Designing and Managing Behavior Models - Configuring SNMP Settings for Nodes - Classifying the SNMP Version Configured on Nodes -
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Classifying the SNMP Version Configured on Nodes

A node must have SNMP version information before NerveCenter can poll the node or process a trap from the node. NerveCenter enables you to obtain the SNMP version for a node and classify the node with that version. This is required when you don't know the SNMP version for a node or when NerveCenter receives its nodes from Hewlett Packard OpenView Network Node Manager or IBM-Tivoli Systems TME 10 NetView. When NerveCenter receives nodes from OpenView or NetView, NerveCenter deems the SNMP version for these nodes to be version 1.

A node must already exist in the database before it can be classified. To classify a node as SNMP v3, the agent must have an initial user configured for discovery. For details, refer to Administrator help or the Managing NerveCenter online guide.

For a detailed study of classification, refer to the white paper "OPEN NerveCenter: Node Classification," which ships with the NerveCenter online guides.

There are three ways in which NerveCenter classifies nodes:

• Enable auto-classification of nodes. If auto-classification is enabled, when NerveCenter adds nodes to its database (discovered from a trap, added from OpenView, or imported from another NerveCenter), any nodes without version information are classified at the highest possible level up to the maximum version specified in NerveCenter Administrator. NerveCenter does not attempt auto-classification for nodes that you add manually in Client.

  For details, refer to the Managing Managing NerveCenter online guide.

• Manually classify SNMP version for one or more nodes. NerveCenter attempts to classify one or more nodes at the highest level up to the maximum version specified in NerveCenter Administrator.

  For details, see Classifying the SNMP Version for One or More Nodes Manually.

• Manually classify all nodes in the Client's Node List. NerveCenter attempts to classify all nodes in its database at the highest level up to the maximum version specified in NerveCenter Administrator.

  For details, see Classifying the SNMP Version for All Nodes Manually.

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  Note    You can also manually confirm the SNMP version defined for a node. When you use this option, NerveCenter attempts to poll a node using the version specified for the node. The maximum classified version configured in NerveCenter Administrator has no effect on this operation. For details, see Confirming the SNMP Version for a Node.

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Classification of a node is temporarily disabled when you or someone else performs an SNMP v3 key change operation on the node. The authentication and privacy keys are changed from NerveCenter Administrator.

If NerveCenter classifies a node as SNMP v3, NerveCenter assigns a default security level for communicating with the node. The default security level is NoAuthNoPriv. For details about changing the security level, see Changing the Security Level of an SNMP v3 Node.

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Caution    If NerveCenter classifies a node as "Unknown", any existing version information for the node is lost during classification. For example, if the node was previously identified as SNMP v3 and is now changed (to v1, v2c, or Unknown), then the v3 related security information for the node is lost.

If NerveCenter fails to classify the node, then the version of the node is set to "Unknown." NerveCenter does not poll nodes or process traps from nodes whose SNMP version is Unknown.

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For more information about classification, see also:

• When NerveCenter Classifies a Node's SNMP Version
• How NerveCenter Classifies a Node's SNMP Version