Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!Firewall!genesis!kdenning
From: kdenning@genesis.Naitc.Com (Karl Denninger)
Subject: SNMP second try
Message-ID: <1991Jun14.181015.3642@Firewall.Nielsen.Com>
Sender: news@Firewall.Nielsen.Com (Usenet News)
Nntp-Posting-Host: genesis.naitc.com
Organization: AC Nielsen Co., Bannockburn IL
Date: Fri, 14 Jun 91 18:10:15 GMT

I wasn't explicit enough in my first request (this is obvious).

We are looking for the following:

1)	Xwindows-based display software which can map networks and monitor
	SNMP-capable hosts, routers, and gateways.  Ideally it should be
	able to do "dynamic discovery" of nodes (lots of possible ways to do
	this, from community name transmissions to broadcasts).  Some of
	the things we'd like are:

	o)	Four or five "status levels" at each level of the tree, 
		including "green" (up and ok), "yellow" (traffic level
		warnings, low water marks for disk capacity, collision rates
		over some metric, CPU over some metric, etc), "orange" 
		(disk high water marks, bad collision problems, etc) and
		"red" (node unreachable, etc).  Preference is to be able to
		ignore errors or warnings on some nodes (ie: I don't care if
		the PCs are unreachable or go "offline", but the servers are 
		another matter entirely!)

	o)	Active polling and passive SNMP community listening modes.

	o)	Ability to keep a database so it doesn't have to
		"dynamically discover" every time it's started.

	o)	Runnable from more than one location at once (concurrent
		monitoring).

	o)	Writes logs of status updates somewhere configurable (this
		is intended to interface with a program I'm working on to
		take proactive action on some conditions -- ie: try to reboot 
		a panic'd server).

	o)	Mapping capability (what connects to where) based on network
		numbers and the like.

	o)	Multi-level display modes (See HP OpenView for an idea of
		what I'm talking about here).

	o)	Warnings, errors, and the like configurable as to their
		severity and response action (ie: what turns a box "red").

I'm sure there's more, but this is a start.


SNMPD Software:

1)	BSD and System V software to run on a workstation or server that
	provides SNMPD services and reporting complient with the MIB
	standards.  HP has this on their 800 series "minis" -- and it works
	quite well.  Is there a >working< PD version of this?  I've looked
	at the MIT stuff and the like, and it looks like a skeleton for
	development rather than something that can be put to use.


Commercial, Freeware, PD, Shareware and every other kind of ware considered.
Basic consideration for the display side is machine-independance if
possible (which probably means source code is needed); the SNMPD stuff
needs to be in source so I can put it on many different makes of machines).

Any help or pointers appreicated!

--
Karl Denninger - AC Nielsen, Bannockburn IL (708) 317-3285
kdenning@nis.naitc.com

"The most dangerous command on any computer is the carriage return."
Disclaimer:  The opinions here are solely mine and may or may not reflect
  	     those of the company.
