SNMP

Shivani Sen

Simple Network Management Protocol

Application-layer protocol Facilitates the exchange of management information between network devices Used to manage TCP/IP based networks Defines a client/server relationship. Device that supports it:
Network router Network switch Printer NAS server ADSL ISP router / modem Linux / UNIX / Windows servers Workstation and more.

Shivani Sen

Components
SNMP Protocol
Defines format of messages exchanged by management systems and agents. Specifies the operations.

SMI, the Structure of Management Information

Provides a set of rules used in defining objects( in simple terms defines how to create MIB).

MIB, the Management Information Base

A map of the hierarchical order of all managed objects and how they are accessed

Shivani Sen

Manager/Agent Model
Consists :
Client(Network Manager): process running on a management workstation that requests information about devices on the network. Server(SNMP Agent): process running on each managed node collecting information about the device it is running on. MIB Managed Objects Network protocol

The Network manager and SNMP agent uses to communicate.: an SNMP Management Information Base (MIB)

relatively small set of commands to exchange information.

GET GET-NEXT GET-RESPONSE SET TRAP

Shivani Sen

SNMP Architecture
Collection of:
Network Management Stations(NMS)
Act as Clients. Run management applications. Monitors and control network devices.
Network Management Station

SNMP Protocol

Network Element MIB

Manager

Agent

Network Elements
Act as Servers. Contains agents. Perform network management functions requested by NMS. Includes gateways, routers, bridges and hosts.

Information can be sent & receive between the NMS & the agents about network resources.
status information Counters identifiers and more

MIB resides on agent system and can be changed at manager's request.

Traps, can also be sent from the agent to the manager under certain conditions. Shivani Sen

Layered Communication
SNMP Messages are wrapped in the User Datagram Protocol (UDP),which in turn is wrapped in the Internet Protocol (IP).
E.g: SNMP manager wants to know what the Agents System Name
Prepares GET messages for appropriate OID Adds a data block that identifies the manager port to which the response packet should be sent and the port on which it expects the SNMP agent to be listening for messages Adds data block containing the IP and Media Access addresses of the manage Verifies media access and availability

Same procedure is followed in reverse order Packet arrives at agent

Places packet on

Shivani Sen

Asynchronous Request/Response Protocol

The typical SNMP request/response primitives take place in the following manner:
Manager polls agent with a REQUEST for information. Agent supplies information, which is defined in a MIB, in the form of a RESPONSE

Shivani Sen

Management Information Base

Comprised of MIB objects: Resides on the agent system Accessed and changed by the agent at the manager's request organized in a hierarchy called tree structure Each object has a label derived from its location in the tree structure. Object identifier (OID) is used to distinguish each variable uniquely in the MIB and in SNMP messages. When Managers and Agents communicate, they refer to MIB data objects using OIDs. An OID sent with a corresponding value {OID,Value} is referred to as binding.

Shivani Sen

Object Identifier
Sequence of non negative integers which traverse a global tree for purpose of identifying an
Tree consists of root which branches to connect to a number of labeled nodes. object.

OID for a particular MIB object contains all nodes, starting at the root and traversing the tree to an arbitrary level of depth,until the desired leaf object is reached. E.g: sysContact object contained in the MIB-II is 1.3.6.1.2.1.1.4, by following the labels from the root down to the leaf object

Shivani Sen

SNMP Operations
GET:This is a request originated by a managing application to retrieve an instance of one or more MIB objects. GETNEXT: This is a request originated by a managing application to retrieve the next valid instance following the specified instance of one or more MIB objects. SET : This is a request originated by a managing application to store a specific value for one or more MIB variables. All variables must be updated simultaneously, or none of them. GET-RESPONSE: This is response data that is originated by an agent application and is sent back to the originator of a GET, GETNEXT, or SET request. TRAP:. This is an unsolicited message originated by an agent application which is sent to one or more managing systems within the correct community, to alert them of the occurrence of an event. Traps include the following types: coldStart warmStart linkDown linkUp authenticationFailure egpNeighborLoss enterpriseSpecific

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Summary

the following steps describe the interactions that take place in anSNMP-managed network: The SNMP agent gathers vital information about its respective device andnetworks. The SNMP manager polls each agent for MIB information and can displaythis information at the SNMP manager station. In this manner, a networkadministrator can manage the network from a management station. An agent also has the ability to send unsolicited data to the SNMP managerin the form of a trap. A trap is generally a network condition detected by anSNMP agent that requires immediate attention by the network administrato

Shivani Sen