Simple Network Management Protocol; Setting Community Access Strings - SMC Networks SMC8126L2 Management Manual

Simple Network Management Protocol

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a communication protocol
designed specifically for managing devices on a network. Equipment commonly
managed with SNMP includes switches, routers and host computers. SNMP is
typically used to configure these devices for proper operation in a network
environment, as well as to monitor them to evaluate performance or detect potential
problems.
The switch includes an onboard SNMP agent that continuously monitors the status
of its hardware, as well as the traffic passing through its ports. A network
management station can access this information using software such as HP
OpenView. Access rights to the onboard agent are controlled by community strings.
To communicate with the switch, the management station must first submit a valid
community string for authentication. The options for configuring community strings,
trap functions, and restricting access to clients with specified IP addresses are
described in the following sections.

Setting Community Access Strings

You may configure up to five community strings authorized for management access.
All community strings used for IP Trap Managers should be listed in this table. For
security reasons, you should consider removing the default strings.
Command Attributes
• SNMP Community Capability – Indicates that the switch supports up to five
community strings.
• Community String – A community string that acts like a password and permits
access to the SNMP protocol.
Default strings: "public" (read-only), "private" (read/write)
Range: 1-32 characters, case sensitive
• Access Mode
- Read-Only – Specifies read-only access. Authorized management stations are
only able to retrieve MIB objects.
- Read/Write – Specifies read-write access. Authorized management stations are
able to both retrieve and modify MIB objects.
Simple Network Management Protocol
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