6.7

Table Of Contents
Configure SNMP for ESXi
ESXi includes an SNMP agent that can send notifications (traps and informs) and receive GET, GETBULK,
and GETNEXT requests.
In ESXi 5.1 and later releases, the SNMP agent adds support for version 3 of the SNMP protocol, offering
increased security and improved functionality, including the ability to send informs. You can use esxcli
commands to enable and configure the SNMP agent. You configure the agent differently depending on
whether you want to use SNMP v1/v2c or SNMP v3.
As an alternative to configuring SNMP manually using esxcli commands, you can use host profiles to
configure SNMP for an ESXi host. See the vSphere Host Profiles documentation for more information.
Note For information on configuring SNMP for ESXi 5.0 or earlier or ESX 4.1 or earlier, see the
documentation for the appropriate product version.
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Configure the SNMP Agent for Polling
If you configure the ESXi SNMP agent for polling, it can listen for and respond to requests from
SNMP management client systems, such as GET, GETNEXT and GETBULK requests.
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Configure ESXi for SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c
When you configure the ESXi SNMP agent for SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c, the agent supports sending
notifications and receiving GET requests.
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Configure ESXi for SNMP v3
When you configure the ESXi SNMP agent for SNMPv3, the agent supports sending informs and
traps. SNMPv3 also provides stronger security than SNMPv1 or SNMPv2c, including key
authentication and encryption.
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Configure the Source of Hardware Events Received by the SNMP Agent
You can configure the ESXi SNMP agent to receive hardware events either from IPMI sensors or
CIM indications.
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Configure the SNMP Agent to Filter Notifications
You can configure the ESXi SNMP agent to filter out notifications if you don't want your SNMP
management software to receive those notifications.
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Configure SNMP Management Client Software
After you have configured a vCenter Server instance or an ESXi host to send traps, configure your
management client software to receive and interpret those traps.
Configure the SNMP Agent for Polling
If you configure the ESXi SNMP agent for polling, it can listen for and respond to requests from SNMP
management client systems, such as GET, GETNEXT and GETBULK requests.
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