Cisco Cisco Prime Network Registrar 8.0 Data Sheet

 

 

© 2012 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. 

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Data Sheet 

Cisco Prime Network Registrar Technical 
Data Sheet 

Product Overview 

Cisco Prime

™

 Network Registrar is a scalable, high-performance, extensible solution that provides integrated 

Domain Name System (DNS), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), and IP address management (IPAM) 

(DDI) services. The solution consists of four components: an IP address management application, a DNS protocol 

service, a caching DNS service, and a DHCP service. 

For cable providers, Cisco Prime Network Registrar provides reliable, scalable DNS and DHCP services for 

millions of devices and forms the basis of a DOCSIS

®

 cable modem provisioning system. Additionally, Cisco Prime 

Network Registrar plays an important role in service activation for data, voice-over-IP (VoIP), and mobile services. 

DNS and DHCP are core enabling IP services that are mission-

critical in today’s service provider and enterprise 

networks. Without a fast, reliable, and secure DNS service, subscribers’ broadband Internet access will be 

compromised. If DNS fails, the Internet will fail. In addition, many service providers have created a dynamic service 

delivery infrastructure based on DNS, and service quality and delivery help build competitive advantage and new 

revenue-generating opportunities. High-performing, reliable, scalable, and secure DNS is a requirement. 

DHCP is a core network access technology - every device must be assigned a unique address when connected to 

the network, a virtually impossible task to undertake manually. Given the increasing number of connected users 

and connected devices as well as the growth in demand for network services automating the tracking and 

controlling of users and devices with a high capacity DHCP server is imperative. 

With the continual deployment of new IP services and technologies and, again, the increasing number of 
connected users and the explosive growth in connected devices, today’s complex networks also require a full-

featured, automated IPAM solution. Without a next-generation, scalable IPAM system to plan, track, and manage 

the full lifecycle of IP address space and ease the transition to IPv6, service providers and enterprises risk 

operating inefficiencies, unnecessary costs and delayed service activation. 

Migration to IPv6 

The introduction of IPv6 into network environments presents significant challenges and added complexity in the 

realm of DDI. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) address pool was exhausted on February 3, 2011, 

and the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) address pools have already begun to run out of allocatable IPv4 

addresses. Hence, most service provides and enterprises are focusing on IPv6, and because the migration to IPv6 

will take many years, it is important to have support for both. These network operators require DNS and DHCP 

systems that support IPv4 and IPv6 as well as a full-featured, automated IP address management solution to plan, 

track, and manage IP addresses and ease the transition to IPv6.