Assigning Proxy SNMP Resources

Remotely monitoring critical network resources has always been difficult because polling the resource from the network manager occupies excessive bandwidth and ties up valuable network resources (Figure 30-1). The TrafficDirector proxy SNMP acts as a mid-level manager and proactively monitors proxy SNMP devices for statistics including MIB I, MIB II, and private MIBs.

The Proxy SNMP application is in the TrafficDirector protocol level. You add a proxy SNMP Resource to allow the monitoring of network resources from a central location. When you display the Proxy SNMP Resource window, you can see the list of host names and their Proxy SNMP Resource entry. The term resource means any SNMP-based network device, including routers, hosts, servers, and bridges.

Figure 30-1: Network Management Station Polling Entire Network Can Use Excessive Bandwidth

How Proxy SNMP Works

You use the TrafficDirector proxy SNMP application to select and monitor network resources without tying up the network. Proxy SNMP lets you manage SNMP-based resources actively at a remote site by letting you monitor the MIB I, MIB II, or private MIBs for a device. This eliminates regular polling between a management station and an agent. The result is that the agent polls the resource, so that polling is limited to the segment and does not tie up the network.

Proxy SNMP allows you to use the proxy SNMP "get." This proxy type identifies and collects data for a specific MIB variable on the resource (even if it is a private MIB).

You can assign a proxy SNMP "get" to any SNMP-based network device, such as a server, router, or bridge. When you do so, the SwitchProbe attached to the network segment can collect specific data from the device (Figure 30-2). The SwitchProbe stores the collected data internally and TrafficDirector retrieves the data when you request it via the proxy SNMP Resource.

Figure 30-2: Using Resource Monitor, a Probe Polls Device and Sends Trap When Alarm Condition is Met

Displaying the Proxy SNMP Resource Window

The Proxy SNMP Resource window shows for a selected agent or Frame Relay agent, a list of host names that have proxy SNMP values configured for them. To display the Proxy SNMP Resource window, take the following steps:

Step 1 Select the Agent or FrameRelay radio button.

Step 2 Do one of the following:

• If you selected Agent, select an agent from the list.

• If you selected FrameRelay, select a Frame Relay agent from the list.

Step 3 Click the Proxy SNMP icon.

The TrafficDirector Proxy SNMP Resource Monitor window (Figure 30-3) opens.

Figure 30-3: TrafficDirector Proxy SNMP Resource Monitor Window

Proxy SNMP Resource Monitor Window

Table 30-1 lists the headings displayed in the Proxy SNMP Resource Monitor window.

Table  30-1: Proxy SNMP Resource Monitor Window Contents

Window Heading	Description
Host	Name or IP address of the host on which the probe is monitoring the proxy SNMP resource.
MIB	Name of the MIB associated with the SNMP MIB variable being monitored.
Variable instance	Variable name and variable instance selected when the proxy SNMP resource was added. Instance lets you index multiple occurrences of the same MIB variable.
Value	Value of the last update of the variable being monitored. For example, if you are monitoring free disk space, the value is the amount of free space left.
Errors	Number of errors, if any, the agent finds when it polls the resource. If the agent finds errors, the value shown in the Value field may be inaccurate.