Network Management Architecture

The easiest method of managing network devices is in an ad-hoc manner. To check the status of a network device or link, send messages to the device or over the link. Then, observe and analyze the response. If the response shows our expected results, e.g., connectivity and delay, the device or link works well. Otherwise, further identify potential problems and fix them. The operating system has provided some utilities for checking the status of a network device, link, or other aspects. For example, ping, traceroute (or tracert in Windows), and netstat are examples of these utilities. By using these utilities, statistics or other specific information can be obtained from remote systems.