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[Video] Enable SNMP on Windows 8

June 8, 2015

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When you're troubleshooting sometimes issues are not clearly a server, client or network issue - I get asked to assist on these regularly. I’m always trying to get the right balance of data without becoming overwhelmed with too much to analyze.

Take a quick second and i'll walk you through it!

 

Step 1: Getting Visibility on the Network

The first thing to do is determine how to get visibility into the network equipment whether I use the client’s system or my own tools. Since problems typically involve a client and minimally a server, I try to ensure that I have a plan in place to gather this information.

As you can expect, the biggest issue I encounter as an external consultant is access to devices or network management systems. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not expecting anyone to give me administrator passwords to servers or clients, unless they are test systems in a lab. The key here is to make sure I know how I will get access to this data in a timely fashion. In some cases, it may involve a different contact for the server, client and network equipment which is fine with me.

Download Maximizing Visibility - it's free!

Here's Where My Helpful Tip Comes In

If possible, I try to get SNMP/WMI enabled on client to give me more visibility. There are many tools out there that can use SNMP/WMI to perform system queries or monitor running services or applications to assist with troubleshooting. By using SNMP, I don’t need the client’s login credentials. I find customers already have server monitoring solutions that we can leverage.

In this video, I show you how to enable SNMP on a Windows 8.1 system:

 

 

Tony Fortunato, CCNA, CFNI, CWI
Sr Network Performance Specialist
The Technology Firm
www.thetechfirm.com
Getting things to work better - bit by bit-

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Certified Wireshark and Fluke Instructor

 

Still want more info? Set alerts and traps with Bypass TAPs and Packet Brokers with our free white paper download: Maximizing Visibility

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Heartbeats Packets Inside the Bypass TAP

If the inline security tool goes off-line, the TAP will bypass the tool and automatically keep the link flowing. The Bypass TAP does this by sending heartbeat packets to the inline security tool. As long as the inline security tool is on-line, the heartbeat packets will be returned to the TAP, and the link traffic will continue to flow through the inline security tool.

If the heartbeat packets are not returned to the TAP (indicating that the inline security tool has gone off-line), the TAP will automatically 'bypass' the inline security tool and keep the link traffic flowing. The TAP also removes the heartbeat packets before sending the network traffic back onto the critical link.

While the TAP is in bypass mode, it continues to send heartbeat packets out to the inline security tool so that once the tool is back on-line, it will begin returning the heartbeat packets back to the TAP indicating that the tool is ready to go back to work. The TAP will then direct the network traffic back through the inline security tool along with the heartbeat packets placing the tool back inline.

Some of you may have noticed a flaw in the logic behind this solution!  You say, “What if the TAP should fail because it is also in-line? Then the link will also fail!” The TAP would now be considered a point of failure. That is a good catch – but in our blog on Bypass vs. Failsafe, I explained that if a TAP were to fail or lose power, it must provide failsafe protection to the link it is attached to. So our network TAP will go into Failsafe mode keeping the link flowing.

Glossary

  1. Single point of failure: a risk to an IT network if one part of the system brings down a larger part of the entire system.

  2. Heartbeat packet: a soft detection technology that monitors the health of inline appliances. Read the heartbeat packet blog here.

  3. Critical link: the connection between two or more network devices or appliances that if the connection fails then the network is disrupted.

NETWORK MANAGEMENT | THE 101 SERIES