SNMP agents are accessed by remote network management stations and by SNMP subagents. To allow network management stations to send inquiries to the SNMP agent, and SNMP subagents to connect to the SNMP agent, you can provide PW.SRC information that defines a list of community names and IP addresses that can use these community names. The community name operates as a password when accessing objects on, or connecting to, a destination SNMP agent. The subagents pass the community name to the agent on the connect request.
All of the z/OS® Communications Server SNMP subagents connect to the agent using the IPv4 primary interface IP address of the stack with which the subagent is associated, and a community name. As long as SOURCEVIPA is not in effect on the IPCONFIG profile statement, this IP address is the source IP address that the agent uses, along with the community name, to verify the subagent's authority to connect to the SNMP agent. The IPv4 primary interface IP address is either the first IP address in the HOME list or the IP address specified on a PRIMARYINTERFACE TCP/IP profile statement. If SOURCEVIPA is in effect, the IP address used by the agent to verify the subagent's authority is the virtual IP address associated with the IPv4 primary interface IP address. For information on determining which virtual IPv4 address is associated with a physical IPv4 address, see the HOME statement in z/OS Communications Server: IP Configuration Reference. Check the Netstat HOME/-h output to verify the IPv4 primary interface address of the stack.
The PW.SRC information is optional. If no PW.SRC information is found and no community name is specified for the -c parameter at agent invocation, then the SNMP agent will accept requests with a community name of 'public' from any IP address. If a PW.SRC file exists, but is empty, and if no community name is specified on the -c parameter at the agent invocation, then no requests will be accepted by the agent.
If creating a data set, you can specify a sequential data set with the following attributes: RECFM=FB, LRECL=80, and BLKSZ=3120. Other data set attributes might also work, depending on your installation parameters.