Network Management

1
Network Management

• After studying this Chapter you should
• describe what is required to manage the
  day-to-day operations of networks
• explain network management organization
• describe
• configuration management
• performance and fault management
• cost management
• end-user support
• describe the role and functions of network
  management software and hardware tools

2
What are the primary network management functions?

• Design and implement new networks and network
  upgrades
• Manage the day-to-day operation of existing
  networks

3
Network Management

• The process of operating, monitoring and
  controlling the network to ensure it operates as
  intended and provides value to its users.
• CATER to the needs of the user
• Consistent
• Accurate
• Timely
• Economically feasible
• Relevant
• firefighting - dealing with breakdowns and
  immediate problems

4
The Shift to LANs and the Web

• 90 of all processing power is done on LANs
• growing 40 per year
• Web services growing even more dramatically
• integration
• mixing technologies protocols - requires
  expertise and equipment
• cultural - management and user

5
Integrating LANs, WANs the Web

• Communication and Cooperation
• shift in power
• organizational impact
• single communications and networking goal
• Data communications network organization
• written charter
• purpose
• operational philosophy
• long-range goals
• goals policies
  procedures

6
Integrating Voice and Data

• Why
• changing communications technologies
• high cost of maintaining separate facilities
• low efficiency and productivity
• Roadblocks
• loss of jobs
• loss of power
• political pressures

7
Network Management Functions
Less
Corporate Network Management
Real-time Orientation
Admini- stration Mgmt
Capacity Mgmt
Provisioning Mgmt
Perfor- mance Mgmt
Configura- tion Mgmt
Fault Mgmt
Security Mgmt
Accounting Mgmt
More
8
Network Management Functions

• Four main areas of network management we are
  concerned with are
• configuration management
• performance and fault management
• end user support
• cost management

9
Configuration Management.

• Managing the networks usage
• adding and deleting users
• user or group accounts
• user or group privileges
• user login scripts
• directory space

10
Configuration Management

• Managing the networks hardware and software
• hardware and software upgrades
• desktop management
• Electronic Software Distribution (ESD)

11
Configuration Management

• Documenting the Configuration
• network diagrams and maps
• circuit diagrams
• software licenses
• hardware and software manuals
• vendor contracts and agreements
• user and application profiles

12
Configuration Management
Figure 12-1
13
Performance and Fault Management

• Performance management - ensuring the network is
  operating as efficiently as possible
• Fault management - preventing, detecting, and
  correcting faults in the network circuits,
  hardware, and software
• Network monitoring - keeping track of the
  operation of various network circuits and devices
• functioning properly
• usage statistics

14
Network Monitoring

• Network management software
• operational statistics
• physical network statistics
• network failures
• devices malfunctioning
• devices not responding
• logical network information
• performance measures
• response times
• traffic on the circuit

15
Failure Control

• Central control for problem reporting
• central troubleshooting group
• problem reporting
• authority to call other support or vendors as
  necessary
• managed devices track data on messages
• trouble tickets
• problem tracking/statistics
• problem prioritizing
• management reports
• chronic device failures

16
Performance and Failure Statistics

• Performance statistics
• number of packets moved on which circuits
• number of errors or retransmissions
• percent of capacity
• Failure statistics
• availability
• downtime
• mean time between failures (MTBF)
• mean time to repair (MTTRepair) MTTD
  MTTRespond MTTFix
• Quality-control charts

17
Quality-Control Charts
Figure 12-2
18
Improving Performance

• There are three general activities related to
  performance management, whether on a LAN, BN or
  MAN/WAN
• Policy-based management
• Server load balancing
• Service-level agreements (SLAs)

19
End User Support

• Solving whatever problems users encounter while
  using the network
• hardware failures
• resolving software problems
• lack of user knowledge
• incompatibility between software packages
• security issues
• incorrect or forgotten passwords
• rights to directories

20
End User Support

• Several levels of support
• help desk
• general problems
• 75 - 85 solved at this level
• second level
• specialized skills
• third level
• specialists who test and create solutions
• advanced problem solving
• End User Training
• on-going process

21
Testing and Problem Fix

• establish test and validity criteria
• coordinate and administer the various tests
• quick diagnoses
• maintain a variety of testing equipment
• document fix procedure
• report on problem resolution time
• record down time and network availability
  statistics

22
Cost Management

• control continually escalating costs
• network management staff
• systems management
• end-user support
• WAN circuits
• hardware
• client computers
• network devices
• application software

23
Total Cost of Ownership

• A measure of the cost of keeping one computer
  operational
• cost of repair parts
• software upgrades
• support personnel
• wasted time

24
Net Cost of Ownership

• Measures only direct costs
• cost of replacement parts
• hardware and software upgrades
• support personnel
• WAN circuits

25
Net Cost of Ownership
Figure 12-3
26
Reducing Network Costs

• Five Steps to Reducing Network Costs
• 1. Develop standard hardware and software
  configurations for client computers and servers
• 2. Automate as much of the network management
  function as possible by deploying a solid set of
  network management tools
• 3. Reduce the costs of installing new hardware
  and software by working with vendors
• 4. Centralize help desks
• 5. Move to thin client architectures

27
Network Management Tools

• Network management software
• device management software
• system management software
• application management software
• Network management protocols
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
• Common Management Interface Protocol (CMIP)
• management information base (MIB)
• remote monitoring (RMON)

28
Network Management Tools

• Circuit testing areas
• analog testing
• digital testing
• protocol testing

29
Network Management Tools

• Network management hardware
• monitors and analyzers
• analog and digital test sets
• patch panels
• data recorders
• handheld test sets

30
Network Management Tools

• Network management equipment
• Breakout box - voltage meter
• Bit-Error Rate Tester
• Block-Error Rate Tester
• Fiber Identifier
• Fiber Light Meter
• Cable Analyzer
• Protocol Analyzer/Data Line Monitor
• Automated Test Equipment

31
Network Management Tools

• Automated test equipment are hardware and
  specialized software packages that perform
• diagnostic testing
• polling
• statistics gathering
• protocol emulation
• measurement of bandwidth efficiency
• self diagnosis
• analog and digital circuit testing
• testing of centralized and remote switches
• automatic restart and recovery