A toolkit for monitoring the utilization and performance of computer networks

The proliferation of local area networks (LANs) has changed and modernized the manner in which the world does business. As the capability of networks has increased, so has their ubiquity. Computer networks have provided the underlying support for the information explosion which has revolutionized not only academia, but industry, government, the fourth estate and even military combat operations. The increase in capability has not been without a concomitant increase in complexity. Experienced network managers cope with this by using informal heuristics and other ‘seat of the pants’ management methods. Increased networking capabilities have made organizations extremely dependent upon their networks. This increased dependence upon networks makes ad hoc network management techniques increasingly risky. The current lack of easy to use, large scale network management tools requires systematic network management. Network simulation provides an important management tool if the simulations are of sufficient fidelity and computationally tractable. The authors review the impressive tools developed at Curtin University as well as their own efforts to refine and improve the capabilities of the Netman tool set.