Post #7 – Tech Topic Connection

The topic of Network Management is fundamental to Information Technology (IT). As early as the 1940s, computers were being used for Military purposes such as codebreaking and calculating glidepaths for bombs and gliders. As these computers became smaller, due to a trend known as Moore’s Law, where switches halved in size every two years, the ability to expand computing ability has been of major importance. (Vahid et al., TEC 101: Fundamentals of Information Technology & Literacy home, 2019).

As computing ability expanded and companies like Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube came to prominence, being able to communicate between companies and computers became important. As these networks became more common and the internet came to prominence across the world, management of these resources has become more important. Especially today when there are more chances than ever for things to be hacked or taken over by malicious unauthorized users. “With the rapid advancement of information technology, networks have become an indispensable infrastructure in modern society. Networks often couple with each other based on certain criteria, forming more complex dual-layer or even multi-layer network structures. Scholars have already conducted research and analysis on network attack and defense strategies” (Wang et al., Analysis of Network Resilience for Physical-Logical Dual-Layer Networks in Network Management Nodes, 2024, p. 802). As this rapid advancement continues, we see many people and groups trying to use deficiencies in both software and networks to obtain influence or monetary reward.

Many factors are contained in network management. From the computer or internet-of-things (IoT) devices through the networks, including the internet, these signals pass through many pieces of technology to reach their destination. First, there is the originating device, which connects with some form of local network (LAN) to reach a wide area network (WAN). Once it reaches this area, it can look for a path to the destination. If it is not explicitly identified, then it must find a Domain Name Server (DNS) to help direct it; using gateways between networks and routers to direct it, this message will travel the internet to reach its destination.

As networks expand and increase, the structure of naming conventions has necessarily been constrained by size. The system in current use is known as Internet Protocol (IP) version 4, which contains 4 sets of numbers, these are known as octets, based on the binary sizes of bits and bytes. This structured data configuration can be analyzed by the technical characteristics of Command Line Interface (CLI), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), and Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF), which are used in managed network switches and virtual switches used on computer servers (Qin, W., Construction of Computer Network Management System based on NETCONF and Artificial Intelligence, 2024). Many servers and managed switches use virtual switching or software switching to keep track of the devices in use while not being constrained by physical limitations.

Network managers can use many applications. Many managed switches have what amounts to a website for control, or one could use the CLI language of the switch. There are also applications to manage or inspect the traffic on network sections. One of the methods used today is Virtual LAN (VLAN), which allows two or more separate networks to exist on the same physical cabling of the network.

One of the things used by most network managers is a database of users or devices that are allowed or present on the network. This could be as simple as a spreadsheet containing each IP address, mostly used in assigned address networking. Some applications allow automatic addressing and keep track of each IP address assigned for a period of time. It could also be as demanding as a domain server, where each user must have an account on the network to give access to the device being used to get an address.

In the cement manufacturing facility where I work, we have an assigned address for each device; this cuts down on unauthorized equipment being on the network. As we expand the network, it is imperative that we begin to utilize Layer 3 managed switches and expand into the VLAN networks to increase the 255 addresses possible in the assigned network range. For each added VLAN, 254 more addresses can be assigned, with separation between networks that can be controlled by Layer 3 routing switches. Basic concepts of security and networking must be expanded and understood as we continue.

References

Qin, W. (2024). Construction of Computer Network Management System based on NETCONF and Artificial Intelligence. 2024 International Conference on Intelligent Algorithms for Computational Intelligence Systems (IACIS) Intelligent Algorithms for Computational Intelligence Systems (IACIS), 2024 International conference on 1-6 Aug 2024. Hassan, India, India: IEEE. doi:10.1109/IACIS61494.2024.10721622

Vahid, F., Lysecky, S., & Wheatland, N. (2019, February). TEC 101: Fundamentals of Information Technology & Literacy. Retrieved from zyBooks.com: https://learn.zybooks.com/zybook/TEC101:_Fundamentals_of_Information_Technology_&_Literacy_(TED2450B)

Wang, Y., Liu, J., Li, Z., Ren, J., & Li, W. (2024). Analysis of Network Resilience for Physical-Logical Dual-Layer Networks in Network Management Nodes. 2024 10th International Conference on Big Data and Information Analytics (BigDIA) (pp. 802-808). Chiang Mai, Thailand: IEEE. doi:10.1109/BigDIA63733.2024.10808482