RFC 2720 (rfc2720) - Page 3 of 55

Traffic Flow Measurement: Meter MIB

RFC 2720          Traffic Flow Measurement: Meter MIB       October 1999


   - A set of fundamental applications described in RFC 2573 [RFC 2573]
     and the view-based access control mechanism described in RFC 2575
     [RFC 2575].

   A more detailed introduction to the current SNMP Management Framework
   can be found in [RFC 2570].

   Managed objects are accessed via a virtual information store, termed
   the Management Information Base or MIB. Objects in the MIB are
   defined using the mechanisms defined in the SMI.

   This memo specifies a MIB module that is compliant to the SMIv2.  A
   MIB conforming to the SMIv1 can be produced through the appropriate
   translations.  The resulting translated MIB must be semantically
   equivalent, except where objects or events are omitted because no
   translation is possible (use of Counter64).  Some machine readable
   information in SMIv2 will be converted into textual descriptions in
   SMIv1 during the translation process.  However, this loss of machine
   readable information is not considered to change the semantics of the
   MIB.

3  Overview

   Traffic Flow Measurement seeks to provide a well-defined method for
   gathering traffic flow information from networks and internetworks.
   The background for this is given in "Internet Accounting Background"
   [ACT-BKG]. The Realtime Traffic Flow Measurement (rtfm) Working Group
   has produced a measurement architecture to achieve this goal; this is
   documented in "Traffic Flow Measurement:  Architecture" [RTFM-ARC].
   The architecture defines three entities:

   - METERS, which observe network traffic flows and build up a table of
     flow data records for them,

   - METER READERS, which collect traffic flow data from meters, and

   - MANAGERS, which oversee the operation of meters and meter readers.

   This memo defines the SNMP management information for a Traffic Flow
   Meter (TFM). Work in this field was begun by the Internet Accounting
   Working Group.  It has been further developed and expanded by the
   Realtime Traffic Flow Measurement Working Group.









Brownlee                    Standards Track