SNMP stands for Simple Network Management Protocol.
SNMP allows for remote management of network devices. There may be thousands of devices on a network. SNMP allows network administrators to monitor and gather statistics from all these network devices. SNMP uses UDP port 161 to query devices. It can then receive alarms, or traps, from the devices via UDP port 162.
SNMP enables remote query and remote configuration of just about anything on a network.
There are 3 common versions of SNMP:
- SNMP v1 is the original, which sent queries and responses in the clear.
- SNMP v2 also sent queries and responses in the clear. However, version 2 allowed for bulk transfers so that the client could query many different questions at the same time and receive a bulk transfer in response.
- SNMP v3 provides message intergrity, an authentication method, and all of the SNMP communication between a client and device are encrypted.
