No room for complacency in net management

Managing a data network in 2005 is much simpler than in 1995 or even 1985. The tools are more intelligent, and the information available is more accurate and complete. But network managers have let this sophistication cloud over a fundamental trait of corporate networking in 2005 - application fluidity.

In the past, network managers focused on configuration and faults, the hot points where outage problems were diagnosed and resolved. Less demanding issues, such as performance, were addressed by adding bandwidth. Applications that used the network tended to be transaction-based. Performance could be measured, and poor response time always could be blamed on the IT department rather than the network.

Applications today can be a complex mix of data, voice and video traffic, all masked by the fact that they use IP. A corporate network must accommodate real-time voice telephony, instant messaging, video teleconferencing, file transfers, storage backup/recovery and peer-to-peer interaction, in addition to the corporate core-application transaction traffic. Application additions and deletions are fluid in nature and can occur almost instantly. Applications that utilize networks are becoming increasingly intelligent, using sophisticated middleware to enable direct application-to-application communication. This fluid state can only become more volatile with the construction of applications using a service-oriented architecture (SOA) and/or grid technology.

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Managing a data network in 2005 is much simpler than in 1995 or even 1985. The tools are more intelligent, and the information available is more accurate and complete. But network managers have let this sophistication cloud over a fundamental trait of corporate networking in 2005 - application fluidity.

In the past, network managers focused on configuration and faults, the hot points where outage problems were diagnosed and resolved. Less demanding issues, such as performance, were addressed by adding bandwidth. Applications that used the network tended to be transaction-based. Performance could be measured, and poor response time always could be blamed on the IT department rather than the network.

Applications today can be a complex mix of data, voice and video traffic, all masked by the fact that they use IP. A corporate network must accommodate real-time voice telephony, instant messaging, video teleconferencing, file transfers, storage backup/recovery and peer-to-peer interaction, in addition to the corporate core-application transaction traffic. Application additions and deletions are fluid in nature and can occur almost instantly. Applications that utilize networks are becoming increasingly intelligent, using sophisticated middleware to enable direct application-to-application communication. This fluid state can only become more volatile with the construction of applications using a service-oriented architecture (SOA) and/or grid technology.

Network performance is again on the front burner. The adage, "If it's not broken, don't fix it," will no longer explain out-of-date revision levels for software in routers and switches, and delays in converting a network from IPv4 to IPv6, which may be required to accommodate new application, server, storage and user demands.

The first change that must occur is a mind-set update: Network managers must realize that performance is an issue even if a network is operating without user complaints. Next, they must evaluate and begin to use a new category of test/monitoring/management software that will allow for a readiness assessment of a network before applications are introduced. This is especially true for a VoIP application. This new type of management software is application aware and will look at a network and infrastructure components to identify problem areas before an application is deployed. VoIP is just one example. The same type of software can be used to identify offsite backup/recovery or any other application-specific network performance problems.

Finally, a change is needed in the way network performance management is handled. Performance now must be monitored and managed using a set of predetermined and agreed-upon metrics. Policy must be established and then translated into network monitoring criteria. In some cases, existing network management system tools can be used to perform monitoring tasks. In other cases, new-application intelligent software must be integrated into the management environment.