RFC 1156 (rfc1156) - Page 2 of 91


Management Information Base for network management of TCP/IP-based internets



Alternative Format: Original Text Document



RFC 1156                          MIB                           May 1990


   information along with the initial network management protocol, these
   documents provide a simple, workable architecture and system for
   managing TCP/IP-based internets and in particular the Internet.

   This memo specifies a Standard Protocol for the Internet community.
   TCP/IP implementations in the Internet which are network manageable
   are expected to adopt and implement this specification.

   The Internet Activities Board recommends that all IP and TCP
   implementations be network manageable.  This implies implementation
   of the Internet MIB (RFC-1156) and at least one of the two
   recommended management protocols SNMP (RFC-1157) or CMOT (RFC-1095).
   It should be noted that, at this time, SNMP is a full Internet
   standard and CMOT is a draft standard.  See also the Host and Gateway
   Requirements RFCs for more specific information on the applicability
   of this standard.

   Please refer to the latest edition of the "IAB Official Protocol
   Standards" RFC for current information on the state and status of
   standard Internet protocols.

   Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

2.  IAB Policy Statement

   This MIB specification is the first edition of an evolving document
   defining variables needed for monitoring and control of various
   components of the Internet.  Not all groups of defined variables are
   mandatory for all Internet components.

   For example, the EGP group is mandatory for gateways using EGP but
   not for hosts which should not be running EGP.  Similarly, the TCP
   group is mandatory for hosts running TCP but not for gateways which
   aren't running it.  What IS mandatory, however, is that all variables
   of a group be supported if any element of the group is supported.

   It is expected that additional MIB groups and variables will be
   defined over time to accommodate the monitoring and control needs of
   new or changing components of the Internet.  The responsible working
   group(s) will continue to refine this specification.

3.  Introduction

   As reported in RFC 1052, IAB Recommendations for the Development of
   Internet Network Management Standards [1], the Internet Activities
   Board has directed the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to
   create two new working groups in the area of network management.  One
   group was charged with the further specification and definition of



McCloghrie & Rose