MIB Hierarchy
The MIB hierarchy can be depicted as a tree with a nameless root, the levels of which are assigned by different organizations. The top-level MIB OIDs belong to different standards organizations, while lower-level object IDs are allocated by associated organizations. This model permits management across all layers of the OSI reference model, extending into applications such as databases, email, and the Java reference model, as MIBs can be defined for all such area-specific information and operations.
A managed object (sometimes called a MIB object, an object, or a MIB) is one of any number of specific characteristics of a managed device. Managed objects are made up of one or more object instances (identified by their OIDs), which are essentially variables.
Two types of managed objects exist:
- Scalar objects define a single object instance.
- Tabular objects define multiple related object instances that are grouped in MIB tables.
An example of a managed object is atInput, which is a scalar object that contains a single object instance, the integer value that indicates the total number of input AppleTalk packets on a router interface.
An object identifier (or object ID or OID) uniquely identifies a managed object in the MIB hierarchy.
Read more about this topic: Management Information Base
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