System overview
SNMP was designed to facilitate managing a heterogeneous set of networked devices that communicate using TCP/IP. Specifically, it addressed management of the network itself and the network traffic between those devices. Over time, MIBs were defined to expand the types of devices that could be managed using SNMP. For example, MIBs were defined specific to managing a workstation or a printer.
The system currently supports variables defined in the following MIBs:
•
This MIB defines the basic set of variables any device running TCP/IP should make accessible. It includes, for a particular device, variables for information such as a system description, information about each of the network interfaces present on the device, and information about all the IP datagrams sent and received by the device.
•Host Resources MIB (RFC 1514)
This MIB defines variables useful in managing a “host” system. In this context, a host is a computer that is directly used by human beings and that communicates with other similar computers attached through a network. The Host Resources MIB includes information such as how long the system has been up, descriptions of the processors and attached storage devices, and possibly information about software running on the host.
•Printer MIB (RFC 1759)
This MIB defines information useful in managing a printer. It includes information about the physical status of the printer, such as the number of input trays, the media loaded in them, and the number and types of marking engines included in the printer.
Most variables in these MIBs are supported in a standard way, as described in the standard documentation, except that writing to read/write variables is not supported. All variables are treated as
System Overview Guide |