Understanding SNMP

Overview

This following information describes .

Introduction

Network management software allows a network manager to:

monitor and control network components
isolate problems and find their causes
interrogate devices such as a host computer, routers, switches, and bridges to determine their status
obtain statistics about the networks to which they attach

Manager/Agent Paradigm

Network management software follows the conventional client-server model.

To avoid confusion with other network communication protocols that use the client/server terminology, network management software uses the following terms:

manager

client application that runs on the manager’s computer
agent

application that runs on a network device

The manager uses conventional transport protocols (e.g., TCP or UDP) to establish communication with the agent. Managers and agents then exchange requests and responses according to the network management protocol.

SNMP

Your Momentum 170ENT11001 module maybe configured with the SNMP, which is the standard protocol used to manage a local area network (LAN). SNMP defines exactly how a manager communicates with an agent.

The SNMP defines the format of the requests that a manager sends to an agent and the format of the replies that the agent returns to the manager.

The MIB

Each object to which SNMP has access must be defined and given a unique name. Both the manager and agent programs must agree on the names and the meanings of the fetch and store operations. The set of all objects that SNMP can access is known as an .

The Private MIB

Schneider obtained a private MIB, Groupe_Schneider (3833). Under the Groupe Schneider private MIB is a Transparent Factory Ethernet private MIB. The Transparent Factory SNMP embedded component controls the Schneider Electric Transparent Factory Private MIB function.

Choosing an SNMP Manager

If you have an SNMP manager operating now, you may continue to use that SNMP manager. If you are selecting an SNMP manager, there are many SNMP managers on the market, and you may use any of those managers.

More SNMP Information

SNMP and related subjects are well-documented on Web sites and in many books.

As of this writing, a useful description appears on Microsoft’s technical pages.

Browse to http://www.microsoft.com/technet. Use the Search function to find Network Management for Microsoft Networks Using SNMP.
Use an Internet search engine to search for an SNMP introduction, an SNMP tutorial, and other topics on SNMP.
The SNMP FAQ from the news group comp.protocols.snmp appears on many dot-com and dot-org Web pages. Search for the combination of comp.protocols.snmp and FAQ.
A list of print books about SNMP appears in the SNMP FAQ. In addition, a search of most online retail-book Web sites will yield a substantial list of titles.