Software Modeling for Open Distributed Network Monitoring Systems

As computer networks grow in size, both physically and geographically, more scalable solutions to network administration are becoming necessary. This need is amplified by the spread of faster and more devastating computer viruses. Furthermore, when dealing with partial and intermittent systems, the need for accompanying network mapping and monitoring with efficient mapping visualization becomes even more important. This paper presents the Open Distributed Network Monitoring (ODNM) package, a software tool that proposes a novel solution for dealing with these issues. Emphasizing the value of well defined software requirements, the package addresses the need for scalability and speed by utilizing a distributed scanning capability that divides the network to be scanned into multiple parallel scans. Excerpts from ODNM’s software model, including functional and non-functional requirements, use cases, class diagram and prototype screenshots are presented in the paper and the package’s goals, progress, and future development are discussed.