Network Management Fundamentals

by Clemm, Alexander

• ISBN13: 9781587201370
• ISBN10: 1587201372
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-21
• Publisher: Cisco Press

Summary

Network Management Fundamentals offers an accessible overview of network management and its essential concepts. After reading this book, users will grasp the business implications of network management, understand various management reference models, know the building blocks of network management, realize the impact of management technologies, and be able to make educated decisions concerning network management. Part I gives an overview of network management, including why it is relevant and a discussion of its associated functions, tools, and activities. Part II dissects the topic into its components, covering perspectives and aspects of network management that culminate in a discussion of management reference models. Part III addresses the various network management building blocks. Discussion includes communication between systems, information that describes the systems to be managed, common management functionality, and roles that different components play in a managed network. Also, an overview of the most important management protocols is presented. Part IV includes a number of topics of general interest, such as service level agreements and management integration, and puts into perspective the concepts and theories introduced in earlier parts.

Author Biography

Dr. Alexander Clemm, Ph.D. is a Senior Architect with Cisco Systems. He has been involved with integrated management of networked systems and services since 1990. Alex has provided technical leadership for many network management development and engineering efforts from original conception to delivery to the customer. They include management instrumentation of network devices, turnkey management solutions for packet telephony and managed services, and management systems for Voice over IP networks, broadband access networks, and provisioning of residential subscriber services. Alex has approximately 30 publications related to network management and 15 patents pending. He is on the Organizing Committee or Technical Program Committee of the major technical conferences in the field, including IM, NOMS, DSOM, IPOM, and MMNS, and he served as Technical Program Co-chair of the 2005 IFIP/IEEE International Symposium on Integrated Network Management. He holds a Ph.D. degree from the University of Munich and a Master’s degree from Stanford University.

 

Table of Contents

Introduction	xix
Part I Network Management: An Overview	3	(98)
Setting the Stage	5	(42)
Defining Network Management	5	(5)
Analogy 1: Health Care---the Network, Your Number One Patient	6	(1)
Analogy 2: Throwing a Party	7	(1)
A More Formal Definition	8	(2)
The Importance of Network Management: Many Reasons to Care	10	(6)
Cost	12	(2)
Quality	14	(1)
Revenue	15	(1)
The Players: Different Parties with an Interest in Network Management	16	(5)
Network Management Users	16	(1)
The Service Provider	16	(1)
The Enterprise IT Department	17	(1)
The End User	18	(1)
Network Management Providers	19	(1)
The Equipment Vendor	19	(1)
The Third-Party Application Vendor	20	(1)
The Systems Integrator	20	(1)
Network Management Complexities: From Afterthought to Key Topic	21	(23)
Technical Challenges	22	(1)
Application Characteristics	23	(3)
Scale	26	(4)
Cross-Section of Technologies	30	(4)
Integration	34	(2)
Organization and Operations Challenges	36	(1)
Functional Division of Tasks	37	(1)
Geographical Distribution	38	(1)
Operational Procedures and Contingency Planning	38	(1)
Business Challenges	39	(1)
Placing a Value on Network Management	40	(1)
Feature vs. Product	41	(1)
Uneven Competitive Landscape	42	(2)
Chapter Summary	44	(1)
Chapter Review	45	(2)
On the Job with a Network Manager	47	(28)
A Day in the Life of a Network Manager	48	(15)
Pat: A Network Operator for a Global Service Provider	48	(6)
Chris: Network Administrator for a Medium-Size Business	54	(6)
Sandy: Administrator and Planner in an Internet Data Center	60	(2)
Observations	62	(1)
The Network Operator's Arsenal: Management Tools	63	(9)
Device Managers and Craft Terminals	64	(1)
Network Analyzers	65	(1)
Element Managers	65	(1)
Management Platforms	66	(1)
Collectors and Probes	67	(1)
Intrusion Detection Systems	67	(1)
Performance Analysis Systems	68	(1)
Alarm Management Systems	68	(1)
Trouble Ticket Systems	69	(1)
Work Order Systems	69	(1)
Workflow Management Systems and Workflow Engines	70	(1)
Inventory Systems	70	(1)
Service Provisioning Systems	71	(1)
Service Order--Management Systems	71	(1)
Billing Systems	72	(1)
Chapter Summary	72	(1)
Chapter Review	73	(2)
The Basic Ingredients of Network Management	75	(26)
The Network Device	76	(7)
Management Agent	77	(3)
Management Information, MOs, MIBs, and Real Resources	80	(3)
Basic Management Ingredients---Revisited	83	(1)
The Management System	83	(3)
Management System and Manager Role	84	(2)
A Management System's Reason for Being	86	(1)
The Management Network	86	(7)
Networking for Management	87	(3)
The Pros and Cons of a Dedicated Management Network	90	(3)
The Management Support Organization: NOC, NOC, Who's There?	93	(4)
Managing the Management	93	(3)
Inside the Network Operations Center	96	(1)
Chapter Summary	97	(1)
Chapter Review	98	(3)
Part II Management Perspectives	101	(68)
The Dimensions of Management	103	(26)
Lost in (Management) Space: Charting Your Course Along Network Management Dimensions	104	(1)
Management Interoperability: ``Roger That''	104	(10)
Communication Viewpoint: Can You Hear Me Now?	106	(2)
Function Viewpoint: What Can I Do for You Today?	108	(2)
Information Viewpoint: What Are You Talking About?	110	(1)
The Role of Standards	111	(3)
Management Subject: What We're Managing	114	(1)
Management Life Cycle: Managing Networks from Cradle to Grave	115	(3)
Planning	116	(1)
Deployment	117	(1)
Operations	117	(1)
Decommissioning	118	(1)
Management Layer: It's a Device... No, It's a Service... No, It's a Business	118	(4)
Element Managment	119	(1)
Network Management	119	(1)
Service Management	120	(1)
Business Management	121	(1)
Network Element	121	(1)
Additional Considerations	121	(1)
Management Function: What's in Your Toolbox	122	(1)
Management Process and Organization: Of Help Desks and Cookie Cutters	123	(3)
Chapter Summary	126	(1)
Chapter Review	127	(2)
Management Functions and Reference Models: Getting Organized	129	(40)
Of Pyramids and Layered Cakes	129	(2)
FCAPS: The ABCs of Management	131	(12)
F Is for Fault	132	(1)
Network Monitoring Overview	132	(1)
Basic Alarm Management Functions	133	(2)
Advanced Alarm Management Functions	135	(3)
Alarm and Event Filtering	138	(2)
Alarm and Event Correlation	140	(1)
Fault Diagnosis and Troubleshooting	141	(2)
Proactive Fault Management	143	(1)
Trouble Ticketing	143	(1)
C Is for Configuration	143	(8)
Configuring Managed Resources	145	(1)
Auditing, Discovery, and Autodiscovery	146	(2)
Synchronization	148	(3)
Backup and Restore	151	(1)
Image Management	151	(1)
A Is for Accounting	151	(4)
On the Difference Between Billing and Accounting	152	(1)
Accounting for Communication Service Consumption	153	(1)
Accounting Management as a Service Feature	154	(1)
P Is for Performance	155	(6)
Performance Metrics	155	(1)
Monitoring and Tuning Your Network for Performance	156	(1)
Collecting Performance Data	157	(1)
S Is for Security	158	(1)
Security of Management	158	(1)
Management of Security	159	(2)
Limitations of the FCAPS Categorization	161	(1)
OAM&P: The Other FCAPS	161	(2)
FAB and eTOM: Oh, Wait, There's More	163	(1)
How It All Relates and What It Means to You: Using Your Network Management ABCs	164	(1)
Chapter Summary	165	(1)
Chapter Review	166	(3)
Part III Management Building Blocks	169	(160)
Management Information: What Management Conversations Are All About	171	(38)
Establishing a Common Terminology Between Manager and Agent	171	(2)
MIBs	173	(7)
The Managed Device as a Conceptual Data Store	173	(2)
Categories of Management Information	175	(2)
The Difference Between a MIB and a Database	177	(1)
The Relationship Between MIBs and Management Protocols	178	(2)
MIB Definitions	180	(9)
Of Schema and Metaschema	181	(2)
The Impact of the Metaschema on the Schema	183	(1)
Metaschema Modeling Paradigms	184	(1)
Matching Management Information and Metaschema	185	(1)
A Simple Modeling Example	186	(3)
Encoding Management Information	189	(1)
Anatomy of a MIB	189	(13)
Structure of Management Information---Overview	190	(3)
An Example: MIB-2	193	(6)
Instantiation in an Actual MIB	199	(3)
Special MIB Considerations to Address SNMP Protocol Deficits	202	(1)
Modeling Management Information	202	(3)
Chapter Summary	205	(1)
Chapter Review	206	(3)
Management Communication Patterns: Rules of Conversation	209	(40)
Layers of Management Interactions	209	(7)
Transport	211	(1)
Remote Operations	211	(3)
Management Operations	214	(1)
Management Services	215	(1)
Manager-Initiated Interactions---Request and Response	216	(20)
Information Retrieval---Polling and Polling-Based Management	218	(1)
Requests for Configuration Information	218	(1)
Requests for Operational Data and State Information	219	(4)
Bulk Requests and Incremental Operations	223	(1)
Historical Information	224	(2)
Configuration Operations	226	(1)
Failure Recovery	227	(1)
Response Size and Request Scoping	228	(1)
Dealing with Configuration Files	229	(1)
Actions	230	(2)
Management Transactions	232	(4)
Agent-Initiated Interactions: Events and Event-Based Management	236	(10)
Event Taxonomy	237	(1)
Alarms	238	(1)
Configuration-Change Events	239	(2)
Threshold-Crossing Alerts	241	(2)
The Case for Event-Based Management	243	(1)
Reliable Events	244	(1)
On the Difference Between ``Management'' and ``Control''	245	(1)
Chapter Summary	246	(1)
Chapter Review	247	(2)
Common Management Protocols: Languages of Management	249	(44)
SNMP: Classic and Perennial Favorite	249	(12)
SNMP ``Classic,'' a.k.a. SNMPv1	250	(1)
SNMP Operations	250	(7)
SNMP Messages and Message Structure	257	(1)
SNMPv2/SNMPv2c	258	(2)
SNMPv3	260	(1)
CLI: Management Protocol of Broken Dreams	261	(6)
CLI Overview	261	(4)
Use of CLI as a Management Protocol	265	(2)
syslog: The CLI Notification Sidekick	267	(8)
syslog Overview	268	(2)
syslog Protocol	270	(2)
syslog Deployment	272	(3)
Netconf: A Management Protocol for a New Generation	275	(9)
Netconf Datastores	275	(2)
Netconf and XML	277	(1)
Netconf Architecture	278	(3)
Netconf Operations	281	(3)
Netflow and IPFIX: ``Check, Please,'' or, All the Data, All the Time	284	(4)
IP Flows	284	(2)
Netflow Protocol	286	(2)
Chapter Summary	288	(3)
Chapter Review	291	(2)
Management Organization: Dividing the Labor	293	(36)
Scaling Network Management	294	(18)
Management Complexity	294	(1)
Build Complexity	295	(2)
Runtime Complexity	297	(1)
Management Hierarchies	298	(1)
Subcontracting Management Tasks	299	(2)
Deployment Aspects	301	(3)
Management Styles	304	(1)
Management by Delegation	304	(4)
Management by Objectives and Policy-Based Management	308	(4)
Management by Exception	312	(1)
Management Mediation	312	(14)
Mediation Between Management Transports	316	(1)
Mediation Between Management Protocols	316	(2)
Mediation of Management Information at the Syntactic Level	318	(1)
Example: A Syslog-to-SNMP Management Gateway	318	(1)
Example: An SNMP-to-OO Management Gateway	319	(2)
Limitations of Syntactic Information Mediation	321	(2)
Mediation of Management Information at the Semantic Level	323	(1)
Stateful Mediation	323	(3)
Chapter Summary	326	(1)
Chapter Review	327	(2)
Part IV Applied Network Management	329	(104)
Management Integration: Putting the Pieces Together	331	(42)
The Need for Management Integration	332	(10)
Benefits of Integrated Management	332	(2)
Nontechnical Considerations for Management Integration	334	(2)
Different Perspectives on Management Integration Needs	336	(1)
The Equipment Vendor Perspective	336	(2)
The Enterprise Perspective	338	(1)
The Service Provider Perspective	339	(1)
Integration Scope and Complexity	340	(2)
Management Integration Challenges	342	(9)
Managed Domain	343	(2)
Software Architecture	345	(1)
Challenges from Application Requirements	345	(1)
Challenges from Conflicting Software Architecture Goals	346	(2)
Eierlegende Wollmilchsaun and One-Size-Fits-All Management Systems	348	(1)
Quantifying Management Integration Complexity	348	(1)
Scale Complexity	349	(1)
Heterogeneity Complexity	349	(1)
Function Complexity	350	(1)
Approaches to Management Integration	351	(17)
Adapting Integration Approach and Network Provider Organization	352	(3)
Platform Approach	355	(1)
Common Platform Infrastructure	356	(3)
Typical Platform Application Functionality	359	(1)
Custom Integration Approach	360	(1)
Solution Philosophy and Challenges	360	(2)
Considerations for Top-Down Solution Design	362	(3)
Component Integration Levels and Bottom-Up Solution Design	365	(2)
The Role of Standardization and Information Models	367	(1)
Containing Complexity of the Managed Domain	368	(2)
Chapter Summary	370	(1)
Chapter Review	371	(2)
Service Level Management: Knowing What You Pay For	373	(34)
The Motivation for Service Level Agreements	374	(2)
Identification of Service Level Parameters	376	(6)
Significance	377	(1)
A Brief Detour: Service Level Relationships Between Layered Communication Services	377	(2)
Example: Voice Service Level Parameters	379	(2)
Relevance	381	(1)
Measurability	381	(1)
Defining a Service Level Agreement	382	(1)
Definition of Service Level Objectives	382	(7)
Tracking Service Level Objectives	384	(2)
Dealing with Service Level Violations	386	(2)
Managing for a Service Level	388	(1)
Decomposing Service Level Parameters	389	(13)
Planning Networks for a Given Service Level	392	(1)
Dimensioning Networks to Meet Service Level Objectives	393	(1)
Managing Oversubscription Risk	394	(2)
Network Maintenance Considerations	396	(1)
Service Level Monitoring---Setting Up Early Warning Systems	397	(1)
Monitoring Service Level Parameters	397	(1)
Anticipating Problems Before They Occur	398	(2)
Service Level Statistics---It's Fingerpointin' Good	400	(2)
Chapter Summary	402	(1)
Chapter Review	403	(4)
Management Metrics: Assessing Management Impact and Effectiveness	407	(26)
Network Management Business Impact	408	(3)
Cost of Ownership	408	(1)
Enabling of Revenues	409	(1)
Network Availability	410	(1)
Trading Off the Benefits and Costs of Network Management Investments	410	(1)
Factors that Determine Management Effectiveness	411	(7)
Managed Technology---Manageability	412	(4)
Management Systems and Operations Support Infrastructure	416	(2)
Management Organization	418	(1)
Assessing Network Management Effectiveness	418	(12)
Management Metrics to Track Business Impact	419	(4)
Management Metrics to Track Contribution to Management Effectiveness	423	(1)
Metrics for Complexity of Operational Tasks	423	(2)
Metrics for Scale	425	(1)
Other Metrics	426	(1)
Developing Your Own Management Benchmark	427	(1)
Assessing and Tracking the State of Management	428	(2)
Using Metrics to Direct Management Investment	430	(1)
Chapter Summary	430	(1)
Chapter Review	431	(2)
Part V Appendixes	433	(2)
Appendix A Answers to Chapter Reviews	435	(28)
Appendix B Further Reading	463	(12)
Glossary	475	(13)
Index	488