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 22282587.
You must also have at least read-only permission to a task-related object to add or hide the task in its task pac k. 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 Dashboard Tasks.

About 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 22282587 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 Tasks.
With valid licenses and proper registrations, Grid Manager displays the following task packs in the Tasks Dashboard:

• 22282587
• 22282587

The IPAM Task Pack

The IPAM task pack contains the following tasks:

• 22282587
• 22282587
• 22282587
• 22282587
• 22282587
• 22282587
• 22282587
• 22282587

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 About 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
22282587 lists the required licenses for viewing and performing IPAM tasks on the Tasks Dashboard.
Table 2.1 Required Licenses for IPAM Tasks

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 check box 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 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 check box 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 IPv4 Network Templates and About IPv6 Network Templates.
   • Use Active Directory Sites: This check box 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 About 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 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 About 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 Obtaining the Next Available.

• • 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 Using 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.
  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 check box is not selected.

2. Save the configuration.
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 About Extensible Attributes.
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 IP Map.
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:
   • 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 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 About 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 that are required are automatically displayed. Optional extensible attributes that are not inheritable are not automatically displayed. For more information about extensible attributes, see About Extensible Attributes.

2. Save the configuration. 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 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:
   • 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 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 About 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 About Extensible Attributes.

2. Save the configuration.
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 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 A 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 check box to disable the record. Clear the check box to enable it.
3. Click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see Using 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.

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.)
• DNS View: Displays the DNS view of the selected zone.
• 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 check box to disable the record without deleting its configuration. Clear the check box to enable the record.

2. Save the configuration, or click Next to define extensible attributes. For information about extensible attributes, see Using 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 enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.

Click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.

You can also add and modify other information about the CNAME record you just created. For more information about modifying the CNAME record, see Modifying, Disabling, and Deleting Host and Resource Records.

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: 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 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 SelectZone. When there are multiple zones, Grid Manager displays the ZoneSelector 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 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. 
• DNS View: Displays the DNS view of the selected zone.
• 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.
• 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.
• Disable: Select the check box to disable the record without deleting its configuration. Clear the check box to enable the record.

2. Save the configuration, or click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see About Extensible Attributes.
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 Scheduling Tasks.

3. Click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.

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: 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 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.
• DNS View: Displays the DNS view of the selected zone.
• 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 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.
• Mail Exchanger: Enter the fully qualified domain name of the mail exchanger.
• 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.

• Comment: Enter useful information about this record.
• Disable: Select the check box to disable the record without deleting its configuration. Clear the check box to enable the record.

2. Save the configuration, or click Next to define extensible attributes. For information, see About Extensible Attributes.

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 about scheduling tasks, see Scheduling Tasks.

3. Click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.

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 About CSV Import.

Enabling the NetMRI Tasks

The NetMRI Tasks pack requires the configuration, licensing and connection of an Infoblox NetMRI appliance to support automation tasks.
Should two superusers be 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.
You install the NetMRI appliance into the managed network, ensuring the appliance is reachable by the NIOS Grid Master. After this is accomplished, you 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.

Disabling NetMRI Tasks

Should you need to disable the NetMRI Tasks pack, do the following:

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 to support the NetMRI Tasks. This registration is done directly on the NIOS system. You need the admin account and password for the NetMRI appliance and its hostname or IP address.
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.
1. From the Dashboards tab, select the Tasks tab.
2. At the top right corner of the Automation Tasks panel, click the Configure 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 task pack.

b. Enter the Admin Password.
This information is specific to the Infoblox NetMRI appliance supporting the Automation tasks in NIOS.

4. Click Register to commit settings.

Note: After you successfully register a NetMRI appliance with NIOS, you can use the Ecosystem > Cisco ISE Endpoint feature without having to install the Network Insight license. This 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 Cisco ISE Integration.

After registration, the NetMRI Registration menu item changes to read NetMRI Deregistration to support disconnecting from the NetMRI appliance.
You can also start NetMRI from the NIOS Dashboards page.

1. From the Dashboard tab, select the Tasks tab.
2. In the Automation Tasks pane, click the down arrow gadget and select Launch NetMRI.

NetMRI launches in a new browser tab.

To check on script executions, go to Configuration Management –> Job Management side tab –> Scripts and check the Last Run column.
The NIOS Task Viewer (see 22282587) also provides the log history of automated jobs.

The NetMRI Task Pack

The NetMRI task pack contains the following tasks:

• 22282587
• 22282587
• 22282587
• 22282587
• 22282587

Depending on your administrative permissions, Grid Manager displays tasks you can access in specific task packs. You can configure your task packs by adding or hiding certain tasks.
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.

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:

• 22282587
• 22282587
• 22282587

Network Provisioning Task

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 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.
Required settings for provisioning a new network will show a red asterisk by the option name. 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 IPv4andIPv6.
3, To configure IPv4 provisioning.

a. Enter the Parent Network value (or click Select Network to choose the parent network from a list if using a Network View).
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.

4. To configure IPv6 provisioning:

a. Enter the Parent Network value (or click Select Network to choose the parent network from a list if using a Network View).
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. You can start NetMRI from the registered NetMRI appliance to check job execution.
1. In the Automation Tasks pane, click the down arrow gadget and select Launch TAE.
NetMRI will launch in a new browser tab. To check on script executions, go to Configuration Management –> Job Management side tab –> Job History and view details about provisioning jobs and other jobs that execute as a result of NIOS-based automation tasks.

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? check box 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. 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 automated 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? check box. (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 to commit settings.
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.

Using the Port Activation Automation Task

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.
7. Click Apply to commit settings.

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 to commit settings.

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.)
   

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   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.
   

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5. Choose the new VLAN value for port reassignment from the New VLAN drop-down list.
6. Click Move VLAN to commit settings.

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 Reassignments Task

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.

Provision Bare Metal Device

The Provision Bare Metal Device 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 Provision Bare Metal Device 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.
The Provision Bare Metal Device 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 remediation.

Using the Task Viewer to View Job Logs and Approve Jobs

You can view the logged results from any task run from the Automation Tasks dashboard through a pair of information pages, which are accessed through the Task Viewer window.
The Job History page provides a log history of all TAE tasks that have recently run, including all Automation Task types in the dashboard. A second page, Issues & Approvals, provides links to two important items: Issues, which displays details about any network issue related to TAE tasks and jobs in an Issue Viewer page from the NetMRI appliance, and Approvals, which 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.

1. From the Dashboards tab, select the Tasks tab.
2. In the Automation Tasks pane, click the down arrow gadget 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 TAE 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, click the link in the Action column. You will typically see two different link types: Issue Details or Approve Job.
   a. To view an issue in more detail: Clicking an Issue Details link displays the NetMRI appliance Job Details page in a new browser tab for the selected job.
   b. To approve a job: Clicking an Approve Job link displays the Summary page of the NetMRI Job Wizard, with an Approve Job button.
4. Click Close to close the Task Viewer.

In the NetMRI appliance, you can also check Configuration Management –> Job Management side tab –> Job History and view details about any jobs that execute as a result of NIOS-based automation tasks.