Managing Best Effort IP Networks over Heterogeneous WANs

While corporate networks are predominantly TCP/IP, the underlying technology used to interconnect an organization’s network varies widely. Technologies include private TDM lines, frame relay, ATM and IP. Each technology requires its own network management technique. The problem of correlating low level WAN measures to application performance is difficult, especially if multiple WAN service providers are involved each with their own network management ‘language’. In this paper we present a network monitoring and assessment technique that bridges the gap between low level performance statistics from heterogenous WANs and the subsequent assessment of if the WANs are meeting user and organizational requirements. We propose a method that incorporates two very basic concepts: first, application level performance metrics are required; second, the overall assessment of a WAN service must be in terms of the utility or value of the measured service levels to the organization.