4.1 Overview of Neo

In Chapter 2, you saw how a networked device can be managed with SNMP. With snmpget , snmpset , and snmpwalk , you can retrieve operational information and make configuration changes. As useful as these programs are, they are not well suited for debugging day-to-day network problems. A tool is needed that handles all of the SNMP requests behind the scenes while presenting a simple interface to the user .

At MIT, we wrote just such a tool called Neo. Using Neo's simple commands, we can check bandwidth usage or determine on which switch port a particular host resides. For us, it has become the bread and butter of network administration. Neo is a text-based client that is well suited to an environment in which an operator may need to use a remote login session to manage the network.

Of course, Neo is helpful only if your devices can be managed with SNMP. If your devices have only a telnet interface or have no management interface at all, Neo will not be a useful tool for interacting with them.