# Analyzing Lease and Lease History

There are two types of leases available in DDI Central: DHCP or dynamic leases and Static leases.

## DHCP Leases

To access these DHCP lease records:

- Navigate to the **DHCP** module. Select the **Lease** menu from the left inner menu bar.

![DHCP Lease Dashboard](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/dns-dhcp-ipam/dhcp-lease-dashboard_11zon.png)

> **Note:** You can also associate specific hosts to any available IP addresses in the **Lease** section by clicking on the **Associate Hosts** icon next to the **Info** and **Delete** icons.

![Associate Hosts](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/dns-dhcp-ipam/dhcp-lease-associate-host.png)

- The **Lease** page appears with the **DHCP leases** tab selected, displaying:
  - A visual snapshot of the lease volume for that subnet along a particular timeline
  - The list of IP addresses leased by the DHCP server from a specific subnet at that period of time
  - The total lease duration
  - The current availability state of the IP
  - The MAC address and manufacturer details of the host device associated with the IP during the lease period
  - The type of connection
- You can select the relevant subnet from the dropdown in the top right corner to view the leases within the selected subnet and adjust the timeline using the drop down calendar to visualize and list the leases from a specific point of time.
- You can also click on the red **Delete** icon at the extreme right end to delete leases from both the DHCP lease file and the DDI Central database. By doing this, the same lease will not be reassigned to that particular user; instead, the user will receive a random DHCP lease from the relevant subnet.
- A green info button is also available at the extreme right end. Clicking on it opens a popup window displaying comprehensive lease details for the selected active IP lease.

![DHCP Lease Info](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/dns-dhcp-ipam/dhcp-lease-info.png)

- **DDNS Client FQDN:** Displays the DDNS Client FQDN associated with the lease alongside the forward and reverse mappings (PTR record).
- **Subnet information:** Displays the subnet's network address, subnet prefix length, and a visualization of the subnet's usage.
- **DHCP options:** Displays assigned DHCP or custom options and their values.
- **Address pool information:** Shows the IP allocation range for the lease.

By using the **green info button**, admins can **quickly assess DHCP configurations, IP allocations, and subnet usage**, improving overall network visibility and management efficiency.

### Special Note: IPv6 Lease Metadata in DDI Central

When managing **DHCPv6 leases** in DDI Central, a special case applies when you click **“More Info”** on the far right of a lease entry.

For IPv6 leases, DDI Central displays **additional protocol-specific metadata**, including:

- **DUID (DHCP Unique Identifier):** A globally unique identifier assigned to the client device.
- **IAID (Identity Association Identifier):** Used to differentiate multiple interfaces or address requests by the same device.

This metadata is shown alongside standard lease details such as:

- Assigned IP address
- Subnet name and prefix
- IP usage statistics
- DHCP options and custom options

This view helps admins **correlate IPv6 clients more accurately**, especially in multi-interface or stateful DHCPv6 environments. It is visible only for IPv6 leases and aids in debugging, compliance tracking, and lease-level analytics.

![IPv6 Lease Metadata](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/dns-dhcp-ipam/linux_dhcp_lease.png)

> **Note:** You can also export these lease records and download them as a CSV file for future reference.

## Static Leases

Static leases, also known as fixed or reserved IP addresses, refer to assigning a specific IP address to a device within a network that does not expire or renew. This is useful for devices that are permanent fixtures of the network and require consistent addressing for reliable operation and easy access.

For instance, servers often have static IPs due to their critical role in network functionality, whereas client devices like smartphones can operate effectively with dynamic IPs. Static leases are meant for essential corporate devices like routers, printers, and security cameras. These leases are often managed in a spreadsheet.

DDI Central allows admins to create new static subnets for a DHCP server directly from the UI and import active static subnet leases maintained in spreadsheets. Static leases can be imported in two ways:

- By clicking the **Import** button available in the **DHCP->Network->Static Subnet** page
- By clicking the **Import** button available in the **IPAM->Lease->Static Leases** page

Here are sample files for reference:

- [Static Subnet](https://www.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/dns-dhcp-ipam/static_subnet.xlsx)
- [Static Lease](https://www.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/dns-dhcp-ipam/sample_staticlease.xlsx)

### Importing static subnet leases without defining a static subnet

DDI Central enables you to directly import static leases without creating and defining the IP address space for your static subnet.

To import static leases without a defined static subnet, select **IPAM->Lease**. On the **Lease** page, navigate to the **Static Leases** tab, then click the **Import** button.

![Import Static Lease](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/dns-dhcp-ipam/dhcp_lease_4_11zon.png)

> **Note:** When importing static leases from a spreadsheet without a predefined static subnet, ensure that the first column corresponds to the network address of the static subnet. Subsequent columns can be in any order and will be imported as respective fields. Supported formats include `.xlsx`, `.csv`, and `.xls`.

### Importing static subnet leases along with a static subnet

When importing static leases with a static subnet already defined under the **DHCP->Network** page, the columns (including the network address) can be in any order. DDI Central imports the columns as respective fields and displays the data under the corresponding fields on the **Static Leases** page.

Ensure that updates adhere to the column order defined in the spreadsheet. A mismatch may cause errors or prevent import. The field configuration for static leases is cluster-specific. All spreadsheets used for importing static leases must maintain the same column order as the initial import file.

After importing static leases, you can:

- Click the **Add** button and select **Custom field** to append a custom field to the imported fields.
- Add new leases individually by clicking **Add** and selecting **Static Lease**, then filling in the required fields and clicking **Save**.
- Edit column labels directly from the UI by hovering over the label and clicking the edit button.

![Static Lease Management](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/dns-dhcp-ipam/static-lease-new.png)

To export static leases, click the small gray spreadsheet icon near the subnet dropdown in the top right corner to download the leases as a CSV file.

DDI Central automatically pings all IPs under a static subnet to determine whether a static IP is actively leased or available:

- **Green UP status:** Actively leased (reachable)
- **Red down status:** Unavailable (unreachable)

This monitoring prevents unused or conflicting allocations with DHCP-provisioned subnets, ensuring accountability, minimizing IP conflicts, and enhancing network efficiency with live status updates.

## Analyzing the DHCP lease history

Click on an IP address to view the lease history of that address.

![Lease History Dashboard](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/dns-dhcp-ipam/lease-history-dashboard_11zon.png)

The **History** page for the IP address displays the following sections:

## DNS Relations

The DNS relations section displays a list of domain name records previously leased with the selected IP address. It includes:

- Record type
- Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)
- Root domain of the record

### History

The history section provides a comprehensive audit trail detailing the evolution of the IP over time, including:

- Host details (MAC address and manufacturer)
- Lease duration
- Type of connection
- Availability state of the IP throughout the lease period

### DNS Queries

The DNS Queries section helps quantify and visualize the query volume handled by the IP during its association with various FQDNs.

- The left section lists the historical total query volume to each specific FQDN.
- The right section displays line graphs of hourly query volume handled by the IP across different domain names within a custom time frame.

Select a custom time frame from the dropdown calendar in this section to analyze hourly readings more accurately.

> **Note:** The DHCP lease history for IPv6 addresses can also be viewed in this dashboard by clicking on the DHCPv6 toggle button.

### Endpoint Integration

![Endpoint Integration](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/dns-dhcp-ipam/dhcp-lease-endpoint_11zon_1_11zon.png)

After successfully setting up Endpoint Central integration, go to **IPAM->DHCP Lease**.

A **Monitor** icon appears in the DHCP lease data table alongside the **Delete** and **Additional Info** icons. This indicates that the device to which the IP was leased has data fetched from Endpoint Central.

> **Note:** The highlighted icon appears only for devices whose data is fetched from Endpoint Central. If endpoint integration is disabled, the icon will stop appearing. To use it again, integration must be reconfigured from scratch.