Web-based automatic network discovery/Map Systems

This paper introduces a new automatic network discovery/map system via Web architecture, the so-called Web-based Automatic Network discovery/Map Systems (WANMS). The system functions as a plug-in for a wellknown network management system, Cacti. Enriched features, especially the automatic networking discovery and map module, have been added in order to enhance the efficiency of Cacti embedded with a weather map plug-in. With user defined-pattern functions, the discovery process recognizes a proper type of networking devices. The discovery process generates XML-based information so that a graph visualization using jQuery via HTML5 can generate a simplified network map using a force-directed layout technique. WANMS is easy-to-use and less complicated, and so lessening the discovery time. In particular, for performance comparison with OpenMMS and DNMA, WANMS outperforms others in several perspectives, i.e., faster convergence, better coverage, and more details of types of networking devices. The system is presently used at the department of Information Technology, Provincial Police Region 4, Thailand.