1. Library Guide
  2. Monitor the Library
  3. Configure Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
  4. SNMP Versions

SNMP Versions

The version of SNMP determines credential requirements.

There are two SNMP versions supported by the library: v3 and v2c.

  • v3 — Version 3 is not backward compatible, but it supports a more secure authentication method and can encrypt management data. Always choose v3 unless you need compatibility with older SNMP versions and have no security concerns. v3 requires the following information:

    • User Name

    • Authentication Protocol — Select SHA for best security or MD5 for compatibility with systems that use MD5.

    • Authentication Passphrase — Enter a strong user-authentication password.

    • Privacy Protocol — Select AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) for best security or DES (Data Encryption Standard) for compatibility with systems that use DES.

    • Privacy Passphrase — Enter a strong data-protection password.

    • Engine ID — Only required when adding a trap recipient. In most cases accept the default value. If you must override this value, enter a hexadecimal value that starts with 0x and does not contain either all zeroes (0) or all sixteens (F).

  • v2c — Backward compatible with earlier versions of the standard, but it is not secure because authentication credentials (community strings) and management data are exchanged in clear text.

    This is the less secure option. Only select this option if you need compatibility with older SNMP versions. v2c requires the following information:

    • Community Name — A 31-character, alphanumeric password or phrase. Do not use factory-set default community names or obvious strings like public and private.