Switch Configuration

Communication to network switches

The Serraview Switch Scanning Service efficiently queries only the information needed from the network switches. There are two types of scans, a full scan, and a partial scan.

For a partial scan, the service will query: 

• MAC addresses
• Switch Port index 
• IP address (if switch is operating as a layer 3 and supports SNMP v2 / IP address OIDs) 

For a full scan, the service will query: 

• Which VLANs are available 
• Each VLAN to determine those with activity 
• MAC addresses 
• Switch Port index 
• IP address (if switch is operating as a layer 3 and supports SNMP v2 / IP address OIDs) 
• Bridging table 
• Switch Ports 
• Switch Port Labels 

The polling frequency is configurable for each scan type. We recommend the Switch Scanning Service be configured to:

• Perform full scans daily, at a time when network congestion is typically low, if possible.
• Perform partial scans at a frequency less than the switch-ageing timer (the time a switch holds on to its MAC address to port pairing).

OIDs for Switch Querying SNMP

The Switch Scanner performs a “bulk SNMP walk” on the following OIDs. Since OIDs are organized into a hierarchical tree structure, the following OID “nodes” represent the parent node and all child nodes underneath that OID that the Switch Scanner must have access to in order to perform a successful switch scan.