SNMP Information Module Compiler

[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]

The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) information module compiler compiles native SNMP management information defined in Management Information Bases (MIB) into the equivalent Common Information Model (CIM) schema definitions that can be used with the SNMP providers. This CIM schema can exist either as output in a Managed Object Format (MOF) file or it can be loaded directly into an SNMP schema database known as the SNMP Module Information Repository (SMIR). The SNMP dynamic class provider uses the SMIR to retrieve and instantiate class definitions automatically.

The SNMP compiler runs as a single executable file in command-line mode. It accepts as input one SNMP information module, plus any additional modules that might be required to resolve external references. An SNMP information module is a collection of management information that typically includes a combination of the following:

• MIB modules (collections of related MIB objects).
• AGENT-CAPABILITIES statements that describe an agent's minimal level of compliance to the set of MIB modules it supports.
• MODULE-COMPLIANCE statements that describe the agent's capabilities with respect to object definitions.

SNMP information modules are written in a subset of the Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) language called the Structure of Management Information (SMI). The SNMP compiler loads data from an SNMP information module into the SMIR or creates an intermediate MOF file either in a format suitable for loading into the SMIR at a later date or in a format suitable for loading as static classes into a CIM Object Manager (CIMOM) namespace at a later date. A SMIR MOF file contains the name of its associated namespace. A static MOF file does not contain this information, and the namespace must be specified when loading the MOF file.

The compiler can also perform the following functions:

• Perform checking operations on the information module, such as local syntax-checking, and checking external references against information in the subsidiary modules.
• Remove all previously-loaded data from the SMIR, or remove data loaded from one information module.
• Return the ASN.1 module name of a specified file or return the ASN.1 module names of all imported modules in a specified file.
• Return the ASN.1 module names of all SNMP information modules currently loaded in the SMIR.
• Perform automatic resolution of imported modules rather than requiring users to specify manually the required modules.
• Perform a silent loading mode of operation that does not generate any output, but can be used to load data into the SMIR during an installation operation.