SNMP
by itself is a wide topic. Only a few T1-specific RFCs were presented
in detail in this book. For interested readers, this reference list
includes the earlier documents that laid out the specifications for
SNMP itself.
SNMP Foundations
RFC 1157
“Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)”
This is the first version of the SNMP
wire protocol. It includes the ill-fated “security” based
on community strings.
RFC 1155
“Structure and Identification of Management Information for
TCP/IP-based Internets”
SNMP lays out data in a highly
structured format, referred to as the Structure of Management
Information (SMI). This RFC defines the basic data types used by SNMP
MIBs.
ISO 8824
“Information technology—Open Systems
Interconnection—Specification of Abstract Syntax Notation One
(ASN.1)”
ASN.1 is a rigorous
syntax for describing structured data. ASN.1 is the language of SNMP
because the MIBs are defined using ASN.1 syntax.
RFC 1213
“Management Information Base for Network Management of
TCP/IP-based Internets: MIB-II”
Basic system information is contained
in MIB-2. Among other things, MIB-2 contains the
interfaces table to which the DS1 and frame
relay DTE MIBs cross-index.
SNMP Version 2
SNMPv2
provided several enhancements over the initial SNMP standards. It
made tables easier to work with, expanded the data types available to
MIB authors, and improved the efficiency of the protocol. Its major
failing was in not improving the “security” model of
SNMPv1.
RFC 2578
“Structure of Management Information Version 2 (SMIv2)”
This RFC
updated the SMI for use with SNMPv2.
RFC 2579
“Textual Conventions for SMIv2”
This RFC
defines “textual conventions,” which are data types, for
use in SNMPv2-specific MIBs.
RFC 1905
“Protocol Operations for Version 2 of the Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMPv2)”
SNMPv2 added some protocol operations
to the basic wire protocol. This document lays out the new protocol
operations.
SNMP Version 3
SNMPv3 was
designed to fill in the major holes remaining in SNMPv2 (most
notably, the security model from earlier versions of SNMP2, which
provided no security at all).
RFC 2570
“Introduction to Version 3 of the Internet-standard Network
Management Framework”
This RFC introduces SNMP Version 3.
The protocol is complex and several RFCs are required for the full
specification.
RFC 2571
“An Architecture for Describing SNMP Management
Frameworks”
The overall SNMPv3 architecture is
described in this RFC. It describes the new security mechanisms so
sorely needed in earlier versions of SNMP, such as user-based access
control to individual objects in the MIB.
RFC 2572
“Message Processing and Dispatching for the Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMP)
This RFC describes the composition of
SNMPv3 messages and how they are processed. SNMPv3 allows for
multiple message processing models within the SNMP framework; this
RFC contains the specifications that allow this coexistence.
RFC 2574
“The User-Based Security Model for Version 3 of the Simple
Network Management Protocol (SNMPv3)”
SNMPv3 provides message-level
security against modification and eavesdropping. RFC 2574 describes
the threats to SNMP data and how SNMPv3 defends against the
identified threats.
RFC 2575
“View-based Access Control Model for the Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMP)”
View-based access control allows
administrators to create user-specific access controls on MIB
objects.
RFC 2576
“Coexistence Between Version 1, Version 2, and Version 3 of the
Internet-standard Network Management Framework”
To make sense of all the SNMP data
floating around, network management stations must be
“multilingual”—they must be able to interpret all
existing versions of SNMP. Processes that collect data and expose it
to SNMP may also need to be multilingual if they must present a
backward-compatible interface to a network management station.
SNMP MIBs Related to T1
RFC 2495
“Definitions of Managed Objects for the DS1, E1, DS2, and E2
Interface Types”
Appendix D described
only the DS1 interface MIB. The monitoring data used by this MIB was
based on an early draft of T1.231. It was not revised as T1.231 was,
so the definitions of some quantities are slightly different.
RFC 2115
“Management Information Base for Frame Relay DTEs Using
SMIv2”
Several frame relay MIBs exist, some
of which are more appropriate to frame relay switching devices. This
MIB is appropriate for use at the edges of frame relay devices.
Several carriers insist on this MIB solely for the purpose of
reporting DLCI status changes with SNMP traps.
RFC 1471
“The Definitions of Managed Objects for the Link Control
Protocol of the Point-to-Point Protocol”
This MIB reports on the statuses of
various LCP parameters used on PPP links. For a complete list, see
the LCP MIB exposition in Appendix D.
RFC 1472
“The Definitions of Managed Objects for the Security Protocols
of the Point-to-Point Protocol”
This RFC defines the PPP Security Group,
which can be used to report authentication data for PPP links. It was
not discussed in this book because authentication was not discussed.
RFC 1473
“The Definitions of Managed Objects for the IP Network Control
Protocol of the Point-to-Point Protocol.”
Each PPP link that has been configured for
use with IP may include data on the configuration of each link based
on this MIB, which defines the IP Group of the PPP MIB. It is
comparatively simple and is essentially a way of monitoring the
compression protocols in use on each PPP link.
