3PAR InForm® OS 2.2.4 Concepts Guide (320-200085 Rev B, March 2009)

14.2
About SNMP
3PAR InForm OS Concepts Guide InForm OS Version 2.2.4
14.2 About SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a standard management interface used by
many software frameworks to manage hardware devices. Use of SNMP requires two
components, an agent and a manager. The manager is the management process that sends
requests to the agent. The host that the manager runs on is called the management station.
14.3 SNMP Managers
There are four types of requests that an SNMP manager can send to an agent:
■ SET. The SET request writes an object value in the agent. The SET request includes the
object ID and a new value for the object. The agent will change the value of the object and
save it in the persistent store. Not all objects are changeable. The MIB contains access
information.
■ GET. The GET request reads an object value in the agent. The GET request includes the
object ID to be retrieved. The agent returns the value of the object.
■ GETNEXT. The GETNEXT request reads the object instance that is next in lexicographical
order to the object ID in the request. For example, if the object ID specified in the request is
.12925.0, the returned object ID should be .12925.1, if it exists.
■ GETBULK. The GETBULK operation is an optimization of the GETNEXT operation, that
allows multiple instances of objects to be returned.
In addition, the manager can register with the agent to receive notifications (traps) for critical
events (alerts) and alert state changes. These traps include the same information as the alerts
described in the InForm OS Messages and Operator’s Guide, but they are in standard SNMP
format. Before an SNMP manager can receive the traps generated by the 3PAR SNMP agent,
you must register your manager with the agent. Refer to Chapter 14, Using SNMP, in the
InForm OS CLI Administrator’s Manual for instructions on registering an SNMP manager with
the 3PAR SNMP agent.