Generating an SNMP Walk from a Network Device

An SNMP Walk queries a network device with a series of GETNEXT commands to collect a tree of information about the device. JaxMP uses the output from SNMP Walks to validate and certify our Network Performance Monitoring solutions on new classes of devices and specific models or component modules. All information supplied to JaxMP is not shared with outside parties and used solely for testing.

Generating an SNMP Walk from a network device is simple and relatively quick to perform.  There are a few steps to generate an SNMP Walk and save it to a file. To assist customers we've provided the below resources and guidance to walk you through the process. 

Collecting an SNMP Walk from WINDOWS:

1. First download the following files and save them to a workstation in C:\temp.
   • ActiveXperts Network Communications Toolkit 4.2 30-Day Trial Library
   • JaxMP Walk-All.vbs script
2. Install the ActiveXperts Network Communications Toolkit on a workstation.  When you have the option to select what you are installing, only select the Library.  You do not need the other services to run an SNMP Walk.
3. Make sure the network device you plan to Walk is configured with the appropriate SNMP settings.  The Community String should be set and have at least read access to the device.  Please note JaxMP only supports SNMP v1 and SNMP v2c at this time.
4. Open a local Command Prompt and locate your JaxMP Walk-All.vbs script (C:\temp).  Run the command as shown below for target device.
   • The Walk-All.vbs script takes 3 parameters: IP Address, SNMP Community String, and SNMP Version, in that order. 
   • Example 1 - Format: cscript walk-all.vbs [IP Address] [Community String] [SNMP Version] > [File Name]
   • Example 2 - Usage: cscript walk-all.vbs 192.168.1.1 public 2 > CiscoCatalyst6500.txt
5. Once completed, click the following This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to generate an email.  You must attach the output file to the email after you have generated it.  In the body of the email, please identify the device and specific model number of the device. We will confirm receipt and provide updates as the device/s and model/s are added to our solution library.

This will save the file in the working directory, "c:\temp", on the local machine.  Please remember to verify network device configuration and when using the walk-all.vbs insert the correct IP Address, SNMP Community String, and SNMP Version in place of the above command.  The output file will be dependent upon the vendor and model of device you are generating the SNMP Walk from so please see Naming Convention below.

Output File Naming Convention

Name the output file based upon the vendor and model of the device you are Walking.  For instance, in the example above, you would be Walking a Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switch.  Try to make the output file as unique as possible from any other SNMP Walks you may generate.  If you have multiple devices of a similar model, add a unique identifier at the end of the output filename to differentiate the output files.

Examples:

Cisco 3900 Series Router  --> Cisco3900Router.txt
Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series Switch  -->  CiscoCatalyst4500.txt
Juniper Netscreen 5400 Security Appliance  -->  JuniperNetscreen5400.txt
HP E8200 Switch Series  --> HPSwitchE8200.txt

Not all devices will adhere to the Naming Convention.  Try to make the output filename descriptive without being too long.