Network Management Functions, Network Management Protocols Flashcards
Learn The Qs (19 cards)
Why are timestamps an issue in network management?
Timestamps may not be synchronized across devices, leading to confusion in event sequencing and alarm correlation.
Alarm correlation typically incurs a time delay. Why is this true, and why is it an issue?
Correlation systems wait for related alarms to arrive. This delay helps accuracy but may slow fault detection.
In the context of network management, outline what is meant by Accounting Management?
Tracking the use of network resources for billing, auditing, and usage analysis. Helps detect fraud and manage costs.
In the context of network management, outline what is meant by Configuration Management?
Managing device setup, including hardware and software configuration, inventory tracking, and change management.
How is auditing relevant to network management?
Ensures configurations are compliant and consistent. Auditing validates that changes were correctly implemented.
Why is autodiscovery not enough to meet a network manager’s requirement for tracking the IT equipment in an organisation?
It may miss passive components or out-of-band devices. Also lacks business-level data like asset ownership.
Why does it matter that the information in the network management system matches the state of the network?
Mismatches lead to wrong decisions, failed provisioning, or missed faults. Syncing ensures accurate operations.
In the context of SNMP, what are Object Identifiers?
OIDs uniquely identify managed objects in the MIB. They follow a hierarchical structure like file paths.
In the context of SNMP, what is a MIB?
The Management Information Base defines and organizes all manageable network objects via SNMP.
List the operations / message-types defined by SNMP.
GetRequest, GetNextRequest, SetRequest, GetResponse, and Trap.
Which is a better option for device configuration – SNMP or Netconf? Why?
Netconf is better. SNMP lacks robust configuration and transaction support, whereas Netconf provides structure, validation, and rollback.
Outline the key areas of network management as defined by the ISO’s FCAPS model.
Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security.
A network manager is being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of alarms from her newly installed Network Management System. How could she reduce the volume to find what’s important?
Use alarm filtering, correlation, and deduplication to suppress redundant or low-priority alerts.
A network administrator doesn’t see the point of doing performance measurement on his company’s network. “Nobody’s complaining about performance, what’s the point?” he says. Outline your advice to him.
Measuring performance detects issues before users notice. It helps maintain SLAs and avoid service degradation.
Outline some important metrics to record as part of Performance Management.
Throughput, latency, packet loss, error rates, CPU/memory usage, and uptime.
Why is it important to secure the management of a network? How can this be done?
Prevents unauthorized access. Use role-based access control, secure protocols (e.g. SSH), and audit logs.
What are the components of an SNMP-managed network?
SNMP Manager, SNMP Agent, and the MIB. Manager polls agents, which expose device data via the MIB.
Give an account of security in SNMP.
SNMPv1/v2 use community strings (insecure). SNMPv3 adds encryption and authentication. Use secure strings and trap alerts.
Explain the relationship between Netconf and YANG.
Netconf is the protocol; YANG is the modeling language. YANG defines the structure of data managed by Netconf.
