Installing Modules with ActiveState ppm

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If you use ActiveState's Active Perl on Windows you'll discover that the Crypt-DES module, although listed on their ASPN site,  isn't available when you try and install it.  Since many other modules need this to install I did some digging and found an alternative repository.

Load the ppm utility and enter the commands below.  Obviously the install commands for net-snmp and snmp-BridgeQuery are only needed if you want them - I do.  I've used this from a clean install of ActivePerl release 5.8.7.815. and it works.

rep add Canada http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/cgi-bin/ppmserver?urn:/PPMServer58
install Crypt-DES
install net-snmp
install snmp-BridgeQuery

The snmp-BridgeQuery module extracts bridge forwarding tables from layer 2 bridges and switches.  I've used this as the basis of some scripts that track MAC addresses to see when and where new equipment has been connected to the network and existing devices are moved.  Proved very useful in our network with over 1,500 active devices.