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Reserve Your Seat TodayManagement Information Base (MIB): The MIB is a data structure that describes SNMP network elements as a list of data objects. To monitor SNMP devices, your SNMP manager must compile the MIB file for each equipment type in your network.
Manager: A top-level SNMP master system (hardware or software) serving as the human interface to the SNMP network. The manager can issue Get, GetNext and Set requests to agents and receives GetResponse and Trap messages.
NMS: Network Management Software or Network Management System. Another term for SNMP manager software or hardware.
Object Identifier (OID): A number that uniquely identifies a managed object in an SNMP network. An OID consists of a series of numbers separated by decimal points. Each decimal point represents a leaf node in the tree structure of the MIB. For example, all OIDs for DPS Telecom equipment begin with the numbers 1.3.6.1.4.1.2682. This sequence represents: iso (1); org (3); dod (6); internet (1); private (4); enterprises (1); dpsInc (2682).
Protocol Data Unit (PDU): An SNMP message. There are 5 types of PDU in SNMP v1: Get, GetNext, Set, GetResponse and Trap.
Packet Internet Gopher (PING): An ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) echo request to determine whether a device on an IP network is online.
Proxy agent: An SNMP agent that translates non-SNMP messages and inputs to SNMP. In network alarm monitoring, a proxy agent is usually an RTU that converts contact closure inputs to SNMP traps, like the NetGuardian 832A. Devices that mediate other alarms in other protocols to SNMP, like the NetMediator T2S (TBOS to SNMP) is also a proxy agent.
Set: An SNMP message issued by a manager instructing an agent to change a Managed object to a new value
Structure of Management Information (SMI): the standard that defines the MIB structure.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP): the standard TCP/IP protocol for managing IP network devices.
Standing alarm list: A list of all uncleared alarms, as maintained by a full-featured network alarm management system. Standard SNMP managers automatically delete all acknowledged traps, but a standing alarm list displays every alarm that has not been reported as cleared by the monitoring equipment.
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP): the more common transport layer protocol in the TCP/IP suite. TCP is considered a "reliable" protocol because it establishes a connection between the host and the recipient, guaranteeing delivery. UDP, the transport protocol used for SNMP does not establish a connection or guarantee delivery.
Trap: An SNMP message issued by an SNMP agent that reports an event.
User Datagram Protocol (UDP): the transport layer protocol used to send SNMP messages. Unlike TCP, UDP is a connectionless protocol that does not guarantee delivery of the data packet. However, UDP uses fewer network resources than TCP, making it more suitable for transporting a large number of status messages.
Variable Binding: the data field of a GetResponse or Trap PDU. Each variable binding lists a managed object and its current value.
