HP J3250M manual Snmp Manager and Agents, Definitions, Processes, and Files

Introduction to HP Hub & Switch Management

Definitions, Processes, and Files

SNMP Manager and Agents

HP Hub & Switch Management uses SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) to communicate with managed devices. SNMP commands are transmitted and received on the network using the Internet Protocol (IP).

The network management station used to run Hub & Switch Management is referred to as an SNMP manager system. HP devices with SNMP agents are called agent systems. Each network management operation requested by the manager system is executed by one or more agent systems.

The manager system communicates with HP devices to retrieve or modify management information. The devices contain Network Management SNMP Agent software to support this communication.

Note: For Hub & Switch Management operation, you must set up HP network devices for SNMP/IP operation. See Appendix A for more information.

Community Names for Manager and Agent Interaction

Most SNMP exchanges involve a community name, which can be thought of as a password for a managed device or group of devices.

Depending on the device, SNMP get requests for information from a device agent may require the manager to supply a community name that is configured on the device.

If a password has been specifically configured on a device, then password authentication is required to perform any SNMP set operations that alter the configuration or invoke self-test or reset on that device. The manager system automatically asks you for the password, then puts the encrypted password in the community name field of subsequent set operations.

Configuring a password on HP devices is recommended but not required. As described later in this manual, you can use Hub & Switch Management to set a device password.

Introduction to HP Hub & Switch Management

3-3