(MIB) A database of managed objects acessed by network management protocols. An snmp MIB is a set of parameters which an snmp management station can query or set in the snmp agent of a network device (e.g. router).

snmp has two standard MIBs. The first, MIB I, was established in rfc 1156, was defined to manage tcp/ip-based internets. MIB II, defined in rfc 1213, is basically an update to MIB I.

Standard minimal MIBs have been defined, and many hardware (and certain software, e.g. dbms) providers have developed private MIBs in asn.1 format allowing them to be compiled for use in a nework management system. In theory, any snmp manager can talk to any snmp agent with a properly defined MIB.

See also client-server model.