A NOVEL METHOD TO MANAGE NETWORK REQUIREMENTS. Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

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1 Volume 116 No , 9-15 ISSN: (printed version); ISSN: (on-line version) url: ijpam.eu A NOVEL METHOD TO MANAGE NETWORK REQUIREMENTS S.Pothumani 1, Dr.J.Hameed Hussain 2 1 Assistant Professor, Dept. of CSE, Bharath University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India 2 Dean Engineering, Bharath University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India 1 pothumani@gmail.com, 2 deanengg@bharathuniv.ac.in Abstract: The aim of this paper is to fulfill all possible requirements of a network administrator regarding his network. This also provides an efficient way for the system administrator to work offsite and who needs to keep intact with his PC and do his work, so that they can share their PC s with each other. The system administrator working in a multistoried building can use this tool to manage the network by logging into the server system in the main branch through LAN or internet using the IP address of the server and control his system and network or can work with the others. Network scrutinizer is a software tool that helps an administrator manage the machines connected across the enterprise network and monitor the various tasks running on various remote machines, thereby assisting the administrator in controlling the systems in the network. ADSI and WMI are the two techniques which are implemented in the project. 1. Introduction Network scrutinizer is a software tool that helps an administrator manage the machines connected across the enterprise network and monitor the various tasks running on various remote machines, thereby assisting the administrator in controlling the systems in the network. The tool aimed for administrator s exclusive use helps in checking the availability of a machine in the network. This is used to enables the administrator to work on multiple terminals by connecting his system to the server. It allows the user to retrieve a list of computers that are active in the network. It is used to Displays the IP Address of the computers. It Pings the IP Address and displays whether the computer is available in the network and Monitor and control all running services, processes and events on remote hosts and local machines. And it Watch features of running tasks (the handle of the main window, process ID, Etc), Maps & disconnects the network drives, Sends a message to any client connected in the enterprise network and Search for the given computer in the network. And also displays all shared folders of a specified computer [1,2]. 2. Related work The existing system is a normal Network Management Tool which can be used only for the domain based network. It has some difficulties. They are Administrator could not control the network when he is out of station, A Remote- Based tool is not yet found,remote accessing of any server is not possible. 3. Proposed Work The existing system has a lot of drawbacks as said earlier. Considering these drawbacks in mind the proposed system is developed. The proposed system is to provide an internet based Network Management System which fulfills the functionalities of an administrator like tracking IP address, desktop, getting active machines in the network, searching machine in a particular domain, etc. It is required to run on a networked Windows environment. The proposed system has three main modules in it. They are tracking, monitoring and utilities [3,4]. The various modules and its functions in this project are described. The modules are divided into three main categories. They are mentioned and explained in brief as follows. 3.1 Tracking The tracking module contains four sub modules. They are IPAddress, Active Machines, Shared Folders, Ping and Search. The ADSI technology helps in implementing the tracking module as it allows handling directory services. Tracking IPAddress concerns with IP Address of any remote host in any domain. 9

2 Active Machines give information about the machines which are active in a network domain. Shared Folders tracks the folders which are shared at that time in the network. Ping connects a host to another host by replying the number of bytes transferred to it. Search performs a searching operation of a particular host in a particular domain. 3.2 Monitoring The Monitoring module contains four Sub modules in it. They are Application, Services, and Events. The monitoring module is implemented using the Windows Management Information. Application: This helps the administrator to keep in track of the applications in the network for a particular remote host. Services: This provides the administrator with the services of a particular host in the network. Events: Events keep track of the events that are running and stopped in the remote host in the network. 3.3 Utilities The utilities module consists of three sub modules in it. They are mapping, disconnecting and messaging. Mapping: This connects Network Drives even from one branch to another branch office provided with a same server. Disconnecting: Disconnects the connected drives in the Network. Messaging: Provides administrator to interact with any remote host in the network. 4. System Architecture This architecture used in tracking module and monitoring module is discussed. This includes the concepts of Active Directory Service Interface (ADSI) and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) using which tracking and monitoring module is implemented respectively. The basic technique and the protocol used are also discussed. The windows socket is used to provide a protocol independent transport interface. ADSI Architecture The tracking module is based on the ADSI technology. The figures below represent the architecture of ADSI. Figure 1. ADSI Architecture Active directory technology (ADSI) Active Directory is the Windows directory service that provides a unified view of complex networks. It reduces the number of directories and namespaces with which a developer must contend. To use the ADSI technology, client computers must have ADSI 2.5 or later installed on them. ADSI 2.5 is automatically installed with Windows 2000 and therefore does not require installation. In a typical organization, there are often diverse types of directories in use. These may include Windows NT directories, application-specific directories, and directories of network resources. This variety can cause problems for end users, developers, and administrators. A user may encounter problems while trying to log on to multiple resources. An administrator may face difficulties in maintaining network resources on diverse systems. As a developer, it may need to write an application to seamlessly interact with several different directories. [5] The administrator is expected to connect with the server of the particular domain with the IP Address. The changes administrator makes to that window will automatically take effect in the server. Active Directory provides a straightforward structuring of a complicated network of computers. An Active Directory system is arranged in a hierarchical tree. Each node represents a resource or service available on the network and contains a set of properties that can be retrieved and manipulated. A directory is an information source used to store information about interesting objects. A telephone directory stores information about telephone subscribers. In a file system, the directory stores information about files. In a distributed computing system or a public computer network such as the Internet, there are many interesting objects: printers, fax servers, applications, and databases. Users want to find and use these objects. Administrators want to manage how these objects are used. 10

3 A directory service differs from a directory in that a service is both the information source and the functionality that makes the information available to users. For example, a directory service stores information about objects such as users. That information can be used for identification when communicating with network resources, but also as the definition of where the object fits into the overall hierarchical scheme. Scope is the limits defined for searching the tree or sub trees. [6] Active directory schema Active Directory schemas define attributes for directory objects in much the same way that database schemas define structures for databases. This schema information is stored with an Active Directory hierarchy to help expedite member searches on large directories. Security Active Directory provides a variety of security tools such as Secure Sockets Layer and Kerberos encryption to create a flexible security environment for developers. [7] Providers and objects Each type of directory system can access with the DirectoryEntry component has a specific directory protocol (called a service provider) that allows to access and work with that directory's contents. ADSI was created to eliminate the difficulty of switching back and forth between these protocols by enabling developers to access all of the protocols through a single interface. When an instance of a Directory Entry component is created, specify a path for it that indicates the type of provider in use on the system are accessing and the object to which it wants to bind. The following table lists the service providers can access and the identifiers for each. Service provider Windows NT version 5.0, Windows 2000,or Windows XP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Novell NetWare Directory Service Novell Netware 3.x Path identifier WinNT://path LDAP://path NDS://path NWCOMPAT://path Each service provider makes available to a different set of objects with associated data and behaviors that can access and manipulate. These objects correspond to items and resources in the directory tree for that namespace. Many of the providers have objects in common. For example, all of the providers give access to a group object that represents a group account, and a user object that represents a user account. For the Windows NT service providers, can access domains, computers, print queues, and sessions. For the LDAP provider, can access organizations, locality, and Root DS Entry (rootdse) objects. The Root DS Entry is a required set of operational attributes that the user can read to find out fundamental characteristics of the directory and the server. The rootdse is required only for LDAP providers. [8] Active directory objects Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI) is a programmatic interface for Microsoft Windows Active Directory. It enables the applications to interact with diverse directories on a network, using a single interface. Visual Studio.NET and the.net Framework make it easy to add ADSI functionality with the Directory Entry and Directory Searcher components. ADSI helps in creating applications that perform common administrative tasks, such as backing up databases, accessing printers, and administering user accounts. ADSI makes it possible for to: Log on once to work with diverse directories. The DirectoryEntry component class provides username and password properties that can be entered at runtime and communicated to the Active Directory object are binding to. Use a single application programming interface (API) to perform tasks on multiple directory systems by offering the user a variety of protocols to use The DirectoryServices namespace provides the classes to perform most administrative functions. Perform "rich querying" on directory systems. ADSI technology allows for searching for an object by specifying two query dialects: SQL and LDAP. Access and use a single, hierarchical structure for administering and maintaining diverse and complicated network configurations by accessing an Active Directory tree. Searching directories Using the Directory Searcher class to search and perform queries against an Active Directory hierarchy using the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). This helps to perform queries based on properties (Rich Query) of an object that is located in a large directory to find a specific object by one or more of its property values. Administering directories 11

4 The Directory Entry component can be bound to an object in the directory to perform administrative tasks, such as modifying properties or monitoring informational changes. For example, suppose that a company allows employees to place online orders for books needed in their jobs. Spending limits vary depending on the employee's position. When an employee places a book order, the company's tracking application can use a Directory Entry component to verify information about the employee's position and spending limits. If the limit is exceeded, the Directory Entry component can retrieve the address for the employee and his manager and can then send additional information to both of them. Both the Directory Entry component and Directory Searcher component require that have the ADSI SDK or ADSI runtime installed on r computer in order to create applications with their functionality. ADSI 2.5 is installed by default with Windows NT version 5.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. When using a previous version of Windows, you can install the SDK from the Microsoft web site. WMI ARCHITECTURE The monitoring module is based on Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). Windows Management Instrumentation is a scalable system management infrastructure that uses a single consistent, standards-based, extensible, object-oriented interface. WMI provides a standard way to interact with system management information and the underlying WMI APIs. The figures below represent the architecture of WMI. Figure 2. WMI Architecture Windows management instrumentation (WMI) WMI is used primarily by system management application developers and administrators to access and manipulate system management information. Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) technology is an implementation of the Desktop Management Task Force's (DMTF) Web-based Enterprise Management (WBEM) initiative for Microsoft Windows operating systems. It takes advantage of the DMTF Common Information Model (CIM) to represent managed objects in Windows-based environments. CIM is a data model, a conceptual view of the environment, that unifies and extends existing instrumentation and management standards (SNMP, DMI, CMIP, and so on) using object-oriented constructs and design. Web-based Enterprise Management is an industrywide DMTF initiative that supports uniform system, network, and applications management based on the Common Information Model, also a DMTF standard. The goals of this initiative are to develop standardized technology for accessing management information in an enterprise environment, and to enable the development of tools and technologies that reduce the complexity and costs of enterprise management. By providing such standards, this initiative contributes to the industry-wide efforts to lower total cost of ownership (TCO). TCO refers to the administrative costs associated with computer hardware and software purchases, deployment and configuration, hardware and software updates, training, maintenance, and technical support. The WBEM initiative proceeds through the cooperative efforts of the founding member companies of WBEM, BMC Software Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Compaq Computer Corp., Intel Corp., and Microsoft Corp., as well as many other companies active in the DMTF. Windows management instrumentation technology The Windows Management Instrumentation technology is a management infrastructure that supports the syntax of CIM, the Managed Object Format (MOF), and a common programming interface. The Managed Object Format is used to define the structure and contents of the CIM schema in human and machine-readable form. Windows Management Instrumentation offers a powerful set of services, including query-based information retrieval and event notification. These services and the management data are accessed through a Component Object Model (COM) programming interface. Additionally, support for scripting is provided in the WMI scripting interface. The architecture of WMI is described below The Windows Management Instrumentation technology provides: Access to monitor, command, and control any entity through a common, unifying set of interfaces, irrespective of the underlying instrumentation mechanism. WMI is an access mechanism. A logically organized, consistent model of Windows operation, configuration, and status. 12

5 A COM application programming interface (API) for providing and accessing management information. Interoperability with other Windows management services. This approach simplifies developers' efforts to create integrated and wellarchitected management solutions. A flexible architecture. This allows vendors to extend the information model to cover managed objects, such as devices and applications, by writing code modules called providers (previously called WBEM providers). Providers are the means to connect Windows Management Instrumentation with one or more sources of management information. Extensions to the Windows Driver Model (WDM) to capture instrumentation data and events from device drivers and kernel-side components. A powerful event mechanism that allows management events to be asserted and associated with other management information. These notifications can also be forwarded to local or remote management applications. A rich query language that enables detailed queries of the information model. A scriptable API that developers can use to create management applications. The scripting API supports several languages, including Microsoft Visual Basic ; Visual Basic for Applications; Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript); Microsoft JScript, and Perl. Additionally, we can use the Windows Scripting Host or Internet Explorer to write scripts that use this interface. Windows Scripting Host, like Internet Explorer, serves as a controller engine of ActiveX scripting engines. Windows Scripting Host supports scripts written in VBScript, JScript, and Perl. By extending CIM and supporting MOF and a common programming interface, the Windows Management Instrumentation technology enables diverse applications to transparently manage a variety of enterprise components. WINSOCK PROTOCOL Name commonly used for the Windows Sockets programming interface, used to provide a protocolindependent transport interface. Windows CE supports most of the common Winsock functions. The Windows Sockets specification defines a binary-compatible network-programming interface for Microsoft Windows. Windows Sockets are based on the UNIX sockets implementation in the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD, release 4.3) from the University of California at Berkeley. The specification includes both BSD-style socket routines and extensions specific to Windows. Using Windows Sockets permits the application to communicate across any network that conforms to the Windows Sockets API. On Win32, Windows Sockets provide for thread safety. Many network software vendors support Windows Sockets under network protocols including Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Xerox Network System (XNS), Digital Equipment Corporation s DECNet protocol, Novell Corporation s Internet Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packed Exchange (IPX/SPX), and others. Although the present Windows Sockets specification defines the sockets abstraction for TCP/IP, any network protocol can comply with Windows Sockets by supplying its own version of the dynamic link library (DLL) that implements Windows Sockets. Examples of commercial applications written with Windows Sockets include Window servers X, terminal emulators, and electronic mail systems.a socket is a communication endpoint an object through which a Windows Sockets application sends or receives packets of data across a network. A socket has a type and is associated with a running process, and it may have a name. Currently, sockets generally exchange data only with other sockets in the same communication domain, which uses the Internet Protocol Suite. Both kinds of sockets are bi-directional: they are data flows that can be communicated in both directions simultaneously (full-duplex). Two socket types are available: Stream Sockets Stream sockets provide for a data flow without record boundaries - a stream of bytes. Streams are guaranteed to be delivered and to be correctly sequence and unduplicated. Datagram Sockets Datagram sockets support a recordoriented data flow that is not guaranteed to be delivered and may not be sequenced as sent or unduplicated. OVERALL REMOTE SERVER ACCESS ARCHITECTURE Remote Desktop Controller Server Remote Desktop Controller Server is the server program, which sends its desktop window in real time to a client program over the Internet or a modem, or a connection oriented networking system. Remote Desktop Controller Client The Remote Desktop Controller Client is the client program, which displays the desktop of a machine running 13

6 the server program. Here we have to connect the client program with the specified IP address of the server machine. Thereafter, the client machine can have a talk and also control the server in some ways. 5. Conclusion Thus the project was initiated to work in a more efficient and personal way. This enables the administrator to keep in track of his network. The tool is basically built using VB.NET with the help of ADSI and WMI technologies. A tool to manage and monitor remote machines on a network has been devised and has been found working in a networked environment with accuracy and consistency. The developed system works on a Windows environment with the application installed on a Windows 2000 machine. The tool proves to be of great aid to an administrator to control remote machines in the network. 6. Future Enhancements Enhancing a system is the most basic thing for development. A thing is not considered to be efficient if it is not developed and adapts to the advancements in the technology. So, there must be a consistent development in any system. A system may appear to be efficient enough at that time, but as time progresses the system should also be enhanced to the level of advancement in the technology. price of safety in an active network. IEEE/KICS Journal of Communications and Networks (JCN), March [2] K. G. Anagnostakis, M.W. Hicks, S. Ioannidis, A. D. Keromytis, and J. M. Smith. Scalable resource control in active networks. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Working Conference on Active Networks (IWAN), October [3] K. G. Anagnostakis, S. Ioannidis, S. Miltchev, and J. M. Smith. Practical network applications on a lightweight active management environment. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Working Conference on Active Networks (IWAN), October [4] Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Computer Networks, Fourth edition (2003) Prentice Hall of India Publications. [5] Noel Jerke, Visual Basic6 The Complete Reference, (1999) Tata McGraw Hill, New Delhi. [6] [7] [8] Work Groups Considering the future enhancement of this tool, it could be done to work fine for workgroups in the network. At present it satisfies all possible needs of network having domain. Multiple Servers This system can also be enhanced to access multiple servers by single client. This can be done by dividing the client desktop to view the different server s desktop. Processing Speed The processing speed of the tool can also be improved. Since desktop capturing undergoes compression and decompression it is reasonably slow. Similarly when loading the hosts of a specific domain if it is a huge network the process is slowed. This is expected to overcome in the days to come. References [1] D. S. Alexander, P. B. Menage, W. A. Arbaugh, A. D. Keromytis, K. Anagnostakis, and J. M. Smith. The 14

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