Index


Overview

The Statseeker server monitors your network devices via:

  • ICP (Ping) – for reachability\availability
  • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) – for configuration details, health metrics, device status, and details on the activity occurring on the device

SNMP credentials are configured on the device itself, and Statseeker needs to provide the correct credentials to communicate with the device via SNMP. There are 3 versions of SNMP available:

  • SNMPv2 – the default SNMP version used by Statseeker when attempting to communicate with a device
  • SNMPv3 – offers added security, encrypting all SNMP communications between the Statseeker server and the device
  • SNMPv1 – typically employed as a fallback when a device doesn’t support, or has trouble with, SNMPv2 communications

SNMP credentials are required for the Statseeker server to communicate with network hardware via SNMP. Some devices will have separate SNMP Credentials for read and write communications, Statseeker only requires SNMP read Credentials.

The Admin Tool’s SNMP Credentials page is used to manage the various sets of SNMP credentials in use in networks monitored by the Statseeker server. One or more sets of credentials can then be referenced to enable SNMP communications when running a:

  • Discovery, to identify devices on the network that will be SNMP monitored by Statseeker
  • Rewalk against devices that Statseeker is already monitoring, to update Statseeker on any configuration changes that have made on the device

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Adding SNMP Credentials

To add a new set of SNMP credentials to your Statseeker server:

  • Select Admin Tool > Network Discovery > SNMP Credentials
  • Click Add

Note: a * indicates a required field. Required fields will vary depending on the specified values for SNMP Version, Authentication, and Privacy.
Field Description
Name The name of the credential configuration, referenced when selecting credentials to use with a given Discovery\Rewalk process
SNMP Version The SNMP version used when attempting to communicate with devices using this set of credentials, one of:

  • SNMPv1 – typically only used with devices that have difficulty communicating via SNMPv2
  • SNMPv2 – default protocol version
  • SNMPv3 – offers added security, encrypting all SNMP communications between the Statseeker server and the device
Community Requires SNMP Version = SNMPv1\2.

A plain-text string used to authenticate communications between the device and Statseeker.
Supported characters are alpha-numerics (a-z, A-Z, 0-9), hyphens (–), and underscores (_).

Note: most network devices are configured by the manufacturer\vendor with a default SNMP Community string of public.
Context Requires SNMP Version = SNMPv3.

The SNMP Context identifier, as specified on the device.
Authentication Requires SNMP Version = SNMPv3.
The authentication protocol used in SNMP communication, one of:

  • None
  • MD5
  • SHA1
  • SHA224
  • SHA256
  • SHA384
  • SHA512
Username Requires SNMP Version = SNMPv3.
The authentication username.
Authentication Password Requires SNMP Version = SNMPv3.
The authentication password.
Privacy Requires SNMP Version = SNMPv3.
The algorithm used to encrypt SNMP communications with the device, one of:

  • None
  • AES192
  • AES256
  • AES512
  • DES
  • DES3
Privacy Password Requires SNMP Version = SNMPv3.
The privacy password.
  • Specify the credentials as required to communicate with devices on your monitored network
  • Click Save
Note: in some instances, it may be more efficient to Copy an existing set of credentials and edit the copy, rather than creating a new set of credentials. To do this:

  • Select Admin Tool > Network Discovery > SNMP Credentials
  • Use the checkbox to select a single set of credentials and click Copy

This will populate the Add Credentials section with a duplicate of the selected configuration.

  • Update the credentials as required and click Save

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Editing SNMP Credentials

To Edit a set of credentials:

  • Select Admin Tool > Network Discovery > SNMP Credentials
  • Use the checkbox to select a single set of credentials
  • Update the credentials as required and click Save

Note: changes made when editing credentials only apply to the Statseeker configuration, no changes are pushed\written to the devices currently monitored via these credentials.

If the credentials specified in Statseeker do not match those configured on the device:

  • SNMP monitoring of the device will not be available
  • Ping (ICMP) monitoring is not affected by incorrect SNMP credentials


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Deleting SNMP Credentials

To Delete credentials:

  • Select Admin Tool > Network Discovery > SNMP Credentials
  • Use the checkbox to select the sets of credentials to be removed
  • Click Delete and confirm the action when prompted

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