Plan and leases
- Lattice
- One catalog
- Windows DHCP
- Scope + spreadsheet
- ISC / Kea
- conf + lease file
Product
IPAM and DHCP are the same catalog.
Prefixes, subnets, pools, reservations, assignments, and leases are one catalog. dhcpd serves those rows. Names update after Ack into the DNS you already run.
- prefix
- subnet
- pool
- reservation
- assignment
- exclude
- lease
- Work
Today — two systems
Plan
- Spreadsheet
- dhcpd.conf
DHCP
- MMC scopes
- Lease file
Keep them in sync yourself.
Lattice — one catalog
The reservation you save is the next Offer.
- prefix
- subnet
- pool
- reservation
- assignment
- lease
dhcpd serves these rows. Console writes them. There is no second copy to sync. A/PTR follow the grant into the DNS you already run.
Scopes, leases, and the IPs you tracked by hand — one view.
Lattice keeps the DHCP scope (subnet, pool, reservations) and the live leases, and it keeps the addresses you used to put in a sheet. They display in Addresses together because they are the same catalog. There is no separate IPAM screen to reconcile with DHCP.
| You kept | Addresses shows |
|---|---|
| The spreadsheet | Assignments and tracking-only subnets — static servers DHCP never serves. |
| The DHCP scope | Subnet, pool, reservations, excludes. dhcpd reads these rows. |
| The lease file | Leases in the same tree. Reality, not a file on one box. |
DDI is DNS, DHCP, and IPAM
phpIPAM and NetBox are IPAM. They hold a plan. They do not Offer. Windows DHCP Offers; the spreadsheet is still the used list. Lattice is DHCP and the addresses tool as one catalog. DNS stays the resolver you already run. What DDI is · phpIPAM vs DHCP · Infoblox alternative.
Windows DHCP, ISC, Lattice
Same operators. One catalog instead of a plan and a lease store. Many sites means Fleet, not a shared database.
Operate
- Lattice
- Browser console
- Windows DHCP
- MMC, per server
- ISC / Kea
- conf, or Stork extra
Scale-out DHCP
- Lattice
- Same pool on every node
- Windows DHCP
- Limited HA · hashed pair
- ISC / Kea
- Limited HA · hashed pair
DNS
- Lattice
- A/PTR into the DNS you run
- Windows DHCP
- Microsoft DNS
- ISC / Kea
- Scripts / BYO
Find a MAC
- Lattice
- Console search
- Windows DHCP
- MMC or export
- ISC / Kea
- grep the lease file
Who held this IP
- Lattice
- Occupancy history — every hold, as-of a day, switch port, CSV
- Windows DHCP
- Current lease or an export
- ISC / Kea
- grep dhcpd.leases / Stork
Deploy
- Lattice
- Tarball, no phone-home
- Windows DHCP
- Windows Server
- ISC / Kea
- Linux package
Meter
- Lattice
- Managed IPs
- Windows DHCP
- Per server
- ISC / Kea
- You operate it
| Windows DHCP | ISC / Kea | Lattice | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan and leases | Scope + spreadsheet | conf + lease file | One catalog |
| Operate | MMC, per server | conf, or Stork extra | Browser console |
| Scale-out DHCP | Limited HA · hashed pair | Limited HA · hashed pair | Same pool on every node |
| DNS | Microsoft DNS | Scripts / BYO | A/PTR into the DNS you run |
| Find a MAC | MMC or export | grep the lease file | Console search |
| Who held this IP | Current lease or an export | grep dhcpd.leases / Stork | Occupancy history — every hold, as-of a day, switch port, CSV |
| Deploy | Windows Server | Linux package | Tarball, no phone-home |
| Meter | Per server | You operate it | Managed IPs |
01
IPAM writes intent
Prefix (the block on the drawing). Subnet (the L3 network: DHCP or tracking-only). Pool, reservation, assignment, exclude. Pick the object that matches what you mean.
02
DHCP reads the same rows
dhcpd has no conf of its own. Identical lattice-dhcpd processes serve the catalog. Discover on node A and Ack on node B is the same lease. Ack never waits on DNS. Health is HTTP /readyz.
03
Names after the grant
A worker writes A/PTR into AD, BIND, or PowerDNS after Ack. Keep option 6 on the resolver you already run. lattice-dns is only for zones Lattice owns.
04
Many clusters, one login
Each site keeps its own database. Fleet is a manager of managers — not a copy of the data. Open the live cluster console from one login. Two isolated DHCP networks are two clusters, not two tenants on one dhcpd.
Mark an address
Operators can create reservations and assignments. Admins create prefixes, subnets, pools, and excludes.
| You want | Do this |
|---|---|
| Printer / phone always gets this IP via DHCP | Add address → DHCP client. IP + MAC (or DUID / client-id). |
| Static server, no DHCP | Add address → Static server. IP + hostname. Counts on the license. |
| Whole VLAN is servers only | Subnet mode Tracking only. Then assignments. No pool. |
| Gateway, VIP, or a hole with no catalog | Add address → Don’t offer (exclude). Does not count as a managed IP. |
Bring scopes over
Dump Microsoft / ISC / Kea, map to prefix → subnet → pool → reservation, POST /api/v1. Lattice does not parse dhcpd.conf, Microsoft XML, or live lease files. Devices that must keep an IP become reservations. Playbook: Migrate.
What you run
Community runs on one node. A paid file lets you add dhcpd nodes and run three-node HA behind a VIP. Signup includes a lifetime perpetual Starter license so you can test HA.