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SNMP Traps  SNMP Traps
Domain Time II Server
Version 5.2

Domain Time II Server can send notifications of its status to Network Management Systems and other SNMP-capable monitoring devices using SNMP Traps.

Note: If you see the Policy Applied Group Policy applied indicator in the lower-left corner of the applet, there are settings on this page that are being overridden by an Active Directory Group Policy. Settings controlled by policy may be greyed-out or you may be otherwise prevented from making a change here. See the Active Directory page for more information on using Group Policies.

Important: SNMP support depends upon wsnmp32.dll being present in the OS. All Windows versions except the initial release of Windows Server 2016 Nano Server have this installed by default. To install Domain Time on Nano Server, you must install the SNMP trap support .dll before installing Domain Time. See the Nano Server FAQ for more information.

 

 SNMP Control 

Enabled

Community:
Server:

Use this section to enable SNMP Traps. Enter the SNMP community name and password used by your Network Management System (NMS), as well as its DNS name or IP address. Your community name and password must match the one in use by the receiving system.

    As of v5.2.b.20190331, you may also specify a port number to which SNMP traps are sent in the Server field. Examples: snmp.mydomain.com:1214 or [2002:410:1:1:2a0:69ff:fe01:b0f4]:2444. If the port number is not specified, the default SNMP trap port of 162 will be used.

    Best Practices for SNMP include using a unique community name and hard-to-guess password on production systems. The default community public should only be used for initial testing. Although Domain Time only sends outgoing trap information and is therefore not susceptible to SNMP remote control vulnerabilities, you should still be mindful of SNMP security for the benefit of your other SNMP devices.

 

 SNMP Traps 

Sync Successful If variance exceeds milliseconds
Sync Failed       Ignore variance alert for first sync
Service Startups
Service Shutdowns

The settings in this section select which SNMP traps are sent by Domain Time.

    SNMP v2 traps are generated whenever the selected event occurs. Keep in mind that SNMP Traps are sent via UDP, and are therefore not guaranteed to be delivered by the network.

    Although useful for raising performance alarms or other monitoring functions, you should not depend upon the SNMP trap data for critical logging of time synchronization events, particularly if your logging is necessary for regulatory compliance. Use a product designed for more robust data collection, such as Domain Time Audit Server instead.

      The If variance exceeds milliseconds setting lets you set a threshold value so that you can be alerted when the variance of any timecheck exceeds this value.

      Warning:
      Domain Time may generate a large number of timechecks (depending on your Timings settings) so it is very easy to swamp your monitoring system with alerts if you set this value too low. Also, it is normal even on the best-behaved networks for occasional timechecks to reflect a spurious large value due to latency or other network conditions.

      It is therefore very easy to generate a large number of false alarms using this trap.

      If you enable this trap, you should choose a threshold value that truly reflects a critical amount of clock drift to avoid unnecessary alarms for normal transient variances. If your monitoring software has the capability of further restricting alarms only after a certain number or percentage of traps have been raised, you can add extra protection against false alarms.

      You may find the Audit Server Notifications feature to be a better way of immediately alerting you to poorly performing clocks than this trap.


      Since the first timecheck on any system after the time service starts is likely to be quite large (due to the clock not having been set yet), the Ignore variance alert for first sync setting is highly recommended.

 

The Domain Time MIB File

Domain Time comes with a MIB file that you can use to compile on your SNMP monitoring system so that your traps are interpreted correctly. The MIB text file is generated when you click the button on the Control Panel applet so you don't need to worry about locating it in some obscure installation folder or having online access.

Note: The MIB file generated here matches the version of Domain Time that's currently installed. Be sure to remember to update your SNMP Network Management Station(s) with the latest version of the MIB after any upgrades to Domain Time.

 

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