Notice # 0007

Version 1.0
April 18, 2006

SIMPLE NETWORK MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL:

An SNMP Overview

INTRODUCTION

Application Notice

Originally created for IT staff and Network Administrators to control and monitor their TCP/IP networks, the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is understood by virtually all IP-enabled (Internet Protocol) devices. Because Internet-capable devices have grown beyond desktop
computers, SNMP has become quite common in many other applications. Reliable Controls has
brought SNMP to the Building Automation Industry.
SNMP is Simple because it allows only 2 types of commands: read and write. A Network Administrator could use the commands to manage web servers, for reading statistics and status information, or writing an SNMP point to remotely cause a file server to reboot. In the ETHER-Link
portal, MODBUS-Link portal, and MACH-Global controller, SNMP can read and write the values
of all inputs, outputs, and variables.
At any given site, adding SNMP allows HVAC monitoring to be combined with other network monitoring and allows Reliable products to be employed in jobs where a single reporting system can
report an offline webserver, or in another example, report if the temperature/humidity in the server
room is dangerously high.

SNMP AGENTS
Having this new language means our products can communicate with most existing SNMP free
and commercial software, plus many other Internet devices. The ETHER-Link portal, MODBUSLink portal, and MACH-Global controller contain SNMP agents. An agent is a device that can
carry out SNMP read and write commands which enable our products to respond to these requests. A client device or program must be used to generate the requests.
For the client software to interpret the data, it must load Relaibles Management Information
Base (MIB) file. The MIB file correlates Reliable points with an SNMP identifier which the client
software can use. Every SNMP agent has a MIB file to define the data it contains, its read/write
capabilities, and the data-type (integer, seconds, binary...) of each SNMP point. The MIB file
gives a unique Object ID (OID) to every single piece of SNMP accessible data.
An SNMP agent can also generate alarms, called SNMP traps. Instead of the client constantly
polling the SNMP agent, the controller can monitor a value internally, and send the SNMP trap
when the alarm condition is violated. SNMP traps are created in Control-BASIC with ALARM/
DALARM statements. Many buildings already have a central station to listen for SNMP traps and
generate trouble-tickets for maintenance staff or IT administrators. With SNMP, any monitored
point can become part of the centralized building alert system.
2005 Reliable Controls Corporation

120 Hallowell Road . Victoria, BC . V9A 7K2 . 250.475.2036

Page 1 of 3

877.475.9301 . Fax: 250.475.2096

SIMPLE NETWORK MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL:

An SNMP Overview

MIB Files

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION BASE FILES

Management Information Base (MIB) files define all the information inside ETHERLink portals, MODBUS-Link portals, and MACH-Global controllers that can be
read or written with SNMP. MIB files are meant to be interpreted by a computer so they
may not read well to the human eye. SNMP software loads or compiles the MIB files
to allow them to reference Reliable objects.
Navigate to the Dealer > Technical area of the Reliable Controls website to find two
MIB files which can be used with SNMP software.
There are many free Windows and Unix software tools to send SNMP commands. CSCare Inc. has a free version of their Windows interface that includes a MIB compiler
and tools for SNMP read and write commands:
http://www.cscare.com/activesnmp/features.php

COMMUNITY STRINGS
Once an SNMP tool generates the read/write commands, SNMP uses community
strings as passwords. The default community strings for the ETHER-Link portals or
MACH-Global controllers are: "rccpublic" (for read-only access) and "rccprivate" (for
read/write access). The default community strings can be changed with RC-Toolkit.

OBJECT IDS
An OID (Object ID) is the SNMP point name. Once the MIB file is compiled, to read
Input 1 of the MACH-Global, enter "siInpVal.1" when asked for the OID ("siInpVal.2"
for input 2, "siInpVal.128" for input 128). Output OIDs start with siOutVal.[1128] and
Variables are siVarVal.[1256].
In cases where a command-line tool is employed, or in the absense of an MIB compiler, the full OIDs can be referenced as:

INs

1.3.6.1.4.1.15255.1.1.1.1.1.1.2. [1128]

OUTs

1.3.6.1.4.1.15255.1.1.1.1.2.1.2. [1128]

VARs

1.3.6.1.4.1.15255.1.1.1.1.3.1.2. [1256]

2005 Reliable Controls Corporation

120 Hallowell Road . Victoria, BC

Page 2 of 3

V9A 7K2 . 250.475.2036

877.475.9301 . Fax: 250.475.2096

SIMPLE NETWORK MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL:

An SNMP Overview

Object IDs

The point values are returned as integers. In SNMP there is no data-type for floatingpoint (fractional) numbers. The point values are returned as integers x 100. If siVarVal.42 is read and the panel returns 12345, the value of Variable 42 is 123.45. The reverse is true for writing a value with SNMP. Only outputs and variable points can be
written. (The si in the siVarVal name stands for Scaled Intege. Reliable integers are
scaled by 100.)
Digital points are read and written as 0 or 1.

CONTROL-BASIC COMMANDS
SNMP traps, or alarms, are created with the same Control-BASIC commands as Reliable alarms. The SNMP traps will be generated as long as one or more trap destinations have been configured. To configure a trap destination, an IP Address must be
entered. Enter IP Addresses by using the SNMP Setup tool in RC-Toolkit,version
2.12, or later.
Also, Reliable alarms can be given different alarm types with the Control-BASIC
ALARM-TYPE statement. Use the SNMP Setup tool in RC-Toolkit to specify which
types of alarms are sent to each trap destination.

2005 Reliable Controls Corporation

120 Hallowell Road . Victoria, BC

Page 3 of 3

V9A 7K2 . 250.475.2036

877.475.9301 . Fax: 250.475.2096