Chapter 11. Switch Network Management

What You Will Learn

On completing this chapter, you will be able to:

• Describe the FCAPS model and its use

• List various methods used to monitor and manage a network

• Describe some network management protocols used for the monitoring and management of a network, such as SNMP and RMON

• Explain the functions of the Switch Port Analyzer (SPAN) for switch network management

You might have been tasked to design and implement a switched network out of a number of pieces, not unlike putting together a jigsaw puzzle, and you've succeeded in doing so. Congratulations! However, you might be looking at the network and thinking to yourself, "My network looks like the box cover. What can I do to make sure it stays that way?" This chapter helps you answer that question through a discussion of the monitoring, management, and maintenance of a switched LAN.

Before discussing the management of a Layer 2 or Layer 3 switched network, the chapter discusses the concepts behind network management. Although a full discussion of network management is beyond the scope of this book, the chapter presents important network management fundamentals and how they are applied in a switched environment.