Negros Oriental State University

Bayawan – Sta. Catalina Campus

Development of Network Management

System for Negros Oriental State University
Bayawan
Research Proposal

Submitted to

Franco Abequibel

Submitted by

Bahande, Kristian Bert M.

Sinag, Nannette C.

Dionson, Darwin

Escobar,Shekenah
CHAPTER I

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
 THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Rationale of the Study

We have a normal lifestyle in our daily lives, we accustomed with no adjustment to our
work, school and daily activities and apprehension to our surroundings. We as a student’s we
normally go to school by the exact schedule given to us and we are guided by the instructor fully.
Since the pandemic COVID- 19 came, we are uncomfortable of the changes from the simple life
to new and full of adjustment life. We are struggling with our studies because some are hard to
communicate and do their activities cause of lack of internet connectivity. Not only we students
are affected of it but also all the people because we are now in online generations and same case
lack of internet access.

Through PTP and PTMP wireless link we can expand our network and provide internet
access to a specific location. With the new normal system of education, this technology can be
useful to distribute and provide internet access to students, thus lessen their burden by providing
their most essential tool for their studies. A Hotspot system is used to authenticate a user in order
to access and use network resources like accessing the internet. Using this solution, students will
be able access the internet by authenticating their selves to the network.

PTP and PTMP are used to bridge a network over wireless connection and Hotspot
system is used to authenticate a user before accessing the network, a layer 3 devices or router is
what we really need to focus on, as it is the one that manage the network. Choosing the right
device or brand is important. And Mikrotik router is one of the most recommended brand for
router devices in terms of cost and performance reliability. Mikrotik router is regarded as one of
best enterprise level brand for routers. Mikrotik router provides a necessary tools and features
that are needed in order to configure and maintain a network. But, due to numbers of features,
using a Mikrotik router can be intimidating especially if you are new to networking that’s why a
Network Management System was developed to reduce the complexity of managing a network.

In this study, the researchers, therefore, hope to develop a Network Management System
specifically for Mikrotik routers. This system aims to reduce the complexity of using and
configuring a Mikrotik router by providing an intuitive Web GUI. This system will be develop
using web technologies (HTML, CSS, and Javascript). One of the key features of this system, is
by able to monitor the hotspot server and be able to identify which hotspot location the student is
connected to, and with just a click of a button the personnel will be able to disconnect or block a
hotpost user if they are doing any malicious. With this system, the authorized personnel will
seamlessly able to manage the network like: adding a new subnet, configuring a hotspot server,
monitoring network traffic, and etc.

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
 How will the proposed web-based management system block access to pornographic and
online games?

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to develop a Network Management System for routers to reduce the
complexity of managing the network and also provide a tool to monitor hotspot servers and
users.

1. What is the current way of configuring and managing the campus network?
a. Within the device
b. Through a console
c. With a dedicated web-based management system
2. How is the security of the network being managed?
a. Firewall (Software)
b. Firewall (Device)
3. How will the proposed web-based management system eliminate complexity in managing the
network in terms of:
a. Creating hotspot server
b. Monitoring hotspot server
c. Managing users
d. Network traffic shaping
e. Monitor network traffic
f. Intuitive Web GUI
4. How will the proposed web-based management system handle errors due to the increasing
number of devices attach to the network?
5. How will the proposed web-based management system improve network performance?

Significance of the Study

The result of this study is beneficial to the following entities:

Network Administrator. This system would be a big help for network administrators, for it
significantly reduce their effort on configuring and managing the network.

Client Users/Hotspot Users. With the monitoring feature of the system, it is useful to detect and
fix if there’s any network error, therefore improve the experience of the users or the hotspot
users that are connected to the network.

Researchers. This study will definitely beneficial to the researchers, as they will be able to apply
their skills and knowledge during the development process of the system.

Future Researchers. This study could serve as a guide for future related studies.

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
Scope and Limitations

This study focuses on the development of the Mikrotik Network Management System for
the Free Hotspot Program of NORSU Bayawan – Sta. Catalina Campus.

The main purpose of this study is to provide a system or a tool that can be use by the
network administrator who maintain the network that providing free Hotspot access for the
students of NORSU Bayawan – Sta. Catalina Campus. The network administrator will be able to
monitor the list of connected hotspot users. With the help of real-time system log, the
administrator will be able to detect if there are malicious activities within the network and be
able to identify the user’s device by its assigned IP address from the DHCP server, therefore the
network administrator can make necessary action like disconnecting the user from the network or
permanently block the user’s device from accessing the network.

With the intuitive user interface, the system is a lot easier to use and won’t look
intimidating. The system is also equipped with lots of features that are needed by the network
administrator, like; adding a new hotspot server. Adding hotspot server using Winbox (The
provided tool by Mikrotik) would be a tedious task, were you need to create a DHCP server
before you can setup a hotspot server, unlike using the system will be just like filling in a form
and then submit and then the system will do all automatically from adding subnet address, setting
up a DHCP server and to setting up the hotspot server.

The system is a web based application, making it more accessible for the network
administrator as long as he/she is connected within the network. For the development of the
system, the system will be using web technologies like: HTML, CSS, Javascript and NodeJS for
the runtime environment.

The only limitation of this system is the resources available of the Mikrotik router device,
because the system is communicating to the Mikrotik router through API request, and collecting
data in real-time could increase the CPU and RAM usage of the device.

Definition of Terms

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
Network Management System. A Network Management System is a system designed for
monitoring, maintaining, and optimizing a network. It includes both hardware and software, but
most often a Network Management System refers to the software used to manage a network.

Mikrotik Router. A Mikrotik Router or RouterBOARD is a hardware platform from MikroTik,

which is a line of routers running the RouterOS operating system.

Hotspot Server. The MikroTik HotSpot Gateway provides authentication for clients before
access to public networks.

Network. A network is a collection of computers, servers, mainframes, network devices,

peripherals, or other devices connected to one another to allow the sharing of data.

Subnet. A subnet, or subnetwork, is a segmented piece of a larger network. More specifically,

subnets are a logical partition of an IP network into multiple, smaller network segments.

IP Address. An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each
device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An
IP address serves two main functions: host or network interface identification and location
addressing.

DHCP Server. The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol is a network management protocol
used on Internet Protocol local area networks.

Web GUI. A web user interface, or web-based graphical user interface, refers to the interaction
between a user and software running on a web server.

PTP and PTMP. Point-to-point (PTP) and point-to-multipoint (PTMP), a wireless bridge that
are used to provide Ethernet network connectivity where the installation of cabling is
impractical, most commonly to provide network connectivity over large distances.

Theoretical Framework

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
Figure 1. Waterfall Model of Royce (1970)

The Waterfall Model is a sequential software development process in which progress is

regarded as flowing increasingly downwards (similar to a waterfall) through a list of several
phases that must be executed to build a computer software successfully. The Waterfall model
defines several consecutive phases that must be completed one after and moving to the next
phase only when its preceding phase is entirely done. For a reason, the Waterfall model is
recursive in that each phase can be endlessly repeated until it is perfected Royce (1970).

Phase 1. This very first step of waterfall model starts with the requirements which check whether
the project is feasible with the present technologies or not. The summary purpose of the phase is
to develop all the possible requirements of the system. Requirements are gathered, analyzed and
then proper documentation is prepared which helps farther in the development process,
Requirements are a set of function and constraints that the end-user expects from the system. The
requirements are gathered from the user and analyzed for their validity and the possibility of
incorporating them. Finally, a requirement specification document is created which serves the
purpose of a guideline for the next phase of the model. In this study, the researcher will gather
information and do a research for the best technologies and tools to be used for the development
of the system. The researchers developed a concrete solution and functions to be used in the
system.

Phase 2. During the design phase, your website takes shape. All the visual content, such as
images, photos, and videos is created at this step. Once again, all the info that was gathered
through the first phase a crucial. The customer and target audience must be kept in mind while
you work on a design. In this study, the required specifications in the first phase are studied
here, and the system design is prepared. Planning for the design of the user interface is also one

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
of the main focus of this study, since one of our aim is to produce a user-friendly and intuitive
user interface for the end-user.

Phase 3. The next phase is the implementation. The phase belongs to the programmers in the
waterfall method, as they take the project requirements and specifications and the code
application. (Royce 1970) On receiving system design documents, the work divided into
modules/units, and actual coding starts. The system is first elaborated into small program called
units, which are integrated into the next phase. Each unit is developing and tested for its
functionality; this is referred to as unit testing. Unit testing mainly verifies if the modules/units
meet their specifications. In this study, the specifications of requirements and system design
will be implemented in this phase. The tools and technologies will use in this phase, like, setting
up the appropriate runtime environment for the select programming language. The research will
also make sure that the developed system is based on previous phases.

Phase 4. This phase is the verification and validation which process for checking that a software
solution meets the original requirements and specifications and that is accomplishes its intended
purpose. In fact, verification is the process of evaluating software to determine whether the
products of a given development phase satisfy the conditions impose at the start of the phase;
while validation is the process of evaluating software during or at the end of the development
process to determine whether it satisfies specified requirements. Moreover, the verification phase
is the outlet to perform debugging in which bugs and system glitches are found, corrected, and
refined accordingly. After successfully verifying the software, it is delivered to the customer
(Royce 1970). In the verification phase, another model will be used in determining the level of
acceptance of the development system which is the Usability Measurement.

The Usability Measurement is design specially to explain whether users can perform the
task at all, the time a task requires, the error rate, and user’s subjective satisfaction.
(Zaichkowsky 1985) In this study, the researchers will ensure that the developed system is free
bugs, error, and optimized to ensure good user experience. And also, the researchers will make
an extra validation to ensure that the development system meets the requirements.

Phase 5. The final phase of waterfall method is the maintenance. During the maintenance phase,
the customer is using the developed application. It is the process of modifying a software
solution after delivery and deployment to refine output, correct errors and improve performance
and quality. Additional maintenance activities can be performed in this phase including adapting
software to its environment, accommodating new user requirements and increasing software
reliability. In this study, the researcher delivers the developed system to the end-user. During
this phase the end-user are guided on how to use the system for better use experience. The
researchers will also take responsibility for improving and maintaining the system.

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework of the study is composed of the input, process, output and
deliverables that served as the guide for the study.

Input Process Output

1. Research data Development of Mikrotik Network

gathered from Mikrotik Network Management System
NORSU Management System
Bayawan – using Waterfall Model
Sta. Catalina
Campus
2. Related
literature and
studies

Figure 2. The Conceptual Framework

The gathered data by the researchers from NORSU Bayawan – Sta. Catalina Campus and
the related literature and studies will serve as the input that would lead to the development of the
system. In order to meet the requirements, the development of the system is anchored on the
Waterfall Model of Royce (1970). Every phase that being stated on the Theoretical Framework
section must be followed accordingly.

The process will base on the theoretical framework which is using Waterfall Model of
Royce (1970). The model consists of Requirements, Design, Implementation, Verification,
Maintenance, that each must be followed in order for the development to succeed and meet its
requirements.

In the output stage, the researchers are expected to deliver the final output of the system.
By this stage, the researchers should already ensure that the final output of the system had passed
through verification and evaluation before it is being deployed to the end-user. And during this
stage, the researchers should be ready to propose the system to the network administrator of
NORSU Bayawan – Sta. Catalina Campus and be implemented. After implementing the system,
the researcher should continue on improving the system, adding features, and also as maintaining
the system.

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
Related Literature and Studies

This chapter includes the ideas, finished studies, generalization or conclusions,

methodologies and others. Those that were included in this chapter helps in familiarizing
information that are relevant and similar to the present study.

Network Management

Networks and distributed processing systems are of critical and growing importance in
enterprises of all sorts. The trend is toward larger, more complex networks supporting more
applications and more users. As these networks grow in scale, two facts become painfully
evident:

 The network and its associated resources and distributed applications become
indispensable to the organization.
 More things can go wrong, disabling the network or a portion of the network or
degrading performance to an unacceptable level.

A large network cannot be put together and managed by human effort alone.The
complexity of such a system dictates the use of automated network management tools. The
urgency of the need for such tools is increased, and the difficulty of supplying such tools is also
increased, if the network includes equipment from multiple vendors. Moreover, the increasing
decentralization of network services as exemplified by the increasing importance of workstations
and client/server computing makes coherent and coordinated network management increasingly
difficult. In such complex information systems, many significant network assets are dispersed far
from network management personnel.

Fault Management

To maintain proper operation of a complex network, care must be taken that systems as a
whole, and each essential component individually, are in proper working order. When a fault
occurs, it is important, as rapidly as possible, to

 Determine exactly where the fault is.

 Isolate the rest of the network from the failure so that it can continue to function without
interference.
 Reconfigure or modify the network in such a way as to minimize the impact of
 Operation without the failed component or components.
 Repair or replace the failed components to restore the network to its initial
 state.

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
 Central to the definition of fault management is the fundamental concept of a fault. Faults
are to be distinguished from errors. A fault is an abnormal condition that requires management
attention (or action) to repair. A fault is usually indicated by failure to operate correctly or by
excessive errors. For example, if a communications line is physically cut, no signals can get
through. Or a crimp in the cable may cause wild distortions so that there is a persistently high bit
error rate. Certain errors (e.g., a single bit error on a communication line) may occur
occasionally and are not normally considered to be faults. It is usually possible to compensate for
errors using the error control mechanisms of the various protocols.

Accounting Management

In many enterprise networks, individual divisions or cost centers, or even individual

project accounts, are charged for the use of network services. These are internal accounting
procedures rather than actual cash transfers, but they are important to the participating users
nevertheless. Furthermore, even if no such internal charging is employed, the network manager
needs to be able to track the use of network resources by user or user class for a number of
reasons, including the following:

 A user or group of users may be abusing their access privileges and burdening the
network at the expense of other users.
 Users may be making inefficient use of the network, and the network manager
can assist in changing procedures to improve performance.
 The network manager is in a better position to plan for network growth if user activity is
known in sufficient detail.

Configuration and Name Management

Modern data communication networks are composed of individual components and

logical subsystems (e.g., the device driver in an operating system) that can be configured to
perform many different applications. The same device, for example, can be configured to act
either as a router or as an end system node or both. Once it is decided how a device is to be used,
the configuration manager can choose the appropriate software and set of attributes and values
(e.g., a transport layer retransmission timer) for that device.

Configuration management is concerned with initializing a network and gracefully

shutting down part or all of the network. It is also concerned with maintaining, adding, and
updating the relationships among components and the status of components themselves during
network operation.

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
Performance Management

Modern data communications networks are composed of many and varied components,
which must intercommunicate and share data and resources. In some cases, it is critical to the
effectiveness of an application that the communication over the network be within certain
performance limits. Performance management of a computer network comprises two broad
functional categories—monitoring and controlling. Monitoring is the function that tracks
activities on the network. The controlling function enables performance management to make
adjustments to improve network performance. Some of the performance issues of concern to the
network manager are as follows:

 What is the level of capacity utilization?

 Is there excessive traffic?
 Has throughput been reduced to unacceptable levels?
 Are there bottlenecks?
 Is response time increasing?

To deal with these concerns, the network manager must focus on some initial set of resources
to be monitored to assess performance levels. This includes associating appropriate metrics and
values with relevant network resources as indicators of different levels of performance. For
example, what count of retransmissions on a transport connection is considered to be a
performance problem requiring attention? Performance management, therefore, must monitor
many resources to provide information in determining network operating level. By collecting this
information, analyzing it, and then using the resultant analysis as feedback to the prescribed set
of values, the network manager can become more and more adept at recognizing situations
indicative of present or impending performance degradation.

Security Management

Security management is concerned with generating, distributing, and storing encryption

keys. Passwords and other authorization or access control information must be maintained and
distributed. Security management is also concerned with monitoring and controlling access to
computer networks and access to all or part of the network management information obtained
from the network nodes. Logs are an important security tool, and therefore security management
is very much involved with the collection, storage, and examination of audit records and security
logs, as well as with the enabling and disabling of these logging facilities.

Architecture of a Network Management System

A network management system is a collection of tools for network monitoring and

control that is integrated in the following senses:

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
  A single operator interface with a powerful but user-friendly set of commands for
performing most or all network management tasks.
 A minimal amount of separate equipment. That is, most of the hardware and software
required for network management is incorporated into the existing user equipment.

A network management system consists of incremental hardware and software additions

implemented among existing network components. The software used in accomplishing the
network management tasks resides in the host computers and communications processors (e.g.,
front-end processors, terminal cluster controllers, bridges, routers). A network management
system is designed to view the entire network as a unified architecture, with addresses and labels
assigned to each point and the specific attributes of each element and link known to the system.
The active elements of the network provide regular feedback of status information to the network
control center.

Research Methodology

This section is about how the system was planned and designed. It also includes the
research environment, research respondents, the research instrument, data gathering procedure,
and statistical treatments of data.

Research Design

This section is about how the system will be planned and designed. It also includes the
research environment, research respondent, the research instrument, data gathering procedure,
and statistical treatments of data. Research Design This present study will be an applied research
because it intends to apply the output to address specific issue or problem thereby making a
significant change for both a network administrator and the client user that are using the network.
Based on the type of data, this study will be quantitative in nature because it will involve
measurement of data; it will present research findings in numerical form. As to the research
approach, this present study will be utilizing a scientific approach because it will discover and
measure information as well as observe and control variables of problem number two in an
impersonal manner. As to the purpose, this study will be both descriptive and developmental
because will describe the requirements needed in the development of the system as well as the
evaluation of the system after it will be implement.; this will likewise be developmental because
this present study will be a systematic way of studying the design, developing, and evaluating the
system.

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
Research Environment

The study will be conducted at Negros Oriental State University Bayawan – Sta. Catalina
Campus.

Research Respondents

The respondents of this study are the network personnel/administrator of Negros Oriental
State University Bayawan – Sta. Catalina Campus.

Research Instruments

The researchers will use questionnaires in this study, and networking devices to be use
for testing and data gathering. The questionnaires are about how the network administrator
currently manages the campus network and what networking devices use.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers will make a letter to seek approval from from the Office of the Assistant
Campus Administrator to conduct a study and distribute the questionnaires to the network
administrator of NORSU Bayawan – Sta. Catalina Campus.

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP
 The conducted study and the data gathering procedure will be consisting of evaluating
and identifying the current way of managing the campus network and also identify what
networking devices they use. After collecting all the necessary data, the researcher will soon ask
the network administrator if implementing the system to campus network will address any
problem and whether it will make any significant change to their work.

Statistical Treatment of Data

The statistical formula used in analyzing the gathered data. Below is the formula.

Where:

% = Percent

f = Frequency

N = Number of cases

Information Technology Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Level II Re-accredited by AACCUP