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	Using ipMonitor's SNMP - QA Monitor and the Net-SNMP Daemon, Administrators can monitor Memory, CPU, and Load values on a Unix-based Operating System.
The SNMP - QA Monitor can be configured in various ways to monitor current values for: Real memory available Swap memory available Processor activity Load averages for 1, 5, and 15 minute intervals

	Net-SNMP is a suite of applications used to implement SNMP v1, SNMP v2c and SNMP v3 using both Internet Protocol (IP) version 4 and Internet Protocol (IP) version 6.
Net-SNMP is available for many Unix and Unix-like operating systems and also for Microsoft Windows. Detailed information on downloading and configuring the Net-SNMP daemon is available from the Net-SNMP website.

Before configuring SNMP - QA Monitors to implement the examples outlined in this tutorial, the Net-SNMP Daemon must be installed and configured on each machine being monitored.

For assistance with the installation and setup process, please refer to the following Net-SNMP documentation resources:

http://net-snmp.sourceforge.net/docs/INSTALL.html

http://net-snmp.sourceforge.net/docs/FAQ.html

	Click the XML icon to download resources designed to be used with this tutorial. The XML file includes six preconfigured Monitors, as well as a predefined Group for the Monitors.
	To incorporate the NetSNMP MIBs described in this article into your ipMonitor installation, access the SNMP MIB Database Builder located within the ipMonitor Support Portal. Note: Custom databases are only available to registered customers. You must log in to access this section. 1. Expand the Enterprise branch, and place a checkmark beside NetSNMP. 2. Click the Construct MIB Database button located at the bottom of the page. Shortly after selecting your custom MIBs for creation, you will receive an email indicating that your database is ready for download. This email will contain a link to your personalized SNMP MIB database. Additionally, each visit to the Support Portal home page will also contain the link to your most recently created database.
	Click the PDF icon to open a printable PDF version of this tutorial. It includes all the information found here, including images from the ipMonitor software, diagrams, and links to additional resources.

Monitor 1

Monitor Name	Net-SNMP Daemon :: Real Memory - Available [KB]
Monitor Type	SNMP - QA Monitor
SNMP Object Type	memAvailReal
OID	1.3.6.1.4.1.2021.4.6.0
Returns	The amount of free real memory, in kilobytes.
Monitoring Condition	Pass if greater than or equal to 4096 Monitor failure indicates that less than 4 MB of real memory is currently available.

Monitor 2

Monitor Name	Net-SNMP Daemon :: Swap Memory - Available [KB]
Monitor Type	SNMP - QA Monitor
SNMP Object Type	memAvailSwap
OID	1.3.6.1.4.1.2021.4.4.0
Returns	The amount of free swap memory, in kilobytes.
Monitoring Condition	Pass if greater than or equal to 524288 Monitor failure indicates that less than 512 MB of swap memory is currently available.

Monitor 3

Monitor Name	Net-SNMP Daemon :: Processor Activity - Idle CPU Time [%]
Monitor Type	SNMP - QA Monitor
SNMP Object Type	ssCpuIdle
OID	1.3.6.1.4.1.2021.11.11.0
Returns	The percentages of idle CPU time.
Monitoring Condition	Pass if greater than or equal to 5% Monitor failure indicates that there is limited available CPU time remaining. The system processor is operating near top capacity.

Monitor 4

Monitor Name	Net-SNMP Daemon :: Load Average [1 Minute]
Monitor Type	SNMP - QA Monitor
SNMP Object Type	laLoadInt.1
OID	1.3.6.1.4.1.2021.10.1.5.1
Returns	The 1-minute system load average.
Monitoring Condition	Pass if less than or equal to 1200 Monitor failure indicates that the 1-minute system load average is greater than 12.00.

Monitor 5

Monitor Name	Net-SNMP Daemon :: Load Average [5 Minutes]
Monitor Type	SNMP - QA Monitor
SNMP Object Type	laLoadInt.2
OID	1.3.6.1.4.1.2021.10.1.5.2
Returns	The 5-minute system load average.
Monitoring Condition	Pass if less than or equal to 1400 Monitor failure indicates that the 5-minute system load average is greater than 14.00.

Monitor 6

Monitor Name	Net-SNMP Daemon :: Load Average [15 Minutes]
Monitor Type	SNMP - QA Monitor
SNMP Object Type	laLoadInt.3
OID	1.3.6.1.4.1.2021.10.1.5.3
Returns	The 15-minute system load average.
Monitoring Condition	Pass if less than or equal to 1400 Monitor failure indicates that the 15-minute system load average is greater than 14.00.

Note: All imported Monitors are initially disabled. This allows you to make changes to the default settings before the Monitors are enabled to go live in a production environment. Once the Monitors are imported, the following settings will need to be verified (and if necessary, modified) for each Monitor:

• IP Address
• UDP Port
• Community

To learn more about modifying the above parameters, please refer to the 'Configuring the SNMP - QA Monitor' section of this tutorial.

TIP For detailed instructions regarding importing XML files into your ipMonitor installation, please refer to the tutorial entitled "How to Import and Export Configuration Settings".

For the purposes of this tutorial, we'll be referring to the preconfigured Monitors included in the XML resource download. Alternatively, you can create a new Monitor by clicking the Monitors menu option and then selecting Add a Monitor. Choose the SNMP - QA Monitor from the Multi-Transaction / QA category.

1. Enter a unique, descriptive name for the Monitor in the Name field.
2. Choose whether to automatically add the new Monitor to a particular Group.
3. Check the Enabled checkbox.
4. Choose whether you want the Monitor to Store Monitor Statistics for Recent Activity and Historical Reports.

5. Specify the location of the SNMP Service (in this case, the Net-SNMP Daemon). Both IP Address and Domain Name are valid entries.
6. If needed, specify a different UDP Port Number for the SNMP Service. By default, the standard Port Number used for SNMP communication (Port 161) is already entered.
7. If you are using one of the preconfigured Monitors, the appropriate OID for the monitoring task is already entered. Otherwise, you will need to specify an OID path in the OID field.
8. Enter the SNMP Community string that allows ipMonitor to communicate with the SNMP Service.
9. Select the SNMP Version used by the device to be monitored. Both ipMonitor and the target device must use the same SNMP Version. Available options are: SNMP Version 1 and SNMP Version 2.

The following example uses the Analysis of Test Results settings configured for the Net-SNMP Daemon :: Real Memory - Available [KB] Monitor provided in the XML resource download.

The type of data supported by the selected OID determines the possible methods of analysis using the SNMP - QA Monitor.

1. In order to return the desired value (the amount of free real memory, in kilobytes), the SNMP - QA Monitor is configured to analyze the result as Numeric Data.
2. The expected result is determined to be greater than or equal to (>=) 4096, ensuring that the Monitor will pass if the returned data indicates that the process is currently running as configured.

TIP By default, the Timing Intervals for each parameter are set to 300 seconds. If needed, adjust these defaults to meet your specific monitoring environment's requirements until the optimum settings are reached.

For more information regarding the SNMP - QA Monitor, refer to the Monitors section of ipMonitor's Context-Sensitive Help system, and then select Monitor Types, followed by SNMP - QA. The Context-Sensitive Help can be accessed by clicking the Help link located in the top right corner of ipMonitor's Administration web interface.

For information on other features and concepts related to those discussed in this article, refer to the following ipMonitor resources:

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Last Updated: April 11, 2006 | What did you think of this topic?