Enabling and configuring SNMP on Cisco devices

Switches, routers, and firewalls should also be monitored, as they are crucial to the uptime of a network. This section covers command line procedures to enable and configure SNMP on some common Cisco devices.

Due to a wide range of manufactures and models, with varying configurations, your organization may use devices that are not listed in procedures referenced in this section. If that is the case, you should consult the manufacturer's website or user's manual.

Tip

Most vendors (including Cisco) ship equipment with these default SNMP community strings:

• public for read-only

• private for read-write

• secret for read-write-all

It is important to change these defaults due to security implications.

Enabling and configuring SNMP on a Cisco switch

This procedure explains how to enable and configure SNMP on a Cisco 3550 switch running IOS version 12.1(20)EA1a.

1. Telnet to the switch (replace 192.168.1.230 with your switch IP):

   C:\>telnet 192.168.1.230
   

   Tip

   You can Telnet with PuTTY, explained in above referenced procedures; or if Telnet is installed, you can use Windows' Command Prompt method explained in step 1 of this procedure.

2. The Password field will appear. Enter the switch administrator password.

3. Type enable at the prompt and enter the enable password:

   3550>enable
   Password:
   3550#
   

4. Enter the configuration terminal:

   3550#configure terminal
   Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CTRL/Z.
   3550(config)#
   

5. Enable the read-only community string:

   3550(config)#snmp-server community S4MCisco3550SW1 RO
   

   • In this example, S4MCisco3550SW1 is the SNMP community string. You should choose your own community string.

   • To assign read-write rights, simply change RO to RW.

6. Designate SolarWinds SAM as the host network monitoring service:

   3550(config)#snmp-server host 192.168.1.3 version 2c S4MCisco3550SW1
   

   Note

   In this command, host 192.168.1.3 is the IP of our SolarWinds SAM server, version 2c designates SNMPv2C and S4MCisco3550S1 references the new SNMP community string.

7. Exit the configuration terminal to save, and then verify the new SNMP community string:

   3550(config)#exit
   3550#show running-configuration
   

   Note

   To remove an SNMP community string, or host network monitoring service, insert no in front of the commands listed in step 4 or 5. This is necessary if you made a typo.

Enabling and configuring SNMP on a Cisco router

This procedure explains how to enable and configure SNMP on Cisco router; it is also applicable to a Cisco IOS software-based XL Catalyst Switch.

1. Telnet to the router (replace 192.168.1.1 with your router IP):

   prompt#telnet 192.168.1.1
   

2. Type enable at the prompt and enter the router administrator password:

   Router>enable
   Password:
   Router#
   

3. Display the running configuration to review the current SNMP information:

   Router#show running-config
   Building configuration...
   ....
   ....
   

4. Enable the configuration mode:

   Router#configure terminal
   Enter configuration commands, one per line. End
   with CNTL/Z.
   Router(config)#
   

5. Enable the read-only community string:

   Router(config)#snmp-server community public RO
   

   • In this example, public is the SNMP community string. You should change it to something more secure.

   • In this example, RO specifies read-only rights. To assign read-write rights, simply replace RO with RW.

6. Type exit to return to the main prompt:

   Router(config)#exit 
   Router#
   

7. Type write memory, to save the settings:

   Router#write memory 
   Building configuration... 
   [OK] 
   Router#