ISPPlanet NMS Series - MG-SOFT NetInspector and MIB Browser

SNMP Browse and Query

MIB Browser Professional Edition can query network device parameters and counters by using SNMP GET, GET-NEXT, and GET-BULK to request MIB objects. Like many SNMP managers, MG-SOFT's MIB Browser includes a compiler (right) to extend pre-loaded MIBs. MG-SOFT's compiler is comparatively strict -- it found syntax conflicts and unresolved references in MIBs that we'd compiled without error using other products. Debugging is simplified by visual linkage between error messages and source MIB text. This compiler can also be executed as a command line utility.

MG-SOFT's browser goes further than most by including MIB Builder (left), a visual workbench for defining and refining MIBs. This relatively intuitive drag-and-drop tool virtually eliminates the need to know MIB syntax. But you'll still need a solid understanding about the "structure" of SNMP management information (rules that define how objects should be grouped, indexed, and formatted). Most admins will not use the MIB Builder: This tool is typically used by device or application developers to define new agent interfaces.

 

Once a MIB has been defined and compiled, it must be loaded using the Browser's MIB panel (right). Individual MIBs can be loaded in their entirety. Or use the compiler to create groups containing several MIBs (or MIB subsets) to be loaded together as one module. Groups help to reflect dependencies and improve MIB Browser efficiency. Most admins will go through this process just once: Whenever the browser exits normally, current settings are saved, including loaded MIBs.

After discovering devices and loading MIBs, using the browser is pretty straight-forward. Send ad hoc requests to a single agent by selecting a MIB node from the Query panel (below, left). Requests are launched from a context-sensitive right-click menu. Begin by setting SNMP version and security parameters needed to "Contact" the agent (i.e., GET sysUpTime). Identify MIBs supported by the agent or retrieve many objects at once by selecting "Walk" (below, right). Or use "Get Next" to step through the agent's MIB, object by object. Query results appear in a panel at the right or bottom of the window, and can be searched, copied, or printed.