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SNMP: The Basics

Agents
- Software on a device that `represents` that device to managers.
- Polls other programs on this device.
- Answers queries.
- Sets the values told to it by a manger.
- Alerts the manager when something has happened.

Notes:

C. Agents
i. An agent is software on a device that `represents` that device to the network.
ii. It answers queries about that device. (This is called “polling”. It “gets” the data.)
iii. It can poll other programs on that device.
iv. It sets the values told to it by a network manger. (“Setting” values.)
v. It alerts the manager when something has happened. (Sending a “trap”, or, as they are called in version 2 of SNMP, “notifications”.)
D. Managers
i. Polls the agents.
ii. Allows the administrator to remotely set values on the devices.
iii. Receives traps.
iv. Represent this data to the administrator in one form or another.