Layla: A Pattern-based Framework for Network Management Interfaces

Developing network management interfaces (NMIs) is a challenging task involving multiple software layers, application programming interfaces (APIs), specification languages and tools. In order to ease the job of NMI developers, we have developed Layla, a prototype application framework supporting Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) NMIs. Layla is based on a heterogeneous yet coherent system of design patterns that comprises previously published patterns, several new and domain-specific patterns taken from NMI standards, as well as a couple of basic patterns relevant in Layla’s API. Our research indicates that frameworks can indeed be built for a domain as complex as NMIs, and that they have a positive impact on both the development process and the resulting NMI products. Also, our experience confirms that the expected benefits of using design patterns, such as flexibility, reusability, and documentation value, do hold, yet that building pattern-based frameworks is a highly iterative and demanding activity. In this paper, we discuss APIs for NMIs and the need for application frameworks, detail the Layla framework and its system of patterns, describe NMI development based on Layla, and put our framework into perspective.