Network Management Protocols and Applications

Cliff Leach

Mike Looney

Danny Mar

Monty Maughon

Simple Network Management Protocol

• a.k.a. SNMP

• Most widely used network management protocol

• Designed in 1988 based on SGMP – Router management protocol

• Allows management of network devices

What Does SNMP need?

Managed Networking Devices– Routers, Switches, UPS, and Servers

Devices must support SNMP– Typically manageable devices support SNMP

– Operating Systems have SNMP services available

How Does SNMP Work?

Agents– Collects data about the network device.

Manager – Processes the collected data and stores it in a database called Management

Information Base (MIB)

Protocol Data Unit– The data that is collected and transferred between Agents and Managers

Common Management Interface Protocol

• Used by Large Companies

• Supports all layers of the OSI model

• Costly to implement and takes more time

• Has More control than SNMP

Remote Monitoring Protocol

• Standard MIB for monitoring network usage and network

troubleshooting– First defined in 1992 by IETF called RFC 1271

• Replaced by RFC 1757 standard in 1995– Define objects and statistics for network administrators to analyze

network

• Console managers and probes on the network must be RMON compliant

RMON Grouping Elements

Organized into nine optional groups that rely on each other– Although they are optional, few of the groups need support from other groups in order to function

– Some groups can stand alone, but others depend on other groups

Nine Groups:Statistics, History, Alarm, Host, HostTopN, Matrix, Filters, Packet

Capture, and Events

Multi-Router Traffic Grapher

• Network Management Application

• Works on UNIX, Windows, and MAC OS 10.1

systems

• First Published in 1995

How does MRTG work?

Consists of a PERL script– Uses SNMP to read traffic counters and C program to log network traffic

Creates Graphs in GIF format– Represents the traffic monitored on a network connection

– Embedded into web pages and can be viewed by any web browser

How does MRTG work?

• Creates visual representations of network traffic

• Logs its data to an ASCII file

• Log file is constantly being consolidated

Other Advantages

• Not just limited to monitoring network traffic

• Monitors system loads, login sessions, modem

availability

Problems

• Scalability and Portability• Released Version 2.0 in January 1997• Faster and more user-friendly• Maintains its log files more efficiently

Issues with MRTG 2.0

• Had performance and flexibility problems• People are monitoring “non-traffic” sources• Led to the development of Version 3.0

LANWatch 32

• Well suited for basic analysis, however more

complex tasks are difficult

• Monitors network traffic in real time

Features

• Easy-to-use interface with pull-down menus • Graphic display of detailed network statistics • Decodes over 60 network protocols, including:

– TCP – UDP – IP – IPv6

• Provides over 400 filters to isolate network traffic • Software-based, easily portable to remote sites

Sample Screenshot