NetBurner Community Forum

I created a VoIP intercom device using the MOD5270. In a nut shell two people can talk to each other over the internet with these. They can choose from 2 codec types. G.711 & G.729.
A few days ago a customer asked if we support SNMP, i said no but i will look into it. I am not tech savy on the networking stuff, and I see that NB offers a software module for SNMP. I did some googleing about it and it still is not clear to me what specifically it is all about.
It must be something special because its going to cost me $500 for it.

If i buy it are there examples, info help anything to take a nob to a level where it actually makes sense ?

The usual theory is that it takes 2 weeks learning curve to get on top of SNMP. I think it is more like a month at a few hours a day. It is very wierd when you first start studying it, but eventually it makes sense. When you buy an SNMP solution you put together a tool chain that will take your MIBs as an input and spit out 'c' files on the back end. You add the resultant C files to your app and fill in the leaves in the c file. The trick is to come up with a way to keep your pain level down when you make mods to the MIBs->c file->leaves.

$500 is not a lot of money to get the tool chain and support from NB team.

Beware: Netburner only provides V1 support. SNMP is up to V3 now and you must ask your customer if they will accept V1.

I had to support V2 so we bought our tool chain from a different vendor.

You will need to download a MIB browser for someone like IReasoning. Once you fire up the MIB browser you will be surprised at how many devices on your home network have massive MIB lists (print server, computers, router, etc.)

Chris

Thanks for the explanation.

Hi-

I have worked with SNMP for quite some time now. I was lucky to have been involved with the original standardization process in the SNMP working group of the IETF back in the early '90s and have stayed with it through now.

There is actually a lot of arcane and 'crummy little rules' to follow in order to devise a compliant implementation. The simple part is the protocol. The difficult part is designing and implementing MIB modules that work. The IETF has published several hundred standards track MIB modules, and these are best to use as a starting point and then extending with enterprise MIB modules as necessary. Additionally, its one level of complexity to monitor a device using SNMP and another order of complexity to configure a device using SNMP.

Having said the above, I believe that VOIP intercoms are NOT the best candidate for an SNMP agent. Mainly because there is a person at either end. The better applications for SNMP involve devices that run unattended, often in the dark.

My guess is your client has a 'marketing checkbox' to fill in. Ask which IETF MIB modules they are looking for in a VOIP implementation. My guess is they'll say 'they usual ones"...or "mib-II"...or turn the question around to ask what you've implemented. Ask whether there requirement is for monitoring (including notifications) or for configuration.

You can get a free introduction to SNMP itself by looking at the Net-SNMP implementation (http://net-snmp.com). It comes with a set of command line tools that are very useful and you can download a pre-built agent for a number of operating systems. However, when you are ready to implement an SNMP agent on the NetBurner platform, I'm happy to discuss directly as needs arise.

Regards,

Mark
http://EllisonSoftware.com

My guess is your client has a 'marketing checkbox' to fill in. Ask which IETF MIB modules they are looking for in a VOIP implementation. My guess is they'll say 'they usual ones"...or "mib-II"...or turn the question around to ask what you've implemented. Ask whether there requirement is for monitoring (including notifications) or for configuration.

This is what i think will be the case. From the little i have read about it i did gather that it was for units in the dark as you said.

I have a what i called a "link led" on the front of the unit and a piezo in the unit. The units will send out a request for presence to the opposite end every 30 seconds. If this presence request fails it quily tries 10 more times in quick succession. If after that the led Link LED blinks and the piezo sounds to let the user know that it cannot "see" the other end.

So with this in place and the customer knows about it, his request for it was making me think what am i missing here.

Now, i am totally in the clear, thanks much guys!!!

I'm trying write/create the necessary MIB files for an snmp implementation I've written, and am not very successful.
I'm using MG-Soft MIB Builder and reading "Understanding SNMP MIBS", by David Perkins and Evan McGinnis. So far
they are doing nothing but confusing me. Is there any other resource that can be recommended that is easier to
understand?

Steve