SNMP Reference Guide

Basic Terminology
It is important to have a good understanding of the key technical terms used in this guide. This guide
provides definitions for all essential terms used in describing the Server Administrator MIBs. For definitions
on all essential terms and acronyms, see the Glossary available on the Dell Support website at dell.com/
support/manuals.
Frequently Used Terms in Variable Names
The following terms are frequently used in the name of a MIB variable:
Capability refers to the actions an object can perform, or to actions that can be taken by the object. Hot-
pluggable is an example of a capability. If a card is hot-pluggable, it can be replaced while a system is
running. Capability settings refer to the capabilities of the object that the user can select from and
activate if desired. Capability settings allow users of the server administrator to predetermine how an
object behaves under specific conditions.
Settings are the conditions of a manageable object that determine what happens when a certain value is
detected in a component. For example, a user can set the upper critical threshold of a temperature probe
to 75 degrees Celsius. If the probe reaches that temperature, the setting causes an alert to be sent to the
management console. Some settings, when reached, can trigger a system shutdown or other response to
prevent damage to the system.
State refers to the condition of an object that has more than one condition. For example, an object may
be in a not ready or in an enabled state.
Status refers to the health of an object or how the object is functioning. For example, the status of a
temperature probe that is measuring acceptable temperatures would be reported as normal. When the
probe begins reading temperatures that exceed limits set by the user, it reports a critical status.
Tables
This reference guide contains two types of tables: tables that are used to organize and define variable
values and tables that define MIB objects. Readers must understand the difference between these two
types of tables.
SNMP Tables
Most of the MIB objects defined in this reference guide are organized into SNMP tables. SNMP tables
organize data into two-dimensional structural arrays. In SNMP, objects that have a relationship to other
objects are called columnar objects. Columnar objects are objects used to form lists and tables. When a
MIB group is divided into one or more discrete tables, the word table has a technical meaning. An
example is the section of this reference guide entitled Universal Unique Identifier (UUID). The UUID object
has a type and a value that uniquely identifies an object such as a chassis. The table defines all of the
variables that comprise the managed object UUID.
The following table is an example of an SNMP table. The table contains variables that must occur in a
definite sequence. In the example table the defined variables are UUID Chassis Index, UUID Index, UUID
Type, and UUID Value.
These objects comprise the Server Administrator definitions for the UUID.
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