SNMP security settings vanish - why?

[malcolm ison]

When i enter a SNMP community name in SNMP, security and make its READ and CREATE, it disappears on a reboot, and i have to re- enter the setting EVERY time a server is rebooted otherwise Inisght Manager reports them as unknown (blue dots)
Does anyone else have this? Am i doing something wrong?

[malcolm ison]

I think i know my problem, i think its an NT4 policy setting that was once set, as this only happens when the machine is cabled to the network, if its not, then the setting remains.

I need to find the correct .adm template and then set the policy to ignore any settings i've entered from now on.

Think its in the common.adm template.

No wonder no one has replied, as no one would have a clue.

[malcolm ison]

Guys,

I have sussed this, and am reporting this as its been an obscure problem - and it might help someone else.

Ok, my issue was that the SNMP settings were disappearing from the servers after a reboot.

So i checked the policy and couldnt find a .adm policy template which held any SNMP settings.

So i had a browse around the internet - nothing, then i looked on my Win2k pro machine, and in c:\winnt\inf there is a common.adm file, i checked through this with notepad.exe and there was an SNMP setting in there.

I installed the template and now not only do the settings NOT disappear but i can preconfigure all servers to point to the correct community AND the trap desitantions all from one place (the WinNT4 policy editor)

Well done ME for sorting this, LOL!

[Jeff Mathews]

Don't forget to assign yourself some points for a job well done...haha. :)

[Scott Shaffer]

Malcom - how do you get a policy like this to replicate through all your NT4 systems?

This is big news for me as I wasn't aware there was any way to roll out community string or trap destination settings under NT4 besides the support we added to the agents in 5.3.

Hmmm, maybe I should go for that MSCE after all...nah.

[malcolm ison]

Scott, are you familiar with NT4 Domain policies at all?

If you are, then you'll know that by using policy editor (poledit.exe), and the policy template files (.adm files)then by adjusting the default computer policy can can your systems do whatever you want.

If u make the changes to the template files as you desire including the SNMP settings - save the template as NTCONFIG.POL and save this in the NETLOGON share of the domain controller, then when your networked machines login, they look to see if any policy settings are on the network, and will take these settings and modify the registry on the machines specified, you can also apply policys to windows NT groups, and sort them by prioity, i.e you might want domain admins to have certain settings and domain users to have different settings...so you then put prioritise the settings (if you are in both groups)

If you arent up to speed with NT4 policies, read up on NT4.0 policies and profiles whitepaper @ MS website somewhere.

[Scott Shaffer]

Thanks for that info Malcom!