HP StorageWorks 1606 Brocade Fabric OS MIB Reference v6.3.0 (53-1001339-01, Ju - Page 21

Understanding SNMP basics 1 Understanding MIBs The management information base (MIB) is a database of monitored and managed information on a device, in this case a Brocade switch. The MIB structure can be represented by a tree hierarchy. The root splits into three main branches: International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Consultative Committee for International Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT), and joint ISO/CCITT. These branches have short text strings and integers (OIDs) to identify them. Text strings describe object names, while integers allow software to create compact, encoded representations of the names. Each MIB variable is assigned an object identifier (OID). The OID is the sequence of numeric labels on the nodes along a path from the root to the object. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the Brocade SW.MIB OID is: 1.3.6.1.4.1.1588 The corresponding name is: iso.org.dod.internet.private.enterprise.bsci The other branches are part of the standard MIBs, and the portions relevant to configuring SNMP on a Brocade switch are referenced in the remainder of this reference. iso (1) org (3) dod (6) Brocade SW MIB 1.3.6.1.4.1.1588 internet (1) directory (1) mgmt (2) experimental (3) private (4) mib-2 (1) fibreChannel (42) enterprise (1) system (1) interface (2) fcFe (1) bcsi (1588) sysDescr (1) sysObjectID (2) fcFabric (2) FIGURE 4 Brocade MIB tree location Use a MIB browser to access the MIB variables: all MIB browsers perform queries and load MIBs. Since different vendors vary the information in their private enterprise MIBs, it is necessary to verify their information. The Fibre Channel MIB standards dictate that certain information be included in all MIBs: it is the vendors' responsibility to follow the standards. The standards are as follows: • FibreAlliance (FA) MIB: Brocade supports version 3.0. Fabric OS MIB Reference 3 53-1001339-01