FNT Command Interface

StableNet® Use Case – Discovery & Inventory

Discovery &
Inventory

Network Configuration & Change

Fault Management &
Root Cause Analysis

Performance &
Service

The FNT Command Interface by StableNet®
An Automated Solution for Up-to-Date Network & Service Planning, Rollout & Maintenance

Capture active inventory data and enjoy an automated, consolidated, & consistently up-to-date lead database (CMDB) to get your network up & running (and make sure it stays that way).

Background & Motivation

Plan – Build – Run – Maintain: These four main pillars are the foundation for establishing and running a re liable network infrastructure. An iterative process, networks are constantly evolving and changing with new technologies, improved solutions and bandwidth requirements. One thing, however, remains constant for enterprise and telco network operators – the need for a centralized, up-to-date database to store informa tion about what you have, where it’s located, and how it’s being used. This database needs to be populated from the outset with all of the device information and should be constantly updated with current online status and activity.
The Configuration Management Database (CMDB) by FNT Command® is a valuable tool for consolidating the entirety of your IT infrastructure library. From cable management and offline hardware to complex services and applications, FNT Command® offers you the opportunity to manually map dependencies, locations of equipment, administrators and more. However, manually populating the CMDB is time-consuming, error prone, and tedious, requiring constant tweaking as your network changes. Discovery and inventory require a further step – a comparison of how things should be and how they actually are once your network is up and running. This is where the FNT interface with the StableNet® Discovery Module comes in.

StableNet® Solution

The StableNet® REST interface provides a state-of-the art, flexible way for FNT Command® to efficiently retrieve network- and system-based inventory information. With the unique ability to automatically populate inventory data with device information directly gathered from the network infrastructure, the solution was designed to synchronize and enrich the FNT Command® inventory. Physical and logical ICT infrastructure, devices, modules, interfaces and interconnections are all discovered by StableNet® Agents and stored in the central database of the StableNet® Server. The discovered device data is then exported into the FNT Command®database to update and enhance the inventory data with regularly updated device data.
The integration of the StableNet® Discovery Module is a straight-forward process. Either the CMDB itself or other tables (e.g. databases, CSV lists) can be used as possible data sources. The use of an existing IP management system provides a good basis for a completely new CMDB or for monitoring infrastructure changes. For discovery, a rule-based, customer-specific adaptation to the existing infrastructure of the customer network takes place at regular intervals. The captured and updated data is passed on to the CMDB in a standard interface. This data is also available to other systems. With CMDB data enrichment, the collected information is transferred depending on customer requirements.
Based on this information, it is also possible to add additional organizational, regional, device and infrastructure data within FNT Command®. This means that not only do you have an automated solution, but one that can be highly customized based on your own needs and specifications.
Fig. 1: The Typical Workflow for StableNet® Integration with FNT Command®

Optional Enhancements

The StableNet® Discovery Module is just the tip of the iceberg. Further Modules include:

  • Automated Root Cause Analysis & Fault
  • Capacity Metric Module for Planning
  • Automated Network Performance Management
  • Simplified onboarding of new devices, including Zero Touch Provisioning
  • Extensive topology graphs, weathermaps and automated reporting
  • And much, much more

Benefits & Results

Whether you are looking to bring a new, multi-vendor and –technology NOC online, updating your current database of devices and services, or adding new equipment to your network, the integrated solution that StableNet® offers to FNT Command® users is immense. With the highly valuable StableNet® REST interface, not only do you have an automated workflow to populate your CMDB database, but also a way to constantly track and update based on current status. After all, you need a network management solution that allows you to have an up-to-date overview of what is actually online in order to remain confident that your infrastructure is performing as it should.
Once you’ve implemented the Discovery Module by StableNet®, you are one step closer to an integrated, automated network and service management solution. With extended modules for automated Root Cause, Fault, and Network Performance management, not to mention Zero Touch Provisioning, Capacity Analysis, Reporting and much more, you’ll begin to see what makes StableNet® the industry-leading platform for a holistic approach to managing and optimizing today’s global networks.

Key Benefits

  • Up-to-date overview of all live devices on
    network, including thresholds
  • Single database consolidating FNT Command® and StableNet®
  • Automated updates for End-of-Life, bottlenecks, and defective equipment
  • Simplified networking tasks for cost-savings and better ITIL compliance
  • Increased data quality and reduced inconsistencies for actualized status
  • Quicker implementation of CMDB database for initial setup
  • Long-term solution for automated network inventory maintenance
  • Access to an entire portfolio of further automated processes and workflows

Request the full use case

Fill out the form and have the complete use case emailed to you immediately as a PDF.

Ready for multi-vendor network management?

Discover our Automated Network & Service Management Solution

Cookie Consent with Real Cookie Banner