What is the role of a SNMP agent?

The role of a SNMP agent is to collect data from devices on a network. SNMP, which stands for Simple Network Management Protocol, is used for managing and monitoring network devices. A SNMP agent resides on each device that needs to be monitored, such as routers, switches, and servers. Its main function is to gather information about the device’s performance, status, and configuration and then respond to requests from a network management system, often called an SNMP manager.

The data collected by the SNMP agent can include various metrics, such as CPU usage, memory utilization, network interface status, and error counts. This information is crucial for network administrators to assess the health and performance of the network and make informed decisions regarding maintenance and upgrades.

In contrast, sending alerts to network admins is typically handled by other monitoring tools or systems rather than the SNMP agent itself. Network address translation is a function performed at the network layer to modify network address information in IP packet headers while in transit. Storing logs for retrieval is usually the responsibility of log management systems or servers designed for that purpose, rather than a function of the SNMP agent.