Previous Table of Contents Next


To allow administrators to provide quick response, the control center can trigger an alarm when a message fails to meet system compatibility requirements and needs special attention. Alarms communicate immediately and directly with the control center manager without waiting for the preset polling cycle. Alarms can be set on a server-to-server basis for administrative flexibility.

Administrators are alerted to problems in the managed system through audible and visual alarms that are directed to the control center console. The console at the alarm system receives and displays the messages from the managed X.400 or X.500 servers. Exhibit 3 illustrates the client/server architecture of a messaging management system.

Evolving with the Standards

Both vendors and private corporations have been active contributors to the IFIP and EMA initiatives. As a result, there is a consensus on implementation objectives, and the architecture described is closely aligned with the management model defined in RFC 1566 and the architectural framework being developed by the EMA.

The messaging management system’s functional capabilities are consistent with the messaging system user requirements defined by the EMA. Exhibit 4 compares this implementation with the user requirement categories identified by the EMA.


Exhibit 3.  A Client/Server Messaging Management System.

Exhibit 4. Implementation Alignment with EMA Messaging Management Requirements

EMA Messaging Management Implementation
Operational Management — Number of messages received
— Number of messages transmitted
— Received volume (bytes)
— Transmitted volume (bytes)
— Failed deliveries
— Connection status
Configuration Management — Configuration of message routing tables
— Remotely manage queue files
— Starting and stopping messaging system components
— Graphical display for discovering and depicting messaging system components
Administration Management — Remotely add and delete users, set up and change profiles
— Remote management of distribution lists and accounting information
Network Management — Provided by lower layers

RECOMMENDED COURSE OF ACTION

An integrated client/server messaging management solution aligned with emerging industry standards is the goal of most enterprise messaging vendors. Products and implementations already exist that make use of standards. For customers, the key in selecting solutions is to make sure that products take a client/server architectural approach and a standards approach.

Selecting a Messaging Management Strategy

Organizations seeking to deploy a messaging management solution should consider the following key criteria when evaluating products:

  Single Control Console. The product should allow administrators to manage all network resources, including servers on different continents, from a single location.
  Ease of use. The product should include simple, intuitive display tools that can guide administrators through complex troubleshooting and reconfiguration tasks.
  Ease of customization to fit enterprise-specific management goals. Management tools should be able to fit the specific needs of the organization by allowing administrators to define alarms and thresholds of operation that meet organizational performance guidelines.
  The ability to grow as the enterprise grows. Growth potential is defined in terms of the solution’s ability to easily manage additional components and continue to provide a cohesive view of the expanding managed environment.

Although the most immediate and urgent objective may be to manage an identified group of messaging systems, it pays to look beyond the current problems and plan for messaging management that is designed to scale with the enterprise and to evolve with industry standards. This strategy leaves options open for managing heterogeneous networks made up of products from multiple messaging vendors.


Previous Table of Contents Next

Copyright © CRC Press LLC