An architecture for distributed and flexible management of high-layer protocols and network services

This paper proposes an architecture for distributed management of high-layer protocols and network services. Based on the IETF Script MIB, the Trace architecture provides mechanisms for the delegation of management tasks to mid-level managers (MLMs), which interact with monitoring and action agents to have them executed. The paper introduces PTSL (Protocol Trace Specification Language), a graphical/textual language created to allow network managers to specify protocol traces. The specifications are used by mid-level managers to program the monitoring agents. Once programmed, these agents start to monitor the occurrence of the traces. The information obtained is analyzed by the mid-level managers, which may ask action agents for the execution of procedures (e.g. Perl scripts), making the automation of several management tasks possible.