IP address management can be defined broadly as encompassing three major interrelated functions:

• IP address inventory -- Obtaining and defining public and private IP address space and allocating the address space to locations, subnets, devices, address pools, and users on the network.



• Dynamic IP address services management --Defining the parameters associated with each address pool defined within the IP address space management function, appropriately configuring Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers to supply relevant IP addresses and parameters to requesting users, and effectively managing the capacity of address pools to assure that dynamic IP addresses are available for those who need them and are permitted to have them.



• IP name services management -- As devices are assigned IP addresses statically or dynamically, configuring appropriate Domain Name System (DNS) servers with address-to-name and name-to-address resource records so that end users may access hosts and/or applications by name (e.g., by URL) is critical. Managing name space and name services also requires proper design of the name space, configuration of other relevant DNS resource records, and many behavioral aspects of DNS as well.

Each of these functions is critical to the proper operation of an IP network. This white paper provides IT professionals with a guide for how to flawlessly execute the IP address management tasks that support these three critical functions and recommends 19 crucial best practices for simplifying the IP management process. These best practices are derived from the BT Diamond IP software division's leadership team's collective experience in the IP management space obtained through numerous implementations of IP management systems and interactions with end users and industry analysts. Many members of the team have also been active in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in evolving IP technology.