1.1 Foreword

AdventNet Web NMS  provides real world network management solutions to telecommunications and enterprise markets with a range of advanced network management features. The two  important needs of the market,  easy customization and faster deployment are met with the help of AdventNet Web NMS Studio.

Different types of applications can be built with AdventNet Web NMS. This tutorial will serve as a simple guide to build a  Layer2 Discovery and Mapping application.

• A Brief Note on AdventNet Web NMS

• Understanding Fundamental Concepts

Real World Layer2 Discovery Solutions

Any computer network / internetwork is designed based on the OSI standards. The design may adhere either strictly or loosely to the OSI Reference Model (an ANSI standard). Each layer performs a set of functions unique to it. Layer 2 in a network, is the 'data-link' layer. It is this layer where data-packets are encoded and decoded into 'bits'. Error handling and flow control is also handled in this layer. This layer comprises the MAC Layer (Media Access Control) and LLC Layer (Logical Link Layer). The MAC layer determines how a computer in a network gains access to data and transmits the same. The LLC handles frame-synchronization, flow control and error- checking. It therefore becomes important to monitor and manage any fault in this layer, especially in today's world where Network Management is a mammoth task. AdventNet Web NMS is a Network Management Solution. You can customize Web NMS to suit your requirements. If you need to discover and manage these layer2 devices, you can build your application on Web NMS.  Optical Network Management Solution is one of the Real World Network Management Solutions.

A Brief Note on AdventNet Web NMS

AdventNet Web NMS is designed as a development framework for building management systems and applications in multiple domains. The core information model is simple and is easy to learn and extend for each application. The elements of the core model are designed for IP networks and are sufficient to represent common IP networks. Few factors that make AdventNet Web NMS the preferred network management solution are

• Immense scalability

• Customizability

• Extensibility

• Easy deployment

AdventNet Web NMS uses the database mode. It uses MySql as the default RDBMS which stores the objects in the topology database in the form of relational tables.

Understanding Fundamental Concepts

Before we jump-start into building  a custom application using AdventNet Web NMS, it is imperative to understand a few basic concepts. The 'Fundamental Concepts' section of this tutorial is a brief tour through these concepts. A quick run through the application life cycle will follow, giving you an idea of the flow in the application.

The concepts that you must be familiar with are

• OSI Reference Layers

• Spanning Tree Protocol