About SNMP Security

SNMP is an application layer protocol that facilitates the exchange of management information between network devices. In all Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches, three SNMP versions are available: SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, and SNMPv3.

SNMP Version 1 (SNMPv1) and SNMP Version 2c (SNMPv2c) use a community string match for user authentication. Community strings provided a weak form of access control in earlier versions of SNMP. SNMPv3 provides much improved access control using strong authentication and should be preferred over SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c wherever it is supported.

SNMP Version 3 (SNMPv3) is an interoperable standards-based protocol for network management. SNMPv3 provides secure access to devices by a combination of authenticating and encrypting frames over the network. The security features provided in SNMPv3 are:



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