This paper develops an analytical framework to model and compare centralized and distributed approaches for network management. Each scheme is evaluated in terms of performance and scalability for two applications, network monitoring, and data searching. The results support the intuitive argument that distributed approaches can have considerable advantages over traditional centralized network management, but a single approach may not be best for all types of applications. Instead, the most appropriate approach for a specific application should be selected after a careful evaluation. The modeling framework presented is intended to quantify the tradeoffs between different approaches to lend a basis for the selection decision.

This paper develops an analytical framework to model and compare different distributed approaches for network monitoring. The performance of each scheme is evaluated in terms of traffic, completion time, and processing and memory resources. It is shown that distributed approaches have considerable advantages over traditional centralized network management, but a single distributed approach may not be best for all applications. Analytical results suggest that the weak mobility approach performs well for routine monitoring, and the mobile agent approach is well suited for searching types of applications. However, the best approach for a given application will depend on many parameters requiring careful quantification.