Infoblox FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
The following are FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) regarding the new Infoblox DNS/DHCP service.
General:
General:
What is 'Infoblox'?
The infoblox appliance fills 3 different roles within the campus network:
What administrative functions does the Infoblox provide?
The Infoblox allows delegated administration of campus DHCP and DNS services by departmental administrators. By logging into the Infoblox, admins can manage all aspects of the DNS and DHCP services for their department's VLANs and sub-domains.
How does the Infoblox work with regards to DHCP?
The Infoblox server replaces NetID as the administrative interface to the DHCP service. Unlike NetID, the infoblox also acts as the primary DHCP server for the campus (Infoblox serves the actual leases). The Infoblox allows configuration of dynamic ranges and fixed hosts with range/host-specific settings (such as DNS servers, gateways, lease timers, MAC access lists, DHCP custom options, etc) similar to NetID.
How does the Infoblox work with regards to DNS?
In addition to serving as the administrative interface to the DNS, the Infoblox acts as the DNS master for ucdavis.edu and a number of other zones. This means that the configuration on the infoblox server propagates to the primary campus name servers (such as 169.237.1.250, and 169.237.250.250), which are responsible for replying to actual DNS queries from hosts. Campus admins will be able to configure resource records for any sub-domain owned by their department. Records in the upper level ucdavis.edu zone (such as www.ucdavis.edu) will continue to be maintained by the campus hostclerk(hostclerk@ucdavis.edu).
My VLANs are behind a departmental firewall and I use campus DHCP, are there changes I need to make?
Yes! In order for the DHCP requests on your subnet to make it to the Infoblox, you will need to update your DHCP relay address to 169.237.160.1 (most likely set to 169.237.250.250 currently). If you are not using campus DHCP on your VLANs, no changes are necessary.
Do I need to change the DNS configuration on my hosts?
No. The primary campus name servers (internal and external) will remain at the same IP addresses. The Infoblox is replacing the current DNS master server only, and operates 'behind the scenes'.
Accessing Infoblox:
How do I request an Infoblox user account?
For an Infoblox account, please email noc@ucdavis.edu and request access. Please provide your campus login name, phone number, email address, and a list of subnets/sub-domains you will need access to.
How do I access Infoblox?
Open a Web browser and navigate to http://infoblox.ucdavis.edu. Enter your campus computing account information in the login and password fields.
What do I do if I am unable to view/manage a subnet or other resource that I am responsible for in Infoblox?
Please contact noc@ucdavis.edu and note the subnet or resource that you should have access to. Please also note whether or not you currently have access to the resource in NetID.
Managing Infoblox:
How do I manage my networks/DNS records with Infoblox?
The complete Infoblox user guide is available here. UC Davis-specific instructions are in the works, and should be available shortly.
DNS Questions:
Can I have administrative access to my DNS sub-domains prior to the Infoblox cutover?
It is unlikely that permission changes to DNS sub-domains will persist through the data re-import in phase 2 of the cutover (outlined above). As such, it is suggested that focus be placed on verifying DHCP settings during the initial phase. Administrative access to DNS sub-domains can be granted for evaluation purposes, but it will likely be necessary to request this access again once the Infoblox goes 'live.'
What types of DNS records are supported by Infoblox?
The Infoblox GUI currently supports management of: NS, A, AAAA, CNAME, DNAME, MX, SRV, TXT, and PTR records.
Will reverse delegation for networks with longer than a /24 netmask be possible?
Yes, reverse delegation for non-classful networks is supported via RFC 2317 style prefixes. Please contact the campus hostclerk (hostclerk@ucdavis.edu) once the Infoblox migration is complete (early September) for assistance.
Quick Links to Questions and Answers
General:
- What is 'Infoblox'?
- What administrative functions does the Infoblox provide?
- How does the Infoblox work with regards to DHCP?
- How does the Infoblox work with regards to DNS?
- How do I request an Infoblox user account?
- How do I access the Infoblox?
- What do I do if I am unable to view/manage a subnet or other resource that I am responsible for in Infoblox?
- Can I have administrative access to my DNS sub-domains prior to the Infoblox cutover?
- What types of DNS records are supported by Infoblox?
- Will reverse delegation for networks with longer than a /24 netmask be possible?
Questions and Answers
General:
What is 'Infoblox'?
The infoblox appliance fills 3 different roles within the campus network:
- Infoblox acts as the administrative interface to the campus DNS and DHCP services.
- The Infoblox acts as the primary DHCP server for the campus.
- The Infoblox acts as the DNS master for ucdavis.edu and a number of other zones.
What administrative functions does the Infoblox provide?
The Infoblox allows delegated administration of campus DHCP and DNS services by departmental administrators. By logging into the Infoblox, admins can manage all aspects of the DNS and DHCP services for their department's VLANs and sub-domains.
How does the Infoblox work with regards to DHCP?
The Infoblox server replaces NetID as the administrative interface to the DHCP service. Unlike NetID, the infoblox also acts as the primary DHCP server for the campus (Infoblox serves the actual leases). The Infoblox allows configuration of dynamic ranges and fixed hosts with range/host-specific settings (such as DNS servers, gateways, lease timers, MAC access lists, DHCP custom options, etc) similar to NetID.
How does the Infoblox work with regards to DNS?
In addition to serving as the administrative interface to the DNS, the Infoblox acts as the DNS master for ucdavis.edu and a number of other zones. This means that the configuration on the infoblox server propagates to the primary campus name servers (such as 169.237.1.250, and 169.237.250.250), which are responsible for replying to actual DNS queries from hosts. Campus admins will be able to configure resource records for any sub-domain owned by their department. Records in the upper level ucdavis.edu zone (such as www.ucdavis.edu) will continue to be maintained by the campus hostclerk(hostclerk@ucdavis.edu).
My VLANs are behind a departmental firewall and I use campus DHCP, are there changes I need to make?
Yes! In order for the DHCP requests on your subnet to make it to the Infoblox, you will need to update your DHCP relay address to 169.237.160.1 (most likely set to 169.237.250.250 currently). If you are not using campus DHCP on your VLANs, no changes are necessary.
Do I need to change the DNS configuration on my hosts?
No. The primary campus name servers (internal and external) will remain at the same IP addresses. The Infoblox is replacing the current DNS master server only, and operates 'behind the scenes'.
Accessing Infoblox:
How do I request an Infoblox user account?
For an Infoblox account, please email noc@ucdavis.edu and request access. Please provide your campus login name, phone number, email address, and a list of subnets/sub-domains you will need access to.
How do I access Infoblox?
Open a Web browser and navigate to http://infoblox.ucdavis.edu. Enter your campus computing account information in the login and password fields.
What do I do if I am unable to view/manage a subnet or other resource that I am responsible for in Infoblox?
Please contact noc@ucdavis.edu and note the subnet or resource that you should have access to. Please also note whether or not you currently have access to the resource in NetID.
Managing Infoblox:
How do I manage my networks/DNS records with Infoblox?
The complete Infoblox user guide is available here. UC Davis-specific instructions are in the works, and should be available shortly.
DNS Questions:
Can I have administrative access to my DNS sub-domains prior to the Infoblox cutover?
It is unlikely that permission changes to DNS sub-domains will persist through the data re-import in phase 2 of the cutover (outlined above). As such, it is suggested that focus be placed on verifying DHCP settings during the initial phase. Administrative access to DNS sub-domains can be granted for evaluation purposes, but it will likely be necessary to request this access again once the Infoblox goes 'live.'
What types of DNS records are supported by Infoblox?
The Infoblox GUI currently supports management of: NS, A, AAAA, CNAME, DNAME, MX, SRV, TXT, and PTR records.
Will reverse delegation for networks with longer than a /24 netmask be possible?
Yes, reverse delegation for non-classful networks is supported via RFC 2317 style prefixes. Please contact the campus hostclerk (hostclerk@ucdavis.edu) once the Infoblox migration is complete (early September) for assistance.