DTJ Number 3 September 1987 - Digital Technical Journals

Nancy R. La PeUejMarkJ. Segerb:fark W. SylorIThe Evolution of NetworkAlanagent ProducThe management of data networks bas evolved at Digital since 1978,although the management of voice networks bas been a more recent phe·nomenon. Digital's first data network management products mnagednetworks of DECnet nodes. Our capabilities now include the managementof diverse data network components by means of several different prod·ucts described in this paper. The integration of these data network man·agement capabilities through a common architecture, user interfaces,management databases, and protocols is a major short-term gal. Theintegration of voice and data network management is a much longertermgoal. The voice management product presented here wiU be 'part ofthat future integration.The size and complexity of networks have beengrowing at an accelerating rate. For example,over the last ten years the size of Digital's internalnetwork has grown from a few communicatingsystems to over 10,000 computer nodes, distributedthroughout 250 sites in 37 countries.We are currently adding about a hundred newsystems per week to this private network. Thisrapid growth has led to a need for more-sophisticatednetwork management capabilities to controlsuch networks. This paper describes thechanging needs of network management, howDigital's products and capabilities have evolvedto meet those needs, and some directions forfuture evolution.Traditionally, networks have come in two categories:data and voice. Digital supports manydata network architectures, including BISYNCH,SNA; X.25, Ethernet, and OSI. However, theprimary one supported is the Digital NetworkArchitecture, or DNA, which defines our DECnetproducts.The Network EvolutionSome basic network management capabilitieswere added to the DNA architecture early in itsevolution (1978) . These capabilities includedthe manual on-line observation and control ofboth local and remote network nodes. Includedin the DNA design was a network control programthat was to be implemented consistentlyDigital Technical JournalNo. 3 September 1986across all DECnet produCts.1 That programwould allow a network mahager to control theoperation and configuration of the network bymanipulating operational parameters. The programwould also allow him to observe how wellthe network operated by providing current statusinformation, and network traffic and error data.IBasic Management Capabilities fo r theWhole NetworkAs other architectures and protocols emerged,new products, such as X.2,5 and SNA gateways,and local area network (LAN) bridges, neededthe same capabilities to b managed as did theDECnet products. This requirement broughtabout the first major evolutionary trend in networkmanagement. It became clear that DNA hadto be extended to accommodate the managementof connections to these non-DECnet products.Adding Intelligence tO Management·FunctionsThe second evolutionary trend was driven by theincreased size and complexity of DECnet networksand the difficulty in finding qualified peopleto manage them and the: systems within them.This trend led to the need for more-intelligentnetwork management functions to support a centralizedstaff dedicated to managing the network.To partially meet this need, we developed a productthat automates the rponitoring of trafficiIII117