Chapter 9. Network Management Theory and Practice


As with many areas of human endeavor, the gap that separates the theory and practice of NMS development is very wide. Viewed against the backdrop of rapidly evolving networks and increasingly sophisticated end- user requirements, the problems facing the vendors of NMS products are considerable. Not least is the simple problem of scale in the management plane: Emerging NEs are big, dense, and complex, incorporating a growing range of technologies. In this final chapter, we try to draw together the main threads running through the book and revisit some of them now that our foundation chapters are complete. The discussion covers the following main areas:

  • MIBs ”how careful design can greatly assist management ( nextFreeIndex , single table on originating node, and default values).

  • MIBs and scalability ”the size of emerging NEs may generate a need for some form of compressed MIB data.

  • Decision-making in the network ”pushing more decisions out of the NMS and into the network. We examine the MPLS FTN MIB to see an example of this; also, Policy- B ased N etwork M anagement (PBNM) is useful in this context.

  • Pushing FCAPS into the network.

  • Generic objects realized using software abstraction.

  • The increasing need for end-to-end security.

  • Shrink-wrapped solutions or consultancy buy-in.

  • Integration with OSS layers .

  • The roles of QA, IT, and developers.

  • Solutions revisited ”thin software layers.

  • Facilitating a solution mindset.

We start with yet another MIB- related detour : The issue of storing policies in MIBs is introduced, followed by a description of intercolumn relationships.



Network Management, MIBs and MPLS
Network Management, MIBs and MPLS: Principles, Design and Implementation
ISBN: 0131011138
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 150

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