Simple Network Management Protocol

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is part of the internet protocol suite as defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force. The protocol can be used to monitor any network attached devices for any conditions that warrant it.

SNMP is at the application layer (layer 7) of the OSI model.

It uses small programs called agents that are based on the machine that you want to monitor. These agents collect information and store it locally in memory. When the information is requested by a network management station, the agent will send the specific piece of information requested.

SNMP provides three basic methods (in version 1): Get, GetNext and Set. SNMP operates on OIDs (Object Identifiers). A Get on an OID will return the corresponding value.

A Management Information Base[?] (MIB) describes the specific data that will be managed.

External Links

• SNMP FAQ part 1 (http://www.snmp.com/FAQs/snmp-faq-part1.txt)
• SNMP FAQ part 2 (http://www.snmp.com/FAQs/snmp-faq-part2.txt)