Network Discovery in Configuration Manager 2007 can be set to search a specific SNMP community or set of communities during a discovery run. SNMP communities can be added or deleted to the search list on an ad hoc basis. Network Discovery uses community names to gain access to routers that are SNMP devices. Gaining access to a router informs Network Discovery about other routers and subnets linked to the first router.

Note
SNMP community names are similar to passwords, and Network Discovery can get information only from an SNMP device for which you have specified a community name. Each SNMP device can have its own community name, but often the same community name is shared among several devices. Additionally, most SNMP devices have a default community name of Public (in addition to any others they have). This name can often be used if you do not know any other community names. However, some organizations delete the Public community name from their devices as a security precaution.

If multiple SNMP communities are displayed on the SNMP tab of the Network Discovery Properties dialog box, they will be searched by Network Discovery in the order in which they are displayed. Place the most common or popular names at the top of the list, as the list is searched from the top down and this will help minimize network traffic.

You can also use the IP address or resolvable name of a specific SNMP device to help discover resources. This is set using the SNMP Devices tab of the Network Discovery Properties dialog box.

Note
You must have Modify permission for the Site Security object class to configure this discovery method. For more information about security permissions, see Classes and Instances for Object Security in Configuration Manager.

To add an SNMP community to a Network Discovery search

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, navigate to System Center Configuration Manager / Site Database / Site Management / <site name> / Site Settings / Discovery Methods.

  2. Right-click Network Discovery, and then click Properties.

  3. On the SNMP tab, click the New icon.

  4. In the New SNMP Community Name dialog box, type the name of the community to be searched and then click OK.

  5. Use the Move Up or Move Down icon to change the search order of the communities if necessary.

  6. Click OK.

To delete an SNMP community from a Network Discovery search

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, navigate to System Center Configuration Manager / Site Database / Site Management / <site name> / Site Settings / Discovery Methods.

  2. Right-click Network Discovery, and then click Properties.

  3. On the SNMP tab, select the SNMP community from the displayed list.

  4. Click the Delete icon.

  5. Click OK.

To add a specific SNMP device to a Network Discovery search

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, navigate to System Center Configuration Manager / Site Database / Site Management / <site name> / Site Settings / Discovery Methods.

  2. Right-click Network Discovery, and then click Properties.

  3. On the SNMP Device tab, click the New icon.

  4. In the New SNMP Devices dialog box, type the IP address or name of the specific device and then click OK.

    Note
    Any device name used must resolve to a valid IP address.

  5. Click OK.

See Also