Q.5 Explain different tools and techniques of Web Based Management System.
Course: Management Strategies in Educational Institutions
Course Code 8615
Level:Bed Solved Assignment
Topics
- Different tools of Web Based Management System
- Techniques of Web Based Management System
- Applications of Web Based Management System
Answer:
he expanding use of intranets—which are essentially smaller,
private versions of the global Internet—has sparked the creation of Web-based
tools for monitoring and managing enterprise networks. In fact, a new network
management paradigm has emerged that allows administrators to use Web browsers
to monitor, configure, and control enterprise networks and their various
components. Use of the popular Web browser gives network managers a degree of
mobility they did not have before and enables a wider range of users to access
network status information.
In addition, Web browsers overcome many
interoperability issues that are inherent in multi platform environments. The
convenience and ease of use of Web-based management (WBM) tools is very
appealing. A Web-based management tool is easier to use than the command-line
interfaces of UNIX systems. Such tools can be used from any PC or workstation
with a browser. This also means network planners, designers, and managers do
not have to load specialized client software on their laptops. With a Web
browser, users can access management information on the corporate intranet at
any time—in any building, while traveling, or even at home.
There are now WBM tools for virtually any type
of network: LANs, frame relay and ATM data networks; traditional voice
networks; and even legacy SNA networks. In being able to access performance
data and implement routine management tasks over the Web, companies with global
networks do not have to distribute expensive management platforms to every
remote site. The availability of Web-based management tools also has the
potential to reduce the cost of managing transmission facilities and services
by eliminating the need for proprietary, high-priced equipment offered by
carriers. In fact, carriers such as AT&T MCI WorldCom and Sprint offer
Web-based management tools to their customers, recognizing their need for
low-cost alternative management solutions.
Applications
There are three fundamental
applications where WBM tools can provide a significant benefit: individual
device configuration and management, Web browser access to sophisticated
management applications, and corporate access to network status data.
DEVICE
CONFIGURATION
Web-based configuration and management of individual devices is a capability
aimed at administrators of small networks who may not have their own network
management system, or branch office locations where technical expertise is not
immediately available. Such users need configuration tools that are easy to use
and which can be accessed with a Web
Browser.
This is accomplished by providing an
agent with the equipment to be configured. The agent includes a native HTML
interface for access over the Web. The manager enters basic configuration
parameters for each device by completing a simple online electronic form.
Remote monitoring of simple device statistics is also possible via the browser,
using graphical displays of basic device information and performance
indicators.
NETWORK
SUPPORT Access to
network management information from any browser-equipped desktop is targeted at
enterprise network support staffs that already use such advanced platforms as
Hewlett-Packard’s Open View to monitor the network, understand potential faults
and alarms, and provide end-users with continuous network availability. The
addition of Web browsers provides a low-cost option for easily accessing
important information from any location.
For example, a staff member out on
the manufacturing floor troubleshooting the network may need to access a
particular management application. Through a Web browser running on any
convenient PC or laptop computer, the technician can access the necessary
application and continue the troubleshooting process. This reduces the time and
effort to do the job.
ACCESS TO
NETWORK STATUS DATA Web reporting of network status information via the organization’s
intranet is aimed at Information Systems (IS) group managers who usually do not
operate the network or get involved in extremely technical detail. Instead,
their goal is to quickly obtain information about the state of the network and
view trends overtime, so they can identify potential trouble spots. The Web
provides an easy, economical way to distribute this type of information to all
who need it.
Various people within the
organization need different types of information. Members of the finance group,
for instance, may need usage information for accounting purposes, while
database users may need to determine system status or submit an online trouble
ticket and follow it through to resolution. The corporate intranet offers a
simple, effective method for distributing this type of information to people
who do not normally have ready access to traditional management systems.
Web- -- -Based Management Approaches
There are two basic strategies for
implementing WBM: the proxy solution and the embedded approach. While these
methodologies can be used in combination, each has advantages.
PROXY SOLUTION
The proxy solution adds a Web-based
server to an intermediate workstation called a proxy, which interconnects with
the end devices it manages (Figure 130). Users access the proxy through a Web
browser, using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), while the proxy accesses
end devices using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). Usually, this
approach adds a Web server to an existing management product, which optimizes
product functionalities, such as database access and SNMP polling.
This approach maintains the
advantages of the workstation-based management systems while adding flexible
access to intranet data. Since the proxy communicates with all the managed
devices, the administrator can view all or portions of the company’s networks,
servers, and desktops, as well as such logical entities as virtual LANs. Since
the proxy-to-device protocol remains SNMP, this approach also works with
SNMP-only devices.
EMBEDDED METHOD
The embedded method actually installs
Web server functionality in each end device. Since each device has its own Web
address, the administrator can use a Web browser to visit the managed devices
This approach allows graphical management of those devices.
Enterprise networks can make use of
both proxy-based and embedded Web server capabilities. Large organizations can
avail themselves of the enterprise-wide monitoring and management capabilities
that are only provided with the proxy solution. The proxy solution can also
manage SNMP-only devices. In conjunction with proxy-based servers, large
corporations could also benefit from embedded Web servers because of their
simple set-up requirements and their ability to manage new devices.
The embedded Web server approach
is especially well suited for
managing small branch offices. These networks are relatively simple and
typically do not require powerful management systems or need enterprise-wide
views. Users at these remote locations usually are not familiar with
device-control and network procedures. Embedded Web servers allow these users
to become operational quickly with minimal instruction. Although the
plug-and-play nature of Web-based devices simplifies installation and minimizes
troubleshooting, they do not necessarily limit device-level capabilities.
A Web
browser can communicate directly with networked devices using HTTP.
The most common reasons for
connecting directly to individual network devices include configuration and
reconfiguration, simple status monitoring, and implementing specific corrective
actions. For small networks, this approach might be a sufficient management
solution; for larger networks, this approach will typically supplement more
global tools in varietyof possible circumstances, including the final stages of
problem resolution.
Components of WBM
The components of WBM can be written
in any language, including Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Common Gateway
Interface (CGI), and Java.
HTML provides a standardized way to create pages of Web-based
information and embed hyperlinks that lead the user to other pages. While HTML
pages are usually static and textual, they can be made interactive by embedding
graphics and active elements, such as Java applets and CGI applications, within
the page. HTML is good for displaying tables of information, such as network
inventory Details and IP address listings.
CGI is not a language, but a protocol used to access
database information. For example, a WBM application may need to display the
current number of incomplete work orders. This data could be stored in the
database of a proxy workstation. A CGI application can be used to query the
database and to format an HTML page on-the-fly to display the information.
Java is an interpretive programming
language and is rapidly emerging as an important development tool, especially
for management applications. Java is not compiled before run time but is
interpreted by a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) at run time. JVMs are included with
such Web browsers as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer, enabling
these browsers to execute Java code. Java applets, which can be called from
either a proxy or embedded Web server, can be used to:
·
Display dynamic graphs that interpret
network operations
·
Illustrate complex situations, such as
interactive views of chassis hubs or modules of a stackable hub
·
Display real-time data that can be
updated from polling and traps
·
Add graphics, including animation
·
Because Java can produce applications that are portable
across UNIX, Windows, and other environments, a JVM can be embedded in an end
device and the device agent can then execute Java code. Code can be distributed
dynamically, ported from a management proxy to devices, and ported between
devices components within a device.
The use of Java within an embedded
agent can increase management capabilities by enforcing policy-based management
or security rules. For example, assume an administrator wants to enable remote
network access between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Traditional methods, such as
SNMP sets, have been used to enforce such restrictions but at the cost of
increasing network traffic and with the difficulty of scaling to handle
thousands of devices. While a device-resident agent could perform this
function, agent releases are typically infrequent. An embedded agent with a JVM
could independently create the scheduling routine and dynamically distribute
the policy to restricted devices, eliminating the need for an agent release.
Standards
The first
Web-based management tool was introduced in 1994 by Thomas Conrad Inc.,a small networking device vendor
that has since been acquired by Compaq. A handful of pioneers followed suit in
1995. By 1996, virtually every major interconnect and network management vendor
had either introduced or announced plans for Web-based management products that
could be accessed with ordinary Web browsers.
The idea behind Web-based management
is simple asit was compelling: it gives managers, administrators, and authorized end users
access to management information from dissimilar platforms such as MVS, VMS,
Windows NT, UNIX, and NetWare. However, the product development efforts of
vendors are unfocused and there is still lack of agreement on standards.
Not only are
vendors and carriers approaching Web-based management in different ways, but the tools they
offer address different pieces of the management puzzle. Capabilities offered
by one vendor are often un-addressed by other vendors. Some vendors’ reporting
capabilities consist of static displays, while others offer real-time displays
that report status changes for as long as the connection is open.
There are several standards efforts
underway that attempt to address the functionality, interoperability, security,
and performance issues of Web-based management. What makes standards so
difficult to achieve is that the current proposals are vendor biased. If the
differing views of vendors can be reconciled and a single standard agreed to,
the Web browser may emerge as the key building block of tomorrow’s network
management console.
Last Word
The advent of intranets that provide enterprise-wide data
has spawned two main Web-based management approaches: the proxy Web server
method and the embedded Web server approach. While both methods can be used
together, generally the proxy method is more useful for larger enterprises that
want to complement their workstation-based management systems. The embedded
server method is better suited for small groups that do not need the complex
functions offered by the first method.
Web-based
management standards would provide network managers with what they need most: a
cost-effective means for consolidating topology, fault, and performance data
from many management platforms, element managers, and devices. Already, many
Web-based tools are in the process of being integrated with one or more of the
major management platforms, including Hewlett-ackard’s Open View, SunSoft’s
Solstice Sun Net Manager, and IBM’s Net View. The reason for optimism here is
that these platforms owe their market dominance to their ability to pull data
from vast multi-vendor networks, so a high degree of de facto standardization
is possible, regardless of the outcome of formal standardization processes.
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