www.gsx.com | log in | register

  1. GSX Help Center
  2. Knowledge Base
  3. GSX Gizmo

Last update: . Author: Alan Carson .

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Common Issues Connecting to the MIB: Reading the MIB

In this article we will try to read the BlackBerry Management Information Base (MIB) using a third party tool to eliminate any configuration issues with SNMP and GSX Monitor.

It is an important step to verify the MIB has loaded correctly and initialized with the correct Windows registry keys to avoid spending time diagnosing a permission issue or network connection problem with an object that has in fact not yet been created.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server prior to v5.0.x | SNMP

 Symptoms

  • BES Version OID in the SNMP MIB cannot be read. 
  • Issues with any MIB connectivity.
  • Cannot read MIB.

How to Troubleshoot the Issue

Before you start:

We are using the iReasoning MIB Browser but you can use any suitable MIB browsing tool compatible with SNMP v1.

The procedure must be performed from your GSX Monitoring workstation so that the same IP address and firewall configuration are used when troubleshooting the issue. This way we can rule out any security restrictions connecting remotely to the BES MIB.
The MIB browser tool used in this article must be installed on your GSX Monitoring station.

To read the MIB, GSX Monitor:
  • Needs to have access to port UDP 161.
  • Must be an allowed SNMP host at the BES server level.
  • Have a valid community string as configured at the BES server level.

 

In the examples detailed below, we issue MIB browsing commands to determine if the MIB is missing or readable using a MIB browser tool. We will see results from a BlackBerry server with a valid MIB we can read, and then what happens with a BlackBerry server that has not built the MIB yet.

Why we are checking the MIB:
  • If the third party MIB browser is successful at getting a valid version when reading BES OIDs, then the BlackBerry Server has a valid compatibility MIB and can communicate over SNMP. This eliminates any issues with the BES.
  • If we cannot read the BlackBerry MIB then we can conclude that the MIB has not yet been initialized by the BES SNMP Service.
  • If the GSX Monitoring station cannot communicate with the BES SNMP Service remotely, then there may be an antivirus or security software blocking the connection.

 

GSX Monitor looks for OID's generated by the BlackBerryServerMIB-SMIv2_Compat.mib:

  • This is a backward compatible MIB that has the same OID entries regardless of the BlackBerry version so we can look for MIB statistics from a single location.
  • If you discover there is no MIB remotely available on the BES server, then the BES registry keys need to be double checked. We find that sometimes only the current version registry keys are present and GSX Monitor needs the compatibility version components.

OID Information:

  • .1.3.6.1.4.1 SNMP Network device root level.
  • .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530 Research In Motion root level.
  • .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530.6 BlackBerry Enterprise Server Version 5 root level.
  • .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530.5 BlackBerry Enterprise Server Version 4 root level, and BES 5.x.x _compat.mib.
  • .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530.5.20.1.10 BlackBerry Enterprise Server Version stored in the Compat MIB.

MIB Browser listening agent:

Let's create a connection to the BlackBerry host:

  1. Launch the MIB browser.
  2. Go to Tools - Options and select the Agents Tab.
  3. Click Add.
  4. Enter the details for the network location of the BlackBerry MIB. You can use an IP address or server hostname depending on your network configuration.
  5. Enter the SNMP community string used by the BlackBerry server. 
  6. Select SNMPv1 from the SNMP Version list.
  7. Click OK.

Now that the MIB Browser listening agent is created, we will use it to attempt retrieving key information from the BlackBerry MIB:

  1. Select the IP address or server name you entered when creating the agent from the drop down list. 
  2. Copy the OID .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530.5.20.1.10 and paste this into the OID field of the MIB browser. 
  3. Select Get Next. 
  4. Click Go.
  5. Note the value in the results table. We will use this to determine the root cause of the problem if there is an actual issue.

Expected results when everything is OK:

The MIB browser Get Next at OID .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530.5.20.1.10 is supposed to return the BES Version stored in the MIB. The actual returned value will variate according to the version you are running on your BlackBerry server.

  • Expected results on a BlackBerry 4 server:
  • Expected results on a BlackBerry 5 server with a compatibility MIB will show simply the version number and no text: 

Being able to remotely determine what version you are running on your BlackBerry server using a MIB browser proves the appropriate MIB has been created properly, so that there are no issues with the BES SNMP service. Anything else than a BlackBerry version returned would indicate a corrupt MIB, or no MIB available at all. Check below the actual root cause of the issue according to the results you are getting, and on how to solve the issue.

 

How to Solve the Issue

If you are not getting the expected results when following the procedure described above, there are two possibilities, either the BES SNMP service has not initialized the MIB yet, or the MIB GSX Monitor is using is not accessible on the system.

The MIB browsing request below allows to highlight the root cause of the issue and how to fix the problem:

  1. Copy the OID .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530.6 and paste this into the OID field of the MIB browser. 
  2. Select Get Next. 
  3. Click Go.
  4. Note the value in the results table. We will use this to determine the root cause of the problem if there is an actual issue.

 

OID .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530.6 returns SNMP End Of View:

SNMP End Of View is returned when there is an issue with the MIB. It usually indicates the MIB has not been initialized by the SNMP Service. If there is no MIB present, and you get an SNMP end of view message then the BES server needs to be rebooted to build its MIB again. 

The only time a BES MIB is initialized, is during the OS Boot level, restarting the BES server process will not cause the MIB to be reconstructed as this is done at the Windows SNMP level during an OS boot only.

 

OID .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530.6 returns correct MIB results:

Getting the expected result for the .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530.6 OID confirms the current BES MIB is present.

GSX Monitor looks for OID's generated by the a backward compatible BlackBerryServerMIB-SMIv2_Compat MIB. This MIB that has the same OID entries regardless of the BlackBerry version so we can look for MIB statistics from a single location. We need to verify that the BlackBerryServerMIB-SMIv2_Compat.mib is also available, as this is the one GSX Monitor needs.

  1. Copy the OID .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530.5 and paste it into the OID field of the MIB browser. 
  2. Select Get Next. 
  3. Click Go.

If you get a result back from .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530.6 (BES 5 root), and not from .1.3.6.1.4.1.3530.5 (BES _compat root) then the MIB database GSX monitor is expecting is not available.

When the BlackBerryServerMIB-SMIv2_Compat MIB is missing, you must check the BlackBerry server registry settings, as this means only the current version MIB is being constructed and not the backward compatible MIB.

Once the BES registry has been updated the server needs to be rebooted to build its MIB again.


Was this article helpful?

0 out of 0 found this helpful




Not finding what you are looking for?

Have more questions? Submit a request