HP Insight Management Agents architecture for Windows servers

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 Fulfilling SNMP Gets to deliver information from the HP MIB to authorized requesting services. In
the Insight architecture, the SIM server or a process associated with the SMH framework typically
requests MIB information.
 Processing SNMP Sets, which are used to change SNMP configuration information as well as alert
thresholds for server management information
The Microsoft SNMP Agent Service provides a standard SNMP interface to external processes. But
its internal structure is specific, using its own set of application program interfaces (APIs). On a
managed server, the HP Insight Agents will only work with the Microsoft SNMP Agent Service.
Management Information Base
The Management Information Base defines all of the information collected about the managed
system. In the HP Insight Architecture, the four Insight Agents collect the MIB information and store
it in an extension to the Windows Registry. When a process requests MIB information, the Microsoft
SNMP Agent Service uses the Insight Agents to retrieve information from the Windows Registry
before delivering it to the process, typically the HP SIM server or the System Management
Homepage.
Enhancing SNMP Security
The SNMP protocol provides basic security and access authorization using community strings. But
standard SNMP protocol does not encrypt the community strings or the management information
that it sends or receives. This leaves the information vulnerable to interception (being snooped) over
the network. The HP Insight Management framework provides a more secure management
environment by establishing a separate certificate-based HTTPS communication channel between
the SIM server and the managed server. This channel is actually a part of the SMH framework, and
the Insight Management framework uses it as the transport mechanism for all secure information.
The Microsoft SNMP Agent Service sends other less sensitive information to the HP SIM server over
standard SNMP.
To enhance security, the Insight Management Agents architecture, using the Microsoft SNMP Agent
Service, restricts SNMP writes to the local host only. This prevents any external agent from executing
writes to the managed server. The HP SIM server is still able to implement SNMP Sets because it
sends its commands over the encrypted link. These commands then execute locally.
Performing SNMP Sets
SNMP Sets are used to define the alerting thresholds for management information or to set SNMP
configuration information. Because these operations are sensitive, the Insight Management
architecture does not send SNMP Sets over the open SNMP connection between SIM and the
managed server. Instead, the Insight Management architecture sends them over the secure HTTPS
channel link that SIM establishes with the System Management Homepage framework. These Set
requests then go to the Microsoft SNMP Agent Service. It, in turn, passes them to the appropriate
HP SNMP Extension Agent and then to an Insight Management Agent. In the HP Insight
Management Agents architecture, the Foundation Agent receives and executes all SNMP Sets as
part of its extended functionality.
Delivering SNMP Traps
One function of a management system is to deliver alerts whenever the values for key system
parameters exceed or fall below their threshold values or whenever important system events occur.
For example, you may want to receive an alert whenever disk utilization exceeds 85%. The Insight