Quick explanation of SNMP 3

[butchrecon]

What is SNMP?
SNMP is a network management standard widely used with TCP/IP networks and, more recently, with Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) networks. The SNMP standard includes the following Request for Comment (RFC)–compliant constructs:

The Management Information Base II (MIB II), RFC 1213. A set of manageable objects that represent various types of information about the network configuration, such as the list of network interfaces, the routing table, the ARP table, the list of opened TCP connections, or ICMP statistics.
The Structure for Management Information (SMI), RFC 1902. A separate Internet RFC that describes the object syntax for specifying how MIB data can be referenced and stored.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), RFC 1157. A standard that defines how communication occurs between SNMP-capable devices and the types of messages that are allowed.
SNMP provides a method of managing network nodes (servers, workstations, routers, bridges, and hubs) from a centrally located host. SNMP performs its management services by using a distributed architecture of management systems and agents. As shown in Figure 10.1, the centrally located host, which is running network management software, is referred to as an SNMP management system or SNMP manager. Managed network nodes are referred to as SNMP agents.

I wanted to put this here to startoff this new forum! James Collins
Systems Support Engineer
A+, MCP

email: butchrecon@skyenet.net

Please let us (Tek-tips members) know if the solutions we provide are helpful to you. Not only do they help you but they may help others.

 

[dakuneko]

Could anyone give me an actual sample of an SNMP communication? How does MIB-2 come into play in SNMP? ~~~
"In C++, only friends can touch your private parts." - Emmanuel Ackouoy

 

[edcross]

How can one apply this protocol on a practical level. Under what conditions would one use this?

 

[AndreaGilbreath]

Ed, you choose a target (typically a server) to receive your SNMP traps. When that target receives a trap - a notification of some event, and you choose the event - the target passes the trap on to one of numerous software packages. You can buy these packages, but lots are free, open source programs. They can email you, send a network broadcast, page you, call your cell phone or whatever you choose to let you know that this thing, this event - whether it is that a threshold has been reached or that a scary type of protocol packet has been discovered or whatever - has happened. Or they can just log the event so you can browse through the traps at your leisure.

So it can work as a sort of early warning system - and a whole lot more!

 

[Lancbar]

Anyone know of any software that can easily create snmp agents to send traps as well as trap monitoring besides NET-SNMP.