Install and activate the nShield SNMP monitoring agent

On Linux, the SNMP agent is installed with the installation of the Security World Software and starts automatically.

On Windows, the SNMP agent can be installed and activated separately. After installing the SNMP components, an activation command can be issued.

Default installation settings

When installing Security World Software, you may be prompted to select Security World Software components from a list. If you select all components, then the SNMP agent is installed as part of a full Security World Software installation. The default installation directory for the nShield Management Information Base (MIB) and the SNMP configuration files (snmp.conf and snmpd.conf) is /opt/nfast/etc/snmp/ (Linux) or %NFAST_HOME%\etc\snmp\ (Windows).

Do you already have an SNMP agent running?

If you already have another SNMP agent running, you must configure the ports used by the agents in order to avoid conflicts before enabling the SNMP agent. A port is assigned by editing the agentaddress entry in the snmpd.conf file or by editing the defaultPort entry in snmp.conf file. If both files have been edited, the agentaddress entry is snmpd.conf file takes priority for snmpd, and the defaultPort entry in snmp.conf is ignored.

If no existing SNMP agent is found, the SNMP agent runs on the default port 161. If an existing SNMP agent is detected, and no SNMP agent configuration files are found (implying a fresh installation), the installer automatically configures the SNMP agent to use the first unused port above 161 by creating a new snmpd.conf configuration file with the appropriate directive. It then displays a message indicating the number of the port that is has selected.

If an existing SNMP agent is found and an existing SNMP agent installation exists, the installer checks the existing configuration files for an appropriate directive and warns you if one does not exist. If you need to edit these configuration files yourself, a port is assigned by editing the agentaddress entry in snmpd.conf file or editing the defaultPort entry in snmp.conf file. If both files have been edited, the agentaddress entry in snmpd.conf file takes priority for snmpd, and the defaultPort entry in snmp.conf is ignored.

Start the SNMP agent

Linux

The SNMP agent is started automatically however it can be stopped and started manually. To stop, start, or restart (stop and immediately start again) the SNMP daemon:

/opt/nfast/scripts/init.d/ncsnmpd stop|start|restart

See [snmp-conf] for more information on additional parameters accepted by snmpd.

Windows

To register the SNMP agent as a Windows service, enter the following command with administrative privileges:

%NFAST_HOME\bin\snmpd -register [params]

See [snmp-conf] for more information on additional parameters accepted by snmpd.

This installs the agent as a Windows Service but does not start it automatically.

By default, the SNMP agent logs start-up and shut-down to the Event Viewer. More detailed logging can be configured by providing additional parameters when running the SNMP agent either from the command line or when registering as a service.

To unregister the SNMP agent as a Windows service, enter the following command:

snmpd -unregister

The SNMP agent can be started and stopped from the services control panel or from the command prompt using:

net start "nCipher SNMP Agent"
net stop "nCipher SNMP Agent"