---
type: SNMP Concept
title: "What Is an SNMP Manager (NMS)? Role & Functions"
description: "SNMP manager/NMS role: polling, traps on UDP 162, types of managers, external pollers."
resource: "https://snmp-monitoring.info/what-is-snmp/architecture/manager/"
tags: [what-is-snmp]
timestamp: 2026-07-10T00:00:00Z
---

# What Is an SNMP Manager (NMS)? Role & Functions

SNMP manager/NMS role: polling, traps on UDP 162, types of managers, external pollers.

## Related concepts

- Up: [SNMP Architecture: Manager, Agent, MIB & Managed Device](/what-is-snmp/architecture/index.md)

## Frequently asked questions

### What is an NMS in SNMP?

Network management station—the system that acts as the SNMP manager: polls agents, collects values, often receives traps, and raises alerts.

### Does the manager run on the monitored server?

No (not in the usual design). The agent runs on the monitored server; the manager runs elsewhere and queries it.

### What port does the manager receive traps on?

UDP 162 for traps and informs. The manager sends queries to the agent on UDP 161.

### Examples of SNMP managers?

Net-SNMP CLI tools, on-prem platforms (e.g. LibreNMS, Zabbix and peers), and external polling services. See tools comparison.

## Source

Concept generated from https://snmp-monitoring.info/what-is-snmp/architecture/manager/ — the SNMP Monitoring vendor-neutral knowledge base. Content is limited to what that page states (no external claims added here).