When Grid members are configured to manage Microsoft DHCP servers in read/write mode, you can use Grid Manager to view, edit and delete the DHCP data of those servers. You can add and manage networks and DHCP ranges that are synchronized as scopes to the Microsoft server, and add and manage reservations and superscopes. All updates are synchronized to the Microsoft servers at regular intervals.
Grid Manager also allows you to set admin permissions, extensible attributes, and thresholds. These apply only when the DHCP data is managed on Grid Manager. These properties are not synchronized to Microsoft servers.
The following sections provide guidelines for managing Microsoft DHCP data from Grid Manager:

• Adding and Managing Scopes
• Adding Fixed Addresses/Microsoft Reservations
• About Superscopes

Adding and Managing Scopes

To add a scope from Grid Manager, you must create an IPv4 network and a DHCP range, and then assign the Microsoft server to the network and range. To add a split-scope from Grid Manager, you must create an IPv4 network and a DHCP range, and then assign two Microsoft server to the network and range.
To edit a scope synchronized from a Microsoft server, you must edit the properties of its corresponding DHCP range. The following sections describe how to add, edit and remove scopes using Grid Manager.

Adding Networks for Scopes

Following are guidelines for adding a network for Microsoft scopes:

• The network must be served by Microsoft servers. It cannot be served by a mix of Microsoft and Infoblox DHCP servers.
• If you are adding a split-scope, you must assign the network to two Microsoft servers that serve the split-scope. A split-scope cannot be served by a mix of Microsoft and Infoblox DHCP servers.
• The network can contain only one DHCP range per Microsoft server. It can contain multiple DHCP ranges as long as they do not overlap and are each served by a different Microsoft server.
• You can set DHCP properties at the DHCP range level only, not the network level.

You can run discoveries on networks served by Microsoft servers. For information about network discoveries, see IP Discovery and vDiscovery.

You can create a network from scratch or use a network template. For information about creating network templates, see Adding IPv4 Network Templates. To add an IPv4 network for a scope:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab.
2. If you have more than one network view in the system, select the network view in which you want to add the network. It must be the same network view to which the Microsoft server is assigned.
3. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Network.
4. In the Add Network wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
   • Add Network
     or
   • Add Network using Template: Click Select Template and select a network template. For more information, see About IPv4 Network Templates. In the DHCP Network Template Selector dialog box, select the template you want to use and click the Select icon. Note that when you use a template to create a network, the configurations of the template apply to the new network. The appliance populates the template properties in the wizard when you click Next. You can then edit the pre-populated properties, except for Netmask.
5. Complete the following and click Next:
   • Address: Enter the IP address of the network. You can enter the IP address with a CIDR block. For example, enter 10.0.0.0/24, and the netmask slider adjusts the netmask to /24. You can also enter partial IP address with a CIDR block. When you are done, Grid Manager displays the complete IP address with the CIDR block. For example, when you enter 15/24, Grid Manager displays 15.0.0.0/24 and the netmask slider adjusts the netmask to /24. Note that Microsoft DHCP servers do not support /32 subnets.
   • Netmask: Use the netmask slider to select the appropriate number of subnet mask bits for the network. Microsoft servers support /1 to /31 netmasks. Note that when you use a template that contains a fixed netmask, you cannot adjust the netmask for this network.
   • Comment: Enter additional information about the network, such as the name of the organization it serves.
   • Automatically create reverse-mapping zone in view: This function is enabled if the netmask of the network equals /8, /16, or /24. Select this to have the appliance automatically create reverse-mapping zones for the network. A reverse-mapping zone is an area of network space for which one or more name servers have the responsibility for responding to address-to-name queries. These zones are created in the DNS view assigned to receive dynamic DNS updates at the network view level.
   • Disabled: This option does not apply to networks assigned to Microsoft servers. The member ignores this field when the network is assigned to Microsoft servers. You can disable DHCP ranges assigned to Microsoft servers, but not networks.
6. Click Next to add Microsoft servers as DHCP servers for the network. Click the Add icon and select the following:
   • Add Microsoft Server: Select the Microsoft server from the Microsoft Server Selector dialog box. You can add multiple Microsoft servers, if you are adding multiple DHCP ranges served by different Microsoft servers. For a split-scope, you must assign two Microsoft servers to the network.
7. Click Next to enter values for required extensible attributes or add optional extensible attributes. For information, see About Extensible Attributes.
8. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.
   or
   Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.

Setting Network Properties

You can change the Microsoft servers assigned to the network, and define extensible attributes and admin permissions to the network. You can also set thresholds for the network, to enable the appliance to make a syslog entry when address usage goes above or below the thresholds.
To set network properties:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The Network editor contains the following basic tabs from which you can modify data:

• • General Basic: You can enter or modify comments.
  • Member Assignment: Add or delete Microsoft servers. For information, see Adding IPv4 Networks. If the network contains multiple DHCP ranges each managed by a different Microsoft server, then you can add those Microsoft servers here.
  • Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a specific network. You can also modify the values of the extensible attributes. For information, see About Extensible Attributes.
  • Permissions: This tab appears only if you belong to a superuser admin group. For information, see Managing Permissions.

3. Optionally, you can click Toggle Expert Mode to display the following tabs from which you can modify advanced data.

1. • General Advanced: You can associate zones with a network. For information, see Associating Networks with Zones.
   • Thresholds: These watermarks represent thresholds above or below which address usage is unexpected and might warrant your attention. Thresholds are inherited from the Grid.
     • High-water Mark: Enter a number between 0 and 100. If the percentage of allocated addresses in a DHCP range exceeds this number, the appliance makes a syslog entry. The default is 95.
     • Low-water Mark: Enter a number between 0 and 100. If the percentage of allocated addresses in a DHCP range drops below this number, the appliance makes a syslog entry. The default is 0. Address usage must initially exceed the low-water mark threshold and then dip below it before the appliance considers low address usage an event requiring an alert.
2. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.
   or

• • Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.

Deleting and Restoring a Network

When you delete a network, Grid Manager moves it and its DHCP ranges and fixed addresses to the Recycle Bin, and permanently deletes its leases. The corresponding scopes and reservations are deleted from the Microsoft server at the next synchronization. If you restore the network on Grid Manager, its DHCP ranges and fixed addresses are restored as well. The Grid member then adds the corresponding scopes and reservations to the Microsoft server on the next synchronization. For information about deleting networks, see Deleting IPv4 Networks. For information about restoring data, see Using the Recycle Bin.

Adding a DHCP Range/Scope

After you add a network for a scope, you must then define its DHCP range. You can create the DHCP range from scratch or use a DHCP Range template. For information about DHCP templates, see About IPv4 Range Templates.
You can add multiple ranges to the same network, as long as each range is served by a different Microsoft server and the ranges do not overlap.
When you add a split-scope, you must specify the Microsoft servers that serve the scopes and their exclusion ranges. Each scope inherits its options from its respective Microsoft server. Note that the enabled/disabled setting of the first range automatically applies to the second range. Therefore, if the first range is initially disabled, then the second range is initially disabled as well.
To add a DHCP range for a scope:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab.
2. Navigate to the network to which you want to add a DHCP range, and then click Add -> DHCP Range from the Toolbar. You can also add a DHCP range from any panel in the DHCP tab.
3. In the Add Range wizard, select one of the following and click Next:

• • Add DHCP Range
    or
  • Add DHCP Range using Template

Click Select Template and select the template that you want to use. Note that when you use a template to create a DHCP range, the configurations of the template apply to the new range. The appliance automatically populates the DHCP range properties in the wizard. You can then edit the pre-populated properties.

4. Complete the following:

1. • Network: Click Select Network to select the network to which you want to add the DHCP range. The network must be served by a Microsoft server. If you are adding a DHCP range while viewing the contents of a specific network, the appliance displays the network address here. You can still select a different network by clicking Select Network.
   • Start: Enter the first IP address in the range.
   • End: Enter the last IP address in the range.
   • Name: You can enter a name for the DHCP range.
   • Comment: You can enter additional information. After the range is synchronized to the Microsoft server as a scope, this text appears in the Description field of the scope on the Microsoft server.
   • Disable for DHCP: Select this if you do not want the DHCP server to allocate IP addresses from this DHCP range at this time. If you select this, the Grid member synchronizes the range to the Microsoft server as an inactive scope.

5. Click Next and select one of the following to provide DHCP services for the DHCP range:

None: Select this if you do not want to synchronize this range to the Microsoft DHCP server.

Microsoft Server: This field displays the Microsoft server that you selected for the network. If several servers were assigned to the network, you can select one from the list.

• • Microsoft Split-Scope: Select this to create a split-scope, and then complete the following:
  • Microsoft Server #1: Read-only field that displays the Microsoft server that you specified in the preceding step.
  • Microsoft Server #2: Select the Microsoft server that will serve the split-scope.
  • Split Percentage: Specify the percentage of IP addresses in the scope that is allocated to the exclusion range of each Microsoft server. The default is 50%. You can either move the slider or enter the percentages in the text fields. When you use the slider, you are specifying the percentage of addresses in the exclusion range of the first server. A tooltip window displays the percentage as you adjust the slider. When you set the slider, the Split Percentage, Exclusion Starting Address, and Exclusion Ending Address fields are updated accordingly.
  • Exclusion Starting Address: When you set the split percentages, these fields automatically displays the starting address of the exclusion range of each Microsoft server. Alternatively, you can enter the starting address of the exclusion range of the first Microsoft server, and the Split Percentage and Exclusion Ending Address values adjust accordingly.
  • Exclusion Ending Range: When you set the split percentage, these fields automatically display the ending address of the exclusion range of each Microsoft server. Alternatively, you can enter the ending address of the exclusion range of the second Microsoft server, and the Split Percentage and Exclusion Starting Address values adjust accordingly.

6. Click Next, and optionally set operational parameters for the scope. Otherwise, the scope inherits its parameters from the first Microsoft DHCP server.

• Lease Time: Specify the lease time. The default is 8 days. When the range is served by a Microsoft server and you enter a lease time of 1000 days or more, Grid Manager automatically grays out this field and checks the Unlimited Lease Time option after you save your entries.
  • Unlimited Lease Time: Select this option to set an infinite lease time for the IP addresses leased from this range.
  • Routers: In the table, enter the IP address of the router that is connected to the same network as the DHCP clients. Click the Add icon to add more routers.
  • Domain Name: Enter the name of the domain for which the Microsoft server serves DHCP data. The DHCP server includes this domain name in Option 15 when it responds with a DHCPOFFER packet to a DHCPDISCOVER packet from a client.
  • DNS Servers: In the table, enter the IP address of the DNS server to which the DHCP clients send name resolution requests. The DHCP server includes this information in the DHCPOFFER and DHCPACK messages.
  • Broadcast Address: Enter the broadcast IP address of the network to which the DHCP server is attached.

7. Click Next to enter values for required extensible attributes or add optional extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.

8. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.

or

Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.

Setting DHCP Range/Scope Properties

A Microsoft scope inherits its properties from its Microsoft server. In Grid Manager, you can override the inherited values or set other properties by editing the DHCP range. You can also configure an exclusion range within the scope and set thresholds, to enable the appliance to make a syslog entry when address usage goes above or below the thresholds.
You can modify a scope's properties, including its start and end addresses, servers, and exclusion ranges. If you edit the properties of a split-scope and it results in gaps or overlapping exclusion ranges so that the ranges are no longer identical, Grid Manager displays a warning indicating that continuing with the operation automatically removes the split-scope flag. Grid Manager also removes the flag when the start or end address of a scope changes, so its range is no longer the same.
To set DHCP range properties:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network -> addr_range checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The DHCP Range editor contains the following basic tabs from which you can modify data:
   • General: Modify the fields, including the start and end addresses, as described in Adding a DHCP Range/Scope.
   • Server Assignment: Switch to None or select a different Microsoft server for the DHCP range.
   • IPv4 DHCP Options: Keep the DHCP properties or override them and enter unique settings for the DHCP range. For information about the fields, see Adding a DHCP Range/Scope.
     This tab displays DHCP and Microsoft vendor options that were synchronized from the Microsoft server. You can edit any of the options. When you select a different User Class or Vendor Class from the drop-down menus, Grid Manager automatically updates the option definitions in the drop-down list.
     To configure additional DHCP options, click + and select a User Class and Vendor Class from the drop-down menus. Select an option from the drop-down list, and enter a value in the field beside it. You can click - to remove an option.
   • Extensible Attributes: You can add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a specific DHCP range. You can also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.
   • Permissions: This tab appears only if you belong to a superuser admin group. For information, see Managing Permissions.

3. Optionally, you can click Toggle Expert Mode to display the following tabs from which you can modify advanced data.

1. • DDNS: Complete the following to set DDNS parameters for the range:
     • Enable DDNS Updates: Click the checkbox to enable the Microsoft DHCP server to send dynamic DNS updates or clear the checkbox to disable this function.
     • Option 81 Support
       DHCP Server Updates DNS If Requested by Client: The DHCP server updates DNS only if it is requested by the client. Otherwise, the client updates DNS.
       DHCP Server Always Updates DNS: The DHCP server always updates DNS, regardless of any client request.

• • Exclusion Ranges: Configure a range of IP addresses that the server does not use to assign to clients. You can use these exclusion addresses as static IP addresses. For information, see Configuring IPv4 Fixed Addresses. In a split-scope, the exclusion range identifies the range of IP addresses that the other Microsoft server serves. If you edit the exclusion range of either of the scopes in a split-scope and the exclusion ranges no longer complement each other, NIOS removes the split-scope flag from both scopes.
  • Thresholds: Thresholds are inherited from the Grid. These watermarks represent thresholds above or below which address usage is unexpected and might warrant your attention.
    • High-wate rMark: Enter a number between 0 and 100. If the percentage of allocated addresses in a DHCP range exceeds this number, the appliance makes a syslog entry. The default is 95.
    • Low-water Mark: Enter a number between 0 and 100. If the percentage of allocated addresses in a DHCP range drops below this number, the appliance makes a syslog entry. The default is 0. Address usage must initially exceed the low-water mark threshold and then dip below it before the appliance considers low address usage an event requiring an alert.

4. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.

   or

1. • Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.

Deleting and Restoring a DHCP Range/Scope

When you delete a DHCP range, Grid Manager moves it and its exclusion range and fixed addresses to the Recycle Bin, and permanently deletes its leases. At the next synchronization, the member deletes the scope, its exclusion range and reservations from the Microsoft server. If you restore a DHCP range on Grid Manager, then the Grid member adds its corresponding scope, exclusion range and reservations to the Microsoft server at the next synchronization. For information about deleting DHCP ranges, see Deleting IPv4 Address Ranges. For information about restoring data, see Using the Recycle Bin.
If you delete a scope that is part of a split-scope, Grid Manager automatically removes the split-scope flag from the remaining scope.

Viewing Scopes

To view the scopes in a network, navigate to DHCP -> Networks -> network. The panel displays the objects in the network, including the scopes and split-scopes. For split-scopes, the panel displays both scopes with the same start and end address. It displays the following information about each object:

• IP Address: The IP address of the DHCP object. For a scope, this field displays the start and end addresses of the scope. Note that the appliance highlights all disabled DHCP objects in gray.
• Split-Scope: Displays Yes if the scope is a split-scope.
• MS Server: Displays the Microsoft server that is serving the scope.
• Type: The DHCP object type, such as DHCP Range or Fixed Address.
• Name: The object name. For example, if the IP address belongs to a host record, this field displays the hostname.
• Comment: The information you entered for the object.
• IPv4 DHCP Utilization: The percentage of the total DHCP usage of a DHCP range. This is the percentage of the total number of fixed addresses, reservations, hosts, and active leases in the DHCP range divided by the total IP addresses in the range, excluding the number of addresses in the exclusion ranges. Note that only enabled objects are included in the calculation.
• Site: The site to which the DHCP object belongs. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.

You can select the following additional columns for display:

• Static Addresses: Indicates whether the IP address is a static address.
• Dynamic Addresses: Indicates whether the IP address is a dynamically assigned address.
• Disabled: Indicates whether the object is disabled.
• Priority: Displays the priority of a DHCP range when NAC filters are applied.
• Available extensible attributes.

You can also do the following in this panel:

• Sort the displayed data in ascending or descending order by column.
• Click Go to IPAM View to view information about the object in the IPAM tab.
• Add new objects, such as DHCP ranges, to the network.
• Delete or schedule the deletion of a selected object or multiple objects.
• Use filters and the Go to function to narrow down the list. With the autocomplete feature, you can just enter the first few characters of an object name in the Go to field and select the object from the possible matches.
• Create a quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria. For information, see Using Quick Filters.
• Print or export the data.

You can also view the scopes in the IP Map.

Adding Fixed Addresses/Microsoft Reservations

To add a reservation from Grid Manager, add a fixed address and Grid Manager synchronizes it to the Microsoft server as a reservation. You can create fixed addresses from scratch or use fixed address templates. For information about fixed address templates, see Adding IPv4 Fixed Address/Reservation Templates.
To add a fixed address:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab.
2. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Fixed Address.
3. In the Add Fixed Address wizard, select one of the following and click Next:
   • Add Fixed Address
     or
   • Add Fixed Address using Template
     Click Select Template and select the template that you want to use.

4. Complete the following:

1. • Network: Click Select Network to select the network to which you want to add the fixed address. If you are adding the fixed address from a specific network, the appliance displays the network address here. You can still select a different network by clicking Select Network.
   • IP Address: Enter the IPv4 address for the fixed address, or click Next Available IP to obtain the next available IP address.
   • MAC Address: Enter the MAC address of the host.
   • Name: Enter a name for the fixed address. This is required for reservations on Microsoft servers.
   • Configure On:
     None: Select this if you do not want this synchronized to the Microsoft server.
     Microsoft Server: Select the Microsoft server that serves this fixed address. 
   • Comment: Optionally, enter additional information. The text in this field appears in the Description field of the Microsoft reservation after the fixed address is synchronized. Note that due to a length limit set by the Microsoft DHCP server, after you synchronize DHCP data, the Description field can display only up to 128 characters even though NIOS allows up to 256 characters for this field.

5. Click Next, and optionally set operational parameters for the fixed address. Otherwise, the fixed address inherits its parameters from its scope.

1. • Routers: In the table, enter the IP address of the router that is connected to the same network as the DHCP client. Click the Add icon to add more routers.
   • Domain Name: Enter the name of the domain for which the Microsoft DHCP serves DHCP data. The DHCP server includes this domain name in Option 15 when it responds with a DHCPOFFER packet to a DHCPDISCOVER packet from a client.
   • DNS Servers: In the table, enter the IP address of the DNS server to which the DHCP client sends name resolution requests. The DHCP server includes this information in the DHCPOFFER and DHCPACK messages.
   • Broadcast Address: Enter the broadcast IP address of the network to which the DHCP server is attached.

6. Click Next to enter values for required extensible attributes or add optional extensible attributes. For information, see Using Extensible Attributes.

7. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.

or

1. • Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.

Setting Fixed Address/Reservation Properties

Microsoft reservations inherit their properties from their scopes. In Grid Manager, you can override the inherited values or set other properties of a Microsoft reservation, by editing its fixed address.
To modify a fixed address:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Networks -> network -> fixed_address checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The Fixed Address editor contains the following basic tabs from which you can enter data:
   • General: You can modify the fields described in Adding Fixed Addresses/Microsoft Reservations.
   • IPv4 DHCP Options: Keep the inherited properties, or override them and enter unique settings.
     This section displays DHCP and Microsoft vendor options that were synchronized from the Microsoft server. You can edit any of the options. When you select a different User Class or Vendor Class from the drop-down menus, Grid Manager automatically updates the option definitions in the drop-down list.
     To configure additional DHCP options, click + and select a User Class and Vendor Class from the drop-down menus. Select an option from the drop-down list, and enter a value in the field beside it. You can click - to remove an option.
   • Discovered Data: If you ran a discovery on the network, Grid Manager displays the discovered data of the fixed address. For information, see Viewing Discovered Data. Note that conflicts can occur when discovered data does not match the existing IP address data. For information about resolving these conflicts, see Resolving Conflicting Addresses.
   • Extensible Attributes: Add and delete extensible attributes that are associated with a specific network. You can also modify the values of extensible attributes. For information, see Managing Extensible Attributes.
   • Permissions: This tab appears only if you belong to a superuser admin group. For information, see About Administrative Permissions.

3. Optionally, you can click Toggle Expert Mode to display the DDNS tab. To set DDNS parameters for the fixed address, complete the following:

• • Enable DDNS Updates: Click the checkbox to enable the Microsoft DHCP server to send dynamic DNS updates or clear the checkbox to disable this function.
  • Option 81 Support
  • DHCP Server Updates DNS If Requested by Client: The DHCP server updates DNS only if it is requested by the client. Otherwise, the client updates DNS.
  • DHCP Server Always Updates DNS: The DHCP server always updates DNS, regardless of any client request.

4. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.

or

1. • Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks.

Deleting and Restoring a Fixed Address/Reservation

When you delete a fixed address, Grid Manager moves it to the Recycle Bin. At the next synchronization, the Grid member deletes its corresponding reservation from the Microsoft server. If you restore fixed address, then the Grid member adds its corresponding reservation to the Microsoft server at the next synchronization. For information about deleting fixed addresses, see Deleting Fixed Addresses. For information about restoring data, see Using the Recycle Bin.

About Superscopes

In Grid Manager, you can group DHCP ranges served by Microsoft servers into a superscope. You can add multiple DHCP ranges to a superscope, as long as the ranges are all served by the same Microsoft DHCP server. The Grid member then synchronizes the superscope and its associated DHCP ranges as superscopes and scopes to the Microsoft DHCP server.
You can also associate extensible attributes with superscopes in Grid Manager. Extensible attributes are not synchronized to the Microsoft DHCP server.
Only admins with read/write permission to superscopes can add and manage superscopes.

Adding Superscopes

Before you add a superscope, you must first create at least one DHCP range to include in the superscope. To add a superscope:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab.
2. If you have more than one network view in the system, select the network view in which you want to add the superscope. The network view must be the same one that is assigned to the Microsoft server.
3. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Superscope.
4. In the Add Superscope wizard, complete the following and click Next:
   • Name: Enter a name for the superscope.
   • Comment: Optionally, enter additional information about the superscope.
   • Disabled: Select this to disable the DHCP ranges in the superscope. They are then synchronized as inactive scopes on the Microsoft server.
5. Click the Add icon and select a range from the Select Range dialog box. This dialog box lists only the address ranges that are served by a Microsoft server.
6. Click Next to enter values for required extensible attributes or add optional extensible attributes. For information, see Managing Extensible Attributes.
7. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.
   or

• Click the Schedule icon at the top of the wizard to schedule this task. In the Schedule Change panel, enter a date, time, and time zone. For information, see Scheduling Tasks .

Viewing Superscopes

To view superscopes, navigate to the Data Management tab -> DHCP tab -> Networks tab -> Microsoft Superscopes. Grid Manager displays the following information about each superscope that is displayed:

• Name: The name of the superscope. Grid Manager appends the FQDN of its associated Microsoft server so you can identify which superscope belongs to which server.
• Comment: The comment that was entered for the superscope.
• DHCP Utilization: The percentage of the total DHCP usage of the ranges in the superscope. Fixed addresses and reservations that are outside of a range are excluded from the calculation.
• Site: The site of the superscope. This is one of the predefined extensible attributes.

You can add the following columns for viewing:

• Static Addresses: The number of static addresses.
• Dynamic Addresses: The number of dynamic addresses.
• Disabled: Indicates whether the superscope is enabled.

You can do the following in this section:

• Click the link of a superscope to list its address ranges.
• Add a superscope.
• Modify some of the data in the table. Double click a row of data, and either edit the data in the field or select an item from a drop-down list. Note that some fields are read-only. For more information about this feature, see Modifying Data in Tables.
• Use filters and the Go to function to narrow down the list. With the autocomplete feature, you can just enter the first few characters of an object name in the Go to field and select the object from the possible matches.
• Create a quick filter to save frequently used filter criteria. For information, see Using Quick Filters.
• Print or export the information in this section.
• Delete a superscope.

Modifying Superscopes

To modify a superscope:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Network tab -> Microsoft Superscopes -> ms_superscope checkbox, and then click the Edit icon.
2. The Superscopes editor contains the following tabs from which you can modify data:
   • General: You can modify the name and comment, and enable or disable the superscope. You can also add and delete address ranges from the superscope. Note that when you delete the last DHCP range in a superscope, Grid Manager automatically deletes the superscope as well.
   • Extensible Attributes: Define extensible attributes for the superscope. These apply only when the superscope is managed in Grid Manager. For information, see Managing Extensible Attributes.
   • Permissions: Define administrative permissions that apply to the superscope when it is managed in Grid Manager. For information see About Administrative Permissions.
3. Save the configuration and click Restart if it appears at the top of the screen.

Deleting Superscopes

When you delete a superscope in Grid Manager, it is permanently deleted from the database. The superscope is deleted from the Microsoft server at the next synchronization. Note that deleting a superscope does not delete the DHCP ranges in the superscope. These are retained in the database.
To delete a superscope:

1. From the Data Management tab, select the DHCP tab -> Network tab -> Microsoft Superscopes -> ms_superscope checkbox, and then click the Delete icon.
2. Click Yes when the confirmation dialog appears.

Synchronizing Updates

A Grid member synchronizes DHCP data with each of its managed Microsoft server at regular intervals. During each synchronization, updates from Grid Manager are applied to the Microsoft server and updates from the Microsoft server are applied to the Grid as well.
Because admins can update DHCP data from both the Microsoft server and from Grid Manager, conflicts can occur during synchronization. The following guidelines describe how the Grid member resolves conflicts and handles any differences when DHCP data is synchronized between a Microsoft server and the Grid.

• If a Microsoft server admin modifies an object that has a pending scheduled task in Grid Manager and synchronization occurs before the scheduled task, the object is modified in both the Microsoft server and the Grid member. When the scheduled task executes at its scheduled time, it fails and an error message is logged in the audit log.
• When a Microsoft server admin and a Grid Manager admin change the same object, the Grid member retains the version that exists on the Microsoft server. Following are some examples:

Table 36.2

• If a Grid member manages multiple Microsoft servers, it can synchronize scopes to the same network as long as they are served by different Microsoft servers and they do not overlap. If the Microsoft servers have scopes that overlap, the Grid member synchronizes only one of the scopes, including its reservations. It does not synchronize the other scopes and logs an error message for each scope that is not synchronized. For information about the Microsoft logs, see Viewing Synchronization Logs.
  Note that a Grid member can synchronize scopes with overlapping reservations because they are served by different Microsoft servers.
• When a Grid member synchronizes a split-scope to its respective Microsoft servers, the scopes use the default value for the DHCP Offer Delay value, since this property is not supported by NIOS.
• If you create a split-scope on a NIOS appliance, synchronization fails if there is an existing scope in the same network on one of the Microsoft servers. Only one scope is allowed in a network, per Microsoft server.
• If a Microsoft admin adds a DHCP range and a NIOS admin is in the process of adding the same range when a synchronization occurs, the NIOS admin will not be able to save the range after the synchronization. Grid Manager will display an error message indicating that the range already exists.
• If both a NIOS admin and a Microsoft admin create a scope or split-scope and conflicts occur, the Microsoft server always takes precedence. All conflicts are logged to the Microsoft log. Following are some examples:
  • If the NIOS admin creates a scope and a Microsoft server admin creates a split-scope for the same DHCP range, the split-scope is synchronized to Grid Manager.
  • If the NIOS admin creates a split-scope on Microsoft servers 1 and 2, and a Microsoft admin creates the same split-scope on Microsoft servers 1 and 3 but with different exclusion ranges, the scope created by the NIOS admin on Microsoft server 1 is dropped upon synchronization.
  • If the NIOS admin creates a split-scope on Microsoft servers 1 and 2, and a Microsoft admin creates the same split-scope on the same Microsoft servers but with different exclusion ranges, the split-scope created by the Microsoft admin is synchronized to NIOS and retained. The split-scope created by the NIOS admin is dropped.