Using Simple Network Management Protocol

C H A P T E R 9

This chapter describes how to use Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). It includes the following sections:

About SNMP.

SNMP MIB Files.

MIBs Integration.

SNMP Messages.

Configuring SNMP on the ELOM.

Managing SNMP User Accounts.

About SNMP

The Sun server supports the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) interface, versions 1, 2c, and 3. SNMP is an open technology that enables the management of networks and devices, or nodes, connected to the network. SNMP messages are sent over IP using the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Any management application that supports SNMP can manage your server.

How SNMP Works

Utilizing SNMP requires two components, a network management station and a managed node (in this case, the ELOM). Network management stations host management applications, which monitor and control managed nodes.

Managed nodes are any number of devices, including servers, routers, and hubs, which host SNMP management agents responsible for carrying out the requests from management stations. The management station monitors nodes by polling management agents for the appropriate information using queries. Managed nodes can also provide unsolicited status information to a management station in the form of a trap. SNMP is the protocol used to communicate management information between the management stations and agents.

The SNMP agent is preinstalled and runs on the ELOM, so all SNMP management of the server should occur through the ELOM. To utilize this feature, your operating system must have an SNMP client application. See your operating system vendor for more information.

The SNMP agent on your ELOM provides the following capabilities: inventory management, and sensor and system state monitoring.

SNMP MIB Files

The base component of an SNMP solution is the Management Information Base (MIB). A MIB is a text file that describes a managed node’s available information and where it is stored. When a management station requests information from a managed node, the agent receives the request and retrieves the appropriate information from the MIBs. The Sun server supports the following SNMP classes of Management Information Base (MIB) files. Download and install the product-specific MIB files from your Resource CD or Tools and Drivers CD for your platform.

The system group and SNMP group from RFC1213 MIB

SNMP-FRAMEWORK-MIB

SNMP-USER-BASED-MIB

SNMP-MPD-MIB SUN-PLATFORM-MIB

ENTITY-MIB

MIBs Integration

Use the MIBs to integrate the management and monitoring of the server into SNMP management consoles. The MIB branch is a private enterprise MIB, located at MIB object iso(1).org (3). dod (6) .internet (1) .private (4) .enterprises (1) .sun (42) .products (2). It appears in FIGURE 9-1. The standard SNMP port, 161, is used by the SNMP agent on the ELOM.

FIGURE 9-1 Sun server MIB Tree

Graphic showing SunFire MIB Tree. [ D ]

SNMP Messages

SNMP is a protocol, not an operating system so you need some type of application to use SNMP messages. Your SNMP management software might provide this functionality, or you can use an open source tool like net-SNMP, which is available at

http://net-snmp.sourceforge.net/

Both management stations and agents use SNMP messages to communicate. Management stations can send and receive information. Agents can respond to requests and send unsolicited messages in the form of a trap. There are five functions that management stations and agent use:

GetNext

GetResponse

Trap

By default, port 161 is used for SNMP messages and port 162 is used to listen for SNMP traps.

Configuring SNMP on the ELOM

The ELOM has a preinstalled SNMP agent that supports trap delivery to an SNMP management application.

To use this feature, you must integrate the platform-specific MIBs into your SNMP environment, tell your management station about your server, then configure the specific traps.

Integrating the MIBs

Use the MIBs to integrate the management and monitoring of the server into SNMP management consoles. The MIB branch is a private enterprise MIB, located at MIB object iso(1).org (3) .dod (6) .internet (1) .private (4) .enterprises (1) .sun (42) .products (2). It appears in FIGURE 9-2.

FIGURE 9-2 Sun server MIB Tree

Graphic showing SunFire server MIB Tree. [ D ]

To use SNMP on the SP

This example shows how to use SNMP with a third-party MIB web browser.

1. From the Manager Preferences menu, choose Load/Unload MIBS: SNMP.

2. Locate and select the SUN-PLATFORM-MIB.mib.

The SUN-PLATFORM-MIB is available on your Resource CD.

3. Click Load.

4. Specify the directory where server MIBs are placed, and click Open.

5. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 to load other MIBs.

6. Exit the Manager Preferences menu.

7. Open an SNMP MIB web browser.

The SNMP standard tree appears in the MIB web browser.

8. Locate the Sun branch located under private.enterprises.

Verify that the SUN-PLATFORM_MIB is integrated.

To Add Your Server to Your SNMP Environment

Use your SNMP management application to add your Sun server as a managed node.

See your SNMP management application documentation for further details.

To Configure Receipt of SNMP Traps

Configure a trap using ELOM. See Managing Alerts, or Setting Up E-Mail Notification.

Managing SNMP User Accounts

You can add, delete, or configure SNMP user accounts from the CLI. By default, SNMP v3 is enabled, and SNMP v1 and v2c are disabled.

To Add a SNMP User Account

To add an SNMP v3 read-only user account, enter the following command:

-> create /SP/AgentInfo/SNMP/users/username AuthPassword=password

To add an SNMP v1/v2c user account, enter the following command t:

-> create /SP/AgentInfo/SNMP/communities/communityname

To Delete a SNMP User Account

To delete an SNMP v3 user account, enter the following command:

-> delete /SP/AgentInfo/SNMP/users/username

To delete an SNMP v1/v2c user account, enter the following command:

-> delete /SP/AgentInfo/SNMP/communities/communityname

To Configure SNMP User Accounts

Use the set command to configure SNMP user accounts.

Syntax

set target [propertyname=value]

Targets, Properties, and Values

These targets, properties, and values are valid for SNMP user accounts.

TABLE 9-1 Configuring User Accounts
Target	Property	Value	Default
/SP/AgentInfo/SNMP/communities/ communityname	Permission	ro\|rw	ro
/SP/AgentInfo/SNMP/users/username	AuthProtocol AuthPassword Permission PrivacyProtocol PrivacyPassword	MD5\|SHA string ro\|rw none\|DES string	MD5 (null string) ro none* (null string)
* If the PrivacyProtocol property has a value other than none, then PrivacyPassword must be set.

Examples

When changing the parameters of SNMP users, you must set values for all of the properties, even if you are not changing all of the values. For example, to change user Al's PrivacyProtocol to DES you must enter:

-> set /SP/AgentInfo/SNMP/users/al PrivacyProtocol=DES PrivacyPassword=password AuthProtocol=SHA AuthPassword=password

Your changes would be invalid if you only entered:

-> set /SP/AgentInfo/SNMP/users/al PrivacyProtocol=DES

Note - You can change SNMP user permissions without resetting the privacy and authentication properties.

To show an SNMP user’s properties, enter this command:

/SP/AgentInfo/SNMP/users/sicilian -> show

The result appear as follows:

/SP/AgentInfo/SNMP/users/sicilian
    Targets:
Properties:
        Permission = ro
        AuthProtocol = MD5
        AuthPassword = (Cannot show property)
        PrivacyProtocol = none
        PrivacyPassword = (Cannot show property)
 
    Target Commands:
        show
        set
 
/SP/AgentInfo/SNMP/users/sicilian ->