Enable the Windows SNMP Service

To retrieve information from a Windows device via SNMP it must be configured to generate SNMP messages and this may be achieved by enabling the SNMP service on the target device. Depending on the configuration of the Operating System on the target device it may be necessary to install the SNMP Service first.

Install the SNMP Service

  1. On the target device, open the Control Panel
  2. Under the Programs section select Turn Windows features on or off

    Depending on the Operating System, the SNMP service option may be found under the Features section. See the Microsoft documentation for your specific Windows Operating System.

  3. Enable the tickbox against Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and OK to install

Enable the SNMP Service

  1. Open the Services Console (Start, Run (or Search box), services.msc)
  2. Right-click the SNMP Service and choose Properties from the menu
  3. In the General tab choose Automatic as the Startup Type
  4. Navigate to the Security tab
  5. Enable Send authentication trap this will generate an alert if authentication fails
  6. Click Add under Accepted community names
  7. Choose the Community rights (essentially the permissions level) from the drop-down and enter a Community Name (this functions like a password to authenticate access for any SNMP queries) in the relevant field. For example, Community Rights: Read Only | Community Name: public
  8. Add once configured
  9. You can then specify whether to Accept SNMP packets from any host or only Accept SNMP packets from these host. Click Add to enter a Host name, IP or IPX address, then Add again to save.

    10. As a security precaution we recommend you choose Accept SNMP packets from these hosts and enter the information for devices that will be running queries against this computer.

  10. OK out of the dialog to save and apply

Depending on the configuration of the Operating System. It may be necessary to run the services.msc command from an elevated command prompt to access the Security tab. Right-click the Windows Command Processor, choose Run as Administrator then enter services.msc

To ensure the successful retrieval of information from the computer, ensure the HostName/IP Address and Community name used for the SNMP service corresponds to that entered in the monitoring system. For example in the SNMP Advanced Settings section of the SNMP Check, the SNMP Network Device section of the Bandwidth Monitoring Check and the SNMP Community String section for Network Discovery.