Which protocol is used for network management and monitoring?

• A. DNS
• B. SNMP
• C. LDAP
• D. TLS

Answer: (B)

SNMP is the protocol used for network management and monitoring. It works with a central manager that polls agents on network devices to gather status, performance, and configuration data, and it can also receive alert messages (traps) when something notable happens. Data is organized into MIBs (Management Information Bases) with object identifiers (OIDs), which makes it possible to monitor things like CPU load, memory usage, interface status, and uptime across different devices. While SNMP supports actions like reading and sometimes configuring devices, its primary role in practice is to provide a standardized way to observe and manage a network from a single point. It typically runs over UDP ports 161 (queries) and 162 (traps), and modern deployments use SNMPv3 for authentication and encryption to improve security.

DNS is for translating domain names to IP addresses, not for management. LDAP is for directory services and authentication, not device monitoring. TLS is a security protocol that protects transport traffic, not a management/monitoring protocol.