We have struggled with the same problem, and there are no easy ways to
address it. You cannot collect MIB objects that are character or string
with snmpCollect. I have heard that you can use the MLM data collector for
string objects, but I have not tried it. You probably need to do your own
"data collector" on the interface names. I had written a fairly simple
shell script several years back that ran snmpwalk on several MIB objects and
then used awk to format the output into a report. I used to run the report
every 1-2 weeks, and compare it with the prior one with diff to see what had
changed in the network. The I would manually update the snmpCollect
configuration, and the performance reporting system.
Currently, we use some perl scripts that collect text MIB objects from Cisco
routers and Cat5 switches. The scripts are run once/day, and are merged
with the snmpCollect data into a network performance database. The
snmpCollect daemon is configured to collect data from ALL interfaces on a
device.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stamper, Steve [mailto:Steve_Stamper@foremost.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2000 15:13
> To: IBM NetView Discussion
> Subject: [NV-L] Data Collection & Cisco
>
>
> Here's a good one. Hope I can explain it well.
>
> I have been collecting port ifInOctets and ifOutOctets (and using
> mibExpr.conf to calculate LAN interface utilization) on our
> Cisco switches
> and routers and found something rather interesting.
>
> After speaking with our Cisco geeks, we have discovered that
> the SNMP Index
> on switches can change for interfaces any time they add/remove a port!
> (Apparently not on routers???) If on Tuesday an interface to
> the 4th floor
> has an SNMP Index 15 and they add a new interface on
> Wednesday for the 2nd
> floor, the 4th floors SNMP Index could now be on say Index 4!
> Hence my
> numbers being collected by SNMP Index will be inconsistent with that
> specific! I can walk the MIBs and find the Interface Names -
> these stay
> with the interface even if the Index changes.
>
> Here's my question. If I am collecting say every 5 minutes,
> how can I also
> collect the interface name and tie the ifInOctets & ifOutOctets to the
> Interface Name so if the SNMP Index changes, I still get
> consistent data?
>
> If this doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll try and
> explain in more
> detail?
>
> Steve Stamper
> Grand Rapids, Michigan
> ______________________________________________________________
> ___________
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