SNMP MIB Handbook [Paperback]

Let me start simple: I'm neither a book author nor a professional "reviewer".
The only reason for this review -- and yes, this is my very first one -- is that I'm truly impressed with "SNMP MIB Handbook". Let me try to explain how did I happen to find it -- and why do I consider it "The Bible of MIB Design".

My recent task was (well, still is :)) to design an architecture for Enterprise Infrastructure Management, where the term "Infrastructure" is broad and a little bit vague (or should I say: "yet to be defined"? :)) -- but at the very least it includes hardware, software and essential business processes. SNMP, by no surprise, is one of several "ways to go" -- so I decided to refresh my SNMP knowledge.

After reading some introductory tutorials and not-so-introductory books, it occurred to me that something is missing, while 80% of information is "covered" again and again. Everybody talks about familiar subject: SNMP history, the fact that SNMP is based on UDP -- and how it is encapsulated; differences between SNMPv1, SNMPv2c and SNMPv3, the internal format of different types of SNMP messages, what is MIB, the concept of TRAP (notification), how to configure and use various commercial or freeware SNMP tools, etc.

What's missing then? Here is the short answer: nobody tells you how to DESIGN *your* MIB.

Let me make an analogy: there are plenty books on English Grammar; there are also quite a few on different reading "techniques". But how many books will teach you writing? Not writing in general, but writing *good prose* or *nice poems*? There you are!

Does it matter? Well, as usual, it depends. If your job is to *use* already existing MIBs -- that's one thing. But what if you have to *create* (i.e. design and implement) a MIB of your own -- the one that *others* will have to use? How would you do that? Where to start? What to cover - and what to omit? What are current design practices? What are the most typical mistakes?
Try to "google" on a topic of MIB design -- you'd be surprised with the results.

That being said, what's so special about this book?
It has answers to all of the questions above -- and goes far beyond.

Without further ado let me provide brief highlights about what I like most:
-- Not only it teaches you SMI (v1 and v2) syntax but also tells *how to read* MIBs, how to tell whether a particular MIB is good or not - and why;
-- While most other SNMP books fall short on advanced MIB objects (telling you about MIB tables at most), this one goes deep into the world of complex MIBs: you'll know about tables with multiple INDEX objects (and about different types of INDEX objects themselves), about row-create tables (and different scenarios of using them), about object identifier POINTERS, INDEX pointers, etc.
-- MIB Design Patterns: this part alone justifies the price! All-in-One vs. Product-specific MIBs; why SMI registration MIBs are important (and what to put inside); how to design TRAPs *properly* (different models for TRAP design, best practices, typical mistakes, consequences for end-users (e.g.: network engineers)); what objects are essential for Enterprise MIB design; how to *partition* you MIB properly (for example, how to model Product Options, how to account for future versions of the Product, how to model new/modified/deprecated functionality of the Product, the importance of state information -- and the difference between dynamic and static state info). And on top of that the book provides real-world *full* Enterprise-level MIB examples -- to read and learn from!
-- References (Appendix A) are really useful. Ever tried to figure out what RFCs define SNMPv3 (and what are *current* ones)? What SNMP Validation compilers are available? Where to look for various Enterprise MIBs?
-- Did I mention short quiz-type exercises after each chapter? You'll have a chance to grade yourself: Appendix F has correct answers.

To sum it up: this book is brilliantly written, easy to read and comprehend -- and *incredibly* useful.
It fills-in an important gap in today's SNMP literature: MIB Design Patterns and Practices.
Second to none, it establishes a Gold Standard on the subject -- for years to come.

The SNMP MIB Handbook by Larry Walsh is a must-have book whether you need to use existing MIBs or you need to develop your own MIBs. This book is written for administrators and developers by a developer and educator. A first glance through the book might seem intimidating due to the amount of material covered. It is full of practical information that will ensure that your MIBs are written correctly and will work with the various SNMP managers out there.

There are references to the MIB-related specifications (RFCs) as well as Web sites dedicated to the support of MIB development. Also, tools for developing and verifying your MIBs are listed. Most topics are followed by at least one example and there is an enterprise-level MIB example. Where ever necessary, the differences between the SNMP messaging versions and the SMI versions are detailed. Exercises test your understanding of the material in each chapter.

This book brings together in one place the information needed to efficiently develop clean MIBs. There are hints and recommendations on how to produce the best MIBs. Extremely useful checklists ensure a good process is being used, including one for diagnosing problems and one for the whole MIB design process.

If you are a MIB network manager, developer or user, you need this book. It will help network managers to identify bad MIB's, developers to write correct MIB's, and users to repair MIB's. Novice or expert, there's something in this book for you.

There are many illustrations, screen shots, and examples of actual MIB's. This is one of the easiest SNMP books to read and understand because of its excellent organization. The author starts with basic concepts and builds from there. And, because this book provides such a clear and concise guide to MIB's, it is an excellent companion to "Essential SNMP" by Mauro and Schmidt.