SNMP uses a distributed architecture consisting of management systems and agents. The SNMP agent is responsible for retrieving and updating local management information based on the requests of the management system. The SNMP agent also notifies registered management systems when a significant event occurs.
A Windows NT management system is any computer that has loaded the TCP/IP or IPX transport and is running third-party SNMP manager software. To use the Microsoft SNMP Service, you need at least one management system. The primary function of a management system is to request information from an agent. The management system initiates Get, Get Next, and Set operations.
·The Get operation is a request for a specific value, such as the amount of hard disk space available.
·The Get Next operation is a request for the value after a specified value in the conceptual database of management information that the agent maintains.
·The Set operation changes a value.
The primary function of an agent is to perform the Get, Get Next, and Set operations requested by a management system. The only operation initiated by an agent is the trap, which alerts management systems to an extraordinary event, such as a password violation. The SNMP Service performs the duties of an SNMP agent on a computer running Windows NT.