Check out the new USENIX Web site.

USENIX Home . About USENIX . Events . membership . Publications . Students
LISA '03 — Abstract

Pp. 247-256 of the Proceedings

Splat: A Network Switch/Port Configuration Management Tool

Cary Abrahamson, Michael Blodgett, Adam Kunen, Nathan Mueller, and David Parter, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Abstract

We present the design and implementation of Splat, a tool for managing network edge switch ports and port-to-host configurations. We discuss the need for such a tool as part of a major network upgrade, and our discovery that most existing tools ignore this area or approach it from a core network point of view.

Important design considerations include the current procedures and habits of our system administration team, using open source components, and the tool's incremental development and deployment. In particular, the requirement for accurate configuration information in a database proves to be an effective means of enforcing correct procedures.

Splat enables us to administer an increasingly complex network by providing a simple interface for routine tasks as well as better diagnostics, reporting, and monitoring. Its reliable configuration management enhances the security and performance of our network.

  • View the full text of this paper in HTML orPDF.
    Click here
if you have forgotten your passwordUntil October 2004, you will need your USENIX membership identification in order to access the full papers. The Proceedings are published as a collective work, © 2003 by the USENIX Association. All Rights Reserved. Rights to individual papers remain with the author or the author's employer. Permission is granted for the noncommercial reproduction of the complete work for educational or research purposes. USENIX acknowledges all trademarks within this paper.

  • If you need the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it from Adobe's site.

To become a USENIX Member, please see our Membership Information.

?Need help? Use our Contacts page.

Last changed: 7 Nov. 2003 aw
Technical Program
LISA '03 Home
USENIX home