Edge-Core WA6202A, User Manual

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6
System Configuration
SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a communication protocol designed
specifically for managing devices on a network. Equipment commonly managed with
SNMP includes switches, routers and host computers. SNMP is typically used to
configure these devices for proper operation in a network environment, as well as to
monitor them to evaluate performance or detect potential problems.
Managed devices supporting SNMP contain software, which runs locally on the
device and is referred to as an agent. A defined set of variables, known as managed
objects, is maintained by the SNMP agent and used to manage the device. These
objects are defined in a Management Information Base (MIB) that provides a
standard
presentation of the information controlled by the agent. SNMP defines both the format
of the MIB specifications and the protocol used to access this information over the
network.
The access point includes an onboard agent that supports SNMP versions 1, 2c,
and 3 clients. This agent continuously monitors the status of the access point, as
well as the traffic passing to and from wireless clients. A network management
station can access this information using SNMP management software that is
compliant with MIB II. To implement SNMP management, the access point must first
have an IP address and subnet mask, configured either manually or dynamically.
Access to the onboard agent using SNMP v1 and v2c is controlled by community
strings. To communicate with the access point, the management station must first
submit a valid community string for authentication.
Access to the access point using SNMP v3 provides additional security features that
cover message integrity, authentication, and encryption; as well as controlling
notifications that are sent to specified user targets.
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