Cisco 11503 Administration Guide - Page 185

Chapter 5 Configuring Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) SNMP Overview There are many different SNMP management applications, but they all perform the same basic task: They allow SNMP managers to communicate with agents to monitor, configure, and receive alerts from the network devices. You can use any SNMP-compatible NMS to monitor and control a CSS. SNMP Manager and Agent Communication There are several ways that the SNMP manager and the agent communicate. • The manager can: - Retrieve a value (a GET action). The SNMP manager requests information from the agent, such as the number of users logged on to the agent device, or the status of a critical process on that device. The agent gets the value of the requested MIB object and sends the value back to the manager. - Retrieve the value immediately after the variable you name (a GET-NEXT action). The SNMP manager retrieves values from within a MIB. Using the get-next function, you do not need to know the exact MIB object instance you are looking for; the SNMP manager takes the variable you name and then uses a sequential search to find the desired variables. - Retrieve a number of values (a GET-BULK action). The SNMP manager performs a number of get-next actions that you specify. - Change a setting on the agent (a SET action). The SNMP manager requests the agent to change the value of the MIB object. For example, you could run a script or an application on a remote device with a set action. OL-5647-02 Cisco Content Services Switch Administration Guide 5-3