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3-48 Switch Management
GigWorks MkII-16 Switch Model MKII-BASE16
59003-01 Rev. A Installer's/User's Manual
Managing the Switch Using SNMP
Managing the Switch Using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
Network management is the process of planning, organizing, and controlling a
communications-oriented system. This involves two types of issues: software-
related (data security, overseeing applications, user accounts, and permissions)
and hardware-related. These paragraphs concentrate primarily on the second issue
-- the management of the network as a whole, using the Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMP) as the transport protocol. The Switch uses SNMP
as the transport protocol. Network Management examines:
• Network Management
• The Network Management Station
• The Switch Node Agent
• The Management Information Bases (MIBs)
• The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
Network Management
Various forms of network management capabilities have been built into most
network hardware pieces which includes workstations, servers, network cards,
routers, bridges, hubs, etc. Because these nodes are generally dispersed
throughout a network configuration, the administrator relies on the built-in
communication functions to remotely query the status of the equipment as well as
receive alerts when problems occur. There are two fundamental goals when
designing and setting up a network management infrastructure to ensure optimal
management. First, management information traffic should not significantly
increase overall network traffic. Second, the node agent should not significantly
increase the processing overhead (thus, interfering with that node’s primary
function).
The basic concept of network management involves a network manager
exchanging information with processes (agents) residing within network nodes
using SNMP. The network management station communicates with the different
management processes to gather data and construct visual representations about
the status of the network. The network manager handles the overall network
software and inter-node communications. Support software provides a user
interface that allows the administrator to observe the condition of the entire
system as well as individual components, and monitor any specific node.
Note:
Before you use SNMP you must connect the Switch’s Ethernet interface to an
Ethernet network and configure its IP network address, its IP subnetwork
mask, and its IP gateway address. Refer to the Ethernet Cabling and
Configuring the Switch Ethernet Port paragraphs in this section.