Note: Many topics at this site are reduced versions of the text in "The Encyclopedia of Networking and Telecommunications." Search results will not be as extensive as a search of the book's CD-ROM.

Fault management is the ability to locate faults, determine the cause, and make corrections. It also includes implementing fault-tolerant hardware systems and fault-tolerant procedures, as discussed under "Fault Tolerance and High Availability." Fault management involves the following:

• Continuous monitoring and the collection of statistics on workstations, traffic conditions, and usage so potential faults can be forecast and avoided


• Setting threshold conditions that can warn you with alarms of conditions on the network that may cause failures


• Setting alarms that warn of performance degradation on servers, routers, and wide area network links


• Setting alarms that warn of resource usage problems, such as a server that is almost out of disk space


• The ability to remotely control workstations and other devices


• The ability to perform some or all of the preceding tasks from a single management location, which may be extremely remote from some sites

Fault management requires certain procedures, personnel, and equipment to handle alarm conditions, as listed here:

• Using pager devices to warn staff members who are not at the office


• Testing equipment such as protocol analyzers


• Preparing an inventory of spare parts


• Writing procedures that unskilled users can follow, if necessary


• Ensuring proper documentation of all systems

Management software and management protocols are available to handle some of these tasks. Some companies outsource these tasks. See "Network Management" for more information.

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