Network Management Overview

Definition of a Data Network

• A collection of devices and circuits for
transferring data from one computer to
another
• Enables
– Resource Sharing
– Centralised data storage

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 Role of the Network Engineer
• Responsible for
– Installing
– Maintaining
– Troubleshooting
• As networks expand
– So do the size and number of potential
problems

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 Role of the Network Engineer
• Sheer volume of information can
become unwieldy
• Overall goal of network management is
help network engineers
– Deal with the complexity of a data network
– Make sure the data can across the network
with
• Maximum efficiency
• Maximum transparency

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 Implementation of a Data
Network
• Having a network does not automatically
guarantee that everyone in an
organisation can share resources
• The network plan needs to ensure the
network meets the organisations
communication needs

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 Implementation of a Data
Network
• After developing the plan the network
engineer needs to
– Build
– Maintain
– Expand
– Optimise
– Troubleshoot
• The network

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 Overview of Network
Management
• Network management is the process of
– Controlling a complex data network
– In order to maximise efficiency and productivity
• International Organisation for Standardisation
(ISO) defines five (5) functional areas
– Fault management
– Configuration Management
– Security Management
– Performance Management
– Accounting Management

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 Overview of Network
Management
• Fault management
– Locating and Fixing problems or faults
• Configuration Management
– Setting up network devices
• Security Management
– Controlling access to information
• Performance Management
– Measuring performance of network hardware, software and
media
• Accounting Management
– Tracking individual and group utilisation of network
resources

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 Network Management
Architecture Performance
Management

Fault
• The ISO/ITU model Management Configuration
Management

– 5 Main subsystems
Network
Management

Security
Management Accounting

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 Network Management
Protocols
• Essential factor in network management
– Ability to acquire information from and effect change to
network devices
• A simple protocol would
– Define common data formats and parameters
– Allow for easy retrieval of information
• A more complex system
– Add change capability
– Add security
• Advanced management system
– Remote management
– Independent from network layer protocol

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 Interaction of Management
Subsystems
Error rates, Response times etc
Fault Performance
Management Management

Configuration Details
Configuration Details

Traffic
Configuration Levels
Management

Configuration Configuration
Details Details

Network
Costings
Security
Management Accounting

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 The Network Management
Platform
• A software package that provides generic functionality for a
variety of network devices
• Basic functionality includes
– A GUI
– A network map
– A database management system (DBMS)
– A standard method to query devices
– A customisable menu system
– An event system
• Other features may include
– Graphing tools
– Application programming interface
– System security

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 The Network Management
Platform
• A GUI
– Standard GUI, platform will behave in a
documented manner
– Conformation by various vendors
• A network map
– Useful in all areas
– Fault isolation
– Physical and logical configuration
– Graphical display of device and link performance
– Can include autodiscovery and automapping

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 The Network Management
Platform
• A database management system (DBMS)
– Applications can use for information storage
– Relationships assists in diagnosis and maintenance
• A standard method to query devices
– Must be able to gather information from devices from many
different vendors
• A customisable menu system
– Enables seamless extensions
• An event system
– Logs each event chronologically

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 Network Management
Architecture – Brief
• Three most common
– Centralised
– Hierarchical
– Distributed

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 Network Management
Architecture – Brief
• Centralised
– Platform on one computer system
– Single centralised database
– Complete backup to separate system for redundancy
– Gives Network engineer a single point to view ALL alerts and
events
– Security easier to maintain
– Lacks degrees of redundancy and fault tolerance
– Traffic load on all network links connected to management
site
– Problems with scalability

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 Network Management
Architecture – Brief
• Hierarchical
– Multiple systems
• One acting as central server
• Other acting as clients
– Key Features
• Not dependant on a single system
• Distribution of network management tasks
• Network monitoring distributed throughout network
• Centralised information storage
– Management tasks distributed between central server and clients
– May make information gathering more difficult and time consuming
– May result in some devices being monitored twice

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 Network Management
Architecture – Brief
• Distributed
– Combines centralised and hierarchical approaches
– Uses multiple peer platforms
– One platform is the leader of a set of peer network management
systems
• Each peer platform can have a complete database of the network
• Allows it to perform tasks & report back to a central system
– Advantages
• Single location for all information, alerts and events
• Single location to access all management applications
• Not dependant on a single system
• Distribution of network management tasks
• Distribution of network monitoring

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 Network Management
Applications
• The platform provides generic functionality for ALL
network devices
• Network management applications help the network
engineer to manage a specific set of devices and
services
• Have the following goals
– Effectively manage a specific set of devices
– Avoid functionality overlap with the platform
– Integrate with a platform through the API and menu system
– Reside on multiple platforms

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 Choosing a Network
Management System
• A practical approach could be
– Perform device inventory
– Prioritise the functional areas of network
management
– Survey network management applications
– Choose the network management platform

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 Choosing a Network
Management System
• Perform device inventory
– Identify ALL devices on the network
– Discovery of manageability
– Prioritise mission critical devices

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 Choosing a Network
Management System
• Prioritise the functional areas of network
management
– Fault, config, security etc
– Order will depend upon your organisational
environment

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 Choosing a Network
Management System
• Survey network management
applications
– Find applications that help perform YOUR
key areas of network management
– Using apps designed to manage the
devices you prioritised allows you to spend
resources actively managing the network

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 Choosing a Network
Management System
• Choose the network management
platform
– Ideally all the applications chosen will work
on at least one common platform
– If you have a choice of platforms choose
the one with an architecture that resembles
the way your organisation plans to manage
the network
• Eg centralised, hierarchical, distributed

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