Network Configuration with Plug-and-Play Components

The installation and configuration of a new network component is a difficult task due to the heterogeneous nature of today’s telecommunication networks. This task requires substantial effort and extensive expertise on the part of the network administrator because he has to set hardware and software attributes for a variety of such components to make them work together. We propose a solution to this problem, i.e. to automate the installation and configuration process of new component using the plug-and-play concept. We have taken the idea of plug-and-play hardware from modern operating systems to plug-and-play network components in the Network Management domain. A plug-and-play network component is defined as a component that is capable of configuring both itself and other cooperating components in a network without human intervention. Several plug-and-play schemes are possible but we have implemented a scheme based on mobile agents. This paper describes the plug-and-play concept for network components and focuses on an implementation of the plugand-play scheme that is based on mobile agent technology. The paper also addresses the related issues and assumptions and concludes with a brief evaluation of the scheme.