DNS/DHCP & IP Manangement Health Check Service
In order to ensure ongoing operational efficiency of both IP Management and Service Level Management Systems, n3k offer a packaged health check service. This provides you with a clearly defined offering at a predetermined price.
Systems Health check
Both IP Management and Service Level Management Systems depend on a central sever running the application and a database repository with options for various remote servers. It is critical that all of these elements are running at peak efficiency and that the configurations are correct. Over time it is possible for configurations to be changed, reporting options to lose relevance and the administrative maintenance to become less than optimal. A brief systems health check can identify any such problems and offer recommendations for remedial action. A report on findings will cover the following areas:
- Central Server
- Platform review
- Hardware Configuration
- Operating System Level and Patches
- Application review
- Version review
- Patch and bug fix review
- Configuration check
- Back up and Restore options
- Resilience options
- Basic review of underlying database
- Administrative access review
- Performance review
- Remote Servers
- Platform review
- Hardware Configuration
- Operating System Level and Patches
- Application review
- Version review
- Patch and bug fix review
- Configuration check
- Specific to IP Management systems
- Specific to Service Level Management systems
- Standard reports configuration check (Central Server)
- Review of historical reports (Central Server)
- Invalid device check (Central Server)
DNS/Dynamic DNS (DDNS) Health check
For many organisations DNS has become a mission critical service. Many applications depend on correctly functioning name services for their operation. Because of this dependency should the DNS system fail the network can become unusable. Yet in many cases the DNS system has grown from a piecemeal approach, often instigated independently in several different parts of the organisation. To ultimately be integrated into a single coherent corporate name system. Although a DNS system may appear to be functioning correctly in most cases there are configuration errors, which may not be immediately apparent but will most likely be the cause of Network problems at some future time.
Configuration Audit
The DNS audit provides a full validation of the internal DNS implementation and audit of the DNS system set up. During the audit all configuration over 60 tests will be run on the DNS system which will ensure that all common errors are detected. The DNS system will also be scanned for invalid hostnames and incorrect or incomplete reverse mappings. The following outlines areas of the DNS system that will be tested;
- A records invalid hostnames, multiple A records
- CNAME records, invalid cnames, cname chains, dangling cnames, inappropriate use of cnames
- MX records (where appropriate) invalid mx records
- NS records - Correct delegation, matching delegation and authority records
- SOA records - incorrect soa records, inappropriate or unusual timer settings
- HINFO records - Invalid hinfo records
- PTR records (reverse domains) - Invalid ptr records, multiple ptr records, correct a to ptr record mapping
- Miscellaneous - invalid records
- Usage Statistics
- Where possible usage statistics will be gathered from the deployed DNS servers and analysed for load and load distribution
Reports
After completing the DNS audit a report will be produced for each zone tested containing summary information for the zone and detailing all configuration errors found during the audit.
Delivery
n3k will assign a consultant to spend a day onsite conducting the health check. They will require full administrative access to the DNS system and access for that day to the systems administrator. A report covering the areas outlined above and giving any resulting recommendations will be delivered to the customer within one week of the visit. The implementation of any recommendations resulting from the health check will be charged on a consulting basis.
