Sams Teach Yourself TCP/IP in 24 Hours, Fourth Edition

Simple Network Management Protocol

The purpose of a protocol is to facilitate communication, and whenever a particular type of communication has distinctive and definable characteristics, you are likely to find a corresponding protocol. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a protocol designed for managing and monitoring remote devices on a network. SNMP supports a system that enables a single network administrator operating from a single workstation to remotely manage and monitor computers, routers, and other network devices.

Figure 15.5 shows the principal components of the SNMP architecture:

• Network monitor— A management console, sometimes called a manager or a Network Management Console (NMS), provides a central location for managing ...