Which of the following could explain why SNMP traps did not reach the destination?

• A. The SNMP version is incompatible with the manager.
• B. Network latency caused traps to be dropped.
• C. The community name was NOT configured in the SNMP trap destination settings.
• D. The trap destination is configured for an unsupported transport protocol.

Answer: (C)

SNMP traps rely on a simple authentication mechanism using a community string for SNMP v1/v2c. When a trap is sent, the destination manager expects to see a matching community name configured in its trap destination settings. If that community name isn’t configured at the destination, the manager will not accept or process the trap, so it never reaches the intended recipient. This is the most direct explanation for why traps didn’t arrive because it points to a configuration mismatch on the destination side. Other scenarios—like network latency causing drops, version incompatibility, or an unsupported transport—could cause issues as well, but they are less precise in describing a configuration that would completely prevent traps from arriving. For SNMP v3, the equivalent would be missing or incorrect user credentials rather than a community string.