[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]
When parsing an SNMP MIB file, the compiler sometimes encounters definitions/declarations that are external to the file being processed. These definitions/declarations are specified in modules that are referenced by the IMPORTS statement in the file being processed. The compiler must access these modules and retrieve the definitions/declarations in order to complete the file processing.
The compiler maintains a lookup table in the registry that maps ASN.1 module names to MIB file locations. This lookup table allows you quickly to compile an information module without manually locating and specifying dependent files on the command line. When run in auto-resolution mode, the compiler uses the lookup table to locate the MIB files referenced by the IMPORTS statement. The compiler then processes these MIB files and any other modules that they reference to obtain a consistent set of definitions/declarations for use in processing the original SNMP MIB file.