1. What kind of validation is performed
on an SNMP Agent?
SNMP Agent Tester can be used to perform a variety of
validations to test the SNMP agents. This includes
MIB Syntax Validation: To check whether
the MIB implementation is in accordance with SMI standards
and ASN.1 rules.
Functionality Validation: To check
whether the agent behaves according to the RFC specifications
and standards. The SNMP Agent Tester tool automatically
tests each MIB variable for GET, GET-NEXT, SET, and
GET BULK SNMP operations.
V3 Security Validation: To check the
user privileges on various security levels such as
NoAuthNoPriv, AuthNoPriv, and AuthPriv.
Compliance Validation: To check whether
the Agent is compliant with v2c and v3 standards.
Trap Validation: To check if the Traps/Notifications
generated by the Agent are compliant with the RFC
standards.
Behavior Validation: To check whether
the Agent behaves as expected when a series of operations
are performed.
Inopportune Validation: To check whether
the agent drops an incomplete request or invalid messages
sent to the agent.
Performance Validation: To determine
the performance of the Agent by checking the time
taken by the agent to decode the PDU, fill it with
the response value, encode it, and send it to the
Manager.
Stress Validation: To test the ability
of the Agent by sending asynchronous requests to a
specific OID continuously for a specific period.
5. Do I need to write a script
for testing the behavior of an Agent?
No. SNMP Agent Tester eliminates the need of writing
scripts for testing the behavior of the Agent. It provides
you with an intuitive GUI for defining test cases for
checking the Agents' behavior. A typical test case for
behavior validation includes a series of SNMP requests,
such as GET, GETNEXT, GETBULK, and SET and testing the
received traps. At any point, you can check whether the
Agent has responded as expected.
6. Can I run the tests from the
command line or from a remote host?
Yes. SNMP Agent Tester provides you with an option to
run the tests either from the UI or from the command line.
You can specify all the required information from the
UI and save it. You can then run the tests, individually
or collectively, by executing a script.
Additionally, you can package the configurations and
run the test from any remote host in the network.
7. Can I automate the validation
to run at specific intervals?
Yes. Once you have created a project and made all required
configurations from the UI, you can create a regression
package of the configurations, which can be run from any
host in the network by just executing a script. You can
even set a cron job to run the validation at regular intervals.
You also have an option to e-mail the URL of the validation
reports after the completion of validation.
9. From the failed test case report,
can I analyze and debug the reasons for failure?
The validation report contains the details of each test
case, such as the request, expected result, and the status
of the validation. It also contains the OIDs on which
the request was made, which helps in analyzing the failures.
4. Can I set filters to monitor only
specific Traps (Notifications) in the MIB Browser?
Yes, Trap Viewer can filter the incoming traps according
to a certain criterion called the Parser Criteria. You can
configure the criterion using ParserEditor.
5. Can I view the SNMP Table data
using MIB Browser?
Yes. The MIB Browser enables you to view the SNMP Table
data in a separate window called the SNMP Table Panel. The
table has a very user-friendly profile. The SNMP Table panel
has various options using which you can add and delete rows,
view graphs, and use index editor.
6. Can I view the real-time plotting
of the SNMP data?
Yes. One of the vital features of the MIB Browser is the
Graphs. The graphs depict the real-time plotting of the
SNMP data. Currently, two types of graphs are supported
- line graph and bar graph. The SNMP data to be polled must
be of integer or unsigned integer data type. Typically,
the values that are plotted will be of type Counter, Gauge,
or Timeticks.
