In my recent journey to automate alerting and monitoring, one of the most useful tools for gathering information is SNMP. Setting this functionality up on a NetScaler is simple and can be done through the GUI and CLI. The data for SNMP needs to go to an SNMP collector such as Solarwinds, LogicMonitor, etc.

CLI Method

Login to CLI either through Putty or Terminal. At the command prompt, type the following command to send SNMP data to a device

add snmp manager <IPAddress>

Use the following command to verify the SNMP collector has been successfully added:

show snmp manager

To specify an SNMP community, type the following:

add snmp community <communityName> <permissions>

Replace communityName with your desired community string. The community string that you use will need to be configured on your SNMP collector of choice so that it can do a proper ‘handshake’

Most SNMP collectors only require read permissions. Example:

add snmp community public get

Now verify the SNMP community with the following command:

show snmp community

Using the NetScaler GUI to enable SNMP

You can also enable SNMP on your NetScaler device by using the GUI.

  1. Expand System, then expand SNMP.
  2. Click Managers.
  3. In the details pane, click Add.
  4. In the Create SNMP Manager Community page, set the following parameters:
    • SNMP Manager—IPv4 address of the SNMP collector you want to use.
    • Community—The SNMP community string.
  1. Click Add, then click Close.