SNMPv3 Configuration on Windows
Windows lacks built-in SNMPv3 support (unlike Linux). The SNMP service was deprecated by Microsoft starting with Windows Server 2012, and was made an optional Feature on Demand in Windows 10/11 (1809+). The Microsoft SNMP service only provides support for v1/v2c; a third‑party agent is required for SNMPv3.
Installing a Third-Party SNMPv3 Agent
There are a number of solutions that offer SNMPv3 support for Windows. For a production environment, one could use a commercial product, such as the NuDesign SNMPv3 Agent Service, which installs easily and is a drop in replacement for the Microsoft SNMP Agent Service.
Net-SNMP is an open source alternative, available at no charge, however, it is a bit more complex to install and configure under Windows when compared to its much simpler installation on Linux.
NuDesign SNMPv3 Agent Features:
✅ Supports Windows Server 2025, 2022, 2019, 2016, and 2012 R2
✅ Supports Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 7
✅ Supports 32-bit and 64-bit versions
✅ Supports IPv4 and IPv6
✅ Supports SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512 for authentication and AES-128, AES-192, AES-256 for privacy
Installation Process
Install a trial of the SNMPv3 agent from the vendor website. The installation process will stop the native Microsoft SNMP service if it is running and set the startup type to Manual.
If there are any other third party SNMP agents running (i.e. Net-SNMP) you must stop those services before the NuDesign SNMPv3 agent will operate correctly.
Configuring the SNMPv3 Agent on Windows
After installation, launch the NuDesign SNMP v3 agent configuration applet:
📌 Navigate to the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\NuDesign Tools Eval)
📌 Run the configuration tool and select SNMPv3 as the protocol
📌 Configure the UDP port (default is 161)
📌 Under Authentication settings, specify which IP addresses can query the agent and add your network monitoring solution’s IP address
📌 Configure User Security Management (USM) credentials with custom username, authentication password, and encryption key
The agent uses separate configuration files for security settings. Always change the default credentials (shaaes/shaaesauth/shaaespriv) to custom values for production use.
Testing SNMPv3 on Windows
Validate with snmpwalk/snmpget built for Windows (e.g., Net‑SNMP binaries) or your NMS (Network Monitoring Solution); ensure it supports your chosen algorithms (e.g., SHA‑2/AES‑256). You can also test your SNMP responses with PowerShell, though it has no built-in SNMPv3 cmdlets. Testing typically relies on external tools (e.g., snmpwalk) or vendor modules.
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Alternative
Keep in mind that when you are setting up SNMPv3 on Windows, you may use WMI for Windows‑specific data; for cross‑platform device monitoring, SNMP remains the standard.