Telecom Network Management

Introduction to Network Management

Network Management

Common Network Problems

Loss of connectivity Failure in accessing the network and its systems by the user

Caused mostly by node failures due to specific interface failures, resulting in the downstream systems to be inaccessible Node failures are caused by interface failures, making all the downstream systems from that interface inaccessible

Performance problems Delay in loading pages

Network delay should be isolated from Application delay

Common Network Problems (Contd.)

Intermittent problems Packet loss due to traffic overload

Caused also by a change in network configuration: adding a new component or modifying existing configuration Power hit could cause a change in the configuration

Non-problems Mysterious problems; No explicit reason for these problems

A reset rectifies the problem

Network Management Helps

How Network Management Helps?

Monitor the performance of the Network Proactive Management of the Network Diagnose problems Reduce downtime Smaller turn around time for problem resolution Control strategic assets Control Network Complexity Control Costs Save time and human resources Evaluate load on Network elements Help Planning for growth

Network Management
What is it?

A combination of hardware and software to monitor and manage devices on the network Operations, Administration, Maintenance and provisioning (OAM&P) of networks and services Operation daily operations in providing network services Administration Establishing and administering the overall goals, policies and procedures of network management Installation & Maintenance Functions that include installing and repairing facilities and equipment Provisioning network planning and circuit provisioning Tasks like Support, Documentation and Performance monitoring ensure good management of the Network.

Network Management
Why do we need it?

Ensure that the users of the Network receive the services with the quality that they expect. Ensure that Network Managers are not reactive - troubleshoot and solve problems as they occur; but Are proactive - plan, monitor, document so that problems are identified before they have a critical impact. Good network management can reduce costs, improve efficiency and increase client satisfaction. Effectively prevent or reduce the common Network issues like, Downtime, Latency, Bottleneck: Downtime: The amount of time that a service (such as email or printing), or a server is not functioning or available Latency: A delay in the transmission of data, usually caused by excessive traffic Bottleneck: A device on the network that is slow in transmitting data, causing delays in the delivery of data

Network Management Functions

Network Provisioning
Planning & Design: New Technologies, Traffic Analysis

Network Operations: FCAPS

Network Monitoring: Performance, Fault, Accounting Network Control:Configuration,

Security Network Installation & Maintenance

Service arm of the Installation group Trouble fixing for Operations

Network Provisioning: Planning & Design

Responsibility of the Engineering Group

Keep track of the latest technologies and suggest them as needed

Uses Traffic Analysis and Performance data received from Operations to make decisions; also influenced by Management decisions Good inventory-management of network configuration modifications by this group is important for planning and efficient use of equipment

N/w Management tools help this group in gathering statistics and studying the trends of traffic pattern for planning

Network Operations: Fault Management

Network Operation functions are administered by the Network Operation Centre (NOC) Restore service ASAP whenever there is a fault Detect the fault Determine exactly where the fault is Isolate the rest of the network from the failure so that it can continue to function Reconfigure or modify the network in such a way as to minimize the impact Raise a trouble ticket automatically or manually and track it Tests: connectivity, data integrity, response-time

Network Operations: Configuration Management

Three Configurations of a network: Static configuration: The permanent configuration; that which comes up when the network is started from idle state Current running configuration: The one that the network is currently in different from the permanent one Planned configuration: The configuration planned for the future when the network is changed Configuration data is gathered automatically and is stored by the NMS Configuration changes with Installation of new hardware/software Tracking changes in configuration Revert/undo changes Change management Configuration Audit: Does it do what was intended?

Network Operations: Performance Management

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? NOC gathers performance data and analyses them to answer these Indicators: Volume of Traffic, Availability, Response-time, Accuracy, Throughput, Utilization Traffic statistics help in forming trends and planning for future Availability and Response time (delay) is useful for tuning the network for better performance

Network Operations: Security Management

Physical security of the network Controlling access to the network by users

Security services: Generating, distributing, storing of encryption keys for services, Firewalls A Security database is created and maintained by the NOC for access to the network and network information

Exception alarm generation, detection of problems Access control to resources Backups, data security Security logging Access privilege to Application is not NOCs responsibility, but application owners

Network Operations: Accounting Management

Identifying consumers and suppliers of network resources - users and groups The NOC administers costs and allocates the use of network components Establishing metrics to measure the usage of resources and services Most of the accounting data acquisition is done automatically - SNMP the most common protocol, legacy systems need manual data gathering Mapping network resources consumption to customer identity Billing Generation and distribution of usage reports to relevant personnel System reports: needed for network operations to track the activities Management reports: needed to keep the management informed about the activities and performance of the network User reports: needed to let the users know periodically, the status of network performance

Network Installation and Maintenance

Takes care of all installation and maintenance of cables and equipments Is the service arm of the engineering group for installation Fixes troubles and rectifies issues for the Network Operations group Co ordinates with Help Desk in responding to problems reported from the field

NM Functional Flow Chart

Network and System Management: Protocols

OSI Model: CMIP (Common Management Information Protocol)

TCP/IP Model: SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)

Widely Used Contains:

Manageable Devices A Network Management Console Management Information SNMP Protocol

Network Management: Dumbbell Architecture

Functional

Services and Protocols

Network Management Components

Network Management Interoperability

SNMP Management Model

MIB Agents
MIB = Management Information Base

Trends
Current : SNMP: Currently Widely Used CMIP: Limited Usage Mostly UNIX based Polling based Higher traffic Future: Object Oriented Web based Management Java Applets on Agents Communicate with the Web based Manager Business Management Service and Policy Management Reduced Traffic