Network Management
11-1
Network Management
 NM
is defined as the process of:
• Operating
• Monitoring
• Controlling
of the network to ensure that:
• It works as intended
• It provides values to its users
11-2
Network Management
 NW-Managers
do 3-tasks:
• Designing the new networks
• Upgrading the existing network
• Managing the day-to-day operations of the NW
 This
chap deals with the day-to-day
network-management and discusses things
that must be done to ensure that the
network functions properly.
11-3
Network Management
Network management means:
 Organizing the NW-management functions
 NW-Configuration management
 NW-Performance
and fault management (PM/FM)
 NW-Cost
management
 NW-Management software
11-4
Factors contributing to the
day-to-day problems
 Unexpected
circuit failures
 Pressures from the end users to meet the
critical time schedule
 Unavailability of critical equipment/circuit
 Insufficient info to ensure adequate service
to all users
11-5
INTRODUCTION
11-6
Introduction
Network Management: the process of
operating, monitoring, and controlling the
network to ensure that it works as intended
and provides value to its users.
Without a well-planned and designed network,
and a well-organized network management
staff, operating the network becomes
extremely difficult. Unfortunately, many
network managers spend most of their time
firefighting - dealing with breakdowns and
immediate problems.
11-7
Firefighting means what!
 Dealing
with the following 2-things:
• Breakdowns in the network
• Immediate problems
rather than planning and organizing the NW
and the networking-staff
11-8
Managers need to spend lot of
time in/on the following
 Planning
for the network
 Organizing the network and
 Organizing the NW-staff
All the above 3-things are needed to
predict and prevent the possibility of
any occurrence of any future problem.
11-9
4-activities of the NW-managers
 Configuration
management
• Knowing about the HW/SW—when and where!
 Performance
and Fault management
• Identifying and fixing the problems
 End-User
support
• Assisting the end-users
 Cost
management
• Minimizing the cost of providing the NW-services
11-10
ORGANIZING THE
NETWORK MANAGEMENT
FUNCTION
11-11
Organizing the NWManagement Functions
 What
the O-NW-M functions mean?
 Shifting
to LANs and the Web
 Integrating the LANs, WANs and the Web
 Integrating audio and data communication
11-12
The Shift to LANs and the Web
Since the late 1980’s, there has been an
explosion of microcomputer-based
networks.
Although the management of host-based
mainframe networks will always be
important, the future of network
management lies in the successful
management of the LAN, backbone
network, and Internet resources.
11-13
The Shift to LANs and the Web
Today, the critical issue is the integration of all
organizational networks and applications.
This presents two problems:
• First, technical compatibility of technologies
and protocols
• Second, the cultural differences in personalities
and management styles of network managers.
WAN and mainframe managers prefer more
highly structured and controlled environments
than do LAN and Web managers.
11-14
Integrating LANs, WANs, and the Web
The key to integrating LANs, WANs, and the
Web into one overall organization network
is for both LAN/Web and WAN managers to
recognize that they no longer have the
power they once had.
The central data communication network
organization should have a written charter
that defines its purpose, operational
philosophy, and long-range goals.
11-15
Integration of LANs, WANs
and the Web
 LANs,
WANs and the Web are the different
parts of the big-network
 Integration of the above helps enhance the
efficiency and power of the communication
as well as the networking of the organization
 There must be a single communication and
networking goal that best meets the needs of
the entire organization
11-16
Integrating Voice and Data
Communications
Another major challenge comes from the IVDC;
the separation of voice and data worked well
over the years, but now changing
communication technologies are causing
enormous pressures to combine these functions.
There is no perfect solution to the problem of
integration, because it must be handled in a way
unique to each organization.
In communications we are moving from an era
where the computer system is the dominant IT
function to one in which communications
networks are the dominant IT function.
11-17
Integration of audio, video and
data communications
IAVDC will result in the following:
 better
power of communication
 efficient communication systems
 higher employee productivity
 reduced operating costs
11-18
Most imp-skills the managers
want in you!
 NW
and the Web design technologies
 Project management
 Knowledge of TCP/IP
 Knowledge of JAVA and C++
 Knowledge of Windows and NT
 Knowledge of SAP, Unix and Pearl
 Knowledge of ATM, Switches and ISDN
 Knowledge of packets and Routing technologies
11-19
Future of the NW-management
 FNW-M
lies in the successful
management of the following:
• LAN---Ethernet LAN and Token-Ring LAN
• BN/CAN
• Internet resources
 Remember
the following:
• Web/Internet protocols-----TCP/IP
• Central/Mainframe protocol---SNA
• Routers and gateways are used to connect
different LANs, BN/CANs and mainframe
computers
11-20
CONFIGURATION
MANAGEMENT
Managing the network’s hardware
and software configuration and
documenting it.
11-21
Configuration means what!
 Arrangement
of elements or/and parts
 The form of a figure determined by the
arrangement of its parts (i,e contour)
 Contour means what!
• The shape or outline of a figure
• or body or mass
11-22
What’s Config-management!
 Configuration
management means
 Managing and documenting and updating:
• The NW’s HW-configuration
• The NW’s SW-configuration
• The NW’s operating system (NOS)
 Documentation
means what!
• It means the NW-configuration maps plus
documentation of each individual NWcomponent
11-23
Configuring the Network and
Client Computers
3-most common configuration activities
------they include the following things---- adding user accounts
 deleting user accounts
 updating the software on the client
computers attached to the network.
11-24
Updating the SW on the Client
computers attached to the NW
 When
a new version of the NWing-SW is
released, each computer in the organization
must be updated
 Somebody from the NWing-staff must go to
each client-computer and install manually
 For a small organization, it’s OK
 For a big organization, it is difficult and
 In that case, they adopt ESD
 ESD = Electronic SW-Delivery
= Automatic SW-Distribution
11-25
What ESD does!
 eliminates
the need to manually update each
and every client computer.
 greatly reduces the cost of configuration as well
as documentation management
 Provides solution to the configuration problems
associated with software updates.
 Enables the NW-managers to install the SW on
client-computers over the network, without
needing individual access to each clientcomputer
11-26
Documenting the Configuration
Configuration documentation includes
information about network hardware,
network software, user and application
profiles, and network documentation.
Network maps must be supplemented by
documentation on each individual network
component.
A similar approach can be used for network
software.
11-27
Documenting the Configuration
Software documentation can also help in
negotiating site licenses for software.
The third type of documentation is the user
and application profiles, which should be
automatically provided by the network
operating system or outside software
agreements.
In addition, other documentation must be
routinely developed and updated pertaining
to the network (incl. manuals).
11-28
NW Configuration Maps
The NWC-maps provide information and
also documentation of the following:
 Basic info about NW-HW and NW-SW
 NW-client/computers
 NW-server/computers
 NW-components
 NW-devices/NIC/NOS
 Serial-#, the type and the placement of the
network-circuits
11-29
PERFORMANCE and FAULT
MANAGEMENT
11-30
Performance and Fault
Management
Performance management:
 ensures
the efficient performance of the
network
 improving the NW-performance is its essence
Fault management (means what!):
 prevention,
detection and correction of faults
in the network circuits, hardware, and
software.
11-31
Performance and Fault
Management
 PM
and FM are closely related and
 Need NW-monitoring which means:
• Keeping track of the operation of the network
circuits, devices and components
• Ensuring that they are functioning properly
• Monitoring as to how they are being used
• In essence, monitoring/controlling the NW
• Collecting statistics/info from the NW-devices
involving different parameters: PNP and LNP
11-32
Network Monitoring
Most large organizations and many small
ones use network management software to
monitor and control their networks.
In large networks, network monitoring
becomes more important.
The parameters monitored by a network
management system fall into two distinct
categories: physical network statistics and
logical network information.
11-33
Network Monitoring
PNP = Physical Network Parameters
 monitors
the operation of the networkdevices; modems, multiplexers, circuits
linking the various hardware devices, and
any other network device.
11-34
Network Monitoring
LNP = Logical network parameters
 Monitors the performance measurement
 Keeps track of the user response time and
 the volume of traffic on a specific circuit
 the destination of data being routed around
various network,
 the level of service being provided by the
network.
11-35
NW-Management Software
NW-MSW provides automated support for any/all
of the network management functions.
 4-types
of NW-MSW:
• Device-MSW--------Provides info about devices
• Systems-MSW
Provides
ESD/analyzes the device-level info
• Application-MSW
Tracks
info about mission-critical applications
• Smart NW-devices
Performs
functions and also record data on they
messages they process
11-36
Failure Control Function
Failure control is handled by the network support
group that is called when anything goes wrong
with the network (help desk).
Failure Control Group maintains a central
(telephone for NW-users) control philosophy for
problem reporting and other user interfaces.
Smart NW-devices
• Smart NW-hub
• Smart NW-switch
• Smart NW-Controller
11-37
Smart NW-devices
Are able to detect faulty transmission from the
failing network and then
 Disable the incoming port (thereby disabling the
faulty NIC/NW-device/Interface card)
 Then, issue an alarm to the NW-manager
 Finding/fixing the fault becomes simpler and easier
 perform their functions and record data on the
messages they process

11-38
Failure Control Function
Numerous software packages are available for
recording fault information.
Trouble tickets
 helps a manager in any problem tracking.
 record the faulty info and helps track down the
trouble spots.
 faulty info is immediately sent into a CFAP for
analysis (CFAP = computerized failure analysis
program)
 There are 4-types of trouble tickets
11-39
4-types of Trouble Tickets
Problem tracking allows the network manager to
determine who is responsible for correcting any
outstanding problems.
 Problem statistics are an important control device
for the network operators as well as for vendors.
 Problem-solving methodology ensures priority for
critical and important problems over the lessimportant ones.
 Problem Management Reports: helps determine
the NW-availability, product and vendor reliability
and also vendor effectiveness.

11-40
Notebook Format & Trouble Log
Notebook format:
 Used for logging, if computerized packet
facility is not available
 Provides 2-pages:
• 1st page kept for the “trouble-log”
• 2nd page is given to the vendor
What is the purpose of the trouble log:
 to
record problems that must be corrected and
 to
keep track of statistics associated with
these problems.
11-41
Problem Resolution
The purpose of PR is to fix the NW-problems
Mean time to repair (MTTR) is equal to the mean time
to diagnose plus the mean time to respond plus the
mean time to fix a problem.
MTTRepair = MTTDiagnose + MTTRespond + MTTFix
MTBF = The mean time between failures
indicates the reliability of a network component.
11-42
Problem Resolution
Availability:
 Is an important time factor
 is defined as the percentage of time the
network is available to users
 (# of hours available / # hours in a month).
 Is good if between 99% and 99.5%
Downtime = 1-Availability
 The time the NW is unavailable due to
faults/routine-maintenance/upgrades
11-43
Problem Resolution
The network operations group use
automated network management software
to gather a daily record of the normal
operations of the network. These data
can be used for predicting future growth
patterns and failures.
Such predictions can be accompanied by
establishing simple quality control charts.
11-44
Problem Resolution
11-45
Problem Resolution
More organizations are beginning to establish
service level agreements with their common
carriers and service providers.
 SLA = service level agreements:
 SLA specifies
the type of performance and fault
conditions that the organization will accept.
 For
example: availability-----99%, or higher,
and MTBF = 120 days.
11-46
END-USER SUPPORT
11-47
End-User Support
Solving whatever problems users encounter while
using the network. These are 3-types:
• Resolving network problems
• Resolving software problems
• Providing Training for the users
3-Levels of support:
1st Level of Support---is the most basic
2nd Level of Support—when 1st-Level cannot solve
3rd Level of Support—specialists/staff/vendors
jointly solve these problems that demand a lot of
their time to solve some new/complex problems.
11-48
Resolving problems
Problems stem from three major sources:
• Hardware devices
• A lack of user knowledge
• Software or software-incompatibility.
There are often several levels to the problem
resolution process.
• Basic help desk
• Specialized skills personnel with experience in
problem areas
• Technical/vendor specialists.
11-49
Providing End-User Training
 Is
a key part in the implementation of newnetworks and network-components
 End-user training is an ongoing
responsibility of the network management.
 Training is usually conducted through inclass or one-on-one instruction and through
the documentation and training materials
provided.
11-50
COST MANAGEMENT
11-51
Sources of Costs
The total cost of ownership (TCO) is a measure
of how much it costs per year to keep one
computer operating. Many studies for TCO
indicate it can cost up to five time the value of
the computer to keep it operational.
Although TCO has been widely accepted, many
organizations disagree with the practice of
including user “waste” time in the measure and
prefer to focus on costing methods that examine
only the direct costs of operating the computer.
11-52
Sources of Costs
Since the largest cost item is personnel time,
the primary focus of cost management lies
in designing networks and developing
policies to reduce personnel time, not
reduce hardware costs.
Network managers find it difficult to manage
their budgets because network grow so
rapidly. Many organizations have
implemented charge-back policies for users
of WANs and mainframe-based network.
11-53
Largest Cost Items
11-54
Reducing Costs
Five steps to reduce network costs
Centralize help desks.
 Move to thin client architectures.
 Reduce the costs of installing new hardware
and software by working with vendors.
 Develop standard hardware and software
configurations for client computers and servers.
 Automate as much of the network management
function as possible by deploying a solid set of
network management tools.

11-55
NETWORK MANAGEMENT
TOOLS
11-56
Network Management Software
Network management software is designed to
provide automated support for some or all
of the network management functions.
There are three fundamentally different types
of network management software:
• Device NW-MSW
• System NW-MSW
• Application NW-MSW
11-57
Device NW-MSW
 Provides
info about specific devices on a NW and
helps the NW-managers to monitor imp-devices,
such as:
• Hubs, servers, Routers, routers
• Gateways, switches
 Typically reports on:
• Configuration info, traffic volume, and also
error conditions for each NW-device
 Contains the following
• Processor, Memory
• Small programs, called agents
11-58
System NW-MSW
 Also
known as Enterprise-MSW
 Provides reports on ESD
 Can analyzes the device information and
Can correlate the error-messages into a
pattern
 And provides report on:
• Configuration information
• Traffic volume
• Error info and conditions for each device

11-59
Application NW-MSW
 Builds
on the Device-NW-MSW
 Does not monitor the system/devices, but
 But, monitors the applications
 Informs the NW-manager if any problem
occurs
 Tracks delays and problems with the
application-layer packets
11-60
Network Management Software
11-61
11-62
11-63
Network Management Standards
One major problem is ensuring that hardware devices from
different vendors can understand and respond to the
messages sent by the network management software of
other vendors.

2-most commonly used NWM-Protocols are:
---(NWM-P = NW management protocols)--• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
• Common Management Interface Protocol
(CMIP)
• However, SNMP and CMIP are not compatible
• SNMP is also known as RMON-SNMP
11-64
Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMP)
 Controls
and monitors the status of NWdevices on both (TCP/IP)-NW and also
(IPX/SPX)-NW
SNMP-device has an agent (which is
only a small program) that does 3-things:
 Each
•
•
•
•
Collects information about itself and also
Info about the messages it processes
Stores that info in a database, called, MIB
MIB = management information base
11-65
Common Management Interface
Protocol (CMIP)
 Is
a competitor to SNMP
 Is a protocol for the OSI-type Network
 Is much newer than SNMP
 Is more complete than SNMP
 Better than SNMP in many ways
 Both SNMP and CMIP are incompatible protocols
 However, CMIP monitors and tracks the NWusage and other parameters for client/servers and
other NW-devices
11-66
NW-Management Hardware
4-popular NW-operating systems:
 Banyan VINES; Novell Netware
 MS-LAN Manager, Artisoft’s LANtastic
6-Multipurpose Operating Systems:
 Digital Open-VMS Version-6.2
 IBM’s AIX Version-4.1
 IBM OS/400 Version-3
 SunSoft’s Solaris Version 2.4
 Microsoft Windows-NT Server Version 3.51
 HP HP-UX Version-10.0
11-67
Network Operating System
A NOS does/provides the following:
 File and printing services/sharing
 File system and database sharing
 Application sharing
 Management services
 Communication services
 Ability to manage a NW-name-directory
 Ensures network security
 Other house-keeping aspects of a network
All these are very imp in corporate environments
11-68
Network Management Hardware
3 Principal types of NW-testing:
 analog testing
• Deals with the trouble-shooting on the analog
side of the modem
 digital
testing
• designed to test digital communications circuits
 protocol
testing
• Checks the contents of the packets and frames
• Examines the message transmission times
• And other items related to SW-protocols
procedures
11-69
Network Management Hardware
 NW-Management
 5-Basic
HW-Tools: (Same thing as)
categories of Test-Equipments:
Testing hardware includes:
•
•
•
•
•
Monitors and analyzers
Analog and Digital Test Sets
Patch panels
Data recorders
Handheld test sets
11-70
Network Management Hardware
7-Secondary Testing Tools:
 Breakout
Box
 BERT = bit-error rate tester
 Block-Error Rate Tester
 Fiber Identifier
 Cable Analyzer
 Protocol Analyzer
 Automated Test Equipments
11-71
Network Management Hardware
Breakout box - a handheld device that can be
plugged into a modem’s digital side to determine
voltage levels.
 Bit-Error Rate Tester (BERT)-tests the # of bits in
error divided by the total # of bits received.
 Block-Error Rate Tester(BKERT) - calculates the
number of received blocks that contain at least one
bit error divided by the total # of blocks received.
 Fiber Identifier - locates a particular nonworking
fiber without interrupting service on a fiber optic
network.

11-72
Network Management Hardware
Cable analyzer - checks LAN cabling for signal
continuity, pulse distortion, parity, conductivity,
connectivity, polarity reversals, and excessive noise
on the data stream.
 Protocol Analyzer - decodes messages on the
circuit to allow you to see the content of a frame or
packet during its transmission.
 Data Line Monitor - traces network activity and
response time analysis on a specific circuit, and
checks the actual data.
 Note that, today, the above two---PA and DLM do
the same things and overlap in what they do!

11-73
Network Management Hardware
 Automated
test equipment :
 ATE is a hardware and specialized software
packages which do the following:
 Performs the diagnostic testing, polling,
statistics gathering, protocol emulation
 Measures the bandwidth efficiency, self
diagnosis, analog and digital circuit testing,
testing of centralized and remote switches,
 Automatic restart and recovery in case of
disaster.
11-74