200-301 Question #383: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

Question

Which condition must be met before an NMS handles an SNMP trap from an agent?

Options

• AThe NMS software must be loaded with the MIB associated with the trap.
• BThe NMS must be configured on the same router as the SNMP agent
• CThe NMS must receive a trap and an inform message from the SNMP agent within a configured
• DThe NMS must receive the same trap from two different SNMP agents to verify that it is reliable.

Explanation

To manage and monitor devices, the characteristics of the devices must be represented using a format known to both the agent and the NMS. These characteristics can represent physical properties such as fan speeds, or services such as routing tables. The data structure defining these characteristics is known as a Management Information Base (MIB). This data model is typically organized into tables, but can also include simple values. An example of the former is routing tables, and an example of the latter is a timestamp indicating the time at which the agent A MIB is a text file, written in abstract syntax notation one (ASN.1) notation, which describes the variables containing the information that SNMP can access. The variables described in a MIB, which are also called MIB objects, are the items that can be monitored using SNMP. There is one MIB object for each element being monitored. All MIBs are, in fact, part of one large hierarchical structure, with leaf nodes containing unique identifiers, data types, and access rights for each variable and the paths providing classifications. A standard path structure includes branches for private subtrees. For reference, the structure of the MIBs for SNMPv2 is defined by its Structure of Management Information (SMI) defined in the RFC2578 document. This SMI defines the syntax and basic data types available to MIBs. The Textual Conventions (type definitions) defined in the RFC2579 document define additional data types and enumerations. Before an NMS can manage a device through its agent, the MIB corresponding to the data presented by the agent must be loaded into the NMS. The mechanism for doing this varies depending on the implementation of the network management software. This gives the NMS the information required to address and correctly interpret the data model presented by the agent. Note that MIBs can reference definitions in other MIBs, so to use a given MIB, it might be necessary to load others.

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