The Management Information Base, abbreviated MIB, is the database stored in the switches. SNMP can get or send information. The SNMP management server can retrieve information specifically stored in these MIBs.

Early generation network devices only supported a database containing 16 information items - this was called MIB 1, and it was not very useful. Current devices support MIB 2, which supports hundreds of information items and is much more useful when managing a device.


The best way to think of the Management Information Base is as a large file cabinet. As the switch is operating, statistics are stored in the file cabinet. MIB 1 only had 16 files, so that is all the information it could record. MIB 2, on the other hand, has hundreds of files and can store information such as the switch's name, the switch's address, how many ports are in the switch, bridging information, routing information, traffic counters, errors detected, and so on.


As all that information is recorded, it is placed in the MIB files. When a network management application needs information, it uses the SNMP server function to communicate with the switch's SNMP client to retrieve the information contained in the files. In addition, the server can change the information in a file.


For example, you can change the IP address of a switch just by editing the information in the file - you can do this remotely, meaning that you don't have to be anywhere near the switch to make the change. We will see how this is done a little later.

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