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| Basic Administration Protocols
Simple Network Management Protocol
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Figure 243: Displaying LLDP Device Statistics (Port)
SIMPLE NETWORK MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a communication protocol
designed specifically for managing devices on a network. Equipment
commonly managed with SNMP includes switches, routers and host
computers. SNMP is typically used to configure these devices for proper
operation in a network environment, as well as to monitor them to evaluate
performance or detect potential problems.
Managed devices supporting SNMP contain software, which runs locally on
the device and is referred to as an agent. A defined set of variables, known
as managed objects, is maintained by the SNMP agent and used to manage
the device. These objects are defined in a Management Information Base
(MIB) that provides a standard presentation of the information controlled
by the agent. SNMP defines both the format of the MIB specifications and
the protocol used to access this information over the network.
The switch includes an onboard agent that supports SNMP versions 1, 2c,
and 3. This agent continuously monitors the status of the switch hardware,
as well as the traffic passing through its ports. A network management
station can access this information using network management software.
Access to the onboard agent from clients using SNMP v1 and v2c is
controlled by community strings. To communicate with the switch, the
management station must first submit a valid community string for
authentication.
Access to the switch from clients using SNMPv3 provides additional security
features that cover message integrity, authentication, and encryption; as
well as controlling user access to specific areas of the MIB tree.
The SNMPv3 security structure consists of security models, with each
model having it’s own security levels. There are three security models
defined, SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, and SNMPv3. Users are assigned to “groups”
that are defined by a security model and specified security levels. Each
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