Chapter 12
Network Management
True-False Questions
The following are possible True/False questions for tests. The statement is given and the answer
is provided. The level of difficulty (easy, medium, hard) and the section(s) relevant to the topic
are also furnished.
1.
Network managers manage the configuration management of their networks as one of
their key tasks.
2.
Network management is the process to operating, monitoring, and controlling the
network to ensure it works as intended and provides value to its users.
3.
If managers do not pay enough attention to planning and organizing the network,
they are going to end up being proactive vs. reactive in solving network problems.
4.
Due to changing communication technologies, most companies have combined voice
and data communications functions.
5.
One of the least common configuration activities is adding and deleting user
accounts.
6.
One common configuration activity is updating the software on the client computers
in the network.
7.
Desktop Management software requires managers to install software on client
computers manually.
8.
In many organizations, configuration documentation takes the form of a large set of
network diagrams, one for each LAN, BN, and WAN.
9.
To help in negotiating site licenses for software, it is important to document which
software packages are installed on each client.
10.
User profiles should enable the network manager to identify the access rights (to
particular files and directories) for each user.
11.
Performance management means ensuring the network is operating as efficiently as
possible.
12.
Network management software is used by most large organization to monitor and
control their networks.
13.
Failure control requires developing a decentralized control philosophy for problem
reporting.
14.
Trouble tickets are reports produced by a software package that records fault
information.
15.
Problem statistics are not helpful in determining whether vendors are meeting
contractual maintenance commitments.
16.
To ensure that critical problems get priority over less important ones, problem
prioritizing is needed in a network.
17.
Management reports can be helpful in determining network availability statistics.
18.
Mean Time Between Failures is a statistic that is used to track device reliability.
19.
Quality control charts are a simple tool that can be used by network managers to
monitor network conditions.
20.
Service level agreements specify the exact type of performance and fault conditions
that an organization will accept from a common carrier or Internet service provider.
21.
When users receive training about fundamentals of network use, they become
confident about what they need to do when working on a network.
22.
Network management software is designed primarily to provide automated support
for at least some of the network management functions.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
The following are possible multiple-choice questions for tests. The question is posed and the
answer is provided under the choices. The level of difficulty (easy, medium, hard) and the
section(s) relevant to the topic is also furnished.
1.
___________ is when network managers deal with network breakdowns and
immediate problems, instead of performing tasks according to a well laid out plan.
a. Panicking
b. Multiplexing
c. Multitasking
d. Firefighting
e. Fireflying
2.
Which of the following is not a basic function of a network manager?
a. Web surfing to shop on eBay
b. cost management
c. performance and fault management
d. configuration management
e. end user support
3.
To help reduce firefighting in network management, a network manager should
spend time on ____________ to prevent problems.
a. planning and organizing the network and networking staff
b. LAN manual
c. fault log
d. trouble ticket
e. troubleshooting log
4.
Which of the following is not considered a key management task for running a
network?
a. knowledge of frame relay
b. planning
c. organizing activities
d. directing activities
e. controlling activities
5.
___________ refers to managing and documenting the network’s hardware and
software configuration.
a. Visioning
b. Troubleshooting
c. Firefighting
d. Configuration management
e. Implementation
6.
____________ is also called automatic software distribution.
a. Electronic Data Interchange
b. Software architecture
c. Desktop management
d. Automatic configuration management
e. Email Software Uploading
7.
Desktop management:
a. increases the cost of configuration management over the long term
b. requires managers to install software manually on client computers
c. automatically produces documentation of software installed on each client
computer
d. can not maintain documentation of software installed on each client computer
e. decreases costs in the short term
L.O.: Understand configuration management
8.
Which of the following is typically not a part of configuration documentation?
a. hardware documentation
b. sales brochures for new hardware products being considered by the
organization
c. user profiles
d. network software documentation
e. software documentation
L.O.: Understand configuration management
9.
Documentation for network and application software:
a. usually does not include information about the network operating system
b. usually does not include information about any special purpose network
software
c. includes information about which data files each user can access
d. is not generally needed since networks are comprised of hardware only
e. is important for monitoring adherence to software license rules
L.O.: Understand configuration management
10.
___________ ensures that the network is operating as efficiently as possible.
a. Firefighting
b. Fault tolerance
c. Fault management
d. Performance management
e. Troubleshooting
11.
__________ refers to preventing, detecting, and correcting faults in the network
circuits, hardware, and software.
a. Fault management
b. Fault tolerance
c. Firefighting
d. Performance management
e. Troubleshooting
L.O.: Understand performance and fault management
12.
____________ refers to keeping track of the operation of network circuits to make
sure they are working properly.
a. Network monitoring
b. Fault tolerance
c. Fault management
d. Firefighting
e. Downtime
13.
_____________ are used by many large and small organizations to monitor and
control their networks today.
a. Network management software packages
b. Firefighter packages
c. Fault creating packages
d. Fault toleraters
e. NICs
Answer: A
14.
A __________ is an organizational department that is responsible for monitoring and
fixing overall network problems.
a. mission critical area
b. fault tolerance department
c. network operations center
d. mullion delimiter agency
e. Web surfing guru headquarters
15.
Which of the following would not be included as part of the physical network
parameter statistics monitored by a NMS?
a. stats on multiplexers
b. stats on modems
c. stats on circuits in the network
d. stats on user response times
e. stats on malfunctioning devices
16.
Network devices that are ________ do only what they are designed to do, such as
routing packets, but do not provide any network management information.
a. voice-activated
b. bursty
c. faulty
d. dumb
e. intelligent
17.
_______ are network devices that record data on the messages they process as well as
performing their “normal” message processing functions.
a. Faulty
b. Bursty
c. Trouble tickets
d. Voice-activated
e. Managed devices
18.
____________ are reports produced by numerous network software packages for
recording fault information.
a. Wish list documentation
b. Trouble tickets
c. Smart hub lists
d. Bursty router printouts
e. Roger systems checks
19.
___________ allows the network manager to determine who is responsible for
correcting any outstanding problems.
a. Load balancing
b. MTBF
c. Availability
d. Reliability
e. Problem tracking
20.
_____________ helps ensure that critical problems get priority over less important
ones.
a. Protocol analyzing
b. Problem prioritizing
c. Uptime
d. Availability
e. Reliability
21.
_______ is an indicator of the efficiency of problem management personnel in
correctly finding the root cause of the failure.
a. MTBF
b. Availability
c. MTTRespond
d. MTTDiagnose
e. MTTRate
22.
_____ is a criterion that keeps track of the number of hours or days of continuous
operation before a component fails.
a. MTTDiagnose
b. MTTRespond
c. MTTRepair
d. MTTFix
e. MTBF
23.
______ is a statistic that measures how quickly the staff corrected a network problem
after they arrived at the problem site.
a. MTTDiagnose
b. MTTRespond
c. MTBF
d. MTTFix
e. MTTRate
24.
_____________ is the percentage of time the network is usable by users.
a. Retransmission rate
b. Availability
c. MTTDiagnose
d. Downtime
e. MTBF
25.
A(n) _____________ is a simple tool that can help identify computers/devices or
communication circuits that have higher-than-average error or usage rates.
a. Quality control chart
b. Quality of service
c. Service leveling chart
d. Desktop management
e. Alarm cloud
26.
___________ that are negotiated with providers, such as common carriers, specify
the exact type of performance and fault conditions that an organization will accept.
a. Service level agreements
b. Trouble tickets
c. Smart hub lists
d. Bursty router printouts
e. Wish list documentation
27.
Which of the following is not a main function within end user support?
a. resolving network faults
b. training
c. resolving user problems
d. spin control
e. none of these answers are appropriate
28.
Which of the following is not one of the three major sources of a user’s equipment
problem that can be solved by network support?
a. use of the CD-ROM as a cup holder
b. failed hardware device
c. lack of user knowledge
d. incompatibility between user software and network hardware and software
e. none of the above is an appropriate answer
29.
When a user problem cannot be solved by the help desk at the first level of
resolution, the problem is ___________ to the second level of problem resolution.
a. firefought
b. spun
c. escalated
d. burst
e. delimited
30.
________ is a measure of how much it costs per year to keep one computer
operating.
a. Web gardening
b. Software installation cost
c. Hardware upgrade cost
d. Total cost of ownership
e. Support staff cost
31.
__________ policies attempt to allocate costs associated with a WAN or a mainframe
to specific users.
a. Charge-back
b. Web spinning
c. Internet access fees
d. Support staff billing
e. ESD
32.
Which of the following is not an important step in reducing network costs?
a. moving to fat client architectures
b. automating as much of the network management process as possible
c. developing standards for computers on the network
d. reducing the time spent manually installing new software
e. centralizing help desks
33.
___________ provides information about configuration management on a network.
a. Circuit management software
b. Device management software
c. System management software
d. Application management software
e. Desktop management software
34.
Most organizations strive to resolve between _______ of requests at the first
Level of support in less than an hour.
a. 10% and 15%
b. 20% and 30%
c. 50% and 55%
d. 75% and 85%
e. 95% and 99%
35.
In-class training for end users should focus on
a. security exclusively
b. all network topics
c. 20% of the network functions that the user will use 80% of the time
d. proper data entry
e. the half of the applications that this particular uses most of the time
36.
A costing method that examines only the direct costs of operating the computers,
omitting softer indirect costs such as “wasted” time is referred to as
a. total cost of ownership
b. network cost of ownership
c. transactions costs
d. ownership privileges
e. total direct costs
Short Answer and Essay Questions:
1. What do network managers do, and what are their key tasks? What is the most
important of these tasks in order to avoid constant firefighting?
2. Describe the process of managing network performance and fault management,
including network monitoring, failure control, and problem resolution.
3. Describe “total cost of ownership.”
4. Compare total cost of ownership and network cost of ownership.
5. List and describe 5 steps a network manager might use to reduce costs.
6. What are some differences between LAN and WAN management?
7. Describe why a shift has occurred towards LANs and the Internet.
8. Why is desktop management important?
9. What can be done to improve performance on networks?
10. Why is user training so important?
11. Problems with user equipment (as distinct from network equipment) usually stem
from three major sources. Describe each of these problems.