7.2 Identifying the problem

Gain a clear understanding of the problem based on the symptoms that are exhibited. When you encounter the symptoms of a problem that has occurred, gather the following basic information:

• Location of the problem

  Identify where the problem occurred. To do so, determine the following:

  • Whether the problem is with the agent or the manager

  • Whether the problem is with the agent or in the /etc/SnmpAgent.d/snmpd.extend file

  Accurately determining whether the problem lies with the agent or the manager is important because a problem with the agent might appear to be a manager problem. Typically, if a problem occurs when a manager sends or receives data via SNMP, the problem is with the agent. For example, invalid information that the manager has about a node on the network was likely sent by an agent.

  For details, see 7.5 Taking corrective action.

• The part of SNMP Agent that is affected

  Determine which part of SNMP Agent is being affected by the problem. Check whether the problem affects all operations or only some operations.

• Impact of the problem

  Check whether anything has changed in the network configuration (hardware, software, files, security, utilities, and so on).

• Repeatability of the problem

  Check whether the problem is consistent (occurs every time) or intermittent (occurs sometimes).

• Operation when the problem occurs

  Check what else was happening when the problem occurred. For instance, check the following:

  • Which operation was selected.

  • Which command was executed.

  • What data was requested or sent.

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