snscore

snscore [OPTIONS] [AGENT[:PORT]]

AGENT[:PORT]
    Specifies the hostname or IP address of the SNMP agent to query. Optionally, a port number can be appended after a colon. If omitted, it typically defaults to localhost.

-v VERSION
    Specifies the SNMP protocol version to use (e.g., 1, 2c, or 3). Defaults to a configured version, usually 3 if available.

-c COMMUNITY
    Sets the community string for SNMPv1 or SNMPv2c requests, acting as a password for authentication.

-u USER
    Specifies the security name for SNMPv3 requests. This is required for SNMPv3 authentication or privacy.

-l LEVEL
    Sets the security level for SNMPv3 requests. Common levels include noAuthNoPriv, authNoPriv, and authPriv.

-a PROTOCOL
    Specifies the authentication protocol for SNMPv3 (e.g., MD5 or SHA).

-A PASSPHRASE
    Sets the authentication passphrase for SNMPv3 requests.

-x PROTOCOL
    Specifies the privacy protocol for SNMPv3 (e.g., DES or AES).

-X PASSPHRASE
    Sets the privacy passphrase for SNMPv3 requests.

-t TIMEOUT
    Sets the timeout in seconds before retransmitting a request. Defaults to 1 second.

-r RETRIES
    Sets the number of retries before giving up on a request. Defaults to 0.

-h
    Displays a help message and exits.

snscore is a utility included with the Net-SNMP suite, primarily used for debugging and monitoring the internal performance and health of the snmpd agent. It retrieves and displays "scores" which represent various internal metrics, such as the number of successful or failed SNMP requests, processing times, or other operational statistics. These scores help administrators identify bottlenecks, troubleshoot issues, or understand the workload on the SNMP agent. It communicates with the running snmpd process, typically via a UNIX domain socket or a local UDP port, to fetch this information.

Unlike general SNMP client tools like snmpget, snscore focuses specifically on the agent's internal diagnostic data rather than standard MIB objects. This makes it an invaluable tool for maintaining the stability and efficiency of an SNMP service by providing insights into its core operations and potential issues.

snscore connects directly to the snmpd agent's internal interface, which usually requires the agent to be running on the same host or configured to listen on a specific network interface. Its output is specific to the Net-SNMP implementation and may vary slightly between versions or configurations of snmpd. The 'scores' are internal diagnostic metrics and not part of the standard SNMP MIBs, meaning their interpretation relies on knowledge of Net-SNMP's internal workings.

The exact meaning of the scores displayed by snscore is internal to the snmpd agent and its loaded modules. They typically represent counts of successful operations, error conditions, or specific state transitions within the SNMP processing pipeline. Users should refer to Net-SNMP documentation or source code for precise interpretations of each score, as they are not standardized MIB objects.

While general SNMP clients like snmpget retrieve MIB variables, snscore serves a different, more specialized purpose: internal agent diagnostics. It is primarily used by administrators to:
- Monitor the agent's responsiveness and processing load.
- Identify potential internal bottlenecks or errors not visible through standard MIBs.
- Debug issues with SNMP request handling or MIB module performance.
- Verify the healthy operation of the snmpd service itself.
It's less of a command for routine monitoring and more of a tool for in-depth troubleshooting.

snscore is an integral part of the Net-SNMP (formerly UCD-SNMP) suite, a widely used collection of SNMP tools and libraries for Linux and Unix-like systems. The Net-SNMP project originated in the mid-1990s as UCD-SNMP, developed at the University of California, Davis. The snscore utility has been a consistent diagnostic feature within this suite, evolving alongside the core snmpd daemon to provide administrators with essential insights into its internal operations and performance. Its long-standing presence highlights its utility for maintaining SNMP service health.

snmpd(8), snmpget(1), snmpwalk(1), net-snmp(7)