Fcaps Model

NetW420: Enterprise Network Management

FCAPS Model

Professor Laddada

DeVry University

10/23/2012

The FCAPS model was created to simply bring focus and consistency to the area of network management. This model is comprised of 5 key elements which make up the backbone of network management. Those key elements are as follows: Fault Management, Configuration Management, Accounting, Performance Management, and Security.

By simply implementing the FCAPS model a network manager’s life can become just a little bit less hectic in my opinion. Here’s just a basic visual of the FCAPS reference management model and the elements that define it.

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Let’s start out by looking at what the definition of Fault Management is and what it does. According to our book Fault Management includes the following:

• Network Monitoring, including basic alarm management as well as more advanced alarm processing functions

• Fault diagnosis, root cause analysis, and troubleshooting

• Maintaining historical alarm logs

• Trouble ticketing

• Proactive fault management

Again these are just some of the things that make up Fault Management; however Fault Management is not limited to these items. Using alarms on the network can prove to be very helpful, and color coding makes them even more helpful. For example an alarm going off with the color of yellow could let an administrator know that action needs to be taken. An alarm of red could alert an administrator that something critical has taken place and an alarm of green could alert let them know that everything is functioning normal.

Configuration management is simply telling the network what its job function is. This could be initially setting up network equipment to just simply making configuration changes. For example if a new remote site is added to the network then the LAN equipment for that site needs to be configured accordingly in order for it to communicate on the...