Control community string

[bhars]

Is it recommended that a control community string be set to read/create or read/write ?
I have both configurations on our managed nodes but would like to standardize on the best setting.

Thanks.

[Rob Buxton]

You only need Read / Write.
Read / Create I believe allows greater access than Read/Write.

[David Claypool]

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/Windows/2000/server/reskit/en-us/Default.asp?url=/resources/documentation/Windows/2000/server/reskit/en-us/cnet/cneb_snp_kwch.asp

When an SNMP agent receives a message, the community name contained in the packet is verified against the agent's list of acceptable community names. After the name is determined to be acceptable, the request is evaluated against the agent's list of access permissions for that community. The types of permissions that can be granted to a community include the following:

* None

The SNMP agent does not process the request. When the agent receives an SNMP message from a management system in this community, it discards the request and generates an authentication trap.

* Notify

This is currently identical to the permission of None.

* Read Only

The agent does not process SET requests from this community. It processes only GET, GET-NEXT, and GET-BULK requests. The agent discards SET requests from manager systems in this community and generates an authentication trap.

* Read Create

The SNMP agent processes or creates all requests from this community. It processes SET, GET, GET-NEXT, and GET-BULK requests, including SET requests that require the addition of a new object to a MIB table.

* Read Write

Currently identical to Read Create.

Community permissions are configured by using the SNMP Security tab of the Microsoft SNMP Properties dialog box.

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[Rob Buxton]

David,

Thanks, you learn something every day, I'd always assumed there must be some difference between the read/write and read/create but there you go.

[bhars]

Thanks for the info.
Saves us some work and worry.