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he industry consensus is that T networking is the driving force behind computer expenditures and technology development in the 1990s.

and technology development in the 1990s. Market trends also show that the industry technology focus is shifting from the creation of networks to the efficient management of existing networks.

The distribution of computing resources from mainframes to interconnected workstations and local area networks in the 1980s was accompanied by a distribution of control and responsibility. While centralized support has sometimes been provided to ensure such things as conformity to standards and corporate policies, adequate training, or technical backup, LANs have typically been managed independently.

Building an enterprise-wide network by con- necting these islands of information processing- which have been multiplying for more than a decade-has emerged as a major goal of the 1990s. New industry standards for interoperability are evolving, and hardware and software products for achieving the goal are now entering the marketplace. However, many issues associated with managing the enterprise network are unanswered at this point.

A study by the Gartner Group, Stamford, Connecticut, which surveyed network managers, ranks the priorities of network management responsibilities as:

(1) Maintain the network. (2) Manage the network. (3) Design the network. (4) Implement the network. (5) Troubleshoot the network. (6) Evaluate the network. (7) Purchase the next network.

A debate over whether network managers have the tools to fulfil these responsibilities is raised by numerous industry analysts such as Business Research Group, Newton, Mass., which cites the 'difficult position' of LAN administrators at this

time, and the Yankee Group, Boston, which says 'managing the enterprise network is going to be one bear of a problem'.

A recent study by Infonetics Research asked network managers to forecast their environment in 1995. The majority predicted their networks would grow even more intricate, yet they antici- pate zero growth in staff to handle these more complicated networks.

Forrester Research, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., reports that more than 60% of major companies are implementing wide area networks to inter- operate LANs. Aberdeen Group, Boston, pegs the interconnect market at $1.2 billion in 1991 and forecasts a 40% annual growth rate over the next few years. One of the major issues for network managers is that LANs are managed independently of WANS. Neither of the dispar- ate approaches for network management are immediately transferable to the developing situation.

With the increasing requirement of inter- operability between LANs from multiple vendors and LAN-WAN links, the search for management tools has turned to innovative vendors, including alliances of several vendors, each with their own expertise in certain aspects of network management.

To build a comprehensive network manage- ment solution, it is evident that interoperability has multiple dimensions, loosely divided into two problem sets-managing the logical side of networks and managing the network's physical infrastructure.

The widespread concern over protocol stan- dards, performance and enterprise-wide appli- cation development-all elements of logical network management-often overshadow the increasing complexity and importance of the physical infrastructure. Among the conclusions of the Business Research Group study was a finding that 'the cart is getting ahead of the horse .... People seem to be driven to do applications before they put into place all the infrastructural issues ....' To this is added a Yankee Group warning: 'The major problem ... in the 1990s is developing a workable methodology that will let you solve both physi- cal and logical network issues-and to integrate what you want to do with what you have already built.'

INTERNATIONAL l O U R N A L OF NETWORK MANAGEMENT 39

Physical Network Management-a Critical

Application for Mana ing

Resources Complex Communica B ions

Underlying most management responsibilities and decisions relating to an enterprise system are the telecommunications equipment and con- nectivity devices. These are the elements of a physical network infrastructure. In addition to these assets which facilitate LAN and WAN computing, an enterprise’s physical make-up consists of various media, such as metallic, fiber and satellite, and equipment that carries voice, data and video transmissions.

Physical infrastructure information is routinely required for a wide variety of tasks, including:

Network layout, design and installation Change management from planning through

Troubleshooting and other help-desk func-

Meeting fire/security/environmental issues Inventorylasset management and budgeting

work orders

tions

Prior to the movement toward enterprise-wide solutions, physical network information has been retrieved from ad hoc databases, architectural drawings, facility layouts and human memory.

ncreasing network interconnections and I the emergence of a centralized network management philosophy are fueling the need for software systems that can capture and process enterprise- wide information.

Increasing network interconnections and the emergence of a centralized network management philosophy are fueling the need for software systems that can capture and process enterprise- wide information. Such information details the network infrastructure, including real-world location of network devices, their technical characteristics and their physical connectivity. Due to the fact that the physical infrastructure

will continue to undergo frequent changes at an average rate of 3&35O/0 in the 1990s, this management tool is becoming a necessity to successfully managing enterprise-wide networks.

ISICAD’s COMMAND System- an Innovation

The COMMAND (Communications Manage- ment and Design) system introduced in 1989 by ISICAD, Inc., Anaheim, California, addresses the issues of managing the physical aspects of enterprise-wide networks and provides an immediately usable solution. Originally associ- ated with cable management at a time when that application was the major source of demand for physical infrastructure management, COM- MAND is now positioned as a solution for a larger problem set: connectivity management.

From the beginning, COMMAND has captured a far more comprehensive body of information than wiring schematics. It positions hubs, routers, servers, workstations, terminals, and all other network devices, while defining such things as port configurations, circuit lists, outlets, cross- connects, patch panels and cableways. As illus- trated by Figure 1, automatically produced sche- matics can provide a circuit trace showing end- to-end connectivity of all the physical components on a particular circuit. The connectivity of all items is continually tracked, maintained, and available on-line for immediate access. This level of detail, combined with macro-schematic views of departments, buildings, campuses and wide- area networks, enables COMMAND users to effectively manage, design, install, and control a total communications environment.

COMMAND’S primary competitive differen- tiation is the integration of graphics with a relational database for complete documentation of a physical network infrastructure. Graphic capabilities enable viewing of drawings, sche- matics and space plans, for such purposes as network layout and change management, trouble- shooting, interactive configuration and patching, and auto routing.

Graphics capabilities are integrated with the non-graphic database such that the drawings reflect equipment schedules, bills of materials, connection lists, status reports, work orders,

40 MARCH 1993

Figure 1. Aufomatically produced schematics can provide a circuit frace showing end-to-end Connectivity of all the physical components on a particular circuit.

and user identification. The database provides detailed information down to the individual cable pair. A dynamic link between graphic and non- graphic data as illustrated in Figure 2 ensures that changes made in one format are automatically updated in the other.

The COMMAND system complements logical network management software, such as HE' Open- View and Cabletron Spectrum which are primar- ily used in monitoring performance and traffic on the network and detecting and identifying problems on a real-time basis. The complemen- tary functions of COMMAND include the ability to oversee the relationship of physical devices within the network to the real world, such as their location within a building and the physical connectivity between devices.

COMMAND also provides work orders for change management and provides inventory and valuation information for asset management. Troubleshooting at the help-desk level is another benefit of the COMMAND database, which automates transaction logs, work orders and provides a link to network management in

diagnosing problem areas, speeding repairs, quickly restoring service and minimizing network downtime. Figure 3 illustrates how the help-desk level can be used to generate network service requests and trouble tickets.

he bottom line of the COMMAND T system is increased efficiencies to assure minimal network downtime and a reduction in the amount of time required to make network changes.

The bottom line of the COMMAND system is increased efficiencies to assure minimal network downtime and a reduction in the amount of time required to make network changes.

INTERNATIONAL 10URNAL OF NETWORK MANAGEMENT 41

Figure2. COMMAND is a graphics-based tool you can use to design and document your network while simultaneously building a database on connectivity, inventory costs and equipment attributes.

Figure 3. Using the integrated COMMAND HelpDesk application. helpdesk personnel can produce network service requests and trouble tickets to speed repairs, restore service quickly and minimize network downtime.

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Figure 4. Physical infrastructure from COMMAND is integrated wifh logical management information (in this example, from HP OpenView Network Node Manager) and helpdesk capabilities to provide a comprehensive network management solution. Information from all applications is accessible from one management workstation.

A Comprehensive Solution- lnte rating Physical and

with Help-desk Capabilities Logica B Network Management

The COMMAND system is an effective stand- alone management tool for many types of net- works. However, the growing demand for comprehensive network management systems that can handle large multi-vendor networks has prompted alliances that can deliver integrated physical and logical network solutions combined with help-desk capabilities.

The establishment of such alliances is facilitated by ISICAD’s Application Program Interface (API) software modules that enable logical network management systems to communicate with COM- MAND. One inherent benefit is that both applications operate on the same workstation. The correlation between logical and physical components of any network serves to solve network problems more quickly and improve

network management, diagnostic and repair activities.

COMMAND has been integrated with HP OpenView Network Node Manager, which pro- vides fault, configuration, and performance man- agement for multi-vendor TCP/IP networks and other environments. With a software link designed specifically for HP Openview, users can retrieve COMMAND information concurrent with HP OpenView Network Node Manager operation. When Network Node Manager alerts a network manager to a node failure, detailed information is available from COMMAND as to device location, port assignments, cable pairs and circuit listings.

COMMAND has also been integrated with Cabletron’s Spectrum network management sys- tem. The integrated solution allows network fault information identified by Cabletron’s Spectrum product line to feed directly into ISICAD’s COM- MAND system, which will then identify the physical location of the problem.

The link between COMMAND and the two

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NETWORK MANAGEMENT 43

network management packages has been aug- mented by the addition of help-desk capabilities to provide a unique and comprehensive solution for managing the physical, logical and trouble- shooting aspects of voice and data networks.

Without a comprehensive solution installed on a network, problems found by the logical network management system are communicated to the user. However, the user is still left with two major tasks: (1) locating the piece of equipment and identifying its connectivity patterns; and (2) generating a trouble ticket to insure that the problem gets tracked and resolved.

Under a comprehensive network management scenario, an alarm generated by the logical network management system when a device goes down will automatically trigger COMMAND to locate the problem device(s) within the network. COMMAND displays the appropriate drawings showing the device location and creates a circuit trace showing the physical connectivity. Mean- while, COMMAND’S integrated help-desk pack- age automatically generates a trouble ticket that assigns and tracks and helps resolve the problem.

Figure 4 shows infrastructure information from COMMAND integrated with logical management information (in this example, HI’ OpenView Network Node Manager) and help-desk capabili- ties to provide a comprehensive management solution. Information from all applications is accessible from one management workstation.

The comprehensive network management sol- ution provides an integrated software system that addresses and improves all aspects of network management. COMMAND works within this context (or as a standalone package) to oversee the relationship of physical devices within the network such as their location and the physical connectivity between the devices.

If you wish to order reprints for this or any other articles in the International journal of Network Management, please see the Special Reprint instructions inside the front cover.

1055-7148/93/010044- 07$08.50 0 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

44 MARCH 1993