Network management is an afterthought in many networks. This is a pity because the network designer can do many things to facilitate network management. In most large organizations, the job of network manager is considered "operations," while network design is done by a different implementation group. Frequently, these two groups report to different departments of the company.
If a network can be managed easily, then it is inherently more reliable. Thus, manageability is a fundamental design goal for a good network. Before I launch into a discussion of design implications for manageability, I need to spend some time talking about what I mean by network management.