Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) -6 : Overview

As the name implies, the Simple Network Management Protocol is designed as a simple protocol to allow a network manager to remotely manage network equipment. As a matter of fact, the original version was so simple, it could only manage 16 different parameters. In addition, the protocol itself essentially does three things: SNMP can get information, it can send information, and it can generate an alarm - that's it.

SNMP is a protocol developed to fit the client/server model. The network management station is the server, and all the network equipment are considered clients. The clients store information, and the server retrieves that information when the network manager wants to examine the status of equipment on the network.

For example, a switch, which is an SNMP client, records statistics about the data that goes through it. It tracks protocols, packet sizes, good packets, bad packets, and so on. If the network manager needs to check the operation of a switch, he or she uses special SNMP software to communicate with the switch and retrieve all the information the switch has been tracking.

Most SNMP management servers display the data graphically in easy-to-understand format. This information can be retrieved from any switch in the network, whether the switch is next door or across the world.

In addition to retrieving information, SNMP also allows the network manager to configure the switch by sending it information.

The ability to pull information from a switch or to remotely configure a switch is based on how smart the client software in the switch is, and the intelligence of the client software is based on what MIBs it supports.