How to Configure the SNMP Trap Service

Console's SNMPTrap Service (snmptrapd) must know the user credentials of a sending agent (on the device) before receiving a trap. If this information is not provided, the SNMPTrap Service drops trap messages.

There are two ways to configure Trap Receiver information: Using the Console's Trap Receiver Configuration window or by manually adding user information to the snmptrapd.conf file using a text editor. Instructions for the latter are provided in the snmptrapd.conf file, located on the server in the <install directory>\appdata directory.

Using the Trap Receiver Configuration Window

The Trap Receiver Configuration view is accessible from the right-click menu when clicking a device in Console's left (tree) panel.

  NOTES:
  1. Changes you make in this window alter the snmptrapd.conf file. The snmptrapd.conf file is located on the server in the <install directory>\appdata directory. After making changes, you must restart the SNMPTrap Service on the NetSight Server. Refer to Restarting snmptrapd for more information.
  2. The snmptrapd.conf is not preserved during the Console Uninstall.
  1. In Console, expand the left panel, right-click on one or more devices or device groups, and select Trap Receiver Configuration.
  2. Click the snmptrapd tab.
  3. Click Add Entry. This adds a new row to the table.
    For the next step, you'll need an SNMPv3 Credential. If you do not already have a credential defined, go to the Authorization/Device Access - Profiles/Credentials tab, where you can create one. Otherwise, proceed to Step 4.
  4. Click in the Credential Name column for the device on which you want to set a specific SNMPv3 credential and select your SNMPv3 AuthPriv credential from the drop-down menu. The snmptrapd.conf Text area shows the text of your entry in the configuration file.

    You can also type user credentials directly into the snmptrapd.conf Text area to add entries to the configuration file. The format for user information is:

    createUser username (MD5|SHA) passphrase [DES passphrase]

    Example - for an AuthPriv user, enter the following line in the file:

    createUser myAuthPrivUser MD5 mypassword DES myotherpassword

    Where myAuthPrivUser is the security user name, mypassword is your authentication password and myotherpassword is your encryption password. The authentication and privacy parameters are optional, depending on whether you are using authentication and/or privacy.

  5. Click Save and Close. The user credentials are added to the snmptrapd.conf file.

Restarting snmptrapd Service

Depending on the system where the NetSight Server is running and your preference, there are several ways to restart the snmptrapd service.

Restarting the service locally on the NetSight Server host system:

Windows Linux
Using the Services Manager:
  1. Go to the Taskbar Notification Area of your desktop (on the lower right of your screen, unless you've relocated your Taskbar).
  2. Right-click the Services Manager icon ( ).
  3. Select SNMPTrap  >  Restart.
Using Windows Services:
  1. From the Control Panel, access the Administrative Tools > Services window.
  2. Locate the snmptrapd service and select "Restart the service."
  1. Navigate to the etc/init.d directory.
  2. Type the command:
    nssnmptrapd stop
  3. Press Enter.
  4. Type the command:
    nssnmptrapd start
  5. Press Enter.

Restarting the service remotely from a NetSight Client host system:

Windows Linux
Restarting the service remotely on Windows host systems is only possible if both the Client and Server are capable of running Remote Desktop (a feature of Windows XP Professional) or through the use of a third-party facility that provides similar capabilities to Remote Desktop.

When you can access the Services Manager on the remote system using either Remote Desktop or a third-party program, you can restart the service as follows:

  1. Go to the Taskbar Notification Area of the remote desktop.
  2. Right-click the Services Manager icon ( ).
  3. Select SNMPTrap  >  Restart.
  1. Telnet to the server and login as an administrative user.
  2. Navigate to the etc/init.d directory.
  3. Type the command:
    nssnmptrapd stop
  4. Press Enter.
  5. Type the command:
    nssnmptrapd start
  6. Press Enter.
  7. Log out and close the telnet session.

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