Chapter 10: Network Management

Chapter 10: Network Management

Availability

Computer networks are complex mixtures of hardware and software, and they are rarely so simple to install that a user can just plug them in ?out of the box? and expect them to work. Further, even after a network is working correctly, network adapters can fail, cables can accidentally be severed, and software may need to be upgraded.

Network management is the science and art of installing a network and then managing and maintaining it so that it remains usable and runs both reliably and efficiently. One of the measures of good network management is availability.

Simply stated, availability is a measure of how often network services are available at the time users need them. A simple formula for determining availability on a weekly basis would be as follows:

168 = number of hours in a week

#failures = number of failures

MTTR = mean time to repair a failure

PM = time spent on preventative maintenance

RT = time spent on reconfiguration

Increasing availability is accomplished by reducing the size of the terms that are subtracted from 168 in the numerator of the equation. The number of failures encountered is primarily a function of network size and environmental conditions. Failure rates for electronic components under several categories of environmental conditions can be predicted. The more components a device has, the more likely it is to fail, and the further it is from moderate temperature and humidity conditions, the more likely...

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Local Area Networks: An Introduction to the Technology

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