Peter_Cutting@newcastle.ac.uk (P. G. Cutting) (02/11/88)
This is the first posting that we have put on usenet, so bare with us. We are 9 students on a Computing Science advanced MSc course (Computing Softwareand Systems Design) at Newcastle University, England. We have been assigned a group project concerning the monitoring/management and planning of an ethernet network. The project has been set because the Computing Lab wishes to expand its ethernet to the whole campus. Departments linked by the new Ethernet will be allowed to connect what ever hardware they desire so it is likely that a hetrogenous network will develop. At present we have a Spider ethernet monitoring tool, and a Nest network simulator (from Columbia University) . We hope to use the first to provide us with quantative load information on the current ethernet, and the second to help us predict the loads that will occur on the future ethernet. Obviously we will have to consult each university department about how they will use the future ethernet to achieve this. One of the tasks specified in the project is to produce a set of network management tools. Some of which are noted below :- * a broadcast facility which allows the manager to send a message to some or all users on the network. * a fault monitor which can tell the manager of any faults (both physical and software) that occur on the network. * a load monitor which can tell the manager what load each device is putting on the network, etc. If anyone has anything they think might be useful, be they tools, references, reports, problems encountered or advice then we would be more then pleased to hear from you. The project must be completed by the end of April so it is important that replies be sent as soon as possible to - CSSD@UK.AC.NEWCASTLE We will post our results including an annotated bibliography to the net if there is sufficient demand. Thanks in advance.