Looking for an automated method to install and configure SNMP on servers

I have an enviornment with 30 Windows servers (Server 2003 and a few 2008 systems).

We are now looking at monitoring solutions, but the first item that we need to accompilish is getting SNMP installed, and configured of each server.

I'm hoping that there is a method that will allow us to do this remotely and centrally managed, so if we later change the community string or servers to send traps to then this could be an easy change.

Do you have any suggestions on how I might be able to go about this process? Is there a GPO that I can apply to accomplish this?

Thanks.

From serverfault Richard West

• Your best bet will probably be to find or create an MSI, and then use the GPO to distribute it.

  Here's a link documenting how to create an MSI:

  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/257718

  Evan Anderson : He's talking about an operating system component, I'd guess, not third-party software. You don't want to try and install OS components via MSI's-- that's bad mojo.
  From Matt Simmons

• For Windows Server 2008, you can use OCSETUP.EXE. See more at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936209

  For Windows Server 2003, you can use SYSOCMGR. Put the following lines into a file (I'm calling mine "snmp.txt"):

  [Components]
  netoc = on
  [NetOptionalComponents]
  SNMP = 1
  

  Then, call SYSOCMGR as an Administrator (or as SYSTEM-- this absolutely does work from an AD startup script):

  SYSOCMGR /i:%SystemRoot%\inf\sysoc.inf /u:snmp.txt
  

  (This assumes you're calling SYSOCMGR from the same directory as snmp.txt.)

  I've done this all the time w/ Windows XP, and it worked fine in a VM that I just tested w/ W2K3. Be sure the Windows source files are accessible in the location SYSOCMGR looks by default or the install will hang asking for them.

  Edit: Reversed /u and /i in command line example. I am an idiot!

  Richard West : Thanks for the suggestion. I'm giving it a try now, however I receive an error message when starting the SYSOCMGR - "The application could not be initialized". This is when I'm passing it a /u answer file. I can run SYSOCMGR without any parameters and I receive the syntax help screen.

  Evan Anderson : I keyed the /u and /i options backwards in here. Sorry for being an idiot. Try it that way.

  Richard West : I found the problem: you must include the full path to the answer file provided in the /u: parameter
  From Evan Anderson

• A word of warning - DO NOT install SNMP on a SQL Server without taking down the SQL server for maintenance first. Installing SNMP will force SQL Server to exit memory, which will be ungood for uptime and your personal reputation. We had some issues with this when we rolled out SNMP in our environment.

  Evan's comment above is also correct in that the only way to roll out Microsoft SNMP is through sysocmgr. There is no MSI to install it. If you want to remote install it you can use psexec (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897553.aspx)...

  Richard West : Great point. Thank you for the heads up.
  From terranwannabe