Men & Mice Suite for Microsoft based networks

The best solution for Microsoft Windows and Active Directory networks

The Men & Mice Suite is the best available IP Address Management solution for addressing the scalability, manageability and troubleshooting issues which arise in large Microsoft based networks. The Suite works on top of the existing Microsoft DNS and DHCP servers, and integrates well with Active Directory.

While the default Microsoft tools are well suited for one-on-one management, they were not designed to provide the kind of scalable and secure DNS, DHCP and IP address management capabilities that are necessary for larger environments. When it comes to handling tens or even hundreds of DNS and DHCP servers, professional management using the only default tools simply breaks down. In particular, the default Microsoft tools provide no means of maintaining a chronologically correct audit trail; no easy way to delegate the authority for network updates; and in general no unified up-to-date view of the IP address space.

Click here to read more about problems experienced in large enterprises

Common problem situation for enterprises deploying multiple Microsoft DNS servers and Active Directory integrated zones:

Typically, a large organization uses dynamic DNS updates (DDNS) and the Microsoft DHCP server to allocate IP addresses. However the allocation blocks of IP addresses as well as the configuration of static IP addresses and DNS entries is done manually. This results in:

Inefficient use of costly resources. The best (most expensive) engineers are spending substantial time on routine DNS, DHCP and IP address updates. They are regularly making changes to DNS records, allocating IP addresses to individual departments or users, troubleshooting DNS records and struggling to keep up with rapidly changing organizational structures.

Long lead times. It takes days or weeks to implement and propagate static DNS changes on the network. There is a complex process for changing DNS records. Typically a user must fill out a form or send an e-mail to a central organization which then needs to approve the request and then finally make the change to the DNS records. These changes then need to be replicated to all DNS servers to be visible across the whole organization.

No audit trail. Generally there is no reliable audit trail or history of changes. This means administrators usually have limited – or even nonexistent – means of knowing who performed which modification, at what time, and for what reason. This leads to time-consuming troubleshooting when human errors occur during data entry.

Limited flexibility when networks change. Administrators typically have limited options for adapting the DNS, DHCP and IP infrastructure to organizational changes, such as new organizational structures, acquisitions and divestments. Organizations need solutions which make it easy to implement mass updates to hundreds or thousands of IP addresses and DNS/DHCP records across multiple servers and geographies.

Cumbersome manual processes. IP addresses are managed manually often using a spreadsheet as a log book to track allocated address ranges and static DNS records. This results in duplicated IP addresses, inefficient use of the IP space, and inconsistencies regarding what is actually live on the network.

Errors and vulnerabilities. As a consequence of using manual processes, companies frequently experience DNS, DHCP and AD configuration errors and vulnerabilities (e.g. DNS delegation problems, missing PTR records, incorrect SRV records) that result in lost user productivity. Without the proper tools, such errors are difficult to detect and solve.

The Men & Mice Suite is designed to solve such problems

Deploying the Men & Mice Suite in large Microsoft based environment brings clear benefits:

• Non-intrusive, stepwise deployment
  Keep your existing DNS and DHCP servers, Active Directory Domain Controllers, and their configuration. The Men & Mice Suite simply adds a management layer on top of them.
  
• Clear and integrated view
  The Men & Mice Suite brings order to the chaos. Instead of manually administering tens or hundereds of DNS and DHCP Servers, with no clear overview of the IP address space, work with a intuitive interface which provides one logical and unified view of the network infrastructure.
• Easy and secure task delegation
  The Men & Mice Suite allows network senior adminstrators to define fine-grained and flexible subdivisions of the IP address space, and grant specified users and user groups limited priviliges to perform well defined tasks, such as adding a new device to the network. These users get an easy-to-use browser based "sandbox” interface where they can easily perform their allowed tasks.

Main Components of the Men & Mice Suite

In an all Microsoft based environment, the Men & Mice Suite involves the interaction between the following components:

• The Men & Mice Management Console and User Interface
  Advanced user interface applications running on a Windows 2000,XP,2003 workstations or in an Internet Explorer browser.
  
  
• The Men & Mice DNS Server Controller
  A software component that must be installed on each DNS server that is to be managed. The DNS Server Controller runs on Windows 2000 and 2003 Server.
  
  
• The Men & Mice Central Server
  This component forms the core of the Men & Mice Suite, and runs on Windows 2000 and 2003 Servers. Men & Mice Central carries out commands issued by the user and management interfaces, and is responsible for processing and moving data between the user interface and the data sources. Central communicates with the DHCP and DNS Servers (via the DNS Server Controller) and maintains the IP address database.
  
  
• Microsoft DNS Server(s)
  The Men & Mice Suite supports Microsoft DNS Server on Windows 2000 and 2003, both file based and Active Directory integrated zones.
  
  
• Microsoft DHCP Server(s)
  Men & Mice Central communicates directly with the specified DHCP servers using Microsoft's netsh, a command-line scripting utility available for Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
  
  
• Active Directory Domain Controller(s)
  As stated above the Men & Mice Suite supports Active Directory integrated DNS zones. The Men & Mice Suite can also be configured to authenticate users against Active Directory on both user and group level.