Exam N10-007 topic 1 question 98 discussion

I had no idea SNMP trap was a legitimate concept until just now! We certainly have not covered it in my current Net+ course. And tomorrow is our last day for the course and covering objectives. SNMP traps are not in the objectives.

Has anyone that has been studying the CompTIA's Network + objectives heard of "SNMP traps"? I believe some of these question are CCNP related.

SNMP agent ---> A software component that enables a device to communicate with, and be contacted by, an SNMP management system. SNMP trap ----> An SNMP utility that sends an alarm to notify the administrator that something within the network activity differs from the established threshold, as defined by the administrator.

The data flow is as follows: MDF <--> IDF (where patch panel is located) <--> Wall Jack <--> Tables. The question states that patch panel to wall jack is within spec, but if you then run a cable to a table, that's adding distance. Neither the patch panel in the IDF nor the wall jacks amplify/boost the signal, so that signal has basically attenuated throughout the trip between MDF <--> IDF <--> wall jack <--> table. IDF <--> wall jack may be in spec, but the total distance may not be. A switch re-transmits the signal (ie. resets the max distance). Placing a repeater between the switch and each wall jack would work, but you'd lose all the other benefits of having a switch. While a repeater may be a good option, a switch is more effective in this case since there are so many cables and repeaters usually only work for an individual cable. Switch has other benefits aside from boosting the signal, so it is a better option than putting repeaters all over the place behind walls.

The answer here is... both! Polling gives you more data about monitored devices but you will spend more network and system resources. Trap messages will lack daily information but it's more efficient in terms of knowing when something is wrong in a timely manner.

Which advantage do SNMP traps have over SNMP polling? This significantly reduces your bandwidth usage. Traps in this method incorporate the information about the problem within themselves. All the traps will have the same OID, so your manager will have to process the data in the trap to be able to understand the message.