The goal of this five-part Reference Guide is to assist you with understanding and successfully employing the top 5 network management protocols. Building upon the very simplest in Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), this guide explores the latest network management solutions. 

The Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) was developed to solve the problems caused by loops in a bridged, or switched, topology. Read this paper for useful knowledge of the Spanning Tree Protocol - knowledge that will be useful for the CCNA exam. 

ECI's 1Net architecture helps service providers converge core Ethernet and DWDM networks for increased service flexibility while lowering operating and capital expenses. ECI's converged network not only addresses the needs of operators, but also sets a new standard for network efficiency and service quality. Read this whitepaper to find out more. 

Real-time NetFlow Analyzer displays inbound and outbound traffic separately for granular analysis that makes problem diagnosis quick and easy. Even better, you can view the historical NetFlow data broken out by application, conversation, domain, endpoint, and protocol. That way you know exactly how your bandwidth is being used and by whom. 

In the vast and complicated virtual desktop ecosystem, finding the right balance of protocols, bandwidth and third-party tools will make it a success in your data center. 

Organizations tend to create a great amount of similar data and deduplication makes it easier to manage this data when they do. Read this white paper to learn about deduplication and how you can use it as a fundamental tool in your storage architecture. 

Customers are confronting the confusing number of options and configurations when it comes to backing up and restoring their network attached storage servers. This paper addresses this by describing the best practices for protecting and recovering NAS devices utilizing the Network Data Management Protocol. 

In this edition of Reality Check, telecom analyst and resident expert Jon Arnold discusses the five things you should know about SIP. Take a listen and learn about SIP trunking, presence, mobile SIP and more. 

The way a switch learns Ethernet (MAC) addresses is by inspecting the Ethernet frame and recording the source MAC address in a dynamic table. The switch will also associate a learned MAC address with a port. It can then make intelligent forwarding decisions based on the destination MAC address. This white paper illustrates the process. 

For many, the world of communications is mystifying, shrouded in complexity and unknowns with equal parts science and magic, and 100% scary. This article demystifies what a network is, breaking it down into human terms. 

Read this paper to read about the breadth of technologies Blue Coat offers in a single platform that enable service providers to differentiate their MLPS solution. 

In this article we first explore the motivation for protocol security solutions, ones that are capable of protecting data in transit. We describe several solutions, at various layers of the open systems interconnection (OSI) stack, addressing several key network and platform threats. 

Check out this white paper for a discussion on network changes; IP address management; Core Network Services solutions; and the benefits of integrated, automated IP.