Fundamentals of Network Management

Network Management
Standards
 OSI
 Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP)
 International standard (ISO / OSI)
 Management of data comm. Network LAN and WAN
 Deals with all 7 layers
 Most complete
 Object oriented representation
 Well structured and layered
 Consumes large resources in implementation
 Internet
 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
 Industry standard (IETF)
 Originally intended for management of Internet components, currently
adopted for WAN and telecom systems.
 Easy to implement
 Most widely implemented NM standard.
 Lacks advanced functionality (compared to CMIP)
Network Management Standards
(…)
 Telecommunication Management Network (TMN)
 International standard of the ITU-T
 Management of telecom networks
 Based on the OSI network management framework
 Addresses both network, administrative, and business aspects of
management.
 IEEE
 Addresses LAN and MAN management.
 Deals with the first 2 layers.
 Web-based Management
 Web-based Enterprise Management (WBEM)
 Java Management Application Program Interface (JMAPI)
Management
Architecture
 This architecture is used for both OSI and SNMP-
based management
 Consists of a number of models
OSI Models

 Organization
 Network management components
 Functions of components
 Relationships
 Information
 Structure of Management Information (SMI)
 Syntax and semantics
 Management Information Base (MIB)
 Organization of management information
 Communication
 Transfer syntax with bi-directional messages
 Transfer structure (PDU)
 Functions
 Application functions
 Configure components
 Monitor components
 Measure performance
 Secure information
 Usage accounting
SNMP Architecture and
Models
 Organization
 Same as OSI model
 Information
 Same as OSI, but scalar
 Communication
 Messages less complex than OSI and unidirectional
 Transfer structure (PDU)
 Functions
 Application functions
 Operations
 Administration
 Security
Organizational Model

 Manager
 Sends requests to agents
 Monitors alarms
 Houses applications
 Provides user interface
 Agent
 Gathers information from objects
 Configures parameters of objects
 Responds to managers’ requests
 Generates alarms and sends them to mangers
 Managed object
 Network element that is managed
 Houses management agent
 All objects are not managed / manageable
Organization Model
Managed object
 Manage objects can be MDB Manager
 Network elements
(hardware, system)
 hubs,
bridges, routers,
transmission facilities
 Software (non-physical) Managed objects
 programs, algorithms
Unmanaged objects
 Administrative
information
 contact person, name
of group of objects (IP group)
 Houses SNMP management agent MDB Management Database
 Objects are classified into Agent process

managed/unmanaged
Two-Tier Network Management Organization Model
 Managed object has a running
management agent
Organization Model
Management Station (Manager)
 Interface for network managers to
MDB Manager
monitor and control the network
 Contains management applications
(data analysis, fault recovery, etc.)
 Translation capabilities from
Managed objects
manager’s requirements into actual
Unmanaged objects
monitoring and control of remote
elements
 Contains DB of information extracted
from MIBs of all the managed entities MDB Management Database
Agent process
in the Network
Two-Tier Network Management Organization Model
Organization Model
Management Agent
 Gathers information from objects MDB Manager

 Configures parameters of objects

(e.g., enable/disable a router port,
shut down a port on a hub, etc.)
Managed objects
 Responds to requests for
Unmanaged objects
information and actions from
managers
 Generates alarms and sends
them MDB Management Database
Agent process
to managers
Two-Tier Network Management Organization Model
Organization Model
 Middle layer plays the dual role
 Agent to the top-level manager
 Manager to the managed objects MDB Manager
 collects, processes and stores data
locally MDB Agent / Manager

 Performs statistical operation on the

data and passes it to top level
manager
Managed objects
 The intermediate system
could be at a local site and passes
info. to a remote site.
MDB Management Database
 Example of middle level:
Agent process
Remote monitoring agent (RMON)
Three-Tier Network Management Organization
Model
Organization Model
MoM Manager of Managers
NMS Network Management System MoM MDB

Agent Agent
Agent NMS MDB Agent NMS MDB
Manager Manager

Managed objects
Managed objects

Different network domains, each managed locally

 Agent NMS manages the domain
 MoM presents integrated view of domains
 Domain may be geographical, administrative, vendor-specific
products, etc.
Peer
NMSs

Agent NMS Manager

NMS
Manager Agent
NMS NMS
Dual Role of Management Process
Communication Model

SNMP MI
B

MANAGER AGENT

 Resources are represented as objects (or data

variables)
 Collection of objects is a MIB (more later)
 A manager performs monitoring by retrieving the value of MIB
objects
 A manager causes an action to take place or changes the
configuration settings by modifying values of specific variables
Communication Model

SNMP MI
B

MANAGER AGENT

 Management stations and agents are linked by a network

management protocol
 SNMP is used for the management of TCP/IP networks
o Get: manager or management station can retrieve the value of
objects at the agent
o Set: set the values of objects at the agent
o Trap: agent notifies manager on significant events
 Protocol Architecture
Management station Host

Network Manager process Agent process

Agent process AgUesnetrpprorocecsess
s
manager
FTP, etc.
Central SNMP
SNMP SNMP

-SNMP uses UDP SNMP MIB

UDP UTDCPP
port 161
UDP
UDP

- connection-less IP IP

Network-dependent
protocols Network-dependent protocols
(e.g., Ethernet, X.25, ATM)

Host Router

Agent process
Agent process AgUesnetrpprorcoe Agent process
Agent process
csesss
FTP, etc. Interprets SNMP
SNMP
SNMP SNMP SNMP messages
and controls the
UDP UTDCPP UDP
UDP UDP agent’s MIB
InnI teet rnrneteww
to
IP
IP orkkr
Network-dependent
Network-dependent protocols protocols
Communication Model
 Management data is communicated between agent and
manager as well as between managers
 Three aspects:
 Transport medium of message exchange (transport protocol)
 Message format (application protocol)
 Actual message (commands and responses)

Operations /
Requests

Manager Responses Agent

Notifications / Network Elements

Applications
Traps Managed Objects

Management Message Communication Model

Communication Model
Management Application SNMP managed
application objects
manages object

GetNextRequest
GetNextRequest

GetResponse

GetResponse
GetRequest
GetRequest

SetRequest

SetRequest

Trap
Trap
Central
MIB

SNMP Manager SNMP Agent

SNMP Messages
UDP UDP
IP IP
Layer 1 & 2 Network Layer 1 & 2
Trap-Directed Polling
 SNMP encourages the
manager to use trap-
directed polling managing entity
agent data
 A manager may be
managing
responsible for a large entity data managed device
number agents, each
maintains a large number of agent data
network
managed objects
management
 It is impractical to regularly protocol managed device
poll all agents for all their
readable objects agent data
(management overhead on
agent data
the network may be very managed device
excessive!)
managed device
 Trap-Directed Polling
 Initially a manager may poll
all the agents for some key
information managing entity
agent data
 e.g., interface characteristics managing
(# pckts in/out, etc..) data
entity managed device
 Then, each agent is
responsible for notifying network agent data

(through trap messages) the management

manager of any unusual protocol managed device
event
agent data
 e.g., high pckt drop rate at
some interface agent data
managed device
managed device
 Information Model

 The representation of Example

objects and information sysDescr: { system 1 }
relevant to their Syntax: OCTET
Definition: STRING
management
"Athe
description of textual
entity. "
 This information is usually Access: read-only
communicated between
agents and management Status: mandatory
processes MIB
 SMI (Structure of Management  Contains information about objects
Information) defines the syntax  Organized by grouping of related objects
and semantics of management  Defines relationship between objects
information stored in MIB
 Agent MIB vs. Manager MIB
(Management Information  MIB Agent: local information
Base)  MIB Manager: info. on all network
components
 Information Model
 MDB physical database; e.g.. Oracle
 Contains measured or administratively
configured values of NEs MDB Manager MI
B
 MIB virtual database; schema compiled into
management software
 Info necessary for processes to exchange info.
(e.g., #ports/hub)
Managed objects
 A NMS can automatically discover (periodic
broadcast of PING messages) a managed
object, such as a hub, when added to the
network
 Once detected, its information (e.g., address,
number of ports, etc.) is added to MDB
 MIB does not need to be updated if another hub
from same vendor already exist
 Management Information Tree
 Both Internet and OSI  Designation of objects:
iso 1
define objects uniquely by 1.3
a tree structure org 1.3.6
 Each managed object 1.3.6.1
dod
occupies a node in the tree
int
underneath the root ern
et
Root
itu iso iso-itu
0 1 2
Level 1

org
Level 2 Standard organizations: define 3
management of objects under them

Level 3 dod
6

Managed Objects internet

Management Information Tree 1

OSI Management Information Tree

 Object Type and Instance

Access: Object Type:

Access
Object ID and
privilege
Descriptor
object ID unique ID circle

and descriptor and name for the object

syntax used to model the object access
access privilege to a managed object Status :
Implementation
(read-only, etc) requirements
status implementation requirements Syntax : Definition:
(e.g., optional or mandatory) model of object Semantics - textual
description
definition textual description of the
semantics of object type Internet Perspective
 Object Type and Instance
Notifications
:
Notify changes in
attribute values

object class managed object

Elliptical
Object Class:
Object Class:

object
attributes attributes visible at its Circular
boundary object Behavior
operations access operations that Operations:
Push
can
behavior be applied to it
response tobehavior exhibited by
an operation
Notifications it in notifications emitted Attribute: s: Attributes:
by the object circle, dimension ellipse, dimension

OSI Perspective
Object Type and Instance

Characteristics Example
Object type PktCounter
Syntax Counter
Access Read-only
Status Mandatory
Description Counts number of packets
Internet Perspective

Characteristics Example
Object class Packet Counter
Attributes Single-valued
Operations get, set
Behavior Retrieves or resets values
Notifications Generates notifications on new
value
OSI Perspective

Packet Counter As Example of Managed Object

Functional
Model

 Configuration management
 Set and change network
 Security management
configuration and component  Authentication
parameters  Authorization
 Set up alarm thresholds
 Fault management
 Encryption
 Detection and isolation of  Accounting management
failures in network  Functional accounting of
 Trouble ticket administration
network usage
 Performance management
 Monitor performance of network