Cisco AJ732A - MDS 9134 Fabric Switch Quick Reference Manual page 2

S e n d d o c u m e n t a t i o n c o m m e n t s t o m d s f e e d b a c k - d o c @ c i s c o . c o m
To promote interoperability, cooperating systems must adhere to a common framework and a common
language, called a protocol. In the Internet-standard management framework, that protocol is the Simple
Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
The exchange of information between managed network devices and a robust NMS is essential for
reliable performance of a managed network. Because some devices have a limited ability to run
management software, most of the computer processing burden is assumed by the NMS. The NMS runs
the network management applications, such as Fabric Manager, that present management information to
network managers and other users.
In a managed device, specialized low-impact software modules, called agents, access information about
the device and make it available to the NMS. Managed devices maintain values for a number of variables
and report those, as required, to the NMS. For example, an agent might report such data as the number
of bytes and packets sent or received by the device or the number of broadcast messages sent and
received. In SNMP, each of these variables is referred to as a managed object. A managed object is
anything that can be managed, anything that an agent can access and report back to the NMS. All
managed objects are contained in the MIB, which is a database of the managed objects.
An NMS can control a managed device by sending a request to an agent of that managed device,
requiring the device to change the value of one or more of its variables. The managed devices can
respond to requests such as set or get. The NMS uses the set request to control the device. The NMS
uses the get requests to monitor the device. The set and get requests are synchronous events, meaning
the NMS initiates the activity, and the SNMP agent responds.
The managed device can send asynchronous events, or SNMP notifications, to the NMS to inform the
NMS of some recent event. SNMP notifications (traps or informs) are included in many MIBs and help
to alleviate the need for the NMS to frequently send get requests to the managed devices.
Accessing MIB Variables Through SNMP
You can access the Cisco MIB variables through SNMP. The SNMP system consists of three parts:
SNMP manager, SNMP agent, and MIB. You can compile Cisco MIBs with your network management
software. If SNMP is configured on a device, the SNMP agent responds to MIB-related queries sent by
the NMS.
Table 1
Americas Headquarters:
Cisco Systems, Inc., 170 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134-1706 USA
© <2009> Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
describes the SNMP operations.