RFC 1021 (rfc1021) - Page 1 of 5
High-level Entity Management System (HEMS)
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group C. Partridge
Request For Comment: 1021 BBN/NNSC
G. Trewitt
Stanford
October 1987
THE HIGH-LEVEL ENTITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (HEMS)
STATUS OF THIS MEMO
An overview of the RFCs which comprise the High-Level Entity
Management System is provided. This system is experimental, and is
currently being tested in portions of the Internet. It is hoped that
this work will help lead to a standard for IP internetwork
management. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
INTRODUCTION
Until recently, a majority of critical components in IP networks,
such as gateways, have come from a very small set of vendors. While
each vendor had their own set of management protocols and mechanisms,
the collection was small, and a knowledgeable system administrator
could be expected to learn them all.
Now, however, the number of vendors has grown quite large, and the
lack of an accepted standard for management of network components is
causing severe management problems. Compounding this problem is the
explosive growth of the connected IP networks known as the Internet.
The combination of increased size and heterogeneity is making
internetwork management extremely difficult. This memo discusses an
effort to devise a standard protocol for all devices, which should
help alleviate the management problem.
The RFCs that currently define the High-Level Entity Management
System are this memo along with RFC-1022, 1024, and 1023. This list
is expected to change and grow over time, and readers are strongly
encouraged to check the RFC Index to find the most current versions.
MONITORING AND CONTROL
Historically, the IP community has divided network management into
two distinct types of activities: monitoring and control. Monitoring
is the activity of extracting or collecting data from the network or
a part of the network to observe its behavior. Control is the
activity of taking actions to effect changes in the behavior of the
network or a part of the network in real-time, typically in an
attempt to improve the network's performance.
Partridge & Trewitt
