Download Reading 1: Network management

Reading 1: Network management
This reading covers material within the following unit performance criteria:

Identify and evaluate appropriate network management tools to assist in
the administration of the complex network.

Select and install network management tools in accordance with industry
and organisational standards.

Test tools to ensure they are operational.

Gather and analyse user feedback about using the changed system.

Prepare and deliver relevant training in a manner appropriate to the
audience.

Develop and maintain procedures to ensure regular network reporting and
administration in accordance with organisational policies and procedures.

Complete documentation of complex network, in line with organisational
requirements.
Network management tools
Having the appropriate tools is essential to easily administer any
complex network. Network management tools allow you to perform
management functions, such as monitoring network traffic levels,
finding bottlenecks and monitoring software usage. Intelligent use of
these tools can provide insights into network operations and limits.
Major tool groups
The major groups of tools that are available are:

cable testers

network monitors and protocol analysers

built-in network management tools supplied within operating
systems.
Cable testers allow network management to be performed at the
lowest level of network infrastructure, ie the interconnecting network
cables. Cable testers are vital to providing troubleshooting and
benchmarking of the physical network. Use the link below to read
further information regarding cable testers:
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
Cable testers - www.cisco.com.
Network monitors and protocol analysers allow network management
beyond the physical network and provide management functions at
higher levels of the OSI model. This group of software allows network
data packets to be captured, measured, viewed, broken apart, as
well as many other analysis tasks. Use the links below to familiarise
yourself with some of the range of software available to perform
these tasks:

Network monitoring tools - www.monitortools.com

Protocol analysers/packet sniffers - http://sectools.org.
All modern operating systems have built-in network management
tools. Many of these tools are based on the built-in features of the
TCP/IP network protocol suite. Windows, for example, has built-in
tools including the ‘Network connections’ tool within ‘Control panel’,
and a wide range of commands to troubleshoot and manage
networks. Some of the more common and useful Windows
commands are as follows:

ipconfig

ping

tracert

arp

route

nslookup.
Further information on these commands can be found within the
Windows command prompt. Type in the command name followed by
‘/?’, for example, ‘ipconfig /?’. The following links provide more
information on the network utilities built-in to Windows:

Troubleshooting TCP/IP in Windows XP - www.microsoft.com

Windows XP command line reference - www.microsoft.com.
Proprietary vendor tools
Complex networks consist of many networking devices that can
come from a large number of different vendors. Each of these
vendors typically supplies propriety software for the configuration and
management of their network devices. For reasons of compatibility, it
is often preferable to use the vendor supplied tools, for example
using web-based configuration software for an ADSL modem. The
network management toolkit used within a network will depend on
the vendors supplying the following:
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
operating systems (Windows, Linux, UNIX, MacOS, Solaris,
etc)

hardware (servers, desktops, notebooks, PDAs, routers,
switches, WAP’s, NAS, etc)

software (email, database, office suite, etc).
It becomes obvious that in large networks the large number of vendor
tools can become difficult to manage. For this reason, it can be
preferable to minimise the vendors used to supply networking
devices. For example, all network switches could be sourced from a
single vendor, bulk batches of computers could be purchased from a
single vendor or a single desktop operating system could be
deployed across all computers.
Standards
Network management standards
To overcome the problems of heterogeneous networks and the
myriad of different network management utilities, each vendor uses,
most network devices support network management standards.
Read the following overview to gain a better understanding of
network management basics and standards:

Network management basics - www.cisco.com
The following websites provide more in-depth information regarding
network management standards.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) www.wikipedia.org

SNMP - www.cisco.com (first four headings)

Common Management Interface Protocol (CMIP) www.wikipedia.org

ISO Network management model - www.wikipedia.org.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards
When working with networking equipment, you must adhere to any
OHS standards that apply to an organisation. Larger organisations
will have implemented standards and procedures based upon a
hierarchy of safety controls. This involves:

elimination–of any elements of risk
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
substitution–of any hazardous operation or substance with a
less hazardous one

engineering–to reduce exposure to risk such as restricting
access to power supplies

administration–of OHS with policies and procedures for safe
work practices

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Standard networking equipment is not especially hazardous, other
than the potential for electric shock. There are two main
considerations: first and foremost, the safety of the installer/repairer
and second, the protection of the equipment from damage.
Rules for the installer
The installer should follow these basic rules:

Don’t work on any electrical equipment unless you are
qualified and trained to do so.

Remove all jewellery and metallic items when working on
electrical equipment.

Switch off all equipment and disconnect from the power supply
before removing any covers.

Certain equipment can include capacitors that store lethal
voltages. If the equipment carries such a warning, then only
trained personnel should work on this.

Replace any blown fuses with one of the same rating.

Do not work alone. Have someone nearby to assist in an
emergency.

Be familiar with the location of the nearest fire extinguisher
and how to operate it. This should be of a type suitable for
electrical fires.
Other safety considerations
The equipment being installed or repaired also needs to be
protected. The most common forms of damage result from:

impact from dropping

incorrect installation–misaligned connectors, poor insertion of
components, inappropriate location, etc.

Electro Static Discharge (ESD)–use an anti-static wrist strap
and anti-static packaging to prevent this.
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Testing network management tools
When testing the network tools you need to check the following:

Does the tool track every packet processed for all protocols on
the network?

Are all network devices able to be managed? What about
logical network objects such as users and groups?

What overhead does the tool place on the network?

How large will log files become?

How easy is it to analyse the data stored in files?

Does the tool generate alerts? If so, how can these be
configured, and what methods are used to indicate an alert
situation?

Can the network be viewed in real time to identify problems?

Are there facilities to upgrade to new standards or ways of
operating?
When both testing and using network management utilities you must
be aware that some tools may collect more information than you, or a
machine, can reasonably process. To avoid this, determine the
information that is relevant and set filters on the data that is gathered.
For example, if you suspect that a workstation is causing a traffic
problem, you should filter the data collection to accept only packets
to or from that workstation's MAC address or IP address.
One of the main reasons for using these network tools is to help
identify and proactively avoid network problems. This can result in
the network administrator having to make regular changes to the
network. It is important to consider the impact of these changes on
users.
Helping users make use of the
changes
The ideal goal for network administrators is to make network
changes as transparent as possible for users. Users should be
shielded from the complexity of the network where possible.
Following this strategy should ensure that any changes to the
network environment have minimal negative impact on the user.
Adding new servers, changing the protocols used, adding more
CPUs or drives should create little impact. If the administrator feels
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that users will have to change the way that they operate then it is
essential to observe the following procedures:

For small changes, notify users by, for example, emailing
them and explaining the changes and the impact.

For larger changes, organise training sessions to explain the
new working procedures.

Update network documentation, help desk information, and
other references to reflect the change/s.
Network procedures
All organisations have policies and procedures governing various
aspects of the business. Network management requires specific
policies and procedures to ensure the continued effective operation
of the network.
While it is possible to have policies that are similar between
organisations, procedures will be different for each, mainly because
of differences in the architecture of the network environment.
Procedures are the detailed rules on how to carry out the activities
described in the policies. The network administrator needs to take
the policies as agreed by management and form a set of procedures.
To be effective and enforceable, the procedures developed by a
network administrator need to be approved and endorsed by
management.
These policies and procedures act as a guideline for network
administrators and management to direct efforts to improve and
maintain the network. Without these policies and procedures there
are no ‘rules’ to direct work practices and the likelihood of a network
problem going unnoticed increases. This increases the potential for a
problem to escalate to a level where the network may cease to
function before a remedy can be implemented.
Not only can the administrator use the policies to configure the
network, the policies can be used to audit the network or to review
performance.
While the network management procedures may contain a great deal
of detail and provide information on how to carry out common tasks,
they do not replace the vendor manuals provided with networking
systems. Rather, they are complementary to these manuals. The
administrator should still be skilled in the general operation of
network hardware and software.
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The main topics you would expect to see in a network management
procedures document include:

network overview–some notes as to what the network is trying
to achieve and some background information

network security polices and procedures

user names, password settings and user rights

network administrator responsibilities

network structure-possibly a diagram of major components

configuration settings of operating system files

information about the applications to be allowed on the
network

users' responsibilities and expectations

information on network installation settings in case a rebuild is
required

user information, such as locations of home directories

physical maintenance requirements

policies affecting network operations

routines for back-ups

how to process personnel changes.
Documenting a complex network
The network could consist of hundreds, if not thousands, of
components. Some of these, such as routers and servers, may be
very expensive. As with all assets of an organisation, network assets
also need to be recorded in an asset register.
There are many software and associated hardware products for
asset management. You can simply add your network’s hardware to
an existing asset database. However, it is also possible to obtain
software that can automatically record your network’s hardware and
software assets. There will still need to be manual input to record
date of purchase, location, price and so on but this type of software
can perform the bulk of the data collection and can alert the
administrator if it finds new hardware or missing hardware.
Some examples of network management software are:

OpenView - www.hp.com

Systems Management Server - www.microsoft.com
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It can be a huge task to create this initial database of network assets,
but an even larger job will be keeping it up to date. Things change,
new components are delivered and old ones are retired. It is
essential that there is a good system of control to ensure that all
changes are tracked and recorded.
Thorough documentation is a reflection of a thoroughly planned and
maintained network. It is a vital component to ensuring efficient
network operations.
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