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Java brings new opportunity to network management

Network applications development will become easier and cheaper with Java

By George Lawton, JavaWorld.com, 12/01/96

While network management systems have grown in their ability to provide network administrators with an indication of the real-time health of their networks, the more sophisticated systems have been tied to high-end platforms. A new breed of Java applications promises to let managers monitor their networks from anywhere within the company -- or even anywhere in the world. In addition, Java will make it easier to upgrade network management both on the devices being monitored and on the management interface. Java promises to provide a new model of network management by allowing developers to integrate network status information with other applications, making it possible for decision makers to point to a problem when it occurs.

Traditional network management has been based on simple network management protocol (SNMP), with which devices can send alerts to a manager, or collect and forward statistical information about traffic. But SNMP limits the kind of information that can be sent, and SNMP programs are not designed to be uploaded easily.

Network-device vendors commonly ship management software for each of their devices. In a large network, it is difficult to run hundreds of different monitoring programs, so companies consolidate network management into a platform -- such as Hewlett Packard's OpenView, SunSoft's SunNet Manager, or Tivoli's Tivoli Management Environment (TMI), now owned by IBM. Although these systems offer a comprehensive solution for network managers, installing lots of network management systems for extra employees in the company is expensive, and it is not easy to integrate network management into other applications.

Integrated management

Last March, Sun, Tivoli, and a variety of other partners including Cisco Systems, Bay Networks, Netscape Communications, and Spyglass announced an effort to define a Java-based Internet Management Specification (IMS). IMS will provide an interface standard for configuring, monitoring, and controlling access to the Internet. IMS will allow vendors to develop products that manage servers and network devices from multiple vendors. Customers will be able to configure, monitor, and control any of a variety of Internet services with a single IMS-compliant application.

"The evolution of Java-based management classes will enable system management to effectively and efficiently perform ubiquitously across the Internet," said Terry Keely, vice president and general manager of Enterprise Network Products at SunSoft.

To help developers create Java-based management applications, Sun has developed Solstice WorkShop. This toolkit helps developers build applets for managing enterprise networks over the Internet. These applets are built using the extensible, Java-powered objects and methods included in the toolkit. Solstice WorkShop is now available for download. With Solstice WorkShop developers can create Java-based management applications on SPARC and Intel Platforms running Solaris, Windows 95, and Windows NT, and the applications can be run on any Java platform.

 

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