Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) NetworkingIP ServicesMedium

A network security team needs to monitor the operational status of network devices and receive alerts for critical events. They are implementing a solution that allows devices to proactively send notifications to a central management station. Which SNMP component is responsible for sending these unsolicited notifications?

  1. ASNMP Agent
  2. BSNMP Manager
  3. CManagement Information Base (MIB)
  4. DSNMP Trap
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D. SNMP Trap

An SNMP Trap is an unsolicited notification sent by an SNMP agent to a management station when a significant event occurs, such as a link going down or a device rebooting.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. The SNMP Agent resides on the managed device and sends traps, but the trap itself is the notification.
  • B. The SNMP Manager receives traps and polls agents, it doesn't send unsolicited notifications.
  • C. The MIB is a database of managed objects, not a component that sends notifications.

SNMP Trap

An unsolicited alert message sent by an SNMP agent to an SNMP manager to notify of a significant event.

  • Proactive notification mechanism.
  • Used for critical events (e.g., link down, authentication failure).
  • Reduces polling overhead for managers.

Memory trick: A 'Trap' catches attention with a sudden alert.

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