• How to Use SNMP for Network Management & Configure SNMP Trap Receivers
• Software Required
• Hardware Required
• What is SNMP
• SNMP Configuration
• SNMP Community Name
• SNMP Trap Event Settings
• SNMP Port Link-Change Trap Settings
• SNMP Trap Receiver Settings
• Real-Life Scenario
• Resources & Documentation

How to Use SNMP for Network Management & Configure SNMP Trap Receivers

SNMP trap receivers are systems or software components designed to receive and process SNMP traps — which are asynchronous notifications sent from network devices like switches, routers, or servers.

Purpose of SNMP Trap Receivers:

1. Alert Monitoring
   They receive traps (alerts) when something important happens on a network device — such as link down, CPU overload, temperature warnings, or failed logins.
2. Real-Time Fault Detection
   Since traps are sent immediately when an event occurs, trap receivers help admins respond quickly to network issues.
3. Logging Events
   Trap receivers often log received traps into databases or monitoring systems for analysis, audits, or reporting.
4. Triggering Automated Actions
   Some systems can act on specific traps — for example, sending an email, creating a ticket, or rebooting a service.

Example:

• A router detects that one of its interfaces has gone down.
• It sends an SNMP trap to the trap receiver.
• The trap receiver logs the event and alerts the network admin or monitoring dashboard

Software Required

MapleLink Lite User Interface (Enter the network switch’s IP address into a web browser to access its web interface.

Hardware Required

• MS1-L05G01F
• MS1-L08G
• Embedded Industrial Box PC (A web browser is required. Use one of our Industrial Box PCs.)

What is SNMP

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a standard protocol used in network management systems to monitor and manage devices connected to a network. It helps detect conditions that may require administrative attention, such as faults or performance issues. Developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), SNMP is part of the Internet Protocol Suite and includes an application-layer protocol, a standardized data model (schema), and a collection of data objects.

SNMP makes management data available through variables on the devices it monitors. These variables represent aspects of the device’s configuration and status. Network management applications can query these variables to gather information and, in some cases, modify them to update device settings.

SNMP Configuration

Allows the user to enable or disable the SNMP protocol globally. By default, SNMP is disabled. The user can also customize the system name, as well as specify the system location and contact information as needed.

Example:
– L2SWITCH#configure terminal
– L2SWITCH(config)#snmp enable
– L2SWITCH(config)#snmp system-contact IT engineer
– L2SWITCH(config)#snmp system-location Branch-Office

SNMP Community Name

An SNMP Community Name is basically like a password or key that allows access to a network device’s management information using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). It’s used mainly in SNMP v1 and v2c, which don’t have strong authentication.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Purpose: It controls who can read or modify information on a device like a router, switch, or server.
• Types:
  • Read-only community (commonly public) – allows viewing device information but not changing it.
  • Read-write community (commonly private) – allows viewing and modifying settings.
• Usage: When an SNMP manager queries a device, it includes the community name. If the device recognizes it, it responds; if not, access is denied.

Think of it like a door key: the right key lets you in (read or write), the wrong key leaves you outside.

SNMP Community Strings:

In SNMP v1 and SNMP v2c environments, community strings function like passwords and are used to define the security parameters for SNMP clients. By default, the SNMP community string is set to “public” for both versions.

Network ID of Trusted Host:

The IP address consists of two parts: the Network ID and the Host ID, where:

• Network ID = (Host IP & Subnet Mask)

When configuring a trusted host, users should enter only the Network ID, leaving the Host ID as 0.
– For example, if a user enters the full IP address 192.168.1.102, the system will automatically reset the Host ID, resulting in 192.168.1.0.

Configuration

Example:
– L2SWITCH#configure terminal
– L2SWITCH(config)#snmp community public rw trusted-host 192.168.200.106/24

SNMP Trap Event Settings

The features allow users to enable/disables individual trap notifications.

Configuration

The features allow users to enable/disables individual trap notification.

SNMP Port Link-Change Trap Settings

The features allow users to enable/disables port-link-change trap notification by individual port.

Configuration:

SNMP Trap Receiver Settings

SNMP Trap Receiver Configuration

Real-Life Scenario

Scenario: Automated Manufacturing Plant — CNC Machine Network Monitoring

Setting:

An automated manufacturing facility uses a fleet of CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines controlled and monitored through a centralized network. Each CNC machine, along with supporting devices like industrial switches, PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers), temperature controllers, and power supply units, is SNMP-enabled.

The Problem:

One day, a network switch connecting several CNC machines begins to overheat due to a failing internal fan. If it fails completely, it will halt production in that section of the plant.

The Role of SNMP Trap Receivers:

• The network switch detects the high internal temperature and sends an SNMP trap to the plant’s SNMP trap receiver system.
• The SNMP trap receiver logs the event and recognizes it as a critical temperature threshold breach.
• Within milliseconds, it:
  • Alerts the plant’s IT team via SMS and email.
  • Creates a ticket in the facility’s maintenance ticketing system.
  • Automatically activates backup routing, rerouting network traffic to maintain uptime while technicians investigate.
  • Logs the event in the central monitoring dashboard for auditing.

Outcome:

Thanks to the SNMP trap receiver:

• A costly shutdown is avoided.
• The maintenance crew is dispatched in time to replace the failing fan before complete hardware failure.
• The incident is logged for regulatory and insurance compliance.

Resources & Documentation

Lite-Managed Network Switches Resources:

• Industrial Network Switches
• Industrial Lite-Managed Network Switches – MS1 Series Datasheet
• MS1-L05G01F Quick Start Guide
• MS1-L08G Quick Start Guide
• What is a network switch?
• Industrial Network Switch Operations Manual – Lite-Managed Series

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