In-network management

Last updated

With current network management technologies, management functions typically reside outside the network in management stations and servers, which interact with network elements and devices via network protocols for management, in order to execute management tasks, including fault, configuration, accounting, performance, and security management, or, short (FCAPS). Most of these tasks are performed on a per-device basis. During network operation, for instance, a management station periodically polls individual devices in its domain for the values of local variables, such as devices counters or performance parameters. These variables are then processed on the management station to compute an estimate of a network-wide state, which is analyzed and acted upon by management applications. This paradigm of interaction between the management system and managed system underlies traditional management frameworks and protocols, including SNMP, TMN [1] and OSI-SM. [2]

Contents

In the view of Future Internet activities in the research communities around the globe, the network management of a Future Internet is of major concern in the view of requiring more self-management, more automation of the management, and easier use of management tools. In-network management has been developed and discussed in a larger community gathered around project partners involved in the EU FP7 project 4WARD, [3] EU project AutoI [4] and EU project UniverSELF. [5]

The in-network (In-bound) management vision

In-network management (INM) supports management operations by the means of a highly distributed architecture. The main objective is the design of management functions that are located in- or close to the network elements and services to be managed, in most of the cases co-located on the same nodes; as target approach, they would be co-designed with the network elements and services. The vision of the INM paradigm of embedding management capabilities in the network. The benefit of the resulting distributed in-bound network management architecture - is the inherent support for self-management features, integral automation and autonomicity capabilities, easier use of management tools and empowering the network with inbuilt cognition and intelligence. Additional benefits include reduction and optimisation in the amount of external management interactions, which is key to the minimization of manual interaction and the sustaining of manageability of large networked systems and moving from a managed object paradigm to one of management by objective.

The design space of INM is spanned along seven axes:

  1. Along the degree of embedding: Management processes and functions can be implemented as external, separated, integrated, or inherent management capabilities of the network or services. Integrated is weaker than inherent in that instead of indistinguishable management functionality, it designates visible and modular management capabilities, but which are still closely related to and integrated with specific services. Separated management processes are those that are more decoupled from the service, and include, for example, weakly distributed management approaches. External management processes include traditional network management paradigms widely used today.
  2. Along the degree of autonomy, the INM architecture allows for different degrees of autonomous management, from manual to fully autonomous processes. Manual refers to the direct manual manipulation of management parameters, such as manual routing configurations. Automated management can be typically found in the application of management scripts. Autonomic Networking and autonomous degrees include intelligence that allows the system to govern its own behavior in terms of network management.
  3. Along the degree of abstraction, different levels of management according to the telecommunications management network (TMN) functional hierarchy [6] can be adopted. This dimension leads to a reduction in the amount of external management interactions, which is key to the minimization of manual interaction and the sustaining of manageability of large networked systems. Specifically, this dimension can be understood as moving from a managed object paradigm to one of management by objective.
  4. Along the degree of automation from manual to fully automatic processes and operations: Manual management operations refer to the direct manual manipulation of management parameters, such as manual routing configurations. Automated management operations can be typically found in the application of management scripts.
  5. Along the degree of autonomicity: it includes levels of intelligence and cognition that allows the system to govern its own behaviour in terms of network and service management.
  6. Along the degree of orchestration: it allows cooperation and interworking of closed control loops specific to different management functions and operations.
  7. Along the degree of extensibility: it refers to the ability to extend a system and the level of effort and complexity required to realize an extension. Extensions can be through as the addition of new functionality, new characteristics or through modification of existing functionality and characteristics, while minimizing impact to existing system functions; the degree of extensibility covers Plug_and_Play/Unplug_and_Play approaches, on demand deployment of management functionality and dynamic programmability of management functions.

UMF – Unified Management Framework [7] is being developed by the UniverSelf project, as the means of integrating the design space for INM.

More detailed information about that concept can be found in: [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

Software development is the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components. Software development is a process of writing and maintaining the source code, but in a broader sense, it includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software, sometimes in a planned and structured process. Therefore, software development may include research, new development, prototyping, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products.

FCAPS is the ISO Telecommunications Management Network model and framework for network management. FCAPS is an acronym for fault, configuration, accounting, performance, security, the management categories into which the ISO model defines network management tasks. In non-billing organizations accounting is sometimes replaced with administration.

Self-management is the process by which computer systems shall manage their own operation without human intervention. Self-management technologies are expected to pervade the next generation of network management systems.

Autonomic computing (AC) refers to the self-managing characteristics of distributed computing resources, adapting to unpredictable changes while hiding intrinsic complexity to operators and users. Initiated by IBM in 2001, this initiative ultimately aimed to develop computer systems capable of self-management, to overcome the rapidly growing complexity of computing systems management, and to reduce the barrier that complexity poses to further growth.

Element management is concerned with managing network elements on the network element management layer (NEL) of the TMN . An element management system (EMS) manages one or more of a specific type of telecommunications network elements (NE).

The Telecommunications Management Network is a protocol model defined by ITU-T for managing open systems in a communications network. It is part of the ITU-T Recommendation series M.3000 and is based on the OSI management specifications in ITU-T Recommendation series X.700.

Computer-integrated manufacturing Manufacturing approach of using computers to control the entire production process

Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) is the manufacturing approach of using computers to control entire production process. This integration allows individual processes to exchange information with each other and initiate actions. Although manufacturing can be faster and less error-prone by the integration of computers, the main advantage is the ability to create automated manufacturing processes. Typically CIM relies of closed-loop control processes, based on real-time input from sensors. It is also known as flexible design and manufacturing.

Department of Defense Architecture Framework

The Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) is an architecture framework for the United States Department of Defense (DoD) that provides visualization infrastructure for specific stakeholders concerns through viewpoints organized by various views. These views are artifacts for visualizing, understanding, and assimilating the broad scope and complexities of an architecture description through tabular, structural, behavioral, ontological, pictorial, temporal, graphical, probabilistic, or alternative conceptual means.

Computer-aided production engineering

Computer-aided production engineering (CAPE) is a relatively new and significant branch of engineering. Global manufacturing has changed the environment in which goods are produced. Meanwhile, the rapid development of electronics and communication technologies has required design and manufacturing to keep pace.

Advanced Distribution Automation (ADA) is a term coined by the IntelliGrid project in North America to describe the extension of intelligent control over electrical power grid functions to the distribution level and beyond. It is related to distribution automation that can be enabled via the smart grid. The electrical power grid is typically separated logically into transmission systems and distribution systems. Electric power transmission systems typically operate above 110kV, whereas Electricity distribution systems operate at lower voltages. Normally, electric utilities with SCADA systems have extensive control over transmission-level equipment, and increasing control over distribution-level equipment via distribution automation. However, they often are unable to control smaller entities such as Distributed energy resources (DERs), buildings, and homes. It may be advantageous to extend control networks to these systems for a number of reasons:

Autonomic Networking follows the concept of Autonomic Computing, an initiative started by IBM in 2001. Its ultimate aim is to create self-managing networks to overcome the rapidly growing complexity of the Internet and other networks and to enable their further growth, far beyond the size of today.

Enterprise modelling

Enterprise modelling is the abstract representation, description and definition of the structure, processes, information and resources of an identifiable business, government body, or other large organization.

Bio computers use systems of biologically derived molecules—such as DNA and proteins—to perform computational calculations involving storing, retrieving, and processing data.

Capability management is a high-level integrative management function, with particular application in the context of defense.

An element management system (EMS) consists of systems and applications for managing network elements (NE) on the network element-management layer (NEL) of the Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) model.

Operations Support Systems (OSS), or Operational Support Systems in British usage, are computer systems used by telecommunications service providers to manage their networks. They support management functions such as network inventory, service provisioning, network configuration and fault management.

Policy-based management is a technology that can simplify the complex task of managing networks and distributed systems. Under this paradigm, an administrator can manage different aspects of a network or distributed system in a flexible and simplified manner by deploying a set of policies that govern its behaviour. Policies are technology independent rules aiming to enhance the hard-coded functionality of managed devices by introducing interpreted logic that can be dynamically changed without modifying the underlying implementation. This allows for a certain degree of programmability without the need to interrupt the operation of either the managed system or of the management system itself. Policy-based management can increase significantly the self-managing aspects of any distributed system or network, leading to more autonomic behaviour demonstrated by Autonomic computing systems.

Cloud management is the management of cloud computing products and services.

The network and service management taxonomy serves as a classification system for research on the management of computer networks and the services provided by computer networks. The taxonomy has been created and is being maintained by a joint effort of and the Committee of Network Operations and Management (CNOM) of the Communications Society (COMSOC) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Working Group 6.6 of the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP). The taxonomy is organized into seven categories. The first four categories identify what kind of network/service/business aspect is being managed and which functional areas are covered. The remaining three categories identify which management paradigms, technologies, and methods are used.

References

  1. ↑ Galis, A. , "Multi-Domain Communication Management" pp. 1-419 and Appendices, pp. 422 -1160 ; CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, ISBN   0-8493-0587-X, July 2000; www.crcpress.com/shopping_cart/products/product_detail.asp?sku=0587&parent_id=&pc=
  2. ↑ George Pavlou: "On the evolution of management approaches, framework and protocols: A historical perspective", Journal of Network and Systems Management, Vol. 15, 2007, pp 425-445.
  3. ↑ "4WARD project". Archived from the original on 2017-08-05. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
  4. ↑ "AutoI project". Archived from the original on 2011-08-18. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
  5. ↑ UniverSelf project
  6. ↑ A. Pras, B.-J. van Beijnum, and R. Sprenkels, “Introduction to TMN,“ university of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands, CTIT Technical Report 99-09, Apr. 1999.
  7. ↑ [Deliverable 2.1 of the UniverSelf project http://www.univerself-project.eu/news/new-report-available-umf-specifications-release-1-deliverable-d21
  8. ↑ A Framework for In-Network Management in Heterogeneous Future Communication Networks Christopher Foley, Sasitharan Balasubramaniam, Eamonn Power, Miguel Ponce de Leon, Dmitri Botvich, Dominique Dudkowski, Giorgio Nunzi, and Chiara Mingardi submitted to the MACE 2008, Samos Island, Greece, September 22–26, 2008
  9. ↑ Dominique Dudkowski, Marcus Brunner, Giorgio Nunzi, Chiara Mingardi, Chris Foley, Miguel Ponce de Leon, Catalin Meirosu and Susanne Engberg, Architectural Principles and Elements of In-Network Management, Mini-conference at IFIP/IEEE Integrated Management symposium, New York, USA, 2009.
  10. ↑ A. Gonzalez Prieto, D. Dudkowski, C. Meirosu, C. Mingardi, G. Nunzi, M. Brunner, and R. Stadler, Decentralized In-Network Management for the Future Internet, IEEE International Workshop on the Network of the Future at IEEE ICC'09, Dresden, Germany, 2009.
  11. ↑ Deliverable 4.2 of the 4ward project [ permanent dead link ]
  12. ↑ Deliverables 4.2 and 6.3 of theAutoI project Archived 2011-01-21 at the Wayback Machine
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.