This post applies to HELM 4.1.0.4 and later.
MIB files describe the SNMP capabilities of specific pieces of equipment. In order to work usefully with SNMP, the correct MIB files must be installed.
When you install the Helm,a basic set of MIBs are installed. These do not cover specific broadcast devices, but instead support basic IT functions and are relevant to many devices. You’ll need to supplement these with the appropriate MIBs for the devices you wish to control or monitor. Contact your equipment vendor for these files.
To install MIBS, copy the files into this directory:
C:\ProgramData\Rascular\SNMP\mibs\site
You must now tell Helm to load and use your MIBs. Using a text editor, open the file C:\Program Files (x86)\Rascular\HELM Designer\libsmi.conf
Note: you may have to run your text editor as administrator to be able to save the file.
You must now add the necessary LOAD commands at the end of the file
load TCP-MIB load UDP-MIB load HOST-RESOURCES-MIB load HOST-RESOURCES-TYPES load RFC-1212 load MY-NEW-MIB
Now, you can start to design a panel with Helm. Open Helm, and place an SNMP Device on the panel. Set the IP Address and Community properties to match your device. (Consult manufacturer’s documentation if necessary)
The next stage is to select the SNMP properties that you need to access from the panel: Because devices typically expose a bewildering selection of properties, we need to select only the ones of interest, and map them to simpler and more meaningful names. Open the “MappedOIDs” to see the full range of objects exposed by the device.
Each object (or, OID) exposed by the device is shown. You can use the column sorting and filtering to locate those you’re interested in. For each object that you want to use in the panel, you must edit the “Map To..” column and give the object a short, simple name. In the example below, an object has been given the name “uptime”.
Pausing the mouse over the description column may show additional information to help you locate the correct objects.
Once the required objects have been named, you can close the dialog. The mapping is saved with the panel, and is specific to this SNMP device. You can now use the mapped objects as normal helm properties. They have the prefix PROP_, so uptime becomes PROP_uptime. They can be used in scripts, or linked to labels and indicators, etc.
