📌 SNMP v3 Integration Issue with Zabbix and Dell iDRAC (Atlassian Ticket)

🔍 1. Context

We are trying to integrate a Dell PowerEdge iDRAC into Zabbix using SNMP v3 (authPriv) to securely collect hardware metrics.
👉 SNMP v2 works perfectly, as well as SNMP v3 in NoAuthNoPriv mode.
👉 The issue arises when enabling authentication and encryption (SHA1/AES128).

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✅ 2. What is working

✅ Network connectivity

• nmap -sU -p 161 192.168.1.100 → ✅ Port 161 is open on iDRAC
• No firewall blocking (Fortinet) between Zabbix and iDRAC

✅ SNMP tests from the command line

• SNMP v2c works fine with the public community.

• SNMP v3 NoAuthNoPriv works fine:

snmpwalk -v3 -l noAuthNoPriv -u zabbix_user 192.168.1.100
✅ Data is retrieved successfully.

• SNMP v3 AuthPriv works with this command:

snmpwalk -v3 -l authPriv -u zabbix_user -a SHA -A "MySuperPassword" -x AES -X "MySuperPassword2" 192.168.1.100

{{ }}
OK

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❌ 3. What is not working

🔴 Result:

• Zabbix displays "Unavailable" on the host.
• Zabbix logs show:
  Error generating Ku from authentication pass phrase

❌ Algorithm modifications attempted:

• Tried SHA256/AES256 → 🚫 iDRAC does not support it.
• Tried MD5/DES (not recommended) → 🚫 Deprecated and insecure, not usable in production.

❌ Test with a simpler password (without special characters)

 

snmpwalk -v3 -l authPriv -u zabbix_user -a SHA -A "Password123" -x AES -X "Key987" 192.168.1.100

🔴 Same error.
📌 Conclusion: The issue is not related to special characters in the passwords.

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🔎 4. Investigations & Hypotheses

💡 Hypothesis 1: SNMP v3 implementation issue on iDRAC

• Some iDRAC firmware versions have known SNMP v3 bugs → A firmware update might fix the issue.

💡 Hypothesis 2: Key derivation compatibility issue

• iDRAC might be mishandling SNMP v3 key derivation (Error generating Ku).
• Some forums suggest iDRAC has known SNMP v3 issues.

💡 Hypothesis 3: Zabbix-specific bug with SNMP v3 on iDRAC

• SNMP v3 works on other devices but fails on iDRAC.
• There may be a compatibility issue between Zabbix and Dell iDRAC.

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📌 5. What assistance is needed

We have tested everything, but the problem persists.
👉 Has anyone encountered this issue with SNMP v3 on a Dell PowerEdge iDRAC?
👉 Is there a known firmware update that fixes this bug?
👉 Are there any known Zabbix limitations with SNMP v3 on Dell iDRAC?
👉 Are there specific SNMP logs we can enable on iDRAC to understand the issue better?

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📌 6. Configuration used (Anonymized)

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🚀 TL;DR Summary

✅ SNMP works fine with v2 and v3 NoAuthNoPriv.
❌ SNMP v3 AuthPriv (SHA1/AES128) fails.
📌 Error: "Error generating Ku from authentication pass phrase" in Zabbix.
📌 Need assistance in determining whether this is an iDRAC issue, firmware bug, or Zabbix compatibility problem!

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