OpenMaster SLM: Network Governor

Multi-vendor network management

Network Governor, OpenMaster SLM's network management component,  is a cost-effective and fully scalable solution for monitoring and controlling heterogeneous network components.

Fully integrated in OpenMaster SLM, it manage networks within the global IT context, taking account of the complex interdependencies between networks, resources, and applications, and even relating them to the business processes that they drive.

Consolidated view of the entire network

OpenMaster SLM's organizes network elements in a management tree, typically showing networks, subnets, and components. It allows rapid, direct navigation from one sub-network to another or from network management to system or application management.

Clicking on a device in the tree displays performance and availability indicators that summarize the enormous quantity of raw data gathered by network devices, making it easy to identify and solve problems. Alarms automatically alert you when operational parameters cross a predefined threshold. One particularly useful network management option is the sort by vendor and by type of device in the management tree, so you can see only what you need, at a glance.

You can also launch actions, including ping, telnet, traceroute,  CiscoWorks2000, and Optivity.

Mobile administrators can access Network Governor easily and securely from anywhere in the enterprise, using the web interface

Cross-domain management

OpenMaster SLM's ability to monitor network, applications, and systems from a single console helps you to diagnose problems involving complex interactions between these domains. The classic example is when automatic rerouting overloads a backup network segment, causing database updates to time out. The first visible symptoms might be the apparent failure of a mission-critical transaction processing application.

With OpenMaster SLM, an ERP administrator can display the network devices used by the application, identify those with problems, and either intervene directly, if the user profile allows this, or notify the network administrator.

Conversely, you can perform impact analysis. From a device in the Network Governor tree, such as a firewall, you can show the high-level objects (Oracle database, ERP application, business process,...) that depend on the the network device.

Network intelligence

OpenMaster SLA complements Network Governor with a ready-to-use analysis framework whose prepackaged expertise enables you to start producing reports within hours of installation.

OpenMaster SLA's Report Pack for LAN reports on the quality of service provided by your network, with detailed statistics on traffic and errors. In addition, Report Pack for Alarm consolidates alarm statistics to identify the devices that have a high error status or are the most significant cause of trouble. You benefit from a complete set of statistics on the global traffic, number of packets, and utilization rates on the routers and their interfaces.

Scalable to the largest networks

OpenMaster's scalability makes it possible to manage networks of any size. Intelligent filtering and consolidation helps keep the amount of management information transmitted via the network to manageable proportions.

For convenience in managing very large networks, you can set up a hierarchy of management servers. For example, a company with worldwide presence might establish regional centers in America, Europe, and Asia, with the headquarters center in a supra-management configuration operating 24 hours a day to provide global monitoring and control when the other centers are closed.