Discovery protocols can occupy significant resources within the network when discovery is taking place. While you can schedule any discovery or port control task for any single time period or recurring time period, you can also establish time periods when Network Insight does not talk to devices or networks for discovery.
You can define blackout settings at two levels in Grid Manager:

• Under Grid Discovery Properties, applying across the entire Grid;
  • All networks managed by the Grid inherit discovery blackout settings by default;
• For individual networks under IPAM and under DHCP.
  • A network must be Managed before you can edit its discovery blackout settings.
  • Under IPAM, you can define discovery blackout settings for Network Containers and for networks (for DHCP, you can also set blackouts for DHCP Ranges);
  • If a network is in Managed state, it can be edited under IPAM or under DHCP for discovery settings and discovery blackout settings.

Discovery tasks may already be running when a blackout period takes effect. Current tasks are not interrupted and will complete within their time. Network Insight does not activate new discovery tasks during the blackout period, however.

Defining Blackout Periods for the Grid

This procedure also covers defining port configuration blackout periods for the Grid. To define blackouts for the Grid:

1. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab, and click Edit –> Grid Discovery Properties.
   If you do not select an appliance from the list, the Grid Discovery Properties option remains enabled.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Edit –> Grid Discovery Properties.
3. Click the Blackout tab.
4. Select the Enable Discovery Blackout checkbox and click the Scheduling icon to open a separate scheduling window. The Blackout Scheduler dialog opens.
   1. Select how often you want to execute the blackout period. You can select Once, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.
   2. If you select Once, enter the day in the date picker and select a month from the drop-down list.
      • Enter a time in the hh:mm:ssAM/PM format. You can also select a time from the drop-down list.
      • Choose the Time Zone.
      • Specify the Duration: 1 or more Minutes, Hours or Days.
   3. If you select Daily, click either Every  Day or Every  Week day.
      • Enter a time in the hh:mm:ssAM/PM format. You can also select a time from the drop-down list.
      • Choose the Time Zone.
      • Specify the Duration: 1 or more Minutes, Hours or Days.
   4. If you select Weekly, complete the following:
      • Under Schedule  every  week  on:, select the checkbox for any day of the week.
      • Enter a time in the hh:mm:ssAM/PM format. You can choose a time from the drop-down list.
      • Choose the Time Zone.
      • Specify the Duration: 1 or more Minutes, Hours or Days.
   5. If you select Monthly, complete the following:
      • Schedule the day of the month: A discovery blackout can be executed monthly on a specific day, or instances can be executed more than one month apart on a specific day, in the Day every month(s) field.
      • Enter a time in the hh:mm:ssAM/PM format. You can choose a time from the drop-down list.
      • Choose the Time Zone.
      • Specify the Duration: 1 or more Minutes, Hours or Days.
5. If necessary, select the Enable Port Configuration Blackout checkbox and click the Scheduling icon to open the scheduling window. For more information, see Defining Port Configuration Blackout Periods.
6. Follow Steps 5a–5e to schedule the port configuration blackout for the Infoblox Grid. (For related information, see 26482401.)

   –or–
   Select the Use Discovery Blackout Schedule checkbox to apply the discovery blackout schedule to port configurations.

7. When you have finished configuring schedules for blackout periods, click Save & Close.

When a scheduled Grid-level blackout period goes into effect, no operations related to discovery take place for the specified time period across the Infoblox Grid. Any discovery tasks already in progress will run to completion but no new ones will start. 

Defining Blackout Periods for Networks

Network Insight offers considerable flexibility in how you apply blackout periods. You may choose to have discovery allowed for most managed networks but elect to have a discovery blackout for selected networks that are traffic- or latency-sensitive.
You can define extended time periods and regularly scheduled times when discovery and/or port configuration tasks is not in progress on a specific IPAM network or within a network container. By default, the network inherits its discovery blackout settings from the Grid level. Editing a network under IPAM or DHCP, blackout settings apply only to the specified network. You also specify the scheduled time when the blackout period begins and the duration of the blackout period.
As noted, a network must be in managed status before editing discovery or blackout features. To define a discovery blackout for a network under IPAM or DHCP:

1. Select a managed network from one of the following locations:
   1. Data Management –> IPAM –> list view
      –or–
   2. Data Management –> DHCP –> Networks
2. Click the Action icon next to the network you want (this automatically selects it) and select Edit from the menu. The Edit Network dialog appears.
   Action icon
   
3. Click the Discovery Blackout tab.
4. Click Override to change blackout settings for the chosen network.
5. Select the Enable Discovery Blackout checkbox and click the Scheduling icon to open a separate scheduling window. (Because the settings are inherited, Enable Discovery Blackout may or may not already be enabled.) The Blackout Scheduler dialog opens.
   1. Select how often you want to execute the blackout period. You can select Once, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.
   2. If you select Once, enter the day in the date picker and select a month from the drop-down list.
      1. Enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can also select a time from the drop-down list.
      2. Choose the TimeZone.
      3. Specify the Duration: 1 or more Minutes, Hours or Days.
   3. If you select Daily, click either Every Day or Every Weekday.
      1. Enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can also select a time from the drop-down list
      2. Choose the TimeZone.
      3. Specify the Duration: 1 or more Minutes, Hours or Days.
   4. If you select Weekly, complete the following:
      1. Under Schedule every week on: Select the checkbox for any day of the week.
      1. Enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can choose a time from the drop-down list.
      1. Choose the TimeZone.
      1. Specify the Duration: 1 or more Minutes, Hours or Days.
   5. If! you select Monthly, complete the following:
      • Schedule the day of the month: A discovery blackout can be executed monthly on a specific day, or instances can be executed more than one month apart on a specific day, in the Day every month(s) field.
      • Enter a time in the hh:mm:ss AM/PM format. You can choose a time from the drop-down list.
      • Choose the Time Zone.
      • Specify the Duration: 1 or more Minutes, Hours or Days.
6. If necessary, select the Enable Port Configuration Blackout checkbox and click the Scheduling icon to open the scheduling window. For information, see Defining Port Configuration Blackout Periods.
7. Follow Steps 5a–5e to schedule the port configuration blackout for the chosen network. (For related information, see Defining Port Configuration Blackouts for Networks)
   –or–
   Select the Use Discovery Blackout Schedule checkbox to apply the discovery blackout schedule defined for the network.
8. When you have finished configuring schedules for blackout periods for the network, click Save & Close.

When a scheduled blackout goes into effect, no operations related to discovery and/or port configuration take place for the specified time period on the selected network. Any related operations in progress will run to completion but no new ones will start.