Network management with consistently managed objects

A consistency constraint exists between two objects in a network management information base (MIB) if a change in value of one object will cause a change in another. Based on the definition of common knowledge, such constraints can be classified by the time needed to maintain them and the probability of correctly maintaining them. The practical issues of how to build an MIB with a set of objects and consistency constraints are discussed. Various kinds of consistency constraints and their relations with common knowledge are described. Also introduced is the concept of a consistency hierarchy, which presents a gateway between consistency constraints and the management protocols that would actually maintain the consistency between network entities. Building a network management information model using consistency constraints is considered. >