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MANAGEMENT
PROTOCOLS
this communication process. SNMP, CMIP and DMI are three foundational protocols that
are choices for the infrastructure of every medium to large organization, impacting the
Although there have been many new protocols introduced into the market, it seems
that advantages over the original SNMP come with a large price. Security issues are solved,
better management of the network is implemented, but the complexity and massive network
modifications make the alternatives unattractive. This situation leaves network managers
1 INTRODUCTION
switches, routers, and gateways1. It can formally be defined as the controlling of a complex data network so
as to maximize its efficiency and productivity2 that involves active and passive monitoring of network
resources for the purpose of troubleshooting, detecting potential problems, improving performance,
The International Organization for Standards has defined Network Management as consisting of five key
areas. 3 These areas and their underlying functions are listed below:
2. Configuration Management - Views and manages system resources and management information.
leaf of paper glued to a manuscript volume, describing its contents) is a special set of rules that apply to both
of the end points of a telecommunication connection when they communicate. Protocols exist at several
levels in commonly accepted seven-layer model of a telecommunication connection and the TCP/IP model
shown in Figure 1. Both end points within these models must recognize and observe a protocol.
management protocols, their acronyms and what functions they perform are illustrated in Table 1.
automated as much as possible. Some mainstream protocols are SNMP (Simple Network Management
Protocol), CMIP (Common Management Information Protocol) and DMI (Desktop Management Interface).
SNMP works under the TCP/IP (Transport Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol) communication stack, CMIP
works under the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) communication stack,3 and DMI is a standard overseen
by the DMTF (Desktop Management Task Force) and is used to manage PC and server systems.5
SNMP was designed in the 1980's as an answer to the communication problems between different types of
networks. Its initial aim was to be a "band-aid" solution until a better designed and more complete network
manager became available. However, no better choice became available and SNMP became the network
CMIP was designed to build on the initial SNMP design and aimed at becoming a bigger, more detailed
network manager that provides greater control over a network by a systems administrator. The CMIP
protocol was supposed to be the protocol that replaced SNMP in the late 1980's. Funded by governments
and large corporations, many thought that it would become a reality because of its almost unlimited
development budget. However, problems with its implementation delayed its widespread availability and it
The DMI protocol is a set of interfaces and a service provider that mediates between network management
applications and components residing in a system. The DMI is a freestanding interface that is not tied to any
particular operating system or management process. Unlike SNMP which is network oriented, DMI is locally
oriented. It was designed to provide intrinsic manageability to the desktop regardless of whether it is on a
network. Because it provides intrinsic manageability, DMI allows easy connectivity to SNMP management
console applications.6
The following figure demonstrates how these three protocols SNMP, CMIP and DMI are utilized by most
organizations to connect its physical managed objects to its standard infrastructure. This is important because
a consistent view of the managed environment results in an ability to manage the business rather than just its
components.
a computer network by polling and setting terminal values and monitoring network events. SNMP is
composed of 3 elements: the MIB (management information base), the manager, and the agent.3
SNMP is used to manage a variety of network resources including hardware products such as servers,
printers, PCs, or networking products, or software such as the Windows NT operating system or a database
application. Using SNMP management systems, network administrators can browse the configuration of a
device, monitor collected variables such as network packet counts, or receive SNMP "traps", a message sent
from the agent to the manager when an "event", such as a power failure occurs in a system. 7
The information the SNMP can obtain from a network is defined as the MIB. The MIB is structured like a
tree. At the top of the tree is the most general information available about a network. Each branch of the
tree gets more detailed into the specific network area, with the leaves of the tree being the most specific the
MIB can get. For instance, devices may be a parent in the tree, and its children could be the serial port
The agent runs off of each node on the network. It collects network and terminal information as
specified in the MIB. The manager is located on the host computer on the network. Its main role is
to poll the agents for certain requested information using the TCP/IP User Datagram Protocol
network management protocol developed in the 1970’s to manage the large networks called
Internets.
Advantages Disadvantages
• Its simple design makes it easy to • Poor security that allows unauthorized users to
implement access management agents or intercept
• Not too stressful on an existing network commands1
• SNMP is widely used • Since UDP exchanges are unacknowledged, the
management agent receives no confirmation that
communications have successfully reached the
management console
• Easy to update • Too simple – provides information that is not
detailed or organized enough3
• Easily Expandable to meet increased • Generates a lot of network traffic as it polls
needs devices for status information
3 CMIP
kinds of networks. OSI uses the ISO 7 layer network communication model shown in Figure 1. The
Common Management Information Services Element (CMISE) application resides in the seventh or
application layer. CMISE works hand-in-hand with CMIP. The purpose of CMISE is to transfer network
management information from one system to another. 9 CMIP then maps every CMISE operation to a remote
CMIP operation.
For example, to set a terminal’s IP address, a CMISE service element M-SET would be sent, and it would
call the CMIP operation M-SET to set the terminal’s information. In all cases, it is CMISE that summons
CMIP to set (or get) the desired information. It is CMIP, and not CMISE, that releases the protocol data
units (PDU’s). On the receiving end it is CMIP that translates the terminal’s response and CMISE that
Advantages Disadvantages
• Protocol variables can perform more • Only the best equipped networks can afford
complicated tasks to run it because is has become such a large
• More efficient network management system and complete management system
• Built in security management capabilities • Massive network modifications is necessary
that support authorization, access control, to handle a full implementation of CMIP1
and security logs1
• Superior to SNMP in both design and • There is no inexpensive workaround
operation
4 DMI
system of personal computers from a central location. DMI was created by the Desktop Management Task
Force (DMTF) to automate system management and is particularly beneficial in a network computing
environment where dozens or more computers are managed. The DMTF is the industry organization that is
leading the development, adoption and unification of management standards and initiatives for desktop,
DMI is hardware and operating system-independent, independent of specific management protocol, easy for
vendors to adopt, mappable to existing management protocols such as SNMP or CMIP, and used on network
• Management Information Format (MIF): An MIF is a text file that contains specific information
• Service layer: The service layer is memory-resident code that acts as a mediator for the
management interface and the component interface and allows management and component software
• Component interface (CI): The CI is an application program interface (API) that sends status
Advantages Disadvantages
• DMI architecture provides a standard • Applications capable of managing both
interface between management applications DMI- and SNMP-enabled systems have
and locally managed hardware and software only recently emerged
components
• DMI has become the most widely used client
management standard today
• MIF database resides on the managed system
and can be browsed remotely by the
management application1
management applications send commands and status inquiries to software agents who return responses and
send alerts to management applications. Each device is made manageable through hardware instrumentation,
software agents, and management databases (MIFs or MIBs). The diagram also illustrates the types of
of managed devices for which SNMP is the dominant management standard and CMIP is an alternative
standard. At the PC LAN level, the server and desktop layers in the pyramid, proprietary standards have
tended to dominate, but DMI has emerged as an industry standard. There is some overlap between the DMI
and SNMP standards at the server level. Generally, SNMP is used by server management tools to
communicate with enterprise tools. DMI is used to manage hardware and software configurations on
Using DMI-to-SNMP mapping tools, it is possible to manage DMI desktops from SNMP-based
enterprise systems management applications. The DMTF released version 1.0 of the DMI-to-
SNMP mapping specification defines mapping procedures that allow DMI systems to be remotely
The overlap between SNMP and DMI with respect to today’s networks is shown in Figure 6. The
overlap occurs at the server layer with SNMP not interacting with the desktop layer.
demonstrate how the common network protocols have been included within these applications to
Network management tools use these common network management protocols within their systems
in a variety of different ways. Table 5 shows some specific implementations of SNMP, DMI, and
• HP’s OpenView
• IBM’s Tivoli
For the majority of business applications, it is seems reasonable that SNMP should be adopted when there is
a choice between SNMP and CMIP. Although CMIP is superior in design and function, it is not widely used
because it requires a large amount of system resources to run, and it is difficult to implement and program.
SNMP is by far the most commonly used network management protocol. It is simple to install and use, does
not require many system resources, and many companies, such as Sun, HP and IBM, have developed
solutions that address the security weaknesses and excess network traffic created by polling.
These solutions have been made possible because of SNMP’s extendable design. Many network management
companies have extended this protocol to become more secure, able to generate user-defined traps and
manage multiple applications and other hardware devices, as well as support all types of MIB objects. This
has made SNMP more robust in its use and application within these network management tools and has
extended its lifespan far beyond what its original creators thought it would last. Its many advantages have
made it a leader in an industry with many other more sophisticated competing protocols. In Hollywood, the
To make SMNP easier to use, it is recommended that the user purchase or download a graphical network
manager, such as IBM’s Netview or HP’s OpenView. There are also other good shareware network
managers that enable the user to generate alerts, process commands, and host communications.
Tied to SNMP, DMI is recommended as the protocol for PCs and server systems. There are other desktop
network management protocols, but DMI has become the industry standard and it is recommended DMI be