How technology shapes network management

Five areas of technological advancement that affect network management are examined. They are: expert systems and machine learning/induction: fault tolerance; object-oriented databases; facsimile; and ease of use (user friendliness). The following points are emphasized. Machine induction will give network managers the opportunity to understand reasons behind actions instead of just seeing the results. Fault tolerance means no scheduled downtime, freedom from obsessive machine management, enhanced opportunity to manipulate processes, and ease of expansion. When object-oriented data management systems are used in the development of network management systems, development efforts are significantly reduced because the same model is used for both programming and database accessing, and the model is a much better representation of the reality of the network than current data models. A major breakthrough will be the ability to access the same data items from two or more database management schemes simultaneously. Facsimile will experience rapid growth and will be integrated with other services. Ease of use is the central element for the intelligent use of future systems.<>