Deploying the Free Trial: Part 4

In previous articles we've talked about deploying Micetro on Windows, importing IP information, and connecting to Windows DNS. Here we'll cover the second D in DDI, which is DHCP. Specifically we'll be focused on Windows DHCP and we'll cover other DHCP services in a future article. If you'd prefer to watch a video instead of read, please find this video available for your DHCP viewing pleasure.

Micetro offers both DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 (for Microsoft and Kea). One of the biggest benefits of using a DDI solution like Micetro is that you get the same operational experience no matter which underlying service you're using and this is especially helpful for DHCP as it may be coming from different places like wireless access points, routers, and of course dedicated servers. No matter which one you're using, or more likely a mix of several if you have a few locations, Micetro reduces the learning curve and makes it easy to create consistent DHCP scopes for better reliability and easier troubleshooting.

Deploying the Agent

Now, if you're following along in this series and you're in a Microsoft environment, you may not even need to deploy another agent. In a Microsoft shop, only one Micetro agent is necessary for the whole domain and that can be used as a proxy for multiple DNS and DHCP servers. Let's run through what the agent deployment looks like, though, in case you haven't deployed it yet.

The agent makes it possible for Micetro to connect to your server and creates a few configuration files, though it has a very small foot print.

1. Download the agent (controller) to the DHCP server itself (this may or may not be where Micetro is installed).
2. Double click it to start the install.
3. You need only pick the location for the install, but you can essentially just click Next all the way through and then Finish.

The whole install should take less than 30 seconds. Now, we'll go back to the Micetro Web UI.

Connecting to the Windows DHCP Server

Now you just need to add a new DHCP server in Micetro so that it can immediately populate your DHCP information in the Micetro UI.

1. In the Micetro web UI go to Admin >> Server Management
2. Click on Add DHCP Server
3. Enter the Name of the server
4. Enter an IP address or FQDN for the Server Address
5. Select Server Type to be Microsoft (in this case)
6. Toggle on or off the DHCPv6 button depending on whether you'd like to use DHCPv6 for your IPv6 environment
7. Toggle on or off the Agent-Free option. If you already have an agent you can toggle it on and the specify where that agent is already loaded. Leave it off if you're doing this for the first time or would prefer to use an agent.
8. Click Confirm

Note - there is some DHCP lease information that you won't get if you choose to go Agent-Free.

You should now see that you're connected to the DHCP server with a State of "OK."

Populating DHCP Information

You should see that you now have the DHCP information under the IPAM tab when you click on DHCP Scopes. This will be all the information contained within your DHCP servers already.

You may manually create new DHCP Scopes in Micetro as well as create scopes through the use of automation. If you're curious about creating scopes through the APIs check out our video here.

Try it out

There's a free trial available here. Let us know how you're doing with it and if you've run into any issues with which we can offer some assistance!