Web Based Network Management Using SNMP

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Web Based Network Management Using SNMP

• CS 6255
• Niranjan Balwalli
• niranjan_at_cc.gatech.edu

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Topics to be Covered

• Overview
• Web Based Network Mgmt (WBM)
• Project Web Based SNMP Manager
• Design
• Screen Captures

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Problems in Managing Networks
The web of our life is of a mingled yarn of good
and ill together.WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

• Remote access not available
• Network management is not standardized with the
  WWW
• No graphical user interface Telnet access

Solutions

• Integration of network mgmt with the Internet
• Use of Web Browser as the GUI
• Most economical way of providing remote access

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What is Web Based Management

• WBM is the management of networks and devices
  through the internet using standard available web
  browsers

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Web Based Network Management Model
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Web-Based Network Management can take on one of
the following

• Web-enabled agents
• - Agents that have a web server in built. These
  can be directly managed using a web browser.
• Web-Enabled managers
• - The managers reside on a web-server. The
  browsers connect to the manager which in turn
  queries the agents.

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Web Based Management Architecture
Web-enabled SNMP agents
browser
HTTP/TCP
WWW
Agent
HTTP/TCP
WWW
Remote manager
SNMP
Agent
Agent
Non-web enabled agents
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Web Based Enterprise Management

• Provides one interface to multiple platforms
• Independent of language, UI, execution
  environments
• Defines a common interface for sharing management
  information

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DMI Desktop Management Interface
Manager
WBEM
CIM Common Information Model
CIM Object Manager
CIM
HMMP Hypermedia Management Protocol
HMMP
CIM Object Provider
COM
SNMP
Win32
RPC
WMI Objects
SNMP Objects
Win32 Objects
DMI Objects
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Advantages

• Ubiquitous clients All u need is a web-browser
  and internet connectivity
• Easy to use
• Platform Independence
• Low Cost Solution

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Some of the available products in WBM..

• BrowseIt, NetVision (http//www.netbrowser.com)
• Dr. Web - SNMP Research
• (http//www.snmp.com)
• WebApps Cabletron Spectrum
• (http//www.aprisma.com)
• Ovwww HP OpenView

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My Project

• Implementation of a Web Based SNMP Manager
• Basic Idea
• Managers connect to web-server, authenticate
  themselves
• They download an applet which runs on their local
  machine, which provides the GUI
• They send SNMP requests to web-server, which in
  turn sends them to agents and send back replies

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Design
Web browser
Internet
SNMP Traffic
Encrypted Traffic over TCP
Network to be Managed
Browser (applets)
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Why send packets through web-server ?

• Applets have restrictions.
• Can connect only to those machines from where
  they are downloaded.
• Cannot open / modify files on local machine.
• Thus applet - SNMP agent communication has to
  be through the web-server.

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Features implemented

• Basic Network Topology Discovery
• Finds out active hosts for any given subnet
• Basic SNMP Queries
• SNMP GET, SNMP SET, SNMP-WALK, SNMP-BULK-GET
• MIB Browser Support
• Facility to load any MIB file
• Graphs
• Monitor variables by polling and represent data
  in forms of graphs

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Features implemented contd

• Security related features
• Manager Web-server authentication
• Data sent from Manager to Web-server is
  encrypted
• Manager _at_ WebServer
• Fully multi-threaded, can support more than one
  client
• Asynchronous requests, does not have to wait for
  reply from agents

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Network Topology Discovery

• Very Basic part implemented
• A separate thread invoked at web- server
• The thread sends ICMP Ping requests to all hosts
  in the subnet
• Returns results back to the web client

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Graphs

• Poller Thread invoked at web-server
• Polls for values at every n seconds and returns
  data to client
• Represented in form of a Line Graph

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Advent Net API http//www.advent.com

• Provides Low-Level, High-Level SNMP API
• Supports V1, V2c and V3
• High-Level API
• Rapid development
• Less flexibility
• Very Easy to implement
• Low Level API
• More flexibility, can configure all SNMP details
• I am using the Low Level API

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Screen CapturesLogin Screen
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Screen CapturesLogin Screen
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Screen CapturesLogin Screen
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Screen CapturesLogin Screen
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Future Plans

• Web-Browser Agent communication insecure - SNMP
  V3 features
• More better network discovery
• OS, services etc
• Console for Web-Server
• Monitor clients connected to server

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Questions/Comments/Suggestions
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THANK YOU!