  This paper proposes a framework based completely on Java technology. The
advantages brought about by the use of Java in network management answer some
critical problems existing in current systems. With this work we address
several factors concerning interoperability and security in heterogeneous
network environments. Specifically, we present a manager application and a
multithreaded agent engine that make use of a lightweight communication
mechanism for message exchange. A MIB parser is introduced to accelerate
handling of incoming management requests, and the RSA public-key cryptosystem
is implemented to provide both encryption and authentication features. Results,
measured in terms of response time, compare favourably with other published
work and standard management frameworks.
