IP Address Management (IPAM)

Overview

Xloud Networking manages IP address allocation through a pluggable IPAM (IP Address Management) driver. The default built-in driver handles IP allocation from subnets defined within the platform. For organizations with existing enterprise IPAM infrastructure — such as Infoblox, Bluecat, or NetBox — an external driver can delegate IP assignment and tracking to that system, ensuring consistency across the entire network environment. When an external IPAM driver is active, every Neutron port creation calls the IPAM API to reserve an IP before the port is assigned. On port deletion, the IP is released back to the external system. This integration is transparent to tenants — they create ports and subnets through the standard Dashboard or CLI interface.

Administrator Access Required — This operation requires the admin role. Contact your Xloud administrator if you do not have sufficient permissions.

Prerequisites

Administrator credentials with the admin role
Network connectivity from all Neutron agent nodes to the IPAM system management API
Service account credentials and appropriate permissions on the IPAM system
The IPAM driver package must be installed on all Neutron API and agent nodes

Built-In IPAM vs External IPAM

Attribute	Built-In IPAM	External IPAM
IP allocation source	Neutron subnet pool	External IPAM database
Conflict prevention	Within platform only	Across entire enterprise network
DNS integration	Manual or via Designate	Automatic via IPAM system
Visibility	Platform-only	Enterprise-wide IP tracking
Audit trail	Neutron database	IPAM system audit logs
Configuration complexity	None	Requires IPAM API integration
Recommended for	Isolated or greenfield deployments	Enterprise with existing IPAM governance

Supported IPAM Drivers

Driver	Integration Type	Protocol	Notes
Internal (built-in)	Native Neutron allocation	Internal SQL	Default — no external system required
Infoblox	WAPI REST API	HTTPS	DNS, DHCP, and IP reservation; enterprise standard
Bluecat Address Manager	REST API	HTTPS	Supports IPAM, DNS, and DHCP workflows
NetBox	REST API (via middleware)	HTTPS	Community-supported; requires adapter plugin
phpIPAM	REST API (via middleware)	HTTPS	Open-source IPAM, adapter available
SolarWinds IPAM	REST API (via middleware)	HTTPS	Enterprise monitoring + IPAM combined

Configure the IPAM Driver

The IPAM driver is set in neutron.conf. All Neutron API nodes must use the same driver configuration to ensure consistent IP allocation.

Internal Driver (Default)

neutron.conf — built-in IPAM driver

[DEFAULT]
ipam_driver = internal

No additional configuration is required. Neutron manages IP allocation from subnet allocation pools defined in the platform.

Infoblox Driver

The Infoblox driver uses the Infoblox WAPI (Web API) to reserve and release IP addresses. It supports DNS host record creation and metadata synchronization alongside IP allocation.

neutron.conf — Infoblox IPAM driver

[DEFAULT]
ipam_driver = infoblox

[infoblox]
cloud_data_center_id = 1
ipam_agent_workers = 2
wapi_url = https://10.0.10.7/wapi/v2.10
wapi_username = neutron-svc
wapi_password = <password>
wapi_version = 2.10
ssl_verify = true
network_template = default
admin_network_deletion = false
wapi_max_results = 1000

Required Infoblox configuration: The service account (neutron-svc) must have IPAM Admin rights on the Infoblox Grid. Create a Network View in Infoblox to map to the Xloud environment, and configure member assignments as needed.

Bluecat Address Manager Driver

Bluecat integration requires the networking-bluecatnetworks driver package. Contact Bluecat for the Neutron driver compatible with your BAM version.

neutron.conf — Bluecat IPAM driver

[DEFAULT]
ipam_driver = bluecatnetworks

[bluecatnetworks]
bcn_bam_address = 10.0.10.8
bcn_bam_user = neutron-api
bcn_bam_password = <password>
bcn_bam_configuration = default
bcn_bam_ip_offset = 0
bcn_dns_deploy_on_every_action = false
bcn_bam_updatemodifyhost = true

NetBox Driver (via Middleware)

NetBox does not ship with a native Neutron IPAM driver. Integration is achieved through a middleware adapter that intercepts IPAM allocation calls and forwards them to the NetBox REST API.

neutron.conf — NetBox IPAM driver (adapter)

[DEFAULT]
ipam_driver = netbox_neutron_driver

[netbox]
netbox_url = https://netbox.internal.example.com
netbox_token = <api-token>
netbox_vrf = default
netbox_site = datacenter-1

The NetBox adapter is a community-maintained plugin. Verify driver compatibility with your deployed Neutron version before deployment. Contact support@xloud.tech for guidance on driver selection.

Apply the Configuration

In XAVS deployments, the IPAM driver configuration is managed through XDeploy and Ansible:

Apply Neutron configuration changes

xavs-ansible deploy --tags neutron

After deployment, verify Neutron is running with the configured driver:

Check Neutron server configuration

docker exec neutron_server grep ipam_driver /etc/neutron/neutron.conf

Subnet Allocation with External IPAM

When an external IPAM driver is active, subnet and port creation behaves differently from the built-in driver. The IPAM system must have the IP range pre-defined before Neutron subnets are created from it.

Dashboard
CLI

Pre-configure the network range in IPAM

In your external IPAM system (Infoblox, Bluecat, etc.), create the network container for the IP range you intend to use in Xloud (e.g., 10.50.0.0/24).Assign the range to the appropriate view or zone before creating the Neutron subnet.

Create the subnet in Xloud

Navigate to Project → Network → Networks, select the network, and click Create Subnet.Enter the CIDR range that matches the pre-configured range in your IPAM system. The IPAM driver validates that the range is available before creating the subnet.

Verify IP reservation in IPAM

After launching an instance or creating a port on this subnet, verify in your IPAM dashboard that the IP appears as reserved with the correct hostname and metadata.

IP allocation confirmed — Neutron port creation is synchronized with the external IPAM system.

Source your credentials file to authenticate with the Xloud platform:

Load credentials

source admin-openrc.sh

Download the OpenRC file from Xloud Dashboard → Project → API Access → Download OpenStack RC File.

Create a network

openstack network create internal-production

Create a subnet mapped to IPAM range

openstack subnet create \
  --network internal-production \
  --subnet-range 10.50.0.0/24 \
  --gateway 10.50.0.1 \
  --dns-nameserver 10.0.10.7 \
  production-subnet-01

Create a port and verify IP assignment

openstack port create \
  --network internal-production \
  --fixed-ip subnet=production-subnet-01 \
  test-port-01

openstack port show test-port-01 -c fixed_ips

Verify in your IPAM system that 10.50.0.x shows as reserved with the port’s MAC address and hostname.

IP Release and Lifecycle

IP addresses are released back to the IPAM system when ports are deleted. This happens automatically during instance termination, port deletion, or subnet removal.

Delete a port and release the IP

openstack port delete <port-id>

After deletion, verify in the IPAM system that the address is no longer reserved. If the IP is not released (network error during deletion), use the IPAM system’s manual release procedure to reclaim the address.

If the external IPAM system is unreachable during port creation, Neutron will fail the port creation request. Ensure the IPAM system has high availability or that a fallback configuration is in place before enabling external IPAM in production.

Troubleshooting

Port creation fails with 'IPAM driver error'

Cause: The IPAM system is unreachable or authentication failed.Resolution:

Test API connectivity: curl -k -u neutron-svc:<password> https://10.0.10.7/wapi/v2.10
Verify credentials in neutron.conf
Check Neutron server logs: docker logs neutron_server | grep -i ipam
Confirm the IP range is defined in the external IPAM system before subnet creation

IP not released after port deletion

Cause: Network error during the IPAM release call, or the IPAM system rejected the release.Resolution:

Check Neutron server logs for IPAM release errors
Manually release the IP in the IPAM system UI
Verify the service account has delete/release permissions in the IPAM system

Subnet creation rejected by IPAM driver

Cause: The requested IP range is not pre-configured in the external IPAM system, or it conflicts with an existing reservation.Resolution:

Create the network container in the IPAM system before creating the Neutron subnet
Verify the CIDR does not overlap with existing networks in the IPAM view

Next Steps

Subnets

Create and configure subnets, allocation pools, and DNS settings

DNS Configuration

Configure per-subnet DNS resolvers and domain assignments

External DNS Providers

Integrate Designate with Infoblox, BIND9, and other external DNS systems

Networking Architecture

Understand the Networking service topology and plugin architecture

Core Services

Other Services

IP Address Management (IPAM)

Overview

Built-In IPAM vs External IPAM

Supported IPAM Drivers

Configure the IPAM Driver

Internal Driver (Default)

Infoblox Driver

Bluecat Address Manager Driver

NetBox Driver (via Middleware)

Apply the Configuration

Subnet Allocation with External IPAM

Pre-configure the network range in IPAM

Create the subnet in Xloud

Verify IP reservation in IPAM

IP Release and Lifecycle

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Subnets

DNS Configuration

External DNS Providers

Networking Architecture

Core Services

Other Services

​Overview

​Built-In IPAM vs External IPAM

​Supported IPAM Drivers

​Configure the IPAM Driver

​Internal Driver (Default)

​Infoblox Driver

​Bluecat Address Manager Driver

​NetBox Driver (via Middleware)

​Apply the Configuration

​Subnet Allocation with External IPAM

Pre-configure the network range in IPAM

Create the subnet in Xloud

Verify IP reservation in IPAM

​IP Release and Lifecycle

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Subnets

DNS Configuration

External DNS Providers

Networking Architecture

Overview

Built-In IPAM vs External IPAM

Supported IPAM Drivers

Configure the IPAM Driver

Internal Driver (Default)

Infoblox Driver

Bluecat Address Manager Driver

NetBox Driver (via Middleware)

Apply the Configuration

Subnet Allocation with External IPAM

IP Release and Lifecycle

Troubleshooting

Next Steps