Manually interpreting an SNMP trap

If your SNMP manager doesn't have an SNMP compiler, you will need to manually interpret the SNMP traps.

Procedure

Observe the trap when it is received by systems management software and identify its components.

Figure 1 shows a sample SNMP trap. The trap consists of object identifiers (OIDs) on the left of the equal (=) sign and OID fields on the right.

The characters 254 in the OID indicate that the device is a TS4500 tape library. The OID fields contain values that help you to determine the nature of the problem.

Note: Not every trap contains every field.

Figure 1. Sample SNMP trap



1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.11.1.0=3584 L55 1312345
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.21.1.0=04 44 00
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.31.1.0=90 80
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.41.1.0=A4D0
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.51.1.0=The library has detected an error in its inventory
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.61.1.0=12762L5
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.71.1.0=LogicalLibraryA
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.81.1.0=500507630F070641
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.91.1.0=10680005807
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.101.1.0=(1) warning 
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.111.1.0=JSmith
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.121.1.0=Frame 1, Column 2, Row 3

Refer to Table 1 to determine the meaning of the values in the OID fields.

The fields are listed in the order in which they occur in an actual SNMP trap. Use the sample values to interpret the meaning of the example trap in Figure 1.

Table 1. Fields in an SNMP trap
Object Identifier (OID) and Variable Name	Description of OID Field	Maximum Characters	Sample Value in Field
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.11.1.0 MTMNLSN	Machine type	4	3584
	Blank character	1
	Model number	3	L55
	Blank character	1
	Serial number	7	1312345
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.21.1.0 SKASCASCQ	Sense key	2	04
	Additional sense code (ASC)	1
	Additional sense code qualifier (ASCQ)	2	00
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.31.1.0 HECHECQ	Hardware error code (HEC)	2	90
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.31.1.0 HECHECQ	Hardware error code qualifier (HECQ)	2	80
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.41.1.0 URC	Unit reference code (URC)	4	A4D0
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.51.1.0 TD	Text description	255	The library detected an error in its inventory
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.61.1.0 VOLSER	Cartridge volume serial number	8	12762L5
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.71.1.0 LL	Logical library name	255	LogicalLibraryA
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.81.1.0 WWNN	World Wide Node Name	16	500507630F070641
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.91.1.0 DrvSN	Drive serial number	12	10680005807
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.101.1.0 SV	Severity code	15	(1) warning
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.111.1.0 UserID	User ID	49	JSmith
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.254.1.2.121.1.0 Location	Location	255	Frame 1, Row 2, Column 3

Results

To determine the meaning of each OID field, use the following sources:

For the SCSI sense key, ASC, and ASCQ, see SCSI API.

In general, the library generates SNMP traps when it detects error conditions, but also for some exception conditions. These traps are also assigned a unique OID in the MIB. The following list presents some of the exception conditions that can generate traps. For a complete list, refer to the MIB.

The I/O station is full for over an hour.
The logical library is full for over an hour and contains no empty storage slots.
The I/O station door is open for an extended period.
There are no LTO or 3592 cleaning cartridges in the library.
An LTO or 3592 cleaning cartridge expired (the number of cleanings that remain on the cartridge decreased to 0).
The LTO or 3592 cartridge slots are approaching full capacity.
All physical tape slots are allocated to a cartridge. No more cartridges can be added.
The library had a problem while it was reading the barcode of a cartridge.
The library attempted to call home but was unsuccessful.
All library doors are closed.
A cartridge that cannot be encrypted is loaded into a drive that is set for encryption.
A new cartridge is inserted in the library and is unassigned.
An SNMP audit logging event occurred .
An encryption manager communication failure occurred.