With increasing acceptability of Net-centric computing, expansion of the
Internet, and the trend towards replacing the traditional shared-media,
frame-based LANs with switch-based frameworks, network management gets even more
complex.
The importance of having an up-and-running corporate network needs no
explanation. Everyone understands the importance of a five 9 reliability. But
what is important is making that a reality. There exist failure points–faulty
software in routers and switches, increased bandwidth traffic that crashes
servers, human errors, configuration problems, power failures, major carrier
outages, and even the applications that run on the networks hinder the network.
The answer then is management–end-to-end management of networks, systems,
desktops, and applications.
All this appears very easy, simple, and cheap. But the reality is that it
only gets more complex. Today, converged networks are around. The strain on the
network and enterprise management will only compound as voice over IP and IP
telephony, next-generation IP switches, routers, and PBXs and
software-controlled switches, virtual routers and hubs and servers are getting
deployed. So the challenge for network managers will not be just performance but
also managing mission-critical networks.
Technology Options
Along with the complexity, the scope of network management is also getting
broadened. In general, network management is a service that employs a variety of
tools, applications, and devices to assist human network managers in monitoring
and maintaining networks.
Network management system (NMS) is an integrated conglomeration of tools for
network management. It consists of the incremental hardware and software
additions implemented among existing components. The software used in
accomplishing the network management tasks resides on the host computers and
communication processors (e.g. bridges, routers etc). It 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.
n Common NM
Functions: International Organization for Standardization (ISO) describes
the functions common to most network-management architectures and protocols as
FCAPS model. This model consists of five conceptual areas–fault management,
configuration management, accounting management, performance management, and
security management.
Fault Management: It deals most commonly with events and traps as they
occur on the network. It enables detection, isolation, and correction of
abnormal operation.
Configuration Management: The facilities that exercise control over,
identify, collect data from, and provide data to managed objects for the purpose
of assisting in providing for continuous operation of interconnection service.
Accounting Management: It enables charges to be established for the
use of managed objects and costs to be identified for the use of those managed
objects.
Performance Management: The facilities needed to evaluate the behavior
of managed objects and the effectiveness of communication activities.
Security Management: Address those aspects of OSI security essential
to operate OSI network management correctly and to protect managed objects.
n NM
Architectures: Most of the network management architectures use the same
basic structure and set of relationships. End-stations (managed devices), such
as computer systems and other network devices, run software that enables them to
send alerts when they recognize problems (for example, when one or more
user-determined thresholds are exceeded). Upon receiving these alerts,
management entities are programmed to react by executing one, several, or a
group of actions, including operator notification, event logging, system
shutdown, and automatic attempts at system repair.
Management entities can also poll end-stations to check the values of certain
variables. Polling can be automatic or user-initiated, but agents in the managed
devices respond to all polls. Agents are software modules that first compile
information about the managed devices in which they reside, then store this
information in a management database, and finally provide it (proactively or
reactively) to management entities within network management systems (NMSs) via
a network management protocol. Well-known network management protocols include
the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and Common Management Information
Protocol (CMIP). Management proxies are entities that provide management
information on behalf of other entities.
n Functionality
Levels: Network management systems have four basic levels of functionality,
each having a set of tasks defined to provide, format, or collect data necessary
to manage the objects. These levels are:
Managed Objects: Managed Objects are the devices, systems and/or any other
network element requiring some form of monitoring and management. E.g. routers,
concentrators, hosts, servers.
Element Management System (EMS): An EMS manages a specific portion of the
network. Element Managers may manage async lines, multiplexers, EPABXs,
proprietary systems or an application.
Manager of Managers Systems (MoM): MoM systems integrate together the
information associated with several element management systems, usually
performing alarm correlation between EMS’s.
User Interface: The information gathered, be it the real time alarms and
alerts or the trend analysis graphs and reports, is distributed to the whole MIS
organization to keep people informed and to enable team communications.
Buying Tips
n Top-down
Approach: When going for an enterprise network management solution, the
solution alone is not the most important criteria; getting the top management’s
approval is far more important. This is because enterprise management involves
standardization, configuration, control, testing, and staffing, among other
things. Enterprise management becomes difficult if individual groups have their
own agenda and criteria. This is mainly due to the fact that individual groups
tend to develop their own systems.
n Systematic
Approach: The solution to work well one has to have a systematic approach.
The components of such an approach would be–business focus, end-to-end
management capability, strong service-level agreements, scalability and
flexibility, legacy support, standards support, vendor neutrality, and
integration ability.
n Understanding
Organizational Needs: The buying decision delves on first understanding the
organizations’ networks, systems, and applications, and keeping the business
objective in mind as enterprise network management involves four levels of
action–inactive, reactive, proactive, and preemptive. And the solution will
depend on the level of action to be taken.
n User-friendly
Products: Another point that can be considered is looking for user-friendly
products. There are both point solutions and framework solutions. Depending on
the type of usage, the solution can be procured. A couple of years back big
enterprise frame work vendors like HP and CA were offering total suits, but
today they have also software scaled down to the point solutions. Further point
product companies are offering more capabilities.
n Check on RoI:
Return on investment (RoI) is of utmost importance. And the vendors have
realized this and they have RoI calculators or quick evaluations of network
performance showing quick deliver results. One can ask for the live product demo
and also these parameters.
n Look for
Effective Solution: The network management model should have the scope for
performance measurement and a tighter functioning of the network. Scalability is
an important consideration. Moreover, the solution should be able to support the
existing and emerging standards. For a network management solution to be
effective, one needs to spend considerable time at the design stage. And one has
to plan the deployment to address the pain areas first.
n Remote
Management Services: Today, many service providers can offer network
management services through their network operations center (NOC). This NOC has
state-of-the-art NMS implemented for managing large networks of customers.
Outsourced network management services is becoming very popular as it provides
very cost-effective NMS solution with best of breed NMS software and best
technical expertise in the industry. The NOC services also offer SLAs for
network uptime and performance.
n Quality
Support: Incorporating tools in network management practice, which address
both present and past performance, allows one to have better performance
analyses and being proactive. Go to vendors or integrators who can provide
better support and assistance.
n Documentation
Needed: Organizations do not realize that network management investments
should focus on the IT operational aspects of organizational, process, and
service development, and so documentation becomes important. These are not
capital expenditures, but would definitely mean a little expenditure.
Market Information
n A
Fragmented Market: It is now a well-known fact that various tools and
capabilities are required to manage and control security, information resources,
software, storage, device monitoring, traffic congestion, business, and
performance among many things. There are both free tools as well as tools from
leading vendors. There are point solutions and there are framework solutions.
Also since, there are different elements involved, there are different products.
In such a scenario, the market is highly fragmented. Besides products, there are
services too. The Indian market is still at infancy. It would take about another
two-three years before large-scale deployments happen. Nonetheless, there are
deployments for complex management.
n Solutions: A
quick look at the market indicates that product offerings are targeted at
various layers and functions. At the network layer functions handled include
fault monitoring, alarm correlation, fault management, event handling, etc. And
it is controlled by network management platforms. These could be products like
HP Openview that can manage products from different vendors to those like
Enterasys Netsight Atlas, CiscoWorks and Nortel’s Optivity and also act like a
manager of managers for the network to those like CiscoWorks and Nortel’s
Optivity which manage their own products in the networks.
Then, the enterprise layer manages systems management and network management
for functions like QoS, security management, storage management, and fault
measurement.
n Horses for
Courses: Today, with customer satisfaction and RoI becoming important,
pricing and quick deployment is becoming important. That is why one sees
framework vendors like Computer Associates, Tivoli, and HP moving fast to
address the scenario. CA came up with a modular version of its flagship
Unicenter offering. Now one can purchase modules as they grow. Similarly,
Enterasys has Netsight Atlas targeted at large corporations, midsize companies,
and service providers as part of its solution. HP consolidated its OpenView
offerings by bringing in the TeMIP framework under the OpenView umbrella. With
this consolidated network operations system, one can choose the right modules to
manage both data and voice side of a carrier too. Meanwhile, point product
vendors like Micromuse, Lucent, and Concord offer integrated software for
network, performance and systems management, and integrate out of the box.
n Prices Keep
Varying: Lucent’s VitalSuite starts at about $50,000. As mentioned
earlier, vendors are carrying integrated software modules for monitoring network
activity, ensuring service-level agreement (SLA) compliance, tracking network
performance, and watching over applications and their transactions. Take for
example the VitalSuite, it consists of VitalNet, VitalAnalysis, VitalHelp,
VitalAgent, AutoMon and Transact Toolkit. Similarly, look at Concord. It eHealth
suite consists of Network Health, Live Health, System Health and Application
Health modules. Most of the vendors have suite of products.
n Market Size:
The market in India is very fragmented. According to IDC, the network and
service management opportunity globally will increase from $3.03 billion in 2001
to $4.94 billion in 2006, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.3
percent.
According to Gartner Dataquest report, global IT spending at the end of 2002
remains in a slump and the enterprise management market remained flat. The
revenue streams for the network and systems management (NSM) vendors were flat
or declining. According to the study, the NSM industry shrunk 5 percent in 2001,
compared to 7 percent growth in 2000.
n License
Revenues Drop: New license revenue in 2001 was $6.9 billion and IBM was the
only one of the top four vendors–BMC Software, Computer Associates,
Hewlett-Packard and IBM–to see growth. Gartner says IBM grew by starting to
offer management for mainframe database management systems (DBMS). The Gartner
study showed that CA held 6.8 percent of the NSM market in 2001, while BMC
jumped ahead with 8 percent and IBM led the group with 18.8 percent. BMC dropped
26 percent in new license revenue. CA saw new license revenue drop 76 percent.
HP lost 15 percent with its OpenView software portfolio.
|
|
Anil Kumar Jannu, vice-president (India and Asia-Pacific), Vinciti Networks |
Gururaj Kanade, chief technology officer, Network Solutions |
Kallol Hazra, practice principal (telco and NSP), HP Consulting & Integration Services |
Sunil Bhatt, chief technology officer, Allied Digital Services |
Uday Birje, country manager (India and SAARC), Enterasys Networks |