Trends in Management using the SNMP-based Internet Standard Management Framework Jeff Case Founder and CTO SNMP Research, Inc

Introduction  SNMP Research is pleased to be a Silver Patron of IM 2001: The IFIP/IEEE International Symposium on Integrated Network Management  Topics: Market Drivers Trends in Management using the SNMP-based Internet Standard Management Framework Some things we are working on at SNMP Research

Significant Market Drivers  Growth and scale  Dearth of expert personnel  The need for seamlessness  The need for security  Standards and enabling technology  Driver du jour: secure policy-based configuration of policy, e.g., secure policy-based configuration of security policy important to note multiple meanings of security and policy

Multiple Meanings of Policy  Policy-based distribution of configurations (targets selected according to a policy, e.g., every system which run Solaris and an Apache Web server)  Policy-based application of configuration rules within a system (targets selected according to roles), e.g., for each interface on a switch, apply configuration A on every backbone interface and configuration B on all other interfaces  Configuration of policy, e.g., QoS policy or Security policy

Trend #1: The SNMP-based Management Framework is Evolved and Evolving  Not the same old SNMP your mother used in 1988  Many positive advancements already standardized, implemented, and deployed  Some more are nearly done and ready for implementation and deployment: SNMP-based configuration Policy-based Management MIB Provisioning MIB for DIFFSERV  Some standardization work is just getting started: SMIng Evolution of SNMP: SNMP EOS

SNMP: The Right Architecture, in part, for the Wrong Reason  Multiple competing efforts circa early 1988 with duplication of effort slowing progress and discouraging product development and deployment  The time of GOSIP  Blue-ribbon panel develops direction statement  SNMP was to be the “short-term interim” standard  Protocol independent SMI-based MIB  MIB independent SMI-based protocol  SMI “glue”

Protocol Versions: Summary Picture Simple-Based Management SNMPv3 SNMPv2* SNMPv2c Common SNMPv2u SNMPv2 SNMPv1 Party-based SNMPv2 Management Information Definitions (MIB Documents) RFC 1155 Format RFC 1212/1215 Format RFC Format RFC Format RFC Format

SNMP: The Right Architecture, in part, for the Wrong Reason  This architecture which was designed to ease the shortening of the life of SNMP has actually allowed it to age gracefully and to evolve, thereby extending its useful life  People have been predicting the demise of SNMP for a decade and it just keeps going and growing while “replacements” appear and then disappear

Structure of Management Information (SMI) Evolution  1st Generation ( ): RFC 1155  2nd Generation ( ): RFC 1212 and 1215  3rd Generation (1993-present): SMIv2 RFCs  4th Generation: SMIng: a new work in progress

Management Information Base (MIB) Evolution  Definitions of management information Standard or non-standard Protocol independent Instrumentation described in the [Internet-standard] Management Information Base (MIB) Has undergone constant revision (mostly expansion) since first defined in 1988 A wide variety of technologies covered by standard MIB definitions and others through vendor-specific extensions

Management Information Base (MIB) Evolution  Many of those are on the standards track at various levels of standardization maturity and market acceptance/demand Most are adequate for monitoring Many must be supplemented for configuration and control More standardization work needed Enterprise-specific extensions in the absence of standards

Protocol Evolution

Trend #2: The SNMP-based Management Framework is Secure  SNMPv3 with security and administration adds: Security, i.e., Authentication and Privacy Authentication Privacy Administration Authorization and view-based access control Logical contexts Naming of entities, identities, and information People and policies Usernames and key management Notification destinations and proxy relationships Source-side notification suppression Remotely configurable via SNMP operations

Implications of Secure Management  Able to practice safe sets Configuration / Control / Provisioning No longer mere monitoring  Now able to distribute management out to intelligent agents and mid-level managers Scalability Keep local management traffic local Shorter feedback loops with lower latency  Standards-based applications for administration

 The SNMP-based Management Framework can be used as the basis for seamless Internet management: traditional network management system management application management service management proxy management of legacy devices  The only relatively complete, open, multi-vendor, multi-platform, interoperable, standards-based management framework for seamless management Trend #3: The SNMP-based Management Framework Is Not Just For Networks

Importance of Seamlessness  Sharing: Among cooperating management applications  Showing: User interfaces and reports  Crunching: Converting data to information and information to data  Telling: SNMP-based movement of management data  Knowing: SMI-based instrumentation

Importance of Seamlessness  No single application or set of applications can meet all requirements  Sharing is essential Single naming scheme Consistent data definitions Standard information semantics  Mapping functions do not work well Every time you convert you lose  Example: event correlation for network, system, and application management with point solutions and proprietary database formats

 Originally “the short-term interim standard”  According to the pundits, has been on its last legs since 1988 to be eclipsed by a succession of replacements  SNMP-based management is still growing expanding scope evolving  While “replacements” come and go Trend #4: The SNMP-based Management Framework is Sturdy

What ever happened to?

Conclusions:  The Internet-Standard Management Framework based on SNMP is Evolved Secure Not just for networks Sturdy  But there is much more work to be done Additional standards work Better applications Implementation Deployment

Conclusions:  SNMP-based management is far from perfect, but it continues to be the best game in town  The architecture and vision are fine  We need to execute to completion

SNMP Research: Who we are  Famous since 1988 for licensing source code to developers constructing agent and manager applications now in ubiquitous use  Market research: More end-users than OEMs (we did not pay much for this exclusive insight)  Now also providing tools to end-users in binary form  Supplying and supporting OEM developers continues to be an important part of our business

SNMP Research Products  Infrastructure components Libraries Command-line utilities MIB compiler tools

SNMP Research Products (Continued)  Agent Products EMANATE ® Extensible Agent System for open systems and embedded systems EMANATE/Lite monolithic agent for embedded systems EMANATE Adaptation Layer (EAL) and EMANATE Protocol Interface Components (EPIC) for multi-protocol management CIAgent for intelligent, distributed management of systems, applications, and services DR-Web agent for Web-based device management Specialty MIB implementations: e.g., RMON, Policy, MLM, DISMAN MIBs: script, schedule, event, etc

SNMP Research Products (Continued)  Management Stations and Applications Asynchronous Request Library (ARL): Multilingual callback-based library BRASS: Extensible Manager Toolkit DR-Web Manager: Web-based management EnterPol: Tri-lingual Java-based management station CIAgent Policy Pro: Policy-based system, application, and service management Simple Policy Pro: Policy-based management of SNMP Infrastructure: Database, iconic map, and polling, autodiscovery, and distribution engines SNMPv3 Security Pack for HP OpenView NNM

Moving Forward  At SNMP Research, we look forward to working with you and your colleagues to Specify necessary improvements Implement in products Deploy in enterprises and service providers  Thanks to the entire IM 2001 team for this great conference