SNMP Reference Guide

Introduction 29
Managed Object
A managed object is any item in a computer system that can be singled out
for discovery, monitoring, or user intervention and correction.
NOTE: Not all managed objects described in this guide are supported by all systems.
MIB
A MIB acts as a structured road map for managed objects. As an Application
Programming Interface (API), a MIB allows systems management tools to
retrieve data maintained by an agent. The server administrator MIB is divided
into several major groups of managed objects.
Variable
A variable is a component of a managed object. A temperature probe, for
example, has a variable to describe its capabilities, its health or status,
and certain indexes that you can use to locate specific temperature probes.
One index for the probe would be the probe’s chassis number. Some systems
may have multiple chassis—one chassis for the central processing unit and
another chassis for storage. A chassis within a system can also have more than
one temperature probe. Variables for a temperature probe include its
capabilities, status, chassis index, and index.
One-Based Index
When an index is one-based, counting starts at 1. One-based indexing counts
the first instance as 1, the second index as 2, and so on.
Zero-Based Index
When an index is zero-based, counting starts at 0. Zero-based indexing
counts the first instance as 0, the second index as 1, and so on.