John Gald asked:


Networking is now the main and unavoidable solution to most modern information technology companies, generating services to the whole world. Management of information is the most important thing to be kept in mind. Large amount of data needs to be managed and stored and retrieved as and when needed. Data can be stored centrally or distributed over the component machines. So the various components need to communicate among them. So, a network has to be established among all the components. First and foremost importance is data availability. Network management system has to be done for fast data retrieval. And here comes in the thought of network management system.

 

Planning for a network management system requires that a number of network management tasks be folded in a single software solution. The network management system should automate the processes of expense management auditing, asset lifecycle management, inventory deployment tracking, cost allocation and invoice processing.

 

Network management system means different things to different people. In some cases, it involves a solitary network consultant monitoring network activity with an outdated protocol analyzer. In other cases, network management involves a distributed database, auto polling of network devices and high-end workstations generating real-time graphical views of network topology changes and traffic. In general, network management is a service that employs a variety of tools, applications, and devices to assist human network managers in monitoring and maintaining networks.

 

A number of network management systems are capable of managing multiple geographically distributed sites. It is quite natural that units of an organization be situated quite a far off distance geographically, data sharing and retrieval becomes hard. This is accomplished by exchanging management data between management consoles at remote sites with a management station at the main site. The main advantage of a distributed architecture is that it reduces management traffic, thus, providing a more effective usage of bandwidth. A distributed architecture also allows personnel to locally manage their networks from remote sites with systems.

 

A typical enterprise is comprised of different network elements. However, each device normally requires compatible element for network management systems in order to effectively manage the network elements. A recent enhancement to management platforms is the ability to remotely manage network elements using a web interface. This type of network management systems is an enhancement which eliminates the need for special client software on individual user stations to access a management platform. The data collected by different systems is stored in separate databases, creating administration overhead for users. Companies now follow the three tier architecture to manage large sets of data. Such situations have initiated the companies to adopt standards such as Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) to facilitate the exchange of management data between management platforms and element management systems. CORBA specifies a system that provides interoperability between objects in a heterogeneous, distributed environment and in a manner that is transparent to the programmer. Its design is based on the Object Management Group (OMG) object model. With organizations adopting standards in network management system development, users can expect interoperability and cost savings in deploying and managing the infrastructure.

 

Most network management systems architectures use the same basic structure and set of relationships. Computer systems and other network devices run software that enables them to send alerts when they recognize problems when one or more user-determined thresholds are exceeded. Upon receiving these alerts, management entities are programmed to react by executing one, several, or a group of actions, including operator notification, event logging, system shutdown, and automatic attempts at system repair.

 

Management entities also can poll end stations to check the values of certain variables. Polling can be automatic or user-initiated, but agents in the managed devices respond to all polls. Agents are software modules that first compile information about the managed devices in which they reside, then store this information in a management database, and finally provide it (proactively or reactively) to management entities within network management systems (NMSs) via a network management protocol. Well-known network management protocols include the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP). Management proxies are entities that provide management information on behalf of other entities.



network management center

Infrascape asked:


A secure network is an important component of your successful business. The task of constantly protecting the network against malicious attacks and unexpected threats is burdensome and distracts you from your core business. How do you ensure your networks are protected and self-defended?

InfraScape provides the solution to assure network security and maintain business continuity. We provide the strategy, services and our proprietary monitoring technology to help companies overcome fear and combat threat proactively. Our round the clock technical support further enhances the confidence of our customers. We are your preferred managed security services partner.

More and more organizations are turning to managed security providers for a range of security services to reduce costs and to access skilled staff whose full-time job is security. Security solutions and technologies such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDSs), virtual private networks (VPNs), and vulnerability assessment tools are weapons that far more effective when they are managed by skilled professionals.

Our Security and Technology Services include:

• Network boundary protection, including managed services for firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDSs),

and virtual private networks (VPNs)

• Security monitoring

• Incident management, including emergency response and forensic analysis

• Vulnerability assessment and *********** testing

• Anti-virus and content filtering services

• Information security risk assessments

• Data archiving and restoration

• On-site consulting

Benefits of engaging InfraScape as your MSS Partner

Skills

We have insight into security situations based on our extensive experience, dealing with hundreds of potentially threatening situations every day.

Cost

The cost of a managed security service is typically less than hiring in-house, full-time security experts.

Staffing

You can outsource repetitive security monitoring and protection functions, and focus internal resources on more critical business initiatives.

Facilities

We can enhance security by using our physically hardened sites with state-of-the-art infrastructure that are managed by our trained personnel.

Security expertise

We are often able to obtain advance warning of new vulnerabilities and gain early access to information on countermeasures.

Service Performance

When you contract us for security monitoring services, our service can report near real-time results, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.



network management technology

Martin asked:


Extrusion implemented a network redesign to guarantee uninterrupted business processes at sites across the United States and Mexico.

“Outsourcing seems like a **** alternative for a lot of problems, but turning the management of your mission-critical infrastructure over to a third party is pretty scary,” says Jeff White, corporate director of IT for Filtrona Extrusion. When Jeff White joined Filtrona Extrusion as corporate IT director, the company was operating a single threaded network with mixed traffic mission-critical and non-mission critical traffic running side-by-side, with no way to separate or prioritize the two. In addition, the company experienced network performance problems and increasing amounts of downtime at its facility in Mexico. Because its manufacturing facilities run 24/7 and do not always have on-site technical resources available when there is a problem, the company needed a better solution.

“You just never know when things are going to happen, from a backhoe digging up a fiber cable or a more significant outage, and these situations were shutting down an entire facility,” says White. “Because the network is critical to all areas of our business, we needed to implement a fully redundant network to reconcile problems automatically and ensure we could remain up and running, no matter what the situation.”

Filtrona Extrusion is one of the largest manufacturers of extruded plastic profiles, sheets and specialty tubes in the United States. The company manufactures more than 40,000 different products for medical, merchandising, aviation, transportation, traffic, lighting, fencing and custom plastic industries. Its products range from catheter tubes, traffic posts and cones, plastic sheeting for fluorescent lights, air-conditioning ducts in commercial jets, and outdoor furniture.

All of Filtrona Extrusion’s business and manufacturing processes rely heavily on its network. The company’s most critical business application is an enterprise resource-planning (ERP) system that runs on a centralized server in the corporate headquarters in Atlanta, with a standby server replicated in real time and located at a manufacturing facility in Tacoma, Wash. The ERP system manages sales, manufacturing, purchasing, shipping and receiving, accounting, and quality information for all locations, including additional manufacturing facilities in Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Monterrey, Mexico. 

White uses a custom simple network-management protocol system to pull data off the routers directly in order to monitor the circuits and overall network performance.

Since plastic is a commodity product, Filtrona Extrusion must maintain complete visibility of its inventory at all times to ensure purchasing decisions can be made at the most advantageous price. Losing sight of inventory levels for as little as a few hours can prevent the company from taking advantage of spot-buy opportunities or force it to use a more-expensive, higher-grade of plastic than is required to fulfill an order for a customer. Moreover, if the ERP system is down, the company is unable to record quality data during the manufacturing process. Without the quality data, there is no way to certify that the product meets the requirements specified by the customer, and without the certifications, the product cannot ship. 

“Our whole planning system depends on inventory,” says White. “Without it, we don’t know what materials to buy or how much to purchase for existing orders, which creates some very significant business issues that can cost the company tens of millions of dollars.”

White’s first step after joining the company was to evaluate the effectiveness of his outsourced providers. He needed to understand what the current providers had done, and what they could do moving forward to help him meet the company’s strategic objectives. 

Carrier Options Explored 

“Outsourcing seems like a **** alternative for a lot of problems, but turning the management of your mission-critical infrastructure over to a third party is pretty scary,” he says. “When you depend on your network, you need to trust your provider, and in my experience, most are not as good as they advertise.” 

White and his IT staff began exploring their options. To create the network he envisioned, White spoke with managed services provider Virtela Communications, which was operating as Filtrona Extrusion’s sole access provider. The IT staff also evaluated a host of other providers. During the evaluation process, there were many factors to consider, and while pricing was a concern, the company did not end up going with the least- expensive option. 

“Because the carrier manages the routers, most of them wanted to design the network based on a template, and didn’t want to work with us to engineer anything creative or non-standard,” explains White. “The design we came up with was not what the other carriers were pushing. Early on, Virtela showed us they had the resources and expertise, and they were really the only provider that was willing to work with us and manage the entire infrastructure once it was complete.” 

For example, White wanted to implement generic routing encapsulation (GRE) tunnels instead of using the more conventional border gateway control (BGP) routing method. With BGP, routers talk to one another and share what routes are available. In theory, if a router goes down, it stops advertising its availability and the other routers adjust and re-route the traffic. There are times, however, when a circuit appears to be up, running and available, but no traffic can pass over it due to errors, latency, fragmentation or other issues. 

“I wasn’t willing to just accept any design. I needed an absolute bulletproof way to know that when I send that critical traffic out over the network, it’s going to get to the other end,” White states. “The only way to do that is establish a tunnel from one end to the other, and GRE tunnels solve this problem.” 

Because it was a completely new network design, Filtrona Extrusion’s IT group worked closely with Virtela’s engineers to design a “dual-carrier” platform. Virtela did most of the work on the pre-engineering phase and dedicated an engineer to work directly with the IT group over the course of a few months. Together, they designed a managed virtual private network (VPN) with redundant GRE tunnels that used open shortest path first routing between critical hub sites to ensure the automatic re-routing of traffic over the alternate provider link in the event of network congestion or failure on the primary path. 

The design also ensured the network would automatically load-balance traffic between the two networks, with the Virtela managed network carrying all mission-critical data traffic, such as ERP, and the secondary provider carrying non-critical traffic such as voice over IP, videoconferencing, e-mail and Internet. 

To accommodate the new design, Filtrona Extrusion had to make some infrastructure changes during the planning phase. Virtela began by installing some new circuits and worked with the secondary provider to get their circuits in place. Once all the circuits were in, the partners began a rigorous month-long testing phase, turning up one circuit at a time, site by site, to test the resiliency of the network design. 

“Because we had a dedicated Virtela engineer to work with us, the process went very smoothly,” says White. “Other than the few seconds we needed to do the final swap, and working out a few minor issues along the way, there were no problems.” 

As they deployed the network, some minor adjustments were required. One of the unforeseen challenges was that a single router was being used to route traffic over two different circuits. At the remote sites, outbound non-mission-critical data used the secondary network circuit as designed, but when inbound, non-mission-critical data routed back over the primary circuit intended for mission-critical traffic only, it created issues. 

Challenges Are Addressed

To solve this problem, the manufacturer used source network address translation over the primary circuit and changed the default route to the secondary circuit. This ensured that traffic that went out from the remote sites to the host location returned over the same circuit. 

Filtrona Extrusion also ran into a minor challenge with its videoconferencing application, which had stopped working with the new network. “Because the new design required that packets be sent through the GRE tunnels, we were losing visibility of the diffserv code-point flag on the packet, which tells the MPLS (multiprotocol label switching) network what priority the packet has,” explains White. “We weren’t sure how to solve the problem, so we talked about taking the video traffic outside of the tunnels and just dropping it directly into the MPLS network, which was less than ideal, but we were going to do it.”

Virtela came up with a different solution. Cisco had recently released a service-level specification router update that featured the ability to translate the diffserv flag from the internal packet to the external shell of the tunnel packet, thus solving the problem. Making some minor adjustments to the router configuration allowed Virtela to keep videoconferencing within the tunnel. In addition, if Filtrona Extrusion’s non-mission-critical network link went down, the videoconferencing traffic would automatically failover to the primary network. 

Virtela’s managed VPN service links all eight sites in the United States and Mexico. Virtela manages two of Filtrona Extrusion”s Cisco routers located in Atlanta and Tacoma, and also owns and manages the routers at all other manufacturing locations. In addition, both the Virtela network circuit and the secondary provider circuit terminate in Filtrona Extrusion”s or Virtela’s routers, so Virtela is now managing the entire network.

“Typically, different carriers require separate hardware and each provider manages its own, so the customer is forced to coordinate disagreements between them,” offers White. “Virtela is saving us from having to manage this ourselves. In addition to managing all the equipment, they also give us access to monitor the routers, as well.”

White uses a custom simple network-management protocol system to pull data off the routers directly in order to monitor the circuits and overall network performance. He can also utilize Virtela’s Web-based portal, VirtelaView, to monitor network performance statistics or obtain real-time traffic data from the Virtela cloud. White gets regular, proactive notifications from Virtela’s global network operations center and the routers directly about events that might be occurring on the network.

System Tested In Mexico

Filtrona Extrusion recently quadrupled the size of its facility in Mexico. During the expansion, the existing circuits were moved from one computer room to another. At the same time, the local provider decided to upgrade the facility from a traditional LAN-line-based circuit to a wireless circuit, without informing Filtrona Extrusion of its plans.

While performing the upgrade, the LAN circuit went down and it took the provider three weeks to get it operational again. White received an e-mail notification from Virtela in the middle of the night informing him of the outage, but with the new fully redundant network in place, no one in the facility ever knew the secondary network went down. In fact, the failover was completely transparent in both directions.

Three weeks later, when the local circuit was back up, the network failed back over to the local provider with no service interruptions. “We did a lot of testing during the installation phase to ensure the network was operating as it should, but the outage in Mexico was great validation. You never want something like that to happen, but when it did, it was very reassuring to see that it had no impact on the business,” says White.

Before the fully redundant network was in place, Filtrona Extrusion was experiencing 85-95 percent network uptime, depending on the circuit. Now, the company is consistently experiencing 99.95 percent uptime on all circuits. In addition, because non-critical traffic now runs on another circuit, the bandwidth available for mission-critical traffic has more than doubled, and users have noticed a difference in overall performance.

Filtrona Extrusion still operates with a small IT staff that handles the network-monitoring functions at all eight manufacturing locations during the day and relies on Virtela for after-hours monitoring. “When I came on board, we didn’t have this type of network, and there’s no way I could have managed this by myself” says White. “We were looking at $250,000 just to hire the staff that it would have required to run the network, not to mention the millions of dollars it was costing us in materials decisions and lost productivity due to network downtime. Now, instead of worrying about network reliability issues, we can focus on more strategic matters.”



internet network management

Uptime asked:


As some 70 million members of Generation Y—those born between 1980 and 1995–enter the workforce amid an impending recession, small businesses are scrambling to figure out how to harness Gen-Y’s familiarity and ease with Web 2.0 technologies while trimming their budgets at the same time. By designing and managing an office computer network that makes allowances for how these tech-savvy workers operate, small businesses can maximize productivity and decrease turnover.

Gone are the days of young employees putting in 40-60 hours at a cubicle. That’s not to say they don’t work as many hours over the long haul, it’s just that those hours are just as likely to be put in from home during evenings, weekends and vacations—or even during transit. That’s why incorporating NYC remote access into your server design (http://www.uptimeus.com/Services/systems-integration.html

) is imperative for companies across the NYC region.

Generation Y employees are well versed with Web 2.0 applications such as MySpace, Facebook, and even the immensely popular LinkedIn. They’re comfortable with online collaboration and are just as likely to brainstorm ideas for your next big project via text as they are to e-mail you. And since they’re so connected to both each other and potential employers via a variety of online communities, small businesses will soon find during the impending recession that unless they streamline their New York City Information Technology solutions in a way that draws this new generation of workers into the fold they’ll quickly find them leaving for more IT savvy companies.

NYC Network management and design is, of course, a sophisticated IT service. Not many companies’ internal IT departments can both design a sophisticated evolving network in Manhattan that includes remote access and firewall protection http://www.uptimeus.com/Services/maintenance-plans.html) while still maintaining network performance, performing virus detections and inoculations, periodically upgrading software and hardware and troubleshooting repairs.

In fact, most IT departments spend the bulk of their time maintaining the existing network, repairing hardware, and upgrading software. By relying on outsourced computer network support, though, companies can cost-effectively integrate Web 2.0 into their NY IT solutions and thus attract better more productive talent.

The good news is that the same computer networks and IT services that maximize the potential of the Web 2.0 workforce are also good for a company’s bottom line. Outsourcing IT to a company that’s well versed in social media, evolving network design cutting edge server management, and the latest firewall security means a company can free capital normally spent on an internal IT department for core business objectives.

Contact uptime now for more information on how to integrate your office technology with today’s open source media solutions.



best network management

Crawley Ashford asked:


A computer network setup is an integral part of every organization today. The linkage of the different computers in the office space helps in the growth of the business by saving time and money. It speeds up the work pace and invariably saves a lot of time. Each office would have its own specific needs. One can approach network consulting firms with their requirements and have a computer network setup that caters specifically to their needs. Your computer must be used to its full potential and all your needs should be met with a good computer network system in place.

An effective computer network would mean a good network design to begin with. The network consulting firms can also suggest the best possible network design as per the nature of the job of the enterprise and the role of the computer network system in the work area. There are various kinds of computer networks like the LAN (Local area network) to WAN (Wide Area Network) and various other types. Each has its own particular role and use and the right one can be chosen depending upon the field of functioning. One can even have a computer network setup that is wireless. A wireless system is a more practical solution in recent times as people can be connected and still have the option of roaming freely with their laptops. A remote access arrangement is also a good networking option. In case of the traditional wired network one should be certain that the cabling done is of superior quality or else the problems that you may end up with are plenty. A system integration firm would be the best option to setup a good network in the office space.

The system integration firm will help integrate a new setup with the already existing setup in the organization. This would help save money for the company as you may not need to do away with the old network as the professionals would be able to find a way of combining the new technology with the already existing one. Apart from the different systems existing in the company it can all be brought together under one umbrella and this would help in extracting the complete picture all at once. All the subsystems are held as one and the integration process makes it as one.

A computer network that is setup with the aid of network consulting agents, using their expertise in putting up a network system in place helps in making the operation of the company smoother. An effective system integration process adds to the benefits of the computer network. All this put together triggers the growth process of the company. There are various firms offering services of network design and system integration. Do a proper study before hiring the services of any. Since this involves thorough knowledge and expertise of all the systems in place, you have to be certain that the job is assigned to a competent firm with sufficient experience and knowledge behind them.



HORACIO

Byron Mackelroy asked:


The network switch plays an integral role in enterprise and home networking, yet many people confuse what the purpose of the equipment is, and how it differs from a router. I decided to write this blog post to explain the basics of the switch – from different types, to vendors for purchasing them.

A brief overview of network switches

A network switch is a type of computer networking hardware that bridges network segments. It is sometimes referred to as a packet switch or simply a switch. The switch plays an important component in most local area networks (LAN), including mid-to-large enterprise networks which utilize several linked managed switches.

A switch is far less sophisticated than a router. Although routers and switches look fairly similar in appearance, routers differ substantially in their internal components.



Types of network switches

Unmanaged Switches: This is typically the least expensive type of switch, most often found in homes or small offices. They are very simple, employing plug and play technology, lacking any specific configuration options

Managed Switches: Managed Switches provide optional configuration options and allow for a great variety of functionality. There are several ways to operate these switches, from utilizing a remote tool like Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), to accessing the switch via a command line interface like Telnet.



Smart Switches: Smart switches differ from fully managed switches in that they only allow a specific set of modifications and functionality. Because users can only configure basics settings, they are often cheaper than the fully managed breed. Some basic functions often found on a smart switch are turning some particular port range on or off, link speed and duplex settings and priority settings for ports

Enterprise Managed Switches: Enterprise switches are the more configurable and expensive version of managed switches. They are most often found in enterprise networks among several other switches. They are more efficient for large business where accessing a central administration module can save time and money. Some advanced functions for enterprise switches are VLAN settings, link aggregation and port mirroring.



Buying switches

There are several brand name switch manufacturers that provide competing and differentiated products, including Cisco, 3Com, and Alcatel. While switches can be purchased out of the box from online retailers, one way to save money is to find a used switch from an online reseller. A business purchaser can often save thousands of dollars purchasing used cisco or other brand name network hardware.

If you do decide to go the route of an online reseller, be sure to check for several qualifying factors to make sure they are a good fit. One factor is a good warranty, as it is always a risk to buy used equipment. Another is significant discounts (at least 50%) off of retail pricing. The third factor I recommend seeking in an online network hardware vendor is good customer support. The ability to speak to a human being for help with your purchase is underrated.

I hope this ‘basic switch support’ post helps out those that are confused or looking for a way to purchase a switch.



network management protocols

Ahamed asked:


ip Address and Subnetting.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

IP Addressing and Subnetting

Introduction

This document gives you basic information needed to configure your router for routing IP, such as how addresses are broken down and how subnetting works. You learn how to assign each interface on the router an IP address with a unique subnet. There are many examples to help tie everything together.

Prerequisites

Requirements

There are no specific prerequisites for this document.

Components Used

This document is not restricted to specific software and hardware versions.

Additional Information

If definitions are helpful to you, use these vocabulary terms to get you started:

*

Address—The unique number ID assigned to one host or interface in a network.

*

Subnet—A portion of a network sharing a particular subnet address.

*

Subnet mask—A 32-bit combination used to describe which portion of an address refers to the subnet and which part refers to the host.

*

Interface—A network connection.

If you have already received your legitimate address(es) from the Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC), you are ready to begin. If you do not plan to connect to the Internet, Cisco strongly suggests that you use reserved addresses from RFC 1918.

Conventions

Refer to Cisco Technical Tips Conventions for more information on document conventions.

Understanding IP Addresses

An IP address is an address used to uniquely identify a device on an IP network. The address is made up of 32 binary bits which can be divisible into a network portion and host portion with the help of a subnet mask. The 32 binary bits are broken into four octets (1 octet = 8 bits). Each octet is converted to decimal and separated by a period (dot). For this reason, an IP address is said to be expressed in dotted decimal format (for example, 172.16.81.100). The value in each octet ranges from 0 to 255 decimal, or 00000000 – 11111111 binary.

Here is how binary octets convert to decimal: The right most bit, or least significant bit, of an octet holds a value of 20. The bit just to the left of that holds a value of 21. This continues until the left-most bit, or most significant bit, which holds a value of 27. So if all binary bits are a one, the decimal equivalent would be 255 as shown here:

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 (128+64+32+16+8+4+2+1=255)

Here is a sample octet conversion when not all of the bits are set to 1.

0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

0 64 0 0 0 0 0 1 (0+64+0+0+0+0+0+1=65)

And this is sample shows an IP address represented in both binary and decimal.

10. 1. 23. 19 (decimal)

00001010.00000001.00010111.00010011 (binary)

These octets are broken down to provide an addressing scheme that can accommodate large and small networks. There are five different classes of networks, A to E. This document focuses on addressing classes A to C, since classes D and E are reserved and discussion of them is beyond the scope of this document.

Note: Also note that the terms “Class A, Class B” and so on are used in this document to help facilitate the understanding of IP addressing and subnetting. These terms are rarely used in the industry anymore because of the introduction of classless interdomain routing (CIDR).

Given an IP address, its class can be determined from the three high-order bits. Figure 1 shows the significance in the three high order bits and the range of addresses that fall into each class. For informational purposes, Class D and Class E addresses are also shown.

Figure 1

3an.gif

In a Class A address, the first octet is the network portion, so the Class A example in Figure 1 has a major network address of 1.0.0.0 – 127.255.255.255. Octets 2, 3, and 4 (the next 24 bits) are for the network manager to divide into subnets and hosts as he/she sees fit. Class A addresses are used for networks that have more than 65,536 hosts (actually, up to 16777214 hosts!).

In a Class B address, the first two octets are the network portion, so the Class B example in Figure 1 has a major network address of 128.0.0.0 – 191.255.255.255. Octets 3 and 4 (16 bits) are for local subnets and hosts. Class B addresses are used for networks that have between 256 and 65534 hosts.

In a Class C address, the first three octets are the network portion. The Class C example in Figure 1 has a major network address of 192.0.0.0 – 233.255.255.255. Octet 4 (8 bits) is for local subnets and hosts – perfect for networks with less than 254 hosts.

Network Masks

A network mask helps you know which portion of the address identifies the network and which portion of the address identifies the node. Class A, B, and C networks have default masks, also known as natural masks, as shown here:

Class A: 255.0.0.0

Class B: 255.255.0.0

Class C: 255.255.255.0

An IP address on a Class A network that has not been subnetted would have an address/mask pair similar to: 8.20.15.1 255.0.0.0. To see how the mask helps you identify the network and node parts of the address, convert the address and mask to binary numbers.

8.20.15.1 = 00001000.00010100.00001111.00000001

255.0.0.0 = 11111111.00000000.00000000.00000000

Once you have the address and the mask represented in binary, then identifying the network and host ID is easier. Any address bits which have corresponding mask bits set to 1 represent the network ID. Any address bits that have corresponding mask bits set to 0 represent the node ID.

8.20.15.1 = 00001000.00010100.00001111.00000001

255.0.0.0 = 11111111.00000000.00000000.00000000

———————————–

net id | host id

netid = 00001000 = 8

hostid = 00010100.00001111.00000001 = 20.15.1

Understanding Subnetting

Subnetting allows you to create multiple logical networks that exist within a single Class A, B, or C network. If you do not subnet, you are only able to use one network from your Class A, B, or C network, which is unrealistic.

Each data link on a network must have a unique network ID, with every node on that link being a member of the same network. If you break a major network (Class A, B, or C) into smaller subnetworks, it allows you to create a network of interconnecting subnetworks. Each data link on this network would then have a unique network/subnetwork ID. Any device, or gateway, connecting n networks/subnetworks has n distinct IP addresses, one for each network / subnetwork that it interconnects.

In order to subnet a network, extend the natural mask using some of the bits from the host ID portion of the address to create a subnetwork ID. For example, given a Class C network of 204.17.5.0 which has a natural mask of 255.255.255.0, you can create subnets in this manner:

204.17.5.0 – 11001100.00010001.00000101.00000000

255.255.255.224 – 11111111.11111111.11111111.11100000

————————–|sub|—-

By extending the mask to be 255.255.255.224, you have taken three bits (indicated by “sub”) from the original host portion of the address and used them to make subnets. With these three bits, it is possible to create eight subnets. With the remaining five host ID bits, each subnet can have up to 32 host addresses, 30 of which can actually be assigned to a device since host ids of all zeros or all ones are not allowed (it is very important to remember this). So, with this in mind, these subnets have been created.

204.17.5.0 255.255.255.224 host address range 1 to 30

204.17.5.32 255.255.255.224 host address range 33 to 62

204.17.5.64 255.255.255.224 host address range 65 to 94

204.17.5.96 255.255.255.224 host address range 97 to 126

204.17.5.128 255.255.255.224 host address range 129 to 158

204.17.5.160 255.255.255.224 host address range 161 to 190

204.17.5.192 255.255.255.224 host address range 193 to 222

204.17.5.224 255.255.255.224 host address range 225 to 254

For More www.ccna-4.tk http://cisco-training640-802.blogspot.com



network management monitoring

Ray Clark asked:


 When looking into Texas network management services you want to be sure that you know exactly what to expect.  You don’t need to understand every single thing that is being handled, as that’s why you’re hiring network management services in Texas, but you should have a basic understanding.

Understanding Network Services

Texas network management services refer to the different methods, procedures, activities and the tools that pertain to all of the aspects of network services.  Network management services in Texas will cover not just the operation of the network or networks but the maintenance, administration and different ways of provision the network system as well.

You want to find a company or individual who can help you with each and every aspect of these network services, to ensure you do not have to spend undue time or money hiring a specialist in a particular sector of network management.

Operation

The operation part of the Texas network management services refers to actually keeping the network up and running.  Not only does the operations area keep it up and running, they keep it up and running smoothly.  A very important aspect of this arena is for network management services in Texas to learn to be proactive and anticipate future problems. 

Knowing what problems might arise and preventing them can save valuable time and money.  It’s also a great time and money saver to catch a problem as soon as possible before it had a chance to turn into a more serious problem.

Administration

The administration part of the Texas network management services is all about keeping the work flowing smoothly. Much like a manager of people would do with employees, a network management services in Texas team would allocate system resources. 

As a manager in a store with a sale in one department would send more employees to that department, a network administrator will send more resources to those parts of the network that are being used at a higher rate at any given time.

Maintenance

A Texas network management services team would use maintenance just like a handyman would perform maintenance on an apartment building.  As problems arise network management services in Texas will take a look at the problem, figure out a possible solution and fix it. The maintenance part of the equation is also concerned with taking care of upgrades. 

There are many parts of a network that must be constantly monitored.  When any or all of these parts have a newer patch available or a newer function that needs to be installed, it is up to the maintenance department to ensure that portion is upgraded quickly and effectively.

Getting the most of out Texas network management services means that you must fully understand what it is you need and how it is that can give you what you need.  Network management services in Texas can make your business network run smoothly and efficiently, so long as they have the expertise and are given the proper tools that they need.



VINCENZO

Sandra Prior asked:


If you have as few as two computers in your home, you can reap a number of benefits by connecting them with a network cable and two NICs (Network Interface Cards). Equally, if you run a small business from your house, and have maybe five or six systems, benefits can be seen by networking.

One of the main advantages of a small home network is that it allows each computer to share all the resources. For example, if you print from a program running on one computer to a printer attached to the other computer, you won’t need to buy two printers. Importantly, you will also be able to save precious disk space by keeping programs and data on one computer and running them from all machines.

You can also take advantage of special software that exploits the fact that your computers are connected. This ranges from mainstream productivity software to that productivity killer: networked gaming.

There are a number of ways in which to connect two or more computers into a network, but most fall into either the peer networking or server networking category.

Server based networks have one or more server computers dedicated to providing shared resources to a group of network client computers. The servers are generally highly specified and generally also more reliable than the average computer. They need to be, because people using the client computers have to logon to the network before they can access the server’s resources. Therefore, the server must be running all the time in a typical environment.

Although there are situations in which a home network should follow the server based model, it is actually overkill for most home networks.

The alternative to a server based network is peer networking. Here, each computer functions as a server sharing its disks and printers, and as a client using the resources on other computers. Generally, peer networks are easier to setup than server based networks.

With network cards and the network software that ships with Windows XP, you can share hard disks, directories, files, programs, email and printers.

Network Hardware

The best way to connect two computers in a peer network is via a pair of network cards and a piece of cable. The two NICs will be fitted into a free PCI expansion slot. Windows XP will probably have the drivers and automatically install them for you when it detects the new hardware, otherwise you may need to provide the drivers.

Cables

With the cards fitted and the correct drivers installed you then need to connect the NICs with the cable. There are many different network cables available but the de facto standard to which most people adhere is Ethernet. And, there is quite a variety within the Ethernet category itself. The only real decision you have to make is between Thin Ethernet and Twisted Pair or TP.

For a basic two computer network the cheapest option is Thin Ethernet – it offers long cable runs and doesn’t require a hub. Unfortunately, Thin Ethernet chains computers together in series and is susceptible to breaks in the cable. So, if one section breaks, none of the computers on the network will be able to communicate with each other.

TP, in comparison, generally uses a star arrangement with each computer individually cabled to the hub. This is a lot more reliable because a failure in the cable to one computer doesn’t affect the other computers. It’s an academic point if you have only two computers, but as soon as you have three or more at home, TP automatically becomes a lot more reliable than Thin Ethernet.

Hubs

Hubs come in all shapes and sizes. More sophisticated hubs, known as switches, are used in very large, busy networks, while managed hubs are designed to work with network management software for large networks. Most home networks requires neither switches nor managed hubs – an inexpensive 4-port or 8-port hub should suffice. Ensure that the hubs and NIC cards support 10/100 Mbps which is the standard these days.

Up and Running

When your network is up and running, what should you use it for? Well, it’s up to you, but here are some typical uses which can enhance your home computing experience.

Firstly, you can use it to share files. Do you have data that you and another family member want to access from your own computer? Now you don’t have to copy them from one machine to the other with flash disks.

Now a single printer can be used by each computer saving the need to buy two or more printers for each user.

Other resources can also be shared, such as modems and ADSL connections. The whole family can surf the Internet simultaneously. Now what are you waiting for?



DICK

Frank Hughes asked:


Today it is almost inconceivable for a business not to have computers, whether it is a construction company or a high technology firm. When a business has more than one computer, they are almost always connected together in a local area network. These networks may be more or less advanced and therefore more or less costly.

Companies invest so much (in terms of both money and time) in a local area networks because there are many advantages that a local area network brings to a business and how it is administered.

Some businesses use a local area network in such a way they are highly dependent on it always working. If the company’s network fails, then you may see all the employees chatting away in the corridors because they can’t do their work. This means big losses for the company and causes stresses on the employees. All companies must consider their local area networks a vital asset and downtime must be avoided. This imposes huge demands on the network staff to keep such networks running almost 100% of the time.

The advantages of Computer Network Management

One of the main advantages of installing and maintaining LANs is the opportunity they create for better communication and cooperation between employees and customers.

Security considerations: Local Area Network security can be both a help and hindrance. Comprehensive security is beneficial because it provides a central and safe strategy for data access and disaster recovery. All information is protected by the design and implementation of the network security solution. On the other hand, interconnecting computers in local area networks creates a security risk, since doing so makes it technically possible for intruders to access many machines on the network at once.

Cost considerations: Installing a local area network is a relatively expensive project. Servers, cabling, switches, routers and software can all be expensive and should never be purchased without expert advice. Keeping the network operating and secure also requires a lot of resources and can be costly.

Surprisingly, a local area network can bring a number of cost savings. Sharing resources avoids the need to purchase equipment for each individual. Even more important is the security that a local area network can provide. Data loss could cost a business a great deal of money and in some cases, cause the business to shutdown altogether. Computer Network Management should require a consistent routine for data backups with regular checkups of data quality – a practice that will save a company huge sums in the event of a mishap.

Computer Network Management: preliminary analysis phases

The first phase of computer network management is to determine the source of the problem (a preliminary study that looks into several options of differing scope may be useful here) and defining it in a specification of requirements. Examples of what should be evaluated are different network operating systems, mail systems, and other applications. The choice of hardware components should also be evaluated. This phase is generally aimed at establishing what the system should do, not how it should do it.

Computer Network Management: design phase

The purpose of design phase is to determine how the requirements of the specification are to be met. The current approach to large, complex projects is to break them down into smaller, more manageable subprojects.

Computer Network Management: implementation phase

This phase involves the physical installation of the local area network. Cables are run, software is installed, and computers and other hardware are put in place.

Computer Network Management: integration and system testing phase

In this phase, commissioning of the network begins, and routines are adapted to users and the operating personnel. The system must be tested, both to ensure that the network meets the requirements set out in the specification and that it is stable enough to perform the central function it has in the organization.

Computer Network Management: operation and maintenance

Local area networks have complex operating routines. This is because there may be serious consequences when faults occur or unauthorized persons gain access to the system. Many companies have employees devoted solely to take care of running and maintaining computer networks. These system administrators may deal with network issues such as performance, reliability and security of both hardware and software.

Computer Network Management: tools

Although an organization may have computer administrators on site, they must also monitor the network more than eight hours a day. In fact, some of the worst trouble that arises with networks can happen during the night hours when nobody is using the network. With the right computer network management tools, your organization can receive the security of knowing that problems will be foreseen, prevented, and taken care of – and that your network administrator can be notified at a moment’s notice, should anything go exceptionally wrong.



AUSTIN