Understanding SNMP MIBs

43770-7

MIBs demystified

In the past, understanding MIBs has mostly been a case of picking up the oral folklore or reading endless streams of E-mail on a lot of IETF mailing lists. In this book, David Perkins and Evan McGinnis part the swirling clouds of confusion to offer up the crucial concepts you need to read and interpret a MIB, and maybe even write one.

The authors offer a functional view of SNMP-based management, emphasizing the aspects that relate directly to MIBs. Without going into all the particulars of SNMP, Understanding SNMP MIBs provides a general introduction to such key concepts as:

• Modeling and development
• Relationships between objects
• Textual conventions
• Domains and control fields
• Versions and migration

Interwoven with this material is a structural view of MIBs, starting with the basic syntax and specifications of MIB modules, and moving on to sophisticated discussions of advanced data structures and data types, including:

• Nested tables and multi-table relationships
• Linked lists
• Multidimensional arrays
• Floating point numbers

Network administrators will find this a handy guide to the manageable aspects of their network, while developers, engineers, and product managers will discover a simplified approach to creating MIBs with the end-user in mind, while adhering to the international MIB standards. For students, this book is a valuable complement to the study of SNMP and network management. Even if you never need to create a MIB of your own, Understanding SNMP MIBs will be an invaluable aid for interpreting and selecting them in your daily work.

The accompanying CD contains numerous sample MIBs with their RFC's, along with two great original applications: the MIB compiler SMICng and a translation program to generate HTML from MIBs. Supported platforms include Windows® 95, Windows NT, SunOS®, Solaris®, HP-UX™, Linux, IBM's AIX, and SGI.

An excellent tutorial and reference for the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Management Information Base (MIB). Focuses on a functional view of SNMP emphasizing understanding, interpretation, and design of MIBs. Introduces SNMP management information, relatinships, events, and identifiers. Examines MIB module syntax, specifications, constructs, layout, and elements. Applies the management model, delves into the SNMP managed system and operations. Discusses object modelling, practical considerations of building and maintaining MIBs, data structures and data types, design choices, and compilers. Concludes by guiding you through the complete development of a MIB. Appendixes contain ASN.1 and SNMP references abd user and resource guides. The multiplatform CD-ROM contains executables, HTML versions of all MIBs, and relevant RFCs. A recommended reference indeed. Two excellent complementary volumes are SNMP, SNMPv2 and RMON : Practical Network Management, Second Edition and Benchmarking for Effective Network Management. The first is a good SNMP tutorial containing updated current information. The second emphasizes the nuts and bolts, showing you exactly what you have and how well your network is managed.