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GISD documents

  • From: ("K.A. Long")
  • Date: Tue, 29 Nov 1994 14:51:40 -0500

Here are drafts of three areas in the GISD document.  My apologies for
not making them available sooner.  I hope that by putting them out
this week it will give the group some time to review them and have
some discussion ready for the meeting on Monday.

klong

4.2. Operational Contacts
What

Operational contacts are data which identify the affiliates of a 
particular internet service provider.  Operational contacts include
all aspects of the network that are utilized by a particular customer.

Why

In the course of trouble shooting problems, maintenance or security
issues it becomes necessary to have a method of contacting the
authoratative party in a particular area of network administration.

Options

It is probable that most service providers would have some sort of
listing or database for the members of their network.  The options will
identify the level of detail and the amount of integration that the
contact information can contain.

	- Operational contacts include the following information.
	  These contacts may be used in resolving network related
	  problems.  
		Technical Contact
			Name, address, phone, fax, pager, email
		Secondary Technical Contact
			Name, address, phone, fax, pager, email
		Hours of operation for the site
		Any site specific special procedures to be followed 

	- Contacts for specific services or site specific offerings.
	  These contacts may be necessary in the course of resolving
	  specific issues or implementation of services.
		Security Contact
			Name, address, phone, fax, pager, email
		MBone or similar service
			Name, address, phone, fax, pager, email
		Telecommunications Contact
			Name, address, phone, fax, pager, email
		User Services Contact
			Name, address, phone, fax, pager, email
		Administrative Contact
			Name, address, phone, fax, pager, email
		Network News Administrator
			Name, address, phone, fax, pager, email
		Network Information Center
			Name, address, phone, fax, pager, email

	- Identification of services that are offered by the customer
	  of the Service Provider for which the NOC operates.
		Downstream NNTP
		Downstream MBone
		Listserv distribution
		Archie, Gopher, WWW or other information service
		Internet access provider (dial-up, leased line, etc.)

	- Operational contacts of other Network
	  Service Providers, NAP (or similar service) operators, for
	  use in trouble shooting connectivity problems between service
          providers or connection points.

SOAP BOX

It is thought that the scale of operation would influence the degree of
detail that is kept by the service provider.  One which has a smaller
amount of affiliates probably cannot afford the staff and level of
management that is required by a service provider with a large number of
sites.  Large operations require a high level of documentation and
frequent verification due to the number of staff members accessing the data.
Ideally, a service provider will know all the aspects of their
affiliates in order to be responsive to their particular needs.
4.5 Maintenance

What

There are several facets to Maintenance on a network.  A Service Provider 
performs router, csu/dsu, circuit and/or system maintenance.
Maintenance can also be equated with system or hardware upgrades. 

Why

Service machines such as archie, NNTP and NTP servers must be maintained
in working order with secure code and sufficient disk and spool space.  
Systems upgrades or emergency replacement should be accomplished with
minimum time off-line. 

Routers require hardware and software upgrades and connectivity is affected 
during the time when the router is unavailable.  

Circuit maintenance/equipment upgrades can sometimes be done without disruption of service.  However, certain procedures should be in place for circuit
maintenance in order to achieve maximum levels of service.

Options

There are various options to consider when implementing a maintenance
plan for a network.  

	- Identify off peak hours of connectivity and set aside
	  blocks of time for scheduled maintenance of service
	  machines, routers and circuits.

	- Identify a sparing policy for all aspects of the network.

	- Create a schedule for upgrades of all network equipment
	  and service machines in order to ensure current revision
	  levels of all hardware and software.

	- Create a schedule or checklist of all software on service
	  machines to ensure that current software revisions are 
	  in place for security reasons and to provide optimal 
	  operation.

	- Acquire maintenance agreements on all router and service
	  machine hardware to facilitate repair.

	- Require advance notice of all circuit maintenance and 
	  reason for maintenance. 


Soap Box


5.1 NOC Information 

What

NOC information includes but is not limited to customer contacts, network
statistics and problem reports.  

Why

During the course of operating a network, Service Providers accumulate
data which is of interest to their customers and other Service Providers
and contributes to the health of the network in general.  Customer
contacts enable a service provider to disseminate information in a
timely fashion.  Statistics enable a Service Provider to inform their
customers of protential problems with their specific leased line or
trends on the network, in general.  Problem reports keep the customers
of a network informed and can also identify network trends.

Options

NOC information is used in a number of different ways to resolve
problems and identify resources. 

	- A NOC distributes information to selected individuals and
          determines what type of information it publishes.  

		Gathered statistical information  for
		the specific customer of the particular service.

		Distributing outage information to
		specific network members or those affected
		by the outage.

		Providing outage reports to a specific audience
		to be determined by the NOC and its customers.

	- The NOC distributes known information which
	  might be useful to the customers of the Service Provider
	  for which it operates.

		Providing gathered statistical information
		affecting connectivity as a whole.

		Distributing advisory notices which are received
		from established and accepted authorities.

		Distribution of network status reports which
		affect major intra-connection points.

	- The NOC has access to tools and enhancements to code
	  that have been developed by itself and other network entities 
	  and  are available for distribution without restriction.  
	 
		Providing an ftp repository for tools and
		code enhancements.

		Provide notification of availability to established
		mailing lists. 

Soap Box



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