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| Network monitoring solutions that offer full SNMP support are able to obtain specific critical data from nearly every resource on your network. While many vendors provide the necessary MIB agent information by default, that's not always the case. |  |
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Manually locating the individual MIBs you may be missing from every applicable vendor can be a time consuming, frustrating process. Public MIB repositories contain thousands of private and public enterprise MIBs for existing products from a large number of vendors.
Various public MIB repositories are available on-line. While they differ from one another in the types of resources they provide, most contain many of the features described below.
- The ability to view SNMP MIB hierarchy in tree format. The Global OID tree is most often arranged in a tree structure, with logical groupings represented by expandable branches. The tree contains definitions from all the MIBs available in the SNMP database, and usually supports two levels of browsing depth. Individual OID item information can be accessed by clicking on item names.
- The ability to view MIB object definitions, object lists and raw textual conventions. MIB object details, such as ASN.1 numeric notation, named notation, path, type, value-sizes, access, status and description are provided. In addition, the raw textual MIB module can also easily be accessed for quick viewing.
- Rich graphical representation. Depictive icons help to quickly pinpoint a variety of object types. This makes it easy to spot the relevant objects you require at a glance.
- The ability to translate OIDs. Top level OID notations are assigned by standards organizations. Individual corporations are able to assign lower-level OIDs themselves. Since each OID is assigned both an individual number and a name, it's useful to be able to easily translate numeric notation (computer readable - for example, 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.2) into named notation (human readable - for example, iso.org.dod.internet.private.enterprises.apc.products.hardware.ups.upsBattery). Most public MIB repositories provide this feature.
- Powerful search functionality. Due to the multitude of MIBs that are publicly available, all public MIB repositories allow you to search their database. For example, if you already know the MIB name or OID you require for a specific device, entering that information in the repository's search field will immediately result in locating the required MIB. However, you can also search public MIB repositories using just the vendor name or part of the MIB description. Your query will return any objects that match the specified criteria.
- MIB database compilers. Some public MIB repositories allow you to choose any number of MIBs and compile them into a custom MIB database. When taking advantage of this feature, ensure that the MIB database you create is compatible with your network monitoring software.
- Agent discovery tools. Although agent discovery tools are not usually part of a public MIB repository's standard features, some SNMP directories do provide such utilities. These lightweight, efficient tools scan and collect information from your SNMP-enabled network devices and applications, walk SNMP objects, then translate and format the results for readability. This scanning process makes it possible to discover whether a specific device supports an object defined by a particular MIB, as well as the type of information that can be retrieved.
In the past, setting up SNMP monitoring required administrators to have extensive SNMP experience. Today's public MIB repositories help ensure that's no longer the case. In addition, network monitoring software is now easier than ever to install, deploy and comprehend. Many monitoring solutions come complete with a precompiled MIB database, making it possible to begin monitoring your SNMP applications and devices without spending valuable time and energy acquiring in-depth SNMP or MIB tree knowledge.
For information on other features and concepts related to those discussed in this article, refer to the following ipMonitor resources:
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Last Updated: November 27, 2006 | What did you think of this topic?