How are IP addresses assigned?

There are two ways to find IP addresses on network systems. You can find them manually or you can use an IP scanner, which is designed to automatically find the IP addresses within a certain range. With a scanner such as SolarWinds IPAM, you can run automated scans to identify new devices and more easily manage IP addresses. The basic steps for manually creating a list of device IP addresses on a network include: Get to the command line by opening a terminal window. Type the right command for your system. On Linux, type the command “ifconfig” and press Return. On Windows, type the command “ipconfig” and press Return. Get more information by typing the command “arp -a.” You should now see a basic list of the IP addresses for devices connected to your network. You can then input this information into an information storage tool, like a spreadsheet, that you’ll need to update by hand each time you attempt a new discovery. This process is unnecessarily time consuming and vulnerable to errors. Not only are you forced to manually run commands to find IP addresses whenever you want to see the devices connected to your network, but you also need to identify which of the IP addresses you find are new or have changed. An automated IP address discovery tool is designed to make it easier to find and manage IP addresses on a network.

Why is finding free IP addresses important?

There are two systems you can use to allocate IP addresses: static and dynamic. With a static IP address system, you assign a specific IP address to each device on your network. Since these addresses don’t expire and are completely specific to each device, you need to keep a record of all the addresses you assign to prevent IP conflicts. A dynamic IP address system is a widely used system and doesn’t require users to manually assign specific IP addresses. The dynamic system revolves around the use of the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). In this system, whenever a new device connects to the network, it must contact a central server operating the DHCP system to request an IP address. Unlike in the static system, the dynamic addresses allocated through DHCP aren’t permanent. Instead, each device receives an IP address on a “lease.” When the lease expires, the device will either retain the same address with a new lease or get a lease on a new address, abandoning the old IP address. Those abandoned IP addresses then become available.

How does IPAM help with finding and recovering IP addresses?

While IP addresses assigned through both static and dynamic systems can be abandoned, DHCP server addresses are more often at the center of IP address recovery. This is because the leases on addresses are limited and new leases may result in old IP addresses being abandoned without notice. Though the same steps apply for finding IP addresses in both static and dynamic systems, people often ask how to check for free IP addresses in a DHCP server rather than asking about static servers. Easily finding available IP addresses can be streamlined using an IP discovery tool. The amount of manual work required to keep track of all the leases on IP addresses in your network is already excessive. When you add the need to monitor when addresses become available versus when they’re leased to the same device again, it can be more difficult to manually recover IP addresses. With a discovery tool, the process of finding available IP addresses on your network is designed to be more straightforward.

Find and Manage Unused IP Addresses Across Your Network

Use SolarWinds IP Address Manager to discover active addresses, review addresses marked available, and monitor DHCP pool utilization.

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Improve IP Address Visibility and Control

Find Abandoned IP Addresses

Recover Unused IP Addresses

Monitor IP Address Pools

Find Active IP Addresses

Find Unused IP Addresses Across Your Network

SolarWinds IP Address Manager (IPAM) helps you identify unused IP addresses with greater confidence. Its scheduled scans use ICMP, SNMP, and neighbor discovery to check addresses across your subnets. When an address stops responding, IPAM uses a Transient status as an intermediate check before marking it Available, helping distinguish a temporary loss of response from an address that remains unused. Review scan logs to track status changes across static and DHCP-managed addresses, then assess candidates for cleanup or reassignment. Configure scans to run as often as every 10 minutes to fit your network's needs. Less guesswork. More control.

Use configured scans to surface addresses that have stopped responding; status changes depend on scan settings and duration
Review scan findings alongside subnet context to distinguish likely cleanup candidates from addresses that need further investigation
Prioritize addresses that remain unresponsive over the configured observation period rather than treating one missed response as conclusive

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Recover Unused IP Addresses for Reassignment

Finding and recovering abandoned IP addresses shouldn't require cross-referencing spreadsheets. With IPAM, open the dashboard, identify unused IP addresses within managed subnets, and change the status from Used to Available in just a few clicks. Those reclaimed addresses can then be reassigned to new, approved devices. Whether you're tracking static assignments or DHCP leases, IPAM gives you a clear, current view of your available IP addresses so you can prevent provisioning bottlenecks and keep address allocation moving without delays.

Narrow candidate addresses to the subnet or scope needed for a planned allocation
Check the latest IPAM status and assignment record before approving an address for reuse
Update the IPAM record after an authorized allocation change so the inventory reflects the decision

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Monitor IP Address Pools and Usage

IP address exhaustion doesn't have to catch you off guard. SolarWinds IPAM monitors your DHCP address pools and subnets with automated scans, tracking ip address utilization in the current scan results. Set custom threshold alerts so you're notified when a configured threshold is exceeded. Then drill into the affected scope to find unused addresses and reclaim them before users are impacted. With IPAM's proactive alerting, you can provision additional capacity in a planned fashion and help prevent the service-affecting issues that come from running out of available addresses.

Set utilization thresholds to fit the capacity needs of each pool instead of applying one target everywhere
Review usage by subnet or DHCP scope to see where address capacity is tightening
When a threshold alert fires, check the affected pool's assignments and available addresses to identify practical next steps

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Discover Active IP Addresses Across Your Network

Gain a more complete picture of your network by finding active IP addresses automatically. IPAM uses ICMP ping sweeps, SNMP polling, and neighbor discovery via ARP tables to automate discovery and accurately identify the IP addresses on your network. From the intuitive dashboard, you can manage and monitor DNS servers, DHCP servers, and IP addresses from one centralized view. Schedule ongoing automated scans to maintain real-time IP address status, so you always know which devices are active, which are transient, and which addresses are available for assignment.

Discover responsive IPs through supported ICMP, SNMP, and neighbor (ARP) scans, according to the network's scan configuration
Schedule scans to refresh IPAM's inventory on a cadence that fits operational needs
Use recent scan results to distinguish addresses observed responding from those not observed in the latest scan

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Learn More About Finding IP Addresses

Get answers about finding, assigning, monitoring, and recovering IP addresses.

How Do I Find An IP Address On My Network?
How Are IP Addresses Assigned To Devices?
How Do I Find Unused IP Addresses On My Network?
Why Is Finding Available IP Addresses Important?
How Does IPAM Help Find And Recover IP Addresses?

How do I find an IP address on my network?

There are two ways to find IP addresses on network systems: manually or with an automated IP scanner. The manual approach requires opening a terminal, running commands like ipconfig (Windows) or ifconfig (Linux), then typing arp -a to view a basic list of connected devices. This process is time-consuming, prone to errors, and must be repeated every time you need an updated view. An automated IP address discovery tool like SolarWinds IPAM eliminates that manual effort. IPAM runs scheduled scans across your subnets using ICMP, SNMP, and neighbor discovery to automatically find IP addresses, identify new devices, and maintain accurate records without command-line work or spreadsheet updates. If your subnet layout is already documented in a spreadsheet, IPAM can import that structure so you don’t have to rebuild it.

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How do I find an IP address on my network?

There are two ways to find IP addresses on network systems: manually or with an automated IP scanner. The manual approach requires opening a terminal, running commands like ipconfig (Windows) or ifconfig (Linux), then typing arp -a to view a basic list of connected devices. This process is time-consuming, prone to errors, and must be repeated every time you need an updated view. An automated IP address discovery tool like SolarWinds IPAM eliminates that manual effort. IPAM runs scheduled scans across your subnets using ICMP, SNMP, and neighbor discovery to automatically find IP addresses, identify new devices, and maintain accurate records without command-line work or spreadsheet updates. If your subnet layout is already documented in a spreadsheet, IPAM can import that structure so you don’t have to rebuild it.
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Harry Reid International Airport

Find and Recover IP Addresses Faster

IP Address Manager

Automatically discover IP addresses for devices across your network.
Identify and recover abandoned IP addresses for efficient reuse.
Monitor DHCP address pools to help prevent address exhaustion.

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IPAM, an Orion module, is built on the SolarWinds Platform

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Fully functional for 30 days

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Find and Manage Unused IP Addresses Across Your Network

Use SolarWinds IP Address Manager to discover active addresses, review addresses marked available, and monitor DHCP pool utilization.

Improve IP Address Visibility and Control

Find Unused IP Addresses Across Your Network

Recover Unused IP Addresses for Reassignment

Monitor IP Address Pools and Usage

Discover Active IP Addresses Across Your Network

Learn More About Finding IP Addresses

How do I find an IP address on my network?

How are IP addresses assigned to devices?

How do I find unused IP addresses on my network?

Why is finding available IP addresses important?

How does IPAM help find and recover IP addresses?

How do I find an IP address on my network?

How are IP addresses assigned to devices?

How do I find unused IP addresses on my network?

Why is finding available IP addresses important?

How does IPAM help find and recover IP addresses?

Trusted by Network Administrators

Find and Recover IP Addresses Faster

IP Address Manager

Explore related network tools

Discover SolarWinds tools for tracking devices, mapping networks, monitoring performance, and troubleshooting issues alongside IP address management.

Explore More Resources

How do I find an IP address on my network?

How are IP addresses assigned to devices?

How do I find unused IP addresses on my network?

Why is finding available IP addresses important?

How does IPAM help find and recover IP addresses?

How do I find an IP address on my network?

How are IP addresses assigned to devices?

How do I find unused IP addresses on my network?

Why is finding available IP addresses important?

How does IPAM help find and recover IP addresses?