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6connect Global Commander (GC) is a ProVision add-on module which allows for remote monitoring & control of distributed IP management systems. Global Commander can be enabled by procuring a license key from 6connect ProVision Support. Once you have the key, apply it to ProVision using the "Manage Licenses" area on the ProVision Admin page. This will enable the Global Commander navigation tab, containing two Global Commander sub-tabs: IPAM and Resource Tree.
Use Case
6connect Global Commander (GC) is a ProVision add-on module which allows for remote monitoring & control of distributed IP management systems. The core use-case for Global Commander is a large organization whose departments all operate independently, and have developed their own internal IT systems, standards, and practices. This scenario is common for companies whose growth is driven by acquisition, and it is often very difficult to justify a departure from established, known-good practices to impose a single methodology company-wide. With so many actors working with mutually-incompatible systems it can be a challenge to know what is truly going on within an organization.
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- You want a single overview of all IPAM activity in an organization regardless of what IPAM technologies are being used.
- You want a central location from which all IP information can be queried now matter how many IPAM systems manage fragments of the total landscape.
- You want to standardize IT systems, standards, and practices across a disparate internal landscape and need a bridge technology.
- You want to establish a centralized IP authority from which downstream groups request IP resources from, and return IP resources to.
- Your organization has a limited amount of public IP space distributed across many departments and you want identify where it is being used inefficiently.
Overview
Global Commander allows you to establish a single, centralized IP Management plane whose purpose is the orchestration and distribution of large IP blocks throughout the organization. Global Commander utilizes a stable of API connectors to popular IPAM systems (6connect ProVision, BlueCat, Infoblox, Netbox, Device42, etc.) to import and integrate IP data to present a unified view of IP utilization across the entire landscape. Global Commander can also act as an IP broker for the organization and use its connectors to either push or pull IP blocks on the daughter IPAMs to allow for effective management by IP Architects. Additionally, once established Global Commander can act as a bridge technology to transition departments onto a centrally-approved IPAM solution.
Enabling Global Commander
Once you have the have applied the license key for Global Commander to the Manage Licenses area, the Global Commander navigation tab will be enabled. There are two Global Commander sub-tabs: IPAM and Resource Tree.
Synchronizing Global Commander
Global Commander comes pre-loaded with a "ProVision Local" IPAM Service which represents the IPAM Module of the local ProVision instance.
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Notice the "Status:" area has changed to "SYNCED", alongside a date of the last Sync. The service card now shows the Aggregates available in the IPAM system. For convenience we also offer the ability to sync individual aggregates on demand.
Viewing an Aggregate
Clicking on an aggregate will allow you to see its details:
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Each daughter IPAM can be put on its own synchronization schedule, or manual-only if needed. Additionally, the Global Commander system can be configured so that only manually-added IP Aggregates are tracked. This will allow you to track critical IP blocks in Global Commander, but allow departments to manage their own 1918 space without it cluttering the central control plane.
Network Blocks List
The Network Blocks List provides a centralized view of all the IPAM blocks organized by the system. It can be used to filter for a specific IP or range regardless of what IPAM system directly controls it.
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