Network Management and Protocols Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Network Management and Protocols - Essay Example In its simplest form, SNMP is a client/server protocol. It has two entities: the manager and the managed. Most network equipment has the option of supporting the SNMP agent and responding to SNMP requests. If the server, hub, router, and, eventually, workstations have the SNMP service implemented, then the manager is able to collect data in a remote mode. The information that is available in this scenario includes inventory, configuration, network hardware and software, and operational status. Using SNMP does not cause undue stress and overload on the network. It will not affect users' response time to monitor the network on a regular basis, so long as you are not trying to replicate events too often and unnecessarily. Even though it started as a temporary solution for network management until something better was built, SNMP has become a standard. Most smart network equipment has SNMP availability. There is a limited set of SNMP commands and actions. For most of us who are not netwo rk engineers, it is enough to know that SNMP is installed so that the third-party software we will use will be able to access the protocol. For instance, when installing Windows NT, it is important to activate SNMP service. While there are great resources for learning the commands at a very detailed level, most of us will not have the time. The other component in the SNMP world of which we must at least have a superficial understanding is the MIB or management information base. Simply speaking, this is the information that is managed by SNMP.