Extending TCP/IP based services to mobile devices

Abstract

Networked environments play an important role in several corporate scenarios. The reliable operation of the networking infrastructure is not only the backbone for a company's administrative data centres but is also the core for most Information Technology services. Consequently, the successful management of a networked environment poses many difficulties for the network manager, especially when it comes to managing large networks whose services depend on the performance of multiple distinct network devices. Mobile telephony, best utilised as a bearer of voice transactions, offers low-bandwidth data transport, with the advantages of mobility. The mobile phone user can be notified of useful events in near-real time, and react to such events by making use of the same medium. The objective of the project is the development of a tool that offers various benefits to network management, which include network topology visualisation, rule-based event customisation, historical network state simulation and debugging, and finally mobile enhanced network management capabilities. The progress of this project will demonstrate how mobile telephony can successfully integrate with particular services offered by a TCP/IP based infrastructure to enhance their functionality in areas where mobility might be an issue.