NETWORK MANAGEMENT WITH SECURED MOBILE AGENT

IntroductionMobile Agents equipped with intelligence,of-fer new technology that helps automate NetworkManagement activities,which are increasingly be-coming complex due to exponential growth of in-ternet users,and thus demanding higher levels ofhuman manager expertise and involvement.Well-known network management protocols that areused to monitor and manage network devices in-clude Simple Network Management Protocol ( SN-MP) and Common Management Information Proto-col ( CMIP) ,SNMP be…     

Measuring the performance of intermodal freight terminals

As the interface point between road and rail, intermodal freight terminals (IFTs) are critical elements in the total freight distribution chain. This paper addresses the twin objectives of reducing freight transport costs and improving customer service by putting forward a number of indicators designed to measure the performance of IFTs. Each of the three major performance areas, namely customer service, operational efficiency and terminal productivity are discussed in detail.

A methodology is put forward which enables operating strategies to be evaluated. Computer simulation is used in order to arrive at strategies which reduce operating and capital costs and satisfy customer service requirements. The simulation model outputs include performance measures related to customer service such as mean waiting times required for loading and unloading of containers, as well as productivity measures of terminal operations such as lifting equipment utilisation.