MIB Varbind Problems (Formely "Lenovo xClarity MIB")

I'm running into problems with traps we receive from a Lenovo xClarity management server. Lenovo has already sent us the latest MIB file, I've already opened a support case with Solarwinds, they've already added it to the latest MIB Database Build and I've already replaced the MIB file with the new one on both our pollers.

xClarity sends us traps just fine however some of the fields appear to be mismatched. For example:

mgrTrapDateTime:= This does not contain a DateTime as the OID would suggest, but rather what looks like a host name

mgrTrapSysContact:= This does not contain Contact info as the OID would suggest, but rather what looks like an IP address

...The list goes on...

Lenovo is asking what version of the MIB is solarwinds using to do the varbind translation - I know this can't easily be determined so I am at a loss. Is the problem with the Lenovo MIB, or the Solarwinds MIB database? Does anyone know how I can determine where the problem may be?

Message was edited by: Ryan DavisChanged title to be at a higher level - not getting many hits on this for some reason.

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ryan.davis26

All I'm really looking for here is guidance on where the problem may be. I'm assuming its on Lenovo's side, but it could be Solarwinds. Has really no one else encountered this? I know we have on several occasions and have resolved it with a MIB update, but not in this case... Anyone from solarwinds maybe? aLTeReGo??

ryan.davis26

Well this discussion went nowhere...

Here's what I'm doing now. I'm currently in the process of getting techs from Lenovo and techs from Solarwinds together in a meeting to discuss. Both sides are asking me questions that I don't have the answer to so I figured if I can get them both talking to each other we may come to a resolution.

All of this has been an enormous headache, and I get the feeling that since I haven't had any responses from anyone here on thwack that its just lends credence to the fact that SolarWinds needs to open up its MIB database! When it comes to obscure MIB problems like this we don't know where to point the finger! It would be so much easier if the solawrinds MIB database wasn't this mysterious blackhole...

sean.martinez

To give a bit of background on the SNMP Traps, this is how the Trap system works:

The device sends the trap message to the Solarwinds Server with the OID and value in the message.

The SNMP Trap Server takes that OID and matches it to the MIB Database and marks the MIB and value in the database.(this is why if you see enterprises and OID, you need to update the MIB Database.

The first thing is, are you seeing 2 separate Trap messages coming in, or just 1 with multiple fields?

If you could report the MIB name or OID, I can check the MIB database. Also is there a link to the new Lenovo MIBs? I can compare the 2 together. What Lenovo wants to confirm is that Soalrwinds has the latest version as the OID to MIB and values, it sounds like recently or a while ago they may have changed.

The MIB database is actually open and available to view. I use the Universal Device Poller in NPM to browse the database, or the Engineer's Toolset MIB Browser can also display the database. When looking at the database any lightning symbol means that it is an SNMP trap.

ryan.davis26

sean.martinez, thanks for the reply. I follow what you're saying, which is why I submitted a case, 994899 and they've confirmed that the MIB I submitted from Lenovo is the one that is being used in the SW MIB DB. Before the mib update, we were getting traps with OID numbers. After the mib update we were receiving traps with descriptions rather than the OID numbers as one would expect. Only there were mismatches, like an IP address in a field that was clearly supposed to be a datetime stamp. I'm not sure how to tell you the version of the MIB they sent... Its called "lenovoMgrAler.mib" and heres the info inside:

lenovoMgrMib MODULE-IDENTITY
LAST-UPDATED "201503260000Z"
ORGANIZATION "Lenovo."
CONTACT-INFO "Lenovo Support"

        DESCRIPTION "Lenovo management event trap MIB
                    Copyright (c) 2015- Lenovo All Rights Reserved."
        REVISION    "201503260000Z"
        DESCRIPTION "Lenovo management event trap MIB"

I know the MIB database is open in the sense you're describing, I use UDP all the time, more often than MIB browser because MIB browser is pretty awful in my opinion. What I meant was that it would make things a whole lot easier if MIB updates could be made by us rather than having to go through this certification process. I'll give you a use case. I've run into these types of problems before that were simply solved by a MIB update no problem. But I have to first identify there is a problem. Then I have to identify the MIB, get it from the device or vendor website. Then I have to open a case with SW, wait sometimes upwards of two weeks before certification. Then I have to submit a change internally to update the MIB database on my pollers. We're talking anywhere from 2-4 weeks just to get the right varbind translations in traps!

sean.martinez

I checked our database and the MIB file that you referenced is updated in the MIB database and no MIBs are missing. This is looking to potentially being the device reporting incorrectly. They (Lenovo and Solarwinds) will probably need a packet capture of the SNMP trap message in order to get a better idea.