What is SNMP used for?

• A. Logging email traffic.
• B. Configuring firewall rules.
• C. Monitoring and managing network devices and their performance.
• D. Encrypting network traffic.

Answer: (C)

SNMP is used to monitor and manage network devices and their performance. A network management system can query devices to gather data such as interface status, bandwidth usage, error counts, CPU and memory utilization, and other statistics exposed by the device’s Management Information Base (MIB). It can also receive traps or alerts when certain thresholds are exceeded, enabling proactive responses to issues. Some devices support configuring settings via SNMP, but the primary value is visibility into the health and performance of the network and centralized alerting. Security-wise, SNMP itself isn’t about encrypting traffic, though newer versions add authentication and privacy features.