Reviewer, 2009-06-23 09:57:00

A tool to check the SNMP configuration at a given site. Enables a network administrator to check and monitor configurations that use SNMP, based on technologies built into the PRTG Network Monitor module.

Features: The tool enables a network administrator to check / monitor a given SNMP configuration to detect and pinpoint communication and data problems. It enables the administrator to debug the given configuration, greatly simplifying the task of detecting problems even before the given SNMP configuration is deployed, embodying a “test before you use” philosophy.

The software has been designed to carry out the given function efficiently and without too much hassle, and this is shown by the overall simplicity of the product, lacking unnecessary bells and whistles. This is clear by the interface which is simply designed so as to perform the given task easily. A left panel allows for the setting for a given test including the SNMP settings (IP, port, version) and the request type (32 / 64 bit Traffic counter, Custom OID, etc.) being tested. Running the test then is as simple as hitting the “RUN TEST” button. The bigger right pane provides the results of the test that has just been performed.

Overall: A good tool for SNMP management. Obviously because of its relative complexity this is only a tool for network administrators, and because of the same the issues with the interface (that is not especially user-friendly, information provided is useless to people who don’t understand the terminology) is not that much of a problem. Note that the tool is based on the SNMP specification that is part of the PRTG Network Monitor software, ensuring that if the SNMP configuration works with the Tester software it will work with PRTG Network Monitor, and its compatibility across the board has not yet been fully tested.