APPENDIX
86
Appendix C
SNMP Operation & Installation
C-1 Overview
McRAID storage manager includes a firmware-embedded Simple
Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent and SNMP Extension
Agent for the Areca RAID controller. An SNMP-based management
application (also known as an SNMP manager) can monitor the disk
array. An example of a SNMP management application is Hewlett-
Packard’s Open View, Net-SNMP or SNMPc. The SNMP extension
agent can be used to augment the Areca RAID controller if you are
already running an SNMP management application at your site.
C-2 SNMP Definition
SNMP, an IP-based protocol, has a set of commands for getting the
status of target devices. The SNMP management platform is called
the SNMP manager, and the managed devices have the SNMP
agent loaded. Management data is organized in a hierarchical data
structure called the Management Information Base (MIB). These
MIBs are defined and sanctioned by various industry associations.
Each type of device on your network has its own specific MIB file.
The MIB file defines the device as a set of managed objects — val-
ues that can be read or changed by the SNMP manager. The MIB
file enables the SNMP manager to interpret trap messages from
devices. To make sense out of a trap that’s sent by a device, the
SNMP manager needs to have access to the MIB that describes
the format and content of the possible traps that the device can
send. The objective is for all vendors to create products in compli-
ance with these MIBs so that inter-vendor interoperability can be
achieved. To be available for the SNMP manager, a command adds
the MIB file for each of devices to the MIB database. This enables
the devices to be managed via the SNMP manager.
The following figure illustrates the various components of an SNMP-
based management architecture.
