SNMP access using ASP

[Kevin Ingram]

Is it possible to connect to devices and read SNMP data with ASP? I did a
search and all I could find was utilities for sale to do it, wondered if it
can be done using straight ASP.

We are using InterDev 6, IIS5 on W2KServer.

Thanks!

 

[Pat [MSFT]]

Short Answer:
SNMP is not exposed as a COM interface natively, so ASP cannot access it.

Longer answer:
It depends on if you are looking to read actual SNMP data or are interested
in its equivalent. In other words, are you (for example) looking for
network packets dropped on the web server and don't care how you get the
numbers or are you looking to read remote SNMP agents (e.g. a switch)?

For local stuff (or other Windows based servers Win2k and later) you can use
WMI to get most of the data you would want. That said, writing WMI code is
not a trivial exercise. It is possible (and non-trivial) to wrap the SNMP
(or WMI for that matter) with COM objects that are easier to use from script
code.

Pat

 

[Kevin Ingram]

Wanting to read and control remote devices using SNMP, such as switches,
routers etc.

Would this be more appropriately accomplished using VB or C++? We have some
experience in VB, almost none in C++ but we can learn if needed : )

Once we develop an app to handle the SNMP, we can use ASP to input/output
the data to the app, just need a little advice which direction would be best
to write the SNMP app.

We are using Visual Studio 6 and Windows2000 Server, if that factors any
limits to which way to advise us.

Appreciate any advice you might offer.

Thanks!

 

[Pat [MSFT]]

I believe that most of the SNMP libraries lack a COM interface, so C++ is
likely going to be the only way to go. Having done some of this in the
distant past, it was not trivial to write (it may have improved in the
intervening 6 years).

But, yes, if you write a COM object that wraps the calls to the SNMP
libraries, then you could instantiate it from ASP/VB and pass whatever you
would like. I don't know how much the SNMP COM objects are, but I would
recommend comparing the cost to the time involved.

VS6 should be fine and Win2k is OK too. The tricky bit is getting the
control codes from the switch/router vendors. SNMP is just a protocol, not
an implementation. So, every vendor has their own control codes (that you
send over the protocol) to get various information. One of the big
value-adds that management software (e.g. OpenView and most others) brings
is that they have plug-ins for virtually every major HW vendor.

Pat