Complex Network Architecture? Simplify Your View
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by: Sukhdeep
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Word Count: 348
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 Time: 5:35 AM
Does it seem that sometimes your network is so complicated that it is just too hard to manage? You’re not the only thinking about this. Running a smoothly operating network may appear simplistic to your end users, but you know quite well that there is a lot more involved than they suspect.
While you always need to keep detailed drawings and diagrams for reference purposes, if your network has grown into a huge datacenter, or perhaps has always been that way, then you need to think about making sure that you have to right “dashboard” style view to keep tabs on your network. Not only do dashboards simplify and stylize your network, they also give the boss something to look at, making sure that everything is looking right on your network. You can get all sorts of different tools to do this; it is generally best to get something that already plugs into your system and can be up and running very quickly. Some situational awareness software packages may promise you ease of use and interoperability, but make sure that you get the chance to put something through the paces before you start spending thousands of dollars on a fancy software suite that doesn’t really do what you are looking for.
Often you’ll find that network performance monitoring tools will already be utilizing this information for their applications -- so sometimes you can buy another licensed product that snaps right into existing software. Then you can set up a dashboard any way that you want to, with your key components on your main network monitoring dashboard for quick referencing. Should any problems crop up, you’ll be able to take a look at the most important servers, switches and firewalls to determine where the problem may lie. Sure, networks can be complex, but it’s your job to understand them. Don’t make things more difficult than they have to be -- when you’ve got the right software for network management, it makes everything easier.
About the Author
Sukhdeep Singh
www.solarwinds.com
