Spring 2007

• TuTh 1:35-2:55 - CCB 17

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This course provides an introduction to problems in network management and the current research in the area. It covers the general challenges faced in the management of modern data and telco networks with an emphasis on data network management. The details of the SNMP protocol and SNMP-based management are covered as part of this class.

Class participation is an important part of this class. You will be expected to do the readings and prepare to discuss the topics and papers presented. During the second half of the semester you will lead the discussion with a research presentation and the results of your semester project.

• Russell J. Clark, PhD
• Main office: Rich 105
• Office phone: 404.385.4706
• Office hours: T-Th 9:30-11:00
• Russ.Clark@gatech.edu Email is always the most reliable way to reach me.

• Guillaume-Jean Herbiet
• gjh@gatech.edu
• Office hours: Wednesday 1:30-2:30

Assignments

Homework 1: Network Map Due Tuesday February 6

Semester Project

Project Team Site

You will be working in groups of 3-4 students on a significant research project in the area of network management. You should begin the first week by forming a project team and starting to research various areas of network management for your project. Most projects will include some amount of implementation work.

• January 15 - Identify project teams and register with the instructor
• January 29 - Written project proposal - 1-2 pages describing the topic area and basic ideas
• March 1 - Interim project report Guidelines:
  • approximately 10 pages
  • 10 references
  • Detailed background on the problem area
  • Proposed project solution, timeline for completion
• April 17 to April 24 - Final presentations Presentation Guidelines:
  • 45 minutes in class
  • Review the background and problem space
  • Present your results: demo's if appropriate
• May 2 - Final project report Report Guidelines:
  • approximately 20 pages
  • 10+ references
  • A complete, self contained report.
  • Include revised and updated interim report.
  • Add results, analysis, conclusions and any future work.

Project Topics

• CPR - Campus Performance and Recovery - Project Overview
  • myCPR - personal interface for CPR - Also see here
    skills: web application development in php/perl
    
  • CPR mobile - a mobile host-based CPR monitor
    
  • CPR data mangement - dealing with large datasets, analysis and data management
    • Statistics - Not just mean and standard deviation
    • Binary Tomography - Combining end-to-end measurements with topology
    • Spatial and Temporal correlations - Trends over time and how that relates to the "where"?
    • Visualization - Lots of data: how to display meaningful data
    • Data reduction - Lots of data: what do we really need to keep?
    • Fault correlation - If N diffent events happen at the same time for any N of all possible events, what does it mean?
    • Data storage and access - Lots of data: how to store it and access it? The current database is on one a very fast box but common SQL queries can take 30 minutes to run.
• perfSONAR info
  skills: XML development in Perl
  
• A Campus Network Weather Map
  Take the data from here and develop a visualization tool, something like this.
  (Other Internet2 Projects)
• Topology and Dependency Visualization of Campus Networks - physical vs logical topologies
• LAWN usage data visualization and analysis
• Internet Routing Analysis and Visualization based on BGP data See this .
• Network and service fault and root-cause analysis.
• Intrusion Detection Alert correlation and analysis.
• Anonymization and capture techniques for network traffic logs and trace collection.

Project Presentations

Throughout the semester we will be covering various current research topics in network management. In the final weeks of the semester, each research group will lead one research discussion. You will present the background and related work for your research project and then present your project. You will "assign" the class reading for that day and prepare a full class presentation.

Supplements to Assignments

• RFC's of Interest
  • RFC 1700 - The Internet Assigned Numbers - Currently maintained at IANA -
  • RFC 1155, RFC 1212 - The Structure and Identification of Management Information (SMI)
  • RFC 1157 - SNMP Version 1
  • RFC 1156 - Management Information Base for TCP/IP - MIB I
  • RFC 1213 - MIB II
  • RFC 1573 - MIB II Interfaces Group Evolution RFC 2233, RFC 2863
  • RFC 1215 - SNMP v1 Traps
  • RFC 1514 - Host Resources MIB (HostMIB)
  • RFC 1759, RFC 3805 - Printer MIB
  • Cisco - A Cisco MIB Index
• Network Management Tools and Web Resources
  • Network Monitoring Tools - an index of freely available network monitoring tools
  • Sample MIB Dumps - These are the walk outputs we went over in class.
  • Event Correlation in Spectrum and Other Commercial Products - By Lundy Lewis
  • SNMP resources including an online tutorial
  • CNOM - Committee on Network Operations and Management
    This site has very useful links to recent conferences and workshops in network management. You can find many presentations and papers on current topics in network management.
  • NANOG - North American Network Operators Group
    This group meets regularly to discuss network operations and management issues. Lots of links to discussions, previous meeting notes and tools. Look at ISP resources and security tools.
  • The CAIDA site has endless resources on network data and measurement.
  • CiteSeer - Scientific Literature Digital Library

Previous Exam

Watch this space for other supplements!

Exams

• Mid-Term Exam - Thursday, March 29; closed book, one page of notes
• Final Exam - TBD; Final Exam time will be used for final semester project presentations.