Essential SNMP, Second Edition - O'Reilly's Latest Release

For Immediate Release
For more information, a review copy, cover art, or an interview with
the authors, contact:
Kathryn Barrett (707) 827-7094 or kathrynb@oreilly.com

A Practical Introduction to the Internet-Standard Protocol to Help
Administrators Manage their Networks
O'Reilly Releases "Essential SNMP, Second Edition"

Sebastopol, CA--In today's complex networks of routers, switches, and
servers, it can be daunting to manage all the devices and make sure
they're performing optimally. "For years I worked as a system and network
administrator and often faced the question, 'How are things running?'"
remarks Douglas Mauro, a project engineer with Sun Microsystems and
coauthor of "Essential SNMP" (O'Reilly, US $49.95). "That's what led me to
SNMP, the Simple Network Management Protocol. Many books discuss SNMP at a
fairly abstract level, but none really answers an administrator's most
basic question: how can it make managing my network easier?"

To answer that question and many others, Mauro teamed up with Kevin
Schmidt, an experienced network management architect, to write this
practical guide for system and network administrators in the field. Now
available in a revised and expanded second edition, the book opens with a
brief overview of SNMP and how it works, but the bulk of the text shows
readers how to put this Internet-standard protocol into practice using a
number of widely available tools. Written specifically for those who have
little or no experience with SNMP, the book offers plenty of real examples
on how to use it effectively.

"SNMP usually is associated with routers, but it can be used to manage
Unix systems, Windows systems, printers, modem racks, power supplies, and
more," Mauro explains. "Any device running software that allows the
retrieval of SNMP information can be managed. That includes not only
physical devices but also software, such as web servers and databases."

With "Essential SNMP," administrators also learn how to monitor an entire
network, as opposed to individual routers, hosts, and other devices,
through Remote Network Monitoring (RMON). The book covers technical
elements such as OIDs, MIBs, and community strings, and explains how to
configure network management stations and SNMP agents--software that lives
on the devices being monitored. Administrators learn to use SNMP to
retrieve and modify variables on network devices, and to configure
management software to react to "traps" (alerts) sent by the monitored
devices.

"They'll not only find out how to use SNMP, but how it can fit in their
environment," Schmidt says. "Administrators will come away with ideas for
writing scripts to help them manage their networks, how to create managed
objects, and how to extend the operation of SNMP agents."

"With the growth of the Internet, it has become important that
administrators get a handle on the devices for which they are
responsible," Schmidt explains. "The subject is essential because it
includes concepts that are never going away. The tools and concepts in
this book will allow administrators to rise to the challenge of managing
systems, from an entire network down to a workstation."

Early praise for the second edition of "Essential SNMP":

"'Essential SNMP gives you the system administrator's perspective on SNMP:
what it is, and, more importantly, practical examples of how to integrate
SNMP into the administrator's toolset. If you need to know about user
activity, errant core files, misbehaving printers, SNMP will do all the
heavy lifting for you. 'Essential SNMP' gives you the power to harness
SNMP without breaking into a sweat."
--Dr. Marshall T. Rose, former Network Management Area Director of the
IETF

Further reviews of "Essential SNMP, Second Edition" can be found at:
http://admin.oreillynet.com/catalog/esnmp2/reviews.html

Additional Resources:

For more information about the book, including table of contents, index,
author bios, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/esnmp2/index.html

For a cover graphic in JPEG format, go to:
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/0596008...

Essential SNMP, Second Edition
Douglas R. Mauro and Kevin J. Schmidt
ISBN: 0-596-00840-6, 442 pages, $49.95 US, $69.95 CA
order@oreilly.com
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