Page 384 - Handbook of Modern Telecommunications

Network Management and Administration 3-175

when thresholds are exceeded. Once classifications are assigned, the user can specify that only critical
alarms are to be displayed on the screen, while, for example, all other alarms are to be logged.
More sophisticated alarm facilities support conditional alarms. An example of a conditional threshold
is “errors on incoming packets from device B > 800 for more than 5 times in 25 minutes.” Conditional
alarms can account for periodic spikes in traffic or daily busy periods, for example. A further logical
step is the capability to correlate alarms and display the most important, “root cause” alarms only.
Finally, the platform should support the ability to automatically trigger scripts when specific alarms are
received.

3.7.2.2.3 User Interface Services
The basic job of the graphical user interface (GUI) is to provide color-coded displays of management
information, multiple windows into different core or management applications, and an iconic or menu-
driven user interface. By offering a standardized interface between the user and the underlying tools,
the GUI simplifies what a user needs to learn and provides a standard tool for application developers.
Most management operations are available from a menu bar; others are available from context menus.
Point-and-click operations are standard features, as is context-sensitive help. Most platforms allow a
certain degree of customization of maps and icons.
While most platform GUIs are the same, there can be a few subtle differences. Some GUIs have larger
icons than others. While this makes it easier to read information on the icon and distinguish status
changes more quickly, a screen can quickly become cluttered with just a few large icons. Icon size is
strictly a matter of user preference. Web 2.0 applications may enrich GUI in the future.

3.7.2.2.4 Database Services
The database is the focal point for key data created and used by management applications, includ-
ing MIB data, inventories, trouble tickets, configuration files, and performance data. Most platforms
maintain event logs in flat-file ASCII format for performance reasons. However, this format limits
the network manager’s ability to search for information and manipulate the data. Therefore, links
to relational database management systems (RDBMSs) are now important aspects of the framework
architecture.
A RDBMS is essential for manipulating raw data and turning it into useful information. If the
RDBMS schema of the application data is also published, users can obtain information from a RDBMS
by writing requests, or queries, in Structured Query Language (SQL), a universally standard language
for relational database communication. This is often the last resort and/or most powerful way of inte-
grating applications.
While most management platforms also supply report configuration and generation facilities, these
tools are generally not top-notch. However, high-quality third-party reporting applications can be used
to extract data from a RDBMS.
3.7.2.2.5 Object Manipulation Services
Object-oriented and object-based technologies are helpful in relation to user interfaces, protocols, and
databases. The use of object request brokers (ORBs) and Common Object Request Broker Architecture
(CORBA) provides the glue needed to accomplish interoperability among heterogeneous systems. These
services provide support for information exchange between objects as abstractions of physical and logical
resources ranging from network devices computing systems resources to applications and management
services. Included are operations on MIBs, object support services providing location transparency for
objects exchanging requests and responses, persistent storage for MIBs, and support for object-oriented
applications development.
In spite of its feature fullness, good performance, and architectural purity, CORBA is a legacy technol-
ogy these days. In recent management software Corba APIs are replaced by Java or Web Services APIs.