Performance and Fault Management

Measuring Network Performance

Performance management is an umbrella term that actually incorporates the configuration and measurement of distinct areas. This section discusses four areas of performance that are useful for measurement in distributed networks:

• Availability

• Response time

• Accuracy

• Utilization

Availability

Availability is the measure of time for which a network system or application is available to a user. From a network perspective, availability represents the reliability of the individual components in a network. Different events can interrupt the reliability of network devices:

• Faulty hardware or components

• Bugs

• Human error

• Backhoes chopping up fiber

• Electrical interference

• Planned outages

Unlike the mainframe world, accurately measuring ...