SNMP uses software entities called managers and agents to manage network devices. The manager monitors and controls all other SNMP-managed devices or network nodes on the network. There must be at least one SNMP Manager in a managed network. The manager is installed on a workstation located on the network.

An agent resides in a managed device or network node. The agent receives instructions from the SNMP Manager, generates reports in response to requests from the SNMP Manager, and sends management information back to the SNMP Manager as events occur. The agent can reside on:

There are many SNMP management applications, but all these applications perform the same basic task. They allow SNMP managers to communicate with agents to configure, get statistics and information, and receive alerts from network devices. You can use any SNMP-compatible network management system to monitor and control a Branch Gateway.