Overview of Network Administration

1. What is Network Administration ??
Network administration can be defined as:
“branch of engineering that concerns the
operational management of human-computer
systems” [Burgess Ch 1]
A network administrator has different roles
[Stallings page 3]
•Controlling corporate strategic assets
•Controlling complexity
•Improving service
•Balancing various needs
•Reducing downtime
•Controlling costs

2. Why do we need Network
administration at first ??

3. “F C A P S”
• Fault Management
• Configuration & Name Management
• Account Management
• Performance Management
• Security Management
The core management areas

4. Fault management
The facilities that enable the
 detection,
 isolation, and
 correction
of abnormal operation of the OSI
environment.

5. Configuration and Name
Management
The services and facilities that
• control
• identify
• collect and provide data
to clients and managed objects,
so assisting in continuous operation
of interconnection services.

6. OSI - Account Management
The facilities that enable
charges to be established for the use of
managed objects and
costs to be identified for the use of
those managed objects.

7. OSI - Performance
Management
The Facilities needed to evaluate
 Behaviour of managed objects
 Effectiveness of communication activities

8. OSI - Security Management
Address those aspects of OSI security
essential to:
 operate OSI network management
correctly and
 to protect managed objects

9. Definitions??
How does Network Administration
work in Practice?
Let’s look at how Network
Management is Organised…

10. Network
Hardware
Applications Division of Labour
Structure of Systems and
Network Management
Organisation

11. Corporate Networked
Environments
Have team(s) of specialists in various areas
Well defined tasks
 job descriptions
In small networks usually one person
 multi-skilled and multi-tasked
In reality – often somewhere in between….

12. Network Administrators
Tasks

13. Tasks of a
Network Administrator
Security Management
Performance Management
Planning for Growth
Fault Management and Recovery
Account/User Management
Networked Application Support

14. Security Management
Firewalls
Usernames
Password control
Resource Access Control

15. Performance Management
Availability
Response Time
Accuracy

16. Planning for Growth
A Network (or any organisation) is not
static
Growth means increased load on a
network. This must be planned for….
Systems eventually need replacement.
This must be planned for – in advance…

17. Fault Management and
Recovery
Monitoring
 Reporting status
Testing
 Fixes and Patches
 Updates
 Repairs
 Change Management

18. Account / User Management
Communication Facilities
 Connection - Rental - Charges
Hardware Usage
 Lease - Rent - Hire
Consumables Usage
 Power, Paper, Media (Diskettes, CDs…)
Software Usage
 Licensing,
 Tolls,
 Application usage

19. Account / User Management
Accounts are Managed for:
 Intrusion detection / prevention
 Charging for Services
 Legal protection of the Organisation

20. Networked Application
Support
Client / Server systems support
Internet support
Server support
 Applications and Hardware
Helpdesk
 Trouble report / Bug fixes
 Printing
 eMail

21. How to be a Sys/Net Admin
(yet another Job Description…)
Learn Operating System basics eg Unix
Learn shell utilities and script programming
Learn how to Install and Configure OS
Learn DNS and Bind
Learn TCP/IP networking
Learn NFS and NIS (or equivalent…)
Learn about system tuning and accounting
Learn Compile and Link (eg C and make)

22. Goals of System/Network
Administration
Put together a network of computers
Get them running
Keep them running (despite Users….)
Provide a Service to Users
Requires skills of
 Mechanic
 Sociologist
 Researcher

23. Challenges of
System/Network Administration
Systems or Network Administration is more
than just installing computers or networks.
It is about planning and designing an
efficient community of computers that
allow users to get their jobs done.

24. Challenges of Administration
Design Logical, Efficient networks
Easily deploy & update many machines
Decide what services are needed
 know the business tasks & customers
Plan and implement adequate security
Provide comfortable User environment
Be able to fix errors and problems
Keep track of & be able to use knowledge

25. Style of
Network Administration

26. PRACTICE
Convention or The Best Solution
PRACTICE = “How things are done here”
Have you ever wondered…
Why are things done in certain ways?
Which way is best? Usually it’s because:
Someone did it once, and everyone copied
without really thinking about it
People have thought much about it and
this really is the best way…
An arbitrary choice was made, and it is
now a matter of convention

27. Comparison of System/Network
Management Styles
Fire-Fighting
 Managing by responding to situations when they
happen (Reactive)
Preventative management
 Monitor network and make repairs and changes
before problems appear (Proactive)
These are two opposite extremes.
Most real managers combine both.

28. Fire-Fighting
Investigate the Fault or Problem
 Isolate the problem and identify/define it
 Use tests and tools to diagnose the
problem
 Solve the problem and document the
solution
Prioritize multiple problems

29. Preventative Management
The Good Circle management cycle

30. Preventative Management
Techniques
Capacity Planning
Simulation and Testing
 load generators
 Benchmarks
Performance Monitors and System Tuning
 Network analysis and modelling
 Load balancing
 Hardware upgrades

31. Management method and Cost

32. Information about Network
Administration
The Knowledge….
What is it? Where is it?
How do we get it?

33. Sources of Information for
System/Network Administrators
Manuals and Online Documentation
World Wide Web
RFCs, FYIs, IENs
News groups, Discussion lists, WebLogs
Meetings and Seminars
 SAGE/Usenix, Novell Brainshare, Microsoft
TechNet/TechEd
How-To books

34. (END) No Tutorials in
Week 1.