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In this article we will show you how to enable SNMP on your VMware ESXi host, configure SNMP Community string and configure your ESXi firewall to allow or block access to the SNMP service from specific host(s) or network(s).
Enabling SNMP service on a VMware ESXi host is considered mandatory in any production environment as it allows a Network Monitoring System (NMS) access and monitor the ESXi host(s) and obtain valuable information such as CPU, RAM and Storage usage, vmnic (network) utilization and much more.
Furthermore, an enterprise grade NMS system can connect to your VMware infrastructure and provide alerting, performance and statistical analysis reports to help better determine sizing requirements but also identify bottlenecks and other problems that might be impacting the virtualization environment.
Execution Time: 10 minutes
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First step it to enable SSH on ESXi. This can be easily perform via the vSphere client, ESXi console or Web GUI. All these methods are covered in details in our article How to Enable SSH on VMware ESXi.
Once SSH has been enabled, ssh to your ESXi host and use the following commands to enable and configure the SNMP service:
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SSH access to VMware’s ESXi server is by disabled by default however there are many reasons where SSH might be required. VMware and System administrators often find the need to perform advanced administrative tasks that require SSH access to the ESXi host. For example, deleting or reloading a VM with an Invalid Status can only be performed via SSH.
In this article, we’ll show you how to enable SSH on your ESXi host with just a few simple steps. This task can be achieved via the ESXi Web GUI, vSphere Web GUI (vCenter) vSphere client or ESXi console. We’ll cover all three methods.
Execution Time: 5 minutes
Security Tip: If your ESXi host management IP is not protected or isolated from the rest of the network, it is advisable to enable SSH on an as-needed basis.
Log into your ESXi server and select the host from the Navigator window. Next, go to Action > Services and select the Enable Secure Shell (SSH) menu option:
This will immediately enable SSH. To disable SSH, repeat the same steps. You’ll notice that the Disable Secure Shell (SSH) option is now available:
For those with a VMware vCenter environment, you can enable SSH for each ESXi host by selecting the host and then going to Manage > Settings > Security Profile > Edit. In the pop-up window, scroll down to SSH Server and tick it. Optionally enter the IP address or network(s) you require to have SSH access to the host:
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a UDP protocol that uses port 161 to monitor and collect detailed information on any network device supporting the SNMP protocol. All Windows servers support SNMP and we’ll show you how to easily install and configure SNMP on your Windows 2016 or 2012 server, including Read Only (RO) or Read Write (RW) SNMP community string.
In our example we will enable the SNMP agent and configure a SNMP community string to allow our Network Monitoring System (NMS) monitor our server resources.
Execution Time: 10 minutes
Open the Control Panel on your Windows Server and Double-click on the Program and Features icon:
This will open the Add Roles and Features Wizard. Keep clicking on the Next button until you reach the Features section. From there, select the SNMP Service option:
When prompted, click on the Add Features button to include the installation of the Administration SNMP Tools:
Optionally you can include the SNMP WMI Provider option located under the SNMP Service. When ready click on the Next button.