Network management may mean different things to different people. To some network management may be a solitary network consultant monitoring network activity with an outdated protocol analyzer, to others network management may be about distributed database, high-end workstations generating and traffic. Speaking generally, network management is a service, which uses a wide range of devices, tools, and applications, to enable the network managers to monitor and maintain networks successfully & efficiently.
Network management deals with the top-level administration and maintenance of widespread and large networks, commonly seen in the field of computers or telecommunications, which may be necessarily, include user terminal equipment.
Network management executes functions such as security, control, allocation, monitoring, coordination, deployment and planning to name a few. It is also worth noting that network management is governed by a several protocols which are basically present there for its support, including SNMP, Common Information Model, CMIP, WBEM, Transaction Language 1, Java Management Extensions, and Netconf.
Routing is also an important area of network management. Routing refers to the process of selecting the paths in a computer network on which to send data. In this arena of network management, logically addressed packets get transported from their source to their destination with the help of nodes. These nodes are called routers, in a process termed as forwarding.
Successful network management also uses accounting management. This controls and reports on the financial status of the network. This area of network management involves bank account maintenance, financial statement development, and analysis of cash flow and financial health.
Coming to Network Monitoring, it is about policing network traffic. In other words, network monitoring is spying for the benefit of smooth working of network management. Network monitoring is part of network management. Ideally network monitoring is a function that one of your systems must perform on an ongoing basis. While the other systems are performing the functions assigned to them, one should set aside at least one computer to monitor network activity. This is network monitoring in a nutshell.
The computer performing network monitoring must be kept always on. Which means that network monitoring system should have exclusive power lines or, backup generator facility. Everyone should understand that network-monitoring system is the most critical part of any network, because it is with the help of network monitoring that that the alarm will be sent if something is wrong.
Network monitoring will identify the slow or failing systems and notify the network administrator of such lapses. Issues like overloaded systems, crashing of servers, network connections being lost, virus infections, and power outages will be dealt without losing time if network monitoring is in place.
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By: Groshan Fabiola
© 2010 Understanding Network Security
