6                    MIB Sets

A MIB set is a named group of MIB modules. MIB sets are stored in the MIB Explorer configuration. Users can define their own MIB sets while sharing the same MIB repository. Consequently, MIB sets do not contain any MIB information. Instead they contain only references to MIB module names.

MIB sets can facilitate loading MIB modules for different targets or purposes:

• A MIB set can be associated with a target to ensure that (only) these MIB modules are loaded whenever that target is selected.

• A MIB set can be used to store references to the MIB modules sup­ported (implemented) by a target. In conjunction with the above fea­ture, this can be used to automatically load the MIBs supported by a target when selecting it.

• A MIB set can be created to combine MIBs for any purpose. Using MIB sets can reduce memory consumption, increase performance, and improve overview.

Operations on MIB Sets:

• Creating a New MIB Set

• Editing a MIB Set

• Associating a MIB Set With a Target

• Determining an Agent's MIB Set

• Deleting a MIB Set

• Loading MIB Sets

The following operations are available from the context menu of the MIB Set tab:

6.1                 Creating a New MIB Set

To create a new MIB Set:

1.   Choose New MIB Set () from the MIB Sets menu.

2.   Enter a name for the MIB new MIB set and press

Once a MIB set has been created its name cannot be changed.

3.   OK. The name may include any printable characters and spaces.

4.   If the entered name is already used by another MIB set, an error dialog will be display.

5.   Otherwise, a new MIB set will be created and selected in the MIB Sets tab. You may then edit this MIB set.

Alternatively to step 1, you may choose New... from the context menu of the MIB Set panel.

6.2                 Editing a MIB Set

A MIB set consists of references to MIB modules. The contents of a MIB set can be edited at any time.

To Edit a MIB Set:

1.   Select the MIB Sets tab from the MIB Explorer's MIBs panel.

2.   Select the MIB set you want to edit and press the right mouse button to activate the context menu.

3.   From the context menu choose the Edit... item.

4.   A shuffle dialog will be displayed that shows all available MIBs on the left side and the MIBs referenced by the selected MIB set on the right. Similar to the Open/Close MIBs dialog you can add (remove) MIBs to (from) the MIB set. By adding a MIB module, MIB Explorer makes sure that all MIB modules imported by the MIB are also added.   

Please note: All MIB modules that are not available in the current MIB repository will be removed from the MIB set when the MIB set is saved.

5.   Pressing the OK button will save the MIB set.

6.3                 Associating a MIB Set with a Target

By associating a target with a MIB Set, its MIB modules are automatically loaded whenever the target is selected.

To Associate a Target with a MIB set:

1.   Choose Edit->Targets from the main menu.

2.   Select the Targets tab.

3.   Choose a target from the target table by clicking on its name (first col­umn).

4.   Choose the MIB set you want to associate with the target from the dropdown list in the MIB Set column. Choosing the empty entry will remove any association previously made.

5.   Save your changes with Save.

You can let MIB Explorer determine the MIB set supported by the agent (See “Determining a Target‘s MIB Set” on page 42.) and then assign it to the target used to access the agent.

6.4                 Determining a Target‘s MIB Set

Making sure MIB Explorer's MIB tree contains only those MIBs actually supported by the currently selected target, improves overview, increases performance, and reduces memory footprint. Thus, whenever you have created a new target, it is recommended to let MIB Explorer scan the agent for supported MIBs. Before a target can be scanned, the following prerequisites have to be met:

• All available MIBs (or at least those possibly supported by the target) have to be compiled into the MIB repository.

• A target has to be configured for the agent.

• That target should have been successfully used to browse the system group of the target agent.

To Determine a Target's MIB Set:

1.   Select the target you want to scan from the target toolbar.

2.   Choose Determine Target's MIB Set from the MIB Sets menu. MIB Explorer will then immediately start scanning the target as follows:

• The scalar and tabular MIB objects of each MIB module in the current MIB repository are requested from the agent.

• If MIB Explorer gets a valid response (no error and no exception value) for an object, then that MIB module will be added to the MIB set. This MIB module will not be processed any further. Instead, the next one will be loaded and processed.  

• If a timeout occurs or an engine ID discovery fails a corresponding error dialog will be displayed and the scan will be stopped.

3.   When the scan is complete or has been canceled, a shuffle dialog will be displayed. The right list contains the MIB modules that are at least partially implemented by the target agent. The left list contains all other MIB modules available in the MIB repository. You can add MIBs to the MIB set or remove MIBs from it as described in Loading MIBs.

4.   Press the OK button to save the MIB set under the target's name. An already existing MIB set with the same name will be overwritten. Press the Cancel button to abandon any changes.

5.   After having saved the MIB set you will be prompted to replace the currently loaded MIBs by the MIB modules from the MIB set and associate the MIB set with the current target. If you confirm the dia­log, the MIBs modules of the determined MIB set will be loaded whenever you select the current target. Otherwise the MIB set will be saved only.

6.5                 Loading MIB Sets

The main purpose of MIB sets is to facilitate MIB loading by grouping MIB modules in named units. A MIB set can be loaded exclusively or additively. When exclusively loading a MIB set , all already opened MIBs are closed before the modules of the MIB set are loaded. Loading a MIB set additively will load those modules of the MIB set, that are not already opened.

To Load a MIB Set:

1.   Select the MIB Sets tab from the MIB Explorer's MIBs panel.

2.   Select the MIB set you want to load and press the right mouse button to activate the context menu.

3.   From the context menu choose the Load item.

Or 

1.   Choose Open MIB Set... from the MIB Sets menu.

2.   Choose the MIBs set you want to load from the shown list and press OK . If there is a MIB set associated with the current target, then this MIB set will be selected as default.

To Add a MIB Set to the MIB Tree:

1.   Select the MIB Sets tab from the MIB Explorer's MIBs panel.

2.   Select the MIB set you want to add to the MIB tree and press the right mouse button to activate the context menu.

3.   From the context menu choose the Add item.

If a MIB set has been associated with the current target, that MIB set can be (exclusively) loaded by choosing Load MIB Set for Target from the MIB Sets menu.

6.6                 Saving a MIB Set

The MIB modules loaded can be saved as a new MIB set or to replace an existing one.

To Save a MIB Set

1.   Choose Save MIB Set as from the MIB Set menu.

2.   Select the MIB set you want to replace with the currently loaded MIB modules from the drop down list. If the current target is associated with a MIB set, then this set will be selected as default. If you want to save the set of loaded MIB modules as a new MIB set, then enter a new name for the set.

6.7                 Deleting a MIB Set

When a MIB set is deleted, any references from targets to this MIB set are also removed. Deleting a MIB set cannot be undone.

To Delete a MIB Set:

1.   Select the MIB Sets tab from the MIB Explorer's MIBs panel.

2.   Select the MIB set you want to delete press the right mouse button to activate the context menu.

3.   From the context menu choose the Delete item.