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A work domain analysis for network management

Abstract:

Computer networks are pervasive and critical to the operation of today's businesses. While most of us take computer networks for granted, network managers who must configure, operate, and fix faults in computer networks face a daunting task that becomes more complex everyday. Ecological interface design has been shown to be a promising approach for complex systems such as power plants or petrochemical systems. Computer networks are a very different work domain characterized by rapid technological change, extreme decentralization, and the existence of "soft" components. This paper presents the first work domain analysis of this new domain creating an abstraction hierarchy for general signal transfer systems and general computing networks. It shows how the abstraction hierarchy can be applied to this new domain and presents the initial work on an ecological interface design for network management.