Fault Management
Fault management is a discipline covering the process of detection, isolation and diagnosis and solution of faults occurring in information technologies and telecommunication networks. It is an important function developed to ensure uninterrupted and reliable operation of the network and systems. This process aims to manage faults caused by hardware or software failures in network components and identify network performance degradation and minimise service interruptions.
The process also includes analysing errors that have occurred in the past and taking the necessary measures to prevent similar problems in the future. The tools and software used in this process enable network administrators to instantly see the overall status of the network and quickly intervene in critical errors. Fault management is particularly important in large-scale networks and complex systems as even a small error can lead to widespread service disruption. An effective strategy increases operational efficiency and ensures network reliability and improves the user experience.
Types Of Fault Management System
These management systems are tools used to monitor, report and manage and resolve defects in software development and IT processes. They have been developed to improve software quality and detect problems early and improve user experience. System models that perform these functions are listed as follows.
Manual: These are systems in which errors are manually reported or tracked and resolved by users. Such systems are implemented through tools such as e-mail and documents or simple databases. Although they are low cost and suitable for small projects their scalability is limited and tracking errors can be time consuming. Automated: These are systems that automatically monitor and report errors that occur in applications or servers. These systems are implemented using error reporting tools or log analysis software. Tools such as Sentry, Rollbar and Raygun are examples of this type. These systems monitor and report faults in real time and can be used effectively in large-scale projects. Integration and installation costs can be high. Integrated: Systems that are integrated with other stages of the software development process. Such systems can be integrated with tools such as code version control continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD) and test management. Azure DevOps, GitLab and Jenkins are examples of such systems. It detects errors early in the software development cycle and accelerates the solution process but installation and integration processes can be complex. Mobile: They are error monitoring and management systems specially designed for mobile applications. Such systems monitor and report errors that occur in mobile applications. Firebase Crashlytics and Instabug are examples of such systems. Although they are ideal for tracking mobile platform-specific bugs and monitoring user feedback these systems may be limited to mobile applications only. Cloud based: They are systems that run and are managed on the cloud. These systems offer flexibility and scalability and can be accessed from anywhere. Examples of such systems include Splunk, New Relic and Datadog. Although they offer high security and data backup facilities cloud costs may increase over time and there may be concerns about data security. Fault Management Process
The process starts with the identification of the fault. This can be through user feedback automated monitoring systems or manual testing. The identified error is reported in detail and recorded in the error management system. During the reporting phase details such as when, how and under what conditions the error occurred are gathered. The fault is then prioritized and assigned to the relevant team for resolution. The team analyses the error and determines the root cause and produces a solution. Once the defect is resolved the correction is tested and verified. At the conclusion of the process, an analysis is performed to determine the causes and circumstances of the error. This step is important to prevent similar errors in the future.
Network Fault Management Tools
Network fault management tools are software and hardware used to detect, monitor and analyse and resolve faults in the network infrastructure.
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM): It is a powerful tool used to monitor network performance and detect errors. It monitors the performance of devices and instantly detects and reports problems occurring in the network. It also provides information on issues such as bandwidth usage and delays by analysing network traffic. Nagios: It monitors network devices or services and applications and detects potential errors and alerts users. Nagios has a customisable infrastructure and offers extensible modules to manage different types of network faults. Wireshark: It is a tool used to analyse network traffic and examine packets in detail. This software is utilized to identify network issues and maintain network security. By providing real-time packet analysis it helps Wireshark spot network anomalies and potential security risks. WhatsUp Gold: It monitors the overall performance of the network and tracks devices and applications, detects and reports errors. WhatsUp Gold helps network administrators solve network problems quickly with its user-friendly interface. 
