SNMP firewall for network identification

A method for exchanging Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) messages between a network management station and a destination device, the method comprising:

• inputting an SNMP command for a device with network identification information and an IP address of the device at a network management station;
• providing an SNMP packet with network identification information in response to the SNMP command;
• transmitting the SNMP packet with the network identification information over a network backbone connecting a plurality of networks that form an intranet;
• removing, at an SNMP firewall, the network identification information from the SNMP packet;
• and
• forwarding, at the SNMP firewall, the SNMP packet to the device.

A method for determining a destination device for a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) packet in a multi-network system having the possibility of duplicate Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in different networks, the method comprising:

• monitoring, at an SNMP firewall, SNMP packets from at least one network in the multi-network system;
• determining, at the SNMP firewall, if an SNMP packet includes network identification information and an IP address associated with the destination corresponding to the monitored network;
• and
• removing, at the SNMP firewall, the network identification information from the SNMP packet and forwarding the SNMP packet to a destination device corresponding to the IP address associated with the destination.

A computer system for exchanging Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) messages in a multi-network intranet, wherein each network of the multi-network intranet includes at least one device, the system comprising:

• means for transmitting SNMP messages containing a device address and network identification information corresponding to a destination device of an SNMP message;
• means for extracting the network identification information to determine if an SNMP message is destined for a device residing in the respective network;
• means for removing the network identification information from the SNMP message;
• and
• means for forwarding the SNMP message to a device associated with the device address.