Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) - 10 : Summary
Let's summarize what we covered today. SNMP works as a client/server protocol. The clients, or network devices, store statistics about their network operations, and the server retrieves and displays it. One SNMP server can manage hundreds or thousands of network devices. The server's primary function is to issue commands to retrieve information from, or configure, the network devices.
There is an instance in which the client initiates communication, and that is when the server has placed a network Trap on the client. In that case, if a specific event occurs which is defined by the Trap, the switch generates a message to the server informing it of the event. The Trap is normally used to indicate some form of error condition on a switch.
An example is setting a Trap to say "If the switch's internal temperature exceeds 125 degrees, inform the network manager." In fact, this is a very common trap set by most network mangers. It is a good idea to know if your switches are getting too hot, because extreme temperatures can damage or even disable network devices.