Which statement best describes an agent in this context?

• A. A hardware component that forwards packets.
• B. Network management software running on a managed device; by design has local knowledge of management information on the managed device and communicates that information via SNMP.
• C. A protocol used to secure communications.
• D. A user interface for configuring devices.

Answer: (B)

In this context, an agent is software that runs on the device being managed. It keeps local management information and answers requests from the network management system, communicating that data via SNMP. This is how SNMP works: the manager asks the agent for current values from the MIB, and the agent can also send traps to alert the manager about events. The other descriptions refer to a hardware forwarding component, a security protocol, or a user interface, none of which capture the role of an agent.