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Networking for today ... and tomorrow
Today, there's much talk about information highways and
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). Just as the Internet
revolutionized world-wide communications, ATM brings new meaning
to high-speed networking. But with such high-speed multimedia
networks come new ways of managing them.
ATM networks are rapidly being deployed. End-user acceptance of
this superior technology is very high. At least five major
service providers already offer wide area networking solutions
using ATM. Many vendors are also deploying ATM solutions for both
the wide area and private network environments. Driving rapid
deployment is the fact that it takes less time for us to develop
products using very large scale integration (VLSI) technology.
Also, because of automated production, we can deliver products
faster than ever.
You need a way to manage your ATM network. As you migrate toward
ATM, you'll face challenges like how to integrate and
interoperate with your existing network.
ATM from IBM is the best. Because our ATM strategy is focused on
a total system solution. We are working in all areas to give you
the best solutions for ATM network management.
As you look at different types of management, you may wonder
what's right for ATM and your business. Over the past five years,
many customers worked closely with IBM on ATM network management,
telling us their needs for systems and network management are:
- Topology management
- Change management
- Fault management
- Operations management
- Accounting management
- Performance management
- Open and standards-based solutions
Topology management means finding out the topology of both
physical and logical networks. This is done with management
applications, using previous configuration information or using
discovery applications. Once the topology is determined, you can
perform problem management on your physical and logical networks.
Problem management is done in conjunction with fault management.
Change management lets you change your network, for example, how
you configure switches. You can change your network dynamically
or on a scheduled basis.
With fault management, you determine where problem areas are in
your network. Fault management works with topology management and
change management, allowing you to discover problems and change
the network as needed to correct the problems. These types of
functions help you perform problem determination, a necessary
part of successful ATM network management.
Operations management lets you perform remote operations on your
network, like sending commands or distributing software. This is
a key factor in having a well-managed network.
If you have a large network, accounting management is very
important. In ATM, for example, you can count the number of ATM
cells across a circuit and identify bandwidth applied for the
circuit. IBM's Nways* ATM products have this capability already
built-in.
Collecting data for performance management is another critical
element for ATM network management. If something goes wrong in
your high-speed network, millions of bits could be discarded or
go into a bit bucket. If you have potential congestion problems,
you'll want to know this information in advance so that you can
do something about it. Performance management also applies to
network modeling, where you can model a network before you
actually implement it. IBM's larger 2220 Nways BroadBand Switches
let you do just that.
And last, but not least, a requirement for network management is
compliance with ATM standards. IBM is very active in the ATM
Forum, Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and international
standards organizations. We're ensuring that our ATM solutions
comply with existing and emerging standards.
Designing a network management solution for ATM isn't easy. The
solution must handle the different kinds of management protocols.
You have the issue of existing networks and how to integrate them
with ATM. We've come up with several ways to address these
challenges.
IBM is using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and
Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP) management
protocols where appropriate. For private networks, we use SNMP
because it's widely used and accepted. We implemented the
OSI-based CMIP protocol for our Nways Switches, for use in
international and telecommunications and competitive carrier
systems.
For existing networks, IBM provides a way to manage SNA/APPN,
X.25, TCP/IP, and other transport and management protocols. We
are committed to providing a total systems management solution.
We have token-ring, Ethernet, and IPX** management as well.
Another network management design issue is ATM applications.
Because the first applications to be deployed on ATM are usually
mission-critical, or business MIS, applications, you need to make
sure your network is well managed.
This figure shows the ATM network reference configuration,
developed by the ATM Forum. It shows half of an ATM network. The
other half is a mirror image of this figure. In this figure are a
private user network interface (UNI), which is between an end
user and the private network, and a public UNI, which is between
the private network and the public network. The UNIs have the
same management information bases (MIBs) and the same consistency
on either side.
The figure also has several M numbers, representing management
flows. These management flows can be ATM or other transport
protocols:
- M1 can be, for example, a token-ring interface.
- M2, predominately in North America, is SNMP over IP.
- M3 is SNMP over IP.
- M4 is SNMP or CMIP over X.25 or IP.
- M5 is the CMIP interface between public networks, and the
transport widely varies.
One of the most important steps in migrating to ATM is how to use
your existing LAN applications with ATM. We've come up with a
solution called LAN emulation.
LAN emulation lets you use your token-ring and Ethernet
applications across an ATM network. You can access a high-speed
server using LAN emulation. It's challenging to manage such a
network because it uses both IPX and ATM.
To manage your workgroup and campus ATM networks, you can use
NetView* for AIX*. We're using SNMP management for the basic LAN
emulation network. Our SNMP agents are primarily on workstation
adapters in concentrators, bridges, or hubs.
NetView for AIX is attached to the Nways 8281 ATM LAN Bridge,
which contains a source-route transparent bridge capability. A
directory function, in the middle of the ATM network, converts
the logical link layer addresses to ATM addresses and vice versa.
The Nways ATM LAN Bridge allows the directory function to perform
UNI management.
As part of the IBM ATM strategy, we plan to integrate the SNMP
and CMIP management protocols into a single NetView for AIX
application and platform solution.
In your RISC System/6000* workstations, the adapter already has
an MIB and an SNMP agent. For smaller workstations that don t
have SNMP agents in the adapters, management information is
collected from the workstations using the 8281 ATM LAN Bridge.
To keep the cost of the solution affordable, the 8282 TURBOWAYS*
ATM Workgroup Concentrator manages the end station adapters. The
SNMP agent in the concentrator provides a management view of the
workstation and SNMP management for the concentrator.
NetView for AIX manages the 8281 ATM LAN Bridge and TURBOWAYS
Concentrator with SNMP. The 8260 Multiprotocol Intelligent
Switching Hub is connected to the 8281 ATM LAN Bridge. The 8260
Hub has SNMP agents for ATM and for standard media, like FDDI,
token ring, and Ethernet. The 8260 Hub is connected to a 2220
Nways BroadBand Switch. Our Nways Switches can be used either in
large private networks or in public networks. Initially, we
provide SNMP and CMIP management for the Nways Switch.
IBM offers NetView for AIX, giving you a distributed network
manager view of the network. And we use our NetView/390 platform
for a network-centric view of the network. No matter what your
management application or protocol, everything needs to work
together to manage an ATM network effectively.
The NetView/390 platform is essential for managing large networks
with heterogeneous transport and management protocols. With it,
you can manage the APPN, SNA, and HPR parts of the network, along
with your LANs that are already directly managed by NetView/390.
NetView/390 and NetView for AIX communicate with each other over
an LU6.2 SNA/MS session. And the scope of management between the
two platforms is restricted. NetView/390 issues commands and
performs only topology, fault, and accounting management. With
this method, only the distributed manager, NetView for AIX,
communicates with NetView/390, keeping the smaller workstations
from flooding information to NetView/390. The scope of management
information is limited to produce a workable solution. But
information is still exchanged between the two platforms, and
you'll have a complete, end-to-end management solution.
This figure represents how IBM products fit in the ATM network
reference configuration. Most of the network management is
performed by NetView for AIX and Telco for AIX.
NetView for AIX, in this case, is a private network manager. The
Nways Switch applications are built on top of NetView for AIX,
along with LAN Network Manager for AIX. You also get the ATM hub
management program, IBM ATM Campus Manager, which manages the
8260 Hub.
There are many reasons to choose ATM from IBM. We focus on an
end-to-end, total system solution. So, you get complete network
management answers that are designed to work effectively from the
start. You also get state-of-the-art technologies and solutions
that are available today.
IBM's experience in high-speed networking gives us a solid
foundation for developing leading-edge network-control and
optimization features. These features comply with industry
standards and go beyond them in providing functional value. We
also focus on designing cost-effective ATM network management
solutions by using the industry-standard SNMP and CMIP management
protocols.
We're delivering products on a schedule to meet your needs today
and tomorrow. Our products will comply fully with emerging ATM
standards. Our product line ranges from workstation adapters to
full-function WAN switches to powerful network management
platforms. This gives you flexibility to implement any
combination of private and public networking services and to
manage your networks successfully. We also offer services and
education for ATM. And we'll help you make the move to ATM a
smooth one, at your own pace.
You won't find a better total system solution built around ATM
today than at IBM. With solutions that provide coexistence and
migration options and economic and functional values, IBM is
delivering what you need. At IBM, we're listening to you when it
comes to your networking needs.
For more information
For more information about ATM from IBM, look for these
brochures:
- IBM ATM Strategy, G325-3509
- IBM Networking BroadBand Services, G325-3511
- IBM Switch-on-a-Chip, G325-3512
- IBM ATM Campus Strategy, G325-3510
You can also order videotapes on ATM. In the U.S. and Canada,
call 1-800-IBM-TEACH (1-800-426-8322), extension FTN. Or contact
your IBM representative. The tapes currently include:
- IBM s ATM Strategy, with Dr. Daniel Abensour
- ATM Switch Architecture, with Dr. Ton Engbersen
- Networking BroadBand Services, with Dr. Jerry Marin
- IBM ATM Campus Solutions, with Henri Sourbes
- ATM Network Management, with Roger Kosak
- Nways BroadBand Network Switch, with Gerald Lebizay
(c)International Business Machines Corporation 1995.
All Rights Reserved.
IBM United States
Department E23
PO Box 12195
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
* Trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
** Known trademark of others identified below.
IPX is a trademark of Novell, Inc.
IBM does not determine whether every mark used by another is
considered a trademark. The absence of a trademark identifier
is not a representation that no third party claims trademark
rights in a particular mark.
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