The goal of this thesis was to find a network management software suitable for a mid-size network. The main use of the software was to manage mainly switches. The client was the town of Akaa. The thesis discusses the protocols and frameworks of network management as well as the basics of local area networks or LANs.

The practical part of this thesis covers the installation and configuration of two network management softwares called Lansweeper and OpenNMS. This was done in co-operation with the client. In the end the decision was to buy a license for Lansweeper –software.

When examining the two solutions many differences were spotted regarding their purposed use. Lansweeper is a closed source software with emphasis on workstation management. OpenNMS is, as the name suggests, a open-source software. OpenNMS requires more time to spend in configuration and maintenance. With unlimited resources it would have been the optimal choice. However, the client favored ease of use over customization.

The theoretical part of the thesis is based on several books discussing networks as well as articles and news found on the internet. The practical part used several online guides and white papers.

Based on this work the town of Akaa was left with a functional, ready to use network management software. The scalability of the software enables future expansions for example including workstation management and deployment of software.