A scaleable, platform-based architecture for multiple domain network management

One of the main deficiencies of platform-based network management systems is their inability to scale up efficiently. However, the platform/application approach presents an attractive model with many advantages like software maintainability and expandability, low management overhead, reduced cost due to its centralized nature, etc. We present a platform-based architecture for managing large multiple domain (and possibly multi-vendor) networks through a scaleable, hierarchical scheme. Our proposed network management system consists of a network of element-managers, each responsible for a different domain (of managed objects and possibly other managers). Each element behaves as a platform offering a set of management services to applications and other managers (higher in the hierarchy). We propose a MIB (SNMPv2 or CMIP) interface and a mapping of all management services onto a “manager MIB”. We outline the proposed MIB structure and define objects responsible for some key management services and manager-to-manager communication