Infoblox inspired by iTunes for IP management

Infoblox claims that the graphical IP address maps in its latest IP management software were inspired by the likes of iTunes. The visual maps make it easier to see which network address ranges are used or available, the company said.

The software runs on Infoblox's hardware and software appliances. It tracks IPs dynamically, so as addresses are added and categorised or recategorised - for example, by user role, by office, or by country - the administrator views are automatically updated.

Brett Eldridge, the company's product management VP, said Infoblox developers had taken their lead from music classification software which allows users to list all the R&B tracks in their library, say, or all those by a specific artist.

"It provides a visual map of your address space, showing free and used ranges, and letting you drill in to see DHCP ranges, conflicts and so on," he said. "It can also monitor network utilisation and see which networks are running out of IPs, or list unmanaged devices."

He pointed out that IP address management with a visual network map and dynamic updates was far less error prone than manually updating a spreadsheet. It also provided an audit trail and easier detection of rogue devices, he said.

The management system is role-based, so each administrator has a customised dashboard that allows them to monitor and manage only those objects or views for which they or their role has permission. Users can also create bookmarks and dynamic folders to track the operations and data they're responsible for.

Speaking at the NetEvents industry summit in Barcelona, Eldridge said Infoblox has also extended its appliance's IPv6 capabilities. Administrators can now configure dual-stack hosts for IPv4-IPv6 transitions, and allocate, track and split/join IPv6 networks.

The new software is free for current customers on a maintenance contract, or $3,245 (around £2,250) if bought with a hardware appliance, the company said.