virtual network element (VNE)

Virtual Network Elements (VNE) simulate manageable network components. Each individual Virtual Network Element manages one instance. To obtain an up-to-date model of the individual network elements and the complete network, the VNE elements must be connected to the components.

Once a Virtual Network Element is created and activated, appropriate programs can automatically create up-to-date operational models, including physical and logical configurations.

Virtual Network Elements are identified by their names and their IP addresses. Each individual VNE element corresponds to a single network element. If a network element has multiple IP addresses, one must be selected as the designated IP address. The IP address is used to identify the VNE element and, since the Virtual Network element corresponds to the network element, the IP address is always presented as soon as the IP address of the network element is requested. Two VNEs can never monitor one and the same network element.