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SNMP Agent: This Software Runs On The Hardware or Service Being

SNMP is an application layer protocol used to monitor and manage network devices. It uses a client/server architecture with an SNMP manager as the client, SNMP agents running on devices as servers, and a MIB database. The manager queries agents to retrieve information from the MIB. SNMP can perform reads, writes, and send alerts. The most common PDUs are GET, RESPONSE, and TRAP. SNMP is widely used due to its simplicity and because most networking devices support it by default.

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74 views3 pages

SNMP Agent: This Software Runs On The Hardware or Service Being

SNMP is an application layer protocol used to monitor and manage network devices. It uses a client/server architecture with an SNMP manager as the client, SNMP agents running on devices as servers, and a MIB database. The manager queries agents to retrieve information from the MIB. SNMP can perform reads, writes, and send alerts. The most common PDUs are GET, RESPONSE, and TRAP. SNMP is widely used due to its simplicity and because most networking devices support it by default.

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AhmedAbdelZaher
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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SNMP

Introduction:
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an application-
layer protocol for monitoring and managing network devices on a local area
network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). The purpose of SNMP is to provide
network devices such as routers, servers and printers with a common language for
sharing information with a network management system (NMS).
The protocol’s client/server architecture has three components: an SNMP
Manager, an SNMP Agent and a Management Information Base (MIB). The
SNMP Manager acts as the client, the SNMP Agent acts as the server and the
Management Information Base acts as the server’s database. When the SNMP
Manager asks the Agent a question, the Agent uses the MIB to supply the answer.
There are multiple versions of the SNMP protocol, and SNMP is so popular
that most network devices come pre-bundled with SNMP Agents. In order to make
use of the protocol, however, network administrators must first change the default
configuration settings of their network devices so SNMP Agents can communicate
with the network’s management system.
SNMP is part of the original Internet Protocol Suite as defined by the
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The most recent version of the protocol,
SNMPv3, includes security mechanisms for authentication, encryption and access
control.
Components of SNMP:
There are four main components in an SNMP-managed network:
SNMP agent: This software runs on the hardware or service being
monitored, collecting data about disk space, bandwidth use and other important
network performance metrics. When queried by the SNMP manager, the agent
sends the requested information back to the management system. An agent may
also proactively notify the NMS if an error occurs. Most devices come with an
SNMP agent pre-installed but it typically needs to be turned on and configured.
SNMP-managed network nodes: These are the network devices and services
upon which the agents run.
SNMP manager: The network management system (NMS) is a software
platform that functions as a centralized console to which agents feed information.
The NMS will actively request agents to send updates at regular intervals, and
what a network manager can do with that information depends heavily on how
feature-rich the NMS is. There are several free SNMP managers available, but they
are typically limited in their capabilities or the number of nodes they can support.
At the other end of the spectrum, enterprise-grade platforms offer advanced
features for more complex networks, with some products supporting up to tens of
thousands of network nodes.
Management information base (MIB): This database is a text file (.mib)
that itemizes and describes all objects on a particular device that can be queried or
controlled using SNMP. Each MIB item is assigned an object identifier (OID).
How SNMP works:
SNMP can perform a multitude of functions, using a blend of push and pull
communications between network devices and the management system. It can
issue read or write commands, such as resetting a password or changing a
configuration setting. It can also report back how much bandwidth, CPU and
memory are in use, with some SNMP managers automatically sending the
administrator an email or text message alert if a predefined threshold is exceeded.
Most of the time, SNMP functions in a synchronous model, with
communication initiated by the SNMP manager and the agent sending a response.
These commands and messages, typically transported over User Datagram
Protocol (UDP) or Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), are
known as protocol data units (PDUs):
 GETRequest: Generated by the SNMP manager and sent to an agent to obtain
the value of a variable, identified by its OID, in an MIB .
 RESPONSE: Sent by the agent to the SNMP manager, issued in reply to a
GETRequest, GETNEXTRequest, GETBULKRequest, and a SETRequest.
Contains the values of the requested variables.
 GETNEXTRequest: Sent by the SNMP manager to agent to retrieve the values
of the next OID in the MIB's hierarchy.
 GETBULKRequest: Sent by the SNMP manager to the agent to efficiently
obtain a potentially large amount of data, especially large tables.
 SETRequest: Sent by the SNMP manager to the agent to issue configurations or
commands.
 TRAP: An asynchronous alert sent by the agent to the SNMP manager to
indicate a significant event, such as an error or failure, has occurred.
 INFORMRequest: An asynchronous alert similar to a TRAP, but requires
confirmation of receipt by the SNMP manager.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Network_Management_Protocol
https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/what-is-
snmp.html#snmp-agent

‫ تركي عبيد المطيري‬/‫الطالب‬

٠٠٧٠٦٤١٤٤ /‫الرقم الجامعي‬

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