# What is Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)?

> Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an application-layer framework and protocol family for observing and managing networked systems.

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## Content

A management application communicates with an SNMP agent that exposes structured management information. That data is organized as objects identified by object identifiers (OIDs) and described through management information bases (MIBs).

SNMP operations can read individual or sequential values, retrieve larger collections, change permitted values, and carry notifications such as traps or informs. Uses include collecting interface counters, device status, and configuration facts. SNMPv1, community-based SNMPv2c, and the SNMPv3 framework have materially different message and security capabilities.

### Key points

- **Management data:** Standard and vendor-defined MIB modules describe object names, types, access, and semantics; an OID alone does not explain how a value should be interpreted.
- **Operations:** GET, GETNEXT, GETBULK, SET, response, and notification operations support polling, controlled changes, and event reporting.
- **Security design:** SNMPv3 can use the User-based Security Model for message authentication and privacy and the View-based Access Control Model to limit accessible management data.
- **Important limitation:** Choosing “SNMPv3” does not by itself create secure management. Weak security levels, keys, or algorithms, broad views, exposed management interfaces, and unnecessary write access can still create serious risk; community-based SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c do not provide comparable cryptographic protection.

### Related terms

[Network monitoring](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/network-monitoring/>) · [Network traffic](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/network-traffic/>) · [Network segmentation](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/network-segmentation/>) · [Firewall](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/firewall/>) · [Authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA)](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/authentication-authorization-and-accounting/>)

### Sources

[IETF RFC 3411: Architecture for SNMP Management Frameworks](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3411) · [IETF RFC 3416: SNMP Protocol Operations](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3416) · [IETF RFC 3414: User-based Security Model for SNMPv3](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3414) · [IETF RFC 3415: View-based Access Control Model](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3415)

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