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PacketStar
®
PSAX 2300 Multiservice Media Gateway User Guide
, Issue 1
Release 9.0.0
Chapter 3 System Features
Network Management
tion is set up using an I/O module with an ATM cell bearing port (for
example, the OC-3c, STM-1, DS1, DS3, E1, and E3 modules). Three basic
types of configuration are possible:
•
Direct connection
•
Routed connection
•
Hybrid connection
For more information on these three basic connection types, see
Appendix B. For more information on configuring in-band management
SVC connections, see Chapter 5. For more information on configuring in-
band management PVC connections, see the appropriate PSAX module
user guide.
Simple Network Management Protocol Version 3
The Internet Engineering Task Force Steering Group recently approved Ver-
sion 3 of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMPv3) as a full stan-
dard. SNMPv3 contains additional security and authentication features that
provide data origin authentication, data integrity checks, timeliness indica-
tors and encryption to protect against threats such as masquerade, modifica-
tion of information, message stream modification and disclosure.
The PSAX system features a standard SNMP agent that allows any standard
SNMP management system, such as the AQueView EMS, HP OpenView or
SunNet Manager, to perform all management functions. The PSAX system
software uses Enterprise MIBs and can be made available for any SNMP
management system. SNMP version 3 is supported in addition to the current
SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c support.
The SNMP agent resides within the CPUn module of the PSAX system. The
console interface (accessible via the serial or Ethernet interfaces on the CPUn
module) acts as a shell to the underlying SNMP agent. In addition to provid-
ing the status of the visual indicators on the front panels of the individual
modules, the SNMP agent offers a full complement of trap messages that alert
the user to faults within the PSAX system network. A PSAX system can be
configured to automatically transmit these trap messages to up to five net-
work management stations. The SNMP agent also provides an extensive
series of configuration management features.
While SNMPv3 is the latest version and the most feature rich, end users will
need time to migrate their Network Management Systems (NMS) and Opera-
tion Support Systems (OSS) to SNMPv3 support. For this reason, the imple-
mentation of the SNMPv3 feature in the PSAX system maintains support for
the current SNMP versions (SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c) while adding support
for SNMPv3. This allows users to either continue using SNMPv1 or SNMPv2c
when they upgrade from an older version of software or to use the security
features with SNMPv3.
In addition to the SNMPv3 support, the PSAX software supports inform mes-
sages with both SNMPv2c and SNMPv3.