Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an application protocol that offers network management services. Using SNMP, you can monitor Microsoft® SQL Server™ across different platforms (for example, Microsoft Windows NT®, Microsoft Windows® 95/98, and UNIX).
With SQL Server and the Microsoft SQL Server Management Information Base (MSSQL-MIB), you can use SNMP applications to monitor the status of SQL Server installations. You can monitor performance information, access databases, and view server and database configuration parameters.