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SNMP management systems and agents

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

SNMP management systems and agents

Using SNMP requires two components:

  • An SNMP management system.

    The management system, also called management console, sends information and update requests to an SNMP agent. Any computer running SNMP management software is an SNMP management system. The management software application does not need to run on the same host as the SNMP agent.

    The SNMP management system requests information from a managed computer, called an SNMP agent, such as the amount of hard disk space available or the number of active sessions. If the management system has been granted write access to an agent, that management system can also initiate a change to the agent's configuration.

  • An SNMP agent.

    The SNMP agent responds to management system requests for information. Any computer running SNMP agent software is an SNMP agent. The SNMP service, which is agent software, responds to information requests from one or multiple management systems. The SNMP service can be configured to determine which statistics are tracked and which management systems are authorized to request information.

    In general, agents do not originate messages, but only respond to them. A trap message is the only agent-initiated SNMP communication, and it enhances security. A trap is an alarm-triggering event, such as a system reboot or illegal access, on an agent.

    Management hosts and agents belong to an SNMP community, which is a collection of hosts grouped together for administrative purposes. Defining communities provides security by allowing only management systems and agents within the same community to communicate.