convert unmanaged
data to a host, fixed address, reservation, A record, or PTR record.
• Administrators with read-only permission to networks can only view discovered data. They cannot change any
discovered data.
IP Discovery Process
Once an IP discovery starts, the Grid member reports the discovery status, such as Completed, Running, Paused,
Stopped, or Error, in the Discovery Manager wizard and the Discovery Status widget on the Dashboard. In the Discovery
Status widget, Grid Manager reports the time when the discovery status was last updated and the numbers of each type
of discovered data. For information, see Managing Discovery.
When an IP discovery starts, the appliance divides the IP addresses in a network into chunks, with each chunk
containing 64 contiguous IP addresses. The discovery process probes each IP address in parallel and in ascending

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order, reports the detected information, updates the progress report, and then moves on to the next chunk until it hits the
last chunk of IP addresses. The appliance then updates the database with the discovered data.
An IP discovery scans the selected networks in the order the networks appear in the Discover Manager wizard.
You can configure discovery processes on the same network, but the same configuration cannot be shared between two
discovery processes.
The below figure illustrates how an IP discovery works.
IP Discovery Process
Supported IP Discovery Methods

When you perform an IP discovery, you can choose one of the following discovery methods:
• ICMP
• NetBIOS
• TCP
• Full

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These methods actively scan predefined networks and probe IP addresses. The Grid member listens for responses from
the IP addresses as proof of activities. The IP discovery scans through the specified network ranges and probes IP
addresses (except for the network, broadcast, and multicast address types) in each network, including the /31 and /32
subnets. Note that the possible addresses in the /31 and /32 subnets can be used only as source addresses for point-to-
point links. In these cases, there are no broadcast or network addresses in the /31 and /32 subnets, and the appliance
can discover source addresses in these subnets.
ICMP
This method detects active hosts on a network by sending ICMP echo request packets (also referred to as pings) and
listening for ICMP echo responses. The ICMP discovery is a simple and fast discovery that detects whether an IP
address exists or not. It returns only the IP address and MAC address (only if the Grid member running the discovery is
on the same discovered network) of a detected host. The ICMP discovery might miss some active hosts on the network
due to security measures that are put in place to block ICMP attacks.
You configure the timeout value and the number of attempts in the Discovery Manager wizard. The ICMP discovery
method returns the following information for each detected host:
• IP address: The IP address of the host.
• MAC address: The discovery returns the MAC address only if the Grid member running the discovery is on the
same discovered network.
To use the ICMP discovery method, the ICMP protocol between the Grid member performing the discovery and the target
networks must be unfiltered.
NetBIOS
The NetBIOS method queries IP addresses for an existing NetBIOS service. This method detects active hosts by
sending NetBIOS queries and listening for NetBIOS replies. It is a fast discovery that focuses on Microsoft hosts or non-
Microsoft hosts that run NetBIOS services.
You configure the timeout value and the number of attempts in the Discovery Manager wizard. This method returns the
following information for each detected host:
• NetBIOS name: This value is set to the name returned in the NetBIOS reply.
To use the NetBIOS discovery method, ports 137 (UDP/TCP) and 139 (UDP/TCP) between the Grid member performing
the discovery and the target networks must be unfiltered.
TCP
The TCP discovery probes each active host on a list of TCP ports using TCP SYN packets. This method detects all active
hosts that generate SYN ACK responses to at least one TCP SYN. The discovery can determine the OS on a host by
analyzing how the host reacts to the requests on opened and closed ports. It then uses the TCP fingerprints to guess the
OS. To obtain a TCP fingerprint, IP discovery provides two scanning techniques, SYN and CONNECT.
When you use the SYN technique, the discovery sends a TCP SYN packet to establish a connection on a TCP port. If the
port is open, the host replies with a SYN ACK response. The discovery does not close the port connection.
The CONNECT technique is a three-way TCP handshake. The discovery starts with the same process as the SYN
technique by sending the TCP SYN packet. If the host replies with a SYN ACK response, the discovery then sends a
RST packet to close the connection. If the response contains a RST flag, it indicates that the port is closed. If there is no
reply, the port is considered as filtered. The TCP discovery is a deliberate and accurate discovery method. It can
basically detect all active hosts on a network provided that there are no firewalls implemented on the network.
You can select the TCP ports, the TCP scanning technique, and configure the timeout value and the number of attempts
in the Discovery Manager wizard. This method returns the following information for each detected host:
• MAC address: The discovery returns the MAC address only if the Grid member running the discovery is on the
• OS: This is set to the highest probable OS reported in the response.

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To use the TCP discovery method, the TCP port and a specific set of ports between the Grid member and the discovered
networks must be unfiltered. The default set of ports is defined by the factory settings.
Full
The full discovery method is a combination of an ICMP discovery, a NetBIOS discovery, a TCP discovery, and a UDP
scan. This method starts by sending an ICMP echo request. If no IP address on the network responds to the ICMP
request, the discovery ends. If there is at least one response to the ICMP echo request, a NetBIOS discovery starts. A
TCP discovery then follows by skipping through the active hosts that the NetBIOS discovery detects. The TCP discovery
also handles the NetBIOS-detected hosts that have no MAC addresses. This method also performs a UDP scan to
determine which UDP ports are open.
You configure the timeout value and the number of attempts in the Discovery Manager wizard. The full discovery method
returns the following information for each detected host:
• IP address
• MAC address
• OS
• NetBIOS name
To use the full discovery, all the filter and firewall requirements in the ICMP, NetBIOS, and TCP discovery methods apply.
The following is a summary of the supported IP discovery methods:
Discovery Type Returned Data Guideline Mechanism
ICMP • IP address Use ICMP for a rough and fast discovery ICMP echo request and reply
• MAC address
NetBIOS • IP address Use NetBIOS for discovering Microsoft NetBIOS query and reply
networks or
• NetBIOS name non-Microsoft networks that run some
NetBIOS services
TCP • IP address Use TCP for an accurate but slow discovery TCP SYN packet and SYN ACK packet
• MAC address
• OS
Full • IP address Use Full for a general and comprehensive 1. ICMP echo request and reply
discovery
• MAC address 2. NetBIOS query and reply
• OS
3. TCP SYN packet and SYN ACK packet
• NetBIOS name
The method you select to run an IP discovery determines the kind of information the discovery returns and the time it
takes to complete an IP discovery. If time is a concern, the following are factors you may consider when configuring an IP
discovery:
• The timeout value
• The number of attempts
• The number of ports the discovery scans
• The size of network you want to discover
Guidelines Before Starting a Discovery

Consider the following guidelines before you start a discovery.

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Database Updates
After the Grid Master receives discovery data from the Grid member, it integrates the data based on the following rules:
• For a discovered host with a new IP address, the appliance marks the IP address "unmanaged."
• For a discovered host associated with one of the following, the appliance updates the data of the associated
object:
• A fixed address reservation or host address reservation
• A host address not configured for DHCP services
• A fixed address or host address with the same MAC address as that of the discovered host
• An A or PTR record
• A DHCP lease with the same MAC address as that of the discovered host
• For a DHCP lease that does not have any associated object, such as a fixed address or host record, the
appliance updates the IP address with the discovered data. When the lease expires and the IP address has no
associated objects, the appliance marks the IP address "unmanaged". When the lease expires and the IP
address is associated with the same MAC address, the appliance preserves the discovered data.
• For a discovered host associated with one of the following, the appliance updates all data except the MAC
address and marks the IP address as a conflict. For information, see Resolving Conflicting Addresses.
• A fixed address with a different MAC address than that of the discovered host
• A DHCP lease with associated objects and with a different MAC address than that of the discovered host
• An Infoblox host address configured for DHCP services and with a different MAC address than that of the
discovered host
• For a discovered host that is part of a DHCP range but does not have a fixed or leased address or is not within an
exclusion range, the appliance assigns a DHCP range conflict to the IP address.
• For a discovered host through a vDiscovery, the appliance adds the discovered data to the database. The data is
displayed in the IP Map and IP List panels, the Discovered Data tab of an object editor, and the Discovered Data
section of the IP Address panel.
• The OS of an IP address obtained by an IP discovery supersedes that obtained by a vDiscovery, and the newly
discovered name of a host supersedes the last discovered data.
• When a vDiscovery cannot obtain the IP address of a virtual entity, it does not return any discovered data for the
entity.
• Only the objects with IP addresses to which the administrators have read/write permission are updated to include
the vDiscovery data.
Database Capacity
When the Grid Master database reaches its maximum capacity (the maximum capacity varies based on the appliance
model), the Grid Master stops updating the database and requests that the Grid member stop the discovery. When the
discovering Grid member database reaches its capacity, the Grid member pauses the discovery. The appliance displays
a dialog to inform you that the discovery pauses. The Grid member resumes the discovery once the database falls below
its capacity. When a discovery pauses because of capacity issues, you cannot resume the discovery or start a new
discovery. You can check the capacity of your appliance database before starting a discovery.
HA Failover
In an HA pair, if the Grid Master fails over to the passive node, the passive node takes over and continues with the
discovery from the last known state. If an independent appliance fails, the appliance stops the discovery process and
keeps the discovery in a paused state. The appliance resumes the discovery once it starts up again.
Configuring IP Discovery
You must have read/write permission to Network Discovery to initiate a discovery. After you start a discovery, you cannot
change the configuration of the discovery, but you can start the discovery process immediately or schedule it for a later
date. You can also configure a recurring discovery that repeats on a regular basis. For information, see Configuring and
Starting an IP discovery and Scheduling IP Discovery. The appliance saves the configuration of the last discovery.
When you start an IP discovery from the IPAM Home, Net Map or Network List panel, you can select the networks on
which you want the discovery to run. When you start an IP discovery from the IP Map or IP List panel, the discovered

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network is the one to which the IP addresses belong. You can include additional networks when you configure the IP
discovery from the Discovery Manager wizard. You can run an IP discovery on multiple networks in one network view.
Guidelines for Starting and Scheduling IP Discovery

After you configure a discovery, you can start the discovery process immediately or schedule it for a later date. You can
also configure a recurring discovery that repeats on a regular basis. When you start a discovery immediately or schedule
for a later date after you configure it, the discovery happens only once and it will not be repeated. To repeat a discovery
regularly, you can configure a recurring discovery. A recurring discovery occurs repeatedly based on the schedule you
have configured. For more information about how to start a discovery immediately or schedule it for a later date, see
Configuring and Starting an IP discovery and Scheduling IP Discovery.
You can configure IP discovery tasks independent of each other and each one contains a specific set of networks and
discovery settings.
Note the following guidelines about immediate, regular and recurring IP discovery tasks:
• You cannot run regular and recurring discovery processes concurrently.
• If a recurring discovery is scheduled to start when a discovery is in progress, the recurring discovery will be
postponed to the next schedule time. The current recurring discovery will not be performed.
• You can pause and resume all discovery tasks.
• You cannot start a discovery when another one has been paused.
• You cannot use the start command to start a recurring discovery.
• Discovery permissions are applicable to all discovery tasks.
• When you start an IP discovery, only the available IP addresses in the network are discovered. The discovered
data through a specific Discovery job can only be modified or deleted by the same Discovery job. When you start
a different Discovery job to discover IP addresses in the same network and if some of the information in the
network is changed, the newly discovered data and the originally discovered data (now old data) co-exist in the
database. When you run the original Discovery job again, the old data is deleted or modified, or the new data is
added depending on the information discovered.
Configuring and Starting an IP discovery

To start an IP discovery immediately after you configure it:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab, and then select Discovery -> Discover Now from the
Toolbar.
2. In the Discovery Manager wizard, click the General tab, and then complete the following in the Basic tab:
• Current Status: Displays the last discovery status and timestamp. This data is read-only.
• Member Name: Click Select Member. In the Member Selector dialog box, select the Grid member from
which you want to run the discovery. You can also use filters or the Go to function to find a specific
member. For information, see Using Filters and Using the Go To Function.
• Merge the discovered data with existing data: When you select this checkbox, the appliance merges the
discovered data with the existing data. It appends newly discovered data to existing data and preserves
the existing data when there is no newly discovered data. This checkbox is selected by default.
 Note
If you clear this checkbox, the appliance replaces the existing data with the newly discovered
data and if there are no newly discovered values for some fields, the appliance removes the
existing values for these fields and the fields become empty.
• Update discovered data for managed objects: Select this checkbox if you want the appliance to update
the data of existing managed objects such as A records, PTR records, host records, and fixed addresses,
with the discovered data. If you clear this checkbox, the appliance updates only the unmanaged objects.
This checkbox is selected by default.
3. Click Save to save the discovery configuration. Note that you must save the configuration before you can start a
discovery.
4. Click Start to start the IP discovery. You can also do one of the following:
• Restore to Defaults: Restore the discovery configuration using the default values.
• Pause: Stop a running discovery.

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• Resume: Resume the discovery that has been stopped.
• Save: Save the discovery configuration.
• Close: Cancel the configuration. If you have started a discovery, the discovery runs in the background
when you click Close. For information, see Running Tasks in the Background.
 Note
Once you start a discovery, you cannot change the discovery configuration. After you click Start,
the button changes to Pause. You can click Pause to pause a discovery. When the discovery is
paused, the button changes to Resume. You can click Resume to continue the paused
discovery.
Defining IP Discovery Method

To configure the IP discovery method you want to use:
Toolbar.
2. In the Discovery Manager wizard, click the IPv4 Device Discovery tab, and then complete the following in the
Basic tab:
• Mode: Select the IP discovery method you want to use. For information, see Supported IP Discovery
Methods. If you select TCP or FULL, ensure that you configure the TCP ports in the Advanced tab. The
default is FULL.
• Click the Add icon to add networks. In the Network Selector dialog box, select the network view and
networks. Use SHIFT+click and CTRL+click to select multiple networks. You can also use filters or the Go
to function to find a specific network. For information, see Using Filters and Using the Go To Function.You
can do the following in the table:
• Click the Add icon again to add more networks.
• Select a network or multiple networks in the network table and click Delete to delete them.
• Click the Export icon to export the data in CSV format.
• Click the Print icon to print the data.
• Disable: Select this to exclude an IP discovery task. IP discovery is enabled by default.
3. If you select TCP or FULL in Mode, click the Advanced tab and complete the following:
• TCP Scan Technique: Select the TCP technique you want to use for the discovery. The default is SYN.
For information, see TCP.
• In the port table, select the checkbox of the port you want to configure. You can select all ports by clicking
the checkbox in the header.
Optionally, you can click the Add icon and complete the following to add a new service to the list.
• Port: Enter the port number you want to add to the list. You must enter a number between 1 and
65535.
• Service: Enter the name of the service.
You can also delete a specific TCP port in the list. You can select multiple ports for deletion.
• Timeout (ms): Enter the timeout value in milliseconds for the discovery. The timeout value determines how
long the discovery waits for a response from an IP address after probing it. The minimum is 5 and the
maximum is 4000. The default is 1000.
• Attempts: Enter the number of times you want the discovery to probe an IP address when scanning a
network. The minimum is 1 and the maximum is 5. The default is 2.
4. Click Save to save the discovery configuration. Note that you must save the configuration before you can start a
discovery.
5. Click Start to start the IP discovery. You can also do one of the following:
• Restore to Defaults: Restore the discovery configuration using the default values.
• Pause: Pause a running discovery.
• Resume: Resume the discovery that has been stopped.
• Save: Save the discovery configuration.
• Close: Cancel the configuration. If you have started a discovery, the discovery runs in the background
when you click Close. For information, see Running Tasks in the Background.
You can do the following after a discovery is complete:

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• View the discovery status. You can view the current discovery status in the Discovery Status widget on the
Dashboard. For information, see Dashboards.
• View the discovered data. For information, see Viewing Discovered Data.
• Manage the discovered data. For information, see Managing Discovered Data.
Scheduling IP Discovery
After you configure a discovery (as described in Configuring and Starting an IP discovery), you can schedule to run a
one-time IP discovery at a later date and time. You can also schedule a recurring IP discovery by configuring a
recurrence pattern. The appliance automatically starts a recurring discovery based on the configured schedule and
detects any newly added or removed networks. Note that you can only schedule the start of a discovery, you cannot
schedule it to pause, stop, or resume. After a scheduled discovery starts, you can then pause, stop, or resume it.
You can schedule only one IP discovery at a time. Once you schedule a discovery, you cannot change the configuration
until the task is cancelled or executed. You can however disable a recurring discovery. When you disable a recurring
discovery, it will not recur during the scheduled interval.
To schedule a one-time IP discovery for a specific date and time:

Toolbar.
or
From the Discovery Status widget, select Discover Now from the drop-down list, and then click Discovery
Manager.
2. In the Discovery Manager wizard, click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard. In the Schedule Change panel,
click Later, and then specify a date, time, and time zone. Click Schedule Start to schedule the discovery. If
applicable, you can select Click here to view/manage the scheduled items to reschedule a discovery or view all
scheduled discoveries.
To schedule a recurring IP discovery:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab, and then select Discovery -> Schedule Discovery from the
Toolbar.
or
From the Discovery Status widget, select Schedule Discovery from the drop-down list, and then click Discovery
Manager.
2. In the Discovery Manager wizard, complete the following in the scheduler:
• Disable: Select this checkbox to disable recurring IP discovery. When you select this checkbox, IP
discovery will not recur during the scheduled interval. Clear the checkbox to enable recurring IP discovery.
If you select Hourly, complete the following:
1. Schedule every hour(s) at: Enter the number of hours between each update instance. You can enter a value from
1 to 24.
2. Minutes past the hour: Enter the number of minutes past the hour. For example, enter 5 if you want to schedule
the rule update five minutes after the hour.
3. Time Zone: Select the time zone for the scheduled time from the drop-down list.
If you select Daily, you can select either Everyday or Every Weekday and then complete the following:
• Time: Enter a time in hh:mm:ss AM/PM (hours:minutes:seconds AM or PM) format. You can also select a
time from the drop-down list by clicking the time icon.
• Time Zone: Select the time zone for the scheduled time from the drop-down list.
If you select Weekly, complete the following:
• Schedule every week on: Select any day of the week.
If you select Monthly, complete the following:
• Schedule the day of the month: Enter the day of the month and the monthly interval. For example, to
schedule the rule update on the first day after every 2 months, you can enter Day 1 every 2 month(s).

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3. Click Save to save the configuration.
If the discovery task fails during a scheduled interval, the task stops and will not continue for the corresponding
occurrence. The scheduled task resets and the discovery starts at the next scheduled time. For example, when you
configure a recurring discovery to occur every five hours, discovery starts at the following hours on each day: 00:00,
05:00, 10:00, 15:00, and 20:00. If the discovery scheduled for 05:00 fails, the discovery starts at the next recurrence,
which is at 10:00. For information about failed discovery, see Guidelines for Starting and Scheduling IP Discovery.
The following examples explain when a recurring discovery starts based on your configuration:
Example 1
When you configure a recurring discovery to occur every five hours, the discovery starts at the following hours on each
day: 00:00, 05:00, 10:00, 15:00, and 20:00. The first occurrence on each day starts at 00:00.
Example 2
When you configure a recurring discovery to occur every two days during a week, the discovery starts on the following
days every week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The first occurrence starts on Monday of each week.
Monitoring IP Discovery Status

You can monitor IP discovery status through the Discovery Status widget on the Dashboard. You can also start, pause,
resume, and stop a discovery from the widget. For information, see Discovery Status.
Configuring vDiscovery Jobs

A vDiscovery job retrieves information about virtual entities in cloud environments that are managed through cloud
management platforms (CMPs) such as VMware, OpenStack, AWS, Azure, and GCP. The current vDiscovery feature
supports tenants, networks, and compute VMs only. It does not support data that is retrieved from load balancer
networks, load balancer VMs, Kubernetes platform VMs, application gateways, service VMs, SQL VMs, or any other VMs
that are created using cloud services such as Kubernetes service or analytics service, where the IPAM is handled by the
respective orchestration engines of the cloud provider.
Note that if the vDiscovery job retrieves unsupported data from AWS, Azure, or GCP, then it impacts the performance of
the vDiscovery process.
You must first select a member to run the vDiscovery job. To ensure that the job is executed properly, verify the
connection between the discovering member and the discovered endpoint. If you select HTTPS as the protocol for
communication, you must upload either an SSL CA (Certified Authority) certificate or a self-signed SSL certificate to the
Grid. If the certificate has expired, ensure that you delete the expired certificate and then upload a new certificate. For
more information about uploading certificates, see Managing Certificates.
 Note
After you upload a new certificate, wait for two minutes before running a vDiscovery job. This is because the
newly uploaded certificate takes some time to be reflected in the NIOS database.
Note that when you disable any virtual entities or interfaces on the CMP, the appliance excludes them from the
vDiscovery job. In situations where the discovering member you select to perform vDiscovery jobs is disconnected from
the Grid Master, the member continues to execute vDiscovery jobs based on the configured schedule. Newly discovered
data replaces previously discovered data. The last set of discovered data is considered the most up-to-date and is sent
to the Grid Master when the member reconnects with the Grid Master.
When you configure vDiscovery jobs, you can enable the Infoblox NIOS appliance to automatically create DNS records
for discovered IP addresses of VM instances that are served by the NIOS appliance. You can configure the appliance to
add DNS records for specific DNS views associated with the network view defined for public and private IP addresses of
VM instances served by the appliance. For more information about this feature, see Creating DNS Records for Newly
Discovered VMs.
Before you configure and start a vDiscovery job, there are a few guidelines to consider.

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Guidelines for Configuring vDiscovery Jobs
Consider the following guidelines before starting a vDiscovery job:
• Discovered data through a specific vDiscovery job can only be modified by the same vDiscovery job. If you create
a different vDiscovery job to discover the same network and some of the information in the network has changed,
the newly discovered data and the original discovered data (now old data) co-exist in the database. For example,
vDiscovery job "AWSJob1" discovers IP address 10.0.0.11 with VM name "corpxyz." This discovered data is
stored in the NIOS database. You subsequently create a new vDiscovery Job "AWSJob2" to discover the same IP
but now the VM name has been changed to "corp200." The discovered VM name for 10.0.0.11 is now "corp200."
Both VM names "corpxyz" and "corp200" exit in the database until you run AWSJob1 again, and "corpxyz" will be
removed from the database.
• If the "ERROR: PycURL" error is displayed when you run a vDiscovery job, it is possible that the cloud provider
has updated their certificate. You need to download the latest certificate from the cloud provider website and
upload it to NIOS. For example, for AWS, download the certificates from https://www.amazontrust.com/
repository/. For more information see Error while running job.
• Cloud Extensible Attributes:
• To merge discovered cloud extensible attributes into NIOS, you must have at least one cloud license
(Cloud Network Automation or Cloud Platform) installed in the Grid. However, if you want to view the
discovered cloud data in the Cloud tab of Grid Manager, you must have the Cloud Network Automation
license installed on the Grid Master. Otherwise, even though the cloud data is merged into the NIOS
database, you cannot view it through Grid Manager. For more information about Cloud Network
Automation, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation.
• In addition, ensure that you select the auto consolidation options when defining policies for how to handle
the discovered cloud extensible attributes, as described in Defining Policies for Handling Discovered
Data. Note that only cloud extensible attributes for managed objects are updated. To update cloud
extensible attributes for unmanaged objects, you can first convert the unmanaged objects to managed
objects. For more information, see Managing Unmanaged Data.
• When you select VMware as the endpoint server for the vDiscovery job, consider the following:
• Typically, vDiscovery does not collect data about "Network" from VMware vSphere and vCenter servers.
Therefore, you must first define a network in NIOS in order to discover IPs in the network.
• However, if you use vCenter to define a network as "IP_Pool," which contains the CIDR for the network,
vDiscovery is able to collect this data and translate it into a network. NIOS then creates the network and
updates it with corresponding Cloud extensible attributes.
• If you use an AWS Elastic IP address and select AWS as the endpoint server for the vDiscovery job, you must
first manually create the network in NIOS before launching the vDiscovery job in order to discover the Elastic IP.
• Properties of a VM address (such as interface name, network encapsulation, segmentation, VLAN ID) can only
be updated through cloud extensible attributes, depending on the policies you select when configuring a
vDiscovery task. To properly integrate discovered VM address properties with NIOS, ensure that you do one of
the following:
• Define cloud extensible attributes for these properties through your cloud adapter. For information about
how to define cloud extensible attributes, refer to the Quick Start Guide for your cloud adapter, available
on the Support site.
• Convert unmanaged VM addresses to managed so discovered cloud extensible attributes can be merged
into NIOS. For more information, see Converting Unmanaged Data.
• Unmanaged objects in NIOS are updated with newly discovered data and stay as unmanaged objects.
Managed objects in NIOS that have no conflict with newly discovered data are updated and stay as
managed objects.
• If there is conflict between managed objects in NIOS and newly discovered data, the managed objects
are not updated and stay as managed objects while a conflict is flagged for these objects. For more
information about how to resolve the conflict, see Resolving Conflicting Addresses.
• NIOS does not automatically remove unmanaged objects that were discovered in the past but do not exist
in current discoveries. This can happen if your network topology has changed in between discoveries. You
can manually remove these unmanaged objects if you do not want them to stay in the database. For more
information about how to remove these objects, see Clearing Unmanaged Data and Clearing Discovered
Data.
• For delegated DNS and DHCP objects, changes are handled by the delegated Cloud Platform Appliance
based on the scope of delegation. Discovered data is still updated by the Grid Master.

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• You cannot delete discovered tenants, networks, and VMs through the vDiscovery process. Conflict management
is not supported for these objects. Note the following:
• Discovered subnets are always created as managed networks. Pools of IP addresses (public pools) when
discovered are translated into managed networks. Any discovered public IP that is not linked to a pool is
marked as unmanaged data in NIOS, unless there is a corresponding network already created.
• Tenant and VM information is merged into NIOS through cloud extensible attributes, only if there is a
cloud license (Cloud Network Automation or Cloud Platform) installed in the Grid. Properties for
unmanaged tenants and VMs are always updated while properties for managed tenants and VMs are
updated only if auto-consolidation of tenant and VM information is selected when you configure the
vDiscovery job. For information about auto-consolidation options, see Defining Policies for Handling
Discovered Data.
• If a newly created vDiscovery job fails, first ensure that no control characters or permanently undefined Unicode
characters such as non-breaking space, non-breaking hyphen, and so on are present in the job name.
Creating a new vDiscovery Job

To create a new vDiscovery job, complete the following tasks:
1. Name the new job and select a member to perform the vDiscovery, as described in Selecting the vDiscovery
Member. Do not use control characters or undefined Unicode characters in your job name.
2. Select a cloud platform for the vDiscovery, as described in Selecting the Endpoint Server.
3. Define network views for public and private IP addresses, as described in Defining Network Views.
4. Define policies for handling discovered data, as described in Defining Policies for Handling Discovered Data.
5. Optionally, you can enable NIOS to automatically create DNS records for newly discovered VMs using their IP
addresses, as described in Creating DNS Records for Newly Discovered VMs.
6. Schedule the vDiscovery job, as described in Scheduling vDiscovery Jobs.
Selecting the vDiscovery Member

To create a new or modify an existing vDiscovery job:
1. For a new vDiscovery job: From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab, then select vDiscovery -> New
from the Toolbar; or from the Cloud tab, select vDiscovery -> New from the Toolbar.
or
To modify an existing job: From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab and click vDiscovery -> Discovery
Manager from the Toolbar, or from the Cloud tab, select vDiscovery -> Discovery Manager from the Toolbar. In the
vDiscovery Job Manager editor, click the Action icon next to a selected job and select Edit from the menu.
2. In step one of the vDiscovery Job wizard or in the General tab of the vDiscovery Job Properties editor, complete
the following:
• Job Name: Enter the job name for this vDiscovery. It might be helpful to use a name that is unique to this
specific discovery if you plan to configure multiple vDiscovery jobs.
 Note
You cannot update the job name after the vDiscovery job is run for the first time.
• Member: Click Select to choose the Grid member that will perform the vDiscovery job. If only a single
member is active, the appliance name automatically appears here. When you select a Cloud Platform
Appliance to perform vDiscovery, it communicates directly with the CMPs to obtain information that is not
available through the provisioning process from the cloud adapter.
• Comment: Enter information to describe this discovery.
The new job will not execute until you have completed all configuration steps in the wizard. You will not be
able to save this job until you have completed all job settings.
3. Click Next to select an endpoint server on which you want to perform the vDiscovery job, as described in
Selecting the Endpoint Server, or save the configuration after you have modified data in this tab.

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Selecting the Endpoint Server
1. In step two of the vDiscovery Job wizard, or in the Endpoint tab of the vDiscovery Job Properties editor, complete
the following:
 Note
You might lose some discovered data if you modify any of the following parameters for an existing
vDiscovery job. To avoid this, create a new vDiscovery job instead.
• Server Type: Choose one of the following server types for this vDiscovery:
• AWS: Collects information available for the AWS service endpoint. You can perform vDiscovery jobs
through a proxy server in an AWS deployment, including Amazon Route 53. For more information, see
Configuring Proxy Servers.
• Azure: Collects information available for virtual entities in the specified VNets (Azure virtual networks)
within the Microsoft Cloud.
• OpenStack: When you select this server type, vDiscovery discovers network information stored in Neutron
servers, VM instance information in Nova servers, and tenant or project information in Keystone servers.
• VMware: Supports VMware vCenter and vSphere servers v5.0 and later. Collects information for all virtual
entities running on the specified servers.
• GCP: Collects information available for virtual entities in the specified GCP project.
Depending on the server type you select, other options in this step change accordingly, as follows:
For AWS, complete the following:
• Service Endpoint: This is typically the regional service endpoint for the desired Amazon region.
Example: ec2.us-west-1.amazonaws.com. For more information about AWS service endpoints, refer to the
Infoblox Installation Guide for vNIOS for AWS, available on the Infoblox Support site. For a list of available AWS
service endpoints, see https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/ec2-service.html
• Port: Enter the port you want to use for the vDiscovery job.
• Protocol: The protocol used for AWS is always over SSL. AWS provides certificates that is linked to the CA. By
default, this certificate is embedded in NIOS and used as a reference for the CA when connecting to AWS. You
can also upload a new certificate as described in Managing Certificates. If you upload a new certificate, the
embedded certificate will be overwritten by the new one.
• Allow unsecured connection: This option is not applicable for AWS connection.
Credentials: Select the method you want to use to authenticate the connection between the Grid member and AWS for
discovery jobs. You can select one of the following:
• Use instance profile: An instance profile is a container for an IAM role that you use to pass role information to an
EC2 instance when the instance is up and running. Select this option if you want to collect information from AWS
by waiving a user's credentials and using configuration of a predefined IAM role to get a temporary token that
allows API calls. Note that you must first configure the option for "instance profile" in AWS, define an IAM role in
the instance profile, and then set permissions for this role before you can select this option. Otherwise, this option
is disabled. When you select this, you do not need to provide user credentials.
• Use IAM credential: Select this if you want to authenticate by using IAM roles to grant secure access to AWS
resources from your EC2 instances. Click Select to choose the IAM role and use its credentials to access AWS
resources from your EC2 instances when they are up and running.
• Access Key ID and Secret Access Key: Enter the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key for the AWS
service endpoint. This is the secret key pair for the administrator account that executes the discovery job.
For more information, refer to the Infoblox Installation Guide for vNIOS for AWS, available on the Infoblox
Support site.
For more information about instance profiles and IAM roles, refer to the AWS documentation.
For Azure, complete the following:
• Service Endpoint: This is the service endpoint for the desired VNet in the Microsoft Cloud. For more information
about Azure service endpoints, refer to the Infoblox Installation Guide for vNIOS for Azure.
• Port: Enter the port you want to use for the vDiscovery job.

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• Protocol: The protocol used for Azure is always over SSL. Azure provides certificates that is linked to the CA. By
default, this certificate is embedded in NIOS and used as a reference for the CA when connecting to Azure. You
can also upload a new certificate as described in Managing Certificates. If you upload a new certificate, the
embedded certificate will be overwritten by the new one.
• Allow unsecured connection: This option is not applicable for Azure connection.
• Client ID and Client Secret: Enter the client ID and client secret for the Microsoft Azure account. When you
configure the client account, ensure that you have authorization to obtain device information on a wide network
basis. If you replace the client secret of the vDiscovery job with the existing client ID, you must restart the
vDiscovery job for the changes to take effect. For information about Azure client ID and client secret, refer to
Microsoft Azure documentation.
 Note
• Azure Government Cloud uses different service endpoints for its services. For more information about
Azure service endpoints, refer to the Infoblox Installation Guide for vNIOS for Azure.
• Updates to the root CAs of Azure services installed by Microsoft, can cause vDiscovery to fail.
If vDiscovery fails with ERROR: PycURL error: (60, 'SSL certificate problem: unable to get local issuer
certificate'):
a. Download the DigiCert Global Root G2 Certificate from DigiCert Root Certificates.
b. Upload the certificate to NIOS as described in Uploading CA Certificates.
For OpenStack, complete the following:

• Keystone Server IP: Enter the Keystone Server IP address.
• Keystone Server Port: Select this checkbox If you are using Identity Endpoint for the connection, else enter the
Keystone Server Port number.
• Protocol: Select HTTP or HTTPS as the protocol. When you select HTTPS, you must upload the corresponding
SSL CA certificate to the Grid in order for NIOS to communicate with OpenStack, as described in Managing
Certificates.
• Allow unsecured connection: This option is enabled when you use HTTPS as the protocol. When you select this,
the appliance bypasses remote SSL certificate validation. Select this option only if security for the HTTPS
connection between the discovering member and OpenStack is irrelevant, or if the connection is protected by
other security measure besides TSL/SSL, such as an isolated private circuit.
• Username and Password: Enter the username and password of the administrative account that was configured
on OpenStack. When you configure the administrative account, ensure that you have authorization to obtain
device information on a wide network basis.
• Identity Version: Select the Keystone server identity service version from the drop-down list. You can select one
of the following: Keystone v2 and Keystone v3. By default, Keystone v2 is selected.
• Domain Name: Enter the domain name. This field is displayed only if you select Keystone v3 as the identity
version.
For VMware, complete the following:
• Host: Enter the host name of the VMware server.
• Port: Enter the port number of the VMware server.
• Protocol: Select HTTP or HTTPS as the protocol. When you select HTTPS, you must upload the corresponding
SSL CA certificate in order for NIOS to communicate with the VMware server, as described in Managing
Certificates.
• Allow unsecured connection: This option is enabled when you use HTTPS as the protocol. When you select this,
the appliance bypasses remote SSL certificate validation. Select this option only if security for the HTTPS
connection between the discovering member and VMware is irrelevant, or if the connection is protected by other
security measure besides TSL/SSL, such as an isolated private circuit.
• Username and Password: Enter the username and password of the administrative account that was configured
on the specified VMware server. When you configure the administrative account, ensure that you have
authorization to obtain device information.
For GCP, complete the following:

Rev. D
• Service Account File: Click Upload to select and upload the GCP service account file from your local disk. For
more information about creating a GCP Service Account, see Creating GCP Service Account.
 Note
• NIOS 8.4.2 onward, each GCP vDiscovery job can utilize only one uniquely named service account file.
• You can use the same service account file for different GCP vDiscovery jobs in earlier NIOS releases
(such as 8.4.0, 8.4.1). However, deleting one vDiscovery job causes the other vDiscovery job with the
same name to be stuck in "Job in Progress" state. It is recommended to use only one uniquely named
service account file for each vDiscovery job.
• You cannot edit an existing GCP vDiscovery job to upload a different service account file.
• Auto created networks and VM instances having IP address of auto created networks cannot be
discovered by GCP vDiscovery.
Click Next to define the network views to which discovered data belongs for both public and private IP addresses,
as described in Defining Network Views.
Defining Network Views

To track overlapping networks and IP address ranges so you can discover specific networks and IP addresses, you can
associate one or more network views with a Grid member or Cloud Platform Appliance that is selected to run the
vDiscovery. You can then define a specific network view to which discovered data for public and private IP addresses
belongs if the network view is not automatically detected. If no network view is specified, the default network view is
used.
For Network Insight, when you discover networks using multiple discovery interfaces, you must configure network views
so you can associate each discovery interface with an available network view. Note that on the same discovering
member, each discovery interface must have a unique network view association.
or
2. In step three of the vDiscovery Job wizard, or in the Network View tab of the vDiscovery Job Properties editor,
• Under the For Public IP Addresses section, select one of the following options the appliance uses if the
network view is not automatically detected:
• This Network View: From the drop-down list, specify a network view to which discovered data for
public IP addresses belongs. The default is the default network view. You cannot create a new
network view for this option.
• The tenant's network view (if it does not exist, create a new one): Select this only if at least one
cloud license is installed in the Grid. When you select this, discovered data for public IP addresses
belongs to the tenant's network view. If the network view does not exist, the appliance creates it
(only if a cloud license is installed in the Grid). The appliance uses tenant information of a
discovered public IP address to create a new NIOS network view for all discovered objects
(primarily subnets) for that tenant. For example, AWS tenants by default are associated with the
user account's 12-digit account number (such as 2233441247523), which is the identifier for all
objects that are created by that account in AWS. That tenant value becomes the identifier for the
new network view as its objects are discovered by NIOS.
• Under the For Private IP Addresses section, select one of the following options the appliance uses if the
network view is not automatically detected:
• This Network View: From the drop-down list, select a network view to specify a network view to
which discovered data for private IP addresses belongs. The default is the default network view.
You cannot create a new network view for this option.
• The tenant's network view (if it does not exist, create a new one): Select this only if at least one
Cloud Platform Appliance is active or a cloud license is installed in the Grid. When you select this,
discovered data for private IP addresses belongs to the tenant's network view. If the network view

Rev. D
does not exist, the appliance creates it (only if a cloud license is installed in the Grid). The
appliance uses tenant information of a discovered private IP address to create a new NIOS
network view for all discovered objects (primarily subnets) for that tenant. For example, AWS
tenants by default are associated with the user account's 12-digit account number (such as
2233441247523), which is the identifier for all objects that are created by that account in AWS.
That tenant value becomes the identifier for the new network view as its objects are discovered by
NIOS.
3. Click Next to configure how you want the appliance to handle discovered data, as described in Defining Policies
for Handling Discovered Data.
Defining Policies for Handling Discovered Data

In this step, you define how the appliance handles discovered data.
or
2. In step four of the vDiscovery Job wizard, or in the Data Consolidation tab of the vDiscovery Job Properties editor,
Under When inserting discovered into NIOS, select one or both of the following:
• Merge the discovered data with existing data: When you select this checkbox, the appliance merges the
discovered data with the existing data. It appends newly discovered data to existing data and preserves
the existing data when there is no newly discovered data. This checkbox is selected by default.
 Note
If you clear this checkbox, the appliance replaces the existing data with the newly discovered
data and if there are no newly discovered values for some fields, the appliance removes the
existing values for these fields and the fields become empty.
discovered data for all corresponding NIOS objects (if they exist in NIOS). If you do not select this
checkbox, the appliance updates only the discovered data for unmanaged objects. None of the managed
data will be updated. This checkbox is selected by default.
• For every newly discovered IP address, create: Select this checkbox to enable NIOS to automatically
create or update DNS records for discovered network entities and VM instances. It does not include cloud
adapters such as AWS or DDNS. This is applicable if the records were originally created by vDiscovery. If
you select this checkbox, NIOS considers all records created in a zone as one and calculate it as one
serial number change. For more information about this feature, see Creating DNS Records for Newly
Discovered VMs.
• Host: Select this to automatically create Host records for discovered entities.
• A & PTR Record: Select this to automatically create A and PTR records for discovered entities.
Note that the DNS zones and reverse-mapping zones to which the records belong must exist in
NIOS before the vDiscovery job is executed. Otherwise, vDiscovery does not create the records.
• The DNS name will be computed from the formula: Enter the formula that NIOS uses to create the
DNS records for each discovered VM address. For example, if there are two IP addresses
associated with a VM, NIOS creates two DNS records, or a host record with two IP addresses,
depending on your configuration. You must use the syntax of ${parameter name} for the formula.
For AWS, Azure, GCP, OpenStack, and VMware cloud platforms, this field supports the following
parameters:
vm_id, vm_name, discovered_name, tenant_id, tenant_name, subnet_id,
subnet_name, network_id, network_name, vport_name, ip_address, ip_address_octet1
or 1, ip_address_octet2 or 2, ip_address_octet3 or 3, ip_address_octet4 or 4.
Note that it does not support IPv6 addresses.

Rev. D
For example, when you enter ${vm_name}.corpxyz.com and the discovered vm_name = XYZ,
the DNS name for this IP becomes
XYZ.corpxyz.com
. When you enter
${discover_name}
here and the discovered name for the IP is ip-172-31-1-64.us-
west-1.compute.internal, the DNS name for this IP is
ip-172-31-1-64.us-west-1.compute.internal.
• Under Select the DNS view to which the DNS records are being added, select one or both of the
following:
• Use this DNS view for public IPs: Select this checkbox to add DNS records to a specific DNS view
for public IPs. Select a DNS view from the drop-down list. If you do not select a DNS view, the
DNS records are added to the default DNS view.
• Use this DNS view for private IPs: Select this checkbox to add DNS records to a specific DNS
view for private IPs. Select a DNS view from the drop-down list. If you do not select a DNS view,
the DNS records are added to the default DNS view.
If you are changing the DNS view, ensure that the Merge the discovered data with existing data
checkbox is not selected.
Note that the Use this DNS view for public IPs and Use this DNS view for private IPs fields will be
disabled, if you select The tenant’s network view (if it does not exist, create a new one) option
when you define the network views to which discovered data belongs for both public and private IP
addresses, as described in Defining Network Views.
Under When discovered data is linked to managed data, select any combination of the following.
 Note
• Tenants and VMs are managed objects when they have NIOS objects, such as
host records or fixed addresses, associated with them. Otherwise, they are
unmanaged objects. The appliance always updates properties for all unmanaged
objects.
• Auto-consolidate on managed Tenant's properties: When you select this checkbox, the appliance updates
properties with discovered data for managed tenants, as well as unmanaged tenants (NIOS always
update unmanaged tenants). When you clear this checkbox, the appliance does not update discovered
data for managed tenants. This checkbox is selected by default.
• Auto-consolidate on managed Tenant's properties: When you select this checkbox, the appliance updates
properties with discovered data for managed tenants, as well as unmanaged tenants (NIOS always
update unmanaged tenants). When you clear this checkbox, the appliance does not update discovered
data for managed tenants. This checkbox is selected by default.
• Auto-consolidate managed VM's properties: When you select this checkbox, the appliance updates
properties and extensible attributes with discovered data for managed VMs, as well as unmanaged
tenants (NIOS always update unmanaged tenants). When you clear this checkbox, the appliance does
not update discovered data for managed VMs. This checkbox is selected by default.

Rev. D
• Auto-consolidate Cloud EAs on managed data: When you select this checkbox, NIOS updates discovered
extensible attribute values for managed objects that contain cloud extensible attributes, only if a cloud
license is installed in the Grid. This includes the update of the extensible attribute VM ID (which links the
NIOS object to the VM) whenever a VM is added, updated or removed depending on the information
collected. As a result, when a VM instance reuses an IP address or when a VM instance is deleted in the
Cloud, the DNS Records or fixed address tied to that IP address are also updated, reflecting the new
value of the VM instance ID. To update cloud extensible attributes for unmanaged objects, convert the
objects to managed objects in NIOS. For more information, see Managing Unmanaged Data.
 Note
The extensible attribute VM ID is not updated if you do not enable the Auto-
consolidate Cloud EAs on managed data checkbox, which leads to a conflict on that IP address.
The NIOS object does not link to the same VM as the newly discovered IP. In such cases, you
can use the Resolve Conflicts option to update either your NIOS objects or your discovered
data. For information about resolving conflicts, see Resolving Conflicting Addresses.
2. Click Next to schedule this vDiscovery job and specify when the job should start, as described in Scheduling
vDiscovery Jobs.
Creating DNS Records for Newly Discovered VMs

When you configure the policies NIOS uses to handle discovered data, you can enable NIOS to automatically create or
update DNS records for discovered IP addresses of VM instances. NIOS automatically adds Host records or A and PTR
records for the discovered VMs based on your configuration. You can also enter a formula that NIOS uses to create the
DNS name for the discovered IP based on its VM parameters such as VM name or discovered name. By doing so, NIOS
is able to discover public and private IP addresses by looking up the corresponding DNS names.
Discovered data includes IP addresses for the VMs and the associated information such as VM ID, VM Name, Tenant ID,
and others. Note that corresponding zones must already exist in order for NIOS to add DNS records. Otherwise, NIOS
does not add any DNS records and it logs a message in the syslog. For information about how to enable this feature,
see Defining Policies for Handling Discovered Data.
NIOS automatically adds DNS records based on the following conditions:
• The corresponding DNS zones must already exist in the NIOS database. NIOS does not automatically create
DNS zones for the records.
• To create a PTR record, the corresponding reverse-mapping zone must exist.
• A DNS zone cannot be associated with more than one DNS view. NIOS does not create DNS records for zones
that are associated with multiple DNS views.
• NIOS adds new DNS records only if the VM name for the discovered IP address is available and there is no
conflict with information about the associated network view.
On subsequent vDiscovery, if an IP for a VM is removed, the corresponding DNS records are removed. If the IP for a VM
is changed, the IP address in the corresponding DNS record is changed accordingly. If the DNS record name template is
changed, all the DNS recorded are replaced with the DNS records using the new template. All administrative actions for
these changes are recorded in the Audit log. Summary of the changes are logged in the syslog.
The following table captures some scenarios about how vDiscovery handles various actions and what the outcome is for
the information on the Cloud Platform appliance and in the NIOS database. All the scenarios in the table use the
following template: $(discovered_name).
 Note
vDiscovery updates only records that are created by the vDiscovery process. It does not create or update DNS
records that are originally created by other admin users.

Rev. D
Actions and Conditions Cloud Platform Data Cloud Platform Data NIOS Data before NIOS Data after
before vDiscovery after vDiscovery vDiscovery vDiscovery
• Add new VM (vma) on No data for vma 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com
vma.corpxyz.com Host record:
Cloud Platform vma.corpxyz.com
appliance (10.10.10.1)
• Automatic creation of
Host records
• In NIOS: existing zone
corpxyz.com; no DNS
records
• Add new VM (vma) on No data for vma 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com
vma.corpxyz.com Host record: Host record:
Cloud Platform vma.corpxyz.com vma.corpxyz.com
appliance (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
Host records
corpxyz.com; existing
Host record (originally
created by vDiscovery
or admin)
• Add new interface to 10.10.10.1 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com

vma.corpxyz.com vma.corpxyz.com Host record: Host record:
existing VM (vma) with 10.10.10.2 vma.corpxyz.com vma.corpxyz.com
the same discovered vma.corpxyz.com (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1,
name on Cloud 10.10.10.2)
Platform appliance
Host records
created by vDiscovery)
• Add new interface to 10.10.10.1 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com

the same discovered vma.corpxyz.com (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
name on Cloud
Platform appliance
Host records
created by admin)

Rev. D
• Add a new interface to 10.10.10.1 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com

a different discovered vma-if2.corpxyz.com (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
name (vma-if2) on the Host record: vma-
Cloud Platform if2.corp1.co m
(10.10.10.2)
appliance
Host records
• Add a new interface to 10.10.10.1 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com

a different discovered vma-if2.corpxyz.com (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
name (vma-if2) on the Host record: vma-
Cloud Platform if2.corp1.co m
(10.10.10.2)
appliance
Host records
created by admin)
• Remove existing VM 10.10.10.1 No data for vma Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com
vma.corpxyz.com Host record:
(vma) on Cloud vma.corpxyz.com
Platform appliance (10.10.10.1)
Host records
• Remove existing VM 10.10.10.1 No data for vma Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com
vma.corpxyz.com Host record: Host record:
(vma) on Cloud vma.corpxyz.com vma.corpxyz.com
Platform appliance (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
Host records
created by admin)

Rev. D
• Remove existing 10.10.10.1 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com

interface (10.10.10.2) 10.10.10.2 vma.corpxyz.com vma.corpxyz.com
from VM (vma) with vma-if2.corp1.c om (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
different discovered Host record: vma-
name if2.corp1.co m
(10.10.10.2)
(vma-if2) on Cloud
Platform appliance
Host records
• Remove existing 10.10.10.1 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com

interface (10.10.10.2) 10.10.10.2 vma.corpxyz.com vma.corpxyz.com
from VM (vma) with vma-if2.corp1.c om (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
different discovered Host record: vma- Host record: vma-
name if2.corp1.co m if2.corp1.co m
(10.10.10.2) (10.10.10.2)
(vma-if2) on Cloud
Platform appliance
Host records
created by admin)
• Update record name 10.10.10.1 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com

vma.corpxyz.com vm1.corpxyz.com Host record: Host record:
(from vma to vm1) for vma.corpxyz.com vm1.corpxyz.com
the existing interface (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
(10.10.10.1) on Cloud
Platform appliance
Host records

Rev. D
• Update record name 10.10.10.1 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com

(from vma to vm1) for vma.corpxyz.com vma.corpxyz.com
the existing interface (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
(10.10.10.1) on Cloud Host record:
Platform appliance vm1.corpxyz.com
(10.10.10.1)
Host records
created by admin)
• Automatic creation of 10.10.10.1 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com

Host records vm_name: ABC vm_name: ABC vma.corpxyz.com ABC.corpxyz.com
• Change FQDN (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
template from $
{discover_name) to
$
{vm_name}.corpxyz.co
m
• Automatic creation of 10.10.10.1 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com

Host records vm_name: ABC vm_name: ABC vma.corpxyz.com vma.corpxyz.com
• Change FQDN (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
template from $ Host record:
{discover_name) to ABC.corpxyz.com
(10.10.10.1)
$
{vm_name}.corpxyz.co
m
created by admin)
• Change vDiscovery 10.10.10.1 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com

vma.corpxyz.com vma.corpxyz.com Host record: A record:
task configuration from vma.corpxyz.com vma.corpxyz.com
creation of Host record (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
to A and PTR records

Rev. D
• Change vDiscovery 10.10.10.1 10.10.10.1 Zone: corpxyz.com Zone: corpxyz.com

task configuration from vma.corpxyz.com vma.corpxyz.com
creation of Host record (10.10.10.1) (10.10.10.1)
to A and PTR records A record:
• In NIOS: existing zone vma.corpxyz.com
(10.10.10.1)
created by admin)
Scheduling vDiscovery Jobs

You can enable the appliance to start a vDiscovery immediately after you configure it, schedule it for a later date and
time, or configure a recurring discovery based on a recurrence pattern. Note that all scheduled vDiscovery jobs are
executed in queue based on the order of the schedule in the vDiscovery Job Manager. Therefore, a scheduled
vDiscovery might be delayed if there are other jobs being executed before its scheduled start time.
or
2. In step five of the vDiscovery Job wizard, or in the Schedule tab of the vDiscovery Job Properties editor, complete
the following:
• Enable: To ensure that the scheduled vDiscovery job takes place, select this checkbox. When you
upgrade from a previous version of NIOS, you must select this checkbox after the upgrade to ensure that
the previously configured discovery tasks are being executed at the scheduled time.
If you select Once, complete the following:

• Choose a Start Date using the date picker.
If you select Hourly, complete the following

• Schedule every hour(s) at: Enter the number of hours between each update instance. You can
enter a value from 1 to 24.
• Minutes past the hour: Enter the number of minutes past the hour. For example, enter 5 if you
want to schedule the rule update five minutes after the hour.
If you select Daily, you can select either Every day or Every Weekday and then complete the
following:
• TimeZone: Select the time zone for the scheduled time from the drop-down list. If you select Weekly,
• Scheduleeveryweekon: Select any day of the week.
• TimeZone: Select the time zone for the scheduled time from the drop-down list. If you select Monthly,
• Schedulethedayofthemonth: Enter the day of the month and the monthly interval. For example, to
schedule the rule update on the first day after every 2 months, you can enter Day 1 every 2 month(s).
• TimeZone: Select the time zone for the scheduled time from the drop-down list.

Rev. D
3. Save the vDiscovery job. The appliance lists all vDiscovery jobs in the vDiscovery Job Manager, from which you
can manage jobs that have not been executed, including modifying selected jobs or deleting some. For more
information about how to manage vDiscovery jobs, see Managing vDiscovery Jobs.
Managing vDiscovery Jobs

You can view all configured vDiscovery jobs or modify some of the settings for selected ones in the vDiscovery Job
Manager. You can also add a new vDiscovery job by clicking the Add icon.
To view or modify vDiscovery jobs:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab, then select vDiscovery -> Discovery Manager from the
Toolbar; or from the Cloud tab, select vDiscovery -> Discovery Manager from the Toolbar.
2. The appliance displays the following information in the vDiscovery Job Manager:
• Name: The name of the vDiscovery job.
• Status: The current status of the vDiscovery job. Grid Manager displays an icon and descriptive
information about the status. You can hover you mouse over the icon to view the current status, as
follows:
• Job created: The configured job has been created.
• Job starting: Starting the configured job.
• Job in progress: The job is being executed at the moment.
• Job completed: The job is completed successfully.
• Cancelled: The job was cancelled while it was being executed.
• Error while running job: The job has failed.
If the "ERROR: PycURL error: (60, 'SSL certificate problem: unable to get local issuer certificate')"
error message is displayed, it means that the certificate has expired or is invalid. You need to
remove the expired or invalid certificate and upload a new one. If the error is displayed for an AWS
vDiscovery job, download the certificates from https://www.amazontrust.com/repository/ and
upload them. If it is displayed for an Azure vDiscovery job, follow the instructions in the Azure
documentation to generate a root certificate for Azure and upload it to NIOS. For information about
uploading certificates, see Managing Certificates.
• Schedule: Displays the configured schedule for the selected job.
• Public IP's Network View: The name of the network view to which discovered data for public IP addresses
belongs.
• Private IP's Network View: The name of the network view to which discovered data for private IP addresses
belongs.
• Member: The Grid member that performs the vDiscovery job.
• Last Run: The timestamp when the selected vDiscovery job was last performed.
• Comment: Comments added when the vDiscovery job was created
• Click the Action icon next to a selected job, and you can do one of the following:
• Edit: Modify the vDiscovery job settings in the vDiscovery Job Properties editor. The editor displays the
following tabs: General, Endpoint, Network View, Data Consolidation, and Schedule. Click the tab that
contains information you want to modify, and then modify the information as described in Configuring
vDiscovery Jobs.
• Delete: Remove the vDiscovery job from the list.
• Start: Start vDiscovery now for the selected job.
 Note
The appliance might display an AMQP error when you first start a newly created vDiscovery job.
This is due to the start-on-demand mechanism experiencing a delay in executing the job. Wait a
few seconds and start the job again.
Stop: Stop and terminate the vDiscovery job that is in progress. You cannot resume this discovery once
you stop it. All discovered data remains intact in the database.
• Click Close to close the vDiscovery Job Manager.

Rev. D
Viewing Discovered Data
After an IP discovery and a vDiscovery, you can view discovered data in the Discovered Data section when you drill
down to a specific IP address in the Net Map, Net List, IP Map or IP List panel. For information about IP Map and IP List,
see IP Map and IP Address List.
You can also view discovered data for Cloud specific VMs in the Cloud tab. Note that you must install the Cloud Network
Automation license on the Grid Master to view the Cloud tab.
Viewing IPAM Discovered Data

To view discovered data in the IPAM tab:
1. In the top navigation bar, select the network view to which discovered data belongs.
3. In the IPAM home page, select the network you want to view discovered data and click the link.
4. In the IP List of IP Map panel, click the IP address link to drill down to the IP address properties panel.
5. In the Discovered Data section, click the Configure icon to specify data to be displayed in the Discovered Data
tab.
6. Select fields from the Available list and click the arrow key to move them to the Selected list and vice versa. You
can use CTRL+Click or SHIFT+Click to select multiple fields at one time.
You can also change the order in which the fields are displayed by moving the fields up and down in the Selected
list. To move a field up in the list, select it and click the Up arrow. To move a field down, select it and click the
Down arrow.
7. Click the Configure icon again, and the Discovered Data section displays the fields you have specified. Note the
fields you select appears for all IP addresses in the network.
Depending on the source of the discovered data, when you modify certain DNS and DHCP objects, Grid Manager can
display some of the following discovered data (if any) in the Discovered Data tab:
• NetBIOSName: The name returned in the NetBIOS reply or the name you manually register for the discovered
host.
• OS: The operating system of the detected host or virtual entity. The OS can be one of the following:
• Microsoft for all discovered hosts that have a non-null value in the MAC addresses using the NetBIOS
discovery method.
• Discovered MAC Address: The discovered MAC address for the host. This is the unique identifier of a network
device. The discovery acquires the MAC address for hosts that are located on the same network as the Grid
member that is running the discovery. This can also be the MAC address of a virtual entity on a specified vSphere
server.
• AP Name: The name of the access point for the device. This column is displayed only for wireless devices. If
discovered by NetMRI, the value will be populated through IPAM Sync as well.
• AP IP Address: The IP address of the access point for the device. This column is displayed only for wireless
devices. If discovered by NetMRI, the value will be populated through IPAM Sync as well.
• SSID: The unique name of the WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network). If discovered by NetMRI, the value will be
populated through IPAM Sync as well.
• Discovered DUID: For IPv6 address only. The DHCP unique identifier of the discovered host. This is an optional
field, and data might not be included.
• Last Discovered: The timestamp when the IP address was last discovered.
• First Discovered: The timestamp when the IP address was first discovered.
collected the data. It is defined on the corresponding NetMRI appliance when you import the discovered data to
the NIOS appliance. The task name should be defined in thevDiscoverytask managerforvDiscovery.
• Discovered Name: The name of the network device associated with the discovered IP address.
• Discoverer: Specifies whether the IP address was discovered by NetMRI or NIOS discovery process.
If you imported data from NetMRI appliances, Grid Manager displays the following information, if available. For
information about the data imported from NetMRI appliances, see Integrating Discovered Data From NetMRI.

Rev. D
• Attached Device Description: A textual description of the switch that is connected to the end device.
• Attached Device Address: The IPv4 or IPv6 address of the switch that is connected to the end device.
• Attached Device Model: If a reverse lookup was successful for the IP address associated with this switch, the
device model is displayed here.
• Attached Device Name: If a reverse lookup was successful for the IP address associated with this switch, the
host name is displayed here.
• Attached Device Port Description: A textual description of the switch port that is connected to the end device.
• Attached Device Port Name: The name of the switch port or port channel connected to the device. For Cisco
virtual port channel. For more information, see IP List Neighbor Information.
• Attached Device Vendor: The vendor name of the switch port connected to the end device.
• Attached Device Port: The number of the switch port connected to the end device.
• Attached Device Type: Identifies the switch that is connected to the end device.
• Attached Device Location: The physical location of the network device to which the end host is connected/
attached, as detected from the device during discovery.
• Attached Device Contact: The contact details for the network device to which the End Host is connected/
attached, as detected from the device during discovery.
• Device Vendor: The vendor name of the end device.
• Device Model: The device model of the end device.
• Device Location: The physical location of the network device on which the IP Address is configured, as detected
from the device during discovery.
• Device Contact: The contact details for the network device on which the IP Address is configured, as detected
from the device during discovery.
• Device Management IP: The IPv4 or IPv6 address of the end device that is connected to the switch.
• Device Port Type: The port type for the end device.
• Device Port Name: The port name for the end device.
• Device Type(s): Identifies the device type.
• Port Duplex: The negotiated or operational duplex setting of the switch port connected to the end device. You can
modify this in the IPv6 fixed address and AAAA record editors.
• Port Link: The link status of the switch port connected to the end device. Indicates whether it is connected.
• Port Speed: The interface speed, in Mbps, of the switch port. You can modify this in the IPv6 fixed address and
AAAA record editors.
• Port Type: The switch port type.
• Port Status: The operational status of the switch port. Indicates whether the port is up or down.
• Open Port(s): Ports that are open.
• VLAN Name: The name of the VLAN of the switch port.
• VLAN ID: The ID of the VLAN of the switch port.
For IP addresses discovered through a vDiscovery, Grid Manager displays the following additional information, if
available:
• Virtual Host Adapter: The name of the physical network adapter through which the virtual entity is connected to
the appliance.
• Virtual Datacenter: The name of the vSphere datacenter or container to which the virtual entity belongs.
• Virtual Cluster: The name of the VMware cluster to which the virtual entity belongs.
• Virtual Entity Name: The name of the virtual entity.
• Virtual Entity Type: The virtual entity type. This can be blank or one of the following: Virtual Machine, Virtual Host,
or Virtual Center. Virtual Center represents a VMware vCenter server.
• Virtual Host: The name of the VMware server on which the virtual entity was discovered.
• Virtual Switch: The name of the switch to which the virtual entity is connected.
• Virtual Machine Name: The name of the VM instance.
• Virtual Machine ID: The ID of the VM.
• Virtual Machine Tenant ID: The tenant ID to which the VM belongs.
• Virtual Machine Port Group: The port group to which the VM belongs.
• Attached Virtual Switch Name: The name of the virtual switch to which the VM is connected.
• Attached Virtual Switch ID: The ID of the virtual switch to which the VM is connected.
• Attached Virtual Switch Type: The type of the virtual switch. This can be standard or distributed.
• Attached Virtual Switch IPv6 Enabled: Indicates that virtual switch that has IPv6 enabled.
• Attached Virtual Port Name: The name of the virtual adapter on the virtual switch to which the VM is connected.

Rev. D
• Attached Virtual Port MAC Address: The MAC address of the virtual adapter on the virtual switch to which the VM
is connected.
• Attached Virtual Port Link Status: The link status of the virtual adapter on the virtual switch to which the VM is
connected.
• Attached Virtual Port Configured Speed: The configured port speed of the virtual adapter on the virtual switch to
which the VM is connected.
• Attached Virtual Port Configured Mode: The configured mode of the virtual adapter on the virtual switch to which
the VM is connected.
• Attached Virtual Port Configured Speed: The actual port speed of the virtual adapter on the virtual switch to which
the VM is connected.
• Attached Virtual Port Configured Mode: The actual mode of the virtual adapter on the virtual switch to which the
VM is connected.
• Network Segment Type: The type of network segment to which the VM is connected.
• Network Segment Name: The name of the network segment to which the VM is connected.
• Network Segment ID: The ID of the network segment to which the VM is connected.
• Network Segment Port Group: The port group of the network segment to which the VM is connected.
• Network Segment Available Ports: The number of available ports reported by the virtual switch to which the VM is
connected.
• Attached Virtual Switch VTEP Type: The type of VTEP (Virtual Tunnel Endpoint) in the virtual switch that is
connected to the VM. This can be VXLAN or STT.
• Attached Virtual Switch VTEP IP: The IP address of the VTEP in the virtual switch that is connected to the VM.
• Attached Virtual Switch VTEP Port Group: The port group of the VTEP in the virtual switch that is connected to
the VM.
• Attached Virtual Switch VTEP VLAN: The VLAN of the VTEP in the virtual switch that is connected to the VM.
• Attached Virtual Switch VTEP DHCP Server: The DHCP server of the VTEP in the virtual switch that is connected
to the VM.
• Attached Virtual Switch VTEP Multicast: The multicast address of the VTEP in the virtual switch that is connected
to the VM.
• Physical Host IP Address: The IP address of the physical node on which the VM is hosted.
• Physical Host Name: The name of the physical node on which the VM is hosted.
• Physical Host MAC Address: The MAC address of the physical node on which the VM is hosted.
• Physical Host CIDR Subnet: The subnet mask of the physical node on which the VM is hosted.
• Physical Host 's NIC Names: The list of all physical port names used by the virtual switch on the physical node on
which the virtual machine is hosted. Valid values are eth1, eth2, eth3, and so on.
Viewing Discovered Data for Cloud VMs

You can view discovered data for cloud specific VMs after performing a vDiscovery job. Note that you must have at least
read-only permission to "All Tenants" and "All Network Views" to view the VMs tab.
To view discovered data for cloud VMs, see Viewing All Cloud VMs.
Managing Discovered Data

In addition to viewing the discovered data, you can perform the following to manage the discovered data:
• Manage an unmanaged address by adding it to a host, converting it to managed data, or clearing its unmanaged
status. Note that for Cloud Network Automation, you can convert discovered data to NIOS objects within a
delegated scope. For more information, see Managing Unmanaged Data.
• Resolve conflicting addresses. For more information, see Resolving Conflicting Addresses.
• Clear discovered data for a network view, network, IP address, or cloud tenant. For more information, see
Clearing Discovered Data.
• You can also clear all discovered data collected by a specified vDiscovery job. For more information, see Clearing
All Discovery Data.
Managing Unmanaged Data

You can manage unused and unmanaged addresses by performing one of the following:

Rev. D
• Add to an existing host, as described in Adding to an Existing Host.
• Convert to a fixed address, host, A record, or PTR record, as described in Converting Unmanaged Data. Note
that for Cloud Network Automation, you can convert discovered data to NIOS objects within a delegated scope.
• Clear the unmanaged status, as described in Clearing Unmanaged Data.
 Note
You cannot convert unmanaged IP addresses that are being served by Microsoft DHCP servers to host
records.
Adding to an Existing Host

You can add an unmanaged address, including all its information, to an existing host. You can select the desired host to
which you want to add the unmanaged address.
To add an unmanaged address to an existing host, perform the following:
1. From the IP Map or List panel, select an unmanaged address you want to add to a host, and then click Add ->
Add to Existing Host from the Toolbar.
2. In the Select Host dialog box, select a host from the table. You can also search for a host using filters or the Go to
function. For information, see Using Filters and Using the Go To Function. Click the Select icon to select the
desired host.
 Note
Depending on the page size configuration, the search results are limited to the page size that you set. If
the search results exceed the page size limit, the appliance displays an error message to inform you to
refine your search criteria or to change the page size limit. In the Host Record editor, complete the
information.
3. Save the configuration, and then click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.
Converting Unmanaged Data

You can convert an unmanaged address to a host, an A or AAAA record, a PTR record, or a fixed address. To convert an
unmanaged address:
1. In the IP Map or List panel, select an unmanaged address you want to convert, and then select Convert from the
Toolbar.
2. In the drop-down list, select the type of address to which you want to convert the unmanaged address. For IPv4
addresses, you can select To Host, To A Record, To PTR Record, or To Fixed Address. For IPv6 addresses, you
can select To Host, To AAAA, To PTR Record, or To IPv6 Fixed Address.
Depending on the record type you select, Grid Manager displays the corresponding editor. It also populates the
attributes of the unmanaged address in the editor. Enter the appropriate information in the editor.
3. Save the configuration, and then click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.
 Note
After the conversion, the status of the unmanaged address changes to Used.
The following are some conditions for a conversion:

• A and AAAA records: You must select a DNS zone when converting an unmanaged address to an A or AAAA
record.
• PTR record: You must select a DNS zone when converting an unmanaged address to a PTR record.
• IPv4 and IPv6 Fixed Address: Grid Manager displays a confirmation dialog box to ensure that you want to create
a fixed address for the unmanaged address.
• IPv4 and IPv6 Host record: You can use the unmanaged address to enable a host record for DNS or DHCP.

Rev. D
Clearing Unmanaged Data
Unmanaged objects are objects that are not configured for DNS or DHCP and do not have any corresponding NIOS
objects such as fixed addresses, DNS records, or host records. You can clear unmanaged data if you do not want it to
appear in the discovered data. Any unmanaged data that was discovered in a previous discovery can be removed. When
you clear an unmanaged IP address, the status of the IP address changes to Unused.
Note that for cloud deployments, you can remove an unmanaged VM only when all the VM related properties are
removed first. When the VM is removed, the tenant pointing to this VM will also be removed automatically. For
information about cloud deployments, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation.
To clear unmanaged data, complete the following steps:
Method 1
1. For IP addresses: From the Data Management tab -> IPAM tab, select an unmanaged IP address in the IPMap or
List panel.
For networks: From the Data Management tab -> IPAM tab -> IPMap or List panel, select a network in which you
want to clear all unmanaged addresses.
For Cloud tenants: From the Cloud tab -> Tenants tab, select a tenant for which you want to clear unmanaged
data.
For Cloud VMs: From the Cloud tab -> VMs tab, select a VM for which you want to clear unmanaged data.
2. Click Clear -> Clear Unmanaged Data or Clear All Unmanaged Data from the Toolbar.
3. In the ClearUnmanagedData confirmation dialog box, click Yes. The appliance clears data that has no
corresponding NIOS objects such as fixed addresses, DNS records, or host records.
Method 2
1. From the Cloud tab -> VM tab, select Discovery Manager from the Toolbar.
2. In the vDiscoveryJobManager dialog, click the Action icon next to the selected vDiscovery job, and then
select Clear Unmanaged Data.
3. In the ClearUnmanagedData confirmation dialog box, click Yes. The appliance clears data that has no
corresponding NIOS objects such as fixed addresses, DNS records, or host records.
 Note
After you clear all the unmanaged data, you should navigate to the Data Management tab and clear all
the associated networks. When you clear unmanaged addresses in a given network view, all
unmanaged IPv4 and IPv6 addresses of all networks in the network view are cleared. When you select
an entire network or a specific network in the IP Map or List panel, all the unmanaged addresses in the
network are cleared. After you clear the unmanaged data, the status of the IP addresses changes
to Unused.
Resolving Conflicting Addresses

Conflicts happen when discovered data does not match existing IP address data. The IP Map panel and the Cloud tab
-> VMs tab display conflicting addresses with a red background. The IP List panel displays Conflict as the status for all
conflicting addresses. For objects that have multiple conflicts, Grid Manager lists each of them in a bulleted list in the
Resolve multiple conflicts dialog. You can select a conflict, in any order, to begin resolving each issue. After you resolve
the selected issue, Grid Manager returns to the Resolve multiple conflicts dialog so you can resolve other issues.
Depending on the conflict, you can do one of the following to resolve it:
• For a DHCP lease conflict, you can clear the existing lease and create either a fixed address or a reservation for
the IP address. You can also keep the existing data and clear the discovered data. For more information, see
Resolving DHCP Lease Conflicts.
• For a fixed address conflict, you can either keep the existing fixed address data or update the existing data with
the discovered data. For more information, see Resolving Fixed Address Conflicts.
• For a DHCP range conflict, you can create a fixed address, create a reservation, or clear the discovered data. For
more information, see Resolving DHCP Range Conflicts.

Rev. D
• For a host conflict, you can either keep the existing host record data or update the existing data with the
discovered data. For more information, see Resolving Host Conflicts.
• For a VM affiliation conflict, you can either update all the displayed objects to be affiliate with the discovered data
or keep the current affiliation and clear the conflict. For more information, see Resolving VM Affiliation Conflicts.
You must resolve conflicting addresses individually. You cannot resolve multiple conflicts at the same time.
 Note
After the conflict is resolved, the status of the IP address changes depending on how you resolved the conflict.
To resolve a conflict:
1. In the IP Map or List panel, select a conflicting address, and then click Resolve Conflict from the Toolbar.
2. The Resolve Conflict dialog box displays the reason of the conflict and lists the existing information and
discovered information of the address in the Description field. Depending on the type of conflict, the appliance
displays the corresponding resolution options. You can compare the existing and discovered data and decide how
you want to resolve the conflict.
Resolving DHCP Lease Conflicts

When an IP address has a DHCP lease and the discovered MAC address is in conflict with the existing MAC address,
the IP address has a DHCP lease conflict.
To resolve a DHCP lease conflict, perform the following:
1. In the Resolve Conflict or Resolve multiple conflicts dialog, Grid Manager displays the nature of the conflict and
the discovered data versus the current data. Select one of the following to resolve the conflict:
• Clear lease and create fixed address from discovered data: Clears the existing DHCP lease and creates a
fixed address with the discovered data. The Fixed Address editor appears with the discovered data
populated.
• Clear lease and create a reservation from discovered data: Clears the existing DHCP lease and creates a
new reservation using the discovered data. The Reservation editor appears with the discovered data
populated.
This option does not apply to leases served by Microsoft DHCP servers because they do not support
Infoblox reservations.
• Keep the existing and ignore this conflict: Keeps the current DHCP lease for the address and ignores the
lease conflict.
2. Click OK or Resolve (when you have multiple conflicts). If you have multiple conflicts, Grid Manager returns to the
Resolve multiple conflicts dialog so that you can resolve other conflicts.
Resolving Fixed Address Conflicts

When the discovered MAC address of an IPv4 address does not match with its existing MAC address, or when the DUID
of an IPv6 address does not match with its existing DUID, the IP address has a fixed address conflict.
To resolve a fixed address conflict, perform the following:
• Keep fixed address and clear discovered data: Keeps the existing fixed address and clears the
discovered data.
• Update fixed address with discovered data: Updates the existing fixed address data with the discovered
data.

Rev. D
Resolving DHCP Range Conflicts
When an IP address is in a DHCP range and does not match an existing DHCP lease, fixed address, or exclusion range
and it shows an active state during a discovery, the IP address has a DHCP range conflict.
To resolve a DHCP range conflict:
• Create a fixed address: Creates a fixed address with the discovered data.
If the fixed address is served by a Microsoft server, but is outside of a scope, you must then navigate to
the Fixed Address editor and assign the fixed address to the appropriate Microsoft server.
• Create a reservation: Creates a reservation with the discovered data. This creates an Infoblox reservation,
and therefore cannot be used for IP addresses that are served by Microsoft servers. Note that you cannot
convert an IPv6 address to a reservation.
• Clear discovered data: Clears the discovered data and no object is created for the IP address.
Resolving Host Conflicts

When the MAC address of an IPv4 address that belongs to a host record does not match with its existing MAC address,
or when the DUID of an IPv6 address that belongs to a host record does not match with its existing DUID, the IP address
has a host conflict.
• Keep host record and clear discovered data: Keeps the existing data and clears the discovered data.
• Update host record with discovered data: Updates the existing host record data with the discovered data.
Resolving VM Affiliation Conflicts

When an IP address contains objects that are affiliated with a VM that is not the same as the discovered VM, this IP
address has a VM affiliation conflict.
To resolve a VM affiliation conflict:
the discovered affiliation versus the current affiliation. Select one of the following to resolve the conflict:
• Update all the displayed objects to be affiliate to the discovered affiliation: Updates all associated objects
in this IP address to affiliate with the discovered affiliation.
• Keep the current affiliation(s) and clear the conflict: Keeps the existing data and clears the conflict.
Resolving MAC Address Conflicts

When the MAC address of an existing IP address does not match the MAC address of the discovered data, the object
has a MAC address conflict.
To resolve a MAC address conflict:
• Change the configured MAC address to be the same as the discovered MAC address: Changes the MAC
address to the discovered MAC address.
• Keep fixed address and ignore this conflict: Keeps the fixed address and ignores the discovered data.

Rev. D
Clearing Discovered Data
You can clear previously discovered managed data for selected IPv4 or IPv6 networks. This action is useful, for example,
if your network topology has changed since the last discovery and you want to discover new data on the network or cloud
platform. You may perform this action whether or not the network is in a managed or unmanaged state.
 Note
This action clears only the discovered data that is supported in the Discovered Data section for an IP address.
It does not clear any NIOS objects or information such as tenants, networks, or VMs for a cloud platform. If a
discovered IP address has the same IP as an existing NIOS object (such as a fixed address, DNS record, or
host record), the appliance removes this IP address.
To clear discovered data:

1. In the IP Map or List panel, select a network, and then click Clear -> Clear Discovered Data from the Toolbar.
2. In the Clear Discovered Data dialog box, click Yes.
3. Navigate to the Data Management tab → DNS tab, delete all the associated zones.
4. After you clear all the discovered data, you should navigate to the Data Management tab and clear all the
You can also clear discovered data on all networks in a network view by performing the following steps:
1. In the IP Map or List panel, select a network, and then click Clear -> Clear Discovered Data from the Toolbar.
2. In the Clear Discovered Data dialog box, click Yes.
3. Navigate to the Data Management tab → DNS tab, delete all the associated zones.
 Note
When you clear all discovered data in a given network view, all imported discovered data for managed
addresses, in all IPv4 and IPv6 networks in the network view, are cleared.
You can also clear discovered data for a specific discovery job, as follows:
1. From the Cloud tab -> VM tab, select DiscoveryManager from the Toolbar.
2. In the vDiscoveryJobManager dialog, click the Action icon next to the selected vDiscovery job, and then select
ClearDiscoveredData.
3. In the ClearDiscoveredData dialog box, click Yes. The appliance clears all the discovered managed data that is
collected by the specified vDiscovery job.
4. Navigate to the Data Management tab → DNS tab, and then delete all the associated zones.
 Note
If you delete an associated zone before you clear the discovered data, the Clear option gets disabled
from the Cloud tab -> VM tab. The Clear option can be accessed from the Cloud tab -> Tenants tab.
This is applicable when you use WAPI calls to clear all discovery data.

Rev. D
Clearing All Discovery Data
You can clear all the discovered data, whether managed or unmanaged, for a specific vDiscovery job. This action
removes only the discovered data, not the associated NIOS objects, collected by the specified vDiscovery job only. It
does not remove any discovered data collected through Network Insight or other non vDiscovery tasks.
 Note
If the same data is collected by the specified vDiscovery job and another non vDiscovery job such as Network
Insight or IP discovery, the discovered data remains intact and will not be removed.
To clear all discovered data for a specific vDiscovery job, perform the following:
1. From the Cloud tab -> VM tab, select Discovery Manager from the Toolbar.
2. In the vDiscoveryJobManager dialog, click the Action icon next to the selected vDiscovery job, and then select
Clear All Discovery Data.
3. In the ClearDiscoveredData dialog box, click Yes. The appliance clears all the discovered managed and
unmanaged data that is discovered by the specified vDiscovery job.
 Note
If you delete all the networks from the Data Management tab before you clear all the discovered data,
the data gets cleared only from the NIOS user interface and not from the NIOS database which results
in stale VM to be fetched when WAPI calls are made.
Integrating Discovered Data from NetMRI

The NetMRI appliances discover and track IPv4 and IPv6 network devices and provide information about the discovered
IP addresses. You can integrate IPv4 and IPv6 discovered data into the NIOS appliance database, and then view the
data in the IP List panel of Grid Manager as well as in the Discovered Data tab of certain IPAM object editor. When you
start synchronization of discovered data from the NetMRI appliance, only the available IP addresses in the network are
discovered. The imported data from the NetMRI appliance can only be modified or deleted by the specific
synchronization. When you import the discovered data again for the same network and if some of the information in the
network is changed, the newly discovered data and the originally discovered data (now old data) co-exist in the
database. When you import the data again, the old data is deleted or modified, or the new data is added depending on
the information discovered.
For information about NetMRI IP discovery and how to import discovered data from a NetMRI appliance to the NIOS
appliance, refer to Executing NIOS IPAM Sync in the Infoblox NetMRI documentation.
 Note
• NIOS does not import IPv6 leases that contain prefixes and link-local IPv6 addresses. This data is
discarded during an import.
• After an IPAM synchronization, CSV import errors if any are logged in a separate file named
discovery_csv_error.log.xxxxxx located at /infoblox/var/discovery_csv_error
The appliance can import the following IPv4 and IPv6 data that NetMRI discovers:
• IP Address: The discovered IPv4 or IPv6 address.
• Discovered MAC Address: The MAC address of the discovered host.
• Last Discovered: The date and time the IP address was last discovered.
• NetBIOS Name: The name returned in the NetBIOS reply or the name that you manually register for the
discovered host.
• OS: The operating system of the detected host.

Rev. D
• First Discovered: The date and time the IP address was first discovered.
• Discoverer: Specifies whether the IP address was discovered by a NetMRI discovery process.
• Attached Device Description: A textual description of the switch that is connected to the end device.
• Attached Device Address: The IP address of the switch that is connected to the end device.
• Attached Device Name: If a reverse lookup was successful for the IP address associated with this switch, the
host name is displayed here.
• Attached Device Port Description: A textual description of the switch port that is connected to the end device.
• Attached Device Port Name: The name of the switch port or port channel connected to the device. For Cisco
virtual port channel. For more information, see IP List Neighbor Information.
• Attached Device Port: The number of the switch port connected to the end device.
• Attached Device: Identifies the switch that is connected to the end device.
• Port Duplex: The negotiated or operational duplex setting of the switch port connected to the end device.
• Port Link: The link status of the switch port connected to the end device. Indicates whether it is connected.
• Port Speed: The interface speed, in Mbps, of the switch port.
• Port Status: The operational status of the switch port. Indicates whether the port is up or down.
• VLAN Name: The name of the VLAN of the switch port.
• VLAN: The ID of the VLAN of the switch port.

This section provides information about Infoblox Network Insight, which unites network discovery for geographically
dispersed networks, infrastructure devices, and network assets with the Infoblox IPAM (IP Address Management)
solution. Through discovery, Network Insight provides automated, comprehensive, and accurate data about your network
devices and their attributes so you can have better visibility in your network infrastructure, including the virtual network
infrastructure, and manage it more efficiently. This section also describes how you can use Network Insight to detect and
manage information about network infrastructure devices, how to provision and de-provision networks, and how to
manage and provision device ports, including switched Ethernet. It includes the following topics:
• About Network Insight

• Network Insight Architecture
• Consolidator and Probes
• Supported Discovery Methods
• Starting Discovery
• Managing Discovery
• Discovering VRF Virtual Networks
• Administrative Permissions for Discovery
• Starting and Stopping the Discovery Service
• Defining the Discovery Member Type
• Mapping Discovery Interfaces to Network Views
• Configuring Discovery Properties
• Configuring Automatic VRF Mapping
• Excluding IP Addresses from Discovery
• Discovering Devices and Networks
• Managing Discovered Data
• About Automatic Conversion Rules
• Viewing Discovered Devices and their Properties
• Accessing Detailed Device Information
• Viewing Discovery Status
• Executing Discovery Diagnostics
• Disabling Discovery for a Network
• Adding Discovery Device Support
• Port Control Features in Network Insight
• Editing Interfaces in a Device
• Provisioning and De-Provisioning Networks
• Creating Port Reservations for IPAM Objects

Rev. D
• Defining Blackout Periods
• Defining Port Configuration Blackout Periods
• Conflict Resolution in Network Insight
• Monitoring Device Lifecycle and Vulnerabilities Using Advisor
About Network Insight

Infoblox Network Insight provides discovery features for detecting and managing devices in your network infrastructure.
You can use discovery to collect device data and manage it through Grid Manager. For more information about device
management, see Managing Discovered Data.
You can view the operating state of all discovered network infrastructure devices and newly discovered IP networks,
including but not limited to routers, wireless routers and access points, firewalls, load balancers, Ethernet L2/L3 switches,
end hosts and other devices in end host networks, end host networks, VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding) virtual
networks, single and multipoint VPNs, SDN and SD-WAN devices, and much more. Network Insight makes it easy to
manage and secure your enterprise network by detecting all interfaces for every discovered device and providing specific
information about them. For information about discovering VRF virtual networks, see Discovering VRF Virtual Networks.
The Infoblox IPAM feature set also provides control mechanisms by including and excluding networks and IP addresses
for discovery. You can schedule and define when discovery takes place on any network, and define blackout periods
during which no discovery tasks occur. Infoblox IPAM and DHCP functions also extend network control to assigning of
discovered switch and router interfaces to IPAM objects such as IP networks, IP reservations, and host records. The
assignments are called port reservations and are part of a feature set called port control, managed through Grid
Manager. For more information, see Port Control Features in Network Insight.
Infoblox provides a few reports in which you can view trending information about the device groups, types of devices,
and device IP addresses for the devices that are discovered by Network Insight. For information about these reports,
see Status Dashboard.
Deployment of Network Insight discovery requires a separate Discovery license and one or more NIOS appliances
dedicated to discovery tasks.
Network Insight performs discovery in the following ways:
• Through specification of seed routers, which inform discovery of the various networks that should be examined
and catalogued.
• Through discovery of the various Object types you can create under IPAM and DHCP, including IPv4 and IPv6
Networks, Host Records, IPv4 reservations, DHCP ranges, and IPv4/IPv6 fixed addresses.
• An enhanced VM discovery allowing both scheduled VM discovery and immediate discovery of VMs.
Supported Appliances for Network Insight

Network Insight is supported on the following physical appliances: ND-805, ND-1405, ND-2205, and ND-4005; and the
following virtual appliances: ND-805, ND-V1405, and ND-V2205. All appliances that perform discovery require a
Discovery license. Appliances with this license only perform discovery tasks and do not perform core DNS or DHCP
functions.
Network Insight Architecture

Discovery appliances that only detect devices and collect device data are called Probes, which are members of the
Infoblox Grid, separately dedicated to the tasks of polling and discovery of networks and devices. A separate appliance,
called the Consolidator, aggregates and organizes all collected device information from the Probes and synchronizes
with the Grid Master. For more information, see Consolidator and Probes.
You can configure supported appliances as the Consolidator and Probes, as illustrated in the figure Network Insight
Appliances Added as Grid members. The Consolidator aggregates discovered data it collects from Probes and transfers
the data to the Grid Master for device management and reporting purposes.
In the Grid, the Grid Master synchronizes data among all Grid members through encrypted VPN tunnels.
Communications between the Consolidator and Probes are also through encrypted VPN tunnels. The default source and
destination UDP port number for VPN tunnels in a Grid is 1194. You can use the default port number or change it for VPN
communications. Note that all the VPN tunnels in the Grid use the same port number you have chosen.

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Network Insight Appliances Added as Grid members
Network Insight appliances use SNMP and other protocols to discover and catalogue a diverse assortment of device
types, including the following: routers, enterprise switches, firewalls and security appliances, load balancers, enterprise
printers, wireless access points, VoIP concentrators, application servers, VRF-based virtual networks, and end hosts.
Network Insight provides a tool for administrators to gather key information about networks, including the discovery of
routed paths and the host clouds behind enterprise switches, even in organizations where an Infoblox deployment
already exists. In the figure Discovery in Action, an appliance running discovery connects to an enterprise router, and
uses its information to determine more about the networks that exist deeper within the unmanaged network, termed the
discovery domain in this example.
Discovery in Action

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As indicated in the above figure, discovery can trace through multiple hops and perform device discovery at every step,
filling out the maps of unmanaged networks for the administrator.
The collection of unmanaged network information extends to the networks of distribution Ethernet switches. Data
collection also includes end hosts and application/file servers connected to edge switches in enterprise offices. Discovery
uses the term assets to describe these devices. For more information, see Viewing Assets Associated with Discovered
Devices.
The Probes return discovery data to the Consolidator, which synchronizes device information with the Grid Master. Once
information about discovered networks and devices resides on the Grid Master, you can convert unmanaged networks
and devices to managed objects, adding them to the NIOS database. For more information, see Managing Discovered
Data and About Automatic Conversion Rules.
You can also configure the appliance to send SNMP and email notifications when it discovers unmanaged devices and
networks. For information about how to enable SNMP and email notifications for discovered unmanaged objects, see
Setting SNMP and Email Notifications. You can also manage these notifications by configuring the maximum number of
unmanaged objects the appliance detects before it sends notifications and how often it notifies about these events. For
information about how to configure these parameters, see Defining Seed Routers for Probe Members.
You provide one or more routers as seed routers to act as the initial gateways for discovering other networks and their
devices in the discovery domain (an example appears in the figure Discovery in Action ). You can also use DHCP routers
(e.g., routers serving DHCP leases) as seed routers to aid in faster discovery.
When you create new networks, you can optionally provision them onto devices and perform discovery on them. Once
you create the network, discovery can locate, poll and catalogue the network devices comprising the networks. This
information is then synchronized with the Grid Master. For more information, see Discovering Devices and Networks.
 Note
For comprehensive coverage of port control features in Grid Manager,
see Port Control Features in Network Insight and its various subsections.
You can also exclude networks and IP addresses from discovery. The basic principle is that some devices do not need to
be discovered, perhaps because they are already managed as part of a Grid and hence should not be subjected to
discovery; because a device does not support SNMP; or for other organizational reasons. In the figure Discovery in
Action, networks 172.16.2.0/24 and 172.16.3.0/23 are excluded from discovery because they are already fully managed
by a Grid. For more information, see Excluding IP Addresses from Discovery.
You can define scheduled time periods in which Network Insight does not perform discovery operations in the network.
These time periods are called discovery blackouts. All protocols associated with discovery (SNMP, CLI through Telnet
and SSH, port scanning, fingerprinting and Ping sweeps) can be shut off during discovery blackout periods. This
prevents discovery protocols from occupying network bandwidth during periods of peak usage. Network Insight does not
communicate with devices in any way during a discovery blackout period. For more information on discovery blackouts,
see Defining Blackout Periods. Network Insight also provides a second type of blackout period for port configuration
tasks, during which no tasks to change device port settings will execute. For more information, see Defining Port
Configuration Blackout Periods.
Related topic
Consolidator and Probes

When you first join a discovery member to the Grid, the first discovery member that joins the Grid automatically becomes
the Consolidator and all other discovery members become Probes. If you have only one discovery member in the Grid, it
becomes the Consolidator-Probe standalone discovery appliance.
Consolidator
The central repository of discovery data for the entire managed network. The Consolidator is a single appliance that
contains data about all devices detected through discovery. The Consolidator communicates with the Grid Master as a
normal Grid Member and transfers all its data to the Grid Master, as indicated in the figure Network Insight Appliances
Added as Grid members. The Consolidator compiles information from one or more associated Probe appliances. The

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Consolidator appliance requires the Discovery license. If you have one or more Probe appliances or virtual appliances,
the Consolidator performs no discovery on its own. If you plan to use a single dedicated appliance for discovery, that
appliance must be licensed for discovery and be configured as a Consolidator. Note that the Grid Master cannot be
licensed as a Consolidator.
Probes
A Probe is a Network Insight appliance or virtual appliance that performs the direct querying, probing and polling of
network devices and the initial data collection. Probe appliances also require the Discovery license.
Infoblox recommends using one or more Probe appliances with the Consolidator. Each Probe can override the Grid level
discovery credentials with its own discovery credentials.
Data synchronization occurs continuously between the Consolidator and all associated Probe appliances and between
the Consolidator and the Grid Master.
 Note
You assign each Probe appliance to a single network view, and multiple Probe appliances can share the same
network view. You can change network view assignments for Probe appliances at any time. On ND-1405,
ND-2205, ND-4000, ND-V1405, and ND-V2205 Network Insight appliances, you can assign multiple VLAN
interfaces on the same Probe to different network views.
Consolidator Probe Appliance

You may also choose to operate a Consolidator-Probe appliance as a single discovery system. In this deployment, the
appliance operates as both a Consolidator and a Probe, performs all discovery operations, aggregates all databases
within it, and synchronizes with the Grid Master.
Standalone discovery appliances cannot be installed in a network that already has existing Probes and a Consolidator.
For more information, see Defining the Discovery Member Type and Mapping Discovery Interfaces to Network Views.
Deployment Guidelines for Consolidator and Probes

When you wish to install and deploy discovery appliances, use the following installation guidelines:
• Installing a Standalone in the Grid–Before you designate an appliance as a standalone discovery appliance, no
previously installed Probes should be present on the network and joined to the Grid. If you install a new appliance
intended as a standalone, in a network that already has one or more Probe instances (perhaps for testing or
evaluation purposes), before discovery service is stopped on the Probe instances, the new "standalone"
appliance automatically detects the Probe instances and start as a Consolidator appliance, preventing it from
acting to probe and detect devices as a standalone appliance. Consolidators cannot be assigned to network
views or to discovery in network objects such as IPv4 or IPv6 network containers.
• Converting a Consolidator to a Standalone–Also consider the example of a Consolidator appliance operating with
one or more instances running as Probes, each with respective Discovery licenses. If you wish to convert the
Consolidator to a standalone discovery appliance, stop the discovery service on all associated probes. Then, stop
and restart the discovery service on the Consolidator appliance. The appliance is selectable for discovery of
network objects, acting as a standalone discovery appliance.
• Adding new Probe Instances to a Standalone deployment–Finally, consider the use of a standalone discovery
appliance to which you wish to associate a new Probe instance or instances. This process converts a standalone
to a Consolidator. After the new Probe instances join the Grid, stop the discovery service on the standalone
discovery appliance. Then, start the discovery service on the new Probe or Probes. Next, restart the discovery
service on the previously defined standalone appliance. It detects the newly active Probe instances and activate
as a Consolidator.
• In all cases, you must maintain proper Discovery licensing.

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Supported Discovery Methods
When you perform a discovery, you can choose any or all of the following discovery methods:
• SNMPv1/v2c device polling as described in SNMP.
• SNMPv3 device polling as described in SNMP.
• CLI device querying as described in CLI.
• ICMP Ping Sweep and Smart Subnet Ping Sweep as described in ICMP.
• TCP as described in TCP.
• NetBIOS as described in NetBIOS.
These methods actively scan predefined networks and probe IP addresses. The appliance listens for responses from the
IP addresses as proof of activity. The IP discovery scans through the specified network ranges and probes IP addresses
(except for the network, broadcast, and multicast address types) in each network, including the /31 and
/32 subnets. Note that addresses in the /31 and /32 subnets can be used only as source addresses for point-to-point
links and loopbacks. In these cases, no broadcast or network addresses exist in the /31 and /32 subnets, and the
appliance can discover source addresses in these subnets.
SNMP
 Note
Infoblox does not recommend using vendor default SNMP credentials on network devices. Should you need to
use vendor defaults for a given device type, you enter those values in the list of SNMP credentials on the Grid
Master.
Network Insight supports discovery of devices and networks through SNMPv1/v2c and through SNMPv3 protocols.
Discovery acquires information from standard SNMP MIB object IDs (OIDs) to correctly identify and catalogue devices.
You enter or import lists of SNMP credentials with which the appliances query devices on the network to perform
discovery.
SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c protocols are combined into a set termed SNMPv1/v2 for discovery. SNMPv1/v2 discovery
requires standard read community strings to be stored on the Grid Master.
Accounts using SNMPv3 use a standard suite of authentication and security protocols. If Network Insight uses SNMPv3
to collect data from devices supporting the protocol, you can define specific user credentials with combinations of
authentication and protocol support, and the unique keys for each protocol. Network Insight also supports multiple entries
for the same username string, enabling checking of similar SNMPv3 credentials that use different authentication and
security protocols.
Some devices found by discovery may not have known SNMP credentials or credentials that are entered into the sets of
SNMP credentials defined for discovery.
 Note
SNMP Credentials from the Grid or from the Member credential list are always tried in the specified order
unless a credential is associated with a host, fixed address or reservation being discovered.
CLI
 Note
CLI is optional for discovery but is required for all Port Control operations. Discovery can perform CLI data
collection to collect information for specific device types. SNMP is required for all device discovery.

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Network Insight enables the use of dynamically created and closed Telnet and SSH command-line sessions to log in,
query, and configure ports using each device's command-line syntax. Network Insight does so without requiring
extensive configuration from the user. You need to provide known admin account login information and any Enable
passwords for devices in the networks to be discovered. CLI credentials are required for port reservation and port
configuration operations under Grid Manager. You enter CLI credentials under Grid Discovery Properties (Grid –> Grid
Manager –> click Edit –> Grid Discovery Properties) to be inherited by discovery Probe members, and as necessary for
each discovery Probe member. You can also override them for individual IPAM objects (fixed addresses, hosts and IPv4
reservations) and test the CLI credentials against devices for correctness. For more information, see Testing SNMP and
CLI Credentials.
ICMP
Discovery uses different variations of Ping traces to perform higher-performance, brute-force device discovery. ICMP is
the last resort when devices do not support SNMP management protocols or an SNMP credential is lacking.
The ICMP Smart Ping Sweep option enables brute-force subnet Ping sweeps on IPv4 networks. Subnet ping sweeps are
used as a last resort in the discovery process. A subnet ping sweep is performed if Network Insight is unable to identify
any network devices in a given subnet. Subnet ping sweeps are performed no more that once per day, and will end the
ping sweep on a given subnet once Network Insight discovers a network device and is able to collect data from it. You
can configure the timeout value (Ping Sweep Timeout) and the number of attempts (Ping Sweep Attempts).
 Note
Smart subnet ping sweeps are not performed on subnets larger than /22. Ping sweeps of any kind do not apply
on IPv6 networks because of the greater scale of network addresses in the IPv6 realm.
Complete Ping Sweep differs from the Smart Subnet ping sweep in the following ways:
• The discovery ping sweep runs only against the specified range.
• The sweep runs regardless of the range size.
• The sweep runs regardless of the number of discovered devices within the specified range.
Discovery also performs automatic Ping traceroutes when needed for path collection. Path collections run without user
intervention or configuration.
TCP
TCP scanning probes each active host on a list of TCP ports using TCP SYN packets. This method detects all active
hosts that generate SYN ACK responses to at least one TCP SYN. The discovery can determine the OS on a host by
analyzing how the host reacts to the requests on opened and closed ports. It then uses the TCP fingerprints to guess the
OS. To obtain a TCP fingerprint, IP discovery provides two scanning techniques, SYN and CONNECT.
When you use the SYN technique, the discovery sends a TCP SYN packet to establish a connection on a TCP port. If the
port is open, the host replies with a SYN ACK response. The discovery does not close the port connection.
The CONNECT technique is a three-way TCP handshake. The discovery starts with the same process as the SYN
technique by sending the TCP SYN packet. A response containing a RST flag indicates that the port is closed. If the host
replies with a SYN ACK response, discovery sends a RST packet to close the connection. If there is no reply, the port is
considered filtered. TCP scanning is a deliberate and accurate discovery method, enabling detection of all active hosts
on a network provided that there are no firewalls blocking TCP packet exchanges.
You can choose the TCP ports and the TCP scanning technique in the Grid Discovery Properties editor. This method
returns the following information for each detected host:
• MAC address: The discovery returns the MAC address only if the Probe member running the discovery is on the
• OS: This is set to the highest probable OS reported in the response.
To use the TCP discovery method, the TCP port and a specific set of ports between the Probe member and the
discovered networks must be unfiltered. The default set of ports is defined by the factory settings.

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TCP Port Scanning
By enabling port scanning, Network Insight probes the list of TCP ports enabled in the Advanced tab, to determine
whether they are open. You can control some settings for port scanning behavior, including the choice of a TCP scanning
technique.
• Profile Device: If enabled, Network Insight attempts to identify the network device based on the response
characteristics of its TCP stack, and uses this information to determine the device type. In the absence of SNMP
access, the Profile Device function is usually the only way to identify devices that do not support SNMP. If you
disable Profile Device, devices accessible via SNMP are still correctly identified; all other devices are assigned a
device type of Unknown. Profile Device is disabled by default for discovery polling.
The Profile Device option uses the editable list of TCP protocol ports from the Grid Discovery Properties –> Polling –>
Advanced tab as its profile, and polls each of the ports enabled in that list, using the configured timeout value and the
number of polling attempts for each port.
For more information, see Defining Seed Routers for Probe Members.
Should you disable Port Scanning, discovery attempts no port probes other than SNMP on any device.
NetBIOS
The NetBIOS method queries IP addresses for an existing NetBIOS service. This method detects active hosts by
sending NetBIOS queries and listening for NetBIOS replies. It is a fast discovery that focuses on Microsoft hosts or non-
Microsoft hosts that run NetBIOS services.
NetBIOS discovery returns the following information for each detected host:
• NetBIOS name: This value is set to the name returned in the NetBIOS reply.
To use the NetBIOS discovery method, ports 137 (UDP/TCP) and 139 (UDP/TCP) between the Grid member performing
the discovery and the target networks must be unfiltered.
The following table summarizes the supported discovery methods:
Smart IPv4 • IP address Apply on known subnetworks on which ICMP echo request and reply.
Subnet no devices are readily found. Limited to
Ping Sweep
• MAC address networks of /22 and smaller.
Complete Ping • IP address Last resort for discovery. Use ICMP for a ICMP echo request and reply, ICMP
Sweep rough and fast discovery. Enables path traceroute.
• MAC address tracing.
NetBIOS • IP address Use NetBIOS for discovering Microsoft NetBIOS query and reply.
networks or non-Microsoft networks that
• NetBIOS name run some NetBIOS services
TCP • IP address Use TCP for an accurate but slow TCP SYN packet and SYN ACK
discovery packet.
• MAC address
• OS
Port Scanning/ • Open and Closed Disabled by default, use for non-SNMP Scans specified list of TCP ports,
Profile Device devices. using TCP SYN packet.
TCP ports
• IP Address

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SNMPv1/v2 • Open and Closed Most important protocols for discovery. Queries and collects system OIDs
SNMPv3 Ensure you have the SNMP credentials such as SysDescr and sysUpTime.
TCP ports necessary for probing devices using
• IP Address SNMP.
• System Description
• System Up Time
• Routing Neighbors
• Routing and
Forwarding Tables
• ARP tables
• SNMP credentials
CLI (Device Command-Line • Similar data set to Requires correctly defined admin login Uses standard device-language
by Telnet or SSH) tuples and Enable passwords where scripts and configured Telnet or SSH
SNMP needed for device types. connection settings to collect
• May be used discovery data.
instead of, or in You may test credentials against
devices and assign CLI credentials to
combination with, individual objects, overriding Grid-level
SNMP and Network-level credential settings.
vDiscovery • IP address Add the VMware vSphere servers on The appliance communicates with the
which you want to perform the vSphere servers to collect discovery
• MAC address vDiscovery. data on virtual machine instances.
• OS For information about how execute a
• Discovered name vDiscovery, see Configuring vDiscovery
• Virtual entity type Jobs.
• Virtual entity name
• Virtual cluster
• Virtual datacenter
• Virtual switch
• Virtual host
• Virtual host adapter
Starting Discovery
To ensure a successful discovery, complete the following:
1. In the Grid, install valid Discovery licenses on the Network Insight supported members that will later become the
Consolidator and Probes. For information about how to install licenses, see Managing Licenses.
2. When you join the discovery members to the Grid, the first member automatically becomes the Consolidator
while the others become Probes. If you want to change the roles of these members after they join the Grid, you
can re-define their member types, as described in Defining the Discovery Member Type. If you have only one
discovery member, it automatically becomes the Consolidator-Probe appliance after it joins the Grid. For more
information about the Consolidator and Probes, see Consolidator and Probes.
3. Configure applicable admin permissions for managing discovery and discovered data. For more information, see
Administrative Permissions for Discovery.
4. Define discovery interfaces and map them to corresponding network views. This step is especially important for
discovering VRF virtual networks. For more information, see Mapping Discovery Interfaces to Network Views.
5. Configure Grid discovery properties such as defining polling settings, configuring SNMP and CLI credentials, and
configuring automatic VRF mapping. For more information, see Configuring Discovery Properties. Note that you
can override the Grid settings at the member and network levels, except for automatic VRF mapping which can
be configured only at the Grid level.
6. Optionally, you can configure seed routers and map them to the corresponding network views. You can also use
the default gateways for associated DHCP ranges and networks as seed routers for discovery by selecting the
Use DHCP Routers as Seed Routers in the General -> Advanced tab of the Grid Discovery Properties editor. For

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more information, see Defining Seed Routers for Probe Members and Defining Advanced Polling Settings for the
Grid.
 Note
You must map each discovery interface, seed, and VRF to its respective network view in order to have a
successful discovery for virtual routing instances
7. Specify a network view, network container, or network to be discovered. For more information, see Discovering
Devices and Networks.
8. Optionally, define IP address exclusions when you want to exclude certain IPs from a discovery for various
reasons. For more information, see Excluding IP Addresses from Discovery.
9. Define blackout periods when you do not want the appliance to perform discovery. For information about how to
configure blackout periods, see Defining Blackout Periods.
10. Start the discovery service on the Consolidator and Probes to begin discovery, as described in Starting the
Discovery Service. The Probe members continue to discover network devices within the defined networks.
Managing Discovery
After you start the discovery service, you can do the following to manage the discovery and discovered data:
• Monitor the discovery status, as described in Viewing Discovery Status.
• Execute discovery diagnostics to test the connection of a discovery member, as described in ExecutingDiscovery
Diagnostics.
• Stop discovery on a specific network, as described in Disabling Discovery for a Network.
• View a complete list of discovered devices, their associated interfaces, networks, IP addresses, assets, and
components. For more information, see Viewing Discovered Devices and their Properties.
• Resolve conflicts for discovered data, as described in Conflict Resolution in Network Insight.
• Provision and de-provision networks and manage port configurations, as described in Port Control Featuresin
Network Insight.
Discovering VRF Virtual Networks

You can configure Network Insight to discover network devices that are configured or deployed within VRF (Virtual
Routing and Forwarding) virtual networks. Using Network Insight to discover virtual networks provides visibility into your
entire virtual network infrastructure, which allows you to view and manage overlapping IP addresses, VRF-specific data,
and discovered end hosts. Note that a virtual network can consist of one or more physical devices that are configured to
route packets using separate and distinct routing processes. Multiple routing tables can coexist on the same physical
device or virtual device context, and traffic is exchanged among those devices using multiple routing tables.
Depending on your network topology, there are a few ways you can use Network Insight for VRF network management.
To use Network Insight effectively in the network, review the different deployment scenarios and configure Network
Insight accordingly, as described in VRF Deployment Guidelines.
In addition, before you start a discovery for VRF virtual networks, ensure that you have reviewed the guidelines listed in
Special Considerations for Managing VRF Virtual Networks.
Special Considerations for Managing VRF Virtual Networks

When you define discovery settings and perform management of VRF virtual networks, consider the following:
• If you limit the context of the SNMP community string in an individual VRF to the context of only that VRF,
Network Insight will not be able to determine that the device it has discovered inside that VRF is the same device
it has found inside other virtual networks. This may result in extra, un-correlated devices in the network. For
information about how to configure SNMP credentials, see Configuring SNMP1/v2 Credentials for Polling and
Configuring SNMPv3 Properties.
• Network Insight will become aware of some devices inside of virtual networks from the route and ARP tables of
routers that it manages. Without network connectivity into those virtual networks through a virtual discovery
interface, Network Insight cannot discover all the devices or manage them. To create the necessary connectivity,
you must configure a Network Insight discovery interface to be part of the VRF.

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• Network Insight collects and parses the ARP and routing information from within a VRF context, but this data will
not be used for further discovery unless the VRF virtual network is associated with a network view that is mapped
on a discovery interface. For more information about how to map network views to discovery interfaces, see
Mapping Discovery Interfaces to Network Views.
• Global VRFs are labeled as: "default(IOS)" for IOS, "default" for Nexus and "master" for JunOS.
• For discovery and periodic polling on Juniper devices through an interface that is not in the Juniper default VRF
(master), the query must use a special "default@credential" format. This setting assumes that users do not have
management interfaces in a VRF. Your defined SNMP credentials for VRF-aware Juniper devices must use
syntax similar to: "@credential". (Note that when querying VRF-aware Juniper devices via an interface that is in
the default VRF, a plain community string can be used without the "@" character.)
• When configuring Network Insight to discover networks that employ route-leaking, discovery ranges for each
network view should only be defined to include IP addresses that belong to that network view. In other words, any
given Device IP should only fall within the discovery ranges of one network view. If discovery ranges are defined
such that a device can be discovered by two different network views, the device may also be discovered via an
unexpected network view. For information about how to define discovery ranges, see Discovering Devices and
Networks.
VRF Deployment Guidelines

The topology of your network helps determine how you deploy Network Insight for VRF network management. To use
Network Insight effectively in the network, you must possess some knowledge about your network so you can decide
how to configure Network Insight to reach all the virtual networks you want to discover and manage. This section
describes some common VRF-related network types for which you can deploy Network Insight.
Using the following three network types, all examples in this section help you define the number of network views and
discovery interfaces so you can reach all locations in your network.
1. VRF Network Type 1: A network with a management VRF and several isolated production VRFs that include
VRF-aware devices in the network.
2. VRF Network Type 2: A network with a shared service deployment VRF (shared VRF) and several isolated
production VRFs that include VRF-aware devices in the network. The production VRFs share routes with the
shared VRF, a practice also called route-leaking.
3. VRF Network Type 3: A network with several VRF-ignorant devices that reside in different L3 spaces, with no
management VRF.
VRF Network Type 1 has the following characteristics:
• A management VRF that reaches all VRF instances throughout the network.
• Isolated production VRFs (all VRFs can route to/from the management VRF but not to one another).
• The management VRF has complete visibility to all VRF instances in the network.

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• Uses a shared services deployment VRF to offer network services to the other production VRFs (shared VRF).
• All VRFs are reachable from the shared VRF, but VRFs cannot reach each other through the shared VRF or
between each other.
• The production VRFs (Red, Yellow, Green) share routes with the shared services VRF (Blue).
• The shared VRF has complete visibility to all VRF instances.

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• Devices have management IPs only inside their respective networks.
• The routers in the network are VRF-aware; the switches are VRF-ignorant.

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Defining Network Views and Discovery Interfaces
In all three deployment types, you decide whether you want one or multiple network views based on how your network
operates, as outlined in the three network types above. You can also consider the following guidelines:
• When all infrastructure devices for the network are reachable through a management VRF or a shared services
VRF, and you do not need extended discovery capabilities to discover and/or manage end hosts, you can use a
single network view. You also use a single virtual discovery interface to connect to the same 802.1q ID as the
management VRF network. You can then discover and analyze all VRF-aware devices on the management VRF.
• If you want your devices end host and downstream device information separated for viewing and reporting, then
you will want to use network views for each virtual network. Doing so is helpful for visual purposes, but it is not
required.
• If you want ping sweeps, port scanning, fingerprinting and other discovery services into end hosts within each of
your VRF networks, you must define multiple network views, one for each of your VRF networks; and each of
which requires an associated virtual discovery interface and discovery ranges.
Deploying Network Insight in VRF Network Type 1: All Devices on a Management Network
The following figure shows an example of integrating Network Insight with Network Type 1. In this network deployment
type, a single virtual discovery interface can manage all VRF instances' identification of ARP entries, because Network
Insight needs only one discovery interface into the Management VRF.

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Network Insight
You configure the following for this example:
• Network View: Create one network view for the management VRF.
• Discovery Interface: Add the active discovery interface to the management VRF and tag it with the corresponding
802.1q VLAN value.
• Discovery Ranges: Define IP discovery ranges for the management network.
• All discovered VRFs must be associated with the network view configured for the management VRF.
Deploying Network Insight in VRF Network Type 1: All Devices on a Management Network (Part 2)
The following figure shows the same topology for Network Type 1, but using multiple discovery interfaces and multiple
network views.
In this example, the switch must be configured with the trunk port 'facing' Network Insight to forward Network Insight's
tagged 802.1q traffic to the appropriate destination networks (VLAN 5, VLAN 10, VLAN 20 and VLAN 30 in this example).
The encapsulated sub-interfaces are defined using the correct values on each port; the virtual discovery interfaces on
Network Insight match these values.

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Network Insight
• Network Views: Create a network view for each network (Management, Red, Yellow, Green).
• Discovery Interfaces: Create virtual discovery interfaces for each VRF network.
• Discovery Ranges: Define IP discovery ranges for each VRF network.
• The discovered VRF instances must be associated with the network views to which they belong. For more
information, see Viewing Discovered VRFs and Mapping Network Views.
Deploying Network Insight in VRF Network Type 2: All VRFs Reachable from a Shared Services VRF
This example illustrates the use of a shared service VRF between the distribution routers in the network and how
Network Insight integrates into such a topology.
All virtual networks are reachable through a shared VRF, to which Network Insight may connect using a single virtual
discovery interface and reach all other VRFs from the one to which it is connected. Each Router in this topology also
shares routes between the VRFs.

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• Network View: Use one network view for the shared VRF.
• Discovery Interface: Create a virtual discovery interface on the network view. Use a single virtual discovery
interface in Network Insight, and connect through the facing switch to the shared VRF using the tagged 802.1q
value. There is a 1:1 ratio between network views and discovery interfaces.
• Discovery Ranges: Define IP discovery ranges in the single network view for all VRFs.
• All discovered VRFs must be associated with this network view.
If you want your device end hosts and downstream devices information separated, then use network views for each
virtual network. This is helpful for viewing and reporting but it is not required. In this example, only a single network view
is applied.
Deploying Network Insight in VRF Network Type 2: All VRFs Reachable from a Shared Services VRF (Part 2)
In this version of the VRF Network Type 2 deployment, you use multiple network views and multiple discovery interfaces
in a 1:1 ratio, with the same requirements for trunking and switch VLAN sub interfaces.

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• Network Views: Create a network view for each network (e.g., Management, Red, Yellow, Green).
• Discovery Ranges: Define IP discovery ranges in Network Insight for each VRF network.
Deploying Network Insight in VRF Network Type 3: Devices Reside in Disconnected Networks
In the final example, trunking is in use between Network Insight and its facing gateway switch into the managed network.
This topology requires the use of multiple network views as all VRF networks are completely separate and cannot be
reached through any management virtual network.

• Network Views: Create a network view for each network (e.g., Management, Red, Yellow, Green).
• Discovery Ranges: Define IP discovery ranges for each VRF network.

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Each of the network views requires a single virtual discovery interface using 802.1q tagging as indicated in the figure.
When defining the virtual discovery interfaces, use the 802.1q tag from the network devices. The primary differences are
as follows:
• All devices do not have a management IP address in the so-called management VRF.
• The routers are VRF-aware while the switches are not.
• No VRF shares routes between any of the VRFs.
Administrative Permissions for Discovery

You can start a discovery and manage discovered data based on your administrative permissions. For more information,
see About Administrative Permissions.
Initiating and controlling a discovery requires specific administrative permissions. The following are permission guidelines
for initiating and controlling a discovery:
• The IPAM Discovery Admin role provides a pre-configured list of permissions by which assigned admin accounts
may perform discovery tasks. Administrators with these permissions can initiate and control discovery on any
existing network. By default, the IPAM Discovery Admin role supports the following permissions:
• All permissions associated with the Network Discovery feature set (active if you do not have a Network
Insight license)
• Read-Only on all Network Views, network containers, networks and ranges
• Read-Only on all hosts
• Read-Only on all Members
• Read-Write Network Discovery permissions
• Editing network, network container or range discovery properties: Read-Only for each type. For member
assignment, the user also needs additional read-only permission for the assigned member
• Editing fixed address, host or reservation discovery properties: Read-only for each type
• Excluding an IP address or an IP Range (from the Network Editor 's Discovery Exclusions tab or from the
IPAM IP List view): read-only permission for the network
• Defining discovery and port configuration blackouts at the Grid and Network levels
• Discover Now for Network, DHCP Range, IP address or device: Read-Only permission for each.
• If the user does not possess the Network Discovery permission, all Network Insight permissions and operations
are disabled.
• A Port Control permission under the IPAM Permissions type allows you to add a Read/Write or Deny permission
for a device; a network; a network container; or network view. You can also add a global RW/Deny port control
permission for all network views.
• If the user does not possess the Port Control permission, the user cannot provision networks, de-
provision networks, perform port reservations or configure interfaces. All non-Superuser accounts must
have the Port Control permission to create port control tasks for any affected objects.
• Superusers can initiate and control discovery on all networks. Some discovery functions require superuser
permissions:
• Grid Discovery properties
• Uploading, Viewing and deletion of device support bundles
• Launching Discovery Diagnostics
• Launching Discovery Status
Similar to Network Discovery, devices and end hosts found through discovery can undergo conversion from unmanaged
status to managed status. This entails converting an unmanaged IP address to a host, an A record or AAAA record, a
PTR record, or to a fixed address.
• Administrators with read/write permission to a DNS zone or specific record type can convert unmanaged data to
a host, fixed address, reservation, A record, or PTR record.
• IPAM Discovery admins can convert unmanaged networks to managed networks and can change discovery
settings for networks.
• For unmanaged networks: users may Delete, Convert (to managed), Clear Unmanaged Data and Clear
Discovered Data if one of the following is true:

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• User has read-write permission for the network
–or–
• User has Network Discovery permission plus Read-Only for the network.
After a discovery is complete, the following permission guidelines apply to viewing and managing discovery data:
• Superusers can view and manage all discovered data.
• Administrators with read permission to networks can view all discovery data without editing.
• If a user has read-only permissions for a device's management IP address, the device is visible in the Data
Management –> Devices tab.
For more information on configuring admin user accounts and working with permissions, see the sections under
Managing Administrators . For information about discovery permissions, see Administrative Permissions for Network
Insight Tasks.
Starting and Stopping the Discovery Service
 Note
The discovery service can only be started on Grid members that are configured as the Consolidator or Probe
(i.e. the Grid members with valid Discovery installed).
Each discovery member requires separate Discovery licenses, and must have a running discovery service. Consider the
following before starting or stopping the discovery service:
• The Grid Master does not run the discovery service.
• Appliances running a Discovery license and the discovery service do not support HA pairs.
• Discovery Probe appliances appear as Grid members in Grid Manager.
• All appliances running discovery must have the Discovery license installed before starting the service.
• Appliances running discovery do not run core network services such as DNS and DHCP. Discovery appliances
may also run the NTP service.
• If you expect to run a single appliance in the Grid for discovery, the appliance is designated as a Consolidator,
and also performs Probe discovery operations.
• When you add a new Grid member with a Discovery license, the appliance is set automatically to the following:
• A Consolidator, if no other discovery member exists in the Grid.
• A Probe, when at least one discovery appliance exists in the Grid
 Note
When a member joins the Grid and applies a Discovery license for the first time, the admin user needs to log off
and log in again to Grid Manager to see the discovery-enabled functionality.
For information about discovery configuration at the service level, see Configuring Discovery Properties.
Starting the Discovery Service

To start the discovery service on a licensed Consolidator or Probe appliance:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and click the Services tab.
2. Click the Discovery icon to display the list of members running the discovery service.
3. Select the discovery member or members for which you wish to start the service.
4. Expand the Toolbar and click Start.
The appliance asks you to verify that you want to proceed with starting the service for the selected member.
5. Click Yes.

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Stopping the Discovery Service
To stop the discovery service on the Consolidator or Probe appliance:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and click the Services tab.
2. Click the Discovery icon to display the list of members running the discovery service.
3. Select the discovery member or members for which you wish to stop the service.
4. Expand the Toolbar and click Stop.
The appliance asks you to verify that you want to proceed with stopping the service for the selected member.
5. Click Yes.
Defining the Discovery Member Type

Before using Network Insight to discover devices and networks, you must first define the consolidator and probes in your
Grid and specify the discovering interfaces on these members.
You choose between the following member types:
• Probe: Turns the appliance into a discovery Probe appliance.
• Consolidator: Turns the appliance into a discovery Consolidator appliance.
• Unassigned: Disables the discovery feature on the appliance.
When you first join discovery members to the Grid, the first discovery member that joins the Grid automatically becomes
the Consolidator and all other discovery members become Probes. This is the Grid mode. If you have only one discovery
member in the Grid, it becomes a Consolidator-Probe discovery appliance – this is the standalone mode.
On some occasions, you may wish to change an appliance with a Discovery license to a Consolidator or to a Probe, or
change a Consolidator to a standalone discovery appliance. To make any of these changes, you must first stop the
discovery service on the appliance. For more information, see Starting and Stopping the Discovery Service.
To define the discovery member type:
1. From the Grid tab, select Grid Manager -> Discovery to display the list of members running the discovery service.
2. Select the discovery member for which you wish to change the member type.
3. If the discovery service is running on the member, stop it.
4. In the Toolbar, click Edit –> Member Discovery Properties.
5. In the General tab –> Member Type field, choose the required member type.
 Note
The Consolidator and Unassigned member types in the Grid mode are disabled if the member has
SDN/SD-WAN configurations on it. This is because SDN/SD-WAN configurations can be added to only
Probe or standalone member types. In the standalone mode all member types are available for
selection.

To change the interface over which a member sends and receives discovery traffic, see Mapping Discovery Interfaces to
Network Views.
Mapping Discovery Interfaces to Network Views

Discovery Probe members must have a designated interface or interfaces over which all discovery traffic exchanges take
place. You may designate one or multiple discovery interfaces on each Probe member. You can specify the LAN1, LAN2,
MGMT, and VLAN ports as the discovery interfaces. These ports must first be defined in the member network settings
before they can be used for discovery. Note that when you configure VLANs on Network Insight appliances, the VLANs
are used for discovery only. They do not support other core network services. On ND-1405, ND-2205, ND-4000, ND-
V1405, and ND-V2205 Network Insight appliances, you can assign multiple VLAN interfaces on the same Probe to
different network views.

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To discover VRF virtual networks, you must discover their corresponding routes. In order to identify discovered data by
routes, you associate each discovery interface with a network view. You must have a network view configured for each
discovery interface, and you cannot share the same network view with multiple discovery interfaces on the same Probe
member. However, discovery interfaces on different Probe members can share the same network view.
To map discovery interfaces to their respective network views, complete the following:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Discovery.
2. In the Services tab, select the checkbox of the Probe member you want to configure, and then Click Edit –>
Member Discovery Properties in the Toolbar.
3. In the Member Discovery Properties editor, select the General tab and complete the following:
• Discovery Interfaces: Discovery members must have a designated interface or interfaces over which discovery
traffic takes place. By default, appliances use the LAN1 port for discovery traffic. You may designate other ports
such as the LAN2, MGMT, and VLAN ports as the discovery interfaces. These ports must first be defined in the
member network settings before they can be used for discovery. You cannot modify the discovery interface
settings while the discovery service is running on the appliance.
 Note
The VLAN interfaces you configured on any Network Insight appliances are used for discovery only.
Other services are not supported on these appliances for VLANs. For information about how to define
network interfaces on the appliance, see Configuring Ethernet Ports.
The Discovery Interfaces table displays all interfaces you have configured on the member. To discover using
multiple interfaces, you must associate each interface with an available network view. A single default network
view exists in NIOS by default. All networks created or discovered for NIOS management must be part of a
network view. If more than one network view exists in the Grid, you can map a network view other than the default
view to the interface. This essentially serves to allow one or more discovery members to perform discovery on
separate routing domains, because a network view is comprised of a single routing domain with its own networks.
If you do not want to use a configured interface as the discovery interface, simply leave the network view empty
or unassigned for that interface. When you first set up an interface, no network view is assigned to the interface
by default.
The appliance displays the following for each interface you configure on the Probe member. To modify the
network view for an interface, click the Network View column and select the network view you want to associate
with the corresponding interface.
• Interface: Displays the name of the interface. You cannot modify this field. Discovery supports the LAN1, LAN2,
MGMT, and VLAN interfaces. You must first define these interfaces for the member before using them for
discovery.
• VLAN Tag: Displays the VLAN tag or ID for the corresponding VLAN interface. This field is left blank for all
physical interfaces. You cannot modify this field.
• Network View: Displays the current network view with which the interface is associated. An interface is not
associated with any network view and this field is left blank by default, which means the interface is not used as a
discovery interface. To modify the network view, click the Network View column for the corresponding interface
and select the network view you want to reassign to the interface from the drop-down list. The appliance
associates an interface with the default network view if you have not configured additional network views.
Configuring Discovery Properties

To ensure a successful discovery, complete the following configurations for the Grid and Grid members that are acting as
the Consolidator and Probes before you start a discovery:
• Define polling methods and schedule. For more information, see Defining Basic Polling Settings.
• Define advanced polling settings for TCP scanning and Ping sweeps. Also, specify routers and logging options.
For more information, see Defining Advanced Polling Settings.
• To collect data from SDN and SD-WAN devices, add and configure them as described in Configuring Discovery
for SDN and SD-WAN.
• If you use SNMP or CLI collection as the polling methods, define device credentials for data collection. For more
information, see Configuring Device Credentials.

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• Assign credentials to device groups. For more information, see Configuring Credential Groups.
• Enable and schedule blackout periods for discovery and port configuration. For more information, see Defining
Blackout Periods.
• Configure automatic network view mapping for unassigned VRFs that have been discovered. For more
information, see Configuring Automatic VRF Mapping.
• Configure settings to monitor the lifecycle and vulnerabilities of discovered devices. For more information, see
Configuring Advisor properties.
The following sections describe in detail how to configure discovery for the Grid, Grid members, and networks.
 Note
You must be a superuser to configure discovery properties for the Grid.
Defining Basic Polling Settings

Grid polling settings apply to all Probe members and all discovery networks that are assigned to a Probe. You can
override the Grid settings at the Probe member and network levels.
To define basic polling settings, complete the following:
1. For the Grid: From the Grid tab, select Grid Manager > Discovery service, and then select Edit >
Grid Discovery Properties from the Toolbar.
For Probe members: From the Grid tab, select Grid Manager > Discovery service, select a member, and then
select Edit > Member Discovery Properties from the Toolbar.
For networks: From the IPAM tab, click a network name, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the Grid Discovery Properties or Member Discovery Properties editor, click Polling > Basic.
In the Network editor, click Discovery.
3. If you want to override the inherited Grid settings for Probe members and networks, click Override and define the
following settings.
4. SNMP Collection: Select this to execute SNMP protocols to discover and collect information such as traceroute/
path collection, vendor and model, SNMP credential collection, routing and ARP tables, switch port data, and
VLAN configuration data. If you disable SNMP collection, previously discovered data remains available for
viewing.No new data is added and no existing data is removed.
Some devices may not support SNMP, and some devices may not enable SNMP by default.
 Note
When you disable SNMP collection on a network with enabled discovery, Network Insight still attempts
to authenticate the SNMP credentials of devices that are newly discovered under this network. All newly
discovered devices are automatically bound to a default group with enabled SNMP collection.
5. CLI Collection: Select this if you expect to use Network Insight to discover devices that support CLI connectivity
through Telnet or SSH, and that you possess admin account information. NIOS can use device admin account
logins to query network devices for discovery data collection, including IP configuration, port configuration, routing
and forwarding tables, and much more.
 Note
For SNMP and CLI Collection methods, configure device polling credentials in the Credentials tab of
the editor. For more information, see Configuring Device Credentials.
6. Port Scanning: Select this to probe the TCP ports. Ensure that you go to the Advanced tab to configure more
settings for this option as described in the next section. If you disable Port Scanning, NIOS attempts no port
probes other than SNMP on any device.

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• Profile Device: If enabled, NIOS attempts to identify the network device based on the response
characteristics of its TCP stack, and uses this information to determine the device type. In the absence of
SNMP access, the Profile Device function is usually the only way to identify non-network devices. If
disabled, devices accessible via SNMP are identified correctly. All other devices are assigned a device
type of Unknown. Profile Device is disabled by default for network polling.
7. Smart IPv4 Subnet Ping Sweep: Select this to execute Ping sweeps only on subnetworks that are known to exist
but no IPs can be found within the subnet, such as through ARP or other means.
8. Complete Ping Sweep: Select this to enable brute-force subnet Ping sweeps on IPv4 networks. This method
executes Nmap that uses ICMP echo requests, ICMP timestamp requests, and TCP SYN to ports 161, 162, 22,
and 23 (for the SNMP, SNMPTRAP, SSH, and TELNET services correspondingly). Subnet ping sweeps are used
as a last resort in the discovery process. Perform a subnet ping sweep if NIOS cannot identify any network
devices in a given subnet. Subnet ping sweeps should be performed no more than once per day, and will stop on
a given subnet once NIOS Discovery locates a network device and is able to collect data from it. Ensure that you
configure advanced settings for this option in the Advanced tab as described in the next section.
 Note
NIOS does not perform Smart Subnet Ping sweeps on subnets larger than /22. NIOS also does not
perform Ping sweeps on IPv6 networks, because of the dramatically greater scale of network addresses
in the IPv6 realm. The Complete Ping Sweep differs from the Smart Subnet Ping Sweep in the following
ways:
• The Complete Ping Sweep will run only against the specified range.
• The sweep will run regardless of the range size.
• The sweep will run regardless of the number of discovered devices within the specified range.
9. NetBIOS Scanning: Select this to enable NIOS to collect the NetBIOS name for endpoint devices in the network.
This feature can be enabled only by users with SysAdmin privileges. This feature is globally disabled by default
(and also for device groups) to prevent unexpected scanning of the network by a new collector.
10. Automatic ARP Refresh Before Switch Port Polling: Select this to enable refreshing of ARP caches on switches
and switch-routers in the managed network before NIOS performs polling of switch ports. Enabling this feature
applies only to switched Ethernet devices. This feature enables more accurate detection of all endpoint devices
on L2 switches. Without ARP refresh, some endpoint devices may not be detected. This feature is globally
disabled by default. Individual ARPs can also be set to enable or disable this feature.
11. Switch Port Data Collection: Select this to enable the Probe member to poll L2 enterprise switches. You can
completely disable switch port polling by deselecting this checkbox. You can also separately schedule polling for
switch port data collection as follows:
12. Periodic Polling: Define regular polling time periods. Choose a polling interval of 30 or more minutes or 1-24
hours.
13. Scheduled Polling: Schedule recurrent polling based on hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly time periods. Choosing
this option, click the Calendar icon and a Polling Scheduler appears; click the Edit icon to make scheduling
changes. Choose a recurrence pattern of Once, Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. In all cases, you must choose
an Execution Time.
Defining Advanced Polling Settings

If you selected any polling settings that involve the TCP scanning and Ping sweeps, configure additional settings for
them. Advanced SNMP polling settings consist of choosing the TCP Scan Technique, along with a number of specialized
settings for Ping Sweeps and other operations.
To define advanced Grid-wide polling settings for TCP scanning and Ping sweeps, complete the following:
1. For the Grid: From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab -> Discovery service, select Edit -> Grid Discovery
Properties from the Toolbar.
For members: From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab -> Discovery service, select Edit -> Member Discovery
For networks: From the IPAM tab, select the network checkbox and click the Edit icon.
2. In the Grid Discovery Properties, Member Discovery Properties, or (IPv4 or IPv6) Network editor, click Polling -
> Advanced and define the following settings.

Rev. D
3. If you want to override the inherited Grid settings for Probe members and networks, click Override and define the
following settings.
4. TCP Scan Technique: Select the TCP technique you want to use for the discovery. The default is SYN. For more
information, see TCP.
• SYN: Select this to quickly perform scans on thousands of TCP ports per system, never completing
connections across any well-known port. SYN packets are sent and the poller waits for a response while
continuing to scan other ports. A SYN/ACK response indicates the protocol port is listening while an RST
indicates it is not listening. The SYN option presents less impact on the network.
• CONNECT: Select this to scan IPv6 networks. Unlike the SYN option, complete connections are
attempted on the scanned system and each successive TCP protocol port being scanned.
5. Specify the TCP ports settings:
• In the table, select the checkboxes of the TCP ports you want to discover. To select all ports, click the
checkbox in the header.
• To add a new port, click the Add icon.
6. Specify other advanced polling settings:
• Purge expired assets data after: Removes records of discovered assets that are no longer reachable after
a specified period of time. The default is set to one day.
• Purge expired device data after: Removes records of discovered network infrastructure devices that are
no longer reachable after a specified period of time. The default is set to seven days, a more forgiving
value given that devices sometimes require maintenance, upgrades or repairs, or in cases where hosts
leave the network on long trips.
• ARP Aggregate Limit: Sets a limit for the number of entries (IP addresses) per MAC address in ARP
tables. If there are too many entries associated with a MAC address, this can be treated, for example, as
a "honeypot". Therefore, MAC addresses with more entries than the specified limit are ignored and filtered
out during data extraction and parsing. The default limit is 30 ARP table entries (IP addresses) per MAC
address.
• Route Limit: Limits the size of the routing table that discovery is required to collect from any given device.
Some routers can have tables in the hundreds of thousands of entries, and collecting such a large body of
data can impose performance problems in the network and in discovery data collection. This setting
defaults to 3000, and automatically excludes BGP routes from the collection. Consult Infoblox Technical
Support before making changes to this value.
• Ping Sweep Timeout (ms): Period of time allowed, in milliseconds, before a Ping times out to any given
device.
• Ping Sweep Attempts: The number of attempts on each address in a Ping sweep before the sweep
continues.
• Ping Sweep Frequency: Defaults to 1, because ping sweep should not be executed more than once a day
when the feature is enabled at the grid level or for a given discovery range. This setting affects the Smart
Ping Sweep and Complete Ping Sweep features under Grid Discovery Properties.
• ARP Cache Refresh: Defines the time period between ARP refreshes by Network Insight across all switch
ports. Before any other switch port polling and discovery operations take place (including any global
discovery polling operations initiated by the administrator), another ARP refresh is carried out by the
Probe appliance regardless of the time interval. The default is five minutes, because switch forwarding
tables are frequently purged from LAN switching devices. The default on Cisco switches is five minutes/
300 seconds. Network Insight primarily uses ARP Cache refreshes to improve the accuracy of end-device
discovery. Without this feature, some endpoints may not be discovered and cataloged.
• Ignore Conflict Duration: Used when resolving conflicts and when choosing the option to Ignore the
conflict when resolving it. The length of time during which conflicts is ignored is defined with this settings.
Increments can be defined in Hours or Days.
• Number of discovered unmanaged IP addresses per notification: The maximum number of unmanaged IP
addresses that the appliance discovers before it sends SNMP and email notifications, if enabled. The
appliance resets the counter after it hits this number and sends notifications. The default is 20.
• Interval between notifications for discovered unmanaged IP addresses: This number determines how
often the appliance sends SNMP and email notifications, if enabled, when it discovers the maximum
number of unmanaged IP addresses (configured for Number of discovered unmanaged IP addresses per
notification ). This is the time interval between two notifications for discovered unmanaged objects. Select
the time unit from the drop-down menu. The default is five minutes.
• DNS Lookup Option: Specify whether you want to perform a reverse DNS lookup from discovered IP
addresses. Select one of the following from the drop-down list:

Rev. D
• Network Devices: Select this to resolve network device (switches and routers) IP addresses. This
option is selected by default.
• Network Devices and End Hosts: Select this to resolve both network device (switches and routers)
and end host IP addresses.
• Off: Select this to turn off reverse DNS lookups for discovered IP addresses.
• DNS Lookup Throttle: This is the value in a percentage that throttles the traffic on the DNS
servers. Setting a lower value reduces the number of requests to DNS servers. You can specify a
value between 1 and 100. The default value is 100.
• Disable discovery for networks not in IPAM: Disables executing discovery on any infrastructure networks
that are not presented in the Infoblox IPAM system; e.g. present and managed in a network view or
network container.
• Authenticate and poll using SNMPv2c or later only: For credential discovery and device polling exclusively
using SNMPv2c and up, preventing use of SNMPv1, enable this checkbox.
• Use DHCP Routers as Seed Routers: Select this so the Probe members can use the default gateways for
associated DHCP ranges and networks as seed routers to more quickly discover and catalog all devices
(such as endpoint hosts, printers and other devices). All such default gateways are automatically
leveraged by discovery, and no further configuration is necessary unless you wish to exclude a device
from usage.
 Note
Check for a list of configured DHCP seed routers for any discovery Probe member in
the Seed tab -> Advanced tab of the Member Discovery Properties editor.
• Log IP Discovery events in Syslog: Sends a message to the configured Syslog service when an IP
address of an active host is discovered.
• Log network discovery events in Syslog: Sends a message to the configured Syslog service when a
network discovery process takes place in the Grid.
Configuring Device Credentials

Credentials apply to devices at the following levels:
• The Grid: Settings apply across the Grid and all Probe appliances licensed for Discovery.
• Discovery Probe appliances: You can use inherited Grid settings or override them.
• Individual devices: You can use inherited Grid or Probe settings or override them with device-specific settings.
You can configure the following types of device polling credentials:
• SNMPv1/v2 Credentials
• SNMPv3 Credentials
• CLI Credentials
Once configured, you can test the credentials.
For more information on configuring device credentials, see the following sections:
• Configuring SNMPv1/v2 Credentials
• Configuring SNMPv3 Credentials
• Configuring CLI Credentials
• Defining CLI Credentials for Objects
• Testing SNMP and CLI Credentials
If any SNMP or CLI credentials become obsolete, you can reset them for all affected devices at once. After that, Network
Insight re-guesses the credentials for each device. This does not apply to CLI credentials manually set for specific
devices. For more information, see the reset snmp and reset cli Administrative Shell commands.
You can assign a credential to a credential group that is specific to a particular device group. For more information about
credential groups, see Configuring Credential Groups.

Rev. D
Configuring SNMPv1/v2 Credentials
An SNMPv1/v2 community string is similar to a password in that the discovered device accepts queries only from
management systems that send the correct community string. This community string must exactly match the value that is
entered in the managed system.
To add an SNMPv1/v2 credential, complete the following:
2. For the Grid: Click Edit -> Grid Discovery Properties in the Toolbar.
For the Probe member: Select the member checkbox, and then click Edit -> Member Discovery Properties in the
Toolbar.
3. Click the Credentials tab.
4. To override the inherited Grid settings for a Probe member, click Override.
5. Click the Add icon and specify the credential details in the corresponding cells:
• Read Community: Enter a text string that the management system sends together with its queries to the
network device during discovery.
• Credential Group: For the Grid, select a group to which you want to assign the credential. For the Probe
member, the table displays settings that were configured on the Grid, but only the default credential group
is used for the member. You can edit the credentials list making up the default group by clicking Override.
• Order: The order for attempting the use of the credential.
• Comment: A text comment about the credential.
6. Optionally, you can test the credentials you added to the list. You can test SNMPv1/v2c and SNMPv3 credentials
against any device or any IP address, at the Grid level or from any Probe member or network view. For more
information, see Testing SNMP and CLI Credentials.
7. Click Save & Close to save changes.
To find a specific string in the SNMPv1/v2 tab, enter the value in the Go To field and then click Go.
To remove a community string entry, select the checkbox and click the Delete icon.
To export the entire list of community strings in a table file readable by a spreadsheet program, click the Export icon and
choose Export Data in Infoblox CSV Import Format. To export all data in a different format, click the Export icon and
choose Export Visible Data.
Configuring SNMPv3 Credentials

SNMPv3 allows the use of two secret keys for every credential — one for authentication and another for encryption.
Network Insight allows flexible application of keys — authentication but no encryption, for example. You define users in
one of the three following ways:
• SNMPv3 user with no authentication or privacy credentials.
• SNMPv3 user with authentication but no privacy credentials.
• SNMPv3 user with both authentication and privacy credentials.
To add an SNMPv3 credential, complete the following:
2. For the Grid: Click Edit > Grid Discovery Properties in the Toolbar.
For the Probe member: Select the member checkbox, and then click Edit > Member Discovery Properties in the
Toolbar.
3. Click the Credentials tab > SNMPv3 tab.
5. Click the Add icon and specify the credential details in the corresponding cells:
• Name: The username for the credential.
• Auth Protocol: Select one of the listed authentication protocols.
• Auth Password: The password to use with the authentication protocol.
• Privacy Protocol: Select one of the listed privacy protocols.
• Privacy Password: The password to use with the privacy protocol.

Rev. D
• Order: The order for attempting the use of the credential.
6. Optionally, you can test the credentials you added to the list. You can test SNMPv3 credentials against any device
or any IP address, at the Grid level or from any Probe member or network view. For more information,
see Testing SNMP and CLI Credentials.
7. Click Save & Close to save changes.
To find a specific SNMPv3 entry, enter the value in the Go To field and click Go.
To remove an SNMPv3 authentication entry, select the checkbox and click the Delete icon.
To export the entire list of community strings in a table file readable by a spreadsheet program, click the Export icon and
choose Export Data in Infoblox CSV Import Format. To export just the subset of data that is visible in the dialog, click the
Export icon and choose Export Visible Data. A Show Passwords option allows the secret keys to be visible in the import.
Configuring CLI Credentials

SNMP protocols provide a powerful means of querying devices for broad arrays of information. The CLI discovery feature
is required for port control tasks including port configuration and network provisioning and de-provisioning, but is not
used for other discovery operations or to otherwise manage devices. By default, Probe appliances inherit their member
discovery properties, including CLI credential sets, from the Grid level. Enable passwords are entered in separate
records and kept as a separate list in Grid Manager.
For CLI credentials, you define a global set of Admin account/password tuples, as well as Enable passwords, at the Grid
level. You can also specify credentials and Enable passwords for individual devices at the member level. Should such a
credential not work for a given device, or if command-line access is lost for a device, Network Insight re-guesses
credentials from the Grid-level credential list, including vendor defaults if available.
 Note
You can test username/password credentials or an Enable password credential. You can also combine a
username/password credential and an Enable password credential as part of the same test.
To add a CLI credential, complete the following:

For the Probe member: Select a member checkbox, and then click Edit > Member Discovery Properties in the
Toolbar.
3. Click the Credentials tab > CLI tab.
5. Click the Add icon to add a new CLI username/password entry to the list. Select the Credential Type, which can
be one of two choices.
6. In Login Credentials, click the Add icon and specify the credential details in the corresponding cells:
• Protocol: Select SSH or Telnet. Infoblox recommends the use of SSH.
• SSH: SSH credentials require both a username and a password. The default protocol is SSH.
• Telnet: In Network Insight, Telnet credentials must use both a username and a password.
 Note
Should you choose to use a Telnet-based credential, Network Insight requires both the
username and password for the login account. This also applies when you override the
CLI credentials on objects such as a fixed address, host, or IPv4 reservation. For more
information, see the section Defining CLI Credentials Settings for Objects.
• Name: Username for the CLI login account.

• Password: Login password for the CLI login account.

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• Comment: A text comment describing the CLI login account.
• Order: By default, Network Insight inserts the new credential record at the bottom of the credentials list,
which is reflected by its Order value, showing the order used for attempting the use of CLI credentials.
Enter a new value in the Order field if you want the new credential to be in a position other than the last in
order.
7. In Enable Credentials, click the Add icon and specify the credential details in the corresponding cells:
• Protocol: SSH or Telnet. Infoblox recommends the use of SSH.
• Password: Enable password for device configuration access.
• Credential Group: For the Grid, select a group to which you want to assign the current credential. For the
Probe member, this setting is inherited and cannot be changed.
• Order: By default, Network Insight inserts the new record at the bottom of the list, reflected by its Order
value, showing the order used for attempting use of the CLI credentials. Enter a new value in the Order
field if you want the new credential to be in a position other than the last in order.
8. Optionally, you can test the credentials you added to the list. For more information,
see Testing SNMP and CLI Credentials
Defining CLI Credentials for Objects

You can define CLI credentials and enable password credentials for individual devices through associated IPAM objects:
• Fixed addresses
• IP reservations
• Hosts
For a quick way to locate all objects of a certain type in the Grid, you may create a smart folder with settings such
as Type > Equals > IPv4 Fixed Address. Title the smart folder appropriately.
To define and test the CLI credentials for an IPAM object, complete the following:
2. In the IPAM IP List page or the IPAM IP Map page, navigate to the required network and then to the IP associated
with the object you want to edit.
 Note
For each network, the IP list page provides a Type data column showing the IPAM object type that is
associated with any IP address. Also, check the MAC Address column in the IP List page for information
about associated objects.
3. Click the IP address. On the IP address page, click the Related Objects tab.
4. Select the checkbox for the object in the Related Objects panel and click Edit.
5. In the object editor, click the Discovery tab.
6. Click Override CLI Credentials.
By default, CLI credential definitions use SSH at the object level. Select Allow Telnet if you want to allow both
SSH and Telnet credential usage. Infoblox recommends SSH because of better security.
7. Enter the Name and Password values and the Enable Password value.
8. Click Test CLI Credentials to test the CLI discovery credential settings applied to the object.
9. When finished, click Save & Close.
Testing SNMP and CLI Credentials

After configuring SNMP and CLI credentials, you can click Test Credentials in the SNMP Credentials or CLI Credentials
panel to test the credentials. Credential testing ensures that the configured credentials work for as many devices and
networks as possible. The procedure in this section applies to both the Grid and the member levels. You can override the
Grid settings at the member level.

Rev. D
For CLI credentials, you can test an admin login name and password tuple as well as a following enable credential, if
necessary. You can also override CLI credentials and enable credentials for IPAM objects such as fixed addresses, IP
reservations, and host objects. You can test any credential set, an enable credential, or both in combination against any
device within any network view. Network Insight sets the login sequence to match the command-line standards for the
selected device.
To test SNMP credentials or CLI credentials, complete the following:
For a Probe member: Select a member checkbox, and then click Edit > Member Discovery Properties in the
Toolbar.
3. In the Grid Discovery Properties or Member Discovery Properties Editor, click the Credentials tab > SNMPv1/v2
tab, SNMPv3 tab, or CLI tab.
4. Select the checkbox or checkboxes for the Login credentials and/or Enable credentials (if applicable) you want to
test.
For a Probe member, click Override, and then select the credential checkboxes.
5. Click Test Credentials.
6. In the Test SNMP Credentials or Test CLI Credentials dialog box, complete the following:
• IP Address: Select this to test the credential against an IP address of a reachable device in a network
(even if it has not been discovered or managed through NIOS) within a specified network view. Enter the
IP address in the field. Ensure that you select the respective network view in which this IP address
resides.
• Network View: If you have multiple network views, select the network view in which the IP address resides
from the drop-down list. If you have only one network view, which is the default view, the Network View
drop-down list is hidden by default. NIOS conducts credential testing for the IP address in the selected
network view.
• Device: Select this to test against a selected device. Click Select Device and the Device Selector appears.
If you have multiple network views, you must first select the network view in which the device resides from
the Network View drop-down list, located at the upper left-hand corner of the selector. If you have only
one network view, which is the default view, the Network View drop-down list is hidden by default. You can
check the device categories under All Devices to locate discovered switches and routers or any
unmanaged devices previously detected by discovery under NIOS. You can explore categories including
Discovered Switches/Routers, Microsoft Windows Devices (this can include items such as Windows
Servers of various types), Router and Wireless Access Point Devices, Unmanaged, and others. By
default, all devices previously discovered appear in this selector. If you have a long list of devices, you
can enter a device name search value or a search expression in the Find field and click Go. You can also
click Show Filter to narrow down your selection by selecting available filters. Click OK after you have
selected a device and its corresponding network view.
7. Click Start to begin testing the credential against the IP address or selected device. The communication and
testing processes appear in the lower panel of the editor.
 Note
If the specified IP address is excluded from all discovery ranges, if it is not a part of the selected
network view, or if the credential is entered with missing information, a message appears at the top of
the editor after clicking Start. Otherwise, the test begins and its process and results appear in the lower
panel of the editor.
Configuring Credential Groups

You can organize specific credential sets into groups that you can use to guess device credentials by assigning different
credential groups to IPAM objects such as networks. For example, when a credential group is assigned to a network,
Network Insight runs the guessing process only over credentials of this group for devices in this network.
You can use credential groups for credential guessing on the following levels:
• The Grid
• Probe members
• IPAM networks and network containers

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• DHCP networks and DHCP ranges
A default credential group preexists on the Grid. The default credential group is automatically pre-assigned to the Grid,
members, and IPAM objects such as networks, network containers, or ranges. You can create custom credential groups
and add credentials to them. After that, you assign credential groups to the Grid, Probe members, and IPAM objects.
For more information, see the following sections:
• Creating a Credential Group
• Adding SNMP and CLI Device Credentials to a Credential Group
• Assigning a Credential Group
• Viewing Credential Group Used for Device
Creating a Credential Group

You can create, edit and delete custom credential groups. As for the default credential group, you can rename it, but not
delete it.
To create a credential group, complete the following:
1. Go to Grid > Grid Manager > Discovery.
2. In the Toolbar, click Edit > Grid Discovery Properties.
3. Select the Credential Groups tab.
5. Type a name for the credential group and press Enter.
 Note
The Name field does not support the Unicode encoding.

To edit a credential group, click the group name in the table cell and edit as required.
To delete a credential group, select the group and click the Delete icon.
Adding SNMP and CLI Device Credentials to a Credential Group

You populate a credential group with credentials in the Grid Discovery Properties. For Probe members, you can edit the
credentials list inside a group for the default credential group only. choose to inherit the Grid credential groups settings or
to override them with the default group. If the deafult group contains credentials from both Grid and member and it is
assigned to a network, Network Insight uses only member-level credentials.
See the following sections on how to add device credentials of different types to a credential group:
• Configuring SNMPv1/v2 Credentials
• Configuring SNMPv3 Credentials
• Configuring CLI Credentials
Assigning a Credential Group

Probe members, networks and ranges inherit the credential groups assignment from the Grid. You can override this
assignment with another credential group for networks and ranges. For members, you cannot assign a credential group
as they always use the default group for credential guessing.
Assigning a Credential Group to the Grid

To assign credentials to the Grid, complete the following:
1. Go to Grid > Grid Manager > Discovery.
2. In the Toolbar, click Edit > Grid Discovery Properties.

Rev. D
3. On the Polling tab.
4. For Credential Group, select the required credential group.
Assigning a Credential Group to Network or Network Container

To assign credentials to an IPv4/IPv6 network or network container, complete the following:
1. Go to Data Management > IPAM or DHCP.
2. Click the name of an existing network or network container.
4. Click the Discovery tab.
5. Credential Group: The field displays the selection inherited from the Grid unless you override it. Click Override
and select the required credential group.
Assigning a Credential Group to DHCP Network or Range

To assign credentials to a DHCP range, complete the following:
1. Go to Data Management > DHCP.
2. Click the name of an existing IPv4/IPv6 network.
3. Click the Add or Edit icon > Range.
5. Credential Group: The field displays the selection inherited from the Grid unless you override it. Click Override
and select the required credential group.
Viewing Credential Group Used for Device

To view which credential group was used to guess credentials for a particular device, complete the following:
1. Go to Data Management > IPAM or Devices tab > Discovery Status.
2. Hover the mouse over SNMP or CLI credential status of a device.
A tooltip mentioning the credential group name appears.
Defining Seed Routers for Probe Members

Seed routers can be defined only on Probe appliances. You can define seed routers that NIOS uses in quickly performing
network discovery. The definition of seed routers is highly recommended for IPv4 networks and is required for IPv6
networks. For the discovery of any IPv6 networks, you must use seed router values that comprised of at least one well-
connected IPv6 router, preferably with routes to all other networks to be managed. In some cases, seed routers may not
have the full routing tables or be unable to provide full information for some reason. The general rule of thumb is that
more seed routers are better, but the connectivity of seed router(s) also helps determine how many seed routers you
need. Avoid having more seed entries than necessary.
You must associate each seed router with a network view so the appliance can properly discover virtual networks when
using multiple seed routers.
 Note
All NIOS Probe members automatically use their default gateway as a seed router. These gateways are
automatically displayed in the table. For effective use of seed routers, you must also provide SNMP credentials
to NIOS to allow it to pull the key routing and connectivity information, including the IPv6 routing table and the
local Neighbor Discovery Cache, from the device. If you do not define a seed router, it is recommended that
you enable discovery for a network or DHCP range.

Rev. D
You can check Discovery Status to see whether a seed router is successfully being reached and whether the seed is
providing information. By reviewing discovery status for each seed router, you can determine whether Network Insight
should be able to discover the network successfully, or if there are possible configuration errors preventing network
discovery, without having to wait to see what Network Insight finds. For seed routers, Reached Status and Overall Status
should both read as Passed.
To add, view, or delete seed routers for a Probe, complete the following:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and click Discovery.
2. Select the checkbox for any Probe appliance on the Discovery page and click Edit > Member Discovery
3. In the Member Discovery Properties Editor dialog box, click Seed.
4. To add a seed router, do the following:
a. Click the Add icon. The Grid Manager adds a row to the table.
b. In the new row, do the following:
• Click the Router field and then enter the IP address for the IPv4 or IPv6 seed router. Note that you
can assign a seed IP address to different network views if your deployment has overlapping IP
addresses.
• Click the Network View field and then choose the network view you want to assign to the
interface. A newly added seed IP does not have any associated network view by default.
• Click the Comment field and then enter information about the seed router.
You can delete a seed router by selecting it and then click the Delete icon. Note that you cannot delete any seed router
that is a default gateway.
IPv6 Seed Router Usage

For the discovery of any IPv6 network, you must use seed router values, comprised of at least one well-connected IPv6
router, preferably with routes to all other networks to be managed. In some cases, seed routers may not have the full
routing tables or be unable to provide full information for some reason. The general rule of thumb is that more seed
routers are better, but the connectivity of seed router(s) also helps determine how many seed routers you need. Avoid
having more seed router entries than necessary.
 Note
For effective use of seed routers, provide SNMP credentials to the Probe member to allow it to pull the key
routing and connectivity information, including the IPv6 routing table and the local Neighbor Discovery Cache,
from the device. For more information, see Defining Seed Routers for Probe Members.
Configuring Discovery for SDN and SD-WAN

Network Insight allows you to collect and manage data from SDN and SD-WAN environments. Currently, you can
discover Cisco ACI, Cisco Meraki and Cisco Viptela.
You can add specific SDN and SD-WAN entries in the discovery properties of Probe or Standalone members. You cannot
configure these settings on Consolidators. Also, you can configure general SDN and SD-WAN polling properties in the
Grid discovery settings.
For more information, see the following sections:
• Adding and Configuring Cisco ACI Discovery
• Adding and Configuring Cisco Meraki Discovery
• Adding and Configuring Cisco Viptela Discovery
• Configuring SDN and SD-WAN Polling Properties

Rev. D
To view discovery results for SDN and SD-WAN, go to Data Management > Devices. For information, see Viewing the
Complete List of Discovered Devices.
 Note
To ensure successful SDN and SD-WAN discovery, use an admin user account.
Adding and Configuring Cisco ACI Discovery

Enabling discovery of Cisco ACI devices provides visibility into your Cisco ACI infrastructure. This allows you to view and
manage discovered IP addresses of Cisco ACI fabric members such as APIC controllers and fabric switches with their
attached end points.
 Note
The Cisco APIC Configuration tab in the member discovery properties was renamed to SDN/SD-WAN. You can
find all previously configured Cisco ACIs in this tab that is described below.
To add and configure a Cisco ACI fabric, complete the following:

2. Select a Probe member, and then click Edit > Member Discovery Properties in the Toolbar.
3. Click the SDN/SD-WAN tab.
4. Click the Add icon and select Cisco ACI.
• Fabric Name: Specify a short and unique name for the current Cisco ACI configuration.
• Addresses: Enter the hostname or IP address of the Cisco APIC controller. If your fabric includes more
than one controller, click the Add icon to add more addresses.
• Protocol: Select HTTP or HTTPS.
• Network View: Select the network view to identify the corresponding network interface for connectivity with
the Cisco ACI. Also, this network view will be assigned to discovered devices from this ACI.
• Username: The login name for the Cisco ACI.
• Password: The login password.
• Comment: Additional information about the Cisco ACI.
• Connect using Grid Proxy settings if available: Select if you want to use the Grid Proxy for connectivity to
or from the Cisco ACI. If the Proxy is specified in the Grid properties, then Network Insight uses it. For
more information, see Configuring Proxy Servers.
6. Click Test Connection to check if the fabric is reachable and the provided credentials are correct. The connection
test results are also written to the syslog.
7. Click Add.
Adding and Configuring Cisco Meraki Discovery

Enabling discovery of Cisco Meraki provides visibility into your Cisco Meraki SD-WAN elements, for example:
• Wireless access points
• Switches
• Routers
• Cameras
• Phones
Network Insight classifies Meraki cameras and phones as end hosts and other Meraki devices as network devices.
To add and configure Cisco Meraki discovery, complete the following:

Rev. D
4. Click the Add icon and select Cisco Meraki.
• Config Name: Specify a short and unique name for the current Cisco Meraki configuration.
• Address: Enter the hostname or IP address of the Cisco Meraki Dashboard API. By default, it is
api.meraki.com.
• Protocol: HTTPS by default.
• Network Interface: Select the interface that will be used to access the device.
• API Key: Access key required to use Cisco APIs.
• Comment: Additional information about the Cisco Meraki device.
or from the Cisco Meraki device. If the Proxy is specified in the Grid properties, then Network Insight uses
it. For more information, see Configuring Proxy Servers.
6. Click Test Connection to check if the device is reachable and the provided credentials are correct. The connection
7. Click Add.
Adding and Configuring Cisco Viptela Discovery

Enabling discovery of Cisco Viptela devices provides visibility into your Viptela SDN/SD-WAN infrastructure. You can use
Viptela as an on-premise SDN controller or as a cloud solution.
To add and configure Cisco Viptela discovery, complete the following:
4. Click the Add icon and select Viptela.
• Config Name: Specify a short and unique name for the current Viptela configuration.
• Address: Enter the hostname or IP address of the Viptela vManage controller.
• On-premise controller: Check this if your Viptela setup is on-premises.
• Protocol: Select HTTP or HTTPS.
• Network Interface: Select the interface that will be used to access the device.
• Network View: Select the network view in which the discovered Viptela devices will be shown.
• Username: The login name for the Viptela vManage controller.
• Password: The login password.
• Comment: Additional information about the Viptela vManage controller.
or from the Viptela. If the Proxy is specified in the Grid properties, Network Insight uses it.
6. Click Test Connection to check if the device is reachable and the provided credentials are correct. The connection
7. Click Add.
Configuring SDN and SD-WAN Polling Properties

On the Grid side, you can enable or disable the SDN and SD-WAN polling, specify end host collection timing, and define
network view mapping rules. If SDN and SD-WAN polling is disabled, only traditional network devices are polled.
Controlling the polling setting and end host data collection allows you to reduce the load on your system if required.
For Meraki devices, you can select between different modes for mapping Meraki networks to NIOS network views. This
mapping mechanism is required as your Meraki infrastructure may have overlapping IP ranges that can be supported
under different network views. The mapping rules include:
• Mapping to the predefined SDN network view
• Automatic mapping
• Custom mapping

Rev. D
To configure SDN/SD-WAN polling properties, complete the following:
2. From the Toolbar, select Edit > Grid Discovery Properties.
4. On the Basic tab, complete the following:
• Enable SDN/SD-WAN polling: Select to enable or disable SDN and SD-WAN polling.
• Default SDN Network View: The network view that will be assigned to discovered Cisco Meraki devices
for which the automatic network view mapping is disabled. You enable or disable automatic mapping in
the advanced SDN and SD-WAN polling settings. For more information, see step 5 below.
• Detailed End Host Collection Interval: Select to enable or disable the collection of end hosts (or clients in
Cisco Meraki terminology). If enabled, specify one of the following:
• Periodic Collection: Specify the N minutes or hours when the collection should occur.
• Scheduled Collection: Schedule recurrent collection based on hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly
time periods. Choosing this option, click the Calendar icon and a Polling Scheduler appears; click
the Edit icon to make scheduling changes. Choose a recurrence pattern of Once, Hourly, Daily,
Weekly, or Monthly; in all cases, you must choose an Execution Time.
5. On the Advanced tab, complete the following:
• Disable SDN/SD-WAN Discovery for networks not in IPAM: If set, new unmanaged networks discovered
on the SDN controller are not created in the Infoblox IPAM.
• Network View Mapping: Select one of the following:
• Disable automatic mapping and use predefined SDN Network View: Select to map collected SDN/
SD-WAN devices to the default SDN network view defined in step 4 above.
• Automatically create network views for unmapped networks: Select to automatically map collected
networks to their network views using Network Insight internal rules. Network views that do not
exist are created automatically. The mapped networks are displayed in the table that is not
editable.
• Enable network view mapping defined below: This is custom mapping. Select to manually map
collected networks to appropriate network views. To change a network view entry, click it in the
table.
 Note
A network name in the mapping table is made up by combining the Meraki organization and network name. The
Source column displays the fabric name or config name that you previously defined for the SDN or SD-WAN
configuration. The network view name is made of the network and source values.
Configuring Advisor Properties

For information about Advisor, see Monitoring Device Lifecycle and Vulnerabilities Using Advisor.
See the following pre-requisites:
• You have purchased the Advisor subscription.
• You have access to the internet, either through one of the Consolidator interfaces or through a proxy server.
• You have a Consolidator with the discovery service working on it.
• You have a local DNS resolver working on the discovery node. For more information, see Enabling DNS
Resolution.
To configure Advisor properties, complete the following:
2. Click Edit > Grid Discovery Properties in the Toolbar.
3. Click the Advisor tab.

Rev. D
4. Select Enable Advisor Application.
 Note
This checkbox is available if a Consolidator exists in the Grid and the discovery service is working.
5. Network Interface: Specify one of the network interfaces of the Consolidator that runs Advisor. This interface is
used for the internet connection to obtain the lifecycle and vulnerability data.

Rev. D
6. Execution Interval: Specify how often the Advisor service should be executed every N days or weeks.
7. Execution Hour: Specify the server hour when the Advisor service should be executed.
 Note
In fact, Advisor runs not at the exact hour specified, but at any minute of the specified hour.
8. If you do not want to expose your Grid member directly to the internet, select Use proxy server. Ensure that the
proxy server has access to the internet.
9. Specify the following information for the proxy server:
• DNS Name or IP Address
• Port
• Credentials to connect to Proxy Server (username and password)
10. Under Advisor Central, specify the following data:
• API Endpoint Address: The IP address of the Advisor API endpoint.
• API Endpoint Port: The port of the Advisor API endpoint.
• Authentication: Select Token or Credentials.
• If you selected token authentication, specify the authentication token value.
• If you selected credentials authentication, specify the username and password.
11. In Minimum Severity, specify the severity threshold for vulnerabilities data that you want to obtain for your
devices. To see possible values, hover the mouse over the field. The popup window displays the following values:
• Critical: 9.0-10.0
• High: 7.0-8.9
• Medium: 4.0-6.9
• Low: 0.1-3.9
• None: 0.0
12. Last Scheduled Execution Result: Displays the timestamp of the last successful or unsuccessful scheduled
execution result.
13. Last Run Now Result: Displays the timestamp of the last successful or unsuccessful immediate execution result.
14. Test connection to central: Central refers to the server where the application for Network Insight Advisor is
running, that is the Advisor server. NIOS sends a POST query to the Advisor server from Discovery Consolidator,
when you click Test connection to central. In the API Endpoint Address, the server address is specified. If the
query enters the Advisor server successfully and returns a correct response, then OK is displayed else Not OK is
displayed.
15. If you want to launch Advisor immediately, click Run Now.
Configuring Automatic VRF Mapping

You can configure Network Insight to automatically assign network views to VRFs by defining mapping rules that match
unassigned VRFs—VRFs that do not have associated network views. You can also disable the automatic VRF mapping
and manually assign network views to discovered VRFs, as described in Viewing Discovered VRFs and Mapping
Network Views.
When you enable automatic VRF mapping, you can add VRF mapping rules that Network Insight uses to map network
views to VRFs that do not already have an assigned network view. When you configure mapping rules, you can define
criteria using regular expressions and place the rules in specific order to define their priorities. Network Insight matches
the rule criteria to the discovered VRF names, starting with the first rule in the VRF Mapping Rules table. You also have a
choice to map an unassigned VRF to the network view from which one of the interfaces the VRF is reached, if none of
the mapping rules match the VRF name.
To configure automatic VRF mapping and mapping rules for unassigned VRFs, complete the following:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click the Discovery service.
2. Click Edit -> Grid Discovery Properties from the Toolbar.
3. In the Grid Discovery Properties editor, select the VRF Mapping Rules tab, and then complete the following:
• Enable the automatic VRF mapping rules defined below for unassigned VRFs: Select this to enable
automatic VRF mapping so you can define mapping rules that Network Insight uses to map network views
to unassigned VRFs that match the criteria of the rules.

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• Enable the automatic VRF mapping rules and system mapping extensions: Select this to enable the VRF
Mapping Rules table so you can define mapping rules that Network Insight uses to map network views to
unassigned VRFs that match the criteria of the rules; and in cases where none of the rules match a VRF
name, Network Insight maps the VRF to the network view from which one of the interfaces the
unassigned VRF is reached.
• Disable automatic VRF mapping and only use manually defined VRF mapping: Select this to disable the
VRF Mapping Rules table. When you select this, Network Insight does not perform any evaluation of the
VRF mapping rules. You can manually assign or unassign network views to the discovered VRFs, as
described in Viewing Discovered VRFs and Mapping Network Views.
When you enable automatic VRF mapping, you can add mapping rules to the VRF Mapping Rules table, as follows:
1. Click the Add icon, and the appliance adds a row to the table.
2. In the table, click each of the following fields and enter the values accordingly:
• Network View: The network view that you want to use for all matching VRFs. You can click this field and
select a network view from the drop-down list that displays all the configured network views, including the
default network view.
• Order: The order and priority in which Network Insight evaluates the mapping rules. Each time you add a
new rule, the appliance automatically appends the rule to the end of the list and assigns the next
incremental number to the rule. To reorder the list, you can select a rule and use the up and down arrows
next to the table to move the rules to its desired position so you can set the priority for the rule evaluation.
Network Insight evaluates the rules based on the order, starting with 1 as the highest priority.
• Criteria: The criteria that Network Insight uses to match the VRF name of an unassigned VRF. You can
use POSIX regular expressions to define the mapping criteria. The appliance validates the rule when you
save the configuration, and it returns an error message if the criteria is invalid.
• Comment: Enter a comment about the VRF mapping rule. Click the Add icon again to define another
mapping rule.
 Note
All the VRF mapping rules that are currently configured for the Grid are displayed in the VRF Mapping
Rules table.
You can also do the following in the VRF Mapping Rules tab:
• Select a specific rule and click the Delete icon to remove it from the table.
• Use the up and down arrows next to the rules table to reorder the rules.
• Use the Go to function to search for a specific mapping rule. With the autocomplete feature, you can just enter
the first few characters of a network view in the Go to field and select the network view from the possible
matches.
Excluding IP Addresses from Discovery
 Note
You use the IPv4 Network or IPv6 Network editors to exclude IP addresses or ranges of IP addresses from
discovery within the specified network. For more information, see Disabling Discovery for a Network.

Rev. D
Host records, fixed address and IPv4 reservations can be excluded from discovery. You may also exclude an IP address
or a range of IPs within a network from discovery.
 Note
You may create a network and choose not to discover it at that time, by disabling
both Enable Immediate Discovery and Enable Discovery. If you disable the Enable Discovery checkbox, the
network will never be discovered unless you change the setting again at a later time.
Conversely, you can explicitly exclude specific IPs or IP ranges from discovery. Discovery will never take place
on these IPs unless the admin specifically changes their exclusion setting.
Administrators can specify IPv4 and/or IPv6 addresses that must be immediately discovered by the appliance. Some
devices may need exclusion because they do not support SNMP, or for other organizational reasons.
Devices matching IP addresses selected for immediate discovery (using the Discover Now feature described in Using
Discover Now to Discover an Existing Object) are given one-time priority over other discovered devices, for data
collection and counting toward any device found matching the license limits.
A device specified through an IP address can also be excluded from discovery or management.
Quick Exclusion of IPs from Discovery

You can use the IPAM IP Map or IP List page to quickly exclude IP addresses and selected ranges of IP addresses from
discovery. For example, you may have Infoblox appliances or routers that provide the gateway to networks that are
already managed by Grid Manager, or devices on which you do not wish to have discovery operations take place.
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab. The IPAM Home page appears.
2. Click on any network or network container in the list. The IP Map appears for the selected network.
 Note
You may also use the List page for the selected network to exclude IPs or selected ranges of IPs.
However, you have to page through or search through the pages comprising the list view to locate the
IPs you want to exclude. (If you know the IP address value in the List view but it does not appear on the
page, enter it in the Go to field to search for the IP.) The IP Map view allows you to view every IP
address in a selected network, such as a /24 prefix.
3. Select one or more IPs in the map. SHIFT+click to select a series of contiguous IPs. CTRL+click to select non-
contiguous IPs.
4. Expand the Toolbar and click Exclusion –> Enable Exclusion. The selected IP addresses are excluded from any
discovery actions.
 Note
You can click the Action icon for any List record and choose Exclusion–>EnableExclusion.
To locate an IP to exclude within a network container:

2. Select the network container by clicking it. The IPAM Home page changes to display the List page, showing the
list of networks within the container.
3. Click the network that has the IP in its space that you wish to exclude.
4. Select the network IP address from the List table. If you know the IP address value but it does not appear on the
page, enter it in the Go to field to search for the IP.
5. Expand the Toolbar and choose Exclusion –> Enable Exclusion.
A parent network container may exclude IPs, and you may add and remove discovery exclusions within network
containers. You can drill down to the child networks in the Net Map view to perform exclusions on IPs. For example,
consider a /16 network container that has a number of smaller /24 child networks within it. Right-clicking on any child

Rev. D
network in the network container and choosing Edit from the popup menu, opens the editor with its Discovery Exclusions
tab, where you can perform exclusions within the child network.
Creating a New IPAM Object and Excluding it from Discovery

You can create a new object from the main Data Management –> IPAM or Data Management –> DHCP pages.
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM or DHCP tab.
a. For IPAM, the IPAM home page appears, listing all networks reachable by IPAM.
b. For DHCP, the home Networks page appears, showing all networks reachable by DHCP.
 Note
The network lists between IPAM and DHCP will likely differ, because networks can be set to be
Disabled from DHCP. IPAM provides a complete list of all networks configured or discovered by
Grid Manager.
2. To select a network, do one of the following:

• On the IPAM page, select the network.
• Click DHCP–>Networks and then select the network.
3. On the Toolbar, expand the Add drop-down list and then select the object type from the drop-down menu, such as
Host, Fixed Address –>IPv4, or another object type.
4. In the second Wizard step, click NextAvailableIP to obtain the next available IP address in the chosen network. For
more information about obtaining the next available IP address, see About the Next Available Network or IP Address.
 Note
For adding a host record, the first step in the Add Host Wizard requires adding an IP address.
5. If the network of the IP address is served by a Grid member, Grid Manager displays the AssignIPAddressby section,
with its MACAddress, DHCPClientIdentifier and DHCPRelayAgent settings. Select the different options as needed to
define a fixed IP Address or another object.
6. Click Next to continue to the DHCP Options page in the wizard.
 Note
For more information about DHCP Options configuration, see About the Next Available Network or IP Address.
7. If you do not wish to configure DHCP Options for this Fixed IP, click Next to go to the following Wizard step.
8. (Optional) In the DeviceInformation page, select the Device Type and the Device Vendor, or, if you do not wish to
configure device settings for the current object, click Next to go to the next Wizard step, for defining discovery settings.
 Note
For more information about Device Information settings, see Creating Port Reservations for IPAM Objects.
9. Choose from the options on the Step 5 Wizard page:

• Check Exclude from Network Discovery to prevent the object from being probed by discovery.
• (Enabled by default) If you want immediate discovery of the current Fixed IP, select the Enable Immediate
Discovery checkbox.
You may disable both checkboxes. Doing so does not disable discovery for the current object–discovery is simply
performed by Network Insight on its own internal timetable.

Rev. D
• To override SNMP credentials for either SNMPv1/v2 or for SNMPv3 for the current Fixed IP, select the Override
Credentials checkbox.
You can enter both a SNMPv1/v2 Read community string and an SNMPv3 credential, or enter only the single
type you need. Each can be selected and edited in turn.
• Select SNMPv1/v2 and enter the Read community string;
–or–
• Select SNMPv3 and enter the device admin account name, and the Auth Protocol, Auth Password,
Privacy Protocol and Privacy Password values where necessary.
• You can apply a set of CLI Credentials to the specific fixed address object. To override the inherited CLI
credentials from the Grid, select the Override CLI Credentials checkbox. You can enter the admin user Name and
Password values and, if necessary, an Enable Password. The values you enter here are specific only to the
current object.
 Note
Clicking Schedule for Later is a navigational button to allow you to skip quickly to the scheduling step in
the Wizard. You can return at any time to complete remaining Wizard steps to finish creating the object.
You may click the Schedule for Later button at any time in the Wizard process. For more information,
see Scheduling New IPAM/DHCP Objects and Associated Port Configurations.
10. (Optional) Click Next to go to the sixth Wizard step, which governs Reserve Port and Configure Port settings. (For
more information, see Creating Port Reservations for IPAM Objects.) Click Next when finished with settings.
11. If necessary, add or apply any extensible attributes necessary for the new record. Click Next.
12. The final Wizard page governs scheduling of the object creation task and the optional port reservation task. Click
Save & Close.
Excluding IP Addresses in Grid Manager

You may exclude IP addresses from discovery from within a number of different contexts in Grid Manager. Under IPAM,
you can exclude in the IP Map and IP List pages. The IP List page provides an Exclude data column that directly shows
the exclusion status for all IPs in the selected network. Various objects, such as host records, IPv4 and IPv6 fixed
addresses, and IPv4 reservations, may be excluded from discovery.
You may view excluded IP addresses in the IP List page or in the network editor's Exclusions tab.
Discovering Devices and Networks

To start discovery on connected networks, complete the following:
1. Ensure that your appliances are licensed for discovery.
2. Add the needed seed routers to each Probe appliance, as described in Defining Seed Routers for Probe
Members.
3. Add the necessary SNMPv1/v2 and SNMPv3 credentials at the Grid level and/or Member/Probe level. For
information, see Configuring SNMP1/v2 Credentials for Polling, Configuring SNMPv3 Properties, Defining Seed
Routers for Probe Members, and Defining Seed Routers for Probe Members.
4. If necessary, add CLI Credentials, including device admin username/password tuples and Enable passwords, at
the Grid level and/or Member/Probe level, as described in Configuring CLI Discovery Properties and Testing
SNMP and CLI Credentials.
5. If necessary, enable the use of DHCP routers and servers as seeds to increase device discovery, as described in
Configuring SNMP1/v2 Credentials for Polling.
6. If you have extensive end host Ethernet segments connected to Ethernet switches, enable switch port discovery,
as described in Defining Seed Routers for Probe Members.
With these settings, the Probe appliances automatically begin discovering network infrastructure devices.
You can elect to immediately discover or schedule discovery of new objects that you create and enable under IPAM or
DHCP. Objects that allow immediate discovery include the following:

Rev. D
• IPv4 Fixed Address (see Configuring IPv4 Fixed Addresses for the complete procedure).
You can Enable Immediate Discovery or Exclude from Network Discovery after creating the IPv4 fixed address,
and override the SNMP credentials if necessary.
• IPv6 Fixed Address (see Configuring IPv6 Fixed Addresses for the complete procedure).
You can Enable Immediate Discovery or Exclude from Network Discovery after creating the fixed address, and
override the SNMP credentials if necessary.
• IPv4 Reservation (see Configuring IPv4 Reservations for the complete procedure).
You can Enable Immediate Discovery or Exclude from Network Discovery after creating the IPv4 reservation, and
override the SNMP credentials if necessary.
• Host (see Adding Host Records for the complete procedure).
You can Enable Immediate Discovery or Exclude from Network Discovery after creating the host, and override the
SNMP credentials if necessary.
• IPv4 Network (see Configuring IPv4 Networks for the complete procedure).
You can Enable Immediate Discovery (option is enabled by default) and override inherited discovery Polling
Options for the new network.
• IPv6 Network (see Configuring IPv6 Networks for the complete procedure).
Options for the new network.
• IPv4 DHCP Range (see Configuring IPv4 Address Ranges for the complete procedure).
Options for the new IPv4 DHCP range.
• IPv6 DHCP Range (see Configuring IPv6 Address Ranges for the complete procedure).
Options for the new IPv6 address range.
During configuration, you can choose to Exclude from Network Discovery if you wish to postpone discovery for specific
object types.
 Note
Individual IP addresses within a network, and specific object types (IPv4 reservation, fixed address, and host),
may be excluded from discovery. You must explicitly select Enable Discovery for other object types (IPv4 and
IPv6 Ranges, IPv4 and IPv6 Networks); you can optionally Enable Immediate Discovery.
If you choose not to perform immediate discovery, but do Enable Discovery, the new network or other object is
discovered at a normal time determined by Network Insight.
You can manually perform discovery on any object at any time by selecting the object and choosing
Discover Now from the Toolbar. For more information, see Object. When you do so, you see
a status icon appear in the Discover Now data column
for the object under IPAM, in the Data Management –> DHCP page and other locations.
By default, Grid discovery settings are the prevailing settings for all newly created objects. You can override basic
discovery polling options for networks and DHCP ranges allowing immediate discovery.
In such cases, local settings take priority. Credentials cannot be overridden for networks and DHCP ranges,
Using Discover Now to Discover an Existing Object
 Note
If after you select a a network, object or IP and the Discover Now button is not enabled, make sure the network
or other object has a discovery Probe member assigned to it.
After you create any supported IPAM object, you may wish to perform discovery on it at a later time. You can simply
select the object and discover it.

Rev. D
2. Select the network or other object over which you want to perform discovery.
Depending on the object type, navigate from the network level to the individual IP table in the List page to locate
the object for immediate discovery.
3. Expand the Toolbar and click Discover Now.
You can also click the Action icon for the network and choose Discover Now from the menu.
The Probe member associated with the network or other object initiates a discovery procedure.
Smart Folders and Discovered Devices
Grid Manager maintains a Smart Folder titled Discovered Switches/Routers,

under which appears a list of all routers, switches and switch-routers that thus
far have been discovered and catalogued through discovery. Clicking a
device name opens the device's main page, with Interfaces, Networks, IP
Addresses, Assets and Components panels. For more information, see
Managing Discovered Data.
Open the Smart Folders category under the Finder menu and click on the
Discovered Switches/Routers folder. Clicking on a device name opens the
device page under Data Management –> Devices and shows the Interfaces
page for the chosen device. For related information, go to My Smart Folders
and Predefined Smart Folders.
Using the Device Selector

You use a dedicated Device Selector window to choose a discovered device
for creating a port reservation with various IPAM objects such as IPv4
reservations, fixed addresses, host records, and provisioning of IPv4 and
IPv6 networks on device interfaces; testing SNMP or CLI credentials, and
other purposes, as shown in the below figure.
Using the Device Selector Window

Rev. D
The chosen device is discovered and listed in the Devices panel in IPAM, or any other device on the network under the
All Devices category in the left pane of the device selector.
Clicking a managed device's device name selects the device and brings you back to the originating page. Otherwise,
select a device and click OK to continue.
If you have a long list of devices even after selecting a smart folder, enter a device name search value or a search
expression in the Find field and click Go.
Tips for Quick Navigation

To locate interface and device information quickly, along with associated IPAM objects that may be associated with
elements such as port reservations, you can use Device and Interface terms in Global Search. (For additional information
on Global Search, see Global Search.)
Smart Folders provide another means of locating items such as IP addresses and IPAM objects of various types. Smart
Folders provides additional filters for Device Type, Vendor, Model and Version. In a Smart Folder containing interfaces,
you can filter by Admin Status, Operation Status, Trunk Status, VLAN ID or VLAN Name, and Description.
Using Smart Folders, you can also isolate all objects of a certain type by creating a smart folder with settings such as:
Type equals IPv4 Fixed Address. Title the smart folder appropriately, to make clear what data set it is presenting.
Managing Discovered Data

After a discovery, key information is collected and displayed in the following tabs: Data Management tab -> Devices ->
Interfaces, Networks, IP Addresses, and Assets tabs of Grid Manager. You can view information about each discovered
entity in one of these tabs. For more information, see Viewing Discovered Devices and their Properties.
A discovered entity is considered "unmanaged" if it is discovered in a network for which no information is being stored in
the NIOS database. You are not able to configure unmanaged objects in NIOS. Depending on the nature of the
discovered entity, you may convert certain unmanaged entities into managed objects so you can manage them through
Grid Manager. When an entity is in the managed state, you can configure settings such as applying permissions to it,
limiting who can modify the configurations and deployments, and when those changes can be applied. You cannot do so
with unmanaged objects.
Grid Manager allows you to convert certain unmanaged devices, interfaces, networks, and assets to the following IPAM
object types:
• Host record, as described in About Host Records.
• A and PTR records, as described in Managing A Records and in Managing PTR Records.
• Fixed IPv4 Address, as described in Configuring IPv4 Fixed Addresses.
• Fixed IPv6 Address, Configuring IPv6 Fixed Addresses.
When converting unmanaged entities to managed objects in NIOS, you can choose to convert them one at a time or as a
group. To convert a single entity, just select a specific entity and perform the conversion. To convert multiple entities to
the same IPAM object type, you can select the entities you want to manage and then perform a bulk conversion. You can
also perform an automatic conversion for unmanaged entities in a network view by configuring conversion rules at the
Grid level. For information about how to create conversion rules, see Configuring Automatic Conversion Rules.
 Note
In a bulk conversion, if one or more of the selected entities are not eligible for conversion because they do not
have a discovered name (FQDN) or due to other reasons, Grid Manager displays a warning message indicating
only eligible entities are displayed in the conversion wizard and qualified for conversion. Those that cannot be
converted are ignored and will remain in unmanaged state.
For more information about how to convert unmanaged entities to managed objects, see the following sections:
• For unmanaged devices, see Converting Unmanaged Devices to Managed Devices.
• For unmanaged interfaces, see Converting Unmanaged Interfaces to Managed Status.

Rev. D
• For unmanaged networks from the Data Management -> Devices -> Networks tab, see Converting Unmanaged
Networks to Managed Status.
• For unmanaged networks from the IPAM or DHCP tab, see Converting Unmanaged Networks under IPAM to
Managed Status.
• For unmanaged IP Addresses, see Converting Unmanaged IP Addresses to Managed Status.
• For unmanaged assets, see Converting Unmanaged Assets to Managed Status.
• For automatic conversions using global conversion rules, see About Automatic Conversion Rules.
Converting Unmanaged Devices to Managed Devices
 Note
For convenience, the home DataManagement–>Devices page
provides a quick filter to list only managed devices. In the
Devices page, all devices highlighted in yellow indicate a
device that is unmanaged.
Device discovery allows you to define a fully managed state for any
discovered routers, switches, firewalls, end hosts, and other network infrastructure devices. The process differs from
converting an unmanaged network, because you can bind a discovered device to a fixed address, a PTR Record, a host
record or an IPv4 reservation. Doing so offers the following benefits:
• Host Record – Infoblox hosts are data objects that contain DNS, DHCP, and IPAM data of the assigned
addresses. Host objects allow you to assign multiple IPv4 and IPv6 addresses to a host. When you create a host
record, you are specifying the name-to-address and address-to-name mappings for the IP address that you
assign to the host. The Infoblox DNS server then uses this data to respond to DNS queries for the host. This
establishes the identity of any infrastructure device or asset on the network. For more information, see About
Host Records.
• A Record – An A (address) record is a DNS resource record that maps a domain name to an IP address. A
records essentially tell DNS that a host exists inside a domain, as part of a forward-mapping zone. All traffic to a
domain or subdomain is directed to the IP address specified by the A record. The DNS zone must exist in the Grid
Manager before attempting to assign A records to devices. For more information about A records, see Managing
A Records.
• PTR Record – Maps a device IP address to a host name in a reverse-mapping zone. The zone must already be
defined before assigning the new PTR record object. For more information about PTR records, see Managing
PTR Records.
• Fixed Address – A fixed address represents a persistent link between an IP address and one of the following:
MAC address, Client identifier, or Circuit ID/remote ID in the DHCP relay agent option (option 82). Most
applications in the current context are for a MAC address. You can configure fixed addresses for network devices,
such as routers and printers, that do not frequently move from network to network. By creating fixed addresses
for network devices, clients can reliably reach them by their domain names. Some network devices, such as web
or FTP servers, can benefit from having fixed addresses for this reason. For more information about these object
types, see Configuring IPv4 Fixed Addresses and Configuring IPv6 Fixed Addresses.
Each object type has its own characteristics that you may apply to specific types of discovered devices. For many
infrastructure devices such as routers, or Assets such as servers, a fixed address is a likely choice.
Begin by examining the Data Management –> Devices page. The Managed column, as shown in Figure 15.4 , can list
one of three possible states for all discovered devices:
• Blank value–indicates that the device is not known to IPAM, because insufficient information is available to
identify and catalog the device at the present time;
• No–Shows that the device in the Devices table is not managed under IPAM or Grid Manager, but enough
information is collected and the device can be converted to the Managed state.
• Yes–The device in the table is a managed object with an IPAM object type (host, A record, PTR record or fixed
address).

Rev. D
An Action icon shown as a gear in each row for the table) provides the quickest access to the Convert feature for
unmanaged devices, as shown in Figure 15.4 . You can also click Convert in the Toolbar to select the object type.
Figure 15.4 Unmanaged Devices That May be Converted to IPAM objects
To convert unmanaged devices to managed objects:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the Devices tab.
2. Click the Next Page and Last Page icons to locate the device you want to convert.
3. To convert a single device : Click the Action icon next to the device you want to convert (this automatically
selects it), and then select Convert –> To Host, To A Record, To PTR Record, or To Fixed Address from the
menu.
To convert multiple devices (bulk conversion): Select the checkboxes of the devices you want to convert to the
same IPAM object type. From the Toolbar, select Convert -> To Host, To A & PTR Record, or To Fixed Address
from the menu.
4. For a single device: The respective object editor appears based on the conversion type you have selected. For
example, if you select To Host, the Host editor appears. In the editor, define the required General settings for the
new object. You can also define other settings you need from any of the tabs in the editor. For details about how
to configure these settings, refer to the online Help in Grid Manager or see the appropriate sections in this guide.
For bulk conversion: The respective bulk conversion wizard (such as the Convert Unmanaged IP Addresses to
Host Record wizard) appears based on the conversion type you have selected.
 Note
Network Insight creates the names of the new managed objects using the Discovered Name (FQDN) for
the entities being converted. In the wizard, Grid Manager displays the IP addresses of the selected
devices that are eligible for conversion in the Selected IP Addresses table. Entities that are not eligible
for conversion will not be converted and will not appear in this table.
Based on the selected conversion type, complete the following to start a bulk conversion:
a. To Host: You can select Enable in DNS and/or Enable in DHCP so the appliance can serve DNS and/or
DHCP for the selected IP addresses in the host record. When you enable DNS, you must select a DNS
zone for all entities that do not have an FQDN.
b. To A & PTR Record: Network Insight converts the selected entities to A & PTR records simultaneously.
You must select a DNS zone for all entities that do not have an FQDN.
c. To Fixed Address: Network Insight automatically converts all selected IP addresses to fixed addresses in
a bulk conversion. As with host record and A/PTR record conversions, entities without a Discovered Name
are not eligible for conversions to fixed addresses.

Rev. D
In all bulk conversions, you can define extensible attributes for the selected IP addresses. After you configure the
necessary settings, you can convert the discovered entities immediately or schedule the conversion by selecting
Later and entering the date and time.
6. Click Save & Close to make the conversion. You can return to the managed object at any time to make further
In the Managed column for all converted entities, Grid Manager displays Yes to indicate their managed status. You can
now manage these IPAM objects through Grid Manager.
Converting Unmanaged Interfaces to Managed Status
 Note
For convenience, a device Interfaces panel provides a quick
filter to list only managed interfaces for the device. When a
device is converted to managed status, interfaces in the
device may remain in unmanaged state. If the interface has an
IP address that is recognized under IPAM, it may be converted
to managed state.
Interfaces that appear in the Interfaces table for a device may be converted to managed status, under specific
circumstances. If an interface is bound to an IP address that is present in an IPAM network (for example, a leaf network
inside a network container under IPAM), that interface can be converted to managed status.
For any device, any interface with a hotlink to IPAM may be converted. Examples are shown in Figure 15.5. Figure 15.5
Device Interfaces Available for Conversion
In Figure 15.5 , two interfaces provide a link to their respective IPAM interface pages, and show an IPAM Type of
Unmanaged. These ports may be converted to IPAM objects and managed under Grid Manager.
2. Click the Next Page and Last Page icons to locate the device through which you want to locate the interfaces to
convert.
3. Click the Name link of the device.
4. Click the Interfaces tab for the chosen device. This tab lists all ports discovered on the device.
5. To convert a single interface: Click the Action icon next to the interface you want to convert (this automatically
menu.

Rev. D
To convert multiple interfaces (bulk conversion): Select the checkboxes of the interfaces you want to convert.
From the Toolbar, select Convert -> To Host, To A & PTR Record, or To Fixed Address from the menu.
6. For a single interface: The respective object editor appears based on the conversion type you have selected. For
to configure these settings, refer to the online Help in Grid Manager or see the appropriate chapters in this guide.
 Note
DHCP for the selected IP addresses in the host record. When you enable DNS for the record, you must
select a DNS zone for all entities that do not have an FQDN.
c. To Fixed Address: Network Insight automatically converts all selected IP addresses to fixed addresses in
a bulk conversion. As with host record and A/PTR record conversions, entities without a Discovered Name
FQDN are not eligible for conversions to fixed addresses.
In all bulk conversions, you can define extensible attributes for the selected IP addresses. After you have
configured the necessary settings, you can convert the discovered entities immediately or schedule the
conversion by selecting Later and entering the date and time.
7. Click Save & Close to make the conversion. The interface is associated with the new IPAM object.
In the IPAM Type column for all converted entities, Grid Manager displays Managed to indicate their managed
status. You can now manage these IPAM objects through Grid Manager.
Converting Unmanaged Networks to Managed Status

On the Data Management –> Devices page, click a device name, and then open the Networks tab. You see the following
types of networks based on their managed or unmanaged status:
• Unmanaged: These networks are displayed in yellow rows with the value of No in the Managed column. Shows
that the network is not managed under IPAM/Grid Manager, but enough information is catalogued so that the
network can be converted to managed status. You can provision these networks onto devices.
• Managed: These networks are displayed in white rows with the value of Yes in the Managed column. These
networks are currently managed under IPAM, converted to an IPAM network. You can provision and de-provision
managed networks.
• The so called "non-NIOS networks": These networks are displayed in grey rows with a blank value in the
Managed column. Indicates that the network is discovered but available information is insufficient to identify and
catalog the network in IPAM at the present time. This can be due to the following reasons:
• The admin or operation status of the corresponding interface is "down". That is, the interface is either
disconnected physically or disabled by administrator.
• The prefix length for the network is /32 (ipv4) or /128 (ipv6). Network Insight treats this as a route to a
specific device rather than a subnet, therefore it does not create such network in IPAM.
• The route for this interface is configured incorrectly.
• The route is learned from a remote source via BGP, OSPF and so on (i.e., indirect next hop), or come
from a static route using the netmgmt protocol. Network Insight creates networks in IPAM for only direct
and local routes from routing tables.
• The network is within a VRF and the VRF is not mapped to a network view. VRF mapping is required in
this case for the network to appear in IPAM. Some time after the VRF is mapped, the network turns from
non-NIOS to unmanaged, or managed if the network is already present in IPAM.

Rev. D
Unmanaged networks listed under discovered devices present the same conversion features as networks listed under
IPAM (see the following section Converting Unmanaged Networks under IPAM to Managed Status).
Converting a network in the device context is the same as converting it at the top IPAM level. You cannot apply services
or IPAM objects to IP addresses in unmanaged networks until the networks are converted to managed status. Many
operations cannot be carried out on unmanaged networks, including editing, splitting, resizing, permissions changes and
many other tasks.
2. Click the Next Page and Last Page icons to locate the device through which you want to locate the assets to
convert.
3. Click the device name.
4. Click the Networks tab.
5. To convert a single network: Click the Action icon next to the network you want to convert to the Managed
state (this automatically selects it), and then select Convert from the menu.
To convert multiple networks (bulk conversion): Select the checkboxes of the networks you want to convert to the
Managed state. From the Toolbar, select Convert from the menu.
6. The Network editor appears. In the editor, define the required General settings for the network. You can also
define other settings you need from any of the tabs in the editor. For details about how to configure these
settings, refer to the online Help in Grid Manager.
 Note
Networks inherit discovery setting from their parent networks. Discovery will be disabled for networks
that do not have a parent network.
a. If necessary, select the Disable for DHCP checkbox. When you convert a network to managed status,
Grid Manager uses the discovered Router IP for the network to automatically populate the Router IP value
in DHCP configurations for the selected network. Selecting this option disallows the converted network
from being usable under DHCP.
b. If necessary, click the Discovery tab and click Enable Discovery to start discovery on the network after it is
converted to Managed state. You can also elect not to discover the network, by leaving the checkbox
clear.
• Click Select Member to choose the Probe member through which the network may be discovered.
• If necessary, click Override under Polling Options, and modify the device discovery polling options
for the network. You can also specify Discovery Exclusions or a Discovery Blackout period.
• A number of associated DNS and DHCP services are also available for configuration for the new
IPAM network, including DHCP Forwarding, IPv4 DDNS settings, and an array of other DDI
service settings for the network. None of these configurations are required in order for the network
to be in Managed state, but may be required for other purposes.
7. Click Save & Close to make the conversion.
In the Managed column in the Networks tab, Grid Manager displays Yes for all converted entities to indicate their
Managed status. You can now manage the networks through Grid Manager.
Converting Unmanaged Networks under IPAM to Managed Status
 Note
When you convert a network to managed status, Grid Manager uses the discovered Router IP for the network
to automatically populate the Router IP value in DHCP configurations for the selected network. Conversion for
DHCP is optional; you can choose to DisableforDHCP when you convert the network.

Rev. D
The IPAM tab lists all discovered networks as unmanaged, highlighted in yellow. Administrators cannot apply services or
IPAM objects to IP addresses in unmanaged networks until the networks are converted to managed status. You can
explore unmanaged networks through the IP Map and IP List views, but many operations cannot be carried out on
unmanaged networks, including editing, splitting, resizing, permissions changes and other tasks.
 Note
Unmanaged IP addresses that are part of an unmanaged network cannot be independently converted to a
managed IP address.
Unmanaged networks can be converted at the IPAM main page and at the device level under Data Management –>
Devices, selecting a device and opening the Networks page.
Under IPAM, the Managed column for the Network tables can show one of two possible states for all discovered IPAM
networks:
• No–Shows that the network is not managed under IPAM/Grid Manager, but enough information is catalogued that
the device can be converted to Managed state. This state is required before a network can be converted to
managed status.
• Yes–The network shown in the table is now Managed under IPAM, converted to an IPAM network.
You can discover the network again after it is converted, or keep discovery disabled and execute it at another time, or
impose blackout periods that limit the time windows under which discovery can execute on the network. Other
management benefits include the ability to enable Infoblox services to the network;
2. To convert a single network: Click the Action icon next to the network you want to convert to the Managed
state (this automatically selects it), and then select Convert from the menu.
To convert multiple networks (bulk conversion): Select the checkboxes of the networks you want to convert to the
Managed state. From the Toolbar, select Convert from the menu.
You do not need to take further action other than Save & Close to set the network as Managed.
3. If necessary, you can select the converted network and do the following in the Network editor:
4. Select the Disable for DHCP checkbox to disallow the converted network from being usable under DHCP.
• If necessary, click the Discovery tab and click Enable Discovery to start discovery on the network
immediately after it is converted to Managed state. You can also elect not to discover the network, by
leaving the checkbox clear.
• Click Select Member to choose the Probe member through which the network may be discovered.
• If necessary, click Override under Polling Options, and modify the device discovery polling options for the
network. You can also specify Discovery Exclusions, port control settings, or a Discovery Blackout period.
• A number of associated DNS and DHCP services are also available for configuration for the new IPAM
network, including DHCP Forwarding, IPv4 DDNS settings, and an array of other DDI service settings for
the network. None of these configurations are required in order for the network to be in Managed state,
but may be required for other purposes.
5. The IPAM main page shows Yes as the value for the network under the Managed column. The network is now
under management of IPAM and can participate in Infoblox services.
 Note
Most conversion operations for networks and individual IP addresses are managed under IPAM and are
described in the section Managing IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses.
Converting Unmanaged IP Addresses to Managed Status

The principle for converting an IP address to managed status is the same for IP addresses as for interfaces. If an IP
address is unmanaged but is present in IPAM, the IP can be converted to managed status.

Rev. D
Figure 15.6 Converting an IP Address to Managed Status

2. Click the Next Page and Last Page icons to locate the device through which you want to locate the IP address to
convert.
3. Click the Name of the device.
4. Click the IP Addresses tab for the chosen device. The IP address page lists all ports discovered on the selected
device.
5. To convert a single IP address : Click the Action icon next to the IP address you want to convert (this
automatically selects it), and then select Convert–>To Host, To A Record, To PTR Record, or To Fixed Address
from the menu.
To convert multiple IP addresses (bulk conversion): Select the checkboxes of the IP addresses you want to
convert. From the Toolbar, select Convert->To Host, To A & PTR Record, or To Fixed Address from the menu.
6. For a single IP address: The respective object editor appears based on the conversion type you have selected.
For example, if you select ToHost, the Host editor appears. In the editor, define the required General settings for
the new object. You can also define other settings you need from any of the tabs in the editor. For details about
how to configure these settings, refer to the online Help in Grid Manager or see the appropriate chapters in this
guide.
For bulk conversion: The respective bulk conversion wizard (such as the
Convert Unmanaged IP Addresses to Host Record wizard) appears based on the conversion type you have
selected.
 Note
b. ToA&PTRRecord: Network Insight converts the selected entities to A & PTR records simultaneously. You
must select a DNS zone for all entities that do not have an FQDN.
c. ToFixedAddress: Network Insight automatically converts all selected IP addresses to fixed addresses in a
bulk conversion. As with host record and A/PTR record conversions, entities without a Discovered Name

Rev. D
In all bulk conversions, you can define extensible attributes for the selected IP addresses. After you have
configured the necessary settings, you can convert the discovered entities immediately or schedule the
conversion by selecting Later and entering the date and time.
Click Save&Close to make the conversion. You can return to the managed object at any time to make further
7. In the Managed column for all converted entities, Grid Manager displays Yes to indicate the Managed status. The
selected IP addresses are associated with the newly converted IPAM objects. You can now manage these IPAM objects
Converting Unmanaged Assets to Managed Status

2. Click the Next Page and Last Page icons to locate the device through which you want to locate the assets to
convert.
3. Click the Name of the device.
4. Click the Assets tab for the chosen device. The Assets page lists all network devices that have been detected
through connections to the current device. If the device is a switch, you may see a list of end hosts and network
servers in the list, along with any other network infrastructure devices that are neighboring the current device.
5. To convert a single asset: Click the Action icon next to the asset you want to convert (this automatically
menu.
To convert multiple assets (bulk conversion): Select the checkboxes of the assets you want to convert. From the
Toolbar, select Convert -> To Host, To A & PTR Record, or To Fixed Address from the menu.
6. For a single asset: The respective object editor appears based on the conversion type you have selected. For
to configure these settings, refer to the online Help in Grid Manager or see the appropriate chapters in this guide.
 Note
c. To Fixed Address: Network Insight automatically converts all selected assets to fixed addresses in a bulk
conversion. As with host record and A/PTR record conversions, entities without a Discovered Name
In all bulk conversions, you can define extensible attributes for the selected assets. After you have configured the
necessary settings, you can convert the discovered entities immediately or schedule the conversion for a later date by
selecting Later and entering the date and time.
7. Click Save & Close to make the conversion. You can return to the managed object at any time to make further
In the Managed column for all converted entities, Grid Manager displays Yes to indicate the managed status. The
selected assets are associated with the newly converted IPAM objects. You can now manage these IPAM objects

Rev. D
About Automatic Conversion Rules
To automate the conversion of IP addresses of discovered entities from "unmanaged" to "managed" in a specific network
view, you can configure conversion rules that Network Insight uses to automatically create new DNS records or update
existing data for the discovered IP addresses. Network Insight automatically converts newly discovered IP addresses to
host records, A and PTR records, or fixed addresses based on your configuration. You can define templates that Network
Insight uses to create new records by using supported variables and functions. For information about supported
variables, see Supported Variables for Templates.
Note that corresponding DNS zones in a selected network view must already exist in order for Network Insight to add
DNS records during the conversion. Otherwise, Network Insight does not add any DNS records and it logs a message to
the syslog.
Network Insight automatically adds DNS records based on the following conditions:
• The corresponding DNS zones must already exist in the NIOS database. Network Insight does not automatically
create DNS zones for the records.
• To create a PTR record, the corresponding reverse-mapping zone must exist.
• A DNS zone cannot be associated with more than one DNS view. Network Insight does not create DNS records
for zones that are associated with multiple DNS views.
• NIOS adds new DNS records only if the discovered_name for the discovered IP address is available and there is
no conflict with information about the associated network view.
On subsequent discovery jobs, if an IP for a VM is removed, the corresponding DNS records are removed accordingly. If
the IP for a VM is changed, the IP address in the corresponding DNS record is changed accordingly. If the DNS record
name template is changed, all the DNS records are replaced with the DNS records using the new template. All
administrative actions for these change are recorded in the audit log. Summary of the changes are logged in the syslog.
 Note
Network Insight updates only records that are created by the Network Insight process. It does not create or
update DNS records that are originally created by other admin users.
Configuring Automatic Conversion Rules

To add automatic conversion rules:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and click Edit –> Grid Discovery Properties from the Toolbar.
2. Click the Conversion Policy tab and complete the following:
• Enable the automatic conversion rules defined for newly discovered IP addresses: Select this checkbox to
enable the automatic conversion of unmanaged IP addresses of newly discovered entities to managed
objects in a specific network view. This is disabled by default.
discovered data for all corresponding NIOS objects (if they exist in NIOS), such as A records, PTR
records, host records, and fixed addresses, with the discovered data. If you do not select this checkbox,
the appliance updates only the discovered data for unmanaged objects. None of the managed data will be
updated. This checkbox is selected by default, but is disabled if you do not enable the automatic
conversion feature.
Click the Add (+) icon and Grid Manager adds a row to the table (this table is enabled only when you enable the
automatic conversion feature). Complete the following:
• Network View: From the drop-down list, select the network view in which your conversion rule will take
effect. Note that this rule applies only to objects in the selected network view. If you have multiple network
views, you must configure a separate policy for each network view.
• Template: Define a naming template that Network Insight uses to automatically create DNS records for the
unmanaged IP addresses in the network view. You can use the following syntax: ${substitution}, where
substitution can be a supported variable or function. Note that each IPv6 address substitution is
unwrapped into dotted presentation. For information about supported variables and functions, see
Supported Variables for Templates.

Rev. D
For example, when you enter ${discovered_name}.corpxyz.com
and the discovered_name for the asset is
XYZ, the DNS name for this IP becomes
XYZ.corpxyz.com
. When you enter
$dev-{ip_address_octet3}.corpxyz.com
and the IP for the asset
is2dba::db8::1
, the DNS name for this IP becomes
dev-3.corpxyz.com
. When you enter
${ip_address[7]}.corpxyz.com
for an IPv6 address and if the IP for the asset is
2001:db8:acad::1
, the DNS name becomes
b.corpxyz.com.
You can also use the following functions in the naming template: dashed, reversed, and underscored. For
example, when you enter
${dashed(${ip_address})}-corpxyz.com
and the IP is 1.2.3.4, the DNS name becomes
1-2-3-4-corpxyz.com. When you enter
${reversed(${ip_address})}-corpxyz.com
and the IP is
1.2.3.4
, the DNS name becomes
4.3.2.1-corpxyz.com.
• Conditions: Enter the matching conditions for the conversion rule. You can use magic variables, supported
variables, operators, and functions in the condition. When Network Insight finds IP addresses that match
this condition, it will convert the IP addresses into DNS records (Hosts, A/PTR records, or fixed
addresses) based on your selected conversion type. For information about supported parameters, see
Supported Conversion Parameters.
For example, if you want to match IP addresses that do not have an FQDN in the
discovered_name
, you can enter this condition:
${is_fqdn(${discovered_name})} == false AND ${discovered_name} ==
'unknown'. That is, you can use unknown as the filter value for IP addresses that do not have FQDN.
If you want to match devices from the network 192.168.1.0/24
with the name starting with "
Serial0
", you can enter this condition:
${ip_belongs_to("192.168.1.0/24")} == true AND
${discovered_name} like "Serial0".
ConversionType: From the drop-down list, select the DNS record type that you want Network insight to
convert the unmanaged IP addresses into. You can convert an unmanaged IP into Host, A/PTR, or
FixedAddress. When you select A/PTR, Network Insight converts each IP into A and PTR records
simultaneously.
Comment: Enter description about this policy to distinguish it from others. For example, if the policy is
used to identify and convert IP addresses with
discovered_name
that does not contain an FQDN, you can enter "No FQDN in discovered_name." as the
comment to remind yourself about this conversion rule.
Supported Variables for Templates

The following table list the supported variables and functions that you can use in templates.
Supported Variables

Rev. D
Name Example Result Description
1 vm${1}- vm172-example.com / The first octet (quad for IPv6) of the discovered asset. Alias for
192.168.1.1 "ip_address_octet1".
example.com
2 vm${2}- vm41-example.com / The second octet (quad for IPv6) of the discovered asset. Alias for
example.com
3 vm${3}- vm13-example.com / The third octet (quad for IPv6) of the discovered asset. Alias for
example.com
4 vm${4}- vm9-example.com / The fourth octet (quad for IPv6) of the discovered asset. Alias for
example.com
discovered iface-$ iface- The discovered name of the asset.

_name {discovered_na example09.example.org /
iface-example09
me}.example.or
g
ip_address $ 1.2.3.4.example.org / The IP address of the discovered asset.

1.2.3.4
{ip_address}.e
xample.org
ip_address $ b.example.com / The IP address octet (quad) substitution. Useful for IPv6 addresses.
[index] {ip_address[7] 2001:db8:acad::1 Throws an error if address have less octets (quads) than specified.
}.example.com
ip_address dev-$ dev-2.example.com / The first octet (quad) of the discovered asset.
_octet1 {ip_address_oc 2dba::db8::1
tet1}.example.
com
ip_address dev-$ dev-d.example.com / The second octet (quad) of the discovered asset.
tet2}.example.
com
ip_address dev-$ dev-b.example.com / The third octet (quad) of the discovered asset.
tet3}.example.
com

Rev. D
ip_address dev-$ dev-a.example.com / The fourth octet (quad) of the discovered asset.
tet4}.example.
com
Supported Functions
dashed ${dashed(${ip_address})}- 1-2-3-4-vm.example.com / Replaces the dot "." and colon ":"
1.2.3.4 symbols with the hyphen symbol "-".
vm.example.com
reversed ${reversed(${ip_address})}- 4.3.2.1-vm.example.com / Reverts the octets of the IP address.

1.2.3.4 IPv6 address is converted to the dotted
vm.example.com
representation.
underscored ${underscored(${ip_address})}- 1_2_3_4-vm.example.com / Replaces the dot "." and colon ":"
1.2.3.4 symbols with the underscore symbol
vm.example.com
"_".
Supported Conversion Parameters

The following table list the supported magic variables, variables, operators, and functions that you can use to build the
formula for the automatic conversion rules.
Magic Variables for Conversion Rules
Some of the functions or predicates use the following magic variables to calculate the matching results.
Name Example Description
ip_address ${ip_address} The IP address. Used in is_ipv4, is_ipv6 predicates.
mgmt_ip_address $ The management IP address. Used in is_interface predicate.

{mgmt_ip_address}
Supported Variables for Conversion Rules

This table lists all the variables you can use in the condition syntax.
Discovered by Network
Name Insight Description
ip_address Y Discovered IP address.
mac_address Y Discovered MAC address.
duid Y DUID associated with the IPv6 address.

Rev. D
netbios_name Y Discovered NetBIOS name.
os Y OS guessed by network discovery.
method Y The method being used for network discovery: FULL, ICMP,
NETBIOS, TCP, or CSV.
network_component_type Y The type of network component, such as Switch, Router, and others.
network_component_name Y The name of the network component.
network_component_description Y A descriptive string for the network component
network_component_ip Y IP Address of the network component.
network_component_port_number Y Port number on the network component on which the IP was

discovered.
network_component_port_name Y Port name on the network component on which the IP was

discovered.
network_component_vendor Y Vendor name of the network component to which the device is

connected.
network_component_model Y Model name of the network component to which the device is

connected in the vendor terminology.
network_component_port_id Y Interface ID of the connected switch/switch-router.
port_vlan_name Y Name of the VLAN on the port on the network component.
port_vlan_description Y Description of the VLAN on the port on the network component.
port_vlan_number Y Number of the VLAN on the port on the network component.
port_speed Y Speed settings on the port on the network component: 10M, 100M,
1G, 10G, 100G, or Unknown.
port_duplex Y Duplex settings on the port on the network component.
port_status Y Status of the port on the network component.
port_link_status Y Link Status of the port on the network component.
port_type Y Type of interface on the network component to which the device is

connected.

Rev. D
vswitch_segment_type N/A Type of network segment on which the current virtual machine/vport
is connected.
vswitch_tep_ip N/A IP address of the virtual tunnel endpoint (VTEP) in the virtual switch.
vswitch_tep_port_group N/A Port group of the virtual tunnel endpoint (VTEP) in the virtual switch.
vswitch_tep_vlan N/A VLAN of the virtual tunnel endpoint (VTEP) in the virtual switch.
vswitch_tep_dhcp_server N/A DHCP server of the virtual tunnel endpoint (VTEP) in the virtual
switch.
vswitch_tep_multicast N/A Multicast address of the virtual tunnel endpoint (VTEP) in the virtual
switch.
vmhost_ip_address N/A IP address of the physical node on which the virtual machine is
hosted.
vmhost_name N/A Name of the physical node on which the virtual machine is hosted.
vmhost_mac_address N/A MAC address of the physical node on which the virtual machine is
hosted.
vmhost_subnet_cidr N/A CIDR subnet of the physical node on which the virtual machine is
hosted.
vmhost_nic_names N/A List of all physical port names used by the virtual switch on the
physical node on which the virtual machine is hosted. Represented
as: eth1,eth2,eth3.
vmi_tenant_id N/A ID of the tenant to which the virtual machine belongs.
cmp_type N/A If the IP is coming from a Cloud environment, the Cloud

Management Platform type.
vmi_ip_type N/A Discovered IP address type.
vmi_ip_type N/A Discovered IP address type.
vmi_private_address N/A Private IP address of the virtual machine.
vmi_is_public_address N/A Indicates whether the IP address is a public address.
cisco_ise_ssid N/A Service Set Identifier.
cisco_ise_security_group N/A Name of the security group created in Cisco ISE.

Rev. D
open_ports Y List of opened ports on the IP address, represented as: "TCP:

21,22,23 UDP: 137,139". Limited to max total of 1000 ports.
last_discovered_timestamp Y The timestamp when this data discovered.
first_discovered_timestamp Y The timestamp when this IP was first seen by the discovery station.
discovered_name Y Name of the IP as seen by the discovery station.
discoverer Y Name of the discoverer or Grid member.
device_vendor Y Vendor name of the device.
device_type Y Type of the device in the vendor terminology.
device_model Y Model name of the device in the vendor terminology.
mgmt_ip_address Y Management IP address of the device if the device has more than
one IP.
device_port_name Y System name of the interface with which the IP associates.
device_port_type Y Hardware type of the interface with which the IP associates.
is_end_host Y Whether this object is an end host or an infrastructure device for the
purpose of discovery.
iprg_id Y Port Redundant Group ID of this device interface.
iprg_no Y Port Redundant Group no of this device interface.
iprg_type Y Type of Port Redundant Group
iprg_state Y State of this IP address in the group.
vmi_name N/A Name of the virtual machine.
vmi_id N/A ID of the virtual machine.
vlan_port_group N/A Port group to which the virtual machine belongs.
vswitch_name N/A Name of the virtual switch.
vswitch_id N/A ID of the virtual switch.

Rev. D
vswitch_type N/A Type of the virtual switch: standard or distributed: Unknown,

Standard, or Distributed
vswitch_ipv6_enabled N/A Indicates whether the virtual switch has IPV6 enabled: true or false
vport_name N/A Name of the network adapter on the virtual switch connected with the
virtual machine.
vport_mac_address N/A MAC address of the network adapter on the virtual switch to which
the virtual machine is connected.
vport_link_status N/A Link status of the network adapter on the virtual switch to which the
virtual machine is connected.
vport_conf_speed N/A Configured speed of the network adapter on the virtual switch to
which the virtual machine is connected. Unit is Kib.
vport_conf_mode N/A Configured mode of the network adapter on the virtual switch to
which the virtual machine is connected: Unknown, Full-duplex, or
Half-duplex
vport_speed N/A Actual speed of the network adapter on the virtual switch to which
the virtual machine is connected. Unit is Kib.
cisco_ise_quarantine_status N/A Quarantine status for the IPAddress as coming from Cisco ISE:
NONE or QUARANTINE
cisco_ise_endpoint_profile N/A Endpoint profile in Cisco ISE.
Supported Operators for Conversion Rules

Operators always result in boolean value: true or false. Therefore, you can use them only in logical expressions.
Nam Left Value Right Value (rvalue) Example Description

e (lvalue)
LIKE variable string (regular expression in $ Evaluates as true if the lvaluevariable matches the given
extended format) regular expression rvalue; otherwise false
{discovered_name}
like "[vV]m-
[0-9]+.devnet.org
"
== variable string ${ip_address} == Evaluates to true if the lvalue variable equals to rvalue
string literal, false otherwise
"167.45.13.29"

Rev. D
Nam Left Value Right Value (rvalue) Example Description
e (lvalue)
!= variable string ${mac_address} != Evaluates to true if the lvalue variable is not equal to
rvalue string literal, false otherwise
"00:50:56:00:00:0
1"
Supported Functions or Predicates for Conversion Rules

Predicates accept either none or one argument. Depending on the predicate, it could accept both variables and strings or
only one of them. The predicate can be compared only to boolean value: true or false.
Name Argument Type Example Description
is_interface N/A ${is_interface} == Check discovered data in an interface. It

validates the mgmt_ip_address variable.
true
is_ipv4 N/A ${is_ipv4} == true Check to see if the variable ip_address is an

IPv4 address.
is_ipv6 N/A ${is_ipv6} == false Check to see if the variable ip_address is an

IPv6 address.
is_belongs_to string $ Check to see if the ip_address variable belongs

to the given IPv4 or IPv6 network range.
{ip_belongs_to("10.0.0
.0/8")} == false
is_fqdn variable ${is_fqdn($ Check to see if the given variable is an FQDN.

{discovered_name})} ==
true
Viewing Discovered Devices and their Properties

Grid Manager provides a Devices page under Data Management for a complete list of every device that discovery finds,
and lists all unmanaged and managed devices. Here you can explore information about the discovered devices and drill
down to specific information about every device. For information, see the next section.
Listed devices can be displayed in one of three states in the Devices page:
• Devices that appear with an empty value in the Managed column are devices that are discovered, but are not
recognized by IPAM, are not part of an IPAM network, and hence cannot be changed to managed status in Grid
Manager. These discovered devices cannot be changed to managed status, but you can perform actions such as
activating and deactivating ports, executing DiscoverNow on the device, view their list of connected networks,
and other actions. Avoid changing the state of ports or taking other actions on a discovered device, unless the
action is verified by an administrator.
• Device shown in yellow table rows are unmanaged devices, but are recognized by IPAM and can be converted to
managed status. Yellow rows appear with a value of No in the Managed column. You can convert devices in
yellow table rows to managed objects under IPAM (host, fixed address, A record or PTR record).

Rev. D
• Devices shown in light grey table rows are managed devices, with a value of Yes in the Managed column.
 Note
For information about managed and unmanaged devices,
see Converting Unmanaged Devices to Managed Devices. You can also use the "Unmanaged devices
and networks" filter in global search to locate all the unmanaged devices and networks discovered
through discovery. For more information, see Using Global Search.
Also, you can view VRF-based devices and map them to network views from the Data Management → Devices tab. See
Viewing Discovered VRFs and Mapping Network Views.
Viewing the Complete List of Discovered Devices

The Data Management tab –> Devices tab provides a complete view of all discovered devices discovered by Network
Insight. The list includes routers, switches, firewalls and other security devices, wireless APs, end hosts and servers in
end-host networks. Use NIOS standard filtering to narrow down the status table to the devices or values you want to
examine.
You can see the following information in the devices table:
• IP Address: The detected management IP address (IPv4 or IPv6).
• Name: Detected name of the device. Each device name provides a link to the complete body of information
associated with the device, arranged in five tabs: Interfaces, Networks, IP Addresses, Assets and Components.
For more information, see the sections under Accessing Detailed Device Information.
• Device Type: The network device type: Router, Switch-Router, Firewall, NIOS (Infoblox appliance), vNIOS, SDN
Controller, SDN Element, LWAP, and others.
• Model: The model name as detected by the device during discovery.
• Serial Number: The serial number of the discovered device.
• Vendor: The equipment manufacturer (Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, F5, and others).
• Device Version: The Operating System version for the network device.
• Chassis S/N: The chassis serial number of the discovered device.
• Location: The physical location of the network device as detected by the device during discovery.
• Description: Verbose description of the network device as collected from the device by discovery.
• Discover Now: Indicates when the device is undergoing a current discovery process. A "Pending" icon appears in
this column to indicate the status.
• Managed: Indicates the status of the device in Grid Manager. A blank value in this field indicates the device has
been discovered but is not recognized in IPAM; a No value indicates the device is recognized by IPAM but is not
managed under Grid Manager; and a Yes value indicates that the device is fully managed by Grid Manager from
use of the Convert command and can support related features such as port reservations and IPAM/DHCP object
assignments.
• Active Users: The number of active users on the Active Directory domain for the selected IP address.
For each listed device, the Action icon provides the following options depending on the device type and its status:
• Show IPAM IP Address: Shows the management IP address for the device that has a network in IPAM–the
main IPAM tab appears, showing details for the IP address. This option is greyed out for devices that have a
management IP that is not part of an IPAM network.
• Edit: Displays the Device Properties Editor window. Alternatively, you can select the device and click the Edit icon
above the devices table. For more information, see Editing Device Properties.
• Interfaces: A direct link to the Interfaces page for the chosen device. Unmanaged devices may have managed
interfaces that appear in this page, and managed devices may have unmanaged interfaces that appear here. For
more information, see Viewing Interface Information for Discovered Devices.
• Discover Now: Immediately performs discovery on the selected device.
• Convert: For devices in unmanaged status (shown in yellow), allows conversion of the device to a managed
object in Grid Manager: a host, fixed address, A record or PTR record. For more information,
see Converting Unmanaged Devices to Managed Devices.
• IPAM Networks: A drop-down list of all IPv4/IPv6 IPAM networks currently provisioned on the device. Each
network provides a link to the IP Map page for the selected network.

Rev. D
• Device Details: A basic list of information about the chosen device, including the IP address by which the device
is discovered, operational status, IPAM Type (whether the device is managed or unmanaged), the Device Type
and the number of Interfaces.
• Click Device Support to verify data collection activities in the following tabs:
• Data Collection: You can view the timestamp at which the most recent collection from various data
sources was completed. The sources from which device support information is collected are listed under
the Data Source column, and it includes the device’s routing table (ipRouteTable), environment monitoring
(DeviceEnvMon), and numerous other data sources as applicable to the specific device type. It displays
the following information for each discovered device:
• Data Source: The sources from which the device support information was collected.
• End Time: The most recent timestamp of the data collected by the discovery member.
• Device Support: Lists various types of information supported for collection on the current device. You can
view the following details for each discovered device:
• Function: Data function that can be collected by Network Insight. The value can be Device
Vendor, Device Model, Device Version, VLANs, Forwarding, VRFs, Inventory, and SecurityControl.
• Supported: Indicates whether this data function is supported for the selected device. The value
can be Yes or No. If it is No, Network Insight will not attempt to gather the data. For instance, for a
Cisco router, Network Insight does not attempt to gather VLAN information, so a No value will be
displayed in the Supported column.
• Available: Reflects whether the data has actually been collected. The value can be Yes or No. A
value of Yes for Supported and No for Available indicates a discovery misconfiguration or could
possibly require an adjustment to the Device Support Bundle (DSB) for that particular device
model.
• Value: Displays the value collected for the Device Vendor, Device Model, and Device Version data
functions. Displays Last Collected time for the VLANs, Forwarding, VRFs, Inventory,
and Security Control data functions.
• Show Active Users: Displays the Active Users dialog box. You can view all the active users on the Active
Directory domain for the selected device. For more information, see Viewing Active Network Users .
Click Discovery Status in the Toolbar to view the same list of network devices showing the discovery data set. You can
sort the table by Name or IP address. Use Grid Manager-standard filtering to display device names, IP addresses or
other values in which you are interested.
Editing Device Properties

In the Device Properties Editor, you can change the management IP address and settings for interfaces of the selected
device, apply extensible attributes, or apply administrative permissions for Grid Manager admin access to the device.
To edit properties of a device:
1. In the Data Management → Devices tab, click the Action icon for the required device or select the device and
click the Edit icon above the table.
2. In the General tab, edit the following general device properties:
• Name: The discovered device name, such as SPINE, LEAF, switch1.building2.com, or office1router.
• Management IP address: This IP address is used for the device to be discovered by the discovery
member. If the device has more than one IP address that can be used as the management IP, you can
manually select the required address from the list of those discovered on the device.
If more than one network view is used in the discovery, the name of the corresponding network view is
displayed next to the IP address.
 Note
Changing of management IP address may take some time.
• Managed: Indicates whether this device is managed or unmanaged in NIOS.

• Device Type: Indicates the device type: Router, Switch-Router, Firewall, NIOS (Infoblox appliance),
vNIOS, SDN Controller, SDN Element, and others.
• Description: Description of the network device as collected from the device by discovery.
• Model: The device model.
• Vendor: The vendor of network device. For example, Cisco, Juniper, Aruba, Dell, Infoblox, or HP.

Rev. D
• Device Version: The OS version of the device.
• Location: Displays the physical location of the device as detected during discovery.
• Discover Now: Displays the status of the Discovery Now operation of the device.
• Object Type: The object type.
3. In the Interfaces tab, edit the followng basic port settings:
• Admin Status
• Description
• Data VLAN
• Voice VLAN
4. In the Extensible Attributes tab, add any attributes that are necessary for the device.
5. In the Permissions tab, edit administrative permissions for the device:
a. Click the Add icon. Grid Manager displays the Admin Group/Role Selector dialog box.
b. In the Admin Group/Role Selector dialog box, select the admin group you want to add, and then click the
Select icon.
c. Select the permission for the group.
d. Select an object to which the permission applies from the drop-down list in the Resources column.
 Note
Administrators can access discovered and managed devices in Grid Manager. For tasks such as
provisioning networks, adding administrative permissions is advised to ensure that unauthorized
changes to device configurations cannot take place. For example, you can use accounts with
the Port Control permission to control and manage network provisioning tasks.
6. Click Verify where applicable, for example, in the interfaces settings.

Viewing Discovered VRFs and Mapping Network Views

To view VRF instances (or VRFs) and map corresponding network views, do the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the Devices tab, and then click VRF Mapping from the Toolbar.
2. The VRF Mapping dialog appears and displays the following:
• VRF Name: The name of the VRF on the hosting device, which typically contains the interface name and
its VRF route distinguisher.
• Device Name: The discovered name of the device that is hosting the VRF.
• Device IP Address: The IP address of the managed VRF hosting device.
• Network View: The network view that is associated with the VRF. You can click this field and select a
different network view from the drop-down list.
• To assign the same network view to multiple VRFs, select the checkboxes of the VRFs, and then click the Edit
icon. The VRF Mapping dialog displays the Edit VRF Network View panel. From the Network View drop-down list,
select the network view you want to assign to all the selected VRFs, and then click Save. If there is only one
network view in the Grid, which is the default view, the Network View column is hidden by default.
• You can use filters to narrow down the list. You can filter the list based on the VRF name, Device name, Device IP
address, and network view. For more information, see Using Filters.
• You can sort the data in ascending or descending order by column.
 Note
The appliance displays a warning message when there are discovered VRFs that are not mapped to
network views. To ensure that discovered VRFs are mapped to network views, you can configure
automatic VRF mapping, as described in Configuring Automatic VRF Mapping.

Rev. D
Accessing Detailed Device Information
Clicking on any device's name in the Name column, you open a set of tabs revealing information about the selected
device:
• The Interfaces tab (see Viewing Interface Information for Discovered Devices below)
• The Networks tab (see Viewing Networks Associated with Discovered Devices)
• The IP Addresses tab (see Viewing IP Addresses Associated with Discovered Devices )
• The Assets tab (see Viewing Assets Associated with Discovered Devices)
• The Components tab (see Viewing Components of Discovered and Managed Devices)
Viewing Interface Information for Discovered Devices

This panel lists all discovered interfaces associated with the selected device. Interfaces are detected whether they are
loopbacks, unnumbered, or numbered with one or more IP addresses. Interfaces may be listed for either managed or
unmanaged devices.
1. From the Data Management tab, select the Devices tab. The Devices Home page displays a list of all devices
currently found and catalogued by discovery.
2. Click the Action icon for a chosen device and choose Interfaces from the drop-down menu, or simply click the
device name to display the Interfaces list. Click Devices Home to return to the main Devices page.
This panel displays the following information for each interface. Note that some data may appear for some device
types and not for others.
• Name: The name of the interface (usually a switched interface) associated with the discovered device.
• Reservation: Indicates whether the port has been reserved by NIOS as part of a Port Control operation.
• IP Address: Detected IPv4 or IPv6 address of the interface.
• VRF Name: The name of the VRF associated with the interface, if applicable.
• Network View: The name of the network view to which the VRF instance belongs, if applicable. If there is
only one network view in the Grid, which is the default view, the Network View column is hidden by
default.
• VRF Description: The description about the VRF instance, if applicable.
• VRF RD: The route distinguisher associated with the VRF instance, if applicable.
• MAC Address: The hardware address associated with the interface.
• Description: Port description associated with the interface, such as ge-0/0/5 or FastEthernet0/13.
• VLAN ID/VLAN Name: The data VLAN identifier and VLAN name that is bound to the interface, if
applicable.
• Port Speed: Interface speed, in Mbps.
• Port Type: Type of interface as detected by NIOS Discovery. Examples include ethernet-csmacd,
propPointToPoint Serial, l2vlan, tunnel, and others.
• Admin Status: Shows whether the interface is administratively Up or administratively Down.
• Operating Status: Shows whether the interface is operationally Up or operationally Down.
• Trunk Status: Where applicable, shows the trunking status of the interface.
• Link Aggregation: Shows if the interface is part of a Link Aggregation Group, also known as port channel.
• Aggregated Interface: Shows the port channel name, if the interface is part of a port channel or virtual port
channel.
• vPC Peer: This field is applicable to Cisco devices with virtual port channel. It shows the name of the
second aggregated interface of the port channel. The aggregated interface and vPC peer values are
identical as aggregated interfaces on a vPC device must have identical names. Clicking the link in the
vPC Peer column takes you to the Interfaces tab of the device to which the peer interface belongs. Also
see IP List Neighbor Information for vPC data displayed in the Attached Device Port Name field for an end
device.
• Status: Shows whether the interface is Used or Unused.
• IPAM Type: The object type that is associated with the IP address for the interface. Possible values can
be Lease, IPv4 DHCP Range or Fixed Address.
• Usage: Indicates whether NIOS has configured the IP address for DNS or DHCP.
• Managed: Shows whether the interface is managed under IPAM, by being associated with a managed
IPAM object such as a Fixed Address. Check the IPAM Type field for related information.

Rev. D
• Reservation: Indicates whether the interface has a port reservation bound to it. For information,
see Creating Port Reservations for IPAM Objects.
• Capabilities: Describes the capabilities of each interface in the selected device. Hover the mouse over
each entry to view the complete listing. For information, see Determining Interface Capabilities.
• Site: This is a predefined extensible attribute.
You can also click the Action icon next to an interface name and select one of the following to perform the specified
task:
• Edit: This option is enabled if the network is in managed state. This opens the network editor.
• Show Assets: This option is only available for switched Ethernet interfaces with no IP Address. This opens the
Assets page for the selected device, and shows a list of end host devices or neighboring linked to the interface.
Network Insight filters the asset list for the device by the interface name.
• Show Multiple IP Addresses: Opens the IP Addresses page specifically for the interface, listing all IPv4 and IPv6
addresses associated with the interface. This option appears only if the interface has IP addresses.
• Convert: Convert a network in the unmanaged state to be managed under IPAM and (optionally) DHCP. Unlike
devices and interfaces, you do not assign objects such as fixed addresses or PTR records to a managed
network. Conversion enables a network to be fully manageable under IPAM and DHCP. For more information,
see Converting Unmanaged Networks to Managed Status.
• IPAM Networks: Choosing this option lists all IPAM networks associated with the current interface.
• Device Details: A basic list of information about the chosen device, including the IP address by which the device
is discovered, operational status, IPAM Type (whether the device is Managed or Unmanaged), the Device Type
and the number of Interfaces.
from a drop-down list. Click Save to save the changes or click Cancel to exit. Note that some fields are read only.
You can modify the following fields in this table: VLAN ID/VLAN Name, Admin Status and Description.
• Select an interface checkbox and click the Edit icon to manage device properties.
• Click the Export icon to export the list of discovered devices to a .csv file.
• Click the Print icon to print the list of discovered devices.
first few characters of a device name in the Go to field and select the device from the possible matches.
• Create a quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria.
Determining Interface Capabilities

One key piece of information that Network Insight compiles from discovery involves an assessment of interface
capabilities. The Interfaces table provides a hidden column titled Capabilities with a description of the relevant
capabilities of each interface in the discovered device.
2. Click the Action icon for a chosen device and choose Interfaces from the popup menu.
3. Click the right end of a column header and choose Columns –> Edit Columns from the drop-down menu.
4. Select the Capabilities checkbox and click Apply.
The text listing for the Capabilities field may be too long to display in the Interfaces table. Hover the mouse over any table
row to display the complete entry for the Capabilities field:
Capabilities information for the selected interface

Rev. D
Critical values in the Capabilities field include the following:
• Provision IPv4 Network – Yes or No
• Provision IPv6 Network – Yes or No
• De-Provision IPv4 Network – Yes or No
• De-Provision IPv6 Network – Yes or No
• Interface has no IP Address – Appears only if no IP address is defined for the interface
• Edit Data VLAN – Yes or No
• Edit Voice VLAN – Yes or No
• Edit Admin Status – Yes or No
• Edit Description – Yes or No
The values you see in this field provide notification when you are unable to set certain values for any interface. When
discovery queries devices for their device type, OS version support and other factors, Network Insight compiles the
information into table formats that help you to determine issues or exceptions in the network.
For example, loopback interfaces are "always up" and hence do not support an Admin Status configuration and show
Edit Admin Status = No. If an interface does not have an IP address, it cannot be de-provisioned and hence shows a De-
provision Network = No. That same device may not support IP addresses or VLANs because it is only a L2 Ethernet
switch, and shows Edit VLAN = No and Provision IPv4 Network = No, among others.
If a device shows a Provision IPv4 Network = Yes and Provision IPv6 Network = No, it indicates that the device supports
only IPv4, perhaps due to OS software version.
Other cases may involve the following reasons:
• Edit Admin Status = No:
• Device not supported
• Vendor not supported
• Model not supported
• Port does not support Admin settings (Loopback, Virtual)
• Edit VLAN = No:
• Device type not supported for VLAN assignment (Router, L2 switch)
• model not supported
• Edit Voice VLAN = No:
• Vendor not supported (Cisco is the only supported device type)
• Device not licensed
• Provision IPv4 Network=No/Provision IPv6 Network=No:
• Vendor not supported for network provisioning
• De-Provision IPv4 Network=No/De-Provision IPv6 Network=No:
• Vendor not supported for network provisioning
• Device type not supported for network provisioning (Router)
• Edit Description=No

Rev. D
Viewing Networks Associated with Discovered Devices

To view all discovered networks associated with the selected device, complete the following:
2. Click the device name.
Grid Manager displays all networks to which the chosen device connects. You see the following types of networks
based on their managed or unmanaged status:
• Unmanaged: These networks are displayed in yellow rows with the value of No in the Managed
column. Shows that the network is not managed under IPAM, but enough network information is
catalogued so that the network can be converted to managed status. You can provision these networks
onto devices.
• Managed: These networks are displayed in white rows with the value of Yes in
the Managed column. These networks are currently managed under IPAM, converted to an IPAM network.
You can provision and de-provision managed networks.
• The so called "non-NIOS networks": These networks are displayed in grey rows with a blank value in the
Managed column. Indicates that the network is discovered but available network information is not
sufficient to identify and catalog the network in IPAM at the present time. If you encounter such networks
and you want them to appear in IPAM, do the following:
• Check the admin or operation status of the corresponding interface. It should not be disconnected
physically or disabled by administrator.
• Ensure that the prefix length for the network is other than /32 (ipv4) or /128 (ipv6). Network Insight
treats named prefixes as a route to a specific device rather than a subnet, therefore it does not
create such network in IPAM.
• Ensure that the route for this interface is configured correctly.
• Check that the route is a direct or local one based on the routing table and is not learned from a
remote source via BGP, OSPF and so on (i.e., indirect next hop), nor comes from a static route
using the netmgmt protocol.
• If the network is within a VRF, ensure that the VRF is mapped to the correct network view. VRF
mapping is required in this case for the network to appear in IPAM. After the VRF is correctly
mapped, the network turns from non-NIOS to unmanaged, or managed if the network is already
present in IPAM.
Grid Manager displays the following information for each network found on the selected device, if applicable:
• Network: The network IPv4 or IPv6 address.
• Network View: The name of the network view to which the VRF instance belongs, if applicable. If there is only one
network view in the Grid, which is the default view, the Network View column is hidden by default.
• Comment: Any information entered by admins about the network.
• Managed: Shows values of Yes or No for managed status.
Using the Action icon , you can perform the following tasks in the Networks page:
• Show IPAM Network: Opens the IPAM IP MAP that illustrates the IP states for all IPs in the network.
• De-provision Network: Available for managed networks that are provisioned and active on a device. Allows you to
de-provision (delete) the selected IPAM network from all devices connected to the selected network. See
Provisioning and De-Provisioning Networks.
• Edit: Opens the network editor for the selected network. This option is enabled if the network is in managed
status.
• Delete: Select Delete to delete the network now or select Schedule Deletion to schedule the deletion at a later
time. Note that the deletion function allows you to de-provision the actual network from the device. By default,
when you choose Delete or Scheduled Delete, the network is de-provisioned from all interfaces listed in the
panel. Exercise caution when using this feature!

Rev. D
• Extensible Attributes: Provides access to the extensible attribute settings for the selected network.
• Permissions: Provides access to admin permissions settings for the selected network. This option is enabled if
the network is in managed status.
• Convert: Converts unmanaged network to a managed network in NIOS. All discovered networks on each device
are automatically listed as Unmanaged after a discovery. This means that the discovered network, though visible,
does not have its identities resolved by NIOS, nor are its IP address managed through IPAM or leased through
DHCP. After converting the unmanaged network to managed status, Grid Manager uses the discovered router IP
address to populate the same value under subsequent DHCP configurations for the network. You can also select
an unmanaged network and convert it to managed status by clicking Convert from the Toolbar.
• Device Details: Provides information about the device to which the selected network belongs. The list includes
information such as the IP Address and Device Type for the device, and in the IPAM Type field whether the
device itself is a managed or unmanaged object in NIOS. It also provides the following status counters for the
device:
• Administrative Up - Operational Up: The number of ports that are fully up and passing traffic
• Administrative Up - Operations Down: The number of ports that are administratively up, but have some
kind of connectivity issues.
• Administrative Down - Operational Down: The number of ports that are administratively taken down.
The horizontal navigation bar and the Toolbar also provide the following functions:
• Provision Network : Available for managed networks and for unmanaged networks that are recognized by
IPAM. For information, see Provisioning and De-Provisioning Networks. Clicking this icon opens the Provision
Network feature, allowing you to provision the network onto the actual device by selecting a device interface, and
enabling DHCP Forwarding and/or assigning a VLAN. Grid Manager creates a new port control task under Task
Manager, and you can choose the interface on which the network is provisioned, along with VLAN configuration
and other settings.
• De-Provision Network : Available for discovered networks that are not visible under IPAM. A dialog box
appears summarizing the task.
• Show Active Users: For Microsoft Management only. Displays the Active Users dialog box. You can view all the
active users on the Active Directory domain for the selected device. For more information, see Viewing Active
Network Users.
Modifying Networks
Grid Manager enables the user to edit select DHCP configurations, including the following:
IPv4 DHCP Options/IPv6 DHCP Options: DHCP options provide specific configuration and service information to DHCP
clients. For more information, see About IPv4 DHCP Options.
DHCP Forwarding: Enables routers connecting multiple networks to act as a silent DHCP relay and forward DHCP
packets between them. The DHCP Forwarding page lists the interfaces on the currently selected network on which
DHCP Forwarding is enabled. If more than one device on the selected network also enables DHCP Forwarding, they
also appear here. DHCP Forwarding configuration involves simply enabling or disabling the service for a network
endpoint on the device. In order for DHCP forwarding to work, you must restart the DHCP service on the Grid member
that is serving the network; If you run DHCP service on both LAN1 and LAN2 of the Grid member, then both addresses
are written to the device.
2. Click the Name link for the device you want to inspect.
4. Click the Action icon for a network in the table, and choose Edit. This feature is enabled only for networks that
are managed under IPAM.
5. Click the DHCP Forwarding tab.
6. Select the checkbox for any listed instance and do the following if necessary:
• Click Configure. Grid Manager queries you to confirm that DHCP Forwarding are configured on the
selected network (A task will be created to configure DHCP forwarding for this network on these devices:
<device_name>. You can view the execution log for the task in the Task Manager to see the results).
• Click Delete to remove the selected DHCP Forwarding instance from the network.
DHCP Forwarding confirmations

Rev. D
1. Click Yes to confirm the activating or deletion of DHCP forwarding on the selection, or No to reject the change.
Viewing IP Addresses Associated with Discovered Devices

You can view the complete list of discovered IP addresses bound to all interfaces for any device, discovered and
managed devices alike.
 Note
One useful trick for interfaces is to pick out an interface from the Interfaces page that has multiple IPs and open
the IPAddresses tab; or sort the IP addresses table by its IPAddress column, and locate the interface name that
bears multiple IPs. Frequently, an interface with multiple addresses can have IPv4 and IPv6 addresses bound
to it. Loopbacks are another example.
3. Click the IP Addresses tab. Grid Manager displays all IP addresses associated with the chosen device. Grid
Manager displays the following information for each IP address:
• IP Address: The IP address for each discovered interface as managed by NIOS and IPAM. The table
supports IPv4 and IPv6 values. Each IP address is a link to the home IPAM page for the interface. If an IP
address does appear but is not a link, this indicates the discovered IP is not recognized under IPAM.
default.
• Interface Name: The name of the interface (usually a switched interface) associated with the discovered
device.
• MAC Address: The hardware MAC address associated with the interface.
• VLAN Name/VLAN ID: The data VLAN name and VLAN identifier to which the interface is
bound, if applicable. In most cases, you see both the VLAN name and the VLAN ID as two
values in the same field. Multiple VLAN entries may be present for an interface or IP
Address.Some interfaces may have a large number of associated VLANs. By default,
Network Insight does not automatically show all of them, instead providing a Show all... link
for reference within the table cell. All VLAN ID/VLAN name values appear within the table cell, with a Hide... link
provided to shorted the list back to original length.
• AdminStatus: Lists whether the interface is administratively Up or administratively Down.

Rev. D
• OperationStatus: The operational status of the interface (operationally Up or operationally Down).
• Managed: Indicates whether or not the IP Address is managed by Grid Manager. If the IP address is unmanaged,
you will be able to Convert the IP address to an Object that is managed by Grid Manager.
• Site: This is a predefined extensible attribute. Extensible attributes may also appear in this table.
• Click the IP Address link for any interface to open the Related Objects page for the chosen port.
Click the Action icon next to an IP address and select one of the following to perform the specified task. Note
that some of these actions are not applicable to the IP address.
• Edit Interface: Opens the interface general settings page. You can view and modify basic interface settings such
as Admin Status (on the General page), Data VLAN and Voice VLAN (on the VLAN page), and add or modify
extensible attributes.
• Convert: Depending on the address type and its IPAM status, you may be able to convert the selected IP to a
Host Record, A Record, PTR Record or a Fixed Address. Otherwise, Grid Manager shows This object cannot be
converted. You can also perform the same action by selecting an IP address checkbox and clicking Convert from
the Toolbar.
• Device Details: Provides information about the device to which the selected IP address belongs. The list includes
device:
• Total Available Interfaces: The total number of interfaces associated with the device.
Viewing Router Redundancy Information

Some discovered devices may support router redundancy. After discovery, some IP addresses are indicated as a VIP
(virtual IP) in the device's IP Addresses page with router redundancy. In the IP List page, Router Redundancy in the
Action icon menu lists the IP addresses associated with the VIP. For each IP, there are various menu items as shown in
the below figure.
Virtual IPs and discovered redundancy information
• Active: lists the active interface in the redundancy pair;

• VIP: The Virtual IP for the router redundancy pair;
• Standby: The standby IP interface for the router redundancy.
Discovery of all three IP components of the Router Redundancy instance also provides related information for all three IP
entities:
• Show IPAM Address: opens the IPAM page to the listed IP address;
• VIP: Opens the virtual interface in the host device's Interfaces page;
• Device name: The third item lists the device name of the router for each of the three IP address entities
comprising the redundancy instance. The currently active router is identified with the Active and VIP objects; the
second Standby router is identified with the Standby IP address.

Rev. D
Viewing Assets Associated with Discovered Devices
During discovery, Network Insight classifies end hosts and any other devices connected to switchport interfaces as
"Assets" directly associated with each discovered interface. On the device level, the Assets page shows all network
devices reachable by the selected network device, including switchports supporting end hosts. In practice, most Asset
tables show end hosts and devices that populate Ethernet network segments.
The Assets table lists all managed end hosts and application servers detected through discovery and identity resolution
by Grid Manager, that are connected to each network infrastructure device. The records listed in this table date from the
Last Seen discovery time stamp of each end host or other device. In many cases, you see neighbor devices to the
current device appearing on this page.
To view assets associated with discovered devices:
3. Click the Assets tab. Grid Manager displays all assets associated with the chosen device.
 Note
The list of assets at this level may include devices that are trunked to the current device, including end-
user host computers or routers and switch-routers neighboring the currently selected device.
Grid Manager displays the following information for each asset:

• Name: The asset name on the network as discovered by Grid Manager. If the name is that for another
infrastructure device, you may click on it to see its associated assets.
• Interface Name: The name of the interface (usually a switched interface) associated with the discovered
device.
default.
• IP Address: The IP Address for each discovered asset as managed by NIOS and IPAM. The IP address is
a link to the home IPAM page for the interface.
• Type: The type of device. Infrastructure devices such as routers and switches may also be categorized as
an Asset.
• Username: The User Name for the asset, as defined from the host's DHCP lease.
• Asset MAC Address: The hardware MAC address associated with the asset.
• VLAN Name/VLAN ID: The VLAN identifier from which the asset is reachable.
• Admin Status: The administrative status (Up or Down) of the management port that identifies the asset
device.
• Operation Status: Normally reads Up or Down. Asset records may appear as Down because they are
disconnected from the network or being rebooted.
• Managed: Indicates whether the asset is managed by NIOS.
• Reservation: Indicates whether the interface has a port reservation bound to it.
• Capabilities: Describes the capabilities of each interface in the selected device. Hover the mouse over
each entry to view the complete listing.
• Site: This is a predefined extensible attribute.
Using the Action icon , you can perform the following tasks in the IP Addresses page:
• Edit IPAM Object: For managed objects, this opens the editor for the object so you can modify its properties.
• Edit Interface: Opens the interface general settings page. You can view and modify basic interface settings such
as Admin Status (on the General page), Data VLAN and Voice VLAN (on the VLAN page), and add or modify
extensible attributes.

Rev. D
• Show IPAM IP Address: Shows discovered data, related objects, and audit history of the selected asset. This
option is disabled for devices that have a management IP that is not part of an IPAM network. Discovered data
may or may not appear for the asset, depending on the device type.
• Convert: Depending on the asset type and its IPAM status, you may be able to convert the selected asset to a
Host Record, A Record, PTR Record or a Fixed Address. Otherwise, Grid Manager shows This object cannot be
converted. You can also perform the same action by selecting an IP address checkbox and clicking Convert from
the Toolbar.
• Device Details: Provides information about the device to which the selected IP address belongs. The list includes
device:
• Total Available Interfaces: The total number of interfaces associated with the device.
Viewing Assets Associated with an Interface

You can narrow down an Asset list to individual interfaces on any managed network device. On the interface level, the
Assets page shows all devices associated with the chosen interface, including switchports supporting many end hosts. In
practice, most Asset tables show end hosts and devices that populate Ethernet network segments.
2. Click the Name link for the device you want to inspect.
3. Click the Action icon for an interface in the table, and choose Show Assets. (Applies only to switched
interfaces that do not have an IP address.)
Values listed in the Assets table include the following:
• Name: The asset's name on the network as discovered by Grid Manager. If the Name is that for another
infrastructure device, you may click on it to see its associated Assets.
• Interface Name: The name of the interface (typically a switched interface) associated with the asset (by which the
asset was discovered).
• IP Address: The IP Address for each discovered end host as managed by IPAM. The IP address is a link to the
home IPAM page for the interface.
• MAC Address: The hardware MAC address associated with the asset.
• VLAN ID/VLAN Name: The VLAN identifier from which the asset is reachable.
• Operation Status: Normally reads Up or Down. Asset records may appear as Down because they are
disconnected from the network or being rebooted.
In the Interfaces page, if you select an interface for a switch that is only connected to a neighboring switch, router, or
switch-router, and then choose Show Assets, the Assets page displays only the neighboring device that is reachable
from the chosen port.
Viewing Components of Discovered and Managed Devices

Network Insight provides a table of hardware components for each discovered/managed network device. Elements listed
in the Components table include the following:
• Name: The discovered name of the device component.
• Description: The description string associated with the component. In many cases, this value is the same as the
Name field.
• Class: Type of component. Possible values include, but are not limited to, Port, Power Supply, Fan, Module,
Stack, RoutingEngine, powerEntryModule, Chassis, and more, based upon the collected SNMP data.
• Serial Number: The discovered vendor serial number for the component.

Rev. D
• Model: Describes the model number or model name of the component, based upon collected SNMP data.
 Note
To view information about the device, including its IPAM Type and the operating status of its ports, click
the Action icon for a chosen device and choose Device Details in the drop-down menu.
Viewing Discovery Status
 Note
Opening Discovery Status for viewing requires Superuser permissions under Grid Manager.
You can view the complete discovery status of all devices or of selected devices.
To isolate devices for evaluation, use filtering to reduce the list. Click Use Filter at the top of the table and choose IP
Address, Name, or Overall Status as the filter.
To view the discovery status, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM or Devices tab.
2. In the Toolbar, click Discovery Status. The Discovery Status table is displayed.
The Discovery Status table lists detailed information about network devices and end hosts discovered through all
methods, including SNMP, ICMP ping sweeps, and other processes. It includes:
• IP Address: the IPv4 or IPv6 address of the discovered device. You can filter the table by this value.
• Name: The name of the discovered device as reported through SNMP. You can filter the table by this value.
• Type: The discovered device type. Examples include Router, NIOS, Switch-Router, Firewall, Load Balancer,
LWAP, and numerous others.
• Overall Status: Indicates the overall success or failure of the discovery task on the device. Hover the mouse over
the device to see more detailed information about the discovery status, including the timestamp of the last
discovery event, confirmation of detection ("Device Exists"), and the means of detection, which are usually
methods such as SNMP, reading the ARP table or location through a Seed router. You can filter the table by this
value.
• Reached Status: Indicates the reachability of the discovered device. Typically, devices are reported Passed for
Reached Status if they are reachable through SNMP, a path trace through ICMP, or UDP-based path tracing for
an IPv6 address.
You may see a Reached Status of Passed and still receive an Overall Status of Failed. This often occurs because
either the CLI credentials or SNMP credentials provided for discovering the device do not work, or another
problem occurs in some part of the discovery process.
• SNMP Collection Enabled: Indicates whether the managed device allows SNMP as a management protocol. This
value shows Yes or No. You do not see any SNMP collection status updates if this value shows No.
• SNMP Credential Status: Indicates whether the correct SNMP credential is used by discovery. Usually shows
simple Passed or Failed status. Passing the mouse over the Failed status reading for this column shows the
location in the SNMP data collection where information gathering failed. The typical message for a failure of this
type shows Failure to Authenticate, which simply means that the correct SNMP credentials have not been
provided for either SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, or SNMPv3 as required and defined for the device's discovery
configuration. The tooltip also displays the name of the credential group that was used to guess credentials for
the device.
If SNMP Credential Status shows Failed, you do not see a value under SNMP Collection Status, because that is
dependent on successful credential authentication. Should you succeed in SNMP Credential Authentication for a
device, this value shows Passed.
• SNMP Collection Status: Indicates whether managed device information has been successfully collected from the
device. If the current device shows an SNMP Credential Status of Failed, this field remains blank. Should you
succeed in SNMP Credential Authentication, SNMP Collection Status may or may not show a Passed outcome. If
the final outcome is successful, passing the mouse over the table value shows the SNMP data set that was

Rev. D
successfully collected from the device. When the SNMP Collection Status is set to Passed, it indicates that the
credentials provided in Member Discovery Properties for discovering the device are correct and discovery has
been completed successfully on the device. For more information, see Defining the Discovery Member Type.
• CLI Credential Status: Reports the basic success state of CLI credential usage for device discovery. When you
see a Failed status in this column, hover the mouse over the table value. Details related to failed CLI credentials
normally relate to "Failed to Authenticate" events. (For more information, see the following subsection Analyzing
Discovery Status.) If you define device discovery requirements to use both SNMP and CLI, and you receive
complete SNMP discovery information but fail to authenticate for CLI, the Overall Status for the device remains as
Failed. The tooltip also displays the name of the credential group that was used to guess credentials for the
device.
• CLI Collection Enabled: indicates the CLI collection configuration state for the discovered or managed device.
Possible values are Yes (CLI collection is enabled) or No (CLI collection is disabled for the device).
• Fingerprint Status: Shows the status of discovery of the device's OS through fingerprinting.
• Last Update: Timestamp showing the conclusion of the last data update for the current device.
• First Seen: Timestamp showing the initial discovery event.
• Last Seen: The date and time when the device was last successfully polled by discovery.
• Last Action: The last action performed by discovery upon the device after the discovery took place. Hover the
mouse over this field to obtain details.
Visible columns can be changed in the Discovery Status window. At the top of any column header, click the down arrow
tool, and choose Columns –> Edit Columns.
Analyzing Discovery Status

When you see the Failed status for a device under Overall Status, the problem usually relates to issues in discovery data
collection. When Overall Status shows a value of Passed, it indicates that everything has passed for the device. If the
value is Failed, it indicates that one or more elements of the device have failed discovery. Your discovery settings have a
great deal to do with what you see in the respective Status columns. You key on the Overall Status result and read
columns to the right to narrow down possible causes. To start, you typically see three basic discovery credential
configurations for network devices:
• SNMP credentials and no CLI credentials;
• SNMP credentials and CLI credentials;
• No SNMP credentials, CLI credentials only.
Begin by considering SNMP-only device discovery configurations. In the table, Overall Status shows only a simple Failed
message with no detail. Go to the next data column, which is Reached Status. If the device proves reachable, this value
shows Passed, indicating that discovery can successfully reach and query the device. If Reached Status shows Failed,
this is the first and most fundamental problem, that the device cannot be Pinged or contacted in any way across the
network.
As an example, assume a Reached Status value of Passed. If the device is reachable, discovery can successfully
attempt SNMP or CLI communication to the device. Beginning with SNMP, and assuming that SNMP collection is
enabled, select the SNMP Credential Status counter. If it shows Failed, that normally indicates a Failure to Authenticate,
which can be shown as a tooltip by hovering the mouse over the table field:
A successful authentication also shows which protocol was used for SNMP authentication; SNMPv1, SNMPv2c or
SNMPv3. This does not guarantee successful data collection through SNMP, however.
The SNMP Collection Status counter shows possible Passed and Failed values. Hovering the mouse over a Failed value

Rev. D
in this column shows a tooltip reporting the set of data that discovery could not collect through SNMP. When discovery
encounters an error during collection of a specific data set (Forwarding table, or System identification data, for example),
data collection stops and issues an error message and an SNMP trap, which is reported and also appears in the tooltip. If
SNMP Collection Status shows a value of Passed, and discovery does not use CLI data collection on the device,
discovery has successfully completed on the device.
The CLI Credential Status counter also reports either Passed or Failed results, and uses tooltips to tell the user what is
going on in more detail.
CLI credentials failure messages are straightforward and can be tested by verifying login tuples or Enable passwords
from the credential sets defined in discovery configuration.
If you receive a CLI Credential Status value of Passed, the correct command-line admin login information is specified in
the discovery configuration.
For more information about checking and diagnosing discovery behavior for devices listed in the status table, see the
following topic Executing Discovery Diagnostics.
Executing Discovery Diagnostics

You can execute a discovery diagnostic to help determine why a specific device is presenting difficulties in discovery. For
example, a given device may be reachable but show an overall status of Failed in the Discovery Status dialog. A
discovery diagnostic steps through a complete discovery process based on the configuration on the Probe member to
which the device is assigned. The diagnostic runs the gamut from fetching SNMP object ID information to ARP table
reading and to ICMP pings and traceroutes.
You can do the following in the Discovery Diagnostics dialog:
• View all existing discovery diagnostic tasks that were executed in the last 12 hours.
• Enable or disable SNMP debugging for a device. The SNMP debugging is enabled by default.
Note that you must be a superuser to perform a discovery diagnostic. To execute a discovery diagnostic, complete the
following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab, and then click Discovery Diagnostics from the Toolbar.
2. In the Discovery Diagnostic editor, complete the following:
• Existing Discovery Diagnostic Task: Select this option to choose an existing discovery task from the Task ID drop-
down list. The appliance displays all the discovery diagnostic tasks that were executed in the last 12 hours.
• New Discovery Diagnostic Task: Select this option to initiate a new discovery diagnostic. To start a new discovery
diagnostic task, complete the following:
• Discovery Member: Make sure that you select a discovery member for an IP address that does not exist in
any network (in the IPAM tab) or excluded from discovery. Click Select to select a discovery member. You
can click Clear to remove the discovery member
• IP address: Enter the IPv4 or IPv6 address of the device on which you want to perform the test. The
discovery diagnostic runs a full discovery procedure against the specified IP address. Ensure that you
select the respective network view in which this IP address resides.
• NetworkView: If you have multiple network views, select the network view in which the IP address resides
from the drop-down list. If you have only one network view, which is the default view, the NetworkView
drop-down list is hidden by default. NIOS conducts a discovery diagnostic for the IP address in the
selected network view.
• CommunityString: Specify the community string for the device if the required SNMP credential is not
currently configured for the discovery member. It may not be necessary to enter a community string if the
device is already discovered by NIOS and is a managed device.
• ForceTest: To force a diagnostic against the device, select Yes.

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• Enable SNMP debug: As a troubleshooting aid, the SNMP debugging option is enabled by default. When you
enable this option, the appliance collects all SNMP communications between NetMRI and a device. The SNMP
logs are useful for troubleshooting purposes. Clear this checkbox to disable the SNMP debugging for a device.
• Click Start to start the discovery diagnostic. The lower pane displays the complete discovery sequence for the
chosen device, and whether or not the discovery is successful. You can click Stop at any time to end the
diagnostic sequence.
The output log of the diagnostic is displayed in the lower pane, and it shows the attempt for the complete discovery
process. You can then do the following:
• You can click Select All to select the complete text in the lower pane for copying and pasting to the Clipboard and
a text editor. You can also monitor the test messages in this pane.
• Click Download as text to download the complete discovery diagnostics in a text file for the selected device. The
default name of the downloaded file is discovery_diagnostic_nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn.txt, where nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn is the
IP address of the selected device. The Download as text button remains disabled until the download is complete.
Viewing the Management State of IPs in Discovered Networks

You can view the management state for any IP address, in any network, that is associated with any discovered device.
2. Click the Action icon for a chosen device and choose Networks from the popup menu.
3. Choose a network from the list. Grid Manager switches to the IPAM page view of the selected network.
The IPAM Home page displays the IP Map for the chosen network. The page shows information in graphical
format, indicating elements such as Used Addresses, fixed addresses and IP reservations, Unmanaged IPs, Host
Not in DNS/DHCP, and all other objects or information associated with IP management. The user benefits from
this view by immediately seeing which IPs in the network contain devices that remain unmanaged by Grid
Manager. These Unmanaged IP values appear in light yellow. Hovering the mouse over any IP address in the
graphical table shows the information that has already been determined about the IP address.
Note: An Unmanaged IP cannot be converted to Managed unless the network that contains it, is converted to managed
status. For more information, see Converting Unmanaged Networks under IPAM to Managed Status.
Disabling Discovery for a Network

You go to the DHCP feature under Data Management to disable discovery for a network. Disabling discovery for a
network differs from discovery blackouts; disabling discovery for a network simply ensures that discovery never takes
place on the chosen network.
To disable discovery for an IP network:
1. Select a managed network from one of the following locations:
a. Data Management –> IPAM –> list view
b. Data Management –> DHCP –> Networks
2. Click the Action icon next to the network you want (this automatically selects it) and select Edit from the menu.
The Network editor appears.
4. Child networks inherit their discovery default settings from their parent networks. Click Override to change the
Enable Discovery setting. (The Discovery Member setting remains unchanged.)
5. Deselect the Enable Discovery checkbox, and then save the configuration.

Rev. D
Adding Discovery Device Support
 Note
Adding Device Support Bundles, viewing and deleting them requires Superuser permissions.
Infoblox frequently provides support files for additional network devices that may not previously be supported by
discovery, and updates to support new operating system versions of existing devices. To add device support updates:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Device Support tab.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Add.
3. Click Select and navigate to the file you want to upload.
4. Select the file, and then click Upload.
The Device Support table shows its installed library of files with the following data points:
• Name: The descriptive device name for the device support file.
• Version: The version of the currently active device support file.
• Author: The developer of the device support file.
• Type: The Type column lists two types of Device Support files: the System type indicates a support bundle that is
installed with the NIOS/Grid Manager system. The Downloaded type indicates device support bundles that are
installed by the administrator.
System bundles are read-only and cannot be removed or overwritten by administrators.
You may remove custom support bundles that you have installed on the Device Support Page. To do so, click the Action
icon for a chosen device and choose Delete from the popup menu.
Port Control Features in Network Insight
 Note
Port control involves two primary operations: network provisioning/de-provisioning and port configurations.
These operations are classified as port control tasks that can be monitored and viewed in the Task Manager
(Administration –> Workflow –> Task Manager).
Port control enables changes to the interface-level configurations of switches and switch-router devices, and assignment
of these resources to network objects defined and created within IPAM.
• Port configurations and network provisioning and de-provisioning use CLI admin credentials, supporting SSH and
Telnet. You may test credentials before use, against an IP address or a selected device;
• Port configuration consists of two primary operations: setting admin status for a port, and defining Data VLAN and
Voice VLAN assignments (where applicable), along with minor changes such as editing descriptions;
• You can define port configuration blackout periods using the same methods provided for discovery blackouts.
These blackout periods also apply to network provisioning and de-provisioning tasks;
• Configuring a port on a device always creates a new port control task that can be viewed and managed in the
Task Manager.
• You can separately schedule port control tasks using the same method as for object creation.
• You can edit multiple interfaces at a time.
• You can edit interfaces, inline, from the Interfaces, IP Addresses and Assets pages in Grid Manager. These
operations generally consist of setting the interface to be Administratively Up or administratively Down, and VLAN
assignments.
Network provisioning includes the following:
• If a user deletes a discovered network from the system, Grid Manager displays the list of interfaces on which the
network is currently provisioned;

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• Network provisioning allows you to provision a network on one interface at a time. The network must be in
managed status under IPAM;
• The user can also de-provision a network, which removes it from one or more interfaces;
• You can perform network provisioning and de-provisioning tasks on routers and switch-routers.
Devices do not have to be in managed state for some port control operations (setting ports to Admin Up and Admin
Down, for example) but some port control operations require it:
• Provisioning a network (through IPAM) onto a port on a managed device;
• De-provisioning a network.
When you create a new object using the wizard, you can configure the port or ports that are associated with the object's
port reservation. In this case, two new tasks are created: an object creation task, and a port control task, which can be
scheduled separately from the object creation. The port control task is a separate task that may also require
administrator approval. When you create a new task, an information feedback panel provides a link to the port control
task in the Task Manager.
You may also select and reschedule both tasks. For more information, see Rescheduling Tasks.
 Note
If you edit an object, you can only edit an associated port reservation.
Objects are completed in their configuration by Grid Manager before executing a port configuration.
If, for example, a fixed address object is subject to administrative approval, no port control task takes place for that object
until the approval is executed and the object is created. This has implications for scheduling: if you schedule the creation
of a new host, IPv4 reservation or fixed address, and wish to schedule a port control task for the same object, the
scheduled object creation must take place first, and must complete, before the scheduled port configuration executes.
All port configuration operations can be scheduled and subject to administrator approval. For more information, see
Configuring Approval Workflows.
About Port Reservations

You can define a device port reservation for a defined object such as a host, fixed address or IPv4 reservation, or for an
Infoblox Grid Member. Port reservations assign device interfaces to Infoblox-managed objects in Grid Manager. The port
reservation is a property of each object, such as a fixed address or host record, that you create.
After discovering and cataloguing infrastructure devices, Grid Manager compiles the lists of interfaces and separately
tracks available switch ports on each device. When you attempt to reserve a switch port, Grid Manager provides the
complete list of available switch ports on the device, automatically preventing possible conflicts over port usage.
Characteristics of port reservations include the following:
• Device Ports can be reserved to Grid Manager objects under IPAM and DHCP;
• The user can choose to immediately create the new object (IPv4 reservation, IPv4/IPv6 fixed address or
host, or a Grid member), and to also immediately assign a device port to the object. In such cases, the
object is created and the port is reserved for the object;
• An object can be scheduled for creation at a later time, and its port assignment scheduled for the same
time, or for a different date and time, in the future;
• A port reservation does not guarantee that the switch interface is in fact available for the assignment.
• You can create port reservations for multiple objects at a time;
• Interface tables show the objects to which they are bound, in a special Reservation column;
• When you delete an IPAM object such as a fixed address, its associated port reservation is automatically deleted.
Once a switch port or other device port is reserved, Network Insight prevents future tasks from trying to use the same
port for another reservation.
Device switchports and router interfaces, and other interface types may be assigned to the following types of objects:
• Grid members (including HA Pairs). For more information, see the following sections Defining Port Reservations
for an Infoblox Grid Member and Defining Port Reservations for an HA Pair.
• Hosts. For more information about defining hosts with included port configuration, see Adding Host Records.
• IPv4 reservations. For more information, see Adding IPv4 Reservations.

Rev. D
• Fixed addresses (IPv4 and IPv6). For more information, see Adding IPv4 Fixed Addresses and Adding IPv6 Fixed
Addresses.
• IP networks (IPv4 and IPv6). For more information, see Adding IPv4 Networks and Adding IPv6 Networks.
Devices involved in these operations must be under managed status in Grid Manager. For more information, see
Converting Unmanaged Devices to Managed Devices.
Editing Interfaces in a Device
 Note
Voice VLAN settings are applicable only for Cisco devices.
To speed port configuration workflows, you can select one interface or multiple interfaces for a device to change the
admin status, description and VLAN settings. For example, this feature is handy if you want multiple interfaces to
participate in the same data VLAN. There are two ways to approach this feature: directly from the Devices page, or by
selecting a device on the Devices page, opening its Interfaces page and selecting ports from there.
Editing interfaces is done from the main Data Management –> Devices page.
3. Select the checkbox for a specific interface, click the Action icon for the interface and choose Edit. The
interface editor appears as shown in the figure below.
Interface Editor, with editable Admin Status and Description settings

Rev. D
4. The editable settings are Admin Status (Up or Down) and Description (click inside the field to edit). In some cases,
owing to device permissions, the device type or other device settings, you may not be able to edit these values for the
selected interface.
5. To edit VLANs for the chosen interface, click the VLAN tab. The following figure shows an example. VLAN editing
also is subject to permission limitations based on the device, and on the device type.
Editing VLANs
6. Choose a data VLAN to assign to the port from the Data VLAN drop-down menu.
7. If supported, choose a voice VLAN (Cisco only) from the Voice VLAN drop-down menu.
8. Click the Extensible Attributes tab to add any attributes that are necessary for the interface.
9. Click Save & Close to close the interface editor.
Editing Multiple Interfaces

To edit multiple interfaces for a device:
3. Select the checkboxes for each interface that you want to edit.
4. Expand the Toolbar and click Edit. The Interfaces editor appears as shown in the figure below.
Editing Multiple Interfaces

Rev. D
You can select one or more interfaces for configuration, define their settings in the dialog, and then select other
interfaces and define different settings for them.
 Note
Once you change Admin Status, Data VLAN or Voice VLAN settings for any selected port, no automatic
eversion exists to the original settings from the same editing session. You must cancel out of the Interfaces
editor to reject any changes and begin with a new editing session from the Interfaces page. Use
the Verify button to verify your changes.
5. Select the checkboxes for one or more ports and define the Port Configuration settings for the following:
a. Admin Status: Select Up or Down from the menu, depending on the current state of the port(s);
b. Description: Provide a brief description of the port configuration or other information;
c. DataVLAN: (Hidden if editing a VLAN is not supported) Drop-down list of all data VLANs actively
configured in the current device. One of the values can be chosen for the currently select interface(s);
d. VoiceVLAN: (Hidden if editing a voice VLAN is not supported) Drop-down list of all voice VLANs actively
configured in the current device. One of the values can be chosen for the currently select interface(s).
6. After making configuration changes to all ports, click Verify to check over your changes:

Rev. D
Verifying port configuration changes
7. Click OK. The changes are not committed by doing so.

8. If the port configuration changes are correct, click Save & Close or click the Scheduling icon at the top of the editor.
To schedule this task, click the Schedule icon at the top of the editor. In the ScheduleChange panel, click Later, and then
specify a date, time, and time zone. The Schedule icon is green when there is a pending scheduled task. You can
reschedule the task if you have the applicable permissions.
When you complete the configuration, all port configurations in the session are combined into a single task by Grid
Manager.
Editing Multiple Interfaces from the Devices Page

The Data Management –> Devices page allows you to immediately set the Admin Status, descriptions and VLAN settings
for any selection of ports on a single device.
1. Click the Action icon for a chosen device and choose Edit from the popup menu. The Interfaces page appears
for the device editor.
2. Select the checkboxes for one or more ports and define the Port Configuration settings for the following:
a. Admin Status: Select Up or Down from the menu, depending on the current state of the port(s);
b. Description: Provide a brief description of the port configuration or other information;
c. Data VLAN: (Hidden if editing a VLAN is not supported) Drop-down list of all data VLANs actively
configured in the current device. One of the values can be chosen for the currently select interface(s);
d. Voice VLAN: (Hidden if editing a voice VLAN is not supported) Drop-down list of all voice VLANs actively
configured in the current device. One of the values can be chosen for the currently select interface(s).
3. After making configuration changes to all ports, click Verify to check over your changes.
4. Click OK. The changes are not committed by doing so.
5. If the port configuration changes are correct, click Save & Close or click the Scheduling icon at the top of the
editor. To schedule this task, click the Schedule icon at the top of the editor. In the Schedule Change panel, click
Later, and then specify a date, time, and time zone. The Schedule icon is green when there is a pending
scheduled task. You can reschedule the task if you have the applicable permissions.
When you complete the configuration, Network Insight combines all port configurations in the session into a single task.
Inline Interface Editing

You can directly edit a device's interface listings in the Interfaces page. Double-click any table row and the fields that you
can edit for the row, which consist of the VLAN ID, Admin Status and Description fields for each interface, open in an
inline editing selection field.
Fields are editable as applicable to device types. If you are editing an interface on a L2 switch, for example, the VLAN ID
field does not appear.

Rev. D
Editing Interface values inline.
Double-clicking a table row opens the editable fields for the selected record.
If editable fields are not present in the table display, you cannot change their values in the Interfaces page.
After making inline changes, click Save on the selected row to commit them. To prevent using any changes, click Cancel.
This also de-selects the row.
 Note
When you make inline changes to an interface, a new task is created under
Grid Manager, which you can view in the Task Manager page (for more
information, see Viewing Tasks). A status icon appears next to the interface
element you have changed, indicating the status of the new task and providing
a link to the Task Manager page. New tasks appear with a status icon of
Pending (||). When the new task completes, the icon changes to a green checkmark.
Provisioning and De-Provisioning Networks

You may provision networks and remove or de-provision networks from individual devices. You can also provision
networks when creating a network in IPAM (for more information, see Adding IPv4 and IPv6 Network Containers and
Networks). Network provisioning and de-provisioning comprises the second type of port control tasks under Network
Insight. Provisioning a network involves creating a new network and adding it to the list of networks in IPAM, and also
involves changes to device configuration.
 Note
If a port control task requires administrative approval, and it is not approved before its scheduled execution, the
task appears as unsuccessful in Task Manager.
Provisioning networks also allows for provisioning VLANs. If devices do not support VLANs, options for provisioning
VLANs do not appear for those devices and their associated interfaces.
If a network is already provisioned for an interface, regardless of its status under Grid Manager, you cannot provision
another network upon it.
Only available interfaces that support network provisioning are shown in Grid Manager for provisioning tasks. The
horizontal toolbar also provides related functions:

Rev. D
Provision Network : Available for discovered devices and for managed devices, this icon opens the Provision
Network feature, allowing you to provision an existing IPAM network onto the selected device by selecting a device
interface or assigning a VLAN. Grid Manager creates a new Port Control task, and you can choose the interface on
which the network is provisioned, along with VLAN configuration and other settings.
De-provision Network : Available for networks that are managed under IPAM, for de-provisioning on devices that are
managed under IPAM on the Data Management –> Devices page. A dialog box appears summarizing the task you are
instructing Grid Manager to perform. This action changes the configuration of the device.
To provision IPAM networks onto a device:
2. Click the Next Page and Last Page icons to locate the device whose interfaces you want to provision.
3. Click the Name of the device. The Devices page displays the five tabs of information associated with the device.
5. The Networks page lists all discovered networks (highlighted in grey), unmanaged networks (highlighted in
yellow), and any managed networks (highlighted in white, showing Yes in the Managed column) present on the
selected device.
6. Open the vertical toolbar and click Provision Network. The Provision network wizard appears.
7. Click Select Network to choose the network the you want to provision. If only one managed network is available
on the device, that network value is populated after clicking the button.
If more than one managed network is available under IPAM, the Network Selector dialog opens, listing all
networks managed under IPAM.
8. Choose the network to provision onto the device and click OK.
9. Enter the Router IP Address. This required field may be pre-populated with the DHCP router IP address if the
device already has a DHCP configuration. If not, enter the gateway router IP address for the current device.
10. If necessary, check the DHCP Forwarding checkbox. Check this checkbox to enable DHCP forwarding for the
newly provisioned network. If a DHCP failover is already present, the IP addresses from that failover are used for
DHCP forwarding information.
11. For choosing the Interface, you can choose one out of two options:
a. Interface drop down list: If you are provisioning the network directly onto an interface, select it from this
list. Only interfaces that are available for provisioning on the chosen device appears on this list; interfaces
that are already active in a network do not appear;
–or–
b. For a switch-router, select Create VLAN, and specify the VLAN Name and its new VLAN ID. Ensure that
the VLAN ID is not one that is already provisioned on the device.
Provisioning a VLAN on a Switch-Router

Rev. D
12. Click Next to go to the second step in the Provision Network wizard, in which you define whether to provision
the configuration now or to schedule it.
13. To immediately provision the new network on the chosen device, select Now.
a. You can choose to have Grid Manager create the network at a later time. To do so, select Later. Choose
a Selected time by entering or selecting a Start Date (click the calendar icon to choose a calendar date)
and a Start Time, and choose a Time Zone.
14. Click Save & Close when finished.
De-Provisioning Networks
 Note
De-provisioning a network changes the device configuration. As such, a separate task is created for the action
under Task Manager. However, you cannot schedule the de-provisioning of a network–once you confirm the de-
provisioning action in Grid Manager, the action takes place. Each managed and unmanaged device under Grid
Manager provides a Permissions page (DataManagement–>Devices–> Select Device –> click Edit–
>Permissions tab). By default, no admin group or Role is assigned to managed devices. Infoblox recommends
using caution when assigning rights to users that may be able to access devices and change device
configurations.
De-provisioning networks is a relatively straightforward task that can be performed for any selected network, whether it is
a non-NIOS network (a network that cannot be configured in IPAM), an unmanaged network, or a managed network.
 Note
If the network is also managed under IPAM, de-provisioning the network from a device does not delete the
network from IPAM.

Rev. D
If you are deleting a network from the main IPAM page, any devices that have endpoints provisioned on that network are
also de-provisioned for that network.
 Note
A network may not be de-provisioned until after you set the interface for the network on the device(s),
to Down in Admin Status.

2. Click the Next Page and Last Page icons to locate the device through which you want to locate the interfaces to
convert.
3. Click the Name of the device. The Devices page displays the five tabs of information associated with the device.
4. Click the Networks tab for the chosen device. The Network page lists all discovered networks (highlighted in
grey), unmanaged networks (highlighted in yellow), and managed networks (highlighted in white) present on the
selected device.
5. Click the Next Page and Last Page icons to locate the network that you wish to de-provision.
6. Click the Action icon next to the network you want (this automatically selects it) and select De-Provision
Network. The dialog box appears, listing the device name, the device's IP address, the interface to which the
network is currently bound, and the network's endpoint IP address on the current device.
De-Provisioning a Network from a Device
7. Click Yes to confirm the de-provisioning action.
 Note
Ensure that the de-provisioning of the network has administrative approval.
You can also select multiple network entries from the list on the same device and de-provision all of them in a single step.
Exercise caution when performing such actions.
De-Provisioning Networks by Deleting Networks in IPAM
 Note
Deleting a network under IPAM creates a new Object Change task in Task Manager. You can check
the Administration–>Workflow–>TaskManager page to view its status.
You can simply delete a managed or unmanaged network in IPAM to de-provision it. Doing so opens a Delete
Confirmation dialog. IPAM also automatically prompts you to verify that you are deleting the network from all devices that
have interfaces connecting to the network, subject to verification and permissions.
By default, when you delete the network, all devices that connect to the network, that are also managed by IPAM, are
part of the new de-provisioning port control task created by Grid Manager. If you do not want the network

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de-provisioned from all devices, clear the De-provision network from all interfaces checkbox or simply cancel out from
the Delete Confirmation dialog.
Troubleshooting Port Control Tasks

Issues can occur when attempting to define port configurations on devices. When you define port configurations through
Network Insight, you are defining a port control task that can be viewed, investigated, and run again when necessary.
You do so by using the Task Manager (Administration –> Workflow –> Task Manager) and looking for tasks that show a
Type of Port Control. Each Port Control task provides an Execution Log and the ability to re-run a task that has failed for
any reason.
The Task Manager page provides an Action icon column with a series of menu options for features related to Grid
Manager tasks to manage task execution, scheduling and approval. Menu choices change based upon the context and
the current state of tasks in the table; features available in the Action menu include the following:
Task Manager Action menu
• Approve: Enables admins to approve a pending job.

• Reject: Enables admins to reject a pending job, immediately cancelling it.
• Execution Log: Opens a completed task's execution log window. the Execution Log lists the complete
communications sequence sent to a device to perform a port control task.
• Execute Now: Force a selected pending task to execute immediately.
• Re-Execute: Allows you to re-run the selected task. Combined with the Execution Log, this process can aid in
troubleshooting a failed port control task.
• Reschedule: Opens the Reschedule window for the selected task. To immediately execute this task, click Now.
Or, in the Reschedule panel, click Later, and then specify a date, time, and time zone. You can reschedule the
task if you have the applicable permissions. Click Save to commit the changes.
• Delete: Deletes the pending task.
• View: Opens the Task Viewer to the currently selected task. For related information, see Using the Task Viewer to
View Job Logs and Approve Jobs.
The Execution Log allows you to see task behavior when it executes. You can check the configuration directly on the
device and re-run the job if it has failed, by selecting Re-execute from the Action menu on the Task Manager page.
Creating Port Reservations for IPAM Objects

A port reservation instructs Network Insight to reserve ports on discovered and managed devices, for exclusive use by
Grid members and by IPAM objects such as hosts or fixed addresses. Network Insight ensures that doing so does not
interfere with existing device and port configurations and active networks, because port reservations automatically apply
only to ports that are discovered to be available on network devices. Network Insight prevents a user from reserving the
same port for more than one object. Should a port reservation somehow conflict with another more recent port
reservation, Network Insight automatically reports a conflict and enables you to respond to the issue (for more
information on this topic, see Resolving Port Reservation Conflicts).
When you create new IPAM objects, you can create the new objects and define port reservation settings at that time, or
create the new object without any port-related settings and edit them later, after the object is established in Grid
Manager. The Add IPv4 Reservation Wizard, Add Fixed Address Wizard, Add Host Wizard and Add Grid Member
Wizards all support the full set of port configuration settings, as shown in the below figure.
Defining Port Reservations during Object Creation

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Making a port reservation does not guarantee that the port is in fact available on the requested device. All interfaces
appearing in the Interface list are ports that are otherwise known to Network Insight as Operationally Down during its last
discovery task, and that are not already reserved by a port reservation.
1. Begin by checking the Reserve Port checkbox.
 Note
Optionally, you can completely skip port reservation and port configuration by clicking Next.
2. Click the Device Name button to choose the device for which the port reservation is associated. You should know
the identity of the device to which the Infoblox appliance is connected before taking this step.
3. After choosing the device, choose the Interface with which the reservation is bound. The drop-down list shows
only interfaces that are most recently found to be available by Network Insight during the last discovery cycle.
This list does not include any ports that are Administratively Up and Operationally Up and are otherwise already
assigned to other networks or objects.
• The Wizard page also shows a list of any VLANs that are currently configured in the chosen device. This Wizard
page does not allow the definition of new VLANs for port configuration–only the assignment of an existing VLAN
in the device for port configuration.
• Select the Configure Port checkbox to define specific port control settings for the port reservation.
 Note
If you do not take this action when you create the object, you cannot perform the configuration later
while editing the object.
• If the chosen device supports them, choose the Voice VLAN and/or the Data VLAN settings you may need for the
port assignment. You do not create new VLAN values in this step; you can select from VLANs that are

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provisioned on the currently chosen device. All VLANs configured on the device and discovered by Network
Insight during its most recent discovery polling cycle appear in the drop-down lists.
• Set the Admin Status to Up if you need to activate the port in the current task. Though the port reservation is
associated only with the current object, any port configuration creates a new Port Control task under Task
Manager.
• Enter a description for the port assignment. Infoblox recommends doing so to help other technicians to recognize
the port assignment event.
• When finished, click Save & Close or select other tabs to change settings for the object.
 Note
Once a switch port or other device port is reserved, Network Insight prevents further port reservations
from using the same port for another reservation.
See the following sections for examples on how to create IPAM objects with port reservations:
• Adding Host Records
• Configuring IPv4 Networks
• Configuring IPv4 Fixed Addresses
• Configuring IPv4 Reservations
• Adding Grid Members
• Defining Port Reservations for an Infoblox Grid Member
Editing Port Reservation Settings for IPAM Objects

As previously noted, you can create IPAM objects such as hosts or fixed addresses without device information and port
reservation settings, and edit them later after the object is established in the Grid Manager. You can change port
reservations in any object to new settings. Limitations exist when editing existing objects.
The Port Reservation editing page settings uniformly apply to Grid members, IPv4 reservations, hosts, and fixed address
objects. Note that you cannot change port configurations when editing objects, as shown in the below figure.
Editing an Existing Object's Port Reservation
Unlike creating an object, editing an existing object's port reservation does not permit configuring the selected port. (You
can edit the port from the device's Interfaces page, including inline editing.) Physical interfaces with an Operational
Status of Down appear in the Interface drop-down list. Ports that are already active, that are reserved through a port
reservation, or that are administratively Up/Operationally Up do not appear in the Interface drop-down list.
For object editing, you can select interfaces but you cannot edit their settings, such as setting the Admin Status to Up or
choosing the Data VLAN or Voice VLAN.
Port reservation editable settings are as follows:

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• Reserve Port–Enables the port reservation task for the new object;
• Device Name–Shows the name of the chosen devices, which must be selected by clicking Select Device and
using the Device Selector window (for information, see Using the Device Selector);
• Interface–Drop-down menu listing for all interfaces on the selected device.
The Following VLANs Are Configured–A read-only panel that shows the VLANs, if any, that are configured on the
currently selected Interface setting.
Port configuration and VLAN settings cannot be performed when editing objects–you are limited to selecting a different
port (from the same device or from a different device) to be bound to the current object.
Defining Port Reservations for an Infoblox Grid Member
 Note
Editing Grid members does not allow for port configuration when you create or change a port reservation. For
Grid member editing, you can select interfaces but you cannot edit them, such as setting
the Admin Status to Up or choosing the Data VLAN or Voice VLAN. This section applies only to creating and
defining port reservations and configurations for new Grid members. For the complete Grid member creation
procedure, see Adding Grid Members.
You can configure port reservations for a Grid member, including HA members, in the Add Grid Member wizard. All
interfaces on a member (LAN1, LAN2, HA and MGMT) may have independently defined port reservations. For Grid
members, port reservations are not subject to scheduling and workflow approval, and Grid Manager executes them
immediately.
Defining Port Reservations for an HA Pair

The process of defining port reservations and port configurations for a Grid member allows these settings to be defined
during the creation of the new member. (You can also edit them afterwards.) Before performing this procedure, consult
the sections Planning for an HA Pair , About HA Failover and Adding an HA Member for more details.
1. Go to Grid –>Grid Manager and choose Add –> Grid Member from the vertical toolbar. Define your new HA Pair's
settings and click Next.
2. In the second Add Grid Member Wizard step (Step 2 of 5), click the High Availability Pair option and enter the
required Virtual Router ID value.
3. As with a normal HA pair configuration, enter the IP information about the following interfaces: VIP, Node 1 HA
and LAN1 ports, Node 2 HA and LAN1 ports. The VIP address and the IP addresses for all the ports must be in
the same subnet. Follow the guidelines provided in the section Adding an HA Member.
4. Ensure all settings are correct and click Next.
5. The following step in the Add Grid Member Wizard presents a workflow that must be performed three times for
each appliance–once for each of the three interfaces (LAN1, HA andMGMT) participating in the HA pair. (LAN2
may be configured by editing the Grid member afterwards.)
Beginning the HA Pair Configuration's Port Reservations

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6. Begin by clicking the checkbox for the Node 1 -> LAN1 appliance port. (You do not perform port reservation
for the VIP port).
a. Select the Reserve Port checkbox. The Node1-> LAN1 port listing changes to read Pending.
b. Click Select Device to choose the device (switch or switch-router) that is Node 1 of the HA Pair. For
information, see Using the Device Selector.
c. After selecting the device, click OK.
d. Choose the device port for Node 1's LAN1 port by choosing it from the Interface menu.
The panel The Following VLANs are configured refreshes to show any VLANs that are currently
provisioned on the selected port.
e. (This step is optional.) Select the ConfigurePort checkbox.
f. (This step is optional.) If the Data VLAN setting is enabled, select the VLAN from the Data VLAN menu.
g. (This step is optional.) Choose an AdminStatus of Up.
h. (This step is optional.) Enter a Description.
i. For the Node 1 –> HA port, follow steps 6a through 6h for that appliance port. Ensure you select the
same switch and Data VLAN settings.
j. For the Node 1 –> MGMT port, follow steps 6a through 6h for that appliance port. Ensure you select
the same switch and Data VLAN settings.
7. For the second appliance Node 2, follow steps 6a through 6j above.
8. Click Next when finished with the Reserve Port and optional Configure Port settings for all interfaces. The result
appears similar to the example shown in the below figure.
Port Reservations for an HA Pair

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9. In the final step of the Add Grid Member Wizard, if you have defined port configuration, a final wizard step
shows that the port configuration (which is a Port Control task) executes Now, without allowing a scheduling of
the task. Port reservation for the HA Pair is not scheduled and also takes effect automatically as a part of the new
Grid member configuration. (Grid Manager creates the Grid member immediately after you click Save & Close.)
10. After you click Save & Close to create the new HA pair Grid member, thus closing the Add Grid Member
wizard, opening the editor for the HA member and clicking the Port Reservations tab displays the LAN2 port
along with the previous port settings:
Completing the HA Pair Port Reservations with the LAN2 Ports
11. Select the LAN2 port for each node and follow steps 6a through 6h above. If VLANs are provisioned on
the selected port, you can also select them.

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Editing Port Reservation Settings for an Infoblox Grid Member
Editing an existing Grid member's port reservation does not permit configuring the currently selected port. You can select
ports from any device to change the port reservation. For any selected device, ports with an Operational Status of Down
appear in the Interface list.
For editing Grid member settings, you can select interfaces but you cannot configure them; setting the Admin Status to
Up or choosing the Data VLAN and changing the Description are not allowed when editing a Grid member.
Editing a Grid Member's Port Reservation Settings
You can edit any appliance's port reservation settings:

1. Go to Grid –> Grid Manager and select the checkbox for the Grid member you wish to edit. Click Edit from the
vertical toolbar.
2. Click the Port Reservation tab.
3. Select the Reserve Port checkbox. The Node1->LAN1 port listing changes to read Pending.
4. Click Select Device to choose the device. (For information, see Using the Device Selector .)
5. After selecting the device, click OK.
6. Choose the device interface from the Interface menu. Click Save&Close when finished.
On HA pairs the process is quite similar except that you may edit up to the full complement of interfaces used for each
appliance in the HA pair. The Grid Member Properties Editor supports all ports for each appliance in the HA Pair.
 Note
When editing Grid members and HA Grid members, Grid Manager does not allow changes to VLAN settings,
Admin Status or port description in the editor. You can change these values in the Interfaces table by double-
clicking the table row for the interface you want to edit.
Defining Device Information
During the process of configuring a port reservation for an IPAM object, you can define device information settings as
descriptive information for IPAM objects, as seen in the below figure.
Device Information Settings for IPAM Objects in the Wizard

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Note: If you define Device Information and Device Vendor settings for a port reservation, which are optional, and choose
to discover the object to which the port reservation is associated, you may see a conflict if discovery of the object finds
that the device for the port reservation is a different type or different vendor. For example, if the specified information
states that the device is a switch, and the discovered device is a router, Network Insight reports a conflict. Another
example: you declare the vendor to be Aruba, and the discovered value is Cisco. For information on resolving such
conflicts, see Resolving Port Reservation Conflicts.
The Device Type menu provides the following settings:
• ESX Server–identifies the object as a VMware ESX host.
• MSFT Server–identifies the object as a Microsoft Hyper-V host.
• Net MRI–NetMRI appliance from Infoblox;
• NIOS–Infoblox appliance;
• Router–Provides routed connections, including VLANs;
• Switch–provides L2 switched connections only;
• Switch-Router–Provides L2/L3 switched connectivity, including VLANs;
• VNIOS–Infoblox virtual appliance.
The Device Vendor menu provides the following device vendor choices:
• Cisco
• Juniper
• Infoblox
• Aruba
• Dell
• HP
IPAM object wizards allow definition of the settings when you create the object, or you can define the settings later.

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Defining Blackout Periods
 Note
You can separately define blackout periods for discovery, and for port configuration. This section describes how
to use the blackout feature for discovery. For more information on blackouts for port configuration tasks, consult
the section Defining Port Configuration Blackout Periods.
Discovery protocols can occupy significant resources within the network when discovery is taking place. While you can
schedule any discovery or port control task for any single time period or recurring time period, you can also establish
time periods when Network Insight does not talk to devices or networks for discovery.
You can define blackout settings at two levels in Grid Manager:
• Under Grid Discovery Properties, applying across the entire Grid;
• All networks managed by the Grid inherit discovery blackout settings by default;
• For individual networks under IPAM and under DHCP.
• A network must be Managed before you can edit its discovery blackout settings.
• Under IPAM, you can define discovery blackout settings for Network Containers and for networks (for
DHCP, you can also set blackouts for DHCP Ranges);
• If a network is in Managed state, it can be edited under IPAM or under DHCP for discovery settings and
discovery blackout settings.
Discovery tasks may already be running when a blackout period takes effect. Current tasks are not interrupted and will
complete within their time. Network Insight does not activate new discovery tasks during the blackout period, however.
Defining Blackout Periods for the Grid

This procedure also covers defining port configuration blackout periods for the Grid. To define blackouts for the Grid:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and click Edit –> Grid Discovery Properties.
If you do not select an appliance from the list, the Grid Discovery Properties option remains enabled.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Edit –> Grid Discovery Properties.
3. Click the Blackout tab.
4. Select the Enable Discovery Blackout checkbox and click the Scheduling icon to open a separate scheduling
window. The Blackout Scheduler dialog opens.
a. Select how often you want to execute the blackout period. You can select Once, Daily, Weekly, or
Monthly.
b. If you select Once, enter the day in the date picker and select a month from the drop-down list.
• Enter a time in the hh:mm:ssAM/PM format. You can also select a time from the drop-down list.
• Choose the Time Zone.
• Specify the Duration: 1 or more Minutes, Hours or Days.
c. If you select Daily, click either Every Day or Every Week day.
• Enter a time in the hh:mm:ssAM/PM format. You can also select a time from the drop-down list.
d. If you select Weekly, complete the following:
• Under Schedule every week on:, select the checkbox for any day of the week.
• Enter a time in the hh:mm:ssAM/PM format. You can choose a time from the drop-down list.
e. If you select Monthly, complete the following:
• Schedule the day of the month: A discovery blackout can be executed monthly on a specific day,
or instances can be executed more than one month apart on a specific day, in the Day every
month(s) field.
• Enter a time in the hh:mm:ssAM/PM format. You can choose a time from the drop-down list.

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5. If necessary, select the Enable Port Configuration Blackout checkbox and click the Scheduling icon to open the
scheduling window. For more information, see Defining Port Configuration Blackout Periods.
6. Follow Steps 5a–5e to schedule the port configuration blackout for the Infoblox Grid. (For related information, see
Defining Port Configuration Blackouts for the Grid.)
–or–
Select the Use Discovery Blackout Schedule checkbox to apply the discovery blackout schedule to
port configurations.
7. When you have finished configuring schedules for blackout periods, click Save & Close.
When a scheduled Grid-level blackout period goes into effect, no operations related to discovery take place for the
specified time period across the Infoblox Grid. Any discovery tasks already in progress will run to completion but no new
ones will start.
1. Defining Blackout Periods for Networks
Network Insight offers considerable flexibility in how you apply blackout periods. You may choose to have discovery
allowed for most managed networks but elect to have a discovery blackout for selected networks that are traffic- or
latency-sensitive.
You can define extended time periods and regularly scheduled times when discovery and/or port configuration tasks is
not in progress on a specific IPAM network or within a network container. By default, the network inherits its discovery
blackout settings from the Grid level. Editing a network under IPAM or DHCP, blackout settings apply only to the specified
network. You also specify the scheduled time when the blackout period begins and the duration of the blackout period.
As noted, a network must be in managed status before editing discovery or blackout features. To define a discovery
blackout for a network under IPAM or DHCP:
1. Select a managed network from one of the following locations:
–or–
2. Click the Action icon next to the network you want (this automatically selects it) and select Edit from the menu.
The Edit Network dialog appears.
3. Click the Discovery Blackout tab.
4. Click Override to change blackout settings for the chosen network.
5. Select the Enable Discovery Blackout checkbox and click the Scheduling icon to open a separate scheduling
window. (Because the settings are inherited, Enable Discovery Blackout may or may not already be enabled.)
The Blackout Scheduler dialog opens.
a. Select how often you want to execute the blackout period. You can select Once, Daily, Weekly, or
Monthly.
b. If you select Once, enter the day in the date picker and select a month from the drop-down list.
i. Enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can also select a time from the drop-down list.
ii. Choose the TimeZone.
iii. Specify the Duration: 1 or more Minutes, Hours or Days.
c. If you select Daily, click either Every Day or Every Weekday.
i. Enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can also select a time from the drop-down list
ii. Choose the TimeZone.
iii. Specify the Duration: 1 or more Minutes, Hours or Days.
d. If you select Weekly, complete the following:
i. Under Schedule every week on: Select the checkbox for any day of the week.
i. Enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can choose a time from the drop-down list.
i. Choose the TimeZone.
i. Specify the Duration: 1 or more Minutes, Hours or Days.
e. If! you select Monthly, complete the following:
• Schedule the day of the month: A discovery blackout can be executed monthly on a specific day,
or instances can be executed more than one month apart on a specific day, in the Day every
month(s) field.
• Enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can choose a time from the drop-down list.

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6. If necessary, select the Enable Port Configuration Blackout checkbox and click the Scheduling icon to open the
scheduling window. For information, see Defining Port Configuration Blackout Periods.
7. Follow Steps 5a–5e to schedule the port configuration blackout for the chosen network. (For related information,
see Defining Port Configuration Blackouts for Networks)
–or–
Select the Use Discovery Blackout Schedule checkbox to apply the discovery blackout schedule defined for the
network.
8. When you have finished configuring schedules for blackout periods for the network, click Save & Close.
When a scheduled blackout goes into effect, no operations related to discovery and/or port configuration take place for
the specified time period on the selected network. Any related operations in progress will run to completion but no new
ones will start.
Defining Port Configuration Blackout Periods

Similar to discovery blackout periods, you can define port configuration blackout periods for managed networks under
IPAM and DHCP. You specify the scheduled time when the blackout period begins, and the duration of the blackout
period.
By default, networks inherit their blackout settings from the Grid level. For port configuration blackout settings in a
network, the network must be under managed status in IPAM.
Defining Port Configuration Blackouts for the Grid

Port configuration blackout settings apply globally across the entire Infoblox Grid unless overridden by members or for
specific networks.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Edit –> Grid Discovery Properties.
3. Click the Blackout tab.
4. Click the Enable Port Configuration Blackout checkbox.
a. Select the Use Discovery Blackout Schedule checkbox to apply the same blackout schedule to port
configurations that is applied locally to discovery blackouts. (For more information on discovery blackouts,
see Defining Blackout Periods.)
–or–
b. Click the Schedule icon below. The Blackout Scheduler dialog opens.
Scheduling a Port Configuration Blackout

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Defining Port Configuration Blackouts for Networks
By default, networks inherit their blackout settings from the Grid level. You can override these with local settings for the
network or for a network container, for both IPAM and DHCP. To change port configuration blackout settings for an IPAM
or DHCP network or network container:
1. Select a managed network or network container from one of the following locations:
–or–
2. Click the Action icon for a chosen network and choose Edit from the popup menu.
• Under IPAM, the network must be in managed status (a value of Yes appears in the Managed field, and the table
row is highlighted in white).
• Under DHCP, all networks appearing on this page may be selected for this purpose.
• Click the Discovery Blackout tab. The editor page appears as shown in the below figure.
The Discovery Blackout tab with enabled Port Configuration Blackouts
Conflict Resolution in Network Insight

You can sometimes encounter conflicts when defining port reservations for IPAM-managed objects such as Fixed IP
addresses or host records. The quickest way to locate any conflicts in Grid Manager is to open the Conflicts Smart Folder
as noted in the below figure.
Locating conflicts and beginning their resolution

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Numerous types of conflicts are possible:
• Device Information conflict
• Port Reservation conflict, including Used Port Reservation conflicts (usually resulting from a request to reserve a
port that has already been assigned to another IPAM object)
• Fixed address conflict
• IP Address conflicts
• DHCP Range conflicts (such as: Discovered address is within an existing DHCP range but does not match an
existing lease, fixed address, or exclusion range)
• MAC Address conflict (such as: Discovered MAC Address conflicts with existing fixed address)
 Note
When you execute discovery (Discovery -> Discover Now from the Toolbar), the appliance does not
send SNMP trap if it finds any conflicting information between the NIOS data and the discovered data.
The Conflict Resolution wizard automatically recognizes the object associated with the conflict (which is listed in the
Related Objects pane as noted in the figure Locating conflicts and beginning their resolution) and ensures that changes
you make during resolution are applied correctly to the object. An example appears in the below figure.

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Conflict resolution example
Resolving Port Reservation Conflicts

Sometimes, administrators may accidentally request a device port to be reserved for an IP address when the port is
already reserved for another object, or try to apply a different port to an object that already has a port reservation. When
these cases arise, Grid Manager reports a conflict.
To resolve port reservation conflicts:
1. Click the link provided in the Conflicts Smart Folder.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Resolve Conflict, as shown in the figure Locating conflicts
and beginning their resolution.
The Resolve Port Reservation Conflict dialog opens, showing the differences between the reserved and
discovered information.
3. Choose from the following options:
• Change the reserved port to be the same as the discovered port.
• Keep the configured port reservation and clear the conflict for the next 1 day(s).
 Note
In the Grid Discovery Properties –> Advanced tab, the Ignore Conflict Duration setting governs
the default time duration to ignore (clear) certain types of conflicts that may occur when defining
IPAM objects that are associated with discovered and managed devices, interfaces, or IP
addresses. Increments can be defined in Hours or Days. For more information,
see Defining Seed Routers for Probe Members.
4. Click OK to save changes.
 Note
For other conflict examples, see Resolving Multiple Conflicts.

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Another category of conflicts involves incorrectly defined device information for the object:
• The reserved Device Type information provided is different from the discovered vendor and device type (Router
vs. Switch, for example).
• The defined Device Vendor information does not match with the discovered information.
• A User Port Reservation conflict occurs when an unmanaged IP address attempts to use a port that is already
reserved by an IPAM object on a different IP address.
You can choose from the following options:

• Change configured information to discovered information.
• Keep the current device configuration and clear the conflict for the next 1 day(s).
In virtually all cases, replacing the configured information with the discovered information successfully clears the conflict;
click OK to commit changes or to temporarily clear the conflict.
Resolving Multiple Conflicts

You can define objects for IP addresses, attempt to apply a port reservation, or incorrectly specify a value such as a MAC
address or a vendor name, and accidentally cause multiple conflicts after creating the new object.
To resolve multiple conflicts for a particular IP address, use a Resolve Multiple Conflicts wizard:
1. To quickly locate any conflicts, open the Smart Folders panel and open the Conflicts list.
2. Click the IP address for any entry in the Conflicts list. The IPAM page opens for the selected IP address, with the
top panel highlighted in pink to indicate the conflict.
3. Open the vertical toolbar and click Resolve Conflict.
4. If multiple issues are involved with the conflict entry, the Resolve Conflicts wizard lists each of them as shown in
the below figure.
Resolution of Multiple Conflicts

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5. Select the conflict that you want to resolve first and click Next. For example, consider choosing to resolve the
MAC Address conflict as shown in Figure 15.29. The second step of the wizard appears, listing the differences
between the Existing and Discovered information for the conflict as shown in Figure 15.30.
Figure 15.30 Troubleshooting the first selected conflict
a. In this case, the MAC address specified in the last fixed address object configuration, for that object,
conflicts with the discoveredMACaddress associated with the IP. (You can verify this by checking the
RelatedObjects tab in the IPAM page for the IP address.) Choose from one out of two options:
• Change the configured MAC address to be the same as the discovered MAC address;
• Keep fixed address and ignore this conflict for the next 1 day(s).
In this example, the Discovered information for the MAC address associated with the Fixed
Address object is one digit off from the Existing MAC information, which was entered incorrectly by
the administrator. The DIscovered MAC, shown in red, is the correct value and should be used to
overwrite the record for the conflict.
6. Select the Update... with discovered data option and click Resolve.
The wizard updates with a return to the first step, in which you select the next conflict to resolve. A
banner shows the result of the first resolution.
7. Select the next conflict to resolve and click Next. As an example, the below figure shows a device configuration
conflict.
Device Information conflict for an object

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a. To resolve the conflict, the Configured information must be overwritten with the Discovered information.
Choose any of the following:
• Change configured device type and vendor to be the same as the discovered device type and
vendor
• Keep current device configuration and clear the conflict for the next 1 day(s)
Other conflict types have similar options.
8. Select from the above choices and click Resolve.
9. Continue through the wizard to resolve the last conflict associated with the IP address.
 Note
In the Polling tab –> Advanced page of the Grid Discovery Properties editor, the Ignore Conflict
Duration setting governs the default time duration to ignore (clear) certain types of conflicts that may occur
when defining IPAM objects that are associated with discovered and managed devices, interfaces, or IP
addresses. Increments can be defined in Hours or Days. This setting cannot be modified when resolving
conflicts.
Conflict Calculation Between IP Discovered vs DHCP Range and Leases

The Discovery Engine uses several background processes to determine the existence of IPs. Depending on the process
the ‘timestamp’ of discovery (last-discovered date) corresponds to a real date by a direct check (ping, SNMP, CLI), or an
indirect check (presence in forwarding tables, or ARP tables).
When the check is indirect the timestamp of an IP is NOT real time as compared to a direct check against the device. It
means that this timestamp may not be accurate when the device was associated to this IP, but not really at the time
denoted by the timestamp. This will have impact when computing conflict with RANGE and LEASE, as the timestamp
may be inaccurately stated at a time the LEASE is already ended.

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Principle of Conflicts for DHCP Ranges
A DHCP Range is an object used for DHCP Service, to define which IP can be temporary allocated to a device using
LEASE. It is expected that ONLY the device that hold the LEASE is using this IP.
If an IP is discovered on an IP slot of a DHCP Range and there is no corresponding LEASE, then there is a possible
DHCP Range conflict (between the IP and the DHCP Range).
If in case the IP discovered is allocated for a LEASE, then we have two use case scenario:
• The LEASE IP has the same MAC than the discovered IP. All good.
• The LEASE IP has a different MAC than the discovered IP. Here a MAC ADDRESS conflict will be seen between
the IP discovered and the IP LEASED.
Computation of Conflicts (for RANGE or MAC ADDRESS Conflicts)

The conflicts are computed (raised or cleared) when:
• IP is discovered or re-discovered or has disappeared
• When the DHCP Range is updated (by UI, WAPI, PAPI)
• Any of the NIOS object that can change the slots in the RANGE are updated (Range reservation, Fixed Address,
Reservation …) by UI, WAPI or PAPI.
 Note
LEASE operations DOES NOT trigger any recomputation of the conflict.
When computing a conflict, the process lookup for the IP discovered and verify this against any DHCP Range that
includes the same IP:
• No Range : There will be no conflict with the Range (However, there can be other type of conflict see
documentation
• There is a Range, but there is nothing in that IP slot, neither Reservation, Fixed Addresses … or LEASE: this IP is
classified to be available for LEASE. If that IP is discovered, it means there is a device that uses that IP without
holding the LEASE and a RANGE conflict is raised.
• There is a Range and this IP slot is used by:
• Reservation or DHCP Reservation: no RANGE conflict.
• Fixed Address or Host Address: no RANGE conflict. (There can be a MAC Conflict.)
• LEASE:
• If the lease has currently no activity or never had any activity (eg BACKUP state). A RANGE
Conflict is raised because we consider there is no LEASE.
• If the lease includes dates of activity (eg ACTIVE, RENEW, ABANDONED, FREE, …) , the “last-
discovered” timestamp of the IP is checked against the dates of activity:
• If the “last-discovered” is BEFORE start of LEASE : we cannot say if there was a conflict or not. A
SYSLOG “Maybe conflict - IGNORED” is issued, but no RANGE, neither MAC ADDRESS conflict
is raised.
• If the “last-discovered” is DURING activity of LEASE, it is expected. No RANGE conflict.
However if the MAC does not match, a MAC ADDRESS conflict will be raised.
• If the “last-discovered” is AFTER the activity of the LEASE : a RANGE conflict is raised, as
there is no LEASE at time of the timestamp.
 Note
Conflicts based on dates of “last-discovered” timestamp, depends on how the IP was discovered, with
timestamps more or less accurate. Then a FALSE POSITIVE conflict can get raised. This condition needs to be
manually verified along with the dates, assess the conflict and maybe resolve that conflict manually.
If there is a delay to collect the LEASE from the DHCP Member, a conflict is raised at the time of processing the
IP, because the corresponding LEASE was not yet consolidated on GM. This require a manual assessment of
the conflict, and needs to be resolved manually.

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Monitoring Device Lifecycle and Vulnerabilities Using Advisor
Advisor is a subscription-based service that assists you in monitoring and maintaining network and security infrastructure
based on released Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) and vendor product lifecycle announcements. It
allows you to monitor the following equipment lifecycle and vulnerability data for the devices discovered by Network
Insight:
• CVE Bulletin Count: The count of CVEs that affect the device.
• CVE Bulletin List: The names of manufacturer's CVEs that affect the device.
• End of Sale Date: The date announced by the manufacturer when the device cannot be ordered.
• End of Support Date: The date announced by the manufacturer when the device is no longer eligible for support.
• EOL Bulletin URL: The URL pointing to the manufacturer's announcement.
• EOL Status: The End of Life status of the device, e.g. Current, End of Sale, and End of Support.
You can execute Advisor at any time or configure it to run at specific intervals and time. For information, see Configuring
Advisor Properties. In addition, you can use the "Device Advisor" report and dashboard and Advisor filters in Smart
Folders.
You can view lifecycle and vulnerability data in the Devices tab. If not present, add the Advisor-related columns to the
table. To do so, click a column header, click the down arrow, select Columns -> Edit Columns, and then select the
Advisor-related columns. You can also view this data in the properties of any discovered device as described in the next
section.
Also see Advisor Vendor Support Matrix.
Viewing Advisor Data

To see lifecycle and vulnerability data for an individual device:
1. In the Grid Manager, select Data Management → Devices.
2. Select a device in the table and click Edit.
3. In the Device Properties editor, select Extensible Attributes. The Value column displays the lifecycle and
vulnerability data, if detected for the device.
 Note
Unlike regular extensible attributes that you can create to track NIOS objects, Grid Manager creates the
Advisor extensible attributes automatically to obtain and display device lifecycle and vulnerability data.
Advisor Vendor Support Matrix

The following table lists vendors that support Advisor. It includes supported announcement types and the NIOS version
when they were added or updated.
Vendor Vulnerabilities Lifecycle
8.4
Cisco Yes Yes
8.4.4
Arista Yes Yes
Blue Coat Yes Yes
Checkpoint Yes No

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Vendor Vulnerabilities Lifecycle
Infoblox Yes Yes
Juniper Yes Yes
Palo Alto Networks Yes Yes
8.6
Aruba Yes Yes
Avaya/Nortel Yes Yes
Brocade Yes Yes
Checkpoint (API updated) Yes Yes
Netscreen (same API as Juniper) Yes Yes
Configuring Super Hosts

A super host is a collection of resource records or fixed addresses that are related. It can contain resource records or
fixed addresses that belong to a single network device, such as a router or a switch, or an application server. With super
host, you can configure and manage multiple interfaces, IP addresses, and DNS and DHCP records that are associated
with the same physical or virtual device. A super host gives you the flexibility to group related objects into a single entity
and manage them at one place.
A super host can contain the following record types:
• DNS records - A, AAAA, PTR, and host addresses
• DHCP records - IPv4 or IPv6 fixed addresses.
Note that a super host object and a network view or a DNS view are independent of each other. A super host is an
aggregation of NIOS objects that can belong to multiple networks or DNS views, but are related to a single network
device. The audit log records all changes to a super host object including addition, modification, deletion, and association
or disassociation of resource records.
You can group super host objects in smart folders according to their attributes. For example, you can create a smart
folder that contains all records in a specific super host. For more information, see Smart Folders. Use Capacity Report to
view the total capacity utilization of super host objects. For more information, see Using the Capacity Report.
 Note
Users must have valid permissions to delete or disable a super host. A resource record can only belong to one
super host and cannot be a part of multiple super hosts. You can associate any number of records with a super
host.
Limitations of Super Host

• You can associate extensible attributes with a super host, but it does not support inheritance.
• You cannot associate DNS records that are auto-created with a super host.
• Infoblox has limited control over the resource records, from a zone or a network, which is associated with a super
host. This can cause inconsistent behaviors when you enable or disable the resource record from the parent zone
or network.

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Administrative Permissions for Super Hosts
Superusers and limited-access users with read/write permission to All Super Hosts and corresponding objects can
manage super hosts and their associated resource records. By default, the Super Host Admin role supports read/write
permission on super hosts.
To define permissions for super hosts:
Permission area or select Add -> Global Permissions from the Toolbar. For more information, see About
2. For an admin role: From the Administration tab, select the Administrators tab -> Permissions tab -> admin_role in
Add -> Global Permissions from the Toolbar. For more information, see About Admin Roles.
3. Complete the following in the Manage Global Permissions dialog box:
• Permission Type: Select Super Host Permissions from the drop-down list.
• In the table, select Read/Write, Read-Only, or Deny for All Super Hosts.
You can also define object level permissions for a super host. For more information, see Defining Object Permissions.
Adding Super Hosts

To add a super host, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the Super Host tab, and then click the Add icon.
2. In the Add Super Host wizard, enter the following details:
• Name: Enter a name for the super host.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the super host.
• Disabled: Select this checkbox if you want to disable the super host at this time. Clear the checkbox to
enable it. When you disable a super host, the DNS and DHCP records that are associated with it are
disabled, but still associated with the super host.
3. Click Next to associate DNS or DHCP records with the super host. Click the arrow next to the Add icon and select
Add DNS and Host Records or Add DHCP Records. Note that you must have valid DNS and DHCP permissions
to add resource records and fixed addresses.
4. The records that you associate with the super host are listed. To delete a specific record, select the respective
checkbox and click the Delete icon.
Adding DNS and Host Records

In the Select Record dialog box, complete the following to select and associate DNS or host records:
• Network View: Select a network view from the drop-down list. This is displayed only if you have configured
multiple network views.
• DNS View: Select a DNS view from the drop-down list.
• Zone: Select a zone from the drop-down list. You must select a zone before you start searching for records. Click
Apply to apply your settings or Reset to reset the settings. Optionally, click the + icon to add another filter rule. To
delete an additional filter rule, click the - icon.
• Find: Specify the name of the resource record and click Go to search for a specific record.
• Host Record: Select the checkbox to search for a host record.
• A Record: Select the checkbox to search for an A record.
• AAAA Record: Select the checkbox to search for an AAAA record.
• PTR Record: Select the checkbox to search for a PTR record.
• Click the right arrow to navigate to the search results in the next page.

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The appliance displays the following details:
• Name: Displays the name of the resource record.
• IP address: Displays the IP address of the resource record.
• Type: Displays the type of the resource record.
• Comment: Displays additional comments about the resource record.
• Site: Displays the values that were entered for this pre-defined attribute.
• Click on a row and click OK to associate the resource record with the super host, or click Close to cancel. To
select and associate multiple records, use Shift+click and Ctrl+click.
You can edit a resource record that is associated with a super host. For more information, see Copying and Modifying
Host Records.
Adding DHCP Records

In the DHCP Objects Selector dialog box, complete the following to select and associate a DHCP record:
• Network View: Select a network view from the drop-down list. This is displayed only if you have configured
multiple network views.
• Network: Select a network from the drop-down list. You must select a zone before you start searching for records.
Click Apply to apply your settings or Reset to reset the settings. Optionally, click the + icon to add another filter
rule. To delete an additional filter rule, click the - icon.
• Find: Specify the fixed address and click Go to search for a specific record.
• Click the right arrow to navigate to the search results in the next page.
The appliance displays the following details:
• IP address: Displays the IP address of the resource record.
• Name: Displays the respective IPv4/IPv6 fixed address or host address.
• Type: Displays the type of the resource record.
• Comment: Displays additional comments about the fixed address.
• Click on the row and click OK to associate the resource record with the super host, or click Close to cancel. To
select and associate multiple records, use Shift+click and Ctrl+click.
When you search for DHCP records, a host record with multiple host addresses will display all the associated host
addresses in the DHCP Objects Selector dialog box. When you select multiple hosts, the NIOS appliance considers the
records as duplicate. Infoblox recommends that you delete the duplicate records before you save them.
You can edit an IPv4/IPv6 fixed address that is associated with a super host. For more information about modifying IPv4
and IPv6 fixed addresses, see Configuring IPv4 Fixed Addresses and Configuring IPv6 Fixed Addresses respectively.
Viewing Super Hosts

The super host Home panel lists all the super hosts that are configured in the Grid. You can provision new super hosts
objects and manage them. To view the configured super hosts, navigate to the Data Management tab → Super Host
tab. Grid Manager displays the following information in the super hosts Home panel:
• Name: The name of the super host.
• Comment: The information you entered about the super host.
• Disabled: Indicates whether the super host is disabled.
• Using the Action icon , you can modify or delete a super host.
• View associated records. For more information, see Viewing Resource Records Associated with a Super Host.
• Sort the data in ascending or descending order by column. For information about customizing tables in Grid
Manager, see Customizing Tables.
first few characters of an object name in the Go to field and select the object from the possible matches. For more
information, see Using the Go To Function.
• Create a quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria. For more information, see Using Quick Filters.

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• Use Global Search to search for a specific super host. For information, see Using Global Search.
Viewing Resource Records Associated with a Super Host

You can view the resource records that are associated with a super host by navigating to the Data Management tab →
Super Host tab, click the respective super host. For each super host object, the panel displays the following by default:
• Name: The name of the associated DNS or DHCP resource record.
• Parent: The name of the super host object in which the record resides.
• Type: The record type. When you search for an unspecified record type, all the associated records are displayed.
• Data: Value of a resource record. For example, IP address of an A record.
• Comment: Comments that were entered for the resource record.
• Disabled: Indicates if the associated DNS/DHCP resource record is disabled.
• Network View: The network view associated with the resource record.
• DNS View: The DNS view to which the zones belong.
• Creation Timestamp: The time at which the DNS resource record was created.
first few characters of an object name in the Go to field and select the object from the possible matches. For more
information, see Using the Go To Function.
• Create a quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria. For more information, see Using Quick Filters.
• Click the right arrow to return to the parent object:
• DNS records, such as A/AAAA/PTR records, and host addresses return to the respective parent zone.
• DHCP records, such as IPv4 and IPv6 fixed addresses, return to the respective parent network.
• Click the Print icon to print the list of associated resource records.
Modifying Super Hosts

You can select supported DNS or DHCP records and associate or dissociate them from a super host. Infoblox allows you
to update the name, comment, and enable or disable the respective super host. To modify a super host:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the Super Host tab.
2. Select a super host that you want to modify and click the Edit icon, or click the Action icon next to the
respective super host and select Edit from the menu.
3. The Super Host editor provides the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General tab: Modify certain general properties. For more information, see Adding Super Hosts.
• Extensible Attributes tab: Add or modify values of extensible attributes. For information, see Managing
• Permissions tab: Modify the administrative permissions. For more information, see About Administrative
Permissions for Super Hosts.
Deleting Super Hosts

When you delete a super host, you have an option to delete only the respective super host or delete the associated
records also. The deleted super hosts and associated records are moved to the Recycle Bin, from which you can restore
or permanently delete them. For information about the Recycle Bin, see Using the Recycle Bin.
To delete a super host:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the Super Host tab.
2. Select a super host that you want to delete and click the Delete icon, or click the Action icon next to the
respective super host and select Delete from the menu.
3. The appliance displays the Delete Confirmation dialog box to confirm that you want to delete a super host. You
can choose to delete the records that are associated with the super host by selecting the Delete associated
records with the Superhost checkbox. You cannot delete associated records if you do not have write permissions
on those objects. When you restore this super host from the Recycle Bin, the associated resource records are

Rev. D
also restored.
If you do not select the Delete associated records with the Superhost checkbox while deleting a super host, the
associated records will not be deleted. When you restore the deleted super host, only the respective super host is
restored and you must associate the resource records manually.
DNS
This section describes how to configure the Grid to provide DNS services. It includes the following topics:
• Infoblox DNS Service

• Configuring DNS Services
• DNS Views
• Configuring DNS Zones
• Configuring DNS Resource Records
• Configuring DDNS Updates
• Configuring DNSSEC
• Managing DNS Traffic Control
• Configuring IP Routing Options
Infoblox DNS Service

The NIOS appliance uses a standard, BIND-based DNS protocol engine. It interoperates with any other name server that
complies with the DNS RFCs. This section provides an overview of the DNS configuration tasks. It includes the following
topics:
• Configuring DNS Overview

• Inheriting DNS Properties
• Understanding DNS for IPv6
Configuring DNS Overview

An overview of the DNS configuration process is outlined in the following diagram, illustrating the required steps
for preparing a NIOS appliance for use:

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DNS Configuration Checklist
The following checklist includes the major steps for configuring DNS:
DNS Configuration Checklist
Step For more information
Decide if you want to configure DNS properties for the Grid and for individual members Infoblox DNS Service
Decide if you want to create a new DNS view, in addition to the default DNS view DNS Views

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Decide which type of DNS zone you want to configure Configuring DNS Zones
Add hosts and resource records Configuring DNS Resource Records
Import zone data Importing Zone Data
Enable DNS service on the member Starting and Stopping the DNS Service
Inheriting DNS Properties

You can configure DNS properties at the Grid, member, zone, and resource records level. The NIOS appliance applies
the properties hierarchically, with the Grid at the top of the hierarchy. Grid settings apply to all members in the Grid,
unless you override them at the member, zone, or resource record level. When you set DNS properties for a particular
member, these properties override the Grid properties and apply to all zones served by that member. When you set
properties for a specific zone, they override the member properties and apply to the resource records in the zone. You
can also override the zone properties and set properties for specific resource records.
When you configure DNS properties that contain inherited values, the appliance displays the information based on the
inheritance sources. There may be times when an object can inherit properties from different sources with different
settings. The following table summarizes what the appliance can display:
When you see... it means...
Inherited From <object> the DNS property has a definite value from an inheritance source.
Inherited From Upper Level the appliance cannot yet determine the inherited value or inheritance source for the DNS property.
Inherited From Multiple the DNS property has the same value that it inherits from multiple sources.
Settings Inherited from Multiple Ancestors, the DNS property has different values that it inherits from multiple sources, and you can view the
View Multiple Inheritance Scenarios values and their corresponding sources by clicking the View Multiple Inheritance Scenarios link.
Based on the information provided, you can then decide whether to override or keep the inherited values. You must have
read/write permissions to the DNS resources to override inherited values. You can only view inherited values and paths if
you have at least read-only permissions.
In the example in the below figure, the DNS zone is served by members with different query settings.
DNS Zone with Different Inherited Settings

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The Multiple Inheritance Viewer indicates that the two servers have different query ACLs, as shown in Multiple
Inheritance Viewer. You can then view the Query properties of each member and edit them, or override the setting and
specify values that apply to the zone only.
Multiple Inheritance Viewer
Overriding DNS Properties

DNS properties configured at the Grid level apply to the entire Grid. You can choose to keep the inherited properties or
override them when you configure the properties for a member, zone, or resource record.
To override an inherited value:
1. In a wizard or editor, click Override next to a property to enable the configuration. The Override button changes to
Inherit.
2. Enter a new value to override the inherited value.
Understanding DNS for IPv6

You can configure NIOS appliances to provide DNS services over IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) and IPv6 (Internet
Protocol version 6) networks. You can configure the Grid member as IPv6, or dual-mode name server. Dual-mode name
server is capable of sending and receiving IPv4 and IPv6 queries and responses. It can serve DNS data in response to
both IPv4 and IPv6 queries. The appliance supports authoritative forward-mapping zones containing AAAA records
mapping host names to IPv6 addresses, as well as authoritative reverse-mapping zones with PTR records mapping IPv6
addresses to host names.
Configuring a Grid containing an IPv4 primary server and IPv6 secondary servers is not supported. You must enable

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IPv6 on both the primary and secondary servers within the Grid to enable them to communicate with each other.
Infoblox highly recommends that you enable IPv6 on your Grid appliances before configuring IPv6 authoritative zones.
The NIOS appliance supports IPv6 configuration on multiple interfaces, such as LAN1,LAN2, MGMT, anycast (OSPF and
BGP), and loopback interfaces. Infoblox integrates IPv6 address management into many of the same places where IPv4
addresses are entered. Data validation occurs on all IP address fields and automatic validation is done to ensure proper
entry of either an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address.
The NIOS appliance supports the following DNS functions for IPv6:
• AAAA records—You can import, serve queries, display, add, delete, and modify AAAA records on the
appliance. An AAAA record is equivalent to an IPv4 A record, relying upon a forward-mapping zone to
map a hostname to an IPv6 address. A single forward-mapping zone can map names to both IPv4 and
IPv6 addresses. The appliance autogenerates AAAA records for any of its interfaces that have IPv6
addresses.
• Hosts—You can configure IPv4 and IPv6 addresses for hosts. For information, see Adding Host Records.
• ip6.arpa— A specific domain for IPv6 is used for DNS reverse lookups called ip6.arpa. This domain maps
an IPv6 address to a hostname. When you specify an IPv6 network, the appliance automatically creates
the appropriate zone under ip6.arpa.
• PTR records—Import, serve queries, display, add, delete, and modify PTR records within an ip6.arpa
reverse zone. The PTR record returns a domain name corresponding to an IPv6 address contained in the
ip6.arpa zone. The appliance does not autogenerate PTR records; the user must configure PTR records
manually.
• DDNS—The appliance supports AAAA and PTR records for DDNS (Dynamic DNS).
For more information about DNS for IPv6, see RFC 3596, DNS Extensions to Support IP Version 6.
Address Structures
IPv4 uses a 32-bit, 4-octet (each octet separated by decimals) addressing structure to designate sources and
destinations within a network. Since there are 32 bits that make up the address, IPv4 can support up to 4 billion unique
addresses.
An IPv6 address is a 128-bit number in colon hexadecimal notation. It consists of eight groups of four hexadecimal digits
separated by colons (example: 12ab:0000:0000:0123:4567:89ab:0000:cdef). Since there are 128 bits that make up the
address, IPv6 can support up to 3.4x1038 unique addresses. The increase in the number of unique IPv6 addresses is
one of the biggest advantages of an IPv6 implementation.
IPv6 Address Structure
The IPv6 address structure consists of the following:

• Global Routing Prefix—Global routing prefix is a (typically hierarchically-structured) value assigned to a
site.
• Subnet ID—Subnet ID is an identifier of a link within the site.
• Interface ID—Interface Identifier. This portion of the address identifies the interface on the subnet. This is
equivalent to the host identifier for IPv4 addresses.
When you enter an IPv6 address, you can use double colons to compress a contiguous sequence of zeros. You can also
omit any leading zeros in a four-hexadecimal group. For example, the complete IPv6 address
2006:0000:0000:0123:4567:89ab:0000:cdef can be shortened to 2006::123:4567:89ab:0:cdef. Note that if there are

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multiple noncontiguous groups of zeros, the double colon can only be used for one group to avoid ambiguity. The NIOS
appliance displays an IPv6 address in its shortened form, regardless of its form when it was entered.
Configuring IPv6 on a Grid Member

You can configure a Grid member in either IPv6 or dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) to support IPv6 connections. A dual mode
Grid member supports both IPv4 and IPv6 connections by configuring an IPv6 address on the member, in addition to the
standard IPv4 address.
When you enable IPv6 on a member, you can manually enter the IPv6 gateway address or enable the member to
automatically acquire the address from router advertisements. Routers periodically send router advertisements that
contain link-layer addresses and configuration parameters. A NIOS appliance that supports IPv6 can listen for router
advertisements and obtain the default gateway IP address and link MTU (maximum transmission unit). The link MTU is
the maximum packet size, in octets, that can be conveyed in one transmission unit over a link. Thus you can set
parameters on a router once and automatically propagate it to all attached hosts.
To configure the member to support IPv6:
• Member Type: Specify the appliance type of the Grid member. If the member is an Infoblox appliance,
select Infoblox, which is the default. If the member is a NIOS virtual appliance, select Virtual NIOS.
• Host Name: Type the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) of the appliance that you are adding to the
Grid.
• Time Zone: If the Grid member is in a different time zone from the Grid, click Override and select a time
zone.
• Comment: Type a comment that provides some useful information about the appliance, such as its
location.
• Master Candidate: Select this option to designate this appliance as a Master Candidate. For supported
vNIOS appliances, see Supported vNIOS Appliance Models and Specifications. Note that the Grid Master
Candidate must use the same communication protocol as the Grid Master.
4. Enter the following information about the member that you are adding to the Grid and click Next:
• Type of Network Connectivity: Select IPv6 to configure an IPv6 Grid member or select IPv4 and IPv6 to
configure a dual mode Grid member.
• Select Standalone Member to configure a single member or select High Availability Pair to configure an
HA member.
For an HA member, enter the Virtual Router ID number and if the HA member is configured in dual mode,
select IPv6 in the Send HA and Grid Communication Over field.
• Required Ports and Addresses: This table lists the network interfaces based on the type of network
connectivity of the Grid member.
For IPv6 Grid member, specify the network information for LAN1(IPv6) interface. For a dual mode Grid
member, specify the network information for both LAN1(IPv4) and LAN1(IPv6) interfaces.
For IPv6 HA member, specify the network information for VIP (IPv6), Node1 LAN1(IPv6), and Node2
LAN1(IPv6) ports. For a dual mode HA member, specify the network information for the following
interfaces: VIP (IPv4), Node1 LAN1(IPv4), Node2 LAN1(IPv4), VIP (IPv6), Node1 LAN1(IPv6), and Node2
LAN1(IPv6).
• Address: You can enter IPv4 or IPv6 address depending on the type of interface. An IPv6 address
is a 128-bit number in colon hexadecimal notation. It consists of eight 16-bit groups of
hexadecimal digits separated by colons (example: 2001:db8:0000:0123:4567:89ab:0000:cdef or
2001:db8::123:4567:89ab:0:cdef).
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): Enter an appropriate subnet mask for IPv4 address
and prefix length for IPv6 address. The prefix length ranges from 2 to 127.
• Gateway: Type the default gateway for the interface. For IPv6 interface, you can also type
Automatic to enable the appliance to acquire the IPv6 address of the default gateway and the link
MTU from router advertisements.

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vNIOS appliances.
• DSCP Value: Displays the Grid DSCP value, if configured. To modify, click Override and enter the
DSCP value. You can enter a value from 0 to 63. For information about DSCP, see Implementing
Quality of Service Using DSCP.
Configuring DNS for IPv6 Addressing

Configuring the appliance to manage DNS services for IPv6 connections is similar to configuring DNS services for IPv4
connections. For simplicity, the IPv6 procedures are located in the same location as the corresponding procedures for
IPv4 in this chapter. In most cases, the key difference within the procedure involves selecting an IPv6 mapping zone
instead of an IPv4 mapping zone. You can configure the following tasks:
IPv6 DNS Configuration Checklist
Create primary or secondary name servers and specify an IPv6 root server. • Configuring Authoritative Zones
• Specifying a Primary Server
• Specifying Secondary Servers
• Creating a Root Zone
Configure the IPv6 zones. • Creating an Authoritative Forward-Mapping Zone

• Creating an Authoritative Reverse-Mapping Zone
Configure IPv6 resource records • Managing AAAA Records

• Managing PTR Records
Configuring DNS Services

This chapter provides general information about DNS service properties and includes the following topics:
• Configuring DNS Service Properties

• Clearing DNS Cache
• Viewing DNS Cache Entries
• Using Forwarders
• Controlling DNS Queries
• Enabling Recursive Queries
• Configuring DNS over TLS and DNS over HTTPS Services
• Controlling AAAA Records for IPv4 Clients
• About NXDOMAIN Redirection
• Detecting and Mitigating DNS DDoS Attacks
• Automated Mitigation of Phantom Domain Attacks
• Detecting NXDOMAIN Attacks
• Mitigating Possible NXDOMAIN Attacks
• Support for RRL (Response Rate Limiting)
• Blacklists
• Configuring Blacklists
• Enabling Zone Transfers
• About Root Name Servers

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• About Sort Lists
• Configuring a DNS Blackhole List
• Specifying Hostname Policies
• About DNS64
• DNS Record Scavenging
• Monitoring DNS Queries
• Configuring DNS Traffic Control Properties
Configuring DNS Service Properties
You can configure general DNS service properties and change some default values. The DNS service is disabled by
default. To enable the member to provide DNS service, you must start the DNS service. For information about how to
start and stop the DNS service, see Starting and Stopping the DNS Service. The following topics describe the DNS
service properties that you can configure:
• Configuring DNS Access Control

• Specifying Time To Live Settings
• Configuring Hostname and Server ID Options
• Enabling and Disabling DNS Health Check Monitor
• Adding an Email Address to the SOA Record
• Notifying External Secondary Servers
• Enabling the Configuration of RRset Orders
• Specifying Port Settings for DNS
• Using Extension Mechanisms for DNS (EDNS0)
• Deleting PTR Records associated with A or AAAA Records
• Specifying Minimal Responses
• Starting and Stopping the DNS Service
Configuring DNS Access Control

You can add ACEs (access control entries) or use a named ACL (access control list) to determine which hosts can
perform specific DNS tasks. For information about how to define a named ACL, see Defining Named ACLs. When you
add ACEs or a named ACL to Grid DNS properties, the configuration overrides member and object access control for
DNS zone transfers, dynamic DNS updates, DNS queries and recursive queries, blackhole lists, and AAAA filtering. For a
full list of operations that support access control, see Operations that Support Access Control.
To configure DNS access control:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid DNS Properties.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode, and select one of the following tabs for specific
DNS tasks:
• Updates tab: Define ACEs or a named ACL to control Grid level dynamic DNS updates, as described in
Enabling DNS Servers to Accept DDNS Updates.
• Queries tab: Define ACEs or a named ACL to control Grid level DNS queries, recursive queries, and
AAAA filtering, as described in Controlling DNS Queries, Enabling Recursive Queries, and Controlling
AAAA Records for IPv4 Clients.
• Zone Transfers tab: Define ACEs or a named ACL to control Grid level DNS zone transfers, as described
in Enabling Zone Transfers. This does not apply to zone transfers for Microsoft servers. For information
about Microsoft servers, see Setting Zone Properties.
• Blackhole tab: Configure ACEs or a named ACL to define IP addresses and networks that you do not want
to include during the DNS resolution process, as described in Configuring a DNS Blackhole List.
• DNS64 tab: Configure ACEs or a named ACL for clients to which the appliance sends synthesized AAAA
records DNS64 groups, as described in Setting DNS64 Group Properties.
You can override the Grid settings at the member and object levels.

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Specifying Time To Live Settings
You can specify TTL (time to live) settings for Infoblox host records and resource records. TTL is the time that a name
server is allowed to cache data. After the TTL expires, the name server is required to update the data. Setting a high TTL
reduces network traffic, but also renders your cached data less current. Conversely, setting a low TTL renders more
current cached data, but also increases the traffic on your network.
You can specify global TTL settings at the Grid level, for individual zones, or resource records. When you configure TTL
settings for auto-generated records, the following conditions apply:
• NS records that are auto-generated for delegated name servers use TTL settings from their delegated zones.
• Auto-generated glue A and AAAA records use TTL settings from a delegated zone if the name of the name server
is below the delegation point and does not belong to an authoritative child zone.
• All other auto-generated NS, A, and AAAA records continue to use TTL settings from their parent zones.
• Auto-generated PTR records do not inherit TTL settings from delegated zones. They use TTL settings from their
parent zones.
When you have an RRSET (resource record set) that contains different TTL settings for each record, Grid Manager
displays the actual TTL values for these records. However, in DNS responses, the appliance takes the least of the values
and returns that as the TTL setting for all resource records in the RRset.
For recursive DNS severs, you can specify the maximum cache TTL value that establishes the time limit for the name
server to cache positive responses. You can also specify the maximum negative cache TTL value that specifies the time
limit for the name server to cache negative responses. For information about how to configure these settings, see
Specifying Max Cache TTL and Max Negative Cache TTL Settings.
Specifying TTL Settings for a Grid

To specify global TTL settings for resource records hosted by Grid members:
2. In the Basic tab of the General section of the Grid DNS Properties editor, modify the following values as
necessary:
• Refresh: This interval tells secondary servers how often to send a message to the primary server for a
zone to check that their data is current, and retrieve fresh data if it is not. The default is three hours.
Ensure that you set the refresh interval to a value above 300 seconds; setting the refresh interval to below
300 seconds may not work as expected.
• Retry: This interval tells secondary servers how long to wait before attempting to recontact the primary
server after a connection failure between the two occurs. The default is one hour.
• Expire: If the secondary fails to contact the primary for the specified interval, the secondary stops giving
out answers about the zone because the zone data is too old to be useful. The default is 4 weeks.
• Default TTL: Specifies how long name servers can cache the data. The default is eight hours.
• Negative-caching TTL (Time to Live): Specifies how long name servers can cache negative responses,
such as NXDOMAIN responses. The default is 15 minutes.
Specifying TTL Settings for a Zone

To specify TTL settings for host and resource records in a zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Zones tab-> dns_view -> zone checkbox ->
Edit icon.
2. In the Authoritative Zone editor, click Settings.
3. Click Override and complete the fields as described in the preceding section, Specifying TTL Settings for a Grid.
Specifying the TTL of a Host or Resource Record

To specify the TTL setting for an Infoblox host or resource record:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Zones tab -> dns_view -> zone ->
resource_record.

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2. The TTL tab of the resource record editor displays the TTL setting the resource record inherited from the Grid or
zone. Click Override and enter a value. The setting is in hours by default. You can change it to seconds, minutes,
days or weeks.
Specifying TTL Settings for a Lame Server

Servers that are marked as authoritative, but do not respond as authoritative servers are called lame servers. You can
specify the number of seconds to cache a lame delegation or lame server indication through the Lame TTL option. Lame
TTL usually indicates the amount of time your name server remembers information about the remote name server that is
not authoritative for a zone, which is delegated to it.
A domain or sub-domain that is delegated to a server that is not authoritative for the domain is called lame delegation. It
indicates that a zone file does not exist for the domain on the server.
The lame time-to-live cache value can be defined at the Grid DNS, Member DNS, or DNS view level. To specify the
Lame TTL cache value for a lame delegation or lame server:
1. Grid: From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, select the DNS tab, click the Services tab -> member checkbox,
expand the Toolbar and click Edit -> Grid DNS Properties. In the Grid DNS Properties editor, select the General
tab -> click the Advanced tab (or click Toggle Advanced Mode).
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Members tab -> member checkbox ->
Edit icon. In the Member DNS Properties editor, select the General tab -> click the Advanced tab (or click Toggle
Advanced Mode).
DNS View: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> dns_view checkbox -> Edit icon.
In the DNS View editor, select the General tab -> click the Advanced tab (or click Toggle Advanced Mode).
2. In the Grid DNS Properties, Member DNS Properties, or the DNS View editor, select the General tab -> click the
Advanced tab (or click Toggle Advanced Mode) and then complete the following:
Lame TTL: Specify the duration of time to cache a lame delegation or lame server. The default value is 600
seconds (ten minutes) and the maximum value is 1800 seconds (thirty minutes). The appliance displays a
warning message when you specify a value equal to 0 (zero). The value 0 (zero) disables lame caching and is not
recommended. The appliance displays an error message when you specify a value greater than 1800 seconds.
The Lame TTL cache value is inherited from the Grid by the member and DNS view levels and this field is
disabled, by default. To override the Lame TTL cache value, click Override. You can override the value at the
member and DNS view levels. To retain the same Lame TTL value as the Grid, click Inherit at the member and
DNS view level.
Specifying Max Cache TTL and Max Negative Cache TTL Settings
You can specify the maximum duration of time for which your name server caches positive responses using the Max
Cache TTL settings. The Max Cache TTL indicates the time limit for which the name server retains records in the cache.
When the Max Cache TTL for a record expires, the name server deletes the record from the cache.
You can also specify the maximum duration of time for which your name server caches negative responses through the
Max Negative Cache TTL settings. The Max Negative Cache TTL sets the time limit for which the name server retains
negative responses (NXDOMAIN/NXRRSET responses) in the cache. The name server deletes a negative response
from the cache when the Max Negative Cache TTL period for the entry expires.
You can define the Max Cache TTL value and the Max Negative Cache TTL value at the Grid DNS, Member DNS, and
DNS view levels.
To specify the Max Cache TTL and the Max Negative Cache TTL:
1. Grid: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid DNS Properties.
Edit icon.
DNS View: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Zones tab -> dns_view checkbox ->
Edit icon.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties, Member DNS Properties, or the DNS View editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the
editor is in the basic mode.
3. Click the Advanced subtab of the General tab and then complete the following:
• Max Cache TTL: Specify the maximum duration of time for which the name server caches positive
responses. Select the time period in minutes, hours, or days from the drop-down list. The default value is

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one week (7 days), and the maximum value is 49710 days, 1193046 hours, or 71582788 minutes. The
appliance displays an error message when you enter a value greater than the maximum value. Note that
setting the Max Cache TTL value to 0 (zero) will disable the name server from caching any data, and it is
not recommended.
• Max Negative Cache TTL: Specify the maximum duration of time for which the name server caches
negative responses. Select the time period in minutes, hours, or days from the drop-down list. The default
value is three hours, and the maximum value is 7 days, 168 hours, or 10080 minutes. The appliance
displays an error message when you enter a value greater than the maximum value. Note that setting the
Max Negative Cache TTL value to 0 (zero) will disable the name server from caching negative responses,
and it is not recommended.
The Max Cache TTL value and the Max Negative Cache TTL value are inherited from the Grid at the
member and DNS view levels. To override the inherited values, click Override and specify the new value.
To retain the Grid values, click Inherit.
Configuring Hostname and Server ID Options

When you configure DNS anycast, multiple DNS name servers share a single IP address. To identify which DNS name
server is answering queries, you can configure the hostname and server ID options so the appliance returns the
hostname of the DNS name server that is currently answering queries. By default, the hostname and server ID options
are disabled on the NIOS appliance. You can configure the hostname bind directive and server-id directive options at the
Grid level and override them at the member level. The appliance returns the hostname of the DNS name server that is
currently answering queries when a client queries for the hostname.bind or the id.server with record type as TXT and
class CHAOS, as follows:
dig @<IP> hostname.bind txt CH
dig @<IP> id.server txt CH
To secure the identity of the internet-facing DNS servers, you can configure the hostname and server ID options for
specific Grid members that are internet-facing to return a user defined value instead of the real hostname. Alternatively,
you can disable the hostname and server ID options at the Grid level and configure them only for those members that
are not internet-facing.
To configure the hostname and server ID options:
1. Grid: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, and then select Grid DNS Properties from the Toolbar.
Edit icon.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties or the Member DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in
the basic mode.
• Hostname bind directive: Select either Hostname or None from the drop-down list. The default is None. If you
select Hostname, the appliance returns the hostname of the DNS name server that is currently answering
queries. Selecting None disables the Hostname bind directive option.
In the Member DNS Properties editor, you can also select User defined and specify any hostname of your choice.
The appliance returns the specified hostname instead of the real hostname of the DNS name server that is
currently answering queries.
To override an inherited setting from the Grid, click Override. To retain the same setting as the Grid, click Inherit.
• Server-id directive: Select either Hostname or None from the drop-down list. The default is None. If you select
Hostname, the appliance returns the hostname of the DNS name server that is currently answering queries, when
a client queries to identify the server ID of the name server that is answering queries.
Selecting None disables the Server-id directive option.
In the Member DNS Properties editor, you can also select User defined and specify a value of your choice. The
appliance returns the specified value when a client queries to identify the server ID of the DNS name server that
is answering queries.
To override an inherited setting from the Grid, click Override. To retain the same setting as the Grid, click Inherit.

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Enabling and Disabling DNS Health Check Monitor
You can enable the DNS health check monitor to monitor whether the DNS server is responding to client requests. When
you enable this feature, the appliance sends a query to the DNS server and waits for the response until the specified
timeout duration. If the appliance is unable to receive a response from the DNS server after the specified number of
retries, the appliance sends SNMP traps and email notifications about the failure. The appliance performs the DNS
health check periodically based on the specified time interval.
 Warning
The DNS Health Check monitor might
not work properly if DNS blackhole feature is enabled or if any named ACL is blocking the query sent to
loopback interface.
To enable or disable the DNS health check monitor:

Edit icon.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties or the Member DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in
the basic mode.
• Enable DNS Health Check: This checkbox is deselected by default, meaning the DNS health check
monitor is disabled. Select this checkbox to enable the DNS health check monitor and specify the
following:
• Interval: Enter the time interval in seconds. The interval value is measured from the end of the
previous monitoring cycle. The default is 30 seconds. You can enter a value between 10 and
21600 seconds.
• Timeout: Enter the timeout value in seconds. This is the time the appliance waits for a response to
the query. The default is 3 seconds. You can enter a value between 1 and 10 seconds.
• Retries: Enter the number of times the appliance tries to send the query after a failed attempt. The
default is 3. You can enter a value between 1 and 10.
Adding an Email Address to the SOA Record

If the primary name server of a zone is a Grid member, you can add an administrator email address to the SOA record to
help admins determine who to contact about this zone.
Adding an Email Address for SOA Records in the Grid

If all zones hosted by the Grid members have the same administrator, you can add the email address once for the Grid.
The appliance then adds the email address to the RNAME field of the SOA records of the zones.
To add an email address to the SOA records at the Grid level:
2. In the General -> Basic tab of the Grid DNS Properties editor, enter the email address in the E-mail Address (for
SOA RNAME field) field.
 Note
The appliance does not support IDN for the E-mail Address (for SOA RNAME field) field at the Grid
level. You can add an email address containing IDN for the SOA records at the zone level.

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Adding an Email Address for the Zone SOA Record
To add an email address to the SOA record of a zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Zones tab-> dns_view -> zone checkbox ->
Edit icon.
3. Click Override beside the Email address (for SOA RNAME field) field and enter the email address of the zone
administrator.
 Note
The appliance supports IDN for the host name of the Email address (for SOA RNAME field) field. For
example, you can create admin@инфоблокс.рф but not админ@инфоблокс.рф.com.
Notifying External Secondary Servers

Grid members can use database replication to maintain up-to-date zone data sets, so the secondary servers in the Grid
can keep their zone data synchronized even if the primary server fails. Any external secondary servers can fall out of
sync, however, if they rely only on the primary server to send notify messages when there is new zone data. Therefore all
authoritative name servers in a Grid (all primary and secondary servers) send notify messages to external secondary
servers by default. This ensures that an external secondary name server receives notify messages when its primary
server is a secondary name server in a Grid. However, it also increases the number of notify messages.
Infoblox recommends that you do not configure a large number of external secondary servers in stealth mode. To ensure
that these secondary servers receive notifications about zone updates, you can allow zone transfers for these IP
addresses and then enable the appliance to add them to the also-notify statement. For information about how to
configure this feature, see Configuring Zone Transfers.
To specify whether secondary name servers in the Grid are to send notify messages to external secondary name
servers:
2. In the Grid DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode.
3. When the additional tabs appear, click the Advanced subtab of the General tab.
• Enable Grid secondaries to notify external secondaries: This option is enabled by default.
• Notify Delay: Specify the number of seconds that the Grid secondary servers delays sending notification
messages to the external secondaries. The default is five seconds.
For the external secondary servers to accept notify messages from the secondary name servers in the Grid and then
request zone transfers from them, you must configure the external secondary servers to use the Grid secondary servers
as the source of the zone transfers. This ensures that the external secondary servers continue to receive notify
messages, even if the primary server is unavailable.
Enabling the Configuration of RRset Orders

You can use the Infoblox GUI to configure the order that the appliance uses to return the A and AAAA records associated
with an Infoblox host. This feature is useful when you want the appliance to return the A and AAAA records of a host in a
specific order. For example, if you want the management address to appear first on a list of IP addresses associated with
a network device, you can configure the order of the IP addresses so the management address is always returned first
on the list when you look up the name of the device. For information about using the Infoblox API to configure RRset
order (resource record order) of a host, refer to the Infoblox API Documentation.
To specify an RRset order of a host record, you must first enable the feature at the Grid level. When you enable this
feature and there are multiple IP addresses associated with the host record, you can specify one of the following RRset
orders through the Host Record wizard and editor:
• Fixed: The A and AAAA records of the host are returned in the order that you specify in the IPv4 and IPv6 address
tables.

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• Random: The A and AAAA records of the host are returned in a random order.
• Cyclic: The A and AAAA records are returned in a round robin pattern.
For information about specifying RRset order of a host record, see Adding Host Records.
Note that when you configure an order type for the IP addresses associated with a host record, the order type applies to
both the A and AAAA records of the host. It does not apply to any non-host A or AAAA records that may have the same
owner name as the host record. By default, the appliance returns resource records in a cyclic or round robin order. The
return order of non-authoritative data retrieved from a recursion is not affected by the host RRset order, and that remains
cyclic.
When you enable the RRset order for hosts at the Grid level, you may not be able to maintain the same DNS responses
on a recursive server if it exists in the Grid. You can preserve the original cached DNS responses by configuring a fixed
RRset order on the recursive server so it can return A and AAAA records associated with domain names in the original
order they were received. For information about configuring the RRset order for the cached DNS responses, see
Preserving the RRset Order for Cached DNS Responses.
To enable the configuration of RRset order for a host record:
1. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab, expand the Toolbar, and then click Grid DNS Properties.
• Enable setting RRset order for hosts with multiple addresses: Select this checkbox to enable the
configuration of RRset order for a host record. After you enable this feature, you can configure the RRset
order in the Host Record wizard or editor. For information, see Adding Host Records.
• Preserve host RRset order for Grid secondaries that use DNS zone transfers: This is enabled only when
you have enabled the setting of RRset order for host records. When you select this checkbox, the RRset
order that you configure for a host record applies to the resource records of the Grid secondaries that are
in the DNS transfer mode.
Preserving the RRset Order for Cached DNS Responses

By default, when a client queries a domain name, the DNS caching appliance returns the A and AAAA records of the
domain name in the cyclic order. However, this default behavior can be overridden if you have enabled and configured
(at the Grid level) fixed RRset order for hosts that have multiple addresses. When you override the default behavior and
preserve the fixed RRset order for cached DNS responses, the DNS caching appliance returns A and AAAA records
associated with domain names in the order they were received from an upstream server. You can preserve the RRset
order for the cached DNS responses and specify the fixed RRset order for A, AAAA, or both A and AAAA records at the
Grid level and override at the member and DNS view levels. Note that configuring fixed RRset order for specific FQDNs
might slightly affect the performance of the DNS caching appliance.
To preserve the fixed RRset order for cached DNS responses at the Grid, member, or DNS view level:
1. Grid: From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab, expand the Toolbar, and then click Grid DNS Properties.
Edit icon.
2. In the editor, select the RRset Order tab -> click the Basic tab, and then complete the following:
• Enable fixed RRset order for following FQDNs: Select this checkbox to preserve the configuration of
RRset order for cached DNS responses.
• In the FQDN table, specify the list of FQDN entries for which you want to preserve the RRset order. Note
that you can configure a maximum of 25 FQDNs for the specified RRset order.
You can click the Add icon and complete the following to add a new entry to the list:
• FQDN: Enter the fully qualified domain name with which the A or AAAA record is associated.
• Record Type: Select the record type from the drop-down list. You can select A, AAAA, or Both A
and AAAA.

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Specifying Port Settings for DNS
When requesting zone transfers from the primary server, some secondary DNS servers use the source port number (the
primary server used to send the notify message) as the destination port number in the zone transfer request. If the
primary server uses a random source port number when sending the notify message—that the secondary server then
uses as the destination port number when requesting a zone transfer—zone transfers can fail if there is an intervening
firewall blocking traffic to the destination port number.
Specifying a source port number for recursive queries ensures that a firewall allows the response. If you do not specify a
source port number, the NIOS appliance sends these messages from a random port number. You can also specify a
source for the DNS Traffic Control health check.
When performing recursive queries, the NIOS appliance uses a random source port number above 1024 by default. The
queried server responds using the source port number in the query as the destination port number in its response. If
there is an intervening firewall that does not perform stateful inspection and blocks incoming traffic to the destination port
number, the recursive query fails.
You can specify a source port number for notify messages to ensure the firewall allows the zone transfer request from
the secondary server to the primary server. If you do not specify a source port number, the NIOS appliance sends
messages from a random port number above 1024.
You can limit If you have configured anycast and non-anycast IP addresses on the loopback interface, you must enable
the appliance to provide DNS services on them. You can also configure the appliance to listen for DNS queries on a
specific IP address that you configure on the loopback interface, by separating the source port for DNS queries from the
port for notify messages and zone transfer requests. For information about the loopback interface and anycast
addressing, see Configuring IP Addresses on the Loopback Interface.
You can specify the source address settings for a Grid member and for DNS views assigned to a Grid member. Note that
you can specify the source address settings for only specific DNS views that contain zones that are assigned to a Grid
member. The static source port values for DNS views are inherited from the Member DNS properties.
Specifying Source Ports

To specify port numbers and settings for queries, notify messages and zone transfer requests for a Grid member or DNS
view assigned to a Grid member:
1. Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Members tab -> member checkbox ->
Edit icon.
DNS view: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Members tab -> member checkbox -
> Edit icon.
2. In the Member DNS Properties editor, click General -> Basic tab.
3. You can change the port settings as follows:
• Listen on these additional IP addresses: Click the Add icon to add an anycast or non-anycast address you
configure on the loopback or VLAN interface. You must add all IP addresses you configure on the
loopback or VLAN interface so the appliance can provide DNS services on them. Adding source ports for
listening supports both IPv4 and IPv6 interfaces. For information about adding IP addresses on the
loopback interface, see Configuring IP Addresses on the Loopback Interface.
Enter correct information for the following by clicking the field in the row:
• Interface: The Interface column displays the name of the interface.
• Send queries from: If you want to improve the DNS service performance, you can separate the DNS
queries from the notify messages and zone transfer requests. Select a value from the drop-down list to
select an interface name: VIP, MGMT, LAN2, Any interface, IP.
• IP Address: This is displayed only when you select IP from the drop-down list. Specify the IP
address of the source.
• Send notify messages and zone transfer requests from: From the drop-down list, select the source port of
the notify messages and zone transfer requests that the Grid member sends. Select a value from the
drop-down list to select an interface name: VIP, MGMT, LAN2, Any interface, IP. You can select IP
addresses on the loopback or non-primary VLAN interface.

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• IP Address: This is displayed only when you select IP from the drop-down list. Specify the IP
address of the source.
 Note
• IP is displayed only if you have additional IP addresses such as the loopback
address or VLANs configured.
• If you select IP addresses on the loopback or non-primary VLAN interface, then
you must add these IP addresses in
the Listen on these additional IP addresses table.
If you have enabled secondary name servers in the Grid to send notify messages to external secondary name servers,
you can specify the delay time for sending the notify messages. For information about enabling Grid secondary servers
to send notification messages to the external secondaries, see Notifying External Secondary Servers.
To specify the delay time for the Grid secondary servers to send notify messages to the external secondaries:
1. Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Members tab -> member checkbox ->
Edit icon.
DNS view: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Members tab -> member checkbox -
> Edit icon.
2. In the editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode.
3. Member: When the additional tabs appear, click the Advanced subtab of the General tab.
DNS view: When the additional tabs appear, click the Advanced subtab of the DNS Views tab.
• Notify Delay: Specify the number of seconds that the Grid secondary servers delays sending notification
messages to the external secondaries. You can enter a value between 5 and 86400 seconds. The default
is five seconds.
Specifying Static Source Ports

To specify static source ports for a Grid and Grid member:
Edit icon.
DNS View: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Members tab -> member checkbox
-> Edit icon.
3. Member: When the additional tabs appear, click the Advanced subtab of the General tab. DNS View: When the
additional tabs appear, click the Advanced subtab of the DNS Views tab. To override an inherited property, click
Override next to it and complete the appropriate fields.
• Set static source UDP port for queries (not recommended): This is disabled by default. To override the
value that has been inherited from the Grid, click Override. Select this checkbox to enable it and enter the
UDP port number. You can enter a value between 1 and 63999. To retain the same value as the Grid, click
Inherit.
• Set static source UDP port for notify messages: This is disabled by default. To override the value that has
been inherited from the Grid, click Override. Select this checkbox to specify a source port for notify
messages to ensure that the firewall allows the zone transfer request from the secondary server to the
primary server. You can enter a value between 1 and 63999. If you do not specify a source port, the
appliance sends messages from a random port with a number above 1024. To retain the same value as
the Grid, click Inherit.

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Using Extension Mechanisms for DNS (EDNS0)
The NIOS appliance supports EDNS0 (Extension Mechanisms for DNS), which allows DNS clients to expand and
advertise up to 4096 bytes of UDP packets for certain DNS parameters. EDNS0 facilitates the transfer of UDP packets
beyond the original restricted packet size of 512 bytes. As defined in RFC 6891, EDNS0 provides extended UDP packet
size that supports additional DNS functionality, such as DNSSEC. When EDNS0 is supported, the DNS client adds
information to the additional data section of a DNS request in the form of an OPT pseudo-RR (resource record). An OPT
RR does not contain actual DNS data and its contents pertain to the UDP transport layer message only. An OPT RR is
not cached, forwarded, or stored. For more information about EDNS0, refer to RFC 6891 Extension Mechanisms for DNS
(EDNS0).
By default, EDNS0 is enabled on the NIOS appliance and all outgoing recursive queries are set to have a maximum UDP
packet size of 1220 bytes. The EDNS0 UDP packet size (EDNS0 buffer size) is configurable and can be set from a
minimum of 512 bytes to a maximum of 4096 bytes. Typically, when the appliance receives a DNS request that contains
an OPT RR, it assumes the DNS client supports EDNS0 and thus scales its response accordingly. When the appliance is
used as a forwarder or a resolver for recursive queries and communicates with a client that does not support EDNS0, the
appliance sends three queries starting with one that contains EDNS0 and DNSSEC support messages and is set to a
maximum UDP packet size of 4096 bytes. When the first query fails, the appliance sends another query that contains
only the EDNS0 support message. If the second attempt fails too, the appliance sends a third query that indicates a
standard 512-byte query. Note that when EDNS0 is not used, DNS packets may be sent over TCP. For DNS service to
function properly at this stage, ensure that you configure your firewall accordingly.
The following information demonstrates how the appliance responds when EDNS0 is enabled by default and the end
server does not support EDNS0:
Packet 0954: 08:19:38.925 - query for www.google.com from Infoblox to forwarder (with EDNS0
support by setting the Extended Label Type to '01' and DNSSEC OK bit to '1')
Packet 1138: 08:19:47.927 - query for www.google.com from Infoblox to forwarder (with EDNS0
support by setting the Extended Label Type to '01' and DNSSEC OK bit to '0')
Packet 1504: 08:19:58.929 - query for www.google.com from Infoblox to forwarder (without
EDNS0 and DNSSEC support by sending a standard 512-byte query)
Packet 1505: 08:19:30:960 - query response for www.google.com from forwarder to Infoblox
Configuring the EDNS0 Buffer Size and UDP Buffer Size

When the size of a DNS message that is transferred over UDP exceeds the maximum transmission unit, IP packets get
fragmented and reassembled. IP fragmentation is considered fragile as it makes certain attacks on DNS possible. NIOS
allows you to configure the EDNS0 buffer size and UDP buffer size attributes to control the data packet size allowed in
DNS responses so that the data is transferred without fragmentation.
• The UDP buffer size is used by authoritative DNS servers when data is transferred between DNS server and
DNS client to ensure that DNS messages they send are not larger than the configured buffer size.
• The EDNS0 buffer size is used by recursive DNS servers when data is transferred between DNS servers to
ensure that DNS messages they send are not larger than the configured buffer size.
 Note
The UDP buffer size and EDNS0 buffer size attributes are available only for BIND resolvers and not for
unbound resolvers.
You can configure the EDNS0 buffer size and the UDP buffer size are configurable for a Grid, member, standalone
system, and a DNS view. To configure the EDNS0 buffer size and UDP buffer size, complete the following steps:
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, and then click the Members tab -> member
checkbox -> Edit icon.
Standalone system: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click System
DNS Properties.

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DNS view: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> dns_view checkbox -> Edit icon.
Note that if there is only one DNS view, for example, the predefined default view, then you can just click the Edit
icon beside it.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties, Member DNS Properties, System DNS Properties, or DNS View editor, click Toggle
Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode.
3. Click the General tab -> Advanced tab, and complete the following:
a. EDNS0 Buffer Size: Specify the maximum packet size to be allowed in DNS query responses when
transferring DNS messages between DNS servers. The default buffer size is 1220 bytes. The minimum
buffer size that you can set is 512 bytes and the maximum is 4096 bytes.
Infoblox recommends that you configure the EDNS0 Buffer Size value in the range of 512 to 1220 bytes.
DNS responses that exceed 1220 bytes can get fragmented and may result in unexpected behavior when
resolving queries.
 Note
If you want DNS query responses to use the configured EDNS0 buffer size in servers that
support EDNS0, then ensure that you do not disable EDNS0.
b. UDP Buffer Size: Specify the maximum packet size to be allowed in DNS query responses when
transferring DNS messages from DNS servers to DNS clients. The default buffer size is 1220 bytes. The
minimum buffer size that you can set is 512 bytes and the maximum is 4096 bytes.
Infoblox recommends that you configure the UDP Buffer Size value in the range of 512 to 1220 bytes.
DNS responses that exceed 1220 bytes can get fragmented and may result in unexpected behavior when
resolving queries.
Disabling EDNS0
To ensure that end servers that do not support EDNS0 can respond to recursive queries from the NIOS appliance and to
improve DNS performance, you can disable EDNS0 for the Grid and override the Grid settings for individual members.
Note that you cannot configure the maximum UDP packet size, which is set for 4096 bytes by default. When you disable
EDNS0, the appliance does not include OPT RRs for all outgoing recursive DNS queries. Thus remote end servers that
do not support EDNS0 can still respond to the queries. This feature is useful when your NIOS appliance is used as a
forwarder or a resolver for recursive queries, and the end servers in the configuration do not support EDNS0.
 Warning
When you disable EDNS0, all outgoing DNSSEC queries to zones within trusted anchors will fail even if
DNSSEC validation is enabled. This is due to the restriction of the UDP packet length when you disable
EDNS0. For more information about DNSEC, see Configuring DNSSEC.
To disable EDNS0:
Edit icon.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties or Member DNS Properties editor, click the General tab -> Advanced tab, and
• Disable EDNS0: This checkbox is deselected and EDNS0 is enabled by default. To override the value inherited
from the Grid, click Override. To retain the same value as the Grid, click Inherit. Select this checkbox to disable
EDNS0. When you disable EDNS0, the appliance does not include OPT RRs for all outgoing recursive DNS
queries and all outgoing DNSSEC queries to zones within trusted anchors will fail even if DNSSEC validation is
enabled.

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Deleting PTR Records associated with A or AAAA Records
You can configure the appliance to confirm whether to delete a PTR record when its corresponding A or AAAA record is
being deleted. This feature is valid only if you have configured the appliance to automatically generate a PTR record
when you create an A or AAAA record. For information about adding an A or AAAA record, see Adding A Records and
Adding AAAA Records. When you delete a resource record, the appliance moves it to the Recycle Bin, if enabled. You
can later restore it if needed. Note that this option is disabled by default for all new installations.
To enable this option:
2. In the Grid DNS Properties, click the General tab -> Advanced tab, and complete the following:
• Enable PTR record removal for A/AAAA records: This checkbox is deselected by default. When you select this
checkbox, the appliance displays the Delete Confirmation dialog box to confirm that you want to delete a PTR
record associated with the A or AAAA record that is being deleted. For information about deleting an A or AAAA
record, see Modifying, Disabling, and Deleting Host and Resource Records.
Specifying Minimal Responses

A NIOS appliance returns a minimal amount of data in response to a query, by default. It includes records in the authority
and additional data sections of its response only when required, such as in negative responses. This feature speeds up
the DNS services provided by the appliance.
To disable returning minimal responses:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. In the Member DNS Configuration editor, click General -> Basic tab.
3. Clear the Return minimal responses checkbox.
Starting and Stopping the DNS Service

The DNS service is disabled by default. After you complete the DNS configuration, you can start DNS service on a
member. You can also disable the DNS service on any Grid member. Be aware that disabling the DNS service on a
member removes the NS records from it. If you later re-enable DNS service for this member, the NS records are then
restored.
To start DNS service on a member:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox -> click the Edit icon.
2. In the Member DNS Properties editor, click General -> Basic tab, and do the following:
• LAN1: Select IPv4 to start the DNS service using IPv4 or select IPv6 to start the DNS service using IPv6. Note
that for a dual mode member, IPv4 will be selected by default.
• Expand the Toolbar and click Start.
• In the Start Member DNS Service dialog box, click Yes.
Grid Manager starts the DNS service on the selected member.
You can stop DNS service on a member by selecting the member checkbox and click Stop from the Toolbar.
Clearing DNS Cache

The NIOS appliance allows you to clear certain information from the DNS cache. You can do the following:
• Clearing DNS Cache
• Clearing Cache for DNS Views
• Clearing Domains and Subdomains from DNS Cache

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Clearing DNS Cache
You can clear all the entries that are saved in the DNS cache. When you clear DNS cache on the NIOS appliance, entire
BIND recursive cache is cleared.
To clear DNS cache:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox.
2. Expand the Toolbar, click Clear -> Clear DNS Cache.
3. Click Yes in the confirmation dialog box to clear DNS cache.
Clearing Cache for DNS Views

You can configure the NIOS appliance to clear cache of a specific DNS view. This feature clears cache entries of a
specific DNS view that is associated with the selected member.
To clear cache of a DNS view:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> click the Members tab.
2. Expand the Toolbar, click Clear -> Clear View's Cache.
3. Specify the following in the Clear View's Cache dialog box:
• Member: Click Select Member to select a member. If there are multiple members, the Member Selector
dialog box is displayed, from which you can select a member. Click the required member name in the
dialog box. You can also click Clear to clear the displayed member and select a new one.
• DNS View: Select a DNS View from the drop-down list. This list box appears only when there are multiple
DNS views in the network view.
• Click Clear Cache to clear the cache entries of the corresponding DNS View.
 Note
The entire name server recursive cache is cleared, if you do not specify a DNS view when you
clear cache using Clear View's Cache and Clear Domain Name features on the NIOS appliance.
Clearing Domains and Subdomains from DNS Cache

You can clear a specific domain and its subdomains from the DNS cache. When you clear a domain from the DNS
cache, it is also removed from the BIND recursive cache.
To clear a specific domain and its subdomains:
2. Expand the Toolbar, click Clear -> Clear Domain Name.
3. Specify the following in the Clear Domain Name from Cache dialog box:
• Domain Name: Enter a domain name you want to delete.
• Clear entire domain (including subdomains): Select the checkbox to clear the specified domain and its
subdomains from the DNS cache. For example, if you enter corpxyz.com in the Domain Name field, then
selecting this checkbox clears the entire domain including its subdomains such as www.corpxyz.com,
corpxyz.com, x.corpxyz.com, etc. This checkbox is deselected by default.
• Member: Click Select Member to select a member. If there are multiple members, the Member Selector
dialog box is displayed, from which you can select a member. Click the required member name in the
dialog box. You can also click Clear to clear the displayed member and select a new one.
• DNS View: Select a DNS View from the drop-down list. This list box appears only when there are multiple
DNS views in the network view.
• Click Clear Domain Name to clear the domain name from the cache.
Viewing DNS Cache Entries

The NIOS appliance allows you to view certain information that is stored in the DNS cache. You can do the following:

Rev. D
• View DNS configuration
• View DNS cache details
• View statistics
Viewing DNS Configuration

The NIOS appliance enables you to view DNS configuration details. You can view the configuration details by using a
browser. To view DNS configuration:
2. Expand the Toolbar, click View -> View Configuration.
Sample Output
include "/infoblox/var/named_conf/tsig.key";
options {
directory "/infoblox/var/named_conf"; version none;
hostname none; recursion yes;
listen-on { <loopback address>; 10.34.1.18; };
query-source address 10.34.1.18 port *; notify-source 10.34.1.18 port *; transfer-source
10.34.1.18;
minimal-responses yes; max-cache-size 536870912; infoblox-top-query yes;
infoblox-top-query-log-interval 60;
infoblox-top-query-client 500;
infoblox-top-query-name 500;
infoblox-top-query-rr-type 500;
infoblox-top-query-nxdomain 500;
infoblox-top-query-servfail 500;
infoblox-top-query-rpz 99;
infoblox-top-query-rpz-items-per-client 100;
lame-ttl 600;
# for service restart: allow_bulkhost_ddns = Refusal allow-transfer { any; };

forwarders { 10.32.0.177; };
avoid-v4-udp-ports { 2114; 2113; 2115; 8000; 8089; 9997; 2222; 7911; 7912; 8000; 8089; 9997;
8080; 9000; 9999; 9004; 2022; 3374; 3115; 1194; };
transfer-format many-answers;
};
# Worker threads: default

# Bulk Host Name Templates:
#Four Octets: "$1$2-$3-$4" (Default)
#One Octet: "-$4"
#Three Octets: "$2$3-$4"
#Two Octets: "$3$4"
include "/infoblox/var/named_conf/dhcp_updater.key";
include "/infoblox/var/named_conf/rndc.key";
controls {
inet <loopback address> port 953
allow { <loopback address>; } keys { "rndc-key"; };
};
logging {
channel ib_syslog { syslog daemon; severity info;
};
category default { ib_syslog; }; category rpz { null; };
};
acl all_dns_views_updater_keys { key DHCP_UPDATER_default; key DHCP_UPDATER1; key DHCP_UPDATER3; };

Rev. D
Corresponding Dashboards and Settings
• The infoblox-top-query-log-interval 60 setting logs the DNS top queries with an interval of 60 seconds.
• The infoblox-top-query-name 500 setting captures the DNS top query domain names with the limit of 500.
• The infoblox-top-query-client 500 setting corresponds to the DNS Domain Queried by Client dashboard.
For more information about the dashboard, see Predefined Dashboards.
• The infoblox-top-query-rpz and infoblox-top-query-rpz-items-per-client settings are RPZ-specific
settings. They correspond to the Top N Limit and Total RPZ Entries per Client fields under Grid Reporting
Properties > DNS > DNS RPZ Rule Hit Configuration. For more information, see Grid Reporting Properties.
• You can also choose the number of filter options to display by using the Top N . The default is 10. For more
information, see About Dashboards.
Viewing DNS Cache Details

You can view data stored in cache for the DNS views that are configured in the NIOS appliance. You can view the details
through a browser.
To view cache details:
2. Expand the Toolbar, click View -> View Cache.
Sample Output
;; Start view _default
;;; Cache dump of view '_default' (cache _default)
;$DATE 20121018180555
; authanswer a.test.com.23876IN A4.4.4.4
;; Address database dump
;; Dump complete
Viewing Statistics
The View Statistics feature enables you to view DNS Statistics of a Grid member. You can view statistics through a
browser.
To view statistics:
2. Expand the Toolbar, click View -> View Cache.
You can view statistics in the DNS Statistics for Member dialog box.
Using Forwarders
A forwarder is essentially a name server to which all other name servers first send queries that they cannot resolve
locally. The forwarder then sends these queries to DNS servers that are external to the network, avoiding the need for
the other name servers in your network to send queries off-site. A forwarder eventually builds up a cache of information,
which it uses to resolve queries. This reduces Internet traffic over the network and decreases the response time to DNS
clients. This is useful in organizations that need to minimize off-site traffic, such as a remote office with a slow connection
to a company's network.
You can select any Grid member to function as a forwarder. You must configure your firewall to allow that Grid member to
communicate with external DNS servers. You can also configure NIOS to send queries to one or more forwarders. You
can define a list of forwarders for the entire Grid, for each Grid member, or for each DNS view.
If your network configuration includes Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense, you can configure NIOS Grid members (physical
or virtual appliance) to forward recursive queries to BloxOne Threat Defense. For more information about BloxOne
Threat Defense, see BloxOne Threat Defense. For information about how to configure NIOS members as DNS
forwarding proxies, see Forwarding Recursive Queries to BloxOne Threat Defense.

Rev. D
Selecting Forwarders
When there is more than one forwarder in the Grid, the NIOS resolver uses a smoothed metric derived from RTT (Round
Trip Time) to select the name server to send queries to. RTT is the length of time between when a query was sent and
when its response was received.
Specifying Forwarders
To configure forwarders for a Grid, member, or DNS view, complete the following:
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
Note that if there is only one DNS view— for example, the predefined default view—you can just click the Edit
icon beside it.
To override an inherited property, select Override next to it and complete the appropriate fields.
2. Click the Forwarders tab.
4. Enter an IP address in the text field. The field supports entry for both IPv4 and IPv6 values.
a. To remove a forwarder, select the IP address from the Forwarders list, and then click the Delete icon.
b. To move a forwarder up or down on the list, select it and click the Up or Down arrow.
5. To use only forwarders on your network (and not root servers), select the Use Forwarders Only checkbox.
6. Select the Add client IP, MAC addresses, and DNS View name to outgoing recursive queries checkbox to include
the client IP address, MAC address, and DNS view name of the client from which the DNS query was initiated, to
outgoing recursive queries. For information on recursive queries, see Enabling Recursive Queries. Selecting this
option includes EDNS0 custom options.
7. Select the Copy client IP, MAC addresses, and DNS View name to outgoing recursive queries checkbox to copy
and validate the client IP address, MAC address, DNS view name from incoming queries to outgoing queries. If
this checkbox is selected and:
• Only one custom option is present, the IP address or MAC address or DNS view name is copied to the
outgoing query without adding the missing option. An incoming query can contain only one IP address or
MAC address or DNS view name.
• No custom option is present, if the Add client IP, MAC addresses, and DNS View name to outgoing
recursive queries checkbox is selected, valid IP address, MAC address, and DNS view
name EDNS0 options are copied from incoming queries to outgoing recursive queries without any
change. If the Add client IP, MAC addresses, and DNS View name to outgoing recursive
queries checkbox is not selected, no options are added to outgoing recursive queries.
For more information about EDNS0 options, see Configuring DNS Traffic Control Properties and Using
Extension Mechanisms for DNS (EDNS0).
 Note
Infoblox recommends that you do not include client IP addresses and MAC addresses in queries directed to
non-Infoblox DNS servers and that you include the addresses in only those queries directed at Infoblox DNS
servers.
Forwarder Limitations
• Forwarding zones (also known as conditional forwarders) do not support the Add client IP, MAC addresses, and
DNS View name to outgoing recursive queries and the Copy client IP, MAC addresses, and DNS View name to
outgoing recursive queries checkboxes.
• Only BIND-based DNS servers support these options. Unbound-based DNS servers do not support these
options.

Rev. D
Forwarding Recursive Queries to BloxOne Threat Defense
To forward recursive queries to BloxOne Threat Defense, you must first register each NIOS member in your Grid as a
DNS forwarding proxy through the Cloud Services Portal. When you register a Grid member, the DNS forwarding proxy
software is installed on the member. The DNS forwarding proxy embeds the client IP addresses in the DNS queries
before forwarding them to BloxOne Threat Defense. The communications are encrypted and client visibility is maintained.
Once you set up a DNS forwarding proxy on a Grid member, all recursive queries for that member are forwarded to a
local DNS forwarding proxy by the NIOS DNS service. It also caches responses to speed up DNS resolution for future
queries. For information about configuring DNS forwarding proxies, see On-Prem Host Management.
Make sure that port 443 is open against its respective domain for DNS forwarding proxy to work between NIOS and
BloxOne Threat Defense.
Guidelines When Enabling Recursive Query Forwarding on a Grid Member

Note the following when you enable recursive query forwarding on a Grid member:
• Make sure that you enable recursion on the member that you wish to use as a forwarding proxy to BloxOne
Threat Defense. For information about how to enable recursion on a Grid member, see Enabling Recursive
Queries.
• DNS forwarding proxy does not work on systems configured in the IPv6-only mode.
• DNS forwarding proxy is not supported on the IB-100, IB-810, IB-820, IB-V810, and IB-V820 appliances. Infoblox
recommends that you do not configure DNS forwarding proxy on these appliances.
• DNS forwarding proxy is not supported on any appliance that is running on a memory lower than 4 GB.
• Grid Manager ignores global forwarders and all recursive queries are send to BloxOne Threat Defense.
• Unbound is not supported on a Grid member when it uses Bind to send recursive queries to BloxOne Threat
Defense. For information about Unbound, refer to the Infoblox DNS Cache Acceleration Application Guide.
• There might be a significant performance impact on your appliance and network during the DNS forwarding proxy
installation process depending on the network connectivity between NIOS and BloxOne Threat Defense. Every
node will have to install the DNS forwarding proxy before serving DNS recursive queries, which includes the HA
nodes.
• When you enable DNS forwarding to BloxOne Threat Defense, the QPS (query per second) throughout might
vary, depending on your appliance models and the cache hit ratios. You might see a bigger performance impact
when the cache hit ratio is lower.
• DNS forwarding proxy does not work with DNSSEC in case a request was redirected by BloxOne Threat
Defense. If you are running DNS forwarding proxy on NIOS, you must disable DNSSEC validation. Even if you
disable DNSSEC validation, validation still takes place through BloxOne Threat Defense. To enable DNS
forwarding proxy to work with DNSSEC in case a request was redirected by BloxOne Threat Defense,
see Enabling DNS Forwarding Proxy to Work with DNSSEC.
• To bypass recursive query forwarding to BloxOne Threat Defense, you must disable the DNS forwarding proxy
service.
• By adding the join token you obtained from the Cloud Services Portal, and specifying the IP address of the Cloud
Services Portal in the CSP Resolver field, you can establish connectivity between NIOS and Cloud Services
Portal. Thereafter, you can enable the NIOS Grid Connector service in the Cloud Services Portal. This capability
provides you with a single interface for viewing comprehensive network data such as global IP space, subnets, IP
addresses, and DHCP lease data for your BloxOne Cloud infrastructure and NIOS. For more information, see
Configuring NIOS Grid Connector in the BloxOne Threat Defense documentation.
Enabling a Grid Member to Forward Recursive Queries to BloxOne Threat Defense

To enable a Grid member to forward recursive queries to BloxOne Threat Defense, complete the following:
1. Log in to the Cloud Services Portal at csp.infoblox.com.
2. Create a join token by following the instructions in the Managing Join Tokens for On-Prem Hosts section of the
BloxOne Threat Defense documentation. In an HA environment, two on-prem hosts are created. You must ensure
that the configurations for both these on-prem hosts are the same for the HA nodes to work seamlessly.
3. Log in to Grid Manager.
4. On the Grid tab, click the Grid Manager tab -> Grid Properties -> Edit.

Rev. D
5. In Grid Properties Editor, click the CSP Config tab and complete the following:
• Join Token: Configure the join token that you created in the Cloud Services Portal in step 2. However, if
the field is empty, the cloud connection is not to be terminated.
• CSP Resolver: Displays the IP address of the local DNS resolver. This IP address or DNS is used to
resolve Infoblox domains when the DNS Forwarding Proxy service starts. You must configure at least one
external resolver that will be used to resolve all required domains. If you do not enter an IP address,
52.119.40.100 is taken as the default.
• HTTP proxy: Enter the URL of the proxy server in the http://<IP/host>:<port> format. When you update the
HTTP proxy, the NIOS on-prem agent updates it to the other on-prem containers by restarting the
containers at a specific interval which can cause a maximum delay of 15 minutes.
7. Member: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
8. In the Grid Member Properties Editor, click the CSP Config tab, and then complete the following. To override an
inherited property, click Override next to it and enter the value for the appropriate fields if you do not want to
inherit the values from the Grid. Once you override, the settings are applicable only at the member level.
a. Join Token: Displays the join token value that is inherited from the Grid. However, if the field is empty, the
cloud connection is not to be terminated.
b. CSP Resolver: Displays the Cloud Services Portal resolver value that is inherited from the Grid.
c. HTTP Proxy: Displays the URL that is inherited from the Grid.
d. Standalone: Select this option when the member is standalone.
i. Access Key: You cannot edit the value of this field; you can only clear it. However, clearing the
access key value does not terminate the cloud connection.
e. HA Enabled: Select this option when the member is an HA.
i. Access Key: You cannot edit the value of this field; you can only clear it. In case of a NIOS
upgrade, the access keys are the same for both the active and passive nodes.
10. On the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> DFP tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
11. In Member DFP Properties editor, select the Fallback to the default resolution process if BloxOne Threat Defense
Cloud does not respond checkbox to forward recursive queries to the local root name servers in case BloxOne
Threat Defense fails or if BloxOne Threat Defense fails to resolve recursive queries. For newly configured DNS
forwarding proxies in NIOS, Infoblox recommends that you keep this option selected until you have verified that
the NIOS proxies are functioning properly. In the Cloud Services Portal, go to Manage -> On-Prem Hosts to
ensure that the statuses for the NIOS proxies that you have registered are active.
 Note
• If you have upgraded to NIOS 8.5.x with DNS forwarding proxy enabled on any node, Infoblox
recommends that you do not remove the on-prem hosts from the Cloud Services Portal. This is because
NIOS preserves the access key during the upgrade and the NIOS Grid member connects to the Cloud
Services Portal using the same access key.
• You must create a join token to authenticate a virtual DNS forwarding proxy for establishing a
connection to the cloud. For more information on creating a join token, see the Managing Join Tokens
for On-Prem Hosts section in the BloxOne Threat Defense documentation.
• If you have upgraded NIOS, the value of the Access Key field is the same as the API key that is
displayed in the Cloud Services Portal.
Enabling DNS Forwarding Proxy to Work with DNSSEC

DNS forwarding proxy does not work with DNSSEC in case a request was redirected by BloxOne Threat Defense. To
enable DNS forwarding proxy to work with DNSSEC, perform the following steps:
1. Enable DNS Forwarding Proxy on NIOS by clicking Manage -> On-Prem Hosts in the Cloud Services Portal.
2. On Grid Manager, Disable the Fall back to the default resolution process if BloxOne Threat Defense Cloud does
not respond option.
3. Enable DNSSEC validation as described in Enabling DNSSEC Validation.
4. Remove trust anchors if any. To configure trust anchors, see Enabling DNSSEC Validation.

Rev. D
Controlling DNS Queries
By default, the NIOS appliance responds to DNS queries from any IP address. You can create a list of queriers to which
the appliance is allowed to respond; restricting it to specific networks, IP addresses, and remote servers that present
specified TSIG (transaction signature) keys. When using TSIG keys, it is important that the appliances and servers
involved with the authentication procedure use NTP (Network Time Protocol) for their time settings (see Using NTP for
Time Settings).
In addition, you can also configure the appliance to respond to recursive queries. A recursive query requires the
appliance to return requested DNS data, or locate the data through queries to other servers. Recursion is disabled by
default. If you enable this feature, you can also create a list of allowed recursive queries. For information about allowing
recursion, refer to Enabling Recursive Queries.
You can create a list of allowed queriers for the Grid and for individual Grid members.
Specifying Queries
To configure a list of allowed queriers for the Grid or for a member:
Edit icon.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties or Member DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode, select the Queries
tab.
3. In the Allow queries from section, select one of the following:
• Any: Select this if you do not want to configure access control for DNS queries. The appliance allows
queries from all clients. This is selected by default.
• Named ACL: Select this and click Select Named ACL to select a named ACL. Grid Manager displays the
Named ACLs Selector. Select the named ACL you want to use. If you have only one named ACL, Grid
Manager automatically displays the named ACL. When you select this, the appliance allows clients that
have the Allow permission to send and receive DNS queries. You can click Clear to remove the selected
named ACL.
• Set of ACEs: Select this to configure individual ACEs. Click the Add icon and select one of the following
from the drop-down list. Depending on the item you select, Grid Manager either adds a row for the
selected item or expands the panel so you can specify additional information about the item you are
adding, as follows:
• IPv4 Address and IPv6 Address: Select this to add an IPv4 address or IPv6 address. Click the
Value field and enter the IP address of the remote querier. The Permission column displays Allow
by default. You can change it to Deny by clicking the field and selecting Deny from the drop-down
list.
• Address: Enter an IPv6 network address and select the netmask from the drop-down list.
• TSIG Key: In the Add TSIG Key panel, complete the following, and then click Add to add the TSIG
key to the list:
• Key name: Enter a meaningful name for the key, such as a zone name or the name of the
remote name server. This name must match the name of the same TSIG key on other
name servers.
• Key Data: To use an existing TSIG key, type or paste the key in the Key Data field.
Alternatively, you can select the key algorithm, select the key length from the Generate
Key Data drop down list, and then click Generate Key Data to create a new key.

Rev. D
• Any Address/Network: Select to allow or deny queries from any IP addresses.
• Select an ACE or multiple ACEs and click the Delete icon to delete the entries.
Enabling Recursive Queries

You can enable the appliance to respond to recursive queries and create a list of allowed networks, IP addresses, and
remote servers that present specified TSIG (transaction signature) keys. When using TSIG keys, it is important that the
appliances and servers involved with the authentication procedure use NTP (Network Time Protocol) for their time
settings (see Using NTP for Time Settings).
A recursive query requires the appliance to return requested DNS data, or locate the data through queries to other
servers. When a NIOS appliance receives a query for DNS data it does not have and you have enabled recursive
queries, it first sends a query to any specified forwarders. If a forwarder does not respond (and you have disabled the
Use Forwarders Only option in the Forwarders tab of the Member DNS Properties editor), the appliance sends a non-
recursive query to specified internal root servers. If no internal root servers are configured, the appliance sends a non-
recursive query to the Internet root servers. For information on specifying root name servers, see About Root Name
Servers.
You can enable recursion for a Grid, individual Grid members, and DNS views. For information about enabling recursion
in a DNS view, see Configuring DNS Views. If you do not enable recursion, the appliance denies recursive queries from
all clients.
Enabling Recursion
To enable recursion and create a list of recursive queriers:
tab.
3. Click Allow recursion, and then in the Allow recursive queries from section, select one of the following:
• Any: Select this if you want to configure access control for recursive queries. When you select Any, the
appliance allows recursive queries from all clients. This is selected by default.
have the Allow permission to send and receive recursive DNS queries. You can click Clear to remove the
selected named ACL.
adding, as follows.
Value field and enter the IP address of the remote querier. The Permission column displays Allow
by default. You can change it to Deny by clicking the field and selecting Deny from the drop-down
list.

Rev. D
key to the list:
name servers.
• Any Address/Network: Select to allow or deny queries from any IP addresses.
for deletion.
Configuring Resolver Queries Timeout

You can configure the amount of time that a recursive query will wait for a response before timing out. The default
timeout behavior is to wait for 30 seconds before timing out.
To configure the resolver queries timeout value:
Edit icon.
tab and complete the following:
• Resolver queries timeout: Specify the maximum time allowed for a recursive query to wait for a response before
timing out. You can enter either 0 or a value between 10 and 30 seconds. Setting the timeout value to 0 returns to
the default timeout behavior, which is to wait for 30 seconds before timing out.
Restricting Recursive Client Queries

By default, the appliance can serve up to 1,000 outstanding recursive client queries. You can change this default value
according to your business needs. After you configure the recursive client queries limit, you can enable the appliance to
send SNMP traps for recursive queries. Enabling SNMP traps for recursive clients can help you identify possible flood
attacks on the DNS recursive server. The appliance sends SNMP traps when the number of recursive client queries
exceeds the configured thresholds. For information about how to set the threshold and reset values, see Defining
Thresholds for Traps.
2. In the Member DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode.
3. When the additional tabs appear, click the Advanced subtab of the Queries tab.
4. Select the Limit number of recursive clients to option and enter a number. By default, the appliance is allowed to
serve up to 1000 concurrent clients that send recursive queries. You can change this default according to your
business needs from between 0 to 40000.

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Enabling Recursive Resolution Using EDNS Client Subnet
(ECS) Option
The EDNS Client Subnet (ECS) option is a DNS extension you use to optimize recursive resolution for query sources
that are not topologically close to the recursive resolvers. When you enable ECS for recursive resolution, the appliance
includes subnet information of the host that originates a DNS query. Thus, your recursive resolver can perform
geotargeting by passing the subnet information to authoritative servers so that the response will be more optimized for
the end clients. For example, when you enable ECS and/or ECS forwarding on your recursive resolver, CDNs (Content
Delivery Networks) can deliver content faster and more efficiently to the end user by providing information about the end
user's subnet to the authoritative DNS server operated by the CDNs.
You can enable the NIOS appliance to handle recursive queries using ECS option and enable ECS forwarding support at
the Grid level. You can then add whitelisted zone names that are subject to ECS recursion and specify the source prefix
length for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. Make sure you enter only apex zones. Example: foo.com, corpxyz.com, etc. The
whitelisted zone name indicates the zone to which ECS tagged queries must be sent.
Note the following while adding whitelisted zone names:
• ECS options are sent only when the name being queried and the apex of the zone being queried both match ECS
zones. For example, if the zone "foo.com" contains a subdomain "www.foo.com", then you must configure
"foo.com" as ECS zone and not "www.foo.com". The latter configuration might result in no ECS queries being
sent, because the apex zone, "foo.com" does not match with "www.foo.com".
• Queries for subdomains of the specified zone name, with prefix lengths greater than the specified prefix length is
not applicable for the subdomains of the specified zone name. For example, if you specify "foo.com" with IPv4
prefix length 20, then IPv4queries with prefix length greater than 20 is not applicable for the subdomains of
"foo.com".
• You can exclude certain subdomains by adding a leading exclamation mark (!) to the subdomain name.
Example: ! foo.example.org, ! test.foo.com, etc.
Guidelines for Using ECS and ECS Forwarding

The following are the guidelines for using ECS and ECS forwarding:
• When recursive ECS is enabled, the appliance applies ECS handling for queries that meet both of the following
criteria:
• If the source prefix length is not set to zero.
• If the query name matches one of the listed whitelisted zone names.
• If you enable ECS forwarding, all queries that contain a valid ECS option will be forwarded to the authoritative
server.
• Queries with the source prefix length set to zero will be forwarded unchanged, regardless of whether ECS
forwarding is enabled or disabled.
• When recursive ECS and ECS forwarding are enabled, then response to queries that contain a valid ECS option
with a non-zero source prefix length will contain an ECS option.
• When recursive ECS is enabled and ECS forwarding is disabled, and if the original query contains a valid ECS
option with a non-zero source prefix length, then the resolver returns a REFUSED response.
To enable recursive ECS and configure DNS resolver parameters, complete the following:
2. In the Grid DNS Properties editor, click the Advanced subtab of the Queries tab and complete the following:
• Enable Recursive ECS: Select this checkbox to enable recursive resolution using ECS. This is disabled
by default. If recursive ECS is enabled, the appliance applies ECS handling for queries that meet both of
the following criteria:
• If the source prefix length is not set to zero.
• If the query zone name is listed in the whitelisted domains.
• Enable ECS Forwarding: Select this checkbox to enable ECS forwarding. If you enable ECS forwarding,
all queries containing a valid ECS option will be forwarded to the authoritative server.
Note: Queries with the source prefix length set to zero will be forwarded unchanged, regardless of
whether ECS forwarding is enabled or disabled.

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• Query Zone Permissions: Click the Add icon to add a list of query zone names that are subject to ECS
recursion and the corresponding permission. Grid Manager adds a row to the table. Complete the
following:
• Zone Name: Enter the zone name.
• IPv4SourcePrefix: Specify the IPv4 source prefix length. You can enter a value between 1 and 24. The
default value is 24.
• IPv6SourcePrefix: Specify the IPv6 source prefix length. You can enter a value between 1 and 56. The
Enabling DNS Fault Tolerant Caching

When an authoritative DNS server experiences an outage, all web sites served by the DNS server become inaccessible.
Enabling the DNS fault tolerant caching option allows users to access the web sites served by the DNS server despite
the DNS server outage. When you enable the DNS fault tolerant caching option, DNS records are retained in the
recursive cache even after they expire. Whenever recursive query times out or returns a SERVFAIL response, the
appliance returns the cached response to the client instead of the SERVFAIL response.
When you enable DNS fault tolerant cache, you can also specify the TTL (time-to-live) and timeout settings for the
expired records. TTL specifies the time duration for which the expired record is retained in the recursive cache. Setting a
high TTL might cause the client to use incorrect data for a longer duration. Conversely, setting a low TTL renders more
current cached data, but also increases the traffic on your network. The expired record is deleted from the recursive
cache after the specified timeout duration.
Only DNS members with recursion enabled can support this feature. You can enable this feature at the Grid level and
override it at member level with recursion enabled. For information on enabling recursion for a Grid or member, see
Enabling Recursive Queries. Note that DNS fault tolerant caching does not work when you set the DNS Resolver Type to
Unbound.
To enable DNS fault tolerant caching, complete the following:
Edit icon.
To override Grid settings, click Override next to it and complete the appropriate fields.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties or Member DNS Properties editor, click Advanced subtab of the Queries tab and
• Enable Fault Tolerant Caching: Select this checkbox to enable the retention of expired records in the recursion.
When you enable this option, the appliance retains the expired records in the recursive cache. Whenever
recursive queries times out or returns a SERVFAIL response, the appliance returns the cached response to the
client instead of the SERVFAIL response. This is disabled by default.
• Expired Record TTL: Specify the time duration that the appliance must serve the expired records from the
recursive cache before attempting to refresh the records. The default is five seconds. Select the time
period in minutes, hours, or days from the drop-down list.
• Expired Record Timeout: Specify the time duration that the appliance waits before deleting the expired
records from recursive cache. The default is 24 hours. Select the time period in minutes, hours, or days
Configuring DNS over TLS and DNS over HTTPS Services

DNS queries and responses sent over port 53 without encryption are vulnerable to spoofing and eavesdropping. This
issue is addressed in NIOS appliances that have DNS over TLS (Transport Layer Security) and DNS over HTTPS
services enabled. These features encrypt DNS queries and responses to secure communication between a DNS server
and a DNS client.
This topic details the requirements that NIOS appliances must meet for enabling the DNS over TLS and DNS over
HTTPS services and has instructions to configure these services. The sections covered in this topic are as follows:

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• Licensing and Certificate Requirements
• Base Configuration Requirements
• Configuration Requirements if Parental Control is Enabled
• Supported Cipher Suites
• Limitations and Recommendations for DNS over TLS and DNS over HTTPS
• DNS over TLS
• Configuring DNS over TLS
• CLI Support for DNS over TLS
• DNS over HTTPS
• Configuring DNS over HTTPS
• CLI Support for DNS over HTTPS
Licensing and Certificate Requirements

DNS over TLS and DNS over HTTPS require the vDCA (virtual DNS Cache Acceleration) or vADP (virtual Advanced
DNS Protection Software) service to be licensed and enabled. If the DNS Cache Acceleration and/or Advanced DNS
Protection Software services are not enabled, the DNS over TLS and DNS over HTTPS features will not work even if
they are enabled. For more information about DNS Cache Acceleration and Advanced DNS Protection Software (threat
protection), see Configuring DNS Cache Acceleration and About Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection respectively.
The DNS over TLS or the DNS over HTTPS service uses the same self-signed certificate that NIOS generates for
HTTPS communication when it first starts. You can also generate a certificate signing request (CSR) and use it to obtain
a signed certificate from your own trusted certificate authority (CA). For more information, see Generating Certificate
Signing Requests.
The certificate is provisioned for each member. For more information about certificates, see Managing Certificates.
 Note
NIOS generates a new self-signed certificate when the host name or the IP address of the member is changed
or when a Grid Master Candidate is promoted. If the DNS over TLS or DNS over HTTPS feature is enabled on
a member, then every time a new self-signed certificate, HTTPS certificate, or a CA certificate is generated, the
DNS over TLS service or the DNS over HTTPS service (depending on which feature is enabled) automatically
restarts to upload the new certificate.
Base Configuration Requirements

NIOS appliances must have the required base memory configuration to enable the DNS over TLS and the DNS over
HTTPS features on their members. If the appliances do not meet the required criteria, the options to configure these
features are not displayed in the Member DNS Properties editor. The following table lists the base configuration required
for enabling these features on IB-FLEX appliances.
 Warning
The numbers in the following tables are for IB-FLEX appliances only. For information about CPU and memory
requirements of NIOS appliances other than IB-FLEX, see the NIOS Release Notes.

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IB-FLEX Flavor Total CPU Total System Memory in Total System Memory in GB Maximum Number of Grid Master
Configuration GB (With virtual (With virtual DNS Cache Concurrent Sessions Capable
Advanced DNS Acceleration and virtual Supported
Protection Software only) Advanced DNS Protection
Software)
Small 10 32 32 For vDCA only: No

recursive DNS (with 120,000
acceleration)
For vADP only: 50,000
For vDCA and vADP:

120,000
Medium 16 64 40 For vDCA only: No

acceleration)
For vDCA and vADP:

150,000
Large 26 80 50 For vDCA only: No

acceleration)
For vDCA and vADP:

240,000
The following table lists the maximum number of concurrent sessions supported by different NIOS appliance models
(physical and virtual). For information about CPU and memory requirements, see the NIOS Release Notes.
 Note
If the available memory does not meet the requirement defined in the above table, you may observe
unexpected behavior. Infoblox recommends that you allocate slightly more memory to ensure that memory
associated with the hypervisor is also accounted for.
NIOS Appliance Maximum Number of Concurrent Sessions Supported

(Physical and Virtual)
IB-14x5 For vADP only: 50,000
IB-22x5 For vDCA only: 150,000
For vDCA and vADP: 150,000
IB-40x5 For vDCA only: 240,000
For vDCA and vADP: 240,000
 Note
In an HA setup, ensure that both the active and passive nodes have the memory configuration required to
enable the DNS over TLS or the DNS over HTTPS feature. If you enable the feature on an active node that has
the required memory footprint but the passive node does not, then in case of a failover, the DNS over TLS or
the DNS over HTTPS service does not start on the new active node. Therefore, requests coming to the DNS
over TLS or the DNS over HTTPS stream are not honored.

Rev. D
Configuration Requirements if Parental Control is Enabled
NIOS appliances require additional memory if you intend to run DNS over TLS and/or DNS over HTTPS along with the
Parental Control features such as proxy RPZ passthru, DCA subscriber query count logging, and DCA subscriber
allowed and blocked listing simultaneously. The following table lists the base configuration required on IB-FLEX
appliances for configuring these features simultaneously:
IB-FLEX Flavor Total CPU Total System Memory in Total System Memory in GB Maximum Number of Grid Master
Configuration GB (With virtual DNS (With virtual DNS Cache Concurrent Sessions Capable
Cache Acceleration only) Acceleration and virtual Supported
Advanced DNS Protection
Software)
Medium 16 64 64 For vDCA only: No

acceleration)
For vDCA and vADP:

150,000
Medium-Large 16 86 86 For vDCA only: No

acceleration)
For vDCA and vADP:

150,000
Large 26 100 100 For vDCA only: No

acceleration)
For vDCA and vADP:

240,000
 Note
• When a NIOS appliance does not have the required base memory configuration, if you try to enable and
run DNS over TLS, DNS over HTTPS, and Parental Control features simultaneously, all of these
features will be disabled.
• For information about CPU and memory requirements of NIOS appliance models other than IB-FLEX,
see the NIOS Release Notes.
Supported Cipher Suites

DNS over TLS and DNS over HTTPS features support cipher suites that are supported by TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3. The
cipher suite order preference is configured to improve the throughput in DNS over TLS and DNS over HTTPS
communication.
Cipher suites supported for TLS 1.2 are as follows:
• ECDHE-ECDSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305
• ECDHE-RSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305
• ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256
• ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384
• ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-SHA256
• ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-SHA384
• ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256
• ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384
• ECDHE-RSA-AES128-SHA256

Rev. D
• ECDHE-RSA-AES256-SHA384
• DHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256
• DHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384
• DHE-RSA-AES128-SHA
• DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA
• DHE-RSA-AES128-SHA256
• DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA384
Cipher suites supported for TLS 1.3 are as follows:
• TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256
• TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256
• TLS_AES_128_CCM_SHA256
• TLS_AES_128_CCM_8_SHA256
• TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384
Limitations and Recommendations for DNS over TLS and DNS over HTTPS
Consider the following limitations and recommendations when you enable the DNS over TLS and/or the DNS over
HTTPS features:
• If an appliance configured with DNS over TLS or DNS over HTTPS has both vDCA and vADP running, the
configuration is set to the DCA-first mode.
• TSIG queries for which responses are larger than the max EDNS/UDP buffer size are not supported.
• DNS queries coming with EDNS padding over port 53 are dropped.
• DNS over TLS and DNS over HTTPS features are not supported on unbound-based DNS servers.
• When DNS over TLS or DNS over HTTPS is enabled, queries decrypted at DNS over TLS or DNS over HTTPS
that do not receive a response from the vDCA cache are forwarded to the recursive DNS engine over UDP.
Therefore, rules added for TCP requests over TLS or HTTPS may not be honored. Infoblox recommends that you
add the corresponding UDP-specific rules instead of only the TCP request rules.
• For NIOS 8.5.2 only: Infoblox recommends that you manually set the maximum packet size of both the UDP
buffer and the EDNS buffer to 4096 bytes. If the packet size exceeds 4096, packets are dropped by the DNS over
TLS or the DNS over HTTPS server. For more information about setting buffer sizes, see Configuring the EDNS0
Buffer Size and UDP Buffer Size.
• DNS over TLS only:
• The TLS versions that are currently supported by NIOS are TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3.
• DNS over TLS supports queries and responses from both DNS and DNS Cache Acceleration services.
• DNS over TLS is not supported for recursive queries when performing upstream lookups.
• DNS zone transfer requests over DNS over TLS are not supported.
• For DNS over TLS clients that use systemd-resolved service, the Subject Alternative Name (SAN) must
point to the IP address of the DNS service. By default, the self-signed certificates issued to Infoblox
members do not meet this requirement. Therefore, for Infoblox to support systemd-resolved, you must
install certificates that include SAN IP address from a trusted certificate authority.
• DNS over HTTPS only:
• DNS over HTTPS is supported on the HTTP/2 protocol.
• DNS over HTTPS is supported only if the NIOS appliance has an MGMT interface set up. The DNS over
HTTPS module listens on port 443 for interfaces other than MGMT and any incoming UI request to the
MGMT interface is bypassed directly to the host.
• When DNS over HTTPS is enabled on a member, HTTP redirection from the member to its Grid Master is
disabled.
DNS over TLS

NIOS appliances that support DNS Cache Acceleration or Advanced DNS Protection Software, include the DNS over
TLS capability that helps increase DNS security and privacy. When you enable the DNS over TLS feature, DNS traffic is
encrypted through the TLS protocol to prevent eavesdropping and tampering of DNS data. This feature is supported on
both recursive and authoritative DNS servers only through port 853. It is available only for Grid members and for
standalone systems. It supports the processing of multiple DNS queries/responses over a single TLS session.
You can configure and run the DNS over TLS service on a member only when the following prerequisites are met:

Rev. D
• Either the accelerated DNS Cache Acceleration (vDCA) or the Advanced DNS Protection Software (vADP)
service is enabled.
• The memory required to support the DNS over TLS feature is available. For more information, see Base
Configuration Requirements.
Configuring DNS over TLS

To configure the DNS over TLS feature, complete the following steps:
1. Grid member: On the Data Management tab, click the DNS tab -> Members tab, select the member checkbox,
Standalone system: On the Data Management tab, click the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar, and then click System
DNS Properties.
2. In the Member DNS Properties editor/System DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is
in basic mode.
3. On the Queries tab -> Advanced tab, select the Enable DoT Service checkbox to enable the DNS over TLS
feature.
 Note
The options for DNS over TLS feature are displayed only if the appliance has the memory footprint that
is required to support the feature and has the virtual DNS Cache Acceleration or Advanced DNS
Protection Software license installed. For more information, see Base Configuration Requirements.
4. In the Maximum Session Timeout field, specify the maximum time in seconds a session can remain idle before it
times out and closes. The default value is 60 seconds.
If your DNS forwarders are located at different geographical locations or if the network latency is high, you may
observe session timeouts. If so, Infoblox recommends that you set the Maximum Session Timeout to more than
60 seconds. Increasing the session duration may impact concurrent open sessions.
6. As prompted, manually reboot the member to enable the DNS over TLS feature.
 Note
The DNS over TLS feature will not take effect until you reboot the member or the standalone system
and ensure that either the DNS Cache Acceleration or Advanced DNS Protection Software service is
running after the reboot.
CLI Support for DNS over TLS

You can view the status of the DNS over TLS service, configuration, and details of active sessions using the following
commands:
• show dns-over-tls-status
• show dns-over-tls-config
• show dns-over-tls-stats
DNS over HTTPS

NIOS appliances that support DNS Cache Acceleration or Advanced DNS Protection Software, include the DNS over
HTTPS capability that helps increase DNS security and privacy. When you enable the DNS over HTTPS feature, DNS
traffic is encrypted through the HTTPS protocol to prevent eavesdropping and tampering of DNS data. This feature is
supported on both recursive and authoritative DNS servers only through port 443. It is available only for Grid members
and standalone systems. The feature supports the processing of multiple DNS queries/responses over a single TCP
session.
You can configure and run the DNS over HTTPS service on a NIOS appliance only when the following prerequisites are
met:

Rev. D
• An MGMT interface is set up.
• The memory required to support the DNS over HTTPS feature is available. For more information, see Base
Configuration Requirements.
• Either the accelerated DNS Cache Acceleration (vDCA) or the Advanced DNS Protection Software (vADP)
service is enabled.
Configuring DNS over HTTPS

To configure the DNS over HTTPS feature, complete the following steps:
1. Grid member: On the Data Management tab, click the DNS tab -> Members tab, select the member checkbox,
Standalone system: On the Data Management tab, click the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar, and then click System
DNS Properties.
2. In the Member DNS Properties editor/System DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is
in basic mode.
3. On the Queries tab -> Advanced tab, select the Enable DoH Service checkbox to enable the DNS over HTTPS
feature.
 Note
The options for DNS over HTTPS feature are displayed only if the appliance has the memory footprint
that is required to support the feature and has the virtual DNS Cache Acceleration or Advanced DNS
Protection Software license installed. For more information, see Base Configuration Requirements.
4. In the Maximum Session Timeout field, specify the maximum time in seconds a session can remain idle before it
times out and closes. The default value is 10 seconds.
If your DNS forwarders are located at different geographical locations or if the network latency is high, you may
observe session timeouts. If so, Infoblox recommends that you set the Maximum Session Timeout to more than
10 seconds. Increasing the session duration may impact concurrent open sessions.
6. As prompted, manually reboot the member to enable the DNS over HTTPS feature.
 Note
The DNS over HTTPS feature will not take effect unless you reboot the member or the standalone
system and ensure that either the DNS Cache Acceleration or Advanced DNS Protection Software
service is running after the reboot.
Configuring DNS over HTTPS in Firefox

If you are using the developer version of the Firefox browser to initiate DNS queries, you must configure additional
settings in the browser to enable the DNS over HTTPS support. Complete the following steps in Firefox to enable DNS
over HTTPS and upload certificates:
1. In the Network Settings section, click Settings and complete the following steps to set the Grid IP address as the
custom DNS over HTTPS server:
a. In the Connection Settings dialog box select the Enable DNS over HTTPS checkbox.
b. From the Use Provider drop-down list, choose Custom.
c. In the Custom field, enter the Grid IP address in the format:
https://<dns-server>/dns-query
2. Set the network.trr.mode preference in the configuration editor as follows:
a. Enter about:config in the Firefox address bar.
b. Click Accept the Risk and Continue to open the configuration editor.
c. Search for network.trr.mode.
d. Click the Edit icon and set the value to 3.
3. If you are using a self-signed certificate, complete the following:

Rev. D
a. From the address bar, open https://<doh_server_IP>.
b. Accept the certificate.
4. If you are using a CA certificate, complete the following:
a. Go to Preferences/Options -> Privacy and Security -> View Certificates -> Authorities -> Import.
b. Choose the certificate.
c. When prompted, select the Trust this CA to identify websites checkbox, and restart the browser.
 Note
For a member with the DNS Cache Acceleration service running and the DNS over HTTPS feature enabled, if
you use the developer version of the Firefox browser (configured for DNS over HTTPS support) to initiate DNS
queries, you must set the network.trr.disable-ECS preference in the configuration editor (about:config) to false
for DNS data to be cached. DNS caching does not work if network.trr.disable-ECS is set to true.
CLI Support for DNS over HTTPS

You can view the status of the DNS over HTTPS service, configuration, and details of active sessions using the following
commands:
• show doh-status
• show doh-config
• show doh-stats
Controlling AAAA Records for IPv4 Clients

By default, the NIOS appliance returns resource records, including AAAA records, in response to DNS queries. You can
enable the appliance to filter and remove AAAA records in response to queries received over IPv4 for each name server
and DNS view. This feature is useful in a configuration where a client issues a DNS query over IPv4 when it does not
have the ability to use an IPv6 address. When a response returns an IPv6 address however, the client that sends the
query over an IPv4 transport would lose connectivity. By enabling AAAA filtering, you can configure your name server not
to return AAAA records to clients that request queries over an IPv4 transport. Presumably, these clients then re-query the
name server for A records for the same domain name.
Depending on your configuration, the appliance can remove AAAA records for all queries over IPv4 (even when
DNSSEC is enabled), or only for queries that are not DNSSEC-signed. You can also create a list of IPv4 networks and
addresses to which the appliance applies AAAA filtering and vice versa. You can enable and configure AAAA filtering for
the Grid, members, and DNS views.
To control whether you want the appliance to return AAAA records for queries sent over IPv4, you must first enable AAAA
filtering, and then create a list of IPv4 networks and addresses that allow or deny AAAA filtering from the appliance, as
described in Enabling AAAA Filtering.
 Note
An AAAA record is filtered only when there is also an A record for the same domain name. In this case, the
appliance still sends a response, but without any AAAA or A record in it. When a client queries for an AAAA
record and there is no corresponding A record for it, the appliance returns the AAAA record even if you have
enabled AAAA filtering for this client.
Enabling AAAA Filtering

To enable AAAA filtering and configure a list of IPv4 networks and addresses:
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab > Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
DNS View: From the Data Management tab, click the DNS tab -> Zones tab> dns_view checkbox -> Edit icon.
To override Grid settings, click Override and complete the appropriate fields.

Rev. D
2. In the editor, click the Queries tab and complete the following:
Enable AAAA Filtering: From the drop-down list, select one of the following:
• Break DNSSEC: Select this to remove AAAA records in response to queries sent over IPv4, including those that
are signed by DNSSEC.
 Note
Be aware that when you select this option, DNSSEC configuration will no longer be in effect.
• No: Select this to disable AAAA filtering for queries over IPv4. When you select this, the appliance returns AAAA
records in response to all DNS queries issued over IPv4. This is selected by default.
• Yes: Select this to enable AAAA filtering for queries over IPv4. When you select this, the appliance removes
AAAA records in response to all DNS queries issued over IPv4, except for DNSSEC-signed requests.
• In the AAAA Filtering section, select one of the following:
• None: Select this if you want to configure access control for AAAA filtering. The appliance allows all clients
to issue DNS queries over IPv4 when they do not have the ability to use IPv6 addresses. This is selected
by default.
have the Allow permission can filter AAAA responses. You can click Clear to remove the selected named
ACL.
adding, as follows.
• IPv4 Address: Select this to add an IPv4 address. Click the Value field and enter the IP address of
the client. The Permission column displays Allow by default. You can change it to Deny by clicking
the field and selecting Deny from the drop-down list. When you select Allow, the appliance applies
AAAA filtering and removes AAAA records in response to queries sent by the specified IPv4
address. When you select Deny, the appliance does not apply AAAA filtering and thus returns
AAAA records.
• Address: Enter an IPv4 network address and either type a netmask or move the slider to the
desired netmask.
• Any Address/Network: Select to allow or deny AAAA filtering from any IP addresses.
• Select the ACEs that you want to consolidate and put into a new named ACL. Click the Create new
named ACL icon and enter a name in the Convert to Named ACL dialog box. The appliance creates a
new named ACL and adds it to the Named ACL panel. Note that the ACEs you configure for this operation
stay intact.
• Select an ACE and click the Delete icon to delete the entry. You can select multiple ACEs for deletion.
 Note
If you do not enter any addresses or networks in the table, the appliance applies AAAA filtering
to all IPv4 clients. In other words, the appliance removes AAAA records in responses to all
queries sent over IPv4.

Rev. D
About NXDOMAIN Redirection
When a DNS member with recursion enabled receives a recursive query for data for which it is not authoritative, it
locates the data through queries to other servers. If the query is for a non-existent domain name, the DNS member
receives an NXDOMAIN response from the authoritative name server, which the member then forwards to the DNS
client. An NXDOMAIN response contains a "Name Error" RCODE, signifying that the domain name referenced in the
query does not exist. (For information, you can refer to RFC 1035, Domain Names — Implementation and Specification.)
You can install a Query Redirection license on a recursive DNS member to control its response to queries for A records
of non-existent domain names and other domain names that you specify. After the license is installed, Grid Manager
displays the NXDOMAIN Rulesets tab where you can create rules that specify how a DNS member responds to queries
for A/AAAA records for certain domain names and non-existent domain names. Each rule contains a domain name
specification, and the action of the DNS member when the domain name in the query matches that in the rule. After you
create the rules, you then enable the NXDOMAIN redirection feature and list the IP addresses that are included in the
synthesized responses.
Recursive DNS members can redirect responses to queries for A/AAAA records only. DNS members resolve queries for
all other records as they normally would.
In addition, you can enable DNS members to log queries that match rules with an action of "Redirect" or "Modify". You
can view the logs in the Syslog viewer. The logs include the queried domain name, source IP address, the pattern of the
matched rule, and the name of the corresponding ruleset.
When DNSSEC is enabled on the Infoblox DNS server, it does not redirect DNS clients that request DNSSEC data for a
non-existent domain name. Instead, it returns an authenticated negative response in the form of an NSEC or NSEC3 RR.
(For information about DNSSEC, see Configuring DNSSEC.) If DNSSEC is not enabled, the appliance ignores the
request for DNSSEC data and redirects the clients.
To apply the configured NXDOMAIN rules regardless of whether a DNS query requests DNSSEC data, configure the
appliance accordingly. For more information about how to configure this, see Applying Policies and Rules to DNS
Queries that Request DNSSEC Data.
You can enable NXDOMAIN redirection at the Grid, member, and DNS view levels. Only recursive DNS servers can
redirect DNS clients. Non-recursive DNS members do not redirect DNS clients. For information on enabling recursion on
a DNS member, see Enabling Recursive Queries.
Note that if both NXDOMAIN redirection and the blacklisting feature are enabled, the DNS member applies the blacklist
rulesets before the NXDOMAIN rulesets. For information about blacklisting domain names, see Blacklists.
About NXDOMAIN Rulesets

An NXDOMAIN ruleset is a list of rules that a DNS member uses to determine its response to recursive queries for A
records it does not have. Each rule consists of a domain name specification or pattern, and an associated action.
Domain names can contain any printable character. You can use certain metacharacters to create domain name patterns
that are used to match the domain names in DNS queries. Pattern matching is case-insensitive. Patterns support the
following metacharacters:
• Use the caret character (^) to indicate the beginning of a pattern. For example, ^foo matches foo.com but not
barfoo.com. The caret character has a special meaning only if it is specified at the beginning of a pattern.
• Use the dollar sign character ($) to indicate the end of a pattern. The dollar sign character has a special meaning,
only if it is specified at the end of the pattern. For example, .com$ matches corpxyz.com but not corpxyz.com.net.
When the pattern contains a $ at the end, NIOS automatically adds a period (.) before the $. For example, if you
enter .com$, NIOS saves it as .com.$. The period indicates that the pattern specifies a complete domain name
that ends with the root label.
• Use the asterisk character ({})* as a wildcard that can match zero or more characters in one or more labels of a
domain name. For example, xf*oy matches xfooy.com, but not xfoobary.
A pattern that contains a single asterisk ({} ) (or an equivalent expression, such as *"^$"{*}) matches any domain
name.
• Use the backslash character (\) with one of the metacharacters ($, ^, *** and {}) to remove their special meaning.
If \ is followed by any other character, that character is taken as an ordinary character, as if \ is not present. For
example, foo\\\.bar matches foo\.bar, and \* matches a literal asterisk in a domain name.
No other characters have any special meaning. Note in particular that the period character (".") only matches a period
used as a separator in a domain name.

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The action specifies how the DNS member responds when a domain name in a query matches a pattern. The action can
be one of the following: Pass, Modify or Redirect.
• Pass: The DNS member resolves the query and forwards the response to the DNS client, even if it is an
NXDOMAIN response.
• Modify: The DNS member resolves the query and forwards the response to the DNS client, only if it is not an
NXDOMAIN response. But if the member receives an NXDOMAIN response, it sends the client a synthesized
response that includes predefined IP addresses.
• Redirect: The DNS member does not resolve the query. Instead, it sends the client a synthesized response that
includes predefined IP addresses.
You can configure multiple rulesets. The DNS member applies the rulesets and their rules in the order in which they're
specified in the configuration. If multiple rulesets contain rules with duplicate patterns, the DNS member applies the first
rule it encounters and ignores the other rules.
Examples
The following example illustrates how the appliance applies NXDOMAIN rulesets. Ruleset 1:
Pattern Action
a1.corpxyz.com PASS
*.corpxyz.com REDIRECT
• If the DNS member receives a query for a1.corpxyz.com, it resolves the query and forwards the response, even if
it is an NXDOMAIN response, to the client. Note that if the order of the rules was switched, the DNS client would
have been redirected immediately, because the domain name a1.corpxyz.com matches the *.corpxyz.com
pattern.
• If the DNS member receives a query for b1.corpxyz.com, the member immediately redirects the DNS client to the
specified IP address because the domain name in the query matches the second rule.
• If the DNS member receives a query for b1.corp200.com, it resolves the query because the domain name does
not match any rule. If the DNS member receives an A record from an authoritative server, the member forwards
the response to the client. However, if the member receives an NXDOMAIN response, it redirects the DNS client
to the specified IP address.
In the following example, the rules redirect queries for dotted domain names that do not have ".com" As shown in the
example, an explicit PASS rule is required at the end.
Ruleset 2:
Pattern Action
*.com PASS
.*.$ MODIFY
* PASS
• If the DNS member receives a query for corpxyz.com which matches the pattern "*.com", the member resolves
the query and forwards the response, even if it is an NXDOMAIN response, to the client.
• If the DNS member receives a query for corpxyz.org, which matches the pattern ".*.$", the member resolves the
query. If the member receives an NXDOMAIN response, it redirects the client to the specified IP address. If the
member receives a non-NXDOMAIN response, it forwards the response to the client.
• If the DNS member receives a query for corp200, the member resolves the query and forwards the response to
the client.

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NXDOMAIN Redirection Guidelines
The following summarizes how a DNS member responds to a query for an A record when the NXDOMAIN feature is
enabled:
• If there are no rulesets configured, the DNS member queries other name servers.
• If the DNS member receives a non-NXDOMAIN response from an authoritative server, it forwards the
response to the DNS client.
• If the DNS member receives an NXDOMAIN response from an authoritative server, it redirect the DNS
client.
• If rulesets are configured, the DNS member tries to match the domain name in the query with a domain name in
the rules.
• If the DNS member finds a match, it perform the action specified in the rule.
• If the action is "Redirect", the DNS member redirect the DNS client.
• If the action is "Pass", the DNS member queries other name servers and forwards the response to
the DNS client.
• If the action is "Modify", the DNS member queries other name servers. If it receives a non-
NXDOMAIN response, it forwards the response to the DNS client; if it receives and NXDOMAIN
response, it redirects the DNS client.
• If the DNS member does not find a match, the DNS member queries other name servers.
• If the DNS member receives a non-NXDOMAIN response, it forwards the response to the DNS
client.
• If the DNS member receives an NXDOMAIN response from an authoritative server, it redirects the
DNS client.
Note that if an A record with a dotted hostname is added to an authoritative zone through a dynamic DNS update, and
that A record should actually belong in an existing delegation, the appliance may not redirect a query for that A record
according to the Blacklist and NXDOMAIN guidelines.
Configuring NXDOMAIN Redirection

To enable NXDOMAIN redirection and configure its properties:
1. Configure NXDOMAIN rulesets. You can create NXDOMAIN rulesets through Grid Manager, as described in
Creating Rulesets. You can also specify the rulesets in a CSV file and import the file to the Grid, as described in
Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import.
2. Enable this feature and specify the redirection IP addresses, as described in Enabling NXDOMAIN Redirection.
Creating Rulesets
To create a ruleset:
1. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> NXDOMAIN Rulesets tab, click the Add icon.
2. In the NXDOMAIN Ruleset wizard, complete the following and click Next:
• Name: Enter a name for the ruleset.
• Comment: You can enter additional information.
• Disable: You can disable this ruleset for use later on. The appliance ignores disabled rulesets.
3. Click the Add icon to add a rule to the ruleset table.
• In the Pattern column, enter a domain name or pattern, using the guidelines specified in About
NXDOMAIN Rulesets.
• In the Action column, select PASS, REDIRECT or MODIFY.
• In the Order column, NIOS automatically displays the number of the entry in the list.
The appliance applies the rules in the order they are listed. You can order the list as follows:
• Use the up and down arrows to move rules up or down on the list.
• Use the go-to-top or go-to-bottom arrow to move a rule to the top or bottom of the list.
• Change the Order number of a rule to move it to the desired location.
• Delete a rule by selecting it and clicking the Delete icon.

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Managing NXDOMAIN Rulesets
To view NXDOMAIN rulesets, navigate to the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> NXDOMAIN Rulesets tab. The panel
lists the configured rulesets and their associated comments. You can also display the Disabled column which indicates
which rulesets are disabled. From this panel, you can do the following:
• Add more rulesets, as described in the preceding section, Creating Rulesets.
• Edit a ruleset, by clicking its checkbox and clicking the Edit icon. You can set the following in the NXDOMAIN
Ruleset editor:
• In the General Basic tab, you can change entries in any of the fields.
• In the Rules tab, you can do the following:
• Add a rule by clicking the add icon and specifying the pattern and action.
• Change the pattern or action of a rule, by clicking in the appropriate row.
• Delete a rule by clicking its checkbox and clicking the Delete icon.
• Move rules up and down, by using the arrows.
• In the Permissions tab, you can set admin permissions for the ruleset. For information about
admin permissions, see Managing Administrators.
• Delete a ruleset, by clicking its checkbox and clicking the Delete icon.
Enabling NXDOMAIN Redirection

Only DNS members with recursion enabled can support NXDOMAIN redirection.
You can enable this feature at the Grid level, and override it for a member or DNS view with recursion enabled. You must
specify at least one IP address as the redirection destination. You can specify different redirection IP addresses and
rulesets for each Grid member or DNS view, and you can also define members that do not provide redirection. This is
useful when you want to define a set of "opt out" servers for DNS clients that do not want to be redirected.
You can also enable the DNS member to log queries that match rules with an action of "Redirect" or "Modify". The logs
include the queried domain name, source IP address, the pattern of the matched rule, and the name of the
corresponding ruleset. The DNS member does not log queries that matched rules with an action of "Pass".
To enable NXDOMAIN redirection:
Edit icon.
Edit icon.
Standalone DNS: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click System
DNS Properties.
2. If the Grid DNS Properties or Member DNS Properties editor is in basic mode, click Toggle Advanced Mode.
3. Click NXDOMAIN and complete the following:
• Enable NXDOMAIN redirection (recursive members only): Select this option to enable recursive DNS
members to synthesize their responses to DNS queries for A records.
• Rulesets: Click the Add icon to add an NXDOMAIN ruleset. Use the up and down arrows to move rulesets
up and down in the list. The appliance applies them in the order they are listed.
• Redirect to IPv4 addresses: Click the Add icon and enter the IPv4 addresses that the DNS server includes
in its synthesized response for A type queries.
• Redirect to IPv6 addresses: Click the Add icon and enter the IPv6 addresses that the DNS server includes
in its synthesized response for AAAA type queries.
 Note
You can add up to 12 IP addresses, combination of both IPv4 and IPv6, for NXDOMAIN
redirection.
• TTL: Specify how long the DNS client caches the A record with the redirected IP address.
• Log redirected queries: Select this checkbox to log the redirected queries to syslog.

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Detecting and Mitigating DNS DDoS Attacks
DNS is a tempting target for attacks given that most traditional enterprise firewalls are configured to allow port 53 traffic
to service DNS, which gives attackers an easy way to evade your firewall implementation. Since DNS queries are
asymmetrical, they can result in a response many times larger than the query, which means that your DNS system can
be used to amplify an attack.
To protect your DNS servers and DNS service performance, Infoblox provides the following features to detect and
mitigate DNS DDoS attacks, such as NXDOMAIN attacks:
• Automated mitigation of phantom domain attacks (a subset of NXDOMAIN attacks), as described in Automated
Mitigation of Phantom Domain Attacks.
• Configurable parameters used to detect possible NXDOMAIN attacks, as described in Detecting NXDOMAIN
Attacks.
• Mitigation of NXDOMAIN responses by removing the LRU (Least Recently Used) items from the list of NX (non-
existent) RRsets. The appliance uses the LRU list to select entries for removal from the cache when the cache
utilization exceeds the allowed threshold. For more information, see Mitigating Possible NXDOMAIN Attacks.
• CLI commands for configuring RRL (Response Rate Limiting) to mitigate DNS DDoS attacks by reducing the rate
at which authoritative servers respond to high volumes of malicious queries, as described in Support for RRL
(Response Rate Limiting).
Infoblox also offers the following security features to fully protect your DNS infrastructure and implementation:
• Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection
• Infoblox DNS Firewall
• Infoblox Threat Insight
Automated Mitigation of Phantom Domain Attacks

A phantom domain attack happens when the attacker sets up "phantom" domains that do not respond to DNS queries.
Under normal circumstances, the DNS recursive server contacts authoritative servers to resolve recursive queries. When
phantom domain attacks happen, the recursive server continues to query non-responsive servers, which causes the
recursive server to spend valuable resources waiting for responses. When resources are fully consumed, the DNS
recursive server may drop legitimate queries, causing serious performance issues.
NIOS provides a few configurable parameters for mitigating phantom domain attacks in which recursive server continues
to query non-responsive servers. Before you configure any of the parameters for mitigating phantom domain attacks,
review the guidelines that might help you understand the relationship between these parameters. For information, see
Guidelines for Mitigating Phantom Domain Attacks.
To configure parameters for mitigating phantom domain attacks, see Configuring Parameters for Mitigating Phantom
Domain Attacks.
All events related to these operations are logged to the syslog. For information about the syslog and how to use it, see
Using a Syslog Server.
Guidelines for Mitigating Phantom Domain Attacks

To detect phantom domain attacks, you can review your log messages. One possible indication of attack is when you
receive a log message similar to the following:
2015-04-29T10:20:06+00:00 daemon infoblox named\[25390\]: warning no more recursive clients:
quota reached
Consider the following guidelines to mitigate the attack:

• Increase the number of recursive clients.
• Use a combination of the following parameters to achieve optimum results:
• Limit recursive queries per server and Limit recursive queries per zone
• Enable holddown for non-responsive servers and Limit recursive queries per zone
• When you enable any of the options, the default values are set at an optimum level for general operations.
Infoblox recommends that you keep the default values when using these commands. Ensure that you understand
the ramifications if you want to change the default values.

Rev. D
Configuring Parameters for Mitigating Phantom Domain Attacks
 Note
Updating the parameter values for mitigating phantom domain attacks takes effect immediately through Grid
replication. However, for these values to be updated in the named.conf file, you need to restart the DNS
service. To restart the member service, see Restarting Services.
To adjust the parameters to mitigate phantom domain attack parameters, complete the following:
2. In the Grid DNS Properties or Member DNS Properties editor, click the Security tab and complete the following in
the Non-responsive servers section:
• Enable holddown for non-responsive servers: When you select this checkbox, the appliance stops
sending queries to non-responsive servers for a specified time interval (Hold down duration) when the
number of consecutive attempts to contact a non-responsive server exceeds the threshold value
(Timeouts to trigger). No service restart is required when you change this. Clear this checkbox to disable
the holddown. Note that disabling this does not clear any of the previously configured values. When you
enable this feature again, the appliance preserves the previously configured values.
• Minimum timeout: When the time taken for a timeout to happen exceeds this number, the timeout
is counted towards the number of consecutive timeouts (Timeouts to trigger). You can specify a
value between 0 and 5000 milliseconds. For example, if you set the minimum timeout to 1000
milliseconds, only timeouts that took longer than 1000 milliseconds are counted towards the
number of consecutive timeouts. The default is 1000 milliseconds.
• Timeouts to trigger: The number of consecutive timeouts before holding down a server. You can
specify a value between 0 and 4294967295. For example, setting the threshold value to 5 means
the appliance stops sending queries to the non-responsive server after five consecutive timeouts.
The default is 5.
• Hold down duration: The holddown duration for a server. You can specify a value between 1 and
86400 seconds. For example, if you set the holddown time to 60 seconds, the server stops
sending queries for 60 seconds. The default is 60 seconds.
 Note
In order to get enough upstream queries and for the appliance to effectively identify non-
responsive servers and stop sending queries to them, do not set a high value for
the Minimum timeout field. The higher the value you configure for this field, the longer it
takes to capture a timeout and the harder it is to satisfy the total counts of consecutive
timeouts (Timeouts to trigger). Until the total count of consecutive timeouts is exceeded,
no mitigation happens against the non-responsive servers. As a result, it is less likely for
the appliance to identify phantom domain attacks when you set
the Minimum timeout field at a high value. Infoblox highly recommends that you keep the
default Minimum timeout value to achieve optimum protection against these attacks.
• Limit recursive queries per server: Select this checkbox to configure the maximum number of concurrent
recursive queries that the appliance sends to a single upstream name server. Queries above the limit will
be blocked and may result in a SERVFAIL response to the client. When you enable this option, the
appliance dynamically adjusts the concurrent query limit for a specific server based on the ATR (Average
Timeout Ratio). No service restart is required when you change this. Clear this checkbox to disable this
option. Note that disabling this does not clear any of the previously configured values. When you enable
this feature again, the appliance preserves the previously configured values.
• Maximum fetches per server: The maximum number of concurrent recursive queries that the
appliance sends to a single upstream name server before blocking additional queries to that
server. You can specify a value between 0 and 4294967295. The default value is 500.

Rev. D
• Quota recalculation interval: This determines how often (in number of recursive responses) the
appliance recalculates the average timeout ratio. You can specify a value between 0 and
4294967295. The default value is 200. Note that if you set this value to 0 (zero), the appliance will
never recalculate the ATR. Infoblox strongly recommends that you do not set this value to 0.
• Limit recursive queries per zone: Select this checkbox to configure the maximum number of concurrent
recursive queries the DNS server sends for a domain. If the number of recursive queries exceeds the
configured value, the server blocks new queries for that domain and returns a SERVFAIL response to the
client. No service restart is required when you change this. Clear this checkbox to disable the option. Note
that disabling this does not clear any of the previously configured values. When you enable this feature
again, the appliance preserves the previously configured values.
• Maximum fetches perzone: The maximum number of concurrent recursive queries that a
server sends for one of its domain. When the number of queries exceeds this number, the
server blocks new queries for the domain. You can specify a value between 0 and
4294967295. The default value is 200.
Detecting NXDOMAIN Attacks

NXDOMAIN attacks are symmetrical DDoS attacks that involve a large number of DNS clients sending queries for invalid
or non-existent domains, which results in DNS recursion and NXDOMAIN responses. As a result, the DNS server spends
valuable resources processing spurious requests instead of providing legitimate DNS services. When a DNS server is
under NXDOMAIN attack, clients cannot get valid responses because the cache of the DNS server is flooded with
NXDOMAIN results.
Infoblox provides a few options for detecting possible NXDOMAIN attacks. You can track one or all of the following to
raise alerts for these attacks:
• High percentage of NXDOMAIN responses, as described in Tracking NXDOMAIN Responses.
• Low cache hit ratio for queries, as described in Tracking Cache Hit Ratio of Recursive Queries.
• High number of dropped UDP packets, as described in Tracking Dropped UDP Packets.
Each of these options provides configurable parameters that determine if an alert should be raised. When an alert is
triggered, the appliance sends SNMP traps about possible NXDOMAIN attacks. All triggered events are logged to the
syslog. Note that you must enable notifications in order for the appliance to send SNMP traps. For more information
about how to enable this, see Setting SNMP and Email Notifications.
 Note
The default values for these configurable parameters are set at an optimum level for general operations.
Infoblox recommends that you keep the default values when using these features. Ensure that you understand
the ramifications if you want to change the default values.
Tracking NXDOMAIN Responses

When under NXDOMAIN attack, the ratio of NXDOMAIN responses from upstream servers to all incoming recursive
responses is typically high. When the ratio of NXDOMAIN responses to all incoming recursive responses exceeds the
configured high water threshold, the appliance sends an alert. Note that timeouts are not counted as responses for this
detection.
 Note
Changes made to the configuration for tracking NXDOMAIN responses take effect immediately on active DNS
service and do not require a service restart.
To configure the parameters for tracking NXDOMAIN responses, complete the following:

Rev. D
the Bogus-query alerting and mitigation section:
• Track the percentage of NXDOMAIN responses to recursive queries: Select this checkbox to track the
percentage of NXDOMAIN responses from up-stream servers to all incoming recursive responses. Clear this
checkbox to disable the detection. Note that disabling this does not clear any of the previously configured values.
When you enable this feature again, the appliance preserves the previously configured values. This is selected by
default.
• Minimum responses per interval: Enter the minimum number of incoming DNS responses received (within
the detection interval) before the appliance starts calculating the NXDOMAIN ratio at the end of the
detection interval. The appliance then compares the calculated percentage to the high water threshold. If
the percentage equals or exceeds the high water threshold, the appliance sends an SNMP trap (if
enabled) about possible NXDOMAIN attacks. The default is 1000. Note that the Minimum responses per
interval is implemented to ensure that enough incoming DNS responses are received so the appliance
can calculate a meaningful NXDOMAIN ratio and does not declare possible attacks from a small response
sample. Therefore, when you change the default value, ensure that you use a reasonable value so the
appliance calculates the NXDOMAIN ratio from a reasonable amount of responses. Raising an alert using
a small response sample may not be a reliable way for detecting possible NXDOMAIN attacks.
• NXDOMAIN threshold: Enter the Low and High water thresholds at which an alert is triggered. The
appliance sends an alert when the percentage equals or exceeds the High water threshold. When the
percentage in subsequent detection intervals falls below the Low water threshold, the appliance sends
another alert to notify that the percentage of NXDOMAIN responses has gone back to an acceptable
level. The defaults are 70% for Low and 80% for High.
• Detection interval and Responses: These parameters work as alternatives to each other in determining
when the appliance starts calculating the NXDOMAIN ratio. In the case of a very low response rate when
the total responses received within the Detection interval never reach the Minimum responses per
interval, the response counters continue to cumulate into subsequent detection intervals until the
Minimum responses per interval is met. The appliance then sends an alert at the end of the detection
interval. On the other hand, in the case of a very high response rate when the total number of responses
received equals or exceeds the Responses value before the Detection interval is reached, the Minimum
responses per interval does not apply and the appliance sends an alert as soon as the total responses
equal or exceed the Responses value you define here. It does not wait till the end of the Detection
interval. Note that the number of Responses you define here must be the same or greater than the
Minimum responses per interval. The defaults are 10 seconds for the Detection interval and 100000 for
Responses.
Configuration Examples for Tracking NXDOMAIN Responses

The following examples demonstrate how different responses per second affect the calculation of NXDOMAIN ratio.
Example One: Total responses per second = 250 and parameters = default values
Detection Interval (10 seconds)
Total Responses per 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
Second
250/s 0 250 500 750 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000 2250 2500
In this example, the total number of responses is 250 per second and the total number of responses hits the Minimum
responses per interval (default = 1000) at the 4th second of the detection interval. This meets the requirement for the
Minimum responses per interval and triggers an NXDOMAIN ratio calculation at the end of the detection interval (default
= 10 seconds). If the percentage equals or exceeds the high water threshold, the appliance sends an alert and logs the

Rev. D
event to the syslog to notify about possible NXDOMAIN flood attacks. The appliance resets the response counters for the
next detection interval.
Example Two: Total responses per second = 40 per second and parameters = default values
1st Detection Interval (10 seconds)
Second
40/s 0 40 80 120 160 200 240 280 320 360 400
2nd Detection Interval (10 seconds)
Second
40/s 440 480 520 560 600 640 680 720 760 800
3rd Detection Interval (10 seconds)
Total Responses per Second 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
40/s 840 880 920 960 1000 1040 1080 1120 1160 1200
In this example, the total number of responses is 40 per second. During the first detection interval of 10 seconds, the
total number of responses is 400, which does not reach the Minimum responses per interval (default = 1000); therefore,
no NXDOMAIN ratio calculation occurs and the response counters continue to accumulate into the second detection
interval. At the end of the second interval, the total number of responses still does not reach the Minimum responses per
interval; therefore, no NXDOMAIN ratio calculation occurs and the counters continue to accumulate. Finally, the total
number of responses meets the requirement of the Minimum responses per interval when the appliance receives 1000
responses at the 5th second during the third detection interval. This triggers an NXDOMAIN ratio calculation at the end of
the third detection interval, and the counters reset for the next detection interval. If the NXDOMAIN percentage equals or
exceeds the high water threshold, the appliance sends an alert and logs the event to the syslog to notify about possible
NXDOMAIN flood attacks.
Example Three: Total responses per second = 50000 and parameters = default values
Detection Interval (10 seconds)
Total Responses per Second 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
50000 0 50000 100000

Rev. D
In this example, the total number of responses per second is 50000. When the total number of responses hits 100000,
which equals to the Responses value, the appliance starts calculating the NXDOMAIN ratio and sends an alert without
waiting until the end of the detection interval. If the percentage equals or exceeds the high water threshold, the appliance
sends an alert and logs the event to the syslog to notify about possible NXDOMAIN flood attacks. The appliance resets
the response counters for the next detection interval.
 Note
The above configuration examples also apply to how the appliance tracks cache hit ratio of recursive queries,
as described in Tracking Cache Hit Ratio of Recursive Queries.
Tracking Cache Hit Ratio of Recursive Queries

Another way to track possible DNS attacks is to monitor the cache hit ratio of recursive queries. A cache hit means the
response to a query can be found in the cache of the DNS server. When the response cannot be found, it is a miss.
Cache hit ratio is the percentage of cache hits to the total number of queries. The higher the ratio, the more efficiently the
cache is operating. When a server is under NXDOMAIN attack, the cache hit ratio tends to drop.
To track cache hit ratio, complete the following:
• Track the cache hit ratio of queries: Select this checkbox to track the cache hit ratio of recursive queries.
Clear this checkbox to disable the detection. No service restart is required when you change this. Note
that disabling this does not clear any of the previously configured values. When you enable this feature
again, the appliance preserves the previously configured values. This is selected by default.
• Minimum queries per interval: Enter the minimum number of incoming DNS queries received
(within the detection interval) before the appliance starts calculating the cache hit ratio at the end
of the detection interval. The appliance then compares the calculated percentage to the low water
threshold. If the percentage equals or falls below the low water threshold, the appliance sends an
SNMP trap (if enabled) about possible NXDOMAIN attacks. The default is 1000. Note that the
Minimum responses per interval is implemented to ensure that enough incoming DNS queries are
received so the appliance can calculate a meaningful cache hit ratio and does not declare possible
attacks from a small number of incoming queries. When you change the default value, ensure that
you use a number that is big enough so the appliance calculates the cache hit ratio from a
reasonable amount of queries.
• Minimum cache utilization: Cache hit ratio detection does not start until cache utilization hits this
number. In other words, the appliance does not calculate the cache hit ratio until the cache
utilization has reached or exceeded this number. The default is 75%.
• Hit ratio threshold: Enter the Low and High thresholds at which an alert is triggered. The appliance
sends an alert when the cache hit percentage equals or drops below the Low water threshold,
which means the cache hit rate is low enough that the server is not operating efficiently, and there
could be a high number of bogus queries that do not have matching responses in the cache.
When the cache hit percentage in subsequent detection intervals reaches or exceeds the High
water threshold, the appliance sends another alert to notify that the cache hit rate has gone back
to an acceptable level. The defaults are 70% for Low and 80% for High.
• Hit ratio detection interval and Responses: These parameters work as alternatives to each other in
determining when the appliance starts calculating the cache hit ratio. In the case of a very low
response rate when the total responses received within the Hit ratio detection interval never reach
the Minimum queries per interval, the response counters continue to accumulate into subsequent
detection intervals until the Minimum queries per interval is met. The appliance then sends an alert
at the end of the detection interval. On the other hand, in the case of a very high response rate
when the total number of responses received equals or exceeds the Responses value before the
Hit ratio detection interval is reached, the Minimum queries per interval does not apply and the
appliance sends an alert as soon as the total responses equal or exceed the Responses value

Rev. D
you define here. It does not wait till the end of the Hit ration detection interval. Note that the
number of Responses you define here must be the same or greater than the Minimum queries per
interval. The defaults are 10 seconds for the Hit ratio detection interval and 100000 for
Responses.
Tracking Dropped UDP Packets

When the DNS server starts dropping UDP packets from incoming traffic, it can be an indication of DNS attacks. Tracking
dropped UDP packets can help raise awareness of possible DDoS attacks. For this features, the appliance tracks all
UDP packets, not only DNS queries. When tracking dropped UDP packets, the appliance tracks IPv4 and IPv6 packets
independently.
To track dropped UDP packets, complete the following:
• Track the number of UDP packets dropped: Select this checkbox to track the number of dropped UDP
packets. Clear this checkbox to disable the detection. No service restart is required when you change this.
Note that disabling this does not clear any of the previously configured values. When you enable this
feature again, the appliance preserves the previously configured values. This is selected by default.
• Packet drop detection interval: Enter the time interval of each detection period for tracking
dropped UDP packets. The default is 10 seconds.
• Minimum packets per interval: Enter the minimum number of UDP packets the appliance allows
(within the detection interval) before it starts calculating the percentage of dropped packets to the
total number of packets. The appliance compares the calculated percentage to the high water
threshold. If the percentage equals or exceeds the high water threshold, the appliance sends an
SNMP trap (if enabled). The default is 1000.
• Packet drop threshold: Enter the Low and High water thresholds at which an alert is triggered. The
appliance sends an alert when the percentage equals or exceeds the High water threshold. When
the percentage in subsequent detection intervals equals or falls below the Low water threshold,
the appliance sends another alert to notify that the amount of dropped UDP packets has gone
back to an acceptable level. The defaults are 20% for Low and 30% for High.
Mitigating Possible NXDOMAIN Attacks

To mitigate possible NXDOMAIN attacks, you can configure the appliance to split the LRU (Least Recently Used) list into
two: one for NX (non-existent) RRsets and the other for all other RRsets. The LRU list is used to select entries that the
appliance removes from the cache when the cache utilization exceeds the allowed threshold, which is a fraction of the
configured maximum cache size.
While this option is enabled, the appliance removes the least recently used items from the LRU list for NX RRsets before
removing items from the LRU list for other RRsets. Doing so helps preserves valid DNS responses in the cache while
eliminating NXDOMAIN responses.
To mitigate NXDOMAIN responses. complete the following:
 Note
Changes made to the configuration for mitigating possible NXDOMAIN attacks take effect immediately on
active DNS service and do not require a service restart.

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• Deprioritize caching of NXDOMAIN responses: Select this checkbox to split the LRU list into two: one for
NX RRsets and the other for all other RRsets, and to always remove the least recently used items from
the list of NX RRsets first. This is selected by default.
Support for RRL (Response Rate Limiting)

RRL provides the ability to control excessive UDP responses that are identical or almost identical. For more information
about how RRL works, refer to the BIND Administrators Reference Manual at http://www.isc.org/downloads/bind/doc/.
You can configure parameters for this feature through the following CLI commands: set dns_rrl and show dns_rrl.
For more information about these commands, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.
You can also log RRL events to the syslog. To enable RRL logging, select rate-limit in the Logging Category when you
configure logging for the Grid or member. For more information about how to select logging categories, see Setting DNS
Logging Categories.
Blacklists
Your organization can prevent customers or employees from accessing certain Internet resources, particularly web sites,
by prohibiting a recursive DNS member from resolving queries for domain names that you specify.
You can create blacklist rules that specify how a DNS member responds to recursive queries for data for which it is not
authoritative. Each rule specifies a domain name and the action of the DNS member when the domain name in the query
matches that in the rule. Instead of resolving the query, the DNS member can redirect the DNS client to predefined IP
addresses or return a REFUSED response code indicating that resolution is not performed because of local policy.
When the DNS member receives a query for data for which it is not authoritative, it first tries to match the domain name
in the query with a domain name in any of its rules. If it finds a match, it responds according to the action specified in the
rule. If it does not find a match and the NXDOMAIN feature is enabled, the DNS member checks the NXDOMAIN
rulesets for a match and responds accordingly. If the NXDOMAIN feature is not enabled, the DNS member resolves the
query. (For information about the NXDOMAIN feature, see About NXDOMAIN Redirection.
Infoblox DNS members can modify their responses to queries for A records only. Therefore, if the matched query is for a
record other than an A record, including a query with a type of "ANY", the DNS member sends a REFUSED response if
the matched rule has an action of "Redirect".
In the figure Blacklist, a DNS client opens a web browser and tries to access xxx.domain.com. When the DNS member
receives the query for xxx.domain.com, it checks its blacklist rulesets and finds xxx.domain.com in a rule with an action
of "Redirect". The DNS client is redirected to the configured redirection destination IP address 10.1.2.3.
Blacklist

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This feature supports queries for data in IPv4 and IPv6 reverse-mapping zones, as well as forward-mapping zones. Note
that when a user with a Windows DNS client with IPv6 installed tries to access a domain name, the Windows client sends
queries for AAAA records before queries for A records. After the DNS member sends a Refused response to the query for
the AAAA record, the DNS client then sends a query for the A record. The DNS member then responds according to the
blacklist rules.
When DNSSEC is enabled on the Infoblox DNS server, it does not redirect DNS clients that request DNSSEC data. (For
information about DNSSEC, see Configuring DNSSEC.) If DNSSEC is not enabled and the query includes a request for
DNS data, the appliance ignores the request for DNSSEC data and redirects the clients.
To apply the configured DNS blacklist rules regardless of whether a DNS query requests DNSSEC data, configure the
appliance accordingly. For more information about how to configure this, see Applying Policies and Rules to DNS
Queries that Request DNSSEC Data.
You can enable the blacklist feature at the Grid, member, and DNS view levels. Note that only recursive DNS servers can
support this feature. For information on enabling recursion on a DNS member, see Enabling Recursive Queries.
About Blacklist Rulesets

A blacklist ruleset is a list of rules that a DNS member uses to determine its response to recursive queries for certain
domain names. When you enable the blacklist feature, you must define at least one rule in a ruleset. Each rule consists
of a domain name and an associated action. The DNS member matches the domain names in the rules with the entire
domain name in the query, including its suffix. The domain name in the rule can contain any printable character. Domain
name matching is case-insensitive. Unlike the NXDOMAIN rules, blacklist rules do not support metacharacters in domain
names.
The action in a rule is either "Pass" or "Redirect".
• Pass: The DNS member resolves the query and forwards the response to the DNS client.
• Redirect: The DNS member does not resolve the query. The DNS member redirects the client to the
predefined IP addresses or sends a REFUSED response, depending on your configuration. Note that the
DNS member can redirect the client only if the query is for an A record. If the query is for another resource
record, the DNS member sends a REFUSED response.
You can use the Blacklist wizard, described in Adding a Blacklist Ruleset, to add blacklist rulesets, but not rules. You can
only add rules by importing them in a CSV file, as described in Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import. Note that
if a blacklist ruleset contains duplicate domain names, the DNS member loads the first rule in the ruleset and discards
the other rules.

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The following example illustrates how the DNS member applies blacklist rules. Ruleset 1:
Pattern Action
a1.foo.com PASS
foo.com REDIRECT/BLOCK
• If the DNS member receives a recursive query for a1.foo.com, it resolves the query and forwards the response to
the client.
• If the DNS member receives a recursive query for the A record of b1.foo.com, it redirects the DNS client to the
specified IP address. If the query is for another record type, such as an MX record, the member sends a
REFUSED response to the client.
Blacklist Guidelines
The following summarizes how a DNS member responds to a DNS client when the blacklist feature is enabled:
• If the domain name in the query matches a domain name in a rule, the member does the following:
• If the query is for an A record, the member performs the action specified in the rule.
• If the action is "Redirect", the member performs the action specified in the Blacklist wizard.
• If the action in the wizard is to redirect, the DNS member redirects the client to the listed IP
addresses.
• If the action in the wizard is to return a REFUSED response, the DNS member sends a
REFUSED response to the DNS client.
• If the action in the rule is" Pass", the DNS member resolves the query and forwards the response
to the DNS client.
• If the query is for a non-A record, the member performs the action in the rule as follows:
• If the action is "Redirect", the DNS member returns a REFUSED response to the DNS client.
• If the action is "Pass", the DNS member resolves the query and forwards the response to the DNS
client.
• If the domain name in the query does not match a domain name in a rule:
• If the NXDOMAIN feature is enabled, the DNS member tries to find a match with the NXDOMAIN rules
and responds accordingly.
• If the NXDOMAIN feature is disabled, the DNS member resolves the query and forwards the response to
the DNS client.Note that if an A record with a dotted hostname is added to an authoritative zone through a
dynamic DNS update, and that A record should actually belong in an existing delegation, the appliance
may not redirect a query for that A record according to the Blacklist and NXDOMAIN guidelines.
Related topic
Configuring Blacklists
Configuring Blacklists
You can perform the following operations on the blacklist feature:
1. Add blacklist rulesets, as described in Adding a Blacklist Ruleset.
2. Create one or more CSV files that contain the rules for each ruleset and import the files to the Grid. For
information about importing CSV files, see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import.
3. Enable blacklisting, as described in Enabling Blacklisting.
Adding a Blacklist Ruleset

To add the name of a blacklist ruleset:

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1. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Blacklist Rulesets tab, click the Add icon.
2. In the Blacklist wizard, complete the following:
• Comment: You can enter additional information.
• Disable: You can disable this ruleset for use later on. The appliance ignores disabled rulesets.
3. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen. You can then use the CSV Import
feature to import the rules for each ruleset.
Managing Blacklist Rulesets

To view rulesets, navigate to the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Blacklist Rulesets tab. The panel lists the
configured rulesets and their associated comments. You can also display the Disabled column which indicates which
rulesets are disabled. From this panel, you can do the following:
• Add more rulesets, as described in the preceding section, Adding a Blacklist Ruleset.
• Edit a ruleset, by clicking its checkbox and clicking the Edit icon. You can set the following in the Blacklist Ruleset
editor:
• In the General Basic tab, you can change entries in any of the fields.
• In the Permissions tab, you can set admin permissions for the ruleset.
• Delete a ruleset, by clicking its checkbox and clicking the Delete icon.
• View the rules that were imported in each ruleset by selecting it. For each rule, the panel displays the following:
• Domain name
• The action of the recursive DNS member when the domain name in a query matches the domain name in
the rule.
To delete or edit rules in a ruleset, you must delete the ruleset from this panel, edit the CSV file and re-import it.
Enabling Blacklisting
Only DNS members with recursion enabled can support this feature. You can enable this feature at the Grid level and
override it for a member or DNS view with recursion enabled.
You can also enable the DNS member to log queries that matched blacklist rules. The logs include the queried domain
name, source IP address, the pattern of the matched rule, and the name of the corresponding ruleset.
To enable blacklisting:
Edit icon.
Edit icon.
2. If the Grid DNS Properties or Member DNS Properties editor is in basic mode, click Toggle Advanced Mode.
3. Click Blacklist and complete the following:
Enable Domain Name Blacklist: Select this checkbox.
Blacklist Rulesets: To add a ruleset, click the Add icon. If there are multiple rulesets, select one from the Select
Ruleset dialog box. Use the up and down arrows to move rulesets up and down in the list. The appliance applies
rulesets in the order they are listed.
For blacklisted domain names,return: Select the action of the appliance when it receives a query for a record that
matches a rule with an action of Redirect/Block.
If you selected This list of IP addresses, add an IP address to the Redirect to table by clicking the Add icon and
entering the address. The addresses are listed in round robin fashion in the synthesized response of the DNS
member. You can enter up to 12 IP addresses.
Blacklist TTL: Specify how long the DNS client caches the A record with the redirected IP address.
Log queries for blacklisted domain names: Select this option to enable the appliance to log queries for blacklisted
domain names, including the source IP address of the query.

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Related topic
Blacklists
Enabling Zone Transfers

A zone transfer is the process of sending zone data across a network from one name server to another. When the
primary server detects a change to its zone data, it notifies the secondary servers. The secondary servers reply by
checking to see if the serial number they have for the zone is as large as the serial number for the zone on the primary
server. If not, the secondary servers request a zone transfer.
In addition to receiving zone change notifications, a secondary server periodically polls the primary server to see if their
zone data is in sync. In response, the primary server can send a DNS message containing just the changed zone data,
or the entire data set. The first type of transfer is known as an incremental zone transfer, or IXFR. The second type of
transfer is known as a full zone transfer, or AXFR.
A NIOS appliance, acting as the primary name server for a zone, allows zone transfers to secondary name servers by
default. This includes all servers listed in the NS records for that zone. (Secondary name servers in a Grid, however,
receive updated zone data via database replication by default, as explained later in this section.) You can also specify
zone transfers to other name servers, such as when migrating zone data to a new server or to a management system.
You can specify one or more destinations to which the local appliance sends zone transfers. You can also specify the
security and format of the transfers.
Note that secondary name servers periodically query the primary name server to find out if zone data has been changed.
Each query takes a certain amount of time and bandwidth on the network. By default, secondary name servers limit the
rate (serial-query-rate) at which these queries are being sent. Thus when the secondary name servers are serving a
large number of zones, it may take a long time to detect changes to their zone data. You can configure this value to
optimize the query rate on the network. In addition, when you have set up a few secondary name servers for a large
number of zones, a delay in zone transfers may occur due to the default zone transfer configuration that limits concurrent
zone transfers to 10 per secondary server. You can configure the maximum value of concurrent zone transfers to
optimize the zone transfer operation. For information about how to optimize zone transfers, see Configuring Concurrent
Zone Transfers.
By default, Grid members automatically receive updated zone data via database replication (through an encrypted VPN
tunnel). You can change the default behavior to allow Grid members to use zone transfers instead of Grid replication.
Keep in mind that a database replication updates zone data for both the active and passive nodes of an HA member.
Therefore, if there is a failover, the new active node (the previous passive node) immediately begins serving zone data
with fresh information. In the case of a zone transfer, the passive node does not receive zone data until after a failover,
when it becomes an HA master. At that time, it performs a zone transfer. If there is a lot of zone data, the transfer can
take up to several minutes, thereby causing a break in the availability of the new HA master.
If you have HA members as secondary servers, zone transfers can result in service interruption when there is a failover.
Furthermore, if the primary server is down when the HA member fails over, the new active node cannot receive zone
data until the primary server comes back online.
You can use TSIG (transaction signature) keys to authenticate zone transfer requests and replies. The same key name
and key value must be on the primary and secondary name servers for TSIG-authenticated zone transfers to occur.
When using TSIG, it is important that both appliances involved with the authentication procedure use NTP (Network Time
Protocol) for their time settings (see Using NTP for Time Settings).
You can control zone transfers at the Grid, member, and zone levels. This enables you to specify a different set of name
servers for a Grid, member, and zone, if necessary. You can also control which external secondary servers should
receive notifications about zone updates by adding their IP addresses to the also-notify statement for each authoritative
zone that is served by a Grid member. Infoblox recommends that you use this feature to notify hidden external secondary
servers about zone updates, instead of putting them in stealth mode, especially when you plan to configure a large
number of them. For information about how to add IP addresses to the also-notify statement, see Configuring Zone
Transfers.
Configuring Zone Transfers

To configure zone transfers, you identify the servers to which zone data is transferred and optionally, servers to which
data must not be transferred. For example, you can allow transfers to a network, but not to a specific server in the
network.
You can specify a different set of servers for specific Grid members and zones. For example, if certain Grid members are

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primary servers for a zone, then you can specify the secondary servers to which that member is allowed to transfer
zones.
You can also enable the appliance to add all IPv4 and IPv6 addresses for which you allow zone transfers to the
also-notify statement for each authoritative zone that is served by a Grid member. The also-notify statement defines a list
of addresses that receive notifications about zone updates, in addition to the IP addresses listed in the NS records for the
zone. Use this feature to configure a large number of external secondary servers, instead of putting them in stealth
mode.
To configure zone transfer properties:
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, click the Members tab -> member checkbox ->
Edit icon.
Zone: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, click the Zones tab -> DNS View column -> select the
zone_name checkbox, and click the Edit icon.
2. In the editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode, select the Zone Transfers tab.
3. In the Allow zone transfers to section, select one of the following:
• None: Select this to deny all clients for DNS zone transfers. This is selected by default.
Manager automatically displays the named ACL. When you select this, the appliance allows remote name
servers that have the Allow permission to send and receive zone transfer data. You can click Clear to
remove the selected named ACL.
adding, as follows.
Value field and enter the IP address of the remote name server. The Permission column displays
Allow by default. You can change it to Deny by clicking the field and selecting Deny from the drop-
down list.
key to the list:
• Key name: Enter a meaningful name for the key, such as a zone name or the name
of the remote name server with which the local server authenticates zone transfer
requests and replies. This name must match the name of the same TSIG key on
other name servers that use it to authenticate zone transfers with the local server.
Alternatively, you can select the key algorithm, select the key length from the
Generate Key Data drop down list, and then click Generate Key Data to create a
new key.
• DNSone 2.x TSIG Key: Select this when the other name server is a NIOS appliance
running DNS One 2.x code. The appliance automatically populate the value of the key in
the Value field. The Permission column displays Allow by default. You cannot change the
default permission.
• Any Address/Network: Select to allow or deny the local appliance to send zone transfers to
any IP address.

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• Select the ACEs that you want to consolidate and put into a new named ACL. Click
the Create new named ACL icon and enter a name in the Convert to Named ACL
dialog box. The appliance creates a new named ACL and adds it to the Named
ACL panel. Note that the ACEs you configure for this operation stay intact.
• Select an ACE and click the Delete icon to delete the entry. You can select multiple
ACEs for deletion.
4. Optionally, select the Add allowed IP addresses to also-notify checkbox to add all IPv4 and IPv6 addresses listed
in the "Allow zone transfers to" table to the also-notify statement for each authoritative zone served by a Grid
member. When you enable this, all external secondary servers that are not defined for the zone and are allowed
zone transfers will receive notifications about zone updates, in addition to name servers assigned to the zone.
Infoblox recommends that you do not configure a large number of external secondary servers in stealth mode. To
ensure that these secondary servers receive notifications about zone updates, add their addresses to the "Allow
zone transfers to" table and grant them the "Allow" permission, and then select this checkbox.
 Note
The appliance includes only IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. It does not include network addresses, TSIG
keys, and denied addresses. When you configure a named ACL, all allowed IPv4 and IPv6 addresses in
the named ACL are added to the also-notify statement.
5. Optionally, you can:

• Modify an item on the list by selecting it and clicking the Edit icon.
• Remove an item from the list by selecting it and clicking the Delete icon.
• Move an item up or down the list. Select it and drag it to its new position, or click the up or down arrow.
Specifying a Zone Transfer Format

The zone transfer format determines the BIND format for a zone transfer. This provides tracking capabilities for single or
multiple transfers and their associated servers.
To specify a zone transfer format:
Edit icon.
3. When the additional tabs appear, click the Advanced subtab of the Zone Transfers tab to specify the zone
transfer format. Select one of the following options from the Default Zone Transfer Format drop-down menu:
• many-answers (Secondaries run BIND 8/9): includes as many records as the packet size allows
• one-answer (Secondaries run BIND 4): includes one record per packet
4. To exclude servers, click the Add icon in the Zone Transfer Format Exceptions table and enter the IP address of
the server in the Addresses field.
Configuring Concurrent Zone Transfers

The default number of zone transfers that are allowed is set at the Grid or member level. However, you can override the
default value and configure the required concurrent zone transfers. Note that when you increase the number of
concurrent zone transfers, there will be an impact on CPU and memory usage.
 Note
The tcp-client value is unconditionally set to 1000 to control the total number of simultaneous TCP connections,
which cap the maximum inbound and maximum outbound transfer plus any DNS request made with the TCP.
The tcp-client value specifies the maximum number of simultaneous DNS clients that can be handled with TCP

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connections and does not account for UDP connections. The UDP connection accounts for the regular DNS
requests and TCP is used only for AXFR and rare DNS requests that don't fit in a UDP connection. You can
change the tcp-client value by running the set named_tcp_clients_limit command.
To specify concurrent zone transfers:

Edit.
4. You can change the zone transfer settings as follows:
• Maximum inbound concurrent zone transfers: The maximum number of inbound zone transfers that can
be performed concurrently. Click Override to override the value inherited from the Grid and enter the
required value. The default value is 10. Make sure that you specify a value from 10 to 100. Otherwise, the
appliance displays an error message. To retain the same value as the Grid, click Inherit.
• Maximum outbound concurrent zone transfers: The maximum number of outbound zone transfers that
can be performed concurrently. Click Override to override the value inherited from the Grid and enter the
• Maximum concurrent inbound zone transfers per remote name server: The maximum number of zone
transfers that can be performed concurrently from a given remote name server. This configuration can be
done on a per server basis. Click Override to override the value inherited from the Grid and enter the
• Maximum concurrent SOA queries: The maximum number of concurrent queries a secondary name
server sends to the primary server to find out if the zone serial numbers have been changed. Click
Override to override the value inherited from the Grid and enter the required value. The default value is
20. Make sure that you specify a value from 20 to 1000. Otherwise, the appliance displays an error
message. To retain the same value as the Grid, click Inherit.
About Root Name Servers

Root name servers contain the root zone file which lists the names and IP addresses of the authoritative name servers
for each top-level zone. When a root name server receives a query for a domain name, it provides at least the names
and addresses of the name servers that are authoritative for the top-level zone of the domain name.
You can configure the NIOS appliance to use Internet root name servers or custom root name servers. If you enable
recursive queries and the appliance receives a recursive query that it cannot resolve locally, then it queries specified
forwarders (if any) and then queries any root name servers that you configure. If you do not specify internal root name
servers and the appliance can access the Internet, it queries the Internet root name servers.
You can specify root name servers for the Grid, individual members, and user-defined DNS views. You can specify root
name servers for all DNS views except the default view. The default view uses either the member level root name
servers (if specified) or the Grid level root name servers.
Every Grid member has a default view. If you want to specify root name servers for a default view, override the Grid root
name server setting at the member level and the default view can use the member-level setting.
Specifying Root Name Servers

To specify root name servers for a Grid, member, or DNS view:
Edit icon.
DNS View: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, click the Zones tab-> dns_view checkbox -> Edit

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icon.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties and Member DNS Properties editors, you must click Toggle Advanced Mode.
3. When the additional tabs appear, click Root Name Servers.
4. Select one of the following options:
• Use Internet root name servers: This option is selected by default.
• Use custom root name servers:
• Click the Add icon and enter the following information when a new row appears:
• Name: Enter a name for the root name server.
• Address: Enter the IP address of the root name server. The feature supports IPv4 or IPv6
values.
• Optionally, you can perform the following:
• Select a server from the custom root name servers list, and then click the Edit icon to
modify its information.
• Select a server from the custom root name servers list, and then click the Delete icon.
• Member DNS Properties editor only: You can choose whether the DNS views should inherit the
custom root name server from the member. Select one of the following:
• Applies to default DNS view only: Select this option to apply the root name server only to
the default DNS view on the selected member. This option is selected by default.
• Applies to all DNS Views on this member: Select this option to apply the root name server
for all DNS views on the selected member.
About Sort Lists

A sort list prioritizes A and AAAA records on certain networks when those records are included in responses, sorting them
to the beginning of the list in the response. For example, you can define a sort list when a server has two interfaces and
you want the DNS clients to prefer one interface because it has a faster link.
When you define a sort list on the NIOS appliance, you specify the following:
• The IP address or network of the source of the query
• The IP addresses or networks that the appliance lists first in its response when it receives a query from the
corresponding source address
When the NIOS appliance receives a query from the specified IP address or network and the DNS lookup produces a
response with multiple addresses, the NIOS appliance sorts the addresses so that those in the sort list are at the
beginning of its response. For more information, refer to the Infoblox DNS Cache Acceleration Application Guide.
Defining a Sort List

To define a sort list for a Grid, member, or DNS view:
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab > Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
DNS View: From the Data Management tab, click the DNS tab -> Zones tab> dns_view checkbox -> Edit icon.
3. When the additional tabs appear, click Sort List.
4. Click the Add icon and select either Any to define a sort list for any address and network, or Address/Network to
define a sort list for a particular source IP address or network.
5. Do the following in the new row:
• If you selected Address/Network, enter the IP address or network of the source of the query. The feature
supports IPv4 or IPv6 values.
• Click the Add icon beside the source IP address to add the preferred IP addresses or networks for the
source. You can add as many IP addresses as necessary. When you add multiple IP addresses, you can
change the order of the IP addresses. Select an IP address and drag it to its new position, or click the up
or down arrow, as shown in the figure Sort List.
Sort List

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Configuring a DNS Blackhole List
The DNS blackhole feature provides the ability to specify IP and network addresses of network devices that you do not
want to use in the DNS resolution process. The DNS blackhole feature is disabled by default. When enabled, the NIOS
appliance does not accept queries from IP addresses in the blackhole list and does not use them to resolve queries. For
example, you can add the IP addresses of name servers that are using DNS incorrectly to prevent the NIOS appliance
from accepting their queries and from using them as resolvers. You can also use this feature to fix temporary network
issues. For example, you can add the IP addresses of delegated servers, configured forwarders, and DHCP servers that
have temporary DNS-related issues.
You can create a DNS blackhole list for the entire Grid or create a separate list for each Grid member. For example, if
one of your Grid members is behind a firewall, you might need to configure a different DNS blackhole list for this member
because the clients that can access it might be mapped differently.
The appliance accepts queries from addresses and networks that are excluded from the blackhole list and uses these
addresses and networks as resolvers. To add an IP address to the blackhole list, enter it and set its permission to
Include. You can also add an IP address to the blackhole list and set its permission to Exclude so its not in the blackhole
list, effectively allowing the NIOS appliance to respond to queries from that address and to use it as a resolver.
When you add a network to a DNS blackhole list, all the IP addresses in the network are not used in the DNS resolution
process. If you want to allow some IP addresses within the network, add these addresses to the list and set their
permission to "Exclude." Ensure that you list these IP addresses before the network address because the appliance
applies permissions to the addresses in the order they are listed. For example, when you add the network 10.10.0.0/24
to a DNS blackhole list, all 256 IP addresses in the network are put on the blackhole list. To allow DNS traffic to the IP

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addresses 10.10.0.55 and 10.10.0.88, add these two addresses before the network address in the DNS blackhole list,
and then set their permissions to Exclude.
You can define ACEs or a named ACL to determine the IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and networks that you want to include
in or exclude from a blackhole list.
Defining a DNS Blackhole List

To enable the DNS blackhole feature and configure a DNS blackhole list for a Grid or member:
Edit icon.
2. In the editor, click the Blackhole tab and complete the following:
Enable Blackhole: Select this checkbox to enable the DNS blackhole feature. This is disabled by default.
• Any: Select this if you want to configure a blackhole list. The appliance will allow all clients to resolve DNS
queries. This is selected by default.
Manager automatically displays the named ACL. When you select this, the appliance uses clients that
have the Exclude permission in the DNS resolution process. You can click Clear to remove the selected
named ACL.
adding, as follows.
Value field and enter the IP address of the client. The Permission column displays Include by
default. You can change it to Exclude by clicking the field and selecting Exclude from the drop-
down list. When you select Include, the appliance adds the IP address to the blackhole list and
does not allow DNS queries and DNS resolution for this address. When you select Exclude, the
appliance excludes the address from the blackhole list and allows DNS queries and resolution for
the address.
• Any Address/Network: Select to include or exclude any IP addresses and networks for the DNS
resolution process.
for deletion.

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Specifying Hostname Policies
You can enforce a naming policy for the hostnames of A, AAAA, Host, MX, NS, and bulk host records based on
user-defined or default patterns. For MX and NS records, the hostname restrictions apply to the text in the RDATA field
(right-hand side) of the resource record name.
Records that you created before you enabled the hostname checking policy need not comply with the hostname
restriction that you specify.
You can select one of three preconfigured policies or define your own host naming policy with a POSIX regular
expression. The policies Infoblox provides implement standard host naming restrictions according to RFC 952, DOD
Internet Host Table Specification, and RFC 1123, Requirements for Internet Hosts -- Application and Support.
 Note
The hostname restriction limits the hostname of A, AAAA, Host, MX, NS, and bulk host records only.
You can define your own hostname restriction policy at the Grid level only. At the member and zone levels, you can
select a predefined policy or a policy that was defined at the Grid level. The appliance supports IDNs for DNS zones and
resource records. For more information about IDNs, see Managing Internationalized Domain Names. You can use UTF-8
characters when you configure your own hostname checking policy.
Defining Grid Hostname Policies

You can define new hostname policies and set the hostname policy for all zones in the Grid as follows:

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3. When the additional tabs appear, click Host Naming.
The Host Name Policies section lists the following preconfigured record policies:
• Strict Hostname Checking: You can only use hostnames that contain alphanumeric characters, dashes (-),
and asterisks (*). You cannot use other special characters, such as underscore (_). Note that when you
select this policy, the appliance automatically applies the policy to dynamic DNS updates and zone
transfers it receives. When you select this, you can enter host names through Grid Manager using
punycode, but not IDNs. The appliance stores IDNs that are created through DDNS updates and DNS
transfers in punycode. You can monitor non-compliant host names using the Hostname Compliance
report. For information, see Obtaining a List of Invalid Record Names.
• Allow Underscore: You can only use hostnames with alphanumeric characters, dashes, and underscores
("-" and "_"). This is the default.
• Allow Any: You can use any hostname.
Select Default from the drop-down list in the Default column to change the Grid default hostname policy.
4. Click Add to define your own hostname checking policy.
5. Enter a record policy name and a regular expression string, and click OK. See Supported Expressions for Search
Parameters for definitions of regular expressions.
Note that Grid Manager does not validate the regular expressions that you enter. Therefore, you can inadvertently
specify an invalid regular expression that might cause noncompliance errors when you create records.
6. If you select the Strict Hostname Checking policy, the Apply policy to dynamic updates and inbound zone
transfers (requires Strict Hostname Checking setting) option is enabled by default. It enables the appliance to
apply the policy to dynamic DNS updates and zone transfers that it receives. You can then select which action the
appliance takes when it encounters names that do not conform to the policy. Select either Fail or Warn. If you
select Warn, the appliance allows the dynamic DNS update or zone transfer, but logs a syslog message.
 Note
The Strict Hostname Checking policy only allows alphanumeric characters and dashes ("-"). In addition,
this policy allows IDNs that are written in punycode. You cannot use other special characters, such as
underscore ("_"). Therefore, DDNS updates from Microsoft Active Directory controllers may not be
accepted.
After you specify a hostname restriction policy, if you create a record name that does not comply with this policy and try
to save it, an error message appears.
Defining Hostname Restrictions

You can select a hostname restriction policy for an individual Grid member or zone. You can specify hostname
restrictions for authoritative forward-mapping zones only. You cannot specify hostname restrictions for forward zones,
stub zones, IPv4 reverse-mapping zones, and IPv6 reverse mapping zones.
To select a hostname restriction policy for a Grid member or zone:
1. Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, click the Members tab -> member checkbox ->
Edit icon.
Zone: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Zones tab-> dns_view -> zone checkbox
-> Edit icon.
2. In the Member DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode.
3. When the additional tabs appear, click Host Naming.
4. Click Override.
5. From the Host Name Policy drop-down list, select a predefined policy or a policy that was defined at the Grid
level.
6. If you select the Strict Hostname Checking policy, the Apply policy to dynamic updates and inbound zone
transfers (requires Strict Hostname Checking setting) is enabled by default. It enables the appliance to apply the
policy to dynamic DNS updates and zone transfers that it receives. You can then select which action the

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appliance takes when it encounters names that do not conform to the policy. Select either Fail or Warn. If you
select Warn, the appliance allows the dynamic DNS update or zone transfer, but logs a syslog message.
 Note
The strict hostname checking policy only allows alphanumeric characters and dashes. It does not allow
for the use of other special characters, such as underscore ("_"). Therefore, DDNS updates from
Microsoft Active Directory controllers might not be accepted.
Obtaining a List of Invalid Record Names

You can retrieve a list of all record names that do not comply with the current hostname checking policy of a zone. These
could be records that were created before the current host naming policy was set. In addition, if you selected the Strict
Hostname Checking policy and allowed illegal hostnames in DDNS updates and inbound zone transfers with a warning,
those records are listed in this report as well.
To display the Hostname Compliance report:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Zones tab-> dns_view -> zone checkbox.
2. Click Hostname Compliance.
The Hostname Compliance Report for the zone displays. It lists the record name, type, value, and comment for all
records that do not comply with the hostname restriction policy of the zone.
From the report, you can select a record and do the following:
• Click the Edit icon to open the record editor.
• Click the Delete icon to move it to the Recycle Bin.
About DNS64
To support the increasing number of IPv6 and dual-stack networks, Infoblox DNS servers now support DNS64, a
mechanism that synthesizes AAAA records from A records when no AAAA records exist. When you enable DNS64 on an
Infoblox DNS server, it can operate with a third-party NAT64 device so IPv6-only nodes can communicate with IPv4-only
nodes without any changes to either of the devices.
As illustrated in the following figure, when an IPv6-only host requests the AAAA record of an IPv4-only server and none
exists, a DNS64-enabled server can retrieve the A record of the IPv4 server and synthesize an AAAA record. The IPv6-
only host can then use the synthesized AAAA record, which contains the IPv6 proxy address for the IPv4 address in the
original A record, to initiate communication with the IPv4 host.

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Following are the steps illustrated in the above figure:
1. An IPv6-only host sends a recursive query for the AAAA record of the IPv4 server mail1.corpxyz.com.
2. The Infoblox DNS server attempts to resolve the request for the AAAA record, and determines that an AAAA
record for mail1.corpxyz.com does not exist. The DNS server then performs a query for the A record of
mail1.corpxyz.com.
3. The DNS server creates a synthetic AAAA resource record from the information in the A record, and returns the
synthesized AAAA record to the requesting IPv6 host.
4. The host receives the synthetic AAAA record and sends a packet to the destination address specified in the
synthetic AAAA record. The packet is routed to the IPv6 interface of the NAT64 device, which translates the
packet from IPv6 to IPv4 and forwards it to the server, mail1.corpxyz.com.
Infoblox DNS servers can return synthesized AAAA records to both IPv4 and IPv6 clients when the client explicitly
requests an AAAA record and none exists for the requested host. If a host has multiple A records, the DNS server
synthesizes an AAAA record for each A record.
Infoblox DNS servers can also synthesize records for reverse-mapping zones. When a DNS server receives a query for
a PTR record in the IP6.ARPA domain whose address matches a configured DNS64 prefix, the server synthesizes a
CNAME record that contains an IPv4 address derived from the IPv6 address in the query. The server then sends a query
for the PTR record so it can resolve the IPv4 address to the hostname.
For example, if a DNS server that is configured to synthesize records for the prefix 2001:db8::/96 receives a query for the
PTR record of 2001:db8::0102:0304, it synthesizes a CNAME record that contains the IPv4 address
4.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. The server then resolves the PTR record of the IPv4 address 4.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa.
If the server obtains the PTR record, then it sends the synthesized CNAME record and the PTR record to the client. If the
zone exists, but there is no PTR record, then the server sends the synthesized CNAME record only. If the zone does not
exist, then the server responds with a SERVFAIL with no answers.
Additionally, Infoblox DNS servers can generate synthesized records for DNSSEC secure zones, but only for
non-DNSSEC clients. A DNS client or resolver includes the EDNS OPT pseudo-RR with the DO (DNSSEC OK) bit set to
indicate that they are requesting DNSSEC data. DNS servers can generate synthesized AAAA records only when the
request does not have the DO bit set. This ensures that DNSSEC clients receive only valid responses.
For additional information about DNS64, refer to the following Internet drafts:

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• http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-behave-dns64-11
• http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-behave-address-format-10
Configuring DNS64
You can enable DNS64 on both authoritative and recursive DNS servers. You can configure DNS64 at the Grid, member
or DNS view level.
To configure DNS64 on Infoblox DNS servers:
1. Create at least one DNS64 synthesis group. A synthesis group specifies the IPv6 prefix of the synthesized AAAA
records. For more information, see Adding a DNS64 Synthesis Group.
2. Optionally, specify additional parameters for the synthesis group. For more information, see Setting DNS64
Group Properties.
3. Enable the DNS64 service and assign a synthesis group to the Grid, a member or a DNS view. For more
information, see Enabling DNS64 Service.
On the NAT64 device, you must specify the IPv6 prefixes that are configured on the DNS server.
About Synthesis Groups

A synthesis group specifies, among other things, the IPv6 prefix for the synthesized AAAA records. Infoblox DNS servers
provide a default DNS64 synthesis group with the well-known prefix 64:ff9b::/96, which is reserved for representing IPv4
addresses in the IPv6 address space. You can keep the default group, change the prefix or delete the group. You can
also add a synthesis group for a Network-Specific Prefix (NSP), which is an IPv6 prefix assigned to an organization to
create IPv6 representations of IPv4 addresses.
After you create a synthesis group, you can define rules to restrict the synthesis of AAAA records to certain IPv4
addresses and networks, and specify the DNS clients and networks to which the server can send synthesized AAAA
records. For more information, see Setting DNS64 Group Properties.
Note that though you can control the synthesis of AAAA records, the DNS server always synthesizes CNAME records
when it receives a query for an IPv6 PTR record whose address matches a prefix in a DNS64 synthesis group. You can
also configure the DNS server to generate synthesized AAAA records for DNS queries that have the DO bit set.
Adding a DNS64 Synthesis Group

To add a synthesis group:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> DNS64 Groups tab, and then click the Add icon.
2. In the DNS64 Synthesis Group wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the group.
• Prefix: The IPv6 prefix used for the synthesized AAAA records. The default is the well-known prefix
64:FF9B::/96. The prefix length must be /32, /40, /48, /56, /64, and /96, and all bits beyond the specified
length must be zero.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the group.
• Disabled: Select this checkbox if you would like to disable the group at this time. Note that you cannot
disable the group if it is the only group that is used by a Grid, member or DNS view that has DNS64
enabled.
• Apply to queries requesting DNSSEC records: Select this to generate synthesized AAAA records for
DNS64 synthesis groups that request DNSSEC data.
3. Click Next to define extensible attributes for the synthesis group. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
4. Save the configuration
Viewing DNS64 Synthesis Groups

To view synthesis groups, from the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> DNS64 Groups tab. This tab displays
the following information about each group:

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• Name: The group name.
• Prefix: The IPv6 prefix that is assigned to the group.
• Comment: The comment that was entered for the group.
• Site: The value of this attribute, if specified.
You can display the following additional column:
• Disabled: Indicates whether the group is disabled.
• Edit the properties of a synthesis group.
• Select the synthesis group, and then click the Edit icon.
• Move a synthesis group to the Recycle Bin.
• Select the synthesis group, and then click the Delete icon. Note that you cannot delete a synthesis group
that is assigned to a Grid, member or DNS view.
• Export the synthesis groups to a .csv file.
• Print the list of synthesis groups.
Setting DNS64 Group Properties

After you create a DNS64 synthesis group, you can specify the following:
• • The IPv4 and IPv6 DNS clients and networks to which the DNS server is allowed to send synthesized
AAAA records with the specified IPv6 prefix.
• The IPv4 addresses and networks for which the DNS server can synthesize AAAA records with the
specified prefix.
• IPv6 addresses or prefix ranges that cannot be used by IPv6 only hosts, such as IP addresses in
the ::ffff:0:0/96 network. When the DNS server retrieves an AAAA record that contains an IPv6 address
that matches an excluded address, it does not return the AAAA record. Instead, it synthesizes an AAAA
record from the A record.
Note that a DNS server synthesizes the AAAA record of a host that has both A and AAAA records when all
the IPv6 addresses in the AAAA records match the excluded addresses. If the host has multiple AAAA
records and some of them contain excluded IPv6 addresses, then the server returns the remaining AAAA
records.
You can add individual access control entries (ACEs) or use a named access control list (ACL) to define these clients.
For information about how to define named ACLs, see Defining Named ACLs.
To configure DNS64 group properties:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> DNS64 Groups tab -> group checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. In the General tab of the DNS64 Synthesis Groups editor, you can do the following:
• Modify the name, prefix or comment.
• Select the Disabled checkbox, if you want to disable the group at this time.
• Select the Apply to queries requesting DNSSEC records checkbox to have the DNS server generate
synthesized AAAA records for DNS64 synthesis groups that request DNSSEC data.
Perform DNS64 synthesis for these clients: Specify IPv4 and IPv6 hosts and networks to which Infoblox DNS
servers can send synthesized AAAA records. The default is to allow any IPv4 and IPv6 address and network.
Select one of the following:
• None: Select this if you do not want to define specific addresses or networks to which the appliance sends
synthesized AAAA records. When you select this, the appliance sends synthesized AAAA records to all
clients. This is selected by default.

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Manager automatically displays the named ACL. When you select this option, the appliance sends
synthesized AAAA records to the clients that have the Allow permission in the list. You can click Clear to
adding, as follows.
Value field and enter the IP address. The Permission column displays Allow by default. You can
change it to Deny by clicking the field and selecting Deny from the drop-down list.
• Any Address/Network: Select this to allow or deny any IP addresses to which the appliance sends
synthesized AAAA records.
Mapped IPv4 Addresses: Specify IPv4 addresses and networks for which the DNS server synthesizes AAAA
records. The default is to allow the DNS server to synthesize AAAA records for any IPv4 address in any network.
Select one of the following1:
• None: Select this if you do not want to define specific IPv4 addresses or networks for which the DNS
server synthesizes AAAA records. The appliance synthesizes AAAA records for all IPv4 clients. This is
selected by default.
Manager automatically displays the named ACL. When you select this option, the appliance synthesizes
AAAA records for the clients that have the Allow permission in the list. You can click Clear to remove the
selected named ACL.
adding, as follows.
• IPv4 Address: Select this to add an IPv4 address. Click the Value field and enter the IP address. The
Permission column displays Allow by default. You can change it to Deny by clicking the field and selecting
• IPv4 Network: In the Add IPv4 Network panel, complete the following, and then click Add to add the
network to the list:
• Address: Enter an IPv4 network address and either type a netmask or move the slider to the
desired netmask.
• Any Address/Network: Select this to allow or deny any IPv4 addresses for which the appliance
synthesizes AAAA records.
• Select the ACEs that you want to consolidate and put into a new named ACL. Click the Create
new named ACL icon and enter a name in the Convert to Named ACL dialog box. The appliance
creates a new named ACL and adds it to the Named ACL panel. Note that the ACEs you configure
for this operation stay intact.
• Select an ACE and click the Delete icon to delete the entry. You can select multiple ACEs for
deletion.

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Exclude IPv6 addresses: Specify IPv6 addresses of AAAA records that the appliance treats as nonexistent. The
DNS server does not return the AAAA record of an address from this list. Instead, it synthesizes an AAAA record
from the A record.
• None: Select this if you do not want to define specific IPv6 addresses or networks of AAAA records that the
appliance treats as nonexistent. The appliance treats all IPv6 addresses as nonexistent. This is selected by
default.
• Named ACL: Select this and click Select Named ACL to select a named ACL. Grid Manager displays the Named
ACLs Selector. Select the named ACL you want to use. If you have only one named ACL, Grid Manager
automatically displays the named ACL. When you select this option, the appliance synthesizes AAAA records
from A records for the clients that have the Allow permission in the list. You can click Clear to remove the selected
named ACL.
• Set of ACEs: Select this to configure individual ACEs. Click the Add icon and select one of the following from the
drop-down list. Depending on the item you select, Grid Manager either adds a row for the selected item or
expands the panel so you can specify additional information about the item you are adding, as follows.
• IPv6 Address: Select this to add an IPv6 address. Click the Value field and enter the IP address. The
Permission column displays Allow by default. You can change it to Deny by clicking the field and selecting
• IPv6 Network: In the Add IPv6 Network panel, complete the following, and then click Add to add the
network to the list:
• Any Address/Network: Select this to allow or deny any IP addresses of AAAA records that the appliance
treats as nonexistent.
• Select the ACEs that you want to consolidate and put into a new named ACL. Click the Create new
named ACL icon and enter a name in the Convert to Named ACL dialog box. The appliance creates a
new named ACL and adds it to the Named ACL panel. Note that the ACEs you configure for this operation
stay intact.
• Select an ACE and click the Delete icon to delete the entry. You can select multiple ACEs for deletion.
• Extensible Attributes: You can modify the attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
• Permissions: This tab displays if you logged in as a superuser. For information, see About Administrative
Permissions.
Enabling DNS64 Service

You can enable DNS64 at the Grid, member, and DNS view level. At least one DNS64 synthesis group must be
configured before you can enable DNS64.
To enable DNS64 and apply DNS64 synthesis groups:
2. In the Grid and Member DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode, and then click DNS64. In the View
DNS Properties editor, just click DNS64.
3. Do the following in the DNS64 tab:
• Enable DNS64: Select this checkbox.
• Synthesis Groups: Click the Add icon and select a synthesis group.
4. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears.

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DNS Record Scavenging
The DNS scavenging feature allows you to remove unused DNS resource records from zone data to prevent the
accumulation of unneeded records. A scavenging operation determines, based on predefined rules, which records are
not needed, i.e. are reclaimable, and removes them. For information about scavenging rules, see Scavenging Rules.
Scavenging is used for records with the dynamic record source type. Dynamic records are those created automatically,
for example, via a dynamic DNS update. Static records, i.e. records that you add manually, can be identified as
reclaimable based on scavenging rules but are not subject to scavenging. You can see the source type for each record in
the DNS Resource Records viewer in Grid Manager.
You can use the records scavenging feature at the following levels in NIOS:
• Grid: scavenging is performed in all views and zones of the Grid.
• DNS view: scavenging is performed in all zones of the view.
• Authoritative zone (a Grid primary or unassigned zone): scavenging is performed in the specified zone, but not in
the subzones.
You can either scavenge DNS records immediately or schedule automatic scavenging. For more information, see
Scavenging DNS Records Immediately and Scheduling Automatic Scavenging.
You can organize and monitor records identified as reclaimable by using Smart Folders. For information, see Smart
Folders.
Scavenging events are logged in the NIOS syslog. You can view it, as described in Viewing the Syslog and Searching in
the Syslog.
The records are removed to the Recycle Bin and can be restored from there. For more information, see Restoring
Reclaimed Records.
 Note
Membership in the DNS Admin group is required to complete scavenging operations. For details,
see Administrative Permissions for DNS Records Scavenging. See Forcing Creation Timestamp Initialization for
Unchanged Records for information on handling the creation timestamp of records that remain unchanged at
DDNS updates.
Scavenging Rules
You can configure the following match rules to identify reclaimable DNS resource records:
• Resource Record Type: This rule allows you to specify the record type to run scavenging on. A record is
reclaimable if its type matches or does not match the type specified in the rule. The record types that support
scavenging include the following:
• A
• AAAA
• PTR
• CNAME
• DNAME
• MX
• SRV
• NAPTR
• TXT

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• Creation Time: This rule allows you to identify reclaimable records based on the record's creation timestamp. You
can see the "Creation Time" value for the records in the DNS Resource Records viewer.
 Note
In the case of an upgrade to NIOS 7.3, the creation time is not initialized. Therefore, the "Creation Time"
rule does not apply to the records created before the upgrade.
• Last Queried Time: This rule allows you to identify reclaimable records based on when they were last queried for
their DNS data. You can see the last queried time for the records in the DNS Resource Records viewer.
 Note
If you use this rule, also select Enable last queried time monitoring for resource records in the Grid,
view, or zone scavenging properties, as described in the next section.
• Last Discovered Time: This rule allows you to identify reclaimable records based on the record's last discovered
timestamp. This rule is applicable to A, AAAA, and PTR records.
• Record Source: This rule allows you to specify the record source – static or dynamic – to be used as a filter when
identifying reclaimable records.
• Associated Records: This rule allows you to identify reclaimable records based on whether they have or do not
have associated records. Record associations are supported for address records (A, AAAA, and PTR).
Additionally, you can reclaim the associated records when reclaiming the original ones by enabling the option
When reclaiming A, AAAA, or PTR records, also reclaim the corresponding, symmetric A, AAAA, and PTR
records in the scavenging properties, as described in the next section.
• Extensible Attributes: You can specify extensible attributes that reclaimable records should match in addition to
the scavenging rules described above.
Configuring DNS Record Scavenging Properties

You can configure the DNS record scavenging properties at the Grid, DNS view, or DNS zone level. According to the
NIOS inheritance pattern for object properties, the scavenging properties configured at a given level are inherited by the
level below, unless overridden.
To configure the DNS record scavenging properties, complete the following:
DNS view: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Zones tab -> dns_view checkbox ->
Edit icon.
DNS zone: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Zones tab -> click a DNS view ->
zone checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. If the properties editor is in basic mode, click Toggle Advanced Mode.
3. Click DNS Scavenging.
4. Enable last queried time monitoring for resource records: Select this if you are going to use the Last Queried
Time rule. This setting enables monitoring the time when the resource record was last queried for its DNS data.
For more information on DNS queries monitoring for resource records, see Monitoring DNS Queries.
5. Enable last queried time monitoring for zones: This setting enables monitoring the time when the zone, or at least
a single record in it, was last queried for its DNS data. The data resulting from zone last queries time monitoring
is displayed in the zones viewer (Data Management -> DNS -> Zones -> click a DNS view to open zones list).
 Note
Enabling monitoring for a zone does not enable monitoring for child zones.
6. You can configure the set of ACLs (Access Control Lists) to filter clients on DNS queries from updating the last-
queried timestamp, under Prevent the following ACLs or ACEs from updating the last queried timestamp. To
configure the ACLs, you should select either Enable last queried time monitoring for resource records or Enable
last queried time monitoring for zones option, these options are disabled by default.

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• None: Select this option if you do not want to configure any access control for updating the last queried
time stamp. When you select this option, NIOS will allow updates to the last queried time stamp for the
queries received from any client. This is selected by default.
• Named ACL: Select this option and click Select Named ACL to select a named ACL that you want to use.
If you have only one named ACL, only that named ACL is displayed. When you select this option, the
appliance prevents clients with the Include permission from updating the last queried timestamp. You can
click Clear to remove the selected named ACL.
• Set of ACEs: Select this option to configure individual access control entries (ACEs). Click the Add icon
and select one of the following from the drop-down list. Depending on the item you select, Grid Manager
either adds a row for the selected item or expands the panel so that you can specify additional information
about the item you are adding.
• IPv4 Address and IPv6 Address: Select this option to add an IPv4 or IPv6 address. Click the Value
field and enter the IP address. The Permission column displays Include by default. You can
change it to Exclude by clicking the field and selecting Exclude from the drop-down list. When you
select Include, the appliance prevents the client from updating the last queried timestamp. When
you select Exclude, the appliance allows the client to update the last queried timestamp.
• Address: Enter an IPv4 network address and either type a netmask or move the slider
to the desired netmask.
• Permission: Select Include or Exclude from the drop-down list.
• IPv6 Network: In the Add IPv6 Network panel, complete the following, and then click Add to
add the network to the list:
• Permission: Select Include or Exclude from the drop-down list.
• Any Address/Network: Select this option to include or exclude all IP addresses and networks to the
last queried ACL list. The default permission is Include, which means the appliance prevents
updating the last queried timestamp from all clients. You can change this to Exclude to allow all
clients to update the last queried timestamp.
• After you have added access control entries, you can perform the following:
for deletion.
8. Select Enable record scavenging.
9. To override the inherited properties, click Override and complete the fields.
10. Under Match the following rule, create a rule as follows. For information about rules, see Scavenging Rules.
• Choose Filter: Select a criterion from the drop-down list.
• Choose Operator: Select an operator for the filter criterion.
• In the value field, enter the value for the filter field. To add another rule:
• Click + to add another rule at the same level.
• Click |<- to add an all (logical AND) or any (logical OR) operator line and a parenthetical rule that is
indented one level and above the first rule.
• Click ->| to add an all (logical AND) or any (logical OR) operator line and a parenthetical rule that is
indented one level.
To logically combine the whole ruleset, select Match all of the following rules or Match any of the following
rules.
After you add all the match rules, you can click Reset to remove the previously configured rules and start
again.
11. Under Match records with the following extensible attribute, add an extensible attribute to use as an additional
criterion for finding necessary records.
• Choose Filter: Select a criterion from the drop-down list.
• Choose Operator: Select an operator for the filter criterion.
• In the value field, enter the value for the filter field.

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To add another extensible attribute, click +.
To logically combine the extensible attributes set, select Match all records with the following extensible attributes
or Match any records with the following extensible attributes.
After you add all the extensible attributes, you can click Reset to remove the previously configured attributes and
start again.
 Note
The extensible attributes rule is always combined with the rest of the match rules using the AND
operator.
• When reclaiming A, AAAA or PTR records, also reclaim the corresponding, symmetric A, AAAA and PTR records:
Select this if you want to reclaim records associated to the ones identified as reclaimable.
• To configure a schedule for automatic records scavenging, select Enable scheduled record scavenging. See
Scheduling Automatic Scavenging.
• Click Save & Close or Save.
Scheduling Automatic Scavenging

You can schedule a scavenging operation only at the Grid level. For a scavenging operation at the view or zone level,
you can use the schedule inherited from the Grid.
 Note
Infoblox recommends manually testing the configured scavenging settings before enabling scheduled
scavenging.
1. In the DNS record scavenging properties described in the previous section, select the Enable scheduled record
scavenging checkbox.
2. To enable automatic scavenging after records are marked as reclaimable, select After marking a record as
reclaimable, automatically reclaim the record.
3. Click the Scheduling icon and complete the following in the Scavenging Scheduler dialog:
• Select how often you want to execute the scavenging. You can select Once, Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or
Monthly.
• If you select Once, complete the following:
• Enter the day in the date picker and select a month from the drop-down list.
• Enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can also select a time from the drop-down list.
• If you select Hourly, complete the following:
• Schedule every hour(s) at: Enter the number of hours between each scavenging instance. You
can enter a value from 1 to 24.
• Minutes past the hour: Enter the number of minutes past the hour. For example, enter 5 if you
want to schedule the scavenging operation five minutes after the hour.
• If you select Daily, complete the following:
• Click either Every day or Every weekday.
• If you select Weekly, complete the following:
• Schedule every week on: Select any day of the week.
• If you select Monthly, complete the following:
• Schedule the day of the month: Enter the day of the month and the monthly interval. For
example, to schedule the rule update on the first day after every 2 months, you can enter
Day 1 every 2 month(s).
• Enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can also select a time from the drop-
down list.

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4. Click OK.
Scavenging DNS Records Immediately

To perform record scavenging for the Grid, a DNS view, or a zone according to the predefined rules, use the Scavenge
Records command from the Toolbar. This adds a background task that starts immediately or, if another scavenging task
is in progress, after its completion.
The scavenging is split into two stages that you can execute separately or together:
• Mark records as reclaimable: This stage analyzes the records against the scavenging rules. The records
matching the rules are marked as reclaimable, i.e. their "Reclaimable" flag is set to "Yes" in the DNS Resource
Records viewer. These records can be reclaimed by using the second stage, unless you disable scavenging for
them as described in Disabling Scavenging for Individual Records.
• Reclaim records marked as reclaimable: This stage automatically removes the records marked as reclaimable in
the result of the execution of the first option. Running only the "Reclaim records marked as reclaimable" stage
without the analysis stage does not perform a new analysis on the affected records. It only removes the records
marked as reclaimable during the previous analysis.
Also, you can reset the reclaimable flag of the records. As an example of when this may be useful: if records have
previously been marked as reclaimable and under a revised scavenging policy some records may no longer be
reclaimable.
 Note
To start immediate scavenging of DNS records, you must first carefully define the scavenging properties, as
described in Configuring DNS Record Scavenging Properties.
To scavenge DNS records immediately, complete the following:

1. Grid: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Scavenge Records ->
Scavenge Grid Records.
DNS view: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, click a DNS view, expand the Toolbar, and then
click Scavenge Records -> Scavenge View Records.
DNS zone: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, click a DNS view, click a zone, expand the
Toolbar, and then click Scavenge Records -> Scavenge Zone Records.
• Scavenge Records: Select this to proceed to the record scavenging. Go to the next step.
• Reset reclaimable flag: Select this to set the "Reclaimable" flag of all affected records to "No".
3. If you chose Scavenge Records, select one of the following options or both of them:
• Mark records are reclaimable
• Reclaim records marked as reclaimable
 Note
Static records are never reclaimed automatically even if they are marked as reclaimable. You
can only delete static records manually from the DNS Resource Records viewer.
4. Click Start.
To check the progress of the current scavenging task, you can use the DNS Record Scavenging widget in the
Dashboard. For more information, see DNS Record Scavenging. You can also view a scavenging report, as described in
DNS Scavenged Object Count Trend.

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The scavenging task may be subject to an approval workflow. For information on approval workflows, see Configuring
Approval Workflows.
 Note
Keep in mind that the Enable record scavenging property for a lower scavenging scope (e.g. view or zone) can
override this property for the upper scope (i.e., Grid or view respectively). For example, if you run scavenging
on the Grid with the scavenging option disabled, and there are some views or zones on which scavenging is
enabled, this results in the records of the affected views and zones being scavenged. Vice versa, if scavenging
is disabled for certain views or zones and you run scavenging on the Grid with the scavenging option enabled,
the corresponding views and zones are excluded from scavenging.
Disabling Scavenging for Individual Records

You can disable scavenging for individual records, even if they are marked as reclaimable. In this case, the record is
never reclaimed unless you enable the scavenging for it again.
To disable scavenging for a record, complete the following:
1. In the DNS Resource Records viewer, select the appropriate record.
2. Click Edit.
3. In the record properties dialog, click DNS Scavenging.
4. Select the Disable scavenging for this record checkbox.
Additionally, you can see the following information in the resource record scavenging properties:
• Record creation time
• Record last queried time
• Whether the record is reclaimable
For records synced from MS servers, the creation timestamp is not synced. This implies the following limitations:
• When a zone is converted from MS to NIOS, the timestamp is initialized to the time when the operation occurs.
• When a zone is converted from NIOS to MS, the timestamp is reset.
Administrative Permissions for DNS Records Scavenging

By default, only superusers can perform DNS records scavenging. Limited-access users can use the scavenging
functionality if they have the corresponding DNS scavenging permissions. For more information about admin
permissions, see About Administrative Permissions.
The DNS scavenging permissions are global to Grid Manager. They are used in addition to the regular DNS global and
object permissions. For more information about the DNS permissions, see Administrative Permissions for DNS
Resources.
The following operations require scavenging permissions:
• Modifying scavenging properties for the Grid, a view, or a zone
• Configuring a scavenging schedule
• Performing a scavenging task
• Viewing the DNS Record Scavenging dashboard widget
• Viewing the DNS Scavenged Object Count Trend report
Restoring Reclaimed Records

A reclaimed record remains in the Recycle Bin until the bin is emptied. You can restore the deleted records from the
Recycle Bin, as described in Restoring Objects from the Recycle Bin.
The Recycle Bin does not display information on whether a record was deleted during a scavenging process or manually.

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Therefore, you cannot restore the reclaimed data only.
When a record is restored from the Recycle Bin, its Reclaimable flag is reset to "No".
 Note
Only a super user can restore records reclaimed during a recurring scavenging task.
Monitoring DNS Queries

You can monitor DNS resource records by their Last Queried time. You can configure this feature in the Grid DNS
Properties editor -> DNS Scavenging tab. Infoblox recommends that you keep the number of zones or domains for
monitoring below 1000; specifying more may adversely affect performance.
To view DNS queries by their Last Queried time:
1. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab, click the Query Monitoring tab.
2. The Query Monitoring tab provides a Last Queried report for the monitored resource records, including the
following information:
• Network View: Network view name. You cannot sort on this column. This column is hidden by default.
• DNS View: DNS view name. This column is hidden by default. Zone: FQDN of zone.
• Name: FQDN of resource record.
• Record Type: Resource record type.
• Record Data: Value of resource record, such as address of an A record.
• Monitored Since: Date monitoring started.
• Last Queried: Displays "Not Monitored", "Not Queried Since xxxx", or date of last query.
 Note
This report does not display the last queried information for automatically generated NS records.
To enable last queried time monitoring for resource records, do the following in the DNS scavenging properties for the
Grid, a view, or a zone:
DNS view: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Zones tab -> dns_view checkbox ->
Edit icon.
DNS zone: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Zones tab -> click a DNS view ->
zone checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. If the properties editor is in basic mode, click Toggle Advanced Mode.
3. Click DNS Scavenging.
4. Select the Enable last queried time monitoring for resource records checkbox. For more information, see
Configuring DNS Record Scavenging Properties.
 Note
Exporting the query monitoring data may take longer than usual if the report contains a lot of records.
Also, if a Grid secondary server uses zone transfer to update zone data from a Grid primary server,
NIOS does not monitor queries made to the Grid secondary server and it does not update the last
queried timestamp for the resource records in a zone.
When multiple values are specified with the same filter, the filter applies or logic, e.g. 'a' or 'b'. Other perspectives in
NIOS UI apply and logic, e.g., 'a' and 'b'. You can use the following filters to get specific information in this report:
• DNS View: DNS view name.
• Not Queried: Specify a date when the last query was made. The only operator is "Since".
• Zone: FQDN of zone.
• Type: Only a single record type filter can be specified. This filter has the following resource records:

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• A Records
• AAAA Records
• BulkHost
• CAA Records
• CNAME Records
• DNAME Records
• DS Records
• DTC LBDN Records
• Host Address
• Host Alias
• Host Record
• MX Records
• NAPTR Records
• NS Records
• PTR Records
• Resource Record
• SRV Records
• Shared A Record
• Shared AAAA Record
• Shared CNAME Record
• Shared MX Record
• Shared SRV Record
• TXT Records
• Other Records
 Note
NIOS does not monitor queries or update timestamp for DNSSEC records, except for DS records. As a result,
the QueryMonitoring tab displays "Not Monitored" in the Last Queried column for all DNSSEC records. In
addition, the Not Queried filter does not display any DNSSEC records.
Configuring DNS Traffic Control Properties

You can configure the DNS Traffic Control properties at the Grid or member level. The member DTC properties are
inherited from the Grid DTC properties unless you override them.
The following sections explain how to configure DTC properties for the Grid or a Grid member.
Configuring Grid DNS Traffic Control Properties

To configure DNS Traffic Control properties for the Grid, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the toolbar, and then click Grid DNS Properties.
2. In the Traffic Control tab, complete the following:

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• Extensible Attributes Source Types for Topology Rules: Specify up to four extensible attributes to use as source
types when defining DNS traffic control topology rules. For information about the extensible attribute topology
rules, see DefiningTopologyRulesets. You can use either predefined EAs or use your own. When using the
predefined EAs you can select all or select specific types of IPAM objects, network containers, networks, ranges,
and hosts and their EA values to be considered for the predefined EAs. For information about predefined
extensible attributes, see Managing ExtensibleAttributes. For information about creating custom extensible
attributes, see AddingExtensibleAttributes.
You can select only string, enum, and integer types as the EAs to be used. Also, you cannot select EAs for which
multiple values have been set. That is, the Allow multiple values checkbox must not be enabled for EAs that you
want to use to define topology rules.
 Note
The enabled IPAM object for Extensible Attributes Source Types for Topology Rules depend on the
upgrade history of the Grid. In case, Grid is upgraded from the earlier NIOS version to a later version
which supports different IPAM object types, only IPAM Networks and IPAM Ranges types are enabled
by default. However, in a Grid that is created with the possibility to select different IPAM object types, all
the IPAM object types are enabled by default.
• When DNS Traffic Control is enabled, direct traffic according to EDNS0 Client Subnet when possible: Select this
checkbox to direct traffic according to EDNS0 client subnet option when DNS Traffic Control is processing DNS
queries.
You can enable the appliance to redirect traffic according to EDNS0 client subnet option when DNS Traffic
Control is processing DNS queries that contain the EDNS0 client subnet option. When you enable this feature,
DNS Traffic Control querying process uses the client address specified in the EDNS0 client subnet option of the
DNS query and the appliance includes the EDNS0 client subnet option in the response message. If there are
multiple EDNS0 client subnet options in a query, the appliance considers only the first option and ignores the
other options. When this feature is disabled, DNS Traffic Control querying process ignores the EDNS0 client
subnet option. For more information about EDNS0, see Using Extension Mechanisms for DNS (EDNS0).
• Specific behavior for DNS queries: Select one of the following options if you want the appliance to return DNS
responses when no DNS traffic control responses are available. The Return DNS response if there are no DNS
Traffic Control responses available option is selected by default.
• Return DNS response if there are no DNS Traffic Control responses available: Select this option if you
want the appliance to return DNS responses when DNS Traffic Control responses are not available.
• Drop LBDN matched DNS queries during full health update: Select this option to drop all LBDN
queries when the DNS service is waiting to receive a full health status update from the health monitor. The
appliance drops the LBDN queries and returns a SERVFAIL response.
• No specific behavior: Select this option when you do not want the appliance to return DNS responses
when DNS Traffic Control responses are not available.
• Return the following type of response from DNSSEC signed zones: Select one of the following response types for
DNSSEC-signed zones:
• Signed
• Unsigned
For more information on the Signed and Unsigned modes, see Managing LBDN Records.
Configuring Member DNS Traffic Control Properties

To configure DNS Traffic Control properties for a Grid member, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, click the DNS tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
Alternatively, you can click the DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab, click Member DNS Properties in the toolbar, and
then select the required member.
2. In the Traffic Control tab, complete the following:

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• DTC Health Check Source: Select which NIOS network interface to use for the DTC health check. Choose
 Note
For vNIOS appliances, some of the options may vary depending on your vNIOS configuration.
For example, if you are using a single network interface instance of vNIOS for GCP, you will see
choices specific to the LAN1 interface only. For more information, see the vNIOS documentation
specific to your product at Appliances.
•
ANY interface
•
VIP interface
•
LAN2
•
MGMT interface
•
IP (This is displayed only when you have configured additional IP addresses in the network
settings. Specify the IP address of the source.)
• Specific Behavior for DNS queries: Select one of the following options if you want the appliance to return
DNS responses when no DNS traffic control responses are available. The Return DNS response if there
are no DNS Traffic Control responses available option is selected by default. To override the Grid setting,
click Override.
• Return DNS response if there are no DNS Traffic Control responses available
• Drop LBDN matched DNS queries during full health update
• No specific behavior
For more information, see Configuring Grid DNS Traffic Control Properties.
• When DNS Traffic Control is enabled, direct traffic according to EDNS0 Client Subnet when possible: To
retain the same setting as the Grid, keep the inherited value. To override the Grid setting, click Override.
For information, see Configuring Grid DNS Traffic Control Properties.
DNS Views
DNS views enable the NIOS appliance to serve different versions of DNS data based on the host accessing it. The topics
in this section include:
• About DNS Views

• Configuring DNS Views
• Configuration Example: Configuring a DNS View
About DNS Views
DNS views enable the NIOS appliance to serve different versions of DNS data based on the host accessing it.
DNS views provide the ability to serve one version of DNS data to one set of clients and another version to another set of
clients. With DNS views, the NIOS appliance can provide a different answer to the same DNS query, depending on the
source of the query.
In the below figure, the appliance has two views: an Internal and an External DNS view. When the appliance receives
queries from DNS clients, it responds with data from either the Internal or External DNS view, depending on the source
IP address. When the appliance receives a query from Client A and determines that it can resolve the query from data in
the Internal view, the appliance responds with the IP address of the site in the Internal view. When the appliance receives
a query from Client B and determines that it can resolve the query from data in the External view, it responds with the IP
address in the External view.
Internal and External Views

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You can configure both forward and reverse mapping zones in DNS views and provide DNS services, such as name
resolution, zone transfers and dynamic DNS updates. For information about these services, see Configuring DNS
Services.
You can provide multiple views of a given zone with a different set of records in each DNS view. In the below figure, both
views contain the corpxyz.com zone and the sales.corpxyz.com zone. The finance.corpxyz.com zone is only in the
internal DNS view, and only internal users are allowed to access records in that zone. Resource records can also exist in
multiple zones. In the example, the A records for serv1.sales.corpxyz.com and serv2.sales.corpxyz.com are in the
sales.corpxyz.com zones in both views.
Zone Data in Each DNSView
Internal DNS View corpxyz.com sales.corpxyz.com finance.corpxyz.com

MX rmail.corpxyz.com serv1.sales.corpxyz.com server.finance.corpxyz.c
A A om
NS dnsoneA.corpxyz.com A serv2.sales.corpxyz.com A printer.finance.corpxyz.c

om
A host1.corpxyz.com A serv3.sales.corpxyz.com A fin1.finance.corpxyz.co

m
A host2.corpxyz.com AAA printer.sales.corpxyz.com A fin2.finance.corpxyz.co

host1.sales.corpxyz.com m
host2.sales.corpxyz.com
External DNS View corpxyz.com sales.corpxyz.com
MX A A email.corpxyz.com AAAA web3.sales.corpxyz.com

web1.corpxyz.com ftp.sales.corpxyz.com
web2.corpxyz.com serv1.sales.corpxyz.com
serv2.sales.corpxyz.com
You can control which clients access a DNS view through the use of a match list specifying IP addresses and/or TSIG
(transaction signature) keys. When the NIOS appliance receives a request from a client, it tries to match the source IP
address and/or TSIG key with its match list when determining which DNS view, if any, the client can access. After the
appliance determines that a client can access a DNS view, it checks the zone level settings to determine if it can provide
the service that the client is requesting. For information on TSIG keys or defining zone transfer settings, see Enabling

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Zone Transfers. For more information on match lists, see Defining Match Clients Lists. For information on defining query
settings, refer to Controlling DNS Queries.
The figure Query Resolution illustrates how the NIOS appliance resolves a query for a domain name in a zone of a DNS
view. In the example, the internal DNS view is listed before the external DNS view. Therefore, when the appliance
receives a query, it checks the match list of the internal DNS view first. If it does not find the source address in the match
list of the internal DNS view, it checks the match list of the external DNS view. The match list of the external DNS view
allows all IP addresses. Next, the NIOS appliance checks the zone level settings to determine if it is allowed to resolve
queries from the client for domain names in that zone. After the appliance determines it is allowed to respond to queries
from this client, it resolves the query and sends back the response to the client.
Query Resolution
When you create more than one DNS view, as shown in the figure Query Resolution, the order of the views is important.
View order determines the order in which the NIOS appliance checks the match lists. In the figure Query Resolution, the
internal DNS view is listed before the external DNS view. If the views were reversed, no hosts would receive DNS replies
from the internal DNS view because the match list of the external DNS view allows replies to clients with any IP address.
For information on how to order views, see Managing the DNS Views of a Grid Member.
In a Grid, each Grid member can host its own set of views. A Grid member can serve as the primary or secondary server
for multiple views of a particular zone. For information about specifying primary and secondary servers, see Assigning
Zone Authority to Name Servers.
About DNS Views and Network Views

The NIOS appliance provides one default DNS view, which is always associated with the default network view. You can
create additional network and DNS views. A network view is a single routing domain with its own networks. For
information about network views, see Managing IPv4 DHCP Data.
The default DNS view initially allows all IP addresses access, and has the same recursion setting as the Grid. You can
change these properties and rename the default DNS view, but you cannot delete it. When you upgrade or migrate from
a name server, or an earlier version of software that does not support DNS views, the appliance places all the zones

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defined in the older release in the default DNS view. You can then create additional views and organize the zones in
each view.
When you create a network view, the appliance automatically creates a corresponding DNS view with "default."
prepended to the name of the network view. You can rename the system-defined DNS view and configure its properties.
If the appliance contains only one network view, all DNS views are associated with that network view. If there are 20 or
less network views configured, the appliance displays the network views in the drop-down list on the left of the top
navigation bar of the Data Management tab of Grid Manager. The appliance displays the Network View Selector dialog
box if there are more than 20 network views configured. You can adjust the page size of the selector by choosing the
number of network views to be displayed on each page from the Page Size drop-down list. If the number of network
views exceeds the selected number, the selector displays the data on multiple pages. If you have a large number of
network views, select a larger page size so you can quickly locate a network view without excessive paging through the
list. The default page size is 10.
A DNS view can be in one network view only, but a network view can have multiple DNS views. If you enable dynamic
DNS updates, you must specify which DNS view receives the updates. In a network view, only one DNS view can receive
the dynamic DNS updates. For information, see Sending DDNS Updates to a DNS Server.
Configuring DNS Views

Following are the tasks to configure a DNS view:
1. Add a DNS view, as described in Adding a DNS View.
2. Add zones to the DNS view. You can add authoritative forward-mapping and reverse-mapping zones, as well as
delegated, forward, and stub zones. For information about configuring each type of zone, see Configuring
Authoritative Zones and Configuring Delegated, Forward, and Stub Zones.
You can optionally do the following:
1. Define a Match Clients list and a Match Destination list to restrict access to the DNS view. For more information,
see Defining Match Clients Lists and Defining a Match Destinations List.
2. Copy resource records from one zone to another. This is useful when different DNS views have the same zone
and have multiple resource records in common. For information, see Managing DNS Views.
3. Create resource records in a group and share the group among multiple zones. For information, see Configuring
Shared Record Groups.
4. Specify which interface IP address is published in the glue A record of the DNS view. For information, see
Changing the Interface IP Address.
5. Manage recursive views. For information, see Managing Recursive DNS Views.
6. Manage the order of the DNS views, as this determines the order in which the NIOS appliance checks the Match
Clients list. For information, see Managing the Order of DNS Views.
7. Configure forwarders for a DNS view. For more information, see Using Forwarders.
8. Enable AAAA filtering and configure a list of IPv4 networks and addresses for allowing or denying AAAA filtering
from the appliance. For information, see Controlling AAAA Records for IPv4 Clients.
Adding a DNS View

You can add up to 1000 DNS views. When you add a DNS view, specify the following:
• The network view in which you are creating the DNS view.
The appliance lists the network views only when there are multiple network views. Otherwise, it automatically
associates the DNS view with the default network view.
• A Match Clients list specifying the hosts allowed access to the DNS view.
If you do not define a list, the appliance allows all hosts to access the DNS view. For more information, see
Defining Match Clients Lists.

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• Whether recursive queries are allowed.
When a name server is authoritative for the zones in a DNS view, you can disable recursion since your name
server should be able to respond to the queries without having to query other servers.
if you want to allow a Grid member to respond to recursive queries from specific IP addresses, you can create an
empty DNS view, that is, one that has no zones in it, and enable recursion. For information, see Configuration
Example: Configuring a DNS View.
 Note
This setting overrides the recursion setting at the Grid and member levels.
To configure a new DNS view:

1. If there is more than one network view in the Grid, select the network view in which you are creating the DNS
view.
2. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Add DNS View.
3. In the Add DNS View wizard, complete the following fields:
• DNS View: Enter the name of the DNS view. It can be up to 64 characters long and can contain any
combination of printable characters. Each DNS view must have a unique name. You cannot create two
DNS views with the same name, even if they are in different network views.
• Comment: Optionally, enter information about the DNS view. You can enter up to 256 characters.
• Enable Recursion: This field's initial default state is inherited from the Grid. It is inactive and greyed out
until you click Override. After you click override, you can select or clear the checkbox to define a setting
that applies to the DNS view only.
Note that a DNS view actually inherits its recursion setting from the Grid members that serve its zones.
When you first create a DNS view though, it does not have any zones and therefore inherits its setting
from the Grid. After you create zones in the DNS view, Grid Manager can then determine the associated
members and display the resulting inheritance. If a DNS view has multiple zones served by multiple
members with different recursion settings, you can view the different settings in the Multi-Inheritance
viewer.
You can click Inherit to have the DNS view inherit its recursion setting from the Grid.
If the set rpz_recursive_only command is set to no for a DNS view or zone, you can deselect the Enable
Recursion checkbox even if the RPZ zone is configured as the Grid secondary. In a single DNS view, if
the set rpz_recursive_only command is set to no for one zone and not set to no for another zone, then
you cannot disable recursion. Ensure that there is no conflict between set rpz_recursive_only yes, none,
and no settings in different zones in the same view when you disable recursion. If a scheduled Grid
upgrade is in progress, then you cannot deselect the Enable Recursion checkbox.
• Disable: Select this checkbox to disable this DNS view. Note that disabling a DNS view may take a longer
time to complete depending on the size of the data.
4. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen, or click Next to define a Match
Clients list. For information, see Defining Match Clients Lists.
or
Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a
date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.
Defining Match Clients Lists

When you configure a DNS view, you can create a Match Clients list to identify source IP addresses and TSIG keys that
are allowed or denied access to the DNS view. The NIOS appliance determines which hosts can access a DNS view by
matching the source IP address or TSIG key with its Match Clients list. After the appliance determines that a host can
access a DNS view, it checks the zone level settings to determine whether it can provide the service that the host is
requesting for that zone.
If you do not configure a Match Clients list, then all devices are allowed access to the DNS view. However, if you
configure a Match Clients list, then only those devices in the list with "Allow" permission can access the DNS view. All
other devices are denied access, including Grid members. Therefore, to allow a primary server of a zone to receive
dynamic DNS updates from member DHCP servers, you must add the members to the Match Clients list as well. Note
that if you "Deny" permission to certain IP addresses or networks, you must add the "Allow Any" permission at the end of
the Match Clients list to ensure that all other IP addresses and networks that are not in the "Deny" list are allowed access

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to the DNS view. You can add individual ACEs (access control entries) or a named ACL (access control list) to the Match
Clients list. For information about named ACLs and how to define them, see Defining Named ACLs.
Defining a Match Clients List for a DNS View

You can define a Match Clients list for a DNS view when you add a new DNS view (second step of the Wizard) or when
you edit an existing DNS view. For information about adding a DNS view, see Adding a DNS View. To define a Match
Clients list for an existing DNS view:
1. From the Data Management tab, click the DNS tab > Zones tab> dns_view checkbox -> Edit icon. Or, if there is
only one DNS view, for example the predefined default view, you can just click the Edit icon beside it.
2. In the DNS View editor, select the Match Clients tab, and select one of the following:
• None: Select this if you want to configure a Match Clients list. The appliance allows all clients to access
the DNS view. This is selected by default.
Manager automatically displays the named ACL. When you select this option, the appliance allow access
to the DNS view from sources that have the Allow permission in the named ACL. You can click Clear to
adding.
key to the list:
client or Grid member. This name must match the name of the same TSIG key on other
name servers.
• DNSone 2.x TSIG Key: Select this when the other name server is a NIOS appliance running DNS
One 2.x code. The appliance automatically populates the value of the key in the Value field. The
Permission column displays Allow by default. You cannot change the default permission.
• Any Address/Network: Select this to allow or deny any IP addresses to access the DNS view.
for deletion.

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3. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen. You can also click the Schedule
icon at the top of the editor to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time
zone.
Defining a Match Destinations List

You can define a Match Destinations list that identifies destination addresses and TSIG keys that are allowed access to a
DNS view. When the NIOS appliance receives a DNS request from a client, it tries to match the destination address or
TSIG key in the incoming message with its Match Destination list to determine which DNS view, if any, the client can
access. After the appliance determines that a host can access a DNS view, it checks the zone level settings to determine
whether it can provide the service that the host is requesting for that zone.
You can define a Match Destination list when you edit an existing DNS view as follows:
2. In the DNS View editor, select the Match Destinations tab, and select one of the following:
• None: Select this if you want to configure a Match Destinations list. The appliance allows all destination
addresses to access the DNS view. This is selected by default.
Manager automatically displays the named ACL. When you select this option, the appliance allows access
to the DNS view from the destination addresses that have the Allow permission in the named ACL. You
can click Clear to remove the selected named ACL.
adding, as follows.
key to the list:
client or Grid member. This name must match the name of the same TSIG key on other
name servers.
• DNSone 2.x TSIG Key: Select this when the other name server is a NIOS appliance running DNS
One 2.x code. The appliance automatically populates the value of the key in the Value field. The
Permission column displays Allow by default. You cannot change the default permission.
• Any Address/Network: Select this to allow or deny any IP addresses to access the DNS view.

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for deletion.
3. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen. You can also click the Schedule
icon at the top of the editor to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time
zone.
Enabling the Match Recursive Only Option

You can enable the match-recursive-only option for the DNS view. When you enable this option, only recursive queries
from matching clients match the selected DNS view. This option can be used in conjunction with the match client list and
match destination list. Ensure that you configure those options and the order of the DNS views accordingly if you want to
also enable the match-recursive-only option.
To enable the match-recursive-only option, complete the following:
2. In the DNS View editor, select the General tab -> Advanced tab, and select the following:
• Enable match recursive only option: This option is disabled by default. Select this option to enable the match-
recursive-only option for the DNS view. When you select this option, only recursive queries from matching clients
match this view. Note that this option can be used in conjunction with the match-clients and match-destinations
options. Ensure that you configure those options and the order of the DNS views accordingly if you want to also
enable match-recursive-only.
 Note
You can also enable or disable the match-recursive-only option for a specific DNS view on a specific
member by using the CLI command set enable_match_recursive_only. For information about this
command, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.
Copying Zone Records

Different views of the same zone may have a number of records in common. If this is the case, you can copy zone
records between views and zones.
 Note
You cannot copy shared records and records that the NIOS appliance automatically creates, such as NS
records and glue A records.
To copy zone records between DNS zones and views:

1. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab, click Copy Records from the Toolbar.
2. In the Copy Records dialog box, Grid Manager displays the last selected zone or the zone from which you are
copying zone records in the Source field. Complete the following to copy records:
• Destination: Click Select Zone to select the destination zone. When there are multiple zones, Grid
Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box from which you can select one. After you select the zone,
Grid Manager displays the associated DNS view.
• Copy All records: Select this option to copy all the zone records.
• Copy Specific Records: Select this option to copy specific types of records. Select a resource record type
from the Available column and click the right arrow to move it to the Selected column.
• Copy Options: Select one of the following:
• Delete all records in destination before copying the records: Select to delete all resource records
in the destination zone before the records are copied.

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• Overwrite existing records: Select to overwrite existing resource records that have the same
domain name owners as the records being copied.
3. Click Copy & Close.
 Note
When you copy resource records between zones and there are pending scheduled tasks associated with these
records, the appliance allows the copying of zone records before it executes the scheduled tasks.
Managing the DNS Views of a Grid Member

A Grid member can serve zones in different DNS views. You can manage the DNS views associated with a Grid member
as follows:
• You can specify which interface IP address is published in glue A records in the DNS view, as described in
Changing the Interface IP Address.
• You can assign an empty recursive view to a member, as described in Managing Recursive DNS Views.
• You can control the list of DNS views as described in Changing the Order of DNS Views.
Changing the Interface IP Address

By default, a Grid member publishes its LAN address in glue A records in the DNS view. You can change this default for
each DNS view associated with a member. You can specify the NAT IP address or another IP address.
To specify the interface IP address for glue A records in a view:
1. From the Data Management tab, click the DNS tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox, and then click the Edit
icon.
2. In the Member DNS Configuration editor, click Toggle Expert Mode if the editor is in basic mode, and then select
the DNS Views tab.
The Address Of Member Used in DNS Views table lists the default DNS view and DNS views with zones that are
served by the member.
3. To change the address, click the entry in the Interface column of a DNS view, and select one of the following:
• NAT IP Address: Select this to use the member NAT address for glue A records in a Grid setting. Select
this when you want to notify the Grid Master that it should expect packets from this member on the NAT
address, not the configured interface address. The Grid Master broadcasts this NAT address to all NAT
members outside of its NAT group. Do not use this option for an independent appliance serving as a DNS
server. Select Other IP Address to publish the NAT address for the independent appliance. For
information about NAT compatibility, see NAT Groups.
• Other IP Address: Select this to specify another address for glue A records, or to publish the NAT address
for an independent appliance. Enter the address in the Address field.
 Note
The 255.255.255.255 limited broadcast address is reserved. The appliance does not
automatically create glue A records for this address. You can however create an NS record
without the associated glue records.
Managing Recursive DNS Views

When you add a DNS view that has recursion enabled, the appliance resolves recursive queries from hosts on the Match
Clients list of that view. If the DNS view contains zones and you delete those zones, the appliance retains the view in its
configuration file, as long as recursion is enabled in the view. Such a view is called an empty recursive DNS view
because it does not contain any zones. It enables the appliance to respond to recursive queries from the specified
clients.
In a Grid, all members automatically store DNS views that have recursion enabled in their configuration files. If you do

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not want a Grid member to respond to recursive queries for clients in a particular DNS view, you can remove the view
from the member's configuration file.
To delete or retain an empty recursive DNS view in the DNS configuration file of a Grid member:
1. From the Data Management tab, click the DNS tab > Members tab> Grid_member checkbox -> Edit icon.
the DNS Views tab.
3. The Recursive Views Assigned to this Member section lists the empty recursive DNS views. Move a DNS view to
the Selected column to explicitly assign the view to the Grid member and include it in the DNS configuration file of
the member. Move a DNS view to the Available column to remove it from the configuration file of the member.
Empty recursive DNS views that you retain in the configuration file are automatically listed at the bottom of the list
of DNS views. You can move them up on the list when you manually change the order of the DNS views, as
described in Managing the DNS Views of a Grid Member.
Managing the Order of DNS Views

When a member receives a query from a DNS client, it checks the Match Client lists in the order the DNS views are listed
in the Order of DNS Views table of the DNS Views tab in the DNS Member editor. The NIOS appliance can order DNS
views automatically, or you can order the DNS views manually. If you choose to have the appliance automatically update
the order of the DNS views, it does so after each of the following events:
• Adding a DNS view to a member.
• Removing a DNS view from a member.
• Changing the address match list of a DNS view hosted by the member.
About IP Addresses and the Order of DNS Views

NIOS appliances with both IPv4 and IPv6 enabled can contain both types of addresses in the Match Clients list. When
you enable IPv6 on the appliance, the order of DNS views in the GUI may be affected. Views are ordered and sorted
automatically based on Match Clients lists. Views with IPv6 enabled are sorted as follows:
• If the Match Clients lists of all views contain IPv4 addresses only—The appliance orders views based on IPv4
addresses.
• If the Match Clients lists of all views contain IPv6 addresses only—The appliance orders views based on IPv6
addresses.
• If the Match Clients list of one DNS view has IPv6 addresses and all other views have IPv4 addresses—The
appliance orders views based on IPv4 addresses, and the IPv6 address is given lowest priority in the ordering.
• If the Match Clients list of one DNS view has IPv4 addresses and all other DNS views have IPv6 addresses—The
appliance orders DNS views based on IPv6 addresses, and the IPv4 address is given lowest priority in the
ordering.
• If the Match Clients list of one DNS view has both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses—The appliance orders DNS views
based on both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, but more priority is given to the IPv4 addresses in the ordering.
The DNS views are ordered based on the number of IP addresses that are matched by the Access Control Lists (ACLs).
The order of the DNS view is as follows:
• ANY
• Large Network
• Small Network
• Multiple Addresses
• Single Address
The actual precedence of the order of the views is also based on the ACL elements:
• any match: precedence = UINT_MAX + 1
• address match: precedence += 1
• TSIG match: precedence += 1
• network match: precedence += 129 - split (BOTH v4 and v6)

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Note that views with the same precedence are sorted based on the internal view name. For example, '_default' or '0'.
 Note
Only superusers can change the order of the views.
Changing the Order of DNS Views

To change the order of DNS views:
1. From the Data Management tab, click the DNS tab > Members tab> Grid_member checkbox -> Edit icon.
the DNS Views tab.
3. In the Order of DNS Views section, select one of the following:
• Order DNS Views Automatically: Click this to automatically order views after adding a new DNS view,
removing a DNS view, or changing the match client list.
• Order DNS Views Manually: This table lists the DNS views that have zones assigned to the Grid member
and the empty recursive views associated with the member. Select a DNS view, then click an arrow to
move it up or down in the list.
Managing DNS Views

You can list the DNS views, and then modify, disable, or remove any custom DNS view. You can modify and disable the
default DNS view; however, under no circumstances can it be removed.
Listing DNS Views

After you configure additional DNS views, you can list all DNS views by navigating to the Data Management tab -> DNS
tab -> Zones panel. This panel lists DNS views only after you modify the default DNS view or add a DNS view. If you
never added DNS views or modified the default DNS view, this panel does not display the default DNS view. Instead, it
lists the zones in the default DNS view. To display the properties of the default DNS view and edit it, use the Global
Search function to locate and edit it.
Note that if you have not used Grid Manager to add a new DNS view, and you import DNS views through the Data Import
Wizard or the API, you must log out and log back in to Grid Manager to display the newly imported DNS views.
For each DNS view, this panel displays the following by default:
• Comment: Comments that were entered for the DNS view.
• Site: Values that were entered for this pre-defined attribute. You can also display the following column:
• Disabled: Indicates if the DNS view is enabled or disabled. Disabled DNS views are excluded from the
named.conf file. You can double click a row and select the checkbox in this column to disable the network. Grid
Manager displays a warning message when you select the checkbox. Click Yes to confirm or No to cancel. Note
that disabling a DNS view may take a longer time to complete depending on the size of the data.
From this list, you can do the following:
• List the zones in a DNS view by clicking a DNS view name.
• Edit information about a DNS view, as described in the next section.
• Delete a DNS view, as described in Deleting DNS Views.

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Modifying DNS Views
To modify a DNS view:
1. From the Data Management tab, click the DNS tab > Zones tab> dns_view checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. In the DNS View editor, you can do the following:
• In the General tab, you can change any of the information you entered through the wizard. You can also
disable a DNS view to temporarily block access to a DNS view. Disabling a DNS view excludes it from the
named.conf file. For a description of the fields, see the online Help or Configuring DNS Views. Note that
disabling a DNS view may take a longer time to complete depending on the size of the data.
• In the Match Clients tab, define or update a Match Clients list, as described in Defining Match Clients
Lists.
• In the Match Destinations tab, define or update match destinations, as described in Defining a Match
Destinations List.
• In the Forwarders tab, configure forwards for the view, as described in Using Forwarders.
• In the Queries tab, enable AAAA filtering and configure a list of IPv4 networks and addresses for allowing
or denying AAAA filtering, as described in Enabling AAAA Filtering.
• In the DNSSEC tab, you can specify parameters for DNSSEC as described in Configuring DNSSEC on a
Grid
• In the Root Name Servers tab, you can configure root name servers, as described in About Root Name
Servers.
• In the Sort List tab, define a sort list for the DNS view, as described in Defining a Sort List.
• In the Blacklist tab, define blacklist rulesets, as described in Enabling Blacklisting.
• In the Extensible Attributes tab, you can modify the attributes. For information, see Using Extensible
Attributes.
• The Permissions tab displays if you logged in as a superuser. For information, see About Administrative
Permissions.
• In the Record Scavenging tab, define the rules for DNS records scavenging in the DNS view, as
described in Configuring DNS Record Scavenging Properties.
• In the Updates tab, specify the secure dynamic updates settings, as described in Secure Dynamic
Updates.
or
Deleting DNS Views

You can delete a DNS view if it is not the only view associated with a network view and if it is not selected for dynamic
DNS updates. You cannot remove the system-defined default DNS view. When you remove a DNS view, the NIOS
appliance removes the forward and reverse mappings of all the zones defined in the DNS view.
To delete a DNS view:
• From the Data Management tab, select the > DNS tab> Zones tab-> dns_view checkbox.
To delete the DNS view immediately, click the Delete icon, and then click Yes to confirm the delete request. Grid
Manager displays a warning message. Click Yes to continue or No to cancel the process. To schedule the
deletion, click Schedule Deletion and in the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For
information, see Scheduling Deletions.
Grid Manager moves the view to the Recycle Bin, from which you can restore or permanently delete it. Click
Restore in the Recycle Bin to recover the deleted data. Click Yes in the Restore Item dialog box to restore or No
to cancel the process. Note that deleting and restoring a DNS view may take a longer time to complete
depending on the size of the data.
Configuration Example: Configuring a DNS View

In the figure Configuring a DNS View, Member-A is a member of a Grid. It is the primary name server for the
corpxyz.com zone in the internal DNS view. It allows the IP address 192.168.10.1 and the 10.2.2.0/24 subnet access to
DNS zone data in the internal DNS view. At the zone level, it allows transfers to an external secondary server, Infoblox-B,

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with an IP address of 192.168.10.1. Infoblox-B is a secondary server for the corpxyz.com zone. The process follows
these steps:
1. Adding an Internal DNS View on Member-A
2. Adding a Zone to a DNS View
3. Copying Records Between DNS Zones from the corpxyz.com zone in the default DNS view to the corpxyz.com
zone in the internal DNS view
4. Verifying the Configuration
Configuring a DNS View
Adding an Internal DNS View

1. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Add DNS View.
2. In the Add DNS View wizard, specify the following, and then click Next:
• Name: internal
• Comment: internal DNS view
• In the Match Clients panel, click Add and select IPv4 Network from the drop-down list.
• Do the following for IP addresses in the network 10.2.2.0/24:
• Enter 10.2.2.0/24 in the in the Address field.
• The Permission field displays Allow by default. Leave it as is.
• Click Add.
You will have 255 allowed client addresses in the Match Clients list when you are done.
Adding a Zone to a DNS View

1. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Zone -> Add Auth Zone.
2. In the Add Auth Zone wizard, click Add an authoritative forward-mapping zone and click Next.
3. Specify the following, and then click Next:
• Name: Enter corpxyz.com.
• DNS View: Select Internal from the drop-down list.
4. In step 3 of the wizard, do the following:
a. Select Use this set of name servers.
b. Click the Add icon and select Grid Primary.
c. Click Select Member and select Member A from the Select Grid Member dialog box.

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d. Click Add to add the Grid member to the list of name servers.
e. Click the Add icon again and select External Secondary.
f. Enter the following information, and then click Add:
• Name: Infoblox
• IP Address: 192.168.10.1
• Click1 Save & Edit to display the Authoritative Zone editor and continue with the zone configuration.
• Click Queries.
• Click Override, and then click the Add icon and select IPv4 Network.
• Enter 10.2.2.0/8 in the in the Address field.
• The Permission field displays Allow by default. Leave it as is.
• Click Add.
• This allows queries that the appliance answers from its internal DNS view.
Copying Records Between DNS Zones

1. Navigate to the default DNS view and select the corpxyz.com zone.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Copy Records.
3. In the Destination field, click Select Zone, and then select the corpxyz.com zone in the Internal DNS view.
4. Select Copy all records, and then click OK.
The records from corpxyz.com in the default DNS view are copied to corpxyz.com in the internal DNS view.
 Note
Only superusers can copy A, AAAA, shared A, and shared AAAA records with a blank name. Limited-access
users must have read/write permission to Adding a blank A/AAAA record in order to copy A, AAAA, shared A,
and shared AAAA records with a blank name, otherwise the copying records operation might fail. You can
assign global permission for specific admin groups and roles to allow to copy A, AAAA, shared A, and shared
AAAA records with a blank name. For more information,
see Administrative Permissions for Adding Blank A or AAAA Records.
Verifying the Configuration

1. In the DNS tab, click Members and select the Member-A checkbox .
2. Expand the Toolbar and click View -> View DNS Configuration.
3. In the DNS Configuration File viewer, scroll through the contents of the file.
Verify that the internal DNS view section is similar to the configuration file shown.
Configuring DNS Zones

This section provides general information about DNS zones that you can configure and manage on the Infoblox
appliance. The topics in this section include:
• Configuring Authoritative Zones

• Creating an Authoritative Forward-Mapping Zone
• Adding an Authoritative Subzone
• Locking, Unlocking, Enabling, Disabling Zones
• Configuring Authoritative Zone Properties
• Enabling Fixed RRset Ordering for NAPTR Records
• Configuring DNS Integrity Check for Authoritative Zones
• Domains and Zones

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• Assigning Zone Authority to Name Servers
• Configuring Domain Controller List
• Importing Zone Data
• Removing Zones
• Restoring Zone Data
• Configuring Delegated, Forward, and Stub Zones
• Viewing Zones
• Using Name Server Groups
• Viewing Name Server Groups
Configuring Authoritative Zones

An authoritative zone is a zone for which the local (primary or secondary) server references its own data when
responding to queries. The local server is authoritative for the data in this zone and responds to queries for this data
without referencing another server.
There are two types of authoritative zones:
• Forward-mapping – An authoritative forward-mapping zone is an area of domain name space for which one or
more name servers have the responsibility to respond authoritatively to name-to-address queries.
• Reverse-mapping – A reverse-mapping zone is an area of network space for which one or more name servers
have the responsibility to respond to address-to-name queries.
You can configure and manage authoritative forward-mapping and IPv4 and IPv6 reverse-mapping zones on an Infoblox
appliance. In a Grid, an authoritative forward-mapping zone is an area of domain name space for which one or more Grid
members have the responsibility to respond authoritatively to name-to-address queries. The Grid members can function
as primary or secondary servers for the zone.
You can add arpa as the top-level forward-mapping zone and manage its resource records. You can also add in-
addr.arpa (for ipv4 addresses) and ip6.arpa (for ipv6 addresses) as the top-level reverse-mapping zones.
You can create these top-level reverse-mapping zones under an arpa or a root parent forward-mapping zone or without a
parent zone. If you want arpa, in-addr.arpa, and ip6.arpa zones on the appliance, you must manually create them. These
zones are not auto-created.
Sample IPv4 reverse-mapping zone hierarchy:
. (root zone) > arpa > in-addr.arpa > 10.in-addr.arpa
Sample IPv6 reverse-mapping zone hierarchy:
. (root zone) > arpa > ip6.arpa > a.ip6.arpa
Following are the tasks to configure an authoritative zone:
1. Create the zone. The following sections explain how to create authoritative forward-mapping zones, reverse-
mapping zones, subzones, and a custom root zone:
• Creating an Authoritative Forward-Mapping Zone
• Creating a Root Zone
2. Assign an Infoblox appliance as the primary or secondary server of the zone. For information, see Assigning
3. Import resource records or add resource records manually. The following provides information about resource
records:
• Managing Resource Records
• Importing Zone Data
4. Configure additional parameters. For information, see Configuring Authoritative Zone Properties.
5. Optionally, associate the zone with one or more networks. This is useful when you want to restrict the A, AAAA
and host records to IP addresses from specific networks. For information, see Associating Networks with Zones.

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Creating an Authoritative Forward-Mapping Zone
An authoritative forward-mapping zone is an area of domain name space for which one or more Grid members have the
responsibility to respond authoritatively to name-to-address queries.
 Note
A single forward-mapping zone can map names to both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
To create an authoritative forward-mapping zone:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar, and click Add -> Zone -> Add Auth
Zone.
2. In the Add Authoritative Zone wizard, click Add an authoritative forward-mapping zone and click Next.
• Name: Enter the domain name for the zone. Omit the trailing period (" . ") that signifies the root zone. You can use
IDNs as well. For information about IDNs, see Support for Internationalized Domain Names.
• DNS View: This field displays only when there is more than one DNS view in the current network view. Select a
DNS view from the drop-down list.
• Comment: Enter a descriptive comment about the zone.
• Disable: Click this checkbox to temporarily disable this zone. For information, see Enabling and Disabling
Zones. Note that disabling a zone may take a longer time to complete depending on the size of the data.
• Lock: Click this checkbox to lock the zone so that you can make changes to it and prevent others from making
conflicting changes. For information, see Locking and Unlocking Zones.
• Save the configuration, or click Next to continue to the next steps in the wizard as follows:
• Define the name servers for the zone. For information on specifying primary and secondary servers, see
Assigning Zone Authority to Name Servers. For information on specifying authoritative name server
groups, see Using Authoritative Name Server Groups.
• If you have assigned a Microsoft server as the primary server for the zone and if the zone is AD-
integrated, you can configure a list of domain controllers that are allowed to add NS records to the zone.
For information see, Configuring Domain Controller List.
• Define extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
or
• Click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.
Creating a Root Zone

The NIOS appliance allows you to create an internal root zone for your organization. When the appliance receives a
query for DNS data that is not in its cache or authoritative data, it can query an internal root server after querying any
specified forwarders. If you do not specify an internal root server and the appliance can access the Internet, it queries the
Internet root servers. For information on root name server, see About Root Name Servers.
To create a root zone, create an authoritative forward-mapping zone as described in Creating an Authoritative Forward-
Mapping Zone and specify the following:
• Enter a period (.) in the Name field.
• Optionally, enter a comment.
• Select a Grid member as the primary name server for the root zone.
Once created, the root zone automatically becomes the parent of all the zones under the root zone.

Rev. D
Creating an Authoritative Reverse-Mapping Zone
An authoritative reverse-mapping zone is an area of network space for which one or more name servers—primary and
secondary—have the responsibility to respond to address-to-name queries. Infoblox supports reverse-mapping zones for
both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. You can add in-addr.arpa and ip6.arpa as the top-level reverse-mapping zones. Note that
you cannot add these zones using their IP addresses or netmasks, however, you can add them by name "in-addr.arpa"
and "ip6.arpa" respectively.
Specifying an RFC 2317 Prefix

RFC 2317, Classless IN-ADDR.ARPA delegation is an IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) document that describes
a method of delegating parts of the DNS IPv4 reverse-mapping tree that correspond to subnets smaller than a /24 (from
a /25 to a /31). The DNS IPv4 reverse-mapping tree has nodes broken at octet boundaries of IP addresses, which
correspond to the old classful network masks. So, IPv4 reverse-mapping zones (and delegation points) usually fall on /
8, /16, or /24 boundaries.
With the proliferation of CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) support for routing, ISPs no longer assign entire /24
networks to customers that only need a handful of IPv4 addresses. In general, IPv4 address assignments no longer fall
on classful boundaries. For DNS, a problem comes into play when an ISP gives a customer an address range that is
smaller than a /24, but the customer also wants to be delegated the DNS reverse-mapping zone.
If the ISP gives you, for example, a subnet with a 25-bit mask, then you only have half of the /24 address range. If you
configure your DNS server to be authoritative for the zone corresponding to a /24 subnet, the DNS server cannot resolve
half of the possible reverse-mapping records in the zone. RFC 2317 defines an approach, considered a best practice,
which addresses this issue.
In addition to IPv4 reverse-mapping zones, you can also configure IPv4 reverse-mapping delegation zones that have an
RFC2317 prefix. For more information about configuring a delegation for a reverse-mapping zone, see Configuring a
Delegation.
 Note
Before enabling RFC 2317 support for zones, disable forwarders for the zone, especially when any sort of
delegation (including RFC 2317) is being used. If you do not, reverse lookups may fail. For more information,
contact Infoblox Support for the Tech Note on RFC 2317 delegation.
Adding an IPv4 Reverse-Mapping Zone

To add an IPv4 reverse-mapping zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Zone -> Add Auth
Zone.
2. In the Add Authoritative Zone wizard, click Add an authoritative IPv4 reverse-mapping zone and click Next.
3. Specify the following zone information:
• Enter one of the following to identify the zone:
• IPv4Network: Enter the IPv4 address for the address space for which you want to define the
reverse-mapping zone and select a netmask from the Netmask drop-down list. Alternatively, you
can specify the address in CIDR format, such as 192/8.
To use an RFC 2317 prefix, select a netmask value that is between 25 to 31, inclusive. Grid
Manager displays the RFC 2317 Prefix field. Enter a prefix in the text field. Prefixes can include
alphanumeric characters. For information, see Specifying an RFC 2317 Prefix.
• Name: Enter the domain name of the reverse-mapping zone.
• DNS View: This field displays only when there is more than one DNS view in the current network view.
Select a DNS view from the drop-down list.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the zone.
• Disable this zone: Select this option to temporarily disable this zone. For information, see Enabling and
Disabling Zones. Note that disabling a zone may take a longer time to complete depending on the size of
the data.

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• Lock this zone: Select this option to lock the zone so that you can make changes to it and prevent others
from making conflicting changes. For information, see Locking and Unlocking Zones.
4. Save the configuration, or click Next to continue to the next steps in the wizard as follows:
• If you have assigned a Microsoft server as the primary server for the zone and if the zone is AD-
integrated, you can configure a list of domain controllers that are allowed to add NS records to the zone.
For information see, Configuring Domain Controller List.
or
Adding an IPv6 Reverse-Mapping Zone

To add an IPv6 reverse-mapping zone:
Zone.
2. In the Add Authoritative Zone wizard, click Add an authoritative IPv6 reverse-mapping zone and click Next.
3. Enter the following zone information:
• Enter one of the following to identify the zone:
• IPv6 Network Prefix: Enter the 128-bit IPv6 address for the address space for which you want to
define the reverse-mapping zone. When you enter an IPv6 address, you can use double colons to
compress a contiguous sequence of zeros. You can also omit any leading zeros in a four-
hexadecimal group. For example, the complete IPv6 address
2006:0000:0000:0123:4567:89ab:0000:cdef can be shortened to 2006::123:4567:89ab:0:cdef.
Note that if there are multiple noncontiguous groups of zeros, the double colon can only be used
for one group to avoid ambiguity. The NIOS appliance displays an IPv6 address in its shortened
form, regardless of its form when it was entered. Choose the network prefix that defines the IPv6
network address space.
• Lock: Click this checkbox to lock the zone so that you can make changes to it and prevent others from
making conflicting changes. For information, see Locking and Unlocking Zones.
4. Save the configuration, or click Next to continue to the next steps in the wizard as follows:
or
Adding an Authoritative Subzone

After creating a zone, you can add more zones at the same level, or add subordinate zones (subzones). The subzones
can be authoritative, delegated, forward, or stub. For simplicity, the zones created in this example are authoritative (as
are all zones by default). For information about configuring the other zone types, see Configuring Delegated, Forward,
and Stub Zones.
You create an authoritative zone when you assign authority for all the resource records of a particular domain to one or
more name servers. You create a subzone when you assign authority for all the resource records of a subdomain to

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name servers. The name servers can be the same as, or different from, the name servers that serve resource records for
the parent domain.
The distinction between domains and zones is that domains provide a logical structure to the DNS name space while
zones provide an administrative structure. The difference between domains and subdomains and zones and subzones is
that the terms subdomains and subzones reference their relationship to a parent domain or zone. With the exception of
the root domain and root zone, all domains are subdomains and all zones are subzones.
You can organize a domain based on logical divisions such as type (.com, .gov, .edu; or sales, eng, sup) or location
(.uk, .jp, .us; or hq, east, west). The below figure shows one way to organize the external (public) name space and the
internal (private) name space for a corporation with the domain name corpxyz.com. The external name space follows
standard DNS conventions. Internally, you create an individual subdomain and corresponding subzone for each
department.
Domains and Subdomains, and Forward-Mapping Zones and Subzones
 Note
Throughout this documentation, the trailing dot indicating the root zone is not shown, although its presence is
assumed.
The procedure for adding a subzone is the same as that used to add an authoritative zone. The only difference is that
you specify the subzone name in the Name field. For information about adding authoritative zones, see Configuring
Authoritative Zones
Locking, Unlocking, Enabling, Disabling Zones

You can lock a zone when you create or edit it to prevent other administrators from making conflicting changes.

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Locking and Unlocking Zones
When you lock a zone, Grid Manager displays LOCKED beside the zone name when you view the records and subzones
of the zone in the Zones panel. When other administrators try to make changes to a locked zone, the system displays a
warning message that the zone is locked by admin_name.
You can perform dynamic updates through mechanisms such as DDNS and nsupdate on a locked zone. The system can
also add auto-generated records such as glue A records and NS records to a locked zone. Locks on a zone do not
impact its child zones.
Only a superuser or the administrator who locked the zone can unlock it. Locks do not expire; you must manually unlock
a locked zone.
Enabling and Disabling Zones

The NIOS appliance allows you to disable and enable a zone when you create or edit it. When you disable a zone, Grid
Manager removes it from the DNS configuration file, but not from the database. This feature is especially helpful when
you have to move or repair the server for a particular zone. You can easily disable a zone temporarily, and then enable it
after the move or repair is completed.
 Notes
• When you temporarily disable a zone that has an associated NS group, the appliance removes all the
automatically generated NS records, glue A or AAAA records, and PTR records from the zone. The
appliance automatically generates the NS records, glue A or AAAA records, and PTR records when you
re-enable the zone. Note that disabling a zone may take a longer time to complete depending on the
size of the data.
• Do not enable authoritative zones if your Grid members have smaller disk spaces and if you want to
perform DDNS or other updates on the authoritative zone. Infoblox recommends that you have a disk
space of 250 GB if you want to use authoritative zones with Grid members.
Configuring Authoritative Zone Properties

A zone inherits some of its properties from the Grid or from the member that serves it as a primary or secondary server.
When you edit a zone, you can override properties set at the Grid or member level and modify the original zone settings,
as well.
To configure authoritative zone properties:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the Authoritative Zone editor, you can do the following in each tab:
• General: Modify the original zone settings, except the zone name.
• Name Servers: Specify primary and secondary servers as described in Assigning Zone Authority to Name
Servers.
• Settings: Set certain properties if the primary server is a Grid member. If the zone's primary server is an
external server, then all these fields, except Don't use forwarders to resolve queries in subzones, are
read-only with the information derived from the SOA record of the zone.
• The Serial Number field displays the zone's current serial number. You can change the serial
number in an SOA record only if the primary server of the zone is a Grid member.
The serial number in the SOA record increments every time the record is modified. This serial
number plays a key role when and how zone data is updated via zone transfers. The NIOS
appliance allows you to change the serial number (in the SOA record) for the primary server so it
is higher than the secondary server, thereby ensuring zone transfers come from the primary server
(as they should).
• Set Refresh intervals above 300 seconds, as Refresh intervals below 300 seconds may not work.
• Override the Grid or member TTL settings as described in About Time To Live Settings.
• Override the email settings, as described in Adding an Email Address to the SOA Record.

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• Change the primary name server that is specified in the SOA MNAME of a zone, as described in
Changing the SOA Name for a Zone.
• Don’t use forwarders to resolve queries in subzones : If the DNS members are configured to use
forwarders to resolve queries that they cannot resolve locally, you can select this checkbox to
disable the use of forwarders to resolve queries for data in the subzones.
• Queries: Set restrictions for queries as described in Controlling DNS Queries.
• Zone Transfers: Specify to which servers zone transfers are allowed as described in Enabling Zone
Transfers.
• Updates: Set dynamic DNS update properties as described in Configuring DNS Servers for DDNS.
• Active Directory: Set parameters to allow zones to receive GSS-TSIG authenticated DDNS updates from
DHCP clients and servers in an AD domain. For information, see Supporting Active Directory.
• Extensible Attributes: Define extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
• Permissions: Define administrative permissions. For information, see About Administrative Permissions.
3. Click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode. When the additional tabs appear, you can do the
following in each tab:
• General: Click the Advanced subtab and view the networks associated with the zone. This tab is visible
only if the primary server is a Grid member, a Microsoft server, or unassigned.
If a zone is associated with one or more networks, the IP addresses of its host, A and AAAA records must
belong to the associated networks. You cannot change the network associations in this editor. Navigate to
the DHCP Network editor of the network, to change the zone associations. For information, see
Associating Networks with Zones.
You can enable fixed RRset ordering for the authoritative zone to save the order of the NAPTR records
that are added to the zone using CSV import. Select the Enable fixed RRset ordering checkbox to enable
fixed RRset ordering for the NAPTR records that are added to the authoritative zone through CSV
import. There are a few best practices you should consider when enabling this feature. For more
information, see Enabling Fixed RRset Orders for NAPTR Records.
• DNS Integrity Check: Configure the appliance to monitor DNS data in the NS RRsets for authoritative
zones. The appliance generates alerts when data discrepancies have been detected so you can mitigate
possible DNS domain hijacking. For more information, see Configuring DNS Integrity Check for
Authoritative Zones.
• Host Naming: Set restrictions for host names. For information, see Specifying Hostname Policies.
• Shared Record Groups: Add shared record groups to a zone. For information, see Configuring Shared
Record Groups.
• DNSSEC: Configure DNSSEC properties. For information, see Configuring DNSSEC.
Record Scavenging: Define the rules for DNS records scavenging in the zone, as described in DNS
Record Scavenging.
• Updates: Click the Advanced subtab and specify the secure dynamic updates settings, as described in
Secure Dynamic Updates.
or
Enabling Fixed RRset Ordering for NAPTR Records

You can enable fixed RRset ordering for the authoritative zone to save the order of the NAPTR records that are imported
to the zone using CSV import. When you enable fixed RRset ordering for the zone, the NAPTR records are saved in the
same order as received in the CSV file and the appliance returns the NAPTR records in the fixed order in response to a
query. If you enable fixed RRset ordering for an authoritative zone, the zone data is read-only and you cannot add,
delete, or modify DNS records of the zone using GUI or API. You can add, delete, or modify DNS records of the zone
using CSV import only. The fixed RRset ordering for the NAPTR records is retained only when the NAPTR records are
imported to the zone through CSV import. If you change the position of the NAPTR records by disabling fixed RRset
ordering, then the changes made for the position of the records will not be retained when you later enable fixed RRset
ordering.
Note the following:
• When you import NAPTR records to an empty zone, you must use the Add CSV import option and to update the
zone data you must use the Replace CSV import option to ensure that the RRset order of the NAPTR records is

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the same as specified in the CSV import file. For more information about CSV import feature, see Guidelines for
CSV Import.
• It is not recommended to configure DDNS updates for a zone, if you have enabled fixed RRset ordering for the
zone.
• If you enable fixed RRset ordering for an authoritative zone with existing NAPTR records, the RRset order of the
existing records will not change.
• The RRset order for NAPTR records imported to the zone through DNS zone transfers or DIW (Data Import
Wizard) will not be preserved.
• You cannot enable fixed RRset ordering for an authoritative zone if the zone has subzones.
• You cannot enable fixed RRset ordering for an authoritative zone, if the zone has bulk hosts or if the zone is
associated with a shared record group.
• This feature is applicable only for forward-mapping authoritative zones.
• This feature is not supported for Microsoft zones.
To enable fixed RRset ordering for NAPTR records imported to the zone using CSV import:
2. In the Authoritative Zone editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in the basic mode.
• Enable fixed RRset ordering: Select this checkbox to enable fixed RRset ordering for the NAPTR records
that are added to the authoritative zone through CSV import, as described in Guidelines for CSV Import.
4. Save the configuration and restart DNS service for the change to take effect.
Configuring DNS Integrity Check for Authoritative Zones

In certain DNS domain hijacking scenarios, hijackers alter the DNS data of a domain after gaining control of it. They
consequently redirect users to a fraudulent site, instead of the legitimate site, on the Internet. To protect your authoritative
DNS server against this type of DNS domain hijacking, you can configure the appliance to periodically monitor DNS data
for top-level or parent authoritative zones. Based on your configuration, the appliance periodically checks DNS data in
the NS RRsets for these zones and compares the data with that in the appliance database. It then reports data
discrepancies through SNMP traps and logs related events in the syslog. You can also monitor the status of DNS data
discrepancies, if any, through the DNS Integrity Check widget on the Task Dashboard. The severity in data discrepancies
can help identify possible domain hijacking.
DNS integrity check is supported on all Infoblox appliances, including Advanced Appliances used primarily for Infoblox.
For information, see About Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection. You can configure DNS integrity check for any selected
authoritative zones, but you cannot configure it at the Grid, member, or DNS view level.
When you enable this feature, the appliance queries the NS RRsets and glue records for the top-level authoritative zones
and compare the data with that in the appliance database. It does not query data for sub zones or delegated zones in the
Grid.
 Note
DNS integrity check is not supported on authoritative zones configured to use primary DNS servers in stealth
mode.
Configuring DNS Integrity Check

To configure the appliance to check NS and glue records for a top-level or parent authoritative domain, complete the
following:

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1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> top-level authoritative zone that you want to
monitor, and then click the Edit icon from the Toolbar. Note that you can configure this feature only at the zone
level. You can also configure zones that have the same name in different DNS views.
 Note
Once you configure a zone for DNS integrity check, you will not be able to add a parent zone above this
zone. You must disable DNS integrity check for this zone before you can add the parent zone.
2. In the Authoritative Zone editor, toggle to the Advanced Mode, select the DNS Integrity Check tab -> Basic tab
and complete the following:
• Enable: Select this checkbox to enable the DNS integrity check feature.
• Member: Click Select Member to select the Grid member you want to use for DNS integrity check. When
you select a member, ensure that the member is configured to send and receive DNS queries and
responses from Grid primaries (excluding stealth primaries) for the zone being monitored. Note that
queries generated by DNS integrity check for the first reachable internal Grid primary are logged in
relevant DNS reports. For information about reports, see Infoblox Reporting and Analytics.
• Check Frequency: Enter how often the appliance monitors DNS data for the authoritative zone. Select the
time unit from the drop-down list. The appliance periodically queries DNS data for the top-level zone
based on the time interval you configure here. The default value is one hour, and the minimum
configurable value is 15 minutes.
• Enable Verbose Logging: Select this to enable detailed logging of events related to DNS integrity check.
When you select this option, the appliance logs additional information in the syslog when DNS data
discrepancies are detected. It also logs a message when no data discrepancies are found during a DNS
data check. When you clear this checkbox, the appliance logs standard information in the syslog and
does not log an event when no data discrepancies are found during a DNS integrity check. This is
disabled by default. For information about the syslog, see Viewing the Syslog.
Monitoring DNS Data Discrepancies for Authoritative Zones

When the appliance detects DNS data discrepancies between the authoritative and delegated zones, it reports the
discrepancies through SNMP traps and email notifications, if configured. For more information, see Setting SNMP and
Email Notifications. The appliance classifies data discrepancies by severity, as follows:
• Critical: Data in the NS RRsets for the authoritative and delegate zones are completely out of synchronization.
• Severe: Some data in the NS RRset between the authoritative and delegate zones overlaps and some data is
different.
• Warning: The NS RRset for the authoritative zone is a subset of the NS RRset for the delegate zone. It is possible
that incorrect IP addresses have been entered at the registrar.
• Informational: The NS RRset for the delegate zone is a subset of the NS RRset for the authoritative zone.
This could indicate a possible delay in domain registration.
• Normal: There are no DNS data discrepancies between the NS RRsets for the authoritative and delegated zones.
• None: No DNS discrepancies data has been collected or DNS integrity check has not been performed.
When different Grid primaries report different severity levels for the same data check, the appliance reports the most
severe discrepancy level. When different Grid primaries report the same severity for the data check, the appliance
reports only the first check.
You can use the following methods to monitor DNS data discrepancies for selected authoritative zones:
• Viewing syslog events, as described in Viewing the Syslog.
• Monitoring DNS data discrepancy status through the DNS Integrity Check dashboard widget, as described in
DNS Integrity Check.
• Receiving SNMP traps and email notifications, as described in Setting SNMP and Email Notifications.
Domains and Zones

After creating a zone, you can add more zones at the same level, or add subordinate zones (subzones). The subzones
can be authoritative, delegated, forward, or stub.

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The distinction between domains and zones is that domains provide a logical structure to the DNS name space while
zones provide an administrative structure. The difference between domains and subdomains and zones and subzones is
that the terms subdomains and subzones reference their relationship to a parent domain or zone. With the exception of
the root domain and root zone, all domains are subdomains and all zones are subzones.
You can organize a domain based on logical divisions such as type (.com, .gov, .edu; or sales, eng, sup) or location
(.uk, .jp, .us; or hq, east, west). The following figure shows one way to organize the external (public) name space and the
internal (private) name space for a corporation with the domain name corpxyz.com. The external name space follows
standard DNS conventions. Internally, you create an individual subdomain and corresponding subzone for each
department.
Domains and Subdomains, and Forward-Mapping Zones and Subzones
On the Infoblox appliance, you can configure and manage DNS zones and subzones.
IDN Support For DNS Zones

Grid Manager supports IDNs for DNS zones and resource records. For information about IDN, see Managing
Internationalized Domain Names. You can use either IDN or punycode (representation of IDN) to create DNS zones.
Even if you use punycode to create a zone, the appliance automatically generates the corresponding IDN and displays
the zone name in its native characters. Make sure that you use valid punycode to create a DNS zone. If you specify an
invalid punycode, the appliance retains the punycode and does not convert it into IDN. Note that the appliance displays
both the IDN and punycode for an IDN zone.
The following table summarizes how the appliance displays IDNs at the DNS zone level:
Input NIOS Displays... NIOS DNS Domain (Punycode in the Conversion Guidelines
GUI)
hello.com hello.com hello.com No conversion

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Input NIOS Displays... NIOS DNS Domain (Punycode in the Conversion Guidelines
GUI)
прывітанне.com прывітанне.com xn--80adk5aaihr3f9e.com IDN to punycode
xn--80adk5aaihr3f9e.com прывітанне.com xn--80adk5aaihr3f9e.com Punycode to IDN
\xyz format \xyz format \xyz format No conversion
Assigning Zone Authority to Name Servers

Forward-mapping zones answer name-to-address queries, and reverse-mapping zones answer address-to-name
queries. When you create an authoritative forward-mapping zone or reverse-mapping zone, you assign zone authority to
a name server and define it as the primary server for the zone. A primary server is designated as the primary source for
the zone and maintains a master copy of the zone data.
In a traditional DNS configuration, zone updates are performed based on a model that consists of a single primary server
and one or multiple secondary servers, which receive read-only zone updates from the primary through database
replications or zone transfers. Since the primary server contains editable zone data and is designated as the primary
source for the zone, it can become a single point of failure when it becomes unavailable. To avoid a single point of failure
for zone transfers, you can configure multiple primary servers for an authoritative zone.
When you define multiple primary servers for a zone, each primary has a copy of the zone's authoritative data that can
be updated independently. When you modify zone data, the appliance replicates updated data among all primary
servers. When there are conflicts between zone updates, the appliance generally selects the latest updates based on the
timestamps the updates were made by the clients to the primary servers. Therefore, accurate time synchronization
among all servers in the DNS configuration is very important. For more information about other best practices for
configuring multiple primaries for an authoritative zone, see Best Practices for Defining Multiple Primaries for
Authoritative Zones.
You can also create one or more secondary name servers for a zone. A secondary server for a zone receives read-only
zone data from the primary server. If a zone is part of an internal DNS structure for a private network, the inclusion of a
secondary DNS server is optional, though highly recommended. If a zone is part of an external DNS structure for a public
network such as the Internet, then a secondary server in a different subnet from the primary server is required. This
requirement provides an additional safeguard against localized network failures causing both primary and secondary
name servers for a zone to become inaccessible.
 Note
You can enter, modify, and remove zone data on the primary servers, which can then send new and modified
data in a read-only format to the secondary servers. Both primary and secondary name servers are
authoritative for the zone data they serve. The distinction between them is how they get their zone data.
In Grid Manager, you can specify the primary and secondary servers for a zone or you can specify a name server group.
A name server group is a collection of one or more primary servers and one or more secondary servers. For information
on name server groups, see Using Name Server Groups.
Best Practices for Defining Multiple Primaries for Authoritative Zones

Before you configure multiple primary servers for a zone, consider the following guidelines to ensure data integrity:
• This feature is designed to increase availability of the DNS service by allowing multiple primaries for a zone. It will
not increase overall throughput of DNS update traffic, as ultimately all updates must be replicated to (and
processed by) all of the primaries.
• When determining which appliances should act as primaries for the zone, consider that an additional SOA record
will be required in the database for each primary. This will add to the overall record count for the zone, and each
SOA will need to be updated for any change to the zone, which can impact performance.

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• Enable NTP for all members (at the member level) and ensure that their times are properly synchronized with
their local time servers. Ensure that you select the "Exclude the Grid Master as an NTP server" option. The
appliance selects the latest zone updates based on the timestamps the updates were made by clients to the
primary servers. This is especially important when there are conflicts between two or more zone updates. For
information about NTP, see Using NTP for Time Settings.
• When specifying the primary server for secondaries, you can choose to have the appliance automatically select it
for you based on latency determination or you can manually specify it. When manually selecting a primary for
zone updates, consider using one that is close in proximity to the secondary servers, which can result in better
service performance. For information about setting preference for the primary server, see Adding Grid
Secondaries.
• You can configure a default primary for DDNS updates to a zone with multiple primary servers. To enhance
service performance, select a default primary that is close in proximity to the DHCP server that provides DDNS
updates. This is especially useful if you have DHCP members that are located in different locations. You can
configure a different default primary for each DHCP member based on their locations. For more information, see
Defining the Default Primary for DDNS Updates to Zones with Multiple Primaries.
• DNSSEC is not supported for zones with multiple primary servers. These zones must be unsigned. For
information about DNSSEC, see Configuring DNSSEC.
• When determining which appliances should act as primaries for the zone, consider that an additional SOA record
will be required in the database for each primary. This will add to the overall record count for the zone, and each
SOA will need to be updated for any change to the zone, which can impact performance.
Specifying a Primary Server

When you create a zone, the primary server can be a Grid member, an external DNS server that you specify, or a
Microsoft DNS server that is managed by a Grid member. For information about managing Microsoft Windows DNS
servers, see About Managing Microsoft Windows Servers.
Although a zone typically has only one primary server, you can specify multiple primary servers for an authoritative zone.
You can configure multiple Grid primaries or multiple external primaries (including Microsoft AD-integrated servers) for a
zone, but you cannot configure both at the same time for the same zone. In addition, you can configure one Microsoft
server, but not multiple Microsoft servers (except for Microsoft AD-integrated servers), as the primary server for a zone.
Note that each primary server that you configure for a zone has its own MNAME for the SOA record and serial number.
For information about how to view and modify certain values in the SOA record, see Viewing and Modifying SOA
Records.
A hidden primary provides data to its secondary servers, which in turn respond to DNS queries using this data. One of
several advantages of this approach is that you can take the primary server offline for administrative or maintenance
reasons without causing a disruption to DNS service (within the expiration interval set for the validity of its zone data—the
default is 30 days).
When you add an authoritative forward-mapping zone and assign responsibility for the zone to a primary name server
whose host name belongs to the name space of the zone, the NIOS appliance automatically generates an NS (name
server) record and an A (address) record for the name server. This type of A record is called a glue record because it
"glues" the NS record to the IP address (in the A record) of the name server.
In Grid Manager, you can specify the primary server for a zone when you create it using the Add Authoritative Zone
wizard or when you edit an existing zone using the Authoritative Zone editor. For information on how to add a new zone
through the wizard, see Configuring Authoritative Zones. The following procedure describes how to access the editor of a
zone. To specify a primary server for an existing zone:
2. In the Authoritative Zone editor, click Name Servers.
3. Select Use this set of name servers.
4. Click the Add icon and select one of the following options for a primary server:
• Grid Primary: Choose this option to select a Grid member as the primary server for the zone. See
Specifying Grid Primary Servers.
• Microsoft Primary: Choose this option to select a Microsoft DNS server as the primary server for the zone.
See Specifying Microsoft Primary Servers.
• External Primary: Choose this option if the appliance is in a Grid and you want to specify a primary server
outside the Grid ("external" to the Grid). See Specifying External Primary Servers.
5. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen. or

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Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time,
and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.
Specifying Grid Primary Servers
In the Add Grid Primary panel, do the following, and then click Add to add the Grid member to the list of name servers for
the zone as primary:
• If no member is displayed, click Select to specify a Grid member. When there are multiple members, Grid
Manager displays the Member Selector dialog box from which you can select a primary name server. To select
multiple primary servers, click Select and then Add again.
• Stealth: Click this to hide the NS record for the primary name server from DNS queries. The NIOS appliance does
not create an NS record for the primary name server in the zone data. Clear the checkbox to display the NS
record for the primary name server in responses to queries.
Changing the SOA Name for a Zone

If the primary name server of a zone is a Grid member, the NIOS appliance allows you to change the SOA (start of
authority) name that is automatically created when you initially configure the zone. For example, you might want to hide
the primary server for a zone. If your appliance is named dns1.zone.tld, and for security reasons, you may want to show
a secondary server called dns2.zone.tld as the primary server. To do so, you would go to dns1.zone.tld zone (being the
true primary) and change the SOA to dns2.zone.tld to hide the true identity of the real primary server.
To change the SOA name for a zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab > Zones tab> dns_view -> zone checkbox -> Edit icon.
3. Click Override beside the Primary name server field and enter the new SOA name. This field supports IDN.
or
Specifying Microsoft Primary Servers

You can assign a Microsoft server as the primary server of a zone when it is managed by a Grid member in read/write
mode. For information, see About Managing Microsoft Windows Servers . When a Microsoft server is the primary server
of a zone, the zone supports only standard DNS resource records. It does not support the Infoblox record types host
records, bulk host records, and shared record groups. You cannot add any of these records to the zone nor assign a
DNS zone with these records to a Microsoft server as the primary server.
In the Add Grid Primary panel, do the following to assign a Microsoft primary server:
• Select Use this set of name servers.
• Click the Add icon and select Microsoft Primary.
2. In the Add Microsoft Primary panel, do the following, and then click Add to add the Microsoft primary server to the
list of name servers for the zone:
• If no server is displayed, click Select Server to specify a Microsoft server. When there are multiple
servers, Grid Manager displays the Server Selector dialog box from which you can select a Microsoft
server. Grid Manager lists Microsoft servers that are managed in read/write mode. It does not include
Microsoft servers managed in read-only mode.
• Information to create NS record: Grid Manager automatically creates the NS record. After you select a
server, Grid Manager populates the Name and IP Address fields. Grid Manager uses this information
when it creates the NS record, unless you select Stealth. You can specify a different FQDN or IP address
for the NS record; for example, for a multihomed server.
• Store the zone in Active Directory (AD Integrated Zone): This is enabled and selected by default only if the
Microsoft server is a domain controller. Note that you can enable Active Directory integration only after the
Microsoft server has been synchronized at least once because its AD ability is not known before the
synchronization. This is disabled when the Microsoft server is not a domain controller.
• Stealth: Select this option to hide the NS record for the primary name server from DNS queries. Grid
Manager does not create an NS record for the primary name server in the zone data. Clear this option to

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display the NS record for the primary name server in responses to queries. Note that this option is not
available for AD-integrated zones.
Specifying External Primary Servers

In the Add External Primary panel, do the following, and then click Add to add the external primary server to the list of
name servers for the zone:
• Name: Type a resolvable domain name for the external primary server.
• Address: Type the IP address of the external primary server.
• Multi-master: This appears only when there is more than one external primary assigned to the zone. Select this
checkbox for external primary servers when the zone is in another Grid and has multiple Grid primaries. When
you select this option, it is selected for all external primaries assigned to the zone. This zone is identified as an
external zone with multiple primary servers.
• Use TSIG: To authenticate zone transfers between the local appliance and the external primary server using a
TSIG (transaction signature), select this checkbox. Infoblox TSIGs use HMAC-MD5 hashes. These are keyed
one-way hashes for message authentication codes using the Message Digest 5 algorithm. For details, see RFC
1321, The MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm, and RFC 2104, HMAC: Keyed-Hashing for Message Authentication.
• Key name: Type or paste the name of the TSIG key you want to use. This must be the same name as that of the
TSIG key on the external primary server.
• Key Data: Type or paste a previously generated key. This key must also be present on the external primary
server. You can generate a TSIG key, or obtain the TSIG key name and key from the external name server, by
accessing the server yourself or by requesting the server administrator to deliver them to you through some out-
of-band mechanism. Then type or copy-and-paste the name and key into the appropriate fields.
• Use 2.x TSIG: If you want to use TSIG authentication and the external primary name server is a NIOS appliance
running DNS One 2.x code, select this checkbox. The local appliance generates the required TSIG key for
authenticating DNS messages to and from appliances running DNS One 2.x code.
 Note
On the appliance you configure as a secondary server for a zone, you must associate a TSIG key for each
primary server to which the secondary server requests zone transfers. On the appliance you configure as a
primary server for a zone, you can set a TSIG key at the Grid, member, or zone level. Because the secondary
server requests zone transfers, it must send a specific key in its requests to the primary server. Because the
primary server responds to the requests, it can have a set of TSIG keys from which it can draw when
responding. As long as the primary server can find the same TSIG key that the secondary sends it, it can verify
the authenticity of the requests it receives and authenticate the responses it sends. Use NTP to synchronize the
time on both name servers that use TSIG-authenticated zone transfers.
Specifying Secondary Servers

A secondary name server is as authoritative for a zone as a primary server. Like a primary server, a secondary server
answers queries from resolvers and other name servers. The main difference between a secondary and primary server is
that a secondary server receives all its data from a primary server, or possibly from another secondary server that relays
zone data it receives. The zone data passes from a primary to a secondary server (and possibly from that secondary
server on to another secondary server). This process is called a zone transfer.
The advantage of using primary and secondary name servers is that you enter and maintain zone data in one place— on
the primary server. The data is then distributed to the one or more secondary servers.
Secondary servers can be Grid members, external DNS servers or Microsoft DNS servers that are managed by Grid
members. In Grid Manager, you can specify the secondary server for a zone when you create it using the Add
Authoritative Zone wizard and when you edit an existing zone using the Authoritative Zone editor. For information on how
to add a new zone through the wizard, see Configuring Authoritative Zones. The following procedure describes how to
access the editor of a zone.
To specify a secondary server for an existing zone:
1. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.

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3. Select Use this set of name servers.
4. Click the Add icon and select one of the following options:
• Grid Secondary: Selects the local appliance as the secondary server (or if the appliance is deployed in a
Grid and you want to make a different member the secondary server). See Adding Grid Secondaries.
• Microsoft Secondary: Select this option if you want to specify a managed Microsoft DNS server as a
secondary server. See Specifying Microsoft Secondary Servers.
• External Secondary: Select this option if the appliance is in a Grid and you want to specify a secondary
server outside the Grid ("external" to the Grid), or if the appliance is deployed independently from a Grid.
See Specifying External Secondaries.
5. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen. or
Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time,
and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.
Adding Grid Secondaries

When adding Grid secondaries to a zone that has multiple primary servers, the appliance selects a primary server as the
active server based on the method that you have selected. If you select Automatic, the primary is selected based on
latency determination, which occurs separately on each primary. When available, the primary server that has the lowest
latency is preferred. When you select Manual, latency determination is ignored, and the first available primary server in
the list is selected as the active server. Thus if the first primary on the list is not available, the next available primary is
used. Depending on which primary server is selected, the Grid secondary returns the FQDN of the primary in the
MNAME field of the zone SOA record. It also includes the version of the zone content that it serves.
In the Add Grid Secondary panel, enter the following, and then click Add to add the Grid secondary server to the list of
name servers for the zone:
• If no member is displayed, click Select to specify a Grid member. When there are multiple members, Grid
Manager displays the Member Selector dialog box from which you can select a secondary name server.
• Stealth: This setting applies only if the primary server is a Grid member or Microsoft server. Select this to hide the
NS record for the secondary name server from DNS queries. The NIOS appliance does not create an NS record
for this name server in the zone data. Select the checkbox again to display the NS record for the secondary name
server in responses to queries. A secondary server in stealth mode is also known as a "hidden secondary".
For example, you can configure a hidden secondary when a secondary server is at a branch office with a slow
connection to the rest of corporate network. Configure local hosts at the branch office to send DNS queries to the
secondary server, but keep it hidden from other name servers on the rest of the network so that they do not send
it queries. Instead, they use a server located in a different part of the network that has faster connection speeds.
• Lead Secondary: This option becomes available only after you specify the primary name server as external.
When a primary server is external to a Grid whose members are secondary servers, you can select this checkbox
to designate one member as a lead secondary. The primary server sends zone transfers to the lead secondary,
which distributes the zone data to the other secondary servers in the Grid using zone transfers (not the Grid data
replication mechanism). After you designate a Grid member as a lead secondary for a zone, you do not have to
configure members to use the lead secondary server. All other Grid members acting as secondary servers for the
zone automatically use the lead secondary to get zone data. Using a lead secondary simplifies the addition,
modification, and removal of other secondary servers in the Grid. As long as the lead secondary remains
unchanged, you need not update intervening firewall policies or the external primary server whenever you make
changes to non-lead secondary Grid members. This approach also reduces the amount of traffic between primary
and secondary servers.
• Update Zones Using: This option becomes available only after you specify a Grid member as the primary server.
• Grid Replication (recommended): Select this checkbox to use Grid replication to move zone data from the
primary to secondary servers.
• DNS Zone Transfers: Select this checkbox to use the DNS zone transfer process to move zone data from
the primary to secondary servers.
• Primary Preference: This appears only for Grid secondaries that are assigned to zones with multiple primaries.
Select one of the following to set preference for selecting the primary server:
• Automatic: Choose this to allow the appliance to select the optimum primary server for zone updates
based on latency determination, which prefers the primary server that has the lowest latency. This is
selected by default.
• Manual: Choose this to manually select primaries for zone updates. In the Available Primaries and
Selected Primaries tables, click a name server and use the arrows to select and deselect primaries
between the tables. Then use the up and down arrows next to the Selected Primaries table to put the
selected primaries in a preferred order. The secondary servers will get zone updates from the selected

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primary server based on the given order. To optimize service performance, select primary servers that are
close in proximity to the secondary servers.
Specifying Microsoft Secondary Servers

You can assign a Microsoft server as the primary server of a zone when it is managed by a Grid member in read/write
mode. For information, see About Managing Microsoft Windows Servers.
Since Microsoft servers cannot replicate data from the Grid, when a DNS zone is defined as a secondary on a Microsoft
server, the Microsoft server obtains the content of the zone only through DNS zone transfers.
• In the Add Microsoft Secondary panel, do the following:
• If no server is displayed, click Select Server to specify a Microsoft server. When there are multiple
servers, Grid Manager displays the Server Selector dialog box from which you can select a Microsoft
server. Grid Manager lists Microsoft servers that are managed in read/write mode. It does not include
Microsoft servers managed in read-only mode.
• Information to create NS record: Grid Manager automatically creates the NS record. After you select a
server, Grid Manager populates the Name and IP Address fields. Grid Manager uses this information
when it creates the NS record, unless you select Stealth.
• Stealth: This setting applies only if the primary server is a Grid member or a Microsoft server. Select this
option to hide the NS record for the secondary name server from DNS queries. Grid Manager does not
create an NS record for this name server in the zone data. Clear this option to display the NS record for
the secondary name server in responses to queries.
Specifying External Secondaries

In the Add External Secondary panel, enter the following, and then click Add to add the external secondary server to the
list of name servers for the zone:
• Name: Enter a resolvable domain name for the external secondary server.
• Address: Enter the IP address of the external secondary server.
• Stealth: This setting applies only if the primary server is a Grid member or a Microsoft server. Click this checkbox
to hide the NS record for the secondary name server from DNS queries. The NIOS appliance does not create an
NS record for the secondary name server in the zone data. Select the checkbox again to display the NS record
for the secondary name server in response to queries.
 Note
To avoid an impact on your database performance, Infoblox recommends that you do not configure a
large number of external secondary servers in stealth mode. To ensure that these secondary servers
receive notifications about zone updates, you can allow zone transfers for these IP addresses and then
enable the appliance to add them to the also-notify statement. For information about how to configure
this feature, see Configuring Zone Transfers.
• Use TSIG: To authenticate zone transfers between the local appliance and the external secondary server using a
TSIG (transaction signature), select this checkbox. Infoblox TSIGs use HMAC-MD5 hashes. These are keyed
one-way hashes for message authentication codes using the Message Digest 5 algorithm. For details, see RFC
1321, The MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm, and RFC 2104, HMAC: Keyed-Hashing for Message Authentication.
• Key name: Type or paste the name of the TSIG key you want to use. This must be the same name as that of the
TSIG key for this zone on the external secondary server.
• Key: Type or paste a previously generated key. On the external secondary server, this key must also be present
and associated with this zone. You can generate a TSIG key, or you can obtain the TSIG key name and key from
the external name server, either by accessing the appliance yourself or by requesting the appliance administrator
to deliver them to you through some out-of-band mechanism. Then, type or copy-and-paste the name and key
into the appropriate fields.

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• Use 2.x TSIG: Select this checkbox to use TSIG authentication and the external secondary name server is a
NIOS appliance running DNS One 2.x code. The local appliance generates the required TSIG key for
authenticating DNS messages to and from appliances running DNS One 2.x code.
 Note
On the appliance you configure as a secondary server for a zone, you must associate a TSIG key for each
primary server to which the secondary server requests zone transfers. On the appliance you configure as a
primary server for a zone, you can set a TSIG key at the Grid, member, or zone level. Because the secondary
server requests zone transfers, it must send a specific key in its requests to the primary server. Because the
primary server responds to the requests, it can have a set of TSIG keys from which it can draw when
responding. As long as the primary server can find the same TSIG key that the secondary sends it, it can verify
the authenticity of the requests it receives and authenticate the responses it sends. Use NTP to synchronize the
time on both name servers that use TSIG-authenticated zone transfers.
Configuring Domain Controller List

When you configure an AD-integrated authoritative zone, by default all the domain controllers that belong to the domain
automatically add NS records to the AD-integrated zone, which might be undesirable in some deployment scenarios. For
example, if a domain controller is deployed in a company's branch office, it is unlikely that the domain controller should
be registered as the name server for the company's top-level zones. By configuring a domain controller list for the AD-
integrated zone, you can control which domain controllers are allowed to add NS records to the zone. If you configure a
domain controller list for an AD-integrated zone, only those in the list can add NS records to the zone. You can configure
the domain controller list for AD-integrated zones either on the NIOS appliance or on the Microsoft server.
Configuring Domain Controller List on NIOS

You can configure a domain controller list for an AD-integrated authoritative zone to allow NS record creation for specific
domain controllers. You can add, modify, and delete the entries in the domain controller list if the Microsoft server
assigned to the zone is managed in read/write mode. If you have not configured the domain controller list while
configuring an AD-integrated zone, you can perform the configuration later while editing the zone.
Note the following about the domain controller list:
• If the domain controller list is empty for an AD-integrated zone, all domain controllers that belong to the domain
can add NS records to the AD-integrated zone.
• If you remove a domain controller from the domain controller list of an AD-integrated zone, the NS record that
belongs to the domain controller is not automatically deleted. You must manually delete the NS record from the
AD-integrated zone.
To configure a domain controller list for an AD-integrated zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> click the Add icon and select Authoritative
Zone from the drop-down menu.
2. Complete the details as mentioned in Configuring Authoritative Zones and then complete the following to specify
a list of domain controllers that are allowed to add NS records to the AD-integrated zone:
• No: Select No if you do not want to configure a domain controller list for the AD-integrated zone. If you
select No, all domain controllers that belong to the domain can add NS records to the AD-integrated zone.
• Yes: Select Yes to configure a domain controller list for the AD-integrated zone.
If you select Yes, click the Add icon of the Domain Controller table and select one of the following from the
drop-down menu:
• Add: Select this to manually add the IP addresses of the domain controllers to the list. Grid Manager adds
a new row to the table. Specify the following:
• Address: Enter the IP address of the domain controller.
• Comment: Enter information about the domain controller.
To remove an entry from the list, select the entry and click the Delete icon.
• Auto-populate: Select this to automatically populate the Domain Controller table with the list of domain
controllers. In the Add Prepopulated Domain Controllers panel, select one of the following options:

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• Zone: Select this to copy the list of domain controllers from an existing AD-integrated zone in the
NIOS database. Click Select to select the AD-integrated zone. Click Clear to remove the selected
zone.
• Servers in Domain: Select this to add the IP addresses of all the Microsoft servers available in the
NIOS database which belong to the same AD domain as the primary Microsoft server assigned to
the zone.
• Click Add to add the list of domain controllers to the table. Grid Manager automatically populates the
Domain Controller table with the list of domain controllers in ascending order by IP address.
 Note
The Auto-populate option to add the domain controller list is only available while configuring the
AD-integrated zone. It is not available when you edit the domain controller list in
the Authoritative Zone editor.
Configuring Domain Controller List on the Microsoft Server

You can configure a list of domain controllers that are allowed to add NS records to an AD-integrated zone on the
Microsoft server using the dnscmd command line utility as follows:
dnscmd DNS Server /Config Zone Name /AllowNSRecordsAutoCreation Ip Addresses
For example, if you are configuring a domain controller list for an AD-integrated zone foo.net on the DNS server,
192.69.0.1, use the following command:
dnscmd 192.69.0.1 /config foo.net /AllowNSRecordsAutoCreation 192.69.0.6 192.69.0.9
For more information about configuring a domain controller list for an AD-integrated zone on the Microsoft server see
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc755848%28v=ws.10%29.aspx.
Importing Zone Data

Importing zone information alleviates having to manually enter data through the Infoblox GUI. You can import data from
existing name servers, as well as from NIOS appliances running version 3.1r4 or later. You can import existing zone data
when you create a new zone and when you edit an existing zone. You can import one zone (and its subzones) at a time.
For the remainder of this section, the name server that stores the existing zone data (which is imported) is referred to as
the source name server (regardless of whether it is a third-party server or another NIOS appliance). The appliance that
receives the zone data is referred to as the destination appliance. The following illustration shows the import zone data
process.
Importing Zone Data Process

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The appliance imports zone data through a zone transfer. Therefore, the source name server must be authoritative for
the zone data being imported. You must also configure the source name server to allow zone transfers to the destination
appliance. On the source name server, you might need to modify the allow-transfer substatement to include the IP
address of the destination appliance prior to importing the data. If you are importing zone data to an HA pair, use the VIP
(virtual IP) address shared by the HA pair. For a single independent appliance, use the LAN IP address. If you are
importing zone data to a Grid, always use the IP address of the Grid Master.
If the source name server is an Infoblox appliance, you can configure it to allow zone transfers as described in Enabling
Zone Transfers. Note that a NIOS appliance, acting as the primary name server for a zone, by default allows zone
transfers to its secondary name servers. If the zone import fails, the zone to which the data is imported will be disabled
and the system does not create records and delegated subzones.
 Note
The appliance does not encode punycode when you import zone data containing punycode. For example, a
zone data containing IDNs in punycode is stored in punycode for the data being imported. The data is managed
in punycode only.

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About Importing Data into a New Zone
When the appliance imports data to a newly created zone, it imports the existing A, CNAME, DNAME, SRV, TXT, MX,
PTR, host, and bulk host records, but creates NS (and A records matching that NS record) and SOA records appropriate
for the destination server. The NS and SOA records are auto-created when a destination appliance is specified as the
primary or secondary name server for the new zone. If the imported zone has extra NS records, they are rewritten to
specify the source server as an external secondary. Delegation is also added for any subzones. The subzone records are
not imported.
About Importing Data into an Existing Zone

When you import zone data into an existing zone, the zone retains the NS and SOA records automatically created when
the zone was originally created and replaces all other records—A, PTR, MX, TXT, SRV, CNAME, DNAME, host, and bulk
host. The local appliance also retains subzones and records in the subzones that exist locally. If there are no duplicates,
the destination appliance records are retained. If the imported zone has extra NS records, those records change to
designate the source server as an external secondary.
Importing Data into Zones

In Grid Manager, you can import zone data when you create the zone using the Add Authoritative Zone wizard and when
you edit an existing zone. For information on how to add a new zone through the wizard, see Configuring Authoritative
Zones. The last step of the wizard provides the option to import zone data. The following procedure describes how to
import data into an existing zone.
Note: Only superusers can import zone data that contains A, AAAA, shared A, or shared AAAA records with a blank
name. Limited-access users must have read/write permission to Adding a blank A/AAAA record in order to import zone
data that contains A, AAAA, shared A, or shared AAAA records with a blank name, otherwise the import zone data
operation might fail. You can assign global permission for specific admin groups and roles to allow to import A, AAAA,
shared A, or shared AAAA records with a blank name. For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Adding
Blank A or AAAA Records.
To import data into an existing zone:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone checkbox, and then click Import Zone
in the Toolbar.
2. In the Import Zone dialog box, specify the following:
• The IP address of the name server from which you want to import data.
• Optionally, click the Automatically create Infoblox host records from A records checkbox.
3. Click Import.
When the local server successfully imports the zone data, a Confirmation message appears. If the local server cannot
import the zone data, an Error message appears, recommending that you verify the correctness of the IP address of the
remote server and zone information.
 Note
If NIOS resolves the IP address of the imported zone data, an external secondary member is added to the list
of name servers with the exact IP address. If NIOS cannot resolve the IP address of the imported zone data, it
adds an external secondary member with the IP address 255.255.255.255 to the list of name servers.
Removing Zones
Depending on the configuration, you may or may not be able to delete or schedule the deletion of a zone and all its
contents. Superusers can determine which group of users are allowed to delete or schedule the deletion of a zone and
all its contents. For information about how to configure the recursive deletion of zones, see Configuring Recursive
Deletions of Networks and Zones.

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Note that you must have Read/Write permission to all the subzones and resource records in order to delete a zone. The
possible effects of removing or re-parenting are illustrated in the figure Removing or Reparenting Subzones.
Removing or Reparenting Subzones
If you choose to reparent the subzones, be aware of the following caveats and possible effects of the reparenting:
• You cannot remove a zone and reparent its subzones if at least one of the subzones is a delegated zone. You
must first remove any delegated subzones, and then you can remove the zone and reparent its subzones.
• If there are AD (Active Directory) subzones (_msdcs, _sites, _tcp, _udp, domaindnszones, foresetdnszones) and
you opt to remove the parent zone only, the NIOS appliance reparents all subzones except the AD subzones,
which it removes regardless of the removal option you specify.
• The subzone reparenting option is unavailable when you select multiple zones for removal.
• A record created under a top-level reverse-mapping zone is reparented when its immediate parent zone is
created. If that parent zone is deleted, the record is restored to the top-level reverse-mapping zone.
Examples:
Example 1:
Step 1 - Add 10.in-addr.arpa under . (root zone)
Step 2 - If you add 10.in-addr.arpa, it is created under . (root zone)
Step 3 - if you add in-addr.arpa, then 10.in-addr.arpa is reparented under in-addr.arpa
Example 2
• Deleting in-addr.arpa from the hierarchy might lead to 10.in-addr.arpa reparenting under . (root zone),
depending on the Remove zone only/ Remove all subzones option you select.
• If in-addr.arpa is restored, it is restored under . (root) zone with all its resource records.

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Example 3
• Consider in-addr.arpa zone having 10.10.in-addr.arpa + 10.0.0.1 (PTR record)

• If you add 10.in-addr.arpa, then 10.10.in-addr.arpa is reparented under 10.in-addr.arpa
• and 10.0.0.1 PTR record is reparented from in-addr.arpa to 10.in-addr.arpa.
• If you delete 10.in-addr.arpa, then 10.10.in-addr.arpa is reparented under in-addr.arpa (depending on the
Remove zone only/ Remove all subzones option) and 10.0.0.1 PTR record is deleted along with 10.in-addr.arpa
zone.
• When you remove a zone and reparent its subzones, any subzone that inherited its admin access settings from
its previous parent zone (as opposed to having specific access settings for the subzone) now receive their
settings from its new parent zone, which might be different. See the figure Changed Admin Access Settings after
Reparenting Subzones.
Changed Admin Access Settings after Reparenting Subzones

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… the admin access settings for subzone C change because the privileges for its new parent zone (zone A) are different
from those of its previous parent zone (zone B).
Before you remove zone B, subzone C inherits a "Deny" admin access setting from zone B. After the removal, subzone C
inherits "Read/Write" access from its new parent zone, zone A.
Note that if you set a specific "Deny" admin access privilege for subzone C before removing its parent zone (zone B),
subzone C retains its specified "Deny" setting.
 Note
Instead of removing a zone, you can also disable it. For more information, see Enabling and Disabling Zones.
To remove a zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab.
2. Click the checkbox of the zones you want to delete.
4. Select one of the following. Note that these options appear only if you are allowed to delete zones and all its
contents. For information about how to configure this, see Configuring Recursive Deletions of Networks and
Zones.
• Remove zone only: Select this to remove the zone and all its content. The appliance reparents all
subzones to the parent zone of the zone that you want to remove, except for the automatically created AD
(Active Directory) subzones.
• Remove all subzones: Select this to remove the selected zone, all its subzones, and all the resource
records of the selected zone and its subzones.
5. Click Yes. Grid Manager displays a warning message. Click Yes to continue or No to cancel the process. Note
that this process may take a longer time to complete depending on the size of the data.
You can also schedule the deletion for a later time. Click Schedule Deletion and in the Schedule Change panel, enter a
date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Deletions. For information about scheduling recursive
deletions of zones, see Scheduling Recursive Deletions of Network Containers and Zones.
Restoring Zone Data

After you import or delete a zone, if you want the original zone back, you can restore it using the Recycle Bin. When you
import a zone for the first time, the appliance saves the zone and its resource records as a single object in the Recycle
Bin. It keeps the subzones with the zone. See Restoring Zone Data After a Zone Import Example.
When you reimport data into a zone, the software saves the zones, its resource records, and the delegated subzones
created by the previous import operation in the Recycle Bin. It keeps the subzones (not created during the zone import)
with the zone. See Restoring Zone Data After a Zone Reimport Example
If the zone import succeeds, the system adds resource records from the source to the target zone. It also adds delegated
subzones for the source subzones. If the zone import fails, the system does not create records and delegated subzones.
In either case, you can retrieve the original zone and its subzones from the Recycle Bin as follows:
1. Delete the zone using the steps described in the section Removing Zones.
2. Select Remove zone only to remove the zone and its resource records. The NIOS appliance reparents all
subzones to the parent zone of the zone that you remove. Do not select Remove all subzones.
Automatically created AD (Active Directory) subzones are an exception. Even if you select Remove zone only,
the NIOS appliance still removes AD subzones.
3. In the Finder panel, click Recycle Bin.
4. Select the zone you want to restore and click the Restore icon. Click Yes in the Restore Item dialog box to restore
or No to cancel the process. Note that restoring a zone may take a longer time to complete depending on the size
of the data.
The zone is restored back to its original state. The resource records are reparented back under it.

Rev. D
Restoring Zone Data After a Zone Import Example
In the example shown in the figure Restoring Zones After a Zone Import:
1. Import data from a source zone with subzones Sub x and Sub y into zone B with subzones Sub B1 and Sub B2.
The appliance stores zone B and its resource records in the Recycle Bin.
To retrieve zone B after the import:
2. Delete subzone B using the Remove zone only option.
The appliance reparents subzones Sub B1 and Sub B2 to the Zone A, which is the zone above Zone B.
3. After the import, you can restore zone B from the Recycle Bin. The appliance reparents the subzones Sub B1 and
Sub B2 back to zone B.
Restoring Zones After a Zone Import
Restoring Zone Data After a Zone Reimport Example

In the example shown in the figure Restoring Zones After a Zone Reimport:
1. You reimport data from the source zone with subzones Sub x and Sub y into zone B with subzones Sub B1 and
Sub B2.
To retrieve zone B after the import:
2. Delete the delegated subzones x and y and then remove subzone B using the Remove zone only option.
The appliance stores zone B and its resource records and the previously-imported subzones Sub x and Sub y (as
delegated subzones) in the Recycle Bin. It reparents subzones Sub B1 and Sub B2 to the zone above zone B
(Zone A).
3. After the import, you can restore zone B and the subzones Sub x and Sub y from the Recycle Bin. The appliance
reparents the subzones Sub B1 and Sub B2 back to zone B.
Restoring Zones After a Zone Reimport

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Configuring Delegated, Forward, and Stub Zones
In addition to authoritative zones, the NIOS appliance allows you to configure delegated, forward, and stub zones. A
delegated zone is a zone managed by (delegated to) another name server who owns the authority for the zone. A
forward zone is where queries are sent before being forwarded to other remote name servers. A stub zone contains
records that identify the authoritative name servers in another zone. This section covers the following topics:
• Configuring a Delegation
• Configuring a Forward Zone
• Configuring Stub Zones
Configuring a Delegation
Instead of a local name server, remote name servers (which the local server knows) maintain delegated zone data.
When the local name server receives a query for a delegated zone, it either responds with the NS record for the
delegated zone server (if recursion is disabled on the local server) or it queries the delegated zone server on behalf of
the resolver (if recursion is enabled).
For example, there is a remote office with its own name servers, and you want it to manage its own local data. On the
name server at the main corporate office, define the remote office zone as delegated, and then specify the remote office
name servers as authorities for the zone.
You can delegate a zone to one or more remote name servers, which are typically the authoritative primary and
secondary servers for the zone. If recursion is enabled on the local name server, it queries multiple delegated name
servers based on their round-trip times. You can also add arpa as a top-level forward-mapping zone and delegate its
subzones.
You can also configure TTL settings of auto-generated NS records and glue A and AAAA records for delegated zones in
forward-mapping, IPv4 reverse-mapping, and IPv6 reverse-mapping zones. For information, see Specifying Time To Live
Settings.
The delegation must exist within an authoritative zone with a Grid primary server.

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Configuring a Delegation for a Forward-Mapping Zone
To create a delegation for a forward-mapping zone:
2. Click the parent zone to open it.
Grid Manager displays the Records and Subzones tabs of the zone.
3. From the Subzones tab, click the Add icon -> Zone -> Add Delegation.
4. In the Add Delegation wizard, specify the following:
• Name: This field displays a dot followed by the domain name of the current zone. Enter one or more
labels before the dot to specify the domain name of the subzone.
• DNS View: This field displays only when there is more than one DNS view in the network view. Displays
the DNS view of the current zone.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional text about the zone.
• Lock: Click this checkbox to lock the zone so that you can make changes to it, and also prevent others
from making conflicting changes. For information, see Locking and Unlocking Zones.
5. Click Next to assign a delegation name server group or define the name servers for the zone. Select one of the
following:
• Use this nameserver group: Select this to assign a delegation NS group for the delegated zone. You can
select the delegation NS group from the drop-down list.
• Use this set of nameservers: Select this to define name servers for the delegated zone. In the Name
Servers panel, click the Add icon and specify the following information:
• Name: Enter the name of a remote name server to which you want the local server to redirect
queries for zone data. This is a name server that is authoritative for the delegated zone.
• Address: Enter the IP address of the delegated server.
For information about delegation NS group, see Using Delegation Name Server Groups.
6. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen, or click Next to define extensible
attributes as described in Using Extensible Attributes.
or
 Note
The DNS server resolves the FQDN of the delegated name server and does not use the IP address that you
specify when assigning the delegated name servers.
Configuring a Delegation for a Reverse-Mapping Zone

To create a delegation for a reverse-mapping zone:
2. Click the parent zone to open it.
Grid Manager displays the Records and Subzones tabs of the zone.
3. From the Subzones tab, click the Add icon -> Zone -> Add Delegation.
4. In the Add Delegation wizard, specify the following:
• IPv4 Network: This field displays if you are creating a delegation zone for an IPv4 reverse-mapping zone.
Enter the IPv4 address for the address space for which you want to define the reverse-mapping zone and
select a netmask from the Netmask drop-down list. Alternatively, you can specify the address in CIDR
format, such as 192/8.
• To use an RFC 2317 prefix, select a netmask value that is between 25 to 31, inclusive. Grid Manager
displays the following fields:
• RFC2317 Prefix: Enter a prefix in this field. Prefixes can include alphanumeric characters.

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• Allow manual creation of PTR records in parent zone: Select this checkbox to allow users to create labels
that correspond to IP addresses in the delegated address space in the parent zone.
• For information about RFC 2317, see Specifying an RFC 2317 Prefix.
• IPv6 Network Prefix: This field displays if you are creating a delegation zone for an IPv6 reverse-mapping
zone. Enter the IPv6 prefix for the address space for which you want to define the reverse-mapping zone
and select the prefix length from the drop-down list.
• Name: This field displays a dot followed by the domain name of the current zone. Enter one or more
labels before the dot to specify the domain name of the subzone.
• DNS View: This field displays only when there is more than one DNS view in the network view. Select a
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional text about the zone.
• Disable: Select this option to temporarily disable this zone. Note that disabling a zone may take a longer
• Lock: Select this option to lock the zone so that you can make changes to it and prevent others from
making conflicting changes.
• Click Next to assign a delegation name server group or define the name servers for the zone. Select one of the
following:
• Use this name server group: Select this to assign a delegation NS group for the delegated zone. You can
select the delegation NS group from the drop-down list.
• Use this set of name servers: Select this to define name servers for the delegated zone. In the Name
Servers panel, click the Add icon and specify the following information:
• Name: Enter the name of a remote name server to which you want the local server to redirect
queries for zone data. This is a name server that is authoritative for the delegated zone.
• Address: Enter the IP address of the delegated server.
For information about delegation NS groups, see Using Delegation Name Server Groups.
• Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen, or click Next to define extensible
attributes as described in Using Extensible Attributes.
or
 Note
The DNS server resolves the FQDN of the delegated name server and does not use the IP address that
you specify when assigning the delegated name servers.
Configuring a Forward Zone

When you want to forward queries for data in a particular zone, define the zone as a forward zone and specify one or
more name servers that can resolve queries for the zone. You can also assign one or more external name servers as
default forwarders for a forward zone. For example, define a forward zone so that the NIOS appliance forwards queries
about a partner's internal site to a name server, which the partner hosts, configured just for other partners to access.
You can override the default forwarders for a forward-mapping zone at a Grid member level and configure custom
forwarders. In other words, each Grid member can have its own forwarders for the forward zone. For example: a forward-
mapping zone foo.com served by two Grid members M1 and M2 with M1 forwarding queries to 10.1.0.1 and 10.1.0.2 and
M2 forwarding queries to 90.3.3.3 and 90.4.4.1. Note that the Grid member uses the default forwarders unless you
override them at any level. For more information about domains and zones, see Configuring Authoritative Zone
Properties.
 Note
The use of a forward zone is different from that of a forwarder. (A forwarder is a name server that performs
recursive lookups on behalf of the name servers that forward queries to it. For more information,
see Using Forwarders.) A NIOS appliance forwards queries to the name server of a forward zone because the
name server can resolve queries for the zone. A NIOS appliance forwards queries to a forwarder regardless of
zones.

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The NIOS appliance automatically generates a name server record in the parent authoritative zone when a subdomain
associated with the parent is conditionally forwarded. For example, consider that you configure the following within a
single DNS view:
• An authoritative zone parent.tld where Grid member is the default primary.
• A subdomain subdomain.parent.tld, which is a conditional forwarding zone, and forwards queries to the
ns1.abczone.tld zone with the IP address 1.2.3.4.
NIOS automatically creates an RDATA ns1.abczone.tld name server record for subdomain.parent.tld in the parent.tld
authoritative zone. You can however disable the generation of name server records and the NIOS appliance deletes all
the existing name server records from the parent zone.
Note that a name server can have only one definition for a zone in any given DNS view; a forward zone cannot be
configured on a member that already has a zone with the same domain name configured on it in the same DNS view. To
configure a forward-mapping zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Zone -> Add Forward
Zone.
2. In the Add Forward Zone wizard, click Add a forward forward-mapping zone and click Next.
3. Enter the following information, and then click Next:
• Name: Enter the domain name of the zone for which you want the NIOS appliance to forward queries.
Select the DNS view of the forward zone.
• Comment: Enter a descriptive comment.
• Disable: Click this checkbox to temporarily disable this zone. Note that disabling a zone may take a longer
4. Click Next to assign a forward/stub server name server group or define the default zone forwarders to which the
NIOS appliance forwards queries for the zone. Select one of the following:
• Select Use this name server group to assign a forward/stub server NS group for the zone. You can select
the forward/stub server NS group from the drop-down list. For information about forward/stub server NS
groups, see Using Forward/Stub Server Name Server Groups.
• Select Use this set of name servers to specify the default servers for the zone. Click the Add icon and
specify the following:
• Name: Enter a domain name of the server to which you want the NIOS appliance to forward
queries.
• Address: Enter the IP address of the server to which you want the NIOS appliance to forward
queries.
• Select Disable auto-generation of NS records in parent authoritative zone to disable generation of name
server records in a parent authoritative zone that has a subzone, which is conditionally forwarded. The
NIOS appliance will not generate name server records and deletes the existing records from the parent
authoritative zone when you select the checkbox. Note that the checkbox is clear, by default, which
means that the NIOS appliance automatically generates name server records in a parent authoritative
zone.
• Select Use Forwarders Only if you want the NIOS appliance to query forwarders only (not root servers) to
resolve domain names in the zone.
• Click Next to assign a forwarding member name server group or define Grid members to serve the forward-
mapping zone. Select one of the following:
 Note
If you do not define any Grid members to serve the forward-mapping zone, then the named.conf file will
not contain the configuration of the newly created forward zone. Hence, the Infoblox DNS server will not
be authoritative to the forward zone and by default, the Infoblox DNS server will query the root servers
to resolve queries for the forward zone.
1. Select Use this name server group to assign a forwarding member NS group for the zone. You can select the
forwarding member NS group from the drop-down list. For information about forwarding member NS groups, see
Using Forwarding Member Name Server Groups.

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2. Select Use this set of name servers to define the Grid members and use the default forwarders or you can
override default forwarders and configure custom forwarders. Click the Add icon to select the NIOS appliance on
which the forward zone is configured. For an independent deployment, select the local appliance (it is the only
choice). If there are multiple Grid members, the Member Selector dialog box is displayed. Select the required
member by clicking the member name.
The following is displayed for each Grid member:
• Name: Displays the name of the Grid member.
• IPv4 Address: Displays the IPv4 address of the Grid member.
• Override Default Forwarders: Displays Yes when you override default forwarders. Otherwise, this field
displays No.
• Custom Forwarders: Displays the IP address of the custom forwarders. Otherwise, this field is blank.
 Note
Skip the following two steps if you want to use the default forwarders.
• Select a member and click the Edit icon.

• In the Edit Per-Member Forwarders editor, select the Override Default Forwarders checkbox to override the
default forwarders. The Default Zone Forwarders table becomes available only after you select the Override
Default Forwarders checkbox. Click the Add icon to specify the servers to which the NIOS appliance forwards
queries for the zone:
• Name: Enter a domain name for the server to which you want the NIOS appliance to forward queries for
the specified domain name.
• Address: Enter the IP address of the server to which you want the NIOS appliance to forward queries.
• Save the configuration. After successfully saving the configuration, the Override Default Forwarders
column displays Yes and the Custom Forwarders column displays the IP address of the forwarders.
To configure forwarders for multiple members, repeat the steps for each Grid member.
• Save the configuration, or click Next to continue to the next step where you define extensible attributes as
described in Using Extensible Attributes, and then optionally proceed to the next step where you define admin
permissions as defined in About Administrative Permissions.
or
To configure a forward IPv4 reverse-mapping zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the Zones tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Zone -> Add Forward
Zone.
2. In the Add Forward Zone wizard, click Add a forward IPv4 reverse-mapping zone and click Next.
3. Enter the following information, and then click Next:
1. IPv4 Network: Enter the IPv4 address for the address space for which you want to define the reverse-mapping
zone and select a netmask from the Netmask drop-down list. Alternatively, you can specify the address in CIDR
format, such as 192/8.
To use an RFC 2317 prefix, select a netmask value that is between 25 to 31, inclusive. Grid Manager displays the
RFC 2317 Prefix field. Enter a prefix in the text field. Prefixes can be alphanumeric characters. For information,
see Specifying an RFC 2317 Prefix.
or
Name: Enter the domain name of the reverse-mapping zone.
2. DNS View: This field displays only when there is more than one DNS view in the network view. Select a DNS
view from the drop-down list.
3. Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the zone.
4. Disable: Click this checkbox to temporarily disable this zone. Note that disabling a zone may take a longer time to
complete depending on the size of the data.
5. Lock: Click this checkbox to lock the zone so that you can make changes to it, and also prevent others from

Rev. D
• Click Next to assign a forward/stub server name server group or define the default zone forwarders to which the
• Select Use this name server group to assign a forward/stub server NS group for the zone. You can select
the forward/stub server NS group from the drop-down list. For information about forward/stub NS groups,
see Using Forward/Stub Server Name Server Groups.
• Select Use this set of name servers to specify the default servers for the zone. Click the Add icon and
specify the following:
• Name: Enter a domain name for the server to which you want the NIOS appliance to forward
queries.
• Address: Enter the IP address of the server to which you want the NIOS appliance to forward
queries.
• Select Use Forwarders Only if you want the NIOS appliance to query forwarders only (not root
servers) to resolve domain names in the zone.
• Select Use this name server group to assign a forwarding member NS group for the zone. You can select
the forwarding member NS group from the drop-down list. For information about forwarding member NS
groups, see Using Forwarding Member Name Server Groups.
• Select Use this set of name servers to define the Grid members and use the default forwarders or you can
override default forwarders and configure custom forwarders. Click the Add icon to select the NIOS
appliance on which the forward zone is configured. For an independent deployment, select the local
appliance (it is the only choice). If there are multiple Grid members, the Member Selector dialog box is
displayed. Select the required member by clicking the member name.
• Override Default Forwarders: Displays Yes when you override default forwarders. Otherwise, this
field displays No.
• Custom Forwarders: Displays the IP address of the custom forwarders. Otherwise, this field is
blank.
 Note
Skip the following two steps if you want to use the default forwarders.
• Select a member and click the Edit icon.

• In the Edit Per-Member Forwarders editor, select the Override Default Forwarders checkbox to override the
default forwarders. The Default Zone Forwarders table becomes available only after you select the Override
Default Forwarders checkbox. Click the Add icon to specify the servers to which the NIOS appliance forwards
queries for the zone:
• Name: Enter a domain name for the server to which you want the NIOS appliance to forward queries for
the specified domain name.
• Save the configuration. After successfully saving the configuration, the Override Default Forwarders
column displays Yes and the Custom Forwarders column displays the IP address of the forwarders.
To configure forwarders for multiple members, repeat the steps for each Grid member.
• Save the configuration, or click Next to continue to the next step where you define extensible attributes as
described in Using Extensible Attributes.
or
To configure a forward IPv6 reverse-mapping zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Zone -> Add Forward
Zone.

Rev. D
2. In the Add Forward Zone wizard, click Add a forward IPv6 reverse-mapping zone and click Next.
3. Enter the following zone information:
• IPv6 Network Address: Enter the 128-bit IPv6 address for the address space for which you want to define
the reverse-mapping zone. When you enter an IPv6 address, you can use double colons to compress a
contiguous sequence of zeros. You can also omit any leading zeros in a four-hexadecimal group. For
example, the complete IPv6 address 2006:0000:0000:0123:4567:89ab:0000:cdef can be shortened to
2006::123:4567:89ab:0:cdef. Note that if there are multiple noncontiguous groups of zeros, the double
colon can only be used for one group to avoid ambiguity. The NIOS appliance displays an IPv6 address in
its shortened form, regardless of its form when it was entered. Choose the network prefix that defines the
IPv6 network address space.
or
Name: Enter the domain name of the reverse-mapping zone.
• DNS View: This field displays only when there is more than one DNS view in the network view. Select a
4. Click Next to assign a forward/stub server name server group or define the default zone forwarders to which the
• Select Use this name server group to assign a forward/stub server NS group for the zone. You can select the
forward/stub server NS group from the drop-down list. For information about forward/stub NS groups, see Using
Forward/Stub Server Name Server Groups.
• Select Use this set of name servers to specify the default servers for the zone. Click the Add icon and specify the
following:
• Name: Enter a domain name for the server to which you want the NIOS appliance to forward queries.
• Select Use this name server group to assign a forwarding member NS group for the zone. You can select
the forwarding member NS group from the drop-down list. For information about forwarding member NS
groups, see Using Forwarding Member Name Server Groups.
• Select Use this set of name servers to define the Grid members and use the default forwarders or you can
override default forwarders and configure custom forwarders. Click the Add icon to select the NIOS
appliance on which the forward zone is configured. For an independent deployment, select the local
appliance (it is the only choice). If there are multiple Grid members, the Member Selector dialog box is
displayed. Select the required member by clicking the member name.
field displays No.
blank.
Configuring Stub Zones

A stub zone contains records that identify the authoritative name servers in the zone. It does not contain resource
records for resolving IP addresses to hosts in the zone. Instead, it contains the following records:
• SOA (Start of Authority) record of the zone
• NS (name server) records at the apex of the stub zone
• A (Address) records that map the name servers to their IP addresses

Rev. D
Stub zones, like secondary zones, obtain their records from other name servers. Their records are read only; therefore,
administrators do not manually add, remove, or modify the records.
Stub zone records are also periodically refreshed, just like secondary zone records. However, secondary name servers
contain a complete copy of the zone data on the primary server. Therefore, zone transfers from a primary server to a
secondary server, or between secondary servers, can increase CPU usage and consume excessive bandwidth. A name
server hosting a stub zone maintains a much smaller set of records; therefore, updates are less CPU intensive and
consume less bandwidth.
When a name server hosting a stub zone receives a query for a domain name that it determines is in the stub zone, the
name server uses the records in the stub zone to locate the correct name server to query, eliminating the need to query
the root server.
The figures Processing a Query without a Stub Zone and Processing a Query with a Stub Zone illustrate how the NIOS
appliance resolves a query for a domain name for which it is not authoritative. Figure 19.8 illustrates how the appliance
resolves a query when it does not have a stub zone.
The figure Processing a Query with a Stub Zone illustrates how the appliance resolves the query with a stub zone.
In the figure Processing a Query without a Stub Zone, a client sends a query for ftp.sales.corp200.com to the NIOS
appliance. When the appliance receives the request from the client, it checks if it has the data to resolve the query. If the
appliance does not have the data, it tries to locate the authoritative name server for the requested domain name. It sends
nonrecursive queries to a root name server and to the closest known name servers until it learns the correct authoritative
name server to query.
Processing a Query without a Stub Zone

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In figure Processing a Query with a Stub Zone, when the NIOS appliance receives the request for the domain name in
corp200.com, it determines it does not have the resource records to resolve the query. It does, however, have a list of the
authoritative name servers in the stub zone, corp200.com. The appliance then sends a query directly to the name server
in corp200.com.
Processing a Query with a Stub Zone
Stub zones facilitate name resolution and alleviate name server traffic in your network. For example, the client in the
previous examples is in corpxyz.com. The corpxyz.com and corp200.com zones are partners, and send all their
communications through a VPN tunnel, as shown in the figure Stub Zone Configuration. The firewall protecting
corpxyz.com is configured to send all messages for the 10.2.2.0/24 network through the VPN tunnel. Infoblox_A hosts
the stub zone for corp200.com. Therefore, when the host in corpxyz.com sends a query for ftp.sales.corp200.com,
Infoblox_A obtains the IP address of Infoblox_B (10.2.2.7) from its stub zone records and sends the query to the firewall
protecting corpxyz.com.
Because the destination of the query is in the 10.2.2.0/24 network, the firewall (configured to encrypt all traffic to the
network) sends the request through a VPN tunnel to Infoblox_B. Infoblox_B resolves the query and sends back the
response through the VPN tunnel. All name server traffic went through the VPN tunnel to the internal servers, bypassing
the root servers and external name servers.
Stub Zone Configuration

Rev. D
In parent-child zone configurations, using stub zones also eases the administration of name servers in both zones. For
example, as shown in Stub Zone Configuration, sales.corp200.com is a child zone of corp200.com. On the corp200.com
name servers, you can create either a delegated zone or a stub zone for sales.corp200.com.
When you create a delegated zone, you must first specify the name servers in the delegated zone and manually maintain
information about these name servers. For example, if the administrator in sales.corp200.com changes the IP address of
a name server or adds a new name server, the sales.corpxyz.com administrator must inform the corp200.com
administrator to make the corresponding changes in the delegated zone records.
If, instead, you create a stub zone for sales.corp200.com, you set up the stub zone records once, and updates are then
done automatically. The name servers in corp200.com that are hosting a stub zone for sales.corp200.com automatically
obtain updates of the authoritative name servers in the child zone.
In addition, a name server that hosts a stub zone can cache the responses it receives. Therefore, when it receives a
request for the same resource record, it can respond without querying another name server.
Creating Stub Zones

When you create a stub zone on the NIOS appliance, you specify the following:
• The Grid member that is hosting the stub zone.
You can specify multiple appliances if you want the stub zones on multiple name servers. If you do, the
appliances store identical records about the stub zone. You can also specify a stub member NS group for the
zone. For information on specifying a stub member NS group, see Using Stub Member Name Server Groups.
• The IP address of the primary server(s) that the NIOS appliance can query in the stub zone.
The primary server can be a Grid member or an external primary server. If you specify multiple primary servers, the
appliance queries the primary servers, starting with the first server on the list. You can also specify a forward/stub server
NS group for the zone. For information on specifying a forward/stub server NS group, see Using Forward/Stub Server
Name Server Groups.
The primary server and the name server hosting the stub zone can belong to the same Grid, as long as the authoritative
zone and the stub zone are in different DNS views. You cannot configure one zone as both authoritative and stub in the
same view.
After you create a stub zone, the NIOS appliance does the following:
1. It sends a query to the primary server for the SOA (Start of Authority) record of the stub zone. The primary server
returns the SOA record.
2. Then, it sends a query for the NS (name server) records in the zone.
The primary server returns the NS records and the A (address) records of the name servers. (These A records
are also called glue records.)
If the primary server is a NIOS appliance, you might have to manually create the A record and add it to the stub
zone. A NIOS appliance that is the primary server for a zone always creates an NS record, but does not always
create an A record.
• The appliance automatically creates an A record when its host name belongs to the name space of the zone. For
example, if the zone is corpxyz.com and the primary server host name is server1.corpxyz.com, the appliance

Rev. D
automatically creates the NS and A records and sends these records when it is queried by the stub zone name
server.
• The appliance does not automatically create an A record when its host name is in a name space that is different
from the zone. For example, if the zone is corp200.com and the primary server host name is
server1.corpxyz.com, then the appliance creates the NS record only and sends it when it is queried by the stub
zone name server. In this case, you must manually create the A record.
Maintaining Stub Zones

The NIOS appliance maintains the stub zone records and updates them based on the values in the SOA record as
follows:
• The refresh interval indicates when the appliance sends a discrete query to the primary name server for the stub
zone. The appliance learns about any changes in the stub zone and updates the NS and A records in the stub
zone accordingly.
• If the update fails, the retry interval indicates when the appliance resends a discrete query.
• If the query continues to fail, the expiry value indicates when the appliance stops using the zone data.
Adding Stub Zones

To add a stub zone, you must identify the Infoblox appliance that hosts the stub zone, and provide the IP address of the
primary server.
You can also add stub zones for Microsoft servers that are managed by Grid members. For information, see Managing
Microsoft Windows Servers.
You can configure a stub zone for forward mapping or reverse mapping zones.
To add a forward-mapping stub zone:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Zone -> Add Stub
Zone.
2. In the Add Stub Zone wizard, click Add a stub forward-mapping zone and click Next.
3. Specify the following, and then click Next:
• Name: Enter the name for the stub zone.
• Comment: Enter a useful comment, such as the admin to contact for the stub zone.
from making conflicting changes.
4. Click Next to define primary servers in the stub zone. You can specify a forward/stub server NS group or define
the servers individually. Select one of the following:
• Select Use this name server group to assign a forward/stub server NS group for the stub zone. You can select the
forward/stub server NS group from the drop-down list. For information about forward/stub server NS groups, see
Using Forward/Stub Server Name Server Groups.
• Select Use this set of name servers to define primary servers for the stub zone. Click the Add icon and enter the
Name and IP Address of the primary server in the stub zone.
If the primary server is a Grid member, you must enter the host name and IP address of the Grid member. The
NIOS appliance does not validate these entries. Therefore, if you change the IP address of a Grid member listed
here, you must update the Grid member information in this list as well.
You can specify multiple primary servers for redundancy. If the primary server is a NIOS appliance, the appliance
must have the Minimal Response feature disabled so it can propagate the data to the stub server. For information
about the Minimal Response feature, see Specifying Minimal Responses.
Optionally, click the Don't use forwarders to resolve queries in subzones checkbox to indicate that the name
servers hosting the stub zone must not use forwarders to resolve queries for domain names in the stub zone or in
its subzones.
• Click Next to specify a stub member NS group or define the name servers individually to serve the forward-
mapping stub zone. Select one of the following:

Rev. D
• Select Use this name server group to assign a stub member NS group for the zone. You can select the stub
member NS group from the drop-down list. For information about stub member NS group, see Using Stub
Member Name Server Groups.
• Select Use this set of name servers to define the servers individually. Click the Add icon and select one of the
following:
• Add Infoblox Member: Select this and select the Grid member that hosts the stub zone.
• Add Microsoft Server: Select this and select the Microsoft server that hosts the stub zone. The following is
displayed for each name server:
• Name: Displays the name of the name server.
• IPv4 Address: Displays the IPv4 address of the name server.
• Click Next to continue to the next step where you define extensible attributes as described in Using Extensible
Attributes.
• Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen
or
You can define two types of reverse-mapping stub zones, one for IPv4 addresses and one for IPv6 addresses. To
configure an IPv4 reverse-mapping stub zone:
Zone.
2. In the Add Stub Zone wizard, click Add a stub IPv4 reverse-mapping zone and click Next.
• IPv4 Network: Enter the IPv4 address for the address space for which you want to define the
• reverse-mapping zone and select a netmask from the Netmask drop-down list. Alternatively, you can specify the
address in CIDR format, such as 192/8.
• To use an RFC 2317 prefix, select a netmask value that is between 25 to 31, inclusive. Grid Manager displays the
RFC 2317 Prefix field. Enter a prefix in the text field. Prefixes can be alphanumeric characters. For information,
see Specifying an RFC 2317 Prefix.
• or
• DNS View: This field displays only when there is more than one DNS view in the network view. Select a DNS
view from the drop-down list.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the zone.
• Disable: Click this checkbox to temporarily disable this zone. Note that disabling a zone may take a longer time to
complete depending on the size of the data.
• Lock: Click this checkbox to lock the zone so that you can make changes to it, and also prevent others from
• Click Next to define primary servers in the stub zone. You can specify a forward/stub server NS group or define
• Select Use this name server group to assign a forward/stub server NS group for the stub zone. You can
select the forward/stub server NS group from the drop-down list. For information about forward/stub
server NS group, see Using Forward/Stub Server Name Server Groups.
• Select Use this set of name servers to define primary servers for the stub zone. Click the Add icon and
enter the Name and IP Address of the primary server in the stub zone.
If the primary server is a Grid member, you must enter the host name and IP address of the Grid member.
The NIOS appliance does not validate these entries. Therefore, if you change the IP address of a Grid
member listed here, you must update the Grid member information in this list as well.
You can specify multiple primary servers for redundancy. If the primary server is a NIOS appliance, the
appliance must have the Minimal Response feature disabled so it can propagate the data to the stub
server. For information about the Minimal Response feature, see Specifying Minimal Responses.
Optionally, click the Don't use forwarders to resolve queries in subzones checkbox to indicate that the
name servers hosting the stub zone should not forward queries that end with the domain name of the stub
zone to any configured forwarders.
• Click Next to specify a stub member NS group or define the name servers individually to serve the reverse-

Rev. D
• Select Use this name server group to assign a stub member NS group for the zone. You can select the
forward/stub server NS group from the drop-down list. For information about stub member NS group, see
Using Stub Member Name Server Groups.
• Select Use this set of name servers to define the servers individually. Click the Add icon and select one of
the following:
• Add Microsoft Server: Select this and select the Microsoft server that hosts the stub zone. The
following is displayed for each name server:
Attributes.
or
To configure an IPv6 reverse-mapping stub zone:
Zone.
2. In the Add Stub Zone wizard, click Add a stub IPv6 reverse-mapping zone and click Next.
• IPv6 Network Prefix and Prefix Length: Enter the 128-bit IPv6 address for the address space for which
you want to define the reverse-mapping zone. When you enter an IPv6 address, you can use double
colons to compress a contiguous sequence of zeros. You can also omit any leading zeros in a four-
hexadecimal group. For example, the complete IPv6 address 2006:0000:0000:0123:4567:89ab:0000:cdef
can be shortened to 2006::123:4567:89ab:0:cdef. Note that if there are multiple noncontiguous groups of
zeros, the double colon can only be used for one group to avoid ambiguity. The NIOS appliance displays
an IPv6 address in its shortened form, regardless of its form when it was entered. You can enter a slash
and prefix length in the IPv6 Network Prefix field or you can choose a value from the Prefix Length drop-
down list.
or
4. Click Next to define primary servers in the stub zone. You can specify a forward/stub server NS group or define
• Select Use this name server group to assign a forward/stub server NS group for the stub zone. You can select the
forward/stub server NS group from the drop-down list. For information about forward/stub server NS group, see
Using Forward/Stub Server Name Server Groups.
• Select Use this set of name servers to define primary servers for the stub zone. Click the Add icon and enter the
Name and IP Address of the primary server in the stub zone.
If the primary server is a Grid member, you must enter the host name and IP address of the Grid member. The
NIOS appliance does not validate these entries. Therefore, if you change the IP address of a Grid member listed
here, you must update the Grid member information in this list as well.
You can specify multiple primary servers for redundancy. If the primary server is a NIOS appliance, the appliance
must have the Minimal Response feature disabled so it can propagate the data to the stub server. For information
about the Minimal Response feature, see Specifying Minimal Responses.
Optionally, click the Don't use forwarders to resolve queries in subzones checkbox to indicate that the name
servers hosting the stub zone should not forward queries that end with the domain name of the stub zone to any
configured forwarders.

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• Click Next to specify a stub member NS group or define the name servers individually to serve the reverse-
• Select Use this name server group to assign a stub member NS group for the zone. You can select the stub
member NS group from the drop-down list. For information about stub member NS group, see Using Stub
Member Name Server Groups.
• Select Use this set of name servers to define the servers individually. Click the Add icon and select one of the
following:
• Add Microsoft Server: Select this and select the Microsoft server that hosts the stub zone.
The following is displayed for each name server:
Attributes.
or
Viewing and Modifying SOA Records
The timer values in the SOA record determine when the zone data is updated. The MNAME field and the RNAME field of
the SOA record display the FQDN of the primary server and the administrative email address respectively. You can view
these default values and override them when necessary. For a zone that has multiple primary servers, Grid Manager
displays all configured primaries for the zone. You can click Override to override the Grid-level settings. If the primary
server is a Microsoft server however, the Override option does not appear. You can only change certain values in the
SOA record.
To view and modify zone SOA record values:

2. In the Authoritative Zone or Stub Zone editor, click the Settings tab to view the following values. You can also click
Override to modify some of the values.
• Serial number: The current serial number for the primary server. This number is automatically increased when
changes are made to the zone or its record. The serial number plays a key role in determining when and whether
zone data is updated. You can change the serial number only if the primary server of the zone is a Grid member.
When the zone has multiple primary servers, each primary can have its own serial number. In this case, the serial
number displayed here is always that of the Grid Master, which will also appear in the primary name server list if it
is one of the primaries for the zone.
 Note
If you change the serial number of the Grid Master, serial numbers for all primaries will be changed to
the same number. A warning is displayed when you try to decrement the serial number.
• Refresh: This interval tells secondary servers how often to send a message to the primary server for a zone to
check that their data is current, and retrieve fresh data if it is not. The default is three hours.
• Retry: This interval tells the secondary server how long to wait before attempting to recontact the primary server
after a connection failure between the two occurs. The default is one hour.
• Expire: If the secondary fails to contact the primary for the specified interval, the secondary stops giving out
answers about the zone because the zone data is too old to be useful. The default is 30 days.

Rev. D
• Default TTL: Specifies how long name servers can cache the data. The default is eight hours.
• Negative-caching TTL (Time to Live): Specifies how long name servers can cache negative responses. The
default is 15 minutes.
• Primary name server (for SOA MNAME field): If the primary name server of a zone is a Grid member, the
MNAME is inherited from its corresponding member, and you can change the name of the primary name server
that is published in the MNAME field of the SOA record. This field accepts names in native character sets. If the
zone has multiple primary name servers, a list of all primaries is displayed in this section. Each primary has its
own serial number and the number can be different among them. Note that the serial numbers for these primaries
are read-only and you cannot modify them. If you change the serial number of the Grid Master, serial numbers for
all primaries will be changed to the same number.
• Email Address (for SOA RNAME field): If the primary name server of a zone is a Grid member, you can enter an
administrator email address to the SOA record to help people determine who to contact about this zone. The
appliance supports IDN for the host name of the Email address. For example, you can create
admin@инфоблокс.рф but not админ@инфоблокс.рф.com.
• Don't use forwarders to resolve queries in subzones: Select this option to disable the use of forwarders to resolve
queries for data in subzones.
To schedule this task, click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard. In the Schedule Change panel, click Later,
and then specify a date, time, and time zone. The Schedule icon is green when there is a pending scheduled
task. You can reschedule the task if you have the applicable permissions.
Configuration Example: Configuring a Stub Zone in a Grid

This example illustrates how to configure a stub zone and assign it to a Grid member. You configure a Grid, corpxyz, with
a single Grid Master and Grid member. The Grid member, member1.corpxyz.com, is the primary name server for the
corpxyz.com zone in the internal view. The Grid Master, gm-corpxyz.com, hosts the stub zone for corpxyz.com in the
external view. Thus, when the Grid Master receives a query for the corpxyz.com zone, it sends it directly to
member1.corpxyz.com, the primary name server for the zone.
In this example, you configure the following:

1. Turn off minimal responses on member1.corpxyz.com, the primary name server for the corpxyz.com zone. See
Disable Minimal Responses.
2. Create the internal and external views. See Create the Views.
3. Create the corpxyz.com authoritative zone and stub zone. See Create the Zones.
Disable Minimal Responses

After you create the Grid, turn off minimal responses for member1.corpxyz.com. Disabling minimal responses ensures
that member1.corpxyz.com propagates the required data to the server hosting the stub zone.
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, click Members -> member1.corpxyz.com checkbox -> Edit
icon.
2. In the Member DNS Configuration editor, click the General -> Basic tab.
3. Clear the Return minimal responses checkbox.
Create the Views

Create the internal and external views. To create each view:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add DNS View.
2. In the Add DNS View wizard, enter the name of the view. In this example, enter either External or Internal.
3. Click Save & New and create the other DNS view.
Create the Zones

Create the corpxyz.com zone in the internal view and assign member1.corpxyz.com as the Grid primary server:
Zone.

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2. In the Forward Authoritative Zone wizard, do the following:
• Select Add an authoritative forward-mapping zone and click Next.
• Enter the zone name, corpxyz.com and select the Internal DNS view. Click Next.
• Select Use this set of name servers and select member1.corpxyz.com as the Grid primary server.
After you create the zone, you can view the NS and A records which were automatically created.
Create the stub zone, corpxyz.com, in the external view, assign gm-corpxyz.com as the stub member and
member1.corpxyz.com as the stub primary server.
Zone.
2. In the Stub Zone wizard, do the following:
• Select Add a stub forward-mapping zone and click Next.
• Enter the name of the stub zone, corpxyz.com and select the External DNS view. Click Next.
• In the Master Name Servers panel, click the Add icon and enter the following for the primary name server,
and then click Next:
• Name: member1.corpxyz.com
• Address: 10.35.0.222
• In the Name Servers panel, click the Add icon and select gm-corpxyz.com.
After you create the stub zone, the server hosting the stub zone, gm-corpxyz.com, sends queries to the primary server,
member1.corpxyz.com, for the SOA and NS records. member1.corpxyz.com then returns its NS records and A (address)
records.
Viewing Zones
To list zones, navigate to the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones panel. If there is more than one DNS view in
the Grid, this panel lists the DNS views. Select a DNS view to list its zones. (For information, see Listing DNS Views.)
• Click Toggle flat view to display a flat list of all the zones in the view.
• Click Toggle hierarchical view to display only the apex zones.
In the hierarchical view, you can see one entry for the host that represents the entire host object. In a host record, there
can be multiple DNS resource records (A, PTR, CNAME) and some DHCP data (fixed addresses) as well. In the flat
view, each of the DNS resource records in the host are listed separately.
For example, the host called server1.infoblox.com contains 2 A records and an ALIAS (which is a host naming
convention for CNAME records). If you view the infoblox.com zone using the hierarchical view option, you will see one
entry host for server1.infoblox.com. In the flat view, you will see three records (one for each IP address/A record, and one
host Alias for the CNAME). In the flat view, you cannot delete one piece of the host record. You can edit the host record
and you can remove information. Deleting host records deletes the entire host record only.
This panel displays the following information for each zone, by default:
• Name: The domain name of the zone.
• MS Sync Server: When a zone is served by multiple Microsoft servers, this column shows which Microsoft server
is actually performing the synchronization of that zone with the Grid.
• MS Zone Sync: Displays Yes if you have enabled zone synchronization, and displays No when the zone
synchronization is disabled. This column appears only when you have the Microsoft license installed.
• Grid Primary Server: The primary name server configured for an authoritative zone in the DNS view.
• Type: The zone type. Possible values are Authoritative, Forward, Stub and Delegation.
• Multi-master Zone: Indicates whether this zone has multiple primary name servers.
• Comment: Comments that were entered for the zone.
• Site: Values that were entered for this pre-defined attribute.
You can also display the following columns:
• Locked: Displays Yes when a zone is locked by an admin, and displays No when the zone is unlocked.
• Function: Indicates whether the zone is a forward-mapping, or an IPv4 or IPv6 reverse-mapping zone.
• ZSK rollover date: Displays the date when the ZSK is due for next rollover. The appliance performs a rollover
automatically at this time.

Rev. D
• KSK rollover date: Displays the date when the KSK is due for next rollover. The appliance performs a rollover
automatically at this time if you have enabled automatic KSK rollover. For more information, see Configuring
Automatic KSK Rollovers and Notifications. You must perform the rollover manually, if you have disabled this
option.
• Disabled: This field displays Yes if the zone is disabled. Otherwise, this field displays No. You can double click a
row and select the checkbox in this column to disable the zone. Grid Manager displays a warning message when
you disable the zone. Click Yes to confirm or No to cancel.
• Signed: This field displays Yes if the zone is a DNSSEC-signed zone. Otherwise, this field displays No. You can
do the following:
• List the resource records and subzones of a DNS zone.
• Click a DNS zone name.
• Edit the properties of a DNS zone.
• Click the checkbox beside a DNS zone, and then click the Edit icon.
• Delete a DNS zone.
• Click the checkbox beside a DNS zone, and then click the Delete icon. Grid Manager displays a warning
message. Click Yes to continue or No to cancel the process. Note that this process may take a longer
• Export the list of DNS zones to a .csv file.
• Print the list of DNS zones.
Using Name Server Groups

A name server (NS) group is a collection of one or more DNS servers. Grouping a commonly used set of DNS servers
together simplifies zone creation by enabling you to specify a single NS group instead of specifying multiple name
servers individually.
You can configure the following types of name server groups:
• Authoritative name server group
• Delegation name server group
• Forwarding member name server group
• Stub member name server group
• Forward/Stub server name server group
Using Authoritative Name Server Groups

An authoritative name server group is a collection of one or more primary DNS servers and secondary DNS servers.
After you create an authoritative NS group, you can then assign it to serve authoritative forward-mapping and reverse-
mapping zones. When you assign an authoritative NS group to an authoritative zone, Grid Manager automatically
generates an NS record, a glue A or AAAA record, and a PTR record for each name server available in the NS group. But
if the zone is disabled, Grid Manager does not generate these records.
Grid Manager generates authoritative A, AAAA, and PTR records when:
• A Grid member is added to a Grid, whose host name belongs to the name space of the authoritative zone and
vice versa.

Rev. D
• An external name server is assigned to a zone, whose host name belongs to the name space of the authoritative
zone.
 Note
Grid Manager does not generate an NS record when the DNS service for the member is disabled.
The performance of the following functions significantly improve when you assign an NS group to a zone instead of
specifying multiple name servers individually:
• Starting and Stopping the DNS service.
• Reparenting the zones after removing or restoring a zone.
• Modifying the zone data.
 Note
Only superusers can create and manage name server groups
Adding Authoritative Name Server Groups

To add an authoritative name server group:
1. From the Data Management -> DNS tab, do one of the following:
• Click the Name Server Groups tab -> Add icon -> Group -> Authoritative.
• From the Toolbar, click the Add icon -> Group -> Authoritative.
2. In the Add Name Server Group wizard, do the following:
• Name: Type a name that provides a meaningful reference for this set of servers.
• Name Servers: Click the Add icon and select one of the following options for every server that you are
adding to the NS group:
• Grid Primary: Choose this option to select a primary name server or multiple primary servers for
the zone. See Specifying Grid Primary Servers.
• Grid Secondary: Choose this option to select a Grid member as a secondary server for the zone.
See Adding Grid Secondaries.
• External Primary: Choose this option if the appliance is in a Grid and you want to specify a primary
server outside the Grid ("external" to the Grid). See Specifying External Primary Servers.
• External Secondary: Choose this option if the appliance is in a Grid and you want to specify a
secondary server outside the Grid ("external" to the Grid), or if the appliance is deployed
independently from a Grid. See Specifying External Secondaries.
• Default NS Group: Select this to specify this authoritative name server group as the default.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the authoritative NS group.
attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
A newly created authoritative name server group appears in the Name Server Groups tab. For information about viewing
the name server groups, see Viewing Name Server Groups. You can then associate it with forward-mapping and reverse-
mapping authoritative zones.
Applying Authoritative Name Server Groups

In Grid Manager, you can assign an authoritative name server group to an authoritative zone when you first create it
using the Add Authoritative Zone wizard and when you edit an existing authoritative zone using the Authoritative Zone
editor. For information on creating an authoritative zone using the wizard, see Configuring Authoritative Zones. The
panels used to assign a name server group to a zone are the same in the wizard or and editor. The only difference is the
way you access it. The following procedure describes how to specify an authoritative NS group when editing a forward-
mapping zone:
1. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.

Rev. D
3. Select Use this name server group, and then select the authoritative NS group from the drop-down list.
 Note
If you apply a name server group to at least one zone or specify it as the default group, you cannot
rename or remove it. To rename or remove a group, you must first disassociate it from all zones and
unassign it as the default group.
Using Delegation Name Server Groups

A delegation name server group is a collection of external name servers for delegated zones. Adding a set of external
name servers to a single delegation name server group can significantly reduce configuration efforts. While configuring
delegated zones, you can specify a single delegation NS group instead of configuring multiple name servers individually.
After you create a delegation NS group, you can then assign it to serve only delegated zones. When you assign a
delegation NS group to a delegated zone, Grid Manager automatically generates an NS record, a glue A or AAAA record,
and a PTR record for each name server available in the delegation NS group. But if the zone is disabled, Grid Manager
does not generate these records.
Note the following while adding a delegation NS group:
• You cannot add a delegation NS group if a NS group with the same name already exists and vice versa.
• If a Grid has any Microsoft servers configured, delegation NS groups are not allowed and vice versa.
• You cannot delete a delegation NS group if it is assigned to a zone.
• The DNS server resolves the FQDN of the delegated name server and does not use the IP address that you
specify when assigning the delegated name servers.
Adding Delegation Name Server Groups

To add a delegation name server group:
• Click the Name Server Groups tab -> Add icon -> Delegation.
• From the Toolbar, click the Add icon -> Group -> Delegation.
2. In the Add Delegation Name Server Group wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the delegation NS group.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the delegation NS group.
3. Click Next to define the external name servers for the delegation NS group.
4. In the Name Server panel, click the Add icon and specify the following for every server that you are adding to the
delegation NS group:
• Name: Enter the name of the delegated name server.
• Address: Enter the IP address of the delegated name server.
attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
A newly created delegation NS group appears in the Name Server Groups tab. For information about viewing the
name server groups, see Viewing Name Server Groups. You can then associate it with delegated zones.
 Note
You will not be able to add a delegated name server group if DNS synchronization is enabled on any Microsoft
server configured in NIOS.
Applying Delegation Name Server Groups

You can assign a delegation NS group to a delegated zone when you first create it using the Add Delegation wizard and
when you edit an existing delegated zone using the Delegation Zone editor. For information about creating a delegated
zone using the wizard, see Configuring a Delegation.
Complete the following to assign a delegation NS group to a delegation zone:

Rev. D
1. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones tab -> delegation zone checkbox, and then click the Edit
icon.
2. In the Delegation Zone editor, click Delegated Name Servers.
3. Select Use this name server group, and then select the delegation NS group from the drop-down list.
Using Forwarding Member Name Server Groups

A forwarding member NS (Name Server) group is a collection of one or more forwarding name servers. Grouping a set of
forwarding name servers together reduces the configuration efforts. When you configure a forwarding zone, you can
specify a single forwarding member NS group instead of specifying multiple forwarding name servers individually. After
you create a forwarding member NS group, you can assign it to a forward forward-mapping zone and a forward reverse-
mapping zone.
Note the following while adding a forwarding member NS group:
• Only superusers can add, modify, and delete a forwarding member NS group.
• You cannot add a forwarding member NS group if a NS group with the same name already exists and vice versa.
• You cannot delete a forwarding member NS group if it is assigned to a zone.
Adding Forwarding Member Name Server Groups

To add a forwarding member NS group:
• Click the Name Server Groups tab -> Add icon -> Forwarding Member.
• From the Toolbar, click the Add icon -> Group -> Forwarding Member.
2. In the Forwarding Member Name Server Group wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the forwarding member NS group.
Name Servers: In this section, you can add the Grid members to the forwarding member NS group and
use the default forwarders or you can override default forwarders and configure custom forwarders. Click
the Add icon and select a Grid member from the MemberSelector dialog box.
The following is displayed in the table for each member:
• IPv4 Address: The IPv4 address of the Grid member.
field displays No.
blank.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the forwarding member NS group.
3. Save the configuration or click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible
Attributes.
A newly created forwarding member NS group appears in the Name Server Groups tab. For information about viewing
the name server groups, see Viewing Name Server Groups. You can then associate it with forward forward-mapping
zones and forward reverse-mapping zones.
Applying Forwarding Member Name Server Groups

You can assign a forwarding member NS group to a forward zone when you first create it using the Add Forward Zone
wizard and when you edit an existing forward zone using the Forward Zone editor. For information about creating a
forward zone using the wizard, see Configuring a Forward Zone.
Complete the following to assign a forwarding member NS group to a forward zone:
1. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones tab -> forward zone checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the Forward Zone editor, click Name Servers.
3. Select Use this name server group, and then select the forwarding member NS group from the drop-down list.

Rev. D
Using Stub Member Name Server Groups
A stub member NS (Name Server) Group is a collection of one or more Grid members for stub zones. When you
configure a stub zone, you can specify a single stub member NS group instead of specifying multiple Grid members
individually, thus reducing the configuration efforts. After you create a stub member NS group, you can assign it to
forward-mapping stub zones and reverse-mapping stub zones.
Note the following while adding a stub member NS group:
• Only superusers can add, modify, and delete a stub member NS group.
• You cannot add a stub member NS group if a NS group with the same name already exists and vice versa.
• You cannot delete a stub member NS group if it is assigned to a zone.
Adding Stub Member Name Server Groups

To add a stub member NS group:
• Click the Name Server Groups tab -> Add icon -> Stub Member.
• From the Toolbar, click the Add icon -> Group -> Stub Member.
2. In the Stub Member Name Server Group wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the stub member NS group.
• Name Servers: In this section, you can add the Grid members to the stub member NS group. Click the
Add icon and select a Grid member from the MemberSelector dialog box.
The following is displayed in the table for each member:
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the stub member NS group.
Attributes.
A newly created stub member NS group appears in the Name Server Groups tab. For information about viewing the
name server groups, see Viewing Name Server Groups. You can then associate it with stub
forward-mapping zones and stub reverse-mapping zones.
Applying Stub Member Name Server Groups

You can assign a stub member NS group to a stub zone when you first create it using the Add Stub Zone wizard and
when you edit an existing stub zone using the Stub Zone editor. For information about creating a stub zone using the
wizard, see Configuring Stub Zones.
Complete the following to assign a stub member NS group to a stub zone:
1. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones tab -> stub zone checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the Stub Zone editor, click Name Servers.
3. Select Use this name server group, and then select the stub member NS group from the drop-down list.
Using Forward/Stub Server Name Server Groups

A forward/stub server NS (Name Server) group is a collection of one or more external name servers. Grouping a set of
external name servers together to a forward/stub server NS group reduces the configuration efforts. You can assign a
single forward/stub server NS group as default forwarders for a forward zone or as primary servers for a stub zone
instead of specifying multiple name servers individually.
Note the following while adding a forward/stub server NS group:
• Only super-users can add, modify, and delete a forward/stub server NS group.
• You cannot add a forward/stub server NS group if a NS group with the same name already exists and vice versa.
• You cannot delete a forward/stub server NS group if it is assigned to a zone.

Rev. D
Adding Forward/Stub Server Name Server Groups
To add a forward/stub server NS group:
• Click the Name Server Groups tab -> Add icon -> Forward/Stub Server.
• From the Toolbar, click the Add icon -> Group -> Forward/Stub Server.
2. In the Forward/Stub Server Name Server Group wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name that provides a meaningful reference for this set of external name servers for the
forward and stub zones.
• Name Servers: Click the Add icon and specify the following for every external name server that you are
adding to the forward/stub server NS group:
• Name: The name of the external name server.
• IP Address: The IP address of the external name server.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the forward/stub server NS group.
Attributes.
A newly created forward/stub server NS group appears in the Name Server Groups tab. For information about viewing
the name server groups, see Viewing Name Server Groups. You can then associate it with forward zones as default
forwarders and as primary servers for stub zones.
Applying Forward/Stub Server Name Server Groups

You can assign a forward/stub server NS group to a forward zone as default forwarders and as primary servers to a stub
zone when you first create it and when you edit an existing forward zone and stub zone. For information about creating a
forward zone using the wizard, see Configuring a Forward Zone. For information about creating a stub zone using the
wizard, see Configuring Stub Zones.
Complete the following to assign a forward/stub server NS group to a forward zone:
1. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones tab -> forward zone checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the Forward Zone editor, click Forwarders.
3. Select Use this name server group, and then select the forward/stub server NS group from the drop-down list.
Complete the following to assign a forward/stub server NS group to a stub zone:
4. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones tab -> stub zone checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
5. In the Stub Zone editor, click Masters.
6. Select Use this name server group, and then select the forward/stub server NS group from the drop-down list.
Viewing Name Server Groups

You can view the configured authoritative, delegation, forwarding member, stub member, and forward/stub server name
server groups by navigating to the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Name Server Groups tab.
The panel displays the following information about each name server group:
• Name: The name of the name server group.
• Type: The name server group type. Possible values are Authoritative, Delegation, Forwarding Member, Stub
Member, and Forward/Stub Server.
• Comment: Comments that were entered for the name server group.
• Site: Values that were entered for this pre-defined attribute. You can do the following:
• Edit the properties of a name server group.
• Select the checkbox beside a name server group, and then click the Edit icon.
• Delete a name server group.

Rev. D
• Select the checkbox beside a name server group, and then click the Delete icon. Note that you cannot
delete a delegation name server group that is assigned to a zone.
• Export the list of Grid members to a .csv file.
• Print the list of Grid members.
Configuring DNS Resource Records
If you need to add a large number of A and PTR records, you can have the NIOS appliance add them as a group and
automatically assign host names based on a range of IP addresses and the host name format you specify. Such a group
of records is called a bulk host, which the appliance manages and displays as a single bulk host record.
This section provides general information about Infoblox host records and DNS resource records. The topics in this
section include:
• Adding Bulk Hosts

• Specifying Bulk Host Name Formats
• Managing Resource Records
• Configuring Shared Record Groups
Adding Bulk Hosts

To add a bulk host:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Host -> Add Bulk Host.
2. In the Add Bulk Host wizard, complete the following fields:
• Prefix: If Grid Manager displays a zone name, enter a prefix (or series of characters) to insert at the beginning of
each host name. The displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the zone from which you are
adding the bulk host record. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to specify a different zone, click Select
Zone. When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. Click a zone name in
the dialog box, and enter a prefix for the bulk host record. You can enter any printable character that complies
with the zone host name policy or you can also leave this blank.
The sum of the bulk host prefix length and suffix length must not exceed 63 characters. When you enter a prefix,
the NIOS appliance computes the maximum length of the bulk host suffix to verify that the total prefix and suffix
length does not exceed 63 characters. If it does, the appliance displays an error message indicating the number
of characters that you must remove to make a valid prefix.
• DNS View: Displays the DNS view of the zone to which the bulk host records belong.
• Host Name Policy: Displays the host name policy of the selected DNS zone.
• Name Format: To override the default four-octet suffix format or the format set at the Grid level, and
specify a different format, click Override and select a host name format from the Name Formats drop-
down menu.
• The Name Formats drop-down menu lists the formats Four Octets, Three Octets, Two Octets, and One
Octet along with any other bulk host name formats that you have defined.
• Starting IP Address: Enter the first IP address in the range of addresses for the group.
• End IP Address: Enter the last IP address in the range of addresses for the group.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information for this record.
• Automatically Add Reverse Mapping: Click to have the appliance automatically create a PTR record for
each IP address within the bulk host range.
• Disable: Clear the checkbox to enable the record. Select the checkbox to disable it.
• Click Next to define extensible attributes for the bulk host record. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
To modify or delete a bulk host, see Modifying, Disabling, and Deleting Host and Resource Records.

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Example 1 - Responding to DNS AXFR Queries
This example shows the responses the bulk host foo/1.2.3.10/1.2.3.20 returns to DNS AXFR (Full Zone Transfers)
queries.
If the bulk host uses the template -$3-$4, the query returns:
foo-3-10.test.com foo-3-11.test.com
......
foo-3-20.test.com
If the bulk host uses the template -#2-#3-#4, the query returns:
foo-002-003-010.test.com foo-002-003-011.test.com
......
foo-002-003-020.test.com
Example 2 - Importing Zones with Bulk Hosts

When you import zones with bulk hosts, the system selects the most specific match.
The following example can possibly match three octet, two octet, and one octet formats; however, the system selects the
most specific four octet default format.
The query:
foo-1-2-3-4 IN A 1.2.3.4
foo-1-2-3-5 IN A 1.2.3.5
Results in the match:

foo/1.2.3.4/1.2.3.5(Four Octets)
Not in any of the following:
foo-1/1.2.3.4/1.2.3.5(Three Octets) foo-1-2/1.2.3.4/1.2.3.5(Two Octets)
foo-1-2-3/1.2.3.4/1.2.3.5(One Octet)
Specifying Bulk Host Name Formats

Bulk host name formats provide a flexible way to define bulk host names. You create multiple bulk host formats at the
Grid level. Either select from the default bulk host formats or create your own. You can specify a different format for each
bulk host. When you assign a bulk host name format to a bulk host in a zone, the system applies the zone's host name
policy to it.
A bulk host name consists of a prefix, a suffix, and the name of the domain to which the host belongs. The prefix can
contain any printable character that complies with the zone host name policy. It can also be blank. The suffix is derived
from an IP address in the bulk host IP address range. The appliance also supports IDNs for bulk host names. You can
use IDNs or their punycode representations while creating bulk hosts.
The following table summarizes how the appliance displays bulk host names that contain IDNs:
Input NIOS Displays... NIOS DNS Domain (Punycode in Conversion Guidelines

the GUI)
hello hello hello No conversion
прывітанне прывітанне xn--80adk5aaihr3f9e IDN to punycode
xn--80adk5aaihr3f9e xn--80adk5aaihr3f9e xn--80adk5aaihr3f9e No conversion
\xyz format \xyz format \xyz format No conversion

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The suffix format is a string of ASCII characters that uses $ (unpadded) or # (zero-padded) followed by 1,2,3,4 to refer to
the first, second, third, or fourth IP address octet; it uses $1,$2,$3,$4 or #1,#2,#3,#4. $2 refers to the second unpadded
octet and #4 refers to the fourth zero-padded octet. For example:
The prefix of a bulk host = info IP address = 10.19.32.133 Domain name = infoblox.com.
If you specify the default four-octet format $1$2-$3-$4, the bulk host name is
info-10-19-23-133.infoblox.com.
If you specify a custom name format such as #1#2*#3*#4, the bulk host name is
info*010*019*023*133.infoblox.com.
Before Defining Bulk Host Name Formats
Before you specify a bulk host name format, ensure that it complies with the following rules:
• The NIOS appliance uses <prefix>-xx-xx-xx-xx for bulk hosts. Ensure that the bulk host name does not conflict
with CNAMEs, DNAMEs, or host name aliases.
• When you add a bulk host, if you enable the Automatically add reverse mapping option and there is a CNAME
record in the corresponding reverse zone that conflicts with a PTR record generated by the bulk host, the bulk
host insertion fails and an error message appears. For example, if there is a CNAME with the alias 15 in a
reverse zone 1.168.192.in-addr.arpa and if you add a bulk host foo/192.168.1.10/192.168.1.20 with the
Automatically add reverse mapping option selected, the insertion fails and an error message appears because
both the bulk host and the CNAME generate a record 15.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa in the reverse zone.
• You cannot create or change a bulk host if a zone is locked by another user. If you select a different template for
the Grid, it changes each record associated with the bulk host.
• You can define bulk host name formats only at the Grid level and override them at the bulk host level; not at the
zone or bulk host object level.
• When you upgrade to NIOS 4.3r3 or earlier releases, the system migrates existing bulk hosts as follows:
• If you did not customize the bulk host IP format, there is no action required. All migrated bulk hosts
continue to use the Grid-level default four-octet format $1$2-$3-$4.
• If you customized the bulk host IP format, the system creates a new template called Migrated Default
template. All migrated bulk hosts override the Grid default template and use the Migrated Default
template.
 Note
The NIOS appliance considers two bulk hosts that have the same prefix, start address, and end address as
duplicate hosts; even if they use different bulk host formats.
Bulk Host Name Format Rules

The below table describes the rules that you should follow when you create bulk host name formats. It also provides
examples of valid and invalid formats for each rule.
Bulk Host Name Format Rules and Examples
Rule Example
The suffix format cannot have more than four octets. $4-$5 is invalid.
The octets must be in order. -$2-$3-$4 is valid but -$3-$2-$4 is invalid.
Do not skip octets. -$2-$3-$4 is valid but -$2-$4 is invalid.
Do not use a combination of both the -$2-#3-$4 is invalid.

$ and # symbols together as octet references; use only
one of them.

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Rule Example
The suffix format must contain at least the fourth octet. $4 is valid but $3 is invalid.
You must define at least one -$4 or #4.
If the suffix format uses $ references, it cannot be -$2-$3-$4

preceded by a digit. You must add a non-digit prefix to
each $ or # reference.
The \ character is the designated escape character for For the IP address 10.19.32.133, the format #-#1-#2-#3-#4 expands to
the $, # and \ characters. #-010-019-032-133.
You cannot use the $ or # symbols as separators unless
you prefix them with an escape character \.
The bulk host name format must comply with its zone You cannot insert a bulk host name format -?-$4 in a zone that uses Allow
host name policy. Underscore as host name policy because the policy does not allow you to use the ?
character in the host name.
The bulk host name must comply with the maximum label The sum of the bulk host name prefix and suffix cannot be greater than 63
length. characters. When you enter a suffix format, the NIOS appliance determines the
length of the longest bulk host defined, and checks that the sum of the bulk host
prefix and suffix length does not exceed 63 characters; if it does, an error message
appears.
The bulk host name cannot result in an FQDN with more

than 255 characters.
The NIOS appliance computes the maximum length of For the format string -$1-$2-$3-$4, the maximum length of the suffix is
the bulk host suffix by expanding the bulk host IP format -255-255-255-255; that is, 16 characters. Therefore, the maximum length of the host
using 255.255.255.255. prefix is 47 characters.
The bulk host name must not be the same as a CNAME/ If there is a CNAME record with alias foo-003-015, you cannot insert a bulk host foo/
DNAME. 1.2.3.10/1.2.3.20 using template #3#4 because
foo-003-015 is also one of the synthetic host names in the bulk host.
Each host name in the bulk host must be unique. You cannot insert a bulk host foo/1.2.3.10/1.2.4.20 using the template $4 because
the system resolves the host name foo-10 to both 1.2.3.10 and 1.2.4.10. To ensure
that the bulk host name is unique, use the template $3-$4.
You cannot insert a bulk host that violates the uniqueness If there is a bulk host foo/1.2.3.10/1.2.4.20 using the template
of two bulk hosts that have the same prefix and use the -$3-$4, you cannot insert another bulk host foo/1.3.4.10/1.3.5.20 using the same
same name format. template because the system resolves host name foo-4-15 to both 1.2.4.15 and
1.3.4.15. Instead, use the template
-$2-$3-$4 to ensure that the two bulk hosts are unique.
The appliance provides four predefined formats. You can define additional formats or change the default format at the
Grid level only. To define new bulk host name formats:
2. Select the Host Naming tab of the Grid DNS Properties editor.
The Bulk Host Name Formats table displays four predefined name suffix formats. The following examples show
the host name that each format generates for the zone test.com:
Four Octets: $1-$2-$3-$4 (Default)—Generates foo-192-168-1-15.test.com. Three Octets: $2$3-$4—Generates
foo-168-1-15.test.com
Two Octets: -$3-$4—Generates foo-1-15.test.com One Octet: -$4—Generates foo-15.test.com
For the IP address 10.100.0.10, the format -$1$2-$3-$4 generates the host name suffix 10-100-0-10 . The format
#1#2-#3-#4 generates the host name suffix -010-100-000-010.
3. Click Add to enter the name and format of a new bulk host name format.

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4. Optionally, click the Default column of a format and select Default to make it the Grid default.
Managing Resource Records

DNS resource records provide information about objects and hosts. DNS servers use these records to respond to
queries for hosts and objects. The appliance supports IDNs for all DNS resource records. For information about IDNs,
see Support for Internationalized Domain Names. Note that the appliance does not decode the IDN of a resource record
to punycode. In other words, a record that contains a domain name in punycode is displayed in punycode and a record
that contains an IDN is displayed in its native characters.
The following sections define the types of DNS resource records you can manage and the operations you can perform:
• Managing ALIAS Records

• Managing NS Records
• Managing AAAA Records
• Managing PTR Records
• Managing MX Records
• Managing SRV Records
• Managing TXT Records
• Managing TLSA Records
• Managing CAA Records
• Managing CNAME Records
• Managing DNAME Records
• Managing NAPTR Records
• Managing LBDN Records
• Managing Unknown Records
• Viewing Resource Records
• Modifying, Disabling, and Deleting Host and Resource Records
Managing A Records
An A (address) record is a DNS resource record that maps a domain name to an IPv4 address. To define a specific
name-to-address mapping, you can add an A record to a previously defined authoritative forward-mapping zone. If the
zone is associated with one or more networks, the IP address must belong to one of the associated networks. For
example, if the A record is in the corpxyz.com zone, which is associated with 10.1.0.0/16 network, then the IP addresses
of the A record must belong to the 10.1.0.0/16 network. For information about associating zones and networks, see
Associating Networks with Zones.
The appliance also supports wildcard A records. For example, you can use a wildcard A record in the corpxyz.com
domain to map queries for names such as www1.corpxyz.com, ftp.corpxyz.com, main.corpxyz.com, and so on to the IP
address of a public-facing web server. Note that wildcard names only apply when the domain name being queried does
not match any resource record.
NIOS allows superusers to add A records with a blank name. Limited-access users must have read/write permission to
Adding a blank A/AAAA record to add A records with a blank name. You can assign global permission for specific admin
groups and roles to allow limited-access users to add blank A records. For more information, see Administrative
Permissions for Adding Blank A or AAAA Records.
 Note
If an A record with the domain name in its native characters is added to the Infoblox Grid through DDNS
updates, the Name field displays the record name in UTF-8 encoded format. For example, an A record with the
domain name 工作站 .test.com added through DDNS updates
displays \229\183\165\228\189\156\231\171\153.test.com in the Name field.

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Adding A Records
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Record -> Add A
Record.
2. In the Add A Record wizard, do the following:
• Name: If Grid Manager displays a zone name, enter the host name that you want to map to an IP
address. The displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the zone from which you are
adding the host record. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to specify a different zone, click Select
Zone. When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. Click a zone
name in the dialog box and then enter the host name. The name you enter is prefixed to the DNS zone
name that is displayed, and the complete name becomes the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) of the
host. For example, if the zone name displayed is corpxyz.com and you enter admin, then the FQDN
becomes admin.corpxyz.com. Ensure that the domain name you enter complies with the host name
restriction policy defined for the zone. To create a wildcard A record, enter an asterisk (*) in this field.
• DNS View: This field displays the DNS view to which the DNS zone belongs.
• Shared Record Group: This field appears only when you are creating a shared record. Click Select
Shared Record Group. If you have only one shared record group, the appliance displays the name of the
shared record group here. If you have multiple shared record groups, select the shared record group in
the Shared Record Group Selector dialog box. You can use filters or the Go to function to narrow down
the list.
• Host Name Policy: Displays the host name policy of the zone.
• In the IP Addresses section, click the Add icon and do one of the following:
• Select Add Address to enter the IPv4 address to which you want the domain name to map. or
• Select Next Available IPv4 to retrieve the next available IP address in a network.
• If the A record is in zone that has associated networks, the Network Selector dialog box lists the
associated networks. If the zone has no network associations, the Network Selector dialog box
lists the available networks. When you select a network, Grid Manager retrieves the next available
• Create associated PTR record: Select this option to automatically generate a PTR record that maps the
specified IP address to the host name. To create the PTR record, the reverse-mapping zone must be in
the database.
Modifying A Records
When you modify an A record, you can do the following:
• In the General tab, you can change the information you previously entered through the wizard.
• The Discovered Data tab displays discovered data, if any, for the record. For information, see Viewing Discovered
Data.
You can also enter or edit information in the TTL, Extensible Attributes, and Permissions tabs. For information on
modifying and deleting resource records, see Modifying, Disabling, and Deleting Host and Resource Records.
Managing ALIAS Records

An ALIAS record is a virtual DNS record type created for a standard record type to alias the root domain (apex zone) to
another name. You can use an ALIAS record to host a website at a domain name without the "www" (or other) prefix
when using the cloud services, such as Amazon Web Services, Azure VMs, GitHub pages, Heroku, and so on. For
example, you can use an ALIAS record to point your domain foo.com to a host name like mail.foo.com. When you
perform a DNS lookup on an ALIAS record, the authoritative DNS server dynamically resolves an ALIAS record for the
matching alias target. The response contains the aliased records, that can be A, AAAA, MX, NAPTR, PTR, SPF, SRV, or
TXT values. You can alias the same domain with multiple target types.

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You can synchronize ALIAS records from your AWS to NIOS using Amazon Route 53. For information about AWS
deployments, refer to the Installation Guide for vNIOS for AWS.
Following are some guidelines to remember when you use ALIAS records:
• ALIAS records are not supported on DNS zones that are assigned to a Microsoft primary server. This means that
you cannot assign a DNS zone containing an ALIAS record to a Microsoft primary server and you cannot add an
ALIAS record to a DNS zone that is assigned to a Microsoft primary server.
• You cannot add an ALIAS record to a DNSSEC signed zone and you cannot sign a zone containing an ALIAS
record.
• You cannot add an ALIAS record to a DNS zone if there is a secondary server that is using zone transfer as an
update mechanism. Also, you cannot use zone transfer process to update zones containing ALIAS records in the
Grid secondaries.
• You cannot update any ALIAS record using a DNS request. You can create and update ALIAS records only by
using the NIOS UI or API.
• An ALIAS record can coexist with other types of records for the same owner name unless there is another
configured record at the owner name whose type is an allowed target type for ALIAS. You cannot configure an
ALIAS record whose target type is the same as the configured record type.
• You cannot use DDNS updates to add or delete an ALIAS record.
Adding ALIAS Records

To add an ALIAS record, perform the following steps:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Record -
> ALIAS Record.
2. In the Add ALIAS Record wizard, do the following:
• Name: The ALIAS record name. The displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the
zone from which you are adding the ALIAS record. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to specify a
different zone, click Select Zone. When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays
the Zone Selector dialog box. If you do not specify the record name, then it resumes the name of the Zone
Apex.
• Record Type: You can configure any record type - A, AAAA, MX, NAPTR, PTR, SPF, SRV, TXT.
• Target: Enter the domain name that is used to reply to any DNS request. Any FQDN. You can also type
the domain name for the resource. Examples:
• CloudFront distribution domain name: d111111abcdef8.cloudfront.net
• ELB load balancer DNS name: example-1.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com
• S3 website endpoint: s3-website.us-east-2.amazonaws.com
• Resource record set in this hosted zone: www.example.com
• Comment: Enter additional information about the ALIAS record.
4. Save the configuration or click Next to schedule this task. Click Now in the Schedule Change panel to
immediately execute this task or click Later and specify a date, time, and time zone. For information about how to
schedule a task, see Scheduling Tasks.
Modifying ALIAS Records

When you modify an ALIAS record, you can perform the following step:
Managing NS Records
An NS record identifies an authoritative DNS server for a domain. Each authoritative DNS server must have an NS
record. Grid Manager automatically creates NS records when you assign a Grid member as the primary server for a zone

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or when you assign an NS group to a zone. Grid Manager generates two NS records; an authoritative NS record for the
current zone; and a delegation NS record for the parent zone for each name server available in the NS group. You
cannot edit an automatically generated NS record. Note that when you delete a name server from an NS group, the NS
record associated with the name server is deleted. For information about using NS Groups, see Importing Zone Data.
You can manually create NS records for other zones. NS records associated with one or more IP addresses are used for
related A record and PTR record generation. You can configure an NS record for anycast IP addresses on the appliance.
For more information about anycast, see About Anycast Addressing for DNS.
Adding NS Records
To add an NS record, perform the following steps:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Record -> Add NS
Record.
2. In the Add NS Record wizard, complete the following fields:
• Zone: The displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the zone from which you are adding the
NS record. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to specify a different zone, click Select Zone. When there
are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box.
• DNS View: Displays the DNS view to which the selected zone belongs.
• Hostname Policy: Displays the host name policy of the selected zone.
• Name Server: Enter the host name that you want to configure as the name server for the zone. IDN is not
supported in this field. You can use the punycode representation of an IDN in this field.
• Click Next to enter IP addresses for the name server.
• In the Name Server Addresses panel, click the Add icon and complete the following fields:
• Address: Enter the IP address of the name server.
• Add PTR Record: This field displays Yes by default, enabling the automatic generation of a PTR record for
the IP address. You can select No to disable the generation of the PTR record.
• Click Next to define extensible attributes or save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the
screen.
Modifying and Deleting NS Records

When you modify an NS record, you can change the following information:
• In the General tab, you can change the name server name.
• In the Addresses tab, you can do the following:
• Delete an address by selecting it and clicking the Delete icon.
• Add an address by clicking the Add icon, and then entering the IP address and completing the Add PTR
Record field.
Managing AAAA Records

An AAAA (quad A address) record maps a domain name to an IPv6 address. To define a specific name-to-address
mapping, add an AAAA record to a previously defined authoritative forward-mapping zone. If the zone is associated with
one or more networks, the IP address must belong to one of the associated networks. For example, if the AAAA record is
in the corpxyz.com zone, which is associated with the 1111:0001/32 network, then the IP addresses of the A record must
belong to that network. For information about associating zones and networks, see Associating Networks with Zones.
 Note
If an AAAA record with the domain name in its native characters is added to the Infoblox Grid through DDNS
updates, the Name field displays the record name in UTF-8 encoded format. For example, an AAAA record with
the domain name 工作站 .test.com added through DDNS updates displays
\229\183\165\228\189\156\231\171\153.test.com in the Name field.

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NIOS allows superusers to add AAAA records with a blank name. Limited-access users must have read/write permission
to Adding a blank A/AAAA record to add AAAA records with a blank name. You can assign global permission for specific
admin groups and roles to allow limited-access users to add blank AAAA records. For more information,
see Administrative Permissions for Adding Blank A or AAAA Records.
Adding AAAA Records

To create an AAAA record, perform the following steps:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Record -> Add AAAA
Record.
2. In the Add AAAA Record wizard, complete the following:
• Name: If Grid Manager displays a zone name, enter the host name that you want to map to an IP
address. The displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the zone from which you are
adding the AAAA record. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to specify a different zone, click
Select Zone. When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. Click a
zone name in the dialog box, and then enter the host name. The name you enter is prefixed to the DNS
zone name that is displayed, and the complete name becomes the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) of
the host. For example, if the zone name displayed is corpxyz.com and you enter admin, then the FQDN
becomes admin.corpxyz.com.
• DNS View: Displays the DNS view to which the selected DNS zone belongs.
• Shared Record Group: This field appears only when you are creating a shared record. Click Select
Shared Record Group. If you have only one shared record group, the appliance displays the name of the
shared record group here. If you have multiple shared record groups, select the shared record group in
the Shared Record Group Selector dialog box. You can use filters or the Go to function to narrow down
the list.
• Hostname Policy: Displays the host name policy of the zone.
• IP Address: Enter the IPv6 address to which you want the domain name to map. When you enter an IPv6
address, you can use double colons to compress a contiguous sequence of zeros. You can also omit any
leading zeros in a four-hexadecimal group. For example, the complete IPv6 address
2006:0000:0000:0123:4567:89ab:0000:cdef can be shortened to 2006::123:4567:89ab:0:cdef. Note that if
there are multiple noncontiguous groups of zeros, the double colon can only be used for one group to
avoid ambiguity. The NIOS appliance displays an IPv6 address in its shortened form, regardless of its
form when it was entered.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about this record.
• Create associated PTR record: Select this option to automatically generate a PTR record that maps the
specified IP address to the host name. To create the PTR record, the reverse-mapping zone must be in
the database.
Modifying AAAA Records

When you modify an AAAA record, you can perform the following steps:
• In the Discovered Data tab, you can view discovered data, if any, for the record. For information, see Viewing
Discovered Data.
You can also enter or edit information in the TTL, Extensible Attributes and Permissions tabs. For information on
Managing PTR Records

In a reverse-mapping zone, a PTR (pointer) record maps an IP address to a host name. Before adding a PTR record to a
reverse-mapping zone, you must first create the zone. You can also add PTR records to forward-mapping zones to
support zeroconf (zero configuration networking), such as wide-area Bonjour. For information about the Bonjour protocol,
refer to http://www.apple.com/support/bonjour. Though adding PTR records to forward-mapping zones supports some of

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the use cases in RFC 1101, it does not support the network name mapping use case described in the RFC. For more
information, refer to http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1101.
 Note
If a PTR record with the domain name in its native characters is added to the Infoblox Grid through DDNS
updates, the Name and Domain Name fields display the record name in UTF-8 encoded format. For example, a
PTR record with the domain name 工作站 .test.com added through DDNS updates
displays \229\183\165\228\189\156\231\171\153.test.com in the Name and Domain Name fields.
Adding PTR Records

To add a PTR record, perform the following steps:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Record -> Add PTR
Record.
2. In the Add PTR Record wizard, do the following:
• Name or IP Address: From the drop-down list, select Name or IP Address. When you select Name, click Select
Zone to select a zone, and then enter a value for the PTR record. When you are adding a PTR record to a
reverse-mapping zone, you can enter a value from 0 to 255 in the Name or IP Address field. Note that when you
launch this wizard from the IPAM tab, you can only select a reverse-mapping zone. When you launch this from a
reverse-mapping zone, the IP address field is populated with the prefix that corresponds to the selected zone.
When you launch this from a forward-mapping zone, you can only specify the host name, not an IP address.
• When you select IP Address, enter the IPv4 or IPv6 address that you want to map to the domain name.
• DNS View: If you entered an IP address, you must select the DNS view of the PTR record. If you entered a name,
this field displays the DNS view of the selected zone.
• Domain Name: Enter the domain name to which you want the PTR record to point. For example, you can enter
corpxyz.com.
• Comment: Optionally, enter information about the PTR record.
• Save the configuration or click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see Managing Extensible
Attributes.
To schedule this task, click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard. In the Schedule Change panel, click Later, and
then specify a date, time, and time zone.
 Note
When you add a PTR record to a forward-mapping zone, a message may appear on the top of the wizard if a
Grid member is configured to ignore DNS queries for PTR records in forward-mapping zones. Contact Infoblox
Technical Support for more information about this message.
Modifying PTR Records

To modify a PTR record, perform the following steps:
• In the General tab, you can change the information you previously entered through the wizard. Note that you
cannot change an IPv4 address to an IPv6 address or move a PTR record from a forward-mapping zone to a
reverse-mapping zone and vice versa. When you modify a PTR record that belongs to a forward-mapping zone,
you can only modify the name since there is no IP address for such record.
• In the Discovered Data tab, you can view discovered data, if any, for the record. For information, see Viewing
Discovered Data.

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Managing MX Records
An MX (mail exchanger) record maps a domain name to a mail exchanger. A mail exchanger is a server that either
delivers or forwards mail. You can specify one or more mail exchangers for a zone, as well as the preference for using
each mail exchanger. A standard MX record applies to a particular domain or subdomain.
You can use a wildcard MX record to forward mail to one mail exchanger. For example, you can use a wildcard MX
record in the corpxyz.com domain to forward mail for eng.corpxyz.com and sales.corpxyz.com to the same mail
exchange, as long as the domain names do not have any matching resource record. Wildcards only apply when the
domain name being queried does not match any record.
 Note
If an MX record with the domain name in its native characters is added to the Infoblox Grid through DDNS
updates, the Mail Destination and Mail Exchanger fields display the record name in UTF-8 encoded format. For
example, an MX record with the domain name 工作站 .test.com added through DDNS updates displays
\229\183\165\228\189\156\231\171\153.test.com in the Mail Destination and Mail Exchanger fields.
MX Records
 Note
You must also create an A record for the host defined as a mail exchanger in an MX record.
Adding MX Records
To add an MX record from the Tasks Dashboard, see Add MX Record. You can also add MX records from the Data
Management tab -> DNS tab by clicking Add -> Record -> Add MX Record from the Toolbar.
Modifying and Deleting MX Records

When you modify an MX record, you can change the information you previously entered in the General tab. You can also
enter or edit information in the TTL, Extensible Attributes, and Permissions tabs. For information on modifying and
deleting resource records, see Modifying, Disabling, and Deleting Host and Resource Records.

Rev. D
Managing SRV Records
An SRV (service location) record directs queries to hosts that provide specific services. For example, if you have an FTP
server, then you might create an SRV record that specifies the host which provides the service. You can specify more
than one SRV record for a host. For more information about SRV records, see
RFC2052,ADNSRRforspecifyingthelocationofservices(DNSSRV).
 Note
If an SRV record with the domain name in its native characters is added to the Infoblox Grid through DDNS
updates, the Name and SRV Target fields display the domain name in UTF-8 encoded format. For example, an
SRV record with the domain name 电脑 .test.com added through DDNS updates displays
\231\148\181\232\132\145.test.com in the Name and SRV Target fields.
Adding SRV Records

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Record -> Add SRV
Record.
2. In the Add SRV Record wizard, complete the following fields:
• Display input as: Select the format in which you want the SRV record to be displayed. When you select RFC 2782
format, the appliance follows the _service._protocol.name format as defined in RFC 2782. When you select Free
format, enter the entire name in the Domain field.
• Service: Specify the service that the host provides. You can either select a service from the list or type in a
service, if it is not on the list. For example, if you are creating a record for a host that provides FTP service, select
_ftp. To distinguish the service name labels from the domain name, the service name is prefixed with an
underscore. If the name of the service is defined at http://www.iana.org/assignments/service-names-port-
numbers/service-names-port-numbers.xml, use that name. Otherwise, you can use a locally-defined name.
• Protocol: Specify the protocol that the host uses. You can either select a protocol from the list or type in a
protocol, if it is not on the list. For example, if it uses TCP, select _tcp. To distinguish the protocol name labels
from the domain name, the protocol name is prefixed with an underscore.
• Domain: If Grid Manager displays a zone name, enter the name here to define an SRV record for a host or
subdomain. The displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the zone from which you are adding
the SRV record. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to specify a different zone, click Select Zone. When
there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. Click a zone name in the dialog
box, and then enter the name to define the SRV record. The NIOS appliance prefixes the name you enter to the
domain name of the selected zone. For example, if you want to create an SRV record for a web server whose
host name is www2.corpxyz.com and you define the SRV record in the corpxyz.com zone, enter www2 in this
field. To define an SRV record for a domain whose name matches the selected zone, leave this field blank. The
NIOS appliance automatically adds the domain name (the same as the zone name) to the SRV record. For
example, if you want to create an SRV record for the corpxyz.com domain and you selected the corpxyz.com
zone, leave this field blank.
• Preview: After you have entered all the information, this field displays the FQDN, which is the concatenation of
the Service, Protocol, and Domain fields.
• Shared Record Group: This field appears only when you are creating a shared record. Click Select Shared
Record Group. If you have only one shared record group, the appliance displays the name of the shared record
group here. If you have multiple shared record groups, select the shared record group in the Shared Record
Group Selector dialog box. You can use filters or the Go to function to narrow down the list.
• Priority: Select or enter an integer from 0 to 65535. The priority determines the order in which a client attempts to
contact the target host; the domain name host with the lowest number has the highest priority and is queried first.
Target hosts with the same priority are attempted in the order defined in the Weight field.
• Weight: Select or enter an integer from 0 to 65535. The weight allows you to distribute the load between target
hosts. The higher the number, the more that host handles the load (compared to other target hosts). Larger
weights give a target host a proportionately higher probability of being selected.
• Port: Specify the appropriate port number for the service running on the target host. You can use standard or
nonstandard port numbers, depending on the requirements of your network. You can select a port number from
the list or enter an integer from 0 to 65535.

Rev. D
• Target: Enter the canonical domain name of the host (not an ALIAS); for example, www2.corpxyz.com.
 Note
In addition, you need to define an A record mapping the canonical name of the host to its IP address.
• Comment: Enter a descriptive comment for the record.

• Save the configuration or click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see Managing Extensible
Attributes.
Modifying and Deleting SRV Records

To modify an SRV record, perform the following steps:
• In the General tab, the Display input as field displays the format in which the SRV record was configured. For
RFC 2782 format, the appliance matches the {}service.protocol.name format and displays the corresponding
information in the Service and Protocol fields. If the appliance cannot match the service and protocol, it displays
the entire name in the Domain field. For Free format, the entire name is displayed in the Domain field.
 Note
The appliance does not match the service and protocol names to exactly how they appear in the drop-down
lists. It only checks whether the first two parts of the names start with an underscore. If the first two parts do not
start with an underscore, the appliance assumes it is a free format. For example, _abc._xyz.name is considered
as RFC 2782 format even though _abc is not in the Service drop-down list, and _xyz is not in the Protocol drop-
down list. Grid Manger displays _abc in the Service field and _xyz in the Protocol field. On the other hand,
"abc.xyz.name" is considered as a free format because the first two parts do not start with underscores, and
Grid Manager displays this in its entirety in the Domain field.
Managing TXT Records

A TXT (text record) record contains supplemental information for a host. For example, if you have a sales server that
serves only North America, you can create a text record stating this fact. You can create more than one text record for a
domain name.
 Note
If a TXT record with the domain name in its native characters is added to the Infoblox Grid through DDNS
updates, the Name field displays the domain name in UTF-8 encoded format. For example, a TXT record with
the domain name 电脑 .test.com added through DDNS updates displays \231\148\181\232\132\145.test.com in
the Name field.
Using TXT Records for SPF

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is an anti-forgery mechanism designed to identify spam e-mail. SPF fights e-mail
address forgery and makes it easier to identify spam, worms, and viruses. Domain owners identify sending mail servers
in DNS. SMTP receivers verify the envelope sender address against this information, and can distinguish legitimate mail
from spam before any message data is transmitted.
SPF makes it easy for a domain to say, "I only send mail from these machines. If any other machine claims that I'm
sending mail from there, they're not valid." For example, when an AOL user sends mail to you, an email server that
belongs to AOL connects to an email server that belongs to you. AOL uses SPF to publish the addresses of its email

Rev. D
servers. When the message comes in, your email servers can tell if the server that sent the email belongs to AOL or not.
You can use TXT records to store SPF data that identifies what machines send mail from a domain. You can think of
these specialized TXT records as reverse MX records that e-mail servers can use to verify if a machine is a legitimate
sender of an e-mail.
SPF Record Examples
corpxyz.com. IN TXT "v=spf1 mx –all"
corpxyz.net. IN TXT "v=spf1 a:mail.corpxyz.com –all" corpxyz.net. IN TXT "v=spf1
include:corpxyz.com -all" corpxyz.net. IN TXT "v=spf1 mx -all exp=getlost.corpxyz.com"
corpxyz.com. IN TXT "v=spf1 include:corp200.com -all"
 Note
If an SPF record goes beyond the BIND limit of 255 characters, Infoblox recommends that you break up the
record into two TXT records.
Adding TXT Records

To add an TXT record from the Tasks Dashboard, see Add TXT Record. You can also add TXT records from the Data
Management tab -> DNS tab by clicking Add -> Record -> Add TXT Record from the Toolbar.
Modifying and Deleting TXT Records

When you modify a TXT record, you can change the information you previously entered in the General tab. You can also
Managing TLSA Records

A TLSA record is used to associate a TLS (Transport Layer Security) server certificate or a public key with a domain
name. For example, you can define whether a certificate or a public key must be associated with a domain name when
you define a TLSA resource record through Grid Manager. When you define your own TLSA record, you do not have to
depend on an external Certificate Authority to issue a digitally signed TLS certificate for your domain name. When a client
queries the domain name, TLSA records are matched to authenticate associated TLS certificates.
Using TLSA Records for DANE

Infoblox supports DANE (DNS-based Authentication of Named Entities) protocol to secure information about domain
names. DANE uses DNSSEC to sign certificates and keys that are used by the TLS and distributes secure information
about the domain name using DNS. With DANE, you can make an authoritative binding between the domain name and a
certificate or a public key, whichever is used by a host for the respective domain. You can define what kind of certificates
or public keys must be associated with a domain name to prevent vulnerability attacks and to reduce or prevent the
interaction of third-party Certification Authorities to issue PKIX certificates. For detailed information about the TLSA
record format and certificate usage, refer to RFC 6698 The DNS-Based Authentication of Named Entities (DANE)
Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocol: TLSA.
Adding TLSA Records

In NIOS 8.5, you can add a TLSA record to a DNSSEC signed zone only. You cannot unsign a zone that contains a TLSA
record. In NIOS 8.5.1 or later, you can add a TLSA record to a DNSSEC signed zone or an unsigned zone. To add a
TLSA record:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Record -> TLSA
Record.

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2. In the Add TLSA Record wizard, complete the following fields:
• Display input as: Select either Strict format (_port._protocol.domain) or Free format. Grid Manager selects
Strict format by default. In this format, you can choose port and protocol values from the list. When you
select Free format, you cannot specify these values.
• Port: Select a value from the drop-down list to indicate the port on which the TLS-based service is active.
The values in the drop-down list are:
• 21 (FTP)
• 22 (SSH)
• 23 (Telnet)
• 25 (SMTP)
• 80 (HTTP)
• 88 (Kerberos)
• 389 (LDAP)
• 443 (HTTPS)
• 464 (KPASSWD)
• 3268 (GC)
• Protocol: Select a value from the drop-down list to indicate the protocol that is used for secure
communication. The values in the drop-down list are:
• _msdcs
• _sites
• _tcp
• _udp
 Note
When you select Strict format, Port and Protocol values are set to 443 (HTTPS) and _tcp, by default.
You can change these values. When you select Free format, you cannot edit the mentioned values.
• Name: Enter a name for the TLSA resource record. You can specify a name only when you select Free format.
• Select Zone: Click to select a zone. In NIOS 8.5, you must select only a signed zone to associate with a TLSA
resource record. In NIOS 8.5.1 or later, you can select a signed zone or an unsigned zone. For more information,
see Signing a Zone. Click Clear to clear the Name that you have entered.
• FQDN: This is displayed by default. You cannot modify the value. TLSA resource records are stored using the
domain name that you select. When you select Free format, name.domain is displayed as the FQDN. Example:
abc.example.com. When you select Strict format, _port._protocol.domain is displayed as the FQDN, where:
• _port indicates the port on which the TLS-based service is active.
• _protocol indicates the name of the transport protocol that you have selected.
Consider an example where you are the owner of the domain www.example.com and you have set the Port to
443(HTTPS) and Protocol to tcp , which indicates that the HTTP server is running TLS on port 443. To request
TLSA record for www.example.com, you must use __443._tcp. www.example.com. Similarly, to request a TLSA
resource record for an SMTP server running the STARTTLS protocol on port 25 at mail.example.com, you must
use _25._tcp.mail.example.com.
• DNS View: The DNS View associated with the selected DNS zone is displayed.
• Certificate Usage: Select a value from the drop-down list to indicate how the certificate or the public key
associated with the domain name is matched when the client queries for the domain name on the TLS server.
The values in the drop-down list are: PKIX-TA, PKIX-EE, DANE-TA, and DANE-EE.
• With PKIX-TA and PKIX-EE, you need additional Trust Anchors to validate peer certificate chains. These
Trust Anchors must be mutually trusted by both the TLS server and the client. For more information, refer
to RFC 6698 The DNS-Based Authentication of Named Entities (DANE) Transport Layer Security (TLS)
Protocol: TLSA.
• When you select DANE-TA and DANE-EE, the TLSA records that you define using Grid Manager are
sufficient to verify the client's certificate chain and additional Trust Anchors are not required to
authenticate the public key or certificate data. For more information, refer to RFC 6698 The DNS-Based
Authentication of Named Entities (DANE) Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocol: TLSA.
• Selector: Select a value from the drop-down list to indicate whether you are associating an entire certificate or
only the public key with the domain. When you select a value, it indicates which part of the TLS certificate
presented by the server is matched with the associated data. The values in the drop-down list are Full certificate
and Subject Public Key Info. NIOS builds a hexadecimal format for the entire certificate when you select Full

Rev. D
certificate. If you select Subject Public Key Info, NIOS extracts the public key and builds a hexadecimal format for
it.
• Matched Type: Select a value from the drop-down list to indicate how a TLS certificate or the public key of the
domain received from the client must be matched with the certificate or the key that you have specified for the
respective domain in the TLS server. You can select to match the entire content or only the hash of the selector.
The values in the drop-down list are: No hash, SHA 256 bit, and SHA 512 bit. If you select No hash, the TLS
server performs an exact match on the selected content. When you select either SHA 256 bit or SHA 512 bit, only
the hash of the selected content is matched by the TLS server.
• Certificate Data: Enter the certificate data that must be matched for authentication. You can either paste the full
certificate or the corresponding public key when the Matched Type is set to No hash. Based on the values that
you select for the Selector and the Matched Type, the server builds a hexadecimal format for the TLSA record. If
you set the Matched Type to SHA 256 bit or SHA 512 bit, you must specify only the hash of the full certificate or
the public key.
• Get From File: Click this to upload the certificate or the public key to the server.
Note the following:
• When you select Strict format, you must provide either the certificate or public key or hash of any of them.
The value must be based on the Selector and Matched Type field values.
• When you select Free format, you must upload the certificate in DER format. The server builds an
appropriate hexadecimal format for the TLSA record based on the Selector value.
• Comment: Optionally, enter a descriptive comment for the TLSA record.
You can also perform the following steps:
• Use Global Search to search for TLSA records. For information, see Global Search.
• Use Copy Records to copy TLSA records between DNS zones. For information, see Copying Zone Records.
• Define global permission for All TLSA records with read-only, read/write or deny access. You can also define
object level permission for TLSA records. For information, see Defining Global Permissions and Defining Object
Permissions.
• Import and export records in CSV format. For information, see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import.
• View audit log entries for the TLSA record. For information, see Viewing the Audit Log.
Modifying and Deleting TLSA Records

When you modify a TLSA record, you can change the information you previously entered in the General tab. You can
also enter or edit information in the TTL, Extensible Attributes, and Permissions tabs. For information on modifying and
Managing CAA Records

A Certification Authority Authorization (CAA) DNS resource record enables domain owners to define the Certificate
Authorities (CAs) that can issue certificates for a domain. When you define a CAA record, only the CAs listed in the
records can issue certificates for the respective domain. With CAA, you can also define notification rules to manage
requests for a certificate from a non-authorized CA. If you do not define a CAA resource record, any CA can issue a
certificate for the domain. For detailed information about the CAA record format and certificate usage, refer to RFC 6844
DNS Certification Authority Authorization (CAA) Resource Record. You can add, edit, or delete a CAA resource record
through Grid Manager or the Infoblox API. The following are a few examples of CAA resource records:
• example.com. CAA 0 issue “ssl.com; policy=ev”
• example.com. CAA 0 issuewild “;”
• example.com. CAA 0 iodef “mailto:certissues@example.com”
• example.com. CAA 0 iodef “certissues.example.com”
 Note
When you enable threat protection on a member, you must configure either a pass rule or rate limiting rule for
CAA DNS resource record types. This is specific to record types that use threat protection rule templates to
allow incoming DNS queries for the respective CAA record. If you do not configure these rules, the threat
protection service that is running on the member blocks the DNS queries of the CAA record.

Rev. D
Adding CAA Records
To add a CAA record, perform the following steps:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Record -> CAA
Record.
2. In the Add CAA Record wizard, complete the following fields:
• Name: Enter a name for the CAA record. Click Select Zone to select a zone. When there are multiple
zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. Click Clear to clear the zone that you have
entered.
• DNS View: The DNS view associated with the selected DNS zone is displayed.
• Flag: Select a checkbox to set the flag value. When the flag is set to Bit 0 (Critical), it tells the CA that it
must completely understand the property tag to proceed. A CA does not issue certificates for any domain
when the flag is set to Bit 0 (Critical) and the property tag is not understood. NIOS considers the flag value
as zero, if you do not select any checkbox.
Note that the flags are unsigned integers between 0 and 255. Infoblox represents these integers in the
form of bits. When you select the checkbox for Bit 0 (Critical), the flag value is set to binary
10000000, which is decimal 128. Example: CAA 128 xyz “Unknown”.
 Note
You can select only Bit 0 (Critical) as the flag value and the remaining checkboxes are reserved
for future use. The appliance displays a warning message when you select a checkbox other
than Bit 0 (Critical).
Consider the following example with two CAA records:

• CAA 0 issue “ca.example.net; policy=ev”
• CAA 128 xyz “Unknown”
In the above example, the property tag xyz is flagged as unknown. The CA associated with example.net
or any other issuer cannot issue a certificate unless the processing rules for the xyz property tag are
clearly understood by the CA.
• Type(Tag): Indicates the type of CAA record. The supported CAA record types are:
• Issue: Select this to explicitly authorize a single CA to issue a certificate for the domain and
subdomains of the specified domain.
• Issuewild: Select this to explicitly authorize a single CA to issue a wildcard certificate for the
domain. It allows the domain holder or anyone acting under the authority of the domain holder to
issue wildcard certificates for the domain.
 Note
Issue wild type takes precedence over Issue.
• Iodef: Select this to specify an email address or URL of the web service to report invalid certificate
requests or issued certificates that violate your CAA policy.
Infoblox allows you to enter a new CAA record type other than those displayed in the drop-down
list. The maximum length allowed is 255 characters.
• Certificate Authority: Indicates the CA that is authorized to issue a certificate for the domain. The
maximum length for certificate authority is 8192 characters. You can also specify the email address or the
URL to report CAA policy violation for the domain. This is valid for Iodef only. Infoblox recommends that
you add either the http:// or https:// prefix to the domain name. You must explicitly add "mailto" when
specifying the email address. For example, "mailto:admin@example.com".
• Comment: Optionally, enter a descriptive comment for the CAA record.
3. Save the configuration or click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see Managing Extensible
Attributes.
4. Save the configuration or click Next to schedule this task. Click Now in the Schedule Change panel to
immediately execute this task or click Later and specify a date, time, and time zone. For information about how to
schedule a task, see Scheduling Tasks.

Rev. D
 Note
Infoblox does not support shared CAA records and does not provide Windows 2016 MS Server support for CAA
records.
You can also perform the following steps:

• Use Global Search to search for CAA records. For information, see Global Search.
• Use Copy Records to copy CAA records between DNS zones. For information, see Copying Zone Records.
• Define global permission for All CAA records with read-only, read/write or deny access. You can also define object
level permission for CAA records. For information, see Defining Global Permissions and Defining Object
Permissions.
• Import and export records in CSV format. For information, see Importing and Exporting Data using CSV Import.
• View audit log entries for the CAA record. For information, see Viewing the Audit Log.
• Use Smart Folders to organize threat protection profiles by name, comment or object type. For information, see
Smart Folders.
• You can view the status of the import process and a summary report in the Data Import Wizard Log. For large
data sets, this option is an efficient approach. To download the Data Import Wizard, visit https://data-import-
wizard.infoblox.com/#/overviewDashboard.
Modifying and Deleting CAA Records

When you modify a CAA record, you can change the information you previously entered in the General tab. You can also
Managing CNAME Records

A CNAME record maps an ALIAS to a canonical name. You can use CNAME records in both forward- and IPv4 reverse-
mapping zones to serve two different purposes. (At this time, you cannot use CNAME records with IPv6 reverse-mapping
zones.)
 Note
If a CNAME record with the domain name in its native characters is added to the Infoblox Grid through DDNS
updates, the ALIAS and Canonical Name fields display the domain name in UTF-8 encoded format. For
example, a CNAME record with the domain name 电脑 .test.com added through DDNS updates displays
\231\148\181\232\132\145.test.com in the Canonical Name and ALIAS fields.
CNAME Records in Forward-Mapping Zones

In a forward-mapping zone, a CNAME record maps an ALIAS to a canonical (or official) name. CNAME records are often
more convenient to use than canonical names because they can be shorter or more descriptive. For example, you can
add a CNAME record that maps the ALIAS qa.engr to the canonical name qa.engr.corpxyz.com.
 Note
A CNAME record does not have to be in the same zone as the canonical name to which it maps. In addition, a
CNAME record cannot have the same name as any other record in that zone.
To add a CNAME record to a forward-mapping zone from the Tasks Dashboard, see Add CNAME Record. You can also
add CNAME records from the Data Management tab -> DNS tab by clicking Add -> Record -> Add CNAME Record from
the Toolbar.

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CNAME Records in IPv4 Reverse-Mapping Zones
You can add CNAME records to an IPv4 reverse-mapping zone to create ALIASes to addresses maintained by a different
name server when the reverse-mapping zone on the server is a delegated child zone with fewer than 256 addresses.
This technique allows you to delegate responsibility for a reverse-mapping zone with an address space of fewer than 256
addresses to another authoritative name server. See the following figure and RFC 2317, Classless IN-ADDR.ARPA
delegation.
CNAME Records in a Reverse-Mapping Zone
You add CNAME records in the parent zone on your name server. The ALIASes defined in those CNAME records point
to the addresses in PTR records in the child zone delegated to the other server.
When you define a reverse-mapping zone that has a netmask from /25 (255.255.255.128) to /31 (255.255.255.254), you
must include an RFC 2317 prefix. This prefix can be anything, from the address range (examples: 0-127, 0/127) to
descriptions (examples: first-network, customer1). On a NIOS appliance, creating such a reverse-mapping zone
automatically generates all the necessary CNAME records. However, if you need to add them manually to a parent zone
that has a child zone with fewer than 255 addresses.

Rev. D
Adding CNAME Records
To add a CNAME record to a forward-mapping or reverse-mapping zone from the Tasks Dashboard, see Add CNAME
Record. You can also add CNAME records from the Data Management tab -> DNS tab by clicking Add -> Record -> Add
CNAME Record from the Toolbar.
Modifying and Deleting CNAME Records

When you modify a CNAME record, you can change the information you previously entered in the General tab. You can
also enter or edit information in the TTL, Extensible Attributes, and Permissions tabs. For information on modifying and
Managing DNAME Records

A DNAME record maps all the names in one domain to those in another domain, essentially substituting one domain
name suffix with the other (see RFC 2672, Non-Terminal DNS Name Redirection). For example, adding a DNAME record
to the corpxyz.com domain mapping "corpxyz.com" to "corp200.com" maps name-x.corpxyz.com to name-
x.corp200.com:
Domain Name Target Domain Name
server1.corpxyz.com —> server1.corp200.com
. . . .corpxyz.com —> . . . .corp200.com
 Note
If a DNAME record with the domain name in its native characters is added to the Infoblox Grid through DDNS
updates, the ALIAS and Target fields display the domain name in UTF-8 encoded format. For example, a
DNAME record with the domain name 电脑 .test.com added through DDNS updates
displays \231\148\181\232\132\145.test.com in the ALIAS and Target fields.
When a request arrives for a domain name to which a DNAME record applies, the NIOS appliance responds with a
CNAME record that it dynamically creates based on the DNAME definition. For example, if there is a DNAME record:
corpxyz.com.
DNAME corp200.com.
and a request arrives for server1.corpxyz.com, the NIOS appliance responds with the following CNAME record:
server1.corpxyz.com.
CNAME server1.corp200.com.
If responding to a name server running BIND 9.0.0 or later, the NIOS appliance also includes the DNAME record in its
response, so that name server can also create its own CNAME records based on the cached DNAME definition.
The following are two common scenarios for using DNAME records:
• One company buys another and wants people using both the old and new name spaces to reach the same hosts.
• A virtual Web hosting operation offers different "vanity" domain names that point to the same server or servers.
There are some restrictions that apply to the use of DNAME records:
• You cannot have a CNAME record and a DNAME record for the same subdomain.

Rev. D
• You cannot use a DNAME record for a domain or subdomain that contains any subdomains. You can only map
the lowest level subdomains (those that do not have any subdomains below them). For an example of using
DNAME records in a multi-tiered domain structure, see the following figure.
Adding DNAME Records for the Lowest Level Subdomains
In the case of a domain structure consisting of a single domain (no subdomains), adding a DNAME record redirects
queries for every name in the domain to the target domain, as shown in the following figure.
Adding a DNAME Record for a Single Domain
When using a DNAME record, you must copy the resource records for the source domain to the zone containing the
target domain, so that the DNS server providing service for the target domain can respond to the redirected queries.

Rev. D
Copy from corpxyz.com to corpxyz.corp200.com
www1 IN A 10.1.1.10 www1 IN A 10.1.1.10
www2 IN A 10.1.1.11 www2 IN A 10.1.1.11
ftp1 IN A 10.1.1.20 ftp1 IN A 10.1.1.20
mail1 IN A 10.1.1.30 mail1 IN A 10.1.1.30
After copying these records to the zone containing the corpxyz.corp200.com domain, delete them from the zone
containing the corpxyz.com domain.
If DNS service for the source and target domain names is on different name servers, you can import the zone data from
the NIOS appliance hosting the source domain to the appliance hosting the target domain. For information about this
procedure, see Importing Zone Data.
If DNS service for the source and target domain names is on the same name server and the parent for the target domain
is on a different server, you can delegate DNS services for the target domain name to the name server that provided—
and continues to provide—DNS service for the source domain name (see the figure below). By doing this, you can
continue to maintain resource records on the same server, potentially simplifying the continuation of DNS administration.
Making the Target Zone a Delegated Zone
 Note
This is a conceptual representation of domain name mapping and depicts the resulting hierarchical relationship
of corp200.com as the parent zone for corpxyz.corp200.com. The hosts are not physically relocated.

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The following tasks walk you through configuring the two appliances in the Making the Target Zone a Delegated Zone
figure to redirect queries for corpxyz.com to corpxyz.corp200.com using a DNAME record:
On the ns1.corpxyz.com name server, perform the following steps:

1. Create a new forward-mapping zone called corpxyz.corp200.com. See Creating an Authoritative Forward-
Mapping Zone.
2. Copy all the resource records for the domain or subdomain to which the DNAME record is going to apply from
corpxyz.com to corpxyz.corp200.com.
 Note
Because you can only specify the records by type, not individually, you might have to copy some
records that you do not want and then delete them from the corpxyz.corp200.com zone.
3. In the corpxyz.com zone, delete all the resource records for the domain or subdomain to which the DNAME
record is going to apply.
4. Add a DNAME record to the corpxyz.com zone specifying "corpxyz.com" as the domain and
"corpxyz.corp200.com" as the target domain. Adding a DNAME record is explained in the next section.
5. On the ns1.corp200.com name server, add corpxyz.corp200.com as a delegated zone and specify
ns1.corpxyz.com as the name server for it. See Configuring a Delegation.
DNAME Records for Forward-Mapping Zones

To add a DNAME record to a forward-mapping zone:
• From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Record -> Add DNAME
Record.
In the Add DNAME Record wizard, complete the following fields:
 Note
If you specify a subdomain in the Domain Name field when configuring a DNAME record and the subdomain is
also a subzone, the DNAME record appears in the list view for the subzone, not in the list view for the parent
zone selected in the process of adding the record.
• ALIAS: If Grid Manager displays a zone name, enter the name of a subdomain here. If you are adding a DNAME
record for the entire zone, leave this field empty. This field is for adding a DNAME record for a subdomain within
the selected zone. The displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the zone from which you are
adding the CNAME record. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to specify a different zone, click Select
Zone. When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. Click a zone name in
the dialog box, and then enter the name of a subdomain.
• Target: Enter the domain name to which you want to map all the domain names specified in the ALIAS field.
• Comment: Enter identifying text for this record, such as a meaningful note or reminder.
• Save the configuration or click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible
Attributes.
DNAME Records for Reverse-Mapping Zones

You can use DNAME records to redirect reverse lookups from one reverse-mapping zone to another. You can use
DNAME records for reverse-mapping zones to simplify the management of subzones for classless address spaces larger
than a class C subnet (a subnet with a 24-bit netmask).
RFC 2672, Non-Terminal DNS Name Redirection, includes an example showing the delegation of a subzone for an
address space with a 22-bit netmask inside a zone for a larger space with a 16-bit netmask:

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$ORIGIN 0.192.in-addr.arpa.
8/22 NS ns.slash-22-holder.example.
8 DNAME 8.8/22
9 DNAME 9.8/22
10 DNAME 10.8/22
11 DNAME 11.8/22
The reverse-mapping zone 0.192.in-addr.arpa. applies to the address space 192.0.0.0/16. Within this zone is a subzone
and subdomain with the abbreviated name 8/22. (Its full name is 8/22.0.192.in-addr.arpa.) This subdomain contains its
own subdomains corresponding to the 1024 addresses in the 192.0.8.0/22 subnet:
• Subdomain 8/22 (8/22.0.192.in-addr.arpa)
• Subdomain 8.8/22 for addresses 192.0.8.0 – 192.0.8.255 (or 192.0.8.0/24)
The NS record delegates authority for the reverse-mapping subzone 8/22 to the DNS server ns.slash-22-holder.example.
Finally, the DNAME records provide ALIASes mapping domain names that correspond to the 192.0.8.0/24, 192.0.9.0/24,
192.0.10.0/24, and 192.0.11.0/24 subnets to the respective subdomains 8.8/22, 9.8/22, 10.8/22, and 11.8/22 in the
8/22.0.192.in-addr.arpa subzone.
 Note
NIOS appliances support DNAME records in reverse-mapping zones that map addresses to target zones with a
classless address space larger than a class C subnet. However, NIOS appliances do not support such target
zones.
You might also use DNAME records if you have a number of multihomed appliances whose IP addresses must be
mapped to a single set of domain names. An example of this is shown in the below figure.
DNAME Records to Simplify DNS for Multihomed Appliances

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To add a DNAME record to a reverse-mapping zone, perform the following steps:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Record -> Add DNAME
Record.
2. In the Add DNAME Record wizard, complete the following fields:
 Note
• If you specify a subdomain in the Domain Name field when configuring a DNAME record and the
subdomain is also a subzone, the DNAME record appears in the list view for the subzone, not in
the list view for the parent zone selected in the process of adding the record.
• ALIAS: If Grid Manager displays a zone name, enter the name of a subdomain here. If you are adding a
DNAME record for the entire zone, leave this field empty. This field is for adding a DNAME record for a
subdomain within the selected zone. The displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the
zone from which you are adding the CNAME record. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to specify
a different zone, click Select Zone. When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone
Selector dialog box. Click a zone name in the dialog box, and then enter the name of a subdomain.
• Target: Type the name of the reverse-mapping zone to which you want to map all the addresses specified
in the Domain Name field.
• Comments: Enter identifying text for this record, such as a meaningful note or reminder.
Attributes.

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Modifying and Deleting DNAME Records
When you modify a CNAME record, you can change the information you previously entered in the General tab. You can
also enter or edit information in the TTL, Extensible Attributes and Permissions tabs. For information on modifying and
Managing NAPTR Records

A NAPTR (Name Authority Pointer) record specifies a rule that uses a substitution expression to rewrite a string into a
domain name or URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). A URI is either a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or URN (Uniform
Resource Name) that identifies a resource on the Internet.
NAPTR records are usually used to map E.164 numbers to URIs or IP addresses. An E.164 number is a telephone
number, 1-555-123- 4567 for example, in a format that begins with a country code, followed by a national destination
code and a subscriber number. (E.164 is an international telephone numbering system recommended by the
International Telecommunication Union.) Thus, NAPTR records allow us to use telephone numbers to reach devices,
such as fax machines and VoIP phones, on the Internet.
To map an E.164 to a URI, the E.164 number must first be transformed into a domain name. ENUM (E.164 Number
Mapping) specifies a method for converting E.164 numbers to domain names. For example, using the method specified
by ENUM, the telephone number 1-555-123-4567 becomes the domain name 7.6.5.4.3.2.1.5.5.5.1.e164.arpa. For details
about ENUM, refer to RFC 3761, The E.164 to Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI) Dynamic Delegation Discovery
System (DDDS) Application (ENUM).
After the E.164 number is converted to a domain name, a DNS client can then perform a DNS lookup for the NAPTR
records of the domain name. The following example illustrates how a DNS client processes NAPTR records.
In this example, the telephone number 1-555-123-4567 is converted to the domain name 7.6.5.4.3.2.1.5.5.5.1.e164.arpa.
The DNS client then sends a query to the Infoblox DNS server for the NAPTR records associated with
7.6.5.4.3.2.1.5.5.5.1.e164.arpa. The Infoblox DNS server returns the following NAPTR record:
The DNS client then examines the fields in the NAPTR record as follows:
• If a DNS client receives multiple NAPTR records for a domain name, the value in the Order field determines
which record is processed first. It processes the record with the lowest value first.
• The DNS client uses the Preference value when the Order values are the same. Similar to the Preference field in
MX records, this value indicates which NAPTR record the DNS client should process first when the records have
the same Order value. It processes the record with the lowest value first.
In the example, the DNS client ignores the Order and Preference values because it received only one NAPTR
record.
• The Flag field indicates whether the current lookup is terminal; that is, the current NAPTR record is the last
NAPTR record for the lookup. It also provides information about the next step in the lookup process. The flags
that are currently used are:
U: Indicates that the output maps to a URI (Uniform Record Identifier).
S: Indicates that the output is a domain name that has at least one SRV record. The DNS client must then
send a query for the SRV record of the resulting domain name.
A: Indicates that the output is a domain name that has at least one A or AAAA record. The DNS client must

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then send a query for the A or AAAA record of the resulting domain name.
P: Indicates that the protocol specified in the Service field defines the next step or phase.
• If the Flag field is blank, this indicates that the client must use the resulting domain name to look up other NAPTR
records.
• The Service field specifies the service and protocol that are used to communicate with the host at the domain
name. In the example, the service field specifies that SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is used to contact the
telephone service.
• The regular expression specifies the substitution expression that is applied to the original string of the client. In
the example, the regular expression !^.*$!sip:jdoe@corpxyz.com! specifies that the domain name
7.6.5.4.3.2.1.5.5.5.1.e164.arpa is replaced with sip:jdoe@corpxyz.com.
The regular expression in a NAPTR record is always applied to the original string of the client. It must not be
applied to a domain name that resulted from a previous NAPTR rewrite.
• The Replacement field specifies the FQDN for the next lookup, if it was not specified in the regular expression.
 Note
If a NAPTR record with the domain name in its native characters is added to the Infoblox Grid through DDNS
updates, the Domain and Replacement fields display the domain name in UTF-8 encoded format. For example,
a NAPTR record with the domain name 电脑 .test.com added through DDNS updates displays
\231\148\181\232\132\145.test.com in the Domain and Replacement fields.
Adding NAPTR Records

To add a NAPTR record, perform the following steps:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Record -> Add NAPTR
Record.
2. In the Add NAPTR Record wizard, complete the following fields:
• Domain: If Grid Manager displays a zone name, enter the domain name to which this resource record
refers. The displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the zone from which you are
adding the NAPTR record. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to specify a different zone, click
Select Zone. When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. Click a
zone name in the dialog box, and then enter a domain name for the record. The name you enter is
prefixed to the DNS zone name that is displayed, and the complete name becomes the FQDN (fully
qualified domain name) of the record. For example, if the zone name displayed is corpxyz.com and you
enter admin, then the FQDN becomes admin.corpxyz.com. This field is not displayed when you configure
a NAPTR record for a DTC server.
• Service: Specifies the service and protocol used to reach the domain name that results from applying the
regular expression or replacement. You can enter a service or select a service from the list.
• Flags: The flag indicates whether the resulting domain name is the endpoint URI or if it points to another
record. Select one of the following:
U: Indicates that the output maps to a URI.
S: Indicates that the resulting domain name has at least one SRV record.
A: Indicates that the resulting domain name has at least one A or AAAA record.
P: Indicates that this record contains information specific to another application.
Leave this blank to indicate that the DNS client must use the resulting domain name to look up other
NAPTR records. You can use the NAPTR records as a series of rules that are used to construct a URI or
domain name.
• Order: Select an Integer from 10 to 100, or enter a value from 0 to 65535. This value indicates the order in
which the NAPTR records must be processed. The record with the lowest value is processed first.
• Preference: Select an Integer from 10 to 100, or enter a value from 0 to 65535. Similar to the Preference
field in MX records, this value indicates which NAPTR record should be processed first when the records
have the same Order value. The record with the lowest value is processed first.
• REGEX: The regular expression that is used to rewrite the original string from the client into a domain
name. RFC 2915 specifies the syntax of the regular expression. Note that the appliance validates the
regular expression syntax between the first and second delimiter against the Python re module, which is

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not 100% compatible with POSIX Extended Regular Expression as specified in the RFC. For information
about the Python re module, refer to http://docs.python.org/release/2.5.1/lib/module-re.html.
• Replacement: This specifies the domain name for the next lookup. The default is a dot (.), which indicates
that the regular expression in the REGEX field provides the replacement value. Alternatively, you can
enter the replacement value in FQDN format.
• Comment: Optionally, enter a descriptive comment for this record.
3. Click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes. This is not applicable
when you configure a NAPTR record for a DTC server.
Managing LBDN Records

When your Grid has a DNS Traffic Control license, you can add LBDN (Load Balanced Domain Name) records to
authoritative or delegated zones. You can add an LBDN even if the zone is DNSSEC signed but some restrictions apply.
To add an LBDN record when in the DNS records list view:
• On the Zones or Members/Servers tab, click the arrow next to the Add icon and select Record -> DTC LBDN. For
more information, see Configuring DNS Traffic Control LBDNs.
You can also add an LDBN when in the Traffic Control tab. For more information, see the previously referenced section.
Managing Unknown Records

An unknown record is a resource record for which the record type is unknown to NIOS. You can create an unknown
record and assign a type to it. NIOS converts the unknown record to the type you assign. You can assign a type listed at
https://www.iana.org/assignments/dns-parameters/dns-parameters.xhtml. For information about types that you cannot
assign, see the Guidelines for Creating Unknown Records section.
Adding Unknown Records

To add a record of Unknown type, perform the following steps:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Record -> Unknown
Record.
2. In the Add Unknown Record wizard, complete the following fields:
• Domain Name: Click Select Zone to select a zone. When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays
the Zone Selector dialog box. Click Clear to clear the zone that you have entered.
• DNS View: The DNS view associated with the selected DNS zone is displayed.
• Type: Enter the type that the unknown record belongs to. You can either enter the type in the textual
mnemonic format or in the "TYPEnnn" format where "nnn" indicates the numeric type value. For example,
for a record of type RP, you can either enter "RP" or "TYPE17".
3. Click the + icon to specify the details for the record you are creating:
• Field Type: Select the field type that the record data must assume. Field types can be of the following:
• Base64-encoded Data: BASE64 encoded binary data
• Hexadecimal Sequence: Hexadecimal encoded binary data
• 8-bit unsigned integer: Unsigned 8-bit integer
• IPv4 Address: IPv4 address in numerical form. For example, 192.0.1.1
• IPv6 Address: IPv6 address in numerical form. For example, 2001:db8::abcd
• ASCII String: ASCII text
• Domain Name: Domain name
• Presentation: Standard textual form of record data, as shown in a standard master zone file. This
type is specifically intended to be used for standard types of records that cannot easily be
represented as a sequence of fields of the other types. Such record types include LOC and APL. If
you choose this field type, it must be the only field to represent the record
• Value: Value of the field data. Before entering a value, see the Guidelines for Creating Unknown Records
section.

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• Length: Format in which to specify the length of the field value. The length can only be None for fields of
8-bit unsigned integer, 16-bit unsigned integer, 32-bit unsigned integer, IPv4 Address, IPv6 Address,
Domain Name, and Presentation types. For fields of type Base64-encoded Data, ASCII String, and
Hexadecimal Sequence, the value of the Length field can be either None or 8 bits or 16 bits depending on
the requirement of the corresponding record type.
 Note
Irrespective of the field type you select, there is an implementation-specific limitation on the
length of the record data. Specifically, the data is internally converted to a textual form that
appears in a standard DNS master file, and it is rejected if the converted text exceeds 8192
bytes. Although unlikely, some extremely large data can be rejected because of this limitation.
4. Click Add. The record details are added to the table below.
5. In the Comment field, optionally enter a descriptive comment for the record.
6. Clear the Disable checkbox to enable the record. Select the checkbox to disable it.
Attributes.
Guidelines for Creating Unknown Records

Make note of the following guidelines when you create an unknown record:
1. You cannot enter a record type that already exists in NIOS. For example, A, AAAA, ANY, CAA, CNAME, DHCID,
DNAME, DNSKEY, DS, MX, NAPTR, NS, NSEC, NSEC3, NSEC3PARAM, PTR, RRSIG, SOA, SRV, TLSA, TXT.
2. If the record contains an ASCII String field type and you include double quotes, you must escape it with a
backslash. For example, to obtain a value of "a"b", specify the string as \"a\"b\".
3. Ensure that you use the correct syntax when entering the value of the record.
4. If you want to modify the field type of an unknown record, you have to delete the field type and then add it again.
5. If you create an unknown record of a specific type and later on the record type is supported by NIOS, the record
continues to exist as an unknown record. You will need to migrate the record to the newly supported type.
6. If you add an unknown record that is not supported by the Microsoft server to the zone, you may encounter
issues with the MS server synchronization.
7. You cannot create records of type MD and MF.
Modifying and Deleting Unknown Records

When you modify an unknown record, you can change the information you previously entered in the General tab. You
can also enter or edit information in the TTL, Extensible Attributes and Permissions tabs. For information on modifying
and deleting resource records, see Modifying, Disabling, and Deleting Host and Resource Records.
Prohibited Records
The following record types are prohibited as part of a zone, irrespective of whether or not they are defined as Unknown
records:
• Type 0: Do not allocate it for ordinary use.
• Type 41 (OPT): Pseudo type
• Types 128-255: Meta type
• Types 55555, 55556, 55557, 65432, 65433: Used internally in NIOS
• Type 65533: Private use
• Type 3 (MD) and 4 (MF): Obsolete type
Viewing Resource Records

You can view the configured resource records by navigating to the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones tab ->
zone -> Records tab. Grid Manager displays the following information for each resource record in the zone:

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• Name: The name of the record, if applicable. For host records, this field displays the canonical name of the host.
For PTR record, this displays the PTR record name without the zone name.
• Type: The resource record type.
• Data: Data that the record contains. For host records, this field displays the IP address of the host. For PTR
records, this displays the domain names.
• Active users: The number of active users for the selected resource record.
• Comment: Comments that were entered for the resource record.
 Note
The DNS record that is obscured by an LBDN record is indicated by a strikethrough, for example, an
obscured A record appears as A Record in Grid Manager.
You can also display the following columns:

• MS Delegation Addresses: This column appears only if the primary server of the zone is a Microsoft server. It
displays the IP addresses that are associated with an NS record.
• TTL: The TTL (time-to-live) value of the record.
• Address: The IPv4 or IPv6 address associated with the owner domain name in a reverse-mapping zone.
• Shared: Displays true for shared resource records. Otherwise, displays false.
• Shared Record Group: Displays the shared record group name of a shared record.
• Disabled: Indicates if the record is disabled.
You can perform the following steps:
• Modify some of the data in the table. Double click a row and either modify the data in the field or select an item
• Add new DNS records by clicking the arrow next to the Add icon and selecting Host, Record, Shared Record, and
then selecting the required record type.
• View the DNS Traffic Control structure for an LBDN.
• Select the LBDN record and click the Open Visualization icon. For more information, see Visualization for
DNS Traffic Control Objects.
• Create a DTC server based on an existing A, AAAA, or host record by selecting a record in the table and clicking
Create DTC Server in the Toolbar or in the record's Action menu. For more information, see Configuring DNS
Traffic Control Servers.
• Edit the properties of a resource record.
• Select the resource record, and then click the Edit icon.
• Delete a resource record.
• Select the resource record, and then click the Delete icon.
• Export the list of resource records to a .csv file.
• Print the list of resource records.
• Create a quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria:
a. In the filter section, click Show Filter and define filter criteria for the quick filter.
b. Click Save and complete the configuration In the Save Quick Filter dialog box.
The appliance adds the quick filter to the quick filter drop-down list in the panel. Note that global filters are
prefixed with [G], local filters with [L], and system filters with [S].
Modifying, Disabling, and Deleting Host and Resource Records

You can modify, disable, or delete an existing host or DNS resource record. When physical repair or relocation of a
network device occurs, you can disable a record instead of deleting it. When you disable a record, the NIOS appliance
does not answer queries for it, nor does it include disabled records in zone transfers and zone imports. This avoids
having to delete and then add the record again. When the changes to the physical device are complete, you can simply

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enable the host or resource record.
To modify or disable a host or resource record, perform the following steps:
1. Use one of the following methods to retrieve the host or resource record:
• Perform a global search.
• Select it from a Smart Folder.
• From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab - > Zones tab -> dns_view -> zone -> host_record or
resource_record.
2. Select the record you want to modify and click the Modify icon.
3. In the host or resource record editor, you can do the following:
• In the General tab, you can change most of the information, except for the read-only fields, such as the
DNS View and Host Name Policy. You can select the Disable checkbox to disable the record.
• In the TTL tab, you can modify the TTL setting. The NIOS appliance also allows you to specify TTL
settings for each record. If you do not specify a TTL for a record, the appliance applies the default TTL
value of the zone to each record. For information, see About Time To Live Settings.
• In the Extensible Attributes tab, you can modify the attributes. For information, see Using Extensible
Attributes.
• The Permissions tab displays if you logged in as a superuser. For information, see About Administrative
Permissions.
When you delete host and resource records, Grid Manager moves them to the Recycle Bin. You can use the Recycle Bin
to store deleted DNS configuration objects and selectively restore objects to the active configuration at a later time. You
can also permanently remove the objects from the Recycle Bin.
 Note
You cannot delete automatically-generated records, such as NS records and SOA records.
To delete host and resource record, perform the following steps:

1. Perform a global search to retrieve the record you want to delete.
Or
From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, click the Zones tab-> dns_view -> zone -> host_record or
resource_record.
2. Select the record and click the Delete icon.
3. In the Delete Confirmation dialog box, select Yes to delete or No to cancel.
4. Optionally, if the Enable PTR record removal for A/AAAA records option is selected and if you try to delete an A or
AAAA record, the appliance displays the Delete Confirmation (A or AAAA Record) dialog box to confirm whether
you want to remove the corresponding PTR record that was automatically generated while creating the A or AAAA
record. In the Delete Confirmation dialog box, select the Remove associated PTR resource record(s) checkbox
and click Yes to delete the associated PTR record or click No to cancel. For information about enabling this
option, see Deleting PTR Records associated with A or AAAA Records.
Or
You can also schedule the deletion for a later time. Click Schedule Deletion and in the Schedule Change panel,
enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Deletions.
Configuring Shared Record Groups

A shared record group is a set of resource records that you can add to multiple zones. You can create resource records
in a group and share the group among multiple zones. The zones handle the shared resource records as any other
resource record. You can include the following types of DNS resource records in a shared record group: A, SRV, MX,
AAAA, CNAME, and TXT.
Using shared record groups simplifies and expedites the administration of resource records. When you create or update
a shared record, the appliance automatically updates it in all associated zones. In addition, shared resource records
reduce the object count in the NIOS database; instead of the creating the same record in multiple zones, you can use
only one shared record. For example, for 10 zones and 500 records per zone, the object count decreases from 5278
objects to 781 objects.
The figure Creating Shared Records shows an example of how to create and use shared records.

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In this example, there are two shared record groups. One group—group1— contains the A records ftp and printer1 and
the MX record mx1, and the other group—group2—contains the A record web and the MX record mx2. The resource
records in group1 are shared with the internal view zones sales.corpxyz.com and finance.corpxyz.com and the external
view zone sales.corpxyz.com. The resource records in group2 are shared with the internal view zone
marketing.corpxyz.com and the external view zones sales.corpxyz.com and marketing.corpxyz.com.
Creating Shared Records
Shared Records Guidelines

The following are guidelines for using shared records:
• You can include multiple shared A, AAAA, CNAME, SRV, MX and TXT resource records in a group. You cannot
include NS, DNAME, PTR, host and bulk host records.
• You can add shared records to authoritative zones only. You cannot add shared records to forward zones, stub
zones, or reverse mapping zones.
• Zones that contain shared records can also contain regular DNS records (not shared).
• When you change or delete a shared resource record, it changes the canonical source of the shared record and
impacts all the zones that contain the record.
• You cannot copy shared records from a zone.
• You do not need to restart the appliance when you create, delete, or modify shared records.
Configuring Shared Record Groups

Before you can create shared resource records, you must first create the group to which they belong. The shared record
group serves as a container for the shared resource records. The following are the tasks to configure a shared record
group:
1. Create a shared record group and associate it with the appropriate zones. See Creating a Shared Record Group.

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2. Create shared A, CNAME, SRV, MX, AAAA, and TXT resource records, and add them into the shared record
group. See Managing Shared Resource Records.
Creating a Shared Record Group

When you create a shared record group, the only requirement is that you give it a name. You can associate it with one or
multiple zones when you first create the group or at a later time, by editing the shared record group. You can associate a
shared record group with authoritative zones only. Associating the shared record group with a zone adds the shared
records to the zone. The zone handles the shared records like any other resource records.
To create a shared record group:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Shared Record Groups tab, and then click the Add icon.
2. In the Shared Record Group wizard, specify the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the shared record group. It can be up to 64 characters long and can contain any
combination of printable characters. You can change the shared record group name even after you create
the group. It does not impact the shared records in the group.
• Hostname Policy: Click Override to supersede the hostname restriction policy set at the zone level or click
Inherit to use the zone policy. This sets the hostname policy for the shared records in the group. See
Specifying Hostname Policies.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the shared record group.
3. Click Next to associate the shared record group with at least one zone.
4. Click the Add icon in the Associated Zones panel.
5. In the Zone Selector dialog box, select a zone by clicking the zone name. You can add multiple zones.
6. Click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
Viewing Shared Record Groups

You can view the configured shared record groups by navigating to the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Shared
Record Groups tab. Grid Manager displays the following information about each shared record group:
• Name: The shared record group name.
• Comment: Comments that were entered for the shared record group.
• List the shared resource records and associated zones in a shared record group.
• Click a shared record group name.
• Edit the properties of a shared record group.
• Click the checkbox beside a shared record group, and then click the Edit icon.
• Delete a shared record group.
• Click the checkbox beside a shared record group, and then click the Delete icon. Note that you must
remove the zone associations in a shared record group before you delete it.
• Export the list of shared record groups to a .csv file.
• Print the list of shared record groups.
Modifying a Shared Record Group

When you edit a shared record group, you can do the following:

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1. Perform a global search to retrieve the shared record group you want to modify.
or
From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Shared Record Groups tab -> shared_record _group
2. The Shared Record Group editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify information:
• General: You can change any of the information you entered when you created it, including its
name.Changing the shared record group name does not impact the shared resource records in it.
• Permissions: This tab is displayed if you logged in as a superuser. For information, see About
Deleting Shared Record Groups

Before you delete a shared record group, you must remove the zone associations in the group; otherwise, an error
message appears when you delete. For information, see Deleting Associated Zones.
To delete a shared record group:
1. Perform a global search to retrieve the shared record group you want to modify.
or
From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Shared Record Groups tab -> shared_record _group
Grid Manager moves the shared record group to the Recycle Bin, if enabled. Use the Recycle Bin feature to recover a
deleted shared record group and retrieve the deleted zones. For information, see Using the Recycle Bin.
Managing Shared Resource Records

You can create shared A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, SRV and TXT records. These resource records are similar to the
non-shared resource records. The DNS server uses them to respond to queries in the same way as any other resource
record. A shared resource record can belong to only one shared record group. This section describes how to add shared
resource records to a group and how to modify and delete them. It includes the following sections:
• Creating Shared Records
• Viewing Shared Records
• Modifying Shared Records
• Deleting Shared Records
NIOS allows superusers to add shared A and AAAA records with a blank name. Limited-access users must have read/
write permission to Adding a blank A/AAAA record to add shared A and AAAA records with a blank name. You can assign
global permission for specific admin groups and roles to allow limited-access users to add shared A and AAAA records
with a blank name. For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Adding Blank A or AAAA Records.
Creating Shared Records

After you create a shared record group, you can create its resource records. To create a shared A, AAAA, CNAME, MX,
SRV or TXT record and add it to a group:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Shared Record.
or
From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Shared Record Groups tab -> shared_record _group .
Expand the Shared Records tab and click the Add icon.
• Shared A Record
• Shared AAAA Record
• Shared CNAME Record
• Shared MX Record
• Shared SRV Record
• Shared TXT Record

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3. Enter information in the Shared Record wizard. See the online Help or the following for information about each
resource record:
• For information about A records, see Managing A Records.
• For information about AAAA records, see Managing AAAA Records.
• For information about CNAME records, see Managing CNAME Records.
• For information about MX records, see Managing MX Records.
• For information about SRV records, see Managing SRV Records.
• For information about TXT records, see Managing TXT Records.
4. Save the configuration, or click Next to define extensible attributes for the shared record. For information, see
Using Extensible Attributes.
Viewing Shared Records

You can view the shared records in a group and in a zone. To edit the shared record properties, click the shared record
name and select the Edit icon.
To view the shared records in a group:
• From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Shared Record Groups tab -> shared_record _group ->
Shared Records tab.
To view the shared records in a zone:
• From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab and select a zone. Grid Manager lists the
following information about each shared record by default:
• Name: The shared record name.
• Type: Indicates the type of resource record, such as A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, SRV or TXT records. Shared records
are identified as (Shared).
• Data: The data the shared resource record provides.
• Comment: Comments that were entered in the resource record.
• Site: Displays values that were entered for this pre-defined attribute.
You can display the following additional columns:
• TTL: The TTL value of the shared resource record.
• Disabled: Indicates whether the record is disabled.
• Edit the properties of a shared resource record.
• Select the shared resource record, and then click the Edit icon.
• Delete a shared resource record.
• Select the shared resource record, and then click the Delete icon.
• Export the list of shared resource records to a .csv file.
• Print the list of shared resource records.
Modifying Shared Records

You can modify, disable, or delete any shared record. When physical repair or relocation of a network device occurs, you
can disable a record instead of deleting it. This alleviates having to delete, and then add the shared record again. When
the changes to the physical device are complete, you can simply enable the shared record.
To modify or disable a shared record:

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1. Perform a global search to retrieve the host or resource record you want to modify.
or
From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Shared Record Groups tab -> shared_record_group ->
Shared Records tab.
2. Select the shared record you want to modify and click the Edit icon.
3. The Shared Records editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify information:
• General: You can change most of the information, except for the read-only fields, such as the Host Name
Policy. You can also select the Disable checkbox to disable the record.
• TTL: You can modify the TTL setting. For information, see About Time To Live Settings.
• Permissions: This tab displays if you logged in as a superuser. For information, see About Administrative
Permissions.
Deleting Shared Records

To delete shared resource records:
1. Perform a global search to retrieve the record you want to delete.
or
From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Shared Record Groups tab -> shared_record_group ->
Shared Records tab.
2. Select the shared record you want to delete and click the Delete icon.
3. When the confirmation dialog box displays, select Yes.
Grid Manager moves the shared records to the Recycle Bin, from which you can restore or permanently delete the
records.
Managing Associated Zones

Typically, you associate a zone with a shared record group when you create the group. You can also add an associated
zone to a shared record group after you create the group.
Creating Associated Zones

To associate a zone with a share record group:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Shared Record Groups tab -> shared_record _group ->
Associated Zones tab, and then click the Add icon.
2. In the Zone Selector dialog box, select a zone by clicking the zone name.
The appliance adds the zone to the Associated Zones tab.
Viewing Associated Zones

To view the associated zones in a shared record group:
• From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Shared Record Groups tab -> shared_record _group ->
Associated Zones tab.
Grid Manager lists the following information about each associated zone by default:
• Zone: The zone associated with the shared record group.
• DNS View: The DNS view to which the zones belong.
• Network View: The network view associated with the DNS view.
• Comment: Comments that were entered for the shared record group. You can do the following:
• Associate another zone with the shared record group.

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• Click the Add icon and select a zone.
• Delete an associated zone.
• Select the zone, and then click the Delete icon.
• Export the list of associated zones to a .csv file.
• Print the list of shared associated zones.
Deleting Associated Zones

To delete an associated zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Shared Record Groups tab -> shared_record_group ->
Associated Zones tab.
2. Select the associated zone and click the Delete icon.
Grid Manager removes the zone from the shared record group.
Configuration Example: Configuring Shared Records

The following example shows you how to configure shared records. In this example, you do the following:
• Create a shared record group: group1.
• Associate it with three zones: eng.com, sales.com, and marketing.com.
• Create an A record www and an MX record mx1.
1. Create a shared record group called group1 and associate it with eng.com, sales.com, and marketing.com.
a. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Shared Record Groups tab, and then click the Add
icon.
b. In the first step of the Shared Record Group wizard, specify the following Name: Enter group1.
c. Click Next.
d. Click the Add icon in the Associated Zones panel.
e. Select eng.com from the list of zones and click the select icon. Do the same for the sales.com, and
marketing.com zones.
f. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.
2. Add an A record www to group1.
a. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Shared Record > Shared A Record.
b. In the Shared A Record wizard, specify the following:
Name: Enter www.
Shared Record Group: Select group1 from the drop-down list.
IP Address: Enter the IP address 10.9.1.1.
c. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.
3. Add an MX record mx1 into group1.
a. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Shared Record > Shared MX Record.
b. In the Shared MX Record wizard, specify the following:
Mail Destination: Enter mx1.
Shared Record Group: Select group1 from the drop-down list.
Mail Exchanger: Enter www.infoblox.com.
Preference: Enter 10.
Comment: Enter mail exchanger record for shared record group1.
Configuring DDNS Updates

DDNS (Dynamic DNS) is a method to update DNS data (A, TXT, and PTR records) from sources such as DHCP servers
and other systems that support DDNS updates, such as Microsoft Windows servers 2000, 2003, 2008, 2008 R2, 2012,
2012 R2, and 2016.

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This section provides conceptual information about DDNS and explains how to configure NIOS appliances running
DHCP, DHCPv6 and DNS to support DDNS updates. It contains the following main topics:
• Understanding DDNS Updates from DHCP

• Configuring DHCP for DDNS
• Configuring DDNS Features
• About the Client FQDN Option
• Configuring DDNS Update Verification
• Configuring DNS Servers for DDNS
• Supporting Active Directory
• About GSS-TSIG
• Configuring GSS-TSIG keys
• Accepting DDNS Updates from DHCP Clients
• Accepting GSS-TSIG-Authenticated Updates
• Secure Dynamic Updates
Understanding DDNS Updates from DHCP

DHCP supports several DNS-related options (such as options 12, 15, and 81 for IPv4, and options 23, 24, and 39 for
IPv6). With DDNS (Dynamic DNS) updates, a DHCP server or client can use the information in these options to inform a
DNS server of dynamic domain name-to-IP address assignments.
 Note
DDNS updates is not supported by IPv6-only appliances.
To set up one or more NIOS appliances for DDNS updates originating from DHCP, you must configure at least one
DHCP server and one DNS server. These servers might be on the same appliance or on separate appliances. Three
possible arrangements for a DHCP server to update a DNS server are shown in the figure below.
Relationship of DHCP and DNS Servers for DDNS Updates

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Here is a closer look at one setup for performing DDNS updates from a DHCP server (the steps relate to figure DDNS
Update from a DHCP Serve).
1. When an IPv4 DHCP client requests an IP address, the client sends its host name (DHCP option 12). The client
also includes its MAC address in the ethernet frame header.
2. a. When the DHCP server responds with an IP address, it usually provides a domain name (DHCP option 15).
The combined host name (from the client) and domain name (from the server) form an FQDN (fully qualified
domain name), which the NIOS appliance associates with the IP address in the DHCP lease.
b. The DHCP server sends the A, TXT, and PTR records of the DHCP client to the primary DNS server to update
its resource records with the dynamically associated FQDN + IP address.
3. The primary DNS server notifies its secondary servers of a change. The secondary servers confirm the need for a
zone transfer, and the primary server sends the updated zone data to the secondary server, completing the
update.
 Note
For information about zone transfers, see Enabling Zone Transfers.
DDNS Update from a DHCP Server

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To enable a DHCP server to send DDNS updates to a DNS server, you must configure both servers to support the
updates. First, configure the DHCP server to do the following:
• Provide what is needed to create an FQDN: add a server-generated host name to a server-provided domain
name, add a server-provided domain name to a client-supplied host name, or permit the client to provide its own
FQDN
• Send updates to a DNS server
Then, configure the following on the DNS server:
• Accept updates from the DHCP server, a secondary DNS server, or a DHCP client
• If the DHCP server sends updates to a secondary DNS server, configure the secondary server to forward updates
to the primary DNS server
When setting up DDNS, you can determine the amount of information that DHCP clients provide to a DHCP server —
and vice versa — and where the DDNS updates originate. A summary of these options for IPv4 is shown in the following
figure. It is similar for IPv6, except that the DHCP client and server exchange Request and Reply messages, AAAA
records are updated instead of A records, and the FQDN option is option 39.

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DHCP Clients and Server Providing DNS Information and Updates
You can configure the DHCP and DNS settings for DDNS at the Grid level, member level, and network and zone level.
By applying the inheritance model in the NIOS appliance, settings made at the Grid level apply to all members in the
Grid. Settings you make at the member level apply to all networks and zones configured on that member. Settings made
at the network and zone level apply specifically to just that network and zone. When configuring independent appliances
(that is, appliances that are not in a Grid), do not use the member-level settings. Instead, configure DDNS updates at the
Grid level to apply to all zones and, if necessary, override the Grid-level settings on a per zone basis.

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Configuring DHCP for DDNS
Before a DHCP server can update DNS, the DHCP server needs to have an FQDN-to-IP address mapping. When a
DHCP IPv4 client requests an IP address, it typically includes its host name in option 12 of the DHCPDISCOVER packet,
and an IPv6 client includes its hostname in the Request packet. You can configure the NIOS appliance to include a
domain name in option 15 of the IPv4 DHCPOFFER packet or in the IPv6 Reply packet. You specify this domain name in
the IPv4 DHCP Options -> Basic and IPv6 DHCP Options -> Basic tabs of the Grid DHCP Properties editor, Member
DHCP Configuration editor, and the Network editor. For IPv4 clients you can also specify a domain name in the DHCP
Range and Fixed Address editors.
Then, you can enable the DHCP server to send DDNS updates for IPv4 and IPv6 clients, as described in Enabling DDNS
for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Clients. After you enable the DHCP server to send DDNS updates, you can do the following:
• Configure the DHCP server to send DDNS updates to DNS servers in the Grid. For information, see Sending
Updates to DNS Servers in the Grid.
• Configure the DHCP server to send DDNS updates to external DNS servers. For information, see Configuring
DDNS Features.
• Configure certain DDNS features. For information, see Configuring DDNS Features.
• Enable support for the FQDN option for IPv4 and IPv6 clients, and configure how the DHCP server updates DNS.
For information, see Enabling FQDN Option Support.
 Note
Whether you deploy NIOS appliance in a Grid or independently, they send updates to UDP port 53. Grid
members do not send updates through a VPN tunnel; however, Grid members do authenticate updates
between each other using TSIG (transaction signatures) based on an internal TSIG key.
Enabling DDNS for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Clients

You can enable the DHCP server to send DDNS updates for IPv4 clients at the Grid, member, shared network, network,
address range, DHCP template, fixed address, and roaming host levels, and for IPv6 clients at the Grid, member,
network, shared network, network template and roaming host levels.
You can specify a different domain name that the appliance uses specifically for DDNS updates. The appliance combines
the hostname from the client and the domain name you specify to create the FQDN that it uses to update DNS. For IPv4
clients, you can specify the DDNS domain name at the network, network template, range, and range template levels. For
IPv6 clients, you can specify the DDNS domain name at the Grid, member, network, shared network, and network
template levels. You can also use the name of a roaming host record as the name of the client for DDNS updates, as
described in Setting Properties for Roaming Hosts.
To enable DDNS and specify a DDNS domain name:
1. Grid: From the DataManagement tab, select the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click GridDHCPProperties.
Member: From the DataManagement tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Members tab -> Members ->
member checkbox -> Edit icon.
Network: From the DataManagement tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Networks tab -> Networks ->
network checkbox -> Edit icon.
NetworkContainer: From the DataManagement tab, select the IPAM tab -> network_container checkbox, and then
NetworkTemplate: From the DataManagement tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Templates tab
-> DHCP_template checkbox -> Edit icon.
RoamingHost: From the DataManagement tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Networks tab -> RoamingHosts
-> roaming_host -> Edit icon.
For IPv4 clients only:IPv4AddressRange: From the DataManagement tab, select the DHCP tab and click the
Networks tab -> Networks -> network -> addr_range checkbox -> Edit icon.
IPv4FixedAddress: From the DataManagement tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Networks tab -> Networks
-> network -> ip_addr checkbox -> Edit icon.
IPv4AddressRange/FixedAddressTemplate: From the DataManagement tab, select the DHCP tab and click the

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Templates tab -> DHCP_template checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. In the IPv4DDNS -> Basic tab or the IPv6DDNS -> Basic tab, complete the following:
• Enable DDNS Updates: Select this checkbox to enable DDNS updates.
 Note
When setting properties for DHCP objects other than the Grid, you must click Override and
select Enable DDNS updates for the DDNS settings to take effect. When turning on DDNS
updates, first verify if option 81 has been enabled and whether DNS is being updated. If DNS is
being updated, even if the DNS zone targets are not in the Grid, select Option 81 support and
the correct suboption. For more information, see Enabling FQDN Option Support.
When the Enable DDNS Updates checkbox is not selected, the default behaviour is to allow the
client to update DNS.
When the Enable DDNS Updates checkbox is selected, the default behaviour is to prevent
DDNS updates from the client.
 Note
In a dual mode Grid, if IPv6 DDNS updates is enabled at the Grid level, then when you join an IPv6 Grid
member to the Grid, IPv6 DDNS updates is automatically disabled for the Grid member.
• DDNS domain name: Specify the domain name of the network that the appliance uses to update DNS.
For IPv4 clients, you can specify this at the network, network template, range, and range template levels.
For IPv6 clients, you can specify this at the Grid, member, network, shared network, and network template
levels.
• DDNS Update TTL: You can set the TTL used for A or AAAA and PTR records updated by the DHCP
server. The default is shown as zero. If you do not enter a value here, the appliance by default sets the
TTL to half of the DHCP lease time with a maximum of 3600 seconds. For example, a lease time of 1800
seconds results in a TTL of 900 seconds, and a lease time of 86400 seconds results in a TTL of 3600
seconds. For information about how to set the lease time, see Defining Lease Times.
• DDNS Update Method: Select the method used by the DHCP server to send DDNS updates. You can
select either Interim or Standard from the drop-down list. The default is Interim. When you select Interim,
TXT record will be created for DDNS updates and when you select Standard, DHCID record will be
created for DDNS updates. But in the IPv4 DDNS -> Advanced tab or the IPv6 DDNS -> Advanced tab, if
you have selected No TXT Record mode for the DHCP server to use when handling DNS updates, then
TXT record or DHCID record is not created for DDNS updates.
If you change the DDNS update method from Interim to Standard or vice versa, then the DHCP server
changes the DHCID type used from TXT record to DHCID record or vice versa as the leases are
renewed.
This is supported for clients that acquire both IPv4 and IPv6 leases. Infoblox recommends you to
configure different DDNS update method for IPV4 leases and IPv6 leases, Interim for IPv4 lease and
Standard for IPv6 lease.
• Update DNS on DHCP Lease Renewal: Select this checkbox to enable the appliance to update DNS
when a DHCP lease is renewed.
Sending Updates to DNS Servers

The DHCP server can send DDNS updates to DNS servers in the same Grid and to external DNS servers. When you
enable the appliance to send updates to Grid members, you must specify the DNS view to be updated. If a network view
has multiple DNS views, you can select only one DNS view for DDNS updates. For information about DNS views, see
About DNS Views.
When you enable DDNS updates for a Grid, member, shared network, network, address range, DHCP template, fixed
address, or roaming host, the DHCP server sends updates to authoritative zones using the domain name (as DHCP
option 15) you define in the DHCP properties. You can also define forward-mapping zones that receive DDNS updates
for DHCP clients that use option 81 to define the domain name. For information, see About the Client FQDN Option. To

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allow DDNS updates for clients using option 81, you must first enable the support for option 81. For information, see
Configuring DDNS Features.
For DNS zones that have multiple primary servers, you can define a primary name server to be used as the default
primary server when performing DDNS updates from the appliance. Note that you cannot configure an external primary
as the default primary. For more information, see Defining the Default Primary for DDNS Updates to Zones with Multiple
Primaries.
Sending Updates to DNS Servers in the Grid

You must specify the DNS view to be updated for each network view.
To configure the DHCP server to send updates to DNS servers in the same Grid:
1. If there are multiple network views in the Grid, select a network view.
2. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, and then click Configure DDNS from the Toolbar.
3. In the DDNS Properties editor, complete the following:
• DNS View: If a network view has more than one DNS view, this field lists the associated DNS views. From
the drop-down list, select the DNS view to which the DHCP server sends DDNS updates. Otherwise, the
appliance uses the default DNS view.
The appliance sends DDNS updates to the appropriate zones in the selected DNS view. Note that you cannot delete a
DNS view that has been selected for DDNS updates. By default, the DHCP server sends DDNS updates to zones using
the domain name that you define for DHCP objects, such as networks and DHCP ranges.
Sending Updates for Zones on an External Name Server

The DHCP server can send dynamic updates to an external name server that you specify. For each network view, you
can specify the zone to be updated and the IP address of the primary name server for that zone. You can add information
for a forward and reverse zone. The DHCP server updates the A record in the forward zone and the PTR record in the
reverse zone.
You can also use TSIG (transaction signatures) or GSS-TSIG to secure communications between the servers. TSIG uses
the MD5 (Message Digest 5) algorithm and a shared secret key to create an HMAC (hashed message authentication
code)—sometimes called a digital fingerprint—of each update. Both the DHCP server sending the update and the DNS
server receiving it must share the same secret key. Also, it is important that the time stamps on the TSIG-authenticated
updates and update responses be synchronized, or the participants reject them. Therefore, use an NTP server to set the
time on all systems involved in TSIG authentication operations.
Note that only a superuser can configure DDNS. To configure DDNS, a limited-access admin must contact a superuser.
To send updates to a DNS server that is external to your Grid:
2. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Configure DDNS.
3. In the DDNS Updates to External Zones section of the DDNS Properties editor, click the Add icon. Complete the
following fields in the Add External DDNS Zone panel, and then click Add:
• Zone Name: Enter the FQDN of a valid forward-mapping or reverse-mapping zone to which the DHCP
server sends the updates. Do not enter the zone name in CIDR format. To specify a zone name in IDN,
manually convert IDN to punycode and use the punycode representation.
• DNS Server Address: Enter the IP address of the primary name server for that zone.
• Security: Select one of the following security methods:
• None: Select this to use unsecured DDNS updates. This is the default.
• TSIG: Select this to use the standards-based TSIG key that uses the one-way hash function MD5
to secure transfers between name servers. You can either specify an existing key or generate a
new key.
To specify an existing key, complete the following:
Key Name: Enter the TSIG key name. The key name entered here must match the TSIG key
name on the external name server.
Key Algorithm: Select either HMAC-MD5 or HMAC-SHA256.
Key Data: To use an existing TSIG key, type or paste the key in the Key Data field. Alternatively,

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you can select the key algorithm, select the key length from the GenerateKeyData drop down list,
and then click Generate Key Data to create a new key.
• GSS-TSIG: For information about using GSS-TSIG, see About GSS-TSIG.
Defining the Default Primary for DDNS Updates to Zones with Multiple Primaries
If you have configured multiple primary servers for an authoritative zone, you can define the default primary that the
appliance uses to perform DDNS updates for the zone. Note that you can configure a Grid primary, but not an external
primary, as the default primary. If you do not configure a default primary, the Grid Master becomes the default primary for
the zones that it serves. Otherwise, the appliance selects a primary server that serves the zone as the default primary.
For external zones that have multiple primaries, the first external primary server becomes the default primary.
Configuring a default primary for DDNS updates is useful when you have DHCP members that span across different
locations. Performing DDNS updates becomes more efficient when you configure a default primary that is close in
proximity to the DHCP member. For example, zone corpxyz.com has two primaries (usa.corpxyz.com and
japan.corpxyz.com) serving two locations (USA and Japan). Service performance is faster when you select
usa.corpxyz.com as the default primary for DDNS updates in the USA region and japan.corpxyz.com as the default
primary for the Japan region.
When you configure a preferred or default primary server for DDNS updates to a zone that has multiple primaries, ensure
that the following are in place:
• The zone that you select contains multiple primary servers.
• The primary server has DNS service enabled and is authoritative for the zone.
• The appliance has DHCP service enabled.
 Note
You can define the default primary for the Grid and override the setting at the member level, and you must
restart service for the configuration to take effect. Primary selection is performed at service restart, not at
runtime.
To define the default primary:

1. Grid: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Configure DDNS. In the
DDNS Properties editor, scroll down to the Master Preferences for DDNS Updates to Multi-master DNS Zones
section.
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Members tab -> member checkbox
-> Edit icon. In the Member DHCP Properties editor, select the Multi-master DDNS tab.
2. In the Master Preferences for DDNS Updates to Multi-master DNS Zones section, click the Add icon and select
one of the following from the list:
• Grid Zone: In the Add Grid Zone panel, complete the following:
• Zone: Click Select Zone to select the zone that has multiple primaries. Note that when configuring
for the Grid, only zones that belong to the selected DNS view are displayed in the Zone Selector
dialog box. For a Grid member however, if it is associated with a network view or if you have
defined a DNS view for DDNS updates for that network view, only zones that belong to the DNS
view configured for the associated network view are displayed.
• DNS View: Displays the DNS view to which this zone belongs.
• DNS Primary: From the drop-down list, select the primary name server you want the appliance to
use when performing DDNS updates. Note that the list displays only primary servers that are
defined for the selected zone.
• Default Primary: In the Add Default Primary panel, complete the following:
• DNS Primary: Click Select to select a primary name server from the Member Selector dialog.
When you select a default primary, the appliance uses this name server for DDNS updates to all
zones.
3. Click Add to add the zone and primary name server to the table, which displays the following information:
• DNS View: The DNS view to which the zone belongs.

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• Zone: The selected zone that has multiple primaries. All zones added to the table belong to the same
DNS view.
• DNS Primary: The primary server to be used when performing DDNS updates from a NIOS DHCP server
to the selected zone. If you have configured more than one Grid DNS primary server for DDNS updates
for multi-master zones, DHCP servers use the first available DNS primary server that is configured. If the
first DNS primary server is not reachable or is offline, then the DHCP servers reach for the next DNS
primary server in the preferred multi-domain DDNS list and so on. You can add upto a maximum of three
DNS primary nameservers for each zone.
4. Concatenated with the following rules defined at the Grid level: This section appears only in the Member DHCP
Properties editor. This table displays rules that are defined for zones with multiple primaries at the Grid level.
Rules configured at the member level automatically override those configured for the Grid. Note that all rules
configured for both the Grid and the member apply.
Configuring DDNS Features

You can enable the DHCP server to support certain DDNS features for IPv4 and IPv6 clients. These features affect the
behavior of the DHCP server and how it handles DDNS updates. The following sections describe the different features
you can set.
Resending DDNS Updates

You can enable the DHCP server to make repeated attempts to send DDNS updates to a DNS server. The DHCP server
asynchronously updates DNS for a particular lease and sends the DHCP ACK to the client requesting the lease. If the
update fails, the DHCP server still provides the lease and sends the DHCP ACK to the client. The DHCP server then
continues to send the updates until it is successful or the lease of the client expires. You can change the default retry
interval, which is five minutes.
You can enable this feature for the Grid and for individual Grid members.
Generating Host Names for DDNS Updates

Some IPv4 and IPv6 clients do not send a host name with their DHCP requests. When the DHCP server receives such a
request, its default behavior is to provide a lease but not update DNS. You can configure the DHCP server to generate a
host name and update DNS with this host name when it receives a DHCP request that does not include a host name. It
generates a name in the following format: dhcp-ip_address, where ip_address is the IP address of the lease. For
example, if this feature is enabled and the DHCP server receives a DHCP REQUEST from an IPv4 DHCP client with IP
address 10.1.1.1 and no host name, the DHCP server generates the name dhcp-10-1-1-1 and appends the domain
name, if specified, for the DDNS update. Likewise, if an IPv6 client with IP address 2001:db8:a23:0:0:0:0:d sends a
request, the DHCP server generates the name dhcp-2001-db8-a23-0-0-0-0-d and appends the domain name, if
specified, for the DDNS update.
Updating DNS for IPv4 Clients with Fixed Addresses

By default, the DHCP server does not update DNS when it allocates an IPv4 or IPv6 fixed address to a client. You can
configure the DHCP server to update the A and PTR record of IPv4 clients with a fixed address. When you enable this
feature and the DHCP server adds A and PTR records for a fixed address, the DHCP server never discards the records.
When the lease of the client terminates, you must delete the records manually. Note that the DHCP server does not send
DDNS updates for IPv6 fixed addresses and hosts. You can define fixed address settings for the Grid, Grid members,
IPv4 networks, and IPv4 shared networks.
Configuring DDNS Features

You can configure DDNS features for a Grid, its member, IPv4 and IPv6 networks and shared networks, and IPv4 DHCP
address ranges. You cannot set DDNS features for IPv6 DHCP ranges. To configure DDNS features:
1. Grid: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid DHCP Properties.
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Members tab -> member checkbox-

Rev. D
> Edit icon.
Network: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Networks tab -> Networks ->
Shared Network: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Networks tab -> Shared
Networks -> shared_network checkbox -> Edit icon.
DHCP Range: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Networks tab -> Networks ->
network -> addr_range checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. In the DDNS -> Advanced tab for the Grid and member, or the DDNS -> Basic tab for the network, do the
following:
• Update Retry: You can set this for a Grid and its members only.
• Retry Updates When Server Becomes Available: Select this checkbox.
• Retry interval (Minutes): You can optionally set the retry interval. The default is five minutes.
• Generate Hostname
• Generate Hostname if not Sent by Client: Select this checkbox to enable the DHCP server to
generate a hostname and update DNS with this hostname, when the DHCP request of a client
does not include a hostname.
• Fixed Address Updates: You can set this for IPv4 fixed addresses only. This option is available in the IPv4
DDNS Advanced tab of the Grid DHCP Properties and Member DHCP Properties editors, and in the IPv4
DDNS Basic tab of the IPv4 DHCP Network and Shared Network editors.
• Update Fixed Addresses: Select this checkbox to allow he DHCP server to send updates to DNS
forIPv4 fixed addresses.
When a lease expires, the DHCP server removes the A, AAAA, and PTR records that it updated. It does not remove any
records that the client updated.
Replacing Host Names for DDNS Updates

In situations where you need to restrict the use of specific characters in a host name for DDNS updates, you can
configure a hostname rewrite policy. Such policy accepts certain characters and replaces others in host names specified
in IPv4 DHCP requests. When you create a hostname rewrite policy, you enter a list of valid characters that the appliance
accepts in the host name. You also specify a character that the appliance uses to replace invalid characters. You can
create multiple hostname rewrite policies on the appliance, but you can only enable one policy at any given time. The
appliance provides a default policy that includes a-z0-9_ as valid characters and dash (-) as the replacement character.
You cannot modify or delete the default policy.
When you enable a hostname rewrite policy, the appliance replaces host names with the newly translated host name
when it issues DHCP leases and sends DDNS updates for IPv4 DHCP clients. For information about how to add and
enable a hostname rewrite policy, see Adding and Enabling a Hostname Rewrite Policy.
Before you enable a hostname rewrite policy, consider the following:
• You must enable DDNS updates before the hostname rewrite policy can take effect.
• You can use a hostname rewrite policy only if MS code pages are disabled.
• The policy supports only IPv4 DHCP clients.
• If DHCP option 81 support is enabled and updating DDNS is in the request, the appliance sends updates for A
records directly to the DNS server and DHCP only updates the PTR record. When this happens, there can be a
mismatch in the host name between the A and PTR records.
• Changes made to a hostname rewrite policy apply only to subsequent DDNS updates.
When an IPv4 DHCP client requests an IP address, it includes its host name in DHCP option 12. If you enable a
hostname rewrite policy, the appliance uses the newly translated host name when it issues a lease to the client.
The client can also include a FQDN in option 81, in which it instructs the server whether to perform DDNS updates. If the
client sends a FQDN in option 81, the appliance replaces the entire FQDN based on the policy. For example, if the FQDN
in option 81 is dev.bldg12.corpxyz.com, the appliance replaces invalid characters in the entire FQDN even though the
host name can be dev or dev.bldg12. For example, if your hostname rewrite policy specifies valid characters as a-z and
the replacement character is -, the newly translated FQDN is dev.bldg--.corp---.com. For information about client FQDN
in option 81, see About the Client FQDN Option.
Note that when multiple IPv4 DHCP clients specify host names that map to the same translated host name, the appliance
allocates leases to all clients, but it only sends DDNS updates to the first client request. When it tries to update DNS for
subsequent clients, the updates fail.

Rev. D
You can add and enable a hostname rewrite policy for the entire Grid. You can also override the policy at a member level,
as described in Overriding a Grid Hostname Rewrite Policy.
Adding and Enabling a Hostname Rewrite Policy

To add and enable a hostname rewrite policy, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid DHCP Properties.
2. In the Grid DHCP Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode.
3. In the IPv4 DDNS -> Advanced tab, click the Add icon in the Hostname Rewrite Policy section:
• Policy Name: Enter the policy name. Each policy name must be unique.
• Valid Characters: Enter a list of valid characters you want to keep in the host name. Ensure that you
consider the following rules:
• You can include only printable ASCII characters and space.
• The appliance includes period (.) as a valid character by default. You do not need to specify it.
• You can also use shortcuts for a series or range of characters. For example, when you enter a-d,
the appliance includes the following: A, B, C, D, a, b, c, and d. When you enter 0-5, the appliance
includes the following: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. In a character range, ensure that the start character is
less than the end character.
• If you want to use dash (-) as a character, ensure that you put it in front of the valid character
pattern. Otherwise, the appliance treats the string as a range of characters.
• You can build a POSIX regular expression based on the string you enter here, but you cannot
enter an empty string.
• You cannot use the meta character (^) as a start or end character in a range. For example, a-^ is
invalid. You also cannot use duplicate characters as character sets. For example, aa is invalid.
• Replace Invalid Characters with: Enter a character the appliance uses to replace invalid characters. Only
enter one printable ASCII character. You cannot enter multiple characters or use space as the
replacement character.
To test the hostname policy before adding it to the system, enter a sample hostname in the Sample Host Name
field, and then click Test. The appliance displays the translated hostname. You can change the policy and test it
again until you get the desired result.Click the Add icon to add the new hostname rewrite policy to the table. The
appliance comes with a default policy that includes a-z0-9_ as valid characters and dash (-) as the replacement
character. Grid Manager displays the following for each policy:
• Policy Name: The name of the hostname rewrite policy.
• Valid Characters: Valid characters for the host name.
• Replace Invalid Characters with: The character used to replace invalid characters in the host name.
You can also select a hostname policy and click the Edit icon to modify it, or click the Delete icon to delete it.
You cannot modify or delete the default policy. For information about how to modify a policy, see Modifying a
Hostname Rewrite Policy.
4. Complete the following to enable the hostname rewrite policy:
• Enable hostname rewrite policy: Select this checkbox to use a hostname rewrite policy for DHCP leases
and DDNS updates for IPv4 DHCP clients. From the drop-down list, select the hostname policy you want
to use.
Modifying a Hostname Rewrite Policy

To modify a hostname rewrite policy, complete the following:
3. In the IPv4 DDNS -> Advanced tab, do the following in the Hostname Rewrite Policy section:
• Select a policy from the table, and then click the Edit icon.

Rev. D
• In the Edit Hostname Rewrite Policy section, modify and test the policy as described in Adding and
Enabling a Hostname Rewrite Policy.
 Note
If you enable the policy at the Grid level, you can modify all information, including the policy
name. If you enable the policy at the member level, you can modify any information, except for
the policy name.
4. Click Save. The appliance updates the policy in the table.

Overriding a Grid Hostname Rewrite Policy

You can override a Grid hostname rewrite policy at the member level. To override a Grid policy, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit
icon.
2. In the Member DHCP Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode.
3. In the IPv4 DDNS -> Advanced tab, click Override in the Hostname Rewrite Policy section, and then complete the
following:
• Enable hostname rewrite policy: Select this checkbox to use a hostname rewrite policy, or deselect the
checkbox to disable the policy.
• When you enable this feature, select a policy that you want to use from the drop-down list. Grid Manager
displays all hostname rewrite policies that you have configured on the appliance in the drop-down list.
After you select a policy, Grid Manager displays the policy name, valid characters, and the replacement
character.
About the Client FQDN Option

When an IPv4 DHCP client sends DHCP DISCOVER and DHCP REQUEST messages, it can include option 81, the
Client FQDN option. An IPv6 DHCP client can include option 39, the Client FQDN option, when it sends Solicit and
Request messages.
The Client FQDN option contains the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) of the client and instructions on whether the
client or the server performs DDNS updates. You can configure the appliance to replace the FQDN in the option by
defining a hostname rewrite policy. For information about adding and enabling a hostname rewrite policy, see Replacing
Host Names for DDNS Updates.
The DHCP server can support option 81 for IPv4 and IPv6 clients, and use the host name or FQDN that the client
provides for the update. It can also allow or deny the client's request to update DNS, according to the administrative
policies of your organization. The DHCP server indicates its response in the DHCP OFFER message it sends back to an
IPv4 client, and in the Reply message it sends back to an IPv6 client.
Sending Updates with the FQDN Option Enabled

When you enable the DHCP server to support the FQDN option, it uses the information provided by the IPv4 or IPv6
client to update DNS as follows:
• When an IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP client sends a DHCP request with the FQDN option, it can include either its FQDN
or only its host name.
• If the request includes the FQDN, the DHCP server uses this FQDN to update DNS. You can specify a list
of forward-mapping zones to be updated for IPv4 and IPv6 clients using the FQDN option. For
information, see Sending Updates for DHCP Clients Using the FQDN Option.
• If the request includes the host name, the DHCP server provides the domain name. It combines the host
name of the client and the domain name to create an FQDN for the client. It then updates DNS with the

Rev. D
FQDN it created. (You can enter the domain name in the General page of the DHCP Properties window.
For information, see Enabling DDNS for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Clients.
• When a DHCP client sends a DHCP request with its hostname, the DHCP server adds the domain name you
specified to create an FQDN for the client. It then updates DNS with the FQDN it created. For information about
entering the domain name, see Enabling DDNS for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Clients.
• When a DHCP client does not send a host name, the DHCP server provides a lease but does not update DNS.
You can configure the DHCP server to generate a host name and update DNS as described in Generating Host
Names for DDNS Updates.
• If multiple DHCP clients specify the same FQDN or host name, the DHCP server allocates leases to the clients,
but updates DNS only for the client that first sent the request. When it tries to update DNS for the succeeding
clients, the update fails.
Sending Updates from DHCP Clients or a DHCP Server

When you enable the DHCP server to support the FQDN option, you must decide if you want the DHCP server to allow
clients to update DNS. If you allow the client to update DNS, then the client updates its A or AAAA record only. The DHCP
server always updates the PTR records. You can configure the DHCP server as follows:
• The DHCP server can allow clients to update DNS when they send the request in the FQDN option. This is useful
for small sites where security is not an issue or in sites where clients move from one administrative domain to
another and want to maintain the same FQDN regardless of administrative domain.
If you configure the DHCP server to allow clients to perform DDNS updates, you must also configure the DNS
server to accept these updates from clients. Note that multiple clients can use the same name, resulting in
multiple PTR records for one client name.
When a lease expires, the DHCP server does not delete the A or AAAA record, if it was added by the client.
• The DHCP server can refuse the DHCP client's request to update DNS and always perform the updates itself.
When the DHCP server updates DNS, it uses the FQDN provided by the DHCP client. Select this option if your
organization requires tighter control over your network and does not allow clients to update their own records.
If you do not enable support for the FQDN option and a client includes it in a DHCP request with its FQDN, the DHCP
server does not use the FQDN of the client. Instead, it creates the FQDN by combining the host name from the client with
the domain name specified in the Grid or Member DHCP Configuration editor.
Do the following to configure support for the FQDN option for both IPv4and IPv6 clients:
• Enable support for the option and specify who performs the DDNS update. For more information, see Enabling
FQDN Option Support.
• Specify the DNS zones and DNS view for the updates. For more information, see Sending Updates for DHCP
Clients Using the FQDN Option.
Enabling FQDN Option Support

You can configure support for the FQDN option for IPv4 and IPv6 clients at the Grid, member, network and shared
network levels.
To configure support for the FQDN Option (option 81) for IPv4 and (Option 39) for IPv6:
-> Edit icon.
Network: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Networks tab -> Networks ->
Shared Network: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab and click the Networks tab -> Shared
Networks -> shared_network checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. In the IPv4 DDNS -> Advanced tab for the Grid and member, or the IPv4 DDNS -> Basic tab for the network, do
the following:
• Option 81 Support
• Enable Option 81 Support: Select this to enable the support for option 81.
• DHCP server always updates DNS: Select this to allow the DHCP server to update DNS,
regardless of the requests from DHCP clients.

Rev. D
• DHCP server updates DNS if requested by client: Select this to allow the DHCP server to update
DNS only when requested by DHCP clients.
3. In the IPv6 DDNS -> Advanced tab for the Grid and member, or the IPv6 DDNS -> Basic tab for the network, do
the following:
• FQDN Support: Select Enable FQDN Support and select one of the following to indicate whether the
DHCP server or the client performs the DDNS update.
• DHCP always updates DNS
• DHCP updates DNS if requested by client
When a lease expires, the DHCP server removes the A or AAAA records and PTR records that it updated. It does not
remove any records that the client updated.
Sending Updates for DHCP Clients Using the FQDN Option

You must specify the DNS view to be updated for each network view.
To send updates to zones for DHCP IPv4 and IPv6 clients using the FQDN option:
2. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, and then click Configure DDNS from the Toolbar.
3. In the DDNS Properties editor, complete the following:
• DNS View: If a network view has more than one DNS view, this field lists the associated DNS views. From
the drop-down list, select the DNS view to which the DHCP server sends DDNS updates. Otherwise, the
appliance uses the default DNS view.
• Zones to Update for Hosts Using DHCP FQDN Option: In this section, you can define forward-mapping
zones to which the DHCP server sends DDNS updates for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP clients that use the
FQDN option. You must first enable support for the FQDN option before the DHCP server can send DDNS
updates to these zones. By default, the DHCP server sends DDNS updates to zones using the domain
name that you define for DHCP objects, such as networks and DHCP ranges. For clients using this
option, the DHCP server uses the domain name defined in the option.
Click the Add icon to specify a forward-mapping zone. Note that the Forward-mapping Zone Selector
dialog box displays only the DNS zones that are associated with the selected DNS view. The zones you
select here are written to the dhcpd.conf file and the dhcpdv6.conf file as "zone" statements with the
matching TSIG key of the DNS view, so the updates are sent to the correct DNS view.
Configuring DDNS Update Verification

The DHCP server can handle DDNS updates differently, depending on how stringently you configure record handling.
You can configure the DHCP server to update records only after passing verification. You can adjust the way DHCP
handles updates so the DHCP server updates records after passing less stringent verification requirements, or without
any type of verification.
To provide a measure of protection against unintentional changes of DNS data, NIOS appliances support the generation
and use of TXT records, as described in IETF draft, draft-ietf-dhc-dhcp-dns-12.txt and by the ISC (Internet Systems
Consortium). When DHCP updates or deletes an A or AAAA record, the corresponding TXT record is checked first to
verify the authenticity of the update. The TXT record is based on a hash of the DHCID which is unique to each client,
usually based in part on the MAC address or the DUID. If the client requests an update to DNS, the DHCP server first
checks the TXT record to verify that it matches the client that originally inserted the record. This process provides
assurance that the updates are from the same client. These security checks are based upon inserting a cryptographic
hash of the DHCID (DHCP Client Identifier) into a DNS TXT RR and then verifying that value before updating. For
example, a sample client update adds the following records in DNS:
oxcart.lo0.net. 21600 IN A 172.31.1.20

Rev. D
oxcart.lo0.net. 21600 IN TXT "313ce164780d34b91486b7c489ed7467e6"
20.1.31.172.in-addr.arpa. 21600 IN PTR oxcart.lo0.net.
However, your DNS configuration might require that the NIOS appliance handle DNS record updates differently than
described in draft-ietf-dhc-dhcp-dns-12.txt. Your specific requirements might benefit from less-stringent verification of the
DHCID, or might require skipping verification entirely. Verification checks might cause complications in some specific
cases described below:
• Mobility: The TXT record is based on the DHCID unique to each client and is usually based on the MAC address
or DUID of the interface. Devices such as laptops that connect to both wired and wireless networks have different
MAC addresses or DUIDs and different DHCID values for each interface. In this scenario, after either one of the
network interfaces inserts a DNS record, updates are allowed from that interface only. This results in a disruption
of service for DDNS updates when roaming between wired and wireless networks.
• Migration: The second problem occurs during a migration from non-ISC based systems to ISC systems. For
example, if the user is migrating from a Microsoft-based system, the clients have A or AAAA and PTR records in
the DDNS updates but no TXT records. As a result, new DDNS updates fail after the migration.
• Mixed Environments: The final problem occurs in mixed ISC and non-ISC environments. For example, assume
that both Microsoft and ISC DHCP servers update DNS records on the appliance. In a mixed environment, since
the Microsoft DHCP server does not insert the TXT records, DDNS updates from ISC-based systems fail while
updates from the Microsoft DHCP server are committed into the database. This behavior is applicable only when
you select Standard ISC and Check TXT only DDNS update verification modes.
The NIOS appliance offers four modes to handle DDNS updates as described in DDNS Update Verification Mode :
DDNS Update Verification Mode
Mode If a Record at Lease Then TXT Record Lease Grant Action Lease Expire Action
Grant at Lease Grant
Standard ISC Exists Must match Delete A or AAAA, TXT if exists Delete PTR
Add A or AAAA Add PTR Delete A or AAAA, TXT if TXT
matches and no other A or AAAA
RRs
No A or AAAA record No check Add A or AAAA, TXT

Add PTR
Check TXT only Exists Must exist Delete A or AAAA, TXT Delete PTR
Add A or AAAA, TXT Delete A or AAAA if TXT exists and
Add PTR no other A or AAAA RRs

Add PTR
ISC Transitional Exists No check Delete A or AAAA, TXT if exists Delete PTR
Add A or AAAA, TXT Delete A or AAAA, TXT if TXT
Add PTR matches and no other A or AAAA
RRs

Add PTR
No TXT record Exists No check Delete A or AAAA Add A or Delete PTR, A or AAAA
AAAA Add PTR

Rev. D
Mode If a Record at Lease Then TXT Record Lease Grant Action Lease Expire Action
Grant at Lease Grant
No A or AAAA record No check Add A or AAAA Add PTR
Depending on your expected usage, you must carefully consider the various options for update verification. The following
section illustrates recommendations for each verification option:
• Standard ISC: This method is the most stringent option for verification of updates. This is the default.
• ISC Transitional: This method is useful during migrations from systems that do not support the TXT record to
systems that are ISC-based.
• Check TXT only: This method is useful for the roaming laptop scenario. The NIOS appliance checks that a TXT
record exists, but does not check the value of the TXT record.
• No TXT record: This method should be used with caution because anyone can send DDNS updates and
overwrite records. This method is useful when both ISC and non-ISC-based DHCP servers and clients are
updating the same zone. Infoblox recommends that you allocate a DNS zone for this authentication method, as a
precaution.
 Note
In certain situations, when a DHCP lease expires, the DHCP server might remove the TXT record even
if there is no A or AAAA record.
You can enable this feature at the Grid level. To configure TXT record handling on the DHCP server:
2. In the IPv4 DDNS -> Advanced tab or the IPv6 DDNS -> Advanced tab, select one of the following from the TXT
(DHCID) Record Handling drop-down list:
• Check Only: Select this checkbox to enable minimal checking of DDNS updates. Specifically, A or AAAA
records are modified only if a TXT record exists. The NIOS appliance checks that a TXT record exists, but
does not check its value.
• ISC: Select this checkbox to enable standard ISC (Internet Systems Consortium) handling for DDNS
updates. Specifically, A or AAAA records are modified or deleted only if the TXT records match. This
option is the default setting on the appliance.
• ISC Transitional: Select this checkbox to enable less stringent handling of DDNS updates. Specifically, the
NIOS appliance enables you to add or modify A or AAAA records whether or not TXT records exist. It
checks whether a TXT record exists and then processes the update. If the appliance does not find a TXT
record, it adds the record.
• No TXT Record: Select this checkbox to disable TXT record checking. Specifically, A or AAAA records are
added, modified, or deleted whether or not the TXT records match. No TXT records are added, and
existing TXT records are ignored.
Configuring DNS Servers for DDNS

For security reasons, an Infoblox DNS server does not accept DDNS updates by default. You must specify the sources
from which you want to allow the DNS server to receive updates. You can configure the Infoblox DNS server to receive
updates from specified DHCP clients, as described in Enabling DNS Servers to Accept DDNS Updates, and to accept
forwarded updates from another DNS server, as described in Forwarding Updates.
For protection against spoofed IP addresses, you can use TSIG (transaction signatures) to authenticate and verify
updates.
TSIG uses the MD5 (Message Digest 5) algorithm and a shared secret key to create an HMAC (hashed message
authentication code) — sometimes called a digital fingerprint — of each update. Both the DHCP server sending the
update and the DNS server receiving it must share the same secret key. Also, it is important that the time stamps on the
TSIG-authenticated updates and update responses be synchronized, or the participants reject them. Therefore, use an

Rev. D
NTP server to set the time on all systems involved in TSIG authentication operations.
The TSIG key that you use can come from several places:
• You can use the key generation tool described in this section to create a new TSIG key to authenticate updates
from the DHCP server.
• You can enter (copy and paste) a TSIG key that you previously generated for another purpose, such as for zone
transfers.
• If the DHCP server is on a separate appliance and a TSIG key was previously generated on that appliance, you
can enter (copy and paste) that TSIG key onto the local DNS server.
The TSIG key name and value that the DHCP and DNS servers use must be the same.
 Note
Whether you deploy NIOS appliances in a Grid or independently, they send updates to UDP port 53. Grid
members do not send updates through a VPN tunnel. Grid members do, however, authenticate updates
between them using TSIG (transaction signatures) based on an internal TSIG key.
Enabling DNS Servers to Accept DDNS Updates

You can configure the Infoblox DNS server to receive updates from specified DHCP clients only. You can set this for the
Grid so that the Grid members receive DDNS updates only from the specified sources. Note that you specify the IP
addresses of the sources of the updates and not the actual IP addresses in the DNS records being updated.
To configure the DNS server to accept updates from the specified sources complete the following steps:
Edit icon.
Zones: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Zones tab-> dns_view -> zone
2. In the editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode, select the Updates tab.
 Note
Ensure that you understand how the appliance handles match lists before you specify the list of IP
sources for DDNS updates, as described in You can use the following OpenStack cloud-
init template to configure an IB-V815 as a Grid Master.
3. In the Allow updates from section, select one of the following:

• None: Select this to deny DDNS updates from any DHCP clients. This is selected by default.
Manager automatically displays the named ACL. When you select this option, the appliance receives
DDNS updates from the sources that have the Allow permission in the named ACL. You can click Clear to
adding, as follows:

Rev. D
key to the list:
• Key name: Enter a meaningful name for the key, such as a zone name or the name of a
name servers.
Key Data drop-down list, and then click Generate Key Data to create a new key.
 Note
You must enable GSS-TSIG signed updates to receive DDNS updates from TSIG
key based ACEs. For information about how to enable this, see Accepting GSS-
TSIG Updates.
• Any Address/Network: Select this to receive DDNS updates from any IP addresses.
for deletion.
• Allow GSS-TSIG signed updates: This checkbox is selected only if you have enabled GSS-TSIG signed
updates.
4. Optionally, you can:
• Modify an item on the list by selecting it and clicking the Edit icon.
• Remove an item from the list by selecting it and clicking the Delete icon.
• Move an item up or down the list. Select it and drag it to its new position, or click the up or down arrow.
The appliance applies permissions to items in the order they are listed.
Forwarding Updates
When a secondary DNS server receives DDNS updates, it must forward the updates to the primary server because it
cannot update zone data itself. In such situations, you must enable the secondary server to receive updates from the
DHCP server, and then forward them to the primary DNS server.
To configure the secondary server to accept and forward updates for all zones:
Edit icon.
Zones: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab and click the Zones tab-> dns_view -> zone

Rev. D
3. When the additional tabs appear, click the Advanced subtab of the Updates tab, and then complete the following:
• Allow secondary name servers to forward updates: Select this checkbox.
• Forward updates from: This is available only for authoritative zones. Click Add. Depending on the item
that you select, Grid Manager either adds a row for the selected item or expands the panel so you can
specify additional information about the item you are adding, as follows:
• None: Select this to deny DDNS updates from any clients. This is selected by default.
Manager automatically displays the named ACL. When you select this option, the appliance receives
DDNS updates from the sources that have the Allow permission in the named ACL. You can click Clear to
adding, as follows.
key to the list:
• Key name: Enter a meaningful name for the key, such as a zone name or the name of a
name servers.
Key Data drop-down list, and then click Generate Key Data to create a new key.
 Note
You must enable GSS-TSIG signed updates to receive DDNS updates from TSIG
key based ACEs. For information about how to enable this, see Accepting GSS-
TSIG Updates.
• Any Address/Network: Select to allow or disallow the appliance to receive DDNS updates from
any IP address.
Create new named ACL icon and enter a name in the Convert to NamedACL dialog box.
for deletion.

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Supporting Active Directory
Active Directory™ (AD) is a distributed directory service that authenticates network users and — by working with DHCP
and DNS — provides the location of and authorizes access to services running on devices in a Windows® network.
You can integrate a NIOS appliance providing DHCP and DNS services with servers running Windows 2000 Server,
Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012
R2, or Windows Server 2016 with the Active Directory service installed. Assuming that you already have AD set up and it
is currently in use, you can migrate DHCP and DNS services away from internal operations on the AD domain controller
or from other third party DHCP and DNS systems to NIOS appliances that serve DHCP and DNS.
A NIOS appliance providing DHCP and DNS services to an AD environment can send and receive DDNS updates. In
addition, a NIOS appliance can use GSS-TSIG (Generic Security Service-Transaction Signatures) authentication for
DDNS updates. The basic DHCP, AD, and DNS services are shown in Figure 21.5.
Figure 21.5 DHCP, Active Directory, and DNS
Sending DDNS Updates to a DNS Server

You can configure an Infoblox DHCP server to send unauthenticated or GSS-TSIG-authenticated DDNS updates to a
DNS server in an AD domain. There are no special configurations to consider when configuring a NIOS appliance to
send unauthenticated DDNS updates to the DNS server. (For information about configuring DHCP, see Chapter 26,
Configuring DHCP Properties, and for information on configuring the DHCP server to send DDNS updates, see
Configuring DHCP for DDNS.) For information about configuring a DHCP server to send GSS-TSIG authenticated
updates, see About GSS-TSIG .

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About GSS-TSIG
GSS-TSIG (Generic Security Service Algorithm for Secret Key Transaction) is used to authenticate DDNS updates. It is a
modified form of TSIG authentication that uses the Kerberos v5 authentication system.
GSS-TSIG involves a set of client/server negotiations to establish a "security context." It makes use of a Kerberos server
(running on the AD domain controller) that functions as the KDC (Kerberos Key Distribution Center) and provides session
tickets and temporary session keys to users and computers within an Active Directory domain. The client and server
collaboratively create and mutually verify transaction signatures on messages that they exchange. Windows 2000 server,
R2, Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019 all support DDNS updates using GSS-TSIG.
You can configure the appliance to accept GSS-TSIG signed DDNS updates from a single client or multiple clients that
belong to different AD domains in which each domain has a unique GSS-TSIG key. You can also configure the appliance
to support one or multiple GSS-TSIG keys for each Grid member. For information about how to configure GSS-TSIG for
DHCP and DNS, see Configuring GSS-TSIG keys.This feature also supports HA pairs and is compatible with DNS zones
that have multiple primary servers configured. For more information about HA pairs and DNS zones with multiple primary
servers, see About HA Pairs and Assigning Zone Authority to Name Servers respectively.
You can upload keytab files that contain one or multiple GSS-TSIG keys and manage the keys globally. NIOS supports
up to 256 GSS-TSIG keys for each member in the Grid. NIOS logs administrative changes to GSS-TSIG keys in the audit
log and failures in parsing or loading the keytab files in the syslog. Note that this feature is enabled only when you have
installed the DNS license.
 Note
For information about GSS-TSIG,
see RFC 3645, Generic Security Service Algorithm for Secret Key Transaction Authentication for DNS (GSS-
TSIG).
A NIOS appliance can use GSS-TSIG authentication for DDNS updates for either one of the following:
• A NIOS appliance serving DHCP can send GSS-TSIG authenticated DDNS updates to a DNS server in an AD
domain or multiple AD domains whose domain controller is running Windows Server 2003, Windows Server
2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016 or
Windows Server 2019. The DNS server can be in the same AD domain as the DHCP server or in a different
domain.
• For information about sending secure DDNS updates to a DNS server in the same domain, see Sending
Secure DDNS Updates to a DNS Server in the Same Domain.
• For information about sending secure DDNS updates to a DNS server in a different domain, see Sending
Secure DDNS Updates to a DNS Server in Another Domain.
• A NIOS appliance serving DNS can accept GSS-TSIG authenticated DDNS updates from DHCP clients and
servers in an AD domain or multiple AD domains whose domain controller is running Windows 2000 Server,
Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server
2012 R2, Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019.
• For information, see Accepting GSS-TSIG-Authenticated Updates.
 Note
A NIOS appliance cannot support both of these features at the same time.
Kerberos Authentication for GSS-TSIG

A keytab file contains pairs of Kerberos principal names and their corresponding encryption keys. It can contain keys for
a single realm or multiple realms. It is possible to infer the KDC from the principal because Windows uses uppercase AD
domain names for Kerberos realm names. You must provide the principal name. The principal name may contain
Kerberos realm, and the DNS servers for the domain are available for DNS name resolution. Therefore, resolving SRV
_kerberos._tcp.REALM. will return the appropriate KDC. New TGTs cannot be acquired when the KDC that issues the
TGT fails. If the appliance has successfully authenticated before the KDC failure, the secure updates will continue until

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the session key and TGT expire. The default expiration on Windows is 10 hours. If the appliance restarts or reboots,
secure updates are deferred until the KDC becomes available.
Infoblox recommends restarting the DHCP service on NIOS to avoid any update failures, if the encryption key type is
changed on the Microsoft server.
The following provides information about the traffic flow between the appliance and the KDC:
• Client uses keytab to get TGT for principal from KDC (AS-REQ/AS-REP).
• Client uses TGT to get session ticket from KDC (TGS-REQ/TGS-REP).
• Client uses session ticket to acquire TKEY from DNS server (TKEY/TKEY).
• Client uses TKEY to sign DNS updates (DNS-TSIG/DNS-TSIG).
The DNS server authenticates into the domain when the keytab file is generated on the KDC and its SPN (Service
Principal Name) is mapped to an account. The server's private key is known to itself and to the KDC. The KDC generates
the ticket and the DNS server allows the update.
Note the following when you upload multiple keytab files on the appliance:
• NIOS displays an error message and discards the keytab file if the file does not have a recognizable key, SPN,
version or encryption type, and it saves the error message in the syslog.
• NIOS considers duplicate keys as invalid keys if the keys have the same SPN, version, and encryption type.
• If NIOS encounters an invalid key during an upload, it will not upload the other keys in the keytab and the
operation fails. NIOS saves the warning and error message in the syslog and in Grid Manager.
Sending Secure DDNS Updates to a DNS Server in the Same Domain

An Infoblox DHCP server can send GSS-TSIG authenticated DDNS updates to a DNS server in an AD domain whose
domain controller is running Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server
2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019. The DHCP server, DNS server, and
domain controller are all in the same AD domain. The process by which an Infoblox DHCP server dynamically updates
resource records on a DNS server using GSS-TSIG authentication is shown in the below figure. In the illustration, the
Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) is running on an AD domain controller, which also provides DNS service.
An Infoblox DHCP Server Sends GSS-TSIG Updates to a DNS Server

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After you enable the NIOS appliance to send GSS-TSIG authenticated updates to a DNS server, the following process
occurs:
1. Kerberos – Login, and TGT and Service Ticket Assignments
a. The Infoblox appliance automatically logs in to the AD/Kerberos server.
b. The Kerberos server sends the appliance a TGT (ticket-granting ticket).
c. Using the TGT, the appliance requests a service ticket for the DNS server.
d. The Kerberos server replies with a service ticket for that server.
2. TKEY negotiations (GSS Handshake):
a. The appliance sends the DNS server a TKEY (transaction key) request. A Transaction Key record
establishes shared secret keys for use with the TSIG resource record. For more information, see RFC
2930, Secret Key Establishment for DNS (TKEY RR).
The request includes the service ticket. The service ticket includes the appliance's principal and proposed
TSIG (transaction signature) key, along with other items such as a ticket lifetime and a timestamp.
b. The DNS server responds with a DNS server-signed TSIG, which is a "meta-record" that is never cached
and never appears in zone data. A TSIG record is a signature of the update using an HMAC-MD5 hash
that provides transaction-level authentication. For more information, see RFC 2845, Secret Key
Transaction Authentication for DNS (TSIG).
The two participants have established a security context.
When a DHCP client sends a request for an IP address to the DHCP server, the following occurs:
3. DHCP – IP Address and Network Parameters Assignment
a. The DHCP client requests an IP address.
b. The DHCP server assigns an IP address, subnet mask, gateway address, DNS server address, and a
domain name.
After the appliance assigns an IP address to the DHCP client, it sends the DDNS update to the DNS server as
follows:

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4. DDNS – Dynamic Update of the Client's Resource Records
c. GSS-TSIG-Authenticated DDNS Update
1. The appliance sends an authenticated DDNS update, which may include the following
resource records:
• A or AAAA – Address record
or
PTR – Pointer record
• TKEY – Transaction Key record
• TSIG – TSIG record
1. The DNS server verifies the DDNS update and allows it to complete.
2. The DNS server sends a GSS-TSIG-authenticated response to the appliance, confirming
the update.
Configuring DHCP to Send GSS-TSIG Updates in the Same Domain

Before configuring an Infoblox DHCP server to support GSS-TSIG, you must create a user account on the Kerberos
server for the appliance. Then you must export the corresponding keytab file from the Kerberos server and import it onto
the NIOS appliance. The below figure illustrates the initial configuration tasks.
Adding an Infoblox DHCP Server to an AD Environment with GSS-TSIG Support

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The Infoblox DHCP server can send GSS-TSIG-signed DDNS updates to a DNS server for one domain only, though
multiple Infoblox DHCP servers can update that domain. If you want more than one Infoblox DHCP server to update a
DNS domain, you can either import the same keytab file to the other Infoblox DHCP servers or generate and import a
different keytab file. In a Grid, each member can update a different domain.
 Note
For GSS-TSIG authentication to work properly, the system clock times of the Infoblox DHCP server, AD domain
controller and DNS server must be synchronized. One approach is to use NTP and synchronize all three
devices with the same NTP servers.
To use an AD domain controller as a Kerberos Key Distribution Center, complete the following tasks on an AD/Kerberos
server:
1. Add a user account for the NIOS appliance to the AD domain controller. For information, see Creating an AD User
Account.
2. Generate the keytab file for the NIOS appliance account and export it from the AD domain controller to a local
directory on your management system. For information, see Generating and Exporting the Keytab File.
To configure a NIOS appliance to support AD and send GSS-TSIG secure DDNS updates to a DNS server, complete the
following tasks on a NIOS appliance:
1. Import the keytab file from your management system to the appliance and enable GSS-TSIG dynamic updates at
the Grid or member level. For information, see Enabling GSS-TSIG Authentication for DHCP.
2. Configure the appliance to send GSS-TSIG dynamic updates to forward-mapping and optionally, reverse-
mapping zones on the DNS server. For information, see Managing GSS-TSIG keys.
Creating an AD User Account

Connect to the AD domain controller and create a user account for the NIOS appliance.
 Note
The name that you enter in the User logon name is the name that you later use when exporting the keytab file.
This is also the principal name. The text in the First name, Initials, Last name, and Full name fields is irrelevant
to this task.
The AD domain controller automatically creates a Kerberos account for this user. Note the following:
• If you define an expiration date for the user account and you later create a new account when the first one
expires, the keytab for the corresponding Kerberos account changes. At that point, you must update the keytab
file on the NIOS appliance (see Generating and Exporting the Keytab File and Enabling GSS-TSIG Authentication
for DHCP). Optionally, if your security policy allows it, you can set the user account for the NIOS appliance so that
it never expires.
• If the AD domain controller is running Windows Server 2003, the user account must have the DES encryption
type enabled. You can enable this either in the Account tab of the AD domain controller when you create the user
account or by specifying +DesOnly when you use the Ktpass tool to generate the keytab file. For instructions, see
the next section, Generating and Exporting the Keytab File.
• The newly created AD user account must be a member of the DnsUpdateProxy group or an account that allows it
to update records that have potentially been added by another DHCP server, such as DNS Admins.
Generating and Exporting the Keytab File

You can use the Ktpass tool to generate and export the keytab file for the Kerberos account. Note that the version of the
Ktpass tool that you use must match the Windows version of the domain controller. For example, if you are using a
domain controller running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server
2012 R2, Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019, you must use the Ktpass tool for Windows Server 2008,
Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server

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2019.
You enter different commands for generating and exporting the keytab file, depending on whether you are generating the
keytab file from a server running Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows
Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2010, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016 or
Windows Server 2019.
A Windows Server 2003 domain controller allows you to generate a keytab file with only one key for a principal. A
Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2 domain controller, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2,
Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019 allows you to generate a keytab file with multiple keys for one principal.
This is useful when the KDC has principals with multiple encryption types. When the NIOS DHCP server uses a keytab
with multiple keys, it negotiates a key based on those in the configured keytab file.
 Note
The keytab file contains highly sensitive data for the NIOS appliance account. Ensure that you store and
transport its contents securely.
Infoblox strongly recommends the following encryption types for compatibility purposes:
Microsoft Windows Server Export keytab
Microsoft Windows 2000 Specify /crypto DES-CBC-MD5 as the export keytab.
Microsoft Windows 2003 Specify /crypto RC4-HMAC-NT as the export keytab.
• Infoblox recommends that you do not use DES, but it is

supported if you need it for compatibility with non-
Windows systems.
Microsoft Windows 2008 and higher Specify /crypto RC4-HMAC-NT as the export keytab.
• You can also use AES, but RC4 is set by default for
Windows 2008 servers.
• Infoblox recommends that you do not use DES, but it is
supported if you need it for compatibility with non-
Windows systems.
Generating the Keytab on Windows 2000 Servers

To export the keytab file using a Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit:
1. Start a command prompt.
2. Enter the following command to export the keytab file for the NIOS appliance user
account:
C:> ktpass -princ service_name/FQDN_instance@REALM -mapuser AD_username -pass
password -out filename.keytab
 Note
The values are case-sensitive.
where:
• service_name/instance: The AD user name for the NIOS appliance and a character string. The AD user
name must match the user logon name on the AD domain controller.
• REALM: The Kerberos realm in uppercase. It must match the realm (or domain name) specified in the –
mapuser option.
For example:

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C:> ktpass -princ DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@corpxyz.COM -mapuser ns1@corpxyz.com -pass 37Le37
-out ns1.keytab
Generating the Keytab on Windows Servers 2003

The Ktpass tool is included in the Windows Server 2003 Support Tools. To export the keytab file using a Microsoft
Windows 2003 Resource Kit:
2. Enter the following command to generate the keytab file for the NIOS appliance user account:
ktpass -princ service_name/FQDN_instance@REALM -mapuser AD_username@REALM -pass password -out
filename.ktb -ptype KRB5_NT_PRINCIPAL -crypto RC4-HMAC-NT
 Note
The values are case-sensitive.
The following are some examples of keytab file:

ktpass -princ HOST/ns1.corpxyz.com@GSS.LOCAL -mapuser gssuser@GSS.LOCAL -pass 37Le37
-out ns1.keytab -ptype krb5_nt_principal -crypto all
ktpass -princ gssuser@GSS.LOCAL -mapuser gssuser@GSS.LOCAL -pass 37Le37 -out
gssuser.keytab -ptype krb5_nt_principal -crypto all
ktpass -princ DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@GSS.LOCAL -mapuser jsmith@GSS.LOCAL -pass 37Le37 -out
ns1.ktb -ptype KRB5_NT_PRINCIPAL -crypto des-cbc-md5 +DesOnly
where
-princ = Kerberos principal. Note that this parameter is case sensitive. Specifies the principal name for the host or service
in this format: DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@GSS.LOCAL
• DNS = Service name in uppercase format.
• ns1.corpxyz.com = Instance in FQDN (fully-qualified domain name) format; this is the same as the DNS name of
the NIOS appliance.
• GSS.LOCAL = The Kerberos realm in uppercase format. This must be the same as the AD domain name.
-mapuser = Maps the Kerberos principal name to the AD user account. If you omit the account name, mapping is deleted
from the specified principal. You can use ksetup without any parameters or arguments to see the current mapped
settings and the default realm. Example: ksetup /mapuser <Principal> <Account>. To create an AD user account, see
Creating an AD User Account.
• jsmith = The AD user name for the NIOS appliance.
• GSS.LOCAL = The Kerberos realm in uppercase. The realm (or domain name) must be the same as that
specified in the -princ option.
-pass = The AD user account password. The Ktpass command changes the account password to the specified value,
thus incrementing the version number of the user account and the resulting keytab file.
• 37Le37 = The password of the user account for the NIOS appliance.
-out = The name of the keytab file that is generated.
• ns1.ktb = The name of the keytab file
-ptype = Sets the principal type. This must be krb5_nt_principal.
-crypto = Specifies the encryption type. You can use the following encryption types:
• DES-CBC-CRC = Specifies DES encryption for the account. This encryption type is used for compatibility.
• DES-CBC-MD5 = Specifies DES encryption for the account. This encryption type adheres to the MIT
implementation and is used for compatibility.
• RC4-HMAC-NT = Specifies 128-bit RC4-HMAC encryption for the account. This is enabled by default.

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+DesOnly = Specifies DES encryption for the account.
 Note
Windows Server 2003 does not support AES encryption.
After you execute the command to generate the keytab file, the AD domain controller displays a series of messages
similar to the following to confirm that it successfully generated the keytab file:
Targeting domain controller: ibtest-xu5nxd56.corpxyz.local
Using legacy password setting method
Successfully mapped dns/anywhere to dns.
Key created.
Output keytab to dns.ktb:
Keytab version: 0x502
keysize 56 dns/anywhere@GSS.LOCAL ptype 1 (KRB5_NT_PRINCIPAL) vno 5 etype 0x3 (DES-CBC-

MD5)
keylength 8 (0xbae610f11552c80b)
Generating the Keytab on Windows Servers 2008 or Windows Servers 2008 R2

To generate the keytab file using the Ktpass tool:
2. Enter the following command to generate the keytab file for the NIOS appliance user
account:
ktpass -princ username@REALM -mapuser logon_name@REALM -pass password -out my.tab
-ptype krb5_nt_principal -crypto encryption
Example:
ns1.keytab -ptype krb5_nt_principal -crypto RC4-HMAC-NT
where:
-princ = Kerberos principal. Note that this parameter is case sensitive. Specifies the principal name for the host or service
in this format: DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@GSS.LOCAL
the NIOS appliance.

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-crypto = Specifies the encryption type. Note that the RC4-HMAC-NT encryption type is enabled by default. You can also
use the following:
• AES256-SHA1 = Specifies 256-bit AES encryption for the account.
• ALL = Specifies all of the above encryption types. Do not use this option if DES support is disabled.
You can optionally specify the following:
+DesOnly = Specifies DES encryption for the account. You must use this only when you use DES-CBC-MD5 for
compatibility. Note that Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 do not support DES by default. However, you can
enable DES on the Windows 2008 server. Include this option if you did not enable DES encryption for the account. For
more information, refer to the information available in a third-party portal at: http://weblogic-wonders.com/weblogic/
2010/11/30/windows-7-des-encryption-support-for-kerberos-authentication/
 Note
You must not use +Desonly with /crypto all or other non-DES encryption types.
• +setpass = Sets a new AD user account password. This is required if the +DesOnly option is specified. When you
use this encryption type, you must change the user's password. Otherwise, the ticket issued for the principal
becomes unusable.
Targeting domain controller: qacert.test.local
Successfully mapped DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com to ns1.
Key created.
Output keytab to ns1.ktb: Keytab version: 0x502
keysize 80 DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@GSS.LOCAL ptype 1 (KRB5_NT_PRINCIPAL) vno 3 etype 0x12

(AES256-SHA1)
keylength 32 (0xea8675d7abf13fd760a744088642fb917ceb6c9d267f5c54e595597846f06407)
Generating the Keytab on Windows Servers 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2


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2. Enter the following command to generate the keytab file for the NIOS appliance user
account:
ktpass -princ username@REALM -mapuser logon_name@REALM -pass password -out my.tab
Example:
ktpass -princ DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@GSS.LOCAL -mapuser jsmith@GSS.LOCAL -pass 37Le37
-out ns1.keytab -ptype krb5_nt_principal -crypto RC4-HMAC-NT
where:
-princ = Kerberos principal. Note that this parameter is case sensitive. Specifies the principal name for the host or
service in this format: DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@GSS.LOCAL
the NIOS appliance.
-crypto = Specifies the encryption type. You can specify the following encryption types:
Key created.
Output keytab to ns1.keytab: Keytab version: 0x502

(AES256-SHA1)

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Generating the Keytab on Windows Servers 2016 or Windows Servers 2019
2. Enter the following command to generate the keytab file for the NIOS appliance user account:
ktpass -princ username@REALM -mapuser logon_name@REALM -pass password -out my.tab -ptype
krb5_nt_principal -crypto encryption
Example:
ns1.keytab -ptype krb5_nt_principal -crypto RC4-HMAC-NT
where:
-princ = Kerberos principal. Note that this parameter is case sensitive. Specifies the principal name for the host or
service in this format: DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@GSS.LOCAL
• DNS = This is an example of the service name in uppercase format.
• ns1.corpxyz.com = This is an example of the instance in FQDN (fully-qualified domain name) format; this
is the same as the DNS name of the NIOS appliance.
• GSS.LOCAL = This is an example of the Kerberos realm in uppercase format. This must be the same as
the AD domain name.
-mapuser = Maps the Kerberos principal name to the AD user account. If you omit the account name, mapping is
deleted from the specified principal. You can use ksetup without any parameters or arguments to see the current
settings and the default realm. Example: ksetup /mapuser <Principal> <Account>. To create an AD user
account, see Creating an AD User Account.
• jsmith = This is an example of the AD user name for the NIOS appliance.
• GSS.LOCAL = This is an example of the Kerberos realm in uppercase. The realm (or domain name) must
be the same as that specified in the -princ option.
-pass = The AD user account password. The Ktpass command changes the account password to the specified
value, thus incrementing the version number of the user account and the resulting keytab file.
• 37Le37 = This is an example of the password of the user account for the NIOS appliance.
• ns1.ktb = This is an example of the name of the keytab file.
-crypto = Specifies the encryption type. You can specify the following encryption types:
• DES-CBC-CRC = Specifies DES encryption for the account. This encryption type is used for compatibility
purposes.
implementation and is used for compatibility purposes.
Key created.
Output keytab to ns1.keytab:

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(AES256-SHA1)
Creating an External Zone for GSS-TSIG Updates

For each network view, specify the zone to be updated, the IP address of the primary DNS server for that zone, and the
security method, GSS-TSIG. The zone must be in the same Active Directory domain as the member that is sending the
updates.
You can add information for a forward and reverse zone. The DHCP server updates the A record in the forward zone and
the PTR record in the reverse zone.
To enable the NIOS appliance to send dynamic updates to a DNS server using GSS-TSIG for authentication:
2. On the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar, and then click Configure DDNS.
3. In the DNS Updates to External Zones table of the DDNS Properties editor, click the Add icon and complete the
following fields in the Add External DDNS Zone panel:
• Zone Name: Enter the name of the zone that receives the updates. You can specify both forward-mapping
and reverse-mapping zones.
• DNS Server Address: Enter the IP address of the primary name server for that zone.
• Security: Choose GSS-TSIG from the drop-down list, complete the following, and then click Add:
• Active Directory Domain: Choose the Active Directory domain associated with the keytab file.
• DNS Principal: The name and domain of the DNS server receiving the DDNS updates. Note that
this value is not the same as the Kerberos principal you specified when you generated the keytab
file.
Use the following format when you complete this field: DNS/dns_server_fqdn@ad_domain
dns_server_fqdn: This is the FQDN of the DNS server. You can use the "dig" command to perform
a DNS lookup to obtain the FQDN of the DNS server as it appears on the SOA record.
ad_domain: This is the Active Directory domain of the DNS server.
Verifying the Configuration

After you configure the AD domain controller and the Infoblox DHCP server, you can view the syslog of the Infoblox
DHCP server to verify if it successfully established a security context with the AD domain controller. The DHCP server
displays a series of messages similar to the following:
dhcpd: Enabled GSS-TSIG for zone corpxyz. using principal jdoe/anywhere@corpxyz.LOCAL.
dhcpd: GSS-TSIG security thread has started.
dhcpd: GSS-TSIG security update starting at 1222389338.
dhcpd: Acquiring GSS-TSIG credential for jdoe/anywhere@corpxyz.LOCAL.
dhcpd: Acquired GSS-TSIG credential for jdoe/anywhere@corpxyz.LOCAL(good for 3568s).
dhcpd: Security context established with server 10.34.123.4 for principal[ jdoe/
anywhere@corpxyz.LOCAL|mailto:jdoe/anywhere@corpxyz.LOCAL] (good for 568s).
dhcpd: GSS-TSIG security update complete at 1222389338. Next update in 360s.

In addition, you can log in to the Infoblox CLI and use the show dhcp_gss_tsig CLI command to troubleshoot your
configuration. For information about this command, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.

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Sending Secure DDNS Updates to a DNS Server in Another Domain
Domain and forest trust relationships provide clients authenticated access to resources in other domains. Some trusts
are automatically created, such as the two-way, direct trust between parent and child domains in a forest. Other trusts
must be created manually. Refer to the Microsoft Active Directory documentation for information on establishing trusts
between domains.
Once a direct trust exists between two AD domains, a KDC from one domain can grant a referral to the KDC of the other
domain. The Infoblox DHCP server can then use the referral to request access to services in the other domain.
In the following figure the Infoblox DHCP server in the child.corpxyz.com domain needs to send GSS-TSIG authenticated
DDNS updates to the DNS server in its parent domain, corpxyz.com domain. There is an automatic two-way trust
between the domains because corpxyz.com domain is the parent of child.corpxyz.com domain.
Sending Secure DDNS Updates to a DNS Server in Another Domain
After you configure the Infoblox DHCP server and AD domain controller, the following occurs:
1. Kerberos – In Same Domain
The Infoblox DHCP server uses the TGT (ticket-granting ticket) from the AD/Kerberos server,
ad.child.corpxyz.com, to request a service ticket for DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@corpxyz.COM. The Kerberos server
replies with a referral ticket for the Kerberos server in the corpxyz.com domain, ad.corpxyz.com.
2. Kerberos — In the Other Domain
The Infoblox DHCP server uses the referral ticket and requests a service ticket from ad.corpxyz.com for DNS/
ns1.corpxyz.com@corpxyz.COM. The Kerberos server replies with a service ticket for DNS/
ns1.corpxyz.com@corpxyz.COM.
3. TKEY Negotiations (GSS Handshake)
The Infoblox DHCP server sends the DNS server ns1.corpxyz.com a TKEY (transaction key) request, which
includes the service ticket. The DNS server replies with a TKEY response that includes a TSIG (transaction

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signature). The Infoblox appliance and the DNS server have established a security context, enabling the DHCP
server to send DDNS updates to the DNS server.
Configuring DHCP to Send GSS-TSIG Updates to Another Domain

Before the DHCP server can send secure DDNS updates to a DNS server in a different domain, you must ensure that a
direct trust relationship exists between the domain of the DHCP server and that of the DNS server. (For information, refer
to the Active Directory documentation.)
Following are the tasks to configure the AD domain controller and the Infoblox DHCP server for secure updates to
another domain. All the configuration is done on the AD domain controller for the domain of the DHCP server and on the
Infoblox DHCP server.:
1. Complete the following tasks on the AD domain controller for the domain of the DHCP server:
a. Add a user account for the Infoblox DHCP server. In the configuration example, the user account is
ibdhcp. For information, see Creating an AD User Account.
b. Generate the keytab file for the Infoblox DHCP server and export it from the AD domain controller to a
local directory on your management system. For the DHCP server in the Sending Secure DDNS Updates
to a DNS Server in Another Domain, the principal is ibdhcp/ib.child.corpxyz.com@CHILD.corpxyz.COM.
For information, see Generating and Exporting the Keytab File.
2. Complete the following tasks on the Infoblox DHCP server:
a. Import the keytab file from your management system to the appliance and enable GSS-TSIG dynamic
updates at the Grid or member level. For information, see Enabling GSS-TSIG Authentication for DHCP.
b. Configure the external forward-mapping zone for the DDNS updates. Note that the DNS principal uses the
domain of the DNS server, regardless of the domain of the DHCP server. For the DNS server in the
figure Sending Secure DDNS Updates to a DNS Server in Another Domain, the DNS principal is DNS/
ns1.corpxyz.com@corpxyz.COM. For information, see Managing GSS-TSIG keys.
Following are the steps to configure the example shown in the figure Sending Secure DDNS Updates to a DNS Server in
Another Domain:
On the Active Directory domain controller:
1. Create a user account for the Infoblox DHCP server. The user account is ibdhcp.
2. Generate the keytab file and export it to your management system. If the domain
controller is running Windows Server 2003:
ktpass -princ ibdhcp/ib.child.corpxyz.com@CHILD.corpxyz.COM -mapuser
ibdhcp@CHILD.corpxyz.COM -pass infoblox -out ibdhcp.ktb -ptype krb5_nt_principal
-crypto des-cbc-md5 +desonly
On the Infoblox DHCP server:

1. Enable GSS-TSIG at the member level.
2. From the DHCP tab, click the Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
3. On the DDNS -> Basic tab of the editor, complete the following:
• Override: Select this checkbox.
• DDNS Updates: Select the Enable DDNS Updates checkbox.
• GSS-TSIG: Select Override, and then complete the following:
• Enable GSS-TSIG Updates: Select this checkbox.
• Domain Controller (KDC): Enter ad.child.corpxyz.com. This is the KDC in the domain of the DHCP
server.
• Manage Key tab Files: Click Manage Key tab Files. In the Manage GSS-TSIG Keys dialog box,
click the Add icon. Click Select, navigate to the keytab file, select the keytab file that you just
uploaded, ibdhcp/ib.child.corpxyz.com@CHILD.corpxyz.COM, and then click Upload. Click Close.
5. Configure the external forward mapping zone, corpxyz.com:

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a. On the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar, and then click Configure DDNS.
b. In the DNS Updates to External Zones table of the DDNS Properties editor, click the Add icon and
complete the following fields in the Add External DDNS Zone panel:
• Zone Name: Enter corpxyz.com.
• DNS Server Address: Enter the IP address of the primary DNS server to which the Infoblox DHCP
server sends DDNS updates. In the example, the DNS server is ns.corpxyz.com. Therefore, enter
its IP address, which is 10.23.2.24.
• Security: Choose GSS-TSIG from the drop-down list, complete the following, and then click Add:
• Active Directory Domain: Choose child.corpxyz.com.
• DNS Principal: Enter DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@corpxyz.COM.
Sending GSS-TSIG Updates to a DNS Server in Another Forest

The Infoblox DHCP server can also send secure DDNS updates to a DNS server that belongs to a domain in another
forest, as long as a forest trust exists. Refer to the Microsoft Active Directory documentation for information on
establishing forest trusts.
Similar to the authentication process between domains, the authentication process between forests also uses referrals.
The appliance follows the referral chain until it reaches the domain controller of the domain in which the service is
located. Note that forest trusts are not transitive. For example, if the DHCP server is in forest A and the DNS server is in
forest C, a direct trust must exist between forest A and forest C for the DDNS updates to succeed. Having a trust
between forest A and B, and between forest B and C is not sufficient.
In the below figure, a trust exists between the A.Local forest and the B.Local forest. The Infoblox DHCP server in the
A.Local forest needs to dynamically update the DNS server in the B.Local forest.
Sending Secure DDNS Updates to a DNS Server in Another Forest
The following authentication process occurs:

1. Kerberos – In Same Domain
The Infoblox appliance uses the TGT (ticket-granting ticket) from the AD/Kerberos server, ad.child.corpxyz.com,
to request a service ticket for DNS/ns1.corp200.com@CORP200.COM. The Kerberos server does not find the
principal name in its domain database and after consulting the global catalog, it replies with a referral ticket for its
parent domain.
2. Kerberos — Referral Chain
The appliance contacts a domain controller in corpxyz.com and requests a referral to a domain controller in the
corp200.com domain in B.Local Forest.
When it receives the referral, the DHCP server contacts the domain controller and requests a service ticket for

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the DNS server, ns1.corp200.com. The domain controller replies with a service ticket for[ DNS/
ns1.corp200.com@CORP200.COM.|mailto:DNS/ns1.corp200.com@CORP200.COM]
3. TKEY Negotiations (GSS Handshake)
The Infoblox appliance sends the DNS server ns1.corp200.com a TKEY (transaction key) request, which includes
the service ticket. The DNS server replies with a TKEY response that includes a TSIG (transaction signature).
The Infoblox appliance and the DNS server have established a security context.
Configuring DHCP to Send GSS-TSIG Updates to a Different Forest

Configuring the Infoblox DHCP server for dynamic updates to a DNS server in another forest is similar to the
configuration used to send dynamic updates to another domain in the same forest. For information, see Configuring
DHCP to Send GSS-TSIG Updates to Another Domain section.
Configuring GSS-TSIG keys

You can upload keytab files that contain a single GSS-TSIG key or multiple GSS-TSIG keys on a single NIOS appliance.
For each member in the Grid, you can upload up to 256 GSS-TSIG keys in a single keytab file. Trust relationships
between AD domains and AD forests are not required. You can upload GSS-TSIG keys through Grid Manager or the
Infoblox API.
Note that only superusers can manage all GSS-TSIG keys globally on a given member through Grid Manager or the
Infoblox API. Using this feature, superusers can determine the keys that belong to a particular member. You can assign
multiple GSS-TSIG keys to a member and all these keys are saved in the Grid. The uploaded keys will be available in the
member DNS, Grid DNS, member DHCP or Grid DHCP properties. NIOS supports the following GSS-TSIG encryption
types:
• des-cbc-crc
• des-cbc-md5
• arcfour-hmac-md5
• aes128-cts-hmac-sha1-96
• aes256-cts-hmac-sha1-96
NIOS displays a warning message in Grid Manager and in the syslog if you upload a key that does not belong to the
GSS-TSIG encryption types. For more information, see Logging Messages.
Limitations when Using Multiple GSS-TSIG keys

• You can assign SPNs belonging to different domains to a DNS member, but you cannot assign SPNs belonging
to different domains to a DHCP member, although two DHCP members can update the same DNS member.
• You must ensure that the domains assigned to a DNS member are unique.
• The GSS-TSIG domain for a remote forward or remote reverse zone is single-valued. For example, if DHCP
clients ABC and XYZ from Grid 1 want to send DDNS updates to Grid 2, either client ABC or XYZ will succeed.
Scheduled Upgrade
A scheduled upgrade with one or more keys in the keytab files that you have uploaded will operate the same as prior to
upgrade. NIOS will parse and extract keys from the uploaded keytab file. NIOS automatically assigns these keys to the
DNS member, DHCP member, Grid DHCP or Grid DNS to which the keytab file was uploaded before the upgrade. You
can assign these keys to Grid members after the upgrade is complete.
NIOS does not display an error message if the keys do not have an SPN with the DNS prefix, but it will record a warning
message in the syslog.
Admin Permissions for Configuring GSS-TSIG keys

You can assign a key to a Grid member only if you have read permission for the kerberos key and read/write permission
for the member. You can upload keys only if you have read/write permissions for kerberos keys. To remove a key that is
assigned to a member, you must have read/write permission for the respective member.
Note that in the Administration -> Administrators -> Permissions tab, NIOS displays All Kerberos Keys and Kerberos Key

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in the Resource and Resource Type columns respectively for DHCP Admin and DNS Admin roles with default read/write
permissions.
Enabling GSS-TSIG Authentication for DHCP

You can enable GSS-TSIG authentication at the Grid or member level and associate it with one or more keys of the
same SPN or realm. When you enable GSS-TSIG authentication, make sure that you upload the keytab file from the
Kerberos account for the Infoblox DHCP server. You can import keytab files with multiple keys to the Grid or to individual
members. You can assign the uploaded keys to member DHCP or Grid DHCP. The appliance displays a warning
message if you assign a GSS-TSIG key with service class "DNS" in its SPN to a DHCP member.
The appliance displays an error message in the following cases:
• if you assign keys of different realms to a DHCP member or Grid DHCP.
• when you try to enable GSS-TSIG without a valid key.
The AD domain controller stores the keytab file in the directory in which you generated the keytab file. You can copy this
file to a management system that connects to the NIOS appliance or launch the NIOS Grid Manager on the AD domain
controller and import the keytab file to the NIOS appliance.
To enable GSS-TSIG authentication for DHCP and import keytab files:
-> Edit icon. To override an inherited property, click Override next to it and complete the appropriate fields.
Standalone DHCP: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click System
DHCP Properties.
2. In the IPv4 DDNS -> Basic tab or the IPv6 DDNS -> Basic tab of the editor, complete the following:
• DDNS Updates: Select Enable DDNS Updates to enable the DHCP servers in the Grid to send DDNS
updates.
• DDNS Domain Name: Specify the domain name of the network that the appliance uses to update DNS.
For IPv4 clients, you can specify this at the network, network template, range, and range template levels.
For IPv6 clients, you can specify this at the Grid, member, network, shared network, and network template
levels.
• DDNS Update TTL: You can set the TTL used for A record and PTR records updated by the DHCP server.
The default is shown as zero. If you do not enter a value here, the appliance by default sets the TTL to
half of the DHCP lease time with a maximum of 3600 seconds. For example, a lease time of 1800
seconds results in a TTL of 900 seconds, and a lease time of 86400 seconds results in a TTL of 3600
seconds.
• DDNS Update Method: Select the method used by the DHCP server to send DDNS updates. You can
select either Interim or Standard from the drop-down list. The default is Interim. When you select Interim,
TXT record will be created for DDNS updates and when you select Standard, DHCID record will be
created for DDNS updates. But in the IPv4 DDNS -> Advanced tab or the IPv6 DDNS -> Advanced tab, if
you have selected No TXT Record mode for the DHCP server to use when handling DNS updates, then
TXT record or DHCID record is not created for DDNS updates.
If you change the DDNS update method from Interim to Standard or vice versa, then the DHCP server
changes the DHCID type used from TXT record to DHCID record or vice versa as the leases are
renewed.
This is supported for clients that acquire both IPv4 and IPv6 leases. Infoblox recommends you to
configure different DDNS update method for IPV4 leases and IPv6 leases, Interim for IPv4 lease and
Standard for IPv6 lease.
• GSS-TSIG: Complete the following:
• Enable GSS-TSIG Updates: Select this to enable the DHCP server to send GSS-TSIG
authenticated DDNS updates. The DHCP server uses the KDC server configured in the member
properties. Therefore. the Enable GSS-TSIG Updates field must be overridden in the Member
DHCP Properties dialog box to use the KDC configured in the Member DHCP Properties dialog
box.
• Manage Keytab Files: To upload a keytab file, click Manage GSS-TSIG keys. In the Manage GSS-
TSIG Keys dialog box, click the Add icon. In the Upload dialog box, click Select, navigate to the
keytab file, select it, and then click Upload. You can also delete individual keys. For more
information about managing GSS-TSIG keys, see Managing GSS-TSIG keys.

Rev. D
• Domain Controller: Enter the resolvable host name or IP address of the AD domain controller that
hosts the KDC for the domain.
• Principal: The principal member of the key. For GSS-TSIG based DDNS updates, the SPN of the
key used to carry out the update does not require the server class 'DHCP.' You can either specify
an FQDN or an IP address for the <host> of an SPN.
• GSS-TSIG Key: Select the name of the GSS-TSIG key from the drop-down list that you want the
Grid to use. This is only available if you have uploaded a keytab file. Click the arrow beside the
Add icon to either assign keys or upload and assign keys. You can either select Assign Keys or
Upload & Assign Keys from the drop-down list.
• Assign Keys: Select Assign Keys to select a GSS-TSIG key from the GSS-TSIG Key
Selector. Click Principal, which is displayed as a hyperlink, to select it. For more
information about the GSS_TSIG Key Selector, see Selecting Keys in the GSS-TSIG Key
Selector.
• Upload & Assign Keys: Select Upload & Assign Keys to upload and assign keys. In the
Upload dialog box, select the file and navigate to the file you want to upload. Click Upload.
The appliance assigns the keys contained in the selected keytab file.
• The following are displayed in the table:
• Version: The version of the key.
• Encryption type: The encryption type of the key.
• Last update: The timestamp when the key was uploaded.
• Zones this member can update securely: Click Display to list the external zones to which the Grid member
can send secured DDNS updates.
• Lease Renewal Update: Select Update DNS on DHCP Lease Renewal to enable the DHCP server to
update DNS when a DHCP lease is renewed.
Deleting GSS-TSIG keys associated with DHCP Objects

You can delete individual keys if it is not in use by the Grid or any member. To delete a key that is assigned to a member,
you must have Read/Write permission for the member. To delete individual keys:
-> Edit icon.
DHCP Properties.
2. In the IPv4 DDNS tab or the IPv6 DDNS -> Basic tab of the editor, select keys from the list under GSS-TSIG Keys
and click the Delete icon to delete keys.
Enabling GSS-TSIG Authentication for DNS

For GSS-TSIG based DDNS updates, the SPN of the key used to carry out the update must have 'DNS' in its service
class. You can upload a keytab file to the Grid with multiple keys in which each key has an SPN in this format: DNS/
<host>@<realm>. You can associate a DNS member or a Grid DNS with one or more keys of the same SPN or realm or
of different SPN or realms. You can assign the uploaded keys to member DNS or Grid DNS, but NIOS displays an error
when you try to enable GSS-TSIG without a valid key if the assigned key does not have the service class 'DNS' in its
SPN.
To enable GSS-TSIG authentication for DNS and import keytab files:
Edit icon. To override an inherited property, click Override next to it and complete the appropriate fields.
DNS Properties.
2. In the GSS-TSIG -> Basic tab of the editor, complete the following:
• GSS-TSIG: Select Enable GSS-TSIG authentication of clients to accept GSS-TSIG signed DDNS updates
from clients that belong to different AD domains in which each domain has an unique GSS-TSIG key.

Rev. D
• Manage Keytab Files: To upload a keytab file, click Manage GSS-TSIG keys. In the Manage GSS-TSIG
Keys dialog box, click the Add icon. In the Upload dialog box, click Select, navigate to the keytab file,
select it, and then click Upload. You can also delete individual keys. For more information, see Managing
GSS-TSIG keys.
• GSS-TSIG Keys: Click the arrow beside the Add icon to either assign keys or upload and assign keys.
You can either select Assign Keys or Upload & Assign Keys from the drop-down list.
• Assign Keys: Select Assign Keys to select a GSS-TSIG key from the GSS-TSIG Key Selector.
Click Principal, which is displayed as a hyperlink, to select it. For more information about the
GSS_TSIG Key Selector, see Selecting Keys in the GSS-TSIG Key Selector.
• Upload & Assign Keys: Select Upload & Assign Keys to upload and assign keys. In the Upload
dialog box, select the file and navigate to the file you want to upload. Click Upload. The appliance
assigns keys in the uploaded file.
The following are displayed:
• Principal: The principal member of the key. For GSS-TSIG based DDNS updates, the SPN of the
key used to carry out the update must have DNS in its service class. It is of the following form:
DNS/<host>@<realm>
You can either specify an FQDN or an IP address for the <host> of an SPN.
• Domain: The domain name assigned to the DNS member.
• Version: The version of the key.
• Last update: The timestamp when the key was uploaded.
NIOS sorts the data in the table based on the last updated timestamp, by default. Note that sometimes GSS-TSIG
updates might stop working after you restart the DNS service because the appliance discards the GSS-TSIG keys, when
you restart the DNS service. If this happens, wait several minutes until the Microsoft server performs another handshake
using the new key.
Deleting GSS-TSIG keys associated with the DNS Objects

You can delete individual keys if it is not in use by the Grid or any member. To delete a key that is assigned to a member,
you must have Read/Write permission for the member. To delete individual keys:
Edit icon.
DNS Properties.
2. In the GSS-TSIG -> Basic tab of the editor, select keys from the list under GSS-TSIG Keys.
3. Click the Delete icon to delete.
Logging Messages
The appliance saves the audit log entries for insert and delete operations. If you upload keys with encryption types other
than the ones that NIOS supports, the appliance displays a warning message in Grid Manager and in the syslog and also
it displays the encryption type as *other* in Grid Manager and in the syslog. For more information about the syslog, see
The appliance generates an audit log when you upload a key, assign the key to a member, remove the key associated
with a member or delete a key. The audit log entries are based on each key that you have uploaded. For example, NIOS
saves the following in the audit log when you upload a key:
2014-02-14 18:17:30.531Z \[admin\]: imported DNS Kerberos key for
principal='DNS/infoblox.localdomain@abc.com', version=5, enctype=des-cbc-crc

Rev. D
For more information about audit logs, see Using the Audit Log. You can search Kerberos keys using the realm (domain),
principal name or an encryption type.
The appliance generates a comment in the option section of the DNS configuration file for each Kerberos principal that is
associated with the Grid member. These comments are for information only and it indicates the principals, their versions
and encryption types that are used by the appliance.
Managing GSS-TSIG keys

You can upload a keytab file that contains one or multiple GSS-TSIG keys and delete multiple keys through the Manage
GSS-TSIG Keys wizard. To manage multiple GSS-TSIG keys, complete the following:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab, expand the Toolbar and click Manage GSS-TSIG
Keys.
2. In the Manage GSS-TSIG Keys wizard, the following are displayed:
• Principal: The principal name that is mapped to the keytab file.
• Domain: The name of the domain that is mapped to the keytab file.
• Version: The version of the keytab file.
• In use: Indicates whether the keytab file is in use or not.
• Members: The members associated with the keytab file. Click the hyperlink and the Members dialog box
is displayed. It displays the list of members that are associated with the keytab file.
• Last update: The timestamp when the key was last uploaded.
3. Click the Upload Keytab File icon to upload a new keytab file. In the Upload dialog box, click Select and navigate
to the keytab file. Click Upload to upload the file.
To delete a GSS-TSIG key, select the appropriate key and click the Delete icon.
Selecting Keys in the GSS-TSIG Key Selector

NIOS displays the keys that you have uploaded using the keytab files. You can choose a filter and an operator to view
specific keys that you have uploaded. The GSS-TSIG Key Selector wizard is displayed only when you select Assign
Keys in the Properties editor. For more information about how to assign keys to DNS and DHCP objects, see Enabling
GSS-TSIG Authentication for DNS and Enabling GSS-TSIG Authentication for DHCP respectively.
To select a key from the GSS-TSIG Key Selector, complete the following:
1. Click Show Filter to filter the values:
• Select a value from the drop-down list to filter your values: Domain, Encryption type, In use, Last update,
Principal, and Version.
• Select one of these operators from the drop-down list: equals, does not equal, begins with, and does not
begin with.
• Enter the value that you want to search in the text box.
Click Hide Filter to hide the filter. Alternatively, you can enter a value in the text box for Find and click Go
to search specific keys from the keytab files.
2. The following details are displayed in the table:
• Principal: The principal name that is mapped to the keytab file. Click Principal to assign the key to the
DNS or DHCP object.
• Domain: The name of the domain that is mapped to the keytab file.
• Version: The version of the keytab file.
• In use: Indicates whether the keytab file is in use or not.
• Members: The members associated with the keytab file.
• Last update: The timestamp when the key was last uploaded.
Accepting DDNS Updates from DHCP Clients

A NIOS appliance serving DNS can support Active Directory and accept both unauthenticated and GSS-TSIG
authenticated updates from DHCP clients, DHCP servers, and AD domain controllers. The appliance supports servers

Rev. D
running Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows
Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2016 with the Active Directory service installed.
When adding a NIOS appliance that serves DNS to an AD environment, you must configure the AD/Kerberos server and
NIOS appliance as follows—based on whether or not you want the DNS server to support DDNS updates using GSS-
TSIG authentication:
• AD/Kerberos Server
1. Enable zone transfers to the NIOS appliance.
2. (For GSS-TSIG) Create a user account for the NIOS appliance that it can use for authentication.
3. (For GSS-TSIG) Generate the keytab file of the DNS server and save it to your management system.
• NIOS Appliance
4. (GSS-TSIG) Enable GSS-TSIG support.
5. (GSS-TSIG) Import the keytab file of the DNS server from your management system to the NIOS appliance.
6. (GSS-TSIG) Enable GSS-TSIG authentication.
7. Add a forward-mapping zone and give it a name matching the AD DNS zone whose resource records you want
to import.
8. Specify the domain controller from which the appliance can receive DDNS updates. An AD domain controller
replicates its data among other domain controllers within its AD domain and among domain controllers in other
domains.
9. Import zone data from the specified domain controller.
10. Enable the acceptance of DDNS updates from the AD domain controller and from the DHCP clients and servers
whose addresses the DHCP server assigns. You can set this at the Grid, member, and zone levels.
11. (For GSS-TSIG) Enable acceptance of GSS-TSIG DDNS updates from the AD domain controller and from the
addresses that the DHCP server assigns. You can set this at the Grid, member, and zone levels.
As you can see from the above task list, adding a NIOS appliance that serves DNS to an AD environment without GSS-
TSIG support involves four simple steps. To include GSS-TSIG support, there are several additional steps.
Supporting Active Directory and Unauthenticated DDNS Updates

Before configuring the NIOS appliance, configure the AD domain controller to permit zone transfers to the IP address of
the appliance. Then on the appliance, you can do the following to configure a forward-mapping zone to support AD
(Active Directory) and receive unauthenticated DDNS updates from DHCP clients, DHCP servers, and AD domain
controllers.
• Create a forward-mapping zone, as described in Creating an Authoritative Forward-Mapping Zone. Give it a
name that matches the AD DNS zone whose resource records you want to import.
• Specify the domain controllers from which the appliance can receive updates, as described in Configuring AD
Support.
• Import the zone date from the domain controller. For information, see Importing Data into Zones.
• Enable the appliance to accept DDNS updates from the DHCP clients and servers whose addresses the DHCP
server assigns. You can set this at the Grid, member, and zone levels. For information, see Enabling DNS
Servers to Accept DDNS Updates.
Configuring AD Support
You can configure a forward-mapping zone to support AD from the Active Directory wizard or from the Active Directory
tab of the Authoritative Zone editor. This section describes both methods.
To configure AD support using the Active Directory wizard:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Configure Active Directory.
Note that from the Zones tab, you must select a zone before you click Configure Active Directory.
2. In the Active Directory wizard, complete the following, and then click Next:

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• Select Zone: Click this and select a zone. The name of the zone must match the name in the AD domain
controller so the zone transfer from the AD domain controller to the NIOS appliance can succeed.
• Allow unsigned updates from Domain Controllers: Select this option.
If you have configured DNS resolvers in the Grid, the appliance sends DNS queries for the names and addresses
of the AD domain's domain controllers. Since the name of the zone that you selected is the same as the AD domain
name on the domain controller, the appliance can then send a DNS query for the SRV records attached to the
domain name. It also sends a DNS query for the A record of each domain controller to determine its IP address.
The query results are listed in the next panel.
3. You can edit the list of domain controllers, if necessary. Click Next to proceed to the next step.
• To add a domain controller, click the Add icon and specify the IP address.
• To delete a domain controller from the list, select it and click the Delete icon.
• Do you want to create underscore zones to hold the records added by the Domain Controllers?
This option allows the appliance to create the following subzones that the DNS server must have to
answer AD-related DNS queries:
_msdcs.zone
_sites.zone
_tcp.zone
_udp.zone
domaindnszones.zone
forestdnszones.zone
Note that these zones are automatically generated. You cannot edit these zones or import data into
them. They cannot be modified, thus providing protection against forged updates.
To configure AD support using the Authoritative Zone editor:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. In the Authoritative Zone editor, select the Active Directory tab and do the following:
• Allow unsigned updates from these Domain Controllers: Select this checkbox and specify the AD domain
controllers from which the appliance can receive DDNS updates.
• Automatically create underscore zones: Select this checkbox to automatically create the subzones.
You can then import zone data, as described in Importing Data into Zones.
Accepting GSS-TSIG-Authenticated Updates

A NIOS appliance can support Active Directory and process secure GSS-TSIG-authenticated DDNS updates from DHCP
clients, DHCP servers, and AD domain controllers. The appliance supports servers running Windows 2000 Server,
R2, or Windows Server 2016 with the Active Directory service installed. The process in which a DHCP client dynamically
updates its resource records on a DNS server using GSS-TSIG authentication is shown in Figure 21.10. The illustration
also shows the relationship of the clients, the DHCP server, the DNS server, and the Kerberos server (running on the AD
domain controller).
 Note
For explanations of the alphanumerically notated steps in Figure 21.10, see the section following the
illustration.

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Figure 21.10 Authenticating DDNS Updates with GSS-TSIG
1. DHCP – IP Address and Network Parameters Assignment

a. The DHCP client requests an IP address.
b. The DHCP server assigns an IP address, subnet mask, gateway address, and a DNS server address.
2. Active Directory – Computer and User Logins

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a. The computer sends a DNS request to locate the AD domain controller, and then logs in to the domain
controller.
 Note
Computer accounts have passwords that the AD domain controller and computer maintain
automatically. There are two passwords for each computer: a computer account password and a
private key password. By default, both passwords are automatically changed every 30 days.
b. The user manually logs in to a domain.

3. DNS – Query for the Kerberos Server
a. The computer (or client) automatically sends a query for kerberos._udp.dc_msdcs.dom_name_ to the
DNS server whose IP address it received through DHCP.
b. The NIOS appliance replies with the name of the Kerberos server.
4. Kerberos – Login, and TGT and Service Ticket Assignments
a. The client automatically logs in to the Kerberos server.
b. The Kerberos server sends the client a TGT (ticket-granting ticket).
c. Using the TGT, the AD member requests a service ticket for the DNS server.
d. The Kerberos server replies with a service ticket for that server.
5. DDNS – Dynamic Update of the Client's Resource Records
a. Unauthenticated DDNS Update Attempt (Refused)
i. The client sends an unauthenticated DDNS update.
ii. The DNS server refuses the update.
b. TKEY negotiations (GSS Handshake):
i. The client sends the DNS server a TKEY (transaction key) request. A Transaction Key record
establishes shared secret keys for use with the TSIG resource record. For more information, see
RFC 2930,Secret Key Establishment for DNS (TKEYRR).
The request includes the service ticket. The service ticket includes the appliance's principal and
proposed TSIG (transaction signature) key, along with other items such as a ticket lifetime and a
timestamp.
ii. The DNS server responds with a DNS server-signed TSIG, which is a "meta-record" that is never
cached and never appears in zone data. A TSIG record is a signature of the update using an
HMAC-MD5 hash that provides transaction-level authentication. For more information, see RFC
2845,Secret Key Transaction Authentication for DNS (TSIG).
The two participants have established a security context.
c. GSS-TSIG-Authenticated DDNS Update (Accepted)
i. The client sends an authenticated DDNS update, which includes the following resource records:
• A – Address record
or
PTR – Pointer record
• TKEY – Transaction Key record
• TSIG – TSIG record
ii. The DNS server authenticates the DDNS update and processes it.
iii. The DNS server sends a GSS-TSIG-authenticated response to the AD member, confirming the
update.
 Note
For GSS-TSIG authentication to work properly, the system clock times of the Infoblox DHCP server, AD domain
controller and DNS server must be synchronized. One approach is to use NTP and synchronize all three
devices with the same NTP servers.

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Configuring DNS to Receive GSS-TSIG Updates
You can configure an appliance to support Active Directory and accept secure DDNS updates from clients using GSS-
TSIG. The initial configuration tasks are shown in Figure 21.11. The appliance supports servers running Windows 2000
Server, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows
Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2016 with the Active Directory service installed.
Figure 21.11 Adding a NIOS Appliance to an AD Environment with GSS-TSIG Support
On an already functioning AD domain controller:

1. Enable zone transfers to the NIOS appliance.
2. Add a user account for the NIOS appliance serving DNS. A corresponding account on the Kerberos server is
automatically created. For information, see Creating an AD User Account.
3. Export the keytab file for the NIOS appliance account from the Kerberos server to a local directory on your
management system. For information, see Generating and Exporting the Keytab File.
On an Infoblox appliance:

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1. Import the keytab file from your management system to the Infoblox appliance and enable GSS-TSIG
authentication on the appliance. For information, see Importing the Keytab File and Enabling GSS-TSIG
Authentication.
2. Configure a forward-mapping zone with the same name as the AD zone. For information, see Creating an
Authoritative Forward-Mapping Zone.
3. (Optional) Create a reverse-mapping zone for the network address space that corresponds to the domain name
space in the forward-mapping zone. For information, see Creating an Authoritative Reverse-Mapping Zone.
4. Import the zone data from the AD domain controller. For information, see Importing Zone Data.
5. Enable the acceptance of GSS-TSIG-signed updates from the AD controller and from the DHCP clients and
servers whose addresses the DHCP server assigns. For information, see Accepting GSS-TSIG Updates.
Creating an AD User Account

Connect to the AD domain controller and create a user account for the NIOS appliance.
 Note
The name you enter in the User logon name is the name that you later use when exporting the keytab file.
This is also the principal name. The text in the First name, Initials, Last name, and Full name fields is irrelevant
to this task.
The AD domain controller automatically creates a Kerberos account for this user with an accompanying keytab. Note the
following:
• If you define an expiration date for the user account and you later create a new account when the first one
expires, the keytab for the corresponding Kerberos account changes. At that point, you must update the keytab
file on the NIOS appliance (see Generating and Exporting the Keytab File and Importing the Keytab File and
Enabling GSS-TSIG Authentication). Optionally, if your security policy allows it, you can set the user account for
the NIOS appliance so that it never expires.
• If the AD domain controller is running Windows Server 2003, the user account must have the DES encryption
type enabled. You can enable this either in the Account tab when you create the user account or by specifying
+DesOnly when you use the Ktpass tool to generate the keytab file.
• The newly created AD user account must be a member of the DnsUpdateProxy group or an account that allows it
to update records that have potentially been added by another DHCP server, such as DNS Admins.
Generating and Exporting the Keytab File

You can generate and export the keytab file for the Kerberos account by using the Ktpass tool. Note that the version of
the Ktpass tool that you use must match the Windows version of the domain controller. For example, if you are using a
domain controller running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2, you must use the Ktpass tool for Windows
Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.
You enter different commands for generating and exporting the keytab file, depending on whether you are generating the
keytab file from a server running Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows
Server 2008 R2.
Generating the Keytab on Windows 2000

To export the keytab file using a Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit:
2. Enter the following command to export the keytab file for the NIOS appliance user account:
C:> ktpass -princ service_name/FQDN_instance@REALM -mapuser AD_username -pass
password -out
filename.keytab
For example:

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C:> ktpass -princ DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@corpxyz.COM -mapuser ns1@corpxyz.com -pass 37Le37
-out ns1.keytab
Generating the Keytab on Windows Server 2003

The Ktpass tool is included in the Windows Server 2003 Support Tools. To export the keytab file using a Microsoft
Windows 2003 Resource Kit:
ktpass -princ DNS/FQDN_instance@REALM -mapuser AD_username -pass password -out
filename.keytab
-ptype KRB5_NT_PRINCIPAL -crypto des-cbc-md5 +DesOnly
For example:
ktpass -princ DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@corpxyz.COM -mapuser ns1@corpxyz.com -pass 37Le37 -out
ns1.keytab -ptype KRB5_NT_PRINCIPAL -crypto des-cbc-md5 +DesOnly
where:
-princ = Kerberos principal
• DNS = Service name in uppercase format
the NIOS appliance
• corpxyz.COM = The Kerberos realm in uppercase format; this must be the same as the AD domain name
-mapuser = Maps the Kerberos principal name to the AD user account
• ns1@corpxyz.com = The AD user name for the NIOS appliance
-pass = The AD user account password
• 37Le37 = The password of the user account for the NIOS appliance
-out = Exports the keytab file
• ns1.keytab = The name of the keytab file
-crypto = Specifies the encryption type. This must be des-cbc-md5.
+DesOnly = Specifies DES encryption for the account. Include this if you did not enable DES encryption for the account.
Generating the Keytab on Windows Server 2008/Windows Server 2008 R2

A Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 domain controller allows you to generate a keytab file with multiple
keys for one principal. The Infoblox DNS server accepts GSS-TSIG updates from DHCP clients that provide a Kerberos
ticket for any of the keys in its configured keytab. To generate the keytab file using the Ktpass tool:
ktpass -princ DNS/FQDN_instance@REALM -mapuser AD_username -pass password -out
filename.keytab
For example:
ktpass-princDNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@corpxyz.COM-mapuserns1@corpxyz.com-pass37Le37-
outns1.keytab-ptype krb5_nt_principal-cryptoAES256-SHA1
where:
-princ = Kerberos principal
• DNS = Service name in uppercase format
• ns1.corpxyz.com = Instance in FQDN format; this is the same as the DNS name of the NIOS appliance

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• corpxyz.COM = The Kerberos realm in uppercase; this must be the same as the AD domain name
-mapuser = Maps the Kerberos principal name to the AD user account
• ns1@corpxyz.com = The AD user name for the NIOS appliance
-pass = The AD user account password
• 37Le37 = The password of the user account for the NIOS appliance
-out = Exports the keytab file
• ns1.keytab = The name of the keytab file
-crypto = Specifies the encryption type.
Targeting domain controller: qacert.test.local Using legacy password setting method
Key created.
Output keytab to ns1.keytab:
keysize 80 DNS/ns1.corpxyz.com@corpxyz.COM ptype 1 (KRB5_NT_PRINCIPAL) vno 3 etype 0x12

(AES256-SHA1)
 Note
The keytab file contains highly sensitive data for the NIOS appliance account. Ensure that you store and
transport its contents securely.
Modifying an AD User Account

To change any AD user account information (login, password, etc):
1. Remove the previous user account from AD.
2. Create a new user for GSS-TSIG mapping.
3. Generate a new keytab file.
4. Import the keytab file to the DNS server.
Importing the Keytab File and Enabling GSS-TSIG Authentication

Before you can enable GSS-TSIG authentication, you must import the keytab file from the Kerberos account for the NIOS
appliance. To import the keytab file:
2. In the Member DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Expert Mode.
3. When the additional tabs appear, click GSS-TSIG and do the following:
If a principal name and version number are listed, there is a keytab file loaded on the appliance. Compare this
information with that for the NIOS appliance account on the Kerberos server to make sure that they match. If there

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is no keytab file on the NIOS appliance or if the loaded keytab file does not match that on the Kerberos server, you
must load the correct keytab file.
• Click Upload, click Browse to navigate to the keytab file, and then click Upload.
• Enable GSS-TSIG authentication of clients: Select this checkbox.
Each time you export a keytab file from a Kerberos server running on Windows Server 2003, the version number of the
keytab file increases incrementally. Because the version number on the keytab file that you import to the NIOS appliance
must match the version that is in use on the Kerberos server, you should select the last keytab file that is exported from
the Kerberos server if you have exported multiple keytab files. (A Kerberos server running on Windows 2000 does not
increase the version number of keytab files with each export.)
Accepting GSS-TSIG Updates

You can allow a Grid or specific members or zones to accept GSS-TSIG signed updates from domain controllers and
DHCP clients and servers, as follows:
Zone: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. Select the Updates tab and do the following in the Basic subtab:
• Allow GSS-TSIG signed updates: Select this option.
You can then use the Active Directory wizard or navigate to the Active Directory tab of the Authoritative Zone editor to
enable the appliance to create underscore zones for the records hosted by domain controllers and to allow GSS-TSIG
signed updates to the underscore zones.
To use the Active Directory wizard:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Configure Active Directory.
2. In the Configure Active Directory wizard, complete the following, and then click Next:
• Select Zone: Click this and select a zone. The name of the zone must match the name in the AD domain
controller so the zone transfer from the AD domain controller to the NIOS appliance can succeed.
• Allow GSS-TSIG-signed (secure) updates from Domain Controllers: Select this option.
• Do you want to create underscore zones to hold the records added by the Domain Controllers?
This option allows the appliance to create the following subzones that the DNS server must have to
answer AD-related DNS queries:
_msdcs.zone
_sites.zone
_tcp.zone
_udp.zone
domaindnszones.zone
forestdnszones.zone
Note that these zones are automatically generated. You cannot edit these zones or import data into them.
• Allow GSS-TSIG-signed updates to underscore zones: Select this checkbox to allow underscore zones to
accept GSS-TSIG signed updates.
To use the Authoritative Zone editor:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. In the Authoritative Zone editor, select the Active Directory tab and do the following:
• Allow unsigned updates from these Domain Controllers: Clear this checkbox.
• Automatically create underscore zones: (select)
This option automatically creates the following subzones that the DNS server must have to answer AD-
related DNS queries:

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_msdcs.zone
_sites.zone
_tcp.zone
_udp.zone
domaindnszones.zone
forestdnszones.zone
Note that these zones are automatically generated and cannot be manually edited.
• Allow GSS-TSIG-signed updates to underscore zones: Select this checkbox to allow underscore zones to
accept GSS-TSIG signed updates.
Secure Dynamic Updates

The secure dynamic updates feature provides several methods to restrict dynamic DNS updates to certain records. This
includes:
• Restrictions for updates to statics records. For more information, see Restricting Updates to Static Records
• Restrictions for updates to records marked as protected. For more information, see Restricting Updates to
Protected Records.
• Restrictions based on GSS-TSIG principal authentication. For more information, see Restricting Updates Based
on GSS-TSIG Principal Authentication.
• Restrictions based on FQDN patterns. For more information, see Restricting Updates Based on FQDN Patterns.
Only static and dynamic record source type support secure dynamic updates. You can see the record source type in the
Resource Record Viewer. The following table shows which type of secure dynamic updates is applicable to different
record source types.
Secure Dynamic Update Types
Secure Dynamic Update Type Record Source Type
Restrictions for updates to statics records Static
Restrictions for updates to protected records Static, dynamic
Restrictions based on GSS-TSIG principal authentication Dynamic
Restrictions based on FQDN patterns Static, dynamic
Sometimes when the updating record has the same data as the existing record, you may need to initialize the record
creation timestamp to avoid unwanted DNS record scavenging. For more information, see Forcing Creation Timestamp
Initialization for Unchanged Records.
Failed attempts to dynamically update secured records are recorded in the NIOS syslog. You can view it, as described in
Viewing the Syslog and Searching in the Syslog.
You can use Smart Folders to organize data by record source, principal, or protection state. For more information, see
Smart Folders.
In addition, you can use Global Search to search for records by principal name. For more information, see Using Global
Search.
 Note
To use the secure dynamic updates feature, you must have a DNS license installed in the Grid Manager.

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Restricting Updates to Static Records
This method prevents updates to all RRsets containing static records at once in the Grid, DNS view, or zone. To prevent
updates to specific static records, see Restricting Updates to Protected Records.
 Note
When you upgrade from a previous NIOS version to NIOS 7.3 or later, all dynamic updated records are labelled
as static records if you enable the Secure Dynamic Updates feature. Infoblox suggests that you enable this
feature only after all records are changed to Dynamic. NIOS tags the RRsets that are not auto-generated as
static records.
To restrict updates to all static records in the Grid, DNS view, or zone:
1. In the Grid DNS, view, or zone properties, click Updates -> Advanced.
2. To override the inherited properties, click Override.
3. Under Secure Dynamic Updates, select Prevent dynamic updates to RRsets containing static records.
Restricting Updates to Protected Records

You can restrict updates to the records of your choice, by marking them as protected. You can do this for both static and
dynamic records. The Resource Record Viewer displays the protection status of the records in the Protected column: Yes
or No.
You can protect the following record types:
• A record
• AAAA record
• CNAME record
• DNAME record
• MX record
• NAPTR record
• PTR record
• SRV record
• TXT record
• Host record
For all the above mentioned records except the host record, you can change the type from static to dynamic and back, if
required.
To restrict updates to protected records:
1. In the DNS Resource Records viewer, select a record or multiple records.
2. In the Toolbar, select Protect Records -> Enable Protection.
Or
In the properties dialog for a record, click Updates, select the Protected checkbox, and then click Save & Close.
3. Enable updates prevention at the corresponding level:
a. In the Grid DNS, view, or zone properties, click Updates -> Advanced.
b. If necessary, click Override to override the inherited properties.
c. Select Prevent dynamic updates to RRsets containing protected records.
d. Click Save & Close.
Restricting Updates Based on GSS-TSIG Principal Authentication

This method implies tracking the Kerberos GSS-TSIG principal that created a record and restricting DDNS updates
attempted by a different GSS-TSIG principal on this record.

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The Resource Record Viewer displays the GSS-TSIG authentication information in the Principal column: it displays the
principal name if the client that created the record is authenticated and the principal is tracked.
The tracked principal is also displayed in the record properties. You can change the principal associated to a record by
clicking Select Principal in the record properties and specifying the required principal.
Additionally, you can use dynamic update groups to manage the allowed principals. For more information, see About
Dynamic Update Groups.
To restrict updates based on GSS-TSIG principal authentication:
3. Under Secure Dynamic Updates, select Track the GSS-TSIG principals that create dynamic records.
 Note
For this option to work, ensure that you have selected Enable GSS-TSIG authentication of clients in the GSS-
TSIG properties of the Grid or the corresponding zone or view.
4. Select Require the appropriate GSS-TSIG principal to update RRsets that track principals.
5. Optionally, specify an active dynamic update group.
About Dynamic Update Groups

In some cases, for example, in DHCP failover associations, you need to allow different GSS-TSIG principals to update
each other's records. To that end, you can join multiple principals into clusters, where all principals are considered as
equivalent and therefore can update affected records without being their originators. You can join multiple clusters into a
dynamic update group. The clusters within a group, however, are not considered equivalent and cannot update each
other's records.
When you have several dynamic update groups defined, you can assign different groups to be active for the Grid, a DNS
view, or a zone as described in Restricting Updates Based on GSS-TSIG Principal Authentication. If no group is
assigned, then no principals are considered to be equivalent.
For information on how to add dynamic update groups and clusters, see Managing Dynamic Update Groups and
Clusters.
 Note
Viewing and modifying the configuration of a dynamic update group requires Grid DNS permissions. Selecting a
group as active for the Grid, a view, or a zone requires read permission on the Grid DNS, as well as write
permission on the object being modified.
Managing Dynamic Update Groups and Clusters

To add a dynamic update group:
1. In Data Management -> DNS, expand the Toolbar and click Manage Dynamic Update Groups.
3. Select Add Dynamic Update Group.
4. Specify the group name.
5. Optionally, provide a comment.
6. Click Save and Close. Proceed to adding clusters to the group as described below.

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To add a cluster:
1. In the Manage Dynamic Update Groups window, click the Add icon.
2. Select Add Cluster.
3. Select the dynamic update group in which you want to include the cluster.
4. Specify the cluster name.
5. Optionally, provide a comment.
6. Click Save and Close.
7. To add principals to the cluster, select the cluster in the Manage Dynamic Update Groups window and click the
Add icon. A principal can appear in multiple clusters.
• Add Principal: This adds a new row in the table. Specify the principal name in the row.
• Select Principal: This opens the Principal Selector dialog. Select the required principal from the list.
9. Click Close.
To edit or delete a group, cluster, or principal, select it in the Manage Dynamic Update Groups window, and click the
corresponding icon.
You can also export data about dynamic update groups, their clusters, and principals in the Infoblox CSV Import format
by clicking the Export icon in the Manage Dynamic Update Groups window. For more information, see Exporting Data to
Files.
Restricting Updates Based on FQDN Patterns

This implies defining FQDN patterns for domain names which prevents DDNS updates to matching FQDNs. To restrict
updates based on FQDN patterns:
3. Under Dynamic Update Patterns, select Prevent dynamic updates to FQDNs matching these patterns and specify
patterns:
• To add an FQDN pattern, click the Add icon and specify a pattern in the new table row.
 Note
Use the DNS Traffic Control LBDN wild cards to specify FQDN patterns. For more information,
see Configuring LBDN Patterns.
• To delete an FQDN pattern, select the checkbox next to the pattern and click the Delete icon.
Forcing Creation Timestamp Initialization for Unchanged Records

If the attributes of a resource record do not change in the result of a DDNS update, Grid Manager ignores the update and
the record’s creation timestamp remains the same. This may cause valid records with outdated timestamp to be removed
during DNS scavenging. To avoid this, you can set the record creation time to be modified even when the record data do
not change at DDNS update. You can do this for the whole Grid, or for a specific DNS view or authoritative zone.
To force the creation timestamp initialization for unchanged resource records:
1. Open the Grid DNS Properties, DNS View Properties, or Authoritative Zone Properties editor.
2. For a DNS view or authoritative zone, click Override.
3. Select Modify creation time even when resource record data is unchanged.
4. Click Restart in the Grid Manager’s system messages banner for the setting to take effect.
For information about DNS scavenging, see DNS Record Scavenging.
Configuring DNSSEC
This section provides general information about DNSSEC. The topics in this section include:

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• DNSSEC
• DNSSEC Resource Records
• DNSKEY Resource Records
• RRSIG Resource Records
• NSEC/NSEC3 Resource Records
• NSEC3PARAM Resource Records
• DS Resource Records
• Configuring DNSSEC on a Grid
• Enabling DNSSEC
• Setting DNSSEC Parameters
• Signing a Zone
• About HSM Signing
• Configuring Grid Members to Support DNSSEC as Secondary Servers
• Configuring Recursion and Validation for Signed Zones
• Applying Policies and Rules to DNS Queries that Request DNSSEC Data
DNSSEC
DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions) provides mechanisms for authenticating the source of DNS data and ensuring its
integrity. It protects DNS data from certain attacks, such as man-in the middle attacks and cache poisoning. A man-in-the
middle attack occurs when an attacker intercepts responses to queries and inserts false records. Cache poisoning can
occur when a client accepts maliciously created data. DNSSEC helps you avoid such attacks on your networks.
DNSSEC provides changes to the DNS protocol and additional resource records (RRs) as described in the following
RFCs:
• RFC 4033, DNS Security Introduction and Requirements
• RFC 4034, Resource Records for the DNS Security Extensions
• RFC 4035, DNSSEC Protocol Modifications
• RFC 4641, DNSSEC Operational Practices
• RFC 4956, DNS Security (DNSSEC) Opt-In
• RFC 4986, Requirements Related to DNS Security (DNSSEC) Trust Anchor Rollover
• RFC 5155, DNS Security (DNSSEC) Hashed Authenticated Denial of Existence
• RFC 5702, Use of SHA-2 Algorithms with RSA in DNSKEY and RRSIG Resource Records for DNSSEC

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DNSSEC uses public key cryptography to authenticate the source of DNS responses and to ensure that DNS responses
were not modified during transit. Public key cryptography uses an asymmetric key algorithm. With asymmetric keys, one
key is used to decrypt data that was encrypted using the other key.
In DNSSEC, the primary name server of a zone generates at least one public/private key pair. It "signs" each data set in
the zone by running it through a one-way hash, and then encrypting the hash value with the private key. The public key is
stored in an RR type introduced by DNSSEC, the DNSKEY RR. Resolvers use the DNSKEY record to decrypt the hash
value. If the hash values match, then the resolver is assured of the authenticity of the message.
In addition to the DNSKEY record, DNSSEC also introduces new RRs which DNS servers can use to authenticate the
non-existence of servers, zones, or resource records. For information about the DNSSEC resource records, see
DNSSEC Resource Records.
DNSSEC uses the EDNS0 message extension. Resolvers include the EDNS OPT pseudo-RR with the DO (DNSSEC
OK) bit set to indicate that they are requesting DNSSEC records. A DNS client or resolver sets the EDNS DO bit when it
sends a query for data in a signed zone. When the DNS server receives such a query, it includes the additional DNSSEC
records in its response, according to the DNSSEC standard rules. In addition, because DNSSEC messages are often
large, the EDNS0 message extension also provides mechanisms for handling larger DNS UDP messages. For
information about EDNS0, refer to RFC 2671, Extension Mechanisms for DNS (EDNS0). For information about the DO
bit, refer to RFC 3225, Indicating Resolver Support of DNSSEC.
 Warning
When you disable EDNS0 on the appliance, all outgoing DNSSEC queries to zones within trusted anchors will
fail even if DNSSEC validation is enabled. To ensure that
DNSSEC functions properly, do not disable EDNS0 on the appliance. For more information, see Using
Extension Mechanisms for DNS (EDNS0).
DNSSEC also supports new data in the packet header, the CD (Checking Disabled) bit and the AD (Authenticated Data)
bit. The CD bit is used by resolvers in their DNS queries and the AD bit is used by recursive name servers in their
responses to queries.
A resolver can set the CD bit in its query to indicate that the name server should not validate the DNS response and that
the resolver takes responsibility for validating the DNS data it receives.
A name server that has successfully validated the data in a DNS response sets the AD (Authenticated Data) bit in the
message header to indicate that all resource records in its response have been validated and are authentic. Note that
unless the connection between the DNS server and client has been secured, such as through TSIG, the client cannot
rely on the AD bit to indicate valid data. The data could have been changed in transit between the server and client.
Resolvers can trust a response with the AD bit set only if their communication channel is secure.
You can also configure the NIOS appliance to always apply RPZ policies, DNS blacklists, or NXDOMAIN rules to DNS
responses, regardless of whether the queries request DNSSEC data. For more information about how to configure this,
see Applying Policies and Rules to DNS Queries that Request DNSSEC Data. For information about RPZ policies, DNS
blacklists, and NXDOMAIN rules, see their respective sections in this guide.
Related topic
Configuring DNSSEC
DNSSEC Resource Records

Following are the DNSSEC RR types:
• DNS Public Key (DNSKEY) resource records — For information, see DNSKEY Resource Records.
• Resource Record Signature (RRSIG) records — For information, see RRSIG Resource Records.
• Next Secure (NSEC/NSEC3) records — For information, see NSEC/NSEC3 Resource Records.
• NSEC3PARAM records — For information, see NSEC3PARAM Resource Records.
• Delegation Signer (DS) resource records — For information, see DS Resource Records.
For detailed information about each RR, refer to RFC 4034, Resource Records for the DNS Security Extensions and
RFC 5155, DNS Security (DNSSEC) Hashed Authenticated Denial of Existence.

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 Note
The appliance supports IDNs for DNSKEY records, DS records, NSEC records, NSEC3PARAM records, and
RRSIG records.
DNSKEY Resource Records

When an authoritative name server digitally signs a zone, it typically generates two key pairs, a zone-signing key (ZSK)
pair and a key-signing key (KSK) pair. The name server uses the private key of the ZSK pair to sign each RRset in a
zone (an RRset is a group of resource records that are of the same owner, class, and type.). It stores the public key of
the ZSK pair in a DNSKEY record. The name server then uses the private key of the KSK pair to sign all DNSKEY
records, including its own, and stores the corresponding public key in another DNSKEY record. As a result, a zone
typically has two DNSKEY records; a DNSKEY record that holds the public key of the ZSK pair, and another DNSKEY
record for the public key of the KSK pair.
 Note
For the remainder of this chapter, the DNSKEY record that holds the public key of the ZSK pair is referred to as
the ZSK and the DNSKEY record that holds the public key of the KSK pair is referred to as the KSK.
The purpose of the KSK is two-fold. First, it is referenced in the Delegation Signer (DS) RR that is stored in a parent
zone. The DS record is used to authenticate the KSK of the child zone, so a resolver can establish a chain of trust from
the parent zone to its child zone. For more information about the DS RR, see DS Resource Records.
Second, if a zone does not have a chain of trust from a parent zone, security aware resolvers can configure the KSK as a
trust anchor; that is, the starting point from which it can build a chain of trust from that zone to its child zones.
Note that though the two key pairs, KSK and ZSK, are used in most DNSSEC environments, their use is not required by
the RFCs. A zone administrator can use a single private/public key pair to sign all zone data. (Note that Infoblox
appliances require two key pairs.)
Following is an example of a DNSKEY RR:
The first four fields specify the domain name of the zone that owns the key, the resource record TTL, class, and RR type.
The succeeding fields are:
• Flags Field: In its wire format, this field is two bytes long. (The wire format is used in DNS queries and
responses.) Bits 0 through 6 and 8 through 14 are reserved, and have a value of 0. Bit 7 indicates if the record

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holds a DNS zone key. Bit 15 is the Secure Entry Point (SEP) flag, which serves as a hint that indicates whether
the DNSKEY record contains a ZSK or a KSK, as described in RFC 3757, DNSKEY RR SEP Flag. Zone
administrators typically set the SEP flag of a DNSKEY record of a zone when it contains the KSK, to indicate that
it can be used as a trust anchor. However, a DNSKEY record that does not have the SEP flag set can also be
used as a trust anchor.
Given the currently defined flags, in its text format, the flags field is represented as an unsigned decimal integer
with the possible values of 0, 256 and 257. A value of 256 indicates that the DNSKEY record holds the ZSK and a
value of 257 indicates that it contains the KSK. In general, this field contains an odd number when the DNSKEY
record holds the KSK.
• Protocol: This always has a value of 3, for DNSSEC.
• Algorithm: Identifies the cryptographic algorithm of the public key. The available types are:
• 1 = RSA/MD5
• 2 = Diffie-Hellman (This is not supported by BIND and Infoblox appliances.)
• 3 = DSA
• 4 = Reserved
• 5 = RSA/SHA1
• 6 = DSA/SHA1/NSEC3
• 7 = RSA/SHA1/NSEC3
• 8 = RSA/SHA-256
• 10 = RSA/SHA-512
• 13 = ECDSAP/SHA-256
• 14 = ECDSAP/SHA-384
• Public Key: The public key encoded in Base64.
RRSIG Resource Records

A signed zone has multiple RRsets, one for each record type and owner name. (The owner is the Fully Qualified Domain
Name of the RRset.) When an authoritative name server uses the private key of the ZSK pair to sign each RRset in a
zone, the digital signature on each RRset is stored in an RRSIG record. Therefore, a signed zone contains an RRSIG
record for each RRset.
Following is an example of an RRSIG record:

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The first four fields specify the owner name, TTL, class, and RR type. The succeeding fields are:
• Type Covered: The RR type covered by the RRSIG record. The RRSIG record in the example covers the A
records for corpxyz.com.
• Algorithm: The cryptographic algorithm that was used to create the signature. It uses the same algorithm types as
the DNSKEY record indicated in the Key Tag field.
• Number of Labels: Indicates the number of labels in the owner name of the signed records. There are two labels
in the example, corpxyz and com.
• RRset TTL: The TTL value of the RRset covered by the RRSIG record.
• Expiration Time: The signature expiration time in UTC format.
• Inception Time: The signature inception time in UTC format.
• Key Tag: The key tag value of the DNSKEY RR that validates the signature.
• Signature Name: The zone name of the RRset.
• Public Key: The Base64 encoding of the signature.
NSEC/NSEC3 Resource Records

When a name server receives a request for a domain name that does not exist in a zone, the name server sends an
authenticated negative response in the form of an NSEC or NSEC3 RR. NSEC and NSEC3 records contain the next
secure domain name in a zone and list the RR types present at the NSEC or NSEC3 RR's owner name. The difference
between an NSEC and NSEC3 RRs is that the owner name in an NSEC3 RR is a cryptographic hash of the original
owner name prepended to the name of the zone. NSEC3 RRs protect against zone enumeration.
Following is an example of an NSEC record:
The first four fields specify the owner name, TT, class and RR type. The succeeding fields are:

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• Next Owner Name: In the canonical order of the zone, the next owner name that has authoritative data or that
contains a delegation point NS record.
• RRsets: The RRsets that exist at the owner name of the NSEC record, which are NS, SOA, RRSIG, NSEC, and
DNSKEY in the example.
Following is an example of an NSEC3 RR:
The first field contains the hashed owner name. It is followed by the TTL ,class and RR type. The fields after the RR type
are:
• Algorithm: The hash algorithm that was used. The currently supported algorithm is SHA-1, which is represented
by a value of 1.
• Flags Field: Contains 8 one-bit flags, of which only one flag, the Opt-Out flag, is defined by RFC 5155. The Opt-
Out flag indicates whether the NSEC3 record covers unsigned delegations.
• Iterations: The number of times the hash function was performed.
• Salt Field: A series of case-insensitive hexadecimal digits. It is appended to the original owner name as protection
against pre-calculated dictionary attacks.
• Next Owner Name: Displays the next hashed owner name.
• RRsets: The RR types that are at the owner name.
NSEC3PARAM Resource Records

An authoritative DNS server uses NSEC3PARAM RRs to determine which NSEC3 records it includes in its negative
responses. An NSEC3PARAM RR contains the parameters that an authoritative server needs to calculate hashed owner
names. As stated in RFC 5155, the presence of an NSEC3PARAM RR at a zone apex indicates that the specified
parameters may be used by authoritative servers to choose an appropriate set of NSEC3 RRs for negative responses.
Following is an example of an NSEC3PARAM record:

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The first four fields specify the owner name, TTL, class and RR type. The succeeding fields are:
• Algorithm: The hash algorithm that was used. The currently supported algorithm is SHA-1, which is represented
by a value of 1.
• Flags Field: Contains 8 one-bit flags, of which only one flag, the Opt-Out flag, is defined by RFC 5155. The Opt-
Out flag indicates whether the NSEC3 record covers unsigned delegations.
• Iterations: The number of times the hash function was performed. The number of NSEC3 iterations is set to 10.
• Salt Field: A series of case-insensitive hexadecimal digits. It is appended to the original owner name as protection
against pre-calculated dictionary attacks. New salt value is generated when the ZSK rolls over, for which the user
can control the period. For random salt, the selected length is between one and 15 octets.
DS Resource Records
A DS RR contains a hash of a child zone's KSK and can be used as a trust anchor in some security-aware resolvers and
to create a secure delegation point for a signed subzone in DNS servers. As illustrated in Figure 22.1, the DS RR in the
parent zone corpxyz.com contains a hash of the KSK of the child zone sales.corpxyz.com, which in turn has a DS record
that contains a hash of the KSK of its child zone, nw.sales.corpxyz.com.
Figure 22.1
The first four fields specify the owner name, TTL, class and RR type. The succeeding fields are as follows:
• Key Tag: The key tag value that is used to determine which key to use to verify signatures.
• Algorithm: Identifies the algorithm of the DNSKEY RR to which this DS RR refers. It uses the same algorithm
values and types as the corresponding DNSKEY RR.
• Digest Type: Identifies the algorithm used to construct the digest. The supported algorithms are:
• 1 = SHA-1
• 2 = SHA-256

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• Digest: If SHA-1 is the digest type, this field contains a 20 octet digest. If SHA-256 is the digest type, this field
contains a 32 octet digest.
Configuring DNSSEC on a Grid

You can configure the name servers in a Grid to support DNSSEC. You can configure the Grid Master as the primary
server for a signed zone and the Grid members as secondary servers. (For more information, see Configuring Grid
Members to Support DNSSEC as Secondary Servers.) Note that only the Grid Master can serve as the primary server for
a signed zone. Only the Grid Master can re-sign DNSSEC keys, and it must be primary for signed zones (as well as for
signed zones with DNS Traffic Control records). That is, the Grid Master must serve the whole part of the configuration in
which DNSSEC is used. Therefore, a running DNS service, DNS and DNS Traffic Control licenses are required on the
Grid Master to use DNSSEC.
You can enable the Grid Master to sign zones and manage the DNSSEC keys, or you can configure the Grid Master as a
client to a third-party, network-attached Hardware Security Module (HSM) that performs the key generation, zone signing,
and key safekeeping. You must use either the Grid Master or HSM for zone signing and key management; you cannot
use both. Note that each method may have different performance implications, depending on the hardware platform,
number of zones and other factors. For information about using HSMs, see About HSM Signing.
Any authoritative forward-mapping or reverse-mapping zone can be signed according to the following criteria:
• The zone does not contain any bulk host records.
• DNSSEC is enabled on the Grid Master.
• The primary server of the zone must be a Grid member. If the zone is assigned to an NS group, the primary
server in the group must be a Grid member that has DNSSEC enabled.
Note that you can use DNS views to separate internal and external zone data, to manage your zones more efficiently and
reduce the size of the zones that require signing. For information about DNS views, see About DNS Views.
Grid Master as Primary Server

When you sign a zone whose primary server is a Grid member, that member becomes a secondary server and the Grid
Master becomes the hidden primary server. If the zone is assigned to an NS group, the Grid Master removes the
association with the NS group. The previous primary server becomes a secondary server for the zone.
If a Master Candidate is promoted to Grid Master and the previous Grid Master was the primary server for signed zones,
the new Grid Master becomes the hidden primary server for all signed zones. The previous Grid Master, which was the
primary server for the zone, becomes a secondary server for the zone.
As the primary server, the Grid Master sends zone data to the secondary servers through zone transfers; or, if the
secondary servers are Grid members, the Grid Master transfers data to all Grid members through the database
replication process, by default. The Grid Master transfers all records in that zone, including all NSEC/NSEC3, RRSIG,
DNSKEY and DS records with owner names that belong to that zone. The RRSIG RRs are included in zone transfers of
the zone in which they are authoritative data. The Grid Master also performs incremental zone transfers to secondary
servers as a result of incremental zone signings.
In addition, the Grid Master automatically performs an incremental signing of the zone data sets when their contents
change. Incremental signing refers to signing just those parts of a zone that change when RRs are added, modified, or
deleted. The Grid Master uses the private key of the ZSK when it incrementally signs a zone. In addition, the Grid Master
adds, modifies or deletes the corresponding RRSIG records and the appropriate NSEC/NSEC3 records.
For example, the following Figure shows a Grid Master as the primary server of a signed zone and its Grid members as
secondary servers. The Grid Master, ns1.corpxyz.com, is the hidden primary DNS server for the corpxyz.com zone. As
the hidden primary name server for corpxyz.com, the Grid Master does not respond to queries from other name servers.
Instead, it provides data to its secondary servers, ns2.corpxyz.com and ns3.corpxyz.com, which use this data to respond
to DNS queries. Because the secondary servers are Grid members, they receive zone data from the Grid Master through
the Grid database replication process.
The name server ns1.corp200.com is a recursive name server. It has configured the DNSKEY of the corpxyz.com zone
as a trust anchor. Therefore, it is able to validate the data it receives when it sends a query for the corpxyz.com zone.

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Following are the tasks to configure the Grid Master to sign zones:
1. Create the zones. For information, see Configuring Authoritative Zones.
• Specify the Grid Master as the primary server.
2. Enable DNSSEC, as described in Enabling DNSSEC.
3. Optionally, change the default DNSSEC settings. For information, see Setting DNSSEC Parameters.
4. Sign the zone. The appliance automatically generates the DNSSEC RRs when you sign a zone. For information,
see Signing a Zone.
Enabling DNSSEC
You can enable DNSSEC on a Grid, individual members, and DNS views. Because only Grid Masters can serve as
primary servers for signed zones, you must enable DNSSEC on the Grid Master before you can sign zones. You must
also enable DNSSEC on any Grid member that serves as a secondary server for signed zones.
When you enable DNSSEC on a Grid, you can set certain parameters that control the DNSSEC RRs, as described in
Setting DNSSEC Parameters.
When you enable DNSSEC on a Grid member or DNS view, you can set parameters that affect its operations as a
secondary server, as described in Configuring Grid Members to Support DNSSEC as Secondary Servers.
To enable DNSSEC on a Grid, member or DNS view:
1. Grid: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab. Expand the Toolbar and click Grid DNS Properties.
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the Members tab -> member checkbox and click the Edit icon.
DNS View: From the Data Management tab, select the Zones tab -> dns_view checkbox and click the Edit icon.
2. In the editor, click Toggle Expert Mode.
3. When the additional tabs appear, click DNSSEC.

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4. In the DNSSEC tab, select Enable DNSSEC.
 Note
When you disable EDNS0, all outgoing DNSSEC queries to zones within trusted anchors will fail even if
DNSSEC validation is enabled. This is due to the restriction of the UDP packet length when you disable
EDNS0. For information about EDNS0, see Using Extension Mechanisms for DNS (EDNS0).
Setting DNSSEC Parameters

The Grid Master uses certain default parameters when it signs a zone and generates the DNSSEC RRs. If you want to
use different parameters for certain zones, you can change these defaults for the entire Grid or for individual zones. The
following sections describe the different parameters that you can set:
• About the DNSKEY Algorithm
• About Key Rollovers
• RRSIG Signatures
For information on setting these parameters, see Configuring DNSSEC Parameters.
About the DNSKEY Algorithm

You can add multiple cryptographic algorithms that the Grid Master uses when it generates the KSK and ZSK. You can
also add multiple algorithms at the Grid level and override them at the zone level. By default, the appliance uses RSA/
SHA1 for both KSK and ZSK. You can add DSA, RSA/MD5, RSA/SHA1, RSA/SHA-256, RSA/SHA-512, ECDSAP/
SHA-256, or ECDSAP/SHA-384 algorithms. However, you cannot add RSA/MD5 if the zone is signed with NSEC3
records. Note that a zone can contain either NSEC or NSEC3 records, but not both. You can add same or different set of
algorithms with possibly different key sizes for both KSK and ZSK.
You can assign the DNSKey algorithm for HSMs. Thales HSMs don't support DSA. All other parameters are not used by
HSMs.
About Key Rollovers

To reduce the probability of being compromised, ZSKs and KSKs must be periodically changed. The time within which a
key pair is effective is its rollover period. The rollover period starts as soon as a zone is signed. After a rollover period
starts, you cannot interrupt or restart it unless you unsign the zone. During the key rollover, all the algorithms are rolled
over at the same time and the rollover is performed on a per-zone basis.
Zone-Signing Key Rollover

You can configure automatic ZSK rollovers on the Grid Master by using the double-signature rollover method or the pre-
publish method. For more information, see Configuring DNSSEC Parameters. The appliance initiates the ZSK rollover of
signed zones when they are due. You can also perform a manual rollover of ZSKs. For more information,
see Rolling Zone-Signing Keys.
The double signature method provides a grace period, which is half of the rollover period. The default ZSK rollover period
is 30 days; thus, the default grace period is 15 days.
At the end of a rollover period of a ZSK, the Grid Master generates a new ZSK key pair. It signs the zone with the private
key of the new ZSK key pair, and consequently generates new RRSIG RRs with the new signatures. However, the Grid
Master also retains the old ZSK key pair and RRSIG RRs. Thus, during the grace period, the data in the zone is signed
by the private keys of both the old and new ZSKs. Their corresponding public keys (stored in DNSSEC RRs) can be used
to verify both the old and new RRSIGs.
The grace period also allows the data that exists in remote caches to expire and during this time, the updated zone data
can be propagated to all authoritative name servers. The Grid Master removes the old ZSK and its RRSIGs when the
rollover grace period elapses. When a scheduled DNSSEC operation exists for a zone, the appliance does not lock it
against other administrative changes and the administrator can still operate on a given zone even if there is a pending
DNSSEC operation scheduled for it.

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The appliance sets pre-publish method described in RFC 4641 as the default zone-signing key rollover method for NIOS
6.11.0 or later releases. In the pre-publish rollover method, the new key is published in the keyset before the actual
rollover. After the key propagates to all client caches, Grid Master removes the old signatures and creates new
signatures with the new keys. The pre-publish rollover method uses the current key to sign the zone.
Key-Signing Key Rollover

You can configure automatic KSK rollovers on the Grid Master or perform a manual KSK rollover. The default KSK
rollover period is one year. The Grid Master also uses the double signature rollover method described in RFC 4641 for
KSK rollovers. To configure automatic KSK rollovers, see Configuring Automatic KSK Rollovers and Notifications. For
information about performing a manual KSK rollover, see Rolling Zone-Signing Keys.
When the KSK rollover is overdue or is due within seven days, the Grid Master displays a warning when admins log in. In
addition, you can also check which KSKs are due for a rollover as described in Checking Key-Signing Keys.
When a user initiates a KSK rollover, the Grid Master sets the grace period to half the KSK rollover period. It generates a
new KSK, and signs the DNSKEY records with the new KSK. Thus, during the grace period, the DNSKEY records are
signed by the private keys of both the old and new KSKs. Both the old and the new KSKs can be used to validate the
zone. The grace period allows the old keys in remote caches to expire. In addition, the admin should also export the new
KSK and send it to the recursive name servers that use the KSK as trust anchors.
If the KSK rollover is for a child zone and the primary server of the parent zone is a Grid member, the Grid Master also
inserts a DS record in the parent zone for the new DNSKEY in the child zone. If the primary server of the parent zone is
external to the Grid, the admin must export either the DS record or the new KSK to the admin of the parent zone. For
information about exporting a KSK, see Exporting Trust Anchors.
The Grid Master then removes the old KSK and its RRSIG records when the grace period for the KSK rollover ends.
About Key Rollovers and DNS TTLs

Note that the KSK and ZSK rollover intervals affect TTLs used by RRs in signed zones.
A grace period is half of the key rollover interval. For example, if the KSK rollover interval is 1 year (365 days), then the
grace period is 182.5 days; if the ZSK rollover interval is 30 days, then the grace period is 15 days.
The DNSKEY RRset in the zone is assigned a TTL, which is half of the signature validity interval. The default signature
validity interval is set to 4 days, so DNSKEY RRset TTL is set to 2 days (172800 seconds).
All other RRs in the signed zone is limited to a “zone maximum TTL,” which is the grace period of the ZSK. In the
example, this is also 15 days.
When the zone is initially signed, if the TTL of an RR exceeds the zone maximum TTL, the Grid Master reduces the TTL
to the zone maximum TTL. Additionally, the TTL settings for the signed zone are set to override; the values are inherited
from the Grid DNS properties at that time, and the default TTL setting is reduced to the zone maximum TTL if the Grid
property exceeds it. If the zone is later unsigned, the zone DNS properties remain at their overridden settings.
RRSIG Signatures
As shown in the sample RRSIG record in RRSIG Resource Records, the signatures have an inception and an expiration
time. The default validity period of signatures in RRSIG records on the Grid Master is four days. You can change this
default as long as it is not less than one day or more than 3660 days. The Grid Master automatically renews signatures
before their expiration date.
Configuring DNSSEC Parameters

The guidelines for choosing the DNSSEC parameters are as follows:
• RSA/SHA1 is the most widely used cryptographic algorithm for generating KSK and ZSK. However, it is
recommended to use RSA/SHA-256 and RSA/SHA-512 for better interoperability.
• The usage of DSA cryptographic algorithm is optional. As stated in RFC 6944, it may not be supported by many
systems.
• It is not recommended to use RSA/MD5 cryptographic algorithm as it is not very secure. As stated in RFC 6944,
there are known defects in MD5.
• The key size of KSK algorithm is recommended to be equal to or greater than the key size of ZSK algorithm.
To set parameters at the Grid or zone level, complete the following steps:

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1. Grid: On the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab. Expand the Toolbar and click Grid DNS Properties.
Zone: On the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone checkbox, and then click the Edit
icon. Click Override to override the parameters.
Standalone appliance: On the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab. Expand the Toolbar and
click System DNS Properties.
4. On the DNSSEC tab, click the Basic tab and complete the following:
• Resource Record Type for Nonexistent Proof: Select the resource record type (NSEC or NSEC3) you
want to use for handling non-existent names in DNS. The default is NSEC3. The algorithms used by the
KSK and ZSK can generate the same type of NSEC record. Note that a zone cannot contain both NSEC
and NSEC3 resource records.
• Key-signing Key: Click the Add icon to add the cryptographic algorithm that the Grid Master or HSM uses
when it generates the KSK. You can add multiple algorithms, but you cannot add the same algorithm
more than once. Grid Manager adds a row to the table each time you click the Add icon. Select the row
and the algorithm from the drop-down list and enter the key size for the algorithm. The default is RSA/
SHA1 with the key size as 2048.
Following are the valid values for each algorithm:
DSA: The minimum is 512 bits and the maximum is 1024 bits, which is also the default. The key length
must be a multiple of 64. Note that Thales HSMs do not support DSA.
RSA/MD5: The minimum is 512 bits, the maximum is 4096 bits, and the default is 2048 bits. You can
configure this for NSEC only.
RSA/SHA1: The minimum is 512 bits, the maximum is 4096 bits, and the default is 2048 bits.
RSA/SHA-256: The minimum is 512 bits, the maximum is 4096 bits, and the default is 2048 bits.
ECDSAP/SHA-256: The minimum is 160 bits, the maximum is 256 bits.
You can delete an algorithm by selecting it and clicking the Delete icon.
• Key-signing Key Rollover Interval: Specify the key signing key rollover interval for all the algorithms. The
minimum value is one day and the maximum is the time remaining to January 2038. The default is one
year.
• Zone-signing Key: Click the Add icon to add the cryptographic algorithm that the Grid Master or HSM uses
when it generates the ZSK. You can add multiple algorithms, but you cannot add the same algorithm more
than once. Grid Manager adds a row to the table each time you click the Add icon. Select the row and the
algorithm from the drop-down list and enter the key size for the algorithm. The default is RSA/SHA1 with
the key size 1024.
Following are the valid values for each algorithm:
DSA: The key length must be a multiple of 64. The minimum is 512 bits and the maximum is 1024 bits.
The default is 1024 bits. Note that Thales HSMs do not support DSA.
RSA/MD5: The minimum is 512 bits, the maximum is 4096 bits, and the default is 1024 bits. You can
configure this for NSEC only.
RSA/SHA1: The minimum is 512 bits, the maximum is 4096 bits, and the default is 1024 bits.
You can delete an algorithm by selecting it and clicking the Delete icon.
• Zone-signing Key Rollover Interval: Specify the zone signing key rollover interval for all the algorithms.
The minimum value is one day and the maximum is the time remaining to January 2038. The default is 30
days.
• Signature Validity: Specify the signature validity period for RRSIG RRs. The minimum is one day and the
maximum is 3660 days. The default signature validity interval is four days.
• Zone-signing Key rollover method: You can use either of these methods to sign all the RRsets in a zone:
• Pre-publish: Select this if you want to use the pre-publish signature scheme to sign all the RRsets
in a zone while performing the ZSK rollover. When you select this option, the record sets are
signed using a single key. The appliance sets this option as the default zone-signing key method
for NIOS 6.11.0 and later releases.

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• Double Sign: Select this if you want to use the double signature scheme to sign all the RRsets in a
zone while performing the ZSK rollover. The non-DNSKEY RRset are signed twice, which
increases the size of the zone files.
 Note
You can select the Zone-signing Key rollover method only after you enable DNSSEC.
When you modify the algorithms for a signed zone, you can apply the algorithm changes to the zone, as described
later or you can unsign the zone and sign it again. For an unsigned zone however, you can apply the algorithm changes
by signing the zone. For information about signing a zone, see Signing a Zone.
When you re-sign a zone after adding an algorithm, the DNSKEY key pairs of the old algorithms are rolled over and all
the old RRSIG records are removed. The zone is re-signed with the new DNSKEY key pairs. When you re-sign a zone
after removing an algorithm, the DNSKEY key pairs of the remaining algorithms are rolled over and the DNSKEY key
pairs of the removed algorithm is removed. All old RRSIG records are removed and the zone is re-signed with the new
DNSKEY key pairs.
 Note
If you add or remove a KSK algorithm from a zone, you must update the DS RRsets at the parent zone when
the parent zone is managed by a non-Infoblox DNS server or by an Infoblox server that is part of a different
Grid. For information, see Importing a Keyset.
Applying the Algorithm Changes

You can apply the algorithm changes to a zone whenever the KSK or ZSK algorithms are modified. You can apply the
algorithm changes only to a signed zone.
To apply the algorithm changes to a signed zone, complete the following steps:
1. On the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click DNSSEC -> Apply Algorithm Changes.
3. In the Apply Algorithm Changes dialog box, click the Add icon to select a zone. When there are multiple zones,
Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. The appliance displays signed zones only. Select a zone. To
add multiple zones, click the Add icon and select a zone.
To remove a zone from the list, select the checkbox adjacent to the respective zone and click the Delete icon.
You can click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel,
either select Now or select Later and enter a date, time, and time zone.
4. After you have selected the zones, click Apply Algorithm Changes.
5. When the confirmation dialog appears, click Yes.
Deleting the DNSSEC Keys Associated with a Zone

You can view the status of KSKs and ZSKs or delete the existing keys. Note that you can only delete keys that are either
published or rolled over. You cannot delete keys that are active.
To delete keys, complete the following steps:
1. On the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone checkbox, and click the Edit icon.
2. In the Authoritative Zone editor, click the DNSSEC tab, and the following fields are displayed in the Advanced tab:
• Key ID: The appliance generates a separate ID for each key. Select the checkbox adjacent to
the Key ID. To delete a KSK, select the checkbox in the Key-signing Keys table. Select the checkbox in
the Zone-signing Keys table to delete a ZSK.
• Status: The Status column displays the status of the respective key. It can be one of the
following: Active, Published, or Rolled.
• Public Key: This column displays the public key that is associated with the respective KSK or ZSK.
• Algorithm: This column displays the algorithm that is associated with the respective KSK or ZSK.

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• Time until next event: This column displays the time that is left to perform the next action for a key that is
associated with the respective ZSK. This column helps you decide whether to roll over manually or wait
for a zone to resign automatically. The time is displayed in months, days, hours format. For example, 2m
3d 13h implies time left to perform the next action is 2 months, 3 days and 13 hours.
• Active Key: Indicates the time when the active key is rolled and zone is signed with the published
key.
• Published Key: Indicates the time when the published key is used to resign a zone.
• Rolled Key: Indicates the time when a rolled key is deleted. Rolled keys are stored for quite a long
period of time and are not used. You can manually cleanup the rolled keys.
Signing a Zone
When it signs a zone, the Grid Master generates new DNSKEY key pairs. As shown in the below figure, it uses the
private key of the ZSK to sign the authoritative RRsets in the zone, and stores the corresponding public key in a
DNSKEY record. It then uses the private key of the KSK to sign the DNSKEY records and stores the corresponding
public key in another DNSKEY record. It stores the private keys in the Grid database and stores the public keys in the
DNSKEY records in the database.
Zone Signing Process
The Grid Master also does the following:

• It inserts NSEC or NSEC3 records. The use of NSEC or NSEC3 records depends on the NSEC type you selected
for the Grid or the zone. When you select NSEC3, the Grid Master uses NSEC3 records in signed zones.
• It increments the SOA serial number and notifies the secondary servers that there is a change to its zone data.
When the secondary servers check the serial number and see that it has been incremented, the secondary
servers request a zone transfer.
• If the TTL of an RR in the zone exceeds the ZSK grace period, the Grid Master reduces the TTL to the ZSK grace
period. (For information about the grace period, see About Key Rollovers.) Setting a TTL value that exceeds half
of the rollover period is not allowed.
• If the KSK rollover period is less than the ZSK rollover period, the Grid Master sets the TTL of the DNSKEY RR to
the KSK rollover period.

Rev. D
• The appliance sets the Grid Master as the primary server for zones, enables DNSSEC on the Grid Master, and
starts DNS service on the Grid Master.
When it signs a subzone, the Grid Master automatically inserts DS records for parent zones that are hosted by Grid
members. The appliance allows you to sign a single zone or multiple zones simultaneously. For example, if you have
multiple zones that are due for rollover at the same time, you can select all such zones and sign them at once. Note that
each operation is independent of the other. For example, if you want to sign five zones at the same time, and if one of the
zones fails during this time, NIOS signs the remaining four zones. Note that the selected zones must have an associated
primary server. The appliance displays an error message if the zone does not have a primary server. When the sign
operation fails, the appliance displays the zone names, associated DNS views, and the error message indicating the
reason for failure.
To sign a zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click DNSSEC -> Sign Zones.
3. In the Sign Zones dialog box, the displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the zone from
which you are signing. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to select a different zone, click the Add icon.
The appliance displays unsigned zones only. When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone
Selector dialog box. Select a zone. To add multiple zones, click the Add icon and select a zone.
either select Now or select Later and enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.
4. After you have selected the zones, click Sign Zones.
5. When the confirmation dialog displays, click Yes.
When you sign multiple zones, the appliance displays generic error messages for the following cases:
• The value to which the resource record TTL is reduced is not displayed.
• The appliance displays a message about name server group disassociation if at least one zone is associated with
a name server group. It will not list the affected zones.
• When you sign a zone or multiple zones, the appliance displays a warning message indicating that the operation
might take a longer time.
• The appliance displays an error message if the number of characters in the zone name, which you want to sign,
exceeds 180 characters. You can sign a zone only when the name of the zone is less than 180 characters in size.
To remove a zone from the list, select the checkbox adjacent to the respective zone and click the Delete icon. To view the
records of the signed zone, from the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone. Expand the
Records section to list the RRs of the zone, as shown in the below figure.
Managing Signed Zones

After you sign a zone, you can do the following:

Rev. D
• You can add a DS RR at the delegation point for a signed subzone when the subzone is hosted on a non-Infoblox
DNS server or an Infoblox server that is part of a different Grid. For information, see Importing a Keyset.
• Trust anchors can be specified as DNSKEY RRs, DS RRs, and as a BIND trusted-keys statement. You can
export any of these as trust anchors. For information, see Exporting Trust Anchors.
• You must change the KSK periodically, to ensure its security. For information, see Checking Key-Signing Keys
and Rolling Key-Signing Keys.
• You can initiate ZSK rollovers manually. For information, see Rolling Zone-Signing Keys.
• If, for any reason, the security of the keys are compromised, you can delete a key and perform a manual rollover.
For information, see Configuring Emergency KSK Rollover.
Note that when you re-sign a zone, the Grid Master generates new ZSK and KSK pairs. You must send the new
DNSKEY of the KSK to resolvers that use it as a trust anchor and generate new DS records and send them to the
parent zones.
• You can move a signed zone to the Recycle Bin, from where you can delete it permanently or restore it. For
information, see Deleting and Restoring Signed Zones.
In addition, signed zones can accept dynamic DNS updates. For information about configuring zones to accept dynamic
DNS updates, see Configuring DNS Servers for DDNS.
Importing a Keyset
A keyset is a DS RRset, or a DNSKEY RRset which is used as input to generate the DS RRset. To import a keyset:
2. Expand the Toolbar and click DNSSEC -> Import Keyset.
3. In the Import Keyset dialog box, the displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the zone from
which you are importing the keyset. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to select a different zone, click
Select Zone. When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box from which you
can select a zone.
4. Paste the KSK or DS record being imported. It must be a KSK or DS record, and must belong to an immediate
subzone of the zone to which the record is being imported.
5. Click Import.
If you imported a DNSKEY RRset, the Grid Master uses the SHA-1 algorithm to generate the DS RRset, which it adds to
the parent zone. If you imported a DS RRset, the Grid Master adds it to the parent zone. The Grid Master incrementally
signs the DS RRset.
Exporting Trust Anchors

A trust anchor is a DNSSEC public key which is used by security-aware resolvers as the starting point for establishing
authentication chains. A trust anchor can be specified as a DNSKEY RR or a DS RR, which contains the hash of a
DNSKEY RR and can also be used to create a secure delegation point for a signed subzone in DNS servers.
In BIND, trust anchors are configured using the trusted-keys directive. A trusted key is a DNSKEY RR without the TTL,
class and RR type. You can export the trust anchors for the selected zone in a format that can be used in a BIND trusted-
keys directive. Exporting trust anchors supports multiple algorithms, which means you can export all the algorithms in a
key.
To export trust anchors:
2. Expand the Toolbar and click DNSSEC -> Export Trust Anchors.
3. In the Export Trust Anchors dialog box, do the following:
• The displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the zone from which you are exporting
trust anchors. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to select a different zone, click Select Zone.
When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box from which you can
select one.
• Select one of the following: DNSKEY records, DS records, or BIND trusted-keys statement.
4. Click Export.
5. Specify the location of the exported file and click OK.
If you exported DS records, the exported file contains DS records that use the SHA-1 and SHA-256 algorithms.

Rev. D
Checking Key-Signing Keys
To check which key-signing keys are overdue for a rollover or are due to roll over within a week:
2. Expand the Toolbar and click DNSSEC -> Check KSK Rollover Due.
3. The KSK Rollover Due dialog box lists the key-signing keys that are due to rollover. It includes the domain name
of the zone, DNS view (if there are multiple DNS views), and the number of days until the rollover.
4. You can click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule a KSK rollover for one or more zones at a
given date and time. In the Schedule Change panel, either select Now or select Later and enter a date, time, and
time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.
5. Click Close.
Rolling Key-Signing Keys

You can initiate a rollover before or after a rollover period, or when you need to replace the KSK for security reasons. You
can initiate a KSK rollover several times simultaneously, but note that the number of keys will increase each time you
perform a rollover. You can schedule the KSK rollover to occur at a later date and time.
To roll over key-signing keys:
2. Expand the Toolbar and click DNSSEC -> Roll Over Key-Signing Key.
3. In the Roll Over Key-Signing Key dialog box, the displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the
zone from which you are rolling over key-signing keys. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to select a
different zone, click the Add icon. The appliance displays signed zones only. When there are multiple zones, Grid
Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. To add multiple zones, click the Add icon and select a zone.
You can click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule a KSK rollover for one or more zones at a
given date and time. In the Schedule Change panel, either select Now or select Later and enter a date, time, and
time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks. Note that you cannot schedule the KSK rollover on a recurring
basis.
4. Click Roll Over.
You can export the new KSK and send it to the security-aware resolvers that use it as a trust anchor. To remove a zone
from the list, select the checkbox adjacent to the respective zone and click the Delete icon.
Rolling Zone-Signing Keys

Only an administrator can initiate ZSK rollovers either before or after a rollover period, or when you want to replace the
ZSK for security reasons. You can initiate a ZSK rollover several times simultaneously, but note that the number of keys
will increase each time you perform a rollover.
To roll over zone-signing keys:
2. Expand the Toolbar and click DNSSEC -> Roll Over Zone-Signing Key.
3. In the Roll Over Zone-Signing Key dialog box, the displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or
the zone from which you are rolling over zone-signing keys. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to select
a different zone, click the Add icon. The appliance displays unsigned zones only. When there are multiple zones,
Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. To add multiple zones, click the Add icon and select a zone.
either select Now or select Later and enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.
4. Click Roll Over.
To remove a zone from the list, select the checkbox adjacent to the respective zone and click the Delete icon. The
appliance displays warning messages when the changes take effect on the first zone or when the rollover occurs. You
cannot change the zone-signing key rollover method while the previous change is still in progress. The previous change
will be completed only when the zone active key, which is active when the rollover method is changing, expires and is
deleted.

Rev. D
Best Practices for Configuring Zone Signing Keys
Infoblox recommends that you use the pre-publish option for zone signing key method for the following reasons:
• The double-signature ZSK rollover doubles the number of signatures in your zone when a rollover is in progress.
The size of the zone increases due to the duplicate signature records. This is not recommended if the size of your
zones are large. When you select this option, the appliance creates a new set of signatures for all the resource
records. This also increases the database usage.
• When you select to pre-publish key rollover, the rollover uses a single key to sign the records at a given time and
it does not sign the zone data twice. The appliance publishes the new key in the keyset even before the actual
rollover. This reduces the database usage.
Unsigning a Zone
When you unsign a zone, the Grid Master permanently removes all automatically generated DNSSEC records in the
zone and parent zone. It does not remove any DS records associated with a child zone. You can unsign a single zone or
multiple zones at the same time.
To unsign a zone:
2. Expand the Toolbar and click DNSSEC -> Unsign Zones.
3. In the Unsign Zones dialog box, the displayed zone name can either be the last selected zone or the zone from
which you are unsigning. If no zone name is displayed or if you want to select a different zone, click the Add icon.
When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the Zone Selector dialog box. The appliance displays
signed zones only. Select a zone. To add multiple zones, click the Add icon and select a zone.
either select Now and click Save or select Later and enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see
Scheduling Tasks.
4. After you have selected the zones, click Unsign Zones.
5. When the confirmation dialog displays, click Yes.
To remove a zone from the list, select the checkbox adjacent to the respective zone and click the Delete icon.
Deleting and Restoring Signed Zones

When you delete a signed zone, the Grid Master unsigns the zone before moving it to the Recycle Bin. Unsigning the
zone effectively deletes all auto-generated DNSSEC RRs; only user-defined DS records are retained and moved to the
Recycle Bin as well. The Grid Master also retains the ZSK and KSK in its database, until you permanently delete the
zone from the Recycle Bin.
When you restore a signed zone, the Grid Master restores it and re-signs its data sets with the original keys, which are
also restored. You can also restore the user-defined DS records. The rollover period of the ZSK and KSK starts when the
zone is signed after it is restored. Note that when you restore a zone that contains rolled keys, either KSK or ZSK, the
appliance removes all these rolled keys.
Note that when you restore a deleted zone from recycle bin on the NIOS server, which is created and signed on the
Microsoft Server 2012, then all the DNSSEC records will be deleted, except for the DNSKEY records. The DNSKEY
records will only be resynchronized. The DNSSEC records are read-only and cannot be regenerated using NIOS. You
must recreate the zone manually on the Microsoft Server. When you recreate the zone on the Microsoft Server, new keys
will be generated. The signed zone, which is restored, and the DNSSEC keys are synced to Microsoft Server. This zone
will be seen as an unsigned zone on the Microsoft Server, as NIOS does not trigger the signing zone request for the
corresponding zone. For such zones, the 'DNSSEC' label is not displayed and the value for 'Signed' column is 'No'.
To delete a signed zone:
2. Click the checkbox of the zone you want to delete.
4. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
To restore a signed zone:

Rev. D
2. Select the zone you want to restore.
3. Click the Restore icon.
Configuring Automatic KSK Rollovers and Notifications

You can configure automatic KSK rollovers at the Grid level and override the settings at the zone level. You can also
configure notifications for KSK rollovers. The appliance sends one notification, SNMP, or email, or both based on the
selection, for each event. For example, if the KSK of two zones are rolled over in the same batch, the appliance sends
two notifications, one for each zone. Note that the appliance sends these notifications only once, and they are not
recurring. Apart from the notifications that you receive, Grid Manager also displays a banner when you log in to the Grid
indicating that the KSK rollover is due within the next seven days.
These notifications are not applicable to an ZSK, as the ZSK rollover is an automated process. The appliance generates
numerous notifications.
To configure KSK rollover, complete the following:
Zone: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone checkbox, and click the Edit
icon. Click Override to override the values at the zone level.
Standalone appliance: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab. Expand the Toolbar and click System
DNS Properties.
2. Select the DNSSEC tab and complete the following in the Basic tab:
• KSK Notification Configuration: You can choose to receive notifications for KSK rollover events.
• No Notifications: Select this if you do not want to receive any notifications for KSK rollover events.
• Notifications for all KSK rollover events: Select this if you want to receive notifications for all KSK
rollover events. The appliance sends notifications after the rollover.
• Notifications only for KSK rollover events requiring manual DS update to parent zone: Select this if
you want to receive notifications only for KSK rollover events that require manual DS updates to
parent zone. This is selected by default.
• Enable KSK Email Notification: Select this to receive email notifications about DNSSEC keys.
• Enable KSK SNMP Notification: Select this to receive SNMP trap alerts about DNSSEC keys.
3. Enable automatic KSK rollover: This is selected by default. When you select this option, the appliance will
automatically roll over KSKs when they are due. The appliance starts the rollover process at most six hours after
the due date. The appliance logs the messages in the syslog.
 Note
The appliance enables notifications and automatic KSK rollover by default for NIOS 6.11.0 and later
releases.
These are not available for earlier releases. Similar to automatic ZSK rollover, the appliance
automatically restarts the DNS service after a KSK is rolled over.
Configuring NSEC3 Salt Length and Hashing Iterations

The salt is a random string, which is appended to the domain name before it gets hashed. The number of iterations
indicates the number of additional times the hashing occurs. These serve as a protection against dictionary attacks. The
appliance generates a new salt for initial signing and changes it every time a ZSK rollover occurs. Note that when you
use a longer salt and higher number of iterations, DNS is more secure and the chances of dictionary attacks on NSEC3
are reduced.
You can choose the minimum and the maximum salt length at the Grid level and override them at the zone level. Note
that the length of the salt has an impact on the size of the NSEC3 record, but it does not have an impact on the
performance of the appliance.
When the number of iterations increases, the DNS client has to validate a additional data and the cost of the DNS server
to serve the zone increases. This might also reduce the performance of the system with regards to DNSSEC operations.
To define salt length and hashing iterations, complete the following:

Rev. D
Zone: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> zone checkbox, and click the Edit
icon. Click Override to override the parameters.
Standalone appliance: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab. Expand the Toolbar and click System
DNS Properties.
2. Select the DNSSEC tab and complete the following in the Basic tab:
• Zone-signing Key Settings
• NSEC3 Salt Length: Specify a minimum and maximum length for NSEC3 salt. The minimum length is one
octet and the maximum length is 255 octets. The appliance sets the following default values for minimum
and maximum lengths respectively: one and 15 octets.
• Number of NSEC3 hashing iterations: The appliance uses the default value, ten, for hashing iterations.
The minimum value is ten and the maximum value depends on the smallest key size, as defined in RFC
5155 as follows:
• 150 if the key size is equal or less than 1024 bits.
• 500 if the key size is equal or less than 2048 bits.
• 2,500 if the key size is equal or less than 4096 bits.
 Note
The above fields are displayed only when you select NSEC3 record type.
Deleting Server Keys

The appliance retains the key until the expiration of the grace period. For example, if the validity period of a KSK is two
years, you can delete the rolled key after publishing the DS record to the parent zone and waiting for a period greater
than its TTL.
The following rules are valid for KSK and ZSK signing using the double-signature scheme:
• You cannot delete an active key.
• When you delete a rolled key, the appliance displays a warning message indicating that it might break validation
on clients.
The following rules are valid for ZSK signing using the pre-publish scheme:
• You cannot delete an active key.
• When you delete a pre-published key, the appliance generates a new pre-published key.
• You can delete a rolled key. The appliance deletes this key as it is no longer used.
When you use an HSM, the appliance does not delete the key from HSM. For more information, see About HSM Signing.
Configuring Emergency KSK Rollover

The appliance supports emergency rollover that can be used when the keys are compromised. In an emergency
operation, you must delete the compromised key and the associated compromised data from the zone. The ability to
perform emergency rollovers enable administrators to react quickly when a zone is compromised. To initiate an
emergency rollover, you must first perform a manual rollover. For information about rolling over a KSK manually, see
Rolling Key-Signing Keys. After the rollover, you must delete the compromised key. For information about deleting the
compromised key, see Deleting Server Keys.
An emergency KSK rollover involves the following:
• The administrator of the compromised zone, which is hosted on the Infoblox appliance, must initiate the
emergency KSK rollover and later export the corresponding DS record.
• The administrator of the parent zone, which is hosted on an external server, must import the DS record of the
child zone. This is required to maintain the chain of trust.
During this emergency procedure, the chain of trust is temporarily broken. As stated in RFC 6781, the effect depends on
the order of the operations:
• You must perform the KSK rollover first. The chain of trust is broken until the administrator of the parent zone
replaces the DS record. In the meantime, the zone appears bogus to a validating client.

Rev. D
• You must remove the compromised DS record first. The chain of trust is broken until the NIOS administrator
performs the KSK rollover, communicates the new DS record to the administrator of the parent zone who then
adds it. In the meantime, the zone appears insecure to validating resolvers.
Handling Error and Warning Messages for DNSSEC Operations

Grid Manager consolidates warnings from one or more DNSSEC long running operations and displays them in a single
dialog box. For more information about long running tasks, see About Long Running Tasks. When the long running
operations are completed with warnings, the appliance displays the message using a yellow banner at the top of Grid
Manager. Click Show Warnings to view the warnings that are generated by the server for DNSSEC operations. Click
Close to close the warning dialog box.
The appliance also displays a warning icon in the Execution Status column of the Task Manager. For more information
about the task manager, see Viewing Tasks. When you click the icon, the appliance displays a dialog box indicating that
the task is complete with warnings. Click the show task details hyperlink to view detailed information about the error or
warning message. The appliance displays Scheduled Task Details wizard in which you can view the task details and
error or warning messages, if any. For more information, see Viewing Scheduled Tasks. The appliance clears the warning
messages from the cache when you close the dialog box.
When a DNSSEC operation fails, NIOS saves the messages in the syslog. For more information about the syslog, see
Viewing Scheduled Tasks

You can view the status of operations that are scheduled. The appliance also displays error or warning messages, if any.
For example, if you schedule the Sign Zones operation for multiple zones, there is a possibility that some operations may
fail, some may succeed with warnings, and some are completed successfully. You can also view the error or warning
messages that are generated for certain affected zones. To view the status:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Workflow tab -> Task Manager tab.
2. Grid Manager displays the DNSSEC operations that are scheduled. To view the details you can either click the
Action icon next to the task ID and select View from the menu or select the checkbox adjacent to the Action
icon and then click View from the Toolbar.
3. The General tab of the Scheduled Task Details wizard displays the following details:
• Task ID: The ID associated with the task. The appliance assigns an ID to a task in chronological order. By
default, the appliance sorts tasks by Task ID.
• Action Type: The operation the appliance performs in this task.
• Submitter: The username of the admin who scheduled or submitted the task.
• Submitted Time: The date, time, and time zone when the task was submitted.
• Ticket Number: For an approval workflow, this number may be entered by the submitter to associate the
task with a help desk ticket number or a reference number.
• Approver: The username of the admin who has approved this task.
• Approver Comments: Comments entered by the approver.
• Executed on Member: The Grid member on which the task is executed.
• Execution Status: The execution status of the task. Possible values are Completed, Failed, Pending, and
Executing.
• Execution Time: The date, time, and time zone when the task was executed.
• Affected Objects: The name of the object and object type.
4. The Warnings/Errors tab of the Scheduled Task Details wizard displays error or warning messages related to
tasks. It also displays object execution details. This table is blank if there are no error messages or warnings. You
can view the error message and the name of the zone with which the error or warning message is associated.
5. Click Close to close the dialog box.
About HSM Signing

You can integrate a Grid with third-party, network-attached Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) for secure private key
storage and generation, and zone-signing off-loading. Infoblox appliances support integration with either SafeNet HSMs
or Thales HSMs. When using a network-attached HSM, you can provide tight physical access control, allowing only
selected security personnel to physically access the HSM that stores the DNSSEC keys. When you enable this feature,

Rev. D
the HSM performs DNSSEC zone signing, key generation, and key safe keeping.
Note that if you migrate from using the Grid Master to HSMs, HSM signing starts at the next key rollover. Only a
superuser can configure this feature. To configure HSM signing in a Grid, do the following:
1. Create the HSM group and add HSMs to the group. You can create either a SafeNet HSM group or a Thales
HSM group. You can use only one group at a time. After you add the HSM group, the Add icon and Add button in
the Toolbar are greyed out.
• For information on adding a SafeNet HSM group, see Configuring a SafeNet HSM Device.
• For information on adding a Thales HSM group, see Adding and Managing a Thales HSM Group.
Note that if you delete an HSM or an HSM group, it is permanently deleted. It is not stored in the Recycle Bin.
2. Enable HSM signing. For information, see Enabling HSM Signing.
After you enable this feature, you can monitor the HSM group, as described in Monitoring the HSM Group. In addition,
the Grid sends SNMP traps when zone signing succeeds or fails. For information about these traps, see Processing and
Software Failure Traps.
Note that NIOS does not provide key life cycle management functions; these are handled by the HSM and must be
configured via the HSM's administrative interface to adhere to corporate policies on key management. The keys (ZSK
and KSK) used for DNSSEC are stored securely on the HSM and are not deleted by NIOS when the key is no longer
required by the DNSSEC function. However, references to the keys are removed from the appliance.
Configuring a SafeNet HSM Device

You can integrate a Grid with a SafeNet HSM group. The SafeNet HSM group can contain either SafeNet Luna SA 4,
Luna SA 5, or Luna SA 6 devices in standalone or HA mode; the group cannot contain a mix of both models. You must
first configure each HSM device, and then create the group and add the devices to the group, as described in Adding a
SafeNet HSM Group.
Configuring a SafeNet HSM Device

Do the following for each SafeNet HSM device that you are adding to the group:
1. On the Grid, generate a client certificate for the Grid Master and Grid Master Candidate. For information, see
About Client Certificates. If you are upgrading the SafeNet HSM from LUNA SA 5 or 6 to LUNA SA 7, you must
generate a new client certificate.
2. On the SafeNet HSM, do the following:
• Assign the Grid Master and Grid Master Candidate to a partition on the HSM to avoid any service
interruptions, in case the Grid Master Candidate is promoted to Grid Master.
• Upload the certificates of the Grid Master and Grid Master Candidate to the HSM and register the
certificates in the HSM's list of clients. The certificates of the Grid Master and Grid Master Candidate are
linked to their IP addresses. Therefore, if any of their IP addresses change, you must generate a new
client certificate and register it with the HSM.
Note that if the HSM is configured and you replace an appliance that was a Grid Master or Grid Master
Candidate and you backed up the database of the old appliance and restored it on the replacement
appliance, the certificates remain intact. Therefore, you do not need to regenerate a new certificate for the
replacement, as long as the IP address does not change.
• If you are upgrading from a previous version of SafeNet HSM to a later version, such as from Luna SA 6
to Luna SA 7, you must complete the following before adding the new SA configuration to NIOS:
• Remove the previous certificate registration from the HSM server and then re-register the Grid
Master and Grid Master Candidate certificates.
• Generate a new HSM certificate if you want to retain the current IP settings for the Grid Master.
• Download the HSM certificate.
 Note
• Make sure that the common name used in the certificates is distinct when you configure HSM servers in
HA mode.

Rev. D
• To configure HSM SafeNet on an HA pair, add a static route with the virtual IP address of the Grid to the
HSM server.
For additional information, refer to your SafeNet HSM documentation.
Adding a SafeNet HSM Group

When you configure a SafeNet HSM group, add the SafeNet HSM devices to the group and upload their certificates to
the Grid. You can add only one HSM group. To add a SafeNet HSM Group:
1. From the Grid tab, select the HSM Group tab.
2. Click the Add drop-down list and select HSM SafeNet Group.
3. In the Add HSM SafeNet Group wizard, complete the following and click Next:
• Name: Enter a name for the HSM group.
• Partition Password: Enter the partition password, and re-enter it in the Confirm Partition Password field.
• Version: Select the SafeNet HSM version, which is either LUNA SA 4, LUNA SA 5, LUNA SA 6, or LUNA
SA 7.
• Comment: You can enter additional information about the HSM.
4. Click the Add icon to add a SafeNet HSM device, and complete the following:
• Name or IP Address: Enter the hostname or IP address of the HSM device.
• Partition SN: Enter the partition serial number (PSN) of the HSM. The Partition ID field automatically
displays the ID after the configuration is saved and the appliance has successfully connected to the
device.
• Disabled: Select this checkbox to disable use of this HSM.
• Server Certificate: Upload the certificate of the SafeNet HSM.
After you add the HSM group, the Add icon and Add button in the Toolbar are greyed out. Note that if the HSM is
configured in FIPS 140-2 compliant mode, certain key algorithms and key sizes are disallowed. Requests for those key
algorithms or key sizes result in an error. The following algorithms are FIPS 140-2 compliant: DSA, DSA/NSEC3, RSA/
SHA1, RSA/SHA1/NSEC3, RSA/SHA-256, and RSA/SHA-512. For additional information about selecting key algorithms,
see About the DNSKEY Algorithm.
You can verify whether the Grid Master Candidate is properly registered with the HSM by navigating to the Grid -> Grid
Manager -> Members page. It's Status icon is yellow if it is not registered with the HSM.
If DNS service is enabled, you can also verify whether the Grid Master was able to contact the SafeNet HSMs by
navigating to the Data Management > DNS > Members page. If the Grid Master status is yellow, check the status of the
HSMs in the Grid > HSM Group page. (For more information, see Monitoring the HSM Group.) If the status is not green,
check the configuration of the HSMs and restart the DNS service.
Adding and Managing a Thales HSM Group

On the Thales HSM, configure the Grid Master and Grid Master Candidate as HSM clients. Enroll the IP addresses of
both the Grid Master and Grid Master Candidate to avoid any service interruptions, in case the Grid Master Candidate is
promoted to Grid Master. If the Grid Master and Grid Master Candidates are HA pairs, you must enroll their VIPs.
 Note
In the unlikely event that the Grid Master Candidate was registered with the Thales HSM after the Grid Master
promotion, you must restart the DNS service on the newly promoted Grid Master.
In addition, you must also set up client cooperation to allow both the Grid Master and Grid Master Candidate access to
the Remote File Server (RFS). Note that anytime you add a new Grid Master Candidate, you must enroll its IP address
and set up a client cooperation to allow it access to the RFS. For more information on these procedures, refer to your
HSM documentation.
Note that DSA cannot be used as the DNSSEC cryptographic algorithm for Thales HSMs. Therefore, migrating to Thales
HSMs is not allowed if the Grid Master uses DSA as the DNSSEC cryptographic algorithm.
You can create one Thales HSM group in the Grid, and then add HSMs to the group. The appliance tries to connect to

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each of the HSMs in the order that they are listed.
To add a Thales HSM group:
1. From the Grid tab, select the HSM Group tab and click the Add icon.
2. In the Add HSM Group wizard complete the following, and then click Next:
• Name: Enter a name for the HSM group.
• Protection: Select the level of protection that the HSM group uses for the DNSSEC key data.
• Module: Select this if the HSM group uses a module-protected key. You do not have to enter a
password phrase for this type of key.
• Softcard: Select this if the HSM group uses a softcard-protected key. You must then specify the
card name and password.
• Card Name: Enter a name for the softcard.
• Password Phrase: Enter the password and re-enter it in the Confirm Password Phrase field.
• RFS IP Address: Enter the remote file server (RFS) IP address. Note that you must ensure that you enter
a valid RFS IP address for the Security World. Validation is limited to IP address checking. Infoblox
recommends that you use Test HSM Group to check the HSM group configuration before proceeding.
• RFS Port: Specify the port of the RFS.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the group.
3. To add modules to the group, click the Add icon and complete the following:
• Remote IP: Enter the IP address of the HSM.
• Remote Port: Specify the destination port on the HSM. The firewall must be configured to allow
connection to this port.
• Disabled: Select this checkbox to disable use of this HSM.
• Keyhash: Enter the keyhash, which is displayed on the console of the HSM. It can be obtained through an
out of band mechanism from the HSM administrator. Note that the appliance validates the keyhash. If the
entry is correct, the appliance displays the Electronic Serial Number (ESN) of the HSM when the editor is
next launched. If the keyhash is incorrect, the appliance does not connect to the HSM.
• ESN: This is a read-only field that displays the ESN of the HSM after you save the configuration and
relaunch the editor. Infoblox strongly recommends that you verify the ESN displayed by the appliance with
the one obtained from the HSM administrator to ensure that the appliance is communicating with the
correct HSM.
Monitoring the HSM Group

You can monitor the status of the HSM group and of individual modules in the group by navigating to the Grid tab > HSM
Group panel. To view the status of each HSM, click the arrow beside the group name. This panel displays the following
information:
• Name: The name of the HSM group or module.
• Status: The HSM group status displays the status for all the HSMs in the group. The status icon can be one of the
following:
Green: All the HSMs in the group are functioning properly.

Yellow: At least one HSM in the group is not functioning properly.
Red: All the HSMs in the group are not functioning properly.
Black: The status of the HSM devices is unknown.
The status icon for each HSM can be one of the following:
Green: The HSM is functioning properly. For SafeNet Luna SA 5 or SA 6 devices, the status icon can also display
x%used which refers to the storage capacity of the HSM partition that is assigned to the Grid. Note that when the
capacity reaches 100%, new zone signings and key rollovers for existing zones cannot be performed.
Red: The HSM is not functioning properly. For a SafeNet HSM, this indicates that the Grid Master was able to
connect to the HSM, but no partition was assigned to the Grid Master.
Black: The status of the HSM device is unknown.
• FIPS: This applies to a SafeNet HSM only. It indicates if the HSM is in FIPS compliant mode.
• Comment: Any comments that were entered about the HSM group.
You can also do the following in this tab:

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Enabling HSM Signing

When you enable HSM signing, the HSM starts generating the DNSSEC keys at the next key rollover. For information
about key rollovers, see About Key Rollovers. You can enable this feature at the Grid level only.
To enable HSM signing:
1. From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid DNS Properties.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties editor, Click Toggle Expert Mode, if the editor is in Basic mode, and then select the
DNSSEC tab.
3. In the DNSSEC tab, select the Enable DNSSEC checkbox, if it is not selected, and then select the HSM Signing
checkbox.
4. Complete the other fields described in Configuring DNSSEC Parameters. Note that Thales HSMs do not support
DSA.
Testing the HSM Group

After you configure the HSM group, you can test the HSM signing functionality of the group. Click Test HSM Group in the
Toolbar, and then click Yes when the confirmation dialog displays. The appliance then executes the command to perform
a signing test. The feedback panel displays the status of the test in the Grid Manager feedback panel.
Synchronizing the HSM Group

You can click Resync HSM Group in the Toolbar to do any of the following:
• For a Thales HSM group, if the RFS security settings change use this function to have the appliance perform an
RFS synchronization.
• For a SafeNet HSM group, use this function to synchronize the keys of the HSM members in the group.
Configuring Grid Members to Support DNSSEC as Secondary Servers

Any Infoblox Grid member can function as a secondary server for DNSSEC signed zones. It can receive transfers of
signed zones from the Grid Master or an external primary server, and from other secondary servers. It can also respond
to queries for DNS data in DNSSEC signed zones for which it is a secondary server.
Configuring a Secondary Server for Signed Zones

The following are the tasks to configure an appliance as a secondary server for signed zones:
1. Enable DNSSEC on the appliance. For information, see Enabling DNSSEC.
2. Configure the appliance as a secondary server for the zone. For information, see Specifying Secondary Servers.If
the primary server for the signed zone is external, then you must allow zone transfers to the secondary server.
3. For information, see Enabling Zone Transfers. If the primary server is the Grid Master, then the secondary server
receives data through the Grid replication process by default.
Configuring Recursion and Validation for Signed Zones

When you enable recursion on a Grid member and it receives a recursive query for DNS data it does not have, it queries
remote name servers that you specified in the Grid DNS Properties or Member DNS Properties editor. It then includes
the DNSSEC data it retrieved through recursion in its responses to clients that requested DNSSEC RRs. You can enable
the appliance to validate the responses of these servers for certain zones. On the appliance, you specify the zones to
validate and configure their DNSKEY records as trust anchors. When the appliance validates a response for a zone
configured with a trust anchor or for any of its child zones, the appliance starts with the DNSKEY that you configured and

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proceeds recursively down the DNS tree.
In the example shown in the below figure, the following was configured on the NIOS appliance:
• Forwarder with the following IP address: 10.2.2.1
• Recursion was enabled
• DNSSEC and validation were enabled
• The corpxyz.com zone and its DNSKEY record were configured
Enabling Recursion and Validation for Signed Zones

The following are the tasks to enable recursion and validate recursively derived data:
1. Enable DNSSEC on the appliance. For information, see Enabling DNSSEC.
2. Enable validation and configure the trust anchor of each signed zone. For information, see Enabling DNSSEC
Validation. You must configure at least one trusted DNSKEY RR.
3. Enable recursion on the appliance. For information, see Enabling Recursive Queries.
4. Complete any of the following:
• Configure the forward, delegated, stub or root zones for the signed zones. For information, see
Configuring Delegated, Forward, and Stub Zones and Creating a Root Zone.
• Configure global forwarders and custom root name servers, if needed. For information, see Using
Forwarders and About Root Name Servers.
Enabling DNSSEC Validation

To configure trust anchors and enable Infoblox name servers to validate responses:
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the Members tab -> member checkbox and click the Edit icon.
DNS View: From the Data Management tab, select the Zones tab -> dns_view checkbox and click the Edit icon.
To override an inherited property, click Override next to the property to enable the configuration.
2. In the editor, click Toggle Expert Mode.
4. In the DNSSEC tab, complete the following:
• Enable DNSSEC validation: If you allow the appliance to respond to recursive queries, you can select this
checkbox to enable the appliance to validate responses to recursive queries for domains that you specify.
You must configure the DNSKEY RR of each domain that you specify.
• Accept expired signatures: Click this checkbox to enable the appliance to accept responses with
signatures that have expired. Though enabling this feature might be necessary to work temporarily with

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zones that have not had their signatures updated in a timely fashion, note that it could also increase the
vulnerability of your network to replay attacks.
• Trust Anchors: Configure the DNSKEY record that holds the KSK as a trust anchor for each zone for
which the Grid member returns validated data. Click the Add icon and complete the following:
• Zone: Enter the FQDN of the domain for which the member validates responses to recursive
queries.
• Secure Entry Point (SEP): This checkbox is enabled by default to indicate that you are configuring
a KSK.
• Responses must be secure: Enable this checkbox to make all responses to domains configured
with a trust anchor to be DNSSEC secure and valid. When you enable this checkbox, the
appliance returns SERVFAIL responses for the domains that are not DNSSEC secure. Note that
for each anchor, the current setting of Responses must be secure will be preserved when NIOS is
upgraded.
• Algorithm: Select the algorithm of the DNSKEY record: RSA/SHA1(5), DSA (3), DSA/NSEC3 (6),
RSA/MD5 (1), RSA/SHA1/NSEC3 (7), RSA/SHA-256 (8), RSA-SHA-512 (10), ECDSAP/SHA-256
(13), or ECDSAP/SHA-384 (14). This must be the same algorithm that was used to generate the
keys that were used to sign the zones.
• Public Key: Paste the key into this text box. You can use either of the following commands to
retrieve the key:
• dig . dnskey +multiline
The above command retrieves root zone keys and is the only public key you require for full
chain of trust validation.
• dig \[@server_address\] <zone> dnskey +multiline +dnssec

The above command retrieves public keys from the zone you specify on the server and
can be used if the parent zone is not signed.
Note that the aforementioned command provides you with a key you need to cross validate
against other servers to ensure you have an identical key.
As an alternative, you can use http://data.iana.org/root-anchors/ to retrieve signed public
keys. You can find the trust anchors in formats like XML and CSR. For more information,
refer to http://data.iana.org/root-anchors/.
• Negative Trust Anchors: Configure negative trust anchors to suppress DNSSEC validation for certain
domains. Click the Add icon to add the domain name to the list. You can define negative trust anchors at
the Grid level and override them at the member and DNS view levels. For more information about
negative trust anchors, see Defining Negative Trust Anchors.
To delete a negative trust anchor, select the checkbox adjacent to the Zone column and click the Delete
icon.
Defining Negative Trust Anchors

A DNSSEC misconfiguration is not uncommon, and it can lead to failures in validating clients for particular domains.
You can use negative trust anchors to enhance the deployment of DNSSEC validation even with misconfigured domains,
as the administrator can enable DNSSEC validation without worrying about resolution failure for misconfigured signed
domains that succeeds without DNSSEC validation.
A negative trust anchor is a domain name for which DNSSEC validation must be suppressed even if the domain name is
listed under a trust anchor.
You can define a negative trust anchor at the Grid level and override it at the member and DNS view levels. You can
define negative trust anchors within a view or at the Grid level. If you define it at both levels, only the configuration with
the view will be effective for the respective view.
For any specific domain name, negative trust anchors are mutually exclusive of trusted anchors; if a negative trust
anchor is specified for a domain name, you cannot configure a trust anchor using the same name. Likewise, if a trust
anchor is configured for a domain name, you cannot configure negative trust anchor using the same name.
Note that if there is a trust anchor for a specific name under a negative trust anchor, that trust anchor will re-enable
DNSSEC validation for query names covered by the trust anchor. For example, if you configure trust anchors for "." and
"example.com," and "com" is in the negative trust anchor list, queries for "www.example.com" are subject to DNSSEC
validation, while DNSSEC validation will be suppressed for www.insecure.com, even if "." is listed in the trust anchor.
The appliance does not support automatic cleanup of negative trust anchors, nor does it provide any information about

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their expiration. Administrators must manually keep track of the status of domains listed as a negative trust anchor, and
must remove them from the list as soon as the domains become DNSSEC signed correctly. Infoblox recommends that
you do not use negative trust anchors, and rather disable DNSSEC validation, if the administrator is not familiar with
negative trust anchors or is not able to maintain the negative trust anchors properly; careless use of negative trust
anchors would rather hinder the deployment of DNSSEC, which is the opposite to the purpose of negative trust anchors.
For more information about general technical details of negative trust anchors, refer to http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-
livingood-negative-trust-anchors.
Note the following about negative trust anchors:
• You must restart the DNS service when you modify the list of negative trust anchors.
• The appliance displays an error message if an entry is present in both the trust anchors and the negative trust
anchors list for the same FQDN.
• The appliance displays an error message if the same FQDN is present multiple times in a negative trust anchor.
• When DNSSEC validation is suppressed due to a negative trust anchor, the corresponding response from the
validating resolver does not include the AD bit.
Applying Policies and Rules to DNS Queries that Request DNSSEC Data
You can configure the NIOS appliance to always apply RPZ policies, DNS blacklists, or NXDOMAIN rules to DNS
queries, regardless of whether the queries request DNSSEC data. You can also configure the appliance to generate
synthesized AAAA records for DNS queries that request DNSSEC data.
 Warning
When you enable this feature, NIOS applies the selected policies and rules even when it responds to DNS
clients that support DNSSEC.
Note that responses to these clients may result in resolution failure. Infoblox recommends that you use caution
when enabling this feature and DNSSEC validation at the same time.
To enable this feature, complete the following:

Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox and click the
Edit icon.
DNS View: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> default dns_view and click the
Edit icon.
2. In the editor, click Toggle Expert Mode, if the editor is in Basic mode, and then select the DNSSEC tab.
3. In the Apply the selected policies/rules to queries requesting DNSSEC records section, complete the following:
• Response Policy Zones (RPZ) policies: Select this to apply RPZ policies to DNS queries that request
DNSSEC data. You must install the RPZ license to view this checkbox. For more information, see About
Infoblox DNS Firewall.
• Blacklist rules: Select this to apply blacklist rules to DNS queries that request DNSSEC data. For more
information, see About Blacklists.
• NXDOMAIN rules: Select this to apply NXDOMAIN rules to DNS queries that request DNSSEC data. This
checkbox is visible only if you install the Query Redirection license. For more information, see About
NXDOMAIN Redirection.
• DNS64 Groups: Select this to generate synthesized AAAA records for DNS queries that request DNSSEC
data. For more information, see Enabling DNS64 Service.
The member and the DNS views inherit settings from the Grid, by default. To override the settings, click
Override. You can override settings at the member and DNS view levels. To retain the same settings as
the Grid, click Inherit at the member and DNS view level.

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Managing DNS Traffic Control
This section describes the Infoblox DNS Traffic Control solution. It provides guidelines about how to adjust DNS
responses based on DNS query source IP, server availability, and network topology. It also describes the required objects
in this process such as DTC (DNS Traffic Control) servers, pools, and LBDNs (Load Balanced Domain Names), and how
to configure them to achieve the best load balancing results.
It includes the following topics:
• About DNS Traffic Control

• License Requirements and Admin Permissions
• Limitations of DNS Traffic Control
• Load Balancing Methods for DNS Traffic Control
• Configuring Topology Rules and Rulesets
• Using DNS Traffic Control Health Monitors
• Managing DNS Traffic Control Objects
• Visualization for DNS Traffic Control Objects
• Backing Up DTC Configuration Files
• Configuring DTC Monitors for Health Check
About DNS Traffic Control

Infoblox DNS Traffic Control (DTC) provides a load balancing solution by creating DNS responses based on DNS query
source IP, server availability, and network topology. Through DTC, you can set up multiple global sites and configure
supported objects and load balancing methods to direct DNS clients to the best available servers. For detailed
information about how DNS Traffic Control handles DNS queries and responses, see DNS Traffic Control Querying
Process.
To use the DTC feature and bypass the standard DNS querying process, you must install the DNS Traffic Control license
on designated Grid members. For information about license and admin requirements, see License Requirements and
Admin Permissions. Members that are not authoritative for zones or members that do not have the DTC license installed
will not process DNS queries through DTC. However, the appliance can process DNS queries through DNS Traffic
Control for secondary servers in the Grid using the data replication method.
DNS Traffic Control utilizes a load balancing mechanism to create DNS responses. It returns tailored DNS responses
based on settings you configure for associated objects such as DTC servers, pools, and LBDNs. For more information
about these objects, see Supported DNS Traffic Control Objects and Managing DNS Traffic Control Objects. You can
configure load balancing methods for pools and LBDNs based on the source IP address and other criteria. For more
information, see Load Balancing Methods for DNS Traffic Control.
To ensure that DTC servers are reachable and can process DNS queries, you can configure health monitors that help
you determine the availability of these servers. For more information, see Using DNS Traffic Control Health Monitors.
After you have set up DNS Traffic Control for specific DTC objects, you can monitor their status as described in the
section Viewing DNS Traffic Control Objects. You can also view a visualization of the hierarchy of DNS Traffic Control
objects that you configured. For more information, see Visualization for DNS Traffic Control Objects.
You can enable or disable logging for DNS Traffic Control load balancing and health monitors. The appliance logs this
information to the syslog. For more information, see Setting DNS Logging Categories.
You can configure the DNS Traffic Control properties for the Grid and Grid members. For more information, see
Configuring DNS Traffic Control Properties.
DNS Traffic Control Configuration Example

The DNS Traffic Control Example figure illustrates the basic concept of DNS Traffic Control and how you can use it to
direct DNS clients to the best available server using the Topology load balancing method. In the illustration, consider your
company manages five data centers: California, Denver, New York, London, and Brussels. Each data center offers the
same services and applications your users need. To optimize server utilization and minimize response time, you use
DNS Traffic Control to provide DNS responses based on the source IP address and the geographic locations of your data
centers. You define your data centers as DTC server objects, and then add them to a pool based on their locations. Data
centers in California, Denver, and New York go into Pool USA while London and Brussels go into Pool EU. You also
create a topology ruleset containing geography rules that is used when you configure Topology as the load balancing

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method for your LBDN and pools. To ensure that your data centers are available, you also configure health monitors so
that your pools can check the health of its DTC servers.
In DNS Traffic Control, you complete the following to set up the above configuration:
1. Define a geography rule for the topology ruleset, as described in Configuring Topology Rules and Rulesets.
2. Configure each data center as a DTC server object, as described in Configuring DNS Traffic Control Servers.
3. Configure health monitors that NIOS will use to check the availability of DTC servers, as described in Using DNS
Traffic Control Health Monitors.
4. Create two pools (USA and EU), which group your servers by geographical locations, configure health monitors
that you created earlier, and then select Topology as the load balancing method. For information, see Configuring
DNS Traffic Control Pools.
5. Define an LBDN and select Topology as the load balancing method and then associate it with a DNS zone. The
appliance can then match the geography of the source IP addresses and direct the client to the best available
server. For information, see Configuring DNS Traffic Control LBDNs.
DNS Traffic Control Example
To achieve load balancing results for DNS Traffic Control, you can configure DTC objects in the following order:
1. Create DNS Traffic Control servers for each data center or server you want to manage. For information, see
Configuring DNS Traffic Control Servers.
2. Optionally, if you want to monitor server health, configure health monitors and add them to your pools when you
create them. For information, see Using DNS Traffic Control Health Monitors.
3. Configure any topology rulesets that will be used by DTC pools. For information, see Defining Topology Rulesets

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4. Configure DTC pools, as described in Configuring DNS Traffic Control Pools.
5. Configure any topology rulesets that will be used with LBDNs, as described in Configuring Topology Rules and
Rulesets.
6. Configure DTC LBDNs, as described in Configuring DNS Traffic Control LBDNs.
DNS Traffic Control Querying Process

DNS Traffic Control handles a DNS query if the query name belongs to a zone for which the appliance is authoritative
and matches an LBDN that is linked to the respective zone. Otherwise, the appliance processes DNS queries normally
using the standard DNS query processing.
If you have configured persistence for DTC LBDN and the DTC cache contains a previous response for the same client,
then DTC returns the cached response to the respective client. Otherwise, the DNS Traffic Control querying process first
selects an LBDN, a pool, and then a specific server from that pool. A DNS record is synthesized from the address of the
selected server and returns only DTC LBDN records to the client. Note that the configured DNS records are obscured by
the DTC LBDN records. The obscured records are indicated by a strikethrough. For example, an obscured A record
appears as A Record in Grid Manager.
When all the pools associated with the LBDNs are unavailable, the appliance returns DNS data for the zone. For
information about how to configure availability and topology rules, see Configuring Topology Rules and Rulesets.
Following is a brief description of the DNS Traffic Control querying process:
1. The DNS Traffic Control querying process first checks an LBDN's DTC cache to verify if a response is available
for the same client, same query and if the server in the cached response is online. If these conditions match, it
returns the cached response to the client and refreshes the cache expiry time.
2. If the response is not available in the DNS Traffic Control cache, the DNS Traffic Control querying process occurs
as follows:
• Based on the FQDN in the request, the DNS Traffic Control querying process selects a matching LBDN
based on its associated zone and pattern.
• Based on the selected LBDN load balancing method, the DNS Traffic Control querying process selects an
available pool. It does not select pools that are not available or do not have online servers associated with
it. If pools are not available for the selected LBDN, the DNS Traffic Control querying process fails to
determine the result.
• After selecting a pool, the DNS Traffic Control querying process selects a server from the pool, based on
the load balancing method that you have selected for the respective pool. The DNS Traffic Control
querying process uses the preferred load balancing method of the pool by default and the alternate
method only if the preferred method fails to return a result.
• If the DNS Traffic Control querying process fails to determine a result, then the DNS server responds to
the client with the matching DNS records configured for the respective zone. If matching DNS records are
not configured, it returns an empty result. You can enable or disable the DTC to DNS fall through in the
Grid DNS properties.
Supported DNS Traffic Control Objects

You can configure the following DNS Traffic Control objects in the Grid:
• Server: DNS Traffic Control synthesizes DNS records for the servers. For information about how to add and
modify servers, see Configuring DNS Traffic Control Servers.
• Pool: A pool is a collection of servers that you can put together as possible responses to queries. For information
about how to add and modify load balancing pools, see Configuring DNS Traffic Control Pools.
• LBDN: A DTC LBDN is a load balanced domain name object that is used by DNS Traffic Control to process DNS
queries for load balanced resources. For more information about how to add and modify LBDN objects, see
Configuring DNS Traffic Control LBDNs.
License Requirements and Admin Permissions

The DNS Traffic Control works as an add-on feature for the DNS service in the NIOS appliance. In order to use it, install
the DNS and DNS Traffic Control licenses on the appliance. You can add the DNS Traffic Control license only when you
have installed the DNS license. After you add the license, the feature becomes available to you in Data Management->
DNS -> Traffic Control.

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The DNS Traffic Control feature starts, stops, or restarts with the DNS service. You may need to restart the DNS service
after you make configuration changes. When you click Restart at the top of the screen, the DNS Traffic Control service
takes some time to update the configuration and the status of LBDNs, pools and servers on the appliance. For more
information about how to install licenses, see Managing Licenses.
The appliance creates a new role, DTC Admin, when you install the DNS Traffic Control license. For more information
about how to define permissions, see About Admin Roles.
License Requirements for DNS Traffic Control

• If you are using HA for DNS, Infoblox best practice recommendation is that you apply the DNS Traffic Control
license on both the active and passive nodes of the HA pair. If the DNS Traffic Control license is applied only on
the active node but not the passive node, the DNS query that matches with LBDN will elicit a DNS Traffic Control
response. However, if the DNS Traffic Control license is applied only on the passive node and not the active
node, then the DNS query will not elicit a DNS Traffic Control response. You must pass the DNS query using only
the virtual IP address.
• A DNS Traffic Control license is required for the name servers in a load balanced zone. If there is no DNS Traffic
Control license, then that server will not take part in DNS Traffic Control.
Admin Permissions for DNS Traffic Control

• You can update, add, or delete LBDNs if you have read/write permission on All DTC LBDNs, but you need
additional permissions to link them to a zone.
• You must have read/write permission on All DTC LBDNs to modify an LBDN if a configuration change results in a
deletion of LBDN records.
• You must have read/write permission on both All DTC LBDNs and All DTC LBDN Records to modify LBDN
patterns that might result in the creation of new LBDN records.
• Administrators who have access to set up zones have read/write access to their LBDN records. The LBDN
records permission is similar to other zone record permissions.
• When you link an LBDN to a zone, you must have both read-only permission on All DTC LBDNs and read/write
permission on the LBDN record of the zone.
• You must have read/write permission on All DTC LBDNs to disable an LBDN. This implicitly disables associated
LBDN records from the associated zones and does not require an LBDN record permission.
• You must have read/write permission on All Topology Databases to upload a MaxMind GeoIP location database.
To modify a rule in the topology ruleset, you must have read/write permission on All DTC Topologies.
• To create and modify DTC pools, you must have read/write permission on All DTC Pools.
• You must have read/write permission on All DTC Servers to create and modify DTC servers.
• You must have read/write permission on All DTC Monitors, All DTC Certificates, and All DTC Topologies to create
and modify DTC monitors, certificates and topologies respectively.
For more information about defining global permissions, see Defining Global Permissions.
Limitations of DNS Traffic Control

• A member will return DNS Traffic Control results for a zone only if the member is a Grid primary, or a Grid
secondary that is using database replication. DNS Traffic Control results are not produced for zones using AXFR,
regardless of whether or not the primary member is in the Grid.
• The DNS Traffic Control querying process is not supported for recursive queries.
• The DNS Traffic Control does not support the Global application of an LBDN pattern against all queries. The
appliance returns a result only if the query resolves to an authoritative zone to which an DNS Traffic Control
LBDN is explicitly linked.
• You can use the IDN converter for conversion, but the appliance supports manually encoded puny code as an
LBDN pattern.
• DNS Traffic Control health monitoring does not monitor servers if the server has IPv4 and/or IPv6 addresses and
the health monitoring interface on the Grid member does not have the corresponding IP address type. The
appliance sets the status as unknown for such IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. In addition, the appliance may return a
timeout error while loading the Traffic Control tab in Grid Manager if you have configured health monitoring for a
lot of DTC servers.

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Load Balancing Methods for DNS Traffic Control
You can define the following load balancing methods:
Load Balancing Method LBDN Pool
All Available - +
Global Availability + +
Source IP Hash + +
Round Robin + +
Ratio: Fixed + +
Ratio: Dynamic (Round Trip Delay) - +
Ratio: Dynamic (SNMP) - +
Topology + +
Based on the load balancing method defined for an LBDN, the DNS Traffic Control selects an available pool. Based on
the method selected for a pool, it selects an available server.
The following is a description of the load balancing methods with examples for pools or LBDNs:
• Using the All Available method, the appliance responds to the query with all the available servers in the DTC pool
for the appropriate record type. The responses are returned in the same order in which the servers are listed in
the DTC pool, eliminating the unavailable servers.
Consider the following example for all available records load balancing method with an LBDN x.abc.com:
Pool= Pool_1; load balancing method= all available records; health check= HTTPS
10.10.1.1; Availability = up
2001:db8:a22:a00::29; Availability = up
10.10.2.2; Availability = down
2001:db8:a22:a00::32; Availability = up
10.10.3.3; Availability = up
In this example, the appliance responds with 10.10.1.1, 10.10.3.3 for each A record query. For each AAAA record
query, NIOS responds with 2001:db8:a22:a00::29, 2001:db8:a22:a00::32. The unavailable servers are eliminated.
Note that the system considers only the order of the servers in the DTC pool and ignores the weight of available
servers.
• Using the Global Availability method, the appliance creates the response to the query, so that the clients are
directed to the first available pool and server.
Consider the following example for global availability load balancing method with an LBDN x.abc.com:
• Pool= Pool_1; load balancing method= global availability; health check= HTTPS 10.10.1.1
10.10.2.2
10.10.3.3
• Pool= Pool_2; load balancing method = global availability; health check = HTTPS 10.10.4.4
10.10.5.5
10.10.5.5
In this example, the appliance always responds with 10.10.1.1 (A record) for all x.abc.com queries assuming that all
servers are available. The DNS Traffic Control LBDN determines which pool to use based on the health check
response and adjusts the response accordingly. The appliance responds with 10.10.4.4 from Pool_2 if health check
for all servers associated with Pool_1 fails.
• Using the Source IP Hash method, NIOS matches an IP address from an incoming query with the health statuses
of pools and servers to address the responses by the client. When multiple pools or servers are configured, NIOS
uses the source IP hash load balancer method, a load-balancing pattern in which requests are distributed based

Rev. D
on the hash value of an IP address from an incoming query and the health status of the pool or server. With the
source IP hash load balancing method, clients have their own pool or server and are always associated with the
same pool or server for the same query as long as the pool or server is green; if the health status of the pool or
server turns red, NIOS switches the clients to the working pool or server and switches back when the health
restores to green.
Consider the following example for the source IP hash load balancing method. The DNS Traffic Control pool has
two servers and uses the source IP hash load balancer. When the health statuses are green for both the servers,
depending on the client IP address and DNS Traffic Control health status, the pool returns the DNS record from
the first DNS Traffic Control server for the first client and returns the DNS record from the second DNS Traffic
Control Server for the second client. This continues as long as the health statuses are green; if the health status
turns red for a DNS Traffic Control server, the pool switches the client to the working server and switches it back
when the health status restores to green.
For information on the Limitations and Warnings of Source IP Hash Load Balancing Method, see the following
section, Limitations of Source IP Hash Load Balancing Method.
• Using the Ratio: Fixed method, NIOS adjusts the response to the query so that the clients are directed to servers
in a pool or among pools. When multiple pools or servers are configured, the appliance uses the weighted round
robin method, a load-balancing pattern in which requests are distributed among several pools or servers based
on a weight assigned to each pool or server. Note that the system considers the weight of available servers only.
Consider the following example for ratio load balancing method with an LBDN x.abc.com, load balancing method
= Ratio and two linked pools: Pool_1 with weight = 70 and Pool_2 with weight = 30.
• Pool = Pool_1; load balancing method = ratio; health check = HTTPS 10.10.1.1; Weight = 50
10.10.2.2; Weight = 2
10.10.3.3; Weight = 25
• Pool = Pool_2; load balancing method = ratio; health check = HTTPS 10.10.4.4; Weight = 50
10.10.5.5; Weight = 25
10.10.5.5; Weight = 25
In this example, the appliance responds 70% of the time with a server associated with Pool_1. Within Pool_1, it
responds with 10.10.1.1 address 50% of the time.
• Using the Ratio: Dynamic method, the appliance weights the DTC servers dynamically based on round trip delay
or SNMP health monitor data. You can use one of the following options:
• Round trip delay: Based on the round trip delay from the DTC member that received a client’s DNS
request, the system sends clients to the server with the minimal latency time, i.e. the closest one. You
need a pre-configured health monitor for this load balancing method.
For example:
• Server A latency = 25 ms
• Server C latency = 18 ms
• Server D latency = 50 ms
In this case, the traffic distribution is as follows:
• Server A = 0%
• Server C= 100%
• Server D = 0%
• SNMP: Based on data from the SNMP monitor associated to the server, for example, CPU or memory
utilization, the system sends clients to the server with the lowest load. For this load balancing method, you
need a pre-configured SNMP health monitor with a required metric to be tracked. The metric is set
through an object identifier (OID) in the monitor properties. This method supports only OIDs for which the
server can return an integer value.
The value of the monitored metric defines how the traffic is directed. By default, the servers with the
highest metric values receive the client requests. There may be cases when your selected metric
reflects server availability in the opposite way, that is, the lowest metric values indicate available
servers. For such cases, you can invert the value of the OID, that is, of the monitored metric, and have
the traffic directed to the lowest-rated servers.
You can select to weight servers by either priority or ratio. In case of priority, traffic is directed towards
the servers that report the best metric values, other servers being bypassed. In case of ratio, traffic is

Rev. D
distributed across all servers based on the values of the monitored metric for each of them. If a health
check for a server is failed, the server is excluded from the load balancing.
Consider the following example where the CPU utilization metric is used for server monitoring:
• Server A CPU utilization = 90%
• Server C CPU utilization = 50%
• Server D CPU utilization = 10%
With normal dynamic weights, the distribution is as follows:
• Server A 60% (calculated as 90 / (10 + 50 +90) = 90/150 = 0.6)
• Server C 33% (calculated as 50 / (10 + 50 +90) = 50/150 ~ 0.33)
• Server D 7% (calculated as 10 / (10 + 50 +90) = 10/150 ~ 0.066)
This means that the most loaded server will receive most requests than the less loaded one. For this
case, the metric should be inverted to reflect server availability appropriately:
• Server A 8% (calculated as 1/90 / (1/90 + 1/50 + 1/10) = 0.011/0.131 ~ 0.08)
• Server C 15% (calculated as /50 / (1/90 + 1/50 + 1/10) = 0.02/0.131 ~ 0.15)
• Server D 77% (calculated as 1/10 / (1/90 + 1/50 + 1/10) = 0.1/0.131 ~ 0.77)
 Note
You can see traffic distribution percentage across members in pools and servers based on selected load
balancing methods in the visualization panel. For information, see Visualization for DNS Traffic Control
Objects .
• Using the Round Robin method, the appliance returns servers sequentially and cyclically. Consider the following
example for round robin load balancing method with an LBDN x.abc.com:
Pool = Pool_1; load balancing method = Round Robin; health check = HTTPS 10.10.1.1;
10.10.2.2;
10.10.3.3;
In this example, NIOS responds with a server associated with Pool_1. Within Pool_1, it responds sequentially:
Time 1: Response = 10.10.1.1
• Using the Topology method, the appliance applies a predefined geographic mapping method and evaluates user-
defined geography, subnet, or extensible attribute rules sequentially. Geographical locations for the geography
rules are provided through an external topology database. The appliance supports the MaxMind GeoIP2 City or
Country database and the MaxMind GeoLite2 City or Country database. For more information, see the following
section, Configuring Topology Rules and Rulesets.
Limitations of Source IP Hash Load Balancing Method

• The source IP hash load balancing method does not balance clients evenly between DNS Traffic Control pools
and DNS Traffic Control servers because the load is divided based on the IP addresses of the clients and the
health statuses of the DNS Traffic Control servers.
• For the source IP hash load balancing method with the Auto Consolidated Monitor option enabled, when the
health status of a DNS Traffic Control server changes and simultaneously two DNS Traffic Control Grid members
receive the same DNS requests from a single client, the response from the Grid members may vary as the DNS
Traffic Control consolidated monitors need a little time to share health results across DNS Traffic Control Grid
members.
 Warning

Rev. D
• If you use the source IP hash load balancing method without enabling the Auto Consolidated
Monitors option, a warning message to enable the option is displayed to synchronize health
statuses between all DNS Traffic Control Grid members. This synchronization helps in getting
the same DNS replies for each DNS Traffic Control Grid member for one DNS request.
• NIOS cannot guarantee persistence in DNS responses for each DNS Traffic Control Grid
member when a part of the DNS Traffic Control configuration with the source IP hash load
balancing method has an active DNS Traffic Control DNS cache (LBDN persistence more than
0) even after enabling the Auto Consolidated Monitors option. DNS Traffic Control Grid members
may respond with different DNS Traffic Control records for one DNS request because DNS
Traffic Control caches can have differences between DNS Traffic Control Grid members for the
same DNS request.
• When a part of the DNS Traffic Control configuration with the Auto Consolidated Monitors option
enabled and the source IP hash load balancing method has a DNS Traffic Control server with
health monitors assigned to it, a warning message asking you to manually switch the health
monitors from the DNS Traffic Control server to a DNS Traffic Control pool is displayed.
Configuring Topology Rules and Rulesets

A topology rule maps a client IP address to a DNS Traffic Control (DTC) pool or server. To use Topology as the load
balancing method for a pool or an LBDN, you must define a topology ruleset containing at least one rule. The rulesets
are configured globally. When the DNS Traffic Control returns a response, it evaluates the list of rules in the topology
ruleset in order and uses the first match with an available destination. The method fails if there are no matches.
You can define the following topology rules in a ruleset:
• Extensible Attribute rule
• Subnet rule
• Geography rule
In the DTC Topology ruleset for Subnet rule, Geographical rule, and Extensible Attribute topology (EA) rules there are
options to choose the NOERR/NODATA response or the NXDOMAIN response. It will also allow you to set
the Destination as SERVER or POOL for the subnet from the IPAM object. The destination for a topology ruleset is either
a server or a pool. An LBDN can use only topology rulesets with a pool as the destination. A pool can use only topology
rulesets with a server as the destination. You can also use CSV import to import rules into NIOS.
To use DTC topology with extensible attribute rules, you must select the extensible attributes that support DTC balancing
in the Grid DNS Properties editor. You can select up to four extensible attributes and the order in which you select them
is required for filling the extensible attributes topology rule. For example, if a ruleset is to have three extensible attributes
in the order A, B, and C, while creating the extensible attributes topology rule, you must select the value of A first, then B,
and finally the value of C in the Grid DNS Properties editor. For more information, see Configuring Grid DNS Traffic
Control Properties.
The extensible attributes topology rules work based on the IPAM configuration. The rules are supported only on IPv4 and
IPv6 networks, and are not supported on network containers and hosts. For a correct DTC load balancing based on
IPAM networks, you must assign extensible attributes that are selected for DTC and have valid values for IPv4/IPv6
Networks. You can also configure extensible attributes to be inherited from parent IPv4/IPv6 network containers. For
more information, see Managing Extensible Attributes.
DTC topology rulesets with extensible attribute rules use a separate database instance — DTC EA database that should
be up to date to ensure correct navigation for the incoming DTC queries. Each time you make changes to extensible
attributes in the IPAM object, or manage a set of extensible attributes for DTC in Grid Manager, a notification prompting
you to rebuild the DTC EA database is displayed. If you choose to ignore the prompt, then all changes to DTC balancing
behavior that require a database rebuild will not take effect. For more information about rebuilding the EA database, see
Rebuilding EA Database.
 Note

Rev. D
• If the DNS service is already running, you must not restart the service after the rebuild of the EA
database. Instead, wait until the DTC members finish making the new EA database build active.
• Once the DNS Traffic Control restores, you must manually rebuild the DNS Traffic Control EA database.
Limitations of Configuring Topology Rules and Rulesets

• Based on the destination type of the DTC Topology ruleset settings, you can set the NOERR/NODATA or
the NXDOMAIN response for a new DTC Topology rule. However, you cannot choose the destination DTC Pool
or the DTC Server.
• If the Destination Type is set as SERVER, then the topology rule set for DTC pool cannot have only NOERR and
NXDOMAIN rules. This is because the NAMED does not process the queries in the IDNS if the incoming requests
are matched to LBDN with no topology balance method. Also, the pools under this LBDN do not have active or
existing servers. Hence a NOERR response is always received. To prevent this behavior, the grid must have at
least one active server as the Rule Destination under any DTC pool in the LBDN to allow IDS processing for the
current LBDN and Pool. The rule set must have at least one rule with the REGULAR Return Type.
• The Disable for DHCP checkbox must be not be selected to enable networks and to build the topology database.
For more information about the checkbox, see Configuring IPv4 Networks.
• The topology ruleset must have a specific order for the following rules:
a. REGULAR rules
b. NOERR rules
c. NXDOMAIN rules
The ruleset cannot have rules with a REGULAR return type after the NOERR or NXDOMAIN rules are set in
order. You will receive a warning message when you try to save the topology ruleset in any other order.
However, the GRID automatically sorts the rules in the correct order, once you accept the warning message.
 Note
During the WAPI call, if the rules are not in the correct order, they are automatically sorted as WAPI does not
give any warnings.
Defining Topology Rulesets

A topology ruleset can contain multiple rules. The rules in a topology ruleset must use the same destination type. Multiple
LBDNs or pools can reuse a topology ruleset.
Each server that you use as a destination in the topology must exist in every pool that is using the topology. When you
select Topology as a load balancing method for a pool, you can select one of these rulesets for the topology rules. The
ruleset can be a combination of extensible attribute, subnet, and/or geography rules.
Note the following about extensible attribute, subnet, and geography source matches:
• A rule with an extensible attribute source matches if a client query comes from the network that has the specified
set of extensible attributes. In other words, extensible attributes you specify when you create a rule.
• A rule with a subnet source matches if the subnet contains the client IP address.
• A rule with a geography source label matches if the client IP address and geography source label match
corresponding information in the MaxMind location database.
Note the following information about rules and rulesets:
• When you upload a new MaxMind location database or restore a backup, the appliance does not automatically
remove rules that contain invalid labels. Instead, it marks the rules with labels that do not exist in the database as
invalid. The appliance ignores these rules during the querying process, and you cannot save the configuration if it
is modified, but you can use the existing configuration.
• The appliance checks specific combinations of labels when the rules use multiple conditions. For example, if you
have a rule with the source types Country = Canada and City = Vancouver and you change the Country source
type to Russia, the City source type is cleared and the selector resets to contain only known cities in Russia. This
is applicable for both geography and extensible attribute rules.

Rev. D
The following is an example of valid source types:
Continent Country Subdivision City
Any Canada Any Vancouver
Any Any Any Vancouver
North America Any Any Vancouver
North America USA Washington Vancouver
• When rules have multiple source conditions, the client must match all conditions for the rule to execute.
• A ruleset may have multiple subnet rules and the subnets may overlap. Similarly, a ruleset may have multiple
geography rules and the matches may overlap. Similarly, a ruleset may have multiple extensible attribute rules
and the matches may overlap. During the querying process, the rules in a topology ruleset are evaluated in order.
For example, if you configure subnet rules where #1 is 10.10.0.0/16 and #2 is 10.0.0.0/8, both are considered
valid in the appliance.
To define a ruleset, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab, and then click Manage Topology
Rulesets in the Toolbar.
2. In the Topology Manager window, click the Add icon.
3. In the Ruleset wizard that appears, complete the following:
• Destination Type: Select a destination type, Pool, or Server. Rulesets with the Pool destination type can
only be used by LBDNs. Rulesets with the Server destination type can only be used by pools. You cannot
change the destination type if the ruleset contains any rules.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the ruleset.
• Rules: You can define multiple extensible attribute rules, subnet rules, and geography rules in the ruleset.
Click the arrow next to the Add icon and select either Extensible Attribute Rule, Subnet Rule, or
Geography Rule.
• When you select Extensible Attribute Rule, the Grid Manager displays the following:
• Source Type: Define up to four extensible attributes to use as the source type for the EA
topology ruleset. The values for the IPAM object EAs are provided from the DNS Traffic
Control EAs selected in the Grid DNS Properties editor. To define extensible attribute
source types for the topology rules, see Configuring Grid DNS Traffic Control Properties.
Note that "Any" matches any value. There must be at least one source type with a specific
value (the value is not "Any").
When a source type uses "does not equal" as the operator, it must be the lowest level
source type (most specific). For example, with Continent/Country/Subdivision/City, City is
the most specific source type.
• Destination/Response:
• DTC Pool/Server: Click Select to select a destination. The appliance displays the
DTC Pool Selector dialog box when you have selected the Pool destination type,
and displays DTC Server Selector dialog box when you have selected the Server
destination type. Click a specific pool or server to select it. Note that if there is only
one pool or server, no dialog box is displayed when selecting the destination.
• NOERROR/NODATA (Response): Select this option to provide a NOERROR/
NODATA response for DTC queries.
• NXDOMAIN (Response): Select this option to provide an NXDOMAIN response for
DTC queries.

Rev. D
Click Add to add the source. The appliance displays the following information in the Rules
table:
• Source: The values of extensible attributes that you specified.
• Destination: The destination that you selected.
• Valid Source: After you save the ruleset, the value is set to Yes if the extensible attributes
exist in the EA database.
 Note
The source must be valid when creating a ruleset. It can become invalid when a
new topology database no longer contains the source.
• Order: Displays the order of the rule in the ruleset.

• Return Type: The response type that is selected.
• When you select Subnet Rule, the Grid Manager displays the following:
• Source Subnet: Select a value from the drop-down list. You can either select equals or
does not equal, and specify a subnet IP address or click Select and choose a network from
the Network Selector dialog box.
Note that "Any" matches any value. There must be at least one source subnet with a
specific value (the value is not "Any").
When a source subnet uses "does not equal" as the operator, it must be the lowest level
source subnet (most specific).
DTC Pool Selector dialog box when you have selected the Pool destination type
and displays the DTC Server Selector dialog box when you have selected the
Server destination type. Click a specific pool or server to select it. Note that if there
is only one pool or server created, no dialog box is displayed when selecting the
destination.
DTC queries.
table:
• Source: The subnet address that you specified.
• Valid Source: For a subnet rule, the rule is always marked as valid after you save the
ruleset.
• When you select Geography Rule, Grid Manager displays the following:
• Source Type: Select a source type.
• Continent: Select a continent from the drop-down list. You can also enter the first few
characters of the continent to match an item in the database.
• Country: Select a country from the drop-down list. You can also enter the first few
characters of the country to match an item in the database.
• Subdivision: Select a subdivision from the drop-down list. You can also enter the first few
characters of the subdivision to match an item in the database.
• City: Select a city from the drop-down list. You can also enter the first few characters of the
city to match an item in the database. The drop-down list has paging controls to page
through the available values.

Rev. D
DTC Pool Selector dialog box when you have selected the Pool destination type
and the displays DTC Server Selector dialog box when you have selected the
Server destination type. Click a specific pool or server to select it. Note that if there
is only one pool or server created, no dialog box is displayed when selecting the
destination.
DTC queries.
table:
• Source: The subnet address that you specified.
• Valid Source: After you save the ruleset, the value is set to Yes if the labels exist in the
MaxMind location database.
• Default destination if none of the above rules match (optional): Click Select to select the default
destination if none of the above rules match. The appliance displays the DTC Pool Selector dialog
box when you have selected the Pool destination type and displays the DTC Server Selector
dialog box when you have selected the Server destination type. Click a specific pool or server to
select it. You can click Clear to remove the selected pool or server. Note that you can select a
default destination even if there are no rules defined in the Rules table.
4. If necessary, modify the order of rules in the table. You can do so by editing the value in the Order column or by
using the arrows on the left-hand side of the table.
5. Click Next.
6. Define the extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
7. Click Next to schedule a change. In the Schedule Change panel, click Now to immediately execute this task. Or
click Later to schedule this task, and then specify a date, time, and time zone.
 Note
After making changes to the extensible attributes, you may need to rebuild the topology EA database. For more
information, see Rebuilding EA Database.
Viewing Topology Rulesets

To view topology rulesets, navigate to the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab, and then click
Manage Topology Rulesets in the Toolbar. The Topology Manager lists the configured rulesets, their destination types,
sites, and comments.
You can perform the following:
• Add new rulesets. To add a new ruleset, click the Add icon. For more information, see Defining Topology
Rulesets.
• To edit a ruleset, click the checkbox next to the ruleset name, and then click the Edit icon. You can modify the
following in the Ruleset editor:
• In the General Basic tab, you can perform the following:
• Add new rules to the ruleset. Click the arrow next to the Add icon and select either Extensible
Attribute Rule, Subnet Rule, or Geography Rule. For more information, see Defining Topology
Rulesets.

Rev. D
• Modify rules in the ruleset. To edit an existing rule, select the checkbox of the required rule in the
Rules table, and then click the Edit icon. When you are finished editing, click Save above the
Rules table. For more information, see Defining Topology Rulesets.
• Delete existing rules from the ruleset. Select the checkbox of the required rule in the Rules table,
and then click the Delete icon.
 Note
You can modify the destination type only if there are no rules in the ruleset.
• In the Extensible Attributes tab, you can add new or edit existing extensible attributes. For information,
see Using Extensible Attributes.
• Delete a ruleset or schedule the deletion for a later time.
• To delete a ruleset, select the checkbox next to its name and click the arrow next to the Delete icon. To
delete the object immediately, select Delete.
• To schedule the deletion, click Schedule Delete. For more information, see Scheduling Deletions.
• Export topology rulesets. To export the entire list of rulesets in a format that can be imported, click the Export icon
and choose Export data in Infoblox CSV Import format. To export all data that is currently visible in the Topology
Manager, click the Export icon and choose Export visible data.
• Print the data that is currently visible in the Topology Manager. Click the Print icon to print.
Importing a Topology Database

The DNS Traffic Control license includes a MaxMind location database that is deployed when you enable the DNS Traffic
Control. Note that only a single MaxMind location database can be present on the Grid at a time. The MaxMind location
database contains various geographic locations that can be used when you define a geography rule. NIOS supports both
paid GeoIP2 and free GeoLite2 MaxMind location databases. The GeoLite2 MaxMind Country database is shipped with
the NIOS appliance. The MaxMind location database is static over the lifetime of the querying process until you import a
new database and restart services.
When you import a new MaxMind location database, the appliance replaces the existing database. You can import
MaxMind location databases that are in MMDB or CSV format. To view the current version of the database, click Current
Version.
You can import a ready-to-use MaxMind location database or create your own ZIP file containing multiple CSV files. To
import a MaxMind location database or to view the current version of the database, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, and then select the Traffic Control tab.
2. Click the arrow next to the Topology Database, and then select Import GeoIP Database from the drop-down list.
3. In the Import Topology Database wizard, complete the following:
• File: Click Select and navigate to the MaxMind location database.
• Upload: Click Upload to import the MaxMind location database.
4. In the Toolbar, click the arrow next to Topology Database, and select Current Version from the drop-down list to
view the details of the imported MaxMind location databases. In the Geography section, the Grid Manager
displays the database type, build date, build version, and the date and time when the database was deployed to
the Grid Master.
 Note
The latest database version may not be deployed on all DTC members. To view the current deployed
versions, select Data Management -> DNS -> Members.
To create a custom database in a ZIP file, complete the following:

1. Create a directory with CSV files and name them using the following pattern:
{Product}-{Content}-{Blocks-or-Locations}-{version-or-localization}.csv.
Only the three CSV files matching these patterns are suitable for the import:

Rev. D
{Product}-{Content}-Blocks-IPv4.csv
{Product}-{Content}-Blocks-IPv6.csv
{Product}-{Content}-Locations-en.csv
For example:
GeoLite2-City-Blocks-IPv4.csv
GeoLite2-City-Blocks-IPv6.csv
GeoLite2-City-Locations-ru.csv
or
GeoIP2-Country-Blocks-IPv4.csv
GeoIP2-Country-Blocks-IPv6.csv
GeoIP2-Country-Locations-en.csv
where
“GeoLite2” and “GeoIP2” correspond to {Product}
“City” and “Country” correspond to {Content}
“IPv4” and “IPv6” correspond to {version}
“ru” and “en” correspond to {localization}
 Note
The Locations file and at least one of the Blocks files must exist or the import fails. Also, all of these files must
have identical {Product}-{Content} pairs or the import fails. You can use a ready-to-use MaxMind location
database as an example.
2. You can add multiple CSV files for different localizations to your ZIP file. Use the following naming pattern:
{Product}-{Content}-Locations-{localization}.csv.
For example:
GeoLite2-City-Locations-ru.csv
GeoIP2-City-Locations-de.csv
GeoIP2-Country-Locations-en.csv
3. Add the directory with the CSV files to a ZIP file. The name of the ZIP file you upload and the name of the
directory in the ZIP file are not significant. The ZIP file should contain only one directory and no subdirectories. Any
files in the ZIP file with an extension different from .csv are ignored.
4. Import the ZIP file to Grid Manager as described above.
 Note
The Country database does not support 'subdivision' labels and importing it invalidates all existing rules that
use 'subdivision' labels.
Rebuilding EA Database
Unlike the GeoIP database, the EA database is not imported externally but configured within the system. After making
changes to extensible attributes, Grid Manager offers you to rebuild the DNS Traffic Control Topology Database. You can
use the banner that appears at the top of the screen and then click Rebuild to rebuild the database immediately. Or, you
can click Ignore to rebuild the database later in the Traffic Control tab. Clicking Ignore applies to all changes that require
a rebuild of the EA database. The EA database rebuild is ignored for the duration of the user session.

Rev. D
To rebuild the EA database, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, and then select the Traffic Control tab.
2. In the Toolbar, click the arrow next to the Topology Database and select Rebuild EA Database -> Rebuild or
Schedule Rebuild.
3. In the Rebuild EA Database dialog box, select Yes to rebuild the database or No to discard the rebuild. To
schedule the rebuild task, in the Rebuild EA Database Schedule dialog box, specify a date, time, and time zone.
To view the current version of the EA database, click Topology Database -> Current Version in the Toolbar. Grid Manager
displays the database build date and its last rebuild status in the Extensible Attributes section.
 Note
The latest database version may not be deployed on all DTC members. To view the current deployed versions,
select Data Management -> DNS -> Members.
Using DNS Traffic Control Health Monitors

Health monitors determine the availability of DTC servers. You associate health monitors with pools. Every health monitor
checks each server that is associated with the pool. Additionally, if you use multi-tier architecture, you can assign health
monitors to individual IP addresses of a DTC server. You can use pre-defined health monitors or create custom monitors.
You can configure health monitors of the following types:
• HTTP health monitors. See Configuring HTTP Health Monitors.
• ICMP health monitors. See Configuring ICMP Health Monitors.
• PDP health monitors. See Configuring PDP Health Monitors.
• SIP health monitors. See Configuring SIP Health Monitors.
• SNMP health monitors. See Configuring SNMP Health Monitors.
• TCP health monitors. See Configuring TCP Health Monitors.
When you install the DNS Traffic Control license, each Grid member that is associated with an LBDN independently
monitors the health of a server. The appliance resolves the server FQDN using the system resolver. The appliance
performs a health check on both the IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. If the member does not have the same IP address types
as the server or if the DNS name resolution for A or AAAA records fail to return results, the corresponding health check is
considered to be a failure. The appliance caches the addresses that are resolved.
Note that monitoring is done by each Grid member that has a DNS Traffic Control license and is associated with a zone
that has an LBDN record. This implies that firewall policies should be such that the member can reach every server it is
monitoring. Otherwise, DNS Traffic Control cannot direct responses to servers that are not accessible.
By default, all monitor checks are initiated from the virtual interface of the member that is performing the health check. If
the monitored server has only an IPv4 or IPv6 address, then the interface must have the corresponding IP address type.
You can configure the DTC monitor source to use the VIP, MGMT, LAN2 (WHERE), or ANY (normal routing) NIOS
network interface, or one of the loopback additional IP addresses for the Grid member. You can configure the loopback IP
address in the Grid member editor or network configuration.
The status of a DTC server for a specific pool depends upon the status of all the health monitors that are checking it. The
status of a pool depends upon the status of all the servers in the pool. The status of an LBDN depends upon the status of
all the pools assigned to the LBDN.
For the HTTPS and SIP monitor types, you can upload client certificates and associate them with the monitors to provide
when connecting to a DTC server. For information, see Managing Health Monitor Certificates.
Vice versa, DTC servers provide certificates to authenticate themselves to the HTTPS and SIP monitors. You enable
DTC server certificate validation when configuring HTTPS and SIP health monitors.
Configuring HTTP Health Monitors

An HTTP health monitor sends either an HTTP or HTTPS request to the server. The health monitor then examines the
response received from the server. The validation is successful if the server returns a response with the expected result
code.
The HTTP/HTTPS monitor can validate the response code and response content. The response content is checked only
when the response code is valid. You can define regular expressions to use for the response content check. The

Rev. D
supported regular expression syntax is POSIX Extended Regular Expression. For information, see Supported
Expressions for Search Parameters.
If the DTC server certificate validation is enabled in the HTTPS health monitor, you can use the Server Name Indication
(SNI) feature for remote DTC servers. SNI is an extension to the TLS computer networking protocol by which a client
indicates which hostname it attempts to connect to at the start of the handshaking process. This allows a server to
present multiple certificates on the same IP address and TCP port number. Thus, multiple secure (HTTPS) websites (or
any other service over TLS) can be served off the same IP address without all those sites having to use the same
certificate.
After you configure an HTTP/S monitor, you can test its performance. See Testing HTTP Health Monitors.
 Note
The HTTP health monitor does not support user name or password authentication.
To configure an HTTP health monitor, complete the following:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab, and then click Manage Health
Monitors in the Toolbar.
2. In the Health Monitors Manager, click the arrow next to the Add icon and select HTTP Health Monitor.
3. In the HTTP Health Monitor Wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the HTTP monitor.
• Interval (seconds): Enter the interval value in seconds. The interval value is measured from the end of the
previous monitor cycle. The default value is five.
• Timeout (seconds): Enter the timeout value in seconds. The monitor waits for the number of seconds that
you specify after sending a response. If it does not receive a response within the number of seconds that
you specify, then the appliance considers this check as failed. The monitor discards any response it
receives after the timeout. The default value is 15.
• Retry Up Count: Enter a retry up count integer value. Retry up count is a value that determines how many
valid responses or good health checks in a row must be received by the Grid member from the DTC
server for setting the DTC server health status to green. When you specify a value, the appliance
computes the duration for which health check must be performed based on the following:
interval*retry up count
For example, If the DTC server has had a red status for a long time because all the HTTP health checks
have failed, and when the Grid receives the first good HTTP health check result, the health check counter
is set as 1; however, the status of the DTC server is still retained as red. If you specify the Retry Up
Count as 3 and the health check interval as 5, when three consecutive good health check results are
received, the health check counter value becomes 3 and the DTC server health status now changes to
green (3 good health check results in a row at an interval of 5 seconds each over a span of 3*5=15
seconds).
• Retry Down Count: Enter a retry down count integer value. It is the opposite of the retry up count. Retry
down count is a value that determines how many red status health checks (server is unavailable) in a row
must be collected by the Grid member from the DTC server to switch the health status from green to red.
For example, for a Grid member whose connection to the DTC server is not stable and has its Retry Down
Count set as 5, if the health check results received by the Grid member is in the sequence: green, red,
red, red, green, then the health status of the DTC server will be retained as green.
Note that red health status is set when the health monitor reaches the timeout value that is [health
check interval + timeout] seconds without a valid response.
• Comment: Enter information about the HTTP monitor.
• Port: For HTTP, the appliance displays port number 80 by default. If you select Use HTTPS, the appliance
displays 443 by default.
• Use HTTPS: Select the checkbox to enable HTTPS. Specify any of the following options that become
available when you select to use HTTPS:
• Client Certificate: Optionally, you can select a certificate to use while opening the SSL connection
for HTTPS. The monitor does not inspect or validate the server certificate, if any. For information
about how to upload certificates, see Managing Health Monitor Certificates.

Rev. D
• Ciphers: Specify a list of SSL ciphers in an OpenSSL format. You can specify cipher texts up to
1024 characters. The client certificate and cipher list are only used for HTTPS transport. The
following example commands list some available ciphers:
Example 1:
$ openssl ciphers 'HIGH:!DES'
DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA:DHE-DSS-AES256-SHA:DHE-RSA-CAMELLIA256-SHA:
DHE-DSS-CAMELLIA256-SHA:ADH-AES256-SHA:ADH-CAMELLIA256-SHA:AES256-SHA: CAMELLIA256-SHA:PSK-AES256-
CBC-SHA:EDH-RSA-DES-CBC3-SHA:
EDH-DSS-DES-CBC3-SHA:ADH-DES-CBC3-SHA:DES-CBC3-SHA:DES-CBC3-MD5:
PSK-3DES-EDE-CBC-SHA:KRB5-DES-CBC3-SHA:KRB5-DES-CBC3-MD5:DHE-RSA-AES128-SHA: DHE-DSS-AES128-
SHA:DHE-RSA-CAMELLIA128-SHA:DHE-DSS-CAMELLIA128-SHA:
ADH-AES128-SHA:ADH-CAMELLIA128-SHA:AES128-SHA:CAMELLIA128-SHA: PSK-AES128-CBC-SHA
Example 2:
$ openssl ciphers 'DEFAULT:!EDH+aRSA'
DHE-DSS-AES256-SHA:DHE-DSS-CAMELLIA256-SHA:AES256-SHA:CAMELLIA256-SHA:
PSK-AES256-CBC-SHA:EDH-DSS-DES-CBC3-SHA:DES-CBC3-SHA:PSK-3DES-EDE-CBC-SHA: KRB5-DES-CBC3-SHA:KRB5-
DES-CBC3-MD5:DHE-DSS-AES128-SHA:DHE-DSS-SEED-SHA: DHE-DSS-CAMELLIA128-SHA:AES128-SHA:SEED-
SHA:CAMELLIA128-SHA:
PSK-AES128-CBC-SHA:RC4-SHA:RC4-MD5:PSK-RC4-SHA:KRB5-RC4-SHA:KRB5-RC4-MD5: EDH-DSS-DES-CBC-SHA:DES-
CBC-SHA:KRB5-DES-CBC-SHA:KRB5-DES-CBC-MD5:
EXP-EDH-DSS-DES-CBC-SHA:EXP-DES-CBC-SHA:EXP-RC2-CBC-MD5:EXP-KRB5-RC2-CBC-SHA: EXP-KRB5-DES-CBC-
SHA:EXP-KRB5-RC2-CBC-MD5:EXP-KRB5-DES-CBC-MD5:EXP-RC4-MD5: EXP-KRB5-RC4-SHA:EXP-KRB5-RC4-MD5
 Note
The DHE cipher list family ("Diffie-Hellman key agreement" plus "RSA authentication") could consume
excessive CPU and is excluded from the defaults used by DNS Traffic Control health monitors. Although you
can enable these ciphers by explicitly configuring them in the cipher list for HTTPS and SIP monitors, you
should be aware that doing so will increase CPU usage. Since health monitoring in general does not require
high security, Infoblox recommends that you enable these ciphers only for target servers that do not accept
other types of ciphers.
• Enable Certificate Validation: It is highly recommended to select this for the DTC server certificate to be
validated by NIOS.
• Enable SNI (Server Name Indication): Specify if you want to use SNI for the health monitor to
connect to a specific DTC server by hostname. In addition, you should indicate an alternate SNI
hostname in the DTC server editor.
• HTTP Request: Specify the HTTP request to send the query from the client to the server. The appliance
displays GET/ by default. You can specify an HTTP request up to 1024 characters. For more information,
see Editing HTTP Request for HTTP Health Monitor.
• Response Code Check: Specify in which case the response code from the server is valid:
• Select Any response code is valid, if any response code from the server is required.
• Select A valid response code, select equals or does not equal, and then specify a value. The
• Response Content Check: Specify an option for checking the server response content:
• Select Do not check the response content to not perform any content check.
• Select Search for a string in the response content to search for a string in the response content.
Then do the following:

Rev. D
1. In the Search in drop-down list, choose where to perform the search for a string: in Both
the header or body, Body, or Headers of the HTTP request. The search is limited to the
first five kilobytes of the response.
2. In the Regular Expression field, specify a regular expression that will be used to search for
a string in the response content.
3. In the drop-down list The content is valid if the regular expression is, select either found or
not found. If you select found, the content is valid if it corresponds to the regular
expression you specify. If you select not found, the content is valid if it does not correspond
to the regular expression you specify.
• Select Extract content from the response and compare it to a value to extract a certain part of the
content and compare it to a specific string or integer value. Then do the following:
1. In the Search in drop-down list, choose where to perform the search for a string: in Both
the header or body, Body, or Headers of the HTTP request. Note that the search is limited
to the first five kilobytes.
2. In the Regular Expression field, specify a regular expression for content extraction. The
regular expression can contain subexpressions that you may specify in the next step. If
you set 1st as the value for Check content that is extracted using the <...> subexpression,
the format of the Regular Expression must be expression(sub_expression1). The
number of subexpressions must be same as or can be more than the value you specify for
Check content that is extracted using the <...> subexpression. For example, the format
must be expression(sub_expression1)(sub_expression2)when the Check content
that is extracted using the <...> subexpression is set to 2nd, which means that there must
be at least two subexpressions.
3. Select Check all extracted content to or select Check content that is extracted using the
<...> subexpression and choose a number of the subexpression from the drop-down list.
You can choose from the first to the eighth subexpression previously defined in the
Regular Expression field.
4. In the field The extracted content is valid if it is a, select the expected data type of the
extracted content, string or integer, and select a comparison operator. Then specify a value
in the text field.
6. Click Next to add extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
7. To schedule the change, click Next or ScheduleforLater. In the ScheduleChange panel, click Now to immediately
execute this task. Or, click Later to schedule this task, and then specify a date, time, and time zone.
Editing HTTP Request for HTTP Health Monitor

You can specify a multi-line message and include HTTP headers in the request by using the HTTP Request field in the
HTTP health monitor properties. The header lines of an HTTP request have the simple name: value syntax. The request
headers are used to pass cookies, authentication, and provide information about the client to the server, etc.
The HTTP 1.1 contains a request line and a single host header:
Example 1:
GET / HTTP/1.1
Host: www.yoursite.com
Connection: close
Example 2:
GET /index.html HTTP/1.1
Host: www.example.com
Note that the lines are terminated with two chars

\r\n. The whole request terminates with an empty line "\r\n\r\n" character sequence. NIOS adds \r\n\r\n string if it
is absent. You can request GET / instead of "GET/index.html".
The host header differentiates between several HTTP servers that are running on a single IP address on the same port.

Rev. D
In HTTP 1.1, the server keeps the connection alive by default after the response is sent. You can disable the connection
by adding a Connection: close header line to the request.
An HTTP 1.0 request may consist of a single line followed by the automatically added \r\n\r\n:
GET /index.html HTTP/1.0
Or in the most simple form:

GET / HTTP/1.0
The server closes the connection after the response has been sent. You can use Connection: Keep-Alive header to
alter this behavior. The Content-Length header is important to determine the end of the response for keep-alive
connections.
Apart from HTTP 1.0/1.1, NIOS also supports a request format known as HTTP 0.9:
GET /index.html
or
GET /
Normally, the response header consists of a response line, such as HTTP/1.1 200 OK or HTTP/1.0 400 Bad Request,
followed by a couple of header lines, and then by an empty line which signals the end of the response header. With
HTTP 0.9, the response immediately starts with the content of the requested file, which means that there is no HTTP
return code for an HTTP 0.9 request.
Testing HTTP Health Monitors
After the HTTP health monitor is configured, you can test the configuration for a specific DTC server. Note that if you
make changes to the HTTP health monitor settings, you must save the configuration so you can run the test.
To test the HTTP health monitor, do the following:
2. In the Health Monitors Manager, click the Action icon next to the HTTP health monitor name and select Edit.
3. Select the Request/Response tab.
4. Click Test HTTP Health Monitor.
5. In the field Select a DTC Server or enter the IP address or domain name of an HTTP server, do one of the
following to specify the server to test:
• Click Select to select an existing DTC server.
• Enter the IP address or host name of an HTTP server. The IP address can be IPv4 or IPv6.
6. In the field Select a Grid member that is running DTC, select a DTC server on which the test will be run.
If there is only one DTC server with the DTC license, it is selected by default. If there are several DTC servers
with the license, the Grid Master is selected by default. If there is no Grid Master with the DTC license and there
are several member servers with the license, click Select and choose a server.
7. Click Test.
8. In the result of the test, the following information is returned:
• Test status
• Status message
Configuring ICMP Health Monitors

An ICMP monitor sends an ICMP or ICMPv6 echo request to the IP address of the target server and expects an ICMP/
ICMPv6 echo response. The ICMP monitor determines the health of a server by monitoring the response to an ICMP
ping.
2. In the Health Monitors Manager, click the arrow next to the Add icon and select ICMP Health Monitor.

Rev. D
3. In the ICMP Health Monitor Wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the ICMP health monitor.
• Interval (seconds): Enter the interval value in seconds. The health monitor runs only for the specified
interval and it is measured from the end of the previous monitor cycle. The default value is five.
For example, If the DTC server has had a red status for a long time because all the ICMP health checks
have failed, and when the Grid receives the first good ICMP health check result, the health check counter
seconds).
• Comment: Enter information about the ICMP health monitor.
5. To schedule the change, click Next or Schedule for Later. In the Schedule Change panel, select Now to
immediately execute this task. Or select Later to schedule this task, and then specify a date, time, and time zone.
Configuring PDP Health Monitors

A PDP (Packet Data Protocol) monitor sends a standard GTP ECHO request to the server. The GTP (GPRS Tunneling
Protocol) echo message is used to ping the server. The connection is successful when the monitor receives an ECHO
response from the server. If the server does not respond after a specified number of echo requests, the server is
declared down by the monitor. You cannot modify the request or response.
2. In the Health Monitors Manager, click the arrow next to the Add icon and select PDP Health Monitor.
3. In the PDP Health Monitor Wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the PDP health monitor.

Rev. D
For example, If the DTC server has had a red status for a long time because all the PDP health checks
have failed, and when the Grid receives the first good PDP health check result, the health check counter
seconds).
• RetryDownCount: Enter a retry down count integer value. It is the opposite of the retry up count. Retry
• Port: Specify a port for PDP connection. The appliance displays 2123 by default. You can specify a value
between zero and 65535.
• Comment: Enter information about the PDP health monitor.
4. Click Next to add extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.To schedule the change,
click Next or Schedule for Later. In the Schedule Change panel, select Now to immediately execute this task. Or
select Later to schedule this task, and then specify a date, time, and time zone.
Configuring SIP Health Monitors

A SIP monitor sends a standard SIP OPTIONS request to the server. You cannot modify this request. The monitor accepts
only direct responses from the server and does not open alternate connections. The SIP monitor determines the health of
the SIP server such as SIP proxies and session border controllers, and SIP gateways by issuing SIP OPTIONS to the
server and examining the response provided by the server. The service is considered available if the response received
from the server matches the expected response.
The SIP monitor does not support SCTP transport. It does not receive SIP connections. Responses are normally
received over the same connection as the request was sent. The server does not attempt to open a new connection to
send the response when it encounters an error message.
2. In the Health Monitors Manager, click the arrow next to the Add icon and select SIP Health Monitor.
3. In the SIP Health Monitor Wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the SIP health monitor.
For example, If the DTC server has had a red status for a long time because all the SIP health checks
have failed, and when the Grid receives the first good SIP health check result, the health check counter is
set as 1; however, the status of the DTC server is still retained as red. If you specify the Retry Up

Rev. D
seconds).
• Comment: Enter information about the SIP health monitor.
When the DTC server is up, health checks are sent from the Infoblox member every number of seconds
specified in the Interval field. When the DTC server is down, health checks are sent every number of
seconds specified in the Interval field + the Timeout field.
• Expected Return Code: The response code expected from the server. Select a value from the drop-down
list: any, equals, and does not equals. When you select equals or does not equals, the appliance displays
200 by default. You can specify a value between zero and 999.
• Port: Specify a port for SIP connection. The appliance displays 5060 for TCP and UDP transport by
default. When you select SIPS and TLS transport options, the appliance displays 5061 by default. You
can specify a value between zero and 65535.
• Transport: Select a transport option from the drop-down list: SIPS, TCP, TLS, and UDP. If you select
SIPS or TLS, specify any of the following related options that become available
• Client Certificate: Click Certificate to select a client certificate. Select a certificate from the dialog
box. Click Clear to delete the certificate that you have uploaded. The monitor does not inspect or
validate the server certificate, if any. For information about how to upload certificates, see
Managing Health Monitor Certificates.
• Ciphers: Specify a list of SSL ciphers in an OpenSSL format. You can specify text up to 1024
character.
The following example commands list some available ciphers:
Example 1:
$ openssl ciphers 'HIGH:!DES'
DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA:DHE-DSS-AES256-SHA:DHE-RSA-CAMELLIA256-SHA:
DHE-DSS-CAMELLIA256-SHA:ADH-AES256-SHA:ADH-CAMELLIA256-SHA:AES256-SHA: CAMELLIA256-SHA:PSK-AES256-
CBC-SHA:EDH-RSA-DES-CBC3-SHA:
EDH-DSS-DES-CBC3-SHA:ADH-DES-CBC3-SHA:DES-CBC3-SHA:DES-CBC3-MD5:
PSK-3DES-EDE-CBC-SHA:KRB5-DES-CBC3-SHA:KRB5-DES-CBC3-MD5:DHE-RSA-AES128-SHA: DHE-DSS-AES128-
SHA:DHE-RSA-CAMELLIA128-SHA:DHE-DSS-CAMELLIA128-SHA:
ADH-AES128-SHA:ADH-CAMELLIA128-SHA:AES128-SHA:CAMELLIA128-SHA: PSK-AES128-CBC-SHA
Example 2:
$ openssl ciphers 'DEFAULT:!EDH+aRSA'
DHE-DSS-AES256-SHA:DHE-DSS-CAMELLIA256-SHA:AES256-SHA:CAMELLIA256-SHA:
PSK-AES256-CBC-SHA:EDH-DSS-DES-CBC3-SHA:DES-CBC3-SHA:PSK-3DES-EDE-CBC-SHA: KRB5-DES-CBC3-SHA:KRB5-
DES-CBC3-MD5:DHE-DSS-AES128-SHA:DHE-DSS-SEED-SHA: DHE-DSS-CAMELLIA128-SHA:AES128-SHA:SEED-
SHA:CAMELLIA128-SHA:
PSK-AES128-CBC-SHA:RC4-SHA:RC4-MD5:PSK-RC4-SHA:KRB5-RC4-SHA:KRB5-RC4-MD5: EDH-DSS-DES-CBC-SHA:DES-
CBC-SHA:KRB5-DES-CBC-SHA:KRB5-DES-CBC-MD5:
EXP-EDH-DSS-DES-CBC-SHA:EXP-DES-CBC-SHA:EXP-RC2-CBC-MD5:EXP-KRB5-RC2-CBC-SHA: EXP-KRB5-DES-CBC-
SHA:EXP-KRB5-RC2-CBC-MD5:EXP-KRB5-DES-CBC-MD5:EXP-RC4-MD5: EXP-KRB5-RC4-SHA:EXP-KRB5-RC4-MD5

Rev. D
 Note
The DHE cipher list family ("Diffie-Hellman key agreement" plus "RSA authentication") could consume
excessive CPU and is excluded from the defaults used by DNS Traffic Control health monitors. Although you
can enable these ciphers by explicitly configuring them in the cipher list for HTTPS and SIP monitors, you
should be aware that doing so will increase CPU usage. Since health monitoring in general does not require
high security, Infoblox recommends that you enable these ciphers only for target servers that do not accept
other types of ciphers.
• Enable Certificate Validation: It is highly recommended to select this for the DTC server certificate to be
validated by NIOS.
Configuring SNMP Health Monitors

An SNMP health monitor sends an SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, or SNMPv3 request to the monitored server. The SNMP agent in
the managed server provides the data in the form of variables, and each variable is associated with an unique OID
(object identifier). An OID is a dotted-decimal number that defines the location of the object in the universal MIB tree. You
can manually enter up to 15 OIDs to be monitored by the SNMP monitor. The server is considered available if the
response received from the server matches the expected result for all OIDs. If the server does not respond after a
specified number of requests, the server is declared down by the monitor.
To configure an SNMP OID health monitor, complete the following:
2. In the Health Monitors Manager, click the arrow next to the Add icon and select SNMP Health Monitor.
3. In the SNMP Health Monitor Wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the SNMP monitor.
you specify, then the appliance considers this check failed. The monitor discards any responses it
For example, If the DTC server has had a red status for a long time because all the SNMP health checks
have failed, and when the Grid receives the first good SNMP health check result, the health check counter
seconds).

Rev. D
• Port: Specify a port for the SNMP connection. The appliance displays 161 by default. You can specify a
value between zero and 65535.
• Comment: Enter information about the SNMP health monitor.
• Version: Select the SNMP version, v1, v2c, or v3. Note that the available options for versions v1 and v2c
differ from those for v3 version.
• (SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c only) Community: Enter the text string that the SNMP monitor must send along
with the queries to the server for authentication. The community string is similar to a password and the
server accepts queries only from the SNMP monitor that provide the correct community string. Note that
this community string must match exactly what you enter in the management system. The default value is
public.
• (SNMPv3 only) SNMPv3User: Click Select or Create to specify an SNMPv3 user. For information about
SNMPv3 users, see Configuring SNMPv3 Users.
If you are modifying an already existing SNMPv3 health monitor in the SNMP Health Monitor editor, two
additional optional fields become available:
• Context: enter an arbitrary string.
• EngineID: enter an arbitrary string that can contain from 10 to 64 hexadecimal digits (5 to 32 octet
numbers).
Click the Add icon above the Health Monitor SNMP OIDs table to add an SNMP OID entry. Complete the
following:
• OID: Specify the object identifier. An OID is a unique dotted-decimal number that identifies the location of
the object in the MIB tree. For more information about OIDs, see SNMP MIB Hierarchy.
• Type: Select either String or Integer from the drop-down list.
Note: If you use this SNMP monitor with the Ratio: Dynamic load balancing method, note that only
integer OID type is supported for this method.
• Operator: Select one of these operators from the drop-down list: Any, Equals, Larger or equals, Range,
and Smaller or equals.
• Value: If the operator is Equals, Larger or equals, or Smaller or equals, enter a value. If the operator is
Range, enter the minimum and maximum values in the Min value and Max value fields respectively.
• Comment: Enter information about the SNMP OID entry.
• Click Add to add the SNMP OID to the table.
Configuring TCP Health Monitors

A TCP monitor opens a TCP connection to communicate between the appliance and server. The connection is successful
only when the handshake is complete. A successfully opened connection will be immediately closed or reset.
2. In the Health Monitors Manager, click the arrow next to the Add icon and select TCP Health Monitor.
3. In the TCP Health Monitor Wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name for the TCP health monitor.

Rev. D
For example, If the DTC server has had a red status for a long time because all the TCP health checks
have failed, and when the Grid receives the first good TCP health check result, the health check counter
seconds).
• Port: Specify a port for TCP connection. You can specify a value between zero and 65535.
• Comment: Enter information about the TCP health monitor.
Managing Health Monitor Certificates

You can upload multiple certificates to the appliance and associate them with HTTP and SIP health monitors. The
appliance supports certificates that are in PEM or PKCS#12 format only. A PEM file can contain more than one
certificate. Note that the uploaded certificate must include both the client certificate and the private key. You can add,
delete or view certificates.
To upload a health monitor certificate:
2. In the Health Monitors Manager, click the Manage Health Monitor Certificates icon.
3. In the Health Monitor Certificates window, click the Add icon.
4. In the Upload window, click Select and navigate to the certificate you want to upload.
5. Select the file and click Upload.
Grid Manager displays the following information in the Health Monitor Certificates window:
• Valid To: The date until which the certificate is valid.
To upload a certificate from a web browser:
1. Export a PEM file from a web browser.
2. Generate a private key using the following command:
— openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:1024 -keyout mycert.pem -out mycert.pem
3. Copy the private key section out of mycert.pem and add it to the PEM file from the web browser.
4. Or add both the PEM and the private key together as PKCS#12.
You can also do the following in the Health Monitor Certificates window:
• Click the checkbox next to the issuer and click the Delete icon to delete it.

Rev. D
Modifying Health Monitors

To modify a health monitor:
2. In the Health Monitors Manager, click the Action icon next to the health monitor name, and select Edit from the
menu.
3. The Health Monitor editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: This tab displays the health monitor Name, Comment, Interval, Timeout, Retry Up Count, and
Retry Down Count fields. You can edit the values.
• (HTTP, SIP, and SNMP health monitors) Protocol: This tab displays the protocol data that you can modify.
• (HTTP/S health monitors only) Request/Response: This tab displays HTTP request and response check
options for HTTP/S health monitors.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with the pool. You can also
modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
For information about modifying the details of specific monitors, see the corresponding sections above.
4. To schedule this task, click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard. In the Schedule Change panel, select
Later and enter a date, time, and time zone. The Schedule icon is green when there is a pending scheduled task.
For information, see Scheduling Tasks.
Viewing Health Monitors

You can view health monitors that you have created. You can add new health monitors, delete existing monitors, modify
health monitors, or associate extensible attributes to them. You can also upload and manage health monitor certificates.
To view health monitors:
2. The Health Monitors Manager displays the following information:
• Name: The name of the health monitor.
• Type: The type of health monitor.
• Comment: Displays information about the health monitor.
• Interval: The interval value in seconds.
• Timeout: The timeout value in seconds.
• Retry Up Count: The retry up count specified for the respective health monitor.
• Retry Down Count: The retry down count specified for the respective health monitor.
• Port: The port number specified for the respective health monitor. Note that this is not valid for an ICMP
monitor.
• Site: Value that was entered for the respective health monitor.
You can do the following in the Health Monitors Manager:
• Define new health monitors. For more information, see the following sections:
• Configuring HTTP Health Monitors
• Configuring ICMP Health Monitors
• Configuring PDP Health Monitors
• Configuring SIP Health Monitors
• Configuring SNMP Health Monitors
• Configuring TCP Health Monitors
• Edit existing health monitors. For more information, see Modifying Health Monitors.
• Manage health monitor certificates. For more information, see Managing Health Monitor Certificates.
• Delete existing health monitors. For more information, see Deleting Health Monitors.
• Click the Export icon to export the list of monitors to a .csv file.
• Click the Print icon to print the list of monitors.

Rev. D
first few characters of an object name in the Go to field and select the monitor from the possible matches. Create
a quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria. For information, see Using Quick Filters.
Deleting Health Monitors

To delete a health monitor:
2. In the Health Monitors Manager, click the Action icon next to the health monitor name and select Delete from the
menu.
3. In the Delete Confirmation dialog box, click Yes to delete or No to cancel.
Click Schedule Deletion and in the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone to schedule deletion
at a later date and time. For more information, see Scheduling Deletions.
Managing DNS Traffic Control Objects

You can configure multiple DNS Traffic Control servers, pools, or LBDNs on a NIOS appliance. For information on how to
configure and manage the DNS Traffic Control Objects, see:
Sections covered in the topic are:
• Viewing DNS Traffic Control Objects

• Deleting DNS Traffic Control Objects
• Enabling or Disabling Traffic Control Objects
• Disabling Traffic Control Objects
• Enabling Traffic Control Objects
• Limitations and Warnings for Auto Consolidated Monitors
• DNS Traffic Control LBDN
• DNS Traffic Control Servers
Viewing DNS Traffic Control Objects

Grid Manager lists all DNS Traffic Control objects in the Traffic Control tab. You can view the objects that you have
configured in the Grid from: Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab.
Based on the selected columns, Grid Manager displays the following information for each DNS Traffic Control object:
• Name: The name of the object.
• Status: Displays information about the last update, connection status, load balancer methods, and servers and
pools. Hover your mouse over the status value to view full information in a tooltip. For more information about the
possible statuses, see Understanding DTC Object Status.
• IPv4 Address: The IPv4 address of the object, if applicable.
• IPv6 Address: The IPv6 address of the object, if applicable.
• Disabled: Yes or No. Indicates whether the DNS Traffic Control object is disabled.
• Comment: Displays any comments that were entered for the object.
• Last Status Update: Displays the timestamp of the last status update.
• Load Balancing Method: Displays the load balancing methods defined for the object.
• Topology Ruleset: Displays the topology ruleset defined for the object if it uses the Topology load balancing
method.
• Extensible attributes, if configured:
• Site: Displays any values that were entered for the Site pre-defined attribute.
• IB Discovery Owned: Displays any values that were entered for the IB Discovery Owned pre-defined

Rev. D
• Building: Displays any values that were entered for the Building pre-defined attribute.
• Country: Displays any values that were entered for the Country pre-defined attribute.
• Region: Displays any values that were entered for the Region pre-defined attribute.
• State: Displays any values that were entered for the State pre-defined attribute.
• VLAN: Displays any values that were entered for the VLAN pre-defined attribute.
 Note
You can perform inline editing in the Name, Comment, and Site columns by double-clicking the required line in
the table and providing the value in the corresponding column.
You can perform the following in the Traffic Control tab:

• Select the checkbox to view specific objects only:
• LBDN: Select the checkbox to view LBDN objects only. For more information, see Configuring DNS Traffic
Control LBDNs.
• Pool: Select the checkbox to view pools only. For more information, see Configuring DNS Traffic Control
Pools.
• Server: Select the checkbox to view servers only. For more information, see Configuring DNS Traffic
Control Servers.
• Change the set of columns displayed in the DTC objects table and change their width. For more information, see
Customizing Tables.
• Click the Add icon to add an object.
• Select an object and click the Edit icon to edit the configuration. You can also click the Action icon of the
object and select Edit from the menu.
• Select an object and click the Delete icon to delete it. You can also click the Action icon of the object and select
Delete from the menu. For more information, see the Deleting DNS Traffic Control Objects section.
• Click a DTC server name to open the list of DTC records associated with the server. For more information, see
Managing DTC Server Records.
• Click the Export icon to export the list of objects to a .csv file.
• Click the Print icon to print the list of objects.
• Add or delete extensible attributes for a DTC object by selecting the object in the table and clicking Extensible
Attributes in the Toolbar. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
• Test a selected LBDN by clicking Test LBDN in the Toolbar. For more information, see Testing DNS Traffic Control
LBDNs.
• Enable/disable one or more selected traffic control objects. For more information, see the Enabling or
Disabling Traffic Control Objects section.
• View a visualization of the traffic control structure for an object by selecting the object in the table. The
visualization is displayed by default. To hide the visualization, click Hide Visualization in the Toolbar. For more
information, see Visualization for DNS Traffic Control Objects.
• Use the IDN Converter from the Toolbar to convert IDNs into punycodes. For more information, see Decoding
IDNs and Encoding Punycode.
 Note
The Grid Master Candidate provides the health status of DNS Traffic Control objects such as servers,
pools, and LBDNs through WAPI requests.
Deleting DNS Traffic Control Objects

You can delete DNS Traffic Control objects, such as servers, pools, or LBDNs. When you delete an LBDN, the appliance
automatically dissociates it from the zones. To delete an LBDN, you must either have write permission on the LBDN
record or the LBDN. For more information, see License Requirements and Admin Permissions.

Rev. D
You cannot delete a DNS Traffic Control pool when it is in use. To delete a pool, you must first delete it from the
associated LBDNs. You cannot delete a DNS Traffic Control server when it is in use. You must first remove it from every
pool and topology ruleset before deleting the server.
To delete an object:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab, click the Action icon of the object name
and select Delete from the menu or select an object and click the Delete icon.
2. In the Delete Confirmation dialog box, click Yes to delete the object or No to cancel the operation.
The Delete Confirmation dialog box displays information about associated objects and warns if the object cannot be
deleted due to the associations.
To schedule an object deletion, click the Action icon of the object and select Delete -> Schedule Delete. Alternatively, you
can select the object in the Traffic Control panel and then select the Delete icon -> Schedule Delete. In the Schedule
Deletion panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Deletions.
 Note
If you remove a name server associated with a zone that comprises LBDN records and if the name server is
configured as part of a consolidated monitor list, ensure that you remove the name server from the
consolidated health monitor list in the DTC pool. For more information about health monitors, see Using DNS
Traffic Control Health Monitors and Configuring DTC Monitors for Health Check.
Enabling or Disabling Traffic Control Objects

You can enable or disable a single or multiple DNS Traffic Control objects for a selected Grid member.
The Grid-level status of DNS Traffic Control objects can be viewed on the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Traffic
Control tab and the member-level status in the visualization panel. For more information, see Visualization for DNS
Traffic Control Objects and Understanding DTC Object Status. You will not be able to view the disabled configuration of
an object in Grid Manager.
Disabling Traffic Control Objects

To disable a traffic control object:
 Note
Ensure that at least one health monitor is configured in a pool or a server object before you attempt to disable
that DTC object.
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab.
2. In the Traffic Control panel, select the object that you want to disable.
3. Click the arrow beside the Enable/Disable icon or click the Action icon of the selected object, and select Disable.
4. Complete the following steps in the Disable Traffic Management Objects dialog:
• Disable health monitoring: Select it if you want to disable the health monitoring when the selected DTC
object is disabled.
• Disable options: Select one of the following options:
• Disable until objects are enabled manually: Select it to keep the object disabled until you enable
the object manually.
• Disable until DNS service restarts: Select it to keep the object disabled until the DNS service is
restarted.
• Disable for specified time (seconds): Select it and specify a time interval in seconds until when the
object must remain disabled. The object is enabled automatically after the specified interval
elapses.
• Disable after (seconds): Select it and specify a time interval in seconds after which the object is disabled
automatically.

Rev. D
• In the DTC grid members section, select the Grid members on which the selected object must be
disabled:
i. Click a member in the Enabled on box to select it.
ii. Click the right arrow to move the member to the To disable on box.
Consider the following points when you have disabled DNS Traffic Control objects in a Grid:
• When you restore a Grid that had a DNS Traffic Control object disabled with the Disable until DNS restarts option,
the object gets enabled as the restore operation causes all services including the DNS service to restart. You
must disable the object once again.
• If you need to override or modify the configuration used to disable a DTC object, you must either wait until the
object is enabled based on the setting you have defined, or manually enable the object.
• Disabling DNS Traffic Control objects does not impact the DTC backup or restore operation. A restore operation
enables all objects in a Grid leaving them in Running state.
• When a Dig request is running, if you force restart the DNS service, the disabled DTC objects continue to send
responses until all objects that were in the disabled state are reinstated to the disabled state after the restart. The
time taken to reinstate the objects varies depending on the count of the disabled objects.
• When you modify the name server association of zones configured for an LBDN object, and then restart the DNS
service, the DTC object disable settings (manual fail back events) configured for members associated with the
LBDN, its pool, or server objects prior to the zone’s name server modification, becomes stale, and the stale data
is cleared at regular intervals.
Enabling Traffic Control Objects

In a DNS Traffic Control setup, you must have at least one server object enabled in a pool and at least one pool object
enabled in an LBDN.
To enable a traffic control object:
2. In the Traffic Control panel, select the object that you want to enable.
3. Click the arrow beside the Enable/Disable icon, or click the Action icon of the selected object, and select Enable.
4. In the Enable Traffic Management Objects dialog, select the Grid members on which the object must be enabled:
a. In the DTC grid members section, click a member in the Disabled on box to select it.
b. Click the right arrow to move the member to the To enable on box.
 Note
• To enable a disabled DNS Traffic Control server object, its pool must be enabled. If not, the status of the
server object will remain disabled.
• In NIOS version 8.6.2 and later, to enable an object that was disabled in a prior version of NIOS, do not
use the Enable option. Instead, complete the following steps:
a. On the Traffic Control tab, click the Action icon of the disabled object and select Edit.
b. In the editor, on the General tab, clear the selection in the Disabled checkbox.
c. Click Save & Close.
Limitations and Warnings for Auto Consolidated Monitors

You can view the limitations and warnings of Auto Consolidated Monitors for the DNS Traffic Control, server, and LBDN
objects listed in this section.

Rev. D
DNS Traffic Control
• The Auto Consolidated Monitors option uses DNS Traffic Control consolidated monitors that cannot share results
of health monitors specified on DNS Traffic Control servers (server monitors). Therefore, DNS Traffic Control
objects may have some differences in health statuses per Grid members when the Auto Consolidated Monitors
option is enabled.
• If you disable the Auto Consolidated Monitors option for a DNS Traffic Control pool that is linked to an LBDN that
has Auto Consolidated Monitors enabled, an error message is displayed. You cannot disable the Auto
Consolidated Monitors option when this option is enabled in the linked LBDN.
• You cannot make any changes to the DNS Traffic Control consolidated monitors settings if the Auto Consolidated
Monitors option is enabled.
 Warning
• If you enable the Auto Consolidated Monitors option on the DNS Traffic Control pool, all existing DNS
Traffic Control consolidated monitors are deleted.
• When there are no health monitors on the DNS Traffic Control pool and you enable the Auto
Consolidated Monitors option, a warning message asking you to manually add health monitors to the
DNS Traffic Control pool is displayed.
DNS Traffic Control LBDN

• Since the Auto Consolidated Monitors option uses DNS Traffic Control Consolidated Monitors which cannot share
results of health monitors specified on DNS Traffic Control Servers (server monitors), DNS Traffic Control objects
may have some differences in health statuses per Grid members even when the Auto Consolidated
Monitors option is enabled.
 Warning
• If you enable Auto Consolidated Monitors on the LBDN, all the existing DNS Traffic Control
Consolidated Monitors on all linked DNS Traffic Control Pools are deleted.
• When Auto Consolidated Monitors is enabled on LBDN, all linked DNS Traffic Control Pools also have
this option automatically enabled.
• When there are no health monitors assigned on the linked DNS Traffic Control Pool(s), and you enable
Auto Consolidated Monitor on the LBDN, the warning message asking to manually add health monitors
on DNS Traffic Control Pool is displayed.
DNS Traffic Control Servers
 Warning
When you add health monitors to a DNS Traffic Control server that is a part of the DNS Traffic Control
configuration with the source IP hash load balancing method selected and the Auto Consolidated Monitors
option enabled, a warning message is displayed that these changes can cause differences in resolving queries
among DNS Traffic Control Grid members for the same DNS request.
Managing DNS Traffic Control LBDNs

A DTC LBDN is a load balanced domain name object that is used by DNS Traffic Control to process DNS queries for load
balanced resources. You can define multiple LBDNs on the NIOS appliance and associate extensible attributes to them.
You can configure permissions for DTC LBDNs. For more information, see License Requirements and Admin
Permissions.

Rev. D
Configuring DNS Traffic Control LBDNs
You can configure a load balancing method for each LBDN. You can assign multiple pools and a single load balancing
method to an LBDN. You can associate or dissociate LBDNs with a zone. Note that zone transfers and incremental zone
transfers ignore LBDNs. When you configure or modify DTC LBDNs, a service restart is required in order for the new
configuration to take effect.
On the appliance, the DNS Traffic Control querying process generates A, AAAA, NAPTR, SRV or CNAME records for an
LBDN, called LBDN records. LBDN records are served by DNS Traffic Control servers. An LBDN record must be
associated with an authoritative zone. For more information about LBDN records, see Managing LBDN Records.
To configure an LBDN, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab, click the arrow next to the Add icon,
and select LBDN.
or
From the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones tab -> authoritative_zone -> Records tab, click the Add
icon, and select Record -> DTC LBDN.
2. In the DTCLBDN wizard, complete the following:
• Display Name: Enter a display name for the LBDN.
• Patterns: Click the Add icon to add an LBDN pattern. For more information, see Configuring LBDN
Patterns.
To delete an LBDN pattern, select the checkbox next to the pattern and click the Delete icon.
• Load Balancing Method: From the drop-down list, select the method you want to use for load balancing.
You can select one of the following: Global Availability, Source IP Hash, Ratio:Fixed, Round Robin, and
Topology. The default is Round Robin. For more information about the load balancing methods, see Load
Balancing Methods for DNS Traffic Control.
• Topology Ruleset: This is displayed only when you select the Topology load balancing method. In
the drop-down list, only the topology rulesets with the Pool destination type are displayed. Select a
topology ruleset for the Topology load balancing method. For more information, see Defining
Topology Rulesets.
• Persistence: Select this checkbox and enter a value greater than zero seconds to enable persistence for
the LBDN. You can specify a period between one second to 2 hours. Even if the DNS restart takes longer
than the value specified in the Persistence field, the DNS server directs the request to the same server. If
you specify zero, the appliance does not cache the requests. When you enable persistence for an LBDN,
the appliance stores the results for specific LBDN responses in the DNS Traffic Control cache. When a
request originates from the respective FQDN or an IP address within the specified period, the DNS server
directs the request to the same server.
 Note
When the persistence is enabled, cached results are not guaranteed to persist for the configured
duration. The maximum size of the persistence cache is limited globally by the platform. When
the limit exceeds the maximum size, the oldest results are deleted. The appliance might discard
persistence results if the relevant configuration changes. HA DTC cache replication works on
both active and passive nodes and during an HA failover, the DTC cache is replicated from the
active node to the passive node.
DTC cache replication in HA mode is supported only for IPv4 communications.
• Priority: Select a priority value, 1 (High), 2 (Normal), or 3 (Low). The priority value is used when there are
LBDNs that have patterns matching the same FQDN and that are assigned to the same zone. In this
case, the matching LBDN with the highest priority is used. For example, an LBDN with "*.foo.com" and an
LBDN with "www.*.com" patterns can be linked to the same zone "foo.com" if the LBDN with the
"*.foo.com" pattern has priority 1 and the LBDN with the "www.*.com" pattern has priority 2 or 3. If there
are no matches, the default LBDN is used.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the LBDN object.
• Auto Consolidated Monitors: Select this option to enable auto managing DNS Traffic Control Consolidated
Monitors on DNS Traffic Control Pools linked to the LBDN. This option will lock all the DNS Traffic Control

Rev. D
Consolidated Monitor settings on affected DNS Traffic Control Pools, and creates a DNS Traffic Control
Consolidated Monitor for each health monitor with the following settings:
• Availability - ALL
• Full health communication - Yes
• Listen To members - all DNS Traffic Control members that serve particular LBDN.
The Auto Consolidated Monitor option also helps to synchronize the health statuses of DNS Traffic
Control objects in the LBDN for each DNS Traffic Control Grid member, which means if one Grid
member considers that the DNS Traffic Control Server is RED, this server will be RED for each Grid
member performing the health check.
For information on Limitations and Warnings of the Auto Consolidated Monitors Option, see Limitations
for DNS Traffic Control LBDN.
• Disabled: Select this to disable the LBDN.
• Return these record types for the associated zones: Select any or all of the following LBDN record types:
A, AAAA, NAPTR, SRV, and CNAME. You must select at least one record type for the LBDN, otherwise
the LBDN is disabled. The patterns and the record types can overlap with another LBDN that is linked to
the same zone only if their priorities differ.
If you select the A or AAAA record type, the LBDN returns the corresponding record and/or a CNAME
record when the client queries for any record type and if the server selected by DNS Traffic Control has
the required data.
However, if the client queries for CNAME explicitly, ensure that you select the CNAME record type
checkbox for the CNAME records to be returned.
 Note
If you select the CNAME or NAPTR record type, the LBDN returns the CNAME or NAPTR
record respectively when the client queries for those records and if the server selected by DNS
Traffic Control has the required data. As the CNAME response must be unique, the CNAME
record type is unavailable for an LBDN if any pool in that LBDN uses the All Available load
balancing method.
Unlike other DNS Traffic Control record types, SRV record type has a name. If the QNAME
matches the pattern in LBDN and the QTYPE is enabled, a server is selected and all the records
of the QTYPE configured for the server are returned. DNS Traffic Control SRV name is not used
in name matching during DNS resolution in BIND.
To receive distinct responses, use separate LBDNs as well as separate servers for every
service/protocol/domain combination.
• Associated Zones: Click the Add icon to associate zones with the LBDN. Select a zone from the
ZoneSelector dialog box and click OK. The appliance displays the following information:
• Zones: The name of the selected zone.
• DNS View: The DNS view associated with the selected zone (if there is more than one DNS view).
The LBDN is active only when you associate zones with it. You can associate only authoritative forward-
mapping zones with the LBDN. The LBDN must contain at least one matching pattern for the zone. For
example, an LBDN with patterns "www.*.com" and "www.*.net" may be linked to a zone "foo.com". For
more information, see Managing LBDN Records.
• You can also associate LBDNs with DNSSEC signed zones. For more information, see Associating
LBDNs with DNSSEC Signed Zones.
4. Click Next and click the Add icon to associate pools with the LBDN. Select a pool from the DNS Traffic
Control Pool Selector dialog box and click OK. The appliance displays the following information:
• Name: The name of the selected pool.

Rev. D
• Ratio: The ratio of the associated server. You can edit this value.
• Comment: Displays information that you specified for the pool.
• Members: Displays the member associated with the pool.
• Order: Displays the order of the pools.
To dissociate a pool associated with an LBDN, select the checkbox next to the respective pool name and click the
Delete icon.
immediately execute this task. Or select Later to schedule this task, and then specify a date, time, and time zone
Configuring LBDN Patterns

An LBDN pattern is a domain name. You can define a pattern with multiple * and ? in any position of the domain name.
Note the following about * and ?:
• A sequence of *s has the same effect as a single *.
• A sequence of ?s will match exactly as many octets as there are ?s.
• A * terminates on label boundaries and will not match a label separator. For example, *.com matches foo.com but
not www.foo.com.
• A ? does not match a label separator.
• An empty LBDN pattern will match the root and it is automatically changed to "." when you save the LBDN.
• An LBDN pattern matches an FQDN if the entire FQDN matches.
• LBDN patterns may contain special characters. For example, a\032 b.com contains two adjacent spaces.
• LBDN patterns do not support IDN and they will not convert Unicode to punycode. You can enter punycode, but
note that the LBDN pattern matching does not support punycode.
 Note
There are many cases where the use of wildcards within LBDN patterns is advisable; however, Infoblox
recommends using wildcards with caution in the left-most position because it may lead to unexpected behavior
or responses. When in doubt, the most predictable behavior comes from using the target domain name as the
pattern when configuring the LBDN.
Managing LBDN Records

In order to manage an LBDN in an authoritative zone, you must enable the authoritative zone and associate it with the
LBDN. If an LBDN pattern matches a zone name, the records of type "DTC LBDN Record" are created in that zone as
proxies for the LBDN.
To view DTC LBDN records, complete the following:
• Select the Data Management tab -> DNS tab -> Zones tab -> authoritative_zone -> Records tab.
The record name is the zone-relative portion of the pattern, including wildcards. For example, when you link an LBDN
with patterns "www.*.com", "www.a*z.*.com", "*.com", "bar.*.net" to zone "foo.com", the appliance creates three LBDN
records with names "" (zone origin), "www", and "www.a*z" in the zone. These records will refer to their respective LBDN.
You cannot modify LBDN records. The appliance creates or deletes LBDN records based on the matched LBDN
patterns. When you delete an LBDN, the appliance automatically deletes linked zones associated with it and deletes all
LBDN records. You can edit the pattern that is associated with the respective LBDN record. For more information, see
Modifying DNS Traffic Control LBDNs.

Rev. D
Note that an LBDN record is a separate object from the LBDN and each of these have separate permissions. For more
information, see License Requirements and Admin Permissions.
 Note
SRV record type uses a name. If the QNAME matches the pattern and the QTYPE is enabled, then a server is
selected and ALL records of the QTYPE configured for the server are returned. For distinct responses use
separate LBDNs as well as separate servers for every service/protocol/domain combination. DTC SRV name is
not used in name matching during DNS resolution in BIND.
Associating LBDNs with DNSSEC Signed Zones

If a zone is DNSSEC signed, you can still associate an LBDN, but some restrictions apply. You can set either Signed or
Unsigned mode for the response from DNSSEC signed zones.
The following restrictions apply in the Signed mode:
• You cannot assign an LBDN to a zone or unassign an LBDN from a zone while signing, i.e. key rollover, is in
progress for that zone. For information about key rollovers, see About Key Rollovers.
• If an LBDN is assigned to a zone for which signing is in progress, then all changes to that LBDN and its
dependent configuration (including pools, servers, and topologies) are prohibited until signing completes. The
only thing you can do while signing is in progress is to assign an LBDN already assigned to a signed zone to
another unsigned zone.
• An LDBN assigned to a signed zone cannot use the All Available load balancing method or have a pattern with a
wildcard in the zone. Also, you cannot sign an unsigned zone with such an LBDN assigned.
In the Unsigned mode, unsigned responses in signed zones are returned.
For more information about how to set the Signed or Unsigned mode, see Configuring Grid DNS Traffic Control
Properties.
 Note
You cannot assign any signed zone during staged Grid upgrade if not all of the NIOS appliances have been
moved to a new software version. This restriction is working in both Signed and Unsigned modes.
Modifying DNS Traffic Control LBDNs

To modify an LBDN, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab, click the Action icon next to the LBDN
name and select Edit from the menu.
2. The DTC LBDN editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data. For information about how to
modify data, see Configuring DNS Traffic Control LBDNs..
• General: This tab displays the Display Name, Patterns, Load Balancing Method, Persistence, Priority, and
Comment of the LBDN object. Here you can also disable the LBDN.
• Associated Zones and Records: This tab displays the record types that can be returned for the associated
zones, the TTL, and the Associated Zones. You can select any or all of the following record types: A,
AAAA, SRV, and NAPTR. Note that the default TTL value is 8 hours and is inherited from the associated
zones of the Infoblox Grid. You can override this value or associate new zones with the LBDN to inherit a
new value.
• Pools: This tab displays the pools that are associated with the LBDN. You can delete an existing pool or
add new pools.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with the LBDN. You can
also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
3. To schedule this task, click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard. In the Schedule Change panel, select Later
and enter a date, time, and time zone. The Schedule icon is green when there is a pending scheduled task. For
information, see Scheduling Tasks.

Rev. D
Testing DNS Traffic Control LBDNs
You can select an LBDN and test the DTC response for the respective LBDN. To test an LBDN, complete the following:
2. In the Traffic Control panel, select the LBDN object that you want to test and click Test LBDN in the Toolbar.
3. In the Test DTC LBDN dialog box, complete the following:
• Query Source: Enter the client IP address.
• Query Name: Enter the FQDN of the record that you are requesting.
• Member: Click Select to select the Grid member that will return the response. The dialog box displays the
list of members that have a DTC license.
• Record Type: Select a record type, A, AAAA, SRV, or NAPTR from the drop-down list.
4. Click Start.
The appliance displays the response for the request in the text output area. To clear the response from the text
area, click Clear.
Managing DNS Traffic Control Pools

A pool contains load balanced servers. You can define multiple servers for a pool. Each LBDN must have at least one
pool associated with it to be operational. For sites with a large volume of incoming traffic, you can configure DNS Traffic
Control to distribute client requests to multiple servers using a load balancing pool. An individual server can belong to
one or multiple load balancing pools, depending on how you want to manage your network traffic. You can also set the
order of servers in the pool and define a ratio on a server basis.
Configuring DNS Traffic Control Pools

A pool can contain preferred and alternative load balancing methods. You can define permissions on these pools and
associate extensible attributes with them. Each pool can contain one or more health monitors associated with it. You can
define TTLs at the LBDN level. These TTLs are valid for dynamic RRsets that are created by the querying process for
each query.
To configure a pool, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab, and then click the arrow next to the
Add icon and select Pool.
2. In the DTC Pool Wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the pool.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the pool.
• Auto Consolidated Monitors: Select this option to enable auto-managing of DNS Traffic Control
Consolidated Monitors. This option locks all the DNS Traffic Control consolidated monitor settings and
creates a DNS consolidated monitor for each health monitor in the pool with the following settings:
• Availability – ALL
• Full health communication – Yes
• Listen To members - all DNS Traffic Control members that serve linked LBDN(s).
Enabling the Auto Consolidated Monitor option also helps to synchronize the health statuses of DNS
Traffic Control objects in the LBDN for each DNS Traffic Control Grid member, which means if one Grid
member considers that the DNS Traffic Control Server is RED, this server will be RED for each Grid
member performing the health check. For information on DNS consolidated monitors, see Configuring
DTC Monitors for Health Check.
For information on Limitations and Warnings of the Auto Consolidated Monitors option, see Limitations
For DNS Traffic Control.
• Disabled: Select this to disable the pool.
3. Click Next to associate health monitors with the pool:
• Health Monitors: Select the health monitor from the Available table, which you want to associate with the
pool, and then click the right arrow to move the selected health monitor to the Active table. You can use

Rev. D
SHIFT+click and CTRL+click to select multiple health monitors. To dissociate the health monitor from the
pool, select it and click the left arrow to move it to the Available pane from the Active pane.
• Availability Requirements: Select from the following:
• All: All active monitors must report the available status for the pool to be determined as available.
• Any: Any number of active monitors must report the available status for the pool to be determined
as available.
• At least: The minimum number of active monitors that must report the available status for the pool
to be determined as available.
4. Click Next and select the preferred load balancing method:
• All Available
• Ratio: Dynamic (see details below in the procedure)
• Global Availability
• Source IP Hash
• Ratio: Fixed
• Round Robin
• Topology (see details below in the procedure)
For more information, see Load Balancing Methods for DNS Traffic Control.
5. If you select Ratio: Dynamic as the preferred method, also select a dynamic ratio method from the following:
• Round Trip Delay: Select this to enable load balancing based on the proximity of DTC servers determined
through round trip delay. Specify the following:
• Monitor: Select a pre-configured health monitor to use for monitoring the round trip delay.
• SNMP: Select this to enable load balancing based on a server metric captured by an SNMP health
monitor. Specify the following:
• Monitor: Select a health monitor for which to track a server metric.
• OID: Specify an object identifier that indicates the metric to track.
• Weighing: Select to weigh DTC servers by priority or ratio.
• Inverse OID value: Select this if you want to use the value of the monitored metric as inversed for
convenience of determining the availability of the server.
6. If you select Topology as preferred method, also select a Topology Ruleset. Only topology rulesets with the
Server destination type are displayed in the drop-down list.
 Note
If you select Topology as the preferred method, you can also specify the alternate method which is used to
select a server from the pool if the preferred one does not return any result. The preferred and alternate
methods must be different.
7. If applicable, select the alternate load balancing method.

• All Available
• Ratio: Dynamic
• Global Availability
• Source IP Hash
• None
• Ratio: Fixed
• Round Robin
• Topology
For details on each alternate method, see the description of the preferred method above.
8. Click Next to associate servers with the pool. Click the Add icon, select a server from the DTC Server Selector
dialog box and click OK. You can use SHIFT+click and CTRL+click to associate multiple servers. The appliance
• Server Name: The name of the DNS Traffic Control server.
• Host: The host address of the server.

Rev. D
• Ratio: You can modify the ratio value. The value must be greater than zero.
• Disabled: Indicates whether the server is disabled.
• Order: Displays the order of servers in the list.
To dissociate a server from the pool, select the checkbox next to the server name and click the Delete icon.
immediately execute this task. Or, select Later to schedule this task, and then specify a date, time, and time zone.
Modifying DNS Traffic Control Pools

To modify a pool, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab, click the Action icon next to the pool
name and select Edit from the menu.
2. The DTC Pool editor contains the following basic tabs from which you can modify data. For information about how
to modify data, see Configuring DNS Traffic Control Pools.
• General: This tab displays the pool Name and Comment. You can edit the values and enable or disable
the pool.
• TTL: This tab displays the TTL value configured for the pool. The default value is inherited from the
LBDNs which are using the pool. There can be multiple inheritance. Click Override to override the value.
• Health Monitors: This tab displays health monitors that are associated with the pool. You can associate
new health monitors or dissociate the health monitors that are already associated with the pool.
• Load Balancing: This tab displays the load balancing methods that you have selected while configuring
the pool. You can select a new preferred and alternate load balancing methods.
• Pool Members: This tab displays the servers that are associated with the pool. You can add new servers
or delete servers that are associated with the pool. You can also modify the ratio and order of servers.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with the pool. You can also
modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
Managing DNS Traffic Control Servers

DNS Traffic Control servers are objects that are associated with synthesized A, AAAA, SRV, or CNAME records. DNS
Traffic Control servers can be in multiple pools and can be the destination for multiple topology rulesets. You can disable
a server while in use, but note that this affects the pools that are associated with the server. You cannot disable a server
if it is the last active server for any pool with which it is associated. To disable such a server, first remove it from the
associated pools and topology rulesets.
Configuring DNS Traffic Control Servers

You can add a DNS Traffic Control server on the Traffic Control tab. Alternatively, you can do this on the DNS -> Zones
tab or Members/Servers tab by selecting an existing A, AAAA, or host record in the table, and then clicking Create DTC
Server in the Toolbar or in the record's action menu.
You can also add a DTC server on the Data Management -> IPAM tab based on a selected existing A or host record. You
can do so on both IP Map and List subtabs.
If you use multi-tier architecture and want to monitor the availability of separate components of the DNS Traffic Control
server, you can add a health monitor for an individual IP address or domain name of the server. You can do it after you
have initially configured the server. For information, see Modifying DNS Traffic Control Servers.

Rev. D
To configure a DNS Traffic Control server, complete the following:
2. In the Toolbar, click the arrow next to the Add icon and select Server.
3. In the DTC Server Wizard, under Select an existing DNS record or enter the Name and Host fields, perform one
the following:
• Optionally, click Select and choose an existing DNS record which will pre-populate the server information:
i. Select a zone using the filter and click Apply.
ii. Select the record type, Host, A, or AAAA, by which to filter the records list.
iii. Click the required record name to select it.
• Specify the DTC server name and host:
• Name: Enter the name of the DTC server.
• Host: Specify the server host by selecting and specifying one of the following:
• IP Address: The DTC response from the server will contain an auto-created A (IPv4) or
AAAA (IPv6) record with this IP address.
• Domain Name: The DTC response from the server will contain an auto-created CNAME
record that uses this domain name.
 Note
This step only applies if you create a DTC server from the Traffic Control tab. If
you create a DTC server on the DNS -> Zones, DNS -> Members/Servers tab,
or Data Management -> IPAM tab, the record is already selected so this step is
not available in the DTC Server Wizard
4. Auto-create DTC records: If this is enabled and the Host field contains an IP address, an A (IPv4), or AAAA
(IPv6) record will be created. If the Host field contains a domain name, a CNAME record will be created. If you do
not enable auto-created DTC records, you must create those records manually. For more information, see
Managing DTC Server Records.
 Note
A record type that corresponds to the Host field must exist in order for the DTC Server to return a response.
5. Comment: Enter additional information about the server.

6. Disabled: Select this to disable the server.
Managing DTC Server Records

You can create A, AAAA, CNAME, SRV, and NAPTR records in a DTC server similar to the NAPTR record in a DNS
zone.
A NAPTR (Name Authority Pointer) record specifies a rule that uses a substitution expression to rewrite a string into a
domain name or URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). A URI is either a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or URN (Uniform
Resource Name) that identifies a resource on the Internet. For information about NAPTR records, see Managing NAPTR
Records.
You can assign multiple A, AAAA, and NAPTR records simultaneously to a DTC server or only one CNAME record. An
enabled CNAME record cannot coexist with an enabled A, AAAA, or NAPTR record. A disabled CNAME record cannot
coexist with an enabled CNAME record.
This section describes how to add, modify, and delete records in a DTC server. It includes the following sections:

Rev. D
• Adding DTC Records
• Viewing DTC Records
• Modifying DTC Records
• Deleting DTC Records
Adding DTC Records

To add a DTC record, complete the following:
2. Click the server name to which you want to add the records. Details of the records added to the server are
displayed.
3. Click the arrow next to the Add icon and select the type of record you want to add. (A Record, AAAA Record,
CNAME Record, SRV Record, NAPTR Record, or Unknown record).
4. Enter the following information in the Add <Record_Type> Record wizard:
• For an A record, complete the following:
• IP address: Enter an IPv4 address for the A record on the DTC server.
• For an AAAA record, complete the following:
• IP address: Enter an IPv6 address for the AAAA record on the DTC server.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the AAAA record.
• For a CNAME record, complete the following:
• Canonical name: Enter the complete canonical (or official) name of the host.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the CNAME record.
• For a NAPTR record, complete the following:
• Service: Specifies the service and protocol used to reach the domain name that results from
applying the regular expression or replacement. You can enter a service or select a service from
the list.
• Flags: The flag indicates whether the resulting domain name is the endpoint URI or if it points to
another record. Select one of the following:
• U: Indicates that the output maps to a URI.
• S: Indicates that the resulting domain name has at least one SRV record.
• A: Indicates that the resulting domain name has at least one A or AAAA record.
• P: Indicates that this record contains information specific to another application.
Leave this blank to indicate that the DNS client must use the resulting domain name to look up
other NAPTR records. You can use the NAPTR records as a series of rules that are used to
construct a URI or domain name.
• Order: Select an Integer from 10 to 100, or enter a value from 0 to 65535. This value indicates the
order in which the NAPTR records must be processed. The record with the lowest value is
processed first.
• Preference: Select an Integer from 10 to 100, or enter a value from 0 to 65535. Similar to the
Preference field in MX records, this value indicates which NAPTR record should be processed first
when the records have the same Order value. The record with the lowest value is processed first.
• REGEX: The regular expression that is used to rewrite the original string from the client into a
domain name. RFC 2915 specifies the syntax of the regular expression. Note that the appliance
validates the regular expression syntax between the first and second delimiter against the Python
re module, which is not 100% compatible with POSIX Extended Regular Expression as specified
in the RFC. For information about the Python re module, refer to http://docs.python.org/release/
2.5.1/lib/module-re.html.
• Replacement: This specifies the domain name for the next lookup. The default is a dot (.), which
indicates that the regular expression in the REGEX field provides the replacement value.
Alternatively, you can enter the replacement value in FQDN format.
• Comment: Optionally, enter a descriptive comment for this record.

Rev. D
• For an SRV Record, complete the following:

• Display input as: Select the format in which you want the SRV record to be displayed. When you select
RFC 2782 format, the appliance follows the _service._protocol.name format as defined in RFC 2782.
When you select Free format, enter the entire name in the Domain field.
• Service: Specify the service that the host provides. You can either select a service from the list or type in a
service, if it is not on the list. For example, if you are creating a record for a host that provides FTP
service, select _ftp. To distinguish the service name labels from the domain name, the service name is
prefixed with an underscore. If the name of the service is defined at http://www.iana.org/assignments/
service-names-port-numbers/service-names-port-numbers.xml, use that name. Otherwise, you can use a
locally-defined name.
• Protocol: Specify the protocol that the host uses. You can either select a protocol from the list or type in a
protocol, if it is not on the list. For example, if it uses TCP, select _tcp. To distinguish the protocol name
labels from the domain name, the protocol name is prefixed with an underscore.
• Domain: Specify the name determined by LBDN.
• Preview: After you have entered all the information, this field displays the FQDN, which is the
concatenation of the Service, Protocol, and Domain fields.
• Priority: Select or enter an integer from 0 to 65535. The priority determines the order in which a client
attempts to contact the target host; the domain name host with the lowest number has the highest priority
and is queried first. Target hosts with the same priority are attempted in the order defined in the Weight
field.
• Weight: Select or enter an integer from 0 to 65535. The weight allows you to distribute the load between
target hosts. The higher the number, the more that host handles the load (compared to other target hosts).
Larger weights give a target host a proportionately higher probability of being selected.
• Port: Specify the appropriate port number for the service running on the target host. You can use standard
or nonstandard port numbers, depending on the requirements of your network. You can select a port
number from the list or enter an integer from 0 to 65535.
• Target: Enter the canonical domain name of the host (not an alias). For example, www2.corpxyz.com
 Note
In addition, you need to define an A record mapping as the canonical name of the host to its IP
address.
• Comment: Enter a descriptive comment for the record.

• For an Unknown record:
• Domain name: Enter the complete canonical (or official) name of the host.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the CNAME record.
Viewing DTC Records

To view the records associated with a DTC server, go to the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Traffic Control
tab -> DTC server. The Grid Manager displays the following for each DTC record:
• Name: The name of the record.
• Type: The type of record.
• Data: The data that the record contains. For a NAPTR record, this field displays the following data: Order,
Preference, Flags, Services, REGEX, and Replacement.
• Comment: Comment that was entered for the record.
• TTL: The TTL (time-to-live) value of the record.
• Disabled: Indicates if the record is disabled.

Rev. D
You can perform the following:
• Click the Add icon to add a DTC record.
• Select a record and click the Edit icon to edit the configuration. You can also click the Action icon next to the
record and select Edit from the menu.
• Select a record and click the Delete icon to delete it. You can also click the Action icon next to the record and
select Delete from the menu.
• Click the Export icon to export the list of DTC records to a .csv file.
• Click the Print icon to print the list of DTC records.
Modifying DTC Records

To modify a DTC record, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab -> DTC server.
2. Select the DTC record you want to modify, and click the Edit icon.
3. The DTC Record editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify information:
• General: You can modify most of the information, except for the read-only fields, such as the DNS view.
For a description of the fields, see Adding DTC Records.
• TTL: You can modify the TTL setting. For information, see Specifying Time To Live Settings.
Deleting DTC Records

To delete a DTC record, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab -> DTC server.
2. Select the DTC record you want to delete, and click the Delete icon.
Grid Manager moves the DTC record to the Recycle Bin, from which you can restore or permanently delete the record.
For information, see Using the Recycle Bin.
Modifying DNS Traffic Control Servers

To modify a DNS Traffic Control server, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Traffic Control tab, click the Action icon next to the DTC
server and select Edit from the menu.
2. The DTC Server editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data.
• General: This tab displays the Name, Host, Auto-create DTC records, and Comment that you entered
while configuring the server. You can enable or disable the server. For information about how to modify
the server data, see Configuring DNS Traffic Control Servers. Additionally, specify the Server Name
Indication setting:
• Use Alternate SNI Hostname: If the SNI name is different from what is configured in the address
field, select this checkbox and enter the required hostname by which an HTTPS health monitor
should connect to the server.
• Health Monitors: Define health monitors for the DTC server:
i. Click the Add icon. A new row appears in the table.
ii. In Health Monitor, select the monitor type: icmp, http, https, sip, pdp, or snmp.
iii. In Domain Name or IP Address, type either the FQDN or the IP address to monitor.
iv. If required, add more health monitors for the server as described above. You can add up to ten
health monitors per server.
In Health Monitors from Pools, you can see other health monitors assigned to the pools that the
server belongs to. The availability requirement for the pools must be set to either “All” or “Any” for
you to be able to add server-specific health monitors. For information, see Configuring DNS Traffic
Control Pools.
v. Save the configuration.

Rev. D
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with the server. You can
also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
For information on warnings related to Auto Consolidated Monitor, see Warnings for DNS Traffic Control
Servers.
Visualization for DNS Traffic Control Objects

Grid Manager provides a visual tree view that you can use to quickly understand an overall traffic control structure of a
selected DTC object. The visualization panel is displayed by default on the Traffic Control tab.
To view a visualization of the DNS traffic control structure for an object:
2. Select the checkbox next to the DTC object for which you want to view, for example, LBDN. The LBDN structure
tree is displayed in the visualization panel.
The tree shows the selected object and its relationships with other associated DTC objects. The DTC objects are
represented as nodes in the hierarchical order of LBDN -> pool -> server levels. Note that when a DTC server is
associated with multiple pools, the appliance displays the connection to the selected pool only, not showing the other
pools that the server is assigned to. If an LBDN has more than one pool associated, it displays the servers for only one
pool at a time. Clicking on another pool of the LBDN displays the servers for that pool.
You can hover your mouse over an object to display a tooltip that contains the following information:
• The name and status of the DTC object. For more information about the possible statuses, see Understanding
DTC Object Status.
• Load Balancing Method: This is displayed only for LBDN objects.
• Preferred Load Balancing Method: This is displayed only for pool objects.
• Alternate Load Balancing Method: This is displayed only for pool objects.
• Host: The domain name or IP address of a server object.
• Last Updated: The timestamp when the object was last discovered.
• Health Monitors: This displays health monitors status for pools and servers.
The health status displayed for a DTC server includes health monitors assigned through the pool as well as
individual health monitors per IP address or domain name of the server, if assigned. For example,
monitor_name(monitor_type) for a pool monitor, and IP_address_or_FQDN(monitor_type) for an individual server
monitor.
• Ratio: Dynamic: In DTC pools and servers visualization, this displays traffic distribution across members and
servers with the Ratio: Dynamic load balancing method applied.
• Number of Pools: Shows the number of pools for the LBDN.
• Number of Servers: Shows the number of servers for the pool.
• Used by these LBDNs: Shows all LBDNs that use the pool.
• Used by these Pools: Shows all pools that use the server.
To hide or show the visualization panel, click Hide Visualization or Show Visualization in the Toolbar.
From a DTC object tooltip, you can perform certain actions on the object or add the default visualization in the panel as
discussed later in this topic
 Note
Grid Manager can display a maximum of 100 nodes for each level associated with the currently visualized
node.

Rev. D
Understanding DTC Object Status
The DTC object status can be one of the following:
Icon (Visualization Panel) Status and Meaning (Visualization Panel) Status and Meaning (Traffic Control Tab)
Running: Running with a green background:

The object is fully available and operational. The object is fully available and operational.
Warning: Warning with a yellow background:

The object has a warning message. You can The object has a warning message. You can check the
check the syslog for any messages. syslog for any messages.
Error: Error with a red background:

The object has an error. You can check the syslog The object has an error. You can check the syslog for any
for any messages. messages.
Disabled (in the legend) and Requires Manual Requires Manual Enabling with a white background:
Enabling (on mouse hover): The object is disabled due to a configuration setting and it
The object is disabled due to a configuration must be enabled manually.
setting and it must be enabled manually.
Temporarily Disabled (in the legend) Temporarily Disabled with a dark grey background:
Will be enabled at <time_stamp> (On mouse The object is disabled due to a configuration setting. This
hover): might be due to different reasons, such as the "Disable"
The object is disabled for a specified duration due flag being set, the DNS service not running on the selected
to a configuration setting. It will be automatically member, a zone not assigned to an LBDN, or the LBDN not
enabled at the displayed time. associated with a zone for the selected DTC member.
Or When multiple DTC Grid members are configured with

different disable options for a DTC object, collectively the
Temporarily Disabled (On mouse hover): status shows as Temporarily Disabled. You can view the
The object is disabled due to a configuration member level status in the visualization panel.
setting and will be enabled when the DNS service
restarts.
Disabled, Working (in the legend) and Will be Running with a green background:
disabled at <time_stamp> (On mouse hover): The object is fully available and operational.
The object is working fine, but it will be disabled at
the displayed time.
Disabled, Error (in the legend) and Will be Error with a red background:
disabled at <time_stamp> (On mouse hover): The object has an error. You can check the syslog for any
The object has failed. It will be disabled at the messages.
displayed time.
Unknown: Unknown:
The DTC object status has not yet been The DTC object status has not yet been determined.
determined.
Unlicensed: Unlicensed:
The object does not have a DNS Traffic Control The object does not have a DNS Traffic Control license.
license.
It may take a few minutes for the status of an object to be updated after a configuration change.
Grid Manager calculates the status differently for the DTC objects list view and the visualization.

Rev. D
Calculating the Status
A DTC pool may use multiple health monitors and it has an availability option for these monitors that is used to determine
the status of a DTC server. For example, if the availability requirement is "All", then the server is considered to be
'Running' if all the pool health monitors report the server as 'Running'. Servers may appear in multiple pools that have
different health monitors and different availability settings. Thus, a DTC server status can be different for different pools.
You can filter the DTC objects visualization by all members or a specific member. A DTC Grid member uses health
monitors to determine the status of a DTC server. A Grid member is associated with an LBDN if that Grid member is
assigned a name server for a zone that is associated with an LBDN. A DTC server is associated with an LBDN if it is part
of a DTC pool which is used by the LBDN. Thus, if a DTC Grid member is associated to a DTC server through an LBDN,
the Grid member checks the status of the DTC server using the health monitors associated with the DTC server's pool.
When the visualization is filtered by a specific DTC Grid member, the displayed status of the DTC servers is the status
that was determined by that specific DTC Grid member. When you select All Members in the visualization, the displayed
status is an aggregated status across all DTC Grid members.
For the DTC objects list view, the status is calculated as follows:
• Server: Aggregated status from all pool monitoring across all DTC Grid members.
• Pool: Aggregated status for all its servers across all DTC Grid members.
• LBDN: Aggregated status for all its pools across all DTC Grid members.
For the visualization panel, the status is calculated as follows:
• Server: Status from selected pool monitoring for selected DTC Grid member.
• Pool: Aggregated status for all its servers for selected DTC Grid member.
• LBDN: Aggregated status for all its pools for selected DTC Grid member.
 Note
If a pool has no health monitors configured, then the servers and pool report a status of 'Running'.
Working with the Visualization Panel

You can do the following in the visualization panel:
• Resize the visualization panel in relation to the DTC objects list view by dragging the vertical separator between
the panel and the list view.
• Filter the visualization by Grid members associated to DTC objects through LBDNs: In the Member drop-down
list, select All Members or a specific member. For more information about how the object status is determined for
all members and for a specific member, see Calculating the Status. Note that the appliance displays only
members that have the DNS Traffic Control license.
• Filter by the DTC status: All DTC Status or Non-Running only. You can combine this filter with the members filter.
• Zoom the map in and out by moving the Zoom slider. You can also zoom in and out by using the mouse wheel.
• Click the Adjust tree size to window size icon to adjust the tree size after you zoomed it in our out.
• Change the tree orientation by clicking the Change Tree Orientation icon. The default orientation is vertical.
• Click the Expand Visualization icon to open the DTC structure in a separate window. Alternatively, you can click
the Action icon next to the required DTC object in the table and select Expand Visualization.
• Click Show Legend/Hide Legend to show or hide the legend when the visualization is expanded.
• Click the Refresh icon to refresh the tree. You can also select the Auto Refresh checkbox to turn on auto-refresh.
• Click anywhere in the tree and hold your mouse to drag the tree to a desired location in the panel or window.
• Hover your mouse over an LDBN to display the tooltip and do the following:
• Test the LBDN.
• Add an existing pool to the LBDN.
• Add a new pool to the LBDN.
• Disable or enable the LBDN.
• Edit the LBDN.
• Delete the LBDN.
• Schedule the deletion of the LBDN.
• Switch to the LBDN visualization mode if you are currently in the pool visualization mode.

Rev. D
• Hover your mouse over a pool to display the tooltip and do the following:
• Add the pool to an LBDN.
• Add an existing server to the pool.
• Add a new server to the pool.
• Disable or enable the pool.
• Edit the pool.
• Switch to the pool visualization mode if you are currently in the LBDN or server visualization mode.
• Hover your mouse over a server to display the tooltip and do the following:
• Add the server to a pool.
• Disable or enable the server.
• Edit the server.
• Switch to the server visualization mode if you are currently in the LBDN visualization mode.
Adding Default Visualization

The default visualization allows you to design a DNS Traffic Control structure in the inverse order—first, add a
visualization of the default DTC objects structure and create the default disabled objects, and then define the objects one
by one.
To add the default visualization:
1. On the Traffic Control tab, click the arrow next to the Add icon and select Default Visualization.
The default basic DTC objects structure is displayed in the visualization panel. It consists of the default server,
pool, and LBDN. By default, they are disabled.
The corresponding server, pool, and LBDN objects are added in the DTC objects list view.
2. Configure the DTC objects in any of the following ways:
For information about the configurable properties of DTC objects, see Managing DNS Traffic Control Objects.
• Hover your mouse over an object to display the tooltip, click the required button, and make the necessary
configurations.
• In the DTC objects list view, select the required object, click the Edit icon, and make the necessary
configurations.
3. If necessary, configure the topology rulesets, topology database, and DTC health monitors used in your DTC
structure. For information, see Defining Topology Rulesets, Importing a Topology Database, and Using DNS
Traffic Control Health Monitors correspondingly.
4. After you configured the DTC objects, enable each one of them:
• Hover your mouse over an object.
• Click Enable in the tooltip.
Once all objects are enabled and all necessary service restarts are performed, the whole DTC structure starts working.
Backing Up DTC Configuration Files

Infoblox recommends that you regularly back up DTC configuration files. You can either schedule a backup to run at a
designated date and time or you can manually back up the files. You can back up the DTC files to the following:
• A local directory
• A TFTP server
• An FTP server. This option requires that you have a valid username and password on the server prior to backing
up files.
• An SSH server that supports SCP. This option requires that you have a valid username and password on the
server prior to backing up files.
For information about these options, see Backing Up and Restoring Configuration Files.
Automatically Backing Up DTC Files

To automatically back up DTC configuration files:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Backup -> DTC Backup -> Schedule Backup from
the Toolbar.

Rev. D
2. In the Schedule DTC Backup dialog box, select the destination of the backup file from the Backup to drop-down
list:
• Keep local copy: Select this to also save a local copy of the backup file on your appliance. This is disabled
by default. The local backup contains only the Grid backup, it does not contain backups for reporting and
Network Automation. Note that when you select this, the total backup time will increase.
system files.
directory path cannot contain spaces. The folder or directory you enter here must already exist on the
specified server. Do not include the file name in the directory path.
• Recurrence: Select how often you want to back up the files. You can select Weekly, Daily, or Hourly from
the drop-down list. When you select Weekly, complete the following:
• Time: Enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can also click the clock icon and select a
time from the drop-down list. The Grid Master creates a backup file on the selected day and time
every week.
When you select Daily, enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can also select a time
When you select Hourly, complete the following:
• Minutes after the Hour: Enter the minute after the hour when the Grid Master creates a backup file.
For example, enter 5 if you want the Grid Master to create a backup file five minutes after the hour
every hour.
• Disable Scheduled Backup: Select this if you want to disable automatic backups from occurring now. You
can still save the settings for future use.
 Note
\username".

Hourly.
• Disable Scheduled Backup: Select this if you want to disable automatic backups from occurring now, but
want to save the settings for future use.

Rev. D
 Note
\username".

Hourly. For information, see the TFTP section.
• Disable Scheduled Backup:Select this if you want to disable automatic backups from occurring now. You
can still save the settings for future use.
 Note
When you select FTP or SCP, ensure that you have a valid user name and password on the
• Grid Master (local): Back up to a local directory on the Grid Master. This is the default.
By default, the Grid Master generates a backup file and saves it locally in its own storage at 3:00 AM daily.
Be aware that backing up the Grid and saving it locally on an hourly basis increases the turnover of files stored
on the Grid Master. Backing it up hourly to a remote server increases the overall amount of traffic on your
network.
Manually Backing Up DTC Files

You can manually back up DTC configuration files in addition to scheduling your backups. To back up manually:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Backup -> DTC Backup -> Manual Backup from
the Toolbar.
2. In the Manual DTC Backup wizard, select the destination of the backup file from the Backup to drop-down list:
• My Computer: Back up system files to a local directory on your computer. This is the default.
system files.
 Note
username".


Rev. D
 Note
username".
 Note
When you select FTP or SCP, ensure that you have a valid username and password on the
• Click Backup.
Downloading DTC Backup Files

You can save an existing backup file, or create and save a new one to your local management system, a TFTP server, an
FTP server, or a SCP server.
To download an existing backup file:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and the click Backup -> DTC Backup -> Manage Local Backup
from the Toolbar. Grid Manager displays the current backup files in the Manage Local Backups dialog box.
2. To download a backup file, select the checkbox of a backup file, and then click the Transfer icon. You cannot
select multiple files for downloading.
3. Select one of the following from the Backup to drop-down list:
• My Computer: Backup to a local directory on your computer. This is the default.
• TFTP: Save the backup file to a TFTP server.
archive/backups/Infoblox_2009_10_20_15_30 .
• IP Address of TFTP Server: Enter the IP address of the TFTP server to which you want to save the
backup file.
• FTP: Save the backup file to an FTP server.
• SCP: Save the backup file to an SSH server that supports SCP.
• Filename: Enter the directory path and the file name of the backup file. For example, you can enter/
• Username: Enter the username of your SCP server account.
• Password: Enter the password of your SCP server account.
 Note
When you select FTP or SCP, ensure that you have a valid username and password on the
• Click Transfer Copy.
Restoring DTC Backup Files

You must log in with a superuser account to back up and restore files. NIOS provides three ways to restore a backup file:
• From a local directory or the management system you use to operate the appliance

Rev. D
• From a TFTP server
• From a remote server using FTP. This option requires that you have a valid username and password on the FTP
server prior to performing a backup or restore.
 Note
When you restore NIC interfaces to a VM, ensure that you provision appropriate NIC interfaces with the
database content that must be restored to avoid any errors.
To restore a DTC backup file to the same independent appliance or Grid Master:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Restore -> Restore DTC from the Toolbar.
2. In the Restore dialog box, choose one of the following from the Restore from drop-down list:
• My Computer: Restore a file from your local computer. This is the default.
• Filename: Click Select File to navigate to the configuration file.
• TFTP: Restore a file from a TFTP server.
• Filename: Enter the directory path and the file name you want to restore. For example, you can enter /
archive/backups/Infoblox_2009_10_20_15_30 .
• IP Address of TFTP Server: Enter the IP address of the TFTP server from which you restore the
configuration file.
• FTP: Restore a file from an FTP server.
• Grid Master (Local): Restore from a local directory on the Grid Master. In the Backup Set table, select the file you
want to restore.
• To restore NIOS configuration data, select the NIOS data checkbox.
• To download a backup file from one appliance to a different appliance, select Force Restore from Different Grid to
enable the feature, and then select one of the following:
• Click Restore. In the Confirm Restore dialog box, click Yes.
After restoring the file, the appliance restarts. The restore process overwrites all existing data. All pending
• Close your current browser window, wait a few minutes, and then reconnect to the NIOS appliance.
Downloading DTC Backup Files from a Different Appliance

When you "force restore" a NIOS appliance, you download a backup file from one appliance to a different appliance. To
restore a backup file to the same appliance or Grid Master, use the Restore function as described in Restoring DTC
Backup Files.
To download a backup file from one appliance to a different appliance:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Restore -> Restore DTC from the Toolbar.
2. In the Restore wizard, do the following:
• Restore from: Choose a source from which you restore the configuration file, as described in Restoring
DTC Backup Files.
3. Select Force Restore from Different Grid to enable the feature, and then select one of the following:
4. Click Restore. In the Confirm Restore dialog box, click Yes.
After restoring the file, the appliance reboots. The restore process overwrites all existing data. All pending
5. Close your current browser window, wait a few minutes, and then reconnect to the NIOS appliance.

Rev. D
Configuring DTC Monitors for Health Check
You can choose DNS Traffic Control health monitors whose DNS Traffic Control health checks are considered when
calculating the health status of a member in a pool. You can create a consolidated health monitor in a DNS Traffic
Control pool with its own set of members for each monitor. The status of a health check can then be determined
according to the consolidated health monitor you created with selected members and availability condition.
To configure DNS Traffic Control monitors whose health check status must be shared from selected members, perform
the following steps:
2. Select the pool for which you want to configure monitors and click the Edit icon.
3. Click the Health Monitors tab -> Advanced tab.
5. From the Monitor drop-down list, choose the monitor whose health checks you want to be considered.
6. From the Availability Requirement drop-down list, you can either select all members of the pool to pass the health
check for the selected monitor or for any of the pool member to pass the health check for the selected monitor. A
passed health check is denoted by the green status.
7. From the Share state from box, select the members that you want the health check to be calculated. Select the
members and move them to the Selected box.
8. Select the Full Health Communication checkbox to perform health checks on each and every member of the Grid
which are part of LBDN and to send the status to all the Grid members which are in non selected list and the
status is shared between grid members which are in selected list. This checkbox is disabled by default. By
default, NIOS performs health checks only on Grid members from the selected list.
9. Click Add.
The monitor along with its associated members and full health communication details are displayed in the
Consolidated Health Monitor Settings area.
 Note
To add DNS Traffic Control pool with consolidated monitors using CSV import, you must first import the DNS
Traffic Control pool objects without consolidated monitor data (if the CSV file contains consolidated monitors,
you must manually remove the data before importing the DNS Traffic Control pool objects). Once the DNS
Traffic Control pool objects are in the system, you can run the CSV override to add consolidated monitors using
a CSV file that contains all the data, including the DNS Traffic Control pool objects and consolidated monitors.
You can now view a snapshot of any member in the pool and the monitors associated with it, along with their health
status. To view the snapshot, complete the following:
1. Click the server for which you want to see the consolidated monitors.
2. In the Server Visualization area, select the member for which you want to see the associated monitors.
A visualization chart is displayed that represents the pool hierarchy. You can hover over the server icons to view the
health status of the monitors associated with the server. For more information about health monitors, see Using DNS
Traffic Control Health Monitors.
Configuring IP Routing Options

You can configure multiple IP addresses and enable anycast addressing on the loopback interface of the NIOS
appliance, allowing the appliance to function in different network deployments.
Configuring non-anycast IP addresses on the loopback interface assists in server migration and network address
change. Configuring anycast addresses on the appliance allows you to add redundancy and improve reliability for DNS
services. You can use OSPF (Open Shortest Path First), BGP (Border Gateway Protocol), or both, as the routing protocol
for anycast advertising.
• Configuring IP Addresses on the Loopback Interface

Rev. D
• About Anycast Addressing for DNS
• Configuring Anycast Addresses
• IP Routing Options
• About BFD (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection)
Configuring IP Addresses on the Loopback Interface

The loopback interface is a virtual network interface on the appliance. You can do the following on the loopback interface:
• Configure IP addresses to consolidate DNS servers for migration purposes. For information, see Configuring IP
Addresses on the Loopback Interface.
• Add anycast addresses to improve the reliability and performance of DNS services in multiple locations. For
information, see About Anycast Addressing for DNS.
• Separate DNS traffic by assigning an IP address as the source port for DNS queries. For information, see
Specifying Source Ports.
When you use the loopback interface for anycast addressing, the upstream and neighboring routers can continue to
advertise anycast addresses without being affected by hardware malfunctions. To configure non-anycast addresses on
the loopback interface, complete the following:
1. Add IP addresses to the loopback interface. For information, see Configuring IP Addresses on the Loopback
Interface.
2. Enable DNS services on the loopback addresses. For information, see Specifying Port Settings for DNS and its
subtopic, Specifying Source Ports.
To configure DNS anycast addresses and their advertising protocols, complete the following:
1. Add anycast addresses to the loopback interface. For information, see Configuring Anycast Addresses.
2. Configure anycast addressing protocols. For information, see Configuring OSPF on the NIOS Appliance and
Configuring BGP in the NIOS Appliance. This is the primary application for routing protocols in the NIOS
appliance.
3. Enable the DNS anycast addresses. For information, see Specifying Port Settings for DNS and its
subtopic, Specifying Source Ports.
To separate DNS queries from DNS transfers and notify messages, complete the following:
1. Add an IP address of the source port for DNS queries. For information, see Configuring IP Addresses on the
Loopback Interface.
2. Select the source IP for DNS queries. For information, see Specifying Source Ports.
Configuring IP Addresses
You can configure IP addresses on the loopback interface to minimize service downtime during a server migration. As
illustrated in the figure DNS Server Migration Using the Loopback Interface, you have two existing DNS servers
(ns1.corpxyz.com 192.204.18.11 and ns2.corpxyz.com 192.204.18.12) and you want to replace these servers with a new
one (ns3.corpxyz.com 192.204.18.88). The migration takes a few weeks and you want DNS services to be available on
all three addresses during the migration. You can add all three IP addresses to the loopback interface of a NIOS
appliance, and then configure the appliance to provide DNS services on all addresses. After the server migration, you
can shut down the old servers and use the new one for services.
DNS Server Migration Using the Loopback Interface

Rev. D
You can also add an IP address that is used solely for DNS queries, to separate the DNS traffic. You first add an IP
address you want to use for DNS queries on the loopback interface. You then configure the appliance to listen for DNS
queries solely on this address. For information, see Specifying Source Ports.
When you configure non-anycast addresses on the loopback interface, ensure that you establish a static route between
the appliance and the router so queries to these addresses are routed correctly. For information, see Advertising
Loopback Addresses to the Network.
 Note
You can configure multiple interfaces on the Infoblox-4030-10GE appliance only. To configure LAN1, LAN2 and
MGMT interfaces to the same IPv4 or IPv6 subnet, provide the same netmask for IPv4, or a CIDR prefix for
IPv6, as the LAN1 interface. Alternatively, you can use a /32 netmask (255.255.255.255) for IPv4, or /128 CIDR
prefix for IPv6 with the same subnet as LAN1 interface to configure multiple interfaces. An Infoblox-4030-10GE
can replace three DNS cache servers that are active on the same network. When you configure multiple
interfaces on the same subnet, the outgoing traffic from NIOS host which is received through LAN2 and MGMT
is directed to the LAN1 router for all interfaces on the LAN1 subnet, irrespective of the destination IP. However,
if the LAN1 interface fails, the outgoing traffic will not be re-directed to any other interface and access to LAN2
and MGMT also fails.
To configure an IP address on the loopback interface:

2. In the Grid Member Properties Editor, select the Network tab -> Basic tab.
You can add an IPv4 or IPv6 address on the loopback. You define each type in their own table.

Rev. D
3. Click the Add icon in the Additional Ports and Addresses table and select Additional Address (loopback) (IPv4) or
Additional Address (loopback) (IPv6) from the drop-down list.
 Note
You cannot configure Additional Address (loopback) (IPv4) interface for an IPv6 Grid member
and Additional Address (loopback) (IPv6) interface for an IPv4 Grid member. You can only enter the IP
address you want to add to the loopback interface. You cannot configure the subnet mask, prefix length,
gateway, or port settings.
The appliance adds a row to the table. Complete the following:

• Interface: Displays Additional Address (loopback). You cannot modify this.
• Address: Enter the IP address you want to add to the loopback interface. An IPv6 address is a 128-bit number in
colon hexadecimal notation. It consists of eight 16-bit groups of hexadecimal digits separated by colons
• Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): You cannot change the netmask of the loopback interface. It is set to
255.255.255.255, or /32. For an IPv6 address, the mask is set to 128 and cannot be modified.
 Note
You cannot configure the gateway address and port settings.
To add multiple IP addresses on the loopback interface, repeat the steps for each IP address.
 Note
If you are configuring the loopback interface on a Grid Master, the Grid is temporarily disrupted upon saving the
configuration and restarting services on the appliance. The Grid reconnects automatically and the appliance
regains the role as Grid Master after a short delay.
Advertising Loopback Addresses to the Network

Advertising IP addresses on the loopback interface relies on the upstream router to populate routes to the loopback
interface. As illustrated in the figure Static Route for Loopback IP Addresses, when a client on a different subnet queries
an IP address on the loopback interface, it sends the request to the router. If the IP address on the loopback interface is
not advertised to the router, the request cannot reach the appliance. Therefore, when you configure non-anycast
addresses on the loopback interface, or if OSPF or BGP is not configured within your network, you must configure the
upstream router to reach the NIOS appliance through a static route on the LAN1 interface.
Note that when an appliance is configured for both authoritative and recursive queries, you should connect your internet
interface through the LAN1 port to allow for maximum flexibility while using auxiliary LAN2 and MGMT ports. Consult with
your network administrator for information about configuring static routes from the router to the additional IP addresses
on the loopback interface.
Static Route for Loopback IP Addresses

Rev. D
 Note
To enable the loopback address functionality on vNIOS for Azure instances, you must configure the following
settings in the Microsoft Azure or the Microsoft Azure Stack Hub portal according to the environment in which
you have deployed the vNIOS instance:
• Add an inbound port rule for the vNIOS VM on the virtual machine > Settings > Networking tab to allow
inbound packets to the loopback address interface on port 53 (for DNS).
• Add a route to your subnets. To add, create a route table (if the subnet does not have one already) and
add the static route to the loopback address in the route table. Ensure to associate the route table with
the subnet if you created a new route table.”
When you configure DNS anycast addresses on the loopback interface, you can select OSPF, BGP, or both, to advertise
the addresses to upstream and neighboring routers, without establishing a static route. For information, see About
Anycast Addressing for DNS.
About Anycast Addressing for DNS

Four types of communications are utilized within an IP network:
• Unicast describes a one-to-one network communication between a single sender and a single recipient. The
routing protocol determines the path through the network from the sender to the recipient based on the specific
protocol or routing scheme. Unicast also describes the address type assigned to the recipient.
• Multicast describes a one-to-many network communication between a single sender and a specific group of
recipients. All members within the group are intended recipients and each member receives a copy of the data
from the sender. Multicast also describes the address type assigned to a group of recipients, used by the routing
protocol to determine the path to the group.
• Broadcast is similar to multicast, the exception being that data is sent to every possible destination regardless of
the groups or subnetwork. There is no specific group of recipients.
• Anycast describes a one-to-nearest communication between a single sender and the nearest recipient within a
group. The routing protocol chooses one recipient within a target group based on the routing algorithm for the
specific protocol, and sends data to that recipient only.
The NIOS appliance provides the following support for DNS anycast addressing:
• You can configure up to 20 anycast IP addresses on the loopback interface of each Grid member.
• Anycast IP addresses can be in IPv4 or IPv6 format. For all anycast IP addresses, the subnet mask value is
always set to /32 for an IPv4 anycast IP or 128 for a 128-bit IPv6 address. These values are separate and distinct
from the IP configuration on the NIOS appliance LAN port.
• The appliance advertises routing information of the anycast addresses through OSPF or BGP, or (seldom) both,
depending on the deployment. Routers use the configured routing protocols to determine the best path to the
nearest server. The appliance advertises the route information to the upstream or neighboring router, a router that
forwards data on the network link and determines the forwarding path to destinations. For information, see IP
Routing Options.

Rev. D
• The appliance advertises and withdraws route information based on reachability information to DNS servers sent
by the IP route advertisements.
• When you configure DNS anycast addressing on an appliance and use it as an NTP server, the appliance can
answer NTP requests through the anycast IP address. For information about how to configure an appliance as an
NTP server, see Configuring a NIOS Appliance as an NTP Server.
Anycast addressing for DNS provides the following benefits:
• Improved Reliability: Anycast provides improved reliability because DNS queries are sent to an anycast IP
address that is defined on multiple DNS servers in the NIOS Grid. If the nearest server somehow goes offline,
then the router forwards the request to the next nearest DNS server advertising the target anycast IP address
(see Anycast Addressing for DNS Using OSPF for an example).
• Load Distribution: Anycast distributes the load across multiple DNS servers based on network topology.
• Improved Performance: The NIOS appliance uses OSPF or BGP, depending on your configuration, to advertise
anycast routing information to the upstream and neighboring routers. The routers determine the best route to the
nearest DNS server. Anycast enables the queries to reach the nearest server more quickly, providing faster
responses to DNS queries.
 Note
For more information about anycast addressing, refer to RFC 1546 "Host Anycasting Service".
Configuring Anycast Addresses

Anycast addressing is supported on loopback interfaces on the NIOS appliance. IP configuration must be defined on the
LAN1 interface before configuring DNS anycast addresses. Before creating IPv6 anycast IPs on the loopback interface,
IPv6 must be enabled and configured on the LAN1 interface for the NIOS appliance, including the correct IPv6 gateway
IP address.
 Note
When you add an anycast address, you need to start the service for the advertising to take place. However,
when you remove an anycast address, no service restart is required to stop the service. Anycast advertising
stops immediately.
To enable and configure anycast addressing:

2. In the Grid Member Properties editor, Click Toggle Advanced Mode.
3. When the additional tabs appear, click the Anycast tab.
4. Click the Add icon and choose IPv4 Address or IPv6 Address.
5. In the Anycast Interfaces list, enter the values or select the options for the new entry:
• Anycast Interface: Anycast addressing is supported on the loopback only. This value is filled in
automatically.
• Address: Enter the IP address you want to assign as the anycast address to the loopback interface.
Specify an IPv4 Address or an IPv6 Address based on the chosen type of address.
Subnet Mask: You cannot change the subnet mask of a loopback interface. The netmask is automatically
set to 255.255.255.255, or /32; or 128 for IPv6.
• OSPF: Select if you want the appliance to use OSPF to advertise the anycast address, and if necessary
configure the OSPF settings. For information, see Configuring OSPF on the NIOS Appliance. IPv4 and
IPv6 options are configurable for this protocol. This is supported only for IPv4 and dual mode appliances,
but not for IPv6 appliances.

Rev. D
• BGP: Select this if you want the appliance to use BGP to advertise the anycast address, and then
configure the BGP settings. This is supported only for IPv4 and dual mode appliances, but not for IPv6
appliances.
 Note
You must configure at least one routing method for DNS anycast. You can configure OSPF,
BGP, or both (in most cases only one protocol will be used). The appliance cannot save the
anycast address if you do not complete at least one routing configuration. Anycast cannot be
used without dynamic routing.
• Comments: Enter a text string to help identify this interface and IP address.
6. If using OSPF for the current appliance: Under OSPF Area Configuration, click the Add icon. A new configuration
block appears in the properties editor.
• Enter the values for the OSPF configuration as described in the section Configuring OSPF on the NIOS
Appliance.
• Click the Add down arrow icon in the OSPF Area Configuration section. The new OSPF configuration is
saved into a table.
7. If using BGP for the current appliance: In the properties editor, scroll down to the configuration block for BGP
Configuration. For information, see Configuring BGP in the NIOS Appliance.
• In the ASN field, enter the Autonomous System ID number in which the NIOS appliance resides.
• If necessary, modify the BGP Timer Keep Alive and Hold Down values. In most circumstances these
values should be left at their defaults. Check your network's defined policies for the desired values if
necessary.
• Enter the Neighbor Router IP address. This can be an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address.
• Enter the Remote ASN (Autonomous System ID number) for the adjacent router.
8. Save the configuration. The system will warn that you must restart the appliance services in order to use the new
configuration.
9. Log back in to the appliance.
10. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Members/Servers tab -> Grid_member checkbox -> Edit
icon.
11. Select Toggle Advanced Mode (if necessary), click General and the Advanced tab.
12. Under Listen on these additional IP addresses, click the Add button. The list of one or more previously created
IPv4 and IPv6 addresses for the loopback interfaces (created in Step 4) appear in this table. (If the Add button is
not active here, this indicates that you have not configured any loopback interfaces with their IP addresses.) Should
you need to configure other DNS properties on this page, see the topics in Configuring the Grid to provide DNS
Services.
 Note
If you remove an IP address from the list of Listen on these additional IP addresses, anycast advertising will
stop immediately. No service restart is required to stop anycast from listening on this IP address.

Configured anycast interfaces are now enabled to carry DNS traffic. For further information, see Specifying Source Ports.
 Note
You can select different options for the restart sequence for anycast service with DNS, when the DNS restart is
invoked. You can manage this sequence with the help of CLI commands.
For more information on the CLI commands, see

Rev. D
• set restart_anycast_with_dns_restart
• show restart_anycast_with_dns_restart
Best Practices for Configuring Anycast Addresses

Infoblox highly recommends that you do the following before you configure an anycast address:
• Enable the anycast feature in the NIOS application.
• Install a valid DNS license, enable DNS and ensure that the DNS service is active.
• When you configure OSPF or OSPFv6, ensure that the OSPF monitor runs every four seconds.
• You must configure an IP address on the loopback interface.
IP Routing Options
IP routing is a set of protocols that determine the path IP packets follow in order to travel across multiple networks from
the source to the destination. When information travels through a series of routers and across multiple networks, IP
routing protocols enable the routers to build up a forwarding table that correlates the final destination with the next
upstream routers.
For routing purposes, the internet is divided into ASs (Autonomous Systems). Data is routed within an AS using an IGP
(Interior Gateway Protocol) and routed between different ASs using an EGP (Exterior Gateway Protocol). NIOS
appliances support OSPFv2 (for IPv4) and OSPFv3 (for IPv6) for a routing IGP, and BGP4 to advertise DNS anycast
addresses in the larger internetwork.
As noted in the section Configuring Anycast Addresses, you configure OSPF or BGP4 to advertise anycast addresses,
which configured on the loopback interface of NIOS appliances. Use of either protocol depends on the network topology,
based on whether the advertisements will propagate only within a single AS or between more than one AS. The following
figure shows a simplified example.
OSPF and BGP Routing Example

Rev. D
Within each AS, OSPF is the protocol used to forward anycast advertisements. Between ASs, BGP is the protocol
selected to advertise anycast addresses. Using this technique, DNS servers in diverse locations can operate together to
ensure continuous service.
About OSPF
OSPF is a link-state protocol based on the Dijkstra algorithm used to calculate the shortest path to a destination address
within an internetwork. This protocol uses a link-state database created using routing information advertised from
neighbors and peers, each with costs based on the state of that link to the destination.
OSPF network topologies consist of administrative domains called OSPF areas. An area is a logical collection of OSPF
routers, servers and other network devices that have the same area identifier. A router within an area keeps an OSPF
database for its OSPF area only, reducing the size of the database that is maintained.
Anycast and OSPF

NIOS appliances can use the OSPF routing protocol to advertise routes for DNS anycast addresses to an upstream
router within the autonomous system. The upstream router uses the OSPF advertisement to determine the nearest DNS
server from a group of servers within the internetwork. In practice, the NIOS appliance relies upon OSPF to determine
the best route for DNS queries to take to the nearest DNS server. The upstream router then forwards the query to the
chosen DNS server.
As illustrated in the figure Anycast Addressing for DNS Using OSPF, to enable anycast for DNS queries, you configure
two or more DNS servers within the AS routing domain with the same anycast address on their loopback interfaces.
When you select OSPF as the routing protocol, the upstream router determines the nearest server within the group of
servers configured with that anycast address. (The "nearest" DNS server may not necessarily be the geographically
closest DNS server; it is the DNS server with the lowest cost associated with its reachability from the current node. This
is calculated through the OSPF routing algorithm, a discussion of which is far beyond the scope of this manual.) The
nearest DNS server configured with the correct anycast address then responds to the DNS query. In the case where the

Rev. D
nearest server becomes unavailable, the next nearest server responds to the query. OSPF anycast provides a
dynamically routed failover to ensure that DNS can always resolve client requests within the AS. From the client
perspective, anycasting is transparent and the group of DNS servers with the anycast address appears to be a single
DNS server.
Anycast Addressing for DNS Using OSPF
After you configure or change DNS anycast settings, you must restart the DNS services for the settings to take effect.
When you enter any OSPF command and wait for the interface to return more information, the appliance disconnects
your CLI session after you restart services or make other OSPF configuration changes through Grid Manager. Re-enter
your credentials to log back in to the CLI. (For information, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.)
To enable the appliance to support OSPF and advertising anycast addresses on OSPF from the loopback, you must first
configure the LAN1 or LAN1 (VLAN) interface as an OSPF advertising interface. For information about VLAN, see About
Virtual LANs.
You can also configure authentication for OSPF advertisements to ensure that the routing information received from a
neighbor is authentic and the reachability information is accurate. This process can be implemented for OSPF over IPv4
networks but is not supported for IPv6/OSPFv3. For information, see Configuring OSPF on the NIOS Appliance.
 Note
For more information about the OSPF routing protocol, refer
to RFC 2328 "OSPFv2" and RFC 5340 "OSPF for IPv6".

Rev. D
Configuring OSPF on the NIOS Appliance
 Note
Use the CLI command show ospf or show ipv6_ospf to display configuration and statistical information about
the OSPF protocol running on the appliance. You can also use the set ospf or set ipv6_ospf command to write
OSPF statistical information to the syslog. In the NIOS appliance, configuration of OSPF is limited to Syslog
and the DNS anycast application.
To support DNS anycast and other routing-dependent applications on NIOS appliances, you must first configure the
LAN1 or LAN1 (VLAN) interface as an OSPF advertising interface, and then assign an area ID on the interface to
associate it with a specific OSPF area. The interface advertises the OSPF routing information to the network so that
routers can determine the best server to query. Note that the appliance automatically uses the HA interface as the
advertising interface for an HA pair, even though you select the LAN1 interface. For anycasting, the advertising interface
sends out routing advertisements about the anycast address into the network out to upstream routers.
 Note
IPv6 is not supported for the Stub and Not-so-stubby area types.
To configure the LAN1 (HA) or LAN1(VLAN) interface to be an OSPF advertising interface, perform the following tasks:
Edit icon.
2. Select the Anycast tab in the Grid Member Properties editor.
The Anycast Interfaces appear in a table. You can add new anycast interfaces when needed.
3. Click the Add icon of the OSPF Area Configuration table and choose IPv4 Configuration or IPv6 Configuration to
define a new OSPF Area. The OSPF Area Configuration will show a similar set of Add (IPv4/IPv6) OSPF Area
configuration settings based on the protocol type. Enter the following information to configure the LAN1, or LAN1
(VLAN) as the OSPF advertising interface:
• Advertising Interface: Displays the interface that sends out OSPF routing advertisement. OSPF
advertisements are supported on the LAN1 and LAN1(VLAN) interfaces. For an HA pair, select LAN1 and
the appliance automatically uses the HA interface as the advertising interface.
• Area ID: Enter the OSPF area identifier of the network containing the upstream routers, in either an IP
address format or a decimal format. All network devices configured with the same OSPF area ID belong to
the same OSPF area. The area ID configured on the Grid member must match the area ID of the
upstream router configuration. Area ID numbers are defined in the same format for IPv6 and IPv4.
• Area Type: Select the type of OSPF area to associate with the advertising interface from the drop-down
list. The area type configured on the Grid member must match the area type of the upstream router
configuration. The supported area types are described as follows:
• Standard: A standard area has no restrictions on routing advertisements, and connects to the
backbone area (Area 0) and accepts both internal and external link-state advertisements.
• Stub: A stub area is an area that does not receive external routes.
• Not-so-stubby: A not-so-stubby area (NSSA) imports autonomous system (AS) external routes and
sends them to the backbone, but cannot receive AS external routes from the backbone or other
areas.
 Note
OSPF for IPv6 (known as OSPFv3) configuration does not support OSPF authentication
options.
• AuthenticationType: Select the authentication method to use to verify OSPF routing advertisements on the
interface. The authentication type configured on the Grid member must match the authentication type of the
upstream router configuration. The supported authentication types are described as follows:

Rev. D
• None: No authentication for OSPF advertisement.
• Simple: A simple password for OSPF advertisement authentication, in clear text.
• MD5: An MD5 hash algorithm to authenticate OSPF advertisements. This is the most secure option.
• Authentication Key ID: Enter the key identifier to use to specify the correct hash algorithm after you select
MD as your OSPF authentication type. The authentication key ID configured on the Grid member must
match the authentication key ID of the upstream router configuration.
• Authentication Key: Enter the authentication password to use to verify OSPF advertisements after you
select Simple or MD as your OSPF authentication type. Specify a key string between 1 to 8 characters for
Simple authentication, and a string between 1 to 16 characters for MD5 authentication. The authentication
key configured on the Grid member must match the authentication key of the upstream router
configuration.
• Cost: Select one of the following:
• Calculate Automatically: Select this checkbox to auto generate the cost to associate with the
advertising OSPF interface to the appliance. If this checkbox is not selected, then you specify the
cost value explicitly. Calculate the cost as 100,000,000 (reference bandwidth) divided by the
interface bandwidth. For example, a 100Mb interface has a cost of 1, and a 10Mb interface has a
cost of 10.
• Fixed Metric: Enter the cost to associate with the advertising OSPF interface to the appliance.
• Hello Interval: Specify how often to send OSPF hello advertisements out from the appliance interface, in
seconds. Specify any number from 1 through 65,535. The default value is 10 seconds. The hello interval
configured on the Grid member must match the hello interval of the upstream router configuration.
• Dead Interval: Specify how long to wait before declaring that the NIOS appliance is unavailable and down,
in seconds. Specify any number from 1 through 65,535. The default value is 40 seconds. The dead
interval configured on the Grid member must match the dead interval of the upstream router configuration.
• Retransmit Interval: Specify how long to wait before retransmitting OSPF advertisements from the
interface, in seconds. Specify any number from 1 through 65,535. The default value is 5 seconds. The
retransmit interval configured on the Grid member must match the retransmit interval of the upstream
router configuration.
• Transmit Delay: Specify how long to wait before sending an advertisement from the interface, in seconds.
Specify any number from 1 through 65,535. The default value is 1 second. The transmit interval
configured on the Grid member must match the transmit interval of the upstream router configuration.
• Click Add to add the interface to the table.
The Cost, Hello Interval, Dead Interval, Retransmit Interval and Transmit Delay settings can be configured for IPv6
deployments. OPSF authentication is not supported for IPv6 on the NIOS platform.
Managing OSPF
• OSPF advertises the route when the DNS service starts. The start DNS command creates an interface and starts
the OSPF daemon.
• OSPF stops advertising the route when the DNS service stops. The stop DNS command stops the OSPF
daemon and deletes the interface.
• The NIOS application does not support a route flap. For example, temporary DNS downtime such as restart, does
not stop or re-instate the OSPF advertisement.
• The OSPF advertisement stops if DNS service is down for more than 40 seconds.
Anycast and BGP4
 Note
Use the CLI command show bgp or show ipv6_bgp to display configuration and statistical information about
the Border Gateway Protocol running on the appliance. You can also use the set bgp command to write OSPF
statistical information to the syslog. In the NIOS appliance, configuration of BGP is limited to Syslog and the
DNS anycast application.

Rev. D
BGP4 (henceforth referred to as BGP) is designed to distribute routing information among ASs and exchange routing and
reachability information with other BGP systems using a destination-based forwarding paradigm. Unlike OSPF, which
calculates routes within a single AS, BGP is a vector routing protocol that distributes routing information among different
ASs. A unique ASN (autonomous system number) is allocated to each AS to identify the individual network in BGP
routing. A BGP session between two BGP peers is an eBGP (external BGP) session if the BGP peers are in different
ASs. A BGP session between two BGP peers is an iBGP (internal BGP) session if the BGP peers are in the same AS.
BGP configuration enables large enterprises using BGP as the internetworking protocol to provide resilient DNS services
using the Infoblox solution. While BGP is mostly used by ISPs, it is also used in larger enterprise environments that must
interconnect networks that span geographical and administrative boundaries. In these environments, it is required to use
BGP to advertise anycast routes. Using BGP allows the appliance to advertise DNS anycast addresses to neighboring
routers across multiple ASs that also use BGP as their routing protocols.
As illustrated in Anycast Addressing for DNS using BGP, to enable anycast for DNS queries among three different
networks that span different geographical regions, you can configure two DNS servers with the same DNS anycast
addresses in the AS 65497 network. Since other network routers in AS 65498 and AS 65499 also use BGP as the routing
protocol, the DNS anycast addresses can be advertised across these networks.
Anycast Addressing for DNS using BGP
To enable DNS anycast addressing across different ASs, you configure BGP as the routing protocol on the NIOS
appliance. (As illustrated in the figure Anycast and BGP Configuration on Infoblox Appliances, the AS 65497 network
contains the Infoblox DNS anycast servers, and the AS 65499 network contains Router 1 and 2. The routers use BGP
and are peered with the DNS servers. You can configure anycast addressing on the loopback interface of the DNS
servers and select BGP as the protocol to advertise the anycast addresses to Router 1 and 2 in AS 65499. For
information, see Configuring Anycast Addresses. Once you have configured the DNS servers, the appliances
automatically add filters on the advertising interfaces to limit the advertisements to the configured anycast IP addresses.
Similarly, BGP filters are applied to ensure that the DNS servers only receive default route advertisements from the
neighboring routers.
Anycast and BGP Configuration on Infoblox Appliances

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BGP uses timers to determine how often the appliance sends keepalive and update messages, and when to declare a
neighboring router out of service. You can configure the time intervals for these timers. For information, see Configuring
BGP in the NIOS Appliance.
The BGP protocol service is automatically configured to send SNMP queries about BGP runtime data. The appliance
sends SNMP traps to its neighboring routers when it encounters issues with the protocol. BGP is configured to send
SNMP traps as defined in RFC4273 Definitions of Managed Objects for BGP-4. You must enable and configure the
SNMP trap receiver on the Grid member for the member to send SNMP traps. For information, see SNMP MIB
Hierarchy.
You can use the set bgp command to set the verbosity levels of the BGP routing service. The appliance writes BGP
statistical information to the syslog. After you configure the settings, you must restart the DNS services for the settings to
take effect. For information, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide. Note that when you enter any BGP command and wait for
the interface to return more information, the appliance disconnects your CLI session if you restart services or make other
BGP configuration changes through Grid Manager. You must re-enter your credentials to log back in to the CLI.
You can configure BGP on any interface to advertise anycast addresses across multiple ASs.
 Note
NIOS selects the interface for BGP advertisement based on the routing configuration.
The appliance supports BGP version 4. For more information about BGP, refer to RFC4271, A Border Gateway Protocol
4 (BGP-4).
Configuring BGP in the NIOS Appliance

You can configure the appliance as a BGP advertising interface for anycast addresses. The NIOS appliance advertises
the BGP routing information to the network so routers can determine the nearest server to query. The NIOS appliance
does not perform dynamic routing itself; it can use dynamic routing protocols to advertise its DNS anycast availability.

Rev. D
You must define the ASN of the interface and list any neighboring routers that will receive the BGP announcements. On
an HA pair, BGP runs only on the active node. In an HA failover, the BGP service resumes on the new active node.
 Note
If you encounter Malformed AS_PATH error, then remove the dont-capability-negotiate option. Infoblox doesn't
provide an option to create confederation of autonomous systems if the BGP peer is configured by enabling the
dont-capability-negotiate option.
Authenticating BGP Neighbors

You can configure authentication for BGP advertisements to avoid any malicious interference by ASs. This ensures that
the routing information exchanged between BGP peers is authentic, and it is accepted only if the authentication is
successful. BGP authentication must be configured with the same password on both BGP peers. Otherwise, the
connection between them is not established. The Infoblox BGP authentication fully conforms to RFC 2385. For
information about BGP authentication, refer to RFC 2385, Protection of BGP Sessions via the TCP MD5 Signature
Option.
 Note
If you upgrade from a previous NIOS version to NIOS 6.11.0 or later, BGP authentication is disabled for existing
BGP neighbors.
The BGP service restarts automatically when any of the following authentication changes are made:
• MD5 authentication is enabled or disabled for a BGP neighbor.
• Change the authentication password of a BGP neighbor, for which MD5 authentication is enabled.
To configure BGP for anycast addresses:
Edit icon.
2. In the Grid Member Properties editor, select the Anycast tab.
3. In the BGP Configuration section, complete the following:
• Interface Link Detection: Select this checkbox to enable link detection when the default connection fails.
This enables the router to track the next available route. For example, if LAN1 is set as the default
gateway when both LAN1 and LAN2 are working, and LAN1 later fails, the router will switch to LAN2.
When LAN1 reconnects, the router will then switch back to LAN1.
• ASN: Enter the autonomous system number of the interface. You can enter an ASN number from 1 to
4294967295. You can configure only one ASN on each Grid member.
• BGP Timers: BGP uses timers to control how often the interface sends KEEPALIVE messages and how
long it waits before declaring a neighboring router out of service. The keepalive timer determines the time
interval at which the interface sends KEEPALIVE messages to a neighboring router to inform the neighbor
that the appliance is alive. The hold down timer determines how long the interface waits to hear a
KEEPALIVE or UPDATE message before it assumes its neighbor is out of service. If a neighboring router
is down, the interface terminates the BGP session and withdraws all the BGP routing information to the
neighbor.
• Keep Alive: Enter the time interval in seconds when the interface sends keepalive messages. You
can enter a time from 1 to 21845 seconds. The default is four seconds.
• Hold Down: Enter the time in seconds that the interface waits to hear a keepalive message from
its neighbor before declaring the neighbor out of service. You can enter a time from 3 to 65535
seconds. The default is 16 seconds.
Click the Add icon to add a neighboring router to receive BGP advertisements from the NIOS appliance. The
appliance adds a new row to the table. Complete the following:
• Neighbor Router IP: Enter the IP address (IPv4 or IPv6) of the neighboring BGP router. The neighboring router
can be within the same AS (the most likely case) or from a router in an external AS.

Rev. D
• Remote ASN: Enter the ASN of the neighboring router. You can enter an ASN number from 1 to 4294967295.
• MD5 Authentication: Select this checkbox to enable MD5 authentication for the BGP neighbor. When you enable
MD5 authentication, you must enter the authentication password in the Password field.
• Password: Enter the authentication password that the NIOS appliance uses to connect to the BGP neighbor.You
can enter up to 80 printable ASCII characters. The password configured on the Grid member must match the
password of the BGP neighbor.
 Note
When you enter the password for a BGP neighbor, it will be preserved even if you disable MD5
authentication for the BGP neighbor later. But if you change the IP address for any existing BGP
neighbor, you must re-enter the authentication password for the BGP neighbor, even if the
authentication password remains the same.
• Comment: Enter useful information about this neighboring router.

Click the Add icon again to add another neighboring router. You can add up to 10 neighboring routers.
5. Anycast configuration is complete. To activate anycast, see Specifying Port Settings for DNS and its subtopic,
Specifying Source Ports.
About BFD (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection)

NIOS supports Anycast addressing for DNS using BGP and OSPF routing protocols. Since BGP and OSPF have timer
granularity in seconds, the network re-convergence is slow in case of faults in forwarding path. BFD protocol is designed
to provide faster failure detection using millisecond timer intervals. It can be enabled with routing protocols to achieve fast
network re-convergence.
You can use BFD to detect failures early on and create adjacency with the next router. BFD can be enabled for OSPF or
BGP and you can create BFD templates and assign it to OSPF Area or BGP neighbors. You can enable BFD
simultaneously for OSPF and BGP, but only one BFD session will be created for a given neighbor. Infoblox recommends
that you use the same BFD template for both the OSPF and BGP neighbors whenever such a configuration is required.
When BFD is enabled on an anycast daemon, any failure on the DNS service also restarts the anycast daemon. When
the anycast restart behavior is 'off', the BFD restarts only when there is a configuration change.
When the BFD protocol gets enabled, it by default also starts an internal DNS monitor to check whether the DNS service
is up and running. The BFD DNS monitor works by sending a DNS query for the root zone “.” to the configured anycast
addresses. If the internal DNS monitor does not receive a DNS response, the DNS service is assumed to be down. The
internal DNS monitor then sends the BFD down message and retracts the anycast route.

Rev. D
The BFD protocol feature is supported in NIOS 8.0 and later releases. This section provides a brief overview about
enabling BFD for OSPF area and BGP neighbors, creating BFD templates, SNMP, and CLI commands.
 Warning
The default advertised setting for BFD holddown is 300 ms (100 ms transit/
receive intervals and detection multiplier 3). This setting is optimized for typical routers and directly connected
endpoint configurations. If your network requires an implementation of L2 multi-
path or port redundancy, you must adjust the holddown interval value higher than the spanning-
tree rebalance latency
to avoid unnecessary changes to the L3 network topology or the forwarding path for DNS traffic.
 Note
You can enable or disable the BFD Internal DNS Monitoring checkbox only if you select the Enable BFD
checkbox. When you enable the BFD Internal DNS Monitoring checkbox, Infoblox recommends that you also
select the Enable DNS Health Check checkbox in the Grid Properties Editor or the Member Properties Editor.
The BFD Internal DNS Monitoring checkbox is enabled by default.
Enabling BFD for OSPF

You can enable BFD for both IPv4 and the IPv6 OSPF areas. To support DNS anycast and other routing-dependent
applications on NIOS appliances, you must first configure the LAN1, LAN1 (VLAN), or HA (for HA pairs only) interface as
an OSPF advertising interface, and then assign an area ID on the interface to associate it with a specific OSPF area.
To enable BFD for the IPv4 or the IPv6 OSPF area:
Edit icon.
3. In the OSPF Area Configuration table, select the OSPF advertising interface, click the Edit icon, and then
• Enable BFD: Select this checkbox to enable BFD for the OSPF advertising interface.
• BFD template: Click Select BFD Template and select a BFD template from the Select BFD Template
dialog box. You can click Clear to remove the selected BFD template and select a new one.
• BFD Internal DNS Monitoring: Select this checkbox to enable the internal DNS monitor to send and
receive DNS responses and to retract the OSPF route if it does not receive a DNS response.
When OSPF session with a neighbor router in the OSPF Area reaches FULL state, BFD session is automatically created.
By default, BFD runs with no authentication and timer intervals of 100ms transmit, 100ms receive and multiplier 3 (hold
down time = 300ms). The actual runtime intervals are negotiated with the peer as per BFD standard RFC 5880. If these
intervals are not suitable or authentication needs to be enabled for BFD, you must create a BFD template.
Enabling BFD for OSPF

Rev. D
You can use the show ipv6_ospf neighbor CLI command to view runtime BFD information for OSPF.
Enabling BFD for BGP Neighbor

BFD can be enabled for each configured BGP neighbor individually. You can also use the Enable Multi-hop option, which
allows BGP to connect to BGP neighbors which are more than one IP hops away.
To enable BFD for the BGP neighboring router:
Edit icon.
3. In the BGP Neighbor Configuration table, select the BGP neighboring router, click the Edit icon, and then
• Enable Multi-hop (optional): Select this checkbox to allow BGP to connect with the neighbors which are
more than one IP hops away.
• Hop Limit: Enter the maximum hop limit. The default value is 255.
• Enable BFD: Select this checkbox to enable BFD for the BGP neighboring router.
• BFD template: You can assign a BFD template to the BGP neighboring router to run BFD with non-default
settings. Click Select BFD Template and select a BFD template from the Select BFD Template dialog box.
You can click Clear to remove the selected BFD template and select a new one.
• BFD Internal DNS Monitoring: Select this checkbox to enable the internal DNS monitor to send and
receive DNS responses and to retract the BGP route if it does not receive a DNS response.
The BFD session for a given BGP neighbor is created when the BGP state reaches 'Established'.
Enabling BFD for BGP Neighbor

Rev. D
Viewing Runtime BFD Information for BGP
You can use the show bgp neighbor CLI command to view runtime BFD information for BGP. For more information,
see show bgp.
Creating a BFD Template

BFD advertises the default hold-down interval of 300ms and authentication is disabled, by default. In order to configure
faster or slower hold-down intervals, you can create BFD templates and assign it to the OSPF Area or BGP neighbors.
You can configure a BFD template at the Grid level and assign it to multiple Grid members. The BFD template can be
assigned to the BGP neighbor or OSPF Area of any Grid member in the Grid and it can be assigned to multiple BGP
neighbors or OSPF Areas.
To create BFD templates:
1. From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click Manage BFD Templates.
2. In the Manage BFD Templates wizard, click the Add icon, and then complete the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the BFD template.
• Authentication Type: Select the authentication type from the drop-down list. You can select one of the
following authentication types: MD5, SHA-1, Meticulous MD5, or Meticulous SHA-1. The BFD
authentication type fully conforms to RFC 5883.
• Authentication Key ID: Enter the key identifier to use to specify the correct hash algorithm after you select
the authentication type. If you do not enter a value here, the appliance by default sets 'one' as the
authentication key ID. The authentication key ID configured on the Grid member must match the
authentication key ID of the upstream router configuration.
• Authentication Secret/Password: Enter the authentication password to use to verify after you select the
authentication type. You can enter password with 4-16 printable ASCII characters. The authentication
password configured on the Grid member must match the authentication key of the upstream router
configuration.
• Intervals: Specify the following BFD timer intervals for each router interface.
• Min Rx Interval (ms): Enter the minimum receive interval. The default is 100ms. The minimum
receive interval value must be an integer between 50 and 9999 (both inclusive).
• Min Tx Interval (ms): Enter the minimum transmit interval. The default is 100ms. The minimum
transmit interval value must be an integer between 50 and 9999 (both inclusive).

Rev. D
• Multiplier: Enter the detection multiplier. You can enter a value between 3 and 50. The default is 3.
3. Click Add.
After you have added BFD templates, you can do the following:
• Select a BFD template and click the Edit icon to edit the configuration.
• Select a BFD template and click the Delete icon to delete it.
Manage BFD Templates
Manage BFD Templates Wizard

Rev. D
Enabling and Disabling DNS Health Check Monitor
In order to minimize downtime for DNS and ensure high availability, NIOS implements DNS process monitoring and self-
recovery on each Grid member, in order to minimize downtime for DNS and ensure high availability. You can enable the
DNS health check monitor to monitor whether the DNS server is responding to client requests. When you enable this
feature, the appliance sends a query to the DNS server and waits for the response until the specified timeout duration. If
the appliance is unable to receive a response from the DNS server after the specified number of retries, the appliance
sends SNMP traps and email notifications about the failure. The appliance performs the DNS health check periodically
based on the specified time interval.
If BFD is used for anycast fault detection, the BFD session state advertised from the member can be in the Down state
whenever there is a DNS health check failure. This allows quick anycast route tear-down and the network might
converge with another DNS server that can serve same anycast IP.
Additionally, you can also configure domain names in the DNS health check monitor, which are probed simultaneously
and if any one of the domains fail to resolve for consecutive attempts, the DNS health is considered as Down. If recursion
is enabled on the Grid member, the queries to these domains help to assert the ability of the DNS server to reach the
external authoritative servers and optionally trigger network re-convergence in case of a failure. When no domains are
configured, local PTR queries are used to probe the DNS process.
 Warning
The DNS health check monitor might
not work properly if the DNS blackhole feature is enabled or if any named ACL is blocking the query sent to the
loopback interface.
To enable or disable the DNS health check monitor:

Edit icon.
In the Grid DNS Properties or the Member DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in
the basic mode.
• Enable DNS Health Check: This checkbox is deselected by default, meaning the DNS health check
monitor is disabled. Select this checkbox to enable the DNS health check monitor and specify the
following:
• Interval: Enter the time interval in seconds. The interval value is measured from the end of the previous
monitoring cycle. The default is 30 seconds. You can enter a value between 10 and 21600 seconds.
• Timeout: Enter the timeout value in seconds. This is the time the appliance waits for a response to the
query. The default is 3 seconds. You can enter a value between 1 and 10 seconds.
• Retries: Enter the number of times the appliance tries to send the query after a failed attempt. The default
is 3. You can enter a value between 1 and 10.
• Link BFD session state to DNS Health Check: Select this checkbox to link the BFD session state with the
DNS health check monitor.
• Resolve Additional Domains: Click the Add icon and enter the domain name. The DNS health check
monitor sends recursive queries to the local DNS server (BIND/Unbound) for the domain names listed in
this table. You can add up to 16 domain names.
 Note
You must carefully select the domain names for DNS health check monitor with BFD session in order to avoid
unnecessary changes in downstream DNS traffic due to transient health check query failures. Setting a higher
timeout or retry count might help in avoiding false alarms.

Rev. D
Enabling DNS Health Check Monitor
Monitoring with SNMP

Infoblox MIBs (IB-TRAP-MIB, IB-PLATFORMONE-MIB) are updated to include a notification for BFD process failure
(ibBFDSoftwareFailure). By default, SNMP notifications are enabled for the BFD process failure event. You can enable or
disable SNMP and email notifications for specific event types, by selecting the corresponding checkboxes in the
Notification tab of the Grid Properties or Member Properties editor.

Rev. D
Grid Properties Editor
In addition, the BFD process can generate SNMP traps for session state changes according to the standard BFD MIBs
described in RFC 7330 and RFC 7331:
• .1.3.6.1.2.1.222.0.1 (bfdSessUp): This notification (aka trap) is sent when one of the neighbors changes the BFD-
session state as 'Up.'
• .1.3.6.1.2.1.222.0.2 (bfdSessDown): This notification (aka trap) is sent when one of the neighbors changes the
BFD-session state as 'Down' or 'AdminDown.'
• .1.3.6.1.2.1.222.1.2.1.13 (bfdSessDiag): The diagnostic code which can be one of the following:
• noDiagnostic (0)
• controlDetectionTimeExpired (1)
• echoFunctionFailed (2)
• neighborSignaledSessionDown (3)
• forwardingPlaneReset (4)
• pathDown (5)
• concatenatedPathDown (6)
• administrativelyDown (7)
• reverseConcatenatedPathDown (8)
• misConnectivityDefect (9)
Note that you must download the following MIBs to enable the trap-receiver to parse the notifications:
• BFD-STD-MIB
• BFD-TC-STD-MIB
• DIFFSERV-MIB
• DIFFSERV-DSCP-TC
• INTEGRATED-SERVICES-MIB
• IANA-BFD-TC-STD-MIB
DHCP
This section describes how to configure the Grid to provide DHCP services. It includes the following topics:

Rev. D
• Configuring Infoblox DHCP Services
• Configuring DHCP Properties
• Managing IPv4 DHCP Data
• Managing DHCP Templates
• Managing IPv6 DHCP Data
• Configuring DHCP Failover
• Configuring DHCP Filters
• Authenticated DHCP
• Managing Leases
Configuring Infoblox DHCP Services

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is a network application protocol that automates the assignment of IP
addresses and network parameters to DHCP-configured network devices (DHCP clients). When a DHCP client connects
to a network, it sends a request to obtain an IP address and configuration information from the DHCP server. The DHCP
server manages a pool of IP addresses and configuration information such as default gateway, domain name, and DNS
server. Depending on the configuration, the DHCP server either assigns or denies an IP address to a client request. It
also sends network configuration parameters to the client.
You can configure a NIOS appliance to provide DHCP service for IPv4 and IPv6. The Infoblox DHCP server complies
with a number of DHCP and DHCPv6 RFCs (see Appendix A Product Compliance). Limited-access admin groups can
access certain DHCP resources only if their administrative permissions are defined. For information on setting
permissions for admin groups, see Managing Administrators.
This section provides an overview of the Infoblox DHCP services for IPv4 and IPv6. It contains the following topics:
• IPv4 DHCP Protocol Overview

• IPv6 DHCP Protocol Overview
• Configuring DHCP Overview
• Managing DHCP Data
• DHCP Inheritance
• Configuring Network Views
IPv4 DHCP Protocol Overview

As illustrated in IP Address Allocation Process, when a DHCP client requests an IP address, it sends a DHCPDISCOVER
message to the router, which can act as a relay agent. The router forwards the message to the DHCP server. When the
DHCP server receives the DHCPDISCOVER message, it determines the network segment to which the client belongs
and assigns an IP address. The DHCP server then sends a DHCPOFFER message that includes the IP address and
other network configuration information. When the router receives the DHCPOFFER message, it broadcasts the
message to the client that sent the DHCPDISCOVER message.
IP Address Allocation Process

Rev. D
IPv6 DHCP Protocol Overview
You can configure NIOS appliances to support DHCP for IPv6 (DHCPv6), the protocol for providing DHCP services for
IPv6 networks. The DHCPv6 client-server model is similar to that of IPv4. DHCP clients and servers use a reserved, link-
scoped multicast address to exchange DHCP messages. When a DHCP client needs to send messages to a DHCP
server that is not attached to the same link, a DHCP relay agent can be used to relay messages between the client and
server. Each IPv6 DHCP server and client has a unique DHCP unique identifier (DUID). DHCP servers use DUIDs to
identify clients when providing configuration parameters, and clients use DUIDs to identify the source of the DHCP
messages from servers.
As illustrated in the figure Client DHCPv6 Configuration Workflow, a DHCP client that needs an IPv6 address sends a
Solicit message to the well-known multicast address. DHCPv6 servers then send Advertise messages to the client to
indicate that they are available. The client sends a Request message to a specific DHCPv6 server to request IP
addresses and configuration parameters. The DHCPv6 server responds with a Reply message that contains the IP
addresses and configuration parameters. You can view statistics about the IPv6 messages on the Dashboard.
Client DHCPv6 Configuration Workflow

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Infoblox DHCP servers also supports stateless configuration in which a DHCP client does not need IP addresses, but
needs configuration information only. The DHCP client sends an Information-Request packet to obtain configuration
information, and the server sends a Reply message with the requested information. For more information, refer to RFC
2462, IPv6 Stateless Address Autoconfiguration.

An IPv6 address consists of the following:
• Global Routing Prefix — Global routing prefix is a (typically hierarchically-structured) value assigned to a site. For
example, an ISP can delegate a prefix to your site, which you can then divide into subnets.
• Subnet ID — Subnet ID is an identifier of a link within the site.
• Interface ID — Interface Identifier. This portion of the address identifies the interface on the subnet. This is
equivalent to the host identifier for IPv4 addresses.

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When you enter an IPv6 address in Grid Manager, you can use double colons to compress a contiguous sequence of
zeros. You can also omit any leading zeros in a four-hexadecimal group. For example, the complete IPv6 address
2006:0000:0000:0123:4567:89ab:0000:cdef can be shortened to 2006::123:4567:89ab:0:cdef. Note that if there are
multiple noncontiguous groups of zeros, the double colon can only be used for one group to avoid ambiguity. The NIOS
appliance displays an IPv6 address in its shortened form, regardless of its form when it was entered.
Configuring DHCP Overview

An overview of the complete DHCP configuration process is outlined in the following diagram, illustrating the main steps
for preparing a NIOS appliance for use. Note that the process for configuring the DHCP server is the same for IPv4 and
IPv6 networks, except that failover associations are not supported in IPv6 networks.

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level for all the connecting switch ports (HA, LAN1, and LAN2):
• Spanning Tree Protocol: Disable. For vendor specific information, search for "HA" in the Infoblox Knowledge Base
system at https://support.infoblox.com.
• Trunking: Disable
 Note
If VLAN tagging in enabled on an Infobolox HA appliance, you must enable trunking at the port level.
• EtherChannel: Disable
• IGMP Snooping: Disable
• DHCP Snooping: Disable or Enable Trust Interface
 Note
You must disable DHCP Snooping to successfully run DHCP services on the Grid. For more information
about DHCP services, see Configuring Infoblox DHCP Services.
• Port Channeling: Disable

• Speed and Duplex settings: Match these settings on both the Infoblox appliance and switch
• Disable other dynamic and proprietary protocols that might interrupt the forwarding of packets
 Note
By default, a NIOS appliance automatically negotiates the optimal connection speed and transmission
type (full or half duplex) on the physical links between its LAN1 or LAN1 (VLAN), HA, and MGMT ports
and the Ethernet ports on the connecting switch. If the two appliances fail to auto-negotiate the optimal
settings, see Modifying Ethernet Port Settings for steps you can take to resolve the problem.
Managing DHCP Data

You can configure a NIOS appliance to provide DHCP service for IPv4 and IPv6, and manage both IPv4 and IPv6
objects. When you define DHCP objects, you can track specific information about a network device by defining extensible
attributes. Extensible attributes are fields that you define to track properties such as network locations or device models.
For more information, see Managing Extensible Attributes.
About Networks
You can configure DHCP IPv4 and IPv6 properties for the Grid and its members, and then define the IPv4 and IPv6
networks that they serve.
All networks, both IPv4 and IPv6, must belong to a network view. The appliance has one default network view and unless
you create additional network views, all networks belong to the default view. Note that because network views are
mutually exclusive, you can create networks with overlapping IP address spaces in two different network views. For more
information, see Configuring Network Views.
 Note
The 255.255.255.255 limited broadcast address is reserved. The appliance does not automatically create glue
A records for this address. You can however create an NS record without the associated glue records. For more
information, see Changing the Interface IP Address.

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About Shared Networks
A shared network is a network segment to which you assign two or more subnets. When subnets in a shared network
contain IP addresses that are available for dynamic allocation, the addresses are put into a common pool for allocation
when client requests arise. When you create a shared network, the DHCP server can assign IP addresses to client
requests from any subnet (that resides on the same network interface) in the shared network. For example, when you
have networks A, B, and C on the same network interface and you assign them to a shared network, the DHCP server
can allocate available IP addresses from any DHCP range within networks A, B, and C even when all the client requests
originate from network A. When adding subnets to a shared network, ensure that the subnets are assigned to the same
members to avoid DHCP inconsistencies.
Before creating a shared network, you must first create the subnets. For example, you must first create the IPv4
networks 10.32.1.0 and 10.30.0.0 before designating them to a shared network or create the IPv6 networks
2001:db8:1::/48 and 2001:db8:2::/48 before designating them to a shared network.
After you create a network, you can define their DHCP resources such as DHCP ranges, fixed addresses, reservations,
host records, and roaming hosts. IPv4 and IPv6 support most of the same DHCP objects, except that IPv6 does not
support reservations.
About DHCP Ranges

A DHCP range is a pool of IP addresses from which the appliance allocates IP addresses. You must add a DHCP
address range in your network so the appliance can assign IP addresses to DHCP clients within the specified range.
IPv6 DHCP ranges can also contain a range of IPv6 prefixes that it delegates to DHCP clients that request them.
You must assign a DHCP range to a Grid member. Note that you can only assign DHCP ranges to members and
networks that are in the same network view. If the server is an independent appliance, you must specify this appliance as
the member that serves the DHCP range. In addition, you can also assign IPv4 DHCP ranges to failover associations.
About Exclusion Ranges

You can define an exclusion range within a DHCP range. Creating an exclusion range prevents the appliance from
assigning the addresses in the exclusion range to clients. IP addresses in an exclusion range are excluded from the pool
of IP addresses. You can use exclusions to split a DHCP range into multiple blocks of ranges. You can also use
addresses in the exclusion ranges as static IP addresses for network devices such as legacy printers that do not support
DHCP. An exclusion in a range can help prevent address conflicts between statically configured devices and dynamically
configured devices.
About Fixed Addresses

You can configure fixed addresses for network devices, such as routers and printers, that are not frequently moved from
network to network. By creating fixed addresses for network devices, clients can reliably reach them by their domain
names. Some network devices, such as web or FTP servers, can benefit from having fixed addresses for this reason. In
IPv4 and IPv6 networks, you can also reserve an IP address that is not part of a DHCP range by defining a reservation.
For information about creating reservations, see Configuring IPv4 Reservations.
About Hosts
Infoblox hosts are data objects that contain DNS, DHCP, and IPAM data of the assigned addresses. You can assign
multiple IPv4 and IPv6 addresses to a host. When you create a host, you are specifying the name-to-address and
address-to-name mappings for the IP addresses that you assign to the host. For information about Infoblox hosts, see
About Host Records.
DHCP Configuration Checklists

After you complete the appliance configuration for each member in the Grid, as described in Managing Appliance
Operations, you can configure DHCP services.
The following checklist includes the major steps for configuring DHCP service for IPv4:

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IPv4 DHCP Configuration Checklist
Configure DHCP properties for the Grid and members. • Configuring IPv4 DHCP Properties
• Configuring DHCP IPv4 and IPv6 Common
Properties
• Configuring the Lease Logging Member
Decide if you want to configure a DHCP failover association. • Configuring Failover Associations
Configure networks based on your network requirements and decide if you want to • Configuring IPv4 Networks
override the Grid or member DHCP configuration for the networks
• Configuring IPv4 Shared Networks
Decide if you want to configure fixed addresses and reservations, and whether to • Configuring IPv4 Fixed Addresses
override the Configuring IPv4 Reservations upper level DHCP properties for the
fixed addresses and reservations.
Define DHCP ranges and decide whether to override the upper level DHCP • Configuring IPv4 Address Ranges
properties for the ranges.
Enable DHCP services on the member. • Starting DHCP Services on a Member
The following checklist includes the major steps for configuring DHCP service for IPv6:
IPv6 DHCP Configuration Checklist
Configure DHCP properties for the Grid and members. • Configuring DHCPv6 Properties
• Configuring DHCP IPv4 and IPv6 Common
Properties
• Configuring the Lease Logging Member
Configure networks based on your network requirements and decide if you want to • Configuring IPv6 Networks
override the Grid or member DHCP configuration for the networks.
• About IPv6 Shared Networks
Decide if you want to configure fixed addresses and reservations, and whether to • Configuring IPv6 Fixed Addresses
override the upper level DHCP properties for the fixed addresses and reservations.
Define DHCP ranges and decide whether to override the upper level DHCP properties • Configuring IPv6 Address Ranges
for the ranges
Enable DHCP services on the member. • Starting DHCP Services on a Member
DHCP Inheritance
When you configure DHCP properties for the Grid, members, networks, shared networks, DHCP ranges, fixed
addresses, reservations, host addresses, and roaming hosts, the appliance applies the configured properties

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hierarchically. In addition, IPv4 DHCP objects inherit IPv4 specific properties and IPv6 objects inherit IPv6 specific
properties. For example, when you set DHCP IPv4 properties for the Grid, all DHCP IPv4 objects inherit the properties
from the Grid unless you override them at a specific level, and the same applies for IPv6 properties and objects.
Properties set at the member level override Grid-level settings and apply to the objects that the member serves.
Properties set at the network level override member-level settings and apply to the objects within the network. Properties
set for a DHCP range override those set at higher levels. You can also set specific properties that apply only to fixed
addresses, reservations, host addresses, and roaming hosts.
The figure Inheritance Hierarchy in a Grid illustrates some inheritance scenarios that can occur in a Grid. As shown in the
figure, the authoritative server configuration set for the Grid is inherited by the members. Since Member 1 has no
overrides and Member 2 overrides the authoritative server configuration, they have different DHCP configurations. Grid
Manager applies DHCP properties hierarchically from the Grid down. Therefore, a DHCP object below the member level
can inherit DHCP properties with multiple values from multiple sources. In Inheritance Hierarchy in a Grid, network
10.1.1.0/24 inherits multiple values (True and False) from the members for the authoritative server configuration. The
shared network, which includes 10.1.1.0/24, inherits DHCP properties from both members. For DHCP range 10.1.1.11 -
10.1.1.50, since Member 1 is the assigned member, it inherits properties from Member 1 and the network. The fixed
address 10.1.1.2 overrides the BOOTP settings and inherits the authoritative server configuration from both members
and the network.
Inheritance Hierarchy in a Grid
When a DHCP property contains inherited values from different sources, the appliance displays the corresponding
information when you create or modify an object. Based on the information provided, you can then decide whether to
override or keep the inherited values. You must have read/write permissions to the DHCP resources to override inherited
values. You can only view inherited values and paths if you have read-only permissions.

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Overriding DHCP Properties
DHCP properties configured at the Grid level apply to the entire Grid. You can choose to keep the inherited properties or
override them when you configure the properties for a member, network, shared network, DHCP range, fixed address,
host address, or roaming host. For example, you can override the values of DHCP properties inherited from a member
and enter unique values for a network that is configured for DHCP.
To override an inherited value:
1. In a wizard or editor, click Override next to a property to enable the configuration. The Override button changes to
Inherit.
2. Enter a new value to override the inherited value.
Viewing Inherited Values

When you configure DHCP properties that contain inherited values, the appliance displays the information based on the
inheritance sources. The following table summaries what the appliance can display:
When you see... it means... For details,

see...
Inherited From <object> the DHCP property has a definite value from an inheritance source. Simple
Inheritance
Inherited From Upper Level the appliance cannot determine the inherited value or inheritance source for the DHCP Unknown
property. Inheritance
Inherited From Multiple the DHCP property has the same value that it inherits from multiple sources. Multiple
Inheritance
Settings Inherited from Multiple the DHCP property has multiple values that it inherits from multiple sources, and you Multiple
Ancestors, View Multiple Inheritance can view the values and their corresponding sources by clicking the View Multiple Inheritance
Scenarios Inheritance Scenarios link.
Simple Inheritance
When a DHCP property has an inherited value from a specific source, the appliance displays the value. It also displays
Inherited From <object> (where <object> can be the Grid, member, network, shared network, or DHCP range) to indicate
the source from which the value is inherited.
For example, when you set DHCP properties at the Grid level and do not override the properties at any level, the
members, networks, shared networks, DHCP ranges, fixed addresses, reservations, host addresses, and roaming hosts
inherit these properties from the Grid. The appliance displays the property value and Inherited From Grid Infoblox for
each configured DHCP property, as shown in Simple Inheritance.

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Simple Inheritance
Unknown Inheritance
In some cases, DHCP properties may not have definite inherited values and inheritance sources. The following are
examples of unknown inheritance:
• The appliance cannot determine the inheritance sources of the DHCP properties in a template until you use the
template to create an object.
• When a network or a DHCP range does not have an assigned member, it does not have a clear definition of an
inheritance source because a network or a DHCP range inherits properties from a member.
• When individual networks in a shared network do not have member assignments, the shared network has
unknown inheritance because the shared network inherits DHCP properties from a member and its networks.
• All roaming hosts have unknown inheritance because the DHCP properties can be inherited from different DHCP
ranges within a network view.
In cases where the source of the inheritance is unknown, the appliance displays Inherited From Upper Level as the
inheritance source. As shown in Unknown Inheritance, network 10.1.1.0 has unknown lease time value because it does
not have any assigned member.
Unknown Inheritance

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Multiple Inheritance
As illustrated in the figure Multiple Inherited Paths with the Same Inherited Value, a network can have multiple inherited
values and inheritance sources for DHCP properties when it is served by multiple members. When an object inherits a
DHCP property from different sources, the property value can be the same from all sources or it can be different. When
the value is the same, the appliance displays the value in the property field. When there are multiple values inherited
from multiple paths, the appliance displays the information to indicate so.
In a Grid, when two members serve the same network, the network inherits DHCP properties from both associated
members. If both members have the same configured DHCP property, the network inherits the same value from both
members. For example, when DHCP network 10.1.1.0 has two associated members and both members have the lease
time set for 20 hours, the appliance displays the lease time value and Inherited From Multiple to indicate the value is
inherited from multiple sources, as shown in the following figure.
Multiple Inherited Paths with the Same Inherited Value
In the same Grid with the two members serving the same network, the network inherits different values for the same
properties if you override the Grid configuration on one member but not on the other. For example, you can configure
different PXE lease times for the members and configure a member as an authoritative DHCP server for the domain and
the other not. In this case, the appliance displays Settings inherited from multiple ancestors and provides a View Multiple
Inheritance Scenarios link so you can view the inherited values and paths, as shown in Multiple Inheritance Sources with
Multiple Values .
Multiple Inheritance Sources with Multiple Values

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For example, to view the multiple inherited values of the Authoritative field, click View Multiple Inheritance Scenarios, and
the Multiple Inheritance Viewer displays the inherited values from the two members. Since member1.foo.net does not
have a configured value for this field, the viewer displays Not Set, as shown in Multiple Inheritance Viewer. You can use
this information to determine whether you want to keep the inherited values or configure new ones.
Multiple Inheritance Viewer
Another scenario of multiple inherited levels is when you have multiple DHCP properties that can inherit the same or
multiple values from different sources. For example, when you configure multiple DHCP custom options, each of the
options can inherit the same or multiple values from multiple paths. You can override the inherited options and configure
new ones at a specific level other than the Grid level. Though these options are grouped under DHCP Custom Options,
the appliance treats each of them as a separate property. The appliance groups the inherited options at the top, as
shown in DHCP Custom Options with Multiple Inheritance Sources. You can override these options but you cannot delete
them. For multiple values inherited from multiple sources, you can view the values in the Multiple Inheritance Viewer by
clicking View Inheritance, as shown in Multiple Inheritance Viewers for Options.
DHCP Custom Options with Multiple Inheritance Sources

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Multiple Inheritance Viewers for Options
When you configure email notification for the Grid or Grid member from the Data Management tab -> Grid tab, the email
address you enter there is inherited by the DHCP configuration for the Grid, members, networks, and DHCP ranges
unless you override it at a specific level. The appliance uses this email address to send notification for a DHCP range
when the DHCP usage crosses either the effective watermark threshold. For information, see Configuring Thresholds for
DHCP Ranges.
A network container inherits DHCP options from its parent and grandparent network containers. A network container does
not inherit DHCP options defined at the Grid or member level.
Note the following about the DHCP option inheritance:
• For networks and shared networks, you can override an inherited DHCP option defined at the Grid or Member
level.
• A shared network without a parent network container continues to inherit DHCP options from its parent Grid or
member. The parent object is derived from the first network within the shared network.
• A network inherits DHCP option from its parent object. For example, if a network has a parent network container
parent and parent shared network parent, if a DHCP option is overridden on the shared network, then this
overridden value gets inherited. If the DHCP option is overridden on a network container, then this overridden
value gets inherited. Otherwise, the network continues to inherit from its parent Grid or member.
Configuring Network Views

A network view is a single routing domain with its own networks and shared networks. A network view can contain both
IPv4 and IPv6 networks. All networks must belong to a network view.

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You can manage the networks in one network view independently of the other network views. Changes in one network
view are not reflected in other network views. Because network views are mutually exclusive, the networks in each view
can have overlapping address spaces with multiple duplicate IP addresses without impacting network integrity.
For example, two corporations, Corp 100 and Corp 200, merge. They each have their own networks and DNS domains.
They also have their own private IP address spaces in the 10.0.0.0/24 network. Both corporations have DHCP and DNS
servers, and use dynamic DNS updates. The DHCP servers of each corporation serve IP addresses for networks in their
respective corporations. The DHCP clients in each corporation update DNS zones within their DNS domains.
They plan to migrate the networks and hosts in Corp 200 to the Corp 100 address space and the corpxyz.com domain.
To support both networks in the meantime and to facilitate the migration, you can configure an Infoblox Grid to centrally
manage the networks and domains of both corporations. As shown in the figure Two Network Views Managed by a Grid,
you can configure network views for each corporation and manage their networks independently of the other.
Member 1 serves DNS and DHCP to Corp 100. The networks of Corp 100 are contained in the corp 100 network view,
which is associated with both the internal and external DNS views of the corpxyz.com domain. Member 2 serves DNS
and DHCP to Corp 200. The networks of Corp 200 are in the corp 200 network view, which is associated with both the
internal and external DNS views of the corp200.com domain The two corporations have one overlapping network,
10.1.1.0/24.
Two Network Views Managed by a Grid
A Grid member can serve one network view only, but a network view can be served by multiple Grid members. DHCP
failover associations must be defined within a single network view, and both the primary and secondary peer must serve
the same network view.
The NIOS appliance provides one default network view. You can rename the default view and change its settings, but
you cannot delete it. There must always be at least one network view in the appliance. If you do not need to manage
overlapping IP address spaces in your organization, you can use the system-defined network view for all your networks.
You do not need to create additional network views. But if there are overlapping IP address spaces and you need more
than one network view, you can create up to 1000 network views.

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Each network view must be associated with at least one DNS view. The default network view is always associated with
the default DNS view, which also cannot be deleted. When you create a network view, the appliance automatically
creates a corresponding DNS view with the same name as the network view, but with "default" prepended to the name.
You can then rename that system-defined DNS view, but you cannot delete it.
A network view can be associated with multiple DNS views (as shown in the figure Two Network Views Managed by a
Grid ), but a DNS view cannot be associated with more than one network view. Each network view must be associated
with a unique set of DNS views.
You can initiate a network discovery in only one network view at a time. When you run a discovery task, the appliance
sends updates to all DNS views associated with the network view. (For information about network discoveries, see IP
Discovery and vDiscovery.
Adding Network Views

All networks must belong to a network view. You can use the default network view on the appliance and create additional
network views, as needed. If you plan to enable DDNS (dynamic DNS) updates on any of the networks, DHCP ranges
and fixed addresses in the network view, you must set parameters that specify which DNS view is updated for each
network view.
 Note
If there are more than 20 network views, the appliance lists the available network views in
the Network View Selector dialog box. If there are 20 or less than 20 network views, the appliance displays
them in the drop-down list.
To create a network view:

1. From the Administration tab, select the Network Views tab, and then click the Add icon.
2. In the Network View wizard, do the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the network view.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the network view.
The Cloud section displays if the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on the Grid Master. For information,
see Deploying Cloud Network Automation.
• Delegate To: This field indicates whether the authority for the network view you want to create has already
been delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance. Click Select to choose the Cloud Platform Appliance to
which you want to delegate authority. The Member Selector displays only Cloud Platform Appliances in
the Grid. Click the member, and Grid Manager displays the member name next to this field. This cloud
member now assumes authority for this network view, and the Grid Master does not have authority
anymore. You can also click Clear to remove authority delegation from the selected Cloud Platform
Appliance and return authority back to the Grid Master.
 Note
You need to install CP license before you configure a Grid with CP member. If you attempt to
add a network view without installing CP license, the Delegate To field shows the following
warning message:
There are no objects to select on the wizard.
NIOS does not display any warning message that prompts you to install the CP license.
Restricting synchronization of network views

• Disable sync to MGM: Select this checkbox to disable synchronization. This will restrict the
synchronization of all objects that are associated with the network view. This checkbox is available only on
the managed Grid when it remains joined with the Multi-Grid Master.
3. Click Next to enter values for required extensible attributes or add optional extensible attributes for the network
view. For information, see About Extensible Attributes.
4. Click Next, and then save the configuration or select:

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Configure DDNS Properties: Configure the DNS zones that are associated with the network view to receive DDNS
updates. When you select this option, the Configure DDNS Properties dialog box appears. The appliance saves the
network view entry before it opens the Configure DDNS Properties dialog box. For information, see Configuring DDNS
Updates.
Modifying Network Views

1. From the Administration tab, select the Network Views tab -> network_view checkbox, and then click the Edit
icon.
2. The Network View editor provides the following tabs from which you can edit data:
• General: You can modify Name and Comments in this tab. When the Cloud Network Automation license is
installed on the Grid Master, Grid Manager displays the following in the Cloud section:
You see the following when Cloud Network Automation is deployed (For information, see Deploying Cloud
Network Automation):
• Cloud Usage: This field indicates whether this object is associated with any specific cloud
extensible attributes or within a scope of delegation. It can be one of the following:
• Cloud from adapter: Indicates that this object has been created by a cloud adapter and it
may or may not be within a scope of delegation at the moment.
• Cloud from delegation: Indicates that this object is within the scope of delegation or the
object itself defines a scope of authority delegation, and it is not created by a cloud
adapter.
• Used by cloud: Indicates that this network or network container is associated with the
extensible attribute Is External or Is Shared and the value is set to True, which implies the
network is a private or shared network managed by the CMP, and it is not Cloud from
adapter or Cloud from delegation.
External, or Is Shared. NIOS admin users can modify this object based on their
permissions.
• Owned By: A cloud object can be owned by the Grid Master or the cloud adapter. When the object
is created by the Cloud Platform member, this shows Grid. If the object is created by the cloud
adapter, this shows Adapter.
• Delegated To: This tells you whether a cloud object has been delegated to a Cloud Platform
Appliance or not. If the cloud object has a parent object and the parent has been delegated, this
field shows the parent delegation and you cannot modify the field.
Restricting synchronization of network views
• Disable sync to MGM: Select this checkbox to disable synchronization. This will restrict the
synchronization of all objects that are associated with the selected network view. This checkbox is
available only on the managed Grid when it remains joined with the Multi-Grid Master.
• Members: This tab displays the members that provide DHCP services for the networks in this network
view.
You cannot modify information in this tab. It displays the following:
• Name: The name of the DHCP member.
• IP Address: The IP address of the DHCP member.
• Failover Association: The name of the failover association to which the DHCP member belongs. If
there are multiple failover associations, only the first one is displayed.
• Comment: The information that you entered for the DHCP member.
You can sort the information in the table by column. You can also print and export the information.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a specific network
view. You can also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see About Extensible
Attributes.
• Permissions: This tab displays only if you belong to a superuser admin group. For information, see
Administrative Permissions for DHCP Resources.

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Deleting Network Views
You can delete any network view, except for the default network view. You can delete a network view that has only one
DNS view associated with it. You cannot delete a network view that has more than one DNS view associated with it.
When you delete a network view, the appliance deletes all the networks and records within the network view.
To delete a network view:

1. From the Administration tab, select the Network Views tab -> network_view checkbox, and then click the Delete
icon.
The appliance removes the network view and its associated DNS views. You can restore the network view from the
Recycle Bin, if enabled. If you restore a network view, the appliance restores the associated DNS views as well. For
 Note
You cannot delete a network view that has a VLAN object assigned to it. For more information, see Assigning
VLANs to a Network.
Configuring DHCP Properties

When you configure a NIOS appliance to function as a DHCP server, you can set DHCP properties that control how the
appliance operates and enable DHCP service for IPv4 and IPv6.
You can also specify configuration information the appliance includes in its IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP messages. When a
DHCP server assigns an IP address to a client, it can include information the client needs to connect to the network and
communicate with other hosts and devices on the network. You can set these properties at the Grid level and override
them for a member, network, shared network, DHCP range, fixed address, IPv4 reservation, host address, or roaming
host.
When you configure a DHCP object that has inherited DHCP properties, you can either keep the inherited properties or
override them. The appliance displays the inherited values and the levels from which the DHCP properties are inherited.
For information, see DHCP Inheritance.
This section explains how to configure DHCP IPv4 and IPv6 properties. It contains the following topics:
• Configuring General IPv4 DHCP Properties

• Configuring Ping Settings
• Configuring DHCP Lease Management
• Ignoring DHCP Client Identifiers
• Configuring IPv4 BOOTP and PXE Properties
• About IPv4 DHCP Options
• Configuring Thresholds for DHCP Ranges
• Configuring DHCPv6 Properties
• About DHCPv6 Options
• Configuring DHCP IPv4 and IPv6 Common Properties
• Configuring DHCP Logging
• Configuring IF-MAP
• Starting DHCP Services on a Member
• Viewing DHCP Member Status
Configuring General IPv4 DHCP Properties

When you configure general IPv4 DHCP properties at the Grid level, the configuration applies to the entire Grid. Though
you can set DHCP properties at the Grid level, you can enable DHCP services at the member level only. Infoblox
recommends that you configure the DHCP properties before you enable DHCP on the appliance. Depending on the
properties, you can override some of them for the members, networks, DHCP ranges, fixed addresses, reservations, host

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addresses, and roaming hosts. To override an inherited DHCP property, click Override next to the property to enable the
configuration.
Specifying Authoritative
Only authoritative DHCP servers can send clients DHCPNAK messages when they request invalid IP addresses. For
example, a client moves to a new subnet and broadcasts a DHCPREQUEST message for its old IP address. An
authoritative DHCP server responds with a DHCPNAK, causing the client to move to the INIT state and to send a
DHCPDISCOVER message for a new IP address. Authoritative servers also respond to DHCPINFORM messages from
clients that receive their IP addresses from the DHCP server and require additional options after the initial leases have
been granted.
Defining Lease Times

When you configure DHCP general properties, you can specify the length of time the DHCP server leases an IP address
to a client. The default on the appliance is 12 hours, and you can change this default according to your network
requirements. There are a number of factors to consider when setting the lease time for IP addresses, such as the types
of resources and clients on the network, and impact to traffic and performance. With NIOS appliances, you can set lease
times at different levels, based on these factors. You can also select the Unlimited Lease Time checkbox to grant
unlimited lease time to IP addresses.
 Warning
Inadvertently selecting the Unlimited Lease Time checkbox could cause a network outage when the address
range runs out of IP addresses.
You can set a default lease time at the Grid level and then override this setting for specific members, network containers,
networks, IP address ranges or fixed addresses when appropriate.
Configuring General IPv4 Properties

To configure general IPv4 DHCP properties:
1. Grid: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, and then click Grid DHCP Properties from the
Toolbar.
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> Members -> member
Network Container: From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network_container checkbox, and
then click the Edit icon.
DHCP Range: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab > Networks tab -> Networks ->
network->addr_range checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
Fixed Address: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network->
Reservation: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab > Networks tab -> Networks ->
network->reservation checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the DHCP Properties editor of a Grid or member, select the General Basic tab. For all other objects, click
Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode. When the additional tabs appear, select the IPv4 DHCP
Options Advanced tab.
• Authoritative: Select DHCP server is authoritative to set the DHCP server as authoritative for the domain.
This can be set for the Grid, member, network container, network and range.
• Lease Time: Enter the lease time and select the time unit from the drop-down list. The default is 12 hours.

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• Unlimited Lease Time: Select this option to set an infinite lease time for all IP addresses.
 Warning
Inadvertently selecting the Unlimited Lease Time checkbox could cause a network outage when the address
range runs out of IP addresses.
To set all other properties for a Grid or member, toggle to the advanced mode and select the General Advanced tab
to complete the following:
• Ignore Optionlist: Select Ignore optionlist requested by client and return all defined options if you want the
appliance to ignore the requested list of options in the DHCPREQUEST messages it receives from DHCP
clients, and to include all the configured options in the DHCPACK and DHCPOFFER messages it sends
back to the clients.
• LEASEQUERY: Select Allow LEASEQUERY to enable the DHCP server to respond to
DHCPLEASEQUERY messages.
Configuring Fixed Addresses without Restarting the DHCP Service

When you configure or modify a fixed address, a DHCP service restart is required by default for the new configuration to
take effect. You can override this default behavior by enabling the appliance to take immediate action when you configure
or modify a fixed address outside a DHCP range without restarting DHCP service. This feature applies to host records for
which DHCP is enabled, as it creates both the host address and the fixed address. You can enable this feature at the
Grid or member level. Note that when you enable this feature, you cannot use the CLI command set
dhcp_expert_mode.
 Note
• Enabling this feature might have a significant performance impact on your appliance, depending on the
number of fixed addresses you have configured.
• This feature works only for fixed addresses outside of a DHCP range. If you make a change to a fixed
address inside a DHCP range, you must manually restart the DHCP service.
For Cloud Network Automation deployment, this feature is automatically enabled on the Cloud Platform Appliance that
has a valid Cloud Platform license installed. For information about Cloud Network Automation, see Deploying Cloud
Network Automation.
To enable immediate fixed address configuration:
Toolbar.
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox, and then
2. In the DHCP Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode. When the additional
tabs appear, click the General tab -> Advanced tab and complete the following:
• Immediate FA Configuration: Select this checkbox to enable the new configuration immediately without
restarting DHCP service when you modify or delete a fixed address.
3. Save the configuration and restart DHCP service.
Configuring Ping Settings

When a DHCP client first tries to connect to a network, it broadcasts its request for an IP address. When the appliance
receives such a request, it checks its record of assigned IP addresses and leases. Because there are a limited number of
IP addresses available, the appliance reassigns IP addresses whose leases might have expired. Therefore, once the

Rev. D
appliance selects a candidate IP address for lease, it sends an ICMP echo request (or ping) to the IP address to verify
that it is not in use.
If the appliance receives a response, this indicates that the IP address is still in use. Note that the lease status for this IP
address is Abandoned. Only after the DHCP client broadcasts a new request for an IP address that the appliance selects
another candidate IP address and sends it a ping. This flow continues until the appliance finds an IP address that does
not respond to the ping as depicted in the figure Ping Overview. The appliance then sends a DHCPOFFER message with
the unused IP address to the DHCP client.
Figure 26.1 Ping Overview
By default, the appliance pings the candidate IP address once and waits one second for the response. You can change
these default settings to better suit your environment. Though you can increase the ping or timeout value to
accommodate delays caused by problems in the network, increasing any of these values increases the delay a client
experiences when acquiring a lease. You can also disable the appliance from sending pings by changing the number of
pings to 0.

Rev. D
You can define ping settings for an entire Grid, and when necessary, define different ping settings for a member. Settings
at the member level override settings at the Grid level.
To configure ping settings:
Toolbar.
tabs appear, click the General tab -> Advanced tab and complete the following:
• Number of Ping Requests: Enter the number of pings the appliance sends to an IP address to verify that it
is not in use. The range is 0 to 10, inclusive. Enter 0 to disable DHCP pings.
• Ping Timeout: Select the ping timeout value from the drop-down list.
Configuring DHCP Lease Management

When setting up DHCP properties, you can configure how the appliance handles lease management. For example, when
a DHCP client moves from one network to another, the DHCP lease granted by the DHCP server in the previous network
remains associated with the network device until the lease expires. When this happens to multiple clients, the address
range could run out of IP addresses; thus, preventing other clients from retrieving an IP address. To avoid this, you can
configure the DHCP server to release a lease when a client moves out of the network. Note that this is valid only if the
client has included the client ID while requesting a lease. For example, a DHCP IPv4 client has included the client ID
while requesting a lease from network A. This client then moves from network A to B. The DHCP server immediately
releases the lease for reuse by another client on network A, based on the client ID. If the client does not include the client
ID in the request, the lease on network A remains active until the lease expires.
You can also enable one-lease-per-client to ensure that each DHCP IPv4 client receives only one lease at any given
time. When you enable one-lease-per-client and a DHCP client sends a DHCPREQUEST for a particular lease, the
appliance releases other leases that the client holds, on the interface that the client is currently using.
Enabling one-lease-per-client is useful when you want to control the number of leases on your subnets and ensure that
each DHCP client receives only one lease at a time. Typically, you enable one-lease-per-client for a DHCP client that
moves around a lot within different subnets and uses long leases.
Note that this feature supports only DHCP IPv4 clients. When you configure lease management at the Grid level, all
members inherit the setting. You can override the Grid setting for each member.
 Note
One-lease-per-client enables a single lease per client on a per member basis, not on a Grid wide basis. Lease
information is not replicated among members. Note that you must restart the DHCP service for the changes to
take effect.
To configure DHCP lease management:

Toolbar.
DHCP Properties.
2. In the DHCP Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode. Click the General tab ->
Advanced tab and select the respective radio button under Multiple Lease Management:
• Release leases for clients with Client IDs: Select this option to release only those leases that have a client
ID when the clients move from one network to another before the leases expire. This is selected by
default.The DHCP server does not release leases that do not have a client ID.
• Retain leases for clients with Client IDs: Select this option to retain all the leases the client holds. The
DHCP server retains all the leases either with or without a client ID. The amount of time taken by the
DHCP server to find a lease for a client might increase if you use this option when the pools are almost

Rev. D
full. Choosing this option might also increase the amount of active leases in the pools when the client
moves from one network to another.
• Allow only one lease per client: Select this option to enable one-lease-per-client per Grid member. This is
valid for leases both with and without client IDs.
Ignoring DHCP Client Identifiers

You can set the DHCP server to ignore the UID (unique client identifier) and MAC address (hardware address) of a
DHCP client when it places a request to the DHCP server for a new lease. When you configure the appliance to ignore
the MAC address of a DHCP client, you can specify the list of MAC addresses. You can enter up to 10 MAC addresses to
be ignored. The appliance ignores all the MAC addresses if you do not specify any MAC addresses. If the Ignore
Hardware Address option is enabled and a DHCP client makes a request without a client UID for a new lease, then the
appliance drops this request. This option is disabled by default. When you enable "Ignore DHCP Client ID" and a DHCP
client sends a DHCPREQUEST for a lease, the DHCP server identifies the DHCP client using the physical MAC address
of the appliance while the UID is ignored. The DHCP server then allocates an IP address based on the MAC address of
the DHCP client.
For example, when a DHCP client places a request for a new lease, the DHCP server identifies the DHCP client with the
MAC address and allocates the same IP address that was previously allocated for that MAC address.
You can define this feature at the Grid level, which is inherited at the member, shared network, IPv4 network and range
level. This feature is disabled by default.
 Note
This feature is applicable only to dynamic leases and does not have any effect on the static lease generated for
fixed addresses or roaming hosts.
To ignore the client identifier of DHCP clients:

Toolbar.
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> and click the Members tab -> member
Standalone DHCP: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, and then click System DHCP
Properties.
Shared Network Editor: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Shared
Networks section -> shared_network checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
IPv4 Network Editor: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section
->network checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
IPv4 Range Editor: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section ->
click on the network address. Select the IP address range checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the DHCP Properties editor, select the General tab -> Advanced tab (or click Toggle Advanced Mode) and then
• Accept Client Identifier and MAC Address: Select this checkbox to instruct the DHCP server to recognize
MAC address and client UID of a DHCP client when it requests for a new lease.
• Ignore Client Identifier: By default, this checkbox is not selected at the Grid level. Select this checkbox to
ignore the client identifier of a DHCP client while placing a request to the DHCP server for a new lease.
The DHCP server will only identify the MAC address and ignores the client identifier. DHCP clients
requesting leases with different client UIDs receive the same IP address based on the MAC address. The
initial default state is inherited from the Grid level. Click Override to modify the inherited setting. To inherit
the Grid settings, click Inherit at the member, IPv4 network and range, or shared network level.
• Ignore MAC Address: By default, this checkbox is not selected at the Grid level. Select this checkbox to
ignore MAC address of a DHCP client while placing a request to the DHCP server for a new lease. To
override the value that has been inherited from the Grid, click Override. Click the Add icon, the appliance
adds a row to the table. Click the row and enter the MAC address to be ignored. You can also select a

Rev. D
checkbox and click the Delete icon to delete the MAC address. To inherit the Grid settings, click Inherit at
the member, IPv4 network and range, or shared network level.
3. Save the configuration and click Restart at the top of the screen.
Limitations of the Ignore Client ID Feature on DHCP Failover Associations

• You cannot assign a DHCP range that has the ignore DHCP client ID feature enabled to a DHCP failover
association if:
• one of the members is an external DHCP server in the failover association.
• one of the members is running a NIOS version earlier than 6.12.
• The DHCP failover association does not work if a DHCP range having multiple inherited values has the ignore
DHCP client ID feature enabled on one server and disabled on the other.
• The range assigned to a DHCP failover association and the member (failover peer) must have the same DHCP
range setting. The DHCP failover association does not work if a range associated with it does not have the same
ignore DHCP client ID setting as the member.
Configuring IPv4 BOOTP and PXE Properties

You can configure the DHCP server to support IPv4 clients that use BOOTP (bootstrap protocol) or that include the TFTP
server name option and boot file name option in their DHCPREQUEST messages. You can specify the name or IP
address of the boot server and the name of the file the host needs to boot.
In addition, you can configure the DHCP server to support hosts that use PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) to boot
remotely from a server. When such a host starts up, it first requests an IP address so it can connect to a server on the
network and download the file it needs to boot. After it downloads the file, the host reboots and sends another IP address
request. To better manage your IP resources, set a different lease time for PXE boot requests. You can configure the
DHCP server to allocate an IP address with a shorter lease time to hosts that send PXE boot requests, so IP addresses
are not leased longer than necessary.
 Note
When you assign a failover association to serve DHCP ranges and networks, NIOS denies dynamic BOOTP
clients by default, regardless of whether you select or deselect the Deny BOOTP Requests option from Grid
Manager. However, if the DHCP ranges or networks are assigned to a single DHCP server (not a failover
association), NIOS does not automatically deny dynamic BOOTP clients. In this case, you must manually select
the Deny BOOTP Requests option through Grid Manager to ensure that NIOS denies BOOTP requests to avoid
problems such as receiving two IP addresses for the same network device.
You can configure BOOTP and PXE properties at the Grid level and override them for members, IPv4 network
containers, IPv4 networks, DHCP ranges, fixed addresses, and reservations, host addresses, and roaming hosts. You
cannot configure BOOTP and PXE properties for IPv6 DHCP objects.
To configure or override BOOTP and PXE properties:
1. Grid Level: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, and then click Grid DHCP Properties from the
Toolbar.
Member Level: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> Members -> member
Network Level: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network
DHCP Range Level: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks ->
network-> addr_range checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
Fixed Address Level: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks ->
network ->fixed_address checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.

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Reservation: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network - >
2. In the DHCPProperties editor, select the BOOTP/PXE tab and complete the following:
• PXE Lease Time: Click Override and select Enable PXE Lease Time if you want the DHCP server to use
a different lease time for PXE clients. You can specify the duration of time it takes a host to connect to a
boot server, such as a TFTP server, and download the file it needs to boot. For example, set a longer
lease time if the client downloads an OS (operating system) or configuration file, or set a shorter lease
time if the client downloads only configuration changes. Enter the lease time for the preboot execution
environment for hosts to boot remotely from a server.
• Deny BOOTP Requests: Select this checkbox to disable the BOOTP settings and deny BOOTP boot
requests. If you assign DHCP ranges or networks to a single DHCP server (not a failover association),
NIOS does not automatically deny dynamic BOOTP clients. In this case, you must select this option to
ensure that NIOS denies BOOTP requests to avoid problems such as receiving two IP addresses for the
same network device.
• Complete the following in the BOOTP Settings section:
• Boot File: Enter the name of the boot file the client must download.
• Next Server: Enter the IP address or hostname of the boot file server where the boot file is stored.
Complete this field if the hosts in your network send requests for the IP address of the boot server.
If the TFTP server is the NIOS appliance that is also serving DHCP, enter the IP address of the
appliance.
• Boot Server: Enter the name of the server on which the boot file is stored. Clients can request for
either the boot server name or IP address. Complete this field if the hosts in your network send
requests for the boot server name. If the TFTP server is the appliance that is also serving DHCP,
enter the name of the appliance
 Note
Enter values in both the Next Server and Boot Server fields if some hosts on your network require the boot
server name and others require the boot server IP address.
Note that a few characters need manual escaping when you configure a DHCP boot file name, in order to keep the
dhcpd.conf file consistent. If you do not use appropriate escape characters, then it might lead to a non working boot file
name. The following characters require manual escaping:
• '\t'- Tabulation character
• '\r'- Carriage return
• '\n'- New line
• '\b'- Bell
• '\xYY'- YY hex-number (a-f, 0-9)
For example, if you set the 'Boot File' to:

'\x86\topdir\subdir\file.img'
You might need to enter \x and \t as the manual escape characters:

'\\x86\\topdir\subdir\file.img'
You can also specify all \ as the manual escape character:

'\\x86\\topdir\\subdir\\file.img'
The above commands result in the underlying dhcpd.conf file:

'\x5cx86\x5ctopdir\\subdir\\file.img'
or
'\x5cx86\x5ctopdir\x5csubdir\x5cfile.img'

Rev. D
About IPv4 DHCP Options
DHCP options provide specific configuration and service information to DHCP clients. These options appear as variable-
length fields at the end of the DHCP messages that DHCP servers and clients exchange. For example, DHCP option 3 is
used to list the available routers in the network of the client and option 6 is used to list the available DNS servers.
An option space is a collection of options. ISC (Internet Systems Consortium) DHCP has five predefined option spaces:
dhcp, agent, server, nwip, and fqdn. The NIOS appliance supports only the predefined DHCP option space, which
contains the industry standard options as well as additional options you can configure as needed:
• Predefined options: These are option codes 1 to 125. They are allocated by the IANA and defined by IETF
standards. The DHCP server knows these standard options, and they are predefined on the server. You cannot
redefine these options or delete them from the DHCP option space.
• Custom options: These are option codes 126 to 254. They are not defined by IETF standards and are available
for private use. You can use these option codes to provide configuration or service information that none of the
predefined options provide.
You can also create option spaces to define new groups of options. For example, you can create additional option
spaces to define vendor specific options, which are encapsulated in option 43. When a DHCP client requests vendor
specific options, it makes a request using the vendor identifier set in option 60 and a list of requested vendor specific
options (option 43). The DHCP server then responds with the list of replies for the various options encapsulated into
option 43.
Note that custom options defined in the DHCP option space are included in the options section of the DHCP messages
that DHCP servers and clients exchange. Custom options defined in a user-defined option space are always
encapsulated in option 43 in DHCP messages.
You can apply options globally at the Grid level, or more specifically at the member, network, network container, range,
host and roaming host levels.
A network inherits DHCP options from its parent object. You can override the inherited DHCP options configured at the
Grid or Member level for the networks and shared networks. If a network has a parent network container and parent
shared network and if you override the DHCP options on the shared network, then the network inherits the shared
network values. If you override the DHCP options at the network container level, then the network inherits the network
container values. Otherwise, the network continues to inherit DHCP options from its parent Grid or member. A shared
network without a parent network container continues to inherit DHCP options from its parent Grid or member. The
parent object is derived from the first network within the shared network. A network container inherits DHCP options from
its parent and grandparent network containers. A network container does not inherit DHCP options defined at the Grid or
member level.
To override an inherited value, click Override next to it and complete the appropriate fields. When you click Override, the
appliance displays the value inherited from its parent object (if any). If you do not set any value at the higher level, the
appliance displays the default DHCP options. The following table lists the default DHCP Options:
Default DHCP Options
Name Default Value
IPV4 Common DHCP Options Enable PXE Lease Time Disabled
Lease Time 43200
Routers Empty List
Domain Name Empty
DNS Servers Empty List
Broadcast Address 127.0.0.1

Rev. D
Name Default Value
Custom DHCP Options ""
Lease Scavenging Disabled
Authoritative (Advanced) Disabled
Lease Deletion (Advanced) Disabled
Ignore Optionlist (Advanced) Disabled
IPv4 DDNS Enable DDNS Updates Disabled
DDNS Domain Name ""
DDNS Update TTL 0
DDNS Update Method Interim
Generate Hostname Disabled
Fixed Address Updates Disabled
Option 81 Support Disabled
Lease Renewal Update Disabled
IPv4 Threshold Options Enable DHCP Thresholds Disabled
High - Trigger 95
High - Reset 85
Low - Trigger 0
Low - Reset 10
Enable SNMP Warnings Disabled
Enable Email Warnings Disabled
Email Addresses Empty List
IPv4 BOOTP/PXE Enable PXE Lease Time Disabled
Lease Time (Value) 0
Deny-BOOTP-Requests Disabled
Boot File ""
Next Server ""

Rev. D
Name Default Value
Boot Server ""
IPv6 DHCP Options Valid Lifetime 43200
Preferred Lifetime 27000
Domain Name ""
DNS Servers
Custom DHCP Options
Lease Deletion Enabled
Lease Scavenging Disabled
IPv6 DDNS Options Enable DDNS Updates
DDNS Domain Name ""
DDNS Update TTL 0
DDNS Update Method Interim
Generate Hostname Disabled
FQDN Support Disabled
• DHCP server always updates DNS

• DHCP server updates DNS if requested
by client
Lease Renewal Update Disabled
You can also create an option filter the appliance uses to filter address requests by the DHCP options of requesting
hosts. The filter instructs the appliance to either grant or deny an address request if the requesting host matches the
filter. For information, see Defining Option Filters.
The DHCP option configuration conforms to the following RFCs:
• RFC 2132, DHCP Options and BOOTP Vendor Extension
• RFC3046, DHCP Relay Agent Information Option. The supported options include option 60 (Client Identifier), 21
(Policy Filter), 22 (Maximum Datagram Reassembly Size), 23 (Default IP Time-to-Live), and 82 (Support for
Routed Bridge Encapsulation).
• RFC3925, Vendor-Identifying Vendor Options for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol version 4 (DHCPv4)
• RFC2939, Procedures and IANA Guidelines for Definition of New DHCP Options and Message Types
DHCP Option Data Types
Each DHCP option is identified by a name and an option code number, and specifies a data type. The data type for some
options is predefined. For example, in the DHCP option space, the data type for option 1: subnet-mask is an IP address.
You cannot change the data type for this option. The data type for some options is user-defined and can be in one of the
formats shown in the below table.
DHCP Option Data Types

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Data type Specifies
String An ASCII text string (the same as the text data type) or a list of hexadecimal
characters separated by colons
Formatting to distinguish an ASCII text string from a hexadecimal string is important.

For details, see the following section
Boolean A flag with a value of either true or false (or on or off )
IP address A single IP address
Array of IP addresses A series of IP addresses, separated by commas
You can optionally include a space after each comma
Text An ASCII text string
8-, 16-, or 32-bit unsigned integer A numeric range of the following possible values
8-bit unsigned integer: from 0 to 255
16-bit unsigned integer: from 0 to 65,535
32-bit unsigned integer: from 0 to 4,294,967,295
8-, 16-, or 32-bit signed integer A numeric range of the following possible values
8-bit signed integer: from -128 to 127
16-bit signed integer: from -32,768 to 32,767
32-bit signed integer: from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647
Domain-list A list of domain names, separated by spaces
When defining a hexadecimal string for a DHCP option (such as option 43, vendor encapsulated options), use only
hexadecimal characters (0-9, a-f, or A-F) without spaces and separated by colons. The accepted form for a hexadecimal
string, as presented in a regular expression, is [0-9a-fA-F]{1,2}(:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,2})*
Two examples of correctly written hexadecimal strings:
• aa:de:89:1b:34
• 1C:8:22:A3 (Note that the DHCP module treats a single hexadecimal character, such as "8" as "08".)
A few examples of incorrectly written hexadecimal strings:
• :bb:45:d2:1f – Problem: The string erroneously begins with a colon.
• bb:45:d2:1f: – Problem: The string erroneously ends with a colon.
• bb:4 5:d2:1f – Problem: The string erroneously includes a space between two characters ("4" and "5").
• bb:45:d2:1g – Problem: The string erroneously includes a nonhexadecimal character ("g").
The DHCP module treats incorrectly written hexadecimal strings as simple text strings, not hexadecimal strings. If the
string appears in quotes, it is a text string.
Configuring IPv4 DHCP Options

To use DHCP options, you can do the following:
• Define basic DHCP options, as described in Defining IPv4 DHCP Options.
• Configure one or more option spaces, as described in the next section Defining IPv4 Option Spaces.
• Define custom options in the predefined DHCP option space or add options to an option space that you
configured. For more information, see Configuring Custom DHCP Options.

Rev. D
• Specify values for the options and apply them to the Grid, or to a member, network, range, fixed address,
reservation, host, or roaming host. For more information, see Applying DHCP Options.
Defining IPv4 DHCP Options

You can define basic DHCP options that the DHCP server uses to provide configuration information to DHCP clients. The
server includes these options in its DHCP messages.
To define DHCP options:
1. Network: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network check
box, and then click the Edit icon.
Network Container: From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network_container check box, and
DHCP Range: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network->
DHCP_range check box, and then click the Edit icon.
fixed_address check box, and then click the Edit icon.
reservation check box, and then click the Edit icon.
Host Address: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network ->
host_record check box, and then click the Edit icon. Select the host IP address, and then click the Edit icon.
Roaming Host: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Roaming Hosts ->
roaming_host check box, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the DHCP Properties editor, select the IPv4 DHCP Options tab and complete the following:
• Routers: Click the Add icon. Grid Manager adds a row to the table. In the table, enter the IP address of the
router that is connected to the same network as the DHCP client. When configuring this for a template,
enter the offset value of the IP address of the router. The DHCP server includes this information in its
DHCPOFFER and DHCPACK messages.
• DomainName: Enter the name of the domain for which the Grid serves DHCP data. The DHCP server
includes this domain name in Option 15 when it responds with a DHCPOFFER packet to a
DHCPDISCOVER packet from a client. If DDNS is enabled on the DHCP server, it combines the host
name from the client and this domain name to create the FQDN (fully-qualified domain name) that it uses
to update DNS. For information about DDNS, see Configuring DDNS Updates.
When overriding the domain name already set by a parent object, enter the new value for the selected
option or use "" to clear the value.
• DNS Servers: Click the Add icon. Grid Manager adds a row to the table. In the table, enter the IP address
of the DNS server to which the DHCP client sends name resolution requests. The DHCP server includes
this information in the DHCPOFFER and DHCPACK messages.
• Broadcast Address: Enter the broadcast IP address of the network to which the DHCP server is attached.
When configuring this for a template, enter the offset value of the broadcast IP address of the network.
Defining IPv4 Option Spaces

DHCP members support the DHCP option space by default. You can create additional option spaces to provide
additional configuration or service information. Note that custom options defined in a user-defined option space are
always encapsulated in option 43 in DHCP messages
To add a custom option space:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Option Spaces tab.
2. Click the Add icon -> IPv4 Option Space.
3. In the Option Space wizard, do the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the option space.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the option space.
• Options: Click the Add icon to add options. For additional information, see the next section, Configuring
Custom DHCP Options.

Rev. D
After you create an option space and add options to it, you can apply the options as described in Applying DHCP
Options.
Configuring Custom DHCP Options

You can define custom options in the DHCP option space or in an option space that you configured, as follows:
2. Select either the DHCP option space or an IPv4 option space that you configured, and then click the Edit icon.
3. In the Option Space editor, click the Add icon to add a custom option. In the new row, complete the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the custom DHCP option.
• Code: Select an option code from the drop-down list. Select a number between 126 and 254 if you are
adding custom options to the DHCP option space. If you are adding custom options to an IPv4 option
space you configured, you can enter a number between 1 and 254.
• Type: Select the option type (such as ip-address, text, boolean, and string as described in DHCP Option
Data Types table).
For example, to create an option that defines the IP addresses of Solaris root servers, enter the name
SrootIP4, select option code 126, and then select the type as ip-address.
Click the Add icon to add more options.
Applying DHCP Options

Some options may apply to all networks and some may apply to specific ranges and even hosts. When you apply an
option, you select the object to which the option is applied, such as the Grid member, or network, and then specify a
value for the option.
Use the following guidelines when specifying option values:
• Enter false or true for a Boolean Flag type value.
• Enter an ASCII text string, or enter a series of octets specified in hex, separated by colons.
• Separate multiple values by commas. For example, to enter multiple IP addresses for netbios-name-servers,
enter a comma between each IP address.
Here are some examples of option names and correctly formatted values:
Option name Value Comment
option 61 MyPC Double quotes are no longer needed for string type values
dhcp-client-identifier
dhcp-client-identifier 43:4c:49:45:54:2d:46:4f:4f Series of octets specified in hex, separated by colons for a

Data-string type value
netbios-name-servers 10.1.1.5,10.1.1.10 Multiple IP addresses separated by commas
option-80 ABC123 Custom option number 80 set to the string ABC123.
To apply DHCP options:

Toolbar.
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> Members -> member check
Network: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network check box,
Network Container: From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network_container check box, and then

Rev. D
DHCP Range: From the DataManagement tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network ->
addr_range check box, and then click the Edit icon.
fixed_address check box, and then click the Edit icon.
reservation check box, and then click the Edit icon.
Host Address: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network ->
host_record check box, and then click the Edit icon. Select the host IP address, and then click the Edit icon.
Roaming Host: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab tab -> Networks tab -> Roaming Hosts ->
roaming_host check box, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the DHCP Properties editor, select the IPv4 DHCP Options and complete the following:
• The Custom DHCP Options section displays two fields. The first field displays Choose option. Click the
arrow and select an option from the list. In the second field, enter a value for the selected option. Note that
certain options have predefined data types and their values must be entered in a specific format. For
information about the data types, see DHCP Option Data Types.
Click + to add another option, or click - to delete a previously specified option. When overriding an option
already set by a parent object, enter the new value for the selected option or use "" to clear the value.
Note that if you created an option space as described in Defining IPv4 Option Spaces, this section
displays a list of option spaces in the first drop-down menu, so you can select the option space of the
option you want to define.
Configuration Example: Defining a Custom Option

In this example, you configure two custom options in the DHCP option space, and apply them to a DHCP range in the
network 192.168.2.0/24.
Add the custom options to the DHCP options space:
2. Select the DHCP check box, and click the Edit icon.
3. In the DHCP (Option Space) editor, click the Add icon. In the new row, complete the following:
• Name: Enter tftp-server.
• Code: Enter 150.
• Type: Select array of ip-address.
4. Click the Add icon to add another option.In the new row, complete the following:
• Name: Enter pxe-configfile.
• Code: Enter 209.
• Type: Select text.
Enter values for the newly defined custom options and apply them to a DHCP range:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks subtab, and click the
192.168.2.0/24 network.
2. Click the 192.168.2.10 - 100 check box, and then click the Edit icon.
3. In the DHCP Properties editor, select the DHCP tab and complete the following in the Custom DHCP Options
section:
• From the drop-down list of options, select tftp-server (150) array of address. In the second field, enter
192.168.1.2.
Click + to add another option.
• From the drop-down list of options, select pxe-configfile (209) text. In the second field, enter pxe.config,
which is the file name of the boot image.
The member then includes options 150 and 209 in its DHCP messages to clients that are allocated IP addresses from
the DHCP range 192.168.2.10 - 100.

Rev. D
Defining Option 60 Match Rules
The appliance uses option 60 (vendor-class-identifier) to forward client requests to the DHCP server for services that the
clients require. You can define option 60 match rules and filter on these rules. You can set these rules for the Grid and
override for a member.
To define option 60 for the Grid or member:
Toolbar.
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> Members -> member check
tabs appear, click the DHCP Options tab -> Advanced tab and complete the following:
To override the Grid configuration for a member, click Override next to the property. Grid Manager hides the Grid
configuration. You can then add new values for the member.
• Option60 (Vendor Class Identifier) Match Rules: Click the Add icon if you want to add a match rule to a
vendor class option. The appliance adds a row to the table. Complete the following:
• Option Space: Select an option space from the drop-down list. This field appears only when you
have custom option spaces. The appliance uses the default DHCP option space if you do not have
custom option spaces.
• Match Value: Enter the value you want the appliance to use when matching vendor class options.
• Is Substring: Select this check box if the match value is a substring of the option data.
• Substring Offset: Enter the number of characters at which the match value substring starts in the
option data. Enter 0 to start at the beginning of the option data, enter 1 for the second position,
and so on. For example, when you enter 2 here and have a match value of RAS, the appliance
matches the value RAS starting at the third character of the option data.
• Substring length: Enter the length of the match value. For example, if the match value is SUNW,
the length is 4.
About the DHCP Relay Agent Option (Option 82)

A typical relationship between a DHCP client, relay agent, and the NIOS appliance on a network is as follows:
1. A DHCP client broadcasts a DHCPDISCOVER message on its network segment.
2. A DHCP relay agent on that segment receives the message and forwards it as a unicast message to one or more
DHCP servers (such as NIOS appliances).
3. If the NIOS appliance accepts the address request, it responds to the relay agent with a DHCPOFFER message.
If the appliance denies the request, it does not send any response in case other DHCP servers that might be
involved respond instead.
4. The relay agent forwards the response to the client, usually as a broadcast message.
The situation is different for individual hosts connecting to the Internet through an ISP, usually over a circuit-switched
data network.
1. A host connects to its ISP's circuit access concentration point, authenticates itself, and requests an IP address.
2. The circuit access unit relays the address request to a DHCP server, which responds with a DHCPOFFER
message.
To avoid broadcasting the DHCPOFFER over the network segment on which the host made the request, the relay agent
sends the response directly to the host over the established circuit.
Option 82 assists the agent in forwarding address assignments across the proper circuit. When a relay agent receives a
DHCPDISCOVER message, it can add one or two agent IDs in the DHCP option 82 suboption fields to the message.
The relay agent IDs are:
• Circuit ID: This identifies the circuit between the remote host and the relay agent. For example, the identifier can
be the ingress interface number of the circuit access unit (perhaps concatenated with the unit ID number and slot
number). The circuit ID can also be an ATM virtual circuit ID or cable data virtual circuit ID.

Rev. D
• Remote ID: This identifies the remote host. The ID can be the caller ID telephone number for a dial-up
connection, a user name for logging in to the ISP, a modem ID, and so on. Because the remote ID is defined on
the relay agent, which is presumed to have a trusted relationship with the DHCP server, and not on the untrusted
DHCP client, the remote ID is also presumably a trusted identifier.
 Note
For information about the relay agent option, refer to RFC3046, DHCP Relay Agent Information Option.
In addition to the relay agent IDs, NIOS also supports the Option 82 Link Selection and Server ID Override sub-options,
which allow DHCPv4 to operate in a network architecture where direct communication between the DHCP server and
DHCP client is undesirable or infeasible. You can configure these sub-options to direct DHCP traffic to go through the
relay agent and have more control over your DHCP communications.
The Link Selection sub-option provides a mechanism to separate the subnet/link in which the DHCP client resides from
the GIADDR (Gateway IP address). The GIADDR field in a DHCP message is populated by the relay agent and is
typically used to inform the DHCP server about the subnet in which the DHCP client resides and to inform the DHCP
server of the IP address to use to communicate with the relay agent. In situations where the GIADDR might not be the
appropriate subnet from which IP addresses should be allocated, you can use the Link Selection sub-option to explicitly
set the subnet from which IP addresses are allocated to the client.
The Server ID Override sub-option allows the relay agent to tell the DHCP server what IP address, instead of the server's
address, must be used in the response. Generally, the response from the server contains the IP address of the DHCP
server itself in the Server-ID option. You can use the Server ID Override sub-option to specify a new value for the server
ID that is inserted in the reply packet by the DHCP server. Configuring the Server ID Override sub-option allows the relay
agent to have the clients send all unicast messages to the relay agent instead of the DHCP server.
 Note
If you want the Link Selection and Server ID Override sub-options to be included in the DHCP relayed
messages, you must configure them on the DHCP relay agent. You cannot configure them on NIOS. For more
information about these sub-options, refer to https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3527 and https://tools.ietf.org/html/
rfc5107.
On the NIOS appliance, you can do the following with option 82:
• Screen address requests through a relay agent filter you set up using option 82. For more information, see About
Relay Agent Filters.
• Use the relay agent information (circuit ID or remote ID) as a host identifier when configuring a fixed address,
though you cannot do so in a host record. For information about how to configure a circuit ID or remote ID as an
identifier, see Adding IPv4 Fixed Addresses.
• Define how Grid Manager displays the relay agent ID, circuit ID, and remote ID (when applicable) in the detailed
lease information panel. For information about how to configure the logging format for option 82, see Defining
Logging Format for DHCP Option 82.
Defining Logging Format for DHCP Option 82

When you define the circuit ID or remote ID of the relay agent as a host identifier, you can choose the logging format Grid
Manager uses to display the IDs in the detailed lease information panel. For information about viewing lease information,
see Viewing Detailed Lease Information.
To define logging format for the agent ID, circuit ID and remote ID, complete the following:
Toolbar.
Independent Appliance: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, and then click System DHCP
Properties.
2. In the Grid DHCP Properties or System DHCP Properties editor, select the General tab -> Advanced tab.
3. Select one of the following for Logging format for Option 82:

Rev. D
• Hexadecimal: When you select this, Grid Manager displays the agent ID, circuit ID, and remote ID in
hexadecimal format in the detailed lease information. This is the default format.
• Plaintext: When you select this, Grid Manager displays the agent ID, circuit ID, and remote ID in plain text
in the detailed lease information.
 Note
You cannot override this Grid setting at the member level. Also, changing the logging format requires a DHCP
service restart.
Configuring Thresholds for DHCP Ranges

Grid Manager can provide a view of the current overall DHCP range usage for the DHCP ranges defined on each Grid
member. The view is in the form of a percent: address leases in use/total addresses for each network. Such information
can indicate if there is a sufficient number of available addresses at each of these levels. It can also provide information
about the distribution of address resources, indicating if there are too many unused addresses in one location while all
the addresses in another are in use.
In addition to viewing the percent of addresses in use, you can also apply high and low thresholds for each DHCP range.
These watermarks represent thresholds above or below which DHCP range usage is unexpected and might warrant your
attention. For example, usage falling below a low threshold might indicate network issues preventing the renewal of
leases. When usage for a DHCP range crosses a threshold, the appliance makes a syslog entry and — if configured to
do so — sends the administrator alerts as SNMP traps and email notifications. The figure Overall DHCP Address Usage
for a DHCP Range illustrates the relationship of allocated and available addresses to high and low watermarks in a
DHCP range.
Overall DHCP Address Usage for a DHCP Range

Rev. D
You can define watermarks at the Grid, member, network, and DHCP range levels, but the appliance applies them solely
to DHCP ranges. Because the appliance applies settings hierarchically in a parent-child structure, by defining
watermarks once at a higher level, DHCP ranges can then inherit these settings without your needing to redefine them
for each range. For example, if you set high and low watermarks for a Grid, then each Grid member, each network, and
each DHCP range inherits these settings. However, if you override these settings at the member level, then the network
and DHCP ranges for that member inherit its settings. If you override the Grid member settings at the network level, then
that network and any DHCP ranges within that network inherit the network-level settings. Finally, you can set high and
low watermarks for an individual DHCP range, which override anything set at a higher level.
The below figure shows different high and low watermark settings at different levels. Although you can set thresholds at
four levels (Grid, Grid member, network, and DHCP range), the NIOS appliance applies them to DHCP ranges.
High and Low Watermarks
Address usage in a DHCP range can trigger an event and an email notification when it crosses a watermark. You must
enable DHCP threshold and email warnings to receive events and notifications. The following are actions that do and do
not trigger an address usage event and notification:
Address usage triggers an event and the appliance sends a notification when the percentage of the allocated addresses
in the DHCP range:
• Exceeds the high watermark
• Drops below or equals to the high watermark after exceeding it
• Drops below the low watermark
• Exceeds the low watermark after dropping below it
Address usage does not trigger an event when the percentage of the allocated addresses in the DHCP range:
• Never exceeds the low watermark
• Initially exceeds the low watermark

Rev. D
• Reaches a watermark but does not cross it
 Note
You can effectively disable address usage events for a DHCP range by setting its high watermark at 100% and
the low watermark at 0% (default setting for the low watermark). Because address usage cannot cross these
watermarks, no events can occur.
You can configure the threshold settings at the Grid level and override them at the member, network, and DHCP range
levels. To override an inherited DHCP property, click Override next to the property to enable the configuration. For
information, see Overriding DHCP Properties.
To configure thresholds:
Toolbar.
2. In the editor, select the IPv4 DHCP Thresholds tab and complete the following:
• DHCP Thresholds: Specify the following:
• Enable DHCP Thresholds: Select Enable DHCP Thresholds to enable the DHCP threshold
feature.
• High: Enter a number between 0 and 100. Enter Trigger and Reset values. If the
percentage of allocated addresses in a DHCP range exceeds the Trigger value, the
appliance makes a syslog entry and—if configured to do so—sends an SNMP trap and an
email notification to a designated destination. When the percentage first reaches the Reset
value after it hit the Trigger value, the appliance sends an SNMP trap and an email
notification to a designated destination. The default Trigger value is 95, and the default
Reset value is 85.
• Low: Enter a number between 0 and 100. If the percentage of allocated addresses in a
DHCP range drops below the Trigger value, the appliance makes a syslog entry and—if
configured to do so— sends an SNMP trap and an email notification to a designated
destination. When the percentage first reaches the Reset value after it hit the Trigger
value, the appliance sends an SNMP trap. The default Trigger value is 0 and the default
Reset value is 10.
• Enable SNMP Warnings: Select this for the appliance to send an SNMP trap to the trap receiver
that you define for the Grid when the address usage in a DHCP range crosses a high or low mark
threshold.
• Enable Email Warnings: Select this for the appliance to send an email notification to an
administrator if the address usage in a DHCP range crosses a high or low mark threshold.
• Email Addresses: Click Override to override the Grid administrator email address configured in the Data
Management tab -> Grid tab. This address is not hierarchically inherited from the Grid DHCP
configuration. Click the Add icon, and then enter an email address to which you want the appliance to
send email notifications when the DHCP range for the network crosses a threshold. You can create a list
of email addresses.
Configuring DHCPv6 Properties

The following sections describe how to configure properties and options that apply to DHCPv6 objects only. You can
configure and define the following DHCP properties:
• General properties, as described in the next section, Defining General IPv6 Properties.

Rev. D
• DHCP options, as described in About DHCPv6 Options.
Defining General IPv6 Properties

You can configure general DHCPv6 properties at the Grid level and override them at the member and lower levels.
Toolbar.
Fixed address checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the DHCP Properties editor, select the IPv6 DHCP Options tab, and complete the following:
• Valid Lifetime: Specify the length of time addresses that are assigned to DHCP clients remain in the valid
state. When this time expires, an address becomes invalid and can be assigned to another interface.
• Preferred Lifetime: Specify the length of time that a valid address is preferred. A preferred address can be
used with no restrictions. When this time expires, the address becomes deprecated.
• Domain Name: Enter the name of the domain for which the Grid serves DHCP data.
• DNS Servers: Click the Add icon. Grid Manager adds a row to the table. In the table, enter the IPv6
addresses of DNS recursive name servers to which the DHCP client can send name resolution requests.
The DHCP server includes this information in the DNS Recursive Name Server option in Advertise,
Rebind, Information-Request, and Reply messages.
• Custom IPv6 DHCP Options: In the first field, select one of the following from the drop-down list:
• DHCPv6: Select this to apply DHCPv6 options.
• DHCP: Select this to apply DHCP options (dhcp-renewal-time or dhcp-rebinding-time).
• Click the Choose option drop down and then select an option from the list.
• In the third field, enter a value for the selected option. Note that certain options have predefined data
types and their values must be entered in a specific format.
Click + to add another option, or click - to delete a previously specified option. When overriding an option,
enter the new value for the selected option.
About DHCPv6 Options

DHCPv6 options provide configuration and service information to IPv6 clients. Just like IPv4 options, IPv6 options appear
as variable length fields at the end of the DHCPv6 messages.
Just as in IPv4, the NIOS appliance supports the following options in the DHCPv6 options space:
• Predefined options: These are the option codes defined in RFC 3315. You cannot redefine these options or delete
them from the DHCP option space. Option codes 1-48 are reserved and cannot be used to define custom
options.
• Custom options: These are option codes 49 to 254. They are not defined by IETF standards and are available for
private use. You can use these option codes to provide configuration or service information that none of the
predefined options provide.
You can also create option spaces to define new groups of options. For example, you can create additional option
spaces to define vendor specific options, which are encapsulated in DHCPv6 option 17. When an IPv6 client requests
vendor specific options, it makes a request using the vendor specific options (option 17). The DHCP server then
responds with the list of replies for the various options encapsulated into option 17.
Note that custom options defined in the DHCP option space are included in the options section of the DHCP messages
that DHCP servers and clients exchange.
You can apply options globally at the Grid level, or more specifically at the member, network, range, host and roaming
host levels.

Rev. D
Configuring DHCPv6 Options
To use DHCPv6 options, you can do the following:
• Configure one or more option spaces, as described in the next section Defining IPv6 Option Spaces.
• Define custom options in the predefined DHCPv6 option space or add options to an option space that you
configured. For more information, see Configuring Custom DHCP Options.
• Specify values for the options and apply them to the Grid, or to a member, network, fixed address, host, or
roaming host. For more information, see Applying DHCPv6 Options.
Defining IPv6 Option Spaces

DHCP members support the DHCPv6 option space by default. You can create additional option spaces to provide
additional configuration or service information.
To add a custom option space:
2. Click the Add icon -> IPv6 Option Space.
3. In the IPv6 Option Space wizard, do the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the option space.
• Enterprise Number: Enter the vendor's Enterprise Number that is registered with IANA.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the option space.
• Options: Click the Add icon to add options. For additional information, see the next section, Configuring
Custom DHCP Options.
After you create an option space and add options to it, you can apply the options as described in Applying DHCP
Options.
Configuring Custom IPv6 DHCP Options

You can define custom options in the DHCP option space or in an option space that you configured, as follows:
2. Select either the DHCPv6 option space or an IPv6 option space that you configured, and then click the Edit icon.
3. In the Option Space editor, click the Add icon to add a custom option. In the new row, complete the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the custom DHCP option.
• Code: Enter a number from 1 to 65535 to add a custom option in the DHCP option space or in an IPv6
option space that you have configured.
• Type: Select the option type (such as ipv6-address, text, boolean, and string as described in DHCP
Option Data Types table).
Click the Add icon to add more options.
Applying DHCPv6 Options

You can apply some options at the Grid or member level, and some options to specific networks, shared networks, fixed
addresses and roaming hosts. When you apply an option, you select the object to which the option is applied, such as
the Grid, member, or network, and then specify a value for the option.
Use the following guidelines when specifying option values:
• Enter false or true for a Boolean Flag type value.
• Enter an ASCII text string, or enter a series of octets specified in hex, separated by colons.
• Separate multiple values by commas. For example, to enter multiple IP addresses for netbios-name-servers,
enter a comma between each IP address.
DHCPv6 options support the same data types as DHCP IPv4 options. For more information about the data types, see
DHCP Option Data Types. To apply DHCP options:

Rev. D
1. Grid: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, and then select Grid DHCP Properties from the
Toolbar.
host_record checkbox, and then click the Edit icon. Select the host IP address, and then click the Edit icon.
Roaming Host: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Roaming Hosts ->
roaming_host checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the DHCP Properties editor, select the IPv6 DHCP Options and complete the following:
• Custom IPv6 DHCP Options: In the first field, select one of the following from the drop-down list:
• DHCPv6: Select this to apply DHCPv6 options.
• DHCP: Select this to apply DHCP options (dhcp-renewal-time or dhcp-rebinding-time).
In the second field, click the Choose option arrow and select an option from the list. In the third field, enter a value
for the selected option. Note that certain options have predefined data types and their values must be entered in a
specific format. For information about the data types, see DHCP Option Data Types.
Click + to add another option, or click - to delete a previously specified option. When overriding an option, enter the
new value for the selected option.
Note that if you created an option space, this section displays a list of option spaces in the first drop-down menu, so
you can select the option space of the option you want to define.
Limitations of Custom DHCP Options

Note the following limitations when you enable DHCPv6 rapid commit:
• If you enable DHCPv6 rapid commit at a higher hierarchy level, all child objects at the lower hierarchy levels
inherit this option. You cannot override this option for any child objects.
• You cannot add a network with rapid commit enabled to a shared network or define rapid commit in a network
that belongs to a shared network.
• If the client does not include the DHCPv6 Rapid Commit option in the SOLICIT messages, the server will respond
with an ADVERTISE using the default four-message exchange instead of REPLY using the two-message
exchange even though rapid commit is enabled for the DHCP range in which the address is allocated.
Configuring DHCP IPv4 and IPv6 Common Properties

This section describes DHCP properties that apply to both IPv4 and IPv6. It includes the following sections:
• Configuring UTF-8 Encoding for Hostnames
• Associating Networks with Zones
• Keeping Leases in Deleted IPv4 and IPv6 Networks and Ranges
• Configuring Fixed Address Leases For Display
• Scavenging Leases
• DHCPv6 Lease Affinity
Configuring UTF-8 Encoding for Hostnames

When you configure the appliance as a DHCP server, the appliance supports UTF-8 encoding of hostnames that are
encoded with Microsoft Windows code pages. You can configure the DHCP services on the appliance to convert these
client hostnames to UTF-8 characters. The appliance stores the UTF-8 encoded hostnames in the database. If you also
configure the DHCP services on the appliance to perform DDNS updates, the appliance sends the UTF-8 encoded host
names in the DDNS updates. You can configure the UTF-8 encoding of host names at the Grid DHCP service and

Rev. D
member DHCP service levels. For information on UTF-8 encoding, see Printing from Grid Manager.
The appliance displays the host names in their original characters in the following:
• DHCP lease history
• DHCP lease details
• IP address management
• Syslog
• Audit log
To configure UTF-8 encoding for hostnames:
1. Grid: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, and then select Grid DHCP Properties from the
Toolbar.
2. In the DHCP Properties editor, select the General Basic tab and complete the following:
• IPv4 Properties
• Microsoft Clients Code Page: From the drop-down list, select the code page with which the host
names are encoded when the appliance converts the Microsoft code page encoded host names to
UTF-8 characters.
• IPv6 Properties
• Microsoft Clients Code Page: From the drop-down list, select the code page with which the host
names are encoded when the appliance converts the Microsoft code page encoded host names to
UTF-8 characters.
Associating Networks with Zones

You can associate IPv4 and IPv6 networks with DNS zones to limit the zones that admins can use when they create DNS
records for IP addresses in the networks. When a network is associated with one or more zones and an admin creates a
DNS record for one of its IP addresses, Grid Manager allows the admin to create the DNS record in the associated zones
only. For example, if you associate the 10.1.0.0/16 network with the corpxyz.com zone, admins are allowed to create
DNS records in the corpxyz.com zone only for IP addresses in the 10.1.0.0/16 network; or if you associate the
2001:db8:1::/48 network with the corp200.com zone, admins are allowed to create DNS records in the corp200.com zone
only for IP addresses in the 2001:db8:1::/48 network.
This feature applies to A, AAAA and host records only. It does not apply to records in a shared record group. If you are
creating a host record with multiple IP addresses in different networks, the networks must be associated with the zone of
the host record.
If a network is not associated with a zone, admins can create DNS records for its IP addresses only in zones with no
network associations as well.
You can associate a network with any authoritative zone whose primary server is a Grid member or a Microsoft server, or
is unassigned. You cannot associate networks with zones that have external primary servers.
You can associate a network with multiple zones, and associate a zone with more than one network. You can associate
IPv4 and IPv6 network containers and networks with zones. When you associate a network container with zones, its
networks inherit the zone associations. You can override the zone associations at the network level.
If you split a network, the resulting subnets inherit the zone associations. If you join networks, the resulting network
retains the zone associations of the network that you selected when you performed the join operation. You can override
the inherited zone associations of individual networks. Subzones do not inherit the network associations of their parent
zones.
When you import data into a zone that is associated with a list of networks, the imported A, AAAA and host records must
have IP addresses in the associated networks. Grid Manager does not allow you to import A, AAAA and host records with
IP addresses in unassociated networks.
When you associate a network with a zone, the DNS records created before the association are not affected. But if you
edit an A, AAAA or host record after the association, Grid Manager does not allow you to save the record if its IP address
is not in an associated network.
To associate an IPv4 or IPv6 network with a zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network checkbox, and
2. In the DHCP Network editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode.

Rev. D
4. Click the Add icon and select the zone you want to associate with the network.
• Optionally, select a default zone. When you create or edit an A, AAAA or host record from a network in the
IPAM tab, Grid Manager automatically selects the default zone that is assigned to the network.
5. Save the configuration or click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule
Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.
Viewing the Networks Associated with a Zone

You can view the IPv4 or IPv6 networks associated with a zone from the zone editor. The tab to display network
associations in zone editors is visible only if the primary server is a Grid member, a Microsoft server, or unassigned.
To view the network associations of a zone:
2. In the Authoritative Zone editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode.
The Network Associations table lists the networks and their corresponding comments. You cannot change the network
associations in this editor. Navigate to the DHCP Network editor of the network, to change the zone associations.
Keeping Leases in Deleted IPv4 and IPv6 Networks and Ranges

You can configure the DHCP server to store leases in a deleted DHCP range for up to one week after the leases expire.
When you add a new DHCP range that includes the IP addresses of these leases or assign the DHCP range to another
member within the Grid, the appliance automatically restores the active leases. You can configure this feature for the
Grid, and override the configuration for members, networks, and DHCP ranges.
To keep active leases in a deleted DHCP range:
Toolbar.
Range: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network -> range
2. In the DHCP Properties editor of the Grid or member, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode,
and then click the General tab -> Advanced tab. In the Network editor or Range editor, click Toggle Advanced
Mode if the editor is in basic mode, and then click IPv4DHCPOptions -> Advanced or IPv6 DHCP Options ->
Advanced. Complete the following:
• IPv4 Properties
• Lease Deletion: When you select Keep leases from deleted range until one week after expiration
and delete a DHCP range with active leases, the appliance stores these leases for up to one week
after they expire.
• IPv6 Properties
• Lease Deletion: When you select Keep leases from deleted range until one week after expiration
and delete a DHCP range with active leases, the appliance stores these leases for up to one week
after they expire.
Configuring Fixed Address Leases For Display

You can configure the DHCP server to capture the hostname and lease time of a fixed address when you assign an IPv4
or IPv6 fixed address to a client. The appliance displays the hostname, and the start and end time of each fixed address
lease in the Current Leases panel in Grid Manager.
You can set this at the Grid level only for IPv4 and IPv6 leases.
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, and then click Grid DHCP Properties from the Toolbar.

Rev. D
2. In the Grid DHCP Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode. When the
additional tabs appear, click the General tab -> Advanced tab and complete the following:
• IPv4 Properties
• Fixed Address Lease: Select Capture hostname and lease time when assigning Fixed Addresses.
The appliance displays the host name, and the start and end time of each fixed address lease in
the Current Leases panel. If there are multiple records (A, host, and lease) for the IP address, it
also displays the information for the records. This option is available in the Grid Properties editor
only.)
• IPv6 Properties
• Fixed Address Lease: Select Capture hostname and lease time when assigning Fixed Addresses.
The appliance displays the host name, and the start and end time of each fixed address lease in
the Current Leases panel. If there are multiple records (AAAA, host, and lease) for the IP address,
it also displays the information for the records. This option is available in the Grid Properties editor
only.)
Scavenging Leases
The accumulation of free and backup DHCPv4 leases; and free, expired, and released DHCPv6 leases results in
unnecessary growth of database objects. The DHCP lease scavenging feature enables member DHCP servers to
automatically delete free and backup IPv4 leases; and free, expired, and released IPv6 leases that remain in the
database beyond the specified period of time, thus reducing the number of database objects.
When you enable this feature for DHCPv4 leases, the appliance permanently deletes the free and backup IPv4 leases,
and you can no longer view or retrieve the lease information. This option can be enabled globally at the Grid level, and
more specifically for a member, shared network, network, network container, DHCP range, network template, DHCP
range template.
When you enable this feature for DHCPv6 leases, the appliance permanently deletes the free, expired, and released
IPv6 leases, and you can no longer view or retrieve the lease information. This option can be enabled at the Grid level,
and overridden at the member level.
The period of time that you specify is the duration after the expiration date of a lease, not its release date. For example,
you specify a time period of 5 days when you enable this feature. If the lease time of an IP address is 10 days, but the
lease is released after five days, the appliance still deletes the lease from the database after 15 days because the IP
address has been leased.
 Note
If you plan to enable this feature after upgrading from a previous NIOS version, Infoblox recommends that you
enable it during off-peak hours, as it may impact DHCP services.
To enable scavenging of IPv4 and IPv6 leases:

Toolbar.
checkbox, and then click the Edit icon. This is applicable for IPv4 lease scavenging only.
then click the Edit icon. This is applicable for IPv4 lease scavenging only.
addr_range checkbox, and then click the Edit icon. This is applicable for IPv4 lease scavenging only.
2. In the editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode, and then click the General tab ->
Advanced tab.
In the Network editor for IPv4 lease scavenging, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode, and
then click IPv4 DHCP Options -> Advanced.
Complete the following:

Rev. D
• IPv4 Properties
• Lease Scavenging: This is disabled by default. Select the Scavenge free and backup leases after
checkbox and specify the number of days or weeks that free and backup IPv4 leases remain in
the database before they are automatically deleted. This can be set for the Grid, member, network,
and network container.
• IPv6 Properties
• Lease Scavenging: This is disabled by default. Select the Scavenge free, expired and released
leases after checkbox and specify the number of hours, days, or weeks that free, expired, and
released IPv6 leases remain in the database before they are automatically deleted. The minimum
is 6 hours and the maximum is 180 days. The default is one week. This can be set at the Grid and
member level.
DHCPv6 Lease Affinity

DHCPv6 ranges are usually large and the DHCPv6 server randomly selects a new lease each time a client requests for a
lease. The client can use the lease until it expires. After its expiration, the lease stays in the database with an expired
state. These expired leases eventually lead to the increase in the number of database objects, because the probability of
expired IPv6 leases getting reused is low.
Infoblox provides a DHCPv6 lease affinity feature that allows you to reuse expired IPv6 leases for DHCP clients. When
you enable this feature, the DHCPv6 server automatically renews the expired leases. A DHCP client can retrieve the
same lease from the DHCPv6 server after it expires and retains the same IP address. This feature helps reduce the
amount of IPv6 leases in the database as the DHCP server issues the same lease multiple times for the same client.
The appliance ignores expired leases that are older than the specified period. Such leases are scavenged. Note that the
grace period you define for lease scavenging is applicable for DHCPv6 lease affinity also. The minimum time period is six
hours, maximum is 180 days and the default is set to seven days. For more information about scavenging leases, see
Scavenging Leases.
 Note
The DHCPv6 server offers the same lease for a DHCP client, identified by DUID, after the lease expires and
before the end of the grace period. The appliance removes the expired leases that are older than the grace
period from the database.
DHCPv6 lease affinity and DHCPv6 lease scavenging are complementary features. For example, consider a scenario in
which a visiting user gets an IPv6 lease that is retained for days, weeks, or months depending on the needs and then the
user leaves. If the user returns and the lease is still within the grace period, the user gets the same IPv6 lease. This is
lease affinity. When the user leaves, the IPv6 lease becomes inactive. This lease is scavenged after the grace period.
Note the following about DHCPv6 lease affinity:
• It does not consider expired leases that are older than the grace period.
• It ignores expired leases that do not match known ranges.
• If no existing lease is found, then the DHCPv6 server finds a suitable expired lease that is not older than the
grace period, which matches the client DUID and range configuration.
• The impact of the feature on the performance depends on the amount of expired DHCPv6 leases.
• When you activate the feature at the Grid level, it affects all underlying layers of inheritance.
• You cannot enable DHCPv6 lease affinity at the Grid and member levels during a scheduled full upgrade.
• DHCPv6 lease affinity remembers only permanent addresses and does not remember temporary addresses and
prefix delegations.
• If the DHCPv6 range is out of available addresses when you enable DHCPv6 lease affinity, then the DHCP server
tries to reuse the best abandoned lease, which indicates the lease that was abandoned longest time ago. If there
are no such leases in the pool, the DHCP server reuses the best expired lease, which indicates the lease that
expired longest time ago. This means that the expired lease becomes active and it is associated with the new
client while the DHCP server removes any previous associations of the corresponding lease. Note that this
happens only when the DHCPv6 range does not have any available addresses and there are no suitable
abandoned leases.

Rev. D
To enable DHCPv6 lease affinity:
Toolbar.
2. In the editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode, and then click the General tab ->
Advanced tab.
• IPv6 Properties
• Lease Scavenging
• Remember client association for expired members: This is disabled by default. Select the
checkbox to remember and reuse expired IPv6 leases that are associated with DHCP
clients. You can select this checkbox only when you select the Scavenge free, expired and
released leases after checkbox. This can be set at the Grid and member levels.
 Note
The appliance stores the leases, which are either deleted or removed, in the recycle bin. These leases then
become free and are automatically dissociated from their clients. For example, if you delete a range
accidentally and restore it again, the IPv6 leases associated with the respective range are no longer associated
with the same set of clients.
Configuring DHCP Logging

If you have a syslog server operating on your network, you can specify in which facility you want the server to display the
DHCP logging messages. You can also select the Grid member on which you want to store the DHCP lease history log,
as described in the next section Configuring the Lease Logging Member. You can configure DHCP and lease logging
only on the Grid and member levels.
To specify DHCP logging for the Grid or member:
Toolbar.
2. In the DHCP Properties editor, select the Logging Basic tab and complete the following:
• Syslog Facility: From the drop-down list, select the facility that is used to tag syslog messages from the
DHCP server. This facility can be used to filter messages on a central syslog server.
Configuring the Lease Logging Member

Logging DHCP lease events makes significant CPU demands, especially when there is heavy DHCP activity. Therefore,
Infoblox strongly recommends that you designate a Grid member other than the master as a logging member whenever
possible. Another way to manage the increased load that logging introduces is to log selectively per Grid member. For
example, you might want to log DHCP leases for members serving critical parts of your network and not keep historical
logs for members serving other parts.
DHCP Lease History Logging with Member Overrides

Rev. D
To specify lease logging for a member:
Toolbar.
2. In the Logging tab, complete the following:
• Lease Logging: Select Enable Lease History (for Grid) or Log Lease Events from DHCP Server (for
member) to enable DHCP lease logging. To disable DHCP lease logging, clear the checkbox. You can set
member overrides if you want to enable or disable lease logging per member.
• Send leases to: For Grid only. Click Select. In the Select Member dialog box, select the Grid member on
which you want to store the DHCP lease history log. Infoblox recommends that you dedicate a member
other than the Grid Master as a logging member. If possible, use this member solely for storing the DHCP
lease history log. If you do not select a member, no logging can occur. You can click Clear to remove the
selected Grid member and select a new one.
4. For information about viewing current leases, see Viewing Current Leases.

Rev. D
Configuring IF-MAP
You can configure Infoblox DHCP servers to publish DHCP data to an IF-MAP server. The IF-MAP server takes real-time
information from different sources and stores it in a shared database from which clients can retrieve information about
network devices, their status and activities. For details about the IF-MAP protocol, refer to http://
www.trustedcomputinggroup.org. For information about the Infoblox IF-MAP server, refer to the Infoblox Administrator
Guide for Infoblox Orchestration Server.
Each Infoblox DHCP server in a Grid can function as an IF-MAP client, with the ability to publish lease information to an
IF-MAP server. For information about how to configure an IF-MAP client, see Configuring Members as IF-MAP Clients.
You can configure the client to publish ip-mac and ip-duid (for DHCPv6 leases) metadata at the Grid and member levels.
You can also configure the client to publish metadata for specific leases by overriding the Grid or member publishing
settings at the network (IPv4 and IPv6) or range (IPv4 only) level. The DHCP server sends updates to the IF-MAP server
using the XML format and SOAP/HTTPS bindings specified in IF-MAP v1.1r5 and v2.0r26. The DHCP server supports
the IF-MAP 2.0 protocol by default. You can also enable the support for IF-MAP 1.1, as described in Configuring a Grid to
Support IF-MAP.
When the DHCP server grants an IPv4 lease and sends the DHCPACK packet to the DHCP client, it updates the link in
the IF-MAP server between the leased IP address and client MAC address with ip-mac metadata with the following
attributes: start-time, end-time, and dhcp-server. The dhcp-server attribute contains the DHCP server hostname. The ip-
mac metadata is attached to a link with:
• An ip-address identifier with the type attribute set to IPv4, a value attribute that contains the leased IP address,
and the administrative-domain attribute set to the network view to which the IP address belongs.
• A mac-address identifier with a value attribute that contains the client MAC address. It does not have the
administrative-domain attribute.
When the DHCP server grants an IPv6 lease and sends the Reply message to the DHCP client, it updates the link in the
IF-MAP server between the leased IP address and client DHCP Unique Identifier (DUID) with ip-duid metadata that
contains the following attributes: start-time, end-time, and dhcp-server. The dhcp-server attribute contains the DHCP
server hostname. The ip-duid metadata is attached to a link with:
• An ip-address identifier with the type attribute set to IPv6, a value attribute that contains the leased IP address,
and the administrative-domain attribute set to the network view to which the IP address belongs.
• A duid identifier with a value attribute that contains the client DUID. It does not have the administrative-domain
attribute.
The Infoblox DHCP server also publishes data when an IPv4 or IPv6 lease changes. When a lease is released or when
an active lease expires, the DHCP server sends a "publish delete" request to the IF-MAP server.
You can define how the IF-MAP server handles the existing ip-mac and ip-duid information before the DHCP client sends
the next update. For example, you can specify the IF-MAP server to always delete existing ip-mac and ip-duid
information before the next update. For information, see Deleting Existing Data Before Publishing.
Following are the tasks to enable DHCP servers in a Grid to function as IF-MAP clients:
1. Enable IF-MAP in the Grid and specify the URL and port of the IF-MAP server, as described in Configuring a Grid
to Support IF-MAP.
2. Optionally, enable the validation of the IF-MAP server certificate and import the CA certificate, as described in
Validating the IF-MAP Server Certificate.
3. Enable IF-MAP on each Grid member and specify an authentication method the member uses to connect to the
IF-MAP server, as described in Configuring Members as IF-MAP Clients.
4. Optionally, override publishing settings at the member, network, or range level, as described in Overriding IF-MAP
Publishing Settings.
You can also delete DHCP data published by a specific member, or define how the IF-MAP server deletes existing DHCP
data before a client publishes an update. For information, see Deleting Data from the IF-MAP Server.
Configuring a Grid to Support IF-MAP

3. Click the IF-MAP tab, and then complete the following:

Rev. D
• Enable IF-MAP: Select this checkbox to enable the IF-MAP service for the Grid. Note that you must
enable the IF-MAP service in order to enable or disable publishing at the Grid, member, network, or range
level.
• IF-MAP Server URL: Enter the URL of the IF-MAP server to which the Grid members publish DHCP data.
The URL must begin with https://. For example, https://<server_ip_addr>/ifmap.
• IF-MAP Server Port: The default HTTP port is 80 and the default HTTPS port is 443. Optionally, you can
specify a different port on the IF-MAP server.
• Enable IF-MAP publishing: Select this checkbox to enable IF-MAP publishing for the Grid. When you
select this, IF-MAP publishing is enabled for all members, networks (IPv4 and IPv6), and DHCP ranges
(IPv4 only). You can override the Grid property at a specific level to control the ip-mac and ip-duid
metadata you want the client to publish for specific leases. For information, see Overriding IF-MAP
Publishing Settings.
• IF-MAP Protocol Version: Select the IF-MAP protocol version you want the IF-MAP client to use to
connect to the IF-MAP server. The default is IF-MAP 2.0.
5. You can also configure how the IF-MAP server deletes existing metadata before the IF-MAP client publishes
another update. For information, see Deleting Data from the IF-MAP Server.
Validating the IF-MAP Server Certificate

You can configure the IF-MAP client to validate the IF-MAP server certificate before the client establishes a connection or
performs IF-MAP transactions. To validate an IF-MAP server certificate, you must first import the certificate of the CA that
signs the IF-MAP server certificate.
To configure the IF-MAP client to validate the IF-MAP server certificate:
3. Click the IF-MAP tab and complete the following:
• Enable IF-MAP: Select this checkbox to enable the IF-MAP service for the Grid.
• Enable IF-MAP server certificate validation: Select this checkbox to enable the validation of the IF-MAP
server certificate, and then click Import to import the CA certificate. In the Upload dialog box, click Select
to navigate to the certificate, and then click Upload. You can also copy and paste the CA certificate here.
Configuring Members as IF-MAP Clients

To configure a member to be an IF-MAP client, you must first enable IF-MAP on the member and then configure a client
authentication method. The IF-MAP client can authenticate itself to the IF-MAP server through user name and password
credentials or digital certificate. Note that each member must have unique credentials or certificates. You cannot use the
same credentials or certificates on multiple members. The appliance supports only one CA-signed certificate on each
member. If you want to use a roll-over certificate, you must replace the existing certificate and restart services on the
member.
To enable an appliance to function as an IF-MAP client:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox, and then click the
Edit icon.
2. In the Member DHCP Properties dialog box, click Toggle Advanced Mode.
• Enable IF-MAP: Select this checkbox to enable the IF-MAP service on the member. Note that you must
enable the IF-MAP service in order to enable or disable publishing at the network and range levels.
• Authentication: Select one of the following authentication methods:
• Certificate: Select this to use the IF-MAP client certificate for client authentication. You must
already have a certificate configured for the member before you can select and save this
configuration. For information about creating a client certificate, see Creating IF-MAP Client
Certificates.
• Basic: Select this to use username and password credentials for IF-MAP client authentication.

Rev. D
• Username: Enter the username the member uses to connect to the IF-MAP server. This
username must have been configured as a valid username on the IF-MAP server. Each
member must have its own username.
• Password: Enter the password the member uses to connect to the IF-MAP server.
• ConfirmPassword: Enter the password again.
 Note
When you upgrade to a new NIOS release, the basic authentication credentials are retained if IF-MAP was
enabled and basic authentication was used before the upgrade.
• Enable IF-MAP publishing: Click Override to override the Grid setting. Select this checkbox to
enable IF-MAP publishing for all the networks that are served by this member. Ensure that you
enable IF-MAP at either the Grid or member level in order to enable IF-MAP publishing for all
networks.
Creating IF-MAP Client Certificates

Before you can select "Certificate" as the client authentication method, you must first create a certificate for the specified
member.
You can do one of the following to generate an IF-MAP client certificate:
• Generate a self-signed certificate and save it. For information, see Generating Self-Signed Certificates.
• Request a CA (Certificate Authority) signed certificate. When you receive the certificate from the CA, upload it to
the member that you configure as an IF-MAP client. For information, see Generating Certificate Signing
Requests.

You can replace the default certificate with a self-signed certificate that you generate. When you generate a
self-signed certificate, you can specify the correct hostname and change the public/private key size, enter valid dates
and specify additional information specific to the member. If you have multiple members, you can generate a certificate
for each appliance with the appropriate hostname.
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox, and then click IF-
MAP Client Certificate -> Generate Self-signed Certificate from the Toolbar.
2. In the Generate Self-Signed Certificate dialog box, complete the following:
• Secure Hash Algorithm and Key Size: You can select SHA-1 and a RSA key size of 1024 or 2048.
SHA-256 (SHA-2) can be selected together with a RSA key size of 2048 or 4096. The default value is
SHA-256 2048.
• Common Name: Specify the domain name of the member. You can enter the FQDN (fully qualified
domain name) of the appliance.
3. Click OK.
4. If the appliance already has an existing client certificate, the new certificate replaces the existing one. In the
Replace IFMAP Certificate Confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

Rev. D
You can generate a CSR (certificate signing request) that you use to obtain a signed certificate from your own trusted
CA. Once you receive the signed certificate, you can import it to the member, as described in Uploading Certificates.
To generate a CSR:
MAP Client Certificate -> Create Signing Request from the Toolbar.
2. In the Create Certificate Signing Request dialog box, enter the following:
SHA-256 2048.
• Common Name: Specify the domain name of the member. You can enter the FQDN of the appliance.
3. Click OK.
Uploading Certificates
When you receive the certificate from the CA, the appliance finds the matching CSR and takes the private key associated
with the CSR and associates it with the newly imported certificate. The appliance then automatically deletes the CSR.
To import a certificate:
MAP Client Certificate -> Upload Certificate from the Toolbar.
2. Navigate to where the certificate is located and click Open.
3. If the appliance already has an existing IF-MAP client certificate, the new certificate replaces the existing one. In
the Replace IF-MAP Certificate Confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
Downloading Certificates
You can download the current certificate or a self-signed certificate. To download a certificate:
MAP Client Certificate -> Download Certificate from the Toolbar.
2. Navigate to where you want to save the certificate, enter the file name, and then click Save.
Overriding IF-MAP Publishing Settings

When you enable IF-MAP publishing at the Grid level, all members, networks (IPv4 and IPv6), and DHCP ranges (IPv4
only) in the Grid inherit the same setting. To control which ip-mac and ip-duid metadata is published for specific leases
that belong to a specific network or address range, you can override the Grid settings at a specific member, network, or
range level. Note that you must first enable the IF-MAP service at the Grid and member levels in order to enable or
disable IF-MAP publishing at other levels. For example, if you want the DHCP server to publish IF-MAP data for specific
leases in a specific network that is served by a specific member, you must first enable the IF-MAP service at the Grid and
member levels, as described in Configuring a Grid to Support IF-MAP. Then, you can enable IF-MAP publishing at the
range level, as described in this section.
Though you can configure and save the settings of IF-MAP publishing any time at any level, the publishing does not
actually happen unless the IF-MAP service is enabled at the Grid or member level. If a network or DHCP range is served
by a specific member and you want to enable IF-MAP publishing for the network or range, you must first enable the IF-
MAP service for the specified member.
To override IF-MAP publishing settings:

Rev. D
1. Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox, and then
Network: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> network checkbox, and then
DHCP Range: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> network -> addr_range
2. In the editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode, and then click the IF-MAP tab.
3. Click Override and complete the following:
• Enable IF-MAP Publishing: Select this checkbox to instruct the DHCP server to publish metadata to the
IF-MAP server when the IF-MAP service is enabled for the Grid or member. Clear this checkbox so the
DHCP server does not publish metadata to the server.
Deleting Data from the IF-MAP Server

The appliance allows you to delete IF-MAP data from the IF-MAP server. You can delete all IF-MAP data published by a
specific member. You can also define how the IF-MAP server handles the deletion of existing metadata before the IF-
MAP client publishes another update.
Deleting All Data

You can delete all IF-MAP data published by a specified member. To delete data published by all members in a Grid, you
must delete data for each member individually.
To delete IF-MAP data published by a member from the IF-MAP database:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab, and then click Clear -> IF-MAP Data from
the Toolbar.
2. In the Purge IF-MAP Data dialog box, click Select Member to select a member. If there are multiple members,
Grid Manager displays the Member Selector dialog box from which you can select one. Click the member name
in the dialog box, and then click Purge to delete all the DHCP data published by the Grid member. You can also
click Clear to clear the displayed member and select a new one.
Deleting Existing Data Before Publishing

You can define how the IF-MAP server deletes existing metadata before an IF-MAP client publishes new data. You can
configure the IF-MAP client to instruct the server to always delete existing data, never delete it, or delete the data before
a specified time period.
To define how the IF-MAP server deletes DHCP data before the next publish:
• Enable IF-MAP: Select this checkbox to enable the IF-MAP service.
• Delete existing metadata: You can define how the IF-MAP server deletes the existing metadata before the
IF-MAP client publishes new data. Select one of the following:
• Always delete: Select this to always delete existing metadata before the IF-MAP client publishes
updates. This is the default.
• Do not delete: Select this to never delete the existing metadata before the IF-MAP client publishes
updates.
• Earlier than: Select this to delete metadata that was published before a given time before the IF-
MAP client publishes updates. When you select this option, enter a time value, and then select a
time unit from the drop-down list.
4. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears if it appears at the top of the screen.
Starting DHCP Services on a Member

The DHCP service is disabled by default. After you complete the DHCP configuration, you can start DHCP service on a
member. To enable the member to provide DHCPv6 service as well, you must start the DHCP service and then enable

Rev. D
the DHCPv6 service on the member. In addition, you must specify the DHCP Unique Identifier (DUID) of the member.
IPv6 clients use DUIDs to identify the source of the DHCP messages from servers.
To start DHCP service on a member:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> -> Members -> member checkbox.
3. In the Start Member DHCP Service dialog box, click Yes.
4. Grid Manager starts DHCP on the selected member.
You can stop DHCP service on a member by selecting the member checkbox and click Stop from the Toolbar. This will
stop DHCP service enabled on the LAN port.
To stop DHCP service enabled on the LAN2 port:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> Members -> member checkbox.
3. In the Member DHCP Properties editor, select the General Basic tab.
4. Clear the checkbox for LAN2 under DHCP interfaces.
To enable DHCPv6 service on the member:
2. In the Member DHCP Properties editor, select the General Basic tab.
3. In the IPv6 Properties section, do the following:
• Server DUID: Enter the DUID of the member.
• Enable DHCPv6 Service: Select this checkbox.
Viewing DHCP Member Status

You can view DHCP member status after you configure DHCP properties and start or stop DHCP services on a member.
To view member status:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> Members section.
• Status: The status of the DHCP services on the member. This can be one of the following:
• Not Running: DHCP services have not been started on the member.
• Running: The DHCP services are running properly on the member.
• Warning: The member is connecting or synchronizing with its Grid Master.
• Error: The member is offline, is not licensed (that is, it does not have a DNSone license with the
Grid upgrade that permits Grid membership), is upgrading or downgrading, or is shutting down.
 Note
You can mouse over on the informational icon next to the status to view detailed information.
• Comment: The information you entered for the member.

• IPv4 DHCP Utilization: The percentage of the total IPv4 DHCP utilization of the member. This is the
percentage of the total number of DHCP hosts, fixed addresses, reservations, and leases assigned to the
member versus the total number of IP addresses (excluding IP addresses in the exclusion range) and all
DHCP objects assigned to the member. Note that only enabled objects are included in the calculation. It
does not include abandoned addresses or leases. The appliance updates the utilization data every 15
minutes. The appliance displays the utilization data in one of the following colors:
• Red: The DHCP resources are 100% utilized.
• Yellow: The utilization percentage is over the effective high watermark threshold.
• Blue: The utilization percentage is below the effective low watermark threshold.

Rev. D
• Black: The utilization percentage is at any number other than 100%, or within the effective
thresholds.
• Site: The site to which the member belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
You can select the following additional columns for display:
• Address: The IP address of the member.
• Static Addresses: The number of static IP addresses.
• Dynamic Addresses: The number of dynamically assigned IP addresses.
• IF-MAP Connection: The status of the IF-MAP service connection on the member. This can be one of the
following.
• Stopped: The DHCP or IF-MAP service on the member is stopped, or the IF-MAP service is not enabled.
• Running: The IF-MAP client is connected to the IF-MAP server and the IF-MAP service is running
properly.
• Failed: The IF-MAP client cannot publish data to the IF-MAP server due to some errors.
• Warning: Some non-fatal errors occurred. The IF-MAP client attempts to reconnect to the server.
 Note
You can mouse over on the informational icon next to the status to view detailed information, including the
status description and the timestamp when the status initially changed.
• IF-MAP Last Update: The timestamp the status of the IF-MAP service was last updated. For example, if the IF-
MAP connection status is Running and this field shows 2011-11-20 12:30:42 EST, it means that an IF-MAP
operation, such as a publish, was last completed on November 20, 2011 at 12:30:42 Eastern Standard Time.
To view status information about the IF-MAP connection on an independent appliance, from the Data Management tab ->
DHCP tab, click System DHCP Properties from the toolbar. The appliance displays the following:
• IF-MAP Connection: The status of the IF-MAP service on the independent appliance. A color icon associated with
the connection status appears before the status.
• IF-MAP Connection Information: Detailed information about the status. On a Grid member, this information
appears when you mouse over on the informational icon.
• IF-MAP Last Update: The timestamp when the status of the IF-MAP service last changed.
 Note
For more information about these fields, see descriptions about Grid member status in this section.
You can view detailed information about a specific member by clicking the member link. Grid Manager displays the
following information about the selected member:
• Network: The network assigned to the member.
• Comment: The information about the network.
• IPv4 DHCP Utilization: The percentage of the DHCP usage of the network. This is the percentage of the total
number of fixed addresses, reservations, hosts, and active leases on the network over the total IP addresses in
the range, excluding the number of addresses on the network. Note that only enabled objects are included in the
calculation. It does not include abandoned addresses or leases.
• Site: The site to which the DHCP object belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes. In the
member panel, you can select the following additional fields for display:
• Disabled: Indicates whether the member is disabled or not.
• IPAM Utilization: When you define a network, this is the percentage based on the IP addresses in use divided by
the total addresses in the network. For example, in a /24 network, if there are 25 static IP addresses defined and
a DHCP range that includes 100 addresses, the total number of IP addresses in use is 125. Of the possible 256
addresses in the network, the IPAM utilization is about 50% for this network.
When you define a network container that contains subnets, this is the percentage of the total address space
defined within the container regardless of whether any of the IP addresses in the subnets are in use. For example,

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when you define a /16 network and then 64 /24 networks underneath it, the /16 network container is considered
25% utilized even when none of the IP addresses in the /24 networks is in use.
You can use this information to verify if there is a sufficient number of available addresses in a network. The IPAM
utilization is calculated approximately every 15 minutes.
• Extensible attributes that associate with the network.
You can also sort the data in ascending or descending order by column. For information, see Customizing Tables.
Viewing DHCP Configuration Files

You can view the IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP configuration of a selected member. The format of the configuration file depends
on the browser you use.
To view the DHCP configuration of a selected member:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> Members -> member checkbox.
2. Expand the Toolbar, select View DHCP Configuration, and then select either IPv4 or IPv6. Grid Manager displays
the IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP configuration of the selected member in a new browser. You can print and save the file
using the corresponding functions in your browser.
Managing IPv4 DHCP Data

To configure DHCP service for an IPv4 network and the resources in the network, perform the following tasks:
1. Create a network and assign it to Grid members or Microsoft DHCP servers, or an interface on an external
discovered device. For information, see Adding IPv4 Networks and Modifying IPv4 Networks.
2. Configure DHCP properties for the network. You can override properties set at the Grid or member level and
enter unique values for the network. For information, see Configuring General IPv4 DHCP Properties and
Configuring DHCP IPv4 and IPv6 Common Properties.
3. Optionally, assign zones to a network. For information, see Associating Networks with Zones.
4. Add a DHCP range to the network and assign it to a member, a failover association, or a Microsoft DHCP server.
For information, see Adding IPv4 Address Ranges and Modifying IPv4 Address Ranges.
5. Optionally, add exclusions to the DHCP range for addresses that are not used for dynamic allocation. For
information, see Configuring IPv4 Fixed Addresses.
6. Optionally, configure DHCP properties for the address range. You can override properties set at an upper level
and enter unique values for the address range. For information, see Modifying IPv4 Address Ranges.
7. Optionally, define filters for precise address assignments and apply them to the DHCP range. For information,
see About IPv4 DHCP Filters.
8. Optionally, add fixed addresses and reservations to the network and configure DHCP properties for them. For
information, see Configuring IPv4 Fixed Addresses and Configuring IPv4 Reservations.
This section explains how to configure and manage IPv4 DHCP data. It contains the following topics:
• Configuring the Next Available Network or IP Address

• Configuring IPv4 Address Ranges
• Viewing IPv4 DHCP Objects
• About Roaming Hosts
Configuring the Next Available Network or IP Address

When you create certain objects through Grid Manager, the appliance can obtain the next available IPv4 or IPv6 network
from a specific network container. It can also obtain the next available IP address from a specific network or address
range. This feature automates the allocation of networks and IP addresses so you can manage your network space more
efficiently. You can also use this feature to organize network devices. For example, you can create a reserved range
called "Printer Range" to reserve static IP addresses for printers in your network. When you allocate IP addresses for

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printers, you can have the appliance search for the next available IP address within "Printer Range," and then allocate
the next available address to a new printer.
When you create a new network, the appliance can look up the next available network address within a specific network
container. The next available network address is the first unused network address in the network container to which you
have administrative permissions. For information about creating IPv4 and IPv6 networks using the next available feature,
see Adding IPv4 Networks and Adding IPv6 Networks.
You can also obtain the next available IP address when you define a fixed address, reservation, or host record. The next
available IP address is the first unused IP address in a specified network, DHCP range, or reserved range to which you
have administrative permissions. For information about creating fixed addresses, reservations, and host records using
the next available feature, see Configuring IPv4 Fixed Addresses, Configuring IPv4 Reservations, and Adding Host
Records
Obtaining the Next Available

The appliance searches for the next available network or IP address based on the context you define when you create an
object. For example, when you create a network within a specific network container, the appliance searches for the next
available network within the specified container. Similarly, when you drill down to an address range and create an object
from there, the appliance looks up the next available IP address within that address range. If you are not within a specific
network or address range when you create an object, Grid Manager displays a selector from which you can select the
network or address range for the next available network or IP address.
For information about how the appliance select the next available network and IP address, see Guidelines for the Next
Available Network and IP Address.
Guidelines for the Next Available Network and IP Address

The appliance follows certain rules when searching for the next available network and IP address in the specified wizard,
network container, and address range.
In a wizard where you can obtain the next available network or IP address, the following applies:
• In a wizard, if you add a network or IP address and then delete it, the appliance excludes it from the next
available. When you try to obtain the next available network or IP address in the same wizard, the appliance does
not return the deleted network or IP address until you exit the wizard.
In a network, the appliance searches for the next IP address that meets all of the following criteria:
• It does not match any DNS resource record, such as an A or PTR record, that is associated with an IP address.
• It is not assigned to a DHCP fixed address or host address record.
• It is not part of any DNS bulk host record.
• It does not match any unmanaged IP address.
• It is not the network (the first) or broadcast (the last) address in the specified network.
• It is not within any DHCP range in this network.
• It is not within any reserved range in this network.
• It is not within an exclusion range.
• It is not part of a scheduled task that involves a fixed address. For information about how to schedule a task, see
Scheduling Tasks.
In a DHCP range, the appliance searches for the next IP address that meets all of the following criteria:
• It is not assigned to a fixed address or host record.
• It is not part of an exclusion range within the DHCP range.
• It is not part of a scheduled task that involves a fixed address.
• It does not match any active DHCP lease.
In a reserved range, the appliance searches for the next IP address that meets all of the following criteria:
• It is not assigned to a fixed address or host record.

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• It is not part of a scheduled task that involves a fixed address.
 Note
The appliance does not search for deleted leases in the Recycle Bin.
When multiple users simultaneously request for the next available network or IP address, the appliance returns the same
unused network or IP address to all users. The user who first saves the task gets the next available network or IP
address. In some cases, other users get an error message telling them that the network or IP address is not available
when they save their tasks. They can then request another unused network or IP address or enter a new one.
Configuring IPv4 Networks

When you create an IPv4 network, you can do so from scratch or from a network template that contains predefined
properties. When you use a template to create a network, the properties of the template apply to the new network. For
information about network templates, see About IPv4 Network Templates. You can also create an IPv4 network from the
Tasks Dashboard, as described in Tasks Dashboard.
After you create IPv4 networks, you can combine them into shared networks or create ranges and fixed addresses.
Adding IPv4 Networks

When you configure an IPv4 network, you must assign either Grid members or Microsoft servers to the network. A
network cannot be served by a mix of Microsoft and Infoblox DHCP servers. Multiple servers can serve a network, but
Grid members and Microsoft servers cannot serve the same network.
A Grid member can serve only one network view. Similarly, a Microsoft server can serve only one network view.
Therefore when you assign Grid members to networks, you must assign the members to networks in the same network
view. For information, see Managing IPv4 DHCP Data.
If you have enabled support for RIR (Regional Internet Registry) updates and are adding an RIR IPv4 network container
or network to NIOS, Grid Manager displays an RIR section in the Add IPv4 Network wizard. You must enter RIR related
information in this section in order for NIOS to associate the newly added network with an RIR organization. For more
information about RIR address allocation and updates, see RIR Registration Updates.
To add an IPv4 network, complete the following:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab.
2. In the Networks section, expand the Toolbar and click the Add drop-down list and select
Network -> IPv4 network or, click the Add icon drop-down list and select IPv4 Network.
3. In the Add Network wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
• Add Network: Click this to add a network from scratch.
• Add Network using Template: To use a template, click this, and then click Select Template and select a
network template. For information, see About IPv4 Range Templates. The appliance populates the
template properties in the wizard when you click Next. You can then edit the pre-populated properties,
except for Netmask.
4. Complete the following and then click Next:

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updated status and timestamp are displayed in the Status of last update field in the IPv4 Network
Container or IPv4 Network editor.
the appliance creates the IPv4 network and assigns it to the selected organization. When you
select None, the appliance does not send registration updates to RIPE. When you are adding an
existing RIR allocated network to NIOS, select None. When you are adding networks to an RIR
the network view in which you want to create the network.
• Netmask: Enter the netmask or use the netmask slider to select the appropriate number of subnet mask
bits for the network. The appliance supports /1 to /32 netmasks. Note that when you use a template that
contains a fixed netmask, you cannot adjust the netmask for this network.
Microsoft servers can serve networks with /1 to /31 netmasks. Infoblox DHCP servers can serve networks
with /8 to /32 netmasks.
Since Infoblox DHCP servers do not support /1 to /7 networks, you can assign these networks to Microsoft
DHCP servers only. You can create DHCP ranges and fixed addresses within these subnets.
• Click the Add icon to enter a new network. Grid Manager adds a row to the table. Enter the
network address in the Network field. Click the Add icon again to add another network.
Or
• Click the Next Available icon to have the appliance search for the next available network.
Complete the following in the Next Available Networks section:
network. When you enter a network that does not exist, the appliance adds it as a network
container. When you enter a network that is part of a parent network, the parent network is
converted into a network container if it does not have a member assignment or does not contain
overlapping address ranges, fixed addresses, reservations, shared networks, and host
records. When you enter a network that has a lower CIDR than an existing network, the appliance
creates the network as a parent network and displays a message indicating that the newly created
network overlaps an existing network. You can also click Select Network to select a specific
network in the Network Selector dialog box. For information about how the appliance searches for
the next available network, see Obtaining the Next Available.
container. Note that if there is not enough network space in the selected network to create the
number of networks specified here, Grid Manager displays an error message. The maximum
number is 20 at a time. Note that when you have existing networks in the table and you select
one, the number you enter here includes the selected network.
• Click Add Next to add the networks. Grid Manager lists the networks in the table. You can click
Cancel to reset the values.
 Note
You must click Add Next to add the network container you enter in the Next Available Networks section. If you
enter a network in the Next Available Networks section and then use the Add icon to add another network, the
appliance does not save the network you enter in the Next Available Networks section until you click Add Next.

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• Comment: Enter useful information about the network, such as the name of the organization it serves.
• The Sync to MGM drop-down list is available only on the managed Grid when it remains joined with the Multi-Grid
Master. Select one of the following from the Sync to MGM drop-down list:
• Yes: Select this to enable synchronization of networks between the managed Grid and Multi-Grid Master.
• No: Select this to disable synchronization of networks between the managed Grid and Multi-Grid Master.
 Note
If you have selected No at the parent network (disabled synchronization) and if you try to select Yes when
adding a child network, the appliance returns an error. This means that you cannot override the settings at the
child level if you have already restricted synchronization at the parent network.
• Use Inherited Setting: Select this is to inherit synchronization settings from the parent object.
• Automatically Create Reverse-Mapping Zone: This function is enabled if the netmask of the network equals /8, /
16, or /24. Select this to have the appliance automatically create reverse-mapping zones for the network. A
reverse-mapping zone is an area of network space for which one or more name servers have the responsibility
for responding to address-to-name queries. These zones are created in the DNS view assigned to receive
dynamic DNS updates at the network view level.
• Disable for DHCP: Select this if you do not want the DHCP server to provide DHCP services for this network at
this time. This feature is useful when you are in the process of setting up the DHCP server. Clear this after you
have configured the server and are ready to have it serve DHCP for this network. Note that disabling an IPv4
network may take a longer time to complete depending on the size of the data.
The Cloud section appears when the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on the Grid Master. For information,
To delegate authority for this network, complete the following:

• Delegate To: This field indicates whether the authority for the network you want to create has already been
delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance. Click Select to choose the Cloud Platform Appliance to which you want
to delegate authority. The Member Selector displays only Cloud Platform Appliances in the Grid. Click the
member, and Grid Manager displays the member name next to this field. This cloud member now assumes
authority for this network, and the Grid Master does not have authority anymore. You can also click Clear to
remove authority delegation from the selected Cloud Platform Appliance and return authority back to the Grid
Master.
5. Click Next and add a Grid member or Microsoft server as a DHCP server for the network. A network can be
served by either Grid members or Microsoft servers, but not both at the same time.
• Click the Add icon and select one of the following options:
• Add Infoblox Member: Select this option to add a Grid member as a DHCP server for the network.
Select the Grid member from the Member Selector dialog box. Keep in mind, DHCP properties for
the network are inherited from this member. The network can be served by multiple members, but
a member can serve networks in one network view only.
Or
• Add Microsoft Server: Select this option to add a Microsoft server as a DHCP server for the
network. Select the Microsoft server from the Microsoft Server Selector dialog box.
6. Click Next to associate Active Directory Sites with the network. For more information, see Associating Active
Directory Sites with Networks.
7. Click Next to override DHCP properties as described in Configuring DHCP Properties. This only applies if you
are adding a network that is served by an Infoblox Grid member.
Or

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8. (Applies only with Network Insight) Click Next to initiate or disable discovery of the new network(s). This step is
not required for creating a new network. Discovery settings differ based on whether you are defining one network or
multiple networks.
• Configuring one network: Discovery settings include the following: Enable Discovery and Enable
Immediate Discovery, selecting a Probe member to perform the discovery; and Polling Options, which
define how the network will be discovered by the Probe member, including the ability to enable or disable
the use of SNMP Credentials and CLI Credentials, along with Switch Port Data Collection settings. By
default, all Polling Options discovery settings are inherited from the parent network (or Grid, if no parent
exists) unless you click Override. Polling Options govern the protocols used to query and collect
information about the network devices being discovered. For more information, see the section
Configuring Discovery Properties for a complete description of discovery Polling Options.
Or
• Configuring more than one network: If the networks are child networks, they automatically inherit the
settings of the parent network, including discovery settings and the discovery member. Discovery is
disabled for any parent networks. These settings will not appear in the wizard page. For discovery of
multiple networks, you can only enable or disable Immediate Discovery.
9. Assign VLAN objects to the network. For more information, see VLAN Management.
10. As part of creating a network in IPAM or DHCP, you can provision the network on an actual device (switch,
router, or switch-router), that is discovered and managed through the Grid Manager.
• Begin by checking the Enable Network Provisioning checkbox, and clicking the Select Device button.
Choose your device from the Device Selector dialog. Click Clear to remove the setting. For more
information, see the section Using the Device Selector.
• If you performed DHCP configuration in the previous step of the Add Network Wizard, the Router IP value
will automatically be populated with the DHCP Router IP address value. Otherwise, you enter the
standard router IP address.
• For example, if Grid Manager discovers and manages a router 172.16.22.1, the IP value
172.16.22.1 should be entered in the Router IP field.
• F required for the newly provisioned network to ensure that attached devices receive DHCP auto-
configuration, enable the DHCP Forwarding checkbox. For this setting, if a DHCP Failover was previously
configured, the IP addresses defined for DHCP failover are automatically used for the DHCP forwarding
configuration.
• You will also need to choose an interface on the selected device on which to provision the network by
selecting it from the Interface drop-down menu. Grid Manager ensures that only those interfaces that can
support provisioning, and are available for provisioning (that do not have an Operation Status of Up),
appear in the drop-down menu.
• Otherwise, when creating networks and provisioning them on managed devices, you can create a VLAN
on which to provision the network by clicking the Create VLAN option and entering the VLAN Name and
VLAN ID. Ensure that the VLAN ID value you enter is appropriate for the application. Do not create a new
VLAN and provision a network for a VLAN value that is already actively carrying traffic for another routing
domain.
If a selected device does not support VLANs, the Create VLAN option will not appear.
11. Click Next to enter values for required extensible attributes or add optional extensible attributes. For
information, see Managing Extensible Attributes.
If you are adding an RIR network, the RIR network attribute table appears. For information about these attributes
and how to enter them, see RIR Network Attributes. You can preview the information before the appliance submits
updates to the RIPE database. To preview registration updates, click Preview RIR Submissions. For more
information, see Previewing Registration Updates.
 Note
You cannot leave an optional RIR attribute value empty. If you do not have a value for an RIR attribute, you
must delete it from the table. You can enter up to 256 characters for all RIR attributes.

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You need to assign a Subscriber Member Site to add subscriber service related extensible attributes in order to
populate Subscriber Cache.
12. As the final step in the Add IPv4 Network wizard, you define when Grid Manager provisions the new network by
scheduling it. You also schedule when the associated port control task executes (if a port configuration has been
specified).
• To create the new network and its associated port configuration immediately, select Now. Grid Manager
synchronizes the port control task to take place at the same time as the creation of the new network.
• You can choose to have Grid Manager execute the port control task at a later time by selecting Later.
• Choose a Selected time by entering or selecting a Start Date (click the calendar icon to choose a calendar
date) and a Start Time, and choose a Time Zone.
13. Choose one of the following from the Save & ... drop-down menu:
• Click Save & Close to add the new network and close the wizard (this is the default).
• Click Save & Edit to add the new network and launch the editor.
• Click Save & New to add the new network and launch the wizard again to add another network.
 Note
At any step during the wizard, you can click Schedule for Later to schedule the task. In
the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.
After you create a network, you can perform the following:

• Use the split network feature to create subnets for the network. For information, see Splitting IPv4 Networks into
Subnets.
• Use the join networks feature to create a parent network that encompasses multiple subnets into a larger
network. For information, see Joining IPv4 Networks. You can also create a shared network for subnets that are
on the same network segment.
Networks served by Microsoft servers do not support the split and join functions.
Viewing Networks
You can view IPv4 networks from the IPAM tab -> Net Map and List panels. The Net Map panel provides a graphical view
of your networks and the List panel displays the networks in table format. For more information, see IPv4 Network Map
and IPAM Home.
You can also view a list of IPv4 and IPv6 networks in the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks panel. This panel
displays all IPv4 and IPv6 networks.
In any of these panels, you can use filters or the Go to function to navigate to a specific network. You can also create a
quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria. For information, see Using Quick Filters. You can add, delete, or edit a
network. You can also monitor the DHCP utilization of a selected network.
When viewing networks, you can choose to view them in one of the following views:
• Click Toggle Hierarchical View to view networks hierarchically in a parent-child structure (networks in a network
container). You can view detailed information about the networks by clicking the network link and drilling down to
the lowest hierarchical level, and then opening a network. To go back to a previous hierarchical view, click the link
of the corresponding level in the breadcrumb. The hierarchical view is the default view.
• Click Toggle Flat View to display a flat list of all networks and network containers. The parent and child networks
are listed separately in the flat view.
Depending on where you view your networks, Grid Manager displays some of the following information by default. You
can also select specific information for display.

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The network is displayed in one of the following colors:
• Yellow: The network is unmanaged.
• Blue: The selected network.
• Gray: The network is currently not available as a NIOS network object.
• Comment: The information you entered about the network.
• IPAM Utilization: This information is available for IPv4 networks only. It displays the percentage based on the IP
addresses in use divided by the total addresses in the network. For example, in a /24 network, if there are 25
static IP addresses defined and a DHCP range that includes 100 addresses, the total number of IP addresses in
use is 125. Of the possible 256 addresses in the network, the IPAM utilization is about 50% for this network. The
appliance updates the IPAM utilization data immediately for a network container, but for a network, it is updated
every 15 minutes.
The IPAM utilization data is displayed in one of the following colors:
• Red: The IPAM utilization percentage is above the configured Trigger value.
• Blue: The IPAM utilization percentage is below the configured Trigger value.
• Site: The site to which the network belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
• Protocol: Displays whether the network is an IPv4 or IPv6 network.
• Disabled: Indicates if the network is disabled. You can double-click a row and select the checkbox in this column
to disable the network. Grid Manager displays a warning message when you select the checkbox. Click Yes to
confirm or No to cancel. Note that disabling an IPv4 network may take a longer time to complete depending on
the size of the data.
• Leaf Network: Indicates whether the network is a leaf network or not. A leaf network is a network that does not
contain other networks.
• IPv4 DHCP Utilization: This information is available for IPv4 networks only. It displays the percentage of the total
DHCP usage of theIPv4 network. This is the percentage of the total number of DHCP hosts, fixed addresses,
reservations, and active leases in the network divided by the total number of IP addresses (excluding IP
addresses in the exclusion range) and all DHCP objects in the network. Note that only enabled addresses are
included in the calculation. It does not include abandoned addresses or leases. The appliance updates the
utilization data approximately every 15 minutes. The utilization data is displayed in one of the following colors:
• Yellow: The DHCP utilization percentage is over the effective high-water mark threshold.
• Blue: The DHCP utilization percentage is below the effective low-water mark threshold.
• Black: The DHCP utilization percentage is at any number other than 100%, or it is not above and below
any threshold.
You see the following when RIR is enabled (for more information, see RIR Registration Updates):
• RIR Organization: This appears only if support for RIR updates is enabled. This displays the name of the RIR
• RIR Organization ID: This appears only if support for RIR updates is enabled. This displays the ID of the RIR
• RIR Registration Status: This appears only if support for RIR update is enabled. This field displays the RIR
registration status. This can be Registered or Not Registered. Registered indicates that the network has a
corresponding entry in the RIPE database.
• Last Registration Updated: Displays the timestamp when the last registration was updated. The displayed
timestamp reflects the timestamp used on the Grid Master.
• Status of Last Registration Update: Displays the registration status and communication method of the last
registration update. The status can be Pending, Sent, Succeeded, or Failed. Each time you send a registration
update to create, modify, or delete a network container or network, the updated status will be displayed here. If
you have selected not to send registration updates, the previous status is retained.
You see the following only with Network Insight (For information, see Infoblox Network Insight):
• Discovery Enabled: Indicates whether discovery is allowed on the network container or the network.
• Managed: Indicates whether the network is set to Managed status under NIOS.
• First Discovered: The date and timestamp of the first occasion that NIOS discovered the network.
• Last Discovered: The date and timestamp of the last occasion that NIOS performed discovery on the network.
You see the following when the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on the Grid Master (For information, see
Deploying Cloud Network Automation):

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• Cloud Usage: This field indicates whether this object is associated with any specific cloud extensible attributes or
within the scope of delegation. It can be one of the following:
• Cloud from adapter: Indicates that this object has been created by a cloud adapter and it may or may not
be within a scope of delegation at the moment.
• Cloud from delegation: Indicates that this object is within the scope of delegation or the object itself
defines a scope of authority delegation, and it is not created by a cloud adapter.
• Used by cloud: Indicates that this network or network container is associated with the extensible attribute
Is External or Is Shared and the value is set to True, which implies the network is a private or shared
network managed by the CMP, and it is not Cloud from adapter or Cloud from delegation.
• Non-cloud: The object is a regular NIOS object and is not within the scope of any authority delegation nor
is it associated with any of these extensible attributes: Cloud API Owned, Is External, or Is Shared. NIOS
admin users can modify this object based on their permissions.
• Owned By: A cloud object can be owned by the Grid Master or the cloud adapter. When the object is created by
the Cloud Platform member, this shows Grid. If the object is created by the cloud adapter, this shows Adapter.
• Delegated To: This tells you whether a cloud object has been delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance or not. If
the cloud object has a parent object and the parent has been delegated, this field shows the parent delegation
and you cannot modify the field.
• Extensible attributes (Building, Country, Region, State, and VLAN): You can select the extensible attributes such
as Building, Country, Region, State, and VLAN for display. When you enable other features such as RIR, Network
Insight, and Cloud Network Automation, you can select additional attributes for display.
You can sort the list of networks in ascending or descending order by certain columns. For information about customizing
tables in Grid Manager, see Customizing Tables.
You can also modify some of the data in the table. Double-click a row of data, and either edit the data in the field or select
Data in Tables. You can edit values of inheritable extensible attributes by double-clicking on the respective row. If an
extensible attribute has an inherited value, then the cell is highlighted in blue when you perform an inline editing. The
Descendant Actions dialog box is displayed when you click Save. For information, see Managing Inheritable Extensible
Attributes at the Parent and Descendant Level. If you delete the value of an inheritable extensible attribute at the parent
level, you can choose to preserve the descendant value or remove it. For information, see Deleting Inheritable Extensible
Attributes Associated with Parent Objects.

You can view detailed information about a specific network by clicking the network link. Grid Manager displays the
objects in the network, including DHCP ranges, hosts, fixed addresses and roaming hosts. It displays the following
information about the network:
• IP Address: The IP address of a DHCP object, such as a DHCP range, fixed address, reservation, host
configured for DHCP, or roaming host with an allocated IP address. For a DHCP range, this field displays the start
and end addresses of the range. For a host that has multiple IP addresses, each IP address is displayed
separately. Note that the appliance highlights all disabled DHCP objects in gray.
The IP address is displayed in one of the following colors:
• Yellow: The IP address is unmanaged.
• Blue: The IP address is excluded.
• Pink: Indicates IP address conflicts.
• Gray: The IP address is currently not available as a NIOS object.
• Type: The DHCP object type, such as DHCP Range or Fixed Address.
• Name: The object name. For example, if the IP address belongs to a host record, this field displays the host
name.
• Comment: The information you entered for the object.
• IPv4 DHCP Utilization: The percentage of the total DHCP usage of a DHCP range. This is the percentage of the
total number of fixed addresses, reservations, hosts, and active leases in the DHCP range divided by the total IP
addresses in the range, excluding the number of addresses in the exclusion ranges. Note that only enabled
objects are included in the calculation. It does not include abandoned addresses or leases.
• Site: The site to which the DHCP object belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes. You can
select the following additional columns for display:
• Static Addresses: Indicates whether the IP address is a static address.
• Dynamic Addresses: Indicates whether the IP address is a dynamically assigned address.

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• Disabled: Indicates whether the object is disabled. You can double-click a row and select the checkbox in this
column to disable the network. Grid Manager displays a warning message when you select the checkbox. Click
Yes to confirm or No to cancel. Note that disabling an IPv4 network may take a longer time to complete
depending on the size of the data.
• Priority: Displays the priority of a DHCP range when NAC filters are applied.
• Available extensible attributes.
You can also perform the following in this panel:
• Modify some of the data in the table. Double-click a row, and either modify the data in the field or select an item
from a drop-down list. Click Save to save the changes. Note that some fields are read-only. You can edit values of
inheritable extensible attributes by double-clicking on the respective row. If an extensible attribute has an
inherited value, then the cell is highlighted in blue when you perform inline editing. The Descendant Actions
dialog box is displayed when you click Save. For information, see Managing Inheritable Extensible Attributes at
the Parent and Descendant Level. If you delete the value of an inheritable extensible attribute at the parent level,
you can choose to preserve the descendant value or remove it. For information, see Deleting Inheritable
Extensible Attributes Associated with Parent Objects.
• Click Go to IPAM View to view information about the object in the IPAM tab.
• Add new objects, such as DHCP ranges, to the network.
• Delete or schedule the deletion of a selected object or multiple objects.
Modifying IPv4 Networks

You can modify existing network settings and override the Grid or member DHCP properties, with the exception of the
network address and netmask.
To modify an IPv4 network, perform the following:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section -> network checkbox,
Or
From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab -> network checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The IPv4 Network editor contains the following basic tabs from which you can modify data:
• Genera Basic: You can modify the following fields:
• Comment: The information you entered for the network.
• Disabled: This field is displayed only if the selected network is a network without a child network
under it. You can disable and enable existing networks instead of removing them from the
database, if the selected network does not have a child subnet. This feature is especially helpful
when you have to move or repair the server for a particular network. Note that disabling an IPv4
Restricting synchronization of a network
• Disable sync to MGM: Select this checkbox to disable synchronization of a network from the
managed Grid to the Multi-Grid Master. This checkbox is available only on the managed Grid
when it remains joined with the Multi-Grid Master.
When the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on the Grid Master, Grid Manager displays the following
information in the Cloud section: Cloud Usage, Owned By, and Delegated To. You cannot modify these fields. For
more information, see Viewing Networks.
• Member Assignment: Add or delete a Grid member that provides DHCP services for this network. For
information, see Adding IPv4 Networks.

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• IPv4 DHCP Options: Keep the inherited DHCP properties or override them and enter unique settings for
the network. For information, see Defining IPv4 DHCP Options.
• Discovery: Checking the Enable Discovery checkbox informs NIOS to begin discovering the network after
you click Save and Close. You manage discovery polling settings local to each network from this page.
For a complete overview of features on this page, see Discovering Devices and Networks and its
subsections.
• Discovery Exclusions: IP Addresses and IP ranges can be locally excluded from discovery by clicking the
Add icon and selecting Add IP Address or Add IP Range. These IP addresses or IP ranges are selected
from within the chosen network. For related information, see Excluding IP Addresses from Discovery and
its subsections.
• Discovery Blackout: Define extended time periods and regularly scheduled times when discovery and/or
Port Configuration tasks will not take place on a network. Editing a network under DHCP, blackout settings
apply only to the specified network. You also specify the scheduled time when the blackout period begins,
and the duration of the blackout period. By default, the network inherits its discovery blackout settings
from the Grid level. For related information, see Defining Blackout Periods and its subsections.
 Note
Discovery blackout settings also can be defined for DHCP ranges.
• RIR Registration: Modify RIR network information. This tab appears only when support for RIR updates is
enabled. For information, see Modifying RIR Network Data.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a specific network. You
You can edit values of inheritable extensible attributes by -clicking on the respective column. If an
extensible attribute has an inherited value, then the cell is highlighted in blue when you perform inline
editing. The Descendant Actions dialog box is displayed when you click Save. For information, see
Managing Inheritable Extensible Attributes at the Parent and Descendant Level. If you delete the value of
an inheritable extensible attribute at the parent level, you can choose to preserve the descendant value or
remove it. For information, see Deleting Inheritable Extensible Attributes Associated with Parent Objects.
3. Optionally, click Toggle Advanced Mode to display the following tabs from which you can modify advanced data.
• General Advanced: You can associate zones with a network. For information, see Associating Networks
with Zones.
• IPv4 DDNS: Keep the inherited DDNS settings or override them and enter unique settings for the network.
Note that you must click Override and select Enable DDNS updates for the DDNS settings you configure
in this tab to take effect. For information, see Enabling DDNS for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Clients.
• IPv4 BOOTP/PXE: Keep the inherited BOOTP properties or override them and enter unique settings for
the network. For information, see Configuring IPv4 BOOTP and PXE Properties.
• Filters: You can keep the inherited IPv4 logic filters or override them and add a new IPv4 logic filter. For
information, see Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
• IPv4 DHCP Thresholds: Keep the inherited thresholds settings or override them and enter unique settings
for the network. For information, see Configuring Thresholds for DHCP Ranges.
Deleting IPv4 Networks

When you delete a network, all of its data, including all DHCP records, subnets, and records in its subnets, is deleted
from the database. Due to the potentially large loss of data that can occur when you delete a network, the appliance
stores the deleted network in the Recycle Bin. You can restore a deleted network from the Recycle Bin, if enabled. You
can also disable a network instead of deleting it.
To delete a network, perform the following:

Rev. D
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section -> network checkbox,
and then select Delete or Schedule Delete from the Delete drop-down menu.
2. To delete the network now, in the Delete Confirmation dialog box, click Yes. Grid Manager displays a warning
message. Click Yes to continue or No to cancel the process. To schedule the deletion, see Scheduling Deletions.
The appliance puts the deleted network in the Recycle Bin, if enabled. Click Restore in the Recycle Bin to recover
the deleted data. Click Yes in the Restore Item dialog box to restore or No to cancel the process.
 Note
• Any Port reservation associated with the deleted network will also be deleted without user intervention.
• Deleting and restoring an IPv4 network may take a longer time to complete depending on the size of the
data.
• You cannot delete a network that has a VLAN object assigned to it. For more information, see Assigning
VLANs to a Network.
Configuring IPv4 Shared Networks

You can combine individual contiguous networks into a shared network to allow the DHCP server to assign IP addresses
from any subnet (that resides on the same network interface) in the shared network.
Before creating a shared network, you must first create the subnets. For example, you must first create the networks
10.32.1.0 and 10.30.0.0 before designating them to a shared network. For more information, see About Shared
Networks.
Adding IPv4 Shared Networks

To add a shared network, complete the following:
1. Select the Data Management tab.
2. If you have more than one network view in the system, select the network view in which you want to add the
network.
3. Select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab.
4. In the Shared Networks section, select IPv4 Shared Network from the Add icon drop-down menu, or expand
the Toolbar, click the Add drop-down list and select Shared Network -> IPv4.
5. In the Add IPv4 Shared Network wizard, complete the following and click Next:
• Name: Enter the name of the shared network.
• Comment: Enter information about the shared network.
• Disabled: Select this if you want to enable the shared network at a later time. You can disable and enable
existing networks instead of removing them from the database. This feature is especially helpful when you
have to move or repair the server for a particular network.
6. Perform the following to add networks:
a. Click the Add icon.
b. In the Select Network dialog box, select the networks that you want to include in the shared network.
Ensure that the networks are served by the same Grid members to avoid DHCP inconsistencies.
7. Click Next to configure or override DHCP options as described in Defining IPv4 DHCP Options.
8. Click Next to enter values for required extensible attributes or add optional extensible attributes for the shared
network. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
Viewing Shared Networks

To view IPv4 and IPv6 shared networks, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Shared Networks.

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• Name: The name of the shared network.
• Protocol: Displays whether the network is an IPv4 or IPv6 network.
• Comment: The information you entered about the shared network.
• IPv4 DHCP Utilization: The percentage of the DHCP utilization of the networks that belong to the shared
network. This is the percentage of the total number of available IP addresses from all the networks that
belong to the shared network versus the total number of all IP addresses in all of the networks in the
shared network.
• Site: The site to which the shared network belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
You can select Disabled or available extensible attributes for display. You also can view detailed information about a
network in a shared network by clicking the network link.
In this panel, you can use filters or the Go to function to navigate to a specific network. You can also create a quick filter
to save frequently used filter criteria. For information, see Using Quick Filters.
You can sort the list of networks in ascending or descending order by columns. For information about customizing tables
You can also modify some of the data in the table. Double-click a row of data, and either edit the data in the field or select
Data in Tables.
Modifying IPv4 Shared Networks

You can modify existing network settings and override the Grid or member DHCP properties. To modify, complete the
following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Shared Networks section ->
shared_network checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The Shared Network editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify the fields Name, Comments, and Disabled as described in Adding IPv4 Shared
Networks.
• Networks: Displays the networks that are currently assigned to the shared network. You can add or delete
a network. To add a network, click the Add icon. In the Select Network dialog box, select the network you
want to add. To delete an existing network, select the network checkbox, and then click the Delete icon.
3. Optionally, you can click Toggle Advanced Mode to display the following tabs from which you can modify advanced
data:
the shared network. For information, see Defining IPv4 DHCP Options.
• IPv4 DDNS: Keep the inherited DDNS settings or override them and enter unique settings for the shared
network. Note that you must click Override and select Enable DDN Supdates for the DDNS settings you
configure in this tab to take effect. For information, see Enabling DDNS for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Clients.
the shared network. For information, see Configuring IPv4 BOOTP and PXE Properties.
Note that Grid Manager displays both the basic and advanced tabs the next time you log in to the GUI.
Or
Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a date,
time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.

Rev. D
Deleting IPv4 Shared Networks
Though you can delete the networks in a shared network, a shared network must have at least one network in it. To
delete a shared network, complete the following:
shared_network checkbox, and then select Delete or Schedule Delete from the drop-down menu.
2. To delete the shared network now, in the Delete Confirmation dialog box, click Yes. To schedule the deletion, see
Scheduling Deletions.
The appliance puts the deleted shared network in the Recycle Bin, if enabled.
Configuring IPv4 Address Ranges

In a network, you define address ranges from which the DHCP server or failover association assigns IP addresses to
client requests. When a DHCP client requests an IP address, the appliance allocates an address within a defined DHCP
range. The DHCP client can use the assigned IP address until the lease expires.
When you do not assign a DHCP server or failover association to an address range, the range becomes a reserved
range. A reserved range contains IP addresses that are reserved for static hosts, not for dynamic assignments. You can
allocate the next available IP from a reserved range.
You can also apply filters to DHCP ranges to control how the DHCP server allocates IP addresses. For information about
DHCP filters, see Configuring IPv4 DHCP Filters.
Adding IPv4 Address Ranges

To add an IPv4 address range:
1. Navigate to the IPv4 network to which you want to add an address range, and then select Range from the Add
drop down menu.
or
From any panel in the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Range -> IPv4.
2. In the Add IPv4 Range wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
• Add Range: Select this to add an address range from scratch.
or
• Add Range Using Template: Click Select Template and select the template that you want to use. Note that
when you use a template to create an address range, the configurations of the template apply to the new
range. The appliance automatically populates the range properties in the wizard. You can then edit the
pre-populated properties.
• Network: Click Select Network. Grid Manager displays the network address here if you have only one
network configured. When there are multiple networks, Grid Manager displays the Select Network dialog
box from which you can select one.
• Start: Enter the first available IP address in the range.
• End: Enter the last available IP address in the range.
• Name: Optionally, enter a name for the range.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the address range.
• Disabled for DHCP: Select this if you want to save the configuration for the address range but do not want
to activate the address range yet. You can clear this checkbox when you are ready to allocate addresses
from this range.
The Cloud section appears when the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on the Grid Master. For
information, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation. To delegate authority for this range, complete the following:
• Delegate To: This field indicates whether the authority for the range you want to create has already been
delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance. Click Select to choose the Cloud Platform Appliance to which
you want to delegate authority. The Member Selector displays only Cloud Platform Appliances in the Grid.
Click the member, and Grid Manager displays the member name next to this field. This cloud member
now assumes authority for this range, and the Grid Master does not have authority any more. You can

Rev. D
also click Clear to remove authority delegation from the selected Cloud Platform Appliance and return
authority back to the Grid Master.
4. Click Next and select one of the following:
• None (Reserved Range): Select this if you want to reserve this address range for static hosts. Addresses
in this range cannot be allocated as dynamic addresses. You can allocate the next available IP from this
range to a static host. This is selected by default.
• Grid Member: Select this if you want a Grid member to serve DHCP for this address range. Select a Grid
member from the drop-down list. The drop-down list displays only the Grid members that are associated
with the network to which the DHCP range belongs.
• Failover Association: Select this if you want a failover association to serve DHCP for this address range.
Click Select Association. In the DHCP Failover Association Selector dialog box, choose a failover
association, and then click the Select icon. The appliance lists failover associations that serve DHCP in
the network view of the DHCP range. For information, see Configuring DHCP Failover.
 Note
Steps 6-7 apply only in deployments using Network Insight discovery features. Otherwise, skip to Step 8.
6. Click Next to initiate or disable discovery of the new DHCP range.

7. Discovery settings include the following: Enable Discovery and Immediate Discovery, selecting a Probe member
to perform the discovery; and Polling Options, which define how the network will be discovered by the Probe
member. By default, all Polling Options discovery settings are inherited from the parent network unless you click
Override. Polling Options govern the protocols used to query and collect information about the network devices
being discovered. For more information, see the section Configuring Discovery Properties for a complete
description of discovery Polling Options.
8. Click Next to enter values for required extensible attributes or add optional extensible attributes. For information,
9. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen
or
Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the ScheduleChange panel, enter a date,
For information on viewing address ranges in a network, see Viewing IPv4 DHCP Objects.
Modifying IPv4 Address Ranges

You can modify settings for the DHCP range. You can also define an exclusion range to prevent the appliance from
assigning the addresses in the exclusion range to clients. IP addresses in an exclusion range are excluded from the pool
of IP addresses. For more information, see About Exclusion Ranges.
To modify an IPv4 address range:
1. From the DataManagement tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section -> network ->
2. The DHCPRange editor contains the following basic tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify the fields, except the network address, as described in Adding IPv4 Address Ranges.
When the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on the Grid Master, Grid Manager displays the
following information in the Cloud section: Cloud Usage, Owned By, and Delegated To. You cannot modify
these fields. For more information, see Adding IPv4 Address Ranges.

Rev. D
• Member Assignment: Modify the Grid member or failover association that provides DHCP services for the
DHCP range as described in Adding IPv4 Address Ranges.
 Note
When you change the member assignment of DHCP ranges from Failover Association to Grid
Member and then back to Failover Association, the leases in the primary and secondary servers
fall out of sync. To resynchronize the peers, the failover association of the secondary server is
put in the Recover-Wait state for the entire duration of Maximum Client Lead Time while a forced
recovery takes place. During this period, only the IP addresses allocated to the primary server
are available for lease.
• IPv4 DHCP Options: Keep the inherited DHCP options or override them and enter unique settings for the
DHCP range. For information, see Defining IPv4 DHCP Options.
• Extensible Attributes: You can add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a specific
DHCP range. You can also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using
Extensible Attributes. You can edit values of inheritable extensible attributes by double clicking on the
respective column. If an extensible attribute has an inherited value, then the cell is highlighted in blue
when you perform an inline editing. The Descendant Actions dialog box is displayed when you click Save.
For information, see Managing Inheritable Extensible Attributes at the Parent and Descendant Level. If
you delete the value of an inheritable extensible attribute at the parent level, you can choose to preserve
the descendant value or remove it. For information, see Deleting Inheritable Extensible Attributes
Associated with Parent Objects.
data.
• IPv4 DDNS: Keep the inherited DDNS settings or override them and enter unique settings for the DHCP
range. Note that you must click Override and select Enable DDN Supdates for the DDNS settings you
the DHCP range. For information, see Configuring IPv4 BOOTP and PXE Properties.
• Exclusion Ranges: Configure a range of IP addresses that the appliance does not use to assign to clients.
You can use these exclusion addresses as static IP addresses. Enter the start and end addresses of the
exclusion range, and optionally, enter information about this exclusion range.
for the DHCP range. For information, see Configuring Thresholds for DHCP Ranges.
or
Controlling Lease Assignments

You can set parameters to control how the DHCP server responds to lease requests within a specific DHCP range. When
you set a DHCP range to deny all leases requests, the appliance does not assign IP addresses within this range to
DHCP clients. This is useful when you want DHCP clients with IP addresses within this range to obtain new IP addresses
when they renew their leases. When a client with an IP address within this range broadcasts a DHCPREQUEST
message for its old IP address, the authoritative DHCP server responds with a DHCPNAK. This causes the client to
move to the INIT state and to send a DHCPDISCOVER message for a new IP address.
You can also configure the DHCP server to assign or deny IP addresses within a DHCP range to known and unknown
DHCP clients. Known clients include roaming hosts and clients with fixed addresses or DHCP host entries. Unknown

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clients include clients that are not roaming hosts and clients that do not have fixed addresses or DHCP host entries.
To control how the appliance assigns leases to client requests:
1. DHCP Range: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network ->
2. In the IPv4 Range editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode. When the additional tabs
appear, click the IPv4 DHCP Options tab -> Advanced tab and complete the following:
 Note
The IPv4 DHCP Options tab is enabled when you select a Grid Member or IPv4 DHCP Failover Association in
the Member Assignment tab.
• Allow/Deny Clients
• Known Clients: Select this checkbox, and then select Allow or Deny from the drop-down list to
assign or deny IP addresses within this range to known DHCP clients. Known DHCP clients
include roaming hosts and clients with fixed addresses or DHCP host entries. Note that the
appliance cannot deny an IP address to a fixed address within this range. You must disable the
fixed address if you do not want it to obtain an IP address here.
• Unknown Clients: Select this checkbox, and then select Allow or Deny from the drop-down list to
assign or deny IP addresses within this range to unknown DHCP clients. Unknown DHCP clients
include clients that are not roaming hosts and clients that do not have fixed addresses or DHCP
host entries.
• Deny Leases: Select Deny all lease requests for this range to deny all lease requests from DHCP clients.
Deleting IPv4 Address Ranges

To delete a DHCP range:
• From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section -> network ->
addr_range checkbox, and then click the Delete icon.
Configuring IPv4 Fixed Addresses

A fixed address represents a persistent link between an IP address and one of the following:
• MAC address
• Client identifier
• Circuit ID or remote ID in the DHCP relay agent option (option 82)
You can create fixed addresses as described in Adding IPv4 Fixed Addresses or from the Tasks Dashboard. For
information about the Tasks Dashboard, see The Tasks Dashboard. You can also create a fixed address when you create
a host record or when you convert an active, dynamically leased address to a fixed address. For more information, see
Adding Host Records and Converting DHCP Leases.
When you create a fixed address, you must define a host identifier that the DHCP server uses to match the DHCP client.
Every time the DHCP client with the matching identifier requests an IP address, the DHCP server assigns it the same
address.
When a DHCP client sends a DHCPDISCOVER, it can include the MAC address or a unique client identifier as option 61
in the DHCP section of the packet. Using a client identifier is especially useful for virtualized server processes that might
be moved to different hardware platforms. For information about option 61, refer to RFC2132, DHCP Options and
BOOTP Vendor Extensions. You can select either the MAC address or client identifier as the host identifier in a fixed
address. The DHCP server matches the option 61 value in the client request using either the MAC address or client
identifier, depending on your configuration. When a DHCP client renews an IP address using a matching MAC address or
client identifier, the DHCP server tracks the allocation of IP addresses and reserves the same IP address for the client.
When you enter a MAC address, you can use one of the following formats:
• aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff — Six groups of two hexadecimal digits separated by colons (:)

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• aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff — Six groups of two hexadecimal digits separated by hyphens (-)
• aabb.ccdd.eeff — Three groups of four hexadecimal digits separated by periods (.)
• aabbcc-ddeeff — Two groups of six hexadecimal digits separated by a hyphen (-)
• aabbccddeeff — One group of 12 hexadecimal digits without any separator
After you save the entry, the appliance displays the MAC address in the AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF format.
When a DHCP client requests an IP address through a DHCP relay agent, the agent adds either the circuit ID or remote
ID or both, to the DHCP relay agent information option (option 82). For information, see About the DHCP Relay Agent
Option (Option 82). When you select the DHCP relay agent option (circuit ID or remote ID) as the host identifier in a fixed
address, the DHCP server matches the DHCP client request using either the circuit ID or the remote ID, depending on
your configuration. When a DHCP client renews an IP address using a matching relay agent ID, the DHCP server tracks
the allocation of IP addresses and reserves the same IP address for the client. Note that leases are not renewed at the
standard renewal time (T1) when option 82 information is not available as a unicast renewal. Instead, leases are
renewed at the rebinding time (T2) when renewals are sent as broadcasts to the relay agents and contain option 82
information. For information about how to configure the lease time, see Configuring General IPv4 DHCP Properties.
Adding IPv4 Fixed Addresses

For Cloud Network Automation, you can create IPv4 fixed addresses within the delegation authority of a Cloud Platform
Appliance. The newly created fixed address is forwarded to the Cloud Platform Appliance. For information, see About
Authority Delegation.
To add an IPv4 fixed address:
1. Navigate to the network to which you want to add a fixed address, and then select Fixed Address from the Add
drop-down menu.
or
From any panel in the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Fixed Address -> IPv4.
2. In the Add IPv4 Fixed Address wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
• Add Fixed Address
or
• Add Fixed Address using Template
Click Select Template and select the template that you want to use. Note that when you use a template
to create a fixed address, the configurations of the template apply to the new address. The appliance
automatically populates the fixed address properties in the wizard. You can then edit the pre-populated
properties.
a. Network: Click Select Network. When there are multiple networks, Grid Manager displays the Select
Network dialog box from which you can select one.
b. IP Address: Enter the IPv4 address for the fixed address, or click Next Available IP to obtain the next
available IP address. For information about obtaining the next available IP address, see About the Next
Available Network or IP Address. Note that for Cloud Network Automation, Next Available IP is not
available if the fixed address you want to create is within a delegated range.
c. If the network of the IP address is served by a Grid member, Grid Manager displays the Assign IP
Address by section. Select one of the following to match your criteria:
• MAC Address: Select this to assign a fixed address to a host with the MAC address that you
specify here. Enter the MAC address in the field. For MAC address format, see Configuring IPv4
Fixed Addresses.
• DHCP Client Identifier: Select this to assign a fixed address to a host with the DHCP client
identifier that you specify here. In the field, enter the client identifier of the host to which you want
the DHCP server to assign this IP address. The client identifier must be unique within the network.
• Match null (\0) at beginning of DHCP client identifier: This is enabled when you select
DHCP client identifier. Select this when a DHCP client sends a \000 prefixed to the DHCP
client identifier. \0 is the null character. Some DHCP clients (for example, Microsoft) send
the client identifier in a \000foo format (with the null character prefix instead of just foo).
The client identifier for the requesting host and the client identifier stored in the appliance
must match.
• DHCP Relay Agent: Select this to assign a fixed address to a host with the circuit ID or remote ID
you specify here. From the drop-down list, select Circuit ID or Remote ID, and then enter the ID in
the field. For information about circuit IDs and remote IDs, see About the DHCP Relay Agent

Rev. D
Option (Option 82). You can enter the ID in hexadecimal format, such as ex:aa, ab, 1f:cd, or
ef:23:56, or in string format, such as abcd or aa:gg. The appliance matches the value you enter
here with the value sent by the DHCP client in counted octet sequence format. For information
about how to use hexadecimal values, see DHCP Option Data Types. The ID is case sensitive and
can contain up to 230 characters. Regardless of the entry you enter here, you can define the
logging format for the circuit ID and remote ID when Grid Manager displays them in the detailed
lease information page. For information about how to configure the logging format, see Defining
Logging Format for DHCP Option 82.
 Note
You cannot use the same circuit ID or remote ID for different fixed addresses if the addresses are in the same
network or the same shared network.
d. Name: Enter a name for the Fixed Address. This field is required if the network is served by a Microsoft
server. For information, see Adding Fixed Addresses/Microsoft Reservations.
e. Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the fixed address.
f. Disabled: Select this if you do not want the DHCP server to allocate this IP address at this time.
The Cloud section appears when the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on the Grid Master. For information,
see Deploying Cloud Network Automation. This section displays the following information:
is it associated with any of these extensible attributes: Cloud API Owned, Is External or Is Shared. NIOS
the Grid Master, this shows Grid. If the object is created by the cloud adapter, this shows Adapter.
4. (Optional) Click Next to configure or override DHCP options as described in About IPv4 DHCP Options.
5. (Applies only to Network Insight) This step is not required for creating a new Fixed Address. In the following
Wizard step, you can optionally define the following identification values and settings for the new object's port
reservation:
Certain device types could be descriptively relevant based on the type of object you are creating. As an
example, the MSFT Server designator helps identify the new object as a Microsoft Hyper-V Host. The
ESX Server designator can be used to identify the new object as a VMware ESX Host. These values are
not required and will not affect the functionality of the object.
configuration.

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After you define this group of settings, you can also define a device port reservation, which is done in a
later step. This is not required for the Fixed Address object creation.
6. Click Next to initiate or disable discovery of the new Fixed Address. (Applies only to Network Insight) This step is
not required for creating a new Fixed Address.
a. Choose either Exclude from Network Discovery or Enable Immediate Discovery. If you choose to Exclude,
discovery will not execute on the fixed IP address. If you choose Enable Immediate Discovery, discovery
will execute on the object after you save your settings. You may also choose to leave both options
disabled.
b. By default, the new fixed address object inherits its SNMP credentials from those defined at the grid level.
Should you wish to override them for a local set of credentials, check the Override Credentials checkbox
and select the SNMPv1/SNMPv2 or SNMPv3 option and enter the locally used credentials.
c. You may also test the entered SNMP credentials by clicking Test SNMP Credential.
 Note
For descriptions of SNMP credentials for discovery, see the section Configuring SNMP1/
v2 Credentials for Polling and Configuring SNMPv3 Properties. These Grid-based values are inherited, by
default, by each new object you create.
• For the new object, you can check the Override CLI Credentials checkbox to override the inherited set of CLI
credentials taken from the Grid level. This set of credentials may be used for the device that is directly associated
with the new object in its port reservation.
• You can also click Test CLI Credentials to enter and test a set of CLI login credentials against a device based on
its IP address.
Port control operations require CLI credentials for the involved devices. (If you are not using port control for the
new object, usage of CLI credentials is optional.) Because some IPAM and DHCP objects will use port control
features as part of object creation, CLI credentials are automatically leveraged as part of discovery. Ensure you
have the correct sets of CLI credentials for devices in your network. For more information, see the section
Configuring CLI Discovery Properties.
• SSH is the default for CLI operations. Check the Allow Telnet checkbox if you know the device involved in the
object assignment may support Telnet but may not support SSH, or if you want Telnet as an option.
 Note
All port configuration operations require CLI credentials to be entered into Grid Manager. Because some
IPAM and DHCP objects will use port control features as part of object creation, CLI credentials are
automatically leveraged as part of discovery. Ensure you have the correct sets of CLI credentials for
devices in your network.
7. Click Next to define port connectivity for the device port that will be associated with the new object. This step is
not required for creating a new Fixed Address. This feature set is also termed portcontrol in the NIOS/Grid Manager
system. The device whose interface the new Fixed Address will be associated should already be discovered by
Network Insight.
last discovery cycle.
• Check the Configure Port checkbox to define port control settings for the port reservation.
All port control operations require CLI credentials to be configured. Because some IPAM and DHCP
objects will use port control features as part of object creation, CLI credentials are automatically leveraged

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as part of discovery and definition of port configurations such as Admin Up/Down status. Ensure you have
the correct sets of CLI credentials for devices in your network.
see Using Extensible Attributes. When you create a new fixed address whose authority is delegated to a Cloud
Platform Appliance, the required cloud extensible attributes and their values are automatically populated.
You need to assign a Subscriber Member Site to add subscriber service related extensible attribute in order to
9. As the final step in the Add Fixed Address wizard, you define when Grid Manager creates the new object by
scheduling it. You also schedule when the associated port control task executes (if a port configuration is specified).
• To create the new object and its associated port configuration immediately, select Now. Grid Manager
synchronizes the port reservation task to take place at the same time as the activation of the new object.
• You can choose to have Grid Manager execute the port reservation task at the same time as the Fixed
Address object creation. To do so, select At same time as Fixed Address.
• You can choose to have Grid Manager execute the port reservation task at a later time by selecting Later.
10. Choose one of the following from the Save&... drop-down button menu:
• Click Save & Close to add the new object and close the wizard (this is the default).
• Click Save & Edit to add the new object and launch the editor.
• Click Save & New to add the new object and launch the wizard again to add another Fixed Address
object.
 Note
the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks. You
cannot schedule this task when you are creating an object that is within a delegated scope.
For information on viewing fixed addresses and other DHCP objects, see Viewing IPv4 DHCP Objects.
Modifying IPv4 Fixed Addresses

To modify the settings of a fixed address:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section -> network ->
2. The Fixed Address editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify settings:
• General: You can modify the fields, except the network address, as described in Adding IPv4 Fixed
Addresses.
• Device Information: Define general identity/type information for the type of device to which your new
object connects. For more information, see step 5 in the previous section, Adding IPv4 Reservations.
• Discovery: Checking the Enable Discovery checkbox informs NIOS to begin discovering the fixed address
after you click Save and Close. You manage discovery polling settings local to the fixed address from this
page. For a complete overview of features on this page, see Discovering Devices and Networks and its
subsections.
• IPv4 DHCP Options: You can keep the inherited DHCP options or override them and enter unique settings
for the fixed address. For information, see Defining IPv4 DHCP Options.
• IPv4 Discovered Data: Displays the discovered data of the fixed address. For information, see Viewing
Discovered Data.
• Port Reservation: Review and edit any device port reservations that may be defined for the current object,
or create a new port reservation and schedule it. For a closer look, see the section Port Control Features
in Network Insight, and steps 4-8 in the section Adding IPv4 Fixed Addresses.

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can also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes. You
can edit values of inheritable extensible attributes by double clicking on the respective column. If an
extensible attribute has an inherited value, then the cell is highlighted in blue when you perform an inline
editing.
data.
• IPv4 DDNS: You can keep the inherited DDNS settings or override them and enter unique settings for the
fixed address. Note that you must click Override and select Enable DDN Supdates for the DDNS settings
you configure in this tab to take effect. For information, see Enabling DDNS for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP
Clients.
• IPv4 BOOTP/PXE: You can keep the inherited BOOTP properties or override them and enter unique
settings for the fixed address. For information, see Configuring IPv4 BOOTP and PXE Properties.
 Note
Deleting Fixed Addresses

To delete a fixed address within the DHCP range:
fixed_address checkbox or checkboxes. You cannot delete multiple fixed addresses at the same time if the
authority for one of the fixed addresses is delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance.
2. Select Delete from the Delete drop-down list.
3. In the Delete Confirmation dialog box, do the following:
• Delete associated leases with the fixed address (selected fixed IP address): When you clear this
checkbox and click Yes, the appliance changes the status of the associated leases from Static to Active.
When you select this checkbox and click Yes, the appliance deletes all the leases associated with the
fixed address.
 Note
NIOS removes all the static leases associated with a fixed address when you delete a fixed address out of the
DHCP range, regardless of the selection of
the Delete associated leases with the fixed address (selected fixed IP address) checkbox in
the Delete Confirmation dialog box.
To schedule the fixed address deletion:

fixed_address checkbox.
2. Select Schedule Delete from the Delete drop-down list.

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• Delete associated leases with the fixed address: Select this checkbox to delete all the leases associated
with the fixed address.
The appliance performs the deletion at the scheduled date and time, and puts all deleted objects in the Recycle Bin, if
enabled. You can restore the objects if necessary.
Configuring IPv4 Reservations

You can create a reservation as a static IP address for future use. A reservation is a pre-provisioned fixed address that is
associated with a MAC address of 00:00:00:00:00:00. Since 00:00:00:00:00:00 is not a real MAC address, no client can
receive this IP address from the address pool. You can reserve this static IP address and assign it to a client in the future.
To create a reservation, you can do one of the following:
• Add a reservation. For information, see Adding IPv4 Reservations.
• Convert a fixed address or a dynamic address with an active lease to a reservation. For information, see
Converting Objects Associated with IP Addresses.
• Define a fixed address with an IP address. For information, see Adding IPv4 Fixed Addresses.
Adding IPv4 Reservations
 Note
At any step during the wizard, you can click Schedule for Later to schedule the task. In the Schedule Change
panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks .
To create a reservation:
1. Navigate to the network to which you want to add a reservation, and then select IPv4 Reservation from the Add
drop down menu.
or
From any panel in the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> IPv4 Reservation.
2. In the Add Reservation wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
• Add Reservation
or
• Add Reservation using Template
Click Select Template and select the template that you want to use. Note that when you use a template to
create a reservation, the configurations of the template apply to the new address. The appliance
automatically populates the reservation properties in the wizard. You can then edit the pre-populated
properties.
• Network: The displayed network address can either be the last selected network or the network from
which you are adding the DHCP range. If no network address is displayed or if you want to specify a
different network, click Select Network. When there are multiple networks, Grid Manager displays the
Select Network dialog box from which you can select one.

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• IP Address: Enter the IP address that you want to reserve for manual assignment, or click Next Available
IP to obtain the next available IP address. For information about obtaining the next available IP address,
see Adding IPv4 Fixed Addresses. Note that for Cloud Network Automation, Next Available IP is not
available if the reservation you want to create is within a delegated range.
• Name: Optionally, enter a name for the reservation.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the reservation.
• Disabled: Select this if you do not want the DHCP server to use this reservation at this time.
information, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation. This section displays the following information:
5. (Applies only to Network Insight) This step is not required for creating a new IPv4 Reservation. In the following
reservation:
configuration.
After you define this group of settings, you will still need to define a device port reservation, which is done
in a later step.
6. (Applies only to Network Insight) Click Next to initiate or disable discovery of the new IPv4 reservation.
• Choose either Exclude from Network Discovery or Enable Immediate Discovery. If you choose to Exclude,
discovery will not execute on the object. If you choose Enable Immediate Discovery, discovery will
execute on the object after you save your settings. You may also choose to leave both options disabled.
• By default, the new object inherits its SNMP credentials from those defined at the grid level. Should you
wish to override them for a local set of credentials, check the Override Credentials checkbox and select
the SNMPv1/SNMPv2 or SNMPv3 option and enter the locally used credentials. For more information,
see the sections Configuring SNMP1/v2 Credentials for Polling and Configuring SNMPv3 Properties for a
complete description of SNMP credentials for discovery.
associated with the new object (in this case, an IPv4 Reservation) in its port reservation.

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• You can also click Test CLI Credentials to select and test a set of CLI login credentials against a device
• Port control tasks require CLI credentials for the involved devices. (If you are not using port control for the
new object, usage of CLI credentials is not required.) Because some IPAM and DHCP objects will use
port control features as part of object creation, CLI credentials are automatically leveraged as part of
discovery. Ensure you have the correct sets of CLI credentials for devices in your network. For more
information, see the section Configuring CLI Discovery Properties.
7. (Applies only with Network Insight) Click Next to define optional device port association for the IPv4 reservation.
This step is optional and not required for creating the new IPv4 Reservation. This feature set is also termed port
control in the NIOS/Grid Manager system. The device to which the new object will be associated should already be
discovered and managed from the Infoblox Grid.
availability.
• After choosing the device, choose the Interface with which the reservation will be bound. The drop-down
list shows only interfaces that are most recently found to be available by Grid Manager during the last
discovery cycle.
• Check the Configure Port checkbox to define specific port configuration settings for the port reservation.
• Choose the DataVLAN and/or the VoiceVLAN settings you may need for the port assignment. Depending
on the selected device, you may or may not be able to apply VLAN settings.
• Set the AdminStatus to Up if you need to activate the port after assignment in the current task.
automatically leveraged as part of discovery and definition of port configurations such as Admin Up/Down
status. Ensure you have the correct sets of CLI credentials for devices in your network.
• Enter a Description for the port reservation. Infoblox recommends doing so to help other technicians to
9. As the final step in the Add IPv4 Reservation wizard, you define when Grid Manager creates the new object by
scheduling it. You also schedule when the associated port control task executes (if a port configuration is specified).
• To create the new IPv4 Reservation and its associated port reservation immediately, select Now. Grid
Manager synchronizes the port control task to take place at the same time as the activation of the new
object.
• You can choose to have Grid Manager execute the port control task at the same time as the object
creation. To do so, select At same time as IPv4 Reservation.

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• Click Save & New to add the new object and launch the wizard again to add another IPv4 Reservation
object.
 Note
Modifying IPv4 Reservations

To modify an IPv4 reservation:
2. The Reservation Address editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify the fields, except the network address, as described in Adding IPv4 Reservations.
• Device Information: Define general identity/type information for the type of device to which your new
object connects. For more information, see Step 5 in the previous section, Adding IPv4 Reservations.
reservation. For information, see Defining IPv4 DHCP Options.
• IPv4 Discovered Data: Displays the discovered data of the reservation. For information, see Viewing
Discovered Data.
in Network Insight, and steps 4-8 in the section Adding IPv4 Reservations.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a reservation. You can
also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes. You can
edit values of inheritable extensible attributes by double clicking on the respective column. If an extensible
attribute has an inherited value, then the cell is highlighted in blue when you perform an inline editing. The
Descendant Actions dialog box is displayed when you click Save. For information, see Managing
Inheritable Extensible Attributes at the Parent and Descendant Level. If you delete the value of an
inheritable extensible attribute at the parent level, you can choose to preserve the descendant value or
remove it. For information, see Deleting Inheritable Extensible Attributes Associated with Parent Objects.
data.
• IPv4 DDNS: Keep the inherited DDNS settings or override them and enter unique settings for the
reservation. Note that you must click Override and select Enable DDN Supdates for the DDNS settings
you configure in this tab to take effect. For information, see Enabling DDNS for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP
Clients.
• IPv4 BOOTP/PXE: You can keep the inherited BOOTP properties or override them and enter unique
settings for the reservation. For information, see Configuring IPv4 BOOTP and PXE Properties.

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 Note
Viewing IPv4 DHCP Objects

To view the address ranges, fixed addresses and reservations in a network:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network -> addr_range.
• IP Address: The IP address of the object in the DHCP range. For exclusion ranges, this displays the start
and end IP addresses. For host records with multiple IP addresses, each IP address is displayed
separately. The appliance highlights disabled DHCP objects in gray. A DHCP object can be a fixed
address, reservation, host configured for DHCP, or roaming host with an allocated IP address.
• Type: The object type, such as Fixed Address.
• Name: The object name. For example, if the IP address belongs to a host record, this field displays the
hostname.
• Fingerprint: The name of the DHCP fingerprint or vendor ID of the network device that was identified
through DHCP fingerprint detection. This field displays No Match for devices that do not have any DHCP
• Site: The site to which the object belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes. You can edit
values of inheritable extensible attributes by double clicking on the respective column. If an extensible
attribute has an inherited value, then the cell is highlighted in blue when you perform an inline editing.
You can select Disabled or available extensible attributes for display.
• Create a bookmark for the range.
• Delete or schedule the deletion of a selected object or multiple objects in the range.
• Select an object and view detailed information.
About Roaming Hosts

A roaming host is a host with a dynamically assigned IP address and a specific set of properties and DHCP options.
When you create a roaming host for a network device, the device can receive any dynamically assigned address from
the network to which it belongs. You can create roaming hosts for devices, such as laptop computers and mobile phones,
that require different IP addresses each time they are moved from one network to another and require a unique set of
DHCP options.
You can configure IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses, or IPv4 and IPv6 addresses for roaming hosts that require both
types of addresses. When you configure IPv4 addresses for a roaming host, you must specify the host MAC address or a
DHCP client identifier that the appliance uses to match the host, and specify DHCP options for the host. The appliance
assigns an IP address from the DHCP range associated with the network from which the address request originates. You
can configure an IPv6 prefix or address for a DHCP client. When you do, you must specify the DUID of the host so the
appliance can use the DUID to match the host.
A roaming host also receives DHCP options from the Grid, member, network, or shared network with which it associates.
When you configure a roaming host, you must configure it in a specific network view. If you have multiple network views,
you must specify the network view to which the requesting hosts belong so the appliance can assign addresses to the
hosts from the networks within the same network view.

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After you enable support for roaming hosts at the Grid level, you can add a roaming host that supports IPv4, IPv6, or
both protocols. You can also convert an IPv4 roaming host to an IPv6 roaming host and vice versa, or convert an IPv4 or
IPv6 roaming host to one that supports both IPv4 and IPv6.
Configuring Roaming Hosts

To configure a roaming host, perform the following tasks:
1. Enable support for roaming hosts at the Grid level. For information, see, Enabling Support for Roaming Hosts.
2. Add a roaming host.
• To add an IPv4 roaming host, see Adding IPv4 Roaming Hosts
• To add an IPv6 roaming host, see Adding IPv6 Roaming Hosts
• To add a dual stack roaming host, see Adding IPv4/IPv6 Roaming Hosts
• Optionally, configure DHCP properties for the roaming host. You can override properties set for the upper
levels and enter unique values for the roaming hosts. For information, see Defining IPv4 DHCP Options.
You can do the following after you configure roaming hosts:
• View the configured roaming hosts.For information, see Viewing Roaming Hosts
• Modify existing roaming hosts. For information, see Setting Properties for Roaming Hosts.
• Delete roaming hosts that are not currently in use. For information, see Deleting Roaming Hosts.
Enabling Support for Roaming Hosts

You must first enable support for roaming hosts before adding them. After you enable this feature, you can disable it only
after you delete all the existing roaming hosts.
To enable support for roaming hosts:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Grid DHCP Properties.
3. In the General Advanced tab, select Enable support for roaming host.
Adding IPv4 Roaming Hosts

To add an IPv4 roaming host:
2. Select a network view from the drop-down list.
3. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Roaming Host -> IPv4.
4. In the Add Roaming Host wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
• Add Roaming Host
or
• Add Roaming Host using Template
Click Select Template to create a roaming host using a fixed address/reservation template. In the DHCP
Template Selector dialog box, select the template that you want to use. Note that when you use a
template to create a roaming host, the configurations of the template apply to the new host. The appliance
automatically populates the host properties in the wizard. You can then edit the pre-populated properties.
• Name: Enter the name of the roaming host. The name must be unique for each roaming host in a given
network view.
• Assign IPv4 Address by: Select one of the following criteria on which the appliance matches when
assigning an IP address to the host.
• MAC Address: Select this to assign a dynamic IP address to a host, provided that the MAC
address of the requesting host matches the MAC address that you specify here.
• DHCP Client Identifier: Select this to assign a dynamic IP address to a host with the same DHCP
client identifier that you specify here. When you select this, the Match null (\0) at beginning of
DHCP client identifier checkbox is displayed. Select this when a DHCP client sends a \000
prefixed to the DHCP client identifier. \0 is the null character. Some DHCP clients (for example,

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Microsoft) send the client identifier in a \000foo format (with the null character prefix instead of just
foo). The client identifier for the requesting host and the client identifier stored in the appliance
must match.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the roaming host.
• Disabled: Select this if you do not want the DHCP server to use this roaming host definition. When you
disable a roaming host, the host gets an IP address without the defined DHCP options.
6. Click Next to configure the IDHCP options for the roaming host, as described in Defining IPv4 DHCP Options.
or
Adding IPv6 Roaming Hosts

To add an IPv6 roaming host:
3. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Roaming Host -> IPv6.
• Add IPv6 Roaming Host
or
• Add Roaming Host Using IPv6 Template
Click Select IPv6 Template to create a roaming host using an IPv6 fixed address template. In the DHCP Template
Selector dialog box, select the template that you want to use. Note that when you use a template to create a
roaming host, the configurations of the template apply to the new host. The appliance automatically populates the
host properties in the wizard. You can then edit the pre-populated properties.
network view.
• DUID: Enter the DHCP unique identifier of the host.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the roaming host.
6. Click Next to configure the DHCP options for the roaming host, as described in Defining General IPv6 Properties.
or
Adding IPv4/IPv6 Roaming Hosts

To add an IPv4/IPv6 roaming host:
3. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Roaming Host -> Both.

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• Add Roaming Host
or
• Add Roaming Host using Both IPv4 and IPv6 Templates
When you use both templates to create a roaming host, the appliance applies the IPv4 template and then
the IPv6 template. Therefore, the comments and extensible attributes from the IPv6 template override
those from the IPv4 template.
network view.
• Assign IP Address by: Select one of the following criteria on which the appliance matches when assigning
an IP address to the host.
• MAC Address: Select this to assign a dynamic IP address to a host, provided that the MAC
address of the requesting host matches the MAC address that you specify here.
• DHCP Client Identifier: Select this to assign a dynamic IP address to a host with the same DHCP
client identifier that you specify here. When you select this, the Match null (\0) at beginning of
DHCP client identifier checkbox is displayed. Select this when a DHCP client sends a \000
prefixed to the DHCP client identifier. \0 is the null character. Some DHCP clients (for example,
Microsoft) send the client identifier in a \000foo format (with the null character prefix instead of just
foo). The client identifier for the requesting host and the client identifier stored in the appliance
must match.
• DUID: Specify the DHCP unique identifier of the host.
• Comment: If both IPv4 and IPv6 templates were used to create the host, this field displays the comment
from the IPv6 template. You can change or add information.
6. Click Next to configure the IPv4 DHCP options for the roaming host, as described in Defining IPv4 DHCP
Options
7. Click Next to configure IPv6 properties described in Defining General IPv6 Properties.
8. Click Next to enter values for required extensible attributes or add optional extensible attributes. If both IPv4 and
IPv6 templates were used to create the host, this panel displays the attributes from the IPv6 template. You can
change or add information. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
or
Viewing Roaming Hosts

To view a list of roaming hosts in a specific network view:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Roaming Hosts.
2. From the Network View drop-down list, select the network view to which the roaming hosts belong.
3. The Grid Manager displays the following for each roaming host:
• Name: The name of the roaming host.
• Address: The IP address of the roaming host.
• Comment: The information that you entered for the roaming host.
• Site: The site to which the template belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
You can select Disabled and available extensible attributes for display.

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Setting Properties for Roaming Hosts

You can modify an existing roaming host to add, modify or delete IPv4 or IPv6 addresses, and to set IPv4 and IPv6
DHCP properties.
1. From the DataManagement tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> RoamingHosts section -> roaming_host
2. The RoamingHost editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Edit the fields as described in Adding IPv4 Roaming Hosts, except for the Templates field.
roaming host. For information, see Defining IPv4 DHCP Options.
• IPv6 DHCP Options: Keep the inherited IPv6 DHCP properties or override them. For more information,
see Defining General IPv6 Properties.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a roaming host. You
data.
• IPv4DDNS: Click Override and select Enable DDNS updates for the DDNS settings you configure in this
tab to take effect. You can specify the following:
• DDNS Domain Name: Specify the domain name that the appliance uses to update DNS.
• DDNS Hostname: Select the Replace the host name dynamically provided by the client/member
with the roaming host name checkbox to use the name of the roaming host record as the name of
the client for DDNS updates.
For information about DDNS, see Configuring DDNS Updates.
• IPv4 BOOTP/PXE: Keep the inherited PXE and BOOTP properties or override them and enter unique
settings for the roaming host. For information, see Configuring DHCP for IPv4.
• IPv6 DDNS: Click Override and select Enable DDNS Updates for the DDNS settings you configure in this
tab to take effect. You can specify the following:
• DDNS Domain Name: Specify the domain name that the appliance uses to update DNS.
• DDNS Hostname: Select the Replace the host name dynamically provided by the client/member
with the roaming host name checkbox to use the name of the roaming host record as the name of
the client for DDNS updates.
For information about DDNS, see Configuring DDNS Updates.
You can also click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel,
Deleting Roaming Hosts

To delete a roaming host:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Roaming Hosts -> roaming_host
checkbox, and then select Delete or Schedule Delete from the drop-down menu.
2. To delete the roaming host now, in the Delete Confirmation dialog box, click Yes. To schedule the deletion, see
Scheduling Deletions. The Grid Manager puts the deleted roaming host in the Recycle Bin, if enabled.

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Managing DHCP Templates
A template contains a set of predefined properties that you use to create IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP objects. It is metadata that
you can modify and reuse. Using a template enables you to create objects in a quick and consistent way. You can define
the object properties once in a template, and then create multiple objects that inherit their properties from the template.
For example, you can create a network template that has a fixed netmask of /24 and extensible attribute "State" set to
California. You can then use the template to create networks in California that contain /24 netmasks.
You can also modify and delete a template. Note that modifying or deleting a template does not affect existing objects
created based on the template. You must be a superuser or have read/write permissions to add, modify, or delete a
template. A superuser can set other admin group privileges on templates. For information, see Administrative
Permissions for IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP Templates. You can also define extensible attributes for these templates when you
create them. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
This section explains how to configure and manage IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP templates. It contains the following topics:
• About IPv4 DHCP Templates

• About IPv6 DHCP Templates
• About IPv6 Range Templates
• About IPv6 Fixed Address Templates
• About IPv6 Network Templates
• Viewing and Deleting Templates
About IPv4 DHCP Templates

You can use templates to create DHCP IPv4 ranges, fixed addresses, reservations, roaming hosts, and networks. You
can create the following IPv4 templates:
• A DHCP range template, containing DHCP range settings, such as the total number of IP addresses allocated to
a range. You can add a DHCP range template to a network template. For information, see About IPv4 Range
Templates.
• A fixed address/reservation template, containing information for creating fixed addresses, reservations, or
roaming hosts. You can add a fixed address/reservation template to a network template. For information, see
About IPv4 Network Templates.
• A network template, containing basic network properties for creating networks. It is also a container that holds
your DHCP range templates and fixed address/reservation templates. When you create a network using a
network template, the network inherits the properties of the range and fixed address/reservation templates. You
can create a network in any network view using a network template. For information, see About IPv4 Network
Templates.
Because you can potentially add DHCP range and fixed address/reservation templates to a network template, create the
DHCP range and fixed address/reservation templates before you create a network template. For information, see
Configuration Example: Creating an IPv4 Network Using a Template.
About IPv4 Range Templates

When you create an IPv4 range template, the start and end address fields are based on the specified offset from the
network start address and the number of IP addresses in the range. After you create a DHCP range template, you can
configure additional properties such as exclusion ranges and DHCP filters, as described in Modifying IPv4 Range
Templates. Then when you use the template to create a DHCP range, the range inherits the properties of the template.
You can also include a DHCP range template in a network template to automatically create a DHCP range when you use
that network template.
If you have deployed the Cloud Network Automation license on the Grid Master, you can configure range templates for
cloud delegation. When you select a default Cloud Platform Appliance for a template, all ranges you create using this
template will delegate authority to the same Cloud member. Note that when a Cloud member is removed from the Grid,
the delegation will also be removed from the template. For information about Cloud Network Automation, see Deploying
Cloud Network Automation.

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Adding IPv4 Range Templates
To create an IPv4 DHCP range template:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Templates tab, and then expand the Toolbar and click
Add -> Templates -> Range -> IPv4.
2. In the Add IPv4 Range Template wizard, do the following:
• Name: Enter a name that helps identify the DHCP range template. For example, enter Region 1 IT if you
want to use this template to create DHCP ranges for the IT department in Region 1.
• Offset: An offset in a DHCP range template determines the starting IP address of the range. The
appliance adds the offset value you enter here to the start IP address of the network in which you create a
DHCP range using this template. That IP address becomes the start IP address of the DHCP range. For
example, you specify an offset value of 25 for a 25.0.0.0/8 network using the DHCP range template, the
appliance creates a DHCP range with the start IP address of 25.0.0.25 in the network.
• Number of Addresses: Enter the total number of IP addresses to be included in the DHCP range.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the template.
information, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation. To configure this template for cloud delegation, complete
the following:
Use for cloud delegation: Select this checkbox to enable cloud delegation for this template.
• Delegate To: In a non-cloud API request, this parameter defines the default member to which authority is
delegated. In a cloud API request, the appliance ignores this parameter, which allows you to use this
template to create an object on different Cloud Platform Appliances. Click Select to choose the default
Cloud Platform Appliance to which you want to delegate authority. The Member Selector displays only
Cloud Platform Appliances in the Grid. Click the member, and Grid Manager displays the member name
next to this field.
3. Click Next and select one of the following to provide DHCP services for the range:
• Grid Member: Click Select and choose a Grid member from the drop-down list.
• Failover Association: Click Select and choose a failover association. Only failover associations that
provide DHCP services in the network view of the DHCP range appear in the drop-down list.
• Microsoft DHCP Server: Click Select and choose a Microsoft server from the drop-down list. The drop-
down list displays only the servers that are associated with the network to which the DHCP range
belongs.
Modifying IPv4 Range Templates

After you use the wizard to create an IPv4 DHCP range template, you can set additional properties for the template.
Following are some guidelines:
• In the DHCP Options tab of a DHCP range template, the broadcast address is an address offset number rather
than a broadcast IP address; network router addresses are offset numbers as well.
An offset in a DHCP range template indicates the starting IP address of the DHCP range object created from the
template. For example, you can create a network template called test_network_template and a DHCP range
template test_range_template linked to this network template. If the test_range_template has an offset value 10,
when you create a 10.0.0.0/8 network using the test_network_template, the appliance creates a DHCP range with

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the starting IP address 10.0.0.10. If you create a 20.0.0.0/8 network using the test_network_template, the
appliance creates a DHCP range with the starting IP address 20.0.0.10
• For the exclusion range in the template, the start and end addresses are determined by the number of offsets in
the DHCP range template's start address and the number of IP addresses in the exclusion range. For more
information about exclusion ranges, see About DHCP Ranges.
To modify and set properties for a DHCP range template:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Templates tab -> template checkbox, and then click the
Edit icon.
2. The DHCP Range Template editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify general information described in Adding IPv4 Range Templates.
• Member Assignment: Change the Grid member, failover association, or Microsoft server that provides
DHCP services for this template. You can also add or delete a member or failover association. For
information, see Adding IPv4 Address Ranges.
 Note
When you change the member assignment of DHCP ranges from Failover Association to Grid
Member and then back to Failover Association, the leases in the primary and secondary servers
fall out of sync. To resynchronize the peers, the failover association of the secondary server is
put in the Recover-Wait state for the entire duration of Maximum Client Lead Time while a forced
recovery takes place. During this period, only the IP addresses allocated to the primary server
are available for lease.
template. For information, see Defining IPv4 DHCP Options.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with this template. You can
also modify the values of the extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
3. Optionally, you can click Toggle Advanced Mode to display the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• IPv4DDNS: Keep the inherited DDNS settings or override them and enter unique settings for the template.
the template. For information, see Configuring IPv4 BOOTP and PXE Properties.
• Exclusion Ranges: Configure a range of IP addresses that the appliance does not use for dynamic
address assignments. Complete the following:
• Offset: An offset for an exclusion range determines the start IP address of the exclusion range.
The appliance adds the offset value you enter here to the start IP address of the DHCP range
created using this template. That IP address becomes the start IP address of the exclusion range.
• Number of Addresses: Enter the number of IP addresses to be included in the exclusion range.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the exclusion range.
for the template. For information, see Configuring Thresholds for DHCP Ranges.
 Note
Grid Manager displays both the basic and advanced tabs the next time you log in to the GUI.
About IPv4 Fixed Address/Reservation Templates

You can use an IPv4 fixed address/reservation template to create fixed addresses, reservations and roaming hosts.
When you create an IPv4 fixed address/reservation template, you can specify an offset and number of addresses. This is
used when you include the template in a network template. When you include a fixed address/reservation template in a

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network template, the DHCP server automatically creates reservations based on the offset and number of addresses you
specified in the fixed/address reservation template. It does not create fixed addresses.
After you create a fixed address/reservation template using the wizard, you can configure additional properties as
described in Modifying IPv4 Fixed Address/Reservation Templates. Then when you use the template to create a fixed
address, it inherits the properties of the template.
If you have deployed the Cloud Network Automation license on the Grid Master, you can configure fixed address
templates for cloud delegation. When you configure a template for cloud delegation, all fixed addresses you create using
this template will inherit authority delegations from their parent objects. For information about Cloud Network Automation,
Adding IPv4 Fixed Address/Reservation Templates

To create an IPv4 fixed address/reservation template:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Templates section.
2. Click the Add drop-down list and select IPv4 Fixed Address/Reservation Template.
3. In the Add IPv4 Fixed Address/Reservation Template wizard, enter the following:
• Name: Enter a name that helps identify the fixed address/reservation template. For example, you can
enter HP Printer when you create a template that contains settings for assigning fixed addresses or
reservations to HP printers.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the template.
• Use for cloud delegation: When you select this checkbox, all fixed addresses you create using this
template inherit authority delegation from their parent objects.
In the Optional Settings For Range of Objects section, do the following:
• Offset: An offset in a fixed address/reservation template determines the start IP address of the object
created from the template. The appliance adds the offset value you enter here to the start IP address of
the network in which you create objects using this template. That IP address becomes the start IP
address of the object.
• Number of Addresses: Enter the number of IP addresses to be used as fixed addresses, reservations, or
roaming hosts.
 Note
The appliance uses the offset and number of addresses only when this template is used in a network template.
Modifying IPv4 Fixed Address/Reservation Templates

To modify a fixed address/reservation template:
Edit icon.
2. The Fixed Address/Reservation Template editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify general information for the template as described in Adding IPv4 Fixed Address/
Reservation Templates.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with the template. You can

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template. For information, see Enabling DDNS for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Clients.
• IPv4 Filters: You can keep the inherited IPv4 logic filters or override them and add a new IPv4 logic filter
for the template. For information, see Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
About IPv4 Network Templates

You can create IPv4 network templates to facilitate network configuration. You can use network templates to create
networks in any network view. When you create a network template, you do not specify a network address. You enter the
network address when you create an actual network from the template. You can specify a netmask or allow the user to
define the netmask when they create the actual network.
A network template is useful for setting up a network with fixed addresses and DHCP ranges already defined. You can
add DHCP range or fixed address/reservation templates to a network template. Once the fixed address and DHCP range
information is set up, the network template contains a range template list and a fixed address/reservation template list.
When you enable support for RIR updates, you can create IPv4 network templates specific for RIR associated networks.
For information about RIR updates, see RIR Registration Updates.
If you have deployed the Cloud Network Automation on the Grid Master, you can configure network templates for cloud
delegation. When you select a default Cloud Platform Appliance for a template, all networks you create using this
template will delegate authority to the same Cloud member. If you want to associate any range or fixed address
templates with a network template, ensure that you enable "User for cloud delegation" for the network, range, and fixed
address templates. Note that when a Cloud member is removed from the Grid, the delegation will also be removed from
the template. For information about Cloud Network Automation, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation.
Adding IPv4 Network Templates

To create a network template:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Templates section.
2. Click the drop-down menu of the Add icon and select IPv4 Network Template.
3. In the Add IPv4 Network Template wizard, do the following:
information about RIR, see RIR Registration Updates. Complete the following to create a network
template for an RIR IPv4 network container or network:
• Organization ID: Click Select Organization and select an organization from the
RIROrganizationSelector dialog box.
• Registration Status: The default is Not Registered. When using this template to add an RIR
allocated network, you can change this to Registered and select the Do not update registrations
checkbox below. Note that when you select API as the communication method, the registration
status will be updated automatically after the registration update is completed. However, when you
select Email as the communication method, the registration status will not be automatically
updated. If you are creating a new network and the registration update is completed successfully,
the status will be changed to Registered. If the update fails, the status will be changed to Not
Registered.
select None, the appliance does not send registration updates to RIPE. When you use this
template to add an existing RIR allocated network to NIOS, select None. When you use this
template to add networks to an RIR allocated network (a parent network), select Create. Ensure
that the parent network associated with an RIR organization already exists.

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• Name: Enter a name that helps identify the network template. For example, you can enter Class C if you
want to configure the template for creating Class C networks.
• Netmask: Select one of the following options:
• Fixed: Select this and adjust the netmask slider to a fixed netmask for this network template.
When you select this option, users cannot specify another netmask when they use this template to
create a network. For example, if you select /24 as the fixed netmask, all networks created using
this template have a /24 netmask.
• Allow User to Specify Netmask: Select this to allow users to specify the subnet mask when
creating networks using this template.
• Automatically Create Reverse-Mapping Zone: This function is enabled if the fixed netmask of the template
equals /8, /16, and /24, or if you select the Allow User to Specify Netmask option. Select this if you want
the appliance to automatically create the corresponding reverse-mapping zone for the networks created
using this template. A reverse-mapping zone is an area of network space for which one or more name
servers have the responsibility for responding to address-to-name queries. These zones are created in
the DNS view assigned to receive dynamic DNS updates at the network level.
the following:
 Note
When you select this for the network template, all range and fixed address templates that you want to associate
with this network template must also be enabled for "Use for cloud delegation."

next to this field.
4. Click Next and do the following to assign either Grid members or Microsoft DHCP servers to this network
template. Ensure that you include members or Microsoft servers that are associated with other templates that you
plan to add to this network template. You can assign one or multiple members to this template. However, you
cannot assign a combination of NIOS Grid members and vNIOS Grid members to the template. You can also
assign multiple Microsoft servers to a template, but you cannot assign a mix of Microsoft servers and Grid members
to a template.
• click the Add icon and select one of the following options:
• Add Infoblox Member: Select this option to add a Grid member as a DHCP server for the networks
created using this template. Select the Grid member from the Member Selector dialog box. Keep
in mind, DHCP properties for the network are inherited from this member. Networks created using
this template can be served by multiple members, but a member can serve networks in one
network view only.
or
• Add Microsoft Server: Select this option to add a Microsoft server as a DHCP server for the
networks created using this template. Select the Microsoft server from the Microsoft Server

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6. Click Next and do the following to include IPv4 address range and fixed address/reservation templates in the
network template. Note that when you select a fixed address/reservation template, only reservations, not fixed
addresses, are created for networks created using this template. You cannot add a fixed address/reservation
template that does not contain an offset value or a total number of IP addresses for a range.
b. In the DHCP Template Selector dialog box, choose the template that you want to include in this network
template. You can choose a DHCP range or fixed address/reservation template. Use SHIFT+click and
CTRL+click to select multiple templates.
c. Click the Select icon.
You can delete a template from the table by selecting it and clicking the Delete icon.
and how to enter them, see RIR Network Attributes.
Modifying IPv4 Network Templates

To modify a network template:
Edit icon.
2. The IPv4 Network Template editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify general information described in Adding IPv4 Network Templates.
• Member Assignment: Change the Microsoft servers or Grid members that provide DHCP services for this
template. For information, see Adding IPv4 Networks.
• Templates: Add or delete DHCP range and fixed address/reservation templates. For information,
see About IPv4 Range Templates and About IPv4 Fixed Address/Reservation Templates.
• IPv4DDNS: Keep the inherited DDNS settings or override them and enter unique settings for the template.
• Filters: You can keep the inherited IPv4 logic filters or override them and add a new IPv4 logic filter for the
template. For information, see Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
for the template. For information, see Configuring Thresholds for DHCP Ranges.

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Configuration Example: Creating an IPv4 Network Using a Template
This example describes how to create a /24 network template and how to use the template to create a 192.168.2/24
network with the following configurations:
• First address 192.168.2.1 is reserved for the router
• Next 10 addresses (192.168.2.2 to 192.168.2.11) reserved for servers
• Next 10 addresses (192.168.2.12 to 192.168.2.21) reserved for printers
• Next 10 addresses (192.168.2.22 to 192.168.2.31) assigned as fixed addresses
• 100 addresses (192.168.2.32 to 192.168.2.131) reserved for workstations. The appliance assigns these
dynamically.
• 10 addresses (192.168.2.42 to 192.168.2.51) are in an exclusion range. If you assigned static addresses to
certain hosts in the middle of an address range template, you can exclude the addresses from the address range
template so the appliance does not assign these IP addresses to clients
The below figure illustrates the configurations of the 192.168.2/24 network using the network template you create:
Creating a Network Using a Template
Use the following steps to create the sample network template (shown in the above figure).
1. Create the following DHCP range templates. For information, see Adding IPv4 Range Templates.
• Server template with the following values:
• Name: Servers
• Offset: 2
• Number of Addresses: 10
• Comment: Address range 2 to 11 for Servers
• Printer template with the following values:
• Name: Printers
• Offset: 12
• Comment: Address range 12 to 21 for printers.
• Workstation template with the following values:
• Name: Workstations
• Offset: 32
• Comment: Address range 32 to 131 for DHCP on workstations

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• Exclusion range with the following values. You must modify the Workstations template to add the
exclusion range. For information, see Modifying IPv4 Range Templates.
• Name: Exclusion
• Offset: 42
• Comment: Excluding addresses 42 to 51 from the DHCP range 32 to 131.
2. Create a fixed address/reservation template with the following values. For information, see Adding IPv4 Fixed
Address/Reservation Templates.
• Name: Router
• Comment: Fixed address template
• Offset: 1
3. Create a fixed address/reservation template with the following values. For information, see Adding IPv4 Fixed
Address/Reservation Templates.
• Name: myFixedAddress
• Comment: Fixed address template
• Offset: 22
4. Create a network template with the following values. For information, see Adding IPv4 Network Templates.
• Name: myNetworkTemplate
• Netmask: Select /24 as the fixed subnet mask for the network
• Comment: Network template for /24 network
• Automatically create are verse-mapping zone: Select this so that the NIOS appliance automatically
creates the corresponding reverse-mapping zone for the network.
5. Add the DHCP range templates Servers, Printers, and Workstations to the network template.
6. Add the fixed address/reservation template myFixedAddress to the network template.
7. Add a fixed address with the following values:
8. Create a network using the network template myNetworkTemplate with the following values. For information, see
• Address: Enter the IP address 192.168.2.0 of the network that you want to create using the template.
• Select template: Select the network template myNetworkTemplate.
9. To verify your configuration, from the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Templates tab. Select
myNetworkTemplate and click the Edit icon. In the Network Template editor, click the Templates tab. The Grid
Manager displays the DHCP range templates and fixed address templates.
About IPv6 DHCP Templates

You can use templates to create DHCP IPv6 ranges, fixed addresses, roaming hosts, and networks. You can create the
following IPv6 templates:
• A DHCP range template that specifies an offset and the total number of addresses in a range. You can add a
DHCP range template to a network template. For more information, see About IPv6 Range Templates.
• A fixed address template, containing information for creating fixed addresses and roaming hosts. You can add a
fixed address template to a network template. For information, see About IPv6 Fixed Address Templates.
• A network template, containing basic network properties for creating networks. It is also a container that holds
your DHCP range templates and fixed address/reservation templates. When you create a network using a
network template, the network inherits the properties of the range and fixed address/reservation templates. You
can create a network in any network view using a network template. For information, see Adding IPv6 Network
Templates.

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Because you can potentially add DHCP range and fixed address/reservation templates to a network template, create the
DHCP range and fixed address/reservation templates before you create a network template.
About IPv6 Range Templates

You can create range templates to specify an offset and the number of addresses allocated to a range. Note that you
cannot create templates for prefix-delegated ranges because the start or end prefix can be outside of the subnet address
boundary.
After you create a DHCP range template, you can configure additional properties such as exclusion ranges and DHCP
properties, as described in Modifying IPv6 Range Templates. Then when you use the template to create a DHCP range,
the range inherits the properties of the template. You can also include a DHCP range template in a network template to
automatically create a DHCP range when you use that network template.
If you have deployed the Cloud Network Automation license on the Grid Master, you can configure range templates for
cloud delegation. If you select a default Cloud Platform Appliance for a template, all ranges you create using this
 Note
Infoblox does not support global IPv6 prefix delegation for IPv6 range templates.
Adding IPv6 Range Templates

To create an IPv6 range template:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Templates tab.
2. Click the drop-down menu of the Add icon and select IPv6 Range Template.
3. In the Add IPv6 Range Template wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a name that helps identify the IPv6 DHCP range template.
• Offset: An offset in a DHCP range template determines the starting IP address of the range. The
appliance adds the offset value you enter here to the start IP address of the network in which you create a
DHCP range using this template. That IP address becomes the start IP address of the DHCP range. For
example, you specify an offset value of 10 for the 2001:db8:1263:/48 network using the DHCP range
template, the appliance creates a range with the start address 2001:db8:1263:0:0:0:0:a.
• Number of Addresses: Enter the total number of IPv6 addresses to be included in the DHCP range.
the following:
next to this field.
4. Click Next and select one of the following to provide DHCP services for the range:
• Grid Member: Click Select and choose a Grid member from the drop-down list.

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see Using Extensible Attribute.
Modifying IPv6 Range Templates

You can modify the properties of a DHCP range template and define an exclusion range. For the exclusion range in the
template, the start and end addresses are determined by the number of offsets in the DHCP range template's start
address and the number of IP addresses in the exclusion range. For more information about exclusion ranges, see About
DHCP Ranges.
To modify a DHCP range:
Edit icon.
2. The IPv6 DHCP Range Template editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify general information as described in Adding IPv6 Range Templates.
• Member Assignment: Change the Grid member that provides DHCP services for ranges created from this
template. For information, see Adding IPv6 Range Templates.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with this template. You can
• Exclusion Ranges: Configure a range of IP addresses that the appliance does not use for dynamic
address assignments. Exclusion Ranges: Configure a range of IP addresses that the appliance does not
use for dynamic address assignments. Complete the following:
• Offset: An offset for an exclusion range determines the start IP address of the exclusion range.
The appliance adds the offset value you enter here to the start IP address of the DHCP range
created using this template. That IP address becomes the start IP address of the exclusion range.
• Number of Addresses: Enter the number of IP addresses to be included in the exclusion range.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the exclusion range.
About IPv6 Fixed Address Templates

A fixed address template is useful when you want to create multiple fixed addresses in a network. When you create a
fixed address template, you specify the offset value and number of fixed addresses to be created. You can also specify
additional properties for the fixed addresses.
Note that you can use the template to create address-based fixed addresses. You cannot specify prefixes in the template
because a fixed address could use a prefix that is not part of the subnet to which the fixed address belongs. You can
enter prefixes when you create the individual fixed address objects using the template.
If you have deployed the Cloud Network Automation license on the Grid Master, you can configure fixed address
templates for cloud delegation. When you configure a template for cloud delegation, all fixed addresses you create using
this template will inherit authority delegations from their parent objects. For information about Cloud Network Automation,
Adding IPv6 Fixed Address Templates

To create an IPv6 fixed address template:
2. Click the drop-down menu of the Add icon and select IPv6 Fixed Address Template.
3. In the Add IPv6 Fixed Address Template wizard, enter the following:

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• Name: Enter a name that helps identify the IPv6 fixed address template. For example, you can enter HP
Printer when you create a template that contains settings for assigning fixed addresses or reservations to
HP printers.
• Use for cloud delegation: When you select this checkbox, all fixed addresses you create using this
template inherit authority delegation from their parent objects.
In the Optional Settings For Range of Objects section, do the following:
• Offset: An offset in a fixed address template determines the IP address of the first fixed address created
from the template. The appliance adds the offset value you enter here to the start IP address of the
network in which you create objects using this template, and that IP address becomes the IP address of
the object. For example, you specify an offset value of 50 for the 2001:db8:1263:/48 network, when you
create a fixed address using the fixed address template, the appliance assigns it the address
2001:db8:1263:0:0:0:0:32.
• Number of Addresses: Enter the number of IP addresses to be used as fixed addresses or roaming hosts.
 Note
The appliance uses the offset and number of addresses only when this template is used in a network template.
4. Click Next to configure or override DHCP options as described in Defining General IPv6 Properties.
Modifying IPv6 Fixed Address Templates

To modify a fixed address template:
Edit icon.
2. The IPv6 Fixed Address Template editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify general information for the template as described in Adding IPv6 Fixed Address
Templates.
template. For information, see Defining General IPv6 Properties.
About IPv6 Network Templates

You can create IPv6 network templates to facilitate network configuration. You can use network templates to create
networks in any network view. When you create a network template, you do not specify a network address. You enter the
network address when you create an actual network from the template. You can specify a netmask or allow the user to
define the netmask when they create the actual network.

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A network template is useful for setting up a network with fixed addresses and DHCP ranges already defined. You can
add DHCP range or fixed address templates to a network template.
 Note
You cannot configure the following DHCP options in an IPv6 network template: server-id (Option 2), preference
(option 7), and unicast (Option 12). These options are valid only for a DHCP member.
When you enable support for RIR updates, you can create IPv6 network templates specific for RIR associated networks.
For information about RIR updates, see RIR Registration Updates.
You can also configure network templates for cloud delegation if you have deployed the Cloud Network Automation on
the Grid Master. If you select a default Cloud Platform Appliance for a template, all networks you create using this
Adding IPv6 Network Templates

To create a network template:
2. Click the drop-down menu of the Add icon and select IPv6 Network Template.
3. In the Add IPv6 Network Template wizard, do the following:
• RegionalInternetRegistry: This section appears only when support for RIR updates is enabled. For
information about RIR, see RIR Registration Updates. Complete the following to create a network
template for an RIR IPv6 network container or network:
• Registration Status: The default is Not Registered. When using this template to add an RIR
allocated network, you can change this to Registered and select the Do not update registrations
checkbox below. Note that when you select API as the communication method, the registration
status will be updated automatically after the registration update is completed. However, when you
select Email as the communication method, the registration status will not be automatically
updated. If you are creating a new network and the registration update is completed successfully,
the status will be changed to Registered. If the update fails, the status will be changed to Not
Registered.
select None, the appliance does not send registration updates to RIPE. When you use this
template to add an existing RIR allocated network to NIOS, select None. When you use this
template to add networks to an RIR allocated network (a parent network), select Create. Ensure
that the parent network associated with an RIR organization already exists.
• IPv6 Prefix: If you are adding a template for a previously defined global IPv6 prefix, you can select it from
the drop-down list.
• Name: Enter a name that helps identify the network template.
• Netmask: Select one of the following options:
• Fixed: Select this and adjust the netmask slider to a fixed netmask for this network template.
When you select this option, users cannot specify another netmask when they use this template to
create a network. For example, if you select /24 as the fixed netmask, all networks created using
this template have a /24 netmask. The slider moves to the CIDR value associated with the
selected prefix when you choose a global IPv6 prefix.

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• Allow User to Specify Netmask: Select this to allow users to specify the subnet mask when
creating networks using this template.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the template.
• Automatically create a reverse-mapping zone: This function is enabled if the fixed netmask of the template
is a multiple of 4 (4, 8, 24, and so on), or if you select the Allow User to Specify Netmask option. Select
this if you want the appliance to automatically create the corresponding reverse-mapping zone for the
networks created using this template. These zones are created in the DNS view assigned to receive
dynamic DNS updates at the network level.
the following:
next to this field.
4. Click Next to assign Grid members to this network template. Ensure that you include members that are
associated with other templates that you plan to add to this network template. You can assign one or multiple
members to this template. However, you cannot assign a combination of NIOS Grid members and vNIOS Grid
members to the template.
• Click the Add icon to add a Grid member as a DHCP server for the networks created using this template.
Select the Grid member from the Member Selector dialog box. Keep in mind, DHCP properties for the
network are inherited from this member. Networks created using this template can be served by multiple
members, but a member can serve networks in one network view only.
6. Click Next, and then click the Add icon to include DHCP range and fixed address templates in the network
template. Choose the template that you want to include in this network template. Use SHIFT+click and CTRL+click
to select multiple templates.
You can remove a template from the list by selecting the template and clicking the Delete icon.
and how to enter them, see RIR Network Attributes.
Modifying IPv6 Network Templates

To modify and set the properties of a network template:
Edit icon.
2. The Network Template editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify general information described in Adding IPv6 Network Templates.
• Member Assignment: Change the Grid members that provide DHCP services for networks created from
this template. For information, see Adding IPv6 Networks .
• Templates: Add or delete DHCP range and fixed address templates. For information, see Adding IPv6
Range Templates and Adding IPv6 Fixed Address Templates.

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template. For information, see Defining General IPv6 Properties.
Viewing and Deleting Templates

You can view a list of all IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP templates and delete the templates that are not required.
Viewing Templates
To view a list of all IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP templates:
• Name: The name of the template.
• Type: The template type, such as IPv4 Network Template or IPv6 Network Template.
• Comment: The information you entered about the template.
• Site: The site to which the template belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
You can select predefined and user defined extensible attributes for display. You can also do the following in this panel:
• Delete a selected template or multiple templates. For information, see Deleting Templates.
• Select an object and edit its information.
• Print or export the data in the panel.
Deleting Templates
To delete a template:
Delete icon.
Managing IPv6 DHCP Data

This section explains how to configure and manage IPv6 DHCP data. It contains the following topics:

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• Defining Global IPv6 Prefixes
• Configuring IPv6 Address Ranges
• Viewing IPv6 DHCP Objects
• Setting the Prefix Length Mode for DHCPv6
Configuring IPv6 Networks

To configure DHCP services for an IPv6 network and the resources in the network, perform the following tasks:
1. To facilitate network creation, you can specify the IPv6 global prefixes for the Grid. For more information, see
Defining Global IPv6 Prefixes.
2. Create a network and assign it to Grid members. For information, see Managing IPv6 Networks and About IPv6
Shared Networks.
3. Optionally, configure DHCP properties for the network. You can override properties set at the Grid or member
level and enter unique values for the network and fixed addresses. For information, see Configuring DHCPv6
Properties and Configuring DHCP IPv4 and IPv6 Common Properties.
4. Optionally, assign zones to a network. For information, see Associating Networks with Zones.
5. Add a DHCP range to the network and assign it to a member. For information, see Configuring IPv6 Address
Ranges.
6. Optionally, add exclusions to the DHCP range for addresses that are not used for dynamic allocation. For
information, see Modifying IPv6 Address Ranges.
7. Optionally, configure DHCP properties for the address range. You can override properties set at an upper level
and enter unique values for the address range. For information, see Modifying IPv6 Address Ranges.
8. Optionally, add fixed addresses to the network and configure DHCP properties for them. A fixed address may also
be associated with a device port through a Port Reservation. For information, see Configuring IPv6 Fixed
Addresses.
9. Start the DHCP service and the IPv6 DHCP service. For more information, see Starting DHCP Services on a
Member.
Defining Global IPv6 Prefixes

To simplify network creation, you can define IPv6 prefixes that are used for networks served by the Grid members. If your
organization is assigned IPv6 prefixes, you can enter them globally at the Grid level, and then just select the appropriate
IPv6 prefix when you define the network and network templates. You can create multiple global prefixes. When you
define an IPv6 network and network templates, you must adjust the slider to the desired netmask as per the CIDR in the
prefix. Use the netmask slider to select /64 as the CIDR, if an IPv6 prefix is unavailable for an IPv6 network.
To add global IPv6 prefixes:
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Grid DHCP Properties.
3. In the Grid DHCP Properties editor, select the IPv6 Global Prefixes tab.
4. Click the Add icon and enter a name for the prefix and the prefix. Select the Default checkbox to specify a default
IPv6 prefix for the Grid.

You can create an IPv6 network from scratch or create a network template and then use that template to create one or
more networks. Using a network template facilitates creating multiple IPv6 networks with similar properties. You can also
create an IPv6 network from the Tasks Dashboard. For information about the Tasks Dashboard, see Tasks Dashboard.
An IPv6 network inherits its DHCP options & DDNS settings from its shared network, if it is part of a shared network, or
from the member to which it is assigned.
If you have enabled support for RIR (Regional Internet Registry) updates and are adding an RIR IPv6 network container

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or network to NIOS, Grid Manager displays an RIR section in the Add IPv6 Network wizard. You must enter RIR related
information in this section in order for NIOS to associate the newly added network with an RIR organization. For more
information about RIR address allocation and updates, see RIR Registration Updates.
Adding IPv6 Networks

To add an IPv6 network:
network.
4. In the Networks section, expand the Toolbar and click the Add drop-down list and select Network-> IPv6 or click
the Add icon drop-down list and select IPv6 Network.
5. In the Add IPv6 Network wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
• Add IPv6 Network: Click this to add an IPv6 network from scratch.
• Add IPv6 Network using Template: To use a template, click this, and then click Select Template and select
an IPv6 network template. For information about network templates, see About IPv6 Network Templates.
When you use a template to create a network, the configurations of the template apply to the new
network. The appliance populates the template properties in the wizard when you click Next. You can then
edit the pre-populated properties. If the template specified a fixed netmask, you cannot edit the netmask.
6. Complete the following and click Next:
updated status and timestamp are displayed in the Status of last update field in the IPv6 Network
Container or IPv6 Network editor.
select None, the appliance does not send registration updates to RIPE. When you are adding an
existing RIR allocated network to NIOS, select None. When you are adding networks to an RIR
• Netmask: Use the netmask slider to select the appropriate number of subnet mask bits for the network.
Select /64 as the CIDR, if an IPv6 prefix is unavailable for an IPv6 network. When the prefix is available,
you must adjust the slider to the desired netmask as per the CIDR in the prefix.
Click the Add icon to enter a new network. If you are adding a network for a previously defined global
IPv6 prefix, you can select the prefix from the IPv6 Prefix drop-down list. The default is None, which
means that you are not creating an IPv6 network for a previously defined subnet route. If you have
defined a global prefix at the Grid level, the default is the global prefix value. Click Add and Grid
Manager adds a row to the table. Enter the network address in the Network field. When you enter an
IPv6 address, you can use double colons to compress a contiguous sequence of zeros. You can also
omit any leading zeros in a
four-hexadecimal group. For example, the complete IPv6 address

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2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:0000:0102:0304 can be shortened to 2001:db8::0102:0304. Note that if
there are multiple noncontiguous groups of zeros, the double colon can only be used for one group to
avoid ambiguity. The appliance displays an IPv6 address in its shortened form, regardless of its form
when it was entered. Click Add again to add another network. You can also select a network and click
the Delete icon to delete it.
or
Click the Next Available icon to have the appliance search for the next available network. Complete the
following in the Next Available Networks section:
network. When you enter a network that does not exist, the appliance adds it as a network
container. When you enter a network that is part of a parent network, the parent network is
converted into a network container if it does not have a member assignment or does not contain
fixed addresses and host records that are served by DHCP. You can also click Select Network to
select a specific network in the Network Selector dialog box. For information about how the
appliance searches for the next available network, see Obtaining the Next Available.
container. Note that if there is not enough network space in the selected network to create the
number of networks specified here, Grid Manager displays an error message. The maximum
number is 20 at a time. Note that when you have existing networks in the table and you select
one, the number you enter here includes the selected network.
• Click Add Next to add the networks. Grid Manager lists the networks in the table. You can click
Cancel to reset the values.
 Note
You must click Add Next to add the network container you enter in the Next Available Networks section. If you
enter a network in the Next Available Networks section and then use the Add icon to add another network, the
appliance does not save the network you enter in the Next Available Networks section until you click Add Next.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the network, such as the name of the organization it serves.
• Automatically Create Reverse-Mapping Zone: This function is enabled if the netmask of the network is a
multiple of four, such as 4, 8, 12 or 16. Select this to have the appliance automatically create reverse-
mapping zones for the network. A reverse-mapping zone is an area of network space for which one or
more name servers have the responsibility for responding to address-to-name queries. These zones are
created in the DNS view assigned to receive dynamic DNS updates at the network view level.
• Disable for DHCP: Select this if you do not want the DHCP server to provide DHCP services for this
network at this time. This feature is useful when you are in the process of setting up the DHCP server.
Clear this after you have configured the server and are ready to have it serve DHCP for this network. Note
that disabling an IPv6 network may take a longer time to complete depending on the size of the data.
• The Cloud section appears when the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on the Grid Master.
For information, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation. To delegate authority for this network,
• Delegate To: This field indicates whether the authority for the network you want to create has already
been delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance. Click Select to choose the Cloud Platform Appliance to
which you want to delegate authority. The Member Selector displays only Cloud Platform Appliances in
the Grid. Click the member, and Grid Manager displays the member name next to this field. This cloud
member now assumes authority for this network, and the Grid Master does not have authority any more.
You can also click Clear to remove authority delegation from the selected Cloud Platform Appliance and
return authority back to the Grid Master.
7. Click Next and add one or more Grid members as DHCP servers for the network.
• Click the Add icon and select a Grid member from the Member Selector dialog box. Note that, some
DHCP properties for the network are inherited from this member. The network can be served by multiple
members, but a member can serve networks in one network view only.

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9. (Applies only to Network Insight) Click Next to initiate or disable discovery of the new network(s). Discovery
settings differ based on whether you are defining one network or multiple networks.
• Configuring one network: discovery settings include the following: Enable Discovery and Immediate
Discovery, selecting a Probe member to perform the discovery; and Polling Options, which define how the
network will be discovered by the Probe member. By default, all Polling Options discovery settings are
inherited from the parent network (or Grid, if no parent exists) unless you click Override. Polling Options
govern the protocols used to query and collect information about the network devices being discovered.
or
• Configuring more than one network: If the networks are child networks, they automatically inherit the
settings of the parent network, including discovery settings and the discovery member. These settings will
not appear in the wizard page. For discovery of multiple networks, you can only enable or disable
Immediate Discovery. Click Next to override the DHCP properties described in Defining General IPv6
Properties.
10. Assign VLAN objects to the network. For more information, see VLAN Management.
11. As part of creating a network, you can provision the network on an actual device (switch, router, or switch-
router), that is discovered and managed through the Grid Manager.
• Begin by checking the Enable Network Provisioning checkbox, and clicking the Select Device button.
Choose your device from the Device Selector dialog. (Click Clear to remove the setting. For more
information, see the section Using the Device Selector.)
• If you performed DHCP configuration in the previous step of the Add Network Wizard, the Router IP value
will automatically be populated with the DHCP Router IP address value. Otherwise, you enter the
standard router IP address.
• If required for the newly provisioned network to ensure that attached devices receive DHCP auto-
configuration, enable the DHCP Forwarding checkbox. For this setting, if a DHCP Failover was previously
configured, the IP addresses defined for DHCP failover are automatically used for the DHCP forwarding
configuration.
• You will also need to choose an interface on the selected device on which to provision the network by
selecting it from the Interface drop-down menu. Grid Manager ensures that only those interfaces that can
support provisioning, and are available for provisioning (that do not have an Operation Status of Up),
appear in the drop-down menu.
• Otherwise, when creating networks and provisioning them on managed devices, you can create a VLAN
on which to provision the network by clicking the Create VLAN option and entering the VLAN Name and
VLAN ID. Ensure that the VLAN ID value you enter is appropriate for the application - don't create a new
VLAN and provision a network for a VLAN value that is already actively carrying traffic for another routing
domain.
If a selected device does not support VLANs, the Create VLAN option will not appear.
12. Click Next to enter values for required extensible attributes or add optional extensible attributes. For
information, see Managing Extensible Attributes.
and how to enter them, see RIR Network Attributes. You can preview the information before the appliance submits
updates to the RIPE database. To preview registration updates, click Preview RIR Submissions. For more
information, see Previewing Registration Updates.
 Note
You cannot leave an optional RIR attribute value empty. If you do not have a value for an RIR attribute, you
must delete it from the table. You can enter up to 256 characters for all RIR attributes.
You need to assign a Subscriber Member Site to add subscriber service related extensible attributes in order to

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13. As the final step in the Add IPv6 Network wizard, you define when Grid Manager creates the new network by
scheduling it. You also schedule when the associated port control task executes (if a port configuration has been
specified).
• To create the new network and its associated port configuration immediately, select Now. Grid Manager
synchronizes the port control task to take place at the same time as the creation of the new network.
14. Choose one of the following from the Save &... drop-down button menu:
• Click Save & Close to add the new network and close the wizard (this is the default).
• Click Save & Edit to add the new network and launch the editor.
• Click Save & New to add the new network and launch the wizard again to add another network.
 Note
After you create a network, you can do the following:

• Add it to a shared network. For more information, see Adding IPv6 Shared Networks.
• Use the split network feature to create subnets for the network. For information, see Splitting IPv6 Networks into
Subnets.
• Use the join networks feature to create a parent network that encompasses multiple subnets into a larger
network. For information, see Joining IPv6 Networks. You can also create a shared network for subnets that are
on the same network segment.
• View a list of networks. For more information, see Viewing Networks.
Modifying IPv6 Networks

You can modify existing network settings and override the Grid or member DHCP properties, with the exception of the
network address and netmask.
To modify an IPv6 network:
2. The IPv6 Network editor contains the following basic tabs from which you can modify data:
• General Basic: You can modify the following fields:
• Comment: The information you entered for the network.
• Disabled: This field is displayed only if the selected network is a network without a child network
under it. You can disable and enable existing networks instead of removing them from the
database, if the selected network does not have a child subnet. This feature is especially helpful
when you have to move or repair the server for a particular network. Note that disabling an IPv6
When the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on the Grid Master, Grid Manager displays the following
information in the Cloud section: Cloud Usage, Owned By, and Delegated To. You cannot modify these fields. For
more information, see Adding IPv6 Networks.
• Member Assignment: Add or delete a Grid member that provides DHCP services for this network.
the network. For information, see Defining General IPv6 Properties.
you click Save and Close. You manage discovery polling settings local to each network from this page.
For a complete overview of features on this page, see Discovering Devices and Networks and its
subsections.

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• Discovery Exclusions: IP Addresses and IP ranges can be locally excluded from discovery by clicking the
Add icon and selecting Add IP Address or Add IP Range. These IP addresses or IP ranges are selected
from within the chosen network. For related information, see Excluding IP Addresses from Discovery and
its subsections.
port configuration tasks will not take place on a network. Editing a network under DHCP, blackout settings
apply only to the specified network. You also specify the scheduled time when the blackout period begins,
and the duration of the blackout period. By default, the network inherits its discovery blackout settings
from the Grid level. For related information, see Defining Blackout Periods and its subsections.
 Note
Discovery blackout settings also can be defined for DHCP ranges.
can also modify the values of the extensible attributes. For information, see Managing Extensible
Attributes.
data.
with Zones.
• IPv6 DDNS: Keep the inherited DDNS settings or override them and enter unique settings for the network.
Note that you must click Override and select Enable DDNS updates for the DDNS settings you configure
in this tab to take effect. For information, see Enabling DDNS for IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Clients.
Deleting IPv6 Networks

When you delete a network, all of its data, including all DHCP records, subnets, and records in its subnets, is deleted
from the database. Because of the potentially large loss of data that can occur when you delete a network, the appliance
stores the deleted network in the Recycle Bin. You can restore a deleted network from the Recycle Bin, if enabled. You
can also disable a network instead of deleting it. For information, see Modifying IPv6 Networks.
To delete a network:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> network checkbox, and then select
Delete or Schedule Delete from the Delete drop-down menu.
2. To delete the network now, in the Delete Confirmation dialog box, click Yes. Grid Manager displays a warning
message. Click Yes to continue or No to cancel the process. To schedule the deletion, see Scheduling Deletions.
The appliance puts the deleted network in the Recycle Bin, if enabled. Click Restore in the Recycle Bin to recover
the deleted data. Click Yes in the Restore Item dialog box to restore or No to cancel the process. Note that deleting
and restoring an IPv6 network may take a longer time to complete depending on the size of the data.
 Note
You cannot delete a network that has a VLAN object assigned to it. For more information, see Assigning VLANs
to a Network.

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Configuring IPv6 Shared Networks
You can combine two or more contiguous IPv6 networks into a shared network. When you do, the DHCP server allocates
IP addresses from both subnets. To create a shared network, create the individual subnets, and then create the shared
network and add the subnets to it. For more information about shared networks, see About Shared Networks.
Adding IPv6 Shared Networks

To add an IPv6 shared network:
network.
4. In the Shared Networks section, click the Add drop-down list and select Shared Network-> IPv6 or or, click the
Add icon drop-down list and select IPv6 Shared Network.
5. In the Add IPv6 Shared Network wizard, do the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the shared network.
• Comment: Enter information about the shared network.
• Disabled: Select this if you want to enable the shared network at a later time. You can disable and enable
existing networks instead of removing them from the database. This feature is especially helpful when you
have to move or repair the server for a particular network.
6. Click Next and do the following to add networks:
b. In the Network Selector, select the networks that you want to include in the shared network. Ensure that
the networks are served by the same Grid members to avoid DHCP inconsistencies.
7. Click Next to configure DHCP properties described in Defining General IPv6 Properties.
8. Click Next to enter values for required extensible attributes or add optional extensible attributes for the shared
network. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
For information on viewing shared networks, see Viewing Shared Networks.
Modifying IPv6 Shared Networks

To modify a shared network:
shared_network checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The IPv6 Shared Network editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify the fields Name, Comments, and Disabled as described in Adding IPv6 Shared
Networks.
• Networks: Displays the networks that are currently assigned to the shared network. You can add
or delete a network. To add a network, click the Add icon. To delete a network, select the network
the shared network. For information, see Defining General IPv6 Properties.
data.
• IPv6 DDNS: Keep the inherited DDNS settings or override them and enter unique settings for the shared
network. Note that you must click Override and select Enable DDNS updates for the DDNS settings you

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or
Deleting IPv6 Shared Networks

Though you can delete the networks in a shared network, a shared network must have at least one network in it. To
delete a shared network:
shared_network checkbox, and then select Delete or Schedule Delete from the drop-down menu.
2. To delete the shared network now, in the Delete Confirmation dialog box, click Yes. To schedule the deletion, see
Scheduling Deletions.
The appliance puts the deleted shared network in the Recycle Bin, if enabled.
Configuring IPv6 Fixed Addresses

You can configure IPv6 fixed addresses with either an IPv6 address or prefix. You can assign prefix-based fixed
addresses to routers so they can advertise the prefixes associated with a link. The fixed addresses also can be bound to
interfaces on a network device, such as a switch or a router, that is discovered and managed under IPAM. DHCP hosts,
in turn, use these prefixes to generate IP addresses using the stateless autoconfiguration mechanism defined in RFC
2462, IPv6 Stateless Autoconfiguration. You can also create IPv6 fixed addresses from the Tasks Dashboard. For
information about the Tasks Dashboard, see Tasks Dashboard.
 Note
IPv6 fixed addresses do not support dynamic DNS updates.
Adding IPv6 Fixed Addresses
 Note
At any time during the wizard, you can click Schedule for Later to schedule the task. In
To add an IPv6 fixed address:

1. Navigate to the network to which you want to add a fixed address, and then select Fixed Address from the Add
drop down menu.
or
From any panel in the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Fixed Address -> IPv6.
2. In the Add Fixed Address wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
• Add IPv6 Fixed Address
or
• Add IPv6 Fixed Address Using Template

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Click Select Template and select the template that you want to use. When you use a template to create a fixed
address, the configurations of the template apply to the new address. The appliance automatically populates the
fixed address properties in the wizard. You can edit the pre-populated properties.
3. In this panel, the displayed network address can either be the last selected network or the network from which
you are adding the fixed address. If no network address is displayed or if you want to specify a different network,
click Select Network. When there are multiple networks, Grid Manager displays the Select Network dialog box.
Specify one of the following:
• Select Address to assign an IPv6 address to a fixed address. You can either enter an IPv6 address or
select Next Available IP to obtain the next available IP address. Note that for Cloud Network Automation,
Next Available IP is not available if the fixed address you want to create is within a delegated range.
• Select Prefix Delegation to assign an IPv6 prefix. Enter the prefix and prefix length.
• Select Both to assign an IPv6 prefix and address. Enter the IPv6 address, prefix, and prefix length.
• DUID: Specify the DHCP Unique Identifier (DUID) of the DHCP client assigned to this fixed address.
• Name: Enter a name for the fixed address.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information.
• Disabled: Select this if you do not want the DHCP server to allocate this IP address at this time.
information, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation. This section displays the following information:
5. (Applies only with Network Insight) This step is not required for creating a new Fixed Address. In the current
reservation:
• Choose the DeviceType: Router, Switch-Router, Switch, MSFT (Microsoft) Server, NetMRI, NIOS, VNIOS,
or ESX (VMware) Server.
configuration.

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After you define this group of settings, you will still need to define a device port reservation, which is done
in a later step.
6. Click Next to initiate or disable discovery of the new Fixed Address. (Applies only to Network Insight) This step is
not required for creating a new Fixed Address.
a. Choose either Exclude from Network Discovery or Enable Immediate Discovery. If you choose to Exclude,
discovery will not execute on the Fixed Address. If you choose Enable Immediate Discovery, discovery
will execute on the host after you save your settings. You may also choose to leave both options disabled.
b. By default, the new fixed address object inherits its SNMP credentials from those defined at the grid level.
Should you wish to override them for a local set of credentials, check the Override Credentials checkbox
and select the SNMPv1/SNMPv2 or SNMPv3 option and enter the locally used credentials.
c. You may also test the entered SNMP credentials by clicking Test SNMP Credential.
 Note
For descriptions of SNMP credentials for discovery, see the section Configuring SNMP1/
v2 Credentials for Polling and Configuring SNMPv3 Properties. These Grid-based values are inherited, by
default, by each new object you create.
associated with the new object in its Port Reservation.
• You can also click Test CLI Credentials to enter and test a set of CLI login credentials against a device
Port control operations require CLI credentials for the involved devices. (If you are not using port control
for the new object, usage of CLI credentials is optional.) Because some IPAM and DHCP objects will
use port control features as part of object creation, CLI credentials are automatically leveraged as part
of discovery. Ensure you have the correct sets of CLI credentials for devices in your network. See the
section Configuring CLI Discovery Properties for related information.
 Note
All port control operations require CLI credentials to be entered into Grid Manager. Because some IPAM and
DHCP objects will use port control features as part of object creation, CLI credentials are automatically
leveraged as part of discovery. Ensure you have the correct sets of CLI credentials for devices in your network.
7. Click Next to define the port reservation for the device port that will be associated with the new Fixed Address.
This step is not required for creating a new Fixed Address. This feature set is also termed port control in the NIOS/
Grid Manager system. The device to which the new Fixed Address will be associated should already be discovered
and managed from the Grid Manager.
availability.
last discovery cycle. This list will not include any ports that are Administratively Up and Operationally Up,
or that are otherwise already assigned to other networks or objects.

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• Check the Configure Port checkbox to define specific port control settings for the port reservation.
automatically leveraged as part of discovery and definition of port configurations such as Admin Up/Down
status. Ensure you have the correct sets of CLI credentials for devices in your network.
9. As the final step in the Add Fixed Address wizard, you define when Grid Manager creates the new object by
scheduling it. You also schedule when the associated port configuration task executes.
• To create the new object and its associated port configuration immediately, select Now. The port control
event is automatically synchronized to take place at the same time as the activation of the new object.
• You can choose to have Grid Manager execute the port reservation task at the same time as the Fixed
Address object creation. To do so, select At same time as Host.
• You can choose to have Grid Manager execute the port reservation task at a later time by selecting Later.
• Click Save & New to add the new object and launch the wizard again to add another Fixed Address
object.
 Note
For information on viewing IPv6 fixed addresses in a network, see Viewing IPv6 DHCP Objects.
Modifying IPv6 Fixed Addresses

To modify a fixed address:
2. The Fixed Address editor contains the following basic tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: You can modify all the fields you filled out in the first step of the wizard described in Adding IPv6
Fixed Addresses.
• Device Information: You can change advisory Device Information settings for the object's port reservation;
settings are described in the section Configuring IPv6 Fixed Addresses.

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you click Save and Close. You manage discovery polling settings local to each fixed address from this
page. For a complete overview of features on this page, see Discovering Devices and Networks and its
subsections.
in Network Insight, and steps 5-9 in the section Configuring IPv6 Fixed Addresses.
• IPv6 DHCP Options: You can keep the inherited DHCP options or override them and enter unique settings
for the fixed address. For information, see Defining General IPv6 Properties.
• Discovered Data: You can view discovered data of this address, if any, in this tab. For information, see
Viewing Discovered Data.
or
Deleting IPv6 Fixed Addresses

To delete a fixed address, from the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section ->
network -> fixed_address checkbox, and then click the Delete icon. You cannot delete multiple fixed addresses at the
same time if the authority for one of the fixed addresses is delegated to a Cloud Platform Appliance.
Configuring IPv6 Address Ranges

You can configure IPv6 ranges that are used to delegate IPv6 prefixes only, to assign IPv6 addresses only, or to delegate
IPv6 prefixes and assign IP v6 addresses. When you define a DHCP range to delegate prefixes, the prefixes can be
outside of the network where they are being defined. IPv6 ranges inherit their properties from their network, so each
range in a subnet provides the same set of options to their DHCP clients.
Note that when an Infoblox DHCP server grants IPv4 leases, it starts from the last IP address in the range to the first.
When the server grants IPv6 leases, it uses an algorithm based on the DUID of the client.
Adding IPv6 Address Ranges

To add a an IPv6 address range:
1. Navigate to the IPv6 network to which you want to add an address range, and then select Range from the Add
drop down menu.
or
From any panel in the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Range -> IPv6.
2. In the Add IPv6 Range wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
• Add IPv6 Range: Select this to add an address range from scratch.
or
• Add IPv6 Range Using Template
Click Select Template and select the template that you want to use. Note that when you use a template to create a
DHCP range, the configurations of the template apply to the new range. The appliance automatically populates the
address range properties in the wizard. You can then edit the pre-populated properties. For more information, see
About IPv6 Range Templates.

Rev. D
• Network: Click Select Network. Grid Manager displays the network address here if you have only one
network configured. When there are multiple networks, Grid Manager displays the Select Network dialog
box from which you can select one.
Specify one of the following:
• Address: Select this if the address range is used to allocate IPv6 addresses only to DHCP clients, and
then enter the start and end addresses in the range.
• Prefix Delegated: Select this if the DHCP server uses this address range to delegate IPv6 prefixes only to
DHCP clients. Enter the start and end prefixes, and the prefix length.
• Both: Select this if the DHCP server delegates IPv6 prefixes and allocates IPv6 addresses from this
range. Enter the start and end addresses in the range, and the start and end prefixes, and the prefix
length.
• Name: Enter a name for the address range.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the address range.
• Disabled for DHCP: Select this if you want to save the configuration for the address range but do not want
to activate the address range yet. You can clear this checkbox when you are ready to allocate addresses
from this range.
information, see Deploying Cloud Network Automation. To delegate authority for this range, complete the following:
Delegate To: This field indicates whether the authority for the range you want to create has already been delegated
to a Cloud Platform Appliance. Click Select to choose the Cloud Platform Appliance to which you want to delegate
authority. The Member Selector displays only Cloud Platform Appliances in the Grid. Click the member, and Grid
Manager displays the member name next to this field. This cloud member now assumes authority for this range,
and the Grid Master does not have authority any more. You can also click Clear to remove authority delegation
from the selected Cloud Platform Appliance and return authority back to the Grid Master.
4. Click Next and select one of the following to provide DHCP services for the DHCP range:
• Grid Member: Select this if you want a Grid member to serve DHCP for this DHCP range. Select a Grid
member from the drop-down list. The drop-down list displays only the Grid members that are associated
with the network to which the DHCP range belongs.
5. (Applies only to Network Insight) Click Next to initiate or disable discovery of the new DHCP range.
• Configuring one network: Discovery settings include the following: Enable Discovery and Immediate
Discovery, selecting a Probe member to perform the discovery; and Polling Options, which define how the
network will be discovered by the Probe member using SNMP and CLI credentials. By default, all Polling
Options discovery settings are inherited from the parent network unless you click Override. Polling
Options govern the protocols used to query and collect information about the network devices being
discovered. See the section Configuring Discovery Properties for a complete description of discovery
Polling Options.
or

Rev. D
Setting the Priority of IPv6 Address Ranges
The DHCP server allocates IP addresses from the configured DHCP ranges according to the order in which the ranges
are listed. By default, ranges are listed according to their start addresses. You can move the ranges up and down in the
list to change their order. For information about viewing DHCP ranges and other objects in a network, see Viewing IPv6
DHCP Objects.
To change the order of DHCP ranges in a network:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> network.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Order DHCP Ranges.
3. In the Order DHCP Ranges dialog box, click the up and down arrows to move ranges up or down on the list. The
Priority value changes accordingly. Click OK to save the configuration.
Modifying IPv6 Address Ranges

To modify an IPv6 address range:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network -> addr_range
2. The DHCP Range editor contains the following basic tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify the fields, except the network address, as described in Adding IPv6 Address Ranges.
When the Cloud Network Automation license is installed on the Grid Master, Grid Manager displays the
following information in the Cloud section: Cloud Usage, Owned By, and Delegated To. You cannot
modify these fields. For more information, see Adding IPv6 Address Ranges.
• Member Assignment: Modify the Grid member that provides DHCP services for the DHCP range as
described in Adding IPv6 Address Ranges.
• Discovery: You can enable and change discovery settings for the IPv6 range at any time after creating the
range. Discovery settings include the following: Enable Discovery and Immediate Discovery, selecting a
Probe member to perform the discovery; and Polling Options, which define how the network will be
discovered by the Probe member using SNMP and CLI credentials. By default, all Polling Options
discovery settings are inherited from the parent network unless you click Override. Polling Options govern
the protocols used to query and collect information about the network devices being discovered. See the
section Configuring Discovery Properties for a complete description of discovery Polling Options.
port configuration tasks will not take place on a network or DHCP range. Editing a network or range under
DHCP, blackout settings apply only to the specified network or range. You also specify the scheduled time
when the blackout period begins, and the duration of the blackout period. By default, the network inherits
its discovery blackout settings from the Grid level. For related information, see Defining Blackout Periods
and its subsections.
• IPv6 DHCP Options: Keep active leases in a deleted DHCP range. For more information, see Keeping
Leases in Deleted IPv4 and IPv6 Networks and Ranges.
data.
• Exclusion Ranges: Configure a range of IP addresses that the appliance does not use to assign to clients.
You can use these exclusion addresses as static IP addresses. For more information, see About
Exclusion Ranges.
Note that Grid Manager displays both the basic and advanced mode tabs the next time you log in to the GUI.

Rev. D
or
Deleting IPv6 Address Ranges

To delete an IPv6 address range:
• From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network -> addr_range
Viewing IPv6 DHCP Objects

You can view the DHCP objects in an IPv6 network by navigating to the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks panel,
and then clicking the network link. This panel displays the following information about DHCP objects in the selected IPv6
network:
• IP Address: The IPv6 address of a DHCP object, such as a DHCP range, fixed address, or host configured for
DHCP, or roaming host with an allocated IP address. For a DHCP range, this field displays the start and end
addresses of the range. For a host that has multiple IP addresses, each IP address is displayed separately. Note
that the appliance highlights all disabled DHCP objects in gray.
• Type: The DHCP object type, such as IPv6 DHCP Range or IPv6 Fixed Address.
hostname.
• Site: The site to which the DHCP object belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes. You can
select the following additional columns for display:
• Priority: Displays the priority of the DHCP range.
• Disabled: Indicates whether the network is disabled. You can also do the following in this panel:
• Create a bookmark for the object.
Setting the Prefix Length Mode for DHCPv6

The prefix length mode determines the prefix selection rules employed by the DHCPv6 server when a DHCPv6 client
sends an empty prefix with just a prefix length as a hint for the server to specify the required prefix length. This
determines the prefix that gets allocated to the DHCPv6 client.
.To set the prefix length mode:
Toolbar.
2. In the editor, click the General tab -> Advanced tab.
3. In the IPv6 Properties area, from the Prefix Length Mode drop-down list, select from the following options:
• Exact: The DHCP server looks for a prefix with exactly the same length as the length requested by the
client. If it cannot find a prefix that has the exact same length as the length requested, the server returns a
status indicating that no prefixes are available. If you do not configure the prefix length mode, Exact is the
default value.

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• Ignore: The DHCP server ignores the length requested by the client and offers the first available prefix.
• Prefer: The DHCP server looks for prefixes that have the same length as the length requested by the
client. If it does not find a prefix of the same length, it offers the first available prefix of any length.
• Minimum: The DHCP server looks for a prefix that has the same length as the requested length. If it does
not find such a prefix, it returns a prefix whose length is greater than (that is, longer than) the requested
value. If it does not even find a prefix of a greater length, it returns a status indicating that no are prefixes
available. For example, if the client requests a prefix length of /60, and the DHCP server has prefixes of
lengths /56 and /64 available, it offers a prefix of length /64.
• Maximum: The DHCP server looks for a prefix that has the same length as the requested length. If it does
not find such a prefix, it returns a prefix whose length is less than (that is, shorter than) the requested
value. If it does not even find a prefix of a shorter length, it returns a status indicating that no prefixes are
available. For example, if the client requests a length of /60, and the server has prefixes of lengths /56
and /64 available, it offers a prefix of length /56.
Configuring DHCP Failover

This section explains how to configure DHCP failover associations. It contains the following topics:
• DHCP Failover
• Configuring Failover Associations
• Managing Failover Associations
DHCP Failover
You can create a failover association between two DHCP servers (a primary server and a secondary) and assign the
failover association to serve an IPv4 DHCP range. When you set up a failover association, you greatly reduce DHCP
service downtime if one of your DHCP servers is out of service. You can better manage IP address requests by making
two servers available for DHCP services. You can also configure one of the servers to assume full DHCP services when
you know the other server may go out of service for a period of time.
You can configure two NIOS appliances, or one appliance and one external server, to form a failover association. The
pairing of a primary and secondary server is called a peer association. The failover peers establish a TCP connection for
their communication. They share a pool of IP addresses that they allocate to hosts on their networks based on load
balancing. Load balancing is a technique to split the address allocation workload evenly across the two DHCP servers.
You can assign a DHCP failover association to serve DHCP ranges in a network. A DHCP failover association can serve
DHCP ranges that belong to one network view only. It cannot serve ranges in different network views.
 Note
When you assign a failover association to serve DHCP ranges and networks, NIOS denies dynamic BOOTP
clients by default, regardless of whether you select or deselect the Deny BOOTP Requests option from Grid
Manager. However, if the DHCP ranges or networks are assigned to a single DHCP server (not a failover
association), NIOS does not automatically deny dynamic BOOTP clients. In this case, you must manually select
the Deny BOOTP Requests option through Grid Manager to ensure that NIOS denies BOOTP requests to avoid
problems such as receiving two IP addresses for the same network device. For information about how to deny
BOOTP requests, see Configuring IPv4 BOOTP and PXE Properties.
Failover Association Operations

When a host broadcasts a DHCPDISCOVER message, it includes its MAC address. Both the primary and secondary
peers receive this message. To determine which server should allocate an IP address to the host, they each extract the
MAC address from the DHCPDISCOVER message and perform a hash operation. Each server then compares the result
of its hash operation with the configured load balancing split. The split is set to 50% by default to ensure an even split
between the two servers. When the split is 50%, the primary server allocates the IP address if the hash result is between

Rev. D
1 and 127, and the secondary server allocates the IP address if the hash result is between 128 and
255. As a server allocates an IP address, it updates its peer so their databases remain synchronized.
As shown in the following figure Load Balancing and IP Addresses Allocation, when a host broadcasts a
DHCPDISCOVER message, both the primary and secondary servers receive the message. They perform a hash
operation on the MAC address in the DHCPDISCOVER message, and the result is 250. Since the load balancing split is
50% and the hash result is 250, the secondary server responds to the host with a DHCPOFFER message. The
secondary peer allocates an IP address from its assigned pool of IP addresses. It then sends a lease update message to
the primary server so that the primary server knows how the address is assigned and can properly take over if the
secondary server fails.
Load Balancing and IP Addresses Allocation
Related topic
Configuring DHCP Failover
Configuring Failover Associations

Toolbar.
2. Click Toggle Advanced Mode if the editor is in basic mode. When the additional tabs appear, select the General
Advanced tab to complete the following:
• Failover Port: You can modify the port number that members use for failover associations. You can use
any available port from 519 to 647. The default is 647 for a new installation and 519 for an upgrade.
The following are tasks and guidelines for configuring a DHCP failover:
1. Identify the primary and secondary DHCP servers and ensure that the appliances are set up correctly for the
failover association, using the following guidelines:
• Configure a failover association using two NIOS appliances, or a NIOS appliance and an ISC DHCP
compliant server.
• One of the DHCP servers must be an independent appliance or in an Infoblox Grid.
• The DHCP servers do not have to be in the same geographic location.
• The clocks on both servers must be synchronized. This happens automatically when both servers are on
the same Grid.

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• Both servers must use the same version of the DHCP configuration file. This happens automatically when
both servers are on the same Grid.
• If you use firewalls on your networks, ensure that the firewalls allow TCP port 647 between the servers,
and that TCP port 7911 is open for partner down operations.
• Each pair of DHCP servers can participate in only one failover association. An appliance can participate in
more than one failover association, as long as it is with a different peer.
Configure the same DHCP properties on the primary and secondary servers, as described in Configuring
General IPv4 DHCP Properties.
• Both the primary and secondary servers must have the same operational parameters, and they must be
able to receive DHCPDISCOVER messages that hosts broadcast on the networks.
• If you change any of the DHCP failover parameters for a peer association definition, you must make the
same changes on both the primary and secondary servers.
 Note
If both the primary and secondary servers are in a Grid, you configure the properties on the failover association
and the configuration applies to both servers.
2. Create a failover association and configure load balancing between the servers. For information, see Adding
Failover Associations.
• Ensure that you use the same failover association name on both the primary and secondary servers.
• The appliance assigns default values to the failover timers and triggers. In general, these default values
serve the purpose of a failover. Do not change these values unless you understand the ramification of the
changes. For example, when one of the peers in a failover association fails, the other peer goes into a
COMMUNICATIONS-INTERRUPTED state, and the lease time changes to the MCLT (Maximum Client
Lead Time). You should consider how the MCLT affects the lease time when a failover occurs if you want
to change this value.
3. Assign the failover association to the DHCP ranges in the same network view. Failover associations can serve
only IPv4 DHCP ranges. For information, see Configuring IPv4 Address Ranges.
• If you configure a shared network, and the subnets in the shared network contain ranges served by a
DHCP failover association, both the primary and secondary DHCP server must have the same shared
networks defined, containing the same networks and DHCP ranges.
 Note
If you have multiple networks that are in a shared network and you plan to use a DHCP failover, you must use
the same failover association and specify the same peers on all the networks in the shared network.
4. Enable DHCP on the primary and secondary servers AFTER you complete all the configurations. For
information, see Managing Failover Associations.
 Note
When you set up a failover association for the first time, ensure that both servers are up and running and their
databases are synchronized before they can start assigning IP addresses.
When you configure a failover association, the appliance assigns default values for timers and triggers, such as the
MCLT and the maximum number of "unacked" packets. A failover may occur when some of the timers expire or when a
failover peer goes out of service. When a failover occurs, the functional peer takes over and assigns IP addresses with
the lease time set to the MCLT. When the server that is offline comes back online, it synchronizes its database with its
peer before it starts allocating IP addresses.

Rev. D
Adding Failover Associations
To add a DHCP failover association, perform the following procedures on both the primary and secondary servers:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> IPv4 Failover Associations section, and
then click the Add icon.
or
Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> IPv4 Failover Association.
2. In the Add Failover Association wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a unique name for the failover association. The failover association name is case sensitive.
Enter the same name on both the primary and secondary servers. The appliance validates the names on
both servers. The names must be exactly the same. If they do not match, the failover association goes
into disconnect mode.
• DHCP Failover Primary: Select one of the following. The default is Grid Member.
• Grid Member: Click Select member. In the Select Member dialog box, select the primary server
and click the Select icon.
• MS Server: Click Select Server. In the Microsoft Server Selector dialog box, select the Microsoft
server that supports DHCP failover. Note that only certain versions of Microsoft servers support
failover. This dialog box also displays the following columns: IP address, Comment, and Site.
The failover association requires at least two Microsoft servers. NIOS displays an error message
when you select MS Server if there is only one Microsoft server. When you add or modify a
failover association through Grid Manager, the appliance displays a message to ensure the
connectivity between two Microsoft servers. If you want a failover association to be in a normal
state, you must ensure an end-to-end connectivity. If the connectivity fails, you must re-establish
connectivity between the two Microsoft servers and the failover association follows the recovery
states based on the DHCP failover protocol.
 Note
You can configure Microsoft primary and secondary servers using this wizard only. You cannot edit Microsoft
primary and secondary servers after you configure them. You must delete and reconfigure the primary or
secondary Microsoft server for a failover association.
• External Server IP Address: Select this to use an external ISC DHCP compliant server as the
primary server. Enter the IP address of the primary server in the field.
• DHCP Failover Secondary: Select one of the of following. The default is Grid Member.
• Grid Member: Click Select member. In the Select Member dialog box, select the secondary server
and click the Select icon.
• MS Server: NIOS selects this automatically when you set the DHCP Failover Primary to MS
Server. Click Select Server. In the Microsoft Server Selector dialog box, select the Microsoft server
that supports DHCP failover. Note that only Microsoft Windows Server 2012 or later versions
support synchronization of failover relationships. This dialog box also displays the following
columns: IP address, Comment, and Site.
 Note
The primary and secondary Microsoft servers that you select in a failover relationship must be in the same
network view. For more information, see About Microsoft DHCP Failover Relationships.

Rev. D
• External Server IP Address: Select this to use an external ISC DHCP compliant server as the
secondary server. Enter the IP address of the secondary server in the field.
 Note
You cannot select External Server IP Address for both the primary and secondary servers. One of the servers
must be an independent appliance or in an Infoblox Grid.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the failover association.

3. Click Next and do the following to control the IP address allocation between the peers and how they switch from
one to the other based on the configuration:
• Failover mode: This is valid for Microsoft Management only. Select a failover mode. You can either select
Hot standby or Load balancing. When you select Hot standby, the secondary server is set to Standby by
default and the slider move to the position at 95%. The slider moves to 50% when you set the failover
mode to Load balancing mode. You can synchronize and manage a failover mode that is operating in Hot
standby mode. The primary partner is the active server that first creates the relationship if you use the
Load balancing or the Hot standby mode.
 Note
When you configure a failover association, the slider changes its position based on the Failover mode you
select. When you edit failover settings, the slider remains in the Balanced position, at 50%, by default. For more
information about modifying failover associations, see Modifying Failover Associations.
• Load Balancing Data: Adjust the slider to determine which server should handle more IP address
requests. The default is 50%. When you move the slider all the way to the left, the primary server
responds to all IP address requests. The opposite applies when you move the slider all the way to the
right. Infoblox recommends that you use the default (50/50) to enable the primary and secondary servers
to respond to IP address requests on an equal basis.
• Lease Deletion: Select the following to override settings at the Grid and member levels.
• Keep leases from deleted ranges until one week after expiration: When you select this and delete
a DHCP range with active leases, the appliance stores these leases up to one week after they
expire. When you add a new DHCP range that includes the IP addresses of these active leases,
the appliance automatically restores the leases.
• Secondary role: This is valid for Microsoft Management only. Note that the secondary role is available only
in Hot standby mode. The appliance displays Standby by default and you cannot edit this value.
• Maximum client lead time: Specify the maximum client lead time in minutes or hours. The default is one
hour. Select Minutes or Hours from the drop-down list. This specifies the maximum amount of time the
server waits before assuming control.
• Enable switchover interval: This is valid for Microsoft Management only. Select this to automatically
change the state to partner down after a specified period. NIOS does not support the "partner down" state
for Microsoft DHCP failover association.
• State switchover interval (Minutes): This is valid for Microsoft Management only. Specify the amount of
time after which the server must change the state. The default is 60 minutes.
• Enable Authentication: This is valid for Microsoft Management only. Select this if you want to secure the
communication between failover partners.
• Shared Secret: This is valid for Microsoft Management only. Enter a shared secret that can be used to
authenticate the communication between failover partners. You can specify a shared secret only if you
enable authentication.

Rev. D
Best Practices for Restoring Microsoft DHCP Server Data
When you synchronize two Microsoft servers in read/write mode for a Microsoft DHCP failover association, the appliance
might override new data. For example, assume that you are synchronizing data from one Microsoft server, which has
latest data. But after the restore operation, the appliance will synchronize data from a Microsoft server that has old data.
If you synchronize old data, it might override new data. Infoblox recommends that you follow the steps mentioned below
to prevent new data being replaced with the old one:
1. Disable DHCP synchronization for the Microsoft server before you restore data to the Microsoft server.
2. Restore the Microsoft DHCP server.
3. From the Microsoft server, which has the latest data, replicate its DHCP failover association and scopes to the
restored Microsoft server. This ensures that both Microsoft servers have the same latest data.
4. Re-enable DHCP synchronization for the restored Microsoft server. NIOS will resynchronize with the Microsoft
server.
Managing Failover Associations

After you establish a failover association, you can monitor its status periodically to ensure that it is functioning properly.
You can also delete a failover association when it is not assigned to any DHCP range.
See the following sections on how to manage failover associations:
• Modifying Failover Associations
• Monitoring Failover Associations
• Deleting Failover Associations
Under special circumstances, you can manually adjust the configuration of a failover association. For example, when you
know in advance that a peer will be out of service for an extended period of time, you can manually set the functional
peer in a PARTNER-DOWN mode. This allows the functional partner to assume all leases and be able to allocate
addresses to client requests in full capacity. In addition, when you suspect the databases in a failover association are not
synchronized, you can consider doing a force recovery (after you consult with Infoblox Technical Support or your Infoblox
representative) so the secondary server can completely rebuild its lease table with updates from the primary server.
See the following sections on how to set a peer to the partner-down mode and perform a force recovery:
• Setting a Peer in the Partner-Down State
• Performing a Force Recovery
Modifying Failover Associations

To modify a failover association:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> Failover Associations ->
failover_association checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The DHCP Failover Association editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: In the Basic tab, modify the fields as described in Adding Failover Associations.
In the Advanced tab, complete the following to modify the port number you use for the failover
association:
• Failover Port: Click Override to enter a port number for the failover association. You can use any
available port from 1 to 63999. The default is 647 for a new installation and 519 for an upgrade.
• Triggers: Before editing the triggers and timers, ensure that you understand the ramification of the
changes. Improper configuration of the triggers can cause the failover association to fail. For information
about the fields in the Basic tab, see Adding Failover Associations. The following are the triggers in the
Advanced tab:
• Max Response Delay Before Failover(s): Specifies how much time (in seconds) can transpire
before a failover occurs when a failover peer does not receive any communication from its peer.
This number should be small enough that the transient network failure does not leave the servers
out of communication for a long time, but big enough that the servers are not constantly
connecting and disconnecting. The default is 60 seconds.
• Max Number of Unacked Updates: Specifies the number of "unacked" packets the server can
send before a failover occurs. The default is 10 messages.

Rev. D
• Max Client Lead Time (s): Specifies the length of time that a failover peer can renew a lease
without contacting its peer. The larger the number, the longer it takes for the peer to recover IP
addresses after moving to the PARTNER-DOWN state. The smaller the number, the more load
your servers experience when they are not communicating. The default is 3600 seconds.
• Max Load Balancing Delay (s): Specifies the cutoff after load balancing is disabled. The cutoff is
based on the number of seconds since a client sent its first DHCPDISCOVER message. For
instance, if one of the failover peers gets into a state where it is busy responding to failover
messages but is not responding to other client requests, the other peer responds to the client
requests when the clients retry. This does not cause a failover. The default is three seconds.
• Failover Settings: This is valid for Microsoft Management only. Modify failover association settings. For
information, see Configuring Failover Associations.
If you modify failover settings from secondary Microsoft server settings, the appliance does not update
failover settings on NIOS for the following reasons:
• When DHCP synchronization is disabled for primary Microsoft server, you must enable DHCP
synchronization for primary Microsoft server to reflect the settings on NIOS.
• The primary synchronization interval must be completed. For example, consider that you are
modifying failover settings from secondary Microsoft server settings where the synchronization
interval for primary server is five minutes, and the time interval for the secondary server is one
minute. In this case, failover settings are updated on NIOS only after the primary server
synchronization interval, which is five minutes.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a failover association.
You can also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
Monitoring Failover Associations

After you configure a failover association, the peers establish a TCP connection for communication. In a normal
operational state, they send keepalive messages and database updates every time they grant a lease. However, there
are times when the failover association experiences problems and goes into a state other than NORMAL. You can
monitor the overall state of a failover association and the individual status of the peers to verify that the servers are
operating and communicating properly.
Both peers in a failover association maintain the same DHCP fingerprinting state (enabled or disabled) even when one of
the peers fails or becomes operational again. Note that both peers must be in the same Grid for the fingerprinting state to
stay the same. For information about DHCP fingerprinting, see About DHCP Fingerprints.
In this panel, you can also modify some of the data in the table. Double click a row of data, and either edit the data in the
field or select an item from a drop-down list. Note that some fields are read-only. For more information about this feature,
see Modifying Data in Tables.
To monitor the failover association status:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> IPv4 Failover Associations section. Grid
Manager displays the list of failover associations and their overall status.
2. To view detailed information about a failover association, select the failover_association checkbox, and then click
the Show Status icon.
3. In the Failover Association Status dialog box, Grid Manager displays the overall status of the failover association
and the status of both the primary and secondary servers.
The failover association can be in one of the following states:
• OK (green): The failover association is functioning properly.
• DEGRADED (yellow): The failover association is degraded when one of the peers is giving out limited
addresses.
• FAILURE (red): The failover association is not functioning, may be because it is not completely
configured. The peers are not assigning IP addresses.
For each peer, Grid Manager displays the hostname or IP address, the status, and event date. The peer can be in
one of the following states:
• STARTUP: The server is starting up.
• NORMAL: The server is in a normal operational state in which it responds to its load balancing subset of
DHCP clients.

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• PAUSED: This state allows a peer to inform the other peer that it is going out of service for a short period
of time so the other peer can immediately transition to the COMMUNICATIONS-INTERRUPTED state and
start providing DHCP service to DHCP clients.
• COMMUNICATIONS-INTERRUPTED: The servers are not communicating with each other. Both servers
provide DHCP service to DHCP clients from which they receive DHCP requests.
• PARTNER-DOWN: The server assumes control of the DHCP service because its peer is out of service.
• RECOVER: The server is starting up and trying to get a complete update from its peer and discovers that
its peer is in the PARTNER-DOWN state.
• RECOVER-WAIT: The server has got a complete update from its peer and is waiting for MCLT period to
pass before transitioning to the RECOVER-DONE state.
• RECOVER-DONE: The server completed an update from its peer.
• POTENTIAL-CONFLICT: The peers are not synchronized due to an administrative error or an incorrect
state transition. Check the failover configuration and correct the error.
• CONFLICT-DONE: This is a temporary state that the primary server enters after it received updates from
the secondary server when it was in the POTENTIAL-CONFLICT state.
• RESOLUTION-INTERRUPTED: The server responds to DHCP clients in a limited way when it is in this
state.
• UNKNOWN: The DHCP server is in an unknown state. The failover association is not functioning properly,
may be because it is configured improperly. For example, failover association is not assigned to any
DHCP range.
• SHUTDOWN: This state allows a peer to inform the other peer that it is going out of service for a long
period of time so the other peer can immediately transition to the PARTNER-DOWN state and completely
assume control of the DHCP service.
 Note
NIOS does not support PARTNER-DOWN and Force Recovery for a Microsoft DHCP failover association.
Deleting Failover Associations

You cannot delete a failover association if it is currently assigned to a DHCP range. If you want to delete a failover
association, ensure that it is not assigned to any DHCP range.
To delete a failover association:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> Failover Associations ->
failover_association checkbox, and then click the Delete icon.
The appliance puts the failover association in the recycle bin, if enabled.
Setting a Peer in the Partner-Down State

If one of the peers in a failover association is out of service for an extended period of time, you should consider putting
the functional peer in the PARTNER-DOWN state. When you place the functional peer in the PARTNER-DOWN state, it
assumes full DHCP services for the networks. Since the functional server may not receive all the updates from its peer, it
extends all the leases on the MCLT. Once the following conditions are met, the functional peer provides DHCP services
autonomously:
• It has reclaimed all the leases that belonged to its peer.
• The MCLT has passed.

Rev. D
When the peer that is offline comes back online, it synchronizes with the functional peer and reestablishes the
communication before it provides DHCP services to the clients.
 Warning
Before you put a peer in the partner-down state, ensure
that the other peer is indeed out of service. If both the primary and secondary servers are operational when you
place one of them in the partner-
down mode, both servers may stop issuing leases for a minimum of time defined in the MCLT.
To set a peer in the PARTNER-DOWN state:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab ->Members tab- > Failover Associations ->
failover_association checkbox.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Set Partner Down.
3. In the Set Failover Association Partner Down dialog box, select one of the following:
• Primary: Select this if the secondary server is out of service.
• Secondary: Select this if the primary server is out of service.
4. Click OK.
 Note
You cannot place the functional peer in the PARTNER-DOWN state for a Microsoft DHCP failover in NIOS.
Performing a Force Recovery

When the primary and secondary peers are not synchronized, you can perform a force recovery to set the primary server
in the PARTNER-DOWN state while putting the secondary server in the RECOVER state. During a force recovery, all
leases in the databases are resynchronized. When you perform a force recovery, the secondary server does not serve
any DHCP leases for a minimum of the MCLT while it resynchronizes with the primary server. Before you perform a force
recovery, consult with Infoblox Technical Support or your Infoblox representative to ensure that the force recovery is
appropriate for the situation.
To perform a force recovery:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab-> Members tab-> Failover Associations ->
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Force Recovery State.
3. In the Force Secondary Peer Recovery State dialog box, click OK.
The appliance synchronizes the databases on the primary and secondary servers.
 Note
You cannot place the functional peer in the PARTNER-DOWN state for a force recovery in NIOS.

Rev. D
Recovering DHCP Failover Associations
During a conflict resolution, when the primary peer of the DHCP failover association is in the CONFLICT-DONE state and
the secondary peer in the POTENTIAL-CONFLICT state, the secondary peer might experience problems (such as
restarting, network outage, etc.) and goes into an invalid state. This results in a deadlock state for the failover
association, causing a DHCP service outage. When the failover association is in a deadlock state, you can perform a
recovery for the failover association. You can run the recovery for one failover association at a time and when the primary
member is in the CONFLICT-DONE state. This feature is supported for Infoblox appliances only and not for any other
external DHCP servers.
 Note
When the failover recovery is in progress, the DHCP service on both peers are disabled and you cannot enable
the DHCP service until the failover recovery is successfully completed. You can view the logs of the failover
recovery process in the syslog and infoblox.log file.
To recover a DHCP failover association:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab-> Members tab -> Failover Associations ->
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Recovery from Deadlock State.
3. In the Failover Recovery Progress dialog box, click Start to start the recovery of the failover association from the
deadlock state.
4. In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
 Note
After you start the failover recovery, you cannot revert the changes.
Grid Manager starts the failover recovery and you can view the following information in the Failover Recovery Progress
dialog box:
• Failover association: The name of the failover association.
• Primary: The hostname or IP address of the primary server.
• Secondary: The hostname or IP address of the secondary server.
• Number of leases to be processed: The total number of leases to be processed.
• Number of leases processed: The number of leases that have been processed.
• Current Status: Displays the current status of the failover recovery process. The current status can be one of the
following:
• Pending: The failover recovery is initiated for a failover association and the recovery process will start
soon.
• Calculating: The appliance calculates the total amount of leases to be processed.
• Applying: The appliance looks for conflicts and tries to resolve the conflicts.
• Completed: The failover recovery is completed successfully.
• Failed: The failover recovery fails.
Grid Manager also displays the reason for the failure if that happens.

Rev. D
After successful completion of the failover recovery, you must restart both the primary and secondary peers to bring them
back to the CONFLICT-DONE state.
You can stop the failover recovery operation by clicking Stop in the Failover Recovery Progress dialog box before the
recovery process is complete.
 Note
If for any reasons the recovery is blocked when the operation is in progress, you can cancel the current
operation and start the recovery for the failover association again.
Configuring DHCP Filters

To control how the appliance allocates IPv4 or IPv6 addresses, you can define DHCP filters and apply them to Grid,
members, DHCP ranges, range templates, IPv4 network containers, IPv4 networks, shared networks, IPv4 / IPv6
network templates, IPv4 / IPv6 fixed addresses, IPv4 / IPv6 fixed address templates, IPv4 / IPv6 reservations, IPv4 / IPv6
reservation templates, and IPv4 / IPv6 host addresses. You can override filters set at an upper level and apply a new
logic filter. Depending on your configuration, DHCP filters screen requesting clients by matching MAC addresses, relay
agent identifiers, DHCP options, or DHCP fingerprints you define in the filters. If you configure DHCP servers in the Grid
to send authentication requests to a RADIUS authentication server group, you can also filter requests by matching the
authentication results. (For information about this feature, see Authenticated DHCP.)
When you define DHCP filters, you classify DHCP clients based on the information provided by the clients or by the
RADIUS server. When you apply filters to an address range, the appliance responds to your address requests based on
your configuration. The appliance also decides which DHCP options to return to the matching clients based on how you
apply the filters. For more information, see Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
You can use filters to control address allocation based on your network requirements. For example, you can use DHCP
filters to screen unmanaged hosts on a network by denying their address and option requests. If you have multiple DHCP
address ranges on the same network and you want to assign IP addresses from specific address ranges to specific
clients, you can use filters to screen the address assignments. For information, see IP Address Allocation.
The appliance supports the following filters:
• MAC address filters: Use MAC addresses as matching criteria for granting or denying address requests. For
information, see Configuring MAC Address Filters.
• Relay agent filters: Identify remote hosts by matching the relay agent identifiers in the DHCPDISCOVER
messages. For information, see About Relay Agent Filters.
• Option filters: Classify hosts by matching the DHCP options and values sent by the requesting hosts. For
information, see Configuring Option Filters.
• DHCP fingerprint filter: Identify remote clients by matching the option number sequence or vendor ID sent in
option 55 and 60 of the DHCP request against the DHCP fingerprints cached on the system. For information
about DHCP fingerprint filters, see Configuring DHCP Fingerprint Filters. For information about DHCP fingerprint
detection, see DHCP Fingerprint Detection.
• NAC filters: Use authentication results from a RADIUS authentication server group as matching criteria for
granting or denying address requests. For information, see Authenticated DHCP.
You can use MAC, option, and NAC filters to define DHCP options that matching clients can receive. Depending on how
you apply a filter, all DHCP clients with matching criteria can receive all or some of the DHCP options defined in the filter.
DHCP options defined for a matching filter supersede those defined at the Grid, member, network, and DHCP range
levels. Options defined for a filter that is in the Class Filter List of an address range supersede those defined in the Logic
Filter List. For more information about how the appliance returns options and how to apply DHCP filters, see Applying
Filters to DHCP Objects.
This section explains how to configure IPv4 DHCP filters. It contains the following topics:
• IP Address Allocation
• IP Address Allocation Using Filters
• Configuring MAC Address Filters
• About Relay Agent Filters
• Configuring Option Filters

Rev. D
• Configuring DHCP Fingerprint Filters
• Applying Filters to DHCP Objects
• Managing DHCP Filters
IP Address Allocation
When a DHCP client requests an IP address, the NIOS appliance draws an address from an address range associated
with the network segment for that client. Because you define that range, you can thereby control the IP address (within
the defined range) and the associated TCP/IP settings that the client receives.
In the figure Requesting Addresses – DHCPDISCOVER Messages, three hosts — each in a different subnet — request
an IP address. Each one broadcasts a DHCPDISCOVER message, which includes its MAC address. When the router,
which also functions as a DHCP relay agent, receives the message, it adds the IP address of the interface on which the
message arrives and forwards the message to the DHCP server — or servers — previously configured on the router.
When the NIOS appliance receives the message, it uses the ingress interface IP address of the router to determine the
network segment to which the host belongs and associates the MAC address of the requesting host with an IP address
from an address range for that network.
Requesting Addresses – DHCPDISCOVER Messages

Rev. D
The NIOS appliance replies to DHCPREQUEST messages by sending DHCPOFFER messages through the relay agent
to the requesting hosts, as shown in the figure Requesting Addresses – DHCPOFFER Messages.

Rev. D
Requesting Addresses – DHCPOFFER Messages
The addressing scheme depicted in the figures Requesting Addresses – DHCPDISCOVER Messages and Requesting

Rev. D
Addresses – DHCPOFFER Messages is fairly simple: each network has a single address range. Consequently, address
assignments are fairly straightforward. However, if you have multiple address ranges in the same network and you want
to assign addresses from specific address ranges to specific hosts, you must screen the address assignments through
the use of filters.
 Note
After the DHCP server runs for a while, it assigns leases based on when it last used addresses, and not just on
their positions in the range.
Multiple Address Ranges without Filters
IP Address Allocation Using Filters

To control the assignment of addresses from specific address ranges to specific hosts, the NIOS appliance provides the
following filters:
• A MAC address filter to which you add MAC addresses as filter criteria. For information, see Configuring MAC
Address Filters.
• A relay agent filter with configured circuit ID and remote ID as specified by the relay agent (DHCP option 82). For
information, see About Relay Agent Filters.
• An option filter in which you specify DHCP options and matching values. For information, see Configuring Option
Filters.
• A NAC filter in which you specify authentication results from a RADIUS authentication server group as filter
criteria. For information, see About NAC Filters.
When the appliance receives an address request, it checks if the request matches a filter. If it does not, the appliance
assigns an address from the address range with the highest available IP address. If the request matches at least one
class filter for a range, the appliance applies the following rules:

Rev. D
• If there are grant address filters applied to that range, the request must match one of the class filters or the
appliance does not grant an address from that range.
• If there are deny address filters applied to that range, the request must not match any of the filters. If the request
matches a deny filter, the appliance does not grant an address from that range.
• If an address range has a combination of grant and deny filters, the request must:
• Match a grant filter
• Not match a deny filter
Two rules govern the behavior of the appliance in relation to DHCP filters:
1. Depending on your filter configuration, the appliance checks if any data in an address request (such as the MAC
address of the client, DHCP options 77 and 82, etc.) matches any filters applied to an address range.
2. The appliance checks for available addresses in the address ranges containing the highest addresses first.
("Highest" means closest to 255.255.255.255, and "lowest" means closest to 0.0.0.0.)
These two rules can work in coordination. For example, when the appliance receives an address request, it first checks if
the request matches any filter. If it matches more than one filter assigned to different address ranges, the appliance first
applies the filter that belongs to the range with the highest IP addresses. If that address does not grant an address lease
(because the filter action is Deny or all address leases in that range are already in use), the appliance then applies the
matching filter for the range with the next higher set of IP addresses. If the appliance still has not granted a lease from
the address ranges whose filters match data in the request and there are unfiltered address ranges, the appliance
attempts to assign an address from one of these ranges, again beginning with the range having the highest IP
addresses. Figure 31.4 presents an example illustrating the sequence in which the appliance assigns addresses when a
request matches a MAC address filter. For information about MAC address filters, see Configuring MAC Address Filters.
Figure 31.4 DHCP Address Assignment with Multiple Filters

Rev. D
if then
the appliance receives a request that matches a filter for one it applies the action specified in the filter for that address range. If it does not
address range, assign an address from that range (the action is deny or the action is grant but
all addresses in that range are in use), the appliance then checks if it can assign
an address from an unfiltered address range (if there are any), starting with the
range with the highest addresses first, as shown in Figure 31.3.
the same filter applies to multiple address ranges and the it checks the address range with the highest IP addresses matching that filter. If
appliance receives an address request matching that filter, the appliance does not assign an address from that range, it checks the filtered
address range with the next highest IP addresses, and so on. If it still has not
assigned an address, the appliance starts checking unfiltered address ranges (if
there are any), again beginning with the range with the highest address first.
multiple filters for the same address range conflict with each other the filter denying the lease takes precedence. For example, if a requesting client
(one filter grants a lease and another denies it) and a requesting matches both a MAC address filter (granting a lease) and a user class filter
client matches both filters, (denying a lease) for the same address range, the appliance denies the lease.
When faced with a choice to either allow or deny a lease based on equal but
contradictory filters, the appliance takes the more secure stance of denying it.
Configuring MAC Address Filters

The appliance can filter an address request by the MAC address of a requesting host. Depending on how you apply the
MAC filter, the appliance can grant or deny the address request if the requesting host matches the filter criteria. You can
also define DHCP options that you want to return to the matching client if the options are so configured. The client can
also request specific options to be returned through DHCP option 55. The appliance returns DHCP options to matching
clients based on how you apply the filters. For information, see Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
You can configure a MAC address filter or specific MAC addresses within a filter to expire after a certain amount of time
has passed. Filter expiration is useful in situations where you want to keep filters running against updated MAC
addresses. The permission to use the MAC addresses assigned to an IP address may become invalid after a certain
period of time. For example, you can use a MAC address filter to restrict the right to use MAC addresses assigned to IP
addresses for visiting guests or temporary workers. You can avoid removing invalid addresses from address filters
manually by configuring the appliance to expire filters or to expire specific addresses within filters.
To apply a MAC address filter to an address range:
1. Define a MAC address filter. For information, see Defining MAC Address Filters.
2. Add a MAC address to the filter. For information, see Adding MAC Address Filter Items.
3. Apply the filter to a DHCP address range or range template, and specify that if the MAC address of a requesting
host matches the filter definition, the appliance either grants or denies the address assignment. For information,
see Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
Defining MAC Address Filters

To define a MAC address filter:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab ->Filters tab, and then expand the Toolbar and click Add ->
IPv4 MAC Address Filter.
or
From any panel in the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> IPv4 MAC Address Filter.
2. In the Add IPv4 MAC Filter wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a meaningful name for the filter. For example, if you want to filter address requests by
department, you can name one filter "Marketing", another "Finance", and so on. The name must be
unique within a specific network. If you want to specify option settings in the filter, the filter name must be
unique among all MAC filters.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the filter.
3. Click Next and complete the following to define the DHCP options to return to the matching client:
• Option Space: Select an option space from the drop-down list. This field is displayed only when you have
custom option spaces. The appliance uses the DHCP option space as the default.

Rev. D
• Lease Time: Enter the value of the lease time in the field and select the time unit from the drop-down list.
The lease time applies to hosts that meet the filter criteria.
Options to Merge with Object Options
Click the Add icon. Grid Manager adds a new row to the table with the default DHCP option space and option name
displayed. Complete the following:
• Option Space: Click the down arrow and select an option space from the drop-down list. The selected
option space contains the corresponding DHCP options.
• Option Name: Click the down arrow and from the drop-down list, select the DHCP option you want to
return to the requesting host.
• Value: Enter the value that you want the filter to return for the selected DHCP option. For example, enter
the value 255.255.255.0 for the subnet-mask option.
To add more options to the filter, click the Add icon and repeat the steps.
4. Click Next and complete the following to configure the expiration setting:
• Default MAC Address Expiration
• Select one of the following to configure the expiration setting for the filter:
• Never Expires: Select this if you want the MAC address filter to never expire. This is selected by
default.
• Automatically Expires in: Select this if you want the filter to expire after a specific time frame. You
can specify the time in seconds, minutes, hours, or days.
The filter expiration time you configure here affects how long the DHCP server grants a lease to a
client. It has an upper limit of 15 minutes on the lease time you configure for the Grid. For
example, if both the filter expiration time and the lease time are less than 15 minutes, the
appliance uses the lease time. If both the filter expiration time and lease time are greater than 15
minutes, the appliance uses the filter expiration time. If the filter expiration time is less than 15
minutes and the lease time is greater than 15 minutes, the DHCP server grants a lease for 15
minutes. If the filter expiration time is greater than 15 minutes and the lease time is less than 15
minutes, the appliance uses the lease time.
• Enforce Expiration Times : Select this to enable the expiration setting.
• Enabled: The filter is enabled by default. Clear the checkbox box to disable this filter.
Adding MAC Address Filter Items

To add a MAC address to a MAC address filter:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Filters tab, and then expand the Toolbar and click Add
-> IPv4 MAC Address Filter Item.
or
From any panel in the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> IPv4 MAC Address Filter Item.
2. In the Add IPv4 MAC Address Filter Item wizard, complete the following:
• MAC Address Filter: Click Select Filter. In the DHCP Filter Selector dialog box, select the MAC address
filter to which you want to add a MAC address, and then click the Select icon. If you are adding a MAC
address to a filter that you have selected in the Filters panel, Grid Manager displays the selected filter in
this field.
• MAC Address: Enter the MAC address in one of the following formats: aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff, aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-
ff, aabb.ccdd.eeff, aabbcc-ddeeff, and aabbccddeeff. The appliance displays the address in the
AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF format. You can also enter a vendor prefix in the three hexadecimal format using the
same separators supported in the MAC address format. For example, you can enter aa.bb.cc as the
vendor prefix. The appliance displays AA:BB:CC.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the filter item.
• Expiration Time: MAC addresses in a filter stay valid until you explicitly configure them to expire. You can
enable expiration for specific MAC addresses in the filter. Select one of the following:

Rev. D
• Never Expires: Select this if you want the MAC address to never expire. This is selected by
default.
• Expires on: Select this and specify the Date and Time for the expiration. The fields display the
current date and time. If you have already configured an expiration time for the filter, the appliance
displays the time here by adding the filter expiration time to the current time. For example, if the
expiration time for the filter is two days and the current date is June 6, 2009, the appliance
displays June 8, 2009 in the Date field.
3. Click Next and select one of the following to configure user registration (optional):
• Register as User: Select this and enter a username in the field.
• Register as Guest: Select this and enter the first name, middle name, last name, email address, and
phone number of the guest user.
The appliance displays the information you enter here in the lease viewers.
After you define a MAC address filter and add MAC addresses to it, you can assign the filter to a DHCP range. The
appliance filters IP address requests based on the filter criteria. For information, see Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
Guidelines for Associating MAC Address Filters with DHCP Objects

The following is a list of guidelines for associating MAC Address Filters with DHCP objects:
• Associating a MAC address filter with a DHCP range on a DHCP member or failover association requires a
DHCP service restart.
• Associating the same MAC address filter to a different DHCP range on the same member does not require a
DHCP service restart.
• Making further changes to a MAC address filter already assigned to a range (such as changing a MAC filter
policy on the range from the grant lease to the deny lease) does not require a service restart.
• A restart is required only when:
• You add a new MAC address filter (new to the DHCP member) is added to a range on a specific DHCP
member or failover association.
• Remove a specific MAC address filter from the last range it was associated with, on a specific DHCP
member or failover association.
• Changes are propagated seamlessly to the the dhcpd process memory without a service restart and the
dhcpd.conf file is not updated until you restart the service.
About Relay Agent Filters

The NIOS appliance can filter an address request by the circuit ID and remote ID of a requesting host. The filter instructs
the appliance either to grant or deny an address request if the requesting host matches the filter. For information about
the DHCP relay agent option, see About the DHCP Relay Agent Option (Option 82).
Option 82 assists the agent in forwarding address assignments across the proper circuit. When a relay agent receives a
DHCPDISCOVER message, it can add one or two agent IDs (circuit ID or remote ID) in the DHCP option 82 suboption
fields to the message, as illustrated in the figure Relay Agent Filtering. If the agent ID strings match those defined in a
relay agent filter applied to a DHCP address range, the appliance either assigns addresses from that range or denies the
request based on the configured parameters.
Relay Agent Filtering

Rev. D
To apply a relay agent filter to an address range:
1. Define a relay agent filter. For information, see Defining Relay Agent Filters.
2. Apply the filter to a DHCP address range or range template, and specify that if the circuit ID or remote ID of a
requesting host matches the filter definition, the appliance either grants or denies the address assignment. For
3. Define the access privileges of limited-access admin group for relay agent filters. For information, see Managing
Administrators.
Defining Relay Agent Filters

To define a relay agent filter:
-> IPv4 Relay Agent Filter.
or
From any panel in the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> IPv4 Relay Agent Filter.
2. In the Add IPv4 Relay Agent Filter wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a meaningful name for the filter. For example, you can enter the IP address or the name of
the router acting as the relay agent. The name must be unique within a specific network.

Rev. D
3. Click Next to define the relay agent ID type. If you apply both ID types, the relay agent must provide both
identifiers when submitting a DHCP address request.
Select one of the following for both Circuit ID and Remote ID:
• Any: Select this and the filter matches any of the circuit identifiers for remote hosts. You cannot select this
for circuit ID and remote ID at the same time.
• Not Set: Select this and no circuit identifier is set for remote hosts.
• Matches Values: Select this and enter the circuit ID or remote ID in the field. You can enter the ID in
hexadecimal format, such as 1f:cd, ab, or ef:23:56, or in string format, such as abcd or aa:gg. The
appliance matches the value you enter here with the value sent by the DHCP client in counted octet
sequence format. This field supports wildcard characters and regular expressions. You can also select to
have an exact match or a substring match, as follows:
• Exact Match: Select this to match the exact value sent by the DHCP client that contains the value
you entered in the Matches Values field.
• Substring: Select this to match a substring of the value sent by the DHCP client. Enter the Offset
and Length values for the substring match, as follows:
• Offset: Enter the number of characters at which the match value for the substring starts.
Enter 0 to start at the beginning of the value, enter 1 for the second position, and so on.
For example, when you enter 2 and have a substring value of AFTR, the appliance
matches the value AFTR starting at the third character of the match value.
• Length: Enter the length of the substring value. For example, if the match value is AFTR,
the length is 4.
After you define a relay agent filter, you can assign it to a DHCP range. The appliance responds to address requests
based on the filter criteria. For information, see Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
Configuring Option Filters

You can use option filters to classify DHCP clients and decide which DHCP options each group of clients can receive. By
default, regardless of the networks in which the DHCP clients reside and whether an option filter is applied to a DHCP
range or range template, all DHCP clients that match the filter criteria receive the DHCP options and values you define in
the filter. You can change this configuration so the appliance does not use the filter to classify DHCP clients. For
information about how to configure this, see Defining Option Filters.
You can add DHCP options and the Hardware Operator option to an option filter. (For information about the Hardware
Operator option, see DHCP Hardware Operator.) Depending on whether the options you add to the filter are also defined
at the Grid, member, network, and DHCP range levels, and whether you add the filter to the Class Filter List or Logic
Filter List, the appliance either appends them to the existing options or overwrites the option values before returning
them to the matching clients. For more information about how the appliance returns DHCP options, see Adding Filters to
the Logic Filter List.
The appliance can filter an address request by the options (such as root-server-ip-address or user-class) of the
requesting host. Depending on how you apply an option filter, the appliance can grant or deny an address request if the
requesting host matches the filter criteria. You can also create complex match rules that use the AND and OR logic to
further define the filter criteria. When you select match rules in Grid Manager, you can preview the rules before
committing them to the filter. Grid Manager provides an expression builder that automatically builds the rules after you
define them. For information, see Defining Option Filters.
To define an option filter and apply it to an address range:
1. Define an option filter based on either the predefined or custom DHCP options. For information, see Defining
Option Filters.
2. Apply the filter to a DHCP address range or range template in the Class Filter List or Logic Filter List. For

Rev. D
After you define an option space and add options to it, you can set up option filters and define option values. For
example, to handle two different client classes, you can define two option filters (vendor-class_1 and vendor-class_2)
and send different option values to different clients based on the vendor-class-identifier options that you obtain from the
clients.
DHCP Hardware Operator

You can define the Hardware Operator option and add it as a match rule to an option filter. This option enables the
appliance to match the hardware type and MAC address of the DHCP client, which it derives from the hardware type,
hlen (hardware length) and chaddr (client hardware address) fields of the client's DHCP Discover and Renew packets.
To add Hardware Operator to an option filter, fill in the fields as follows:
• In the first drop-down list, select Hardware Operator. Note that because it is not a DHCP Option, it does not have
an actual option number.
• In the second drop-down list, select one of the following operators: equals, does not equal, substring equals and
substring does not equal.
If the operator is substring equals or substring does not equal, specify the offset and length.
• In the text field, enter the string that represents the hardware type and MAC address to match. For example, the
htype value is 1 for the Ethernet hardware type. The hardware types (hrd) are defined at http://www.iana.org/
assignments/arp-parameters/arp-parameters.xml.
This filter rule assumes that the values exist in the DHCP packets.
The following table provides examples of rules that include the Hardware Operator option. The entry in the first drop-
down list for all rules is Hardware Operator.
Hardware Operator Sample Rules
Second Drop-Down List Text Field (string)

Rule Description (operator) Offset Length
Match a hardware type and MAC address. equals 01:00:C0:B0:AA:BB:CC
Match hardware type only. substring equals 01 0 1
Match the vendor MAC prefix (first three substring equals 00:C0:B0 1 3
bytes of MAC address).
Defining Option Filters

To define an option filter:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab ->Filters tab, and then expand the Toolbar and click Add ->
IPv4/IPv6 Option Filter.
2. or
From any panel in the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> IPv4/IPv6 Option Filter.
3. In the Add IPv4 Option Filter wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a meaningful name for the option filter. For example, you can enter Linux if you plan to use
this option filter to screen Linux systems. The name must be unique within a specific network. If you want
to specify option settings in the filter, the filter name must be unique among all option filters.
• Apply this filter as a global DHCP class: This checkbox is selected by default. When you select this
checkbox, the appliance defines a global class statement in the dhcpd configuration file for members that
have DHCP enabled, regardless of whether the filter is applied to a DHCP range or range template. All
DHCP clients that belong to this class receive the DHCP options and values you define in the filter. When
you clear this checkbox, you cannot apply this filter to the Class Filter List of a range or range template.
You cannot clear this checkbox if the filter is currently applied to a range or range template. The appliance
displays an error message when you try to save this configuration.
4. Click Next and complete the following to add match rules:

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• In the first drop-down list, select a DHCP option.
For example,
• If you are adding an IPv4 option filter, select user-class(77) for a specific user class, such as
mobile users.
• If you are adding an IPv6 option filter, select dhcp6.fqdn (39) string for a specific domain name.
The following DHCP options are not supported for IPv6 option filter:
• dhcp6.bcms-server-a
• dhcp6.bcms-server-d
• dhcp6.domain-search
• dhcp6.name-servers
• dhcp6.nis-domain-name
• dhcp6.nisp-domain-name
• dhcp6.nis-servers
• dhcp6.preference (7) 8-bit unsigned integer
• dhcp6.rapid-commit (14) boolean
• dhcp6.server-id (2) string
• dhcp6.sip-servers-addresses
• dhcp6.sip-servers-names(21) domain-list
• dhcp6.sntp-servers
• dhcp6.unicast(12)ip-address
• In the second drop-down list, select an operator.
If you select equals or does not equal, enter the value of the selected option you want the filter to match in
the field.
If your operator and match value include a substring of an option value, enter the offset and length of the
substring based on the following definitions:
• Offset: Enter the number of characters at which the match value substring starts in the option data.
Enter 0 to start at the beginning of the option data, enter 1 for the second position, and so on. For
example, when you enter 2 and have a match value of MSFT, the appliance matches the value
MSFT starting at the third character of the option data.
• Length: Enter the length of the match value. For example, if the match value is MSFT, the length is
4.
You can do the following and repeat the filter selection steps to add another rule:
• Click |<- to add an all (logical AND) or any (logical OR) operator line and a parenthetical rule that is
indented one level and above the first rule.
• Click ->| to add an all (logical AND) or any (logical OR) operator line and a parenthetical rule that is
indented one level.
After you add all the match rules, you can click Preview to view the rules that are written to the dhcpd configuration
file or click Reset to remove the previously configured rules and start again. For information about how to use
match rules, see Using Match Rules in Option Filters.
4. Click Next and complete the following to define which DHCP options to return to the matching client:
• Option Space: For an IPv4 or IPv6 option filter select an option space from the drop-down list. This field is
not displayed if you do not have custom option spaces. The appliance uses the DHCP option space as
the default.
option space contains the corresponding DHCP options that you can use as filter criteria.
• Option Name: Click the down arrow and from the drop-down list, select the DHCP option you want to use
as filter criteria.

Rev. D
• Value: Enter the match value that you want the filter to use for the selected DHCP option. To add more
options to the filter, click the Add icon and repeat the steps.
Using Match Rules in Option Filters

Each match rule you define in an option filter further defines the filter criteria of a matching client. You can add multiple
match rules to an option filter. The appliance writes these rules to the dhcpd configuration file. You can also create
complex match rules that use the AND and OR logic to further define the filter criteria. After you define the match rules,
you can preview the rules before committing them to the filters.
For example, you can define the following rules in an option filter:
DHCP option = vendor-class-identifier
Substring offset = 0 (the match value starts at the beginning of the option data received from the client)
Substring length = 4 (the length of the match value MSFT)
Match value = MSFT
The appliance generates the following rules in the dhcpd configuration file:
You can also define more complex rules using the AND and OR logic as follows:
DHCP option = vendor-class-identifier
Match value = infoblox2000a
OR
DHCP option = vendor-encapsulated-options
Substring offset = 0 (the match value starts at the first character of the option data received from the client)
Substring length = 8 (the length of the match value infoblox)
Match value = infoblox
AND
DHCP option = vendor-encapsulated-options
Substring offset = 10 (the match value starts at the ninth character of the option data received from the client)
Substring length = 5, the length of the match value 2000a

Rev. D
Match value = 2000a
The appliance generates the following rules in the dhcpd configuration file:
class "infoblox" {
match if (option vendor-class-identifier=infoblox2000a:) or
((substring(option vendor-encapsulated-options,0,8)="infoblox") and
(substring(option vendor-encapsulated-options,10,5)="2000a")); vendor-option-space DHCP
Configuring User Class Filters

The NIOS appliance can filter DHCP address requests by user class filters. A user class indicates a category of user,
application, or device of which the DHCP client is a member. User class identifiers are configured on DHCP clients and
are sent during a DHCP address request operation. The client includes the user class identifier in DHCP option 77 when
sending DHCPDISCOVER and DHCPREQUEST messages.
By using user class identifiers, a DHCP server can screen address requests and assign addresses from select address
ranges based on the different user class identifiers it receives. For example, if you assign a user class filter named
mobile to a range of addresses from 10.1.1.31–10.1.1.80, the appliance selects an address from that range if it receives
an address request that includes the user class name mobile and there are still addresses available in that range. You
might want mobile users to receive these addresses because you have given them shorter lease times than other, more
stationary DHCP clients. See the below figure.
Applying User Class Filtering
If the NIOS appliance receives address requests with the user class mobile and there are no available addresses in
address range 2 but there are available addresses in ranges 1 and 3, the appliance begins assigning addresses from
address range 3 (because its addresses are higher than those in range 1). Then, if all addresses in range 3 are in use,

Rev. D
the appliance begins assigning addresses from address range 1. If you want the appliance to assign addresses to mobile
users (that is, those identified with the user class mobile) exclusively from address range 2, then you must apply user
class filters for "mobile" to address ranges 1 and 3 that deny lease requests matching that user class.
Configuration Example: Using Option Filters

The following example shows you how to create an option space, add custom options to it, create an option filter, and a
match rule to filter the options so that the NIOS appliance can filter an address request by the vendor options of the
requesting hosts. It can grant or deny an address request if the requesting host matches the filter.
1. Add an option space called MSFT, and then add the following options to it. For information, see Applying DHCP
Options.
Option name Code Type
root-mount-options 1 Text
root-server-ip-address 2 IP address
root-server-host-name 3 Text
root-server-path-name 4 Text
swap-server-ip-address 5 IP address
swap-file-path-name 6 Text
boot-file-path-name 7 Text
posix-timezone-string 8 String
boot-read-size 9 16-Bit unsigned integer
2. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Filters tab and click the Add icon.
3. In the AddIPv4Filter wizard, enter the filter name i86pc, and then select Options as the filter type.
4. Select MSFT as the option space, select an option, specify a value for it, and then add it to the i86pc option filter.
You can select multiple options. Add the following options to the i86pc option filter:
Option name Code Type
root-server-ip-address 2 IP address
root-server-host-name 3 Text
root-server-path-name 4 Text
boot-file-path-name 7 Text
5. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Filters tab -> filter_name, and then click the Add icon.

Rev. D
6. In the AddIPv4MatchRule wizard, select i86pc as the option filter, select vendor-class-identifier(60) as the
matching option, and then enter MSFT as the matching value.
7. Add a DHCP range to the network. For information, see Configuring IPv4 Address Ranges.
8. Apply the i86pc option filter to the DHCP address range. For information, see Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
Configuring DHCP Fingerprint Filters

The appliance can filter an address request by the DHCP fingerprint of a requesting client. Depending on how you apply
DHCP fingerprint filters, the appliance can grant or deny the address request if the requesting client matches the filter
criteria. Note that only superusers can add, modify, and delete DHCP fingerprint filters. Limited-access users cannot
perform any DHCP fingerprint filter related tasks, though with the correct permissions they can apply DHCP fingerprint
filters to DHCP ranges and range templates. For information about how to apply filters to DHCP ranges, see Applying
Filters to DHCP Objects.
You can define a DHCP fingerprint filter by selecting one or multiple DHCP fingerprints from the existing list of DHCP
fingerprints, and then assign a grant or deny permission to the filter. You can then apply the filter to a DHCP address
range, if DHCP fingerprint detection is enabled. For information about how to enable DHCP fingerprint detection, see
Enabling and Disabling DHCP Fingerprint Detection.
Note that once you apply a DHCP fingerprint filter to an address range, you cannot disable DHCP fingerprint detection or
disable individual DHCP fingerprints that have been included in the filter. You must first delete or disable the DHCP
fingerprint filter that you have applied to the address range before you can disable any fingerprint related tasks. For
information about how to delete a DHCP fingerprint filter, see Deleting Filters.
On lease renewals, requesting clients must send the same DHCP fingerprint information in order for the appliance to
properly grant or deny leases based on the configured DHCP fingerprint filters. For example, if a client sends option 55 in
the original request but does not send the same information in the renewal request, and you have configured a DHCP
fingerprint filter to grant a lease to this client, the appliance may not be able to properly grant a lease to this client.
To apply a DHCP fingerprint filter to an address range:
1. Define a DHCP fingerprint filter. For information, see Defining DHCP Fingerprint Filters.
2. Apply the filter to a DHCP address range or range template, and specify that if the DHCP fingerprint of a
requesting host matches the filter definition, the appliance either grants or denies the address assignment. For
Associating a DHCP fingerprint filter with a DHCP range on a DHCP member or a failover association does not require a
DHCP service restart. Changes are propagated seamlessly to the the dhcpd process memory without a service restart
and the dhcpd.conf file is not updated until you restart the service.
Defining DHCP Fingerprint Filters

To define a DHCP fingerprint filter:
-> IPv4 Fingerprint Filter.
From any panel in the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> IPv4 Fingerprint Filter.
2. In the Add IPv4 Fingerprint Filter wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a meaningful name for the filter. For example, if you want to filter address requests by a
specific device class, you can name one filter "Gaming Console," another "Android Phones," and so on.
The filter name must be unique among all DHCP fingerprint filters.

Rev. D
3. Click Next and then click the Add icon in the Select Fingerprints table. In the Fingerprint Selector dialog box,
select the DHCP fingerprint you want to include in this filter. Click Add icon to select another DHCP fingerprint.
 Note
When you select No Match, the appliance applies the filter to all requesting clients that do not send
option 55 and option 60 or to clients that send values in option 55 and 60 that do not match any existing
DHCP fingerprints.
Applying Filters to DHCP Objects

To further control how the appliance allocates IPv4 or IPv6 addresses to DHCP client requests, you can apply DHCP
filters to determine the following:
• The class statements
• The address ranges from which it assigns leases
• When to grant or deny leases to the matching clients
• Which DHCP options to return to the matching clients
You can apply IPv4 or IPv6 logic filters at the Grid DHCP or Member DHCP. You can choose to keep the inherited
properties or override them when you edit the IPv4 / IPv6 networks, IPv4 / IPv6 network containers, IPv4 / IPv6 network
templates, IPv4 / IPv6 shared networks, IPv4 / IPv6 DHCP ranges, IPv4 / IPv6 DHCP range templates, IPv4 / IPv6 fixed
addresses, IPv4 / IPv6 reservations, IPv4 / IPv6 fixed address templates, IPv4 / IPv6 reservation templates, or IPv4 /
IPv6 host addresses.
Adding Filters to the Class Filter List

You can apply any DHCP filter to the Class Filter List of a DHCP range or range template. The appliance uses the
matching rules of these filters to select the address range from which it assigns a lease. You can define permissions for
these filters to instruct the appliance whether to grant or deny a lease to the matching client. When you add a filter with a
grant permission, the client must match the filter criteria to receive a lease. When you define a filter with a deny
permission, clients that do not match the filter criteria still receive leases. Only the client that matches the filter criteria is
denied a lease.
Filters in the Class Filter List correspond to the class statement generated in the dhcpd configuration file, which is a
classification of the client packet. All DHCP clients that match the option filter and relay agent filter criteria become
members of the same class and are eligible to receive DHCP options for that class, regardless of the networks in which
the clients reside. However, a client can only become a member of the MAC or NAC filter class when it is granted a lease
from the DHCP range based on the filter criteria. Whether a client receives specific options and option values depends
on the hierarchy of the options and how you apply the filters. For information about how the appliance returns DHCP
options, see Adding Filters to the Logic Filter List.

Rev. D
Adding Filters to the Logic Filter List
The filters you add to the Logic Filter List correspond to the match rules that are written to the dhcpd configuration file.
The appliance uses these filters to identify DHCP options and values to return to the matching clients. You can apply
option, MAC, and NAC filters to the Logic Filter List. Note that a DHCP client is eligible to receive DHCP options defined
in a filter if it matches the filter criteria. Whether the client receives specific options and their corresponding values
depends on the hierarchy of the options and the list of options requested by the client through DHCP option 55. You can
configure the appliance to ignore the option list requested by a matching client and return all the options that the client is
eligible to receive. For information about how to ignore the option list requested by a client, see Configuring General IPv4
DHCP Properties.
 Notes
• The appliance allows you to add an empty IPv4 logic filter at the end of the logic filter list, which means
that you can add an IPv4 logic filter without defining DHCP options in it. In addition, you can change the
order of the filters in the logic filter list.
• When a range has multiple class filters assigned to it, if any of the filters deny a lease to a client, then
the client will not get a lease even if another class filter allows it.
The appliance decides which options and values to return to a client based on the following:
• If you have different DHCP options defined in a range and any DHCP filters in the Class Filter and Logic Filter
lists, and these options do not overlap, the appliance merges and returns all options to the matching client. For
example, a DHCP client obtains a lease from a DHCP address range (R) through an option filter in the Class
Filter List (CF), which contains an option statement (O1) with a value of (S1). The appliance then matches a filter
in the Logic Filter List (LF) that contains an option statement (O2) with a value of (S2). In this case, option
statements O1 and O2 and their values S1 and S2 are merged and returned to the matching client.
• If there are overlapping DHCP options in a range and any DHCP filters in the Class Filter and Logic Filter lists,
the values defined in the Class Filter List filters take precedence over those defined in the range and filters in the
Logic Filter List. The appliance returns the option value defined in the class filters to the matching client. For
example, a DHCP client obtains a lease from a DHCP address range (R) through an option filter in the Class
Filter List (CF), which contains an option statement (O1) with a value of (S1). The appliance then matches a filter
in the Logic Filter List (LF) that contains the same option statement (O1) with a value of (S2). In this case, the
option value S1 defined in the option filter in the Class Filter List takes precedence and is returned to the DHCP
client.
• When you apply option, MAC, and NAC filters to the Logic Filter List, the appliance translates their match rules
into a DHCP if/elseif/else statement using the match rules of the first filter on the list as the "if" expression in the
statement. Match rules in subsequent filters are translated into the "elseif" statements, and the last filter that does
not contain any match rules is translated into the "else" statement. Note that a filter without any match rules can
only be added as the last filter in the Logic Filter List.
For more information about how the appliance grants and denies leases to requesting clients and determines which
DHCP options to return to the matching clients, see Configuration Example: Using the Class and Logic Filter Lists.
To apply filters:
1. Grid: From the Data Management tab -> DHCP tab, select Grid DHCP Properties from the Toolbar.
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit
icon.
DHCP Range: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network
->addr_range checkbox, and then click the Edit icon
IPv4 Reservation: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network
-> reservation checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.

Rev. D
host_record checkbox, and then click the Edit icon. Select the host IP address, and then click the Edit icon.
IPv4 Network or Fixed Address Template: From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Templates tab
-> (IPv4 network or fixed address) template checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode, and then select the Filters tab.
3. Logic Filter List: You can keep the inherited IPv4 logic filters or override them. To override the value that has been
inherited from the upper level, click Override. Click the Add icon to add a filter to match a client based on the
match rules defined in the filter. For more information, see Adding Filters to the Logic Filter List.
If you have only one configured DHCP filter, the appliance displays the filter in the table. Otherwise, in the DHCP
Filter Selector dialog box, click the filter you want to add. Use SHIFT+click and CTRL+click to select multiple
filters.
4. Complete the following to add the Class Filter to a DHCP address range:
• Click the Add icon to add a filter to identify the class of a matching client, and to grant or deny a lease to a
client. For more information, see Adding Filters to the Class Filter List.
If you have only one configured DHCP filter, the appliance displays the filter in the table. Otherwise, in the DHCP
Filter Selector dialog box, click the filter you want to add. Use SHIFT+click and CTRL+click to select multiple filters.
For each filter you add, click the Action column and select one of the following from the drop-down list:
• Grant lease:
For MAC address filters: Select this to assign an IP address from the address range to a requesting host
whose MAC address matches the MAC address in the filter.
For relay agent filters: Select this to assign an IP address from the address range when one or both of the
relay agent identifiers of the requesting host match the filter criteria.
For option filters: Select this to assign an IP address from the address range to a requesting host whose
DHCP options match the DHCP options and match rules defined in the filter.
For NAC filters: Select this to assign an IP address from the address range to a requesting host based on the
authentication results from a RADIUS authentication server group.
For DHCP fingerprint filters: Select this to grant a lease from the address range to a requesting host based
whose DHCP fingerprint matches the DHCP fingerprint in the filter.
• Deny lease:
For MAC address filters: Select this to deny an address request from a host whose MAC address matches a
MAC address in the filter.
For relay agent filters: Select this to deny an address request when one or both relay agent identifiers match
the filter criteria in the filter.
For option filters: Select this to deny an address request from a host whose DHCP options match the options
and match rules in the filter.
For NAC filters: Select this to deny an address request from a host based on the authentication results from a
RADIUS authentication server group.
For DHCP fingerprint filters: Select this to deny a lease request when the DHCP fingerprint of the requesting
host matches the DHCP fingerprint in the filter.
The appliance uses filters in both the Class Filter and Logic Filter lists to determine the DHCP options and values it
returns to the matching clients.
 Note
You can only add a filter that does not contain any match rules as the last filter in the Logic Filter List.
Configuration Example: Using the Class and Logic Filter Lists

The following example shows you how to define DHCP filters and apply them to the class and logic filter lists. It also
shows you the DHCP configuration file that is generated based on the configuration.
In this example, you first define a MAC filter, two option filters (one without match rules), and a NAC filter, and then apply

Rev. D
the MAC filter to the Class Filter List and the other filters to the Logic Filter List of the address range 10.34.34.6 -
10.34.34.55.
1. Configure and save a MAC filter as follows. For more information, see Defining MAC Address Filters.
a. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Filters tab, and then expand the Toolbar and
click Add -> IPv4 MAC Address Filter.
b. In the Add IPv4 MAC Filter wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter MAC1.
c. Click Next and complete the following to define the DHCP options to return to the matching client:
• Lease Time: Enter 1234 and select seconds from the drop-down list.
Options to Merge with Object Options: Click the Add icon. Grid Manager adds a new row to the table
with the default DHCP option space and option name displayed. Complete the following:
• Option Name: Click the down arrow and select log-server(7) from the drop-down list.
• Value: Enter 10.34.34.3 as the value for the log-server option that is sent to the client in the
OFFER/ACK message.
d. Save the configuration.
2. Add a MAC address filter item as follows. For more information, see Adding MAC Address Filter Items.
click Add -> IPv4 MAC Address Filter Item.
b. In the Add IPv4 MAC Address Filter Item wizard, complete the following:
• MAC Address Filter: Click Select Filter. In the DHCP Filter Selector dialog box, click MAC1.
• MAC Address: Enter AB:DE:CC:DD:EE:01 as the MAC address.
c. Save the configuration.
3. Configure and save an option filter with match rules as follows. For more information, see Defining Option Filters.
click Add -> IPv4 / IPv6 Option Filter.
b. In the AddIPv4OptionFilter wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter Option1.
c. Click Next and complete the following to add match rules:
• In the first drop-down list, select vendor-class-identifier.
• In the second drop-down list, select substring equals, and then enter the following:
• Offset: Enter 0 to match the value starting at the first character of the option data.
• Length: Enter 4.
• Enter MSFT as the matching value.
Click Preview and the appliance displays the expression: (vendor-class-identifier,0,4="MSFT").
d. Click Next and complete the following to define the DHCP options to return to the matching client:
• Option Name: Click the down arrow and from the drop-down list, select time-server(4).
• Value: Enter 10.34.34.2 as the value for the time-server option that is sent to the client in the
OFFER/ACK message.
e. Save the configuration.
4. Configure and save another option filter without match rules as follows:
a. In the AddIPv4OptionFilter wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter Option2.
b. Click Next. Do not define any match rules.
c. Click Next again and complete the following to define the DHCP options to return to the matching client:

Rev. D
• Option Name: Click the down arrow and from the drop-down list, select domain-name(6).
• Value: Enter www.infoblox.com.
5. Configure and save a NAC filter as follows. For more information, see Defining NAC Filters.
click Add -> IPv4 NAC Filter.
b. In the AddFilter Wizard, complete the following and click Next:
• Name: Enter NAC1.
c. Create a rule as follows:
• In the first drop-down list, select Compliance State.
• In the second drop-down list, select equals.
• In the third drop-down list, select Compliant.
Click Preview and the appliance displays the expression: (Sophos.ComplianceState="Compliant").
d. Click Next and complete the following to define DHCP options:
• Lease Time: Enter 1000 and select seconds from the drop-down list.
• Option Name: Click the down arrow and from the drop-down list, select cookies-servers(8).
• Value: Enter 10.34.34.5.
e. Save the configuration.
6. Apply the filters to the address range as follows. For more information, see Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
a. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks ->
10.34.34.6-10.34.34.55 checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
b. In the DHCP Range editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode.
c. Click the Filters tab and complete the following:
Class Filter List: Click the Add icon and add MAC1 as a class filter. Click the Action column and select
Grant lease from the drop-down list.
Logic Filter List: Click the Add icon and add Option1, NAC1, and Option2 respectively as logic filters.
The appliance generates the following information in the DHCP configuration file based on the filter configuration in this
example:
# MAC filter "MAC1"
class "MAC1" {
default-lease-time 1234;
min-lease-time 1234;
max-lease-time 1234;
option log-servers 10.34.34.3;
# NAC filter "NAC1"
{option sophos.compliance
state="compliant"
}
subnet 10.34.34.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
pool {

Rev. D
infoblox-range 10.34.34.6 10.34.34.55;
range 10.34.34.6 10.34.34.55;
option routers 10.34.34.1;
# INFOBLOXMACFILTERDEBUGINFO: allow members of "MAC1";
if (substring(option vendor-class-identifier,0,4)="MSFT") {
# Option filter "Option1"
option time-servers 10.34.34.2;
elsif (option Sophos.ComplianceState="Compliant") {
# NAC filter "NAC1"
option cookie-servers 10.34.34.5;
else {
# Option filter "Option2"
option domain-name "www.infoblox.com"; }
Depending on client requests and the matching criteria, the following scenarios can happen in this example:
If the requesting client matches the MAC1 and Option1 filters, the appliance returns the following:
• Lease time = 1234 seconds (from the MAC filter)
• Returned options:
• Router(3) with a value of 10.34.34.1 (from the address range)
• Log-server(7) with a value of 10.34.34.3 (from the MAC filter MAC1)
• Time-server(4) with a value of 10.34.34.2 (from the option filter Option1)
If the requesting client matches the MAC1 and NAC1 filters, the appliance returns the following:
• Lease time = 1234 seconds (from the MAC filter MAC1)Returned options:
• Cookie-server(8) with a value of 10.34.34.5 (from the NAC filter NAC1)
If the client matches the MAC1 filter, but not the Option1 or NAC1 filters, the appliance returns the following:
• Lease time = 1234 seconds (from the MAC filter)
• Returned options:
• Domain-name(6) with a value of www.infoblox.com (from the option filter Option2)
If the requesting client does not match the MAC1 filter, no lease is granted.

Rev. D
Managing DHCP Filters
You can do the following to manage DHCP filters:
• Modify filter settings. For information, see Modifying DHCP Filters.
• View a complete list of filters, MAC address items, and match rules. For information, see Viewing DHCP Filters.
• Delete filters that are not in use. For information, see Deleting Filters.
Modifying DHCP Filters

To modify a filter:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Filters tab -> filter_name checkbox, and then click the
Edit icon.
2. For a MAC address filter, the DHCP MAC Filter editor provides the following tabs from which you can modify
information:
• General: Modify the fields as described in Defining MAC Address Filters.
• DHCP Options: Add or delete DHCP options. For information, see Defining MAC Address Filters.
• Extensible Attributes: Add or delete extensible attributes that are associated with a specific DHCP range.
For a relay agent filter, the Relay Agent Filter editor provides the following tabs from which you can modify
information:
• General: Modify the fields as described in Defining Relay Agent Filters.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a specific DHCP
range. You can also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible
Attributes.
For an option filter, the Option Filter editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify information:
• General: Modify the fields as described in Defining Option Filters.
• Rules: Modify the match rules as described in Defining Option Filters.
• DHCP Options: Modify option spaces and DHCP options in the Basic tab as described in Defining Option
Filters. You must define the PXE Lease Time in the Advanced tab.
• BOOTP: Modify BOOTP settings as described in Configuring IPv4 BOOTP and PXE Properties.
For a DHCP fingerprint filter, the Add IPv4 Fingerprint Filter editor provides the following tabs from which you can
modify information:
• General: Modify general information, such as the name and device class, as described in Defining
DHCP Fingerprint Filters.
• Fingerprints: Add or delete DHCP fingerprints as described in Defining DHCP Fingerprint Filters.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with the DHCP
fingerprint filter. You can also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using
For a NAC filter, the NAC Filter editor contains the following tabs from which you can modifying information:
• General: Modify the name and comment.
• Rules: Modify the rules as described in Defining NAC Filters.
• DHCP Options: Add or delete DHCP options. For information, see Defining NAC Filters.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a specific

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You can modify the MAC address filter items and match rules for corresponding MAC address filters and option filters.
For information, see Modifying MAC Address Filter Items and Viewing DHCP Filters.
Modifying MAC Address Filter Items

To modify a MAC address filter item:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Filters tab -> filter_name -> mac_filter checkbox, and
2. The MAC Address Filter Item editor contains the following tabs from which you can edit data:
• General: Modify the fields as described in Adding MAC Address Filter Items.
• Registration: Modify registration settings as described in Adding MAC Address Filter Items.
Viewing DHCP Filters

To view DHCP filters:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Filters tab.
2. Grid Manager displays the following for each filter:
• Name: The name of the filter.
• Filter Type: The filter type.
• Comment: The information about the filter.
• Site: The location to which the filter belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
Viewing MAC Address Filter Items

To view a list of MAC addresses in a specific MAC address filter:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Filters tab -> filter_name.
2. Grid Manager displays the following:
• MAC Address: The DHCP fingerprint information of client's device. This field is displayed only when users
use captive portal for authentication. MAC address assigned to the filter.
• Username: Grid Manager displays the username to which the MAC address belongs in the lease viewers.
• Comment: The information you entered about the filter item.
• Expiration Time: The expiration time you configured for the MAC address.
• Fingerprint: The DHCP fingerprint information of client's device. This field is updated when users use
Captive Portal for authentication.
• Site: The location to which the filter belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
Deleting Filters
You can delete a filter that is not currently assigned to a DHCP range. You can also remove a filter from a DHCP range,
and then delete the filter if it is not in use.
To delete a filter:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Filters tab -> filter_name, and then click the Delete icon.
The appliance puts the deleted filters in the Recycle Bin, if enabled. You can later restore the filter if needed.
To schedule this task, click the Delete icon -> Schedule Delete. In the Schedule Deletion dialog box, click Delete Later,

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Authenticated DHCP
This feature provides the ability to control access to your IPv4 networks. (This feature does not support IPv6 networks.)
You can divide a network into segments for unauthenticated, authenticated and guest users, and the DHCP server
assigns clients to the appropriate segment based on their MAC addresses and authentication credentials.
For example, you can divide a network into one or more production segments for valid employees and systems, a guest
segment with access only to the Internet and/or limited public servers, and a quarantine segment with access to a
captive portal only. A captive portal is a web page that can provide an option to register as an authenticated user or as a
guest.
On a member DHCP server, configure DHCP ranges for each access level — quarantine, authenticated, and guest —
and create MAC address filters for the DHCP ranges. You can use DHCP options and Access Control Lists (ACLs) on
your routers and firewall policies to define the appropriate services for each access level. On another Grid member,
configure the captive portal and specify the authentication server group that authenticates the users. You can configure
an authentication server group for external servers running RADIUS, LDAP, or Active Directory (AD).
When a DHCP client first sends a request for an IP address, the DHCP server offers an IP address from the quarantine
range and directs the client to the captive portal, where the user can register either as an authenticated user or as a
guest. When users sign in as guests or are successfully authenticated, the member automatically adds their MAC
addresses to the appropriate MAC address filters and assigns addresses out of the appropriate address range.
This section includes the following topics:
• DHCP Authentication Process

• Configuring DHCP Authentication
• Configuring Authentication Server Groups
• Configuring Captive Portal
• Defining IPv4 Network and DHCP Ranges
• Defining MAC Address Filters
• Using the Captive Portal Wizard
• Adding and Modifying the Filters and Associations
• Monitoring DHCP Authentication
• Configuration Example: Configuring Authenticated DHCP
• NAC Integration
• Configuring NAC with RADIUS Servers
• About Authentication Servers
• Configuring DHCP Ranges
• About NAC Filters
Related topic
DHCP Authentication Process
DHCP Authentication Process

This section illustrates the DHCP authentication process. As illustrated in the figure Quarantining an Unauthenticated
DHCP Client, the DHCP authentication process begins when a DHCP client attempts to connect to the network. The
member DHCP server checks if the MAC address of the DHCP client matches a MAC address in the guest or
authenticated MAC address filters. If the member does not find a match, it assigns an IP address from the quarantine
range to the DHCP client. When the client tries to access a web site, it is redirected to the captive portal page.
Stage 1: Quarantining an Unauthenticated DHCP Client

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Note that the quarantine range in the figure Quarantining an Unauthenticated DHCP Client contains MAC address filters
to deny leases in the quarantine range to DHCP clients with MAC addresses that match those in the Guest and
Authenticated MAC address filters.
When the client connects to the captive portal IP address through its web browser, the user can register and continue the
authentication process to obtain an IP address from the authenticated DHCP range, or register as a guest and obtain an
IP address from the guest DHCP range.
If the user chooses to continue the authentication process, as shown in Authenticating the User, the member
authenticates the user with the authentication service that you configured, which can be RADIUS, LDAP, or AD.
Stage 2a: Authenticating the User

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After the client successfully passes the authentication stage, the appliance stores the MAC address of the client in the
MAC address filter for the authenticated range. When the client tries to renew its IP address, it receives a new IP address
from the authenticated DHCP range.
Note that if the MAC address filter has an expiration period, the member automatically deletes expired MAC addresses
from the filter. Therefore, if a DHCP client tries to renew its IP address after the expiration period, the client is redirected
to the captive portal because its MAC address is no longer in the MAC address filter. For more information, see Defining
MAC Address Filters.
If the user chooses to sign in as a guest, as shown in Registering as a Guest, the user can fill in the guest registration
page provided by the captive portal.
Stage 2b: Registering as a Guest

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After the user signs in as a guest, the appliance stores the MAC address of the client in the MAC address filter for the
guest range. When the DHCP client tries to renew its IP address, it receives a new IP address from the guest DHCP
range, unless the MAC address of the client expired and was removed from the filter. In this case, the DHCP client is
redirected to the captive portal.
Related topic
Authenticated DHCP

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Configuring DHCP Authentication
Following are the tasks to configure the DHCP Authentication feature:
1. Configure the authentication server group which the captive portal uses to authenticate DHCP clients. For more
information, see About Authentication Server Groups.
If the captive portal is used to register guest users and does not authenticate users, then you do not have to
configure an authentication server group.
2. Configure the captive portal properties and associate the captive portal with the authentication server group. For
more information, see Configuring Captive Portal Properties.
3. Optionally, customize the captive portal interface and guest registration page, as described in Customizing the
Captive Portal Interface. Additionally, if you enabled SSL encryption, upload the required certificates, as
described in Managing Captive Portal Certificates.
4. Enable the captive portal, as described in Starting the Captive Portal Service.
5. Configure the network and a DHCP range for quarantine DHCP clients. Configure DHCP ranges for authenticated
and guest DHCP clients, depending on whether you are allowing either one or both types of users to access your
network. For information about configuring these DHCP ranges, see Defining the IPv4 Network and DHCP
Ranges.
6. Run the Captive Portal wizard to create MAC address filters for the quarantine range and for the authenticated,
and guest DHCP ranges, if configured; and to associate the captive portal server with the member that serves the
DHCP ranges. To accomplish these tasks and set other properties, see Using the Captive Portal Wizard.
Alternatively, you can perform these tasks separately or modify the configured properties, as described in Adding
and Modifying the Filters and Associations.
7. Enable the DHCP service. For more information, see Starting DHCP Services on a Member.
For information about monitoring the captive portal and the DHCP service, see Monitoring DHCP Authentication.
Configuring Authentication Server Groups

Create an authentication server group if you want the captive portal server to authenticate users when they register. You
can create an authentication server group with RADIUS servers, LDAP servers, or Active Directory servers, and then
associate the group with the member that runs the captive portal and sends the authentication requests. You can
associate an authentication server group with multiple captive portals, but you can associate a captive portal with only
one authentication server group.
The following sections provide instructions for creating a RADIUS authentication server group, an AD authentication
server group and an LDAP server group:
• Configuring a RADIUS Authentication Server Group
• Configuring an Active Directory Authentication Server Group
• Configuring an LDAP Server Group
Configuring a RADIUS Authentication Server Group

You can add multiple RADIUS servers to an authentication server group and prioritize them. When the member sends an
authentication request, it always selects the first RADIUS server in the list. It only sends authentication requests to the
next server on the list if the first server goes down.
To configure the RADIUS authentication server group to which a captive portal server sends authentication requests:
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> RADIUS Service.
• Server Name or IP Address: Enter the RADIUS server FQDN or IP address.
• Authentication Port: The destination port on the RADIUS server. The default is 1812.

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• Authentication Type: Select the authentication method of the RADIUS server from the drop-down
list. You can specify either PAP (Password Authentication Protocol) or CHAP (Challenge
Handshake Authentication Protocol). The default is PAP.
• Shared Secret: Enter the shared secret that the member DHCP server and the RADIUS server
use to encrypt and decrypt their messages. This shared secret must match the one you entered
on the RADIUS server and must be between 4 and 64 characters (inclusive) in length.
• Connect through Management Interface: Select this to enable the member to use its MGMT port to
communicate with just this server.
• Disable server: Select this to disable the RADIUS server if, for example, the connection to the
server is down and you want to stop the DHCP server from trying to connect to this server.
• Click Test to validate the configuration and check that the Grid Master can connect to the RADIUS
server. Before you can test the configuration though, you must specify the authentication and
accounting timeout and retry values.
If the Grid Master connects to the RADIUS server using the configuration you entered, it displays a
message confirming the configuration is valid. If it is unable to connect to the RADIUS server, the
appliance displays a message indicating an error in the configuration.
• Click Add to add the RADIUS server to the group.
When you add multiple RADIUS servers to the list, you can use the up and down arrows to change the
position of the servers on the list. The member DHCP server connects to the RADIUS servers in the order
they are listed.
• Authentication Timeout: The time that the member DHCP server waits for a response from a RADIUS
server before considering it unreachable. You can enter the time in milliseconds or seconds. The
maximum is 10 seconds.
• Retries: The number of times the member DHCP server retries connecting to a RADIUS server before it
considers the server unreachable. The default is five.
• Accounting Timeout: The time that the member DHCP server waits for a response from a RADIUS server
before considering it unreachable. You can enter the time in milliseconds or seconds. The maximum is 10
seconds.
• Retries: The number of times the member DHCP server retries connecting to a RADIUS server before it
considers the server unreachable. The default is five.
• Recovery Interval: Specifies the duration of time a RADIUS server stays inactive after being down, before
becoming eligible to have RADIUS requests sent to it. The recovery interval starts when a RADIUS server
is first discovered to be down.
• Comment: You can enter additional information about the server group.
• Disable: Select this to disable the authentication server group.
Configuring an Active Directory Authentication Server Group

• Name: Enter a name for the service.
• Active Directory Domain: Enter the AD domain name.
• Domain Controllers: Click the Add icon and complete the following to add an AD domain controller:
• Server Name or IP Address: Enter the FQDN or the IP address of the AD server that is used for
authentication.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the AD server.
• Authentication Port: Enter the port number on the domain controller to which the member sends
authentication requests. The default is 389.
• Encryption: Select SSL from the drop-down list to transmit through an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
tunnel. When you select SSL, the appliance automatically updates the authentication port to 636.
Infoblox strongly recommends that you select this option to ensure the security of all
communications between the member and the AD server. If you select this option, you must
upload a CA certificate from the AD server. Click CA Certificates to upload the certificate. In the CA
Certificates dialog box, click the Add icon, and then navigate to the certificate to upload it.

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• Connect through Management Interface: Select this so that the member uses the MGMT port for
administrator authentication communications with just this AD server.
• Disable server: Select this to disable an AD server if, for example, the connection to the server is
down and you want to stop the Grid member from trying to connect to this server.
• Click Test to test the configuration. If the Grid member connects to the domain controller using the
configuration you entered, it displays a message confirming the configuration is valid. If it is unable
to connect to the server, the appliance displays a message indicating an error in the configuration.
• Click Add to add the domain controller to the group.
• Timeout(s): The number of seconds that the Grid member waits for a response from the specified
authentication server. The default is 5.
• Disable: Select this to retain an inactive AD authentication service profile.
Managing Multiple Domain Controllers

You can create multiple domain controllers on the Microsoft server and associate it with a single Active Directory Domain,
which is synchronized by multiple Grid members within the same Grid:
• Synchronization happens from only one Grid member that is a Microsoft server, which is referred as the master,
at a time in a given network view.
• If the master Microsoft server fails the synchronization three times in a row, it loses its master status.
• The Grid Master will periodically ensure that for each Active Director Domain there is one Microsoft server with
the master status. Otherwise, the appliance selects a new master, based on the following:
• Microsoft server that has been designated as the Grid Master for the longest time previously.
• Microsoft server configured in read/write synchronization mode.
• The master server is indicated within the Active Directory Domain object.
• Synchronization mode changes based on the master.
• When synchronization happens in two separate network views, respective Grid members synchronize data
simultaneously.
Configuring Captive Portal

The captive portal can be used to register users for authentication, guest users, or both types of users. When a DHCP
client attempts to connect to the network and its MAC address is not in any of the configured MAC filters, the member
DHCP server assigns it an IP address in the quarantine range. When the quarantined client tries to reach any web site, it
is redirected to the captive portal. The captive portal runs a limited DNS server that is used solely to redirect queries to
the captive portal web interface.
You can enable the captive portal as a service on any Grid member, except the Grid Master or Grid Master candidate.
The Grid member that runs the captive portal cannot run any other service, such as DHCP and DNS. Note that the
limited DNS service that the captive portal runs is different from the full-scale DNS service on an Infoblox appliance. The
full-scale DNS service must be explicitly disabled on the member that runs the captive portal. For information on
disabling DNS service, see Starting and Stopping the DNS Service.
You can configure one or more captive portals in the Grid. You can also configure one or more member DHCP servers to
use a captive portal to register users. For example, if your organization has two sites, you can configure a captive portal
for each site and configure the DHCP servers in each site to use their respective captive portals to authenticate users.
In order for clients to reach the captive portal, you must specify a route to the captive portal. In a network where all IP
addresses are on the same subnet, you can configure Option 33 for the quarantine DHCP range. For additional
information, see Quarantine DHCP Range. On a routed network, you must configure a default route on the router for the
subnet.
Following are the tasks to configure a captive portal:
1. Select the Grid member that runs the captive portal and configure its properties, as described in Configuring
Captive Portal Properties.
2. Optionally, customize the captive portal and registrati.
3. If you enabled SSL, generate the CA certificate, as described in Managing Captive Portal Certificates.
4. Start the captive portal, as described in Starting the Captive Portal Service.

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Configuring Captive Portal Properties
When you configure the captive portal properties of a member, you specify if it is used to register users for authentication,
guests, or both. If it is used to register guests only, then do not associate it with an authentication server group.
You can specify the VIP address of the Grid member or configure an additional IP address on the loopback interface as
the captive portal IP address. Alternatively, if the Grid member supports the LAN2 port and it is enabled, but the NIC
failover feature is disabled, you can use the IP address of the LAN2 port as the captive portal IP address. To configure an
IP address on the loopback interface, see Configuring IP Addresses on the Loopback Interface. For information on the
LAN2 port, see Using the LAN2 Port.
In addition, you can configure the port on which the appliance listens for authentication requests redirected from the
captive portal. When a user logs in to the captive portal, the member sends an authentication request to its associated
authentication server group. The member determines future DHCP replies to client requests based on the authentication
result.
To configure the properties of the captive portal:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click Captive Portal.
Grid Manager lists all the members, except for the Grid Master and Grid Master candidate.
2. Select the member that runs the captive portal and click the Edit icon.
3. In the General Basic tab of the Member Captive Portal Properties editor, complete the following:
• Use This Authentication Server Group for Authenticating Captive Portal Users: Select the authentication
server group that authenticates users for this captive portal. For information about authentication server
groups, see Configuring Authentication Server Groups.
• Captive Portal User Types: Specify whether the captive portal is used to register Authenticated users only,
Guest users only, or Both.
• Portal IP Address: Select the IP address of the captive portal server. The appliance lists the VIP address
and the IP addresses of the loopback interface and the LAN2 port, if enabled. You can select any of these
addresses as the portal IP address.
• Enable SSL on Portal: Select this to support encrypted web traffic through SSL/TLS. If you select this
option, you must upload a certificate or generate a self-signed certificate. For information about creating
and uploading a certificate for the captive portal, see Managing Captive Portal Certificates.
• Network View: This field displays if there are multiple network views configured. Select the network view
in which the authenticated, quarantine, and guest DHCP ranges belong.
• Log Registration Success: Select to enable the member to log successful registrations in syslog, and then
select the logging level from the drop-down list.
• Log Registration Failure: Select to enable the member to log failed registrations in syslog, and then select
the logging level from the drop-down list.
4. In the General Advanced tab of the editor, you can specify the port on which the member listens for
authentication requests redirected from the captive portal. The default port is 4433. Depending on your firewall and
network policies, you can configure an unused port greater than 1 and less than 63999.
Customizing the Captive Portal Interface

You can customize the captive portal, and if configured, the guest registration page as well. You can upload image files to
the appliance and display your own logo, header and footer. In addition, you can upload the acceptable use policies that
are displayed on the captive portal and guest registration page.
Following are guidelines for each item you can customize:

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• Logo Image: The maximum size is 200 pixels wide by 55 pixels high, and the images can be in JPEG, GIF, or
PNG format. It displays on top of the header image.
• Header Image: The optimal size is 600 pixels wide by 137 pixels high. The image can be in JPEG, GIF, or PNG
format. The header displays at the top of the page.
• Footer Image: The optimal size is 600 pixels wide by 20 pixels high. The image can be in JPEG, GIF, or PNG
format. The footer displays at the bottom of the page.
• Acceptable Use Policy: The policy must be saved as a UTF-8 encoded file. It appears below the welcome
message in the captive portal. Users can scroll through the policy when they review it. This is used in the captive
portal and guest registrati characters, including white space.
If any of the customizable fields are not configured, then the factory defaults are displayed. To customize the captive
portal:
2. Select the member that is running the captive portal and click the Edit icon.
3. Select the Customization tab of the Member Captive Portal Properties editor.
4. In the General Captive Portal Customization section, complete the following:
• Company Name: Enter the name of your company. The company name displays on the title bar of the
browser. You can enter a maximum of 256 characters.
• Welcome Message: Type the message that displays on the captive portal. The message can contain a
maximum of 300 characters.
• Help Desk Message: Type a message that provides Helpdesk information, such as contact information for
technical assistance. The message can contain a maximum of 300 characters.
• Logo Image, Header Image, Footer Image, Acceptable Use Policy: To display the image files and the
acceptable use policy on the captive portal, click Select beside the item you want to upload. In the Upload
dialog box, click Select File and navigate to the image or text file. Select the file you want to display and
click Upload. Note that these files have size requirements, as listed earlier in this section.
5. In the Guest Users Web Page Customization section, complete the following:
• The appliance displays certain fields on the guest registration page. Select the checkboxes of the fields
that users are required to complete: Require First Name, Require Middle Name, Require Last Name,
Require Email, and Require Phone.
• Custom Field 1 — Custom Field 4: You can display up to four additional fields on the guest registration
page. To add a field to the guest registration page, enter a label for that field. The label can have a
maximum of 32 characters. Select Require to require users to complete the field.
Users can enter a maximum of 128 characters in each of the fields in the captive portal login page and the guest
registration page.
Managing Captive Portal Certificates

When you enable support for encrypted web traffic sent over SSL/TLS, you can do any of the following:
• Generate a self-signed certificate and save it to the certificate store of your browser.
• Request a CA-signed certificate. When you receive the certificate from the CA, upload it on the member running
the captive portal.

You can generate a self-signed certificate for the captive portal. When you generate a self-signed certificate, you can
specify the hostname and change the public/private key size, enter valid dates and specify additional information specific
to the captive portal. If you have multiple captive portals, you can generate a certificate for each captive portal with the
appropriate hostname.
2. Select the member that is running the captive portal, and then click HTTPS Cert -> Generate Self-signed
Certificate from the Toolbar.

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3. In the Generate Self-signed Certificate dialog box, complete the following:
SHA-256 2048.
• Common Name: Specify the domain name of the captive portal.
• Admin E-mail Address: Enter the email address of the captive portal administrator.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the certificate.
4. Click OK.

You can generate a CSR (certificate signing request) that you can use to obtain a signed certificate from your own
trusted CA. Once you receive the signed certificate, you can import it in to the Grid member that runs the captive portal,
as described in Uploading Certificates.
To generate a CSR:
2. Select the member that is running the Captive Portal, and then click HTTPS Cert -> Create Signing Request from
the Toolbar.
3. In the Create Signing Request dialog box, enter the following:
SHA-256 2048.
• Common Name: Specify the domain name of the captive portal.
• Admin E-mail Address: Enter the email address of the captive portal administrator.
4. Click OK.
Uploading Certificates
When you upload a certificate, the NIOS appliance finds the matching CSR and takes the private key associated with the
CSR and associates it with the newly uploaded certificate. The appliance then automatically deletes the CSR.
from the server certificate to a trusted root CA.
To upload a certificate:
2. Select the member that is running the captive portal, and then click HTTPS Cert -> Upload Certificate from the
Toolbar.
3. In the Upload dialog box, click Select File, navigate to the certificate location, and click Open.
The appliance imports the certificate . When you log in to the appliance again, it uses the certificate you imported.

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Downloading Certificates
You can download the current certificate or a self-signed certificate so users can install it in their browsers. To download
a certificate:
2. Select the member that is running the captive portal, and then click HTTPS Cert -> Download Certificate from the
Toolbar.
3. Navigate to where you want to save the certificate and save it.
Starting the Captive Portal Service

Before you start the captive portal service, ensure that the member is not running any other service. To start the captive
portal service:
2. Select the member that is configured to run the captive portal service and click the Start icon.
Defining IPv4 Network and DHCP Ranges

First define the IPv4 network that uses DHCP authentication, and then define the DHCP ranges and services for each
access level that you want to provide on the network:
• Quarantine
• Authenticated
• Guest
For information about configuring DHCP IPv4 networks, ranges and services, see Managing IPv4 DHCP Data, and
Configuring DHCP Properties.
Quarantine DHCP Range

You must configure a DHCP range for the quarantine level so the member DHCP server can assign IP addresses within
that range to unauthenticated DHCP clients. An unauthenticated client is allowed to access the captive portal only and
must successfully pass the authentication process before it can receive an IP address from the authenticated range.
Infoblox recommends 30-second leases for addresses in the quarantine DHCP range. This provides enough time for the
user authentication process, so when the client attempts to renew the lease at the midpoint of its lease time, the member
can then assign the client a new IP address, depending on the result of the authentication process.
When you configure the quarantine DHCP range, you must specify the captive portal IP address as the DNS server for
the address range. The captive portal runs a limited DNS server that resolves all queries with the IP address assigned to
the web interface on the captive portal.
Note that you can run the Captive Portal wizard to automatically set the lease time of the quarantine range to 30 seconds
and to add the captive portal IP address as the DNS server. For information about the Captive Portal wizard, see Using
the Captive Portal Wizard. Alternatively, you can set the lease time and the DNS server IP address in the DHCP tab of
the DHCP Range editor. For information about the DHCP Range editor, see Configuring IPv4 Address Ranges.
To ensure that clients can reach the captive portal, you must specify a route to the captive portal. On a network where all
systems can reach each other without going through a router, that is, all IP addresses are on the same subnet, you must
configure Option 33 for the quarantine DHCP range. This option specifies a list of static routes that the client should
install in its routing cache. The routes consist of a list of IP address pairs. For clients to reach the captive portal, specify
the portal IP address first (destination address), and the LAN address of the NIOS appliance second. When the
appliance assigns an IP address from the quarantine DHCP range, it also includes the static route that you specified in
option 33. For information about configuring DHCP options, see Configuring IPv4 DHCP Options. On a routed network,
you must configure a default route via the router on the subnet.
Authenticated DHCP Range

Configure a DHCP range for authenticated users if you want the Grid member to assign IP addresses within that range to
authenticated DHCP clients. Users that receive an IP address in this range typically are allowed full access to the

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network.
When a client successfully passes authentication, the member automatically stores its MAC address in the
corresponding MAC address filter. When the client attempts to renew the lease at the midpoint of its lease time, the
member matches the source MAC address in the request with a MAC address in the filter for the authenticated DHCP
address range. The member then assigns the client a new IP address from the authenticated DHCP range.
Guest DHCP Range

Configure a guest DHCP range if you want to provide guest access privileges. You can configure and customize a guest
registration page when you configure the captive portal. For information about this feature, see Customizing the Captive
Portal Interface.
Defining MAC Address Filters

After you configure the network and DHCP ranges, you must then configure the MAC address filters and add them to the
appropriate DHCP ranges. If you configured DHCP ranges for authenticated and guest users, you must configure MAC
address filters for each range with an action of Allow. You must also add those filters to the quarantine range with an
action of Deny, to ensure that the member does not allocate an address from the quarantine range to a host whose MAC
address matches an entry in the MAC filters for the authenticated and guest DHCP ranges.
When you create the filters, you also specify whether the MAC address entries expire. The member automatically deletes
expired MAC address entries from the filter. If a client that registered earlier attempts to renew its IP address or to
register after its MAC address has expired, it is redirected to the captive portal because its MAC address is no longer in
the filter.
You can run the Captive Portal wizard to automatically create the MAC address filters, as described in the next section,
Using the Captive Portal Wizard, or you can configure each filter as described in Defining MAC Address Filters.
Using the Captive Portal Wizard

After you configure the captive portal and the DHCP ranges for each access level, you can use the Captive Portal
wizard to accomplish the following tasks:
• Associate the captive portal member with the member that serves the DHCP ranges you configured.
• Create MAC address filters and add them to the appropriate DHCP ranges. The wizard allows you to create MAC
address filters for the quarantine DHCP range, and for the authenticated and guest DHCP ranges, depending on
whether the captive portal is used to register users for authentication, guests, or both. This was specified, when
you configured the captive portal properties, described in Configuring Captive Portal Properties. For example, if
you indicated that the captive portal is used for authenticated users only, then the wizard allows you to create a
MAC filter for the authenticated DHCP range only.
• If the captive portal is used to register users for authentication, the wizard allows you to create a MAC
address filter for the authenticated range. The wizard then automatically adds the filter to the
authenticated DHCP range with an action of Allow. It also adds the filter to the quarantine range with an
action of Deny. This ensures that the member does not allocate an address from the quarantine range to
a host whose MAC address matches an entry in the MAC filter.
• If the captive portal is used to register guest users, the wizard allows you to create a MAC address filter
for the guest range. The wizard then automatically adds the filter to the guest DHCP range with an action
of Allow. It also adds the filter to the quarantine range with an action of Deny. This ensures that the
member does not allocate an address from the quarantine range to a host whose MAC address matches
an entry in the MAC filter.
• Add the captive portal IP address as the DNS server for the quarantine address range.
• Set the lease time of the quarantine range to 30 seconds.
To use the Captive Portal wizard to complete the tasks for the DHCP authentication feature:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, or from the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Configure Captive Portal.
3. In the Captive Portal wizard, complete the following and click Next:
• Member DHCP: Select the member DHCP server that uses this captive portal to authenticate users.

Rev. D
• Captive Portal: Select the member that runs the captive portal. Note that the member that runs the captive
portal cannot run any other service, such as DHCP or DNS, and cannot be the Grid Master or Grid Master
candidate.
4. This panel allows you to create MAC filters for the authenticated and guest DHCP ranges. The MAC filters you
can create depend on your entry in the Captive Portal properties of the Grid member. For example, if you
indicated that the captive portal is used for authenticated users only, then this panel allows you to create a MAC
filter for the authenticated DHCP range only.
You can also specify existing MAC filters, if you want to apply them to the authenticated and guest DHCP ranges.
Complete the following and click Next:
• Authenticated MAC Filter: Specify a name for the MAC filter that is used for authenticated users.
• Expiration Time: Specify how long a MAC address is stored in the MAC address filter for authenticated
users.
• Never: Select this option to store MAC addresses in the MAC address filter until they are manually
removed.
• Expires in: Select this option to store MAC addresses in the MAC address filter for the specified
period of time.
• Guest MAC Filter: Specify a name for the MAC filter that is used for guest users.
• Expiration Time: Specify how long a MAC address is stored in the MAC address filter for guest users.
• Never: Select this option to store MAC addresses in the MAC address filter until they are manually
removed.
• Expires in: Select this option to store MAC addresses in the MAC address filter for the specified
period of time.
5. In this panel, you specify the network and address ranges, so the wizard can apply the MAC address filters to the
appropriate ranges. Complete the following:
• Network: Select the network that uses DHCP authentication.
• Authenticated Range: Select the IP address range that the appliance uses for authenticated users. The
wizard applies the authenticated MAC address filter you specified in the preceding step to this DHCP
range with an action of Allow. This effectively allows the member to assign an IP address from the
address range to a requesting host whose MAC address matches the MAC address in the filter.
• Guest Range: Select the IP address range that the appliance uses for guest users.The wizard applies the
guest MAC address filter you specified in the preceding step to this DHCP range with an action of Allow.
This effectively allows the member to assign an IP address from the address range to a requesting host
whose MAC address matches the MAC address in the filter.
• Quarantine Range: Select the IP address range that the appliance uses for quarantined addresses. The
wizard applies the authenticated and guest MAC address filters to the quarantine DHCP range with an
action of Deny. This effectively denies an address request from a host whose MAC address matches an
entry in the MAC filters for the authenticated and guest DHCP ranges.
Adding and Modifying the Filters and Associations

The Captive Portal wizard simplified the configuration process by accomplishing a number of tasks simultaneously. To
accomplish each task separately, or to modify the filters or associations after you have run the wizard:
• To define the MAC address filters for each range, see Defining MAC Address Filters.
• To bind each filter to the appropriate DHCP range, see Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
• To specify the DNS server IP address for the quarantine range and set the lease time to 30 seconds, see
Configuring General IPv4 DHCP Properties.
• To associate a member DHCP server with a captive portal and specify the MAC filters for the authenticated and
guest DHCP ranges:
a. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
b. In the Member DHCP Properties editor, click the IPv4 Authenticated DHCP tab and complete the
following:
• Use this Captive Portal for Infoblox Authenticated DHCP: Select this checkbox and select the
captive portal that you want to associate with the member.

Rev. D
• Authenticated User MAC Filter: Select the MAC filter used for authenticated users. To change your
section, click Clear and click Select again.
• Guest User MAC Filter: Select the MAC filter for guest users. To change you selection, click Clear
and click Select again.
Monitoring DHCP Authentication

You can monitor the status of the captive portal service, as described in Monitoring Services. You can check its status in
the Grid Status widget and the Member Status widget on the Dashboard. For information about these widgets, see
Dashboards.
You can also view the MAC addresses that were added to each MAC address filter, as described in Viewing MAC
Address Filter Items.
Viewing DHCP Ranges and Filters

To view the newly created MAC address filters:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Filters tab. Grid Manager lists all the configured filters.
2. You can select a filter and view or configure its properties, such as extensible attributes.
For more information about the filters and editing their properties, see Managing DHCP Filters.
To view the DHCP ranges and the newly added filters:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section -> network .
2. Select the DHCP range you want to view and click the Edit icon.
3. If the editor is in Basic mode, click Toggle Expert Mode.
4. Click the Filters tab to view the filters.
To verify that the captive portal is the DNS server in the quarantine range:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section -> network.
2. Select the quarantine DHCP range and click the Edit icon.
3. In the DHCP Range editor, click the DHCP tab.
The captive portal IP address is listed in the DNS Servers table.
Configuration Example: Configuring Authenticated DHCP

In this example, a school (school.edu) has two locations, its main campus, campus1.schoool.edu, and a satellite
campus, campus2.school.edu. It has a captive portal server in each location. In the main campus, the Grid Master also
functions as a DHCP server and uses a captive portal server to register DHCP clients. In the satellite campus, two
members serve DHCP and use the same captive portal server. The captive portal servers use the same RADIUS
authentication server group to authenticate users.

Rev. D
Create the RADIUS Authentication Server Group
Create the RADIUS authentication server group and add two RADIUS servers to the group.
• Name: Enter RADIUS ASG.
• Server Name or IP Address: Enter the RADIUS server FQDN, which is rs1.school.edu.
• Authentication Port: Accept the default port (1812).

Rev. D
• Authentication Type: Select the PAP authentication method.
• Shared Secret: Enter no1nose.
• Authentication
• Timeout: Enter 5 seconds.
• Retries: Accept the default, which is five.
• Accounting
server.
Grid Manager displays a message confirming the configuration is valid.
Click Add to add another RADIUS server to the group, and then enter the following:
• Server Name or IP Address: Enter the RADIUS server FQDN, which is rs2.school.edu.
• Authentication Port: Accept the default port (1812).
• Authentication Type: Select the PAP authentication method.
• Shared Secret: Enter no1nose.
• Authentication
• Accounting
server.
Grid Manager displays a message confirming the configuration is valid.
Configure the Captive Portal Properties

Configure the captive portal properties of cp1.campus1.school.edu.
2. Click the Captive Portal tab -> Services tab.
3. Select the member cp1.campus1.school.edu and click the Edit icon.
• Use This Authentication Server Group for Authenticating Captive Portal Users: Select RADIUS ASG.
• Captive Portal User Types: Select Both.
• Portal IP Address: Select 10.2.2.10.
• Enable SSL on Portal: Select this option.
• Log Registration Success: Select Informational.
• Log Registration Failure: Select Informational.
Configure the captive portal properties of cp2.campus2.school.edu.
2. Click the Captive Portal tab -> Services tab.
3. Select the member cp2.campus2.school.edu and click the Edit icon.
• Use This Authentication Server Group for Authenticating Captive Portal Users: Select RADIUS ASG.
• Captive Portal User Types: Select Both.
• Portal IP Address: Select 10.1.3.10.
• Enable SSL on Portal: Select this option.
• Log Registration Success: Select Informational.
• Log Registration Failure: Select Informational.

Rev. D
Customize the Captive Portals
Customize the captive portal cp1.campus1.school.edu.
2. Click the Captive Portal tab-> Services tab.
3. Select cp1.campus1.school.edu and click the Edit icon.
4. Select the Customization tab of the Member Captive Portal Properties editor.
5. In the General Captive Portal Customization section, complete the following:
• Company Name: Enter School.
• Welcome Message: Type the following: Welcome to School. Please sign in.
• Help Desk Message: Type: To reach the Helpdesk, call (408) 111-2222 or email helpdesk@school.edu.
• Logo Image: Click Select beside the logo file and upload it.
6. In the Guest Users Web Page Customization section, complete the following:
• Select the checkboxes beside Require First Name, Require Last Name, Require Email.
Select the other captive portal server, cp2.campus2.school.edu, and enter the same information.
Generate a Self-Signed Certificate and Upload It

To generate a self-signed certificate for cp1.campus1.school.edu:
2. Click the Captive Portal tab from the Services tab.
3. Select cp1.campus1.school.edu, and then click HTTPS Cert -> Generate Self-signed Certificate from the Toolbar.
SHA-256 2048.
• Days Valid: Enter 60 days.
• Common Name: Enter cp1.campus1.school.edu.
5. Click OK.
To generate a self-signed certificate for the captive portal cp2.campus2.school.edu:
3. Select cp2.campus2.school.edu, and then click HTTPS Cert -> Generate Self-signed Certificate from the Toolbar.
SHA-256 2048.
• Days Valid: Enter 60 days.
• Common Name: Enter cp2.campus2.school.edu.
5. Click OK.
Start the Captive Portal Service

3. Select cp1.campus1.school.edu and cp2.campus2.school.edu, and then click the Start icon.
Configure the Networks and DHCP Ranges

Configure the network on the Grid Master.
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section.

Rev. D
2. Click the Add drop-down list and select IPv4 Network.
3. In the Add IPv4 Network wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
• Add Network: Click this.
• Address: Enter 10.2.1.0/24.
5. Complete the following to assign the network to the Grid Master:
• Add Infoblox Member: Select gm.campus1.school.edu.
Configure the ranges on the Grid Master. To create the authenticated range:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks section.
2. Click the 10.2.1.0/24 network link, and then click the Add drop-down list and select DHCP Range.
3. In the Add IPv4 Range wizard, select Add DHCP Range and click Next:
• Network: Click Select Network and select 10.2.1.0/24.
• Start: Enter 10.2.1.50.End: Enter 10.2.1.150.
• Name: Enter authenticated range.
• Grid Member: Select this option and select gm.campus1.school.edu.
To create the guest range:
• Start: Enter 10.2.1.151.
• End: Enter 10.2.1.170.
• Name: Enter guest range.
To create the quarantine range:
• Start: Enter 10.2.1.225.
• End: Enter 10.2.1.254.
• Name: Enter quarantine range.
Create the network and DHCP ranges for the DHCP servers ds1.campus1.school.edu and ds2.campus2.school.edu.
Run the Captive Portal Wizard

Run the Captive Portal wizard to associate the Grid Master with its captive portal, and to configure the MAC address
filters:

Rev. D
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab, or from the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Configure Captive Portal.
3. In the Captive Portal wizard, complete the following and click Next:
• Member DHCP: Select the Grid Master, gm.campus1.school.edu.
• Captive Portal: Select cp1.campus1.school.edu.
• Authenticated MAC Filter: Enter Auth_MAC_Filter.
• Expiration Time: Select Never.
• Guest MAC Filter: Enter Guest_MAC_Filter.
• Expiration Time: Select Never.
• Network: Select 10.2.1.0/24.
• Authenticated Range: Select 10.2.1.50 - 10.2.1.150.
• Guest Range: Select 10.2.1.151 - 10.2.1.170.
• Quarantine Range: Select 10.2.1.225 - 10.2.1.254.
Run the Captive Portal wizard to associate ds1.campus2.school.edu with the captive portal server
cp2.campus2.school.edu, and then run it again to associate ds2.campus2.school.edu with the same captive portal
server.
Start the DHCP Service

To start the DHCP service on the Grid Master:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab.
2. Select the Grid Master gm.campus1.school.edu, and the two members, ds1.campus2.school.edu and
ds2.campus2.school.edu.
4. In the Start Member DHCP Service dialog box, click Yes.
5. Grid Manager starts DHCP services on the Grid Master and on the selected members.
NAC Integration
You can configure member DHCP servers to send authentication requests to RADIUS servers and to allocate addresses
based on the authentication results. This allows you to place DHCP clients into separate network segments.
You can divide your network into different segments by configuring address ranges and applying NAC filters to them.
NAC filters use authentication results from RADIUS servers as matching criteria for granting or denying address
requests.
When a DHCP client requests a lease, the member DHCP server can query a remote backend RADIUS server such as
the Sophos NAC Advanced server to determine if the DHCP client is authorized to access the network. A Sophos NAC
Advanced server is an access-control and compliance server that supports the RADIUS protocol.
The RADIUS server then checks its database and provides the compliance state and user class, if configured, of the
DHCP client. The member DHCP server matches the response with the configured NAC filters, and grants a lease to the
appropriate network segment.
The following figure presents an example illustrating the authentication process and how a member DHCP server
matches the response with NAC filters to determine whether to grant or deny a lease. In the example, there are two
DHCP ranges configured, each with a NAC filter that specifies RADIUS compliance state of DHCP clients allowed in
each range.

Rev. D
The following steps relate to the above figure.
1. A DHCP client sends a DHCPDISCOVER, DHCPREQUEST, or DHCPINFORM to the Infoblox DHCP server.
2. The DHCP server sends the RADIUS server a RADIUS Access-Request packet that includes RADIUS VSAs
(Vendor Specific Attributes) with the MAC address and DHCP transaction ID of the DHCP client.
3. When the RADIUS server receives the Access-Request packet, it does the following:
a. It looks up the MAC address in its database to retrieve the associated compliance state and user class.
b. The RADIUS server sends back a RADIUS Access-Accept packet that includes RADIUS VSAs with the
compliance status and user class.
4. The DHCP server receives the Access-Accept packet and tries to match the response with a NAC filter.
5. The DHCP server matches the response with the NAC filter for compliant DHCP clients and sends the DHCP
client a DHCPOFFER that contains an IP address from the corresponding DHCP range. The server also provides
the configuration and options associated with that range.
Configuring NAC with RADIUS Servers

Complete the following tasks to configure the RADIUS server and the member DHCP server. On an already functioning
RADIUS server:
• Add the member DHCP server as a RADIUS client. Make sure that the shared secret you enter on the RADIUS
server matches the shared secret that you specify when you add the server to the authentication server group in
Grid Manager.
Note that on Grid Manager, you can enter only one shared secret for each RADIUS server. Therefore, on a
RADIUS server, you must define the same shared secret for all Grid members that connect to it.
For information about adding RADIUS clients, refer to the documentation for the RADIUS server.
• Add the Infoblox Grid Master as a RADIUS client, even if it is not going to perform NAC authentication. This
enables you to test the connection to the RADIUS server.
On the member DHCP server:
1. Configure the authentication server group for the RADIUS servers. For information, see Adding a Server Group.
2. Associate the authentication server group with the Grid member. For information, see Associating a Server Group
with a Member.
3. Configure the network and the DHCP ranges. For information, see Configuring DHCP Ranges.
4. Configure the NAC filters, as described in About NAC Filters.

Rev. D
5. Apply the NAC filters to the DHCP ranges, as described in Applying Filters to DHCP Objects.
6. Enable the DHCP service. For information, see Starting DHCP Services on a Member.
Optionally, you can do the following:
• Manage the authentication cache, as described in Clearing the Authentication Cache.
About Authentication Servers

You can create a RADIUS authentication server group for Sophos NAC Advanced servers, and then associate the group
with the member DHCP server that sends authentication requests. The member DHCP server tries to connect to each
Sophos NAC Advanced server in the group using one of the following methods: Ordered List or Round Robin.
In the Ordered List method, the member DHCP server always selects the first Sophos NAC Advanced server in the list
when it sends an authentication request. It only sends authentication requests to the next server on the list if the first
server goes down.
In the Round Robin method, the member DHCP server selects the first Sophos NAC Advanced server for the first
request, the second server for the next request, and so on until it selects the last server in the list. Then it starts with the
first server in the list and continues the same selection process.
Each member DHCP server can have only one RADIUS server group assigned, but a RADIUS server group can be
assigned to multiple member DHCP servers.
Adding a Server Group

To create a RADIUS authentication server group for Sophos NAC Advanced servers:
• Server Name or IP Address: Enter the Sophos NAC Advanced server FQDN or IP address.
• Authentication Port: The destination port on the Sophos NAC Advanced server. The default is
1812.
• Authentication Type: Select the authentication method of the RADIUS server from the drop-down
list. You can specify either PAP (Password Authentication Protocol) or CHAP (Challenge
Handshake Authentication Protocol). The default is PAP.
• Shared Secret: Enter the shared secret that the member DHCP server and the Sophos NAC
Advanced server use to encrypt and decrypt their messages. This shared secret must match the
one you entered on the Sophos NAC Advanced server.
• Enable Accounting: Leave this blank. RADIUS accounting is not supported.
port for communications with just this server.
• Disable server: Select this to disable the Sophos NAC Advanced server if, for example, the
connection to the server is down and you want to stop the DHCP server from trying to connect to
this server.
• Click Test to validate the configuration and check that the Grid Master can connect to the Sophos
NAC Advanced server. Before you can test the configuration though, you must specify the
authentication and accounting timeout values.
If the Grid Master connects to the Sophos NAC Advanced server using the configuration you
entered, it displays a message confirming the configuration is valid. If it is unable to connect to the
Sophos NAC Advanced server, the appliance displays a message indicating an error in the
configuration.
• Click Add to add the Sophos NAC Advanced server to the server group.
When you add multiple Sophos NAC Advanced servers to the list, you can use the up and down arrows to
change the position of the servers on the list. The member DHCP server connects to the Sophos NAC
Advanced servers in the order they are listed.
• Authentication

Rev. D
• Timeout: The time that the member DHCP server waits for a response from a Sophos NAC Advanced
server before considering it unreachable. You can enter the time in milliseconds or seconds.
• Retries: The number of times the member DHCP server retries connecting to a Sophos NAC Advanced
server before it considers the server unreachable. The default is five.
• Mode: Specifies how the member DHCP server selects the first Sophos NAC Advanced server to contact.
• Ordered List: The member DHCP server always selects the first Sophos NAC Advanced server in
the list when it sends an authentication request. It queries the next server only when the first
server is considered down. This is the default.
• Round Robin: The member DHCP server selects the first Sophos NAC Advanced server for the
first request, the second server for the next request, and so on. If the last server is reached, then
the DHCP server starts with the first server in the list, and so on.
• Enable Authentication Cache: The member DHCP server automatically caches authentication results for
120 seconds. When you enable this option, you can override this default in the Cache Time to Live field.
You must enable this option to clear the cache, as described in Clearing the Authentication Cache.
• Cache Time to Live: Specifies the duration of time an authentication result is stored. The default is one
hour. The maximum is 259200 seconds (3 days).
• Recovery Interval: Specifies the duration of time a Sophos NAC Advanced server stays inactive after
being down, before becoming eligible to have RADIUS requests sent to it. The recovery interval starts
when a Sophos RADIUS server is first discovered to be down.
• Comment: You can enter additional information about the server group.
• Disable: Select this to disable the authentication server group.
Associating a Server Group with a Member

To associate an authentication server group with a member DHCP server:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox box, and click the
Edit icon.
2. If the Member DHCP Properties editor is in Basic mode, click Toggle Expert Mode.
3. Select the IPv4 Authenticated DHCP tab.
4. Click the Use this Authentication Server Group for Sophos/RADIUS Authenticated DHCP checkbox, and then
select a group from the drop-down list.
Managing Server Groups

To view the list of authentication server groups, from the Administration tab, click the Authentication Server Groups tab
and expand the RADIUS Service subtab. For each server group, you can view the server group name, comments, and
whether the group is available or disabled. You can then select a server group to modify or delete it.
To modify a server group, select it and click the Edit icon. You can modify any of its properties, and add or delete servers
from the group. When you delete a Sophos NAC Advanced server from a group, the appliance permanently deletes it.
To delete a server group, select it and click the Delete icon. When you delete an authentication server group, the
appliance permanently deletes it.
Clearing the Authentication Cache

The authentication cache can store authentication results for up to 20,000 DHCP clients. When the cache reaches its
limit, the DHCP member logs a message in syslog. To clear the entire cache or the cache entry of a specific MAC
address, you must enable the authentication cache in the RADIUS Service wizard or editor.
To clear the entire authentication cache:
2. Expand the Toolbar and select Clear -> Authentication Cache.
3. When the Clear Authentication Cache confirmation dialog appears, click Purge.
To delete a specific entry:

Rev. D
2. Expand the Toolbar and select Clear -> Authentication Record.
3. In the Clear Authentication Record dialog box, enter the DHCP client MAC address, and then click Purge.
Configuring DHCP Ranges

Create the IPv4 network and DHCP ranges as described in Managing IPv4 DHCP Data. You can create multiple DHCP
ranges and apply one or more NAC filters to each of them.
Listing DHCP Ranges

By default, DHCP ranges are listed according to their start addresses. You can reorder them according to the order in
which you want the member DHCP server to evaluate the ranges.
Consider the following sample DHCP ranges:
• 10.20.30.100-10.20.30.199 (NAC filter that allows leases for compliant DHCP clients)
• 10.20.30.0-10.20.30.99 (No filters)
If the DHCP range with the NAC filter is listed before the range with no filters, then the DHCP server consults the Sophos
NAC Advanced server and applies the NAC filter before it grants a lease. It grants leases from the range with no filters
only if no NAC filters matched or after all leases from the first range are exhausted. If the first range is the production
range and the second range is for the quarantine group, then the server applies the NAC filters for the production range,
before it grants leases to the quarantine range.
To change the order of DHCP ranges in a network:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> network.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Order DHCP Ranges.
3. In the Order DHCP Ranges dialog box, click the up and down arrows to move ranges up or down on the list. The
Priority value changes accordingly.
4. Click OK.
You can view the DHCP objects in a network, including its DHCP ranges by navigating to the DHCP tab -> Networks tab
-> Networks panel, and then clicking the network link. You can select the Priority column for display to view the order of
the DHCP ranges. For information about editing the columns, see Customizing Tables.
About NAC Filters

You can define NAC filters that specify authentication results from a remote, backend RADIUS server such as the
Sophos NAC Advanced server. You can then apply each filter to a DHCP range or range template and indicate whether
the DHCP server grants or denies a lease when the authentication result matches the filter. You can apply NAC filters to
any DHCP range and DHCP range template.
NAC filters are enabled by default. When necessary, you can disable them for the entire Grid so you can perform
maintenance on your RADIUS server. When you disable NAC filters, no service interruptions, service down times,
configuration changes, or server restarts are required. For information about how to disable NAC filters, see Disabling
NAC Filters.
In a NAC filter, you can define rules that specify the following:
• The status of the RADIUS authentication server group:
• Success: At least one of the servers in the RADIUS authentication server group is up.
• Fail: The MAC address in the DHCP request is not in the authentication cache and all servers in the
server group are down.
• Disabled: The RADIUS authentication server group is disabled, all the servers in the group are disabled,
or the member is not assigned a server group.
• The response from the RADIUS server:
• Accept: The response is an Access-Accept packet.
• Reject: The response is an Access-Reject packet.
• Whether the Access-Accept packet contains an error. The Infoblox DHCP server expects certain RADIUS VSAs
in the Access-Accept packet. An error occurs when any of the RADIUS VSAs are missing. For information about
the Access-Accept packet and the RADIUS VSAs, refer to the documentation for the specified RADIUS server.

Rev. D
• Yes: The Access-Accept packet does not include one or more RADIUS VSAs.
• No: There are no errors in the Access-Accept packet.
• A compliance state: unknown, non-compliant, compliant or partially compliant
• A RADIUS server user class
When the member DHCP server receives an address request, it checks the DHCP ranges in their priority order. For
information about the order of DHCP ranges, see Listing DHCP Ranges.
For each DHCP range, it checks if the request matches any MAC filters, relay agent filters, or DHCP option filters that
apply to the range. (For information about these filters, see Configuring IPv4 DHCP Filters.) If any of those filters match,
then the member either grants or denies a lease to the DHCP client, based on the filter. If none of those filters match and
there are NAC filters defined, then the member tries to send an authentication request to a server in the RADIUS
authentication server group.
If you want the member DHCP server to grant leases to specific DHCP ranges in case the RADIUS authentication server
group is considered disabled (server state = disabled) or if all RADIUS servers are down (server state = failure), create a
NAC filter for each situation and apply it to the appropriate range.
Note that when you create a NAC filter, you do not have to include rules that specify prerequisite conditions. For
example, when you create a filter that specifies a RADIUS server compliance state or user class, you do not have to
include rules that specify the following: server state=success, server response=accept, and server error = no.
Defining NAC Filters

To define a NAC filter:
-> IPv4 NAC Filter.
or
From any panel in the DHCP tab, expand the Toolbar and click Add -> IPv4 NAC Filter.
2. In the Add Filter Wizard, complete the following and click Next:
• Name: Enter a name for the filter. You can enter a maximum of 255 characters. The name must be unique
within a specific network. If you want to specify option settings in the filter, the name must be unique
among all NAC filters.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the NAC filter.
3. Create a rule as follows:
• In the first drop-down list, select one of the following criterion: Compliance State, Server Error, Server
Response, Server State or User Class.
• In the second drop-down list, select an operator: equals or does not equal.
• The selections in the third drop-down list depend on the criterion you selected:
Compliance State: Select one of the following compliance states: Unknown, Non-compliant, Compliant
or Partially Compliant.
Server Error: The Infoblox DHCP server expects certain RADIUS VSAs in the Access-Accept packet.
When any of the VSAs are missing, then the DHCP server considers this an error. For information about
the Access-Accept packet and the VSAs, refer to the documentation for the specified RADIUS server.
• Yes: Create a rule that matches when the RADIUS server sends an Access-Accept packet with a
missing VSA.
• No: Create a rule that matches when the RADIUS server sends an Access-Accept packet with no
errors.
Server Response: Select one of the following:
• Accept: Create a rule that matches when the server sends back an Access-Accept packet.
• Reject: Create a rule that matches when the server sends back an Access-Reject packet.
Server State: Select one of the following:
• Success: Create a rule that matches when at least one RADIUS server in the group is up.
• Fail: Create a rule that matches when the MAC address of the DHCP client is not in the cache and
all RADIUS servers in the server group are down.

Rev. D
• Disable: Create a rule that matches when the RADIUS authentication server group is disabled, all
servers in the group are disable, or the member was not assigned a server group.
User Class: Enter the RADIUS user class value, for example, NACDeny. The member DHCP server
does not validate the entry. Therefore, you must make sure that the user class you enter matches the
user class name on the RADIUS server.
To add another rule:
• Click |<- to add an all (logical AND) or any (logical OR) operator line and a parenthetical rule that is indented one
level and above the first rule.
• Click ->| to add an all (logical AND) or any (logical OR) operator line and a parenthetical rule that is indented one
level.
After you add all the match rules, you can click Preview to view the rules or click Reset to remove the previously
configured rules and start again.
4. Click Next and complete the following to define DHCP options:
• Option Space: Select an option space from the drop-down list. This field is not displayed if you do not
have custom option spaces. The appliance uses the DHCP option space as the default.
option space contains the corresponding DHCP options.
• Option Name: Click the down arrow and from the drop-down list, select the DHCP option you want to
return to the matching client.
• Value: Enter the match value that you want the filter to use for the selected DHCP option. For example,
enter the value 172.124.3.0 for the SUNW.SrootIP4 option.
To add more options to the filter, click the Add icon and repeat the steps.
After you add NAC filters, you must then apply them to DHCP ranges, as described in Applying Filters to DHCP
Objects. You can also list, modify or delete NAC filters, as described in Managing DHCP Filters.
Disabling NAC Filters

NAC filters are enabled by default. When you disable them, the appliance bypasses evaluations of all NAC filters for the
entire Grid. There are no configuration changes, service restarts, or service down times when you disable the NAC filters.
The appliance keeps the filter configurations so you can enable them at a later time.
To disable NAC filters for the Grid:
1. From the Data Management tab -> DHCP tab, select Grid DHCP Properties from the Toolbar.
2. In the Grid DHCP Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode, select the General tab -> Advanced tab, and
then complete the following in the Common Properties section:
• Disable All NAC Filters: Select this to disable all NAC filters in the Grid. The appliance keeps the filter
configurations so you can enable them when needed.

Rev. D
Managing Leases
Historical DHCP lease records complement the real-time DHCP lease viewer by allowing the appliance to store and
correlate DHCP lease information over the lifetime of a lease. You can see critical information such as when the
appliance issued or freed an IPv4 or IPv6 address, the MAC address or DUID and host name of the device that received
the IP address, the Grid member that supplied the lease, and the start and end dates of the lease.
You can view current leases and lease history in the Data Management -> DHCP -> Leases tab in Grid Manager. To view
lease history, you must first enable lease logging at the Grid level. For information, see Configuring DHCP Logging and
Configuring the Lease Logging Member. You can also export the DHCP lease history log in CSV format for archival and
reporting purposes.
In the Leases tab, you can do the following:
• View current leases. For information, see Viewing Current Leases.
• View detailed information about a specific lease. For information, see Viewing Detailed Lease Information.
• View historical lease records. For information, Viewing Lease History.
• Export current leases and lease history logs. For information, see Exporting Lease Records.
• Clear leases. For information, see Clearing Leases.
You can also use the filter and Go to functions in the lease panels to retrieve lease information for specific hosts, MAC
addresses, and IP addresses. These capabilities are crucial for security auditing and for meeting new compliance
regulations such as SOX and HIPAA. You can also sort the lease information by column.
This section explains how to manage IPv4 and IPv6 leases. It contains the following topics:
• Viewing Current Leases

• Viewing Detailed Lease Information
• Viewing Lease History
• Exporting Lease Records
• Clearing Leases
Viewing Current Leases

To view current IPv4 and IPv6 leases:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Leases tab -> Current Leases.
• IP Address: The IPv4 address or IPv6 prefix or address that the appliance assigned to a DHCP client for
this lease.
• Protocol: Indicates whether the lease is for an IPv4 or IPv6 address.
• Members/Servers: The Grid member or Microsoft server (for IPv4 leases only) that granted the lease.
• MAC address: The MAC address of the IPv4 DHCP client that received the lease for an IPv4 address.
• DUID: The DHCP Unique Identifier (DUID) of the IPv6 DHCP client that received the lease for an IPv6
address.
• Host Name: The hostname that the DHCP client sent with its DHCP request. For IPv4 leases, this field
displays the hostname of the DHCP client. For IPv6 leases, this field typically displays the FQDN.
• Fingerprint: The name of the DHCP fingerprint or vendor ID of the DHCP client that was identified through
DHCP fingerprint detection. This field displays No Match for devices that do not have any DHCP
• State: The binding state of the current lease. The lease state can be one of the following:
• Free: The lease is available for clients to use.
• Active: The lease is currently in use by a DHCP client.
• Static: The lease is a fixed address lease.
• Expired: The lease was in use, but the DHCP client never renewed it, so it is no longer valid.
• Released: The DHCP client returned the lease to the appliance.
• Abandoned: The appliance cannot lease this IP address because the appliance received a
response when pinging the address.
• End: The day, date, and time when the state of the lease ends.

Rev. D
• Start: The day, date, and time when the state of the lease starts.
• Username: Displays the name of the user who receives the lease for the IP address. The username
enables you to differentiate between guest users and authenticated users. If you log in as an
authenticated user, your username is whatever you choose when you log in. If you log in as a guest, your
username is First: first_name Last: last_name.
For example, if your first name is John and last name is Doe and your username is jdoe, when you log in
as an authenticated user, your username is jdoe. If you log in as a guest user, your username is First:
John, Last: Doe.
• Client ID: The DHCP client identifier (option 61) in an IPv4 lease. The client sends the client identifier as
option 61 in the DHCP DISCOVER and REQUEST packets, as described in RFC2132, DHCP Options
and BOOTP Vendor Extensions. The client identifier is either the MAC address of the network interface
card requesting the address or any string uniquely identifying the client. This field is not displayed by
default.
 Note
The dates and timestamps in the Leases tab are determined by the time zone setting of the admin account that
you use to log in to the appliance.
You can display the following discovered data for IPv4 leases:
• Last Discovered: The timestamp when the IP address was last discovered. This data is read-only.
• OS: The operating system of the detected host or virtual entity. The OS can be one of the following:
• Microsoft for all discovered hosts that have a non-null value in the MAC addresses using the NetBIOS
discovery method.
• NetBIOS Name: The name returned in the NetBIOS reply or the name you manually register for the
discovered host.
• Discoverer: Specifies whether the IP address was discovered by a PortIQ or NIOS discovery process.
• View the lease detailed information of a current lease by selecting the checkbox of the lease, and then clicking
the Open icon.
• Change a current lease state to Free by selecting the checkbox of a current lease, and then clicking the Delete
icon.
Viewing Detailed Lease Information

You can view detailed information about a specific lease. To view detailed information of a specific lease:
1. From the Data Management tab, select DHCP tab -> Leases -> Current Leases -> lease checkbox, and then click
the Lease Details icon.
or
From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab, drill down to the IP Map, IP List, or IP address panel, and
then click Lease Details from the Toolbar.
2. In the Lease Detailed Information viewer, Grid Manager displays the following for each type of lease:
For IPv4 leases, it displays the fields Member, MAC address, Host, Start, End, Binding State, Username, Binding
State, as described in Viewing Current Lease, plus the following information:

Rev. D
• Lease Issue: The date and time when the lease was issued. Displayed in the lease event details report
only.
• Event: The action taken. This can be one of the following: Issued, Renewed, Freed, or Abandoned.
Displayed in the lease event details report only.
• Served by: The member that provides DHCP services to the lease.
• Next Binding State: The subsequent binding state when the current lease expires. The lease state and the
next binding state can be one of the following:
• Free: The lease is available for clients to use.
• Active: The lease is currently in use by a DHCP client.
• Static: The lease is a fixed address lease.
• Expired: The lease was in use, but the DHCP client never renewed it, so it is no longer valid.
• Released: The DHCP client returned the lease to the appliance.
• Abandoned: The appliance cannot lease this IP address because the appliance received a
response when pinging the address.
• Billing Class: The billing class of the lease.
• Option 82 Agent ID: The agent ID of the relay agent filter (option 82). A relay agent can append DHCP
option 82, relay agent information, to a message that it forwards from a DHCP client to a DHCP server.
• Option 82 Circuit ID: The circuit ID of the relay agent filter (option 82).
• Option 82 Remote ID: The remote ID of the relay agent filter (option 82).
• Option 82 Link Selection: An IP address, provided by the DHCP relay agent, in the subnet from which the
DHCP server allocated the leased IP address to the client.
• Option 82 Server ID Override: The IP address, provided by the DHCP relay agent, that the DHCP server
used as the value in the server identifier option of the response sent to the client.
For more information about the sub options for Option 82, see About the DHCP Relay Agent Option (Option 82).
 Note
The agent, circuit, and remote IDs for option 82 can be displayed in hexadecimal or plain text format. By
default, Grid Manager displays them in hexadecimal format. You can change the logging format, as described
in Defining Logging Format for DHCP Option 82.
• Option: Agent circuit ID and remote ID data sent by a DHCP relay agent in all DHCP options.
• UID: (User ID) The client identifier that the DHCP client sends the appliance (in DHCP option 61) when it
acquires the lease. Not all DHCP clients send a UID.
• TSFP: (Time Sent From Partner) The time — from the point of view of a remote DHCP failover peer —
when the current lease state ends.
• CLTT: (Client Last Transaction Time) The time of the last transaction with the DHCP client for this lease.
• TSTP: (Time Sent To Partner) The time — from the point of view of the local DHCP failover peer — that
the current lease state ends.
For IPv6 leases, it displays most of the same fields as IPv4 leases, plus the following information:
• DUID: The DUID of the IPv6 DHCP client that received the lease for an IPv6 address.
• Prefix Bits: The prefix length.
• Preferred Lifetime: The length of time that a valid address is preferred. A preferred address can be used
with no restrictions. When this time expires, the address becomes deprecated.
Viewing Lease History

To view lease history:
• From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Leases tab -> Lease History.
Grid Manager displays a table of historical leases that have been archived in the system. You can export the
information in the lease history table. You can also search by the IP address or MAC address of the lease. Grid
Manager displays the following read-only information:
• Lease Issue: The date and time when the lease was issued.

Rev. D
• Protocol: Indicates whether the lease is for an IPv4 or IPv6 address.
• IP Address: The IPv4 address or IPv6 prefix or address of the lease.
• MAC Address: The MAC address of the IPv4 lease.
• DUID: The DUID of the DHCP client that received the lease for an IPv6 address.
• Fingerprint: The name of the DHCP fingerprint or vendor ID of the DHCP client that was identified through DHCP
fingerprint detection. This field displays No Match for devices that do not have any DHCP fingerprint information.
For information about DHCP fingerprints, see DHCP Fingerprint Detection.
• Host Name: The host name that the DHCP client sent to the appliance.
• Action: This can be one of the following: Issued, Renewed, Freed, or Abandoned.
• Start: The start date of the lease.
• Stop: The end date of the lease.
• Member/Server: The DHCP member or Microsoft server that granted the lease.
• Member IP Address: The IP address of the DHCP member that granted the lease. You can do the following in this
section:
• View the lease event detailed information of a historical lease by selecting the checkbox of a lease, and then
clicking the Open icon.
• Print or export the information in this section.
Viewing Lease Event Detailed Information

You can view detailed information about a historical lease record by clicking the lease in the Data Management tab ->
DHCP tab -> Leases tab -> Lease History. Grid Manager displays the event, the date and time when the event occurred,
plus detailed information about the historical lease record. For information about the fields, see Viewing Detailed Lease
Information.
You can also export and print the information in this panel. For information, see Exporting Lease Records.
Exporting Lease Records

The DHCP lease history log holds a maximum of 100,000 entries. After that maximum is reached, the appliance begins
deleting entries, starting with the oldest. To archive DHCP lease history logs, you can export them and save them as
CSV (comma separated variables) files. You do not need to export the entire log. You can selectively export a section of
the log, such as the lease events for a single day.
As a conservative approach to archiving DHCP lease data, Infoblox recommends exporting the log on a daily basis,
perhaps through API (application programming interface) scripting. By exporting the daily log entries every day over a
certain period of time and then opening the exported files with a spreadsheet program, you can see the number of
entries for each day. You can then estimate how often you need to export the log to ensure that you save all of the entries
before the log fills up (at 100,000 entries). As a result, you might discover that you need to export the log more or less
frequently than once a day to archive all the records.
A limited-access admin group can view and export the DHCP lease history if it has read-only permission to the DHCP
lease history. For information on setting permissions for the DHCP lease history, see Administrative Permissions for the
IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP Lease Histories. In addition, you can export the displayed DHCP current lease information or you
can export them to a CSV file.
To export displayed current lease information:
2. Click the Export icon and select Export visible data. For more information on how to export, see Exporting
Displayed Data.
To export DHCP current lease information to a CSV file:
2. Click the Export icon and select Export data in Infoblox CSV Import format. For more information on how to
export, see Exporting Data to Files.
To export a lease history log:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Leases tab -> Current Leases or Lease History.
2. Click the Export icon and select.

Rev. D
3. In the Export dialog box, click Start
4. Click Download when the export is complete. Ensure that you turn off the pop-up blocker in your browser.
5. In the File Download dialog box, select the appropriate action to either open or save the CSV file.
Clearing Leases
You can clear active leases for which you have read/write permission. When you clear an active lease, its IP address
becomes available and its status changes to "Free". To clear an active lease:
2. Click the checkboxes beside the IP addresses of the leases you want to clear, and then click the Clear Lease
icon.
Grid Manager clears the selected leases. You can view information about a cleared lease, by selecting it in the
Lease History panel and clicking the Edit icon.
Configuring Microsoft Windows Servers

This section describes how you can centrally manage Microsoft Windows® DNS and DHCP servers from Grid Manager.
You can synchronize your DNS and DHCP data from the Microsoft servers to the Grid, and then use IPAM tools to
facilitate DHCP and DNS configuration and data management. This section includes the following topics:
• Managing Microsoft Windows Servers

• Managing Microsoft DNS Services
• Managing Microsoft DHCP Services
Managing Microsoft Windows Servers

This section explains how to configure Grid members to manage Microsoft Windows DNS and DHCP servers from Grid
Manager. It includes the following topics:
• About Managing Microsoft Windows Servers

• Configuring Members to Manage Microsoft Servers
• Configuring Grid Properties for Managing Microsoft Servers
• Managing Microsoft Servers
• Configuring Active Directory Sites and Services
• Configuring Active Directory Sites and Associated Networks
• Managing Active Directory Sites
• Managing Active Directory Sites and Associated Networks
• Configuring Identity Mapping
• Monitoring Managed Microsoft Servers
About Managing Microsoft Windows Servers

You can configure Grid members to manage Microsoft Windows DNS and DHCP servers, and synchronize their DNS
and DHCP data to the Grid database, so you can view and optionally, manage the data from Grid Manager. After the data
is synchronized, you can use the IPAM tools of Grid Manager to simplify DNS and DHCP configuration and
troubleshooting. You can use Smart Folders to organize your data, and monitor your networks and Microsoft servers from
the Dashboard. In addition, you can control the DNS and DHCP services of the Microsoft servers from Grid Manager and
configure server properties as well. You can use the Identity Mapping feature to get visibility of user interaction with their
environments. For more information about the Identity Mapping feature, see Configuring Identity Mapping.
The below figure illustrates a Grid that includes a member that provides DNS and DHCP services, and two other
members that manage multiple Microsoft DNS and DHCP servers. Assuming the admin has the appropriate permissions,

Rev. D
the admin can centrally manage the Microsoft DNS and DHCP servers and Infoblox DNS and DHCP server from a single
interface, Grid Manager.
Managing Microsoft and Infoblox DNS and DHCP Servers from the Grid Master
You do not have to configure or install any application on the Microsoft servers for the Grid members to communicate
with the servers. Infoblox uses MS-RPC (Microsoft Remote Procedure Calls) to manage Microsoft servers.
A Grid member can manage a Microsoft server in either of two modes, Read-only or Read/Write. In Read-only mode, the
Grid member synchronizes data from the Microsoft server to the Grid so admins can use Grid Manager to view the
synchronized data, but not update it. Read/Write mode allows admins to update the synchronized data as well.
Updates from Grid Manager are then synchronized to the Microsoft server, and updates from the Microsoft server are
synchronized to the Grid.
Configuration changes and data synchronized from the Grid to the Microsoft server apply immediately after the
synchronization. You do not have to restart the Microsoft server or for DNS, reload the zones.
Note that due to a field length limit set on the Microsoft DHCP server, after you synchronize DHCP data on the Microsoft
server, the "Comment" and "Description" fields for a fixed address and reservation can display only up to 128 characters
even though NIOS allows up to 256 characters for these fields.
 Note
A Grid member must have a Microsoft Management license installed to manage a Microsoft server. The license
allows the member to synchronize data with Microsoft servers. It also activates the tabs, dialog boxes and other
elements in Grid Manager that you need to manage a Microsoft server. If you do not see the Microsoft Servers
tab after you add a member that has a Microsoft Management license, you might have to restart the Grid
Master to view the tab and to manage Microsoft DNS and DHCP servers in the Grid.

Rev. D
Supported Windows Versions
Infoblox Grid members can manage Microsoft servers that support the following Windows versions:
OS Levels Platforms
Microsoft Windows 2003 Standard and Datacenter SP2 32 bits
Microsoft Windows 2003 R2 Standard and Datacenter Initial Release 32 bits, 64 bits
Microsoft Windows 2008 Standard and Datacenter SP2 32 bits, 64 bits
Microsoft Windows 2008 R2 Standard and Datacenter Initial Release 64 bits
Microsoft Windows 2012 Standard and Datacenter Initial Release 64 bits
Microsoft Windows 2012 R2 Standard and Datacenter Initial Release 64 bits
Infoblox supports the following SMB (Server Message Block) protocol versions for Microsoft Windows servers: SMB
version 1 (SMBv1), SMB version 2.x (SMBv2.x), and SMB version 3.x (SMBv3.x).
Grid members check the Windows version of the Microsoft servers before each synchronization. If a Microsoft server
reports an unsupported version before a synchronization, the member logs an error and the synchronization fails.
Note that some Windows versions require certain updates and hotfixes installed, so the Microsoft server can synchronize
with the Grid member. Following are the current requirements:
• Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition requires the installation of security update 935966.
• Windows Server 2008 R2 requires the hotfix referenced in the Knowledge Base article 981776.
• Windows Server 2008-based DNS servers might not display delegations for reverse lookup zones. For
information about this issue, including the available hotfix, refer to Knowledge Base article 958190.
For information about the updates, enter their IDs in the Search field of the Microsoft Support website at http://
support.microsoft.com.
By default, only superusers can configure Grid members to manage Microsoft servers. Superusers can give limited-
access users Read-only or Read/Write permission to Microsoft servers. Read-only permission allows admins to view the
properties and data of a Microsoft server from Grid Manager. Write permission is required to configure Grid members to
manage Microsoft servers, edit their properties, and start or stop their DNS and DHCP services. For additional
information, see Administrative Permissions for Microsoft Servers.
Note that to view and manage the DNS and DHCP data synchronized from Microsoft servers, admins must have
permissions to the applicable DNS and DHCP resources. For example, to view DNS zones synchronized from Microsoft
servers, admins must have Read-only permission to zones, and to edit the zones, admins need Read/Write permission to
them. Similarly, to view DHCP ranges synchronized from Microsoft servers, admins must have Read-only permission to
DHCP ranges, and to edit the DHCP ranges, admins need Read/Write permission to the DHCP ranges. For information,
see Administrative Permissions for DNS Resources and Administrative Permissions for DHCP Resources.
The administrative permissions on the Grid are different from those on the Microsoft server. These permissions are
independent of each other and are not synchronized.

Rev. D
Deployment Guidelines
Following are some recommendations and considerations when configuring Grid members to manage Microsoft servers:
• Infoblox recommends that you schedule the initial synchronization at a time when your network is less busy,
especially if you are synchronizing a large amount of data. In addition, if a Microsoft server reconnects after being
disconnected for a long period of time, it could synchronize a significant amount of data and this could impact the
Grid Master performance.
• vNIOS Grid members and Grid members running on Infoblox-250, Trinzic 100, and Trinzic 810 appliances do not
support being configured as managing members.
• The managing member must be close, in terms of network hops, latency and bandwidth, to the Microsoft servers
that it manages. This will help reduce the synchronization time and potential retries due to network delays.
• Although a Grid member that manages Microsoft servers can run other protocols and services, to optimize
performance, Infoblox recommends that you configure one or more members solely for managing Microsoft
servers.
• Grid members connect to Microsoft servers using RPC calls over TCP/IP. You must adjust your firewall policies to
allow traffic between the managing Grid member and its assigned Microsoft servers. Grid members use the VIP
as their source port. In Windows Server 2003, RPC uses the dynamic port range 1025-5000, by default. In
Windows Server 2008, RPC uses the dynamic port range 49152-65535, by default. You can reduce the number
of available ports as follows:
• In Windows Server 2003, use the rpccfg.exe tool. For information, refer to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/
908472.
• In Windows Server 2008 and later, use the netsh tool. For information, refer to http://
support.microsoft.com/kb/929851.
The minimum number of ports required in the range is 255.
Note that TCP ports 135 and 445 must be open on the Microsoft server, in addition to the dynamic port range. Ports
135 and 445 are used by the port mapper interface, which is a service on the Microsoft server that provides
information to clients on which port to use to connect to a specific service, such as the service that allows the
management of the DNS service.
• The capacity of the managing member must be greater than or equal to the sum of all its assigned Microsoft
servers.
• The capacity of the Grid Master must be greater than or equal to the sum of all managed Microsoft servers
• A Microsoft server can synchronize its data to only one network view, and for DNS data, only one DNS view.
• Multiple Microsoft servers can synchronize their data into the same network view and DNS view, unless there is a
conflict in their data. For example, two Microsoft servers in different locations could serve the same private IP
address space, such as 10.1.0.0/16, or serve reverse-mapping zones with the same name, such as 10.in-
addr.arpa. Synchronizing their data to the same network view and DNS view would cause conflicts which result in
the Grid member synchronizing the data of only one Microsoft server and logging an error for the other Microsoft
server. In such situations, Infoblox recommends that you synchronize each Microsoft server to a different network
view and DNS view to ensure that data from both servers are synchronized.
• This release supports the following Microsoft IPAM enhancements:
• Monitor and control settings for DNS and DHCP services for Microsoft servers
• Synchronization of IP addresses with invalid MAC addresses
• Output destination for Microsoft server log messages in the syslog
• Synchronization and configuration of Microsoft DHCP failover relationships
• RPC (Remote Policy Call) timeout setting
• Maximum concurrent connections for Microsoft servers
• Enabling and Disabling DNS zone synchronization
• The ability to allow GSS-TSIG based DDNS updates from multiple clients in a single forest or multiple
forests using keys that are appropriate for their respective domains.
Earlier NIOS releases do not support these features. When you modify settings related to these features on
Microsoft servers assigned to Grid members running a NIOS release earlier than NIOS 6.11, the NIOS appliance
displays an error message.

Rev. D
Limitations for Scheduling Full Upgrades
When you schedule a full upgrade to NIOS 6.11 and later, you can set the RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) timeout
settings and maximum concurrent connections immediately on any member as soon as you upgrade the Grid Master.
When you disable the synchronization of a DNS zone, NIOS displays an error message if any Microsoft server that is a
potential synchronization master, which is assigned to a Grid member, has not been upgraded to NIOS 6.11.0 or later
versions.
The following happens if a DHCP failover configuration exists:
• Any Microsoft server configured to manage DHCP and assigned to a Grid member, which has not been
upgraded, synchronizes the DHCP configuration without any failover related data.
• You cannot assign a Microsoft server that is assigned to a Grid member, which has not been upgraded, to any
Microsoft failover relationship.
• NIOS manages any DHCP scope that is identified to be part of a Microsoft failover relationship but is managed by
a Grid member that has not been upgraded, in Read-only mode.
Configuring Members to Manage Microsoft Servers

You can manage Microsoft DNS and DHCP servers on any Grid member. To avoid performance issues, Infoblox strongly
recommends that you do not configure Microsoft DNS and DHCP servers on the Grid Master and Grid Master candidate.
When an HA pair manages Microsoft servers, the active node handles synchronization. If an HA failover occurs during a
synchronization, the failing node immediately aborts the synchronization. The new active node resumes the next
synchronization. Changes that occurred on the Grid since the end of the last synchronization are lost.
For Microsoft DHCP failover, NIOS supports both the hot standby and load sharing modes in both Read/Write and Read-
only modes on DHCP servers running Microsoft Windows 2012 and 2012 R2. For more information about Microsoft
DHCP failover, refer to the Microsoft documentation.
Complete the following tasks to configure a Grid member to manage a Microsoft server:
1. On the Microsoft server, create a user account for the Grid member. For information, see Setting Microsoft Server
Credentials.
2. On the Grid Master, configure the managing member, as described in Configuring a Managing Member.
Setting Microsoft Server Credentials

To enable a Grid member to synchronize data with a Microsoft server and control DNS and DHCP services, you must do
the following on the Microsoft server:
1. Create a user account for the Grid member.
2. Grant the user account the necessary permissions.
You can either add the user account to the Administrators Group or add the user account to specific groups and explicitly
set only the permissions necessary to access the DHCP and DNS services of the Microsoft server. The following
sections provide general instruction on each method.
Adding User Account to the Administrators Group

Adding the user account of the Grid member to the Administrators Group provides total control over the Active Directory
Domain. Do one of the following:
• If the managed Microsoft server is a standalone server or a member server in a domain, open Computer
Management, click Groups, and add the user account to the Administrators Group.
• If the managed Microsoft server is a domain controller, open Active Directory Users and Computers, select the
domain name, click Builtin, and add the user account to the Administrators Group.
Setting Specific Group Memberships and Permissions

If your security policy precludes adding user accounts to the Administrators group, you can add the user account to
individual groups and grant only the required permissions. For guidelines and more information, see the following:

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http://support.microsoft.com/kb/325349
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914392
To add the user account of the Grid member to individual groups and grant specific permissions:
• To enable the member to synchronize DNS data with the Microsoft server, add its user account to the DnsAdmins
Group.
• To enable the member to synchronize DHCP data with the Microsoft server, add its user account to the Dhcp
Administrators Group.
• To enable the Grid member to monitor, start, and stop the DNS and DHCP services, grant the user account
permissions on the Service Control Manager (SCM), as follows:
a. Grant permissions to the SCM on each managed Microsoft server. For more information, refer to the
section DNS Server Service Permissions at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg638675.aspx.
To find additional information, you can also search for "Least Privilege Setup" on the Microsoft sites.
b. Grant permissions to the DNS and/or DHCP service on each managed server by doing one of the
following:
• Use the sc command line utility to remotely configure each managed DNS or DHCP server.
Note that you need to know the SID of the user account and its current permissions. You can
retrieve the SID of the user account by using the dsquery and dsget commands.
• Use the Domain Controller Policy editor to define a global policy that applies to all DNS or DHCP
services running in a domain or on domain controllers. For additional information, refer to http://
support.microsoft.com/kb/324802.
Configuring a Managing Member

When you configure a member to manage Microsoft servers, you must specify the following:
• The management mode of the Microsoft server. For information, see Setting the Management Mode.
• A network view, if there is more than one in the Grid, and a DNS view, if there is more than one in the network
view. For information, see Synchronizing to a Network View and DNS View.
For the steps on configuring the managing member, see Assigning Grid Members to Microsoft Servers.
Setting the Management Mode

A Grid member can manage a Microsoft server in Read-only mode, which is the default, or in read-write mode. In Read-
only mode, the Grid member copies the DNS and DHCP data from the Microsoft server to the Grid so Grid Manager
admins can view the synchronized data. They cannot update the data, control the DNS and DHCP service of the
Microsoft server, or configure any properties.
When you select Read-only mode for Active Directory sites, you can view the sites and networks that are present on the
Microsoft server through Grid Manager. Note that you cannot manage the Active Directory sites and networks directly
from the Grid, but you can manage an object within the Grid that is associated with a Read-only Active Directory Site or
an Active Directory network. The synchronization process is Read-only and you cannot write into the Microsoft server in
this mode. For more information, see Assigning Grid Members to Microsoft Servers.
In Read/Write mode, Grid Manager admins are allowed to update the data of the Microsoft server. Therefore during each
synchronization, the Grid member applies changes from the Grid to the Microsoft server and vice versa. Read/Write
mode also allows admins to control DNS and DHCP services of the Microsoft server and configure some of their
properties.
When you select Read/Write mode for Active Directory Sites, you can view and manage the sites and networks that are
present on the Microsoft server through Grid Manager. When you update an object that is associated with the Active
Directory Site or an Active Directory network, the changes reflect on the Microsoft server. For more information, see
Assigning Grid Members to Microsoft Servers.
Note that the management mode of a Microsoft server is separate from the admin permissions that the appliance
requires to access the Microsoft servers and DNS and DHCP resources. An admin must still have the applicable
permissions to the Microsoft servers and DNS and DHCP resources they want to access. For information on admin
permissions, see Administrative Permissions for Microsoft Servers.

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Synchronizing to a Network View and DNS View
A Microsoft server can synchronize its data only to a single network view and a DNS view. Grid Manager automatically
assigns Microsoft servers to the default view when a Grid contains only the default network view and DNS view. If a Grid
has more than one network view, you must select a network view for the Microsoft server to synchronize its data; and if
there are multiple DNS views, you must select a DNS view as well.
You cannot modify the assigned network view or DNS view of a Microsoft server after its data has been synchronized.
Instead, you must remove the Microsoft server and then add it again. For information about removing a server, see
Removing a Managed Microsoft Server.
Microsoft servers do not support network views and DNS views. Therefore, network view and DNS view properties have
no effect on the DNS and DHCP data that are synchronized from Microsoft servers.
Assigning Grid Members to Microsoft Servers

To configure a Grid member to manage one or more Microsoft servers:
1. Grid: From the Grid tab -> Microsoft Servers tab -> Servers tab, click the Add icon.
Standalone appliance: From the System tab -> Microsoft Servers tab -> Servers tab, click the Add icon.
2. In the Add Microsoft Server(s) wizard, complete the following:
• Which features do you want to configure?: This section appears only when you have selected the Enable
MS AD feature checkbox for mapping network users. For more information, see Enabling Identity
Mapping. You can select multiple options in this section:
• Network Users: Select this checkbox to enable the Grid member to synchronize user information
with the managed Microsoft servers.
• DNS and DHCP Services: Select this checkbox to enable the Grid member to synchronize DNS
and DHCP services with the Microsoft servers.
• Active Directory Sites: Select this checkbox to enable the Grid member to synchronize Active
Directory sites.
• In the General Settings section, complete the following:
• Managing Member: Click Select Member and select the Grid member that manages Microsoft
servers.
Select None if you do not want to associate a Microsoft server with a Grid member.
• Credentials to Connect to the Microsoft Server(s): Enter the login name and password that the
appliance uses to connect to the Microsoft servers. These must be the same as those you
specified when you created the user account for the Grid member on the Microsoft servers. Note
that you must specify the domain name and the user name in the following format:
domain_name\user_name.
• Manage Server(s) in: Select the management mode, which is either Read-only or Read/Write. You
can choose to manage the DNS and DHCP synchronization services in either Read-only or Read/
Write mode. For more information, see Setting the Management Mode.
• Minimum Synchronization Interval (min): The default synchronization interval is two minutes. This
is the time between the completion of one synchronization and the start of a new one.
Synchronizing large data sets could take longer than the synchronization interval, causing a delay
in the start of the next synchronization. For example, if the synchronization interval is two minutes
but a synchronization takes five minutes, the time between the start of the first synchronization
and the start of the next one is approximately seven minutes.
 Note
The synchronization of Microsoft DHCP servers running Microsoft Windows 2012 or later includes the
synchronization of DHCP failover relationships. Note that the DNS and DHCP failover synchronization rules do
not have an impact on the Microsoft servers running a Windows version that is earlier than 2012.
• Logging Level: Select a logging level for the Microsoft server log from the drop-down list: Low, Normal,
High, and Debug. NIOS logs the messages based on the logging level you set.

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• Low: Logs only error messages.
• Normal: Logs warning and error messages.
• High: Logs warning, error and information messages.
• Debug: Logs messages about all events associated with synchronization.
• See Viewing Synchronization Logs for a description of each level.
• Logging output destination: From the drop-down list, select an output destination to which the appliance
saves log messages for Microsoft servers. When you select Microsoft Log, the appliance logs the
messages that are generated for the respective Microsoft server in the existing Microsoft log. This is
selected by default. For more information, see Viewing Synchronization Logs. When you select Syslog,
NIOS logs the messages that are generated for the respective Microsoft server in the syslog. For more
information about the syslog, see Viewing the Syslog.
• Synchronize Data into Network View: This field appears only when there is more than one network view in
the Grid. Specify to which network view the data from the Microsoft servers is synchronized.
• Synchronize DNS Data into DNS View: This field appears only when there is more than one DNS view in
the network view. Specify to which DNS view the data from the Microsoft servers is synchronized.
• Comment: You can enter additional information about the servers.
• Disable Synchronization: Select this to disable the Microsoft servers. This allows you to preprovision the
Microsoft servers and then enable them at a later time.
3. Click Next.
 Note
Depending on your configuration in the Which features do you want to configure? section,
the Add Microsoft Server(s) wizard displays the Microsoft server setting options.

• If you have selected the Network Users checkbox, complete the following in the Select your across-server
settings for Network Users page:
• Use General credentials (from first page of wizard): Select this checkbox if you want to use the
same credentials that you specified for connecting the Microsoft servers.
• Credentials for synchronizing Network User service information: Specify a username and
password to synchronize user information from Active Directory domain controllers. The username
you specify here must belong to the Domain User group and Event Log Reader group in Microsoft.
For information, see Prerequisites on the Microsoft Server.
• Use General synchronization interval (from first page of wizard): Select this checkbox to use the
same synchronization interval that you specified in the Minimum Synchronization Interval for
synchronizing the user and device mapping information from the Microsoft Active Directory
authentication logs.
• Minimum synchronization interval: The default synchronization interval is two minutes. This is the
time between the completion of one synchronization and the start of a new one. Specify an
interval to synchronize user information from the Microsoft Active Directory authentication logs.
• If you have selected the DNS and DHCP Services checkbox, complete the following in the Select your
across-server settings for DNS and DHCP Services page:
same credentials that you specified for connecting the Microsoft servers.
• Credentials to connect to DNS and DHCP Services: Specify a username and password to
synchronize DNS and DHCP services. You must use the same username and password that you
specify here when the appliance prompts for credentials during DNS or DHCP synchronization.
synchronizing the DNS and DHCP services as well.
• Minimum Synchronization interval: The default synchronization interval is two minutes. This is the
interval to synchronize the DNS and DHCP data from the Microsoft server.

Rev. D
• Manage DNS and DHCP services in: Select a value from the drop-down list. You can choose to
manage the DNS and DHCP synchronization services in either Read-only or Read/Write mode.
For more information, see Setting the Management Mode.
• If you have selected the Active Directory Sites checkbox, complete the following in the Select your across-
server settings for Active Directory Sites page:
same credentials that you specified for connecting the Microsoft servers. Clear the checkbox to
specify a new username and password for managing Active Directory sites.
• Credentials for synchronizing Active Directory information: Specify a username and password to
synchronize Active Directory sites. You must specify the same username and password that you
specify here when the appliance prompts for credentials while synchronizing Active Directory sites.
synchronizing Active Directory sites.
• Minimum Synchronization interval: The default synchronization interval is two minutes. This is the
interval to synchronize the Active Directory sites.
• Manage Active Directory sites in: Select a value from the drop-down list. You can choose to
manage the Active Directory Site in either Read-only or Read/Write mode. For more information,
see Setting the Management Mode.
• Encryption: You can encrypt the network traffic between the Grid member and the managed
Microsoft server using SSL. Select a value, None or SSL, from the drop-down list. Infoblox
strongly recommends that you select SSL from the drop-down list to ensure the security of all
communications between the NIOS appliance and the Active Directory server. When you select
SSL, the appliance automatically updates the TCP port to 636. When you select this option, you
must specify the FQDN of the Microsoft server instead of the IP address and you must upload a
CA certificate from the Active Directory server. Click CA Certificates to upload the certificate. In the
CA Certificates dialog box, click the Add icon, and then navigate to the certificate to upload it.
• TCP port for LDAP connections: The appliance displays the port number by default based on the
encryption type that you select. When you select None, the appliance automatically updates the
TCP port to 389.
5. Click Next and do the following in the Managed Servers table:
• Name or IP Address: Enter either the FQDN or IP address of the Microsoft server. In order for the member
to resolve the FQDN of a Microsoft server, you must define a DNS resolver for the Grid member in the
DNS Resolver tab of the Member Properties editor. Note that if the IP address of the Microsoft server is
specified, then the DNS resolver must resolve it when the member and Microsoft server synchronize
DHCP data only.
• DNS Sync: Select this option to enable the Grid member to manage the DNS service and synchronize
DNS data with this server. Clearing this checkbox disables DNS service management and data
synchronization. This allows you to pre-provision specific Microsoft servers and then enable them at a
later time.
• DHCP Sync: Select this option to manage the DHCP service of the Microsoft server and synchronize
DHCP data with this server. Clearing this checkbox disables DHCP service management and data
synchronization. This allows you to pre-provision specific Microsoft servers and then enable them at a
later time.
• Active Directory Sites: Select this option to manage Active Directory sites and synchronize Active
Directory Sites and networks with the Grid.
• DNS Monitor & Control: Click Override to override the setting inherited from the Grid. To inherit the same
settings as the Grid, click Inherit. Select this to enable monitoring and the ability to control DNS service for
the Microsoft server. For more information, see Setting Grid Properties for Managing Microsoft Servers.
• Synchronize DNS Reporting Data: Click Override to override the settings that are inherited from the Grid.
To retain the same settings as the Grid, click Inherit. Select this to synchronize DNS reporting data from
the Microsoft server. For more information, see Synchronizing DNS Reporting Data.
Note that synchronization of DNS reporting data is effective only when DNS Sync option is enabled for the
Microsoft server.

Rev. D
• DHCP Monitor & Control: Click Override to override the setting inherited from the Grid. To inherit the same
settings as the Grid, click Inherit. Select this to monitor and control DHCP service for the Microsoft server.
For more information, see Setting Grid Properties for Managing Microsoft Servers.
 Note
You cannot start or stop a DNS or DHCP service on a specific Microsoft server if you disable the monitor and
control setting for the respective service. You can control and monitor DNS and DHCP services at the Grid level
and override the settings at the Microsoft server level. Each monitor and control setting applies only to the DNS
or DHCP service and the respective Microsoft server.
• Synchronize Network Users: Click Override to override the settings inherited from the Grid. To inherit the
same settings as the Grid, click Inherit. Select this to enable the identity mapping for the Microsoft server.
For information, see Enabling Identity Mapping.
You can assign multiple Microsoft servers to a Grid member and test their connection to the Grid member. Click the
Add icon to add another Microsoft server.
6. Select a Microsoft server and click the Test Microsoft Server icon, or click the Action icon next to the
respective Microsoft server and select Test Microsoft Server from the menu to verify whether the appliance can
successfully connect to the Microsoft server. The appliance displays the test results in the Test Microsoft Server
Results dialog box.
or
Click Next: Continue to the next step and define extensible attributes for the Microsoft servers. For information,
After you configure a Grid member to manage a Microsoft server, the member automatically connects to the Microsoft
server and starts synchronizing data. You can then do the following:
• View the status of the servers in the Microsoft Servers panel, as described in Monitoring Managed
Microsoft Servers. Newly added servers first display a status of Connecting as the Grid member contacts the
Microsoft servers. The status changes to OK after the Grid member successfully connects to the Microsoft server.
• View the data synchronized from the Microsoft servers. To view DNS data, navigate to the DNS view you
specified. For information, see Viewing Zones. To view DHCP data, navigate to the Networks tab of the network
view that you specified. For information, see Managing IPv4 DHCP Data.
Network conditions and the amount of data can affect the synchronization time. Therefore, you might not be able to
view all of the synchronized data immediately.
• Use Smart Folders to organize the Microsoft servers and their data. For example, you can create a folder for DNS
zones and another folder for DHCP scopes synchronized from a Microsoft server. For information about Smart
Folders, see Smart Folders.
• Update the synchronized data. For information, see Managing Microsoft DNS Services, and Managing Microsoft
DHCP Services.
You can also use Global Search to search for synchronized data, such as zones and IP addresses. For information, see
Using Global Search.
Configuring Grid Properties for Managing Microsoft Servers

You can configure the following Grid properties for Microsoft servers that are managed by a Grid member:
• Monitor and control settings for DNS and DHCP services. For information, see Defining Monitor and Control
Settings for DNS and DHCP Services.
• Use the identity mapping feature to get visibility of user interaction with their environments. For information, see
Configuring Identity Mapping.
• Output destination for Microsoft server log messages. For information, see Output Destination for Log Messages.

Rev. D
• Simultaneous connections for Microsoft servers. For information, see Maximum Simultaneous Connections for
Microsoft Servers.
• Maximum connection timeout setting. For information, see Configuring RPC Timeout Settings.
• Forward WINS packets to dedicated Microsoft Windows DNS and DHCP servers. For information see Forwarding
WINS Packets to Microsoft Servers.
For more information about configuring other Grid properties for Microsoft servers, see Setting Grid Properties for
Managing Microsoft Servers.
Defining Monitor and Control Settings for DNS and DHCP Services
You can enable or disable monitor and control settings of DNS and DHCP services for a specific Microsoft server. The
appliance enables this by default when you add a Microsoft server. When you upgrade the existing Microsoft servers, the
managed member inherits values from the Grid. You can monitor and control the DNS and DHCP services on a Microsoft
service only if both the management setting of the respective service and the monitor and control settings of the
corresponding Microsoft server for the selected service are enabled. To know more about how to enable monitor and
control settings, see Setting Grid Properties for Managing Microsoft Servers.
 Note
The original setting that controls the overall management of a given service is referred to as the management
setting. It controls whether the synchronization of the corresponding service is enabled or not, with no change
to the existing synchronization behavior. Note that synchronization does not depend on the value of the monitor
and control setting for the Microsoft server.
You can configure Microsoft server settings at the Grid level. Note that Microsoft servers inherit these settings by default,
and you can override these settings at the Microsoft server level.
When you enable monitor and control settings for DNS and DHCP services, the managing member verifies the
corresponding service status on the Microsoft server every 30 seconds. The Grid Master is notified of the status through
Grid replication.
When you disable monitor and control setting for DNS and DHCP services, the managing member stops verifying the
service status. NIOS administrators cannot start or stop DNS or DHCP service on the Microsoft server. When you try to
start or stop these services through the Infoblox API, the appliance generates an error message. The pending service
control requests made before disabling the monitor and control settings are sent to the Microsoft server.
For information about the displayed status, see Viewing DNS and DHCP Service Status on Microsoft Servers.
Synchronizing DNS Reporting Data

You can enable synchronization of DNS reporting data from the Microsoft server and view both NIOS and Microsoft
services data in a single view in the supported DNS reports. This feature is enabled by default when you add a Microsoft
server to the Grid. This feature is supported for Microsoft Windows 2012 R2 and Microsoft Windows 2016 versions, and
you must disable this feature for all previous versions of Microsoft Windows servers. When you upgrade the Grid to NIOS
8.2 or later, this feature is disabled. For information about how to enable synchronization of DNS reporting data,
see Setting Grid Properties for Managing Microsoft Servers.
You can enable the synchronization of DNS reporting data at the Grid level. The Microsoft servers inherit these settings
by default, and you can override these settings at the Microsoft server level. The synchronization of DNS reporting data
is effective only if a valid Reporting license is installed on the Grid and when DNS Sync is enabled for the Microsoft
server to synchronize the DNS data. For information about how to enable DNS Sync, see Assigning Grid Members to
Microsoft Servers.
 Note
You must enable DNS logging feature on the Microsoft server for this feature to function properly. To enable
DNS logging feature on Microsoft servers, refer to https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn800669#some.

Rev. D
When you enable the synchronization of DNS reporting data, the appliance performs the reporting data synchronization
from the Microsoft server based on the specified time interval. The default synchronization interval is 15 seconds. You
can change the synchronization interval using the CLI command set ms_dns_reports_sync_interval. For information,
refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide. The collection of reporting data is dependent on the synchronization intervals set for the
Microsoft server. Hence, there would be differences in the Microsoft services data updated in the reports as compared to
the NIOS reporting data. Note that only events that are logged in the Microsoft event log are displayed in the Microsoft
DNS reports. For a list of DNS reports that display data from both NIOS and the Microsoft server when this feature is
enabled, see Reports with Data Synchronized from Microsoft Servers.
Microsoft provides enhanced DNS logging and diagnostics for Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 and later versions.
This includes DNS analytic events logging which enables activity tracking on the DNS server. An analytic event is logged
each time the server sends or receives DNS information. In order to install enhanced DNS logging and diagnostics
feature in Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 and later versions, you must apply the query logging and change auditing
hotfix. Click the following link to apply the query logging and change auditing hotfix: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/
help/2956577/update-adds-query-logging-and-change-auditing-to-windows-dns-servers.
Note that DNS analytic events logging is not enabled by default on Microsoft servers. To install and enable DNS analytic
events logging feature on Microsoft servers, refer to https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn800669#some.
Output Destination for Log Messages

You can configure an output destination for Microsoft server log messages at the Grid level and override it at the
Microsoft server level. You can choose to save log messages related to Microsoft synchronization in the syslog or
Microsoft log. For information, see Viewing the Syslog.
When you change the setting, the Grid Master notifies the managing member about the new setting through Grid
replication and sends log messages to the selected destination. The new setting takes effect for synchronization only
after the managing member is notified. The synchronization, which is already in progress continues to log messages to
the destination based on the old setting. To know more about how to select output destination for log messages, see
Setting Grid Properties for Managing Microsoft Servers.
Maximum Simultaneous Connections for Microsoft Servers

You can specify a maximum number of simultaneous RPC connections that can be configured for the respective
Microsoft server, which are managed by the Grid. You can override this value at the Microsoft server level. To know more
about how to define maximum simultaneous connections for Microsoft servers, see Setting Grid Properties for Managing
Microsoft Servers.
 Note
When you increase the maximum number of simultaneous connections above the recommended setting for a
given Microsoft server, it may consume additional bandwidth, memory, and CPU usage.
Configuring RPC Timeout Settings

You can specify an RPC (Remote Procedure Call) timeout value to control network connectivity for Microsoft servers. You
can configure an RPC timeout value at the Grid level and override it for each Microsoft server. The default value at the
Grid level is ten seconds and the member inherits this value from the Grid. You can specify a value between one and 60
seconds. To know more about how to configure RPC timeout settings, see Setting Grid Properties for Managing Microsoft
Servers.
Setting Grid Properties for Managing Microsoft Servers

To configure Grid properties for managing Microsoft servers, complete the following:

Rev. D
1. Grid: From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid Properties -> Edit. Select
Microsoft Sync Settings tab in the Grid Properties Editor wizard.
Microsoft Server: From the Grid tab -> Microsoft Servers tab -> Servers tab, select a Microsoft server and click
the Edit icon, or click the Action icon next to the respective Microsoft server and select Edit from the menu. In
the Microsoft server editor, click the General tab.
Standalone appliance: From the System tab -> System Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click System
Properties -> Edit.
2. Complete the following in the Basic tab:
• Logging output destination: From the drop-down list, select an output destination to which the appliance
saves log messages for Microsoft servers. When you select Microsoft Log, the appliance logs the
messages that are generated for the respective Microsoft server in the existing Microsoft log. This is
selected by default. For more information, see Viewing Synchronization Logs. When you select Syslog,
NIOS logs the messages that are generated for the respective Microsoft server in the syslog. For more
information about the syslog, see Viewing the Syslog. Click Override to select an output destination to
save the log messages at the member level.
• Monitor DNS and DHCP Services: You can enable monitoring and control services for DNS and DHCP
services at the Grid level and override the settings for each service at the Microsoft server level. This is
enabled, by default. Each monitoring and control setting applies only to the corresponding service and is
applicable to the respective Microsoft server only.
• Monitor and control DNS Services: Select this to enable monitoring and the ability to control DNS
service for the Microsoft server.
• Synchronize DNS Reporting Data: Select this to synchronize DNS reporting data from the
Microsoft server. Clearing this checkbox disables DNS reporting data synchronization.
• Monitor and control DHCP Services: Select this to enable monitoring and the ability to control a
DHCP service for the Microsoft server.
3. Optionally, select the Microsoft Server Settings tab in the Grid Properties Editor wizard and complete the following
in the Advanced tab or click the Advanced tab in the General tab in a Microsoft server editor:
• Maximum simultaneous connections: Specify a maximum number of simultaneous RPC connections that
can be configured for the respective Microsoft server, which are managed by the Grid. The default is five.
You can specify a value between two and 40.
You can click Override at the member level to specify a new value. The Override button changes to
Inherit. Click Inherit to inherit the value from the Grid.
• RPC timeout: Specify the RPC timeout value in seconds to control the network communication timeout.
The default is ten seconds. You can specify a value between one and 60.
Forwarding WINS Packets to Microsoft Servers

If your Infoblox Grid includes legacy Microsoft DNS and DHCP servers, you can configure NIOS to forward WINS
packets to dedicated Microsoft servers. Infoblox provides the set wins_forwarding and show wins_forwarding CLI
commands you can use to perform this task. For detailed information about these commands, see Using the NIOS CLI.
When you enable port redundancy in NIOS, the LAN1 and LAN2 ports are grouped into one logical interface. They share
one IP address and appear as one interface to the network. If a link to one of the ports fails or is disabled, the appliance
fails over to the other port, avoiding a service disruption. When you enable port redundancy, WINS packet forwarding is
not supported on the LAN2 interface. You must use the LAN1 interface.
 Note
Ensure that port 137 is not used for any services in your Grid; otherwise you will not be able to configure the
appliance to forward WINS packets to Microsoft DNS and DHCP servers. Likewise, if you have enabled this
feature, you will not be able to configure port 137 for any other services in your Grid.

Rev. D
Managing Microsoft Servers
After you configure Grid members to manage Microsoft servers, you can set certain properties and manage the servers
as follows:
• Set server properties, as described in Setting Microsoft Server Properties.
• Change the managing member or the management mode, as described in Changing the Managing Member or
Management Mode.
• Back up the synchronized data, as described in Backing Up Synchronized Data.
• Disable synchronization with a Microsoft server, as described in Disabling Synchronization.
• Remove a Microsoft server, as described in Removing a Managed Microsoft Server.
Setting Microsoft Server Properties

You can modify any of the Microsoft server properties you previously configured, except for the network view and DNS
view. You can also set certain properties, including the logging level, extensible attributes, and administrative
permissions. Extensible attributes and permissions apply to the data only when they are managed from Grid Manager.
Extensible attributes and permissions are not synchronized to the Microsoft server.
To set the properties of a Microsoft server:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Microsoft Servers tab -> Servers tab, select a Microsoft server and click the Edit
icon, or click the Action icon next to the respective Microsoft server and select Edit from the menu.
2. In the Microsoft Server Properties editor, you can set properties in the following tabs:
• General: Modify the settings described in Assigning Grid Members to Microsoft Servers.
• Services (DNS/DHCP): Modify DNS and DHCP synchronization settings. For more information, see
Assigning Grid Members to Microsoft Servers.
• Active Directory Domain/sites: Modify Active Directory Site settings. For more information, see Assigning
Grid Members to Microsoft Servers.
• Extensible Attributes: Define extensible attributes for the server. For information, see Managing Extensible
Attributes.
• Permissions: Define administrative permissions that apply to the server. For information see About
You can edit the General and Logging properties of multiple Microsoft servers at the same time by selecting the Microsoft
servers and clicking the Edit icon. When Grid Manager displays the Microsoft Server Properties editor, it displays the
values that the Microsoft servers have in common. If a property has multiple values, it indicates this. You can then
change any of the values and when you click Save, Grid Manager applies your changes to all the selected Microsoft
servers.
Changing the Managing Member or Management Mode

You can change the managing member and the management mode of a Microsoft server.
If you change the managing member, the previous member aborts any ongoing synchronization, and the newly assigned
member resumes the synchronization process.
Note that if you switch the managing member or change the management mode of a Microsoft server from Read/Write to
Read-only, the Grid member reverts any changes that were made from Grid Manager since the last synchronization. For
example, an admin adds a network and DHCP range for a scope. If another admin changes the management mode of
the Microsoft server to Read-only before the next synchronization, the Grid member deletes the network and DHCP
range at the next synchronization.
To change the member or management mode:
2. In the Microsoft Server Properties editor, select the General tab and do any of the following:
• Managing Member: Click Select Member and select another Grid member.
• Manage Server(s) in: Select either Read-only or Read/Write.

Rev. D
Backing Up Synchronized Data
When you back up the Grid, it includes all managed Microsoft data. If you restore a backup, the data is restored on the
Grid only. It is not synchronized to the Microsoft servers. When the Grid member synchronizes the data after the restore
operation, it overrides the data on the Grid with the data from the Microsoft servers. For information about backing up
and restoring data, see Backing Up and Restoring Configuration Files.
Disabling Synchronization
When you set the disable option, the Grid member completes any on-going synchronization and does not start a new
one. Setting this option only affects data synchronization and does not affect the operations of the Microsoft server.
Synchronization resumes when the Microsoft server is re-enabled.
To disable a Microsoft server:
2. In the General tab, select the Disable Synchronization option.
Removing a Managed Microsoft Server

When you remove a Microsoft server from the Grid, the managing member stops any on-going synchronization and does
not start a new one. If the Microsoft server served DNS, the synchronized DNS data remains unchanged in the Grid. If
the Microsoft server served DHCP, then Grid Manager deletes all the DHCP ranges, leases, and fixed addresses
associated with the server. It also deletes networks that were assigned only to the Microsoft server. It does not delete a
network if it was assigned to other Microsoft servers as well.
Removing a managed Microsoft server from the Grid does not affect the operations of the Microsoft server.
To remove a managed server:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Microsoft Servers tab -> Servers tab, select a Microsoft server and click the Delete
icon, or click the Action icon next to the respective Microsoft server and select Delete from the menu.
2. When the Delete Confirmation dialog box appears, click Yes.
For information about how removing a Microsoft server affects the synchronized DNS and DHCP data, see Disabling and
Removing Microsoft DNS Servers and Disabling and Removing Microsoft DHCP Servers.
Configuring Active Directory Sites and Services

An Active Directory Site represents physical or logical sites that are defined on a Microsoft server. Each Active Directory
Site is associated with an Active Directory Domain. A Microsoft administrator can associate multiple sites and networks
with an Active Directory Domain. You cannot associate the same network with multiple Active Directory Sites. For more
information about adding an Active Directory Site, see Monitoring Managed Microsoft Servers.
You can synchronize Active Directory Sites, along with the associated networks, from the Active Directory server. The
networks that synchronize from the Active Directory server appears in NIOS as a network or a network container. The
Active Directory Site to which the network belongs is displayed as an extensible attribute and associated with the
respective network. For more information, see Managing Extensible Attributes and Associated Networks. When you
create a new Active Directory Site on NIOS, the appliance synchronizes new Active Directory Sites and associated
networks with the Active Directory server.
The appliance uses LDAP to communicate with the Microsoft server. For more information, see Configuring Microsoft
Server and LDAP Connections. You can specify a site link for a given Active Directory Site. For more information, see
Configuring Server Site Links.
You can assign relevant permissions for Active Directory Domains at the Grid level, network view level, or at the object
level. For more information, see Configuring and Managing Server Permissions.
For more information on supported versions, see Supported Windows Versions.

Rev. D
Best Practices for Configuring Active Directory Sites and Services
• A Grid member configured to synchronize Active Directory Sites and networks of a Microsoft server uses system
resources, CPU, memory, network, etc. The amount of consumed resources depends on the number of Microsoft
servers that are managed by the Grid member, the amount of data for synchronization and the synchronization
frequency. Infoblox recommends that the managing Grid member should not serve other protocols.
• The Grid Master might also be affected by the initial synchronization. The first synchronization replicates all Active
Directory Sites and networks from the managing Grid member to the Grid Master.
• The Grid member always initiates the connection to the Microsoft server. Infoblox recommends that you use an
encrypted LDAP connection between the Grid member and the Microsoft server. The appliance displays a
warning message when you use a non-encrypted connection.
• During a scheduled full upgrade, the synchronization of a Microsoft server is deactivated until the managing Grid
member completes its upgrade.
• Microsoft Windows 2003 does not support IPv6 networks. Hence, the appliance prevents you from performing the
following operations on the NIOS appliance, which might result in a synchronization failure on the Microsoft
server:
• Assigning an Active Directory Site to an IPv6 network if the site belongs to an Active Directory Domain
that is managed by a Windows 2003 server.
• Creating an IPv6 network from an IPv6 network template in which an Active Directory Site belonging to an
Active Directory Domain managed by a Windows 2003 server is defined.
• Moving one or more IPv6 networks when the destination Active Directory Site belongs to an Active
Directory Domain that is managed by a Windows 2003 server.
Synchronizing Active Directory Domains on a Domain Controller

The top level container in the Active Directory is called a Forest. Each forest can contain one or more Active Directory
domains. All these domains share the same sites and networks. To avoid any inconsistency within NIOS, the appliance
synchronizes only the root Active Directory domain of the forest into the Grid. For example, if the Microsoft server points
to a domain controller of xyz.abc.com domain, the appliance synchronizes abc.com domain in NIOS.
An Active Directory user with the Domain User privilege (configured for synchronizing domains, sites, and their
associated subnets) can read data from Active Directory and the same user with complete privileges on sites can write
data from NIOS to Microsoft. However, these privileges are not enough to read deleted subnet associations of a site,
when the delete operation occurs on the Microsoft server. For example. if you delete 10.x.x.0/24 from a Microsoft site
and add 10.x.x.0/25 and 10.x.x.128/25 to the same site, after a synchronization, Grid Manager reflects all three subnets
on the site.
NIOS performs incremental LDAP queries to search for the uSNChanged attribute on objects. This fetches the newly
added or modified objects but does not fetch deleted objects. To find these objects, a query must be run against the
Deleted Objects container. Only users with the Domain Admin privilege can read from the Deleted Objects container
using LDAP queries.
Configuring and Managing Server Permissions

You can define permissions for Active Directory Sites on both the NIOS and Microsoft servers, but there is no relationship
between these two sets of permissions and they are not synchronized. You must have relevant permissions on the
Microsoft server to synchronize an Active Directory server. If you do not have permissions, the operation fails and the
appliance logs the message into the Microsoft log. The synchronization process fails until appropriate permissions are
granted.
On the Active Directory Sites, make sure that you set the following permissions in the Permission Entry for Sites dialog
box:
• In the Permissions section, select all the checkboxes.
• In the Properties section, select the Read All Properties and Write All Properties checkboxes.
An administrator can define relevant permissions on the Active Directory Site and associated networks to prevent them
from accidental deletion. However, you can modify such Active Directory Sites and networks. For example, you can
rename an Active Directory Site.
You can define permissions for an Active Directory Domain at the following levels:

Rev. D
• Grid level: When you assign Grid level permission, it is applicable to the objects that are associated with the
Active Directory Domains that you have defined. When you assign Grid permissions, you can assign either Read/
Write, Read-only, or Deny permissions for All Active Directory Domains resource. For more information about
how to define Grid level permission, see Defining Global Permissions.
• Network view level: When you assign permission at the network view level, the permission is applicable to all the
Active Directory Domains within the selected network view. For more information, see Administrative Permissions
for Network Views.
• Permission on the Active Directory Domain. For more information, see Defining Object Permissions.
You must have the following permissions on the Active Directory Domain to perform the relevant operations:
• Read-only permission on the Active Directory Domain to view the Active Directory Domain and associated Sites.
• Read/Write permission on the Active Directory Domain to add, update or delete an associated Active Directory
Site.
• Read/Write permission on the Active Directory Domain to associate or dissociate an Active Directory Site from or
to the network.
• Note that the All Active Directory Domains permission will only support two modes: Read-Only and Read/Write. If
you do not define permissions explicitly, the appliance sets Read-only permission for Active Directory Domains
and Sites.
• Note that the extensible attributes are used to represent Active Directory Domains and Sites. As extensible
attributes are generic and they do not support permissions, you can always retrieve Active Directory Domains and
Sites for a given network if you have Read-only permission.
Configuring Active Directory Sites and Associated Networks

An Active Directory Domain is a collection of Active Directory Sites and associated networks. Each Active Directory Site
can have multiple networks associated with it. The synchronization process ignores a network which is not assigned to
an Active Directory Site. You can create and modify Active Directory Sites and networks on the NIOS appliance.
You can use Active Directory Sites and services to synchronize sites and networks from the Active Directory server. After
synchronization, the appliance displays these as networks or network containers in the appliance.
The Active Directory Sites that are associated with a network are displayed as extensible attributes, which is a
combination of the Active Directory Domain and Site name, for the respective networks on the appliance.
To add Active Directory Sites, you must have Read/Write permission on the respective Active Directory Domain with
which it is associated. For more information about permissions, see Configuring and Managing Server Permissions.
To create Active Directory Sites and associate networks:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Microsoft Servers tab -> Active Directory Domains tab and click the respective
Active Directory Domain name.
2. Click the Add icon in the New Active Directory sites wizard and specify a name for the Active Directory Site. You
can associate multiple sites with an Active Directory Domain.
 Note
You can specify a name up to 63 bytes and it is not case-sensitive, but it cannot contain spaces and the
following special characters: | { } ~ [ ] : ; < > = ? @ ! " # $ % ^ & ()+/\,*.
You can select an Active Directory Site and click the Delete icon to delete it.
3. Click Next to associate networks with an Active Directory Site. Select an Active Directory Site and click the Add
icon to associate networks with the respective site.
4. Click Cancel to close the wizard without saving your settings. You can click Save and Close to save the settings
and close the wizard or click Save and Edit to save the settings and edit the properties. The application will close
the wizard and open the Active Directory Site Properties editor. Click Save and New to save the Active Directory
Sites in the list and open a new wizard.

Rev. D
Managing Active Directory Sites
You can manage Active Directory Sites and networks that you defined earlier and modify their information. You can do
the following:
• View Active Directory Domains and sites, as described in Viewing Active Directory Domains and Sites.
• Modify Active Directory Sites and networks, as described in Monitoring Managed Microsoft Servers.
• Delete Active Directory Sites. For more information, see Associating Active Directory Sites with Networks.
• Move networks that are associated with an Active Directory Site to another. For more information, see Moving
Networks Between Active Directory Sites.
Viewing Active Directory Domains and Sites

You can view Active Directory Domains that are associated with the Microsoft server. You can also view Active Directory
Sites and networks that are associated with the Active Directory Domains.
To view Active Directory Domains and sites:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Microsoft Servers tab -> Active Directory Domains tab.
• Name: The name of the Active Directory Domain. You can click the name to view the Active Directory
Sites below it.
• NetBIOS Name: The name returned in the NetBIOS format.
• MS Sync Server: The Microsoft synchronization server that is associated with the Active Directory
Domain.
• Network View: The network view that is associated with the Active Directory Domain.
You can do the following in the Active Directory Domains tab:
• Sort the Active Directory Domains in ascending or descending order by column.
3. To view Active Directory Sites associated with an Active Directory Domain, click the domain name that is
displayed as a hyperlink. The appliance displays the list of Active Directory Sites that are associated with the
respective Active Directory Domain in the Active Directory Domains Home table.
You can do the following in the Active Directory Domains Home table:
• Sort the Active Directory Sites in ascending or descending order by column.
Modifying Active Directory Sites and Networks

You can edit the name of an Active Directory Site and associate networks with the respective site. You can also add
additional networks or remove associated networks from the Active Directory Site.
To edit an Active Directory Site:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Microsoft Servers tab -> Active Directory Domains tab and click respective Active
Directory Domain name.
2. In the Active Directory Domains Home table, select an Active Directory Site name and click the Edit icon, or click
the Action icon next to the respective Active Directory Site name and select Edit from the menu.
3. In the Active Directory Site Properties editor, you can do the following:
• Name: The name of the Active Directory Site. You can edit the name.
• Networks: The networks that are associated with the Active Directory Site. You can click the Add icon to
associate new networks with the Active Directory Site.
To delete an associated network, select the checkbox adjacent to the network address, and click the
Delete icon.
4. You can either click Save and Close or Save to save your settings. Click Cancel to close the editor without
saving your settings.

Rev. D
Deleting Active Directory Sites
You can delete Active Directory Sites that are associated with an Active Directory Domain. You cannot delete an Active
Directory Site from the Active Directory Domain if the respective Active Directory Site has networks associated with it.
You must first delete the associated networks to delete an Active Directory Site.
To delete Active Directory Sites:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Microsoft Servers tab -> Active Directory Domains tab and click the respective
Active Directory Domain name.
2. In the Active Directory Domains Home table, select an Active Directory Site and click the Delete icon, or click the
Action icon next to the respective Active Directory Site name and select Delete from the menu.
3. The appliance displays a confirmation message. Click Yes to delete the sites or click No to cancel the operation.
Moving Networks Between Active Directory Sites

You can move networks from an Active Directory Site to another using either the Microsoft Servers or the IPAM tab. You
can use the Microsoft Servers tab to move networks only when you select an Active Directory Site.
You can add multiple networks from various Active Directory Sites and move them simultaneously to an Active Directory
Site. When the Active Directory Site synchronizes, it always maps to a certain network view. You can only select
networks from a network view to which the Active Directory Domain belongs.
To move networks within Active Directory Sites, complete the following:
1. Microsoft Servers tab: From the Grid tab, select the Microsoft Servers tab -> Active Directory Domains tab and
click respective Active Directory Domain name. In the Active Directory Domains Home table, click the Action icon
next to the respective Active Directory Site name and select Move Networks from the menu.
OR
IPAM tab: From the Data Management tab, select the IPAM tab, select networks that you want to move and click
Move Networks from the Toolbar.
2. In the Move Networks wizard, complete the following:
• Destination Active Directory Site: Click Select Site to select the destination Active Directory Site. The
appliance displays the Microsoft Sites Selector dialog box listing all the Active Directory sites in the Grid. It
also displays the smart folders, if any. You can use the filter and Go to functions to find a specific Active
Directory site. To select an Active Directory site, click the site name.
• Networks: You can select networks that you want to move to another Active Directory Site.
• Go to: Specify an IP address of the network that you want to move to another destination and click
Go.
• Click the Add icon to add networks. To delete a network from the list, select the checkbox next to
the network and click the Delete icon.
3. Click Move to move networks or click Close to exit.
Moving Multiple Networks to an Active Directory Site

You can move multiple networks to a given Active Directory Site in a single operation. The following rules are applicable:
• Only a super-user can move multiple networks to an Active Directory Site.
• The destination site must belong to an Active Directory Domain that is synchronized in Read/Write mode.
• The appliance assigns the destination Active Directory Site to a network in either of the following cases:
• If the network is currently assigned to another Active Directory Site within the same Active Directory
Domain.
• If the network is currently not assigned to any Active Directory Site within the Active Directory Domain.
• The Active Directory Sites associated with an Active Directory Domain is different from the destination
Active Directory Site.
Associating Active Directory Sites with Networks

You can associate an Active Directory Site with an IPv4 or IPv6 network or an IPv4 and IPv6 network template. The
appliance does not check the synchronization mode of the associated Active Directory Domain when you create or

Rev. D
modify a template, but it verifies only when you use the template to create a network.
To assign Active Directory Sites to networks, complete the following:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab.
2. In the Networks section, select either IPv4 Network or IPv6 Network from the Add drop-down menu and complete
the details as mentioned in Adding IPv4 Networks and Adding IPv6 Networks respectively, and complete the
following to assign Active Directory Sites to networks:
• No Active Directory Site: Select this if you do not want to associate an Active Directory Site with the
network.
• Assign these Active Directory Domains/sites: Select this to assign multiple Active Directory Sites to a
network, but note that each Active Directory Site must be associated with a different domain. You cannot
add an Active Directory Site, if you have already assigned a domain from the same Active Directory Site.
When you select this option, the appliance enables the following:
• Active Directory Domain: The Active Directory Domains that are synchronized from the Microsoft
server. Click an Active Directory Domain that you want to associate.
To search for a particular Active Directory Domain, specify the respective name and click Go.
• Active Directory Sites: The Active Directory Sites that are associated with the selected Active
Directory Domain. Click an Active Directory Site that you want to associate.
To search for a particular Active Directory Site, specify the respective name and click Go.
• Add >: Click this to add the selected Active Directory Sites to the network.
• <Remove: Click this to remove an Active Directory Site, which you have already added, from the
network.
• <<Remove all: Click this to remove Active Directory Sites, which you have already added, from the
list.
• Assign the same domains/sites as the selected network: Click Select Network to assign Active Directory
Sites, which are associated with the selected network, to the new network that you are configuring. Select
a network from the Network Selector dialog box. The appliance displays the Active Directory Domains and
Sites that are associated with the selected network, but you cannot make any changes and the fields are
greyed out. Click Clear to clear the entry.
3. You can either click Save and Close to save the settings and close the wizard or click Save and New to save
your settings and open a new wizard or click Cancel to close the wizard without saving your settings.
Managing Extensible Attributes and Associated Networks

The appliance creates an extensible attribute for each Active Directory Domain that is synchronized with the Grid. Note
the following about extensible attributes:
• The appliance generates a name for the extensible attribute. The appliance displays an error message if you
have already created an extensible attribute with the same name.
• Extensible attributes are Read-only and does not support inheritance.
• You can define a single value only and there are no default values.
• The appliance restricts an extensible attribute to IPv4 network and IPv6 network objects.
• You can specify a value for each extensible attribute and it is optional.
Configuring Microsoft Server and LDAP Connections

Active Directory is a distributed directory service that authenticates network users. Active Directory uses LDAP
(Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) to access other network services. This protocol is also used when an Active
Directory Service entry is configured under Authentication Server Groups. For an Active Directory, the Grid member uses
LDAP to communicate with the Microsoft server. Note that the managed Microsoft server must be a part of an Active
Directory Domain and it must be a domain controller for the respective domain. The appliance logs an error message in
the Microsoft log each time the synchronization happens if the Microsoft server is not a part of the Active Directory
Domain or if it is not the domain controller for the respective domain. You can define an LDAP timeout value at the Grid
level and override it at the Microsoft server level.
To configure LDAP timeout settings, complete the following:
1. Grid: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then select Grid Properties -> Edit from the Toolbar.
Select the Microsoft Sync Settings tab in the Grid Properties Editor wizard and click the Advanced tab.

Rev. D
the Edit icon. In the Microsoft server editor, select the General tab and click the Advanced tab.
• LDAP timeout: Specify the LDAP connection timeout value. The default is 10 seconds. You can specify a
value between one and 60 seconds.
You can click Override to override the LDAP timeout value at the Microsoft server level. To inherit the
settings from the Grid, click Inherit.
Configuring Server Site Links

You must choose a site link when you create an Active Directory Site on the Microsoft server. The site link describes how
the replication occurs between the sites and the protocol, either IP (Internet Protocol) or SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol), which is used for communication.
The appliance uses the default object DEFAULTIPSITELINK when you create an Active Directory Site from the NIOS
appliance. If you want to change the site link for a given Active Directory Site, which is already created, you must create
the Active Directory Site on the Microsoft server or modify it on the Microsoft server after you create it using the NIOS
appliance.
You must first configure site links on the Microsoft server. When you create Active Directory sites, the appliance
automatically associates them with the default IP site link. The value that you specify for default IP site link must exist on
the Microsoft server. Note that the appliance does not display any error message when you create a site with a site link
that does not exist on the Microsoft server.
To configure server site links, complete the following:
the Edit icon. In the Microsoft server editor, select the General tab and click the Advanced tab.
2. Select the Microsoft Sync Settings tab in the Grid Properties Editor wizard and complete the following in the
Advanced tab:
• Default IP site link: Specify the default IP site link in the form of a string. The appliance does not validate it
against the Windows server during configuration. The appliance displays an error message during
synchronization, if the site link for IP does not match the configured name on the Windows server.
You can click Override to override the default IP site link value at the Microsoft server level. To inherit the
settings from the Grid, click Inherit.
Managing Active Directory Sites and Associated Networks

You can manage Active Directory Sites and networks using either the Microsoft servers or the NIOS appliance.
Managing an Active Directory Site from the Microsoft server

You can create, modify, or delete an Active Directory Site from the Microsoft server in both Read-only and Read/Write
synchronization modes. When you create an Active Directory Site from the Microsoft server, it is created on the NIOS
appliance. This site appears as an Active Directory Site under the corresponding Active Directory Domain and in the
respective extensible attribute.
When you make changes on the Microsoft server, the synchronization process ignores any other modifications that you
make, but replicates only the name changes to the Grid. When you rename an Active Directory Site, the change reflects:
• in the Active Directory Site and in the respective extensible attribute.
• on all the networks that are associated with the Active Directory Site.
When you delete an Active Directory Site from the Microsoft server, it deletes the Active Directory Site object and
removes corresponding extensible attributes. The appliance removes the value from all the network objects that are
associated with it.

Rev. D
Managing an Active Directory Site from NIOS
You can create, modify, or delete an Active Directory Site from the appliance in Read/Write synchronization mode only.
The appliance displays an error message if you perform any of these operations in Read-only mode.
When you rename an Active Directory Site and the associated networks, the changes reflect on the Microsoft server. The
appliance displays an error message when you delete an Active Directory Site that is associated with networks. You must
first remove the networks that are associated with the site.
You cannot resize or split a network with an associated site in Read-only synchronization mode. You cannot join two
networks if any of the involved networks or network containers are associated with a site irrespective of the
synchronization mode.
Managing Network Operations from Microsoft server

Note that you can perform network operations, such as create, modify or edit networks, in both Read-only and Read/
Write synchronization modes. When you create a network, the synchronization process ignores the network if it is not
assigned to a Active Directory Site. When the network is attached to the site, the appliance finds a matching network or
network container in the configured network view. If it does not exist, the appliance creates a new network or a network
container depending on the objects existing in the database. The new network or network container is set as unmanaged
and a new extensible attribute is attached to the object to store the site.
Note the following about managing networks:
• When you update a site that is associated with a network, the change is visible on the corresponding network or
network container.
• Synchronization process ignores the changes when you update a network. Note that it does not ignore the
changes when you modify the Active Directory Site or change an IP address or a CIDR.
• When you delete a network, the appliance removes the extensible attribute that is representing the associated
site from the corresponding network or network container.
• If the status is set as managed, it indicates that the network is used for another purpose inside the Grid. The
appliance does not remove it from the Grid.
• If the status is set as unmanaged, the appliance deletes the network if there is no other site coming from another
Active Directory Domain, which is associated with the network. Otherwise the appliance does not remove the
network from the Grid.
Converting Unmanaged Networks to Managed Status

When you synchronize a network from the Active Directory server, the network created in NIOS is considered to be
unmanaged. You can neither associate a NIOS member or a Microsoft server to manage it nor edit permissions, and
other fields. You can only edit extensible attributes and Active Directory sites on the unmanaged network. To perform
certain operations on Unmanaged networks, you must first convert them to Managed networks.
The IPAM main page lists all networks that are created during Active Directory synchronization as unmanaged,
highlighted in yellow. You can explore unmanaged networks through IPAM's IP Map and IP List views.
Unmanaged networks can be converted at the IPAM main page and at the device level under Data Management –>
Devices, selecting a device and opening the Networks page.
Managing Network Operations from NIOS

The appliance denies the operation when you create a network, which is associated with a site, if the respective site
belongs to an Active Directory Domain that is synchronized in Read-only mode. Otherwise the appliance creates it on the
Microsoft server that is associated with the respective site.
Restoring Server Data

When you restore a database backup, the appliance performs the following operations after the standard restore
procedure is complete:

Rev. D
• The appliance deletes the cached data that is used for synchronization.
• Synchronization for all configured Microsoft servers starts in Read-only mode. Note that these rules are
applicable during upgrade also.
Configuring Identity Mapping

You can enable Identity Mapping on the NIOS appliance to provide Active Directory domain user information if the NIOS
appliance is connected to a Microsoft server. This feature supports Active Directory domains whose domain controller is
running the supported Windows server. For more information on supported windows versions, see Supported Windows
Versions.
Note that Identity Mapping is not supported for the Windows 2003 server and earlier editions. Note that Identity Mapping
is not supported on the IB-VM-810 and IB-VM-820 appliances.
Each network user being mapped can use different devices to access the Windows environment. So using the identity
mapping feature and synchronizing all Microsoft servers on the Infoblox appliance provide visibility of user interaction
with their environments. By enabling this feature, you can monitor Active Directory domain users, the IP addresses they
log on to, the login status, and the time duration of their current status in the IPAM tab.
To view user information, you must first enable this feature at the Grid level. You can enable this feature even when you
have not installed an MS Management license on the appliance. However, you cannot configure DNS, DHCP, and Active
Directory sites synchronization unless you install an MS Management license on the appliance.
When you enable this feature, the appliance remotely communicates with all synchronized Microsoft servers (Domain
Controllers, an Exchange server, or a domain member) to pull event logs. The identity mapping information displayed is
as accurate as these event logs are available in the Microsoft authentication logs. Therefore, it is necessary to assign
Grid members to Microsoft servers to collect user information from Windows event logs. For information, see Assigning
 Note
The identity mapping information displayed on NIOS completely depends on live event logs that are available
on the Microsoft servers. The appliance pulls event logs incrementally. So subsequent requests pull only the
latest logs since the last successful synchronization. To avoid data loss, depending on the expected activities,
you must consider the size of the event log file on the Microsoft server and how often you want to synchronize
the data with the appliance before the event log file rolls over.
Prerequisites on the Microsoft Server

You must enable event logs on the Microsoft server for the Identity Mapping feature to function properly. To enable event
logging on Microsoft servers, refer to https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd941595%28v=ws.10%29.aspx.
The identity mapping information is collected successfully only when the Microsoft users belonging to a Domain User
group and Event Log Reader group start a RPC session and access MS-EVEN6. The synchronization process is
successful when they have this permission. The synchronization process fails unless appropriate permissions are
granted. The failed operations are logged in the Microsoft logs. The NIOS appliance tries to collect user information again
in the next synchronization.
Only superusers can view identity mapping information. Limited-access admin groups can view identity mapping
information only if they have network permissions. For example, if the users have permissions to only DNS zones, they
may not be able to view identity mapping information because they do not have network permissions. The appliance
does not display a warning message if admins do not have correct permissions. For information about network
permissions, see Administrative Permissions for IPv4 and IPv6 Networks and Shared Networks.
About User Sessions

A user session is an abstract concept to specify a single user logging with a network address for a finite period of time. A
user session starts when a Kerberos account authentication event or login event is received and ends when a logout is
received, although such an event may never be received. In such cases, a session is considered to be timed out.

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Network user associations are unique for a finite period of time. A single login involves a number of login and logout
events. In order to consolidate and improve system performance, Infoblox uses the concept of consolidation window. If a
login event or Kerberos service ticket is received within the consolidation window, then that session is considered as an
extension from the previous session. If a login event is received outside this window, it is considered as a new session.
The number of network users you see depends on the length of the consolidation window.
For example, consider the following sample events occurred on the Microsoft server when the consolidation window is
set to 10 minutes:
Kerberos Authentication Request: 10:00:00
Kerberos Service Ticket Request: 10:00:01
Account Logon: 10:00:02
Account Logoff: 10:00:03
The sample user session for the above events:
User Name IP Address First Seen Time (UTC) Last Seen Time (UTC)
John 10.10.10.10 10:00:00 AM (UTC) 10:00:11 AM (UTC)
If another login request is received at 10:30 AM (10 minutes after the last seen event), then it is considered as a different
session:
John 10.10.10.10 10:00:00 AM (UTC) 10:00:11 AM (UTC)
John 10.10.10.10 10:30:00 AM (UTC)
If a Kerberos service ticket is received instead of a login event, then the previous session is extended and is updated as
Last Seen Time in the first user session.
John 10.10.10.10 10:00:00 AM (UTC) 10:30:00 AM (UTC)
The appliance displays separate entries (counts) for the following scenarios:
• Multiple users logging in from the same IP address. For example, User 1 logged in with 10.10.10.10 address
counts as one network user and User 2 logged in with 10.10.10.10 address counts as another network user.
• Same user logging in from multiple IP addresses. For example, a single user can log in to multiple workstations,
each with a different IP address.
• Same user logging from the same IP address at different time intervals.
Network User Count Displayed for Different Login Scenarios

If you are configuring multiple Domain Controllers belonging to different organizations, then you must configure them in
different network views. For example, if the same user logs in to multiple Domain Controllers with the same IP, it creates

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multiple entries for each login. In this case, there is a chance of overwriting an entry by subsequent events. If Domain
Controllers are configured in different views, then separate entries are displayed for different network views. You can
configure multiple Domain Controllers within the same network view if they serve the same organization, possibly using a
load balancing method.
 Note
The appliance displays user information only for the managed networks.
The following table illustrates how the appliance displays counts for different login scenarios:
Network User Count Displayed for Different Login Scenarios
Login Scenarios Appliance Displaying User Mapping Information
Mobile user logging in to the Microsoft Exchange server Note that you must first synchronize both the Domain Controller and Microsoft
Exchange server with the appliance to get user mapping information for this scenario.
For this example, two entries are displayed.
1. User name and IP address of the Microsoft Exchange server

on the Domain Controller.
2. User name and IP address of the mobile device on the
Microsoft Exchange server.
Multiple users from the same IP address Appliance displays separate entry (user name and IP address) for each user.
Same user from multiple IP address Appliance displays separate entry (user name and IP address) for each user.
Login and Logout Timestamps

Note that all timestamps are displayed in the time zone of the admin account that you use to log in to the appliance.
There is a possibility of missing the login and logout events as described in the following cases:
• There is a chance of missing a login event when NIOS retrieves event logs from the Microsoft server after a user
logs in and the event log has already rolled over.
• There is a possibility of missing a logout or session end notifications when the user shuts down the workstation or
leaves the system. In such cases, the Microsoft event log does not specifically indicate a logout. The logout
events that are missed on the Domain Controller or Exchange server are missed on NIOS as well.
To maintain accuracy, the login timestamp is estimated as logout timestamp minus (-) the idle timeout. However, when a
login or Kerberos Authentication event is received, the login timestamp is updated to the value available in the Kerberos
authentication event or the login event.
To maintain accuracy of the logout time data, the appliance allows you to configure the length of idle time in the Grid
Properties Editor wizard. After this time interval, the status of the user changes to Timed Out. For information about how
to set timeout length, see Configuring Active User Timeout Session.
 Note
The Timed Out and Logged Out user information is periodically removed from the database.
Viewing Active Directory User Information

To view Active Directory user information, you must first enable identity mapping feature at the Grid level. For information
about enabling Identity Mapping feature, see Enabling Identity Mapping. After you enable the identity mapping feature,
you must synchronize the appliance with all Microsoft servers in order for the appliance to gather user and device
mapping information from the Microsoft servers. You can view Active Directory user information in the Network Users tab.

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For more information, see Viewing Active Network Users.
To synchronize the appliance with Microsoft servers:
2. Select the Microsoft Integration tab in the Grid Properties Editor wizard, and complete the following
• Synchronize Network Users with all MS servers: Select this checkbox to synchronize users with all
Microsoft servers that are managed by the Grid in order for the appliance to gather user and device
mapping information from the Microsoft server authentication logs. You can override this value at the
Microsoft server level.
 Note
On an Infoblox appliance,
the Enable Network Users Feature and Synchronize Network Users with all MS servers options are disabled by
default for all new installations.
Monitoring Managed Microsoft Servers

You can monitor the status of managed Microsoft servers from the Dashboard and from various panels in the Grid tab.
Grid Manager also maintains a log for each managed Microsoft server. You can monitor Microsoft servers and their
services as follows:
• You can view the Microsoft Servers Status widget on the Dashboard. For information, see Microsoft Servers
Status Widget.
• You can view the status of Microsoft servers. For information, see Viewing DNS and DHCP Service Status on
Microsoft Servers.
• You can view the logs of the Microsoft servers. For information, see Viewing Synchronization Logs.
Viewing DNS and DHCP Service Status on Microsoft Servers

Each Microsoft server reports the following statuses:
• Service status (DNS and DHCP): Displays the status of the service on the actual Microsoft server, based on the
latest polling of the service by the managing member. The monitor and control setting has an effect only on the
service status, and therefore can affect the overall status.
• Overall status: Displays the service status for each service that is enabled for synchronization with the Microsoft
server. The overall status ignores any service status for which the monitor and control setting is disabled.
• Synchronization status: Displays the synchronization status for each service that is enabled for synchronization
on the respective Microsoft server. The synchronization status is not affected by the monitor and control setting.
 Note
When you disable monitor and control settings, Grid Manager displays unknown using gray color for such
services. When you enable monitor and control setting of a given service, Grid Manager displays the last
known status that is obtained before the setting was first disabled. The appliance later updates to the latest
status as soon as the monitoring resumes and Grid Manager displays the new status.
You can view details about the managed Microsoft servers by navigating to the Grid tab -> Microsoft Servers tab ->
Servers tab. For each Microsoft server, the panel displays the following by default:
• Name: The FQDN of the Microsoft server.
• Status: The connection status, which can be one of the following:
• Running: The Grid member is connected to the Microsoft server.
• Connecting: The Grid member is connecting to the Microsoft server.

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• Error: The Grid member failed to connect to the Microsoft server. Check the Microsoft log for any
messages to determine the reason for the failure.
• Unknown: The Microsoft server is disabled. The Grid member does not try to connect to disabled servers.
• IP Address: The IP address of the Microsoft server.
• DNS: The status of the DNS service on the Microsoft server. When you disable DNS synchronization, NIOS does
not display any status icon. The status icon can be one of the following:
Icon Color Meaning
Green The DNS service is functioning properly.
Yellow The DNS service is starting or stopping.
Gray The DNS service is stopped or management of the Microsoft DNS server is disabled.
• DHCP: The status of the DHCP service on the Microsoft server. When you disable DHCP synchronization, NIOS
does not display any status icon. The status icon can be one of the following:
Icon Color Meaning
Green The DHCP service is functioning properly.
Yellow The DHCP service is starting or stopping.
Gray The DHCP service is stopped or management of the Microsoft DHCP server is
disabled.
• Comment: Displays any comments that were entered for the Microsoft server.
• Site: Displays any values that were entered for this pre-defined attribute. You can add the following columns for
display:
• Version: The Windows version of the managed server.

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• Managing Member: The hostname of the Grid member that manages the server.
• Synchronization Status: Displays the synchronization status as follows:
• Running: The Microsoft server is synchronizing data with the Grid member.
• Connecting: The Grid member is trying to connect to the server.
• Error: Synchronization failed between the member and server. You can check the messages in the
Microsoft server log to determine the reason for the failure.
• Last Changed: Displays information about when the status was last updated for Microsoft DNS and DHCP
services. It corresponds to the last time information was exchanged with the server.
• AD Domain: Displays the AD domain of the Windows server. This is displayed only if the Windows server belongs
to an Active Directory domain.
• Root AD Domain: Displays the root AD domain of the Windows server. This is displayed only if the Windows
server belongs to an Active Directory domain.
• Add Microsoft servers.
• Edit the properties of a Microsoft server.
• Click the checkbox beside a server and click the Edit icon, or click the Action icon next to the
respective Microsoft server and select Edit from the menu. For information, see Setting Microsoft Server
Properties.
• Delete a Microsoft server.
• Click the checkbox beside a server and click the Delete icon, or click the Action icon next to the respective
Microsoft server and select Delete from the menu. For information, see Removing a Managed Microsoft
Server.
• Manage DNS and DHCP services of a Microsoft server.
• Click the checkbox beside a server and click the Manage Server Services icon, or click the Action icon
next to the respective Microsoft server and select Manage Server Services from the menu to view the
service status. You can mouse over the DNS and DHCP service icons and click the Start/Stop service
icon to start or stop a service, or click the Edit Service icon to edit the service properties. For information
about setting DHCP server properties, see Setting Microsoft DHCP Server Properties. For information
about setting DNS server properties, see Specifying Forwarders for Microsoft Servers.
• View detailed server status information, as described in Viewing Detailed Status Information.
• Click Test MS Server to test the Microsoft server connection. The appliance validates the Microsoft server and
displays the test code and the test result data for services that you have enabled. To test the Microsoft server,
click the checkbox beside a server and click the Test Microsoft Server icon, or click the Action icon next to the
respective Microsoft server and select Test Microsoft Server from the menu. For more information, see Assigning
• View extensible attributes associated with the Microsoft server.
Click the Action icon next to the respective Microsoft server and select Extensible Attributes from the menu. For
information, see Assigning Grid Members to Microsoft Servers.
• Define permissions for Microsoft servers.
Click the Action icon next to the respective Microsoft server and select Permissions from the menu.
• Use filters and the Go To function to narrow down the list. With the autocomplete feature, you can just enter the
• Export the list of Microsoft servers to a .csv file.
• Print the list of Microsoft servers.
Viewing Detailed Status Information

You can view more status information by selecting a server from the Microsoft servers panel and clicking the Action icon
next to the respective Microsoft server and selecting Detailed Status from the menu or clicking the Detailed Status icon.
The Detailed Status panel displays the following information:

Rev. D
• Synchronization Status: The status icon indicates the synchronization status as follows:
• Green: The Microsoft server is synchronizing data with the Grid member.
• Red: Synchronization failed between the member and server. You can check the messages in the
Microsoft server log to determine the reason for the failure.
• DNS Service Status: For information about the status icons, see Viewing DNS and DHCP Service Status on
Microsoft Servers.
• DNS Service Status Last Updated: The date and time of the last DNS service status update from the Microsoft
DNS server.
• DHCP Service Status: For information about the status icons, see Viewing DNS and DHCP Service Status on
Microsoft Servers.
• DHCP Service Status Last Updated: The date and time of the last DHCP service status update from the Microsoft
DHCP server.
• Active Directory Sync Status: The Active Directory Site is synchronizing data with the Grid member when the
status icon is green.
• Active Directory sync status last updated: The date and time of the last Active Directory Site update from the
Microsoft server.
Note the following guidelines about status information:
• Grid Manager does not display any status information if there is no synchronization between DHCP and DNS.
• If the appliance has not received any information when the services are enabled, then the Synchronization Status
icon is displayed in red, whereas the DNS and DHCP status icons are displayed in grey.
Viewing Synchronization Logs

Grid Manager maintains a synchronization log file for each Microsoft server managed by a Grid member. It logs events
related to the synchronization process, depending on the logging level that you configured in the Logging tab of the
Microsoft Server Properties editor described in Setting Microsoft Server Properties.
The log files are rotated and compressed once they reach 40MB. To view the log file of managed Microsoft server:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Logs tab -> Microsoft Logs tab.
2. If there is more than one managed server in the Grid, you can select the Microsoft server whose logs you want to
view.
3. The log file contains information related to the synchronization of the Microsoft DNS and DHCP data, as follows:
• Timestamp: The date and time of the log message. The time zone is the time zone configured in the User Profile.
• Source: Identifies the event that generated the message, such as a server synchronization or zone
synchronization.
• Level: Indicates the severity of the message, which can be one of the following:
• Debug: Provides information about all events associated with synchronization.
• Information: The Grid member is synchronizing with the Microsoft server and these messages provide
normal status information.
• Warning: The Grid member synchronized the data, but there was an issue, which is detailed in the
Message section.
If the Grid member encounters an error during the synchronization, it skips the object with the error, logs
the error in the Microsoft log, and continues to synchronize the rest of the data. The Grid member logs the
error at each synchronization until you resolve the issue and it can synchronize the object successfully.
• Error: The Grid member failed to synchronize an object, such as a DNS zone or DHCP scope, due to the
error described in the Message section.
• Object Type: The type of object that corresponds to the entry, such as FQDN or ADDRESS.
• Object Name: The name of the object that corresponds to the entry.
• Message: Detailed information about the event.
You can also do the following in the log viewer:
• Toggle between the single line view and the multi-line view.
• Navigate to the next or last page of the file using the paging buttons.
• Refresh the view.
• Click the Follow icon to have the appliance automatically refresh the log every five seconds.
• Download the log.
• Clear the contents of the log.

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• Export or print the content of the log.
Managing Microsoft DNS Services

After you configure a Grid member to manage a Microsoft DNS server, the Grid member connects to the Microsoft server
and starts synchronizing DNS data from the Microsoft server to its database. First, it synchronizes the Microsoft server
properties and its list of zones. Then it synchronizes each zone individually, including its properties and resource records.
The synchronization time varies, depending on different factors, such as the number of managed Microsoft servers and
the amount of data being synchronized. The synchronized data is then replicated to the Grid Master through the Grid
replication process.
If the server is managed in read/write mode, admins can update the synchronized DNS data, control the DNS service of
the server, and specify forwarders for it as well.
This section provides guidelines for using Grid Manager to manage Microsoft DNS servers and for synchronizing DNS
data between Microsoft servers and the Grid. It discusses some features of the Microsoft DNS servers only as they relate
to the synchronization of data. Please review the Microsoft documentation for complete information about Microsoft DNS
servers and their features.
In addition, if you encounter technical issues with your Microsoft DNS servers, contact Microsoft Technical Support or
consult the Microsoft Support site at http://support.microsoft.com/. Some Windows versions require certain updates and
hotfixes installed, so the Microsoft server can synchronize with the Grid member. For information about these
requirements, see Supported Windows Versions.
The topics in this section include:
• Synchronizing DNS Data

• Enabling and Disabling DNS Zone Synchronization
• IDN Support for Synchronized DNS Data
• Managing Synchronized DNS Data
• Synchronizing Updates
• Viewing Members and Managed Servers
• Specifying Forwarders for Microsoft Servers
• Disabling and Removing Microsoft DNS Servers
Synchronizing DNS Data

Managing members synchronize the properties and resource records for the following types of DNS zones:
• Authoritative forward-mapping zones
• IPv4 and IPv6 reverse-mapping zones
• Stub zones
• Delegations
• Active Directory-integrated zones
Grid members synchronize most of the resource records supported by Microsoft servers, except for WINS, WINSR, and
ATMA records. They synchronize all the resource records supported by Infoblox DNS servers, as well as unsupported
records, such as ISDN and X25 records. You can view the unsupported records in Grid Manager and delete them, but
you cannot edit them. Note that Grid Manager and Microsoft DNS servers display some resource records, such as SIG
records, in a different format. You can enable and disable zone synchronization for individual Microsoft DNS zones. For
information, see Enabling and Disabling DNS Zone Synchronization.
Grid members do not synchronize the following DNS zones supported by Microsoft servers:

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Infoblox Terminology Microsoft Terminology
Forwarding zones Conditional forwarders
Cached zones Stub zones
Root zone Root zone (Dot zone)
0.in-addr.arpa 0.in-addr.arpa (0.0.0.0)
127.in-addr.arpa 127.in-addr.arpa (127.0.0.1 - loopback)
255.in-addr.arpa 255.in-addr.arpa (255.255.255.255 - broadcast)
TrustAnchors Trust Anchors
You cannot use Grid Manager to create the unsupported zones and assign them to a Microsoft server. Any zone on the
Grid that has the same name as a forwarding, cached or root zone on the Microsoft server is not synchronized. In
addition, Grid members do not synchronize the contents of a zone if the Microsoft server is a secondary server.
Subdomains defined within a Microsoft DNS zone are not synchronized unless they contain at least one resource record.
For example, in the corpxyz.com zone, any resource record defined in a subdomain of the corpxyz.com zone is
synchronized. If the subdomain sub.corpxyz.com zone has no resource record, it is not synchronized.
The following zones and resource records are supported on Microsoft servers running Windows Server 2008 only.
Therefore, Grid members can only synchronize these DNS zones and resource records with Microsoft servers running
Windows Server 2008.
• IPv6 reverse-mapping zones
• Global Names zones
• DNAME records
• NAPTR records
• DNSSEC records
Synchronizing with Multiple Servers

Because a Grid member can manage multiple Microsoft servers, it could potentially manage multiple servers assigned to
the same zone. For example, a Grid member could manage a Microsoft server that is the primary server of a zone and
one or more Microsoft servers that are secondary servers of the same zone. It could also manage multiple Microsoft
servers that are secondary servers for the same zone.
If a Grid member manages the primary server and at least one secondary server of a zone, the Grid member always
synchronizes DNS data with the primary server only. It never synchronizes data with the secondary server, even if the
primary server fails.
If a Grid member manages several Microsoft servers that are secondary servers of the same zone, it synchronizes DNS
data as follows:
• If each Microsoft server is assigned to a different DNS view, the Grid member synchronizes data with each one.
• If the Microsoft servers are synchronized to the same DNS view, the Grid member selects a principal server for
synchronization purposes, as follows:
• The first Microsoft server that is assigned as the DNS secondary server is designated principal server.
• If the secondary servers are managed in read-only and read/write modes, the Grid member always
selects a server that is managed in read/write mode.
• If a Microsoft server fails three successive synchronizations, it loses its principal server status. The Grid
Master checks the date that each server last became a principal server and selects the server that has
not been the designated principal server the longest.

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Note that a Grid member could fail to synchronize with a Microsoft server due to errors, such as a disabled account or an
expired password. In these situations, the failure count is reset and is not increased. This prevents the Microsoft server
from losing its master status to another Microsoft server that could experience the same errors.
When a zone is served by multiple Microsoft servers, the MS Sync Server column of the Zones tab shows which
Microsoft server is actually performing the synchronization of that zone with the Grid.
Enabling and Disabling DNS Zone Synchronization

You can enable and disable synchronization for a DNS zone that is assigned to a Microsoft server. Zone synchronization
setting is valid for the selected zone in the DNS view for which it is defined. When you disable the synchronization for a
DNS zone, the NIOS appliance stops synchronizing data with the zone but it does not disable the zone. In addition, the
zone synchronization setting takes effect regardless of the role of the zone (primary, secondary, or stub), synchronization
mode, and permission (read-only or read-write).
Users who have permissions to edit zone properties can enable or disable zone synchronization. Note that you can
enable and disable zone synchronization for Microsoft zones only and when you add Microsoft primary or secondary
servers.
To configure Microsoft zone synchronization:
3. Select Use this set of name servers, and enter the details as specified in Assigning Zone Authority to Name
Servers.
• Disable Zone Synchronization: Select this to disable zone synchronization for the selected zone. Zone
synchronization is enabled when you clear the checkbox.
Enabling and Disabling DNS Zone Synchronization for Multiple Zones

You can enable or disable Microsoft zone synchronization for multiple zones:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab, and select the zone checkboxes. You can
either select a single zone or multiple zones.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click the arrow beside MS Zone Synchronize to select an option.
• Enable: Click Enable to enable zone synchronization for the selected zones. Click Yes in the Enable MS
Zone Synchronization dialog box to enable synchronization or click No to cancel the process.
• Disable: Click Disable to disable zone synchronization for the selected zones. Click Yes in the Disable MS
Zone Synchronization dialog box to disable synchronization or click No to cancel the process.
Considerations about Zone Synchronization

Before you enable and disable zone synchronization for a Microsoft DNS zone, consider the following:
• Zone synchronization is enabled by default.
• A zone must be synchronized at least once before you can disable synchronization.
• Zones defined on a Microsoft DNS server are listed in the NIOS appliance, regardless of whether they are
synchronized or not.
• When you delete a zone on the Microsoft server, it is automatically deleted from NIOS, irrespective of its
synchronization setting.
• When you create a zone on the NIOS appliance and disable zone synchronization, the zone is not created on the
Microsoft server until you enable zone synchronization.
• When you disable zone synchronization, you can perform operations for which you have access rights on the
NIOS appliance. This includes changes made directly to the zone or as a result of changes made in another
zone. Examples: delegation creations and editing name servers.
• When you disable synchronization for a zone and perform certain operations on the respective zone, the
outcomes of those operations are not replicated on any Microsoft servers assigned to the zone. For Microsoft
primary servers, any resource records or zone properties (including name servers) that you create, modify, or
delete on the NIOS appliance are not copied to the Microsoft server. For Microsoft secondary servers and stub

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servers, any zone properties (including name servers and masters) that you create, modify, or delete on the NIOS
appliance are not copied to the Microsoft server.
• When you disable synchronization for a zone, the zone retains the Microsoft server that was last selected as the
master before synchronization was disabled. The master retains its role when you enable synchronization again.
• When you disable synchronization, NIOS completes the ongoing process. The synchronization effectively stops
at the end of the synchronization. NIOS resumes the synchronization of the zone as soon as the member
assigned to the master MS server is notified through Grid replication that the zone is no longer disabled for
synchronization and the zone is overdue for synchronization. This is based on the last time the zone was
successfully synchronized and the synchronization interval at the time of re-enabling the synchronization.
• Note that the zones that are disabled for synchronization are not accounted in the overall synchronization status.
• NIOS retains the zone synchronization disable setting when you enable or disable the DNS synchronization
setting of any MS server that is assigned to the zone.
IDN Support for Synchronized DNS Data

Infoblox Grid supports IDNs for synchronized DNS data between the appliance and Microsoft servers. For more
information about IDNs, see Managing Internationalized Domain Names.
The appliance stores IDNs in punycode and Microsoft server stores IDNs in \xyz format. Due to this difference at the
DNS protocol level, IDNs are not allowed in a zone name when you configure NIOS (primary or secondary) and Microsoft
(primary or secondary) servers. For information, see IDN Support Limitations for Synchronized Data. If synchronized data
between NIOS and Microsoft servers contain IDNs, the IDNs are preserved on the primary server. When a Microsoft
server is the secondary server for a zone, MMC (Microsoft Management Console) displays the zone content that
contains IDNs in punycode only. Make sure that you use a zone name that complies with the DNS protocol when
manually configuring an authoritative zone.
A Microsoft server serves a resource record that contains an IDN in \xyz format when it is configured as the primary
server and NIOS as the secondary server. For example, use the \xyz\xyz\xyz.com representation on NIOS for 网络 .com,
a zone added on the Microsoft server.
You can add resource records that contain IDNs for the following configurations:
• NIOS is the primary server and Microsoft server is the secondary server: You can add records in IDNs or
punycode. The appliance preserves IDNs and does not encode punycode to IDNs. Note that you cannot add a
resource record that contains an IDN on the Microsoft server when it is configured as the secondary server.
• Microsoft server is the primary server and NIOS is the secondary server: You can add records on both NIOS and
Microsoft servers. You can use IDNs or punycode. You can add IDN records on both servers in this scenario.
The following table summarizes how the servers display resource records that contain IDNs after synchronization:
Primary Server Input Secondary Server Input NIOS displays Microsoft server
records in... displays records in...
NIOS Punycode Microsoft NA Punycode Punycode
NIOS IDN Microsoft NA IDN Punycode
Microsoft Punycode NIOS Punycode Punycode Punycode
Microsoft IDN NIOS IDN IDN IDN
IDN Support Limitations for Synchronized Data

You cannot configure an authoritative zone and stub zone that contains IDNs for the following configurations:
• When NIOS is the primary server and Microsoft server is the secondary server.
• When Microsoft server is the primary server and NIOS is the secondary server.

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Managing Synchronized DNS Data
When Grid members are configured to manage Microsoft servers in read/write mode, you can use Grid Manager to view,
edit and delete the DNS data of those servers. You can add new zones and assign them to a Microsoft server. You can
modify the properties of zones synchronized from the Microsoft server and edit their resource records as well. All updates
are synchronized to the Microsoft servers at regular intervals.
The following sections provide guidelines for managing the zones and resource records served by Microsoft servers:
• Adding Zones to Microsoft Servers
• Setting Zone Properties
• Deleting and Restoring Synchronized Zones
• Managing Resource Records in Synchronized Zones
Synchronized zones also support the following features:
• You can import data to zones synchronized with Microsoft servers. Note that the import fails if you try to import
unsupported records to a Microsoft zone. For information about importing records, see Importing Zone Data.
• You can copy records to and from zones synchronized with Microsoft servers. When copying records to a
Microsoft zone, you can copy only those records that are supported by Microsoft servers. For information about
copying records, see Defining a Match Destinations List.
Adding Zones to Microsoft Servers

From Grid Manager, you can create zones and assign Microsoft servers as their primary or secondary servers. The
managing Grid member then synchronize these zones to the appropriate Microsoft servers.
From Grid Manager, you can add the following types of zones to Microsoft servers:
• Authoritative forward- and reverse-mapping zones — For information, see Configuring Authoritative Zones.
• Forward- and reverse-mapping stub zones — For information, see Configuring Stub Zones.
• Delegations — For information, see Configuring a Delegation.
Note that you cannot add a zone on a Microsoft server and configure it to be served by an Infoblox Grid member. For
example, on the Microsoft server, you cannot add a zone and assign a Grid member as its primary server and the
Microsoft server as the secondary server. You must add such a zone from Grid Manager.
Following are guidelines for adding zones to a Microsoft server:
• The primary or secondary server of the zone must be a Microsoft server.
• If the primary server is a domain controller, you can enable the option to store the zone in Active Directory,
making it an AD-integrated zone. Note that you can enable Active Directory integration only after the Microsoft
server has been synchronized at least once because its AD ability is not known before the synchronization.
• You do not have to assign a Grid member as the primary or a secondary server of the zone. For example, a zone
can have a Microsoft server as its primary server and an external secondary server.
• The zone must be in the same DNS view to which the DNS data of the Microsoft server was synchronized. You
cannot add a zone served by the Microsoft server to a different DNS view.
• The zone does not inherit the properties from the Grid or from the DNS view. It uses the Infoblox-defined defaults.
You can change the property values, as described in Setting Zone Properties.
• You can set certain zone properties that are not supported and synchronized to the Microsoft server. For
example, you can define extensible attributes and administrative permissions. When you set these properties,
they apply to the zones only when they are managed from Grid Manager.
• Infoblox does not support all the zone properties of a Microsoft DNS server. When a Grid member synchronizes
zones that were created on Grid Manager to the Microsoft server, the zones contain default values for all
unsupported properties.
• If you set the Disable option, the zone status is set to "Paused" on the Microsoft server. A zone in a "Paused"
status is not served to DNS clients, nor is it available for zone updates.
• Setting the Disable option does not stop synchronization. Grid members synchronize disabled zones.
• The member learns the Windows version of the Microsoft server after its first successful synchronization. Certain
zones and resource records are dependent on a specific Windows version. You cannot assign these zones to
Microsoft servers whose versions are unknown or insufficient.

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• If the member is a secondary server for a zone with a Microsoft primary server, the member obtains the zone data
through DNS zone transfers from the Microsoft primary server; not through synchronizations. This ensures that
the zone data is always current on the Infoblox secondary server, as it does not have to wait for synchronizations
to update its data.
Setting Zone Properties

When the primary server of a zone is a Microsoft server, it does not inherit its properties from the Grid. Zones that are
synchronized from a Microsoft server retain their original properties. Zones that Grid Manager admins create assume the
Infoblox-defined default values.
To modify the properties of a synchronized zone:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Zones tab -> DNS_view -> zone checkbox and click the
Edit icon.
2. In the Authoritative Zone editor, you can do the following in each tab:
• General: You can add or edit comments, and set the Disable and Lock options. Setting the Disable option
sets the status of the zone to "Paused" on the Microsoft server. Grid members synchronize disabled
zones to Microsoft servers.
• Name Servers: You can modify the name servers assigned to the zone. For information, see Assigning
• Settings: If the zone was synchronized from a Microsoft server, this tab displays the original settings from
the Microsoft server. If the zone was created using Grid Manager, then it inherits the TTL values from the
Grid. Note that these values might be different from those on the Microsoft server. To change any of these
values, see Configuring DNS Service Properties.
• Zone Transfers: In this tab, you specify the servers to which zone transfers are allowed. For information
about zone transfers, see Enabling Zone Transfers. Set the following parameters, depending on whether
the primary or secondary servers of the zone are Infoblox or Microsoft DNS servers:
• If the primary server is an Infoblox, Microsoft or external primary and the secondary servers are
both Infoblox and Microsoft DNS servers, this tab displays two separate tables where you can
specify zone transfer settings for the Infoblox DNS servers and the Microsoft DNS servers.
Zone Transfer Settings for Infoblox Members: Specify the settings as described in Configuring
Zone Transfers.
Zone Transfer Settings for Microsoft Servers: Note that you cannot use a named ACL for access
control though you can use individual ACEs. For information about named ACLs and access
control, see Configuring Access Control. You can set access control for zone transfers for
Microsoft servers to one of the following:
• None: Does not allow zone transfers to any name server.
• Any: Allows zone transfers to any IP address.
• Any Name Server: Allows zone transfers to any name server in the Name Servers table.
• Address: Allows zone transfers to the IP address that you specify.
• If both the primary and secondary servers are Microsoft servers, the dialog box displays the Zone
Transfer Settings for Microsoft Servers table only.
• If no Microsoft servers are primary or secondary servers, then the dialog box displays the Zone
Transfer Settings for Infoblox Members table only.
• Updates: In this tab, you specify whether the zone can accept dynamic DNS updates. For information
about dynamic DNS updates, see Configuring DDNS Updates. If the primary server is a Microsoft server,
regardless of the secondary servers, the Updates tab displays the following:
• Dynamic Updates: Select one of the following:
None: The zone does not accept dynamic updates.
Secure Only: This appears only if the zone is AD-integrated. The zone accepts GSS-TSIG-signed
updates only.
Nonsecure and Secure: The zone accepts both nonsecure and GSS-TSIG-signed updates.
• Active Directory:
• Automatically create underscore zones: This option allows the appliance to create the following
subzones that the DNS server must have to answer AD-related DNS queries:
_msdcs.zone
_sites.zone
_tcp.zone
_udp.zone

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domaindnszones.zone
forestdnszones.zone
Note that these zones are automatically generated. You cannot edit these zones or import data into
them. They cannot be modified, thus providing protection against forged updates.
• Extensible Attributes: Extensible attributes apply to the zones only when they are managed from Grid Manager.
For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
• Permissions: These permissions apply to Infoblox Grid Manager administrators only. For information, see About
Deleting and Restoring Synchronized Zones

When you delete a synchronized zone from the Grid, Grid Manager moves the zone and its resource records to the
Recycle Bin. It deletes the zone and its resource records from the Microsoft server at the next synchronization.
Note that if you delete a zone on Grid Manager and plan to add it back to the database with different properties or
resource records, ensure that you wait until after the deletion is synchronized to the Microsoft server to add the new
zone. Otherwise, if you delete a zone and add a new zone with the same name within a synchronization interval, Grid
Manager will synchronize the zone properties and resource records from the Microsoft server to the newly added zone
on Grid Manager.
If a zone has subzones, you can choose to remove them and their resource records or "reparent" them to the parent
zone of the one you are removing. For information, see Removing Zones.
If you restore deleted zones from the Recycle Bin, the Grid member restores it on the Microsoft server as well. For
information, see Restoring Zone Data.
Managing Resource Records in Synchronized Zones

From Grid Manager, you can add and edit resource records in zones served by Microsoft servers. For information about
adding and managing resource records, see Managing Resource Records. You can also use IP Map and the IP List to
track A, AAAA and PTR records that are synchronized from Microsoft servers. For information, see About IP Address
Management.
Microsoft DNS servers support all the resource records supported by Infoblox DNS servers, except for hosts, bulk hosts
and shared record groups. You cannot add these records to zones served by Microsoft servers or assign zones with
these records to Microsoft servers.
Following are guidelines for adding and managing resource records in synchronized zones:
• Infoblox DNS servers support defining a naming policy for the hostnames of A, AAAA, MX, and NS records based
on user-defined or default patterns. For information, see Specifying Hostname Policies. The hostname policy
applies only when records are created from Grid Manager. Resource records that originate from the Microsoft
server are synchronized to the Grid member even if they do not comply with the hostname policy of the Grid
member. The policy is enforced only if you edit the resource record from Grid manager.
• When you create an A or AAAA resource record on the NIOS appliance with the option to automatically create the
corresponding PTR record, Grid Manager uses the deepest reverse zone that can hold the record. For example,
a Grid has the following reverse zones: 10.in-addr.arpa, 0.10.in-addr.arpa, and 0.0.10.in-addr.arpa. When you
create the A record www A with the IP address 10.0.0.1, Grid Manager creates a PTR record in the zone
0.0.10.in-addr.arpa. If the deepest zone does not allow the creation of the PTR record, Grid Manager creates the
A record, but not the PTR record, and displays a warning.
 Note
If the Enable PTR record removal for A/AAAA records option is selected and if you try to delete the A or AAAA
records in zones served by Microsoft servers, the appliance displays
the Delete Confirmation (A or AAAA Record) dialog box to confirm whether you want to remove the
corresponding PTR record that was automatically generated while creating the A or AAAA record. In
the Delete Confirmation dialog box, select the Remove associated PTR resource record(s) checkbox and
click Yes to delete the associated PTR record or click No to cancel. For information about enabling this option,
see Deleting PTR Records associated with A or AAAA Records .

Rev. D
• You can add and edit DNAME records in a DNS zone assigned to a Microsoft server running Windows 2008 or
Windows Server 2012. You cannot add or edit DNAME records in zones assigned to Microsoft servers running
earlier Windows versions.
• You can disable synchronized resource records from Grid Manager. When you disable a resource record, it is
removed from the Microsoft server at the next synchronization.
• If you add a resource record with invalid data from Grid Manager, such as a DNAME record with an alias name
that has special characters, the invalid resource record is not synchronized to the Microsoft server and is
eventually deleted from the Grid. The error is logged in the Microsoft log.
• If the zone of the resource record was created using Grid Manager, then it and all its resource records inherit their
TTL values from the Grid. Note that these values might be different from those on the Microsoft server. You can
change these values to match those on the Microsoft server. For information on changing these values, see
Configuring DNS Service Properties.
• Grid Manager and Microsoft DNS servers display TXT records differently.
On Grid Manager, you enter the text string of TXT records as defined in RFC 1035. You can enter the following:
• A contiguous set of characters without spaces. If you enclose the characters in double quotes, Grid
Manager displays the character string without the double quotes. For example, if you enter "abcdef", Grid
Manager displays abcdef.
• A string that contains any character, including spaces, enclosed in quotes.
• If the string contains a quote ("), you must precede it with a backslash.
• If you enter a text string with multiple spaces between each word and the string is not enclosed in
double quotes, Grid Manager displays the text string with a single space between each word. For
example, if you enter text string, the GUI displays text string. To preserve multiple spaces, enclose
the string in double quotes.
Unlike on Microsoft DNS servers, you cannot enter a text string on multiple lines in Grid Manager. However, each
contiguous set of characters or quoted string entered on Grid Manager is equivalent to a separate line entered on a
Microsoft DNS server.
On a Microsoft DNS server, you can enter text without quotes and with each line on a separate line. Microsoft DNS
servers then display the text in a brief format where the lines are separated by a comma and a space.
For example, if you enter the following in the Text field of the TXT Record wizard or editor on Grid Manager:
"this is a line""with another line""and a third one"
It is served by the Microsoft and Infoblox DNS servers as:
"this is a line""with another line""and a third one"
But it is displayed in the Microsoft DNS server as:
this is a line, with another line, and a third one
Synchronizing Updates
A Grid member synchronizes DNS data with each managed Microsoft server at regular intervals. Grid Manager admins
with the applicable permissions can then update the synchronized DNS zones and resource records. During each
synchronization, updates from Grid Manager are applied to the Microsoft server and updates from the Microsoft server
are applied to the Grid as well. Note that the resource records are synchronized only if there is a change to the SOA
record on either the Microsoft server or the Grid.
The following examples illustrate how Grid members synchronize DNS data:
• If a Microsoft server admin adds the finance.corpxyz.com zone, it is also added to the Grid after a
synchronization.
• If a Grid Manager admin changes the A record of admin.corpxyz.com from 10.2.1.5 to 10.2.1.6, the IP address of
its corresponding A record on the Microsoft server is updated to 10.2.1.6.
• If a Grid Manager admin deletes a DNS zone that is assigned to a Microsoft server, the corresponding zone on
the Microsoft server is deleted as well in the next synchronization.
Because admins can update DNS data from the Microsoft server and from Grid Manager, conflicts can occur during
synchronization. In addition, Microsoft servers and Infoblox DNS servers have some differences in the features they
support and the way they handle certain zones and resource records.

Rev. D
The following guidelines describe how the Grid member resolves conflicts and handles any differences when DNS data is
synchronized between a Microsoft server and the Grid.
• On Microsoft servers, users can enter FQDNs and labels using a mix of upper and lower case characters. The
servers preserve the original case when they store the data. When the Grid member synchronizes data with the
Microsoft server, it displays the data in lower case in Grid Manager and the Infoblox API. The case of the data is
preserved as long as no change is made to the DNS zone or resource record. If a Grid Manager admin modifies
a DNS zone or resource record, the next synchronization converts the object name to lower case on the Microsoft
server.
• If a Microsoft server admin modifies an object that has a pending scheduled task and synchronization occurs
before the scheduled task, the object is modified in both the Microsoft server and the Grid member. When the
scheduled task executes at its scheduled time, it fails and an error message is logged in the audit log.
• A situation could arise where two Microsoft servers in different domains are primary servers for zones with the
same name. For example, two reverse-mapping zones could be named 1.1.10.in-addr-arpa in two Microsoft
servers managed by the same member. If the two Microsoft servers are synchronized to different DNS views, the
Grid member synchronizes each one separately. If the Microsoft servers are synchronized to the same DNS view,
then the Grid member synchronizes the zone with the first Microsoft server. During the synchronization with the
second Microsoft server, the Grid member logs an error and does not synchronize the zone.
• The Grid member does not synchronize the naming policy configured on Microsoft servers. Zones and resource
records that fail the policy check on Microsoft servers are reported in the synchronization log file.
• When you remove a Microsoft server that is assigned to a zone, the succeeding synchronization removes the
zone from the Microsoft server.
• When a Microsoft server admin and a Grid Manager admin change the same object, the Grid member retains the
version that exists on the Microsoft server. Following are some examples:
Grid Manager Admin... Microsoft Server Admin... After Synchronization
Deletes the corpxyz.com zone Updates the corpxyz.com zone The corpxyz.com zone is created on the Grid with the
updates and is assigned to the Microsoft server .
Changes the zone transfer settings of the Deletes the sales.corpxyz.com zone. The sales.corpxyz.com is deleted from the Grid as
sales.corpxyz.com zone. well.
• Changing the name or IP address of a resource record on the Microsoft server effectively deletes the original
resource record and creates a new record with the current information. During the synchronization, the Grid
member also deletes the original record, including its associated properties, such as its extensible attributes and
administrative permissions, and creates a new record.
For example, as shown in the below figure, the A record for printer1.corpxyz.com is on both the Microsoft and Infoblox
Grid member. On the Grid, the A record has extensible attributes and a comment. A Microsoft server admin changes the
IP address of the A1 resource record from 10.1.1.2 to 10.1.1.3. On the Microsoft server, this is equivalent to deleting the
A1 resource record with the IP address 10.1.1.2 and then adding a new A1 resource record with the IP address 10.1.1.3.
When the data is synchronized, the Grid member deletes the original record with its extensible attributes and comments
and creates a new A record with IP address 10.1.1.3.

Rev. D
• If a Microsoft server admin changes the IP address of a resource record and a Grid Manager admin changes the
IP address of the same resource record, they are effectively deleting the record and each creating a new one.
For example, as shown in the below figure, a Microsoft server admin changes the IP address of the A resource
record for printer1.corpxyz.com from 10.1.1.2 to 10.1.1.3, and a Grid Manager admin changes the IP address of
the same resource record to 10.1.1.4. When the data is synchronized, the Grid member deletes the A1 resource
record with IP address 10.1.1.2 and creates an A resource record with IP address 10.1.1.3 and another A1
resource record with IP address 10.1.1.4.

Rev. D
• The Microsoft server does not allow the creation of arpa subzones as forward-mapping zones, similarly, the
appliance restricts assigning arpa subzones (zone names ending with .arpa) to the Microsoft server.
• NIOS does not synchronize the top-level reverse-mapping zones (in-addr.arpa and ip6.arpa) created on the
Microsoft server and the top-level reverse-mapping zones (in-addr.arpa and ip6.arpa) created on the NIOS
appliance cannot be assigned to the Microsoft server.
• Grid members can synchronize classless IPv4 reverse-mapping zones from the Microsoft server to the Grid only
if the zone prefix is in one of the following formats: <subnet>/<subnet mask bit count> or <subnet>-<subnet mask
bit count> . For example, 128/26.2.0.192.in-addr.arpa. If the zone prefix is not in the specified format, the Grid
member skips the zone and logs an error message. For information, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/
library/cc961414.aspx.
Likewise, Grid Manager admins can add a classless IPv4 reverse-mapping authoritative or stub zone to a
Microsoft server only if its prefix is in the specified format. For information about configuring classless IPv4
reverse-mapping zones in Grid Manager, see Specifying an RFC 2317 Prefix.
• Grid members synchronize DNS records that contain values that Infoblox does not support. Grid Manager admins
can view these records, but they cannot edit or restore such records. For example, if a member synchronizes a
NAPTR record that contains an unsupported value in the Service field, admins can view this record but they
cannot edit or restore it, as long as it contains an unsupported value.
• When a Grid member synchronizes a zone from a Microsoft server to the appliance and that zone contains
UTF-8 characters in the "Responsible Person" field, Grid Manager displays the "Responsible Person" value in the
RNAME field of the SOA record of the zone. Note though that you cannot edit the SOA record if the RNAME field
contains unsupported UTF-8 characters.
• Synchronizing a new zone from the Microsoft server to the Grid is a two-step process. First the zone name is
synchronized, and then its properties and records are synchronized. The zone synchronization from the Microsoft
server is not considered complete until both steps are done. NIOS drops any records that are created on the
appliance for the synchronized zone before it is completely synchronized.
For example, the corpxyz.com zone is created on a Microsoft server and then synchronized to the NIOS
appliance. If a NIOS admin creates a record, such as an A record, in the corpxyz.com zone before it is fully
synchronized, the record is removed from the corpxyz.com zone. Ensure that both the zone and its contents are
completely synchronized before you add a record to a zone on the NIOS appliance.

Rev. D
• When a Microsoft admin deletes a zone whose primary and secondary servers are Microsoft servers, the zone is
deleted from the Grid after a synchronization. If the secondary Microsoft servers are managed by the member in
Read-Write mode, the zone is removed from the secondary servers as well. But if some of the secondary
Microsoft servers are managed by the member in Read-Only mode, then at the next synchronization the zone is
recreated on the Grid with the Microsoft servers as the secondary servers and the masters defined for the zone
as external primary servers.
• If you add Grid members or other Microsoft servers as secondary servers to a zone on the Microsoft server, NIOS
does not automatically add them as Grid Secondary or Microsoft Secondary servers in the Name Servers tab of
the zone after the synchronization. Instead, NIOS creates NS records for them in the zone.
Synchronizing Delegations
When a parent zone delegates a subdomain to one or more name servers, Infoblox DNS servers require the delegation
name servers to also be authoritative for the subzone. Microsoft servers do not; they allow the delegation servers of a
subzone to be different from its authoritative servers. Infoblox DNS servers support this configuration only if the primary
server of the parent zone is a Microsoft server. This configuration is retained when delegations are synchronized from
Microsoft servers to the Grid.
For example, as shown in the below figure, on a Microsoft server, corpxyz.com delegates sales.corpxyz.com to the name
server ns1.corpxyz.com; but the authoritative server of sales.corpxyz.com is 2k3r264-2.infoblox.com.
Delegation Server and Authoritative Server for corpxyz.com
The following figure shows that after corpxyz.com and its subzone are synchronized to the Grid, corpxyz.com contains
an NS record for sales.corpxyz.com and an A record for the delegation name server ns1.corpxyz.com. The MS
Delegation Addresses column displays the IP address of the delegation server of the subzone sales.corpxyz.com.
corpxyz.com Synchronized to the Grid

Rev. D
After the synchronization, you can add name servers for the delegation as follows:
1. Select the zone by navigating to the Data Management tab -> DNS -> Zones -> parent_zone.
2. Click the Add icon and select Record -> NS Record.
• Name Server: Enter the hostname you want to configure as the name server for the zone.
• Name: Specify the name of the subzone. Note that you cannot change this name when you edit the
record.
4. Enter the IP address of the name server.
NIOS adds an NS record for the new delegation server and synchronizes this update to the Microsoft server. In the
following figure, a new delegation server, ns2.corpxyz.com, was added.
NS Record for ns2.corpxyz.com
When you navigate to the Name Servers tab of sales.corpxyz.com to view the authoritative name servers for the

Rev. D
subzone, note that as shown in the following figure, the table displays 2k8r264-2.infoblox.com as the authoritative server
for the subzone. The Parent Delegation column indicates if the FQDN and IP address of the authoritative name server for
the zone matches the FQDN and IP address in the delegation zone's NS record. In the example, the authoritative name
server 2k8r264-2.infoblox.com is different from the delegation name servers (ns1.corpxyz.com and ns2.corpxyz.com), so
the column displays No.
Authoritative Name Server of sales.corpxyz.com
Note though that because Infoblox DNS servers require the delegation servers to also be authoritative for the subzone, if
you add another authoritative name server to the subzone from Grid Manager, NIOS also adds it as a delegation server
in the parent zone. For example, as shown in the below figure, when an admin adds the name server
ns-100.corpxyz.com as an external secondary server for sales.corpxyz.com, NIOS automatically adds it as a delegation
server by adding an NS record for it in the parent zone.
Adding Another Authoritative Server from Grid Manager

Rev. D
Synchronizing AD-Integrated Zones
An AD-integrated zone can be served by multiple domain controllers, and a Grid member can manage more than one of
the domain controllers. If the domain controllers are configured to synchronize their DNS data to different DNS views, the
Grid member synchronizes DNS data with each domain controller. If the domain controllers are configured to
synchronize their DNS data to the same DNS view, the member selects a principal server for synchronization purposes
and synchronizes data with that principal server only. The selection of the principal server is logged, as well as when it
changes. The Grid member selects a principal server as follows:
• The first domain controller that is assigned as the primary server is designated principal server.
• If a domain controller fails three successive synchronizations, it loses its principal status. The Grid Master then
checks the date that each domain controller last became a principal server and selects the one that has not been
the designated principal the longest.
• If the domain controllers are managed in read-only and read/write modes, the Grid member always selects the
domain controller that is managed in read/write mode.

Rev. D
When a zone is served by multiple Microsoft servers, the MS Sync Server column of the Zones tab shows which
Microsoft server is actually performing the synchronization of that zone with the Grid.
The Grid member periodically checks if each zone has one principal server. If it does not find a principal server for a
zone, the Grid member selects one among the name servers assigned to the zone. It gives priority to the server that was
not the designated principal server the longest.
Following are additional guidelines when synchronizing AD-integrated zones:
• You can create an AD-integrated zone on Grid Manager and assign one domain controller as its primary server. If
a domain controller admin adds more primary servers to the zone, they are added to the zone on Grid Manager
when the zone is synchronized. If you want to delete the primary servers, you must delete all the primary servers
at once. You cannot delete only a subset of the servers.
• A situation could arise where two domain controllers in different AD domains are primary servers for zones with
the same name. For example, two reverse-mapping zones could be named 1.1.10.in-addr-arpa in two domain
controllers managed by the same member. If the two domain controllers are synchronized to different DNS views,
the Grid member synchronizes each one separately. If the domain controllers are synchronized to the same DNS
view, then the Grid member synchronizes the zone with the first domain controller. During the synchronization
with the second domain controller, the Grid member logs an error and does not synchronize the zone.
• If a Grid Manager admin deletes a CNAME record that has a blank canonical name from an AD-integrated zone,
this CNAME record is not deleted from the Microsoft server after the synchronization if the AD-integrated zone is
hosted on a Microsoft server running Windows 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2012.
• When a Microsoft server is the primary server of a zone that contains an _msdcs zone, it appends the parent
zone name to the server name in the NS record of the _msdcs zone. But when an Infoblox Grid member is the
primary server of a zone that contains an _msdcs zone, it specifies the server name only in the NS record. For
example, the _msdcs zone is in the corpxyz.com zone and the name server is nameserver100.com. When a
Microsoft server is the primary server of corpxyz.com, the server name on the NS record of the _msdcs zone is
nameserver100.com.corpxyz.com. When a Grid member is the primary server, the server name on the NS record
of the _msdcs zone is nameserver100.com.
Resolving Conflicts
Some conflicts require intervention from an admin. For example, a Grid member cannot synchronize a zone when its
primary server on the Microsoft server is different from its primary server on the Grid. When a Grid member is unable to
synchronize data due to such conflicts, it logs an error, skips the object with the error and continues synchronizing the
rest of the data. You can then view the Microsoft logs to check which objects were not synchronized. If you resolve the
problem, the Grid member synchronizes the object on its next attempt. For information about the logs, see Viewing
Synchronization Logs.
Viewing Members and Managed Servers

You can view Infoblox and Microsoft DNS servers by navigating to the Data Management tab -> DNS tab, and then
selecting the Members/Servers tab. The panel displays the following information about each DNS server:
• Name: The hostname of the Grid member or Microsoft server.
• Status: The status of the DNS service on the Grid member or Microsoft server.
• Comment: Comments that were entered for the Grid member or Microsoft server.
• Address: The IP address of the Grid member or Microsoft server. You can do the following:
• List the DNS views or zones served by the member or Microsoft server.
• Click a Grid member or Microsoft server name.
• Edit the properties of a Grid member or Microsoft server.
• Click the checkbox beside a Grid member or Microsoft server, and then click the Edit icon. To edit the
DNS properties of a Grid member, see Configuring DNS Service Properties. To edit the DNS properties of
a Microsoft server, see Specifying Forwarders for Microsoft Servers.
• Export the list of Grid members and Microsoft servers to a .csv file.

Rev. D
• Print the list of Grid members and Microsoft servers.
Specifying Forwarders for Microsoft Servers

A forwarder is a name server to which all other name servers first send queries that they cannot resolve locally. The
forwarder then sends these queries to DNS servers that are external to the network, avoiding the need for the other
name servers in your network to send queries off-site. You can define a list of forwarders for each managed Microsoft
server as follows:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Members/Servers tab -> ms_server checkbox -> Edit
icon.
2. Click the Add icon and enter the IP address of the forwarder in the text field.
Disabling and Removing Microsoft DNS Servers

When you disable synchronization with a Microsoft server, the managing Grid member completes any ongoing
synchronization and does not start a new one. Synchronization resumes when the Microsoft server is re-enabled. The
synchronized DNS data stays in the same state until synchronization resumes. For information, see Disabling
Synchronization.
When you remove a managed Microsoft server from the Grid, the managing Grid member terminates any ongoing
synchronization and does not start a new one. Zones and their content on the Microsoft server remain in the state that
existed the moment the Microsoft server was removed. The Grid retains the zones that were assigned to the Microsoft
server that was removed, but deletes the Microsoft server from its assigned zones as follows:
• If the Microsoft server is the only primary server and there are no other assigned servers or if the secondary
server is an external secondary server, Grid Manager deletes all the server assignments.
• If the Microsoft server is the only primary server and there are Grid secondary servers, an external primary is
created with the FQDN and IP address of the removed Microsoft server.
• If the Microsoft server is a secondary server and there is a Grid primary, an external secondary is created with the
FQDN and IP address of the removed Microsoft server.
• If the Microsoft server is a server for a stub zone, the server is removed. To remove a Microsoft DNS server:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Members/Servers tab -> ms_server checkbox.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Delete.
3. Click Yes when the confirmation dialog box appears.
Managing Microsoft DHCP Services

Grid Manager enables you to centrally manage the DHCP data of multiple Microsoft DHCP servers from a single
interface. Once the DHCP data is synchronized, you can use the Dashboard on Grid Manager to monitor DHCP and
server operations, or organize DHCP data into Smart Folders. Through IPAM tools, such as network maps and IP maps,
you can track and manage IP address usage in your networks and monitor DHCP range utilization. You can also run a
network discovery to retrieve IP allocation for both managed and unmanaged devices— including virtualized resources.
For information about the IPAM features, see About IP Address Management.
Managing Microsoft DHCP Servers from Grid Manager

Rev. D
This section provides guidelines for using Grid Manager to manage Microsoft DHCP servers and for synchronizing DHCP
data between Microsoft servers and the Grid. It discusses features of only Microsoft DHCP servers as they relate to the
synchronization of data. Please review the Microsoft documentation for complete information about Microsoft DHCP
servers and their features.
In addition, if you encounter technical issues with your Microsoft DHCP servers, contact Microsoft Technical Support or
consult the Microsoft Support site at http://support.microsoft.com/. Some Windows versions require certain updates and
hotfixes installed, so the Microsoft server can synchronize with the Grid member. For information about these
requirements, see Requirements.
The topics in this section include:
• Viewing Synchronized Leases

• Synchronizing DHCP Failover Relationships
• Synchronizing IP Addresses with Invalid MAC Addresses
• Managing Synchronized DHCP Data
• Synchronizing DHCP Data from Microsoft Servers
• Managing Microsoft DHCP Servers
Viewing Synchronized Leases

A Grid member synchronizes all leases from its managed Microsoft server to the Grid. Microsoft servers automatically
generate a static lease for each reservation. These static leases are synchronized to the Grid as well. You can view the
synchronized leases by navigating to the Data Management -> DHCP -> Leases tab. For information about viewing
current leases, see Viewing Current Leases. You can do the following:
• View lease details, by selecting a lease and clicking the Lease Details icon. For additional information, see
Viewing Detailed Lease Information.
• Clear a lease, by selecting it and clicking the Clear Lease icon. Note that Grid Manager clears the lease
immediately. It does not wait for the next synchronization.
Additionally, you can enable a Grid member to log lease related operations, so you can view these events in the Lease
History panel. For information, see Configuring the Lease Logging Member and Viewing Lease History.

Rev. D
Synchronizing DHCP Failover Relationships
The synchronization of DHCP data with Microsoft DHCP servers running Microsoft Windows version 2012 or later
includes the synchronization of DHCP failover relationships and the associated scopes. Note that this feature does not
have any impact on the synchronized data with Microsoft servers running a Windows version earlier than 2012.
When you change the synchronization mode of a Microsoft server, it affects the way a failover relationship is
synchronized and replicated, but you cannot change these settings directly. When a failover relationship synchronization
mode changes from read-only to read/write, NIOS copies the DHCP configuration within the relationship between both
partners, using the primary Microsoft server as the reference. When a failover relationship synchronization mode
changes from read/write to read-only, NIOS does not change the DHCP configuration within the relationship on each
Microsoft server.
About Microsoft DHCP Failover Relationships

A failover relationship represents the relationship between two Microsoft DHCP servers, where each of them is called a
partner. A failover relationship that has at least one Grid member as a partner is called a NIOS failover relationship and if
it has at least one Microsoft server as a partner, it is defined as a Microsoft failover relationship. A failover relationship
can be configured with two Microsoft servers, a Microsoft server and an external server, two Grid members, a Grid
member and an external server.
When you synchronize a failover relationship from a Microsoft server, the NIOS appliance copies the changes originating
from the Microsoft server to the failover relationship of the partner, only if the two Microsoft servers match. Two failover
relationships match if they have the same name, and if the address of the partner defined in one Microsoft server
matches with the address of the other, and vice versa. Also, you must configure Microsoft servers to manage DHCP and
enable synchronization on both the Microsoft servers.
The changes that originate from the Microsoft server are applied to the failover relationship on NIOS, and vice versa. The
changes are effective on the partner server from its next scheduled synchronization.
The failover relationship synchronization mode for Microsoft is read/write if both partners are each Microsoft servers that
are enabled for DHCP synchronization. For all other cases, the failover relationship synchronization is read only.
When NIOS fails to match a failover relationship, the partner of that relationship is considered to be unknown or external.
In the case of multiple servers, you must define the Microsoft server on the appliance using the same IP and/or FQDN.
Infoblox recommends that you do the following for Microsoft servers in a failover relationship:
• The synchronization interval of two Microsoft servers in a failover relationship must be identical and small.
• Use the same managing member for Microsoft servers in a failover relationship.
• After a Microsoft server fails, you must turn off NIOS synchronization during restore to avoid transferring the old
configuration to its partners.
• The primary and secondary Microsoft servers that you select in a failover relationship must be in the same
network view. Note the following if the servers are on different network views:
• You cannot modify or delete failover associations.
• You cannot add, modify, or delete scopes that are associated with the failover association.
• The appliance does not display the FQDN, but displays the IP address and status as 'unknown' for the
secondary Microsoft server.
• The appliance may not display the scopes that are assigned to the failover association.
• The appliance does not allow you to perform any action on the objects in a failover association, as the
objects will be in read-only mode.
Admin Permissions for Managing Microsoft DHCP Failover Relationship

To create, modify or delete a Microsoft failover relationship in NIOS, you must have the same permissions on both the
Microsoft servers that are assigned to the failover relationship.
You can update the property of a failover relationship only if it has read/write permissions. You cannot update the
properties of the Microsoft server or partner directly. You must first delete the relationship, create a new relationship and
assign the DHCP scope to the new relationship. NIOS applies the changes to both Microsoft servers defined in the
failover relationship during its next synchronization schedule, only if they are in read/write mode during that time. You can
delete a Microsoft failover relationship only if it is not associated with a DHCP range.

Rev. D
Microsoft Failover Relationships for DHCP Ranges
When you create or update a DHCP range on NIOS, administrators can assign or remove a DHCP range from a
Microsoft failover relationship only if the failover relationship has two read/write Microsoft servers. Note that when you
reassign a DHCP range that is assigned to a Microsoft failover relationship, NIOS removes the DHCP range from the
failover relationship during the next synchronization of the respective server.
When you remove a DHCP range from a read/write Microsoft failover relationship, NIOS deletes a copy of the DHCP
range from both the Microsoft servers defined in the failover relationship. When a DHCP range is associated with a
Microsoft failover relationship, any change made to one copy of the range is automatically saved to the other copy.
Admin Permissions for Managing Failover Relationships for DHCP Ranges

You must have read/write permissions on the DHCP range and on each Microsoft server to assign or remove a DHCP
range from a Microsoft failover relationship.
Note that the changes performed on a DHCP range, which is assigned to a read/write Microsoft failover relationship, are
applied to both copies of the range and synchronized with each Microsoft server during each of their next scheduled
synchronization.
You can delete a DHCP range that is assigned to a Microsoft failover relationship only if the failover relationship has two
read/write Microsoft servers. When you delete a DHCP range that is assigned to a Microsoft failover relationship in read/
write mode, NIOS deletes them on both Microsoft servers that is defined in the relationship during the next respective
scheduled synchronization.
Limitations of Microsoft DHCP Failover Relationship on NIOS

Note the following limitations of Microsoft DHCP failover relationship on NIOS:
1. You cannot synchronize failover scope statistics on a Microsoft DHCP failover relationship.
2. The appliance does not support on demand replication for a Microsoft DHCP failover relationship.
3. You cannot set the functional peer in the PARTNER-DOWN state for a Microsoft DHCP failover on NIOS. For
information, see Setting a Peer in the Partner-Down State.
4. The appliance does not support time synchronization of both partners and time synchronization monitoring.
Infoblox recommends that the administrators of the Microsoft servers running the DHCP server must ensure that
the time synchronization is appropriate.
5. You can only add up to 31 DHCP failovers to a Microsoft server in a failover relationship.
Synchronizing IP Addresses with Invalid MAC Addresses

An invalid MAC address is a MAC address whose length is not six bytes (48 bits). You can synchronize IP addresses
with invalid MAC addresses only for Microsoft servers for which you have enabled DHCP synchronization. When you
enable this setting for a Microsoft DHCP server, NIOS synchronizes any DHCP lease or reservation with an invalid MAC
address and it is effective from the next scheduled DHCP lease or DHCP server synchronization. The synchronization
does not affect a DHCP lease or reservation with a valid MAC address.
You can synchronize IP addresses with invalid MAC addresses at the Grid level and override them at the member level.
This is valid for NIOS 6.11.0 and later releases. The appliance displays the invalid MAC address using a red cross mark
in the list. You cannot save invalid MAC addresses, but you can view invalid MAC addresses in the list panels and
editors.
When you disable synchronization for invalid MAC addresses, NIOS ignores any DHCP lease or reservation with an
invalid MAC address and the object disappears from NIOS during the next synchronization of the Microsoft server to
which it belongs. An invalid MAC address that you had synchronized earlier persists until NIOS updates the associated
lease or reservation with a new MAC address, or the lease is cleared, or deleted, or expired.
To synchronize an invalid MAC address, complete the following:
1. Grid: From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid Properties -> Edit.
Member: From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, click the Members tab, select the member checkbox, and click
the Edit icon.
2. Select the Microsoft Server Settings tab in the Grid Properties Editor wizard and complete the following in the
Advanced tab:

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• Allow Invalid MAC Address to be synchronized: This is enabled, by default. Select this to enable
synchronization for invalid MAC addresses.
Managing Synchronized DHCP Data

When Grid members are configured to manage Microsoft DHCP servers in read/write mode, you can use Grid Manager
to view, edit and delete the DHCP data of those servers. You can add and manage networks and DHCP ranges that are
synchronized as scopes to the Microsoft server, and add and manage reservations and superscopes. All updates are
synchronized to the Microsoft servers at regular intervals.
Grid Manager also allows you to set admin permissions, extensible attributes, and thresholds. These apply only when the
DHCP data is managed on Grid Manager. These properties are not synchronized to Microsoft servers.
The following sections provide guidelines for managing Microsoft DHCP data from Grid Manager:
• Adding and Managing Scopes
• Adding Fixed Addresses/Microsoft Reservations
• About Superscopes
Adding and Managing Scopes

To add a scope from Grid Manager, you must create an IPv4 network and a DHCP range, and then assign the Microsoft
server to the network and range. To add a split-scope from Grid Manager, you must create an IPv4 network and a DHCP
range, and then assign two Microsoft server to the network and range.
To edit a scope synchronized from a Microsoft server, you must edit the properties of its corresponding DHCP range. The
following sections describe how to add, edit and remove scopes using Grid Manager.
 Note
Microsoft servers do not support Infoblox hosts and reservations. You cannot add them to networks and DHCP
ranges served by Microsoft servers.
Adding Networks for Scopes

Following are guidelines for adding a network for Microsoft scopes:
• The network must be served by Microsoft servers. It cannot be served by a mix of Microsoft and Infoblox DHCP
servers.
• If you are adding a split-scope, you must assign the network to two Microsoft servers that serve the split-scope. A
split-scope cannot be served by a mix of Microsoft and Infoblox DHCP servers.
• The network can contain only one DHCP range per Microsoft server. It can contain multiple DHCP ranges as long
as they do not overlap and are each served by a different Microsoft server.
• You can set DHCP properties at the DHCP range level only, not the network level.
You can run discoveries on networks served by Microsoft servers. For information about network discoveries, see IP
Discovery and vDiscovery.
 Note
Networks served by Microsoft DHCP servers do not support the split, join, and expand functions.
You can create a network from scratch or use a network template. For information about creating network templates, see
Adding IPv4 Network Templates. To add an IPv4 network for a scope:
network. It must be the same network view to which the Microsoft server is assigned.

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3. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Network.
4. In the Add Network wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
• Add Network
or
• Add Network using Template: Click Select Template and select a network template. For more information,
see About IPv4 Network Templates. In the DHCP Network Template Selector dialog box, select the
template you want to use and click the Select icon. Note that when you use a template to create a
network, the configurations of the template apply to the new network. The appliance populates the
template properties in the wizard when you click Next. You can then edit the pre-populated properties,
except for Netmask.
• Address: Enter the IP address of the network. You can enter the IP address with a CIDR block. For
example, enter 10.0.0.0/24, and the netmask slider adjusts the netmask to /24. You can also enter partial
IP address with a CIDR block. When you are done, Grid Manager displays the complete IP address with
the CIDR block. For example, when you enter 15/24, Grid Manager displays 15.0.0.0/24 and the netmask
slider adjusts the netmask to /24. Note that Microsoft DHCP servers do not support /32 subnets.
• Netmask: Use the netmask slider to select the appropriate number of subnet mask bits for the network.
Microsoft servers support /1 to /31 netmasks. Note that when you use a template that contains a fixed
netmask, you cannot adjust the netmask for this network.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the network, such as the name of the organization it serves.
• Automatically create reverse-mapping zone in view: This function is enabled if the netmask of the network
equals /8, /16, or /24. Select this to have the appliance automatically create reverse-mapping zones for
the network. A reverse-mapping zone is an area of network space for which one or more name servers
have the responsibility for responding to address-to-name queries. These zones are created in the DNS
view assigned to receive dynamic DNS updates at the network view level.
• Disabled: This option does not apply to networks assigned to Microsoft servers. The member ignores this
field when the network is assigned to Microsoft servers. You can disable DHCP ranges assigned to
Microsoft servers, but not networks.
6. Click Next to add Microsoft servers as DHCP servers for the network. Click the Add icon and select the following:
• Add Microsoft Server: Select the Microsoft server from the Microsoft Server Selector dialog box. You can
add multiple Microsoft servers, if you are adding multiple DHCP ranges served by different Microsoft
servers. For a split-scope, you must assign two Microsoft servers to the network.
see About Extensible Attributes.
or
Setting Network Properties

You can change the Microsoft servers assigned to the network, and define extensible attributes and admin permissions
to the network. You can also set thresholds for the network, to enable the appliance to make a syslog entry when
address usage goes above or below the thresholds.
To set network properties:
2. The Network editor contains the following basic tabs from which you can modify data:
• General Basic: You can enter or modify comments.
• Member Assignment: Add or delete Microsoft servers. For information, see Adding IPv4 Networks. If the
network contains multiple DHCP ranges each managed by a different Microsoft server, then you can add
those Microsoft servers here.

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3. Optionally, you can click Toggle Expert Mode to display the following tabs from which you can modify advanced
data.
with Zones.
• Thresholds: These watermarks represent thresholds above or below which address usage is unexpected
and might warrant your attention. Thresholds are inherited from the Grid.
• High-water Mark: Enter a number between 0 and 100. If the percentage of allocated addresses in
a DHCP range exceeds this number, the appliance makes a syslog entry. The default is 95.
• Low-water Mark: Enter a number between 0 and 100. If the percentage of allocated addresses in
a DHCP range drops below this number, the appliance makes a syslog entry. The default is 0.
Address usage must initially exceed the low-water mark threshold and then dip below it before the
appliance considers low address usage an event requiring an alert.
or
• Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel,
Deleting and Restoring a Network

When you delete a network, Grid Manager moves it and its DHCP ranges and fixed addresses to the Recycle Bin, and
permanently deletes its leases. The corresponding scopes and reservations are deleted from the Microsoft server at the
next synchronization. If you restore the network on Grid Manager, its DHCP ranges and fixed addresses are restored as
well. The Grid member then adds the corresponding scopes and reservations to the Microsoft server on the next
synchronization. For information about deleting networks, see Deleting IPv4 Networks. For information about restoring
data, see Using the Recycle Bin.
Adding a DHCP Range/Scope

After you add a network for a scope, you must then define its DHCP range. You can create the DHCP range from scratch
or use a DHCP Range template. For information about DHCP templates, see About IPv4 Range Templates.
You can add multiple ranges to the same network, as long as each range is served by a different Microsoft server and
the ranges do not overlap.
When you add a split-scope, you must specify the Microsoft servers that serve the scopes and their exclusion ranges.
Each scope inherits its options from its respective Microsoft server. Note that the enabled/disabled setting of the first
range automatically applies to the second range. Therefore, if the first range is initially disabled, then the second range is
initially disabled as well.
To add a DHCP range for a scope:
2. Navigate to the network to which you want to add a DHCP range, and then click Add -> DHCP Range from the
Toolbar. You can also add a DHCP range from any panel in the DHCP tab.
3. In the Add Range wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
• Add DHCP Range
or
• Add DHCP Range using Template
Click Select Template and select the template that you want to use. Note that when you use a template to create a
DHCP range, the configurations of the template apply to the new range. The appliance automatically populates the
DHCP range properties in the wizard. You can then edit the pre-populated properties.
• Network: Click Select Network to select the network to which you want to add the DHCP range. The
network must be served by a Microsoft server. If you are adding a DHCP range while viewing the contents
of a specific network, the appliance displays the network address here. You can still select a different
network by clicking Select Network.
• Start: Enter the first IP address in the range.
• End: Enter the last IP address in the range.

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• Name: You can enter a name for the DHCP range.
• Comment: You can enter additional information. After the range is synchronized to the Microsoft server as
a scope, this text appears in the Description field of the scope on the Microsoft server.
• Disable for DHCP: Select this if you do not want the DHCP server to allocate IP addresses from this
DHCP range at this time. If you select this, the Grid member synchronizes the range to the Microsoft
server as an inactive scope.
5. Click Next and select one of the following to provide DHCP services for the DHCP range:
None: Select this if you do not want to synchronize this range to the Microsoft DHCP server.
Microsoft Server: This field displays the Microsoft server that you selected for the network. If several servers
were assigned to the network, you can select one from the list.
• Microsoft Split-Scope: Select this to create a split-scope, and then complete the following:
• Microsoft Server #1: Read-only field that displays the Microsoft server that you specified in the preceding
step.
• Microsoft Server #2: Select the Microsoft server that will serve the split-scope.
• Split Percentage: Specify the percentage of IP addresses in the scope that is allocated to the exclusion
range of each Microsoft server. The default is 50%. You can either move the slider or enter the
percentages in the text fields. When you use the slider, you are specifying the percentage of addresses in
the exclusion range of the first server. A tooltip window displays the percentage as you adjust the slider.
When you set the slider, the Split Percentage, Exclusion Starting Address, and Exclusion Ending Address
fields are updated accordingly.
• Exclusion Starting Address: When you set the split percentages, these fields automatically displays the
starting address of the exclusion range of each Microsoft server. Alternatively, you can enter the starting
address of the exclusion range of the first Microsoft server, and the Split Percentage and Exclusion
Ending Address values adjust accordingly.
• Exclusion Ending Range: When you set the split percentage, these fields automatically display the ending
address of the exclusion range of each Microsoft server. Alternatively, you can enter the ending address of
the exclusion range of the second Microsoft server, and the Split Percentage and Exclusion Starting
Address values adjust accordingly.
6. Click Next, and optionally set operational parameters for the scope. Otherwise, the scope inherits its parameters
from the first Microsoft DHCP server.
• Lease Time: Specify the lease time. The default is 8 days. When the range is served by a Microsoft server and
you enter a lease time of 1000 days or more, Grid Manager automatically grays out this field and checks the
Unlimited Lease Time option after you save your entries.
• Unlimited Lease Time: Select this option to set an infinite lease time for the IP addresses leased from this
range.
• Routers: In the table, enter the IP address of the router that is connected to the same network as the
DHCP clients. Click the Add icon to add more routers.
• Domain Name: Enter the name of the domain for which the Microsoft server serves DHCP data. The
DHCP server includes this domain name in Option 15 when it responds with a DHCPOFFER packet to a
DHCPDISCOVER packet from a client.
• DNS Servers: In the table, enter the IP address of the DNS server to which the DHCP clients send name
resolution requests. The DHCP server includes this information in the DHCPOFFER and DHCPACK
messages.
or

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Setting DHCP Range/Scope Properties
A Microsoft scope inherits its properties from its Microsoft server. In Grid Manager, you can override the inherited values
or set other properties by editing the DHCP range. You can also configure an exclusion range within the scope and set
thresholds, to enable the appliance to make a syslog entry when address usage goes above or below the thresholds.
You can modify a scope's properties, including its start and end addresses, servers, and exclusion ranges. If you edit the
properties of a split-scope and it results in gaps or overlapping exclusion ranges so that the ranges are no longer
identical, Grid Manager displays a warning indicating that continuing with the operation automatically removes the split-
scope flag. Grid Manager also removes the flag when the start or end address of a scope changes, so its range is no
longer the same.
To set DHCP range properties:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network -> addr_range
2. The DHCP Range editor contains the following basic tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: Modify the fields, including the start and end addresses, as described in Adding a DHCP Range/
Scope.
• Server Assignment: Switch to None or select a different Microsoft server for the DHCP range.
• IPv4 DHCP Options: Keep the DHCP properties or override them and enter unique settings for the DHCP
range. For information about the fields, see Adding a DHCP Range/Scope.
This tab displays DHCP and Microsoft vendor options that were synchronized from the Microsoft server.
You can edit any of the options. When you select a different User Class or Vendor Class from the drop-
down menus, Grid Manager automatically updates the option definitions in the drop-down list.
To configure additional DHCP options, click + and select a User Class and Vendor Class from the drop-
down menus. Select an option from the drop-down list, and enter a value in the field beside it. You can
click - to remove an option.
3. Optionally, you can click Toggle Expert Mode to display the following tabs from which you can modify advanced
data.
• DDNS: Complete the following to set DDNS parameters for the range:
• Enable DDNS Updates: Click the checkbox to enable the Microsoft DHCP server to send dynamic
DNS updates or clear the checkbox to disable this function.
DHCP Server Updates DNS If Requested by Client: The DHCP server updates DNS only if it is
requested by the client. Otherwise, the client updates DNS.
DHCP Server Always Updates DNS: The DHCP server always updates DNS, regardless of any
client request.
• Exclusion Ranges: Configure a range of IP addresses that the server does not use to assign to clients.
You can use these exclusion addresses as static IP addresses. For information, see Configuring IPv4
Fixed Addresses. In a split-scope, the exclusion range identifies the range of IP addresses that the other
Microsoft server serves. If you edit the exclusion range of either of the scopes in a split-scope and the
exclusion ranges no longer complement each other, NIOS removes the split-scope flag from both scopes.
• Thresholds: Thresholds are inherited from the Grid. These watermarks represent thresholds above or
below which address usage is unexpected and might warrant your attention.
• High-wate rMark: Enter a number between 0 and 100. If the percentage of allocated addresses in
a DHCP range exceeds this number, the appliance makes a syslog entry. The default is 95.
• Low-water Mark: Enter a number between 0 and 100. If the percentage of allocated addresses in
a DHCP range drops below this number, the appliance makes a syslog entry. The default is 0.
Address usage must initially exceed the low-water mark threshold and then dip below it before the
appliance considers low address usage an event requiring an alert.

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or
Deleting and Restoring a DHCP Range/Scope

When you delete a DHCP range, Grid Manager moves it and its exclusion range and fixed addresses to the Recycle Bin,
and permanently deletes its leases. At the next synchronization, the member deletes the scope, its exclusion range and
reservations from the Microsoft server. If you restore a DHCP range on Grid Manager, then the Grid member adds its
corresponding scope, exclusion range and reservations to the Microsoft server at the next synchronization. For
information about deleting DHCP ranges, see Deleting IPv4 Address Ranges. For information about restoring data, see
Using the Recycle Bin.
If you delete a scope that is part of a split-scope, Grid Manager automatically removes the split-scope flag from the
remaining scope.
Viewing Scopes
To view the scopes in a network, navigate to DHCP -> Networks -> network. The panel displays the objects in the
network, including the scopes and split-scopes. For split-scopes, the panel displays both scopes with the same start and
end address. It displays the following information about each object:
• IP Address: The IP address of the DHCP object. For a scope, this field displays the start and end addresses of
the scope. Note that the appliance highlights all disabled DHCP objects in gray.
• Split-Scope: Displays Yes if the scope is a split-scope.
• MS Server: Displays the Microsoft server that is serving the scope.
• Type: The DHCP object type, such as DHCP Range or Fixed Address.
hostname.
• IPv4 DHCP Utilization: The percentage of the total DHCP usage of a DHCP range. This is the percentage of the
total number of fixed addresses, reservations, hosts, and active leases in the DHCP range divided by the total IP
addresses in the range, excluding the number of addresses in the exclusion ranges. Note that only enabled
objects are included in the calculation.
• Site: The site to which the DHCP object belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
• Static Addresses: Indicates whether the IP address is a static address.
• Dynamic Addresses: Indicates whether the IP address is a dynamically assigned address.
• Disabled: Indicates whether the object is disabled.
• Priority: Displays the priority of a DHCP range when NAC filters are applied.
• Available extensible attributes.
• Add new objects, such as DHCP ranges, to the network.
You can also view the scopes in the IP Map.
Adding Fixed Addresses/Microsoft Reservations

To add a reservation from Grid Manager, add a fixed address and Grid Manager synchronizes it to the Microsoft server
as a reservation. You can create fixed addresses from scratch or use fixed address templates. For information about

Rev. D
fixed address templates, see Adding IPv4 Fixed Address/Reservation Templates.
To add a fixed address:
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Fixed Address.
3. In the Add Fixed Address wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
• Add Fixed Address
or
• Add Fixed Address using Template
Click Select Template and select the template that you want to use.
• Network: Click Select Network to select the network to which you want to add the fixed address. If you are
adding the fixed address from a specific network, the appliance displays the network address here. You
can still select a different network by clicking Select Network.
• IP Address: Enter the IPv4 address for the fixed address, or click Next Available IP to obtain the next
available IP address.
• MAC Address: Enter the MAC address of the host.
• Name: Enter a name for the fixed address. This is required for reservations on Microsoft servers.
• Configure On:
None: Select this if you do not want this synchronized to the Microsoft server.
Microsoft Server: Select the Microsoft server that serves this fixed address.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information. The text in this field appears in the Description field of
the Microsoft reservation after the fixed address is synchronized. Note that due to a length limit set by the
Microsoft DHCP server, after you synchronize DHCP data, the Description field can display only up to 128
characters even though NIOS allows up to 256 characters for this field.
5. Click Next, and optionally set operational parameters for the fixed address. Otherwise, the fixed address inherits
its parameters from its scope.
• Routers: In the table, enter the IP address of the router that is connected to the same network as the
DHCP client. Click the Add icon to add more routers.
• Domain Name: Enter the name of the domain for which the Microsoft DHCP serves DHCP data. The
DHCP server includes this domain name in Option 15 when it responds with a DHCPOFFER packet to a
DHCPDISCOVER packet from a client.
• DNS Servers: In the table, enter the IP address of the DNS server to which the DHCP client sends name
resolution requests. The DHCP server includes this information in the DHCPOFFER and DHCPACK
messages.
or
Setting Fixed Address/Reservation Properties

Microsoft reservations inherit their properties from their scopes. In Grid Manager, you can override the inherited values or
set other properties of a Microsoft reservation, by editing its fixed address.
To modify a fixed address:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network -> fixed_address
2. The Fixed Address editor contains the following basic tabs from which you can enter data:
• General: You can modify the fields described in Adding Fixed Addresses/Microsoft Reservations.
• IPv4 DHCP Options: Keep the inherited properties, or override them and enter unique settings.
This section displays DHCP and Microsoft vendor options that were synchronized from the Microsoft

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server. You can edit any of the options. When you select a different User Class or Vendor Class from the
drop-down menus, Grid Manager automatically updates the option definitions in the drop-down list.
• Discovered Data: If you ran a discovery on the network, Grid Manager displays the discovered data of the
fixed address. For information, see Viewing Discovered Data. Note that conflicts can occur when
discovered data does not match the existing IP address data. For information about resolving these
conflicts, see Resolving Conflicting Addresses.
can also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Managing Extensible Attributes.
3. Optionally, you can click Toggle Expert Mode to display the DDNS tab. To set DDNS parameters for the fixed
address, complete the following:
• Enable DDNS Updates: Click the checkbox to enable the Microsoft DHCP server to send dynamic DNS
updates or clear the checkbox to disable this function.
• DHCP Server Updates DNS If Requested by Client: The DHCP server updates DNS only if it is requested
by the client. Otherwise, the client updates DNS.
• DHCP Server Always Updates DNS: The DHCP server always updates DNS, regardless of any client
request.
or
Deleting and Restoring a Fixed Address/Reservation

When you delete a fixed address, Grid Manager moves it to the Recycle Bin. At the next synchronization, the Grid
member deletes its corresponding reservation from the Microsoft server. If you restore fixed address, then the Grid
member adds its corresponding reservation to the Microsoft server at the next synchronization. For information about
deleting fixed addresses, see Deleting Fixed Addresses. For information about restoring data, see Using the Recycle
Bin.
About Superscopes
In Grid Manager, you can group DHCP ranges served by Microsoft servers into a superscope. You can add multiple
DHCP ranges to a superscope, as long as the ranges are all served by the same Microsoft DHCP server. The Grid
member then synchronizes the superscope and its associated DHCP ranges as superscopes and scopes to the
Microsoft DHCP server.
You can also associate extensible attributes with superscopes in Grid Manager. Extensible attributes are not
synchronized to the Microsoft DHCP server.
Only admins with read/write permission to superscopes can add and manage superscopes.
Adding Superscopes
Before you add a superscope, you must first create at least one DHCP range to include in the superscope. To add a
superscope:
superscope. The network view must be the same one that is assigned to the Microsoft server.
3. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Superscope.
4. In the Add Superscope wizard, complete the following and click Next:

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• Name: Enter a name for the superscope.
• Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the superscope.
• Disabled: Select this to disable the DHCP ranges in the superscope. They are then synchronized as
inactive scopes on the Microsoft server.
5. Click the Add icon and select a range from the Select Range dialog box. This dialog box lists only the address
ranges that are served by a Microsoft server.
or
• Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a
date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks .
Viewing Superscopes
To view superscopes, navigate to the Data Management tab -> DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Microsoft Superscopes.
Grid Manager displays the following information about each superscope that is displayed:
• Name: The name of the superscope. Grid Manager appends the FQDN of its associated Microsoft server so you
can identify which superscope belongs to which server.
• Comment: The comment that was entered for the superscope.
• DHCP Utilization: The percentage of the total DHCP usage of the ranges in the superscope. Fixed addresses and
reservations that are outside of a range are excluded from the calculation.
• Site: The site of the superscope. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
You can add the following columns for viewing:
• Static Addresses: The number of static addresses.
• Dynamic Addresses: The number of dynamic addresses.
• Disabled: Indicates whether the superscope is enabled.
You can do the following in this section:
• Click the link of a superscope to list its address ranges.
• Add a superscope.
• Print or export the information in this section.
• Delete a superscope.
Modifying Superscopes
To modify a superscope:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Network tab -> Microsoft Superscopes ->
ms_superscope checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The Superscopes editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
• General: You can modify the name and comment, and enable or disable the superscope. You can also
add and delete address ranges from the superscope. Note that when you delete the last DHCP range in a
superscope, Grid Manager automatically deletes the superscope as well.
• Extensible Attributes: Define extensible attributes for the superscope. These apply only when the
superscope is managed in Grid Manager. For information, see Managing Extensible Attributes.
• Permissions: Define administrative permissions that apply to the superscope when it is managed in Grid
Manager. For information see About Administrative Permissions.

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Deleting Superscopes
When you delete a superscope in Grid Manager, it is permanently deleted from the database. The superscope is deleted
from the Microsoft server at the next synchronization. Note that deleting a superscope does not delete the DHCP ranges
in the superscope. These are retained in the database.
To delete a superscope:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Network tab -> Microsoft Superscopes ->
ms_superscope checkbox, and then click the Delete icon.
Synchronizing Updates
A Grid member synchronizes DHCP data with each of its managed Microsoft server at regular intervals. During each
synchronization, updates from Grid Manager are applied to the Microsoft server and updates from the Microsoft server
are applied to the Grid as well.
Because admins can update DHCP data from both the Microsoft server and from Grid Manager, conflicts can occur
during synchronization. The following guidelines describe how the Grid member resolves conflicts and handles any
differences when DHCP data is synchronized between a Microsoft server and the Grid.
• If a Microsoft server admin modifies an object that has a pending scheduled task in Grid Manager and
synchronization occurs before the scheduled task, the object is modified in both the Microsoft server and the Grid
member. When the scheduled task executes at its scheduled time, it fails and an error message is logged in the
audit log.
• When a Microsoft server admin and a Grid Manager admin change the same object, the Grid member retains the
version that exists on the Microsoft server. Following are some examples:
Grid Manager Admin... Microsoft Server Admin... After Synchronization
Deletes the 10.1.1.0/24 network which has Adds a scope that is within the 10.1.1.0/24 The 10.1.1.0/24 network is created on the Grid with
two DHCP ranges network the updates and is assigned to the Microsoft server.
Changes the DHCP options of a scope Deletes the scope. The scope is deleted from the Grid as well.
• If a Grid member manages multiple Microsoft servers, it can synchronize scopes to the same network as long as
they are served by different Microsoft servers and they do not overlap. If the Microsoft servers have scopes that
overlap, the Grid member synchronizes only one of the scopes, including its reservations. It does not synchronize
the other scopes and logs an error message for each scope that is not synchronized. For information about the
Microsoft logs, see Viewing Synchronization Logs.
Note that a Grid member can synchronize scopes with overlapping reservations because they are served by
different Microsoft servers.
• When a Grid member synchronizes a split-scope to its respective Microsoft servers, the scopes use the default
value for the DHCP Offer Delay value, since this property is not supported by NIOS.
• If you create a split-scope on a NIOS appliance, synchronization fails if there is an existing scope in the same
network on one of the Microsoft servers. Only one scope is allowed in a network, per Microsoft server.
• If a Microsoft admin adds a DHCP range and a NIOS admin is in the process of adding the same range when a
synchronization occurs, the NIOS admin will not be able to save the range after the synchronization. Grid
Manager will display an error message indicating that the range already exists.
• If both a NIOS admin and a Microsoft admin create a scope or split-scope and conflicts occur, the Microsoft
server always takes precedence. All conflicts are logged to the Microsoft log. Following are some examples:
• If the NIOS admin creates a scope and a Microsoft server admin creates a split-scope for the same DHCP
range, the split-scope is synchronized to Grid Manager.
• If the NIOS admin creates a split-scope on Microsoft servers 1 and 2, and a Microsoft admin creates the
same split-scope on Microsoft servers 1 and 3 but with different exclusion ranges, the scope created by
the NIOS admin on Microsoft server 1 is dropped upon synchronization.
• If the NIOS admin creates a split-scope on Microsoft servers 1 and 2, and a Microsoft admin creates the
same split-scope on the same Microsoft servers but with different exclusion ranges, the split-scope

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created by the Microsoft admin is synchronized to NIOS and retained. The split-scope created by the
NIOS admin is dropped.
Synchronizing DHCP Data from Microsoft Servers

After you configure a member to manage the DHCP service of a Microsoft server, the Grid member connects to the
server and starts synchronizing IPv4 DHCP data from the Microsoft server to the Grid database. It synchronizes the
Microsoft server properties, leases, scopes and reservations.
The synchronization time varies, depending on different factors, such as the number of managed Microsoft servers and
the amount of data being synchronized.
 Note
Synchronizing IPv6 data is not supported.
As shown in the table below, Microsoft servers and Infoblox DHCP servers represent DHCP data differently. Scopes on
Microsoft servers are DHCP ranges on Infoblox DHCP servers. Additionally, Microsoft servers support split-scopes, which
is a scope assigned to two Microsoft servers. Each scope has an exclusion range on opposite ends to specify the pool of
IP addresses that the other Microsoft server allocates. On an Infoblox DHCP server, each scope in the split-scope is
represented as a DHCP range with an exclusion range. Note that NIOS also synchronizes scopes assigned to more than
two Microsoft servers, but they are not synchronized as split-scopes.
Fixed addresses on Infoblox DHCP servers are the same as reservations on Microsoft servers. Infoblox reservations,
which are IP addresses that are excluded from DHCP, are not supported on Microsoft servers. Microsoft superscopes,
which are used to group scopes, are represented as superscopes and can be managed from Infoblox DHCP servers.
DHCP Data in Microsoft and Infoblox DHCP Servers
DHCP Data Microsoft DHCP Servers Infoblox DHCP Servers
Address pool from which the server allocates addresses Scope DHCP Address Range in a Network
An IP address that is always assigned to the same device Reservation Fixed Address
An IP address that is excluded from DHCP because a user Not supported Reservation
intends to configure it manually on a network device
Administrative group of scopes Superscope Microsoft superscope
 Note
In this chapter, reservations always refer to Microsoft reservations (Infoblox fixed addresses), unless otherwise
specified.
When the member synchronizes a scope to the Grid, it converts the scope to a DHCP range and network. For example, it
converts the Microsoft scope 10.1.1.1- 10.1.1.200 with a netmask of /24 to the network 10.1.1.0/24 and DHCP range
10.1.1.1- 10.1.1.200 on Grid Manager. The member associates the DHCP properties of the scope, including its DHCP
and Microsoft vendor options, with the DHCP range. It synchronizes the leases within the range and if configured, the
exclusion range as well.
NIOS synchronizes two scopes as split-scopes if the following conditions are met:
• Two scopes have the same address range.
• The scopes are assigned to two different Microsoft servers.

Rev. D
• Each scope has an exclusion range and the exclusion ranges are at opposite ends of the scope, so they
complement each other. For example, the scope 10.1.1.1-10.1.1.200 on Microsoft server A has an exclusion
range of 10.1.1.100-10.1.1.200 and the same scope on Microsoft server B has en exclusion range of
10.1.1.1-10.1.1.99.
When the appliance synchronizes a split-scope, it sets a split-scope flag on each scope to indicate that it is part of a split-
scope. For more information, see Viewing Scopes. It synchronizes any reservations that are configured in each scope as
well.
When the member synchronizes a Microsoft reservation to the Grid, it converts the reservation to a fixed address and
static lease on Grid Manager. It associates the DHCP properties and DHCP and Microsoft vendor options of the
reservation with the fixed address record.
The Grid member synchronizes superscopes to the Grid as well. The Grid supports Microsoft superscopes, when an MS
management license is installed. For information about adding and managing superscopes in Infoblox DHCP servers,
see About Superscopes.
Following are some guidelines on how a Grid member synchronizes DHCP data from Microsoft servers to the Grid:
• If two superscopes have the same name, but are served by different servers, the member creates two different
superscopes on the Grid, each appended with the Microsoft server FQDN.
• The member synchronizes all active and inactive scopes from a managed Microsoft server as long as the scopes
do not conflict or include any networks currently served by a Grid member. The member does not synchronize a
scope if its network already exists in the Grid and is served by a Grid member. It can synchronize a scope if its
network is included in an existing network, only if the network is not served by DHCP.
• Synchronizing scopes that are larger than /12 is not supported.
• NIOS synchronizes all scopes except for those with serving ranges that overlap the serving ranges of existing
DHCP ranges.
• If the appliance manages multiple Microsoft servers and synchronizes identical scopes from more than two
Microsoft servers, it does not flag the scopes as split-scopes.
• If the appliance synchronizes one or more scopes from Microsoft servers that are identical to an existing split-
scope, it removes the split-scope flag from the existing split-scope.
• NIOS does not synchronize partially overlapping scopes inside a single network from different Microsoft servers.
It synchronizes only ranges that completely overlap.
• More than two scopes are not synchronized as split-scopes, even if they are identical and have exclusion ranges
that complement each other.
• Scopes that have more than one exclusion range are not synchronized as split-scopes, even if the exclusion
ranges complement each other. In addition, if a split-scope is synchronized from a Microsoft server and one of the
scopes is split again on the Microsoft server, NIOS synchronizes the third scope, but does not set a split-scope
flag. In addition, it removes the split-scope flag from the original split-scopes.
You can view the synchronized data as follows:
• To view the networks of the scopes, select the Data Management tab -> DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks
panel. This panel displays all IPv4 networks. For information about this panel, see Modifying IPv4 Networks.
• To view the corresponding DHCP ranges and reservations, select the Data Management tab -> DHCP tab ->
Networks tab, and click a network link. For information about this panel, see Viewing Scopes.
You can also use the features in the IPAM tab, such as the Net Map and IP Map, to view and manage the Microsoft
DHCP data. For information, see About IP Address Management.
Managing Microsoft DHCP Servers

You can control the DHCP services of managed Microsoft servers and set certain properties as well. This section
• Viewing Members and Managed DHCP Servers
• Setting Microsoft DHCP Server Properties
• Controlling the DHCP Service of a Microsoft Server
• Disabling and Removing Microsoft DHCP Servers
• Modifying DHCP Server Assignments

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Viewing Members and Managed DHCP Servers
You can view Infoblox and Microsoft DHCP servers by navigating to the Data Management tab -> DHCP tab, and then
selecting the Members/Servers tab. The panel displays the following information about each DHCP server:
• Name: The hostname of the Grid member or Microsoft server.
• Status: The status of the DHCP service on the Grid member or Microsoft server.
• Comment: Comments that were entered for the Grid member or Microsoft server.
• DHCP Utilization: The percentage of the total DHCP utilization of the member or Microsoft server. This is the
percentage of the total number of DHCP hosts, fixed addresses, reservations, and leases assigned to the
member or Microsoft server versus the total number of IP addresses (excluding IP addresses in the exclusion
range) and all DHCP objects assigned to the member or DHCP server. Note that only enabled objects are
included in the calculation. The appliance updates the utilization data every 15 minutes. The appliance displays
the utilization data in one of the following colors:
• Yellow: The utilization percentage is over the effective high watermark threshold.
• Blue: The utilization percentage is below the effective low watermark threshold.
• Black: The utilization percentage is at any number other than 100%, or within the effective thresholds.
• Address: The IP address of the member or Microsoft server.
• Static Addresses: The number of static IP addresses.
• Dynamic Addresses: The number of dynamically assigned IP addresses.
• Edit the properties of a Grid member or Microsoft server.
• Click the checkbox beside a Grid member or Microsoft server, and then click the Edit icon.
• Export the list of Grid members and Microsoft servers to a .csv file.
• Print the list of Grid members and Microsoft servers.
Setting Microsoft DHCP Server Properties

From Grid Manager, you can set DHCP properties supported by a Microsoft server. These are applied to the server at the
next synchronization. You can also set other properties that apply to Grid Manager only, such as thresholds and the
logging.
To set properties for a Microsoft DHCP server:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members/Servers tab -> Members/Servers ->
ms_server checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the Microsoft Server DHCP Properties editor, you can configure DHCP properties in each tab as follows: IPv4
DHCP Options tab: Complete the following to configure basic DHCP options for the server:
• Routers: Click the Add icon and enter the IP address of the router that is connected to the same network
as the DHCP clients.
• Domain Name: Enter the name of the domain for which the server serves DHCP data. The DHCP server
includes this domain name in Option 15 when it responds with a DHCPOFFER packet to a
DHCPDISCOVER packet from a client. If DDNS is enabled on the DHCP server, it combines the host
name from the client and this domain name to create the FQDN (fully-qualified domain name) that it uses
to update DNS.
• DNS Servers: Click the Add icon and enter the IP address of the DNS server to which the DHCP client
sends name resolution requests. The DHCP server includes this information in the DHCPOFFER and
DHCPACK messages.

Rev. D
• Custom DHCP Options: This section displays DHCP and Microsoft vendor options that were synchronized
from the Microsoft server. You can edit any of the options. When you select a different User Class or
Vendor Class from the drop-down menus, Grid Manager automatically updates the option definitions in
the drop-down list.
DDNS tab: You can enable or disable dynamic DNS updates and set certain properties.
• Enable DDNS Updates: Click the checkbox to enable the Microsoft DHCP server to send dynamic
DNS updates or clear the checkbox to disable this function.
DHCP Server Updates DNS If Requested by Client: The DHCP server updates DNS only if it is
requested by the client. Otherwise, the client updates DNS.
DHCP Server Always Updates DNS: The DHCP server always updates DNS, regardless of any
client request.
Thresholds tab: Thresholds are inherited from the Grid. These watermarks represent thresholds above or below
which address usage is unexpected and might warrant your attention.
• Enable DHCP Thresholds: Select this checkbox to enable the feature.
• High-water Mark: Enter a number between 0 and 100. If the percentage of allocated addresses in a DHCP
range exceeds this number, the DHCP server makes a syslog entry. The default is 95.
• Low-water Mark: Enter a number between 0 and 100. If the percentage of allocated addresses in a DHCP
range drops below this number, the DHCP server makes a syslog entry. The default is 0. Address usage
must initially exceed the low-water mark threshold and then dip below it before the appliance considers
low address usage an event requiring an alert.
3. Optionally, you can click Toggle Expert Mode to display the Logging tab, where you can enable the managing
member to log the lease events of the Microsoft server. This setting is inherited from the Grid. You can override that
setting by clicking Override, and then selecting or clearing the Log Lease Events from DHCP server checkbox.
Controlling the DHCP Service of a Microsoft Server

You can start and stop the DHCP service of a managed Microsoft server from Grid Manager as follows:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Members/Servers tab -> Members/Servers ->
ms_server checkbox.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Start or Stop.
Disabling and Removing Microsoft DHCP Servers

If you remove a Microsoft server as a managed server, Grid Manager deletes all the DHCP ranges, leases, and fixed
addresses associated with the server. It also deletes networks that were assigned only to the Microsoft server. It does not
delete a network if it was assigned to other Microsoft servers as well.
When you disable a Microsoft server, the managing Grid member terminates any on-going synchronization and restarts
synchronization only when the server is re-enabled. The DHCP data associated with that server is preserved in the same
state until synchronization resumes.
For information on removing and disabling Microsoft servers, see Disabling Synchronization and Removing a Managed
Microsoft Server.
Modifying DHCP Server Assignments

If you disable a Microsoft DHCP server or take it offline for maintenance purposes, for example, you can assign its
scopes to a member DHCP server.
Following are the tasks to reassign scopes from a Microsoft server to a member DHCP server:

Rev. D
1. Set the server assignments of all fixed addresses in the scope to "None".
From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network -> fixed_address
checkbox, and then click the Edit icon. You can change the server assignment in the General tab of the Fixed
Address editor.
2. Set the server assignments of all address ranges served by the Microsoft server to "None".
From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network -> addr_range
checkbox, and then click the Edit icon. You can change the server assignment in the General tab of the DHCP
Range editor.
3. Change the sever assignments of the networks by deleting the Microsoft server and replacing it with a member
DHCP server.
From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network checkbox, and
then click the Edit icon. You can change the server assignment in the Member Assignment tab of the Network
editor. contains the following basic tabs from which you can modify data:
4. Modify the server assignments of all address ranges and specify the member DHCP server.
From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network -> addr_range
checkbox, and then click the Edit icon. You can change the server assignment in the General tab of the DHCP
Range editor.
5. Restart services.
The member DHCP server starts granting lease requests after the restart. Note that you do not need to clear the leases
that were active on the Microsoft server, because the member automatically clears them when you change the DHCP
server assignment.
Monitoring
This section explains how to use the different monitoring and reporting tools, including DHCP fingerprint detection and
SNMP. It includes the following topics:
• Monitoring the Appliance

• Configuring DHCP Fingerprints and Fingerprint Detection
• Monitoring with SNMP
Monitoring the Appliance

Grid Manager provides tools for monitoring the status of the Grid, members, and services. You can monitor overall Grid
and member status from the Dashboard, which provides a high-level view of your Grid, members and IP address data,
and easy access to tasks. For information, see Dashboards.
Grid Manager also displays status icons to indicate the state of appliances, services, database capacity, Ethernet ports,
HA, and Grid replication. Depending on your appliance, Grid Manager can display status icons for the power supplies as
well as icons to indicate the state of the RAID array and disk controller backup battery.
You can monitor detailed status of the Grid, members, and services, and then decide how to manage them. Note that
when any member or service encounters issues, the appliance sends SNMP traps. For information, see Monitoring with
SNMP.
This section describes the status icons that indicate the state of appliances, services, database capacity, Ethernet ports,
HA, and Grid replication. It also explains how to use the various logs and the traffic capture tool to monitor a NIOS
appliance. It contains the following topics:
• Viewing the Grid Node Tree

• Member Status
• Enabling Grid Visualization
• Monitoring Services
• Using a Syslog Server
• Capturing DNS Queries and Responses
• Configuring dnstap
• Monitoring Tools

Rev. D
• Enabling Automated Traffic Capture
• Tracking Object Changes in the Database
• Configuring the PTop Instance to Collect CPU Utilization Data
• Collecting Database Performance Data
Viewing the Grid Node Tree

You can view graphical representation of the Grid, with its members represented as nodes in the tree. The Visualization
tab is disabled for new installations and this tab is displayed by default when you upgrade to NIOS 7.2.x and later. For
information about enabling this option, see Enabling Grid Visualization. Each member is labeled with its hostname. You
can click Display Node Labels on the left panel to display or hide the labels.
By default, the Grid Master is the root node at the center of the tree. It is represented by a color-coded icon connected to
its members. You can then click a member to re-center the tree on that node. The left panel displays information about
the member that is at the center of the node tree.
In the node tree, the shape of the icons indicate the role of the member in the Grid:
• Circle: Grid Master
• Ellipse: Grid Members
The colors of the icons indicate the status of the member:
• Green: The member is online and functioning properly.
• Grey: The member has not joined the Grid.
• Red: The member has operational problems.
The connectors indicate the connection status between the Grid Master and the member.
• Blue Line: Connects the Grid Master with online Grid members
• Thick White Line: Connects the Grid Master with Grid Master Candidates
• Dashed Line Connector: Connects the Grid Master with offline Grid members
The node tree includes zooming and panning capabilities to enable quick navigation and selection among multiple
nodes. You can also hover your mouse over a node to view node information. It displays the same information as that
displayed on the left panel, when a node is at the center of the tree.
For the Grid Master:
• Grid name
• Standalone or HA
• Number of members in the Grid
• Status of each protocol running on the Grid
• Grid status For a Member:
• Member name
• Standalone or HA
• HA Status if HA pair
• Status of each protocol running on that member
Member Status
You can monitor the overall status, such as the memory usage and system temperature, of a Grid member or an
independent appliance using the Member Status (System Status) widget on the Dashboard.
To monitor the detailed status of a member, from the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab.
In the Members tab, Grid Manager displays the Grid Master first and then all other members in alphabetical order. If a
member is an HA pair, you can click the arrow next to the member row to view information about the active and passive
nodes. Grid Manager can display the following information:
• Name: The name of the member.
• HA: Indicates whether the member is an HA pair.

Rev. D
• Status: The service status of the member. For a vNIOS appliance whose license is revoked and is still operating
in the Grid, Grid Manager displays a license violation warning here. You should immediately remove this member
from the Grid.
• IPv4 Address: The IPv4 address of the appliance, or the VIP of an HA pair.
• IPv6 Address: The IPv6 address of the appliance, or the VIP of an HA pair.
• Identify: This field appears only if your appliance has the unit identification button. This can be On or Off. When
you identify the appliance by pressing the UID button on the appliance or through the GUI or CLI command, this
field displays On. Otherwise, this is Off.
• DHCP, DNS, TFTP, HTTP, FTP, NTP, bloxTools, Captive Portal, DNS Accelerator usage, Reporting, Discovery,
Threat Protection, Cloud-API, Threat Analytics, TAXII: The status icons indicate whether these services are
running properly. For information, see Service Status.
• Hardware Type: The hardware type of the appliance.
• Hardware Model: The hardware model of the appliance.
• DB Utilization: The current percentage of the database in use.
• Host Platform: The platform on which the appliance is running. For a vNIOS appliance, this field displays the
name of the cloud management platform, such as AWS, Azure, GCP, or VMware, and for the vNIOS for GCP
appliance, if the NIOS instance is running on a single network interface, the field displays GCP (Single
Interface). For physical NIOS appliances, this displays Physical. For appliances running on the CentOS operating
system, the Host Platform column displays Red Hat.
• Hypervisor: The hypervisor of the appliance
• Comment: Information about the member.
 Note
The placement of the Host Platform and Hypervisor columns may vary after a NIOS upgrade.
To turn the identification button on or off on the member, click the Hardware Identify icon from the horizontal navigation
bar. Grid Manager displays a panel with the appliance name, status, and IP address. Hover your mouse over the row and
click Turn On to turn the identification button on, or click Turn Off to turn it off.
To view detailed status, select a member checkbox, and then click the Detailed Status icon. Grid Manager displays the
Detailed Status panel. If the selected member is an HA pair, Grid Manager displays the information in two columns, one
for the active node and the other for the passive. The Detailed Status panel provides detailed information described in
the following sections.
You can modify some of the data in the table. Double click a row, and either modify the data in the field or select an item
Appliance Status
The status icon indicates the operational status of a Grid member and a general description of its current operation. The
status icon can be one of the following:
Icon Color Meaning
Green The appliance is operating normally in a "Running" state.
Yellow The appliance is connecting or synchronizing with its Grid Master.

Rev. D
Red The Grid member is offline, is not licensed (that is, it does not have a DNSone license with
the Grid upgrade that permits Grid membership), is upgrading or downgrading, or is shutting
down.
The following are descriptions that may appear: Running, Offline, Error, and Warning.
Disk Usage
Grid Manager displays the percentage of the data partition of the hard disk drive that is currently in use on the selected
Grid member. It also displays whether the percentage of usage has exceeded the trigger or reset value. Note that the
trigger and reset values are user configurable. The default trigger value is 85% and reset value is 70%. The status icon
can be one of the following:
Icon Color Meaning
Green The disk usage is either below the reset value or has not yet reached the trigger value.
Yellow The disk usage is decreasing from the trigger value, but has not yet reached the reset
value.
Red The disk usage has exceeded the trigger value.
DB Capacity Usage
Grid Manager displays the current percentage of the database in use on the selected Grid member. It also describes
whether the usage has exceeded the trigger or reset value. Note that the trigger and reset values are user configurable.
The default trigger value is 80% and the reset value is 70%. For information, see Using the Capacity Report. The status
icon can be one of the following:
Icon Color Meaning
Green The database capacity is either below the reset value or has not yet reached the trigger
value.
Yellow The database capacity is decreasing from the trigger value, but has not yet reached the
reset value. When the capacity exceeds the trigger value, the icon changes from green to
yellow.
LAN1/LAN2 Ports, HA Port, and MGMT Port

Grid Manager displays the IP address of the port. The status icons for these ports indicate the state of their network
connectivity.
Icon Color Meaning

Rev. D
Green The port is properly connected to a network. Grid Manager displays the IP address of the
network.
Red The port is not able to make a network connection.
Gray The port is disabled.
LCD
The LCD status icon indicates its operational status.
Icon Color Meaning
Green The LCD is functioning properly.
Yellow The LCD process is not running.
Memory Usage
Grid Manager displays the current percentage of system memory in use on the selected Grid member. It also describes
The default trigger value is 90% and the reset value is 80%. You can see more details about memory usage through the
CLI command: show memory. The status icon can be one of the following.
Icon Color Meaning
Red The memory usage has exceeded the trigger value.
Yellow The memory usage is decreasing from the trigger value, but has not yet reached the reset value.
Green The memory usage is either below the reset value or has not yet reached the trigger value.
Swap Usage
Grid Manager displays the current percentage of swap area in use on the selected Grid member. It also describes
The default trigger value is 20% and the reset value is 10%. The status icon can be one of the following:

Rev. D
Icon Color Meaning
Red The memory usage has exceeded the trigger value.
Yellow The memory usage is decreasing from the trigger value, but has not yet reached the
reset value.
Green The memory usage is either below the reset value or has not yet reached the trigger
value.
FAN
The status icon indicates whether the fan is functioning properly. The corresponding description displays the fan speed.
The status icon and fan speed are displayed for Fan1, Fan2, and Fan3.
 Note
vNIOS appliances on VMware do not monitor or report the fan speed.
Icon Color Meaning
Green The fan is functioning properly.
Red The fan is not running.
NTP Synchronization
The status icon indicates the operational status of the current NTP synchronization status.
Icon Color Meaning
Green The NTP service is enabled and running properly.
Yellow The NTP service is enabled, and the appliance is synchronizing its time.
Red The NTP service is enabled, but it is not running properly or is out of synchronization.

Rev. D
Gray The NTP service is disabled.
Passive HA Connectivity Status

The status icon indicates the ARP connectivity status of the passive node of an HA pair. The status icon can be one of
the following:
Icon Color Meaning
Green The passive HA node is connected to the local router.
Yellow The passive HA node fails to connect to the local router.
Gray ARP is disabled on the passive node of an HA pair.
CPU Temperature
This icon is always green. The description reports the CPU temperature.
 Note
vNIOS appliances on VMware do not monitor or report the CPU temperature.
System Temperature
This icon is always green. The description reports the system temperature.
 Note
vNIOS appliances on VMware do not monitor or report the system temperature.
CPU Usage
Grid Manager displays the current percentage of the CPU usage on the selected Grid member. The maximum is 100%. It
also describes whether the CPU usage has exceeded the trigger or reset value. Note that the trigger and reset values
are user configurable. The default trigger value is 81% and the reset value is 70%. You can see more details about CPU
usage through the CLI command: show CPU.
The status icon can be one of the following:
Icon Color Meaning

Rev. D
Green The CPU usage is either below the reset value or has not yet reached the trigger value.
Red The CPU usage has exceeded the trigger value.
Enabling Grid Visualization

To enable Grid visualization:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab, and then click Grid Properties -> Edit from the
Toolbar.
2. In the GridProperties editor, click the Advanced tab.
3. Select the Show Grid Visualization checkbox.
4. Click Save to save the changes. The Visualization tab appears and displays a graphical representation of the
Grid. This may take a long time depending on the number of members you have in the Grid. When you deselect
this checkbox, you disable Grid visualization for all users.
Grid Status
You can monitor the overall status of the Grid using the Grid Status widget on the Dashboard.
You can also view the Grid status from the Grid Manager tab. To view Grid status, from the Grid tab, select the Grid
Manager tab. Grid Manger displays the overall Grid status and status of all Grid services. The Grid status represents the
status of the most critical members or services in the Grid. When all Grid members are running properly, the overall Grid
status is green. When one of the members has operational problems, the overall Grid status is red. Grid Manager lists all
Grid members in the Members tab so you can identify which member has issues. For information, see Member Status.
In addition, the service bar below the Grid status lists the status of all licensed services on your Grid. This can include
DHCP, DNS, Cloud-API, TFTP, HTTP (File Distribution), FTP, NTP, bloxTools, Captive Portal, DNS Accelerator,
Reporting, Discovery and others, depending on the active licenses you have installed. When you click a service link, Grid
Manager displays detailed information about the selected service running on all members. For information, see
Monitoring Services.
Grid Manager also provides icons you can use to edit Grid properties and bookmark the page.
Monitoring Services
The Grid or device status icon and the service icon indicates whether a service running on a member or an independent
appliance is functioning properly or not.
Service Status
After you enable any of the services — DHCP, DNS, TFTP, HTTP (for file distribution), FTP, NTP, bloxTools, Captive
Portal, Reporting, Discovery, Threat Protection and Cloud API — the appliance indicates their status as follows:
Icon Color Meaning
Green The service is enabled and running properly.

Rev. D
Yellow The service is enabled, but there may be some issues that require attention. For Threat
Protection, this could mean that one of the members is in monitor mode.
Red The service is enabled, but it is not running properly. (A red status icon can also appear
temporarily when a service is enabled and begins running, but the monitoring mechanism has
not yet notified Grid Manager.)
Gray The service is not configured or it is disabled.
 Note
When you enable reporting service on the Grid and configure multi-site cluster, you can monitor the status of all
reporting members that you have configured. For information about reporting clusters,
see Configuring Reporting Clusters.
Monitoring Grid Services

The status icon of a Grid service represents the status of the most critical service in the Grid. For example, if the Grid
DHCP status icon is red, the DHCP service on one of the members in the Grid is not running properly. You can click the
DHCP service link to view the service status of all Grid members and identify which member has a service problem. You
can then decide to start or stop the service, or modify the service configuration on that member.
To monitor a Grid service:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and then click a service link.
2. Grid Manager displays the following information in the Services tab:
• Name: The name of the member.
• Service Status: The current status of the service.
• IPv4 Address: The IPv4 address of the appliance or the VIP of an HA pair.
• Comments: Information about the member or service.
• Site: The site to which the member belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
You can select available extensible attributes for display.
• Reporting Site: This field appears only when you enable the reporting service and configure the multi-site
cluster. For information about how to configure the multi-site clustering mode, see Configuring Reporting
Clusters.
 Note
The Reporting Site column is hidden by default. To display this column, click the down arrow next to any column
header and select Columns -> Edit Columns -> Reporting Site checkbox and click Apply. If
the Reporting Site column is visible, then the extensible attribute value is automatically updated.
3. Optionally, click the Edit icon next to the service name to edit the Grid properties for the service.
or
Select a member checkbox, and do one of the following:
• Click the Edit icon to edit the member service configuration. Grid Manager displays the editor for the
corresponding service. For example, when you edit the DHCP service, Grid Manager displays the
Member DHCP Configuration editor.

Rev. D
• Click the Start icon to start the service.
• Click the Stop icon to stop the service.
Grid Manager updates the service status based on your action.
Monitoring Member Services

You can view detailed service status on a selected member. Optionally, you can start and stop a service, and edit the
service configuration.
To monitor a member service:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox, and then click the Manage
Member Services icon.
In the Manage Services panel, Grid Manager displays the following information:
• Service: The name of the service.
• Status: The current status of the service running on the member.
• Description: The description of the status. Grid Manager displays the percentage of usage for the TFTP,
HTTP (File Distribution), FTP, and bloxTools services.
2. Optionally, mouse over a service and do one of the following:
• Start/Stop Service: Click this icon to start or stop the selected service. For example, when the DNS
service is currently stopped, the appliance starts the service when you click this icon.
• Edit Service: Click this icon to edit the selected service. Grid Manager displays the corresponding editor.
For example, when you click the Edit Service icon for DNS, Grid Manager displays the Member DNS
Configuration editor.
3. Click the Refresh icon to update the service status.
Using a Syslog Server

Syslog is a widely used mechanism for logging system events. NIOS appliances generate syslog messages that you can
view through the Syslog viewer and download to a directory on your management station. In addition, you can configure
a NIOS appliance to send the messages to one or more external syslog servers for later analysis. Syslog messages
provide information about appliance operations and processes. NIOS appliances include syslog messages generated by
the BloxTools service. You can choose logging categories to send specific syslog messages. The prefixes in the syslog
messages are based on the logging categories you configure in the syslog. Note that syslog messages are prefixed only
when you select logging categories. For information about how to configure logging categories, see Specifying Syslog
Servers. You can also include audit log messages and specific BIND messages among the messages the appliance
sends to the syslog server.
In addition to saving system messages to a remote syslog server, a NIOS appliance also stores the system messages
locally. When the syslog file reaches its maximum size, which is 300 MB for Infoblox appliances and VMware virtual
appliances, the appliance automatically writes the file into a new file by adding a .0 extension to the first file and
incrementing subsequent file extensions by 1.
Files are compressed during the rotation process, adding a.gz extension following the numerical increment (file.#.gz).
The sequential incrementation goes from zero through nine. When the eleventh file is started, the tenth log file (file.9.g
z) is deleted, and subsequent files are renumbered accordingly. For example, the current log file moves to file.0.gz,
the previous file.0.gz moves to file.1.gz, and so on through file.9.gz. A maximum of 10 log files (0-9) are kept.
You can set syslog parameters for RPZ at the Grid, member, and zone levels. At the member level, you can override
Grid-level syslog settings and enable syslog proxy, also you can override Grid-level settings to zone level. For more
information see, Modifying RPZs.
You can configure the appliance to back up rotated syslog files to external servers through FTP or SCP. When you do so,
the appliance forwards the rotated syslog files to the external servers that you configure. You can configure up to 10
external syslog backup servers each at the Grid, member, and zone levels. You can also override the Grid-level server
configuration at the member level. For information about configuring syslog backup servers, see Configuring Syslog

Rev. D
Backup Servers.
• Specifying Syslog Servers

• Syslog Message Prefixes
• IP Address Used in the Syslog Configuration File
• Configuring Syslog Backup Servers
• Configuring Syslog for Grid Members
• Setting DNS Logging Categories
• Viewing the Syslog
• Viewing the RPZ Threat Details
• Searching in the Syslog
• Downloading the Syslog File
Specifying Syslog Servers

To configure a NIOS appliance to send messages to a syslog server, complete the following:
1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab, and then click Grid Properties -> Edit from the
Toolbar.
2. In the Grid Properties editor, select the Monitoring tab, and then complete the following:
• Syslog: In addition to storing the syslog on a Grid member, you can configure the Grid to send the log to
an external syslog server.
• Syslog size (MB): Specify the maximum size for a syslog file. Enter a value between 10 and 300. The
default is 300.
When the syslog file reaches the size you enter here, the appliance automatically writes the file into a new
file by adding a .0 extension to the first file and incrementing subsequent file extensions by 1.
• Log to External Syslog Servers: Select this to enable the appliance to send messages to a specified
syslog server. Grid Manager displays the current syslog servers in the table. To define a new syslog
server, click the Add icon and complete the following:
• Address: Enter the IP address of the syslog server. Entries may be an IPv4 or IPv6 address.
• Transport: From the drop-down list, select whether the appliance uses Secure TCP, TCP, or UDP
to connect to the external syslog server.
• Server Certificate: Click Select to upload a self-signed or a CA-signed server certificate. In the
Upload dialog, click Select and navigate to the certificate file, and then click Upload. Note that this
is valid only for Secure TCP transport.
• Interface: From the drop-down list, select the interface through which the appliance sends syslog
messages to the syslog server.
• Any: The appliance chooses any port that is available for sending syslog messages.
• LAN: The appliance uses the LAN1 port to send syslog messages.
• MGMT: The appliance uses the MGMT port if it has been configured. Otherwise, it uses
the LAN1 port.
• Source: From the drop-down list, select which syslog messages the appliance sends to the
external syslog server:
• Any: The appliance sends both internal and external syslog messages.
• Internal: The appliance sends syslog messages that it generates.
• External: The appliance sends syslog messages that it receives from other devices, such
as syslog servers and routers.
• Node ID: Specify the host or node identification string that identifies the appliance from which
syslog messages are originated. This string appears in the header message of the syslog packet.
• LAN: Use the LAN1 IP address of the appliance. For an HA pair, this is the LAN1 address
of the active or passive node. This is the default.
• Host Name: Use the host name of the appliance in FQDN format.
• IP and Host Name: Use both the FQDN and the IP address of the appliance. The IP
address can be the LAN1 or MGMT IP address depending on whether the MGMT port has

Rev. D
been configured. Note that if the MGMT port is not configured, the LAN1 IP address is
used.
• MGMT: Use the MGMT IP address, if the port has been configured. If the MGMT port is not
configured, the LAN1 IP address is used. This can be an IPv4 or IPv6 address.
• Port: Enter the destination port number. The default is 514 for TCP and UDP. For Secure TCP, the
default port is 6514.
• Severity: Choose a severity filter from the drop-down list. When you choose a severity level, the
appliance sends log messages with the selected level and the levels above it. The severity levels
range from the lowest, debug, to the highest, emerg. For example, if you choose debug, the
appliance sends all syslog messages to the server. If you choose err, the appliance sends
messages with severity levels err, crit, alert, and emerg.
• emerg: Panic or emergency conditions. The system may be unusable.
• alert: Alerts, such as NTP service failures, that require immediate actions.
• crit: Critical conditions, such as hardware failures.
• err: Error messages, such as client update failures and duplicate leases.
• warning: Warning messages, such as missing keepalive options in a server configuration.
• notice: Informational messages regarding routine system events, such as "starting BIND".
• info: Informational messages, such as DHCPACK messages and discovery status.
• debug: Messages that contain information for debugging purposes, such as changes in the
latency timer settings and AD authentication failures for specific users.
• Logging Category: Select one of the following logging categories:
• Send all: Select this to log all syslog messages, irrespective of categories to which it
belongs. When you select this option, the appliance logs syslog messages for all the
events, including all DNS and Infoblox related events. However, the syslog messages are
not prefixed when you select this option.
• Send selected categories: Select this to configure logging categories from the list of
available logging categories. Use the arrows to move logging categories from the Available
table to the Selected table and vice versa. The appliance sends syslog messages for the
categories that are in the Selected table. When you select this option, you must add at
least one logging category. The syslog messages are prefixed with a category name to
which it belongs. Also, the RPZ events logged in the syslog messages uses specific
prefixes for the selected categories. Note that the syslog messages are prefixed when you
set logging categories for at least one external syslog server, even if you set other external
syslog servers as Send All. For more information about syslog prefixes, see Syslog
Message Prefixes.
 Note
The syslog categories you specify here are different from the logging categories
specified in the Logging tab in
the Grid DNS Properties or Member DNS Properties editor. The external server
preserves contents of the selected categories even when selection is changed
from Send all to Send selected categories and vice versa.
• Click Add to add the external syslog server information.

• Optionally, click the Test button to test the connection to the syslog server that you configured.
• Copy Audit Log Messages to Syslog: Select this for the appliance to include audit log messages it sends
to the syslog server. This function can be helpful for monitoring administrative activities on multiple
appliances from a central location.
• Syslog Facility: This is enabled when you select Copy audit log messages to syslog. Select the
facility that determines the processes and daemons from which the log messages are generated.
Syslog Message Prefixes

You can configure the syslog external backup servers to send (archive) syslog files to different destinations by their
logging categories. This allows you to split syslog files based on the service and efficiently perform troubleshooting. For
example, you can archive all DNS related logs on Server 1, and all DHCP related logs on Server 2. For information about
how to configure an external syslog backup server, see Specifying Syslog Servers.

Rev. D
When you select the Send selected categories option, the syslog messages are prefixed with a category name to which it
belongs.
For syslog message prefixes to be enabled, you must check the Log to External Syslog Servers checkbox in Grid
Properties > Monitoring. Also, the external syslog server (which can be a virtual or a physical server) must have at least
one of the syslog categories selected instead of the Send all option selected in the Logging Category field.
 Note
When you set Send all in the Logging Category, the appliance logs syslog messages for all the events and they
are not prefixed. The syslog messages are prefixed even if one external syslog server is set with
the Send selected categories option.
The following are the prefixes used for different logging categories:
• DNS Logging Categories: All DNS related messages use the following prefixes: client, config, database,
dnssec, general, lame_servers, network, notify, queries, query_rewrite, resolver, responses,
rpz, security, update, update_security, xfer_in, and xfer_out.
Sample syslog message for queries:
2022-01-18T09:35:35+00:00 daemon member1.com named[19355]: info client @0x7fea340ccc90

10.111.45.104#34670 (a.solo.com): query: a.solo.com IN A +E(0)K (10.34.122.22)
Sample syslog message for xfer-out:
2014-10-10T06:44:09+00:00 daemon infoblox.localdomain named[17630]: info xfer-out:

client 10.120.20.157#58275 (zone.com): transfer of 'zone.com/IN': AXFR started
• ADP: All Infoblox related messages use prefix adp.
 Note
There is no prefix for RPZ syslog messages that do not belong to the DNS or ADP category.
• DHCP: All DHCP related messages use the following prefixes: dhcpd, omshell, dhcrelay, and dhclient.
Sample syslog message for dhcp:
Sep 4 09:23:44 10.34.6.28 dhcpd[20310]: DHCPACK on 70.1.20.250 to fc:5c:fc:5f:10:85 via
eth1 relay 10.120.20.66 lease-duration 600
• DTC: All DTC related messages use the following prefixes: idns_healthd and idnsd.
Sample syslog message for idns_healthd:
Sep 3 12:12:35 10.34.6.30 idns_healthd[1220]: resource health status [Monitor 'icmp'
(ICMP, port 0) checked server 's1' (IP 10.34.6.23), status: IPv4=ONLINE]
• Cloud: All cloud related messages use prefix cloud_api.

Sample syslog message for cloud_api:
Sep 4 10:53:30 10.34.6.32 cloud_api[5354]: [admin]: Login_Allowed - -
to=Serial\040Console apparently_via=Remote ip=10.120.20.66 auth=Local
group=.admin-group
• NTP: All NTP related messages use prefix ntpd.

Sample syslog message for NTP:

Rev. D
Sep 28 06:57:21 10.35.116.7 ntpd[12186]: precision = 0.053 usec
Sep 28 06:57:21 10.35.116.7 ntpd[12186]: Listening on interface #0 wildcard, 0.0.0.0#123
Disabled
• File Distribution: All File Distribution related messages use the following prefixes: ftpd and tftp.
Sample syslog message for TFTP:
Sep 3 13:03:09 10.34.6.30 monitor[23623]: Type: TFTP, State: Red, Event: A TFTPD daemon
failure has occurred
• Authentication: All Authentication related messages use the following prefixes: auth, authpriv, AD, and
radiusd.
Sample syslog message for RADIUS authentication:
Sep 28 10:09:55 10.35.116.4 httpd: 2015-09-28 10:09:55.912Z [user1]: Login_Allowed - -
to=AdminConnector ip=10.120.253.227 auth=RADIUS group=admin-group apparently_via=GUI
• Microsoft Integration: All Microsoft Integration related messages use the following prefixes: dns_server,
connect_status, dns_zone, dhcp_server, dhcp_leases, clear_lease, ad_site, and ad_users.
Sample syslog message for microsoft integration:
dns_server:
Sep 7 09:46:17 10.34.22.20 mssyncd[22315]: dns_server address 10.102.30.157 : Conflict
in property Forwarders: NIOS value (property=<NULL IP array>) and Microsoft value
(property={10.0.2.35, 10.0.2.60}). Resolved by using the Microsoft value
dhcp_server:
Sep 7 10:08:48 10.34.22.20 mssyncd[22316]: dhcp_server address 10.102.30.157 : Couldn't
open RPC interface <MS-WKST>: an instance of a named pipe cannot be found in the listening
state
Sep 7 10:08:48 10.34.22.20 mssyncd[22317]: dns_server address 10.102.30.157 : Opened
RPC interface <MS-WKST> as user 'ad-15\frtest'
IP Address Used in the Syslog Configuration File

The following table describes which IP address the appliance uses as the node ID in the syslog configuration file,
provided that the MGMT port has been configured. If the MGMT port is not configured, the LAN1 IP address is always
used regardless of the configuration.
IP address Used in Syslog Config File when MGMT Port is Configured
Interface Node ID IP used in syslog configuration file
Any MGMT MGMT IP address
Any IP and Host Name MGMT IP address
MGMT MGMT MGMT IP address
MGMT IP and Host Name MGMT IP address

Rev. D
Interface Node ID IP used in syslog configuration file
LAN MGMT LAN1 IP address
LAN IP and Host Name LAN1 IP address
Configuring Syslog Backup Servers

You can configure external syslog backup servers to forward rotated syslog files. You can configure up to 10 external
syslog backup servers.
To configure external backup servers, complete the following:

1. Grid: From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click Grid Properties -> Edit.
Member: From the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, click the Members tab, select the member checkbox, and click
the Edit icon.
2. Grid: In the Grid Properties editor, select the Syslog Backup tab.
Member: In the Grid Member Properties editor, select the Syslog Backup tab and then click Override to override
the Grid-level settings.
To modify backup server settings, complete the following:

• Address: Enter the IP address of the external backup server. You are not allowed to configure more than
one server using the same IP address at the same level (Grid or member). However, you can use the
same server IP address at different levels (Grid or member). Note that you cannot modify the IP address
for the overridden server.
• Protocol: Select SCP or FTP from the drop-down list.
• Port: Enter the destination port number. The default port is 20 for FTP and 22 for SCP.
• Path: Enter the directory path for the syslog file.
• Username: Enter the username of your FTP or SCP account.
• Password: Enter the password of your FTP or SCP account. If you do not change the password of the
overridden server, then make sure that you use the same password specified at the Grid level.
• Enabled: Select this checkbox to enable the FTP or SCP server. The appliance forwards the rotated
syslog files to the external servers that you configure only after you select this checkbox. Clear the
checkbox to disable the server.
Configuring Syslog for Grid Members

You can override Grid-level syslog settings and enable syslog proxy for individual members. When you enable syslog
proxy, the member receives syslog messages from specified devices, such as syslog servers and routers, and then
forwards these messages to an external syslog server. You can also enable appliances to use TCP for sending syslog
messages. Using TCP is more reliable than using UDP; this reliability is important for security, accounting, and auditing
messages sent through the syslog. Note that you cannot enable syslog proxy for Grid members, if they are configured on
a Grid Master.
To configure syslog parameters for a member, complete the following:

1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox, and then click the Edit
icon.
2. In the Grid Member Properties editor, select the Monitoring tab -> Basic tab, click Override in the Syslog section,
and then complete the fields as described in Specifying Syslog Servers.
In addition to storing the system log on a Grid member, you can configure a member to send the log to a syslog
server.
3. Select the Advanced tab and complete the following:
• Enable syslog proxy: Select this to enable the appliance to receive syslog messages from other devices,
such as syslog servers and routers, and then forward these messages to an external syslog server.

Rev. D
• Enable listening on TCP: Select this if the appliance uses TCP to receive messages from other
devices. Enter the number of the port through which the appliance receives syslog messages from
other devices.
• Enable listening on UDP: Select this if the appliance uses UDP to receive messages from other
devices. Enter the number of the port through which the appliance receives syslog messages from
other devices.
• Proxy Access Control: Select one of the following to configure access control when receiving syslog
messages from specific syslog servers or routers:
• None: Select this if you do not want to configure syslog proxy. When you select this option, none
of the devices can send syslog messages to the appliance. This is selected by default.
• Named ACL: Select this and click Select Named ACL to select a named ACL that contains only
IPv4 addresses and networks. This does not support TSIG key based ACEs. When you select this,
the appliance permits clients that have Allow permission in the named ACL to allow syslog
messages from specific syslog servers or routers. You can click Clear to remove the selected
named ACL.
• Set of ACLs: Select this to configure individual access control entries (ACEs). Click the Add icon
and select one of the following from the drop-down list. Grid Manager adds a row to the table.
• IPv4 Address or IPv6 Address: Select this to add an IPv4 or IPv6 address entry. Click the
Value field and enter the address. The default permission is Allow, which means that the
appliance allows access to and from this device. You can change this to Deny to block
access.
• IPv4 Network or IPv6 Network: Select this to add an IPv4 or Ipv6 network entry. Click the
Value field and enter the network. The default permission is Allow, which means that the
appliance allows syslog messages sent by this network. You can change this to Deny to
block access.
• Any Address/Network: Select this to allow or deny access to all IPv4 and IPv6 addresses
and networks. The default permission is Allow, which means that the appliance allows
syslog messages sent by all addresses and networks. You can change this to Deny to
block access.
After you have added access control entries, you can perform the following:
• Select the ACEs that you want to group and put into a named ACL. Click the Create new
named ACL icon and enter a name in the Convert to Named ACL dialog box.
• Select an IPv4 network and click the Edit icon to modify the entry.
for deletion.
Setting DNS Logging Categories

You can specify logging categories you want the syslog to capture. Furthermore, you can filter these messages by
severity at the Grid and member levels. For information about severity types, see Specifying Syslog Servers.
To specify logging categories, complete the following:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, and then click Grid DNS Properties from the Toolbar.
or
From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox, and then click
the Edit icon.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties or Member DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Expert Mode if the editor is in the basic
mode, select the Logging tab, and then complete the following:
• Logging Facility: Select a facility from the drop-down list. This is the location on the syslog server to which
you want to sort the DNS logging messages.
• Logging Category: Select one or more of these log categories:
• general: Records the BIND messages that are not specifically classified.

Rev. D
• client: Enables the logging of messages related to query processing, but not the queries
themselves. Examples of messages include exceeding recursive client quota, and other errors
related to recursive clients, blacklist and NXDOMAIN interception, query name rewrite, and others.
• config: Records the configuration file parsing messages.
• database: Records BIND's internal database processes.
• dnssec: Records the DNSSEC-signed responses.
• lame servers: Records bad delegation instances.
• network: Records the network operation messages.
• notify: Records the asynchronous zone change notification messages.
• queries: Records the DNS queries. Note that enabling the logging of queries and responses will
significantly affect system performance. Ensure that your system has sufficient CPU capacity
before you enable DNS query logging.
• rate-limit: Logs RRL (Response Rate Limiting) events. You must enable RRL in order for the
appliance to log RRL events to this logging category.
• resolver: Logs messages related to outgoing queries from the 'named' process, when it is acting
as a resolver on behalf of clients.
• responses: Records DNS responses. Note that enabling the logging of queries and responses will
significantly affect system performance. Ensure that your system has sufficient CPU capacity
before you enable DNS response logging.
• rpz: Records log messages when responses are modified through RPZs or for which explicit
passthrus were invoked in the RPZs. This checkbox is not selected by default.
• security: Logs miscellaneous messages that are related to security, such as denial or approval
(mostly denial) of certain operations.
• transfer-in: Records zone transfer messages from the remote name servers to the appliance.
• transfer-out: Records zone transfer messages from the NIOS appliance to remote name servers.
• update: Records the dynamic update instances.
• update-security: Records the security updates.
• DTC load balancing: Records information about which client is directed to which server.
• DTC health monitors: Records any changes to the health state of a monitored server.
Viewing the Syslog

1. From the Administration tab, select the Logs tab -> Syslog tab.
2. From the drop-down list at the upper right-hand corner, select the Grid member on which you want to view the
syslog.
3. Optionally, use the filters to narrow down the system messages you want to view. Click Show Filters to enable the
filters. Configure the filter criteria, and then click Apply.
Based on your filter criteria (if any), Grid Manager displays the following in the Syslog viewer:

Rev. D
• : The Action icon column is displayed only when you have installed the RPZ license. Click this to view
threat details in the RPZ Threat Details dialog box. For more information, see Viewing the RPZ Threat
Details.
• Timestamp: The date, time, and time zone of the log message. The time zone is the time zone configured
on the member.
• Facility: The location on the syslog server that determines the processes and daemons from which the log
messages are generated.
• Level: The severity of the message. This can be ALERT, CRITICAL, DEBUG, EMERGENCY, ERROR,
INFO, NOTICE, or WARNING.
• Server: The name of the server that logs this message, plus the process ID.
• Message: Detailed information about the task performed. For Cloud Network Automation, this contains
comma separated values of the admin, source, action, object, object type, and message values. Note that
source is defined only if the cloud API request was proxied by the Cloud Platform Appliance. The format
for this field is proxied from:host,IP where host and IP are the host name and IP address of the
proxy.
 Note
If the selected member is an HA pair, the Grid Manager displays the syslog in two tabs — Active and Passive.
Click the corresponding tab to view the syslog for each node.
Viewing the RPZ Threat Details

Make sure that DNS resolution is enabled and running properly on the member to view threat details. To view threat
details for the RPZ zones being queried, complete the following:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Logs tab -> Syslog tab.
2. Click the Action icon and select View Threat Context to open the RPZ Threat Details dialog. The View Threat
Context option is disabled if there is no RPZ rule.
• RPZ Rule: Displays the name of the RPZ rule.
• First Identified: The date and timestamp of the first occasion that the threat was detected.
• Short Description: The brief description of the threat.
• Description: The description of the RPZ rule.
 Note
The RPZ Threat Details dialog box may display Unknown if the threat is unknown,
or Unavailable if the threat is known and threat details are not available.
3. Click the Close icon to close the RPZ Threat Details dialog.
You can also perform the following in the Syslog viewer:
• Toggle between the single line view and the multi-line view for display.
• Refresh the syslog output with newly logged messages.
• Clear the contents of the syslog.
first few characters of an object name in the Go To field and select the object from the possible matches.
• To filter Microsoft synchronization related events, click Show Filter, select Server from the first drop-down list, and
select MS_Server from the drop-down list in the value field. This filter displays entries that begin with the prefix
ms. To view values that belong to a specific Microsoft server, you must specify either the name or IP address of a
given Microsoft server in the Message field. When you filter the syslog for a specific Grid member, it displays the
log entries of Microsoft servers that are assigned to the respective Grid member when the entries are logged.
• Print the report or export it in CSV format.
• Bookmark the syslog page.

Rev. D
Searching in the Syslog
Instead of paging through the syslog to locate messages, you can have the appliance search for syslog messages with
certain text strings. To search for specific messages, perform the following:
• Enter a search value in the search field below the filters, and then click the Search icon.
The appliance searches through the syslog and highlights the search value in the viewer. You can use the arrow
keys next to the Search icon to locate the previous or next message that contains the search value.
Downloading the Syslog File

To download the syslog file to a specified directory, if you want to analyze it later, complete the following:
1. From the Administration tab, select the Logs tab -> Syslog tab, and then click the Download icon.
2. Navigate to a directory where you want to save the file, optionally change the file name (the default names are
node_1_sysLog.tar.gz and node_2_sysLog.tar.gz), and then click OK. If you want to download multiple syslog
files to the same location, rename each downloaded file before downloading the next.
 Note
If your browser has a pop-up blocker enabled, you must turn off the pop-up blocker or configure your browser to
allow pop-ups for downloading files.
Capturing DNS Queries and Responses

You can capture DNS queries and responses for later analysis. When configuring this feature, you can choose to save
the capture file locally on your appliance, as well as on the FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or SCP (Secure Copy) server.
When you save it locally, you can use show query_capture to view the contents of the capture file. You can also use filter
commands to exclude certain queries and view only the desired ones. Note that using multiple CLI commands to filter
data for the appliances with large number of captured DNS queries and responses can significantly affect the system
performance, protocol performance, and CLI command performance.
A capture file for logging DNS queries and responses is rolled over based on the configured time limit or when the file
reaches 100 MB in size, whichever is sooner. The default time limit is 10 minutes. The capture file is automatically saved
and exported to an FTP or SCP server based on your configuration. When you configure the appliance to save the
capture file locally and later enable FTP or SCP, the appliance copies all the data starting with the oldest data. Infoblox
recommends that you constantly monitor the FTP or SCP server to ensure that it has sufficient disk space. DNS queries
and responses are stored on the appliance if the FTP or SCP server becomes unreachable. The maximum storage
capacity varies based on the appliance model. After reaching the maximum limit, the appliance overwrites the old data
with the new one. For information about the maximum hard drive space, see the table below. The amount of data
captured depends on the DNS query rate and the domains that are included in or excluded from the capture. For
information about how to exclude domains, see Excluding Domains From Query and Response Capture.
You can also use the dnstap log format to achieve performance query logging. For information about dnstap
implementation and configuring dnstap, see Configuring dnstap.
Capturing DNS Queries

You can capture queries to all domains or limit the capture to specific domains. You can also apply the Bulk Add Domains
feature to tailor query capture to a desired subset of domains or zones. When capturing DNS queries, NIOS matches the
specified domain name(s) and everything that belongs to the domain. For example, when you specify 'foo.com' as the
domain, NIOS captures queries sent to 'foo.com,' 'mail.foo.com,' and 'ftp.foo.com.' NIOS captures queries to domains for
which a name server is authoritative; it also captures recursive queries. Note that this feature does not support wildcard
characters or regular expressions.

Rev. D
DNS Query Message Format
The DNS query generates a query message in the following format:
<dd-mmm-YYYY HH:MM:SS.uuu> <client IP>#<port> query: <query_Domain name> @0x7fbad80bda00 <class
name> <type name> <- or +>[SETDC] <(name server ip)>
where
+ = recursion
- = no recursion
S = TSIG
E = EDNS option set
T = TCP query
D = EDNS ‘DO’ flag set
C = ‘CD’ message flag set
Following is a sample DNS query message:

30-Apr-2013 13:35:02.187 client 10.120.20.32#42386: query: foo.com @0x7fbad80bda00 IN A +
(100.90.80.102)
Capturing DNS Responses

You can capture DNS responses for the DNS queries sent to the server. The amount of data captured depends on the
domains that are included in or excluded from the capture. A DNS response is based on a query generated for a domain.
In the response message, NIOS captures the TTL value of a resource record, the resource record type, and resource
data.
Following are characteristics of the response messages:
• They log only the answer section and do not include the authority and additional sections.
• Responses to all queries are logged, including queries with the type "ANY."
• The RR (resource record) list is not available at the end of a response message if rcode has a value other than
NOERROR or if the response is NOERROR (nodata).
• Responses to all RR types, including those records not managed by NIOS such as HINFO records, are logged.
However, there are few exceptions for some of the scenarios with DNSSEC records.
• Responses containing DNSSEC RRs (DNSKEY, DS, NSEC, NSEC3, NSEC3PARAM, RRSIG) when queried for
non-DNSSEC RRs are not logged. However, responses are logged if a DNSSEC RR is explicitly queried.
• DNS updates are not logged in responses.
DNS Response Message Format and Examples

The DNS query generates a response message in the following format:
<dd-mmm-YYYY HH:MM:SS.uuu> <client IP>#<port> query: <query_Domain name> <class name>
<type name> <- or +>[SETDC] <(name server ip)>
Flags = <- or +>[ATEDVL]
where
- = recursion not available
+ = recursion available (from DNS message header)
A = authoritative answer (from DNS message header)
t = truncated response (from DNS message header)
E = EDNS OPT record present (from DNS message header)
D = DNSSEC OK (from EDNS OPT RR)
V = responding server has validated DNSSEC records

Rev. D
L = response contains DTC synthetic record
The following is a sample DNS query message:

30-Apr-2020 13:35:02.187 client 10.120.20.32#42386: query: foo.com IN A + (100.90.80.102)
Following are some DNS response samples:

Example 1: When querying an A record
07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 10.120.20.198#57398 UDP: query: a2.foo.com IN A response: NOERROR
+AED a2.foo.com. 28800 IN A 1.1.1.2;
Example 2: When querying an AAAA record

07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 10.120.20.198#57398 UDP: query: a4.foo.com IN AAAA response:
NOERROR +AED a4.foo.com. 28800 IN AAAA ab::a;
Example 3: When querying an A record over IPv6

07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 2001::2#57398 UDP: query: a2.foo.com IN A response: NOERROR +AED
a2.foo.com. 28800 IN A 1.1.1.2;
Example 4: When querying an A record over TCP

07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 10.120.20.198#57398 TCP: query: a2.foo.com IN A response: NOERROR
+ED a2.foo.com. 28800 IN A 1.1.1.2;
Example 5: When querying ANY record

07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 10.120.20.198#57398 UDP: query: a2.foo.com IN ANY response: NOERROR
+ED a2.foo.com. 28800 IN A 1.1.1.2;
Example 6: When querying an A record with multiple addresses

07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 10.120.20.198#57398 UDP: query: a1.foo.com IN A response: NOERROR
+ED a1.foo.com. 28800 IN A 1.1.1.1; a1.foo.com. 28800 IN A 11.1.1.1;
Example 7: When querying an aliased A record

07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 10.120.20.198#57398 UDP: query: c2.foo.com IN A response: NOERROR
+ED c2.foo.com. 28800 IN CNAME a2.foo.com.; a2.foo.com. 28800 IN A 1.1.1.2;
Example 8: When querying an NXDOMAIN

07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 10.120.20.198#57398 UDP: query: non-exist.foo.com IN A response:
NXDOMAIN +ED
Example 9: Response message for NOERROR/nodata

07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 10.120.20.198#57398 UDP: query: a1.foo.com IN SRV response: NOERROR
+ED
Example 10: Response message for refused query

07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 10.120.20.198#57398 UDP: query: refused.com IN A response: REFUSED
+ED
Example 11: Response message when server fails

07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 10.120.20.198#12345 UDP: query: servfail.com IN A response:
SERVFAIL +E
Example 12: Response message when query A record in a signed zone

07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 10.120.20.198#57398 UDP: query: a1.signed.com IN A response:
NOERROR +ED a1.signed.com. 28800 IN A 1.1.1.1;
Example 13: Response message for explicit query to DNSSEC RRs

Rev. D
07-Apr-2013 20:16:49.083 client 10.120.20.198#57398 UDP: query: a1.signed.com IN RRSIG response:
NOERROR +ED a1.signed.com. 28800 IN RRSIG A 5 3 28800 20130616004903 20130611234903
4521 signed.com. evROKe7RbnkjFTsumT3JJg76bduFLfdEEnszitXHQCbVYBS5rDy+qbUI HCQuN/
ldCNTJbZQ8MEhuatzfms+2Y5K2sU67P9Yg6GkOMxsT2LcJiBm/
YqrYiZBWGKpLF6J0PdX05133Xwq8XxUStUEJxKfuzcKSY6jaSduQIdFL v6A=; a1.signed.com.900 IN RRSIG NSEC 5 3
900 20130616004903 20130611234903 4521 signed.com.
CnFmXMx9D+ZkDsztQbW2xx8XCROGNMBp0baxFXS/Pxxhg4PQcq58laI97y2Xgqswn/wKNhY8p9hkes5+6t/ihCOIbw
FryxtdivPfYYFf3jafedFN ymZu05K9bYUfCUzZTGiRzoJYhxBM7xFT8fMvxni9ngsbLym82Tqv3Nua 6wU=;
Configuring DNS Query and Response Captures

To configure DNS query and response captures:
Edit icon.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties or Member DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode and select the
Logging tab.
3. Under Data Collection for all DNS Queries/Responses to a Domain, complete the following:
• Select the Capture DNS Queries checkbox to start capturing DNS queries. This enables the feature set
for configuration. When you enable this option at the member level, the appliance captures DNS queries
for the selected members only.
• Select the Capture DNS Responses checkbox to start capturing DNS responses. This enables the feature
set for configuration. When you enable this option at the member level, the appliance captures DNS
responses for the selected members only.
 Note
Enabling the logging of queries and responses at the same time can increase disk space usage and adversely
affect DNS services and performance. Infoblox recommends that you do not configure both logging at the same
time.
• Select Capture queries/responses for all domains to capture queries and responses to all domains and
zones.
• Select Limit capture to these domains to capture DNS queries and responses to domains and zones one
at a time.
• Specify domains for DNS capture operations in the Domain table by clicking the Add icon, and choosing
Add Domain or Bulk Add Domains from the menu.
• To define the destination for capture files, do the following:
• Retain captured queries on the local disk: Select this checkbox to save the DNS queries on the
appliance. In addition to the local disk, you can select to export the DNS queries to the remote
server by selecting SCP in the Export to drop-down list.
• Export to: From the drop-down list, select SCP to back up the DNS queries on the remote server
and None to save queries only on the appliance. To save the captured DNS queries on both the
appliance and the remote server, select the Retain captured queries on the local disk checkbox
and SCP from the Export to drop-down list.
 Note
When you configure an SCP server and enable the MGMT port, the NIOS appliance uses SSH for data
transfer. It uses the same authentication and provides the same security as SSH. SCP uses the LAN1 port to
communicate with the external servers.
• When you select FTP or SCP from the Export to drop-down list, complete the following:
• In the Directory Path field, enter the directory to which the capture file will be saved on the server.
Infoblox recommends that you use the ~ symbol for the remote server.
• In the Server Address field, enter the IP address of the remote server to which the capture files will
be saved.

Rev. D
• Enter the file server account Username and Password values.
• Limit query data collected per file to minutes or 100MB (whichever comes first): This option limits the
collection of query data per capture file. A capture file for logging DNS queries and responses is rolled
over based on the configured time limit or when the file reaches 100 MB in size, whichever is sooner. The
default time limit is 10 minutes. You can enter a value from 1 to 10.
The following table lists the maximum hard drive space required for capturing DNS queries and responses for supported
Infoblox appliance models.
Maximum Hard Drive Space used for DNS queries and Responses
Supported Infoblox Appliances Maximum Hard Drive Space for DNS Query /Response
Capture (MB)
Trinzic 100 400
Trinzic 815 and IB-V815 900
IB-VM-100 400
IB-VM-810 (120G) 900
IB-VM-820 3100
IB-VM-1410 (120G) 6000
IB-VM-1420 (120G) 10000
IB-VM-2210 (120G) 12000
IB-VM-2220 (120G) 28000
IB-VM-4010 (120G) 40000
PT-1405 10000
PT-2205 28000

Rev. D
Excluding Domains From Query and Response Capture
You can exclude individual domains and their subdomains from DNS query and response capturing. You can also use
the Bulk Add Domains feature for a subset of domains to exclude them from query and response capturing.
Subdomains can also be specified for exclusion. NIOS matches the specified domain names and their subdomains while
filtering them in the Exclusion list. For example, when you specify 'foo.com' as the domain to be excluded, NIOS filters
queries for 'foo.com,' 'mail.foo.com,' and 'ftp.foo.com.'
 Note
IDNs are not supported for the domains that are added to the Inclusion list and Exclusion list. You can use the
punycode representation of an IDN in these lists.
To exclude a domain from query and response capturing, do the following:

Edit icon.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties or Member DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode and select the
Logging tab.
3. Under Data Collection for all DNS Queries/Responses to a Domain, select the Exclude the following domains
checkbox.
4. Click the Add icon and select Add Domain or Bulk Add Domains and specify domains in the Domain table.
 Note
NIOS first matches the domains in the Exclusion list and then matches the domains in the Inclusion list. NIOS
does not capture queries and responses for the subdomains in the Capture DNS Queries/Responses list
(Inclusion list) if their domains are added to the Exclude the following domains list (Exclusion list).
The following table provides examples of domains and subdomains added to the Inclusion and Exclusion lists and the
corresponding effects on the query and response capture operations:
Capture DNS Exclude the

Queries/ following domains Queried Domain Queries/ Results
Responses (Exclusion List) Responses
(Inclusion List) Captured
foo.com – • foo.com Yes Exclusion list is empty and therefore matches the
Inclusion list. NIOS captures queries/responses
• finance.foo.c made to foo.com and finance.foo.com
om
– • corp1.com No NIOS does not capture queries/responses made to

corp1.com as this domain is not mentioned in the
Inclusion list.
Capture All foo.com • foo.com No Matches the Exclusion list and NIOS does not
capture queries made to foo.com.
• finance.foo.c No Subdomain matches the Exclusion list and NIOS

does not capture queries/responses made to
om finance.foo.com.
• corp1.com Yes Does not match the Exclusion list. Matches the
Inclusion list and therefore NIOS captures queries/
responses made to corp1.com.

Rev. D
Capture DNS Exclude the
Queries/ following domains Queried Domain Queries/ Results
Responses (Exclusion List) Responses
(Inclusion List) Captured
foo.com it.foo.com • foo.com Yes Does not match the Exclusion list and therefore NIOS
captures queries/responses made to foo.com and
• finance.foo.c finance.foo.com.
om
• it.foo.com No Matches the Exclusion list and excludes their

subdomains. NIOS does not capture queries/
• ms.it.foo.com responses made to it.foo.com and ms.it.foo.com.
it.foo.com foo.com Domain is added to the Exclusion list and its

subdomain is added to the Inclusion list. Therefore,
this is not a valid configuration as queries/responses
are not captured. The appliance displays a warning
message for such invalid configuration.
it.foo.com it.foo.com Domain is added to both the Exclusion and Inclusion

lists. This is not a valid configuration as queries/
responses are not captured. The appliance displays a
warning message for such invalid configuration.
foo.com corp1.com Domain added to the Inclusion list is not the

subdomain of the domain added to the Exclusion list.
This is a redundant configuration as the outcome is
the same even if the domain is removed from the
Exclusion list. The appliance displays a warning
message for such invalid configuration.
Configuring dnstap
You can use the dnstap log format to log DNS queries and responses at high rates to well-known destinations. NIOS logs
all valid DNS queries and responses that are not dropped by Advanced DNS Protection. For information about dnstap,
see https://dnstap.info/.
For information about capturing DNS queries and responses without using dnstap, see Capturing DNS Queries and
Responses.
 Note
dnstap for high-performance query logging is supported on specific Infoblox appliances with Advanced DNS
Protection or DNS Cache Acceleration running on them.

• About dnstap Implementation
• Protobuf Template for Infoblox dnstap
• Configuring dnstap to Log DNS Queries and Responses
About dnstap Implementation

dnstap is implemented using the Google protocol buffer (protobuf) for packaging logged data, and Frame Streams as a
lightweight streaming protocol to transmit the data to a receiver.

Rev. D
A bi-directional communication starts with a 3-way handshake sequence of Frame Streams control packets over a TCP
(or other reliable byte-streaming). The following figure illustrates the connection between the transmitter and receiver
pair.
Packet Flow for Frame Streams 3-way handshake initialization and data frames over a TCP connection
The transmitter initiates the communications to the receiver by first sending a READY control frame carrying the
protobuf:dnstap.Dnstap string. The receiver responds with an ACCEPT control frame carrying the same
protobuf:dnstap.Dnstap string. The handshake is completed when the transmitter sends a START control frame
carrying the same protobuf:dnstap.Dnstap string.
Frame Streams Control Frame Format
Data packets are carried over the connection with only a 4-byte framing overhead as illustrated in the following figure.
Frame Streams Data Frame Format

Rev. D
To end the bi-directional communication that is shown in the following figure, the sequence starts with a STOP control
frame from one of the communicating pairs, followed by a FINISH acknowledgment control frame from the other half of
the pair.
Packet flow for Frame Streams termination over a TCP connection
Protobuf Template for Infoblox dnstap

The following is a sample template that you can create for flexible and efficient use of your logged data. You can specify
the way in which information must be logged by defining protobuf message types.
// dnstap: flexible, structured event replication format for DNS software,
// This file contains the protobuf schemas for the "dnstap" structured event
// replication format for DNS software.
// Written in 2013-2014 by Farsight Security, Inc.
// Updated in 2019-2020 by Infoblox, Inc.
// To the extent possible under law, the author(s) have dedicated all copyright
// and related and neighboring rights to this file to the public domain worldwide.
// This file is distributed without any warranty.
// You should have received a copy of the CC0 Public Domain Dedication along with this file.
// If not, see:
// <http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/>. package dnstap;
// "Dnstap": this is the top-level dnstap type, which is a "union" type that

Rev. D
// contains other kinds of dnstap payloads, although currently only one type
// of dnstap payload is defined.
// See: https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/docs/techniques#union
message Dnstap {
// DNS server identity.
optional bytes identity = 1;
// DNS server version.
optional bytes version = 2;
// Extra data for this payload.
optional bytes extra = 3;
// Identifies which field below is filled in.
enum Type {
MESSAGE = 1;
}
required Type type = 15;
// One of the following will be filled in.
optional Message message = 14;
}
// SocketFamily: the network protocol family of a socket. This specifies how
// to interpret "network address" fields.
enum SocketFamily {
INET = 1; // IPv4 (RFC 791)
INET6 = 2; // IPv6 (RFC 2460)
}
// SocketProtocol: the transport protocol of a socket. This specifies how to
// interpret "transport port" fields.
enum SocketProtocol {
UDP = 1; // User Datagram Protocol (RFC 768)
TCP = 2; // Transmission Control Protocol (RFC 793)
}
// Message: a wire-format (RFC 1035 section 4) DNS message and associated
// metadata. Applications generating "Message" payloads should follow
// certain requirements based on the MessageType, see below.
message Message {
// We are supporting the following types of messages
// CQ: CLIENT_QUERY
// CR: CLIENT_RESPONSE
enum Type {
// CLIENT_QUERY is a DNS query message sent from a client to a DNS
// server which is expected to perform further recursion, from the
// perspective of the DNS server. The client may be a stub resolver or
// forwarder or some other type of software which typically sets the RD
// (recursion desired) bit when querying the DNS server. The DNS server
// may be a simple forwarding proxy or it may be a full recursive
// resolver.
CLIENT_QUERY = 5;
// CLIENT_RESPONSE is a DNS response message sent from a DNS server to
// a client, from the perspective of the DNS server. The DNS server
// typically sets the RA (recursion available) bit when responding.
CLIENT_RESPONSE = 6;
}
// One of the Type values described above.
required Type type = 1;
// One of the SocketFamily values described above.
optional SocketFamily socket_family = 2;
// One of the SocketProtocol values described above.
optional SocketProtocol socket_protocol = 3;
// The network address of the message initiator.

Rev. D
// For SocketFamily INET, this field is 4 octets (IPv4 address).
// For SocketFamily INET6, this field is 16 octets (IPv6 address).
optional bytes query_address = 4;
// The network address of the message responder.
// For SocketFamily INET, this field is 4 octets (IPv4 address).
// For SocketFamily INET6, this field is 16 octets (IPv6 address).
optional bytes response_address = 5;
// The transport port of the message initiator.
// This is a 16-bit UDP or TCP port number, depending on SocketProtocol.
optional uint32 query_port = 6;
// The transport port of the message responder.
// This is a 16-bit UDP or TCP port number, depending on SocketProtocol.
optional uint32 response_port = 7;
// The time at which the DNS query message was sent or received, depending
// on whether this is an AUTH_QUERY, RESOLVER_QUERY, or CLIENT_QUERY.
// This is the number of seconds since the UNIX epoch.
optional uint64 query_time_sec = 8;
// The time at which the DNS query message was sent or received.
// This is the seconds fraction, expressed as a count of nanoseconds.
optional fixed32 query_time_nsec = 9;
// The initiator's original wire-format DNS query message, verbatim.
optional bytes query_message = 10;
// This is a wire-format DNS domain name.
// Currently, we are not supporting this.
optional bytes query_zone = 11;
// The time at which the DNS response message was sent or received,
// depending on whether this is an CLIENT_RESPONSE.
// This is the number of seconds since the UNIX epoch.
optional uint64 response_time_sec = 12;
// The time at which the DNS response message was sent or received.
// This is the seconds fraction, expressed as a count of nanoseconds.
optional fixed32 response_time_nsec = 13;
// The responder's original wire-format DNS response message, verbatim.
optional bytes response_message = 14;
// Start of Infoblox specific log messages
optional bytes subscriber_id = 15; // 32 bytes
optional uint64 local_id = 16; // 8 bytes
optional bytes pcp_ssp = 17; // 16 bytes
optional bytes proxy_all = 18; // Proxy all
optional bytes fqdn = 19; // MAX 255 bytes
required uint32 txid = 20; //16-bit transaction id
}
// All fields except for 'type' in the Message schema are optional.
// It is recommended that at least the following fields be filled in for
// particular types of Messages.
// CLIENT_QUERY:
// socket_family, socket_protocol
// query_message
// query_time_sec, query_time_nsec
// CLIENT_RESPONSE:
// socket_family, socket_protocol
// query_time_sec, query_time_nsec
// response_message
// response_time_sec, response_time_nsec

Rev. D
Configuring dnstap to Log DNS Queries and Responses
You can use the dnstap log format to log DNS queries and responses at high rates to well-known destinations and
achieve high performance query and response logging. NIOS logs all valid DNS queries and responses that are not
dropped by Advanced DNS Protection. For information about dnstap, see https://dnstap.info/.
To use the dnstap log format, you need to enable dnstap by running the set enable_dnstap command. To view whether
the dnstap log format is enabled or disabled, run the show dnstap-status command. To view the number of queries and
responses sent to the destination when the dnstap log format is enabled for high-performance logging of queries and
responses, run the show dnstap-stats command.
If you choose to enable the dnstap log format, you will not be able to capture queries and responses using the Data
connector for all DNS Queries/Responses to a Domain fields. And if you use the Data connector for all DNS Queries/
Responses to a Domain fields for query capture, the DNSTAP settings for DNS Queries/Responses fields will be
disabled.
 Note
For Advanced DNS Protection software with acceleration, you must download the latest ruleset before enabling
dnstap.
Limitations of Using dnstap to Log Queries and Responses

Ensure that you understand the following limitations before you use dnstap to log queries and responses:
• dnstap supports UDP, TCP, and EDNS protocols that require additional processing thus leading to a decrease in
performance.
• NIOS does not support BIND9 dnstap.
• If the remote logging server is not accessible, then the logs are dropped and not buffered.
• The dnstap server cannot truncate EDNSO queries.
• If you run a query that contains +edns=1, a dnstap server that uses the Golang DNS library to process the
captured data displays it as a bad signature (TSIG signature failure).
• Capturing the queries and responses also depends on other factors such as the size of the flavor deployed and
features enabled over it.
• dnstap does not support query and response logging on the MGMT interface.
Configuring dnstap to Log DNS Queries and Response Captures

To configure dnstap to log DNS queries and to capture responses, complete the following:
1. Grid: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, expand the Toolbar, and then
click Grid DNS Properties.
Member: From the Data Management tab, select the DNS tab, and then click the Members tab
-> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
2. In the Grid DNS Properties or Member DNS Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode and then select
the Logging tab.
3. Select the Queries checkbox to start capturing DNS queries. When you enable this option at the member level,
NIOS captures DNS queries for only the selected member.
4. Select the Responses checkbox to start capturing DNS responses. When you enable this option at the member
level, NIOS captures DNS responses for only the selected member.
5. In the DNSTAP Receiver Address field, enter the IP address from which you want to capture queries or
responses. It supports both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
6. In the DNSTAP Receiver Port field, enter the port number on which you want to configure the dnstap client
system. The default port number is 6000.
Infoblox recommends the configurations in the following table to meet high-performance query logging using the dnstap
log format:

Rev. D
Feature Total CPU Total Virtual Memory Total Virtual Memory Database Object Grid Master Capable
(without Advanced DNS (with Advanced DNS Count
Protection software) Protection software)
Small 10 16 24 100,000 No
recursive DNS
(with
acceleration)
Medium 16 24 32 100,000 No
recursive DNS
(with
acceleration)
Large 26 34 42 100,000 No
recursive DNS
(with
acceleration)
Monitoring Tools
You can use the audit log, the replication status, the traffic capture tool, and the capacity report in a Grid or HA pair to
monitor administrative activities and capture traffic for diagnostic purposes. You can also use CLI commands to monitor
certain DNS transactions.
• Using the Audit Log
• Viewing the Replication Status
• Using the Traffic Capture Tool
• Using the Capacity Report
• Monitoring DNS Transactions
• Viewing DNS Alert Indicator Status
• Configuring DNS Alert Thresholds
In addition, if Grid members manage Microsoft servers, Grid Manager creates a synchronization log file for each
managed Microsoft server. For information, see Viewing Synchronization Logs.
Using the Audit Log

The audit log contains a record of all Infoblox administrative activities. It provides the following detailed information:
• Timestamp of the change. If you have different admin accounts with different time zone settings, the appliance
uses the time zone of the admin account that you use to log in to the appliance to display the date and
timestamp.
• Administrator name.
• Changed object name.
• New value of the object. If you change multiple properties of an object, the audit log lists all changes in a comma-
separated log entry. You can also search the audit log to find the new value of an object.
The appliance logs the following successful operations:
• Logins to Grid Manager and the API.
• Logout events that include: When users log out by clicking the Logout button, when the Grid Manager GUI times
out, and when users are logged out due to an error.
• Write operations such as the addition, modification, and deletion of objects.
• System management operations such as service restarts and appliance reboots.
• Scheduled tasks such as adding an A record or modifying a fixed address.
• WAPI (RESTful API) session log information for each WAPI call, such as PUT, POST, and DELETE.

Rev. D
Enabling Audit Log Rolling
When the audit log reaches its maximum size, which is 100 MB, the appliance automatically writes the file into a new file
by adding a .0 extension to the first file and incrementing subsequent file extensions by 1. Files are compressed during
the rotation process, adding a .gz extension following the numerical increment (file.#.gz). The sequential
incrementation goes from zero through nine. When the eleventh file is started, the tenth log file (file.9.gz) is deleted,
and subsequent files are renumbered accordingly. For example, the current log file moves to file.0.gz, the previous
file.0.gz moves to file.1.gz, and so on through file.9.gz. A maximum of 10 log files (0-9) are kept. To list the audit
log files and their sizes, log in to the Infoblox CLI and run the show logfiles command.
To enable audit log rolling:
1. On the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab, and then click Grid Properties -> Edit in the
Toolbar.
2. In the Grid Properties editor, on the Security tab, select Enable Audit Log Rolling.
Specifying the Audit Log Type

Select Detailed (default), or Brief, or WAPI Detailed audit log type as follows:
1. On the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab, and then click Grid Properties -> Edit in the
Toolbar.
On the System tab, select the System Manager tab, and then click System Properties -> Edit in the Toolbar.
2. In the Grid Properties Editor, on the General tab, or in the System Properties Editor, on the System tab, select
• Detailed: This is the default type. When you select this, Grid Manager displays detailed information on all
administrative changes such as the timestamp of the change, administrator name, changed object name,
and the new values of all properties in the logged message.
• Brief: Provides information on administrative changes such as the changed object name and action in the
log message. The logged message does not show timestamp or admin name.
• WAPI Detailed: Select this option to view detailed RESTful API session information logs for successful
WAPI calls such as PUT, POST, and DELETE. You can view the following session log information for each
successful WAPI call:
• URI: URI contains certain part of the incoming WAPI request. Example: version of WAPI and the
associated object.
• InData: InData contains input data fields of the incoming WAPI request. Example: Data field of the
incoming WAPI request.
• Response Time: Response time is calculated as the time difference between a WAPI request
received and the response sent.
This option helps you to troubleshoot and monitor performance issues that impact specific WAPI calls
and track WAPI usage. When you select this option, you can view additional columns such as URI,
InData and Response Time in the Audit log.
The following example shows an audit log entry for a POST WAPI call:
[2018-05-29 09:20:12.026Z] [admin]: Created(POST) v2.9/zone_auth {"fqdn":"foo.com"}
2.233 AuthZone foo.com DnsView=default: Set fqdn="foo.com"
In the example above:
• POST indicates the WAPI call
• v2.9/zone_auth is the URI
• {"fqdn":"foo.com"} represents InData
• 2.233 is the response time.
 Note
There might be a slight impact on the device performance as the session log information, such as URI, InData,
and response time, are captured for all the successful WAPI calls. The audit log file size increases as the log
entries increase, which may impact the storage capacity. Infoblox recommends that you select
the Copy Audit Log Messages to Syslog checkbox in the Grid Properties Editor to move audit log information to

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the syslog and to an external server for longer retention. For more information, see Specifying Syslog Servers.
All Cloud WAPI, via Cloud Network Automation (CNA) or Cloud Platform (CP) appliances, related events are
logged to syslog instead of the audit log. For more information, see Cloud Network Automation.
Viewing the Audit Log

To view an audit log:
1. On the Administration tab, select the Logs tab -> Audit Log tab.
2. Optionally, use the filters to narrow down the audit log messages you want to view. Click Show Filters to enable
the filters. Configure the filter criteria, and then click Apply.
Based on your filter criteria (if any), Grid Manager displays the following in the Audit Log viewer:
• Timestamp: The date, time, and time zone the task was performed. The time zone is the time zone
configured on the member.
• Admin: The admin user who performed the task.
 Note
The admin user displayed as $admin group name$ represents an internal user. You can create an admin filter
with “matches expression” equals ^[^$] to filter out internal users.
• Action: The action performed. This can be CALLED, CREATED, DELETED, LOGIN_ALLOWED,
LOGIN_DENIED, MESSAGE, MODIFIED, POST, PUT, and DELETE.
• Object Type: The object type of the object involved in this task. This field is not displayed by default. You
can select this for display.
• Object Name: The name of the object involved in this task.
• Execution Status: The execution status of the task. Possible values are Executed, Normal, Pending
Approval and Scheduled.
• URI: A certain part of the incoming WAPI request.
• InData: Input data fields of the incoming WAPI request.
• Response Time: The processing time of the incoming WAPI request.
• Message: Detailed information about the performed task.
You can also perform the following in the log viewer:
• Toggle between the single line view and the multi-line view for display.
• Refresh the audit log view.
• Download the log.
• Clear the contents of the audit log.
• Export or print the content of the log.
Searching in the Audit Log

Instead of paging through the audit log file to locate messages, you can have the appliance search for messages with
certain text strings.
To search for specific messages, enter a search value in the search field below the filters, and then click the Search icon.
The appliance searches through the audit log file and highlights the search value in the viewer. You can use the arrow
keys next to the Search icon to locate the previous or next message that contains the search value.

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Downloading the Audit Log
You can download the audit log file to a specified directory if you want to analyze it later. To download an audit log file:
1. On the Administration tab, select the Logs tab -> Audit Log tab, and then click the Download icon.
2. Navigate to a directory where you want to save the file, optionally change the file name (the default name is
auditLog.tar.gz), and then click OK. If you want to download multiple audit log files to the same location, rename
each downloaded file before downloading the next.
 Note
If your browser has a pop-up blocker enabled, you must turn off the pop-up blocker or configure your browser to
allow pop-ups for downloading files.
Viewing the Replication Status

The Replication Status panel reports the status of the database replication between Grid members and Grid Master, and
between the two nodes in an independent HA pair. You can use this information to check the health of the Grid and HA
pair activity.
To view the current replication status, from the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab, and then click
Toggle Replication Status View.
Grid Manager can display the following replication information for each member:
• Name: The FQDN (fully qualified domain name) of the appliance.
• Send Queue: The size of the queue from the Grid Master to the Grid member.
• Last Send: The timestamp of the last replication information sent by the Grid Master.
• Receive Queue: The size of the queue from the Grid member to the Grid Master.
• Last Receive: The timestamp of the last replication information received by the Grid Master.
• Member Replication Status: The replication status between the member and the Grid Master. Grid Manager
displays the status in green when the status is fine or red when the member is offline.
• HA Replication Status: The HA replication status between the active and passive nodes. The status is at the
member level, not at the node level. Grid Manager displays the status in red when one of the nodes is offline.
• Status: The current operational status of the appliance. The status can be one of the following:
• Green: The appliance is operating normally in a "Running" state.
• Yellow: The appliance is connecting or synchronizing with its Grid Master.
• Red: The Grid member is offline, is not licensed (that is, it does not have a DNSone license with the Grid
upgrade that permits Grid membership), is upgrading or downgrading, or is shutting down.
• Identify: This field appears only if your appliance has the unit identification button. This can be On or Off. When
you identify the appliance by pressing the UID button on the appliance or through the GUI or the CLI command,
this field displays On. Otherwise, this is Off.
• DHCP, DNS, TFTP, HTTP,FTP, NTP, bloxTools, Captive Portal, DNS Accelerator Usage, Discovery, Reporting:
The current status of the service. The status can be one of the following:
• Green: The service is enabled and running properly.
• Yellow: The service is enabled, but there may be some issues that require attention.
• Red: The service is enabled, but it is not running properly. A red status icon can also appear temporarily
when a service is enabled and begins running, but the monitoring mechanism has not yet notified the
Infoblox GUI.
• Gray: The service is not configured or it is disabled.
• Hardware Type: The hardware type of the appliance, such as IB-1400.
• DB Utilization: The percentage of the database that is currently in use.
• Comment: Information about the appliance.
• Site: The location to which the member belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.
• HA: Indicates whether the member is an HA pair. If the member is an HA pair, Grid Manager displays the status of
the HA pair.
• Hardware Model: The hardware model of the appliance.

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• Modify some of the data in the table. Double-click a row of data, and either edit the data in the field or select an
• Edit the properties of a member.
• Click the checkbox beside a member, and then click the Edit icon.
• Delete a member.
• Click the checkbox beside a member, and then click the Delete icon.
• Export or print the list.
Using the Traffic Capture Tool

You can capture the traffic on one or all of the ports on a NIOS appliance, and then view it using a third-party network
protocol analyzer application, such as the Wireshark – Network Protocol Analyzer™. Using this tool, you can capture
traffic for a single member or multiple Grid members simultaneously. The NIOS appliance must have a minimum of 500
MB of free disk space to start the traffic capture; otherwise, the traffic capture might fail.
The NIOS appliance saves all the traffic it captures in a .cap file and compresses it into a .tar.gz file. Your management
system must have a utility that can extract the .tar file from the .gzip file, and an application that can read the .cap
(capture) file format. The size of the .cap file is limited to 2 GB for Infoblox-4030-10GE, and the size is limited to 1 GB for
all other NIOS appliances. You can also transfer the traffic capture file to your local management system, a TFTP server,
an FTP server, or a SCP server.
NIOS saves failed traffic capture file transfer attempts in the syslog. Traffic capture file transfers can fail due to remote
server issues, such as an invalid server IP address, or an incorrect username, or a password, or an invalid path. Note
that the traffic capture fails when the disk space on the member is insufficient, but the file transfer will be successful. The
NIOS appliance logs a warning message in the syslog when the traffic capture fails. You can find the following
information about traffic capture and file transfers in the audit log:
• Start and stop actions performed on the members for traffic capture.
• Whether the traffic capture file was transferred to a server or downloaded to a local directory. For more
information about the audit log, see Using the Audit Log.
This section explains the process of capturing traffic, and how to download the traffic capture file to your management
system. After that, you can extract the traffic capture file and view it with a third-party traffic analyzer application. The
traffic capture file is shared between admin users.
You can also configure Grid Manager to trigger a traffic capture at set intervals and parameters. If Grid Manager detects
that a parameter has breached a configured threshold or crossed the configured duration of time, it triggers a traffic
capture. For more information about automated traffic capture, see Enabling Automated Traffic Capture.
 Note
The NIOS appliance always saves a traffic capture file as <member name>_<timestamp>_tcpdumpLog.tar.gz.
Example: infoblox.localdo_0_2018-10-15-03-47-53_tcpdumpLog.tar.gz. For FTP and TFTP transfers, the name
of the file is added as a prefix. Example: filename.infoblox.localdo_0_2018-11-09-09-30-07_tcpdumpLog.tar.gz
For a single member, you can also capture traffic on the NIOS appliance through the Infoblox CLI using the set
traffic_capture command. However, you cannot use this command to capture traffic for multiple members. NIOS
displays the traffic capture status and it allows you to download the captured traffic, irrespective of whether the traffic
capture is initiated from the Infoblox CLI or from Grid Manager.
To capture traffic for a single member or multiple Grid members:

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1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab, and then click Traffic Capture from the Toolbar.
OR
From the Administration tab, select the Logs tab → Syslog tab, and then click Traffic Capture from the Toolbar.
2. In the Traffic Capture dialog box, complete the following:
Members
• Name: Click the Add icon to add either a single or multiple Grid members for which you want to capture
traffic. When you click the Add icon, Grid Manager displays the Member Selector dialog box from which
you can select one or multiple members. Use SHIFT+click to select multiple contiguous rows or use
CTRL+click to select multiple non-contiguous rows. Click OK. The selected members are added to the list
of members in the Members table. You cannot add offline members to the list or capture traffic on an
offline member.
 Note
Selecting members in the Grid Manager → Members tab does not capture traffic for the selected
member. To capture traffic, you must select members from the Member Selector dialog box.
• Interface: Select the port on which you want to capture traffic. You can view the selected interface while
the traffic capture is in progress. Note that if you enabled the LAN2 failover feature, the LAN and LAN2
ports generate the same output and Grid Manager displays the interface as BOND while the traffic
capture is in progress. By default, the interface is set to ALL after the traffic capture process stops. For
information about the LAN2 failover feature, see About Port Redundancy.
 Note
For vNIOS appliances, some of the options in the drop-down list may vary depending on your
vNIOS configuration. For example, if you are using a single network interface instance of a
vNIOS for GCP appliance, you will see choices specific to the LAN1 interface only.
•LAN: Select this to capture all the traffic the LAN port receives and transmits.
•MGMT: Select this to capture all the traffic the MGMT port receives and transmits.
•LAN2: Select to capture all the traffic the LAN2 port (if enabled) receives and transmits.
•ALL: Select this to capture the traffic addressed to all ports. Note that the NIOS appliance only
captures traffic that is addressed to it.
• LANxnnnn: If you have configured VLANs on the LAN1 or LAN2 port, the appliance displays the
VLANs in the format LANx nnnn, where x represents the port number and nnnn represents the
associated VLAN ID.
• File Size: Displays the size of the traffic capture log file, in kilobytes, for the respective member.
• Status: Displays the status of the traffic capture session on the member. The status can be one of the
following:
• STOPPED: Indicates that the traffic capture session has stopped.
• RUNNING: Indicates that the traffic capture session is in progress.
• NOT STARTED: Indicates that the traffic capture session has not started.
• Transfer Status: Displays the status of the traffic capture file transfer. The status can be one of the
following:
• NOT STARTED: Indicates that the file transfer has not started.
• STARTED: Indicates that the file transfer has started.
• COMPLETED: Indicates that the file transfer has been completed.
• FAILED: Indicates that the file transfer has failed.
3. Seconds to run: Specify the number of seconds you want the traffic capture tool to run.
4. Capture Control: Click the Start icon to start the capture. Note that the start action will overwrite the existing
traffic capture file. You can click the Stop icon to stop the capture after you start it.
5. Transfer To: Select the destination to transfer the traffic capture file. You can select My Computer, TFTP, FTP, or
SCP from the drop-down list.

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• My Computer: Transfer the traffic capture file to a local directory on your computer. This is the default.
 Note
To avoid consumption of the Grid Master disk space, NIOS restricts downloading the traffic
capture files from multiple members to a local directory on your compute
• TFTP: Transfer the traffic capture file to a TFTP server.

• Filename: Enter the directory path and the file name of the traffic capture file. For example, you
can enter /home/test/traffic_capture_filename where traffic_capture_filename is the
name of the file.
• IP Address of TFTP Server: Enter the IP address of the TFTP server to which you want to transfer
the traffic capture file.
• FTP: Transfer the traffic capture file to an FTP server.
• Filename: Enter the directory path and the file name of the traffic capture file. For example, you
can enter /home/test/traffic_capture_filename where traffic_capture_filename is the
name of the file.
• SCP: Transfer the traffic capture file to an SCP server.
• Filepath: Enter the directory path of the traffic capture file. For example, you can enter /home/
test/.
6. Uncompressed Capture File Size: Select the members for which you want to download the traffic capture file and
then click Download to download the captured traffic. You can download and save the file only after the capture
stops, but not when the tool is running. You can rename the file if you want. NIOS updates the size of the report
when the capture tool is running.
 Note
The NIOS appliance must have free disk space of at least 500MB + size of the traffic capture file (2 GB/1 GB,
depending on the appliance model) to download the traffic capture file.
7. Last updated: The timestamp of the last traffic capture process.

8. Use terminal window commands (Linux) or a software application (such as StuffIt™ or WinZip™) to extract the
contents of the .tar.gz file.
9. When you see the traffic.cap file in the directory where you extract the .tar.gz file, open it with a third-party
network protocol analyzer application.
Limitations of the Traffic Capture Tool

• You cannot add members to the list of members in the Members table on the Traffic Capture wizard when traffic
capture is in progress.
• While the traffic capture file transfer is in progress on any member on the Traffic Capture wizard, Grid Manager
does not allow you to start or stop traffic capture on members. However, you can start traffic capture using the
CLI command even though the file transfer is in progress.
• If the traffic capture has already started on Grid Manager, you cannot initiate the capture again using the CLI
command. You must wait until the process is complete.
• Traffic captures that are initiated using the CLI/WAPI commands do not appear in the Members table. To initiate
traffic capture for a single member that was initiated and stopped using the CLI/WAPI command, add the
respective member manually to the list of members in the Members table.
• Grid Manager does not allow you to initiate traffic capture on a list of selected members, if it has already been
initiated for a member in the list using CLI/WAPI commands.

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Using the Capacity Report
You can view the capacity usage and object type information of an appliance in a capacity report. The capacity report
displays capacity and object type information of an independent appliance, a Grid Master, or a Grid member. For an HA
pair, the report displays information on the active node.
The top half of the panel displays a capacity summary, and the bottom half displays the object types the appliance
supports and the total counts for each object type.
To view a capacity report:
• From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> member checkbox, and then click Capacity
Report from the Toolbar.
The capacity summary contains the following information:
• Name: The name of the appliance.
• Role: The role of the appliance. The value can be Grid Master, Grid Master Candidate, Grid Member, or
Standalone.
• Hardware Type: The type of hardware. For an HA pair, the report displays the hardware type for both the active
and passive nodes.
• Object Capacity: The maximum number of objects the appliance can support.
• Total Objects: The total number of objects currently in the database.
• % Capacity Used: The percentage of the capacity in use.
The capacity report filters object types you can manage through the appliance. You can configure the object types you
want to see in the following table by completing the following in the Minimum Object Total filter:
• Minimum Object Total: Enter the minimum number of objects within an object type of which Grid Manager
displays. In the Object Type table, Grid Manager displays only the object types that contain at least the specified
number of objects you enter in this field.
The capacity report displays the following information:
• Object Type: The type of objects. For example, DHCP Lease, Admin Group, or PTR Record. For objects that are
only used for internal system operations, the report groups and shows them under Other.
• Total: The total number of objects for the specific object type. You can print the object type information or export it
to a CSV file.
Monitoring DNS Transactions

The NIOS appliance provides tools for monitoring DNS transactions and mitigating cache poisoning from UDP (User
Datagram Protocol) traffic on source port 53. Cache poisoning can occur when a DNS server accepts maliciously created
unauthentic data. The DNS server ends up locally caching the incorrect entries and serving them to users that make the
same DNS requests. In a maliciously created situation, the attacker can redirect Internet traffic from the legitimate host to
another host that the attacker controls.
You can configure the appliance to track invalid DNS responses for recursive DNS queries. The appliance tracks DNS
responses that arrive on invalid ports or have invalid TXIDs (DNS transaction IDs). Both invalid ports and invalid TXIDs
could be indicators of cache poisoning. An invalid port is a DNS response that arrives from UDP (User Datagram
Protocol) port 53 with either one of the following conditions:
• There are no outstanding DNS requests from the port on which the response arrives.
• The TXID of the DNS response matches the TXID of an outstanding request. However, the request was sent from
a port other than the port on which the response arrives.
An invalid TXID is a DNS response that arrives from UDP port 53, and the TXID does not match the TXID of an
outstanding DNS request. The below figure illustrates how the appliance detects an invalid port and an invalid TXID.
Invalid Port and Invalid TXID

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Both invalid ports and invalid TXIDs could be indicators of DNS cache poisoning, although a small number of them is
considered normal in situations where valid DNS responses arrive after the DNS queries have timed out. You can
configure the appliance to track these indicators, and you can view their status. You can also configure thresholds for
them. When the number of invalid ports or invalid TXIDs exceeds the thresholds, the appliance logs an event in the
syslog file and sends an SNMP trap and e-mail notification, if you enable them. You can then configure rate limiting rules
to limit incoming traffic or completely block connections from primary sources that send the invalid DNS responses.
Rate limiting is a token bucket system that accepts packets from a source based on the rate limit. You can configure the
number of packets per minute that the Infoblox DNS server accepts from a specified source. You can also configure the
number of packets for burst traffic, which is the maximum number of packets that the token bucket can accept. Once the
bucket reaches the limit for burst traffic, it discards the packets and starts receiving new packets according to the rate
limit.
The appliance monitors only UDP traffic from remote port 53 for the following reasons:
• The attacks that the appliance monitors do not happen over TCP.
• DNS responses are sent only from port 53. The appliance discards DNS responses that are sent from other ports.
To monitor invalid ports and invalid TXIDs on the Infoblox DNS server, follow these procedures:
• Enable DNS network monitoring and DNS alert monitoring. For information, see Enabling and Disabling DNS
Alert Monitoring.
• Configure the thresholds for DNS alert indicators. For information, see Configuring DNS Alert Thresholds
• Enable SNMP traps and e-mail notifications. For information, see Configuring SNMP.
• Review the DNS alert status. For information, see Viewing DNS Alert Indicator Status
• Identify the source of the attack by reviewing the DNS alert status, syslog file, and SNMP traps. For information
on SNMP traps for DNS alerts, see Threshold Crossing Traps.
To mitigate cache poisoning, you can limit incoming traffic or completely block connections from specific sources, as
follows:
• Enable rate limiting on the DNS server. For information, see Enabling and Disabling Rate Limiting from External
Sources.
• Configure rate limit traffic rules from specific sources. For information, see Configuring Rate Limiting Rules.
You can verify the rate limiting rules after you configure them. For information, see Viewing Rate Limiting Rules

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Enabling and Disabling DNS Alert Monitoring
The appliance monitors only UDP traffic on port 53 for recursive queries, and then reports invalid DNS responses.
DNS alert monitoring is disabled by default. For an HA pair, you must enable DNS alert monitoring on both the active and
passive nodes.
To enable DNS network monitoring and DNS alert monitoring:
1. Log in to the Infoblox CLI as a superuser account.
2. Enter the following CLI command:
set monitor dns on
The appliance displays the following:
Turning on DNS Network Monitoring...
3. Enter the following command:

set monitor dns alert on
When you enable DNS alert monitoring, if DNS network monitoring is disabled, the appliance automatically enables DNS
network monitoring and displays the following:
DNS Network Monitoring is disabled. It must be enabled for alerting to function.
Enable DNS Monitoring now? (y or n):
You can also disable DNS network monitoring and DNS alert monitoring using the following commands:
set monitor dns off
set monitor dns alert off
 Note
When you restart DNS network monitoring, you also reset the SNMP counters for DNS alerts.
You can then view the alert status to identify the primary source of invalid DNS responses. For information, see Viewing
DNS Alert Indicator Status.
Viewing DNS Alert Indicator Status

To view DNS alert indicator status:
show monitor dns alert status
The appliance displays historical alert counts and up to five primary sources that generate invalid DNS responses, as
shown in the following example:
Data last updated: Mon Oct 6 14:47:12 2008
DNS Alert1m5m15m60m24hEver
============================================
port8 12 1212 12 12
txid8 12 1212 12 12
There were 80 DNS responses seen in the last minute.
10% were to an invalid port.
10% had an invalid TXID.
Primary sources of invalid responses:

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4.4.4.4 (unknown) sent 4
The appliance attempts to resolve the hostnames of the sources that sent invalid responses, if the DNS resolver is
enabled. If the appliance cannot resolve a hostname, it displays "unknown" as the hostname of the invalid response.
Configuring DNS Alert Thresholds

You can configure thresholds for DNS alerts to control when the appliance tracks DNS attacks on UDP port 53 and
issues SNMP traps and e-mail notifications.
 Note
Ensure that you enable SNMP traps and e-mail notifications. For information, see Configuring SNMP.
You can configure thresholds for both invalid ports and invalid TXIDs. The default thresholds for both invalid ports and
TXIDs are 50%. When the number of invalid ports or invalid TXIDs exceeds the thresholds, the appliance logs the event
and sends SNMP traps and notifications. You can configure the thresholds either as absolute packet counts or as
percentages of the total traffic during a one-minute time interval.
To configure DNS alert thresholds:
set monitor dns alert modify port | txid over threshold_value packets | percent
where
port | txid = Enter port to set the threshold for invalid ports, or enter txid to set the threshold for invalid
TXIDs.
threshold_value = Enter the number of packets or percentage for the threshold.
packets | percent = Enter packets if you want to track the total packet count, or enter percentage if you want
to track a percentage of the total traffic. For a percentage-based threshold, the appliance does not generate a
threshold crossing event if the traffic level is less than 100 packets per minute.
For example, if you want the appliance to send a DNS alert when the percentage of DNS responses arriving on invalid
ports from UDP port 53 exceeds 70% per minute, you can enter the following command:
set monitor dns alert modify port over 70 percent
If you want the appliance to send a DNS alert when the total number of packets with invalid TXIDs from UDP port 53 is
over 100 packets per minute, you can enter the following command:
set monitor dns alert modify txid over 100 packets
When there is a DNS alert, the appliance logs an event in the syslog file and sends an SNMP trap and e-mail notification
if enabled.
Viewing DNS Alert Thresholds

You can view the DNS alert thresholds. The appliance displays the current thresholds. If you have not configured new
thresholds, the appliance displays the default thresholds, which are 50% for both invalid port and TXID.
To view the DNS alert thresholds:
show monitor dns alert
The appliance displays the threshold information as shown in the following example:

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DNS Network Monitoring is enabled. Alerting is enabled.
DNS Alert Threshold (per minute)

===========================================
portover 70% of packets
txidover 100 packets
Enabling and Disabling Rate Limiting from External Sources

You can mitigate cache poisoning on your DNS server by limiting the traffic or blocking connections from UDP port 53. To
enable rate limiting from sources:
set ip_rate_limit on
The appliance displays the following:

Enabling rate limiting will discard packets and may degrade performance.
Are you sure? (y or n):
 Note
When you enable rate limiting, the appliance discards packets based on the configured rate limiting rules.
This might affect the DNS performance when the appliance discards valid DNS responses.
3. Enter y to enable rate limiting.

When you enable rate limiting, the appliance applies the rate limiting rules that you configured. You might want to
configure the rate limiting rules before enabling rate limiting. For information on how to configure rate limiting rules, see
Configuring Rate Limiting Rules.
You can also disable rate limiting by entering the following command:
set ip_rate_limit off
When you disable rate limiting, the appliance stops applying the rate limiting rules.
Configuring Rate Limiting Rules

You configure rate limiting rules to limit access or block connections from UDP port 53. The rules take effect when you
enable rate limiting.
When adding rules, ensure that you do not include an IP address that matches the IP address of either the Grid Master
or Grid member. Doing this could affect VPN connectivity. To configure rate limiting rules:
set ip_rate_limit add source all | ip_address [/mask] limit packets/m [burst burst_packets]
where
all | ip_address = Enter all or 0.0.0.0 if you want to limit all traffic from all sources, or enter the IP
address from which you want to limit the traffic.

[/mask] = Optionally, enter the netmask of the host from which you want to limit the traffic.
packets = Enter the number of packets per minute that you want to receive from the source.
[burst burst_packets] = Optionally, enter burst and the number of packets for burst traffic. This is the
maximum number of packets accepted.

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The following are sample commands and descriptions for rate limiting rules:
• To block all traffic from host 10.10.1.1, enter the following command:
set ip_rate_limit add source 10.10.1.1 limit 0
• To limit traffic to five packets per minute from host 10.10.1.2, enter the following command:
set ip_rate_limit add source 10.10.1.2 limit 5/m
• To limit the traffic to five packets per minute from host 10.10.2.1/24 with an allowance for burst traffic of 10
packets, enter the following command:
set ip_rate_limit add source 10.10.2.1/24 limit 5/m burst 10
• To limit the traffic to 5000 packets per minute from all sources, enter the following command:
set ip_rate_limit add source all limit 5000/m
Removing Rate Limiting Rules

You can remove the existing rate limiting rules that limit access or block connections from UDP port 53. To remove all the
existing rules:
• To remove the rate limiting rule that limits traffic from all sources, enter:
set ip_rate_limit remove source all
or
• To remove all of the rate limiting rules from all sources, enter:
set ip_rate_limit remove all
To remove one of the existing rules for an existing host:

set ip_rate_limit remove source ip-address[/mask]
Viewing Rate Limiting Rules

You can view the existing rate limiting rules that limit access or block connections from UDP port 53. To view rate limiting
rules:
show ip_rate_limit
The appliance displays the rules, as shown in the following example:

IP rate limiting is enabled.
Source Limit Burst

============================================
10.10.1.1 0 packets/minute 0 packets
10.10.1.2 5 packets/minute 5 packets
10.10.2.1/24 5 packets/minute 10 packets
all 5000packets/minute 5000 packets

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* Note: Copy audit to syslog feature should not alter. But increases the syslog file size.
Enabling Automated Traffic Capture

Sometimes, there may be a sudden and unexplained change in the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) in your network
that may degrade your network performance and traffic capture during these events may not be available. For example,
the cache hit ratio may drop below the configured value, or there may be an increase in authoritative delay.
You can configure NIOS so that a traffic capture may be triggered based on thresholds configured for DNS Cache Hit
Ratio and Queries Per Seconds. You can then analyse the traffic capture data and use it to gather production data thus
bringing down the time taken for root cause analysis. You can also attach the traffic capture data to a support case so
that Infoblox Support can take the investigation forward.
You can choose to receive an SNMP trap or an email notification every time traffic capture is enabled or disabled or a
support bundle is downloaded. For more information see, Configuring SNMP.
 Note
If DNS Cache Acceleration is enabled on the IB-FLEX platform, the cache hit ratio is not updated for a minute
thus triggering a false traffic capture.
To configure automated traffic capture:

1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> click Grid Properties -> Edit from the Toolbar.
Or to configure automated traffic capture for a member, from the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab ->
Members tab -> select the member -> click the Action icon and click Edit.
2. In Grid Properties Editor (for Grid) or Grid Member Properties Editor (for members), click Monitoring -> Advanced
tab.
3. Select the Enable Automated Traffic Capture checkbox.
4. In the Capture Duration field, enter the number of seconds for which traffic must be captured. For example, if you
enter 30 in the Capture Duration field, traffic is captured for 30 seconds and stored in the traffic capture file. After
30 seconds, traffic is captured once again and the details are stored in a new traffic capture file. A new traffic
capture is started only after the earlier traffic capture file is packaged. You can set a value from 1 to 600 seconds.
Capture Duration is a mandatory field. If the capture file exceeds 2 GB (for IB-40XX and PT-40XX appliances)
and 1 GB (for all other appliances), NIOS stops the traffic capture.
5. Select the Save Local Copy checkbox to save traffic capture data in your local disk.
6. Select the Include Support Bundle checkbox to download the support bundle after the traffic capture is complete
and the system has remained in a stable state for 5 minutes.
7. From the Export to drop-down list, select your local management system (FTP server or SCP server) to which to
transfer the traffic capture file. The default is None.
8. In the Directory Path For Capture field, enter the destination directory on the NIOS server for which to transfer the
traffic capture files.
9. In the Directory Path For Support Bundle field, enter the destination directory on the NIOS server for which to
transfer the support bundles.
 Note
If you enable the Include Support Bundle checkbox but do not specify the directory path for the support
bundle, NIOS transfers the support bundles to the directory path that you specify in the Directory Path
For Capture field.
10. In the Server Address field, enter the IP address of the FTP or the SCP server that you selected from the Export
to drop-down list.
11. In the Username and Password fields, enter the user credentials to upload to the FTP or SCP server.
12. Select the Enable Cache Hit Ratio Trigger checkbox if you want NIOS to trigger a traffic capture based on the
value of the cache hit ratio of recursive queries. If the cache utilization goes above the value you specify in the
Cache Utilization field and the cache hit ratio goes below the value you specify in the Hit Ratio Threshold Trigger
field, traffic capture is triggered. Once the cache hit ratio reaches the value you specify in the Reset field, NIOS
stops the traffic capture.

Rev. D
13. Select the Enable Queries Per Second Trigger checkbox if you want NIOS to monitor the QPS (queries per
second). NIOS triggers a traffic capture if the QPS value goes below the threshold value you specify in the QPS
Threshold Trigger field. Once the QPS value reaches the value you specify in the Reset field, NIOS stops the
traffic capture. For information about QPS, see About Dashboards.
14. Select the Enable Outgoing Recursive Queries Trigger checkbox if you want NIOS to monitor the count of
concurrent outgoing recursive queries. NIOS triggers a traffic capture if the count goes above the value you
specify in the Recursive Queries Threshold Trigger field. If the number of concurrent recursive queries goes
below the value you specify in the Reset field, NIOS stops the traffic capture. For information about recursive
queries, see Enabling Recursive Queries.
15. Select the Enable Authoritative DNS Latency Trigger checkbox if you want NIOS to monitor the authoritative DNS
latency. NIOS performs the DNS latency on the IPS address you choose from the Query IP Address field and
triggers a traffic capture if the DNS latency goes above the value you specify in the Authoritative DNS Latency
Threshold Trigger field. The DNS latency is determined by querying a reverse zone against the IP address you
selected using the dig command. If the authoritative DNS query latency goes below the value you specify in the
Reset field, NIOS stops the traffic capture. For information about DNS latency, see Enabling and Disabling DNS
Alert Monitoring.
16. Select the Enable Recursive DNS Latency Trigger checkbox if you want NIOS to monitor the recursive DNS
latency. NIOS performs the DNS latency on the IPS address you choose from the Query IP Address field and
triggers a traffic capture if the DNS latency goes above the value you specify in the Recursive DNS Latency
Threshold Trigger field. The DNS latency is determined by querying each domain against the IP address you
selected using the dig command. If the recursive DNS query latency goes below the value you specify in the
Reset field, NIOS stops the traffic capture. For information about DNS latency, see Enabling and Disabling DNS
Alert Monitoring.
Tracking Object Changes in the Database

If you have external applications that use information in the NIOS database, you can use the Object Change Tracking
feature to get informed about changes in the NIOS database. You can then periodically synchronize IPAM, DNS, and
DHCP data through the Infoblox API or RESTful API, which returns updated object information. When you enable this
feature, the appliance tracks the changes that are made to NIOS objects. It assigns sequence IDs to all the changed
objects. These sequence IDs are incremented when there is a change in the high-level objects such as IPv4 and IPv6
fixed addresses, networks, network containers, and others. When you query using the db_objects through the Infoblox
API for desired object types, the application returns all the objects of those object types that changed after the sequence
ID given in the query.
When you enable the Object Change Tracking feature, you can also specify the lifetime of deleted objects in the
database and the total number of objects that must be present in the database. The deleted objects that are saved in the
database are purged periodically. Note that you cannot track the user who created or updated an existing object.
Infoblox supports full and incremental synchronization for these changes. Certain events such as Grid Master Candidate
promotions and upgrades require a full synchronization.
Users with read-only permission can use this feature. For more information, see Administrative Permissions for Object
Change Tracking.
To enable and use the Object Change Tracking feature to track and synchronize updates, complete the following:
1. Enable the feature, as described in Enabling Object Change Tracking.
2. Select whether you want to use a full synchronization or an incremental synchronization. When you use one of
these synchronization methods to synchronize data through Infoblox API or RESTful API, they return updated
objects that can be used to update your relational database. For full synchronization, see Using Full
Synchronization. For incremental synchronization, see Using Incremental Synchronization.
Best Practices for Object Change Tracking

• The Object Change Tracking feature is optimized to reduce impact on the DDI services and it runs only on the
Grid Master. The synchronization process synchronizes 1000 objects at a time with a 2 second pause in between.
There might be a slight impact on the Grid Master Candidate as they get updates from the Grid Master. When
protocol services are running on the Grid Master Candidate you might encounter a 5% drop in the protocol
performance. This feature does not impact the services that are running on the Grid members.

Rev. D
• NIOS does not update the sequence ID of the respective parent when you modify a child object. For example,
inserting an A record under DNS zone does not increase the sequence number of the zone object.
• When you delete a parent object, NIOS saves the child objects in the deleted object table. But, if the associated
child objects are either resource records or leases, NIOS will neither save them in the deleted object table nor
update the sequence ID for these child objects.
• If you update a parent object, then the sequence ID of its child objects will not change.
• NIOS updates the sequence ID of the host record and IPv4 and IPv6 host addresses, if there are any changes to
host addresses, both IPv4 and IPv6. The sequence ID is also updated when you update the host alias records
that results in increase in the sequence ID of the host record and all its child objects.
For example, if you create a host record hhh.test.com with an IPv4 address and perform an incremental
synchronization to get updates, the response contains an updated host record and host address:
curl -k1 -u admin:infoblox -H content-type:application/json -X GET

https://10.32.2.202/wapi/v2.5/db_objects?start_sequence_id=2830689052:0\&object_types=
record:host,record:host_ipv4addr\;_return_fields=last_sequence_id,object,object_type\;
_return_type=json-pretty
The response is as follows:

[
{
"_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDIw:38",
"object": {
"_ref": "record:host/ZG5zLmhvc3QkLl9kZWZhdWx0LmNvbS5rYXJqYWdpLmhvc3Qx:
hhh.test.com/default",
"ipv4addrs": [
{
"_ref":
"record:host_ipv4addr/ZG5zLmhvc3RfYWRkcmVzcyQuX2RlZmF1bHQuY29tLmthcmphZ2kuaG9zdDEuMS4x
LjEuMS4:1.1.1.1/ hhh.test.com/default",
"configure_for_dhcp": false,
"host": " hhh.test.com",
"ipv4addr": "1.1.1.1",
"mac": "11:11:11:11:11:11"
}
],
"ipv6addrs": [
{
"_ref":
"record:host_ipv6addr/ZG5zLmhvc3RfYWRkcmVzcyQuX2RlZmF1bHQuY29tLmthcmphZ2kuaG9zdDEuYWE6
OmFhLg:aa%3A%3Aaa/ hhh.test.com/default",
"ipv6addr": "aa::aa"
}
],
"name": " hhh.test.com",
"view": "default"
},
"object_type": "record:host",
"unique_id": "c326fcf8058c4022939050af96a0fdb2"
},
{
"_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDIx:38",
"object": {
"_ref":
"record:host_ipv6addr/ZG5zLmhvc3RfYWRkcmVzcyQuX2RlZmF1bHQuY29tLmthcmphZ2kuaG9zdDEuYWE6
OmFhLg:aa%3A%3Aaa/ hhh.test.com/default",

Rev. D
"ipv6addr": "aa::aa"
},
"object_type": "record:host_ipv6addr",
"unique_id": "2b19a399c3f747538d879fdd33a4de32"
},
{
"_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDIy:38",
"object": {
"_ref":
"record:host_ipv4addr/ZG5zLmhvc3RfYWRkcmVzcyQuX2RlZmF1bHQuY29tLmthcmphZ2kuaG9zdDEuMS4x
LjEuMS4:1.1.1.1/ hhh.test.com/default",
"ipv4addr": "1.1.1.1",
"mac": "11:11:11:11:11:11"
},
"unique_id": "3fb8fba003d647ceac5796a28459725a"
},
{
"_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDIz:3956302770%3A38",
"last_sequence_id": "3956302770:38"
}
]
• When you update DNS host, host address, and host alias, NIOS updates the sequence IDs of child objects
associated with these parent objects even though the changes do not affect the child objects. For example, when
you update an existing comment in the host record, NIOS updates the sequence IDs of child objects associated
with the respective host record.
Example:
record:host,record:host_ipv4addr\;_return_fields=last_sequence_id,object,object_type,o
bject.comment\;_return_type=json-pretty

[
{
"_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDI:27",
"object": {
"_ref":
"record:host/ZG5zLmhvc3QkLl9kZWZhdWx0LmNvbS50ZXN0LmhoaA:hhh.test.com/default",
"comment": "hi"
},
"object_type": "record:host"
"unique_id": "1ab6c989d8fd454ca06ffac6ac600fe6"
},
{
"_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDM:27",
"object": {
"_ref":
"record:host_ipv4addr/ZG5zLmhvc3RfYWRkcmVzcyQuX2RlZmF1bHQuY29tLnRlc3QuaGhoLjEuMC4wLjEu
:1.0.0.1/hhh.test.com/default",
"host": "hhh.test.com",
"ipv4addr": "1.0.0.1"

Rev. D
},
"object_type": "record:host_ipv4addr"
},
{
"_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDQ:2830689052%3A27",
}
• When an IPv4 or an IPv6 host address changes, NIOS deletes the old record and creates a new record with the
updated IP address. Note that new sequence IDs are generated for the associated objects. When you query a
host record, NIOS displays the list of host addresses associated with it.
Example:
record:host,record:host_ipv4addr\;_return_fields=last_sequence_id,object,object_type\;
_return_type=json-pretty

[
{
"_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDA:28",
"object": {
"_ref":
"record:host/ZG5zLmhvc3QkLl9kZWZhdWx0LmNvbS50ZXN0LmhoaA:hhh.test.com/default",
"ipv4addrs": [
{
"_ref":
"record:host_ipv4addr/ZG5zLmhvc3RfYWRkcmVzcyQuX2RlZmF1bHQuY29tLnRlc3QuaGhoLjEuMC4wLjIu
"ipv4addr": "1.0.0.2"
}
],
"name": "hhh.test.com",
"view": "default"
},
"object_type": "record:host"
},
{
"_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDE:28",
"object": {
"_ref": "deleted_objects/Li5kZWxldGVkX29iamVjdHMkMA",
"unique_id": "68cad3406a244aa0b34b3ea3be383598"
},
"object_type": "deleted_objects"
},
{
"_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDI:28",
"object": {
"_ref":
"record:host_ipv4addr/ZG5zLmhvc3RfYWRkcmVzcyQuX2RlZmF1bHQuY29tLnRlc3QuaGhoLjEuMC4wLjIu

Rev. D
"ipv4addr": "1.0.0.2"
},
},
{
"_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDM:2830689052%3A28",
}
• NIOS returns the shared records per zone when you query for them. For example, consider two zones, z1 and
z2, and a shared record group, srg1, which contains a shared record sr1. The shared record group srg1 is
associated with the zones z1 and z2. Hence, the shared record sr1 is shared between two zones, z1 and z2, but
NIOS saves only a single copy of the shared record sr1 in the database. When you query for shared record
updates, NIOS returns two records for z1 and z2, as sr1 is associated with both the zones, z1 and z2, and saves
these records with a UUID and a sequence ID in the table. The response also contains new records with zone
pointing to the zone it belongs to, UUID and sequence ID of the new records and a shared_record_group, which
indicates that it is a shared record and not a normal resource record. When you enable Object Change Tracking
feature, NIOS clears this table and recreates a new table for the existing shared records.
• Note that NIOS generates two leases in the database when a client sends a DHCP request to the NIOS DHCP
server, which is configured with failover association. You can perform either a full or an incremental
synchronization in this scenario. Infoblox recommends that you ignore the lease that is generated by the failover
DHCP server with binding_state as BACKUP and consider the lease with binding_state as ACTIVE.
• File distribution service automatically removes old files from wapi_output directory if there is no sufficient space
for new files. NIOS allocates 50% each of the file distribution area to wapi_output directory and normal files. For
example, if the file distribution area is allocated 500 MB, then 250 MB is used for wapi_output directory and the
remaining 250 MB is used for normal files.
• NIOS does not support WAPI paging mechanism. As the synchronization results are displayed in the order of
sequence_id, you must specify _max_results to achieve paging mechanism for synchronization.
• NIOS deletes all previous scheduled tasks after a restore or an upgrade operation.
Enabling Object Change Tracking

To enable object change tracking:
1. Grid: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab, and then click Grid Properties -> Edit from
the Toolbar.
Standalone appliance: From the System tab → System Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click System
Properties -> Edit.
2. In the Grid Properties editor, click Object Change Tracking and complete the following:
• Enable Object Change Tracking: Select this checkbox to enable object change tracking for the objects.
• Status: Indicates whether object change tracking is enabled or not. You can view what percentage of the
operation is complete.
 Note
This operation might take a longer time to complete when you have a large database. For
example, 1 million objects on an IB-4015 appliance takes approximately 1 hour. Infoblox
recommends that you enable this feature during off-peak hours.
• Maximum number of deleted objects that will be tracked: Specify the total number of deleted objects that
must be present in the database. The minimum value is 2,000 and the maximum value is 20,000. The
default value is 4,000.

Rev. D
Using Full Synchronization
Full synchronization synchronizes the entire set of objects irrespective of updates. You can perform a full synchronization
only on the Grid Master and Grid Master Candidate. Note that the tasks created on the Grid Master and Grid Master
Candidates will be executed on them respectively and you can download the synchronized data on to the member where
the task was created. The Grid Master Candidate can execute only read-only tasks. To save the output of a full
synchronization, you must specify the output location. The output of a full synchronization is in the following formats:
JSON, XML, ROWJSON, or ROWXML.
You can specify one of the following output locations: "FILE_DISTRIBUTION" and "LOCAL".
• When _output_location = "FILE_DISTRIBUTION"
When you set the output location as mentioned above, you must specify a file name or a prefix for the file. NIOS saves
the output file in the file distribution area and displays an error message if you do not specify a file name or a prefix. For
more information about file distribution area, see Managing Directories.
When you select the above output location for a Grid Master Candidate, you must select Allow Upload to Grid Members
to upload files to the file distribution area. Infoblox recommends that you use the Grid Master Candidate to offload the
Grid Master. You must enable a full synchronization during off-peak hours if protocol services are running on the Grid
Master Candidate. For more information, see Enabling Upload to Grid Members.
Example:
curl -k1 -u admin:infoblox -X POST 'https://..../wapi/v2.5/fileop?_function=read' -H 'Content-
Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8' -d '{"_filename": "test.json",
"_output_location":"FILE_DISTRIBUTION","_object": "db_objects",
"all_object_types_supported_in_version": "2.5","_encoding": "ROWJSON"}'
You can specify either _object = db_objects or all_object_types_supported_in_version=2.5 to retrieve all

objects. When you specify _object = db_objects, NIOS returns only standard Restful API fields as response. To
retrieve all fields of all objects, you can specify all_object_types_supported_in_version=2.5. To fetch the output
file, start file distribution service and use the following URL:
curl -k1 -u admin:infoblox -X GET http://<ipaddress>/wapi_output/test.json -H 'Content-
Type:application/json'
• When _output_location = "LOCAL"

• If you schedule a full synchronization and set the output location as mentioned above, a file name is
generated based on the task ID and the output file is saved at another location. You do not have to specify
a file name or a prefix.
• If you do not schedule a synchronization, then NIOS returns an URL and a token, which is used for the
download complete function, in the response.
• If you do not specify an output location, NIOS saves the file in the file distribution area.
• Use the above output location for saving full synchronization files when file distribution area does not have
enough space for storage.
Example:
curl -k1 -u admin:infoblox -X POST 'https://127.0.0.1/wapi/v2.5/fileop?
_function=read&_schedinfo.schedule_now=true' -H 'Content-Type: application/json;
charset=UTF-8' -d '{"_output_location": "LOCAL", "_object": "db_objects",
"all_object_types_supported_in_version": "2.5", "_encoding": "JSON"}'
NIOS saves the output file in the file distribution area if you do not specify an output location as shown in the code below:
curl -k1 -u admin:infoblox -X POST 'https://..../wapi/v2.5/fileop?_function=read' -H 'Content-
Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8' -d '{"_filename": "test.json",
"_output_location":"FILE_DISTRIBUTION","_object": "db_objects",
"all_object_types_supported_in_version": "2.5","_encoding": "ROWJSON"}'
Note the following about full synchronization:

• A full synchronization is required initially for a complete snapshot of the database.

Rev. D
• Depending on the size of requested data, a full synchronization may take a longer time to complete. For example,
when 1 million objects are requested with all fields on an IB-4015 appliance, full synchronization takes a couple of
hours. When 1 million objects are requested with standard RESTful API fields on an IB-4015 appliance, full
synchronization takes less than an hour.
• Infoblox recommends that you request only object types with standard RESTful API fields and specify any
additional required fields during a full synchronization.
• To dump full synchronization updates into a file using fileop->read operation when the updated objects are
large in number, you can specify _object=db_objects and all the necessary parameters.
• Infoblox recommends a full synchronization in the following cases:
• After an upgrade, restore or master promotion, which resets the sequence ID.
• During off-peak hours for busy Grids with high rate of change that is greater than 500/sec.
• When the maximum time or maximum number to track deleted objects is met, with the default being 4
hours and 4000 objects, then synchronization API returns an error if the last deleted sequence ID is newer
than the current sequence ID.
Following are a few samples of API requests for full synchronization:
• If you specify _output_location = "local" and schedule the task, then you must use fileop
->get_file_url to retrieve the URL:

_function=get_file_url' -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"task_id":1}'

"url":
"https://10.32.2.202/http_direct_file_io/req_id-OBJECTS-1/nios-db-objects-1.json"
You can fetch this file using the following API request:
curl -k1 -u admin:infoblox -X GET https://10.32.2.202/http_direct_file_io/req_id-OBJECTS-1/
nios-db-objects-1.JSON -H 'Content-Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8'
• If you specify _output_location = "local" and do not schedule the task, then NIOS returns an URL and a
token:
curl -k1 -u admin:infoblox -X POST 'https://127.0.0.1/wapi/v2.5/fileop?_function=read'
-H 'Content-Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8' -d
'{ "_output_location":"LOCAL","_object": "db_objects",
"all_object_types_supported_in_version": "2.5","_encoding": "JSON"}'

{
"token":
"eJy1kU1vwyAMhu/8kfaSD/JB0t5aZZU2Ta3UTtrRSoB2nlJggUztv5+ZtJ123QFk/L7mMUZK6+4w\n6QujTVr
jwzTLYCfmOFtKNGc7jPaWWqPjCnenPev60MNRn5krmAQYZhwDGgCmUAbmSrZUrmKnhb45\nnO4Q8KoXzNVsxyt
RtKVYFU0qqqpuBWf+tJinkWRBBW8hOL/OMp6nZZ2KtG2ymAKF1FuAM44a0GaT\n/gBUSXd43T8fNl3C85xnBq1
P1AB2eCevT5J8leR1UuRcQFGsy3pN1KfTYU+sJmJRUdQS9a/rSFpF\nk6KnUsxz8mWe5tJfdBau7n/64vyHCdp
Iq9BcYrYg+Pbx21D+Gq5WxanyOOhu87KB48Munmvmw9Fx\nET+BNyTi0DtA4+YAn3ryaE20tWzvh/QLT4Gbhw=
=\n",
"url":
"https://10.35.6.87/http_direct_file_io/req_id-DOWNLOAD-1001/nios-db_objects--09-05-20
16_22:35:27.JSON"
}
• To save the file in a local area instead of the file distribution area:
charset=UTF-8' -d '{"_output_location": "LOCAL", "_object": "db_objects",
"all_object_types_supported_in_version": "2.5", "_encoding": "JSON"}'

Rev. D
scheduledtask/b25lLnF1ZXVlZF90YXNrJDE:1/WAITING_EXECUTION
• You can also schedule a full synchronization task as follows:

charset=UTF-8' -d '{"_filename": "test2.txt", "_object": "db_objects",
"all_object_types_supported_in_version": "2.5", "_encoding": "JSON"}' scheduledtask/
b25lLnF1ZXVlZF90YXNrJDE:1/WAITING_EXECUTION
NIOS returns the scheduled task reference so that you can query and find out when will the scheduled task be
complete:
curl -k1 -u admin:infoblox -X GET
https://127.0.0.1/wapi/v2.5/scheduledtask/b25lLnF1ZXVlZF90YXNrJDE:1/WAITING_EXECUTION

{ "_ref": "scheduledtask/b25lLnF1ZXVlZF90YXNrJDE:1/COMPLETED", "approval_status": "NONE",
"execution_status": "COMPLETED", "task_id": 1 }
Note that the result is in either JSON or XML format. You can fetch the output file from the wapi-output directory of
the file distribution area when the scheduled task is complete.
Using Incremental Synchronization

Incremental synchronization synchronizes only those objects that are updated since the previous synchronization. With
incremental synchronization, you can query NIOS for any updates and when updates are found, NIOS returns the
changed objects since the previous incremental synchronization. Incremental synchronization synchronizes the NIOS
database for object changes such as addition, updates, or deletion, mostly via scripts. The incremental synchronization
query consists of object types, a cookie of the form
<id of db:sequence_id>, a sequence ID and an optional exclude_deleted object to indicate if the deleted objects
must be excluded from the results. NIOS includes the deleted records in the results by default.
 Note
Infoblox recommends that you use fileop->read for incremental synchronization when the updated objects
are large in number.
Note the following about incremental synchronization:

• You cannot request an incremental synchronization to get updated (created, updated or deleted) objects after a
full synchronization.
• For performance reasons, NIOS returns the objects that changed and not the object data that changed. Infoblox
recommends that you figure out what changed by comparing the object with the previous version in the client
database.
• Incremental synchronization may take a longer time to complete depending on the number of changes. For
example, if 50K objects are requested with all fields on an IB-4015 appliance, an incremental synchronization
approximately takes 2 minutes. When 50K objects are requested with standard RESTful API fields on an IB-4015,
the synchronization process completes in approximately 1 minute.
• The size of the memory increases when the number of objects increases. Infoblox recommends that you use
_max_results to limit the number of results or use the asynchronous fileop->read operation.
• Infoblox recommends that for a busy Grid with a high Rate of Change that is greater than 500/sec, you must run
an incremental synchronization more frequently. Example: If the expected Rate of Change for objects in the Grid
is 50/sec, you can schedule an incremental synchronization every 5-10 minutes. If the Rate of Change for objects
is 200/sec, schedule an incremental synchronization every minute or every 2 minutes.

Rev. D
• Infoblox recommends that you include all object types when you query using an incremental synchronization, so
that it returns the highest sequence ID for all objects that can be used for subsequent incremental updates. If you
query only selected object types such as A record and zone, NIOS returns the highest sequence ID for those
object types only.
Consider an example where A record, Network, and A record are the object types with sequence ID 4, 5 and 6
respectively. When you query for an A record object type with a previous sequence ID using incremental
synchronization, NIOS returns A record with the highest sequence ID, which is 6 and does not return the network
object. Meanwhile, if you add or update a network object, then in the subsequent incremental synchronization it
does not return the network object and you will lose updates made to the network object. Hence, Infoblox
recommends that you include all object types in the query to ensure that you do not lose updates made to other
object types.
• You cannot perform a full or an incremental synchronization during Grid Master Candidate promotions, restores,
and upgrades.
• The output of an incremental synchronization is either in JSON or XML format.
The following are a few samples of API requests for incremental synchronization:
• To get updates with all_objects_supported_in_version=2.5:
https://10.35.6.87/wapi/v2.5/db_objects?start_sequence_id=992684967:0\&all_object_type
s_supported_in_version=2.5\;return_fields=last_sequence_id,object,object_type,unique
_id\;_return_type=json
The response for the above API request contains all fields of all object types.
• To get an A record and an auth zone object update:
curl -k1 -u admin:infoblox -H content-type:application/jason -X GET
https://10.32.2.202/wapi/v2.5/db_objects?
start_sequence_id=183566281:0\&object_types=r
ecord:a,zone_auth\;_return_fields=last_sequence_id,object,object_type,unique_id\;_return_type=
json

[{"_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDA:19", "object": {"_ref":
"zone_auth/ZG5zLnpvbmUkLl9kZWZhdWx0LmNvbS5mb28:foo.com/default", "fqdn": "foo.com",
"view": "default"}, "object_type": "zone_auth", "unique_id":
"087af628fa03418faa0577b953807efc"}, {"_ref":
"db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDE:21", "object": {"_ref":
"record:a/ZG5zLmJpbmRfYSQuX2RlZmF1bHQuY29tLmZvbyxhcmVjMSwxLjIuMy4y:arec1.foo.com/default",
"ipv4addr": "1.2.3.2", "name": "arec1.foo.com", "view": "default"}, "object_type":
"record:a", "unique_id": "89314c3fae2841f49600e1b686b0c7b7"},{"_ref":
"db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDI:183566281%3A21", "last_sequence_id":
"183566281:21"},
• NIOS returns deleted objects as synthetic deleted objects. To get updates on deleted host objects:
curl -s -k1 -u admin:infoblox -H content-type:application/json -X GET
https://10.34.19.220/wapi/v2.5/db_objects?start_sequence_id=1207501969:0\&object_types
=record:host,bulkhost,record:host_ipv4addr,record:host_ipv6addr\&exclude_deleted=false

[{ "_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDM2YQ:130",
"object": {
"_ref": "deleted_objects/Li5kZWxldGVkX29iamVjdHMkMA",
},
"object_type": "deleted_objects",
"unique_id": "f7d87ec4b9204e16a3d14bfb340c402d" },
{ "_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDM2Yg:130",

Rev. D
"object": {
"_ref": "deleted_objects/Li5kZWxldGVkX29iamVjdHMkMQ",
"object_type": "record:host_ipv4addr" },
"unique_id": "68316853600f41f083e2be134628ce62" },
{ "_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDM2Yw:130",
"object": {
"_ref": "deleted_objects/Li5kZWxldGVkX29iamVjdHMkMg",
"object_type": "record:host" },
"unique_id": "7a5e0622e9db441caa47c12ca30700d5" },
{ "_ref": "db_objects/Li5hbGxfY2hhbmdlZF9vYmplY3RzJDM2ZA:1207501969%3A130",
"last_sequence_id": "1207501969:130" }]
• To dump incremental synchronization updates into a file using fileop->read operation when the updated objects
are large in number, you can specify _object=db_objects and all the necessary parameters for incremental
synchronization:
curl -k1 -u admin:infoblox -X POST 'https://10.34.19.100/wapi/v2.5/fileop?_function=read' -H
'Content-Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8' -d '{"_output_location": "LOCAL", "_object":
"db_objects", "start_sequence_id" : "1973553522:0","all_object_types_supported_in_version":
"2.5", "_max_results": 1000000,"_encoding": "JSON"}'
For more information about supported objects in the Infoblox API and Restful API, refer to the Infoblox API
Documentation and the Infoblox WAPI Documentation.
Configuring the PTop Instance to Collect CPU Utilization Data

The NIOS appliance allows you to configure the collection of CPU utilization data of top processes that are running on
the Grid Master and all members of a Grid, or a standalone system. The PTop tool that runs in the background, collects
the CPU utilization data and logs it in PTop logs.
To configure the PTop instance, complete the following steps:
1. Grid: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab. Expand the Toolbar, and then select Grid Properties -> Edit.
Or,
Standalone system: From the System tab, select the System Manager tab. Expand the Toolbar, and then
select System Properties -> Edit.
2. In the Grid Properties editor or the System Properties editor, click the Monitoring tab, and then complete the
following steps in the PTop Log section:
• Number of Top Processes: Enter the number of top processes for which you want to check the CPU
utilization. If you enter 11, NIOS displays the CPU utilization of the top 11 processes. The minimum
number of processes for which you can check the utilization is 10 and the maximum is 25. By default, the
widget displays the CPU utilization for 10 top processes.
• PTop Interval: Enter the time interval in seconds to determine the frequency with which the Ptop tool must
run and collect data. The Ptop tool is an internal tool that runs in the background and collects CPU
utilization and other data. The minimum interval that you can enter is 2 seconds and the maximum is 30
seconds. By default, the PTop interval is set as 2 seconds.
Collecting Database Performance Data

The NIOS appliance provides Ptop logs that consist of database metrics that you can use to determine the health of the
NIOS database and baseline its performance. The metrics help you to ascertain the impact of changes such as adding a
Grid member or enabling features such as Grid replication for DNS zones or multi-master DNS, on the database
performance.
You can download the Ptop logs by using the WAPI calls and then use the logs for further analysis. These WAPI calls
allow you to download only the Ptop logs instead of the whole support bundle.

Rev. D
To download the Ptop log files, perform the following steps. The steps are showing sample WAPI requests.
1. Run the following command to get the URL for downloading the Ptop logs:
$curl -k1 -u admin:infoblox -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST https://
10.12.21.107/wapi/v2.9.7/fileop?_function\=get_log_files -d
'{"include_rotated":false,"log_type":"PTOPLOG","node_type":"ACTIVE"}'
The output includes the token for this transaction and the URL from where to download the Ptop logs as follows:
{
"token":
"eJytUEFuwyAQvPOR5BLM2jEkvaVyI1WqEimp1OPKBuwi2YYCqZK+vhA2jZ2WFmR0rrbuj1\nQNIl7Ryiv8hoPXFAltL
Mve1Ge6V21vnEm9OBNG1s8aR74koiEbuLGaOZEYkyMhJXkaVya3Je6Ksz\n/
obRTHpBXE32UIs156LiQDeMiRK2JJwXFz8mmCfCe4wuPBQFMAoloyVQYKLIXVQm2YvYmjm+HV6Ou2YFUNaMV5yB4ExUd
eGidaMdaGw9Hb7S/yJLGZWi5/G7t5UjXVwBKnCCmX\ndtBFnNw/
mQL4EUEvOzw97fO7JiGeHPCcOogE9kKO3kWn9nbcgh79+1Ds3sLhE/tQ/GzhnbJqy6567j3wFfoFk=\n",
"url": "https://10.12.21.107/http_direct_file_io/req_id-DOWNLOAD-1125063601760735/
ptoplog.tar.gz"
}
2. Download the Ptop log files using the obtained URL:

$curl -k1 -u admin:infoblox -H "Content-type:application/force-download" -O https://
10.12.21.107/http_direct_file_io/req_id-DOWNLOAD-1125063601760735/ptoplog.tar.gz
3. To ensure that the URL does not remain open for a long time, use the token obtained in step 1 and close the URL
as follows:
$curl -k -u admin:infoblox -H 'Content-Type:application/json' -X POST https://10.12.21.107/
wapi/v2.9.7/fileop?_function=downloadcomplete -d '{"token":
"eJytUEFuwyAQvPOR5BLM2jEkvaVyI1WqEimp1OPKBuwi2YYCqZK+vhA2jZ2WFmR0rrbuj1\nQNIl7Ryiv8hoPXFAltL
Mve1Ge6V21vnEm9OBNG1s8aR74koiEbuLGaOZEYkyMhJXkaVya3Je6Ksz\n/
obRTHpBXE32UIs156LiQDeMiRK2JJwXFz8mmCfCe4wuPBQFMAoloyVQYKLIXVQm2YvYmjm+HV6Ou2YFUNaMV5yB4ExUd
eGidaMdaGw9Hb7S/yJLGZWi5/G7t5UjXVwBKnCCmX\ndtBFnNw/
mQL4EUEvOzw97fO7JiGeHPCcOogE9kKO3kWn9nbcgh79+1Ds3sLhE/tQ/GzhnbJqy6567j3wFfoFk=\n"}'
{}
Configuring DHCP Fingerprints and Fingerprint Detection

This section explains the Infoblox DHCP fingerprint detection feature and how to configure it on the appliance. It also
explains how to configure DHCP fingerprints for IPv4 and IPv6. It contains the following sections:
• DHCP Fingerprint Detection

• Enabling and Disabling DHCP Fingerprint Detection
• Standard and Custom DHCP Fingerprints
• Configuring DHCP Fingerprints
DHCP Fingerprint Detection
The NIOS appliance utilizes DHCP fingerprint detection to identify IPv4 and IPv6 mobile devices such as laptop
computers, tablets and smart phones, on your network. Due to the broadcast and pervasive nature of DHCP, using
DHCP fingerprint detection is an efficient way to perform system identification and inventory. You can use DHCP
fingerprint detection to track devices on your network, block those that are not allowed (such as gaming consoles and
home routers), and plan for future growth by accessing trending information such as the number of Apple iPhones versus
that of Android phones.
When a remote DHCP client sends a DHCP REQUEST message, it includes a set of DHCP options, such as option 55
and 60. Option 55 contains an option number sequence the appliance uses to interpret the list of DHCP options that the
client requests. The appliance returns the values of these requested options if the information is available.

Rev. D
Option 60 contains a value that indicates the device type of the requesting client. Information in option 55 or 60 is
incorporated to form a unique identifier known as the DHCP fingerprint, which the appliance uses to identify the
requesting client.
On an Infoblox appliance, DHCP fingerprint detection is enabled by default for all new installations. You can disable this
feature at the Grid and member levels. For information, see Enabling and Disabling DHCP Fingerprint Detection. As
illustrated in the below figure, the appliance automatically matches option 55 and then option 60 in DHCP REQUEST
messages against standard and custom DHCP fingerprints in the database. Once the appliance finds a match, it either
grants or denies a lease to the requesting client based on the DHCP fingerprint filters that you apply to the DHCP range.
For information about how to configure DHCP fingerprints, see Configuring DHCP Fingerprints. For information about
how to define and apply DHCP fingerprint filters, see Defining DHCP Fingerprint Filters and Applying Filters to DHCP
Objects. To obtain trending information about the top OSs (operating systems) or vendor IDs for remote clients, Infoblox
provides a few reports from which you can extract data. For information about reports, see Infoblox Reporting and
Analytics.
DHCP Fingerprint Detection
About DHCP Fingerprints

When a DHCP client sends a REQUEST message and includes DHCP option 55 (the parameter request list) and option
60 (the vendor identifier), it provides information about its OS and the device type. The combination of the option
sequence or vendor ID in option 55 or 60 is used to infer the OS and device type of the remote client. These parameters
are then incorporated into a DHCP fingerprint that provides unique information about this client.
For example, the option number sequence for a Microsoft Windows Kernel 5.1 and 5.2 systems in option 55 can be one
of the following:
1,15,3,6,44,46,4
1,15,3,6,44,46,47,31,33,121,249,43,200
1,15,3,6,44,46,47,31,33,249,43
1,15,3,6,44,46,47,31,33,249,43,252
1,15,3,6,44,46,47,31,33,249,43,252,12
15,3,6,44,46,47,31,33,249,43
15,3,6,44,46,47,31,33,249,43,252

Rev. D
15,3,6,44,46,47,31,33,249,43,252,12
28,2,3,15,6,12,44,47
The option number sequence for an Apple Mobile Device can be one of the following:
1,121,3,6,15,119,252,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
1,121,3,6,15,119,252,118
1,3,6,12,15,28,44,121
1,3,6,15,19
1,3,6,21,1,25,2,82
Additionally, DHCP option 60 tracks the vendor ID. The vendor ID can be generic or specific. For example, the vendor ID
MSFT 5.0 for a Microsoft Windows Kernel 5.1 or 5.2 system and a Microsoft Windows Kernel 6.0 system can be the
same. For certain Microsoft Windows Kernel 5.0 systems, the vendor ID can be MSFT, which is generic, or it can be MSFT
5.0, which is specific. Depending on how specific the option number sequence and the vendor ID are, this information
can form a unique identifier, the DHCP fingerprint for a remote client.
 Note
If you have enabled a firewall and if the corresponding firewall rules or policies are set to modify options 55 and
60 of the remote DHCP client to mask the identity of the client, then fingerprinting clients cannot be achieved.
Enabling and Disabling DHCP Fingerprint Detection

Grid DHCP fingerprint detection is enabled by default for new installations, and no special licenses are required. You can
disable this or override the Grid setting at a member level. Note that when you enable DHCP fingerprint detection, there
will be a slight impact on DHCP performance.
When you enable DHCP fingerprint on an HA pair, both peers in a failover association maintain the same DHCP
fingerprinting state (enabled or disabled) even when one of the peers fails or becomes operational again. Note that both
peers must be in the same Grid for the fingerprinting state to stay the same. For information about DHCP failover,
see DHCP Failover.
To enable and disable Grid DHCP fingerprinting:
Toolbar.
2. In the Grid DHCP Properties or Member DHCP Properties editor, select the Fingerprinting tab.
3. Complete the following
• Enable Fingerprint Detection: Deselect this checkbox to disable the feature. You can enable DHCP
fingerprint detection again by selecting the checkbox. Click Override to change the configuration for a
member, or click Inherit to inherit the Grid setting.
4. Save the configuration and click Restart at the top of the screen.
Standard and Custom DHCP Fingerprints

Standard DHCP fingerprints are automatically installed on the appliance when you first set it up or after you have
completed an upgrade from previous NIOS releases to NIOS 6.7 and later. Note that new DHCP fingerprints are added
to the appliance during a major NIOS upgrade. For more information about upgrades, see Upgrading NIOS.
 Note
When you upgrade to NIOS 6.7 and later, DHCP fingerprint detection is disabled during the upgrade. You must
enable it if you want the appliance to use DHCP fingerprint detection. For information,
see Enabling and Disabling DHCP Fingerprint Detection.

Rev. D
You can configure custom DHCP fingerprints for devices whose DHCP fingerprints are not captured in the standard
DHCP fingerprints. For information about how to add custom DHCP fingerprints, see Adding New DHCP Fingerprints.
Both standard and custom DHCP fingerprints are cached in memory for matching purposes. Depending on the
information provided in a DHCP fingerprint, the appliance first matches the option number sequence sent in the DHCP
REQUEST message. If option 55 is not included in the request or if there is no match from the cached DHCP
fingerprints, the appliance then tries to match the vendor ID in option 60. When there is an option number sequence
match, the appliance displays the name of the DHCP fingerprint in Grid Manager. If there is no option number sequence
match but there is a vendor ID match, the appliance displays the vendor ID. For information about how to view fingerprint
information, see Viewing DHCP Fingerprint Information .
You can also create IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP fingerprint filters and then apply them as class filters to specific IPv4 and IPv6
DHCP ranges and range templates. For information about how to configure and use DHCP fingerprint filters, see
Configuring DHCP Fingerprint Filters .
DHCP fingerprint detection is enabled by default for new installations. For upgrades, you must enable this feature after
the upgrade is completed. For information, see Enabling and Disabling DHCP Fingerprint Detection. No special licenses
are required for this feature.
Superusers can add, modify, and delete DHCP fingerprints and DHCP fingerprint filters. Limited-access users with Read/
Write permission to DHCP fingerprints can add, modify, and delete DHCP fingerprints while those who have Read-only
permission can only view information in the Data Management tab -> DHCP tab -> Fingerprints tab. For information
about administrative permissions, see About Administrative Permissions .
Configuring DHCP Fingerprints

The appliance installs standard DHCP fingerprints when you first install or upgrade to NIOS 6.7 or later. You cannot
modify standard DHCP fingerprints nor delete them, but you can disable them. When you disable a DHCP fingerprint, the
appliance disables the associated option number sequence and vendor ID, and it cannot match a remote device against
the disabled DHCP fingerprint.
When you add a new DHCP fingerprint, the appliance marks it as a custom DHCP fingerprint. For information about
adding custom DHCP fingerprints, see Adding New DHCP Fingerprints. You can modify information about custom DHCP
fingerprints, and you can delete them. For information, see Modifying Custom DHCP Fingerprints and Deleting Custom
DHCP Fingerprints. When you delete a custom DHCP fingerprint, the appliance moves it to the Recycle Bin, if enabled.
You can later restore it from the Recycle Bin if needed.
Activities such as additions, modifications, and deletions of DHCP fingerprints are recorded in the audit log. For
information about how to use the audit log, see Using the Audit Log.
 Note
The appliance periodically updates the cached DHCP fingerprints. When you add, modify, or delete a DHCP
fingerprint, you do not need to restart the services, but it may take up to two minutes before the appliance
updates the DHCP fingerprint.
Adding New DHCP Fingerprints

To add a custom DHCP fingerprint, complete the following steps:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Fingerprints tab, and then click the Add icon.
2. In the Add DHCP Fingerprint wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter the name of the custom DHCP fingerprint. The name must be unique, and it cannot contain
any UTF-8 characters.
• Device Class: From the drop-down list, select the device category to which this new fingerprint belongs.
You can also enter a new device class here. When you enter a device class that already exists, the

Rev. D
appliance matches the entry and uses the class from the current list. Device class is used for filtering
purposes. For information about DHCP fingerprint filters, see Defining DHCP Fingerprint Filters.
• Protocol: From the drop-down list, select the protocol used for custom DHCP fingerprint.
• Option Number Sequence: Click the Add icon in the table. The appliance adds a row to the table. Click the
row and enter the DHCP option number that you want the appliance to validate. Valid values are from 0 to
255. When you enter more than one option, you must use commas (without spaces) to separate the
numbers. For example, you can enter 1,15,3,6,44,46,47,31,33,249,43 for a Microsoft Windows
Kernel 5.1,5.2 system.
You can also select an option sequence and click the Delete icon to delete it. Note that if you enter an
option sequence that already exists in a standard DHCP fingerprint, you must disable that standard
fingerprint before you can add the option sequence to the new DHCP fingerprint.
• Vendor Identifier: Click the Add icon in the table. The appliance adds a row to the table. Click the row and
enter a vendor ID for this fingerprint. You can add more than one vendor ID. You can also select a vendor
ID and click the Delete icon to delete it.
• Comment: Enter additional information about the custom DHCP fingerprint.
• Disabled: Select this if you want to save the configuration for the DHCP fingerprint but do not want to
activate it yet. You can clear this checkbox when you are ready to use this DHCP fingerprint.
Attributes.
Modifying Custom DHCP Fingerprints

You can modify custom DHCP fingerprints, but not the standard ones. Note that the appliance periodically updates the
cached DHCP fingerprints. When you modify a DHCP fingerprint, you do not have to restart the services, but it may take
up to two minutes before the appliance updates the DHCP fingerprint.
To modify a custom DHCP fingerprint, complete the following steps:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Fingerprints tab -> custom_fingerprint checkbox, and
2. The DHCP Fingerprint editor provides the following tabs from which you can modify information:
• General: Modify the general information, such as the name and device class, as described in Adding New
DHCP Fingerprints. Note that when you change the name of a DHCP fingerprint, the old name no longer
exists, and you cannot use it for searching or filtering purposes. You may not be able to modify all fields in
a standard DHCP fingerprint.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with the DHCP fingerprint.
Note that you cannot modify extensible attributes for standard fingerprints.
Deleting Custom DHCP Fingerprints

When you delete a custom DHCP fingerprint, the appliance moves it to the Recycle Bin, if enabled. You can later restore
the DHCP fingerprint if needed. Note that you cannot delete standard DHCP fingerprints.
To delete a custom DHCP fingerprint, complete the following steps:
1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Fingerprints tab -> custom_fingerprint checkbox, and
then click the Delete icon.
2. In the Delete Confirmation dialog box, click Yes to delete the DHCP fingerprint.
To schedule this task, click the Delete icon -> Schedule Delete. In the Schedule Deletion dialog box, click Delete Later,

Rev. D
Viewing DHCP Fingerprint Information
The following are a few ways that you can use to view the DHCP fingerprint information:
• In a Grid with a reporting server, you can view reports that contain information about the top OSs and device
types of the leasing clients in your network. For more information, see DHCP Dashboards.
• The appliance provides a few predefined smart folders from which you can view lease information about specific
device groups, such as gaming consoles and Microsoft Windows devices. For more information, see Predefined
Smart Folders.
• When the appliance finds a DHCP fingerprint match for a client, Grid Manager displays either the fingerprint
name or the vendor ID in the following panels of Grid Manager: IP List, Current Lease, Lease History, and DHCP
Range. You can see this information in the Fingerprints column in these panels.
• The appliance records all DHCP fingerprint related activities in the audit log. For more information, see Using the
Audit Log.
Monitoring with SNMP

This section describes how you can use SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) to monitor NIOS appliances in
your network. It contains the following topics:
• Understanding Simple Network Management Protocol

• Configuring SNMP
• SNMP MIB Hierarchy
Related topic
Understanding Simple Network Management Protocol
Understanding Simple Network Management Protocol

You can use SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) to manage network devices and monitor their processes. An
SNMP-managed device, such as a NIOS appliance, has an SNMP agent that collects data and stores them as objects in
MIBs (Management Information Bases). The SNMP agent can also send traps (or notifications) to alert you when certain
events occur within the appliance or on the network. You can view data in the SNMP MIBs and receive SNMP traps on a
management system running an SNMP management application, such as HP OpenView, IBM Tivoli NetView, or any of
the freely available or commercial SNMP management applications on the Internet.
SNMP Overview

Rev. D
The NIOS appliance supports SNMPv1, SNMPv2, and SNMPv3. It also adheres to the following RFCs:
• RFC 3411, An Architecture for Describing Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Management
Frameworks
• RFC 3412, Message Processing and Dispatching for the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
• RFC 3413, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Applications
• RFC 3414, User-based Security Model (USM) for version 3 of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
• RFC 3416, Version 2 of the Protocol Operations for the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
• RFC 3418, Management Information Base (MIB) for the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
• RFC 1155, Structure and identification of Management information for TCP/IP-based internets
• RFC 1213, Management Information Base for Network Management of TCP/IP-based internets:MIB-II
• RFC 2578, Structure of Management Information Version 2 (SMIv2)
About SNMPv1 and SNMPv2

SNMPv1 is the initial implementation of SNMP. It operates over protocols such as UDP (User Datagram Protocol) and IP
(Internet Protocol). SNMPv2 includes improvements in performance and security. It adds new protocol operations such
as GetBulk and Inform, which allow the management system to request larger blocks of data from the agent. Both
SNMPv1 and SNMPv2 use common strings that are sent in clear text to authenticate clients.
The NIOS appliance supports SNMPv1 and SNMPv2 in which the SNMPv2 agent acts as a proxy agent for the SNMPv1
management systems. When an SNMPv1 management system sends a query to the appliance, the SNMPv2 proxy
agent forwards the request to the SNMPv1 agent. The proxy agent maps the SNMPv1 trap messages to the SNMPv2
trap messages, and then forward the messages to the management system.
You can enable the appliance to receive queries from SNMPv1 and SNMPv2 management systems. You can also add
SNMPv1 and SNMPv2 management systems to receive traps from the appliance. For information about how to configure
SNMPv1 and SNMPv2 on the appliance, see Configuring SNMP.

Rev. D
About User-Based Security Model in SNMPv3
SNMPv3 adds security and remote configuration enhancements to SNMPv1 and SNMPv2. The NIOS appliance supports
the USM (User-based Security Model) in SNMPv3 for the authentication, encryption, and decryption of SNMP data.
SNMPv3 uses the same MIB objects as those supported in SNMPv1 and SNMPv2.
SNMPv3 provides the following security measures:
• Data integrity: Ensure that SNMP data is not maliciously modified by unauthorized entities during its transmission
through the network. This protects against unauthorized management operations, such as falsifying the value of a
MIB object.
• Authentication: Verify the identities of the origin of the SNMP data to protect against masquerade threats that may
temper the identity of users who have the appropriate authorization to send and receive SNMP data.
• Confidentiality: Ensure that unauthorized users cannot eavesdrop on any data exchanges between SNMP agents
and management systems, depending on local policies of the systems.
• Timeliness: Ensure that the SNMP data is received in a timely manner to prevent malicious reordering of data by
unauthorized entities.
To enable SNMPv3 on the NIOS appliance to provide user-based security, you must first configure SNMPv3 users on the
appliance to enable access by SNMP management systems. The appliance supports HMAC-MD5-96 and
HMAC-SHA-96 hash functions as the authentication protocols, and DES (Data Encryption Standard) and AES (Advanced
Encryptions Standard) as the encryption methods for SNMPv3 users. For information, see Configuring SNMP.
Configuring SNMP
You can configure the appliance to receive SNMP queries from specific management systems and send SNMP traps to
specific trap receivers. SNMP operation supports both IPv4 and IPv6 networks. The appliance supports SNMPv1,
SNMPv2, and SNMPv3. You can set up either SNMPv1/SNMPv2 or SNMPv3, or all of them for the Grid. You can also
override the Grid settings at a member level.
To configure SNMPv1 and SNMPv2 on the appliance, do the following:

• Enable the NIOS appliance to accept queries, as described in Accepting Queries.
• Specify the management systems to which the appliance sends traps, as described in Adding Trap Receivers.
• Specify system information using managed objects in MIB-II, the standard MIB defined in RFC 1213. For
information, see Setting SNMP System Information.
To configure SNMPv3 on the appliance, do the following:
• Add an SNMPv3 user and set up authentication and privacy protocols. For information, see Configuring SNMPv3
User. After you set up an SNMPv3 user, you can modify and delete it. For information, see Modifying SNMPv3
Users and Deleting SNMPv3 Users.
• Enable the NIOS appliance to accept queries, as described in Accepting Queries.
• Specify the management systems to which the appliance sends traps, as described in see Adding Trap
Receivers.
• Specify system information using managed objects in MIB-II, the standard MIB defined in RFC 1213.
Configuring SNMPv3 Users

To enable SNMPv3, you must first configure SNMPv3 users on the appliance. For information about SNMPv3, see
About User-Based Security Model in SNMPv3. To configure an SNMPv3 user:
1. From the Administration tab, select the SNMPv3 Users tab, and then click the Add icon.
2. In the Add SNMPv3 User wizard, complete the following:
• Name: Enter a user name for the SNMPv3 management system.
• Authentication Protocol: Select one of the following:
• MD5: Select this to use the HMAC-MD5-96 authentication protocol to authenticate the SNMPv3
user.
This protocol uses the MD5 (Message-Digest algorithm 5) hash function in HMAC (Hash-based
Message Authentication Code) and truncates the output to 96 bits. The output is included as part

Rev. D
of the SNMP message sent to the receiver. For detailed information about the protocol, refer to
RFC1321, The MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm.
• SHA: Select this to use the HMAC-SHA-96 authentication protocol to authenticate the SNMPv3
user.
This protocol uses the SHA (Secure Hash Algorithm) hash function and truncates the output to 96
bits. The output is included as part of the SNMP message sent to the receiver.
• None: Select this to decline using any authentication protocol for this SNMPv3 user. When you
select this option, you are not required to enter a password.
• Password: Enter a password for the selected authentication protocol.
• Privacy Protocol: Select one of the following:
• DES: Select this to use DES for data encryption. DES is a block cipher that employs a 56-bit key
size and 64-bit block size in the encryption.
• AES: Select this to use AES for data encryption. AES is a symmetric-key encryption standard that
comprises AES-128 block cipher. The cipher has a 128-bit block size and a key size of 128 bits.
• None: Select this to decline using any privacy protocol for this SNMPv3 user. When you select this
option, you are not required to enter a password.
• Password: Enter a password for the privacy protocol.
• Comment: Enter useful information about the SNMP user, such as location or department.
• Disable: Select this checkbox to retain an inactive profile for this SNMP user in the configuration. You can
clear this checkbox to activate the profile.
 Note
If an SNMPv3 user is configured to send SNMP queries, you cannot delete the user.
Modifying SNMPv3 Users

1. From the Administration tab, select the SNMPv3 Users tab -> snmpv3user, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The SNMPv3 User editor provides the following tabs from which you can edit data:
• General: Modify the data as described in Configuring SNMPv3 Users.
• Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with the SNMPv3 user
account. You can also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible
Attributes.
Deleting SNMPv3 Users

When you delete an SNMPv3 user that is configured to send queries or receive traps, a warning message states that the
SNMPv3 is associated with the corresponding function. You can then decide whether you want to delete the user or not.
To delete an SNMPv3 user:
1. From the Administration tab, select the SNMPv3 Users tab -> snmpv3user, and then click the Delete icon.
2. In the Delete confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
 Note
You cannot schedule the deletion of an SNMPv3 user.

Rev. D
Accepting Queries
You can allow specific management systems to send SNMP queries to a NIOS appliance. For SNMPv1 and SNMPv2,
you must specify a community string. The appliance accepts queries only from management systems that provide the
correct community string. You can also specify SNMPv3 users to send queries. For information about configuring
SNMPv3 users, see Configuring SNMPv3 Users.
To configure an appliance to accept SNMP queries:
Member: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager -> Members tab -> member, and then click the Edit icon.
2. In the Grid Properties or Grid Member Properties editor, select the SNMP tab. To override Grid settings, click
Override in the Grid Member Properties editor.
3. Complete the following in the SNMP section.
• Enable SNMPv1/SNMPv2 Queries: Select this to accept SNMPv1 and SNMPv2 queries from
management systems.
• Community String: Enter a text string that the management system must send together with its
queries to the appliance. A community string is similar to a password in that the appliance accepts
queries only from management systems that send the correct community string. Note that this
community string must match exactly what you enter in the management system.
• Engine ID: Displays the engine ID of the appliance that manages the SNMP agent. The management
system needs this ID to send traps to the appliance. If the appliance is an HA pair, this field displays the
engine IDs for both the active and passive nodes.
• Enable SNMPv3 Queries: Select this to enable queries from SNMPv3 management systems. Click the
Add icon to add SNMPv3 users that you have configured on the appliance. In the SNMPv3 User Selector
dialog box, click the SNMPv3 user you want to add. The appliance displays the selected SNMPv3 users in
the table. You can add comments in the table. You can also select an SNMPv3 user and click the Delete
icon to remove it from the table. Note that a disabled SNMPv3 user cannot send queries to the appliance.
Adding Trap Receivers

You can enable the NIOS appliance to send traps to specific management systems using either SNMPv1/SNMPv2 or
SNMPv3, or all versions of SNMP. You can then add management systems that are allowed to receive traps from the
appliance. Note that you cannot enable both SNMPv1/SNMPv2 and SNMPv3 on the same trap receiver. The appliance
sends traps when certain events occur. You can enable SNMP traps and add trap receivers to the Grid. You can also
override the Grid settings at the member level.
To enable the appliance to send traps and to add trap receivers, do the following:
3. Complete the following in the SNMP tab:
• Enable SNMPv1/SNMPv2 Traps: Select this to enable the appliance to send traps to specified
management systems.
• Community String: Enter a text string that the NIOS appliance sends to the management system
together with its traps. Note that this community string must match exactly what you enter in the
management system.
• Enable SNMPv3 Traps: Select this to enable the appliance to send traps to specified SNMPv3 users.
4. Click the Add icon and select one of the following from the drop-down menu to add an SNMP trap receiver:
• SNMPv1/SNMPv2: Select this to add an SNMPv1 or SNMPv2 management system as a trap receiver.
Grid Manager adds a row to the table. In the Address field, enter the IP address of the SNMP
management system to which you want the SNMP agent on the appliance to send traps. You can enter
more than one trap receiver. To remove a trap receiver from the list, select the address, and then click the
Delete icon.

Rev. D
• SNMPv3: Select this to add an SNMPv3 management system as a trap receiver. Grid Manager displays
the SNMPv3 User Selector dialog box. Click the name of the SNMPv3 user in the dialog box. Grid
Manager adds the user to the table. In the Address field, enter the IP address of the SNMP management
system to which you want the SNMP agent on the appliance to send traps. You can add more than one
trap receiver. To remove a trap receiver from the list, select the address, and then click the Delete icon.
Trap receiver IP addresses may be in IPv4 or IPv6 format.
In the Trap Receiver table, Grid Manager displays the following information about the trap receivers:
• Address: The IPv4 or IPv6 address of the trap receiver. Note that when an SNMPv3 user is disabled,
SNMPv1/SNMPv2 traps are disabled. You can modify the IP address of the trap receiver even when the
following are disabled: SNMPv3 users, SNMPv1/SNMPv2 traps, and SNMPv3 traps.
• SNMPv3 User: The user name of the SNMPv3 trap receiver. This is for SNMPv3 only.
• Comment: Information you entered about the management system.
Setting SNMP System Information

You can enter values for certain managed objects in MIB-II, the standard MIB defined in RFC 1213. Management
systems that are allowed to send queries to the appliance can query these values. You can enter these values for the
Grid and specific members. You can also override the Grid values at a member level.
To enter system information:
3. Complete the following in the SNMP tab. For an HA member, click Override Node 2 settings to enter information
for node 2 of the HA pair.
• sysContact: Enter the name of the contact person for the appliance.
• sysLocation: Enter the physical location of the appliance.
• sysName: Enter the fully qualified domain name of the appliance.
• sysDescr: Enter useful information about the appliance, such as the software version it is running.
Defining Thresholds for Traps

Threshold events for appliance performance are configurable. For each event, you can set a value that triggers the
appliance to send a trap and another value at which the appliance sends a CLEAR trap. The appliance sends a CLEAR
trap the first time the event value reaches the reset value after it reached the trigger value.
To define the threshold values:
2. In the Grid Properties or Grid Member Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode, and then select the SNMP
Threshold tab. To override Grid settings, click Override in the Grid Member Properties editor.
3. Complete the following in the SNMP Threshold tab. Each of the following event types have default Trigger and
Reset values. You can change the values for any of them. You can set SNMP thresholds above or below which
the appliance sends SNMP traps and email notifications, if configured to do so. When any allocated usage
exceeds the Trigger value, the appliance sends an SNMP trap and email notification to the designated
destination, and the status icon for that usage turns red. When usage drops to the Reset value, the status color
goes back to normal and turns green.

Rev. D
• CPU Usage: The percentage of the CPU that is currently in use. The default Trigger value is 81%, and the
default Reset value is 70%. Note that these default values are set to disable the CPU usage trap. You can
enable this trap and configure the trigger and reset values using the CLI command set thresholdtrap.
 Note
Sometimes you may see high CPU usage on Network Insight discovery members. In most
cases, this high CPU usage is the result of CPU-intensive tasks run by the MySQL database
during the consolidation of customer data. Network Insight is not a real-time system, so high
CPU usage itself does not lead to loss of functionality. Therefore this alert should not be treated
as critical if no other negative symptoms are observed on discovery members.
• Database Objects: The percentage of database capacity that is currently in use. The default Trigger value
is 80%, and the default Reset value is 70%.
• Disk: The percentage of the primary hard disk that is currently in use. The default Trigger value is 85%,
and the default Reset value is 70%.
• File Distribution Usage: The percentage of the file distribution storage capacity that is currently in use on
the selected member. The default Trigger value is 90%, and the default Reset value is 70%.
• IPAM Utilization: For a network, this is the percentage based on the IP addresses in use divided by the
total addresses in the network and for a network container that contains subnets, this is the percentage of
the total address space defined within the container regardless of whether any of the IP addresses in the
subnets are in use. The default Trigger value is 95% and the default Reset value is 85%. The status icon
turns red when utilization crosses the configured trigger value. When utilization is below the trigger value,
the status color turns blue.
• Memory: The percentage of the system memory that is currently in use. The default Trigger value is 90%,
and the default Reset value is 80%.
• Network Capacity: When the Grid is part of a Master Grid, this is the percentage of the Master Grid's
network capacity that is used by the Grid's networks. The default Trigger value is 85% and default Reset
value is 75%.
• Recursive Clients: The percentage of the limit of concurrent recursive queries. The default Trigger value is
80%, and the default Reset value is 30%. You must also enable the recursive client limit in order for the
appliance to send recursive client traps. For information about how to set this limit, see Restricting
Recursive Client Queries. When you configure the Trigger and Reset values, ensure that you do not set
them too low or too close together. If the Trigger and Reset values are too close together, the appliance
may send excessive traps and email notifications because both trigger and reset traps are sent based on
the calculated value of simultaneous recursive client queries. For example, when you set the recursive
client limit at 50, Trigger value at 71%, and Reset value at 70%, the value for simultaneous recursive
client queries is calculated at 50 x .71 = 35 (integer math truncation) and 50 x .70 = 35. This could result
in the appliance sending trigger and reset traps for the same value of simultaneous recursive client
queries.
• Root File System: The percentage of the root file system ("/") that is currently in use. The default Trigger
value is 85%, and the default Reset value is 70%.
• Swap Usage: The percentage of the swap area that is currently in use. The factory default trigger value is
50% and the factory default reset value is 30%. Grid Manager displays zero for both the trigger and reset
values indicating the optimized usage of platform specific default values. For information about available
memory on each appliance model, see Overview of Available Memory for Infoblox Appliance
Models table.
• Reporting: The number of reports created on the system that can trigger an SNMP trap. The default
Trigger value is 85, and the default Reset value is 70. Note that the maximum number of reports
supported per Grid is 300. This field is displayed only when you have configured a reporting server.
• Reporting Volume: The percentage of data transmissions to the reporting server. The default Trigger value
is 80%, and the default Reset value is 71%. This field is displayed only when you have configured a
reporting server.
• Threat Protection Dropped Traffic: The percentage of packets dropped based on the threat protection rule
configuration. The default Trigger value is 90%, and the default Reset value is 70%. This field is displayed
only when Threat Protection licenses are installed on the appliance. When the percentage of Threat
Protection dropped traffic exceeds the Trigger value or drops below the Reset value, the appliance sends

Rev. D
an SNMP trap and an email notification — if configured to do so. For information about setting SNMP
traps and email notifications, see Setting SNMP and Email Notifications.
• Threat Protection Total Traffic: The percentage of total traffic received (dropped and passed packets) on
the external interfaces. The default Trigger value is 90%, and the default Reset value is 70%. This field is
displayed only when Threat Protection licenses are installed on the appliance. When the percentage of
total Threat Protection traffic exceeds the Trigger value or drops below the Reset value, the appliance
sends an SNMP trap and an email notification — if configured to do so. For information about setting
SNMP traps and email notifications, see Setting SNMP and Email Notifications.
If you have installed Threat Protection licenses on the appliance and are using the Infoblox feature, Grid Manager
displays the following for Trigger events per second and Reset events per second:
• Alert Rate: The number of SNMP traps sent per second when the appliance sends alerts while passing
packets based on threat protection rule configuration. The default Trigger value is 1 and the default Reset
value is 0.
• Drop Rate: The number of SNMP traps sent per second when the appliance drops packets based on the
threat protection rule configuration. The default Trigger value is 1 and the default Reset value is 0.
If you have installed an RPZ license on the NIOS appliance, you can configure the thresholds to monitor the RPZ
hit rate in the Response Policy Zones Hit Rate Configuration section. For information, see Configuring Thresholds
for RPZ Hit Rate.
For information on available Infoblox appliance models and their available memory see the NIOS 8.6 Release Notes on
the Infoblox Support Site. Note that TE appliances are IB appliances in Grid Manager.
Setting SNMP and Email Notifications

You can specify the event types that trigger trap and email notifications. To set SNMP trap and email notifications:
2. In the Grid Properties or Grid Member Properties editor, click Toggle Advanced Mode, and then select the
Notification tab. To override Grid settings, click Override in the Grid Member Properties editor.
• Enable All SNMP Notifications: Select this checkbox if you want the appliance to send SNMP notifications
(traps) for all events to the configured trap receivers. This is selected by default. To send SNMP
notifications for specific events to the configured trap receiver, select the checkbox for respective event
type.
For information on configuring trap receivers, see Adding Trap Receivers.
• Enable All Email Notifications: Select this checkbox if you want the appliance to send email notifications
(traps) for all events to the configured email recipients. This is deselected by default. To send email
notifications for specific events to the configured email recipients, select the checkbox for each respective
event type. For more information, see Selecting SNMP and Email Notification Types. For information on
enabling email notifications and specifying recipients, see Notifying Administrators.
• Alternatively, you can select specific event types from the table, and specify whether you want the
appliance to send SNMP Notifications and Email notifications for each type of event.
Selecting SNMP and Email Notification Types

Instead of enabling and receiving SNMP and email notifications for all hardware and software events, you can select
specific alert types when a specific hardware or software encounters issues. To enable SNMP or email notifications for
specific event types, select the corresponding checkboxes in the Notification tab of the Grid Properties or Member
Properties editor. The following table lists the event types you can select:
Event Types

Rev. D
Event Type Description Sample SNMP Trap
Automated Traffic Sends notifications each time traffic capture is enabled 01:09:57.938095 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 60, id 37373, offset 0, flags
Capture or disabled or a support bundle is downloaded. For [DF], proto UDP (17), length 356)
more information, see Enabling Automated Traffic 10.34.172.4.54004 > 10.120.20.61.162: [udp sum ok]
Capture. { SNMPv2c { V2Trap(309) R=1114072091
.1.3.6.1.2.1.1.3.0=5985
.1.3.6.1.6.3.1.1.4.1.0=.1.3.6.1.4.1.7779.3.1.1.1.1.7
.1.3.6.1.4.1.7779.3.1.1.1.2.1.0="infoblox.localdomain"
.1.3.6.1.4.1.7779.3.1.1.1.2.2.0=2
.1.3.6.1.4.1.7779.3.1.1.1.2.5.0="Automated Traffic Capture"
.1.3.6.1.4.1.7779.3.1.1.1.2.4.0=4
.1.3.6.1.4.1.7779.3.1.1.1.2.11.0="Automated traffic capture
triggered by hitting Queries per second threshold:
threshold=100, current=0" } }
BGP Sends notifications when the BGP software has failed. 2012-11-22 04:49:06
For more information, see ibProbableCause Values eng-lab-883.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.3.115]:38185-
(OID 3.1.1.1.2.4.0) >[10.120.20.160]]:
DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks: (45366)
0:07:33.66
SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID:
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapOneModule.2
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibNodeName.0 = STRING: "10.35.3.115"
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapSeverity.0 = INTEGER: critical(5)

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: bgp
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibProbableCause.0 = INTEGER:
ibRevokedLicense(53)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: An BGP routing
daemon failure has occurred.
Backup Sends notifications about the status of backup 2011-09-22 09:14:17

operation. For more information, see Processing and ib-10-34-41-4.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.34.41.4]:41243-
Software Failure Traps. >[10.34.41.4]]:
0:08:06.21
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibProcessingFailureTrap
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapSeverity.0 = INTEGER: minor(3)

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING:
scheduled_tftp_backups
ibBackupSoftwareFailure(29)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Backup failed.
BloxTools Sends notifications about the status of bloxTools. For 2011-09-13 20:38:46
more information, see Object State Change Traps.
10.34.42.4 [UDP: [10.34.42.4]:38187->[10.34.42.2]]:
DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks:
(742156) 2:03:41.56
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibStateChangeEvent
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapSeverity.0 = INTEGER: info(2)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: bloxTools
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: bloxtools-service-

failed(41)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: bloxtools-service-

working(39)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: BloxTools Service is

working.

Rev. D
CPU Sends notifications about the status of CPU usage. For 2012-04-12 01:54:59
more information, see Threshold Crossing Traps. eng-lab-631.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.2.119]:42546-
>[10.120.20.160]]:
(786308) 2:11:03.08
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapSeverity.0 = INTEGER: major(4)

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: cpu_usage
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurThresholdValue.0 = INTEGER: 51
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibThresholdHigh.0 = INTEGER: 5
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibThresholdLow.0 = INTEGER: 3
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: CPU usage above

threshold value.
CaptivePortal Sends notifications about the Captive Portal service. For 2016-01-08 02:58:23
more information, see ibPreviousState (OID
3.1.1.1.2.9.0) and ibCurrentState (OID 3.1.1.1.2.10.0) 10.35.107.4 [UDP: [10.35.107.4]:45111->[10.120.20.21]]:

0:03:42.80
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: captive_portal
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: captive-portal-

service-inactive(51)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: capative-portal-

service-working(49)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Captive Portal Service

is working.
Cisco ISE Sends notifications about the status of the Cisco ISE 2016-01-07 22:26:19
service. For more information, see Object State Change
Traps. 10.40.240.111 [UDP: [10.40.240.111]:47355->[10.120.20.21]]:

0:02:43.84
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: cisco_ise_server
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: 124
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: 123
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: CiscoISE server

10.36.141.15 is OK.

Rev. D
Clear Sends notifications when the SNMP trap is cleared. 2015-11-12 22:46:21
When you select the checkbox, the CLEAR trap is sent
for the following software failures: LDAP servers, OCSP 10.35.124.1 [UDP: [10.35.124.1]:48446->[10.120.20.21]]:
responders, LCD, Serial Console, OSPF, OSPF6, BGP,
HSM, Controld, SSH, HTTP, Cluster, Login, and
0:02:07.93
Duplicate IP. For file distribution, the trap is sent when
the service is restored. If you deselect the checkbox, the SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID:
CLEAR trap is not sent when any of the mentioned
software fails. For more information, see Processing and IB-TRAP-MIB::ibProcessingFailureTrap
Software Failure Traps.
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: Login
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibProbableCause.0 = INTEGER: ibClear(0)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: SNMP Trap is cleared.

GUI Login
Cloud API Sends notifications about whether the Cloud API service 2014-11-13 00:52:37
is functioning or not. for information about Cloud
Network Automation, see Introduction to Cloud Network 10.35.114.10 [UDP: [10.35.114.10]:57772->[10.120.20.21]]:
Automation. DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks:
(480221) 1:20:02.21
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: cloud_api
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Cloud API service is

working.
Cluster Sends notifications about the status of NIOS clusterd 2011-12-10 09:43:23
process. For more information, see Processing and
Software Failure Traps. infoblox.localdomain [UDP: [10.35.2.70]:44193->[10.35.2.70]]:

0:07:51.40
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibNodeName.0 = STRING: "0"
Clusterd_Monitor
ibFDSoftwareFailure(32)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: WATCHDOG: A grid

daemon failure has occurred on 10.35.2.70

Rev. D
Controld Sends notifications about the NIOS controld process. 2012-08-17 05:29:30
For more information, see Processing and Software
Failure Traps. <UNKNOWN> [UDP: [10.32.2.80]:43475->[10.32.2.80]:162]:

0:04:07.22
IB-TRAP MIB::ibTrapSeverity.0 = INTEGER: critical(5)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: controld
ibControldSoftwareFailure(11)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: A controld failure has

occurred.
DHCP Sends notifications about the status of DHCP service. 2016-04-18 02:42:36
For more information, see ibPreviousState (OID
3.1.1.1.2.9.0) and ibCurrentState (OID 3.1.1.1.2.10.0). 10.35.139.15 [UDP: [10.35.139.15]:35531->[10.120.21.204]]:

0:01:28.09
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: dhcpd
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: dhcp-service-

inactive(48)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: dhcp-service-

working(45)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: DHCP Service is

working.
DNS Sends notifications about the status of DNS service. For 2016-01-08 01:10:53
(324160) 0:54:01.60
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING:DNS
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: dns-service-

working(32)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: dns-service-

inactive(34)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: DNS Service is

inactive.

Rev. D
DNS Attack Sends notifications about the status of the DNS attacks. 2016-01-07 23:55:56

0:04:11.00
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: DNSAttack
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: dns-attack-

active(115)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: dns-attack-

inactive(116)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: DNS attack conditions

have ended.
DNS Forwarding Sends notifications about whether DNS 2017-11-03 14:06:19 192.168.1.3 [UDP: [192.168.1.3]:33577-
to BloxOne Threat forwarding to BloxOne Threat Defense Cloud is >[192.168.1.2]:162]: Trap, DISMAN-EVENT-
Defense Cloud functioning or not. For information about MIB::sysUpTimeInstance =
DNS forwarding to BloxOne Threat Defense Cloud, see Timeticks: (180166) 0:30:01.66, SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0
Forwarding Recursive Queries to BloxOne Threat = OID:
Defense Cloud. SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.1.4, SNMPv2-
SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.1.0=STRING: "192.168.1.3",
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.2.0 =INTEGER: 2,
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.3.0 =STRING: "DNS",
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.9.0 =INTEGER: 32,
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.10.0= INTEGER: 133,
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.11.0= STRING: "The
appliance is still serving DNS even though forwarding DNS
queries to BloxOne Threat Defense Cloud is not functioning
properly.
DNS Integrity Sends notifications about whether DNS integrity check 2014-06-03 05:35:45
is functioning or not. For information about DNS integrity
Check check, see About DNS Integrity Check for Authoritative 10.34.82.121 [UDP: [10.34.82.121]:42577->[10.120.20.232]]:
Zones. DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance =
Timeticks: (427200) 1:11:12.00
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: DNS Integrity

Check
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibProbableCause.0 =INTEGER:
ibDNSIntegrityCheckNameserversFailed(102)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: DNS Integrity Check is

unable to connect to any name servers required to perform the
check. There are list of nameservers failure: (['10.35.0.56'])

Rev. D
DNS Integrity Sends notifications about whether DNS integrity check 016-01-12 05:10:27
connection is functioning or not. For more information,
Check see ibPreviousState (OID 3.1.1.1.2.9.0) and 10.35.129.15 [UDP: [10.35.129.15]:35201->[10.120.20.12]]:
ibCurrentState (OID 3.1.1.1.2.10.0). DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks:
Connection (213856) 0:35:38.56
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibNodeN ame.0 = STRING: "10.35.129.15"
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapSeverity.0= INTEGER: info(2)

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: DNS Integrity Check
IB-TRAP-MIB: :ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: dns-integrity-

check-severity-indetermined(97)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: dns-integrity-
check-severity-informational( 99)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: DNS Integrity Check
severity has changed. For DNS zone 'default-com.info', severity
has changed from 'NONE' to 'INFORMATIONAL'. Reason:
While checking server
ib-10-35-133-2.infoblox.com.(ipv4=10.35.133.2)
INFORMATIONAL discrepancy found because
our servers have record(s): info.com. I N NS ib-10-35-12
Database Sends notifications about the database status. For more 2013-04-05 02:27:01
information, see Processing and Software Failure Traps.
10.35.116.2 [UDP: [10.35.116.2]:45332->[10.120.20.160]]:
(120021) 0:20:00.21
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibThresholdCrossingEvent
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: db_usage
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Database capacity

used is OK.
Disconnected Grid Sends notifications about whether a Grid has been 2011-12-27 23:38:44
disconnected from the Master Grid. For more eng-lab-089.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.0.89]:53010-
information, see Object State Change Traps. >[10.120.20.160]]:
0:00:10.49
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: ID_Grid

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: grid-
disconnected(5)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: grid-connected(4)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: The grid member is

connected to the grid master.

Rev. D
Discovery Sends notifications about the discovery status. For 2013-10-22 01:35:53
information about the Discovery feature, see Infoblox eng-lab-302.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.1.46]:57126-
Network Insight. >[10.120.20.102]]:
(122717) 0:20:27.17
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: discovery_collector

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Discovery Collector
Service is working.
Discovery Conflict Sends notifications about conflicts between the DHCP 2014-06-20 00:48:06
address and the existing IP address. For more
information, see Processing and Software Failure Traps. 10.34.125.2 [UDP: [10.34.125.2]:36159->[10.120.20.232]]:

0:00:22.41
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: DHCP
ibDHCPHostConflict(66)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: DHCP address

conflicts with an existing host address. [IP address]
Discovery Sends notifications related to the discovery of 2015-02-09 22:53:57 10.35.103.18 [UDP:
Unmanaged unmanaged devices and networks. You can configure [10.35.103.18]:45156->[10.120.20.46]]:
the maximum number of unmanaged objects the
appliance discovers and how often it notifies about DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance =Timeticks: (46090)
these events. For more information about how to 0:07:40.90
configure these parameters, see Defining Seed Routers
for Probe Members.
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibOperationTrap
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: Discovery
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibProbableCause.0 =INTEGER: 4012
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 =STRING: New unmanaged

devices/networks were found during network discovery process.
New unmanaged devices in '10.40.16.0/20' network in 'default'
network view.

Rev. D
Disk Sends notifications about the status of the primary disk. 2012-11-22 03:34:32
For more information, see Threshold Crossing Traps. eng-lab-883.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.3.115]:37542-
>[10.120.20.160]]:
0:14:31.41
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibNodeName.0 = STRING:"10.35.3.115"
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 =STRING: disk_usage

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibThresholdHigh.0 =INTEGER: 10
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: System primary hard

disk usage is over
threshold value.
DuplicateIP Sends notifications when there are duplicate IP 2016-04-18 22:47:38

addresses. For more information, see ibProbableCause
Values (OID 3.1.1.1.2.4.0). 10.35.139.15 [UDP: [10.35.139.15]:35531->[10.120.21.204]]:
(7239201) 20:06:32.01
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: Equipment
ibDuplicateIPAddressFailure(52)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: A Duplicate IP Address

has been detected.
ENAT Sends notifications about the Ethernet port status. For 2012-08-27 03:05:25

0:02:46.24
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: LAN
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: enet-link-up(6)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: enet-link-down(7)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: LAN1 port link is down.

Please check the connection.

Rev. D
File Distribution Sends notifications about the HTTP file distribution 2016-01-08 01:48:57
Usage process. For more information, see Processing and
Software Failure Traps. 10.40.240.113 [UDP: [10.40.240.113]:41443->[10.120.20.21]]:
(183757) 0:30:37.57
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: fd_usage
ibFDSoftwareFailure(42)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: File Distribution

services storage usage is OK.
FTP Sends notifications about the status of FTP service. For 2016-01-07 23:27:22
more information, see Processing and Software Failure
Traps. 10.40.240.113 [UDP: [10.40.240.113]:36063->[10.120.20.21]]:
(380473) 1:03:24.73
ftp IB-TRAP-MIB::ibProbableCause.0 = INTEGER:

ibFTPDSoftwareFailure(44)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: An FTPD daemon

failure has occurred.
Fan Sends notifications about the status of the system fan. 2012-02-23 23:34:50
For more information, see lEquipment Failure Traps.
10.32.1.222 [UDP: [10.32.1.222]:42742->[10.35.109.24]]:

0:14:55.08
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibEquipmentFailureTrap
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: fan
ibFan1Failure(37)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Fan 1 failure has

occurred.

Rev. D
HA Sends notifications about the status of the HA port link. 2014-05-23 00:49:32
For more information, see ibPreviousState (OID eng-lab-589.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.2.77]:46426-
3.1.1.1.2.9.0) and ibCurrentState (OID 3.1.1.1.2.10.0). >[10.36.0.200]]:
0:00:39.12
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: HA_Replication

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: ha-replication-
offline(14)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: ha-replication-
online(13)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: HA replication is online.
HSM Sends notifications about the status of the HSM 2016-01-12 20:52:12
operation. For more information, see ibPreviousState
(OID 3.1.1.1.2.9.0) and ibCurrentState (OID 10.39.13.77 [UDP: [10.39.13.77]:44962->[10.120.20.21]]:
3.1.1.1.2.10.0). DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks:
(131909) 0:21:59.09
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: DNS
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: dns-service-

working(32)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: DNS Service restarted

not using HSM
HTTP Sends notifications about the status of the HTTP 2016-01-07 23:16:40
service. For more information, see ibPreviousState (OID
(316247) 0:52:42.47
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapSeverity.0= INTEGER: info(2)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: http_file_dist
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: http-file-dist-

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: http-file-dist-

service-working(38)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: HTTP File Dist Service

is working

Rev. D
IFMAP Sends notifications about the status of the IF-MAP 2016-04-20 23:40:00
service. For more information, see ibProbableCause
Values (OID 3.1.1.1.2.4.0). 10.34.41.60 [UDP: [10.34.41.60]:33231->[10.120.21.204]]:

0:07:32.56
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: ifmapd
ibIFMAPSoftwareFailure(50)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: An IF-MAP server

IPMI Device Sends notifications about the status of the IPMI device. 2015-03-24 04:10:21
For more information, see ibProbableCause Values eng-lab-598.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.2.86]:56092-
(OID 3.1.1.1.2.4.0). >[10.120.20.21]]:
(103490) 0:17:14.90

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: IPMI Status
Check
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibProbableCause.0 = INTEGER: 2105
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: IPMI is used by some

hardware monitors to test hardware health. The IPMI Device is
now available; subsequent hardware monitor failures are likely
to be genuine.
IPAM Utilization Sends notifications about the percentage of IPv4 2014-07-06 19:33:01
addresses that are used in a network. For a network eng-lab-514.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.2.2]:33413-
container that contains subnets, this indicates the >[10.120.20.21]]:
percentage of the total address space defined within the DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks:
container regardless of whether any of the IP addresses (1038846) 2:53:08.46
are used in the subnetwork. For more information, see SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID:
Threshold Crossing Traps. IB-TRAP-MIB::ibThresholdCrossingEvent
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: Threshold

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Network IPAM

Utilization capacity usage is OK. Network: 20.0.0.0/29/netview

Rev. D
Load Balancer Device Sends notifications about whether the LB device is in 2013-07-08 02:36:39
sync or not. For more information, see ibPreviousState
3.1.1.1.2.10.0). DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks:
(996274) 2:46:02.74
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: device
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: lb-device-

down(74)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: lb-device-up(73)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Load Balancer device

10.36.128.1 sync is OK.
LCD Sends notifications about the status of the LCD process. 2011-12-01 06:31:28
For more information, see Processing and Software ib-10-35-3-125.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.3.125]:56609-
Failure Traps. >[10.35.3.125]]:
(187334) 0:31:13.34

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: lcd
ibLCDSoftwareFailure(18)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: An LCD failure has
occurred.
LDAP Servers Sends notifications about whether LDAP servers are 2012-12-17 03:33:58
available or not. For more information, see
ibPreviousState (OID 3.1.1.1.2.9.0) and ibCurrentState 10.35.106.6 [UDP: [10.35.106.6]:35751->[10.120.20.249]]:
(OID 3.1.1.1.2.10.0). DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks: (4043)
0:00:40.43
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: ldap_servers
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: ldap-service-

inactive(79)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: ldap-servers-

ok(76)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: All LDAP servers are

available.

Rev. D
License Sends notifications when the license has been revoked. 2014-05-23 00:49:32
For more information, see Revoked License Trap. eng-lab-589.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.2.77]:46426-
>[10.36.0.200]]:
0:00:39.12
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapOneModule.6.0
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: vnios
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Grid license of member

IP 10.34.196.165 with hardware ID
564d5cf2115391ab3f6efee9a9d974aa is revoked. 0 Cold Start
Login Sends notifications when the login details are incorrect. 2013-04-30 02:56:49
Failure Traps. 10.34.132.2 [UDP: [10.34.132.2]:35453->[10.120.20.160]]:

0:04:36.04
ibGUILoginFailure(58)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: A GUI login failure has

occurred.
MGM Sends notifications about the status of the multi-Grid 2013-04-03 23:48:34
configuration. For more information, see ibPreviousState eng-lab-482.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.1.226]:37893-
(OID 3.1.1.1.2.9.0) and ibCurrentState (OID >[10.120.20.160]]:
3.1.1.1.2.10.0). DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks: (24697)
0:04:06.97

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: Grid of Grids
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 =STRING: Grid connection offline.

Rev. D
MSServer Sends notifications about the status of Microsoft Servers 2013-07-10 03:29:42
for Microsoft management. For more information, see
ibPreviousState (OID 3.1.1.1.2.9.0) and ibCurrentState 10.35.113.2 [UDP: [10.35.113.2]:51679->[10.120.20.21]]:
(OID 3.1.1.1.2.10.0). DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks:
(1066392) 2:57:43.92
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: ms_service
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: ms-service-

down(20)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: ms-service-up(19)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Service connection to

Microsoft DNS server 10.102.31.67 is OK.
Memory Sends notifications about the status of the system 2012-04-17 03:09:46
memory. For more information, see Threshold Crossing
Traps. 10.35.119.4 [UDP: [10.35.119.4]:37664->[10.120.20.160]]:
(359835) 0:59:58.35
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: memory
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: System memory usage

is OK.
NTP Sends notifications about the status of the NTP service. 2013-04-02 23:58:19
3.1.1.1.2.9.0) and ibCurrentState (OID 3.1.1.1.2.10.0) 10.35.116.6 [UDP: [10.35.116.6]:37505->[10.120.20.160]]:

0:02:58.04
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: ntp_sync
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: ntp-sync-

down(16)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: ntp-sync-up(15)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: The NTP service

resumed synchronization.

Rev. D
Network Sends notifications about the status of the LAN port. For 2013-01-06 23:52:01
more information, see Threshold Crossing Traps.
10.35.3.62 [UDP: [10.35.3.62]:49255->[10.120.20.160]]:

0:13:28.79
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: MGM
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Network capacity used

is over the threshold value.
OCSP Responders Sends notifications about the status of OCSP 2016-01-14 03:21:14
responders. For more information, see ibPreviousState
3.1.1.1.2.10.0). DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks: (4599)
0:00:45.99
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapSeverity.0 = INTEGER: info(2) IB-TRAP-

MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: ocsp_responders
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: ocsp-responders-

ok(65)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: ocsp-service-

inactive(68)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: OCSP service inactive.
OSPF Sends notifications about the ospfd process. For more 2012-11-22 04:49:56
information, see Processing and Software Failure Traps. eng-lab-883.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.3.115]:38185-
>[10.120.20.160]]:
0:08:24.14

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: ospf
ibOSPFSoftwareFailure(35)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: An OSPF routing
daemon failure has occurred.

Rev. D
OSPF6 Sends notifications about the ospf process for IPv6. For 2016-01-13 02:03:07
more information, see ibProbableCause Values (OID eng-lab-396.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.1.140]:45733-
3.1.1.1.2.4.0). >[10.120.20.21]]:
0:00:39.70

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: ospf6

OSPF6 SW
PowerSupply Sends notifications about the status of the power supply. 2012-01-20 22:45:01 nextgen.com [UDP:
For more information, see lEquipment Failure Traps. [10.32.111.110]:45323->[10.32.111.110]]:
0:03:30.44

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: power_supply
ibSystemRestart(61)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Power supply 2 is OK.
RAID Sends notifications about the RAID array status. For 2016-01-15 14:30:20
more information, see lEquipment Failure Traps. eng-lab-418.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.1.162]:57616-
>[10.120.21.204]]:
0:01:27.37

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: raid
ibRAIDIsDegraded(3002)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: The system's RAID
array is in a degraded state.
Recursive Clients Sends notifications about whether the DNS recursive 2015-01-13 02:05:55
server is under flood attacks. For more information, see eng-lab-078.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.0.78]:55233-
Threshold Crossing Traps. >[10.120.20.21]]:
(168817) 0:28:08.17

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: RecursiveClients
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Number of

simultaneous DNS recursive lookups is OK.

Rev. D
RIR SWIP Sends notifications about the status of the RIR SWIP 2016-01-11 02:05:17
registration. For more information, see ibProbableCause
Values (OID 3.1.1.1.2.4.0). 10.34.11.100 [UDP: [10.34.11.100]:52957->[10.120.21.204]]:

0:07:16.23
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: RIR SWIP
ibRIRSWIPRegistrationFailure(89)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: An RIR SWIP

registration failure has occurred.CREATE RIR registration
request for network "187.0.0.0/24" failed.
Reporting Sends notifications about the status of the reporting 2012-01-06 08:59:55 10.35.101.27 [UDP:
database. For more information, see Threshold [10.35.101.27]:59714->[10.35.117.24]]:DISMA
Crossing Traps.
N-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks: (289200)
0:48:12.00
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: reporting_volume
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Reporting volume

usage reached the threshold value.
RPZ Hit Rate Send Notifications about the percentage of RPZ Hit 2016-04-18 02:52:29
Rate. For more information, see Threshold Crossing
Traps. 10.35.139.15 [UDP: [10.35.139.15]:35531->[10.120.21.204]]:

0:11:21.73
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: RPZHitRate
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: RPZ hit rate is too

high: 100%.

Rev. D
RootFS Sends notifications about the status of the root file 2011-11-29 06:36:24
system. For more information, see Threshold Crossing ib-10-35-1-144.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.1.144]:59707-
Traps. >[10.35.1.144]]:
(197388) 0:32:53.88

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: rootfs_usage
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Root filesystem disk

usage is OK.
SNMP Sends notifications about the status of the SNMP server. 2012-02-17 06:24:11
For more information, see Processing and Software eng-lab-630.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.2.118]:57802-
Failure Traps. >[10.120.20.174]]:
(855217) 2:22:32.17
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.1.2
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.1.0 = STRING:
"10.35.2.118"
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.2.0 = INTEGER: 4
"snmp"
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.4.0 = INTEGER: 13
"SNMP Server failure has occurred."
SSH Sends notifications about the status of the sshd process. 2011-09-21 21:33:17
Failure Traps. 10.34.42.6 [UDP: [10.34.42.6]:49776->[10.34.42.2]]:

0:01:05.08
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: ssh

SSHD SW

Rev. D
SerialConsole Sends notifications when the serial console login has 2014-12-15 02:47:59
failed or the admin failed to login to the serial console.
For more information, see Processing and Software UDP/IPv6: 2620:10a:6000:2400::8104]:55038 [UDP/IPv6:
Failure Traps. [2620:10a:6000:2400::8104]:55038]:
(501585) 1:23:35.85
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibNodeName.0 = STRING:
"2620:10a:6000:2400::8104"
ibSerialConsoleLoginFailure(59)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: A Serial Console login

Swap Usage Sends notifications about whether the swap usage has 2013-11-25 05:35:56 10.35.129.1 [UDP: [10.35.129.1]:49489-
exceeded the trigger or reset value. For more >[10.120.20.21]]:
information, see Defining Thresholds for Traps.
0:04:00.09
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: swap_usage
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: System swap space

usage exceeds the critical threshold value.
Syslog Sends notifications when the syslog process stops. For 2016-01-14 01:29:42
more information, see Processing and Software Failure
Traps. 10.34.142.105 [UDP: [10.34.142.105]:37566->[10.120.21.204]]:
(296285) 0:49:22.85
check_syslog_conf
ibSyslogFailure(67)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Syslog daemon is not

running.

Rev. D
System Sends notifications about the status of the NIOS system. 2014-03-14 05:54:42
For more information, see Process Started and Stopped eng-lab-636.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.2.124]:33232-
Traps. >[10.36.0.200]]:
(2654067) 7:22:20.67

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: ID_Grid
ibSystemRestart(61)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: The system is being
restarted.
TAXII Sends notifications when you start and stop the TAXII 2016-01-06 20:16:13
service. For more information, see Object State Change eng-lab-242.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.0.242]:42213-
Traps. >[10.120.20.21]]:
0:02:55.53
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: taxii
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: TAXII Service is
working.
TFTP Sends notifications about the status of the TFTP service. 2011-09-16 06:54:08
For more information, see Processing and Software eng-lab-443.inca.infoblox.com [UDP: [10.35.1.187]:35794-
Failure Traps. >[10.120.20.160]]:
0:08:23.82

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: tftp
ibTFTPDSoftwareFailure(27)
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: A TFTPD daemon
Threat Analytics Sends notifications about the status of the Threat 2016-01-08 00:19:34
Analytics service. For more information, see
ibProbableCause Values (OID 3.1.1.1.2.4.0). 10.35.3.154 [UDP: [10.35.3.154]:59876->[10.120.20.12]]:

0:02:41.84
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: Threat Analytics
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Threat Analytics

Service is working.

Rev. D
Threat Analytics DNS Sends notifications about the DNS tunneling detection. 2016-01-08 00:22:07
Tunneling For more information, see ibProbableCause Values
(OID 3.1.1.1.2.4.0). 10.35.3.154 [UDP: [10.35.3.154]:59876->[10.120.20.12]]:
0:05:15.67

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibSubsystemName.0 = STRING: Software
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibProbableCause.0 = INTEGER: 4013
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: DNS Tunneling

detected: The record '*.any.knjuqljsfyyc2t.com' is successfully
added into BlackList RPZ zone with comment '[2016-08-01
08:22:06 UTC] [member: infoblox.localdomain] DNS Tunneling'
and policy 'No Data'.
Threat Protection Sends notifications about whether the threat protection 2016-04-18 22:48:08
service for Infoblox DNS Protection is functioning
properly. For more information, see ibPreviousState 10.35.139.15 [UDP: [10.35.139.15]:54407->[10.120.21.204]]:
(OID 3.1.1.1.2.9.0) and ibCurrentState (OID DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks: (3926)
3.1.1.1.2.10.0) 0:00:39.26
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibObjectName.0 = STRING: threat_protection
IB-TRAP-MIB::ibPreviousState.0 = INTEGER: threat-protection-

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibCurrentState.0 = INTEGER: threat-protection-

IB-TRAP-MIB::ibTrapDesc.0 = STRING: Threat Protection

Service is inactive.
Testing the SNMP Configuration

After you configure SNMP on the appliance, you can do the following to test your SNMP configuration:
• From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox, and then select Test
SNMP from the Toolbar.
The appliance sends a “test trap” string to the trap receiver and displays a confirmation message at the top of the screen
if your SNMP configuration is properly set up. If your SNMP configuration is not complete or if it is invalid, the appliance
displays an error message. You can check your configuration and try again.
The following is a sample test trap that the trap receiver can get:
2011-04-04 17:37:14 10.32.2.80 [UDP: [10.32.2.80]:49244->[10.32.2.80]]:
SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID: SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID
SNMPv2-MIB::sysName.0 = STRING: 'Test trap'
Defining Interface for SNMP Traps

By default, the NIOS appliance sends SNMP traps through the MGMT interface to specific trap receivers, or through the
LAN1 interface when the MGMT interface is disabled. However, you can choose an interface, instead of the default

Rev. D
interface, to send SNMP traps to the trap receivers. For example, if you select LAN2 interface from the drop-down list,
the traps are sent from the LAN2 interface instead of the default MGMT interface.
To choose an interface, other than MGMT or LAN1, for a Grid member and a standalone Grid:
1. Grid: From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab -> Grid_member checkbox.
Standalone: From the System tab, select the System Manager tab, expand the Toolbar and click System
Properties -> Edit.
3. When the additional tabs appear, click the Advanced subtab of the SNMP tab.
• Interface: Select an interface from the drop-down list:
• ANY: The default value is ANY. SNMP traps are sent through the MGMT interface, if it is enabled,
when you select this option. If the interface is disabled, the traps are sent through the LAN1
interface.
• LAN1: Select this option to send SNMP traps through the LAN1 interface.
• LAN2: Select this option to send SNMP traps through the LAN2 interface.
• MGMT: Select this option to send SNMP traps through the MGMT interface.
5. Click Save & Close to save the changes or Cancel to exit.
SNMP MIB Hierarchy

In addition to implementing its own enterprise MIBs, Infoblox supports the standard MIBs defined in RFC-1213,
Management Information Base for Network Management of TCP/IP-based internets: MIB-II.
The Infoblox MIBs are part of a universal hierarchical structure, usually referred to as the MIB tree. The MIB tree has an
unlabeled root with three subtrees. The below figure illustrates the branch of the MIB tree that leads to the Infoblox
enterprise MIBs. Each object in the MIB tree has a label that consists of a textual description and an OID (object
identifier). An OID is a unique dotted-decimal number that identifies the location of the object in the MIB tree. Note that all
OIDs begin with a dot (.) to indicate the root of the MIB tree.
As shown in the below figure, Infoblox is a branch of the Enterprise subtree. IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority)
administers the Enterprise subtree, which is designated specifically for vendors who define their own MIBs. The IANA-
assigned enterprise number of Infoblox is 7779; therefore, the OIDs of all Infoblox MIB objects begin with the prefix
.1.3.6.1.4.1.7779. In addition, IB-DNSSERV and IB-DHCPSERV are branches of the Enterprise subtree as well.
The Infoblox SNMP subtree branches down through two levels, ibProduct and ibOne, to the Infoblox MIBs: ibTrap,
ibPlatformOne, ibDNSone, and ibDHCPOne. The ibTrap MIB defines the traps that NIOS appliances send, and the
ibPlatformOne, ibDNSone, and ibDHCPOne MIBs provide information about the appliance. For detailed information
about these MIBS, see the Infoblox MIBs section.
MIB Hierarchy

Rev. D
MIB Objects
The Infoblox MIB objects were implemented according to the guidelines in RFCs 1155 and 2578. They specify two types
of macros for defining MIB objects: OBJECT-TYPE and NOTIFICATION-TYPE. These macros contain clauses that
describe the characteristics of an object, such as its syntax and its status. OBJECT-TYPE macros describe MIB objects,
and NOTIFICATION-TYPE macros describe objects used in SNMP traps.
Each object in the ibPlatformOne, ibDNSone, and ibDHCPOne MIBs contains the following clauses from the OBJECT-
TYPE macro:
OBJECT-TYPE: Provides the administratively-assigned name of the object.

Rev. D
• SYNTAX: Identifies the data structure of the object, such as integers, counters, and octet strings.
• MAX-ACCESS: Identifies the type of access that a management station has to the object. All Infoblox MIB objects
provide read-only access.
• STATUS: Identifies the status of the object. Values are current, obsolete, and deprecated.
• DESCRIPTION: Provides a textual description of the object.
• INDEX or AUGMENTS: An object that represents a conceptual row must have either an INDEX or AUGMENTS
clause that defines a key for selecting a row in a table.
• OID: The dotted decimal object identifier that defines the location of the object in the universal MIB tree.
The ibTrap MIB defines the SNMP traps that a NIOS appliance can send. Each object in the ibTrap MIB contains the
following clauses from the NOTIFICATION-TYPE macro:
NOTIFICATION-TYPE: Provides the administratively-assigned name of the object.
• OBJECTS: Provides an ordered list of MIB objects that are in the trap.
• STATUS: Identifies the status of the object. Values are current, obsolete, and deprecated.
• DESCRIPTION: Provides the notification information.
System Object IDs

Infoblox uses the SNMP system object identifier sysObjectID to identify Infoblox appliances. The following is a definition
of sysObjectID from the SNMPv2 MIB, Management Information Base (MIB) for the Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMP):
OBJECT-TYPE sysObjectID
SYNTAX Object Identifier
MAX-ACCESS read-only
STATUS current
DESCRIPTION "The vendor's authoritative identification of the network management subsystem contained in the entity.
This value is allocated within the SMI enterprises subtree (1.3.6.1.4.1) and provides an easy and
unambiguous means for determining `what kind of box' is being managed. For example, if vendor
`Flintstones,Inc.' was assigned the subtree 1.3.6.1.4.1.424242, it could assign the identifier
1.3.6.1.4.1.424242.1.1 to its `Fred Router'."
The below table lists the enterprise IDs and their corresponding Infoblox hardware platforms that an SNMP query can
return when you request the sysObjectID value. Note that the IDs shown in the table do not include 1.3.6.1.4.1.7779.1.
(the infobloxProducts prefix).
sysObjectID for Infoblox Hardware
ID Description Definition
1000 ibDefault Default environments, such as chroot
1002 ibCisco Cisco servers
1003 ibvm vNIOS appliances on VMware ESX or ESXi servers
1004 ibvnios Virtual NIOS

Rev. D
1401 ib810 Trinzic 810 appliances
1405 ib1400 Trinzic Reporting 1400 appliances
1423 ib4000 Infoblox-4000 appliances
1444 nd4000 Network Insight 4000 appliances
1507 pt1405 Advanced 1405 appliances

Rev. D
Infoblox MIBs
You can configure a NIOS appliance as an SNMP-managed device so that an SNMP management station can send
queries to the appliance and retrieve information from its MIBs. Perform the following tasks to access the Infoblox MIBs:
1. Configure a NIOS appliance to accept queries, as described in Configuring SNMPv3 Users.
2. Load the MIB files onto the management system. To obtain the latest Infoblox MIB files:
a. From the Data Management tab, select the Grid tab -> Grid Manager tab, and then select Download ->
SNMP MIBs from the Toolbar.
b. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to a directory to which you want to save the MIBs.
c. Click Save.
3. Use a MIB browser or SNMP management application to query the objects in each MIB.
The NIOS appliance allows read-only access to the MIBs. This is equivalent to the Get and Get Next operations in
SNMP.
Loading the Infoblox MIBs

If you are using an SNMP manager toolkit with strict dependency checking, you must download the following Infoblox
MIBs in the order they are listed:
1. IB-SMI-MIB.txt
2. IB-TRAP-MIB.txt
3. IB-PLATFORMONE-MIB.txt
4. IB-DNSONE-MIB.txt
5. IB-DHCPONE-MIB.txt
6. IB-DNSSERV-MIB.txt
7. IB-DHCPSERV-MIB.txt
8. IB-DHCPV6ONE-MIB.txt
In addition, if the SNMP manager toolkit you use requires a different MIB file naming convention, you can rename the
MIB files accordingly.
NET-SNMP MIBs
NIOS appliances support NET-SNMP (formerly UCD-SNMP), a collection of applications used to implement the SNMP
protocol. The NET-SNMP MIBs provide the top-level infrastructure for the SNMP MIB tree. They define, among other
things, the objects in the SNMP traps that the agent sends when the SNMP engine starts and stops. For information
about NET-SNMP and the MIB files distributed with NET-SNMP, refer to http://net-snmp.sourceforge.net/.
For SNMP traps to function properly, you must download the following NET-SNMP MIBs directly from http://net-
snmp.sourceforge.net/docs/mibs

Rev. D
• NET-SNMP-MIB
• UCD-SNMP-MIB
 Note
Ensure that you save the MIBs as text files in the directory to which you save all the other MIB files.
BGP4 MIB
Infoblox supports BGP4 (Border Gateway Protocol) for DNS anycast addressing. BGP is configured to send SNMP traps
to neighboring routers, as defined in RFC4273DefinitionsofManagedObjectsforBGP-4. You must enable and configure
the SNMP trap receiver on the Grid member for the member to send SNMP traps.
The BGP protocol service is configured to send SNMP queries about BGP runtime data. The information is returned
using the following OIDs and definitions:
OID Definition
1.3.6.1.2.1.15.900.1.1 Number of peers
1.3.6.1.2.1.15.900.1.2 Number of active peers
1.3.6.1.2.1.15.900.1.3 Number of AS path entries
1.3.6.1.2.1.15.900.1.4 Number of BGP community entries
1.3.6.1.2.1.15.900.1.5 Total number of prefixes
For each configured BGP peer (a, b, c, d), the information is returned using the following OIDs and definitions:
OID Definition
1.3.6.1.2.1.15.900.1.9.a.b.c.d.1 IP address: same as a.b.c.d
1.3.6.1.2.1.15.900.1.9.a.b.c.d.2 State: 0=down, 1=up
1.3.6.1.2.1.15.900.1.9.a.b.c.d.3 ASN
1.3.6.1.2.1.15.900.1.9.a.b.c.d.4 Prefixes
1.3.6.1.2.1.15.900.1.9.a.b.c.d.5 Up/Down time
ibTrap MIB
NIOS appliances send SNMP traps when events, internal process failures, or critical service failures occur. The ibTrap
MIB defines the types of traps that a NIOS appliance sends and the value that each MIB object represents. The Infoblox
SNMP traps report objects which the ibTrap MIB defines. The below figure illustrates the ibTrap MIB structure. It provides
the OID and textual description for each object.
 Note
OIDs shown in the illustrations and tables in this section do not include the prefix .1.3.6.1.4.1.7779.
The ibTrap MIB comprises two trees, ibTrapOneModule and ibNotificationVarBind. The ibTraponeModule tree contains
objects for the types of traps that a NIOS appliance sends. The ibNotificationVarBind tree contains objects that the
Infoblox SNMP traps report. You cannot send queries for the objects in this MIB module. The objects are used only in the
SNMP traps.

Rev. D
ibTrapOne MIB Structure
Interpreting Infoblox SNMP Traps

Depending on the SNMP management application your management system uses, the SNMP traps you receive may list
the OIDs for all relevant MIB objects from both the ibTrapOneModule and ibNotificationVarBind trees. For OIDs that have
string values, the trap lists the text. For OIDs that contain integers, you can use the tables in this section to find out the
values. Some SNMP management applications list only the object names and their corresponding values in the SNMP
traps. Whether or not your SNMP management application lists OIDs, you can use the tables in this section to find out
the corresponding value and definition for each MIB object.
The following is a sample trap a NIOS appliance sends:
418:Jan 31 18:52:26 (none) snmptrapd[6087]: 2008-01-31 18:52:26 10.35.1.156 [UDP:
[10.35.1.156]:32772]: DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks: (1080)
0:00:10.80 SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID: SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.1.4.0
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.1.0 = STRING: "10.35.1.156"
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.

Rev. D
7779.3.1.1.1.2.3.0 = STRING: "ntp_sync" SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.9.0 =
INTEGER: 15 SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.10.0 = INTEGER: 16
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.7779.3.1.1.1.2.11.0 = STRING: "The NTP service is out of
synchronization."
The sample trap lists the OIDs and their corresponding values that can help you identify the cause of an event or
problem. To identify the possible cause and recommended actions for the trap, use the ibTrapDesc tables.
You can interpret the sample trap as follows:
Using the ibTrapOneModule table, you find out OID 7779.3.1.1.1.1.4.0 represents an Object State Change trap. This trap
includes the following objects: ibNodeName, ibOjectName, ibPreviousState, ibCurrentState, and ibtrapDesc. For each
object, the trap displays the OID and its corresponding value. The following is how you can interpret the rest of the trap:
• ibNodeName (OID 7779.3.1.1.1.2.1.0)
• Using the ibNotificationVarBind (OID 3.1.1.1.2) table, you find out OID 7779.3.1.1.1.2.1.0 represents the
MIB object ibNodeName, which is the IP address of the appliance on which the trap occurred. Therefore,
the statement "7779.3.1.1.1.2.1.0 = STRING: "10.35.1.156" SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises." tells
you the IP address of the appliance on which the trap occurred.
• ibObjectName (OID 7779.3.1.1.1.2.3.0)
• The statement "7779.3.1.1.1.2.3.0 = STRING: "ntp_sync" SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises." tells you
the MIB object ibOjectName, which is the name of the object for which the trap was generated, has a
value of "ntp_sync" that indicates NTP synchronization issues.
• ibPreviousState (OID 7779.3.1.1.1.2.9.0)
• The statement "7779.3.1.1.1.2.9.0 = INTEGER: 15 SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises." tells you the MIB
object ibPreviousState, which indicates the previous state of the appliance, has a value of 15. Using the
ibPreviousState and ibCurrentState Values table, you know that 15 represents "ntp-sync-up", which
means the NTP server was up and running.
• ibCurrentState (OID 7779.3.1.1.1.2.10.0)
• The statement "7779.3.1.1.1.2.10.0 = INTEGER: 16 SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises." tells you the MIB
object ibCurrentState, which indicates the current state of the appliance, has a value of 16. Using the
ibPreviousState and ibCurrentState Values table, you know that 16 represents "ntp-sync-down", which
means the NTP server is now out of sync.
• ibTrapDesc (OID 7779.3.1.1.1.2.11.0)
• The last statement "7779.3.1.1.1.2.11.0 = STRING: "The NTP service is out of
synchronization." states the description of the trap. Using the Object State Change Traps table for
ibTrapDesc, you can find out the trap description and recommended actions for this problem.
Types of Traps (OID 3.1.1.1.1)

ibTrapOneModule defines the types of traps that the NIOS appliance can send. There are five types of SNMP traps.
The table below describe the types of traps and their objects in the ibTrapOneModule tree.
 Note
Some SNMP traps for ibThresholdCrossingEvent, ibStateChangeEvent, ibProcStartStopTrap, and
ibRevokedLicenseTrap do not have an associated ibProbableCause. The following table lists traps that provide
ibProbableCause and those that do not have an ibProbableCause value.
ibTrapOneModule
Trap Binding Variables (OID 3.1.1.1.2)

Rev. D
OID Trap Type MIB Object Description
3.1.1.1.1.1 Equipment Failure ibEquipmentFailureTrap The NIOS appliance generates this trap when a
hardware failure occurs. This trap includes the
following objects:
• ibNodeName
• ibTrapSevertiy
• ibObjectName (equipment name)
• ibProbableCause
• ibTrapDesc
3.1.1.1.1.2 Processing and Software Failure ibProcessingFailureTrap The NIOS appliance generates this trap when a
failure occurs in one of the software processes.
This trap includes the following objects:
• ibNodeName
• ibTrapSeverity
• ibSubsystemName
• ibProbableCause
• ibTrapDesc
3.1.1.1.1.3 Threshold Crossing ibThresholdCrossingEvent The NIOS appliance generates this trap when any
of the following events occur:
• System memory or disk usage

exceeds 90%.
• CPU usage exceeds the trigger
value for 15 seconds.
• A problem occurs when the Grid
Master replicates its database to
its Grid members.
• DHCP address usage crosses a
watermark threshold.
• The number or percentage of the
DNS security alerts exceeds the
thresholds of the DNS security
alert triggers.
This trap includes the following

objects:
• ibNodeName
• ibTrapSeverity
• ibObjectName (threshold name)
• ibCurThresholdvalue
• ibThresholdHigh
• ibThresholdLow
• ibTrapDesc

Rev. D
OID Trap Type MIB Object Description
3.1.1.1.1.4 Object State Change ibStateChangeEvent The NIOS appliance generates this trap when
there is a change in its state, such as:
• The link to one of the configured

ports goes down, and then goes
back up again.
• A failover occurs in an HA (high
availability) pair configuration.
• A member connects to the Grid
Master.
• An appliance in a Grid goes offline.
objects:
• ibNodeName
• ibTrapSeverity
• ibObjectName
• ibPreviousState
• ibCurrentState
• ibTrapDesc
3.1.1.1.1.5 Process Started and Stopped ibProcStartStopTrap The NIOS appliance generates this type of trap
when any of the following events occur:
• When you enable HTTP

redirection.
• When you change the HTTP
access setting.
• When you change the HTTP
session time out setting.
• When a failover occurs in an HA
pair configuration.

objects:
• ibNodeName
• ibSubsystemName
• ibTrapDesc
3.1.1.1.1.6 ibRevokedLicenseTrap The NIOS appliance generates this trap when a

license is revoked.
This trap includes the following objects:
• ibNodeName
• ibTrapSeverity
• ibSubsystemName
• ibTrapDesc
3.1.1.1.1.7 ibOperationTrap The NIOS appliance generates this trap when a

software operation is noteworthy.

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Copyright ©2022, Infoblox, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 2

Enabling and Disabling DNS Traffic Control Objects (RFE-7088)

Multi-Master DNS Failover for DDNS (RFE-5514)

Configuring Microsoft Servers and Delegated Name Servers

Support for Upgraded Splunk Version 8.2.4

vNIOS for Azure and vNIOS for AWS Support in IB-V5005

vNIOS for GCP Support in IB-V4015 and IB-V4025 (RFE-11349)

DHCP Support on vNIOS for GCP (RFE-9945)

Copyright ©2022, Infoblox, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 3

Enabling and Disabling BFD Internal DNS Monitoring (SPTYRFE-49)

Support for Cisco ISE Integration Through Outbound Endpoint

Enforcing the Global Proxy List

New DNSKEY Algorithm (RFE-6068 and RFE-9845)

Extensible Attribute-based Topology Rulesets (RFE-9107 and

vNIOS Support for Microsoft Azure Stack Hub (RFE-8303)

Copyright ©2022, Infoblox, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 4

Regenerating the Anycast Password (RFE-11117)

Viewing Lightweight Access Point Details in Network Insight

Displaying the Lead Secondary Column in Name Server Group

Support for creation_time for Host Records (RFE-8509)

Support for IB-V4015 on Red Hat OpenShift (RFE-11545)

Copyright ©2022, Infoblox, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 5

ACL Support for the Last Queried Time in DNS Scavenging

New Load Balancer to Add Persistence (RFE-6827)

New DNS Responses When No DNS Traffic Control Responses are

Consolidated Health Checking for DNS Traffic Control Grid Members

Copyright ©2022, Infoblox, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 6

IP Address in DHCP address conflict notification (RFE-5170)

New Cluster Logout Event in the Syslog File (RFE-9840)

WAPI Performance Optimization (RFE-9986)

Grid Backup Details in the Audit Log (RFE-9614)

Copyright ©2022, Infoblox, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 7

Single Network Interface of vNIOS for GCP (RFE-9995 and

Resolving CNAME and DNAME Chains in A and AAAA Alias Records

Resetting SNMP and CLI Credentials in Network Insight

Credential Grouping for Discovery Devices in Network Insight

Microsoft Server 2019 Support (RFE-10227)

Copyright ©2022, Infoblox, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 8

Adjustable Support Bundle Download Timeout

Support for New Vendors Using Advisor

Display of Source Device for Discovered Networks

Enabling DDNS Updates from IPv6-Only DHCP Members

DHCP Fingerprint Updates

Copyright ©2022, Infoblox, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 9

Understand NIOS and Infoblox terminology Glossary of Terms

Know the NIOS system requirements Support Matrix

Use NIOS through the CLI Using the NIOS CLI

Create NIOS reports Infoblox Reporting and Analytics

Grid Manager Icons

Icon Icon Name Description

Active User Indicates a user is active on the Microsoft server

Add Adds an object

Arrow (Down) Moves an object down in a list

Arrow (Up) Moves an object up in a list

Clear Clears specific data

Clock Displays a drop-down list for time

Copyright ©2022, Infoblox, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 10

Configure/Manage Configures or manages a specific function

Delete Deletes an object