Lecture 5:

Foundation of
Network Management

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi

SITE, University of Ottawa

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-1

 Network Management Standards
• OSI:
– Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP)
– International standard (ISO / OSI)
– Management of data comm. Network – LAN and WAN
– Deals with all 7 layers
– Most complete
– Object oriented representation
– Well structured and layered
– Consumes large resources in implementation
• Internet:
– Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
– Industry standard (IETF)
– Originally intended for management of Internet components, currently
adopted for WAN and telecom systems.
– Easy to implement
• Most widely implemented NM standard.
– Lacks advanced functionality (compared to CMIP)
Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-2
Network Management Standards (…)
• Telecommunication Management Network (TMN)
– International standard of the ITU-T
– Management of telecom networks
– Based on the OSI network management framework
– Addresses both network, administrative, and business aspects of
management.
• IEEE
– Addresses LAN and MAN management.
– Deals with the first 2 layers.
• Web-based Management
– Web-based Enterprise Management (WBEM)
– Java Management Application Program Interface (JMAPI)
• Desktop Management
– Management of desktop PCs and applications
Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-3
 Management Architecture
• This architecture is used for both OSI and SNMP-based
management
• Consists of a number of models

Network
Mangement

Organization Information Communication Functional

Model Model Model Model

Figure 3.1 OSl Network Management Model

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-4

• Organization OSI Models
– Network management components
– Functions of components
– Relationships
• Information
– Structure of Management Information (SMI)
• Syntax and semantics
Object-oriented
– Management Information Base (MIB)
• Organization of management information
• Communication
– Transfer syntax with bi-directional messages
– Transfer structure (PDU)
• Functions
– Application functions – Measure performance
– Configure components – Secure information
– Monitor components – Usage accounting
Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-5
 SNMP Architecture and Models
• Organization
– Same as OSI model
• Information
– Same as OSI, but scalar
• Communication
– Messages less complex than OSI and unidirectional
– Transfer structure (PDU)
• Functions
– Application functions
– Operations
– Administration
– Security
Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-6
 Organizational Model
• Manager
– Sends requests to agents
– Monitors alarms
– Houses applications
– Provides user interface
• Agent
– Gathers information from objects
– Configures parameters of objects
– Responds to managers’ requests
– Generates alarms and sends them to mangers
• Managed object Implementation approaches:
– Network element that is managed - Two-tier
– Houses management agent
- Three-tier
– All objects are not managed / manageable
- MoM
Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-7
 Managed Object
• Managed objects can be
– Network elements (hardware, system)
• hubs, bridges, routers, transmission facilities
– Software (non-physical)
• programs, algorithms
– Administrative information
• contact person, name of group of objects
(IP group)

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-8

 Two-tier Organizational Model
• Agent built into network element;
e.g., Managed hub, managed
router.
• An agent can handle multiple Manager
MDB
elements.; e.g., Switched hub,
ATM switch
• MDB is a physical database
• Unmanaged objects are network
elements that are not managed -
both physical (unmanaged hub) Managed objects
and logical (passive elements).
Unmanaged objects

MDB Management Database

Agent process

Figure 3.2 Two-Tier Network Mangement Organization Model

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-9
 Three-tier Organization Model
• Middle layer plays the
dual role
– Agent to the top-level
manager
– Manager to the managed MDB Manager
objects
• Example of middle Agent / Manager
MDB
level: Remote
monitoring agent
(RMON)
Managed objects
MDB Management Database

Agent process

Figure 3.3 Three-Tier Network Mangement Organization Model

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-10
 A Manager of Managers (MoM)
• MoM presents integrated view of domains.
• Agent manages the domain
• Domain may be MoM MDB

geographical,
administrative, Agent NMS
Agent
MDB
Agent
Agent NMS MDB

vendor-specific, etc.
Manager Manager

• Web-based
management Managed objects

project uses similar Managed objects

concept.
Agent NMS

MoM Manager of Managers Manager

Agent
MDB Management Database

Agent process

Figure 3.4 Network Mangement Organization Model with MoM

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-11
 Information Model
• Analogy:
• A figure in a book is uniquely identified by
– ISBN, Chapter, and Figure number in that hierarchical order
• ID: {ISBN, chapter, figure number}
• The three elements above define the syntax
• Semantics is the meaning of the three entities; e.g., according to
Webster’s dictionary
• The information comprises syntax and semantics about an object.
• In network management, SMI and MIB are used for similar
purposes: defining and identifying specific managed objects.

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-12

Structure of Management Information (SMI)

• SMI defines a managed object

– Syntax and Semantics plus additional information such as
access and status.
• Example
sysDescr: { system 1 }
Syntax: OCTET STRING
Definition: "A textual description of the entity. "
Access: read-only
Status: mandatory

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-13

 Management Information Base (MIB)
• MIB contains information about objects.
• Organized by grouping of related objects.
• Defines relationship between objects.
• It is not a physical database. It is a virtual database that is
compiled into management module.
• Analogy:
– UofO library system has many branches.
– Each branch has a set of books.
– The books in each branch is a different set.
– The information base of UoO has the view (catalog) of all books.
– The information base of each branch has the catalog of books that
belong to that branch.
• That is, each branch has its view (catalog) of the information base

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-14

 Management Data Base vs.
Management Information Base
• Distinction between MDB and MIB
– MDB physical database; e.g.. Oracle,
Sybase
MDB Manager MIB
– MIB virtual database; schema compiled
into management software
• An NMS can automatically discover
a managed object, such as a hub,
when added to the network.
• The NMS can identify the new Managed objects

object as hub only after the MIB

schema of the hub is compiled into
NMS software.

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-15

 Management Information Tree
• Managed objects are uniquely defined by a tree
structure similar to the one shown below:
Root

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Figure 3.7 Generic Representation of Management Information Tree

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-16
 OSI Management Information Tree
• iso = International Standards
Organization
• itu = International
Telecommunications Union
• dod = Department of Defense itu iso iso-itu
0 1 2
• All have come together to
define the OSI Management
org
Information Tree. 3
• Designation:
– iso 1 dod
6
– org 1.3
– dod 1.3.6 internet
– internet 1.3.6.1 1
This tree is not complete!!
Figure 3.8 OSI Management Information Tree
Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-17
 Object Type and Instance
• Internet perspective:
– Acquired from the IETF RFC 1155 (Managed Object in the Internet
Model)
– Type:
• name (unique ID and name for the object type)
• syntax (used to model the object)
• access (access privileges to the object)
• status (implementation requirements)
• definition (textual description of the semantics)
– This is a scalar model that is easy to understand.
• OSI perspective: object class managed object
– Object oriented attributes attributes visible at its boundary
model rather than operations operations which may be applied to it
scalar.
behaviour Behaviour exhibited by the object in
– Has the capability to
response to operation
do more.
notifications notifications emitted by the object
Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-18
 Internet Example
Access: Object Type:
• Example of a circle: Access Object ID and
privilege Descriptor
• object ID = circle circle
• syntax = English syntax
• access = John Smith
• status = mandatory
• description = “A plane figure Status :
Implementaion
bounded by a single curved line, requirements
every point of which is of equal Syntax : Defintion :
distance from the center of the model of object Semantics -
textual description
figure”
Figure 3.9(a) Internet Perspective

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-19

 OSI Example Notifications :
Notify changes in
attribute values

Object Class:
Object Class:

Elliptical
object
Circular
object Behaviour

Operations:
Push

Attributes : Attributes:
circle, dimension ellipse, dimension

Figure 3.9(b) OSI Perspective

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-20

 Packet Counter Example:
Internet vs. OSI
Internet OSI
Characteristics Example Characteristics Example

Object type PktCounter Object class Packet Counter

Syntax Counter Attributes Single-valued

Access Read-only Operations get, set

Status Mandatory Behavior Retrieves or resets values

Description Counts number of Notifications Generates notifications

packets on new value

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-21

 Internet vs. OSI Managed Object
• Scalar object in Internet vs. Object-oriented
approach in OSI.
• OSI characteristics of operations, behaviour, and
notification are part of communication model in
Internet: get, set, response, and alarm.
• Internet syntax is absorbed as part of OSI attributes.
• Internet access is part of OSI security model.
• Internet status is part of OSI conformance application.
• OSI permits creation and deletion of objects;
Internet does not.
– Enhancement in SNMPv2
Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-22
 Communication Model
• Internet: requests/response
• OSI: operations
• Internet: traps and notifications (SNMPv2)
• OSI: notifications
Operations /
Requests

Manager Responses Agent

Notifications / Network Elements /

Applications
Traps Managed Objects

Figure 3.11 Management Message Communication Model

Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-23

 Transfer Protocols
Manager Operations / Requests / Responses Agent
Applications Traps / Notifications Applications

Manager SNMP (Internet) Agent

Communication CMIP (OSI) Communication
Module Module

Transport UDP / IP (Internet) Transport

Layers OSI Lower Layer Protocols (OSI) Layers

Physical Medium

• OSI uses CMISE (Common Management Information Service Element) application

with CMIP (Common Management Information Protocol).
• OSI specifies both connection oriented and connectionless transport protocol.
SNMPv2 extended to connection oriented, but rarely used.
Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-24
 Functional Model
OSI
Functional Model

Configuration Fault Performance Security Accounting

Management Management Management Management Management

• Configuration management • Security management

– Set and change network – Authentication
configuration and component – Authorization
parameters – Encryption
– Set up alarm thresholds
• Accounting management
• Fault management – Functional accounting of network usage
– Detection and isolation of failures
in network
– Trouble ticket administration
• Performance management
– Monitor performance of network
Prof. Shervin Shirmohammadi CEG 4395 5-25