During network operation, for instance, a management station periodically polls individual devices in its domain for the values of local variables, such as devices counters or performance parameters.
The main objective is the design of management functions that are located in- or close to the network elements and services to be managed, in most of the cases co-located on the same nodes; as target approach, they would be co-designed with the network elements and services.
The vision of the INM paradigm of embedding management capabilities in the network.
The benefit of the resulting distributed in-bound network management architecture - is the inherent support for self-management features, integral automation and autonomicity capabilities, easier use of management tools and empowering the network with inbuilt cognition and intelligence.
The design space of INM is spanned along seven axes: UMF – Unified Management Framework[7] is being developed by the UniverSelf project, as the means of integrating the design space for INM.