The TCP/IP Guide  9  TCP/IP Application Layer Protocols, Services and Applications (OSI Layers 5, 6 and 7)       9  TCP/IP Network Configuration and Management Protocols (BOOTP, DHCP, SNMP and RMON)            9  TCP/IP Network Management Framework and Protocols (SNMP and RMON)                 9  TCP/IP Internet Standard Management Framework Overview, Architecture, Components and Concepts

TCP/IP SNMP Operational Model, Components and Terminology. 1 2 TCP/IP Internet Standard Management Framework and SNMP Versions (SNMPv1, SNMPv2 Variants, SNMPv3)

SNMP Framework Architecture

The creators of SNMP specifically designed the Framework to be modular because when SNMP was originally created, it was seen as only a temporary solution until a transition could be made to another network management protocol from the OSI protocol suite. The modular architecture separated definitional, data and functional (protocol) elements, to allow the SNMP protocol itself to be replaced without changing how network management information was defined and described.

This transition to the OSI protocol never occurred, but the architecture has still proven valuable in defining the entire scope of SNMP and in making its implementation much simpler. Each of the major components above, the SMI, MIBs and SNMP itself, are described in different standards. The modularity of the SNMP Framework has also allowed changes to be made to these components relatively independently of each other, making the transition between SNMP versions easier than it would have been if one huge document defined everything.

TCP/IP SNMP Operational Model, Components and Terminology. 1 2 TCP/IP Internet Standard Management Framework and SNMP Versions (SNMPv1, SNMPv2 Variants, SNMPv3)