Administer > Configure communication protocol

Configure communication protocol

[This is the Context-Sensitive Help topic for the Communication Configuration form.]

NNMi uses the following protocols to discover your network and monitor the health of your network environment:

  • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c)

    • Read-only queries, also known as "Get" commands.

      SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c require the use of a read community string to authenticate messages that are sent between NNMi and SNMP agents. NNMi cannot discover information about the SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c devices in your network environment until you provide the appropriate read community strings. During discovery and monitoring, NNMi uses the read community strings you provide in the Communication Configurations option of the Configuration workspace. When a device is first discovered, NNMi tries all appropriate read community strings and makes a record of the first read community string that works. To keep network traffic to a minimum, from then on NNMi uses the recorded read community string when communicating with that device using SNMP. If at some point the device no longer responds to the recorded read community string, NNMi tries all appropriate read community strings and makes a record of the first read community string that now works.

    • Write commands, also known as "Set" commands.

      SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c require the use of a write community string to authenticate messages that are sent between the nnmsnmpset.ovpl command and SNMP agents.

  • SNMPv3 requires the use of user-based security model (USM) user names instead of SNMPv1/SNMPv2c community strings to authenticate messages that are sent between NNMi and SNMP agents. NNMi cannot discover information about the SNMPv3 devices in your network environment until you provide the appropriate user name and authentication. During discovery and monitoring, NNMi uses the SNMPv3 User Name attribute value and authentication that the NNMi administrator provides in the Communication Configuration workspace. When a device is first discovered, NNMi tries all appropriate USM user names and makes a record of the first USM user name that works. To keep network traffic to a minimum, from then on NNMi uses the recorded SNMPv3 User Name attribute value when communicating with that device using SNMP. If at some point the device no longer responds to the recorded SNMPv3 User Name attribute value, NNMi tries all appropriate USM user names and makes a record of the one that now works.
  • Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) ping commands
  • If Web Agents are configured (in addition to SNMP Agents), NNMi can use additional protocols. For example, SOAP protocol for VMware environments.

If NNMi discovers a device for which no SNMP authentication was provided in the Communication Configuration workspace, that device is treated as a non-SNMP device.

You control the amount of traffic NNMi generates on your network. You can modify the settings to meet your needs.

As an NNMi administrator, you can over-ride the Communication Configuration settings for a Node, using the Mode attribute in the SNMP Agent Form.

To configure the way NNMi uses ICMP and SNMP protocols, do the following:

  1. Navigate to the Communication Configuration form.

    1. From the workspace navigation panel, select the  Configuration workspace.
    2. Select the Communication Configuration.
  2. Make your configuration choices. The Communication Configuration settings determine whether each NNMi Rediscovery cycle automatically detects the best SNMP choice (v1, v2, or v3) for each Node (automatically detects any upgrade to the SNMP agent on each Node), or uses only the SNMP version that you specify.

    Click here for a list of choices .

    Tip For the alternate method of configuring communication settings from the command line, see the nnmcommunication.ovpl Reference Page.

  3. Click  Save and Close to apply your changes.

    You control the amount of network traffic generated by NNMi by designating the Rediscovery Interval setting and making choices when you configure NNMi monitoring behavior.

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