Network Management: FCAPS

Earlier Article: Network Management: Concept

In computer networks, Network Management refers to the activities, methods, procedures, and tools that pertain to the Operation, Administration, Maintenance, and Provisioning of networked systems. Network management is essential to command and control practices and is generally carried out of a network operations center. 

A common way of characterizing network management functions is FCAPS - Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance and Security. FCAPS is the ISO Telecommunications Management Network model and framework for network management.

We shall discuss FCAPS in detail in this article, let's start with fault management.

(i) Fault Management -

A fault is an event that has a negative significance. The goal of fault management is to recognize, isolate, correct and log faults that occur in the network. Most fault management systems poll the managed objects for error conditions and present this information to the network manager. Fault management identifies and isolates network issues, proposes problem resolution, and subsequently logs the issues and associated resolutions.

(ii) Configuration Management -

Monitors network and system configuration information so that the impact on network operations (hardware and software elements) can be tracked and managed. Network changes, additions, and deletions need to be coordinated with the network management personnel.

(iii) Accounting Management -

Accounting management is concerned with tracking network utilization information, such that individual users, departments, or business units can be appropriately billed or charged for accounting purposes. For non-billed networks, accounting refers to administration whose primary goal is to administer the set of authorized users by establishing users, passwords, and permissions and to administer the operations of the equipment such as by performing software backup and synchronization.

(iv) Performance Management -

Measures and makes network performance data available so that performance can be maintained and acceptable thresholds. It enables the manager to prepare the network for the future, as well as to determine the efficiency of the current network. The network performance addresses the throughput, network response times, packet loss rates, link utilization, percentage utilization, error rates and so forth.

(v) Security Management -

Controls access to network resources as established by organizational security guidelines. Most network management systems address security regarding network hardware, such as someone logging into a router. Security management functions include managing network authentication, authorization, and auditing, such that both internal and external users only have access to appropriate network resources, configuration and management of network firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and security policies (such as access lists).

Functions that are performed as part of network management accordingly include controlling, planning, allocating, deploying, coordinating, and monitoring the resources of a network, network planning, frequency allocation, predetermined traffic routing to support balancing, cryptographic distribution authorization, configuration management, fault management, security management, management, bandwidth management, Route analytics and accounting management.

Well, that's all on FCAPS. We will discuss Intranet and Extranet in our next article, stay tuned for that.

And, if you have any queries, doubts or suggestions please let me know. Just click on ask questions from the left panel of your screen.

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