Network infrastructure & IPAM+
Discover network devices, manage IP address space, and monitor infrastructure health.
Overview
Network infrastructure & IPAM+ extends Xcellerate RMM beyond endpoints to cover your network layer. It discovers routers, switches, firewalls, access points, and other SNMP/IP-enabled devices, maps their topology, and continuously monitors availability and performance.
The IPAM+ (IP Address Management) component tracks subnet utilisation, detects IP conflicts, and maintains a live inventory of which IP is assigned to which device — eliminating the need for error-prone spreadsheets.
Key concepts
- Network scan — a discovery sweep of one or more IP ranges or subnets. Xcellerate uses ICMP ping, ARP, and SNMP to identify devices and their properties.
- SNMP monitoring — ongoing collection of metrics (interface traffic, uptime, error counters) from network devices that support SNMP v1/v2c/v3.
- Topology map — a visual diagram showing how devices are interconnected, auto-generated from LLDP/CDP neighbour data and ARP tables.
- Subnet — a defined IP range (e.g. 10.0.1.0/24) you add to IPAM+. The system tracks every address in the range and shows whether it is free, reserved, or assigned.
- IP conflict — two devices claiming the same IP address. IPAM+ detects conflicts automatically and raises an alert.
- Scan probe — an agent designated to perform network scans on behalf of the server. Useful for scanning remote sites without a direct route from the server.
Step-by-step walkthrough
Add a subnet
Go to Network → IPAM+ → Add subnet. Enter the subnet in CIDR notation (e.g. 192.168.1.0/24), give it a name and optional site label, and choose which scan probe to use. Click Save.
Run a discovery scan
Select one or more subnets and click Scan now. The probe sweeps the range and reports back every responding IP, its MAC address, hostname (via reverse DNS), and SNMP system info (if available). Results populate the IPAM+ grid and the topology map.
Configure SNMP monitoring
For any discovered device that supports SNMP, click it in the device list and select Enable SNMP monitoring. Enter the community string (v1/v2c) or credentials (v3) and choose which metrics to poll (interface traffic, CPU, memory, uptime).
Explore the topology map
Open Network → Topology. The auto-generated diagram shows devices as nodes and links as edges. Hover over a link to see traffic stats; click a device to drill into its detail page.
Manage IP reservations
In the IPAM+ grid, click any IP address to mark it as Reserved and add a note (e.g. "Printer — 3rd floor"). Reserved IPs are excluded from conflict detection and are clearly marked in the grid.
Scheduled scans
You can schedule recurring discovery scans per subnet (e.g. every 4 hours). Go to the subnet detail page and click Add schedule. Scheduled scans keep the IPAM+ data fresh without manual intervention and detect new or removed devices automatically.
Tips & best practices
- Start by adding your core subnets and running a discovery scan — you may be surprised what devices are on your network.
- Use scan probes for remote sites instead of trying to route SNMP traffic through VPN tunnels.
- Set up SNMP v3 wherever possible — v1/v2c community strings are sent in plain text.
- Mark known static IPs as Reserved in IPAM+ to prevent conflict false positives.
- Use the topology map in client review meetings — it's a powerful visual aid.
- Combine IPAM+ alerts with Monitoring & alerting to get notified immediately when an IP conflict is detected.