In SNMP, what is the central system that collects data from managed devices commonly called?

• A. Network Management Systems (NMS)
• B. Agents
• C. Managed Devices
• D. Routers

Answer: (A)

SNMP uses a manager–agent setup, where a central system collects data from devices being monitored. The central system is the Network Management System (NMS). It runs the management software that queries each device’s agent to read information from the device’s MIB, aggregates that data, stores it, and presents it through dashboards and alerts. The agents live on the managed devices and respond to the NMS’s requests; the devices themselves (like routers, switches, servers) are the managed devices. Routers are common examples of what can be managed, but the central collector is the NMS.