JUNOS High Availability

Chapter 10. Management Interfaces

Although a planned and clearly implemented syslog and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) solution is the first step to ensuring continuous system operation within a network, it removes much of the management intelligence from the networking equipment itself. Using syslog and SNMP configurations does allow you to filter and forward events and messages to specific locations, but the parsing and correlating of information takes place on separate Network Management Stations (NMSs).

With the introduction into JUNOS of intuitive GUI interfaces and powerful onboard scripting, the network management intelligence can be shared by both the NMSs and the networking equipment itself. The variety of interfaces allows all levels of network engineers and technicians—from crusty old-timers who were brought up handcoding assembly language or writing their first BASIC programs for the C64, to kids fresh out of community college who don’t comprehend the simple beauty of lines such as “look lantern” and the text-based RPGs to which some of us were addicted—to participate proactively in managing the network to minimize system downtime. Although the debate between GUI and command-line interface (CLI) management tools will no doubt rage on, multiple management interfaces do provide a custom-tailored management tool to network technicians and engineers of all experience levels.