This feature is only available for users with Owner role.

Efficient resource management stands at the heart of success for organizations, regardless of their size. In response to the ever-growing demand for a robust resource management solution, IPXO proudly introduces an unprecedented feature, poised to transform how resources are harnessed and optimized.

The Discovery phase, a cornerstone of this innovative feature, empowers IPXO users with seamless onboarding capabilities for a diverse range of resources, streamlining the intricate task of allocation and utilization.

Enterprises can efficiently identify and catalog all IP assets associated with their organization in one centralized repository, leveraging various identifiers such as AS numbers, subnets, ORG, and more. IPXO’s proprietary algorithms even uncover hidden IP space, including unused addresses.

Within this article, we embark on a journey to explore the essence of this feature, providing step-by-step guidance to empower users in harnessing the full potential of the indispensable resource management tool.

Resource Onboarding

Step 1. Discover Your Resources

To efficiently onboard your resources, start by locating them on the internet. Begin by logging into your IPXO portal and selecting “Manage”. Once in the “Manage” section, you will access a view that displays organizations awaiting validation and your dashboard. To add more resources, simply select Add Resources” and choose the data source you want to use for resource identification, such as:

  • AS number
  • Subnet
  • ORG
  • RIPE maintainer
  • ARIN TechPOC

Once you’ve entered your chosen identifier, click on “Initiate Resource Discovery.”

After the discovery process concludes, navigate to the “Discoveries” section. Here, you’ll find the resources located on the internet based on the information you provided.

Within this section, you’ll find all types of discoveries – Completed, Pending, and Not Found. For Completed discoveries, you can access more detailed information regarding the findings and validate organizations accordingly.

In this section, you’ll see essential details associated with each discovery, including WHOIS ORG (1), ASNs under that ORG (2), IPv4 (3), and IPv6 (4) subnets belonging to that ORG, Abuse contact (5), and status (6).

NOTE: Presently, only RIPE NCC and ARIN resources can be discovered using this feature.

Step 2. Validate Your Resources

You have the flexibility to discover any resource, whether it's one you own or one you come across on the internet. However, to utilize the dashboard features, the validation process must be successfully executed.

To validate your resources, follow these steps:

  • Click on “View” to the right of the resource you wish to validate
  • In the subsequent window, select “Validate”
  • Upon doing so, an email will be sent to the “Abuse contact” email address obtained from the WHOIS information
  • By clicking on the link provided in that email, you’ll complete the organization’s validation process

Please note that re-validation can only occur after a 24-hour period has passed.

NOTE: You can find your abuse email by clicking on “View” to the right of the resource in the resources list. If “Abuse contact” is not present, contact our Support team.

Step 3. View Your Resources in the Dashboard

Once the discovery process has been completed, you can access pending validations through the dashboard. To view all discoveries, simply click on “View All”, which will take you to the Discoveries page.

The Discovery dashboard provides a concise, high-level summary of the data related to your resources. This summary is generated when at least one organization has been successfully validated. In cases where multiple organizations have been validated, the dashboard presents a comprehensive overview encompassing all resources associated with those organizations.

The dashboard includes nine main parts:

  • RIR range allocation: This pie chart visually illustrates the distribution of disaggregated subnets among Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), offering valuable insights into IP address resource allocation.
  • RIR IPv4 allocation: This pie chart presents the aggregate total of all IPv4 addresses distributed among RIRs, providing insights into IPv4 resource allocation.
  • RIR IPv6 allocation: This pie chart shows the cumulative count of all IPv6 addresses with a /48 prefix among RIRs, offering insights into IPv6 resource distribution.
  • Detected announcements: This section provides a comprehensive breakdown of announcement statistics, including the count of detected announcements, unannounced announcements, and the total sum of both. You can click on "More details" to see detailed statistics based on an IP protocol version (IPv4 or IPv6) and announced prefix sizes. These statistics are crucial for evaluating network visibility and announcement accuracy.
  • The utilization of IPv4/IPv6 IPs: This section displays data regarding the number of announced prefixes per IP address, especially in the context of /48 in IPv6. For instance, if an IPv4 prefix of /24 is announced, it equates to 256 individual IPs. This helps customers understand resource efficiency, providing valuable context to Detected announcements.
  • Geolocation management: This dataset offers geographical information related to the locations of all subnets, valuable for network optimization and geographical analysis.
  • RPKI management: This section presents two critical metrics related to RPKI (Resource Public Key Infrastructure): the count of Issued ROAs (Route Origin Authorization) identified, and the number of ROA suggestions detected. This information is fundamental for maintaining routing announcement security and integrity.
  • DNS: This metric discloses the number of detected reverse DNS (rDNS) zones, essential for network administrators to ensure DNS configuration correctness.
  • Routing information: This segment presents the count of routes identified from both WHOIS and RADb (Routing Assets Database). It assists network professionals in monitoring routing data availability and status, facilitating route optimization and network stability assessment.
  • Routing health - this pie chart visually represents the total prefixes that have routing data and divides them based on their health status criticality. It provides insights into the ‘health’ of users' resources that could potentially directly impact their usage and utilization.

Conclusion

In conclusion, IPXO’s Discovery phase marks a significant advancement in IP address management. By simplifying resource identification, validation, and organization, it becomes an invaluable asset for organizations of all sizes.

As you embark on IPXO’s Discovery phase, you gain not only efficiency but also a comprehensive understanding of your network’s assets – essential for informed decision-making, security enhancement, and resource optimization.

Stay tuned for further developments in our journey toward a unified platform for all your IP needs. IPXO remains committed to creating tools and features that enhance your network management experience, making it more efficient and effective.