Chp. 12 Chapter Questions Flashcards
1
Q
What skills does a network manager need?
A
Strong technology skills in a variety of technologies
LAN/WAN networking experience working with routers and switches
Experience with Internet access solutions, including firewalls and VPN
Network architecture design and implementation experience
Information security experience
Personnel management experience
Project management experience
Experience working in a team environment
Ability to work well in an unstructured environment
Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
Effective written and oral communication skills
2
Q
What is “firefighting?”
A
- dealing with breakdowns and immediate problems.
3
Q
Why is combining voice and data a major organizational challenge?
A
- These pressures are magnified by:
- the high cost of maintaining separate facilities,
- the low efficiency and productivity of the organization’s employees because there are two separate network functions
- the potential political problems within an organization when neither manager wants to relinquish his or her functional duties or job position
4
Q
Describe what configuration management encompasses.
A
- Configuration management means managing the network’s hardware and software configuration and documenting it (and ensuring it is updated as the configuration changes).
5
Q
People tend to think of software when documentation is mentioned. What is documentation in a network situation?
A
Documentation in a network situation is mandatory and includes:
- inventory of network hardware and equipment
- network configuration and maps
- maintenance records
- software listings by hardware and network tasks
- software documentation manuals
- user names and telephone numbers
- vendor names and telephone numbers
- contracts
- legal requirements
- operating manuals
- disaster plan and recovery techniques
- troubleshooting techniques
6
Q
What is desktop management and why is it important?
A
- Desktop management (DM), sometimes called Electronic Software Delivery (ESD) or automatic software distribution, is one solution to the configuration problem.
- DM enables network managers to install software on client computers over the network without needing individual access to each client computer. Saves a lot of money
7
Q
What is performance and fault management?
A
- Performance management means ensuring the network is operating as efficiently as possible.
- Fault management means preventing, detecting, and correcting faults in the network circuits, hardware, and software (e.g., a broken hub or improperly installed software).
8
Q
What does a help desk do?
A
- Failure control is handled by the network support group (often starting with a help desk) that is called when anything goes wrong in the network.
9
Q
What do trouble tickets report?
A
- Numerous software packages are available for recording fault information. The reports they produce are known as trouble tickets.
10
Q
Several important statistics related to network uptime and downtime are discussed in this chapter. What are they ?
A
- mean time to diagnose (MTTD)
- mean time to respond (MTTR)
- mean time to fix (MTTF)
- mean time to repair
- mean time between failures (MTBF)
11
Q
Describe MTTD.
A
- mean time to diagnose (MTTD)
- measures the efficiency of the in-house testing and problem management personnel
- can be used to evaluate the ability of network personnel to isolate and diagnose failure of hardware, software, or circuits and can often be improved by training
12
Q
Describe MTTR.
A
- mean time to respond (MTTR)
- indicates how quickly vendors and internal groups respond to emergencies
- can lead to a change of vendors or internal management policies, or, at the minimum, can exert severe pressure on vendors who do not respond to problems promptly
13
Q
Describe MTTF
A
- mean time to fix (MTTF)
- measures how long it takes the vendor or internal support group to correct the problem once they arrive on the premises
- can be affected by the use of redundant interface equipment, alternate circuit paths, adequate recovery or fallback procedures to earlier versions of software, and the technical expertise of internal or vendor staff
14
Q
Describe Mean time to repair.
A
- mean time to repair
- MTTRepair = MTTDiagnose + MTTRespond + MTTFix
15
Q
Describe MTBF
A
- mean time between failures (MTBF)
- indicates the reliability of a network component
- developed by equipment vendors to tell customers how frequently their equipment fails (this is the number of hours or days of continuous operation before the component fails)
- can be influenced by the original selection of vendor-supplied equipment
16
Q
What is availability? How is it calculated?
A
- Availability is the percentage of time the network is available to users.
- It is calculated as the number of hours per month the network is available divided by the total number of hours per month (i.e., 24 hours per day x 30 days/month = 720 hours).
17
Q
What is an SLA?
A
- More organizations are beginning to establish service level agreements (SLA) with their common carriers and Internet service providers.
- An SLA specifies the exact type of performance and fault conditions that the organization will accept.
18
Q
How is network availability calculated?
A
- Network availability is the percentage of time the network is available to users.
- Availability includes all components of the network that are required for the network to be up and operating (modems, circuits, and so forth).
19
Q
What is problem escalation?
A
- Problem escalation is the increase in severity and scope of a problem caused when the initial problem or error situation is not resolved quickly and efficiently
20
Q
What are the primary functions of end user support?
A
- here are three main functions within end user support:
- resolving network faults,
- resolving software problems,
- training.
21
Q
What is total cost of ownership?
A
- The total cost of ownership (TCO) is a measure of how much it costs per year to keep one computer operating.
- includes:
- cost of support staff to attach it to the network, install software, administer the network
- provide training and technical support,
- upgrade hardware and software
22
Q
Why is the total cost of ownership so high?
A
- The most expensive item is personnel (network managers and technicians), which typically accounts for 50 to 70 percent of total costs
- The largest time cost (where staff spend most of their time) is systems management, which includes configuration, fault, and performance management tasks that focus on the network as a whole. The second largest item is end user support.
23
Q
How can network costs be reduced?
A
Network costs can be reduced by taking these steps:
- Develop standard hardware and software configurations for client computers and servers
- Automate as much of the network management function as possible by deploying a solid set of network management tools
- Reduce the costs of installing new hardware and software by working with vendors
- Centralize help desks
- Move to thin client architectures
24
Q
What do network management software systems do and why are they important?
A
- Network management software is designed to provide automated support for some or all of the network management functions.
- Network management software systems are important because they signify improved or deteriorating conditions.
25
What is SNMP and RMON?
* The most commonly used network management protocol is Simple Network Management
* RMON allows for remote monitoring of equipment
26
Describe device management software
* Device management software provides information about the specific devices on a network.
* It enables the network manager to monitor important devices such as servers, routers, and switches, and switches and to report configuration information, traffic volumes, and error conditions for each device.
27
Describe system managent software
* System management software provides the same configuration, traffic, and error information as device management systems but can analyze the device information to diagnose patterns, not just display individual device problems.
28
Describe applicaiton management
* Application management software also builds on the device management software, but instead of monitoring systems, it monitors applications.
29
How does a load balancer work?
* A load balancer acts as a traffic manager at the front of the server farm.
30
What is server virtualization?
* Server virtualization is the process of utilizing one physical server and using special software, creating multiple virtual computers that each run their own separate operating system.
31
What is policy-based management?
* Policy-based management allows the network manager to use special software to set priority policies for network traffic that take effect when the network becomes busy.
32
What is capacity management?
* Capacity management is used to monitor traffic and can slow down traffic from users who consume a lot of network capacity
* simpler than policy based management
33
How does content caching differ from content delivery?
* Content caching is used to store other people’s Web data closer to your users.
* Content delivery stores web files for its clients closer to their potential users.
34
How does network cost of ownership (aka real TCO) differ from total cost of ownership? Which is the most useful measure of network costs from the point of view of the network manager?
1. The total cost of ownership (TCO) for typical networked PCs is about $7,000 per year per computer, far more than the initial purchase price. Next
2. The network management cost (omitting "wasted" time) is between $1500 and $3500 per year per computer. The largest single cost item is staff salaries.
35
Many organizations do not have a formal trouble reporting system. Why do you think this is the case?
* Typically size, application diversity and volume of traffic determine whether or not a formal trouble reporting system is required
* All large organizations with heterogeneous type networks require a formal trouble reporting system because the annual cost of maintenance demands it.
