SNMP-Based Network Management, Protocols

4: Switch Management

Internet Explorer

If you use Internet Explorer, install the latest 4.01 Service Pack 1. This service pack makes Internet Explorer Year 2000 compliant and fixes other product-support issues. Download the 4.01 Service Pack 1 from the following location:

http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/iebuild/ie4sp1_win32/en/ie4sp1_win32.htm

If the above link is unavailable, download the service pack from the Microsoft home page:

http://www.microsoft.com

SNMP-Based Network Management

You can use an external SNMP-based application to configure and manage the Xpress- Pro SW 94000 switch. This management method requires the SNMP agent on the Xpress-Pro SW 94000 switch and the SNMP Network Management Station to use the same community string. This management method, in fact, uses two community strings: the get community string and the set community string. If the SNMP Network management station only knows the set community string, it can read and write to the MIBs. However, if it only knows the get community string, it can only read MIBs. The default get and set community strings for the Xpress-Pro SW 94000 switch are public.

Protocols

The Xpress-Pro SW 94000 switch supports the following protocols:

Virtual terminal protocols, such as Telnet

A virtual terminal protocol is a software program, such as Telnet, that allows you to establish a management session from a Macintosh, a PC, or a UNIX workstation. Because Telnet runs over TCP/IP, you must have at least one IP address configured on the Xpress-Pro SW 94000 switch before you can establish access to it with a virtual terminal protocol.

Note: Terminal emulation is different from a virtual terminal protocol in that you must connect a terminal directly to the console port.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

SNMP is the standard management protocol for multivendor IP networks. SNMP supports transaction-based queries that allow the protocol to format messages and to transmit information between reporting devices and data-collection programs. SNMP runs on top of the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), offering a connectionless-mode service.

Management Architecture

All of the management application modules use the same Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI). By unifying management methods with a single MAPI, configuration parameters set using one method (e.g. console port) are immediately displayed the other management methods (e.g. SNMP agent of web browser).

XPress-Pro SW 94000 User Guide