PDA

View Full Version : Difference between ICMP and SNMP?

phreak0ut
03-21-2008, 01:07 AM
This question might sound silly, but I'm a bit confused about these 2 protocols. If both the protocols are used to check out on devices on the network and report to the admin, why have 2 seperate protocols? Can't we use either ICMP or SNMP??

I've just started studying for my CCNA, so please excuse me if I sound stupid :p
lammle
03-22-2008, 10:36 AM
ICMP is a message protocol used to provide error messages to hosts as well as some diagnostics, like ping and traceroute. ICMP works at the network layer so it's uses are limited.

SNMP works at the Applicaiton layer and can run on Network Managment Systems (NMS) to provide real-time statistics about all devices on the nework like routers, switches, hosts, servers, etc...SNMP must be enable on all these devices as well for this to work. Ironicly the word "Simple" is in the name, but SNMP is a pretty complicated protocol.

Cheers!
Todd Lammle
phreak0ut
03-23-2008, 01:12 AM
Isn't ping and traceroute in real-time too, like SNMP? I didn't know that SNMP must be enabled on the device as well. Thanks for the answer.
Bartzy
02-28-2009, 12:00 PM
ICMP is a message protocol used to provide error messages to hosts as well as some diagnostics, like ping and traceroute. ICMP works at the network layer so it's uses are limited.

SNMP works at the Applicaiton layer and can run on Network Managment Systems (NMS) to provide real-time statistics about all devices on the nework like routers, switches, hosts, servers, etc...SNMP must be enable on all these devices as well for this to work. Ironicly the word "Simple" is in the name, but SNMP is a pretty complicated protocol.

Cheers!
Todd Lammle

Todd,
Do your refer to the "Network" layer as the internet layer in the DoD Model ?

Because the ICMP is in the internet layer according to wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Control_Message_Protocol
Fuzz
03-03-2009, 02:44 PM
OSI Network layer and DoD Internet layer are the same thing. The only difference being that the DoD model specifically applies to IP, whereas the OSI model is multiprotocol (TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, Appletalk etc)