Network Management System Essay

A Network Management System is a combination of software and hardware which is used for monitoring and effective administration of a network. For any network which requires management of number of network tasks to be integrated in a single software solution, there is a need of effective and efficient planning. It is the task of the network management system to locate network support, keep a check on the activities and health of the network devices attached and provides exceptional handling mechanism in order to alert the administrator in cases of conditions which can hinder the performance of the network(Laudon & Laudon,2007). NMS systems use many different kinds of protocols in accordance their usage for example one of the commonly used is SNMP protocol which allows the gathering of information to be simplified for the administrator and users over the network from the devices attached in accordance to the network hierarchy. The NMS software are responsible for problem identification along with the exact source of the problem and provide effective solutions in order to prevent the problem from effecting the performance of the network. The NMS are also responsible for collecting the device data and numbers in terms of statistics to keep a log of the performance of the network. This usually includes a library of protocols which help the administrator in the management of the network through the Network Management System software. For to make sure there is a streamlined management of the network, every network is assigned a network manager. The network manager is responsible for monitoring the activities, methods which help the network running which includes the procedures which are usually defined for every specific network and lastly, the use of tools which the network administrator/manager is well equipped with in order to control monitor and use in terms of exceptional handling over the network. The operation of the network manager is to deal with keeping the network up and running smoothly. This includes the task of finding out any problem and rectifying it in time to make sure all systems over the particular network are not affected by the downtime of the network. Maintenance of the network involves proper measures and preventive procedures and measures for the network to be running smoothly such as the task of adjusting device configuration parameters for systems on the network(Laudon & Laudon,2007). A management information base (MIB) is defined as a virtual database which is used for management of the network activities over a communication network. They are often related with the SNMP protocol commonly known as Simple Network Management Protocol. it is commonly used to pass on to a meticulous subset, more appropriately referred to as MIB-module. Items in the MIB are distinct by means of a subset of Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN. 1) also known as â€Å"Structure of Management Information Version 2 (SMIv2)† RFC 2578 which performs the parsing for the MIB compiler on the network. The Remote Network Monitoring (RMON) for MIB was developed to sustain supervision and protocol scrutiny of the local area network. The unique versions centers on OSI Layer 1 and Layer 2 in sequence in Ethernet and Token Ring system. It is unmitigated by RMON2 which appends maintenance for the Network Layer and Application Layer monitoring and by SMON which has added support for switched networks. Probing helps the system to examine and evaluate the network consistently and thus, helps the network manager to keep the network agents in check and up and running. â€Å"The following diagram shows a reference architecture that Cisco Systems believes should be the minimal solution for managing a data network. This architecture includes a Cisco CallManager server for those who plan to manage Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): The diagram shows how you would integrate the CallManager server into the NMS topology. † (CISCO, 2010). References: CISCO. (2010). NETWORK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: BEST PRACTICES WHITE PAPER . Retrieved July 13,2010 from http://www. cisco. com/en/US/tech/tk869/tk769/technologies_white_paper09186a00800aea9c. shtml Laudon & Laudon, K C. , (2007), Management Information Systems. Pearson Education India