Illustrated TCP/IP by Matthew G. Naugle Wiley Computer Publishing, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 0471196568   Pub Date: 11/01/98

Chapter 341
SNMP Elements

There are several elements that comprise SNMP and they all must work together in order for SNMP to operate.

Management server: The network station that runs the management application to monitor or control the management clients.

Management clients: The network station that contains the agent (a software component), which enables the management server to control and monitor them. The agent can be located in any directly attached network device such as router, a PC, a switch, etc.

SNMP: A Request/Response protocol that allows for the exchange of information between the server and an agent. This protocol does not define the items that can be managed.

MIB: The Management Information Base. A collection of objects that contain information that will be utilized by a network management server. It contains all of this information under an entity known as object. Similar objects are placed together to form groups. In other words, the MIB is a database. It is a collection of objects formed into groups, each of which contains information that will be given based on a request from a management station.

SNMP Elements