Network Management Ideas

Background / Problem

Most network management tools don't deliver real value, most fall back to basic up down monitoring and being used in a reactive way.
- Reactive - once a device is down or someone complain we use network monitor to trouble shoot.

Measure more and make it easy to add multiple devices of same type.
1. Utilization on links.
2. Errors on links with alarming.
3. Radio link rf interference and signal strength
4. Automate detection of main links, e.g. CDP and alarming on faults with redundancy.
  1. Else failure of a redundant link will only be visible when primary also fails.
5. Power - UPS status
6. Environment, temperature
7. Security, eg. movement or cabinet access.
Track more static info.
1. Assest register integration, e.g. serial numbers, could be retrieved via snmp from some devices.
2. Location, GPS coordinates, and for Radio links direction, allow display of Google Maps overlay.
Visualization of network/equipment
- Must use a graphical layout with interconnects to allow humans to quickly see the picture.
- Separate logical view from detailed physical view with all redundancy.
- Use interconnect lines to provide visual feedback of links.
  - Thickness of line could be traffic volume currently flowing.
  - Colour of line could be packet loss / error rate
  - Colour of device could be response-time measurement.
- Multiple scales, e.g. just zoom to see more. e.g. place branch details on level3, Area on level2, Overview level1.

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