## Monitor Management software that provides a location from which you can oversee network activity. The monitor polls agents at regular intervals for information from their [[Management Information Base|MIB]]'s and displays the information for review. It also displays any trap operations as alerts for the network administrator to assess and act upon as necessary. The monitor can retrieve information from a device in two main ways: - GET - TRAP The monitor can be used to change certain variables using the `Set` command. It can also walk an [[Management Information Base|MIB]] subtree by using multiple `Get` and `Get Next` commands. This is used to discover the complete layout of an [[Management Information Base|MIB]]. Device queries take place over `udp` port `161`; traps are communicated over UDP port `162`. ### GET Get The software queries the agent for a single OID. This command is used by the monitor to perform regular polling (obtaining information from devices at defined intervals). ### TRAP The agent informs the monitor of a notable event (port failure, for instance). The threshold for triggering traps can be set for each value. ## Agent a process (software or firmware) running on a switch, router, server, or other SNMP-compatible network device. This agent maintains a database called a [[Management Information Base|MIB]].