3Com IntelliJack NJ200 Quick start guide

TECHNICAL BRIEF
3Com®NJ200
Network Jack
Management
Feature:
Configuring
SNMP Traps

3COM®NJ200 NETWORK JACK—SNMP TRAPS
SNMP traps allow managers to monitor network devices and isolate connectivity prob-
lems through a central management platform, such as 3Com®Network Supervisor or HP
OpenView. Using SNMP agents to gather information from connected devices, 3Com
NJ200 Network Jacks collect or “trap” this data and forward it to a RMON-compliant
network management server.
Benefits
When SNMP traps and alerts are enabled on NJ200 Network Jacks, IT staff can view
and display devices, links, and activity across the network. From a single control con-
sole, changes and events can be proactively monitored and addressed before they
become more serious problems. Network devices can be easily located before making a
site visit to avoid wasted trips and time. These capabilities are essential for reducing
downtime, optimizing network availability, improving user productivity, and freeing IT
staff to focus on higher-value management activities.
Specifically, SNMP traps help IT staff:
•Proactively monitor changes to NJ200 Network Jack–connected devices, often
delivering information before problems occur
•Reduce network downtime by quickly identifying dropped device connections,
isolating defective cables, and determining NIC configurations
•Lighten network overhead and management system processing
2
What are SNMP Traps?
CONTENTS
What are SNMP Traps?...........................2
Benefits...............................................2
Configuration and Setup ........................2
Using SNMP Traps with
3Com Network Supervisor......................3
Configuring Trap Destination...............3
Configuring 3Com
Network Supervisor .............................3
Using SNMP Traps with
Third-Party Network
Management Platforms ..........................4
Configuring Trap Destination...............4
Configuring the Network
Management Platform............................5
Business Application ...............................5
For More Information .............................6
Configure “Get” and “Set” community strings to
match your network management platform and
select which SNMP traps will be monitored by the
NJ200 Network Jack.

3COM®NJ200 NETWORK JACK—SNMP TRAPS
3Com NJ200 Network Jacks come bundled with 3Com Central Configuration Manager.
Designed for in-depth configuration and remote management of these devices, this tool
can be installed on a standalone PC or in the same system as the network management
platform. NJ200 switches use SNMP Version 1 (RFC-1157) and support four standard
SNMP traps: link up, link down, cold start, and authentication failure.
To enable and configure SNMP traps on an NJ200 Network Jack:
1. Open Central Configuration Manager and using either the IP or MAC address,
locate the NJ200 Netowrk Jack to be configured.
2. If the device is not on the initial list, begin a new discover
process by clicking on the Discovery icon from the toolbar.
3. Once the device has been located, select Device Property to open a window with
four tabs. Clicking on the SNMP Settings tab opens a window that looks like this:
3
Configuration and Setup
The 3Com Central Configuration Manager GUI
enables point-and-click remote administration of
NJ200 Network Jacks.

3COM®NJ200 NETWORK JACK—SNMP TRAPS
4
Using SNMP Traps with
3Com Network Supervisor
Configuring Trap Destination
An easy-to-use Network Discovery Wizard guides you through the process of discover-
ing and mapping networked devices, including NJ200 Network Jack. The graphical
interface makes it easy to configure SNMP traps and alerts, monitor events, locate
devices, and troubleshoot problems.
When NJ200 Network Jack are discovered, 3Com Network Supervisor automatically
writes the trap destination (IP address of the management system) to them. This elimi-
nates the need to build a “Trap Destination Table” via a Management Information
Database (MIB) browser. (see Configuring SNMP Traps with a Third-Party Management
Platform section below).
Configuring 3Com Network Supervisor
The traps are attached to an item on the network map and are triggered when an event
occurs. The following event alerts can be delivered via e-mail, sound, pop-up message,
or by launching an application:
•Cold Start indicates that the switch is down or disconnected
•Link Down indicates a problem in the cable or NIC
•Link Up indicates that the cable and NIC are functioning properly
Note: 3Com Network Supervisor does not support Authentication Failure traps or alerts.
With SNMP traps enabled and configured, IT staff can use 3Com Network Supervisor to
locate and identify network problems in three simple, point-and-click steps:
1. Receive an event alert.
2. Find the event in the Event List.
3. Using Event List link, locate the problem device in the network mangement map.
4. Under Common Setting, make sure the All SNMP Set box is checked.
5. Fill in the “Get” and “Set” Community Strings fields to match the community
strings configured in the enterprise network management platform.
IMPORTANT! The default community strings are “public” and “private” but must be changed to match
network management strings.
6. Under Trap Settings make sure the Enable SNMP Trap box is checked, and enable
any or all of the following event traps: Cold Start, Link Down, Link Up,
Authentication Failure.
Note: The Enable SNMP Trap box must be checked in order for network event traps to be monitored by
network management.

3COM®NJ200 NETWORK JACK—SNMP TRAPS
5
Using SNMP Traps with
Third-Party Network
Management Platforms
Configuring Trap Destination
Most third-party management platforms, such as HP OpenView, cannot automatically
write the trap destination (IP address of management system) to NJ200 Network Jack
during discovery. Although the switches support MIB-2, RMON, and SNMP agents,
they cannot be configured from 3Com Central Configuration Manager to communicate
with the network management platform (IP address of network management system).
Instead, the trap destination must be configured through a standard MIB browser.
The following example helps illustrate how to write the trap destination to an NJ200
Network Jack Switch using a standard MIB-2 browser. In this example the receiving
device uses IP address 192.168.1.1:
IMPORTANT!: Please note that this procedure varies for different network management platforms. To
properly configure the trap destination for your particular network management platform, please consult
the software documentation for specific instructions.
1. Open the “TrapDestStatus” command line. Most often, this will can be found under
MIB-2 _ RMON _ ProbeConfig _ TrapDestTable _ TrapDestStatus.
2. In dot notation, 1.3.6.1.2.1.16.19.13.1.6 represents TrapDestStatus. It may be
indexed with “1” and in that case is 1.3.6.1.2.1.16.19.13.1.6.1.
3. Create a row by setting TrapDestStatus value to 5.
4. Configure the TrapDestAddress (IP address of network management system) by
setting # 0xC0 0xA8 0x01 0x01 0x00 0xA2 to 1.3.6.1.2.1.16.19.13.1.4.1, where
1.3.6.1.2.1.16.19.13.1.4.1 represents the default address indexed with “1”.
5. The first four bytes of the TrapDestAddress, “0xC0 0xA8 0x01 0x01”, should be the
IP address of the network management system, or trap receiver.
Note: Insert a space, not a dot “.”, between the first four bytes.
6. The last two bytes indicate which UDP port is used to send out traps.
Note: Do not use any number other than 162 (0xA2) for the last byte. NJ200 Network Jacks can only trap
SNMP information through UDP port 162 (0xA2).
7. Enable the trap destination by setting 1 to TrapDestStatus object, which in this case
is 1.3.6.1.2.1.16.19.13.1.6.1.
8. The NJ200 Network Jack is ready to send traps to the network management system
with the IP address 192.168.1.1.
9. Repeat these steps if additional trap destinations are needed. NJ200 Network Jack
can support up to four different trap destinations.

3COM®NJ200 NETWORK JACK—SNMP TRAPS
6
After the NJ200 Network Jacks have been properly configured for SNMP traps and trap
destination tables, the network management platform needs to be configured for SNMP
traps and event alerts. Obviously, these procedures will vary depending on the network
management application. For detailed information, please consult the manufacturer’s
installation and/or technical documentation.
Here is a summary of the overall setup process:
1. Configure and enable SNMP traps using 3Com Central Configuration Manager.
2. Configure trap destination table for each NJ200 Network Jack using any standard
MIB browser.
3. Launch the third-party network management platform application and complete
network discovery to map all devices.
4. Configure notification types and delivery methods.
Configuring the Network
Management Platform
Business Application The ability to remotely monitor for, diagnose, and pinpoint the cause of network prob-
lems is a tremendous timesaver for IT staff. The following scenario, while fictional,
demonstrates how using SNMP traps helps solve real-world problems and deliver sig-
nificant time and cost savings.
The IT staff gets a trouble ticket stating that, “The network is down.” They could spend
hours checking servers, switches, routers, gateways, operating systems, and applica-
tions, and calling their ISP or other service providers—only to find out that the
problem isn’t the network.
Or, they can check for event alerts on their 3Com Network Supervisor management con-
sole, pinpoint the real problem to a failed NIC connected to a 3Com NJ200 Network
Jack in Room 315/Building A in Engineering, replace the faulty network link, and have
the user back online in minutes.
Better yet, with proactive monitoring, IT staff can detect an underperforming NIC and
replace it during the user’s lunch break, before it fails completely—avoiding any dis-
ruption at all to user productivity or business operations.

3Com NJ200 Network Jacks work in almost any network environment—including
small-office or enterprise businesses, government offices, dormitories, hospitals, school
classrooms, universities, laboratories, public kiosks, conference rooms, and shared office
spaces.
For more information on how these managed “in the wall” switches can resolve common
networking problems and significantly lower IT costs, please visit
www.3com.com/networkjack.
For More Information
3Com Corporation, Corporate Headquarters, 350 Campus Drive, Marlborough, MA 01752-3064
To learn more about 3Com solutions, visit www.3com.com. 3Com is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol COMS.
Copyright © 2003 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. 3Com and the 3Com logo are registered trademarks of 3Com
Corporation. Possible made practical is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may
be trademarks of their respective companies. While every effort is made to ensure the information given is accurate,
3Com does not accept liability for any errors or mistakes which may arise. Specifications and other information in this
document may be subject to change without notice. XXXXXX-001 09/03
3COM®NJ200 NETWORK JACK—SNMP TRAPS