System information

The MIB Editor 355
Compiled MIBs
SNMP Management Console compiles the MIB prior to using it to create requests. This is
done to save on memory when parsing request responses and to make drag-and-drop
request building faster.
Your path to begin building requests (lists, charts, tables, or forms) will begin by
determining whether SNMP Management Console includes a suitable MIB for your
device. See “Building Requests” on page 357.
If you have a specific MIB that was included with your device, you should begin by
compiling the MIB. See “Compiling MIBs” below.
If you do not have a specific MIB for your device and the device is not listed on the list of
MIBs, you can still use the standard MIBs to create requests for that device. In that case,
you will use the standard RFC1213 or RFC1066 MIB to build your requests.
Compiling MIBs
Prior to building a request, you may need to compile a MIB. You will need to do this if
you have a MIB that was distributed with your device or have received a new MIB for a
device. If you don’t have a specific MIB for your device and want additional information
on what the standard MIBs provide, you must obtain a MIB from the manufacturer.
Once you have the MIB, you compile it using the MIB Editor. Compiling the MIB is not
much more complicated than opening a file. However, some companies do not strictly
follow the MIB file format, so you may need to modify the MIB text file. Also, after
compiling the MIB file, you must create your own requests.
The MIB Compiler parses MIB text files and converts them into a format that can be used
by SNMP Management Console and its utilities. The MIB Compiler is used when you
don't have a pre-compiled MIB for a particular SNMP device. You may also need to use
the MIB Compiler to recompile a MIB after editing the device MIB file (for example, to
correct an error in a manufacturer-supplied MIB file) or to update a manufacturer-supplied
MIB file for a new device.
The MIB Compiler expects ASN1-formatted MIB text files which have the MIB
Management Console (e.g., RFC1213.MIB).
ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation One) is the standard way, defined by two
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards, to describe a
message that can be sent or received in a network.
ASN.1 is defined in two different places:
the rules of syntax for describing the contents of a message in terms of data
types and content sequence or structure is defined by the ISO 8824/ITU
X.208 standard.