Connected: An Internet Encyclopedia
1. Introduction

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1. Introduction

1. Introduction

A network management system contains: several (potentially many) nodes, each with a processing entity, termed an agent, which has access to management instrumentation; at least one management station; and, a management protocol, used to convey management information between the agents and management stations. Operations of the protocol are carried out under an administrative framework which defines both authentication and authorization policies.

Network management stations execute management applications which monitor and control network elements. Network elements are devices such as hosts, routers, terminal servers, etc., which are monitored and controlled through access to their management information.

Management information is viewed as a collection of managed objects, residing in a virtual information store, termed the Management Information Base (MIB). Collections of related objects are defined in MIB modules. These modules are written using a subset of OSI's Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) [1], termed the Structure of Management Information (SMI) [2].

The management protocol, version 2 of the Simple Network Management Protocol [3], provides for the exchange of messages which convey management information between the agents and the management stations, including between management stations. It is the purpose of this document to define managed objects which describe the behavior of a SNMPv2 entity acting in both a manager role and an agent role.


Next: 1.1. A Note on Terminology

Connected: An Internet Encyclopedia
1. Introduction