Designing And Implementing A Scalable, Secure Network Using Expert Systems.

Table of Contents

LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... iii

LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................... iv

DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................ v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... vi

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ viii

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1

1.1 Reasons for Network Design ................................................................................. 1

1.2 The Need for Network Design ............................................................................... 2

1.3 What makes up an Expert System? ....................................................................... 3

1.4 Expert Systems and Network Design ................................................................... 10

2. LITERATURE REVIEW AND PROBLEM STATEMENT ......................................................... 13

2.1 Literature Review ................................................................................................ 13

2.2 Problem Statement ............................................................................................. 19

3. METHODS AND MATERIALS ............................................................................................ 22

3.1 Methodology ....................................................................................................... 22

3.2 Questionnaire/Survey Design .............................................................................. 25

3.3 Expert System Framework ................................................................................... 26

4. DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION .................................................................................. 29

4.1 Discussion of Questionnaire Findings .................................................................. 29

4.2 Results from Questionnaire Findings .................................................................. 32

4.3 Concluding Remarks ............................................................................................ 52

5. FRAMEWORK DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ............................................................. 53

5.1 The CLIPS Language ............................................................................................. 53

5.2 Designing the Framework ................................................................................... 58

5.2.1 The Network Design Framework ..................................................................... 58

5.2.1.1 Setup .......................................................................................................... 58

5.2.1.2 Observations .............................................................................................. 62

5.2.2 The Expert System Framework ....................................................................... 63

5.2.2.1 Setup .......................................................................................................... 63

5.3 Implementation of the Framework ..................................................................... 66

5.3.1 Implementation ............................................................................................... 66

ii

5.3.2 Some Issues and Constraints ........................................................................... 67

6. SOME EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS FROM THE APPLICATION ............................................. 70

6.1 Small Network ..................................................................................................... 70

6.1.1 Result Obtained ............................................................................................... 70

6.1.2 Considerations ................................................................................................. 71

6.2 Medium Network ................................................................................................. 71

6.2.1 Results Obtained ............................................................................................. 72

6.2.2 Considerations ...................................................................................................... 73

6.3 Indeterminate Network ....................................................................................... 73

6.3.1 Results Obtained ............................................................................................. 73

6.3.2 Considerations ................................................................................................. 74

6.4 Other Observations ............................................................................................. 74

6.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 75

7. CONCLUSION AND FURTHER WORK ............................................................................... 76

7.1. Significance of the Research ................................................................................ 76

7.2. Chapter Summaries ............................................................................................. 77

7.3 Contribution to Body of Knowledge .................................................................... 78

7.4 Beneficiaries ........................................................................................................ 79

7.5 Recommendations ............................................................................................... 79

7.6 Further Work ....................................................................................................... 79

7.7. Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 80

BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES ............................................................................................... 81

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Questionnaire Used in Research …………………………………. A-1

Appendix B: User Instruction for Running Expert System……………………... B-1

Appendix C: CLIPS Listing for Preliminary Design …………………….……… C-1

iii

LIST OF TABLES

Note: Table captions have been paraphrased to shorten narrative.

Table Pg.

4.2.1.1 What are Expert Systems? ……………………… 33

4.2.1.2 Have you worked with any Expert systems? …… 34

4.2.1.3 Experts Systems enabling less routine work? ….. 35

4.2.1.4 Expert Systems as a way of Replacing human labor? 36

4.2.1.5 Expert Systems to Cover more areas? ………….. 37

4.2.2.1 Who Designed Network? ………………………. 38

4.2.2.2 Network working efficiently? ………………….. 40

4.2.2.3 Constraining Factor for Network Function & Design 41

4.2.2.4 Functioning of Network attributed to Design Fault? 42

4.2.2.5 Functioning of Network attributed to lack of Expertise? 43

4.2.2.6 Network’s ability to take new users ……………….. 45

4.2.2.7 Decision on how Network is designed and maintained 46

4.2.2.8 Expert Systems in relation to human Expert ……….. 48

4.2.2.9 Expert Systems in relation to Skills ………………… 49

4.2.2.10 Expert Systems in relation to Cost ………………… 51

5 The Case of a small Network ……………………… 61

iv

LIST OF FIGURES

Fig. Pg.

1. Two main parts of the Expert system ………………… 3

2. Expert System Kernel Architecture ………………….. 4

3. Expert Systems Architecture …………………………. 8

4. The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) ………. 27

5. The Evolutionary Prototyping ………………………… 27

6. CLIPS Basic Components …………………………….. 54

7. The Defrule Syntax …………………………………… 55

8. CLIPS Syntax for storing facts ……………………….. 55

9. CLIPS Syntax for rules ……………………………….. 55

10. Defrule and Firing of a Rule ………………………….. 57

11. CLIPS Agenda ………………………………………… 57

12. A Screen design for informing user about system ……. 64

13. A screen design to accept input from the user ………… 65