DNS and DHCP Management for Distributed Organizations
IP networks of the Web are numerous and ever-growing. It has become increasingly important to manage all related protocols and systems to avoid errors and failures.
Domain name system (DNS) and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) are two of the most important network services for the functioning of the internet. DNS translates domain names into IP addresses and DHCP is a configuration protocol used on IP networks. Hence, DNS and DHCP management are extremely essential.
DHCP and DNS management at a local level is generally taken care of by platforms like the BIND DNS or Microsoft AD. But larger organizations with multiple branches and thousands of IP addresses within their systems need to have dedicated centralized management of DNS, DHCP and IP addresses to avoid human errors. These DNS and DHCP solutions can be appliance-based, software-based or managed services-based. Since they pertain to the monitoring of DNS, DHCP and IP, they are also frequently called DDI services.
DNS and DHCP appliances usually provide a web based GUI (Graphical User Interface) through which administrators can control almost every aspect of their DNS, DHCP and IP address management services. They also give total redundancy and high availability at every level along with ability to integrate with a few other service platforms. Any kind of configurations or upgrades to a DNS or DHCP management system is done centrally across the network, minimizing downtime and ensuring uniformity. Most DHCP and DNS appliances provide the facility to share a common database for seamless integration between any two services.
In distributed systems administration of the DNS and DHCP appliances could either be centralized or split zone-wise, as per requirement and convenience. Managed DNS services provide the most effective overview of the network services and introduce a good level of redundancy and high availability. Multiple DNS appliances can be load-balanced to provide DNS services to clients. Automation and standardization of DHCP configurations across the network can be achieved using templates and other such tools.
It is the appliance-based DHCP and DNS management solutions that offer the highest level of security as compared to the other two methods of implementation. All ports, except the required ones, operate in stealth mode while applications are run in ‘jailed' mode, making access highly restricted. Appliance-based DNS management solutions also safeguard the DNS and DHCP services from attacks like Denial of Service and cache poisoning.
Domain name system (DNS) and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) are two of the most important network services for the functioning of the internet. DNS translates domain names into IP addresses and DHCP is a configuration protocol used on IP networks. Hence, DNS and DHCP management are extremely essential.
DHCP and DNS management at a local level is generally taken care of by platforms like the BIND DNS or Microsoft AD. But larger organizations with multiple branches and thousands of IP addresses within their systems need to have dedicated centralized management of DNS, DHCP and IP addresses to avoid human errors. These DNS and DHCP solutions can be appliance-based, software-based or managed services-based. Since they pertain to the monitoring of DNS, DHCP and IP, they are also frequently called DDI services.
DNS and DHCP appliances usually provide a web based GUI (Graphical User Interface) through which administrators can control almost every aspect of their DNS, DHCP and IP address management services. They also give total redundancy and high availability at every level along with ability to integrate with a few other service platforms. Any kind of configurations or upgrades to a DNS or DHCP management system is done centrally across the network, minimizing downtime and ensuring uniformity. Most DHCP and DNS appliances provide the facility to share a common database for seamless integration between any two services.
In distributed systems administration of the DNS and DHCP appliances could either be centralized or split zone-wise, as per requirement and convenience. Managed DNS services provide the most effective overview of the network services and introduce a good level of redundancy and high availability. Multiple DNS appliances can be load-balanced to provide DNS services to clients. Automation and standardization of DHCP configurations across the network can be achieved using templates and other such tools.
It is the appliance-based DHCP and DNS management solutions that offer the highest level of security as compared to the other two methods of implementation. All ports, except the required ones, operate in stealth mode while applications are run in ‘jailed' mode, making access highly restricted. Appliance-based DNS management solutions also safeguard the DNS and DHCP services from attacks like Denial of Service and cache poisoning.
