Communication Manager has a virtual NIC for a dedicated Ethernet connection for management functions. You can use System Management Interface (SMI) to manage the Avaya products using this dedicated Ethernet connection. The dedicated network connection administration persists after a Communication Manager upgrade.

With the dedicated network connection, you can create separate channels for the user functions and the management functions. You can use the dedicated network connection for the management functions to manage the system, perform IA scans, and update the firmware. You can also use the network connection for other network services such as system logging, backup, NTP, and WebLM licensing. For the user functions, you can set up more specific user access controls. You can also have more specific auditing processes to detect insider threats.