Network Management

service that employs a variety of tools, applications, and devices to assist human network managers in monitoring and maintaining networks.

Network Management

Network management refers to a network engineer's ability to manipulate his resources from a central location, using the network itself as a communication and configuration medium.

Network Management

Refers to the broad subject of managing computer networks.

Exists a wide variety of software and hardware products that help network system administrators manage a network.

Network management covers a wide area:

* Security: Ensuring that the network is protected from unauthorized users.

* Performance: Eliminating bottlenecks in the network.

* Reliability: Making sure the network is available to users and responding to hardware and software malfunctions.

Network management

Network management refers to the maintenance and administration of computer networks and telecommunications networks at the top level.

Network management is the execution of the set of functions required for controlling, planning, allocating, deploying, coordinating, and monitoring the resources of a network.

In the past network management mainly consisted of monitoring whether devices were up or down;

today performance management has become a crucial part of the IT team's role which brings about a host of challenges -- especially for global organizations.

Network Monitoring

The term network monitoring describes the use of a system that constantly monitors a computer network for slow or failing systems and that notifies the network administrator in case of outages via email, pager or other alarms. It is a subset of the functions involved in network management.

Network Administrator

The terms network administrator, network specialist and network analyst designate job positions of engineers involved in computer networks, the people who carry out network administration.

Network administrators are basically the network equivalent of system administrators: they maintain the hardware and software that comprises the network.

This normally includes the configuration, maintenance and monitoring of active network gear: switches, routers, firewalls, etc.

Network administration commonly includes activities such as network address assignment, assignment of routing protocols and routing table configuration as well as configuration of authentication and authorization.

It often includes maintenance of network facilities in individual machines, such as drivers and settings of personal computers as well as printers and such.

It sometimes also includes maintenance of certain network servers: file servers, VPN gateways, intrusion detection systems, etc.

Network specialists and analysts concentrate on the network design and security, particularly troubleshooting and/or debugging network-related problems.

Their work can also include the maintenance of the network's authorization infrastructure, as well as network backup systems.

ISO Network Management Model

The ISO has contributed a great deal to network standardization. Its network management model is the primary means for understanding the major functions of network management systems. This model consists of five conceptual areas.

ISO Network Management Model

Performance Management

Configuration Management

Accounting Management

Fault Management

Security Management

Performance Management

The goal is to measure and make available various aspects of network performance so that internetwork performance can be maintained at an acceptable level. Examples of performance variables that might be provided include network throughput, user response times, and line utilization.

Performance management involves three main steps. First, performance data is gathered on variables of interest to network administrators. Second, the data is analyzed to determine normal (baseline) levels. Finally, appropriate performance thresholds are determined for each important variable so that exceeding these thresholds indicates a network problem worthy of attention.

Configuration ManagementConfiguration Management

The goal of The goal of configuration managementconfiguration management is to monitor is to monitor network and system configuration information so that the network and system configuration information so that the effects on network operation of various versions of effects on network operation of various versions of hardware and software elements can be tracked and hardware and software elements can be tracked and managed. managed.

An engineering workstation, for example, may be An engineering workstation, for example, may be configured as follows: configured as follows:

• • Operating system, Version 3.2 Operating system, Version 3.2 • • TCP/IP software, Version 2.0 TCP/IP software, Version 2.0 • • NetWare software, Version 4.1 NetWare software, Version 4.1 • • X.25 software, Version 1.0 X.25 software, Version 1.0 • • SNMP software, Version 3.1 SNMP software, Version 3.1

Configuration management subsystems store this Configuration management subsystems store this information in a database for easy access. When a information in a database for easy access. When a problem occurs, this database can be searched for clues problem occurs, this database can be searched for clues that may help solve the problem. that may help solve the problem.

Accounting Management

The goal of accounting management is to measure network utilization parameters so that individual or group uses on the network can be regulated appropriately. Such regulation minimizes network problems (because network resources can be apportioned based on resource capacities) and maximizes the fairness of network access across all users.

As with performance management, the first is to measure utilization of all important network resources.

Analysis of the results provides insight into current usage patterns, and usage quotas can be set at this point.

Some correction, of course, will be required to reach optimal access practices.

Fault Management

The goal of fault management is to detect, log, notify users of, and (to the extent possible) automatically fix network problems to keep the network running effectively. Because faults can cause downtime or unacceptable network degradation, fault management is perhaps the most widely implemented of the ISO network management elements.

Fault management involves first determining symptoms and isolating the problem. Then the problem is fixed and the solution is tested on all-important subsystems. Finally, the detection and resolution of the problem is recorded.

Security Management

The goal of is to control access to network resources according to local guidelines so that the network cannot be sabotaged and sensitive information cannot be accessed by those without appropriate authorization.

A security management subsystem, for example, can monitor users logging on to a network resource and can refuse access to those who enter inappropriate access codes.

Security management subsystems work by partitioning network resources into authorized and unauthorized areas.

E.g. access to Human Resource files, for example, is inappropriate for most users outside the Human Resources department.

Security management subsystems perform several functions. They identify sensitive network resources (including systems, files, and other entities) and determine mappings between sensitive network resources and user sets. They also monitor access points to sensitive network resources and log inappropriate access to sensitive network resources.

List of network management systems

Advanced Host Monitor KS-SOFT Advanced NVIEW A concept for business results. A new concept for performance, fault and SLA's management. AdventNet ManageEngine OpManager Alcatel 5620 Network Manager & Service Aware Manager Arena Network Manager from Sphere Networks, network discovery, active / passive monitoring, fault management, notification, script execution. Attachmate NetIQ AppManager & SecurityManager AutoNOC Integrated, Automated Network Management Blue Coat Proxy Servers for WAN Optimization and Web cache Big Brother BixData Performance, system, network and application ByteSphere OidView Network Management Toolset and Expert System CA Unicenter Network and Systems Management Cacti- network statistics graphing tool. CITTIO WatchTower Automated Network & Systems Monitoring

Caligare NetFlow monitoring, analyzing and anomalies detection Cisco Active Network Abstraction A network resource management platform for large networks CiscoWorks Lan Management Solution Manages enterprise switching networks

Cisco Netwok Analysis Module Analyzes live network traffic Comarch Comarch OSS Suite Crannog Software DataMiner Skyline Communications' multi-vendor network management system for the HFC broadband, satellite, IPTV and broadcast industry ECI Telecom LightSoft® Multidimensional Network Management System Ericsson OSSRC - Operations Support System, Radio and Core Foundry IronView Network management for Foundry devices. Harris NetBoss Fault, Configuration, and Performance suite of applications. Hewlett Packard OpenView framework TTI Telecom Service Assurance, Netrac Product Lines Hierarchical Network Management System by NASA Hobbit IBM AURORA Network Performance Profiling System

IBM Tivoli NetView iMacros Browser-based monitoring system, Flash/Java applets performance monitoring Infosim Performance Management, Fault Management and Inventory Management Intellipool Network Monitor IPCheck Server Monitor from Paessler AG Just for Fun Network Management System Lansweeper Free network inventory for windows Lucent VitalSuite Network and Service Management Software Lucent Navis® Optical Management System (OMS) Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) Nagios open source application Netdisco Web-based network management tool targeted at large corporate and university networks. NETMON Network Monitoring Appliance NetQoS

Network Management:Products and Services Cisco Systems

Routing and Switching Management (continued) CiscoWorks LAN Management Solution BundleCiscoWorks Campus Manager CiscoWorks CiscoView CiscoWorks Common Services Software CiscoWorks Device Fault Manager CiscoWorks Internetwork Performance Monitor CiscoWorks LAN Management Solution CiscoWorks Resource Manager Essentials CiscoWorks LAN Management Solution ExtensionsCiscoWorks Interface Configuration Manager Cisco Diagnostics Expert ProductsCisco MPLS Diagnostics Expert

Element Management SystemsCisco 12000/10720 Router Manager Cisco 7600 Router Manager Cisco Catalyst Switch Manager Cisco Element Manager System Multicast ManagementCisco Multicast Manager Cisco Route Manager Programmatic InterfacesCisco Enhanced Device Interface WAN ManagementCisco WAN Manager Cisco Subscriber Edge Services Manager CiscoWorks Small Network Management Solution Cisco Configuration Engine Cisco Netflow Collection Engine Cisco Network Assistant Cisco Notification Engine Cisco Performance Engine