RFC 3144

Remote Monitoring MIB Extensions for Interface Parameters Monitoring

📅 published August 2001, from ietf

RFC 3144: Remote Monitoring MIB Extensions for Interface Parameters Monitoring 🎀

Network Working Group 🌸 RFC number: 3144 Author: D. Romascanu, Avaya, Inc. 💅 Category: Standards Track Date: August 2001 Obsoletes / Updates: This one doesn't list any RFCs it obsoletes or updates ✨

Status of This Memo

okay so this bit is basically the fine print 🙈 It says this is an Internet standards track protocol for the Internet community, and it's asking for discussion and suggestions for improvements. If you want to know where it stands in standardization, check the current edition of the "Internet Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1). And the distribution of this memo is unlimited, so share away 🦋

Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2001). All Rights Reserved. 🔒

Abstract

this memo defines a piece of the Management Information Base (MIB), which is the data model network management protocols use on the Internet 🧚 The main idea is an extension to the Remote Monitoring MIB that sorts a monitored device's interfaces by values of parameters specific to each interface. It's giving "show me the most important ports first" energy 👑

Table of Contents

1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
2 The SNMP Management Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
3 Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
4 MIB Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
5 Evolution of the Document, Limitations and Future Work. . .  4
6 Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
7 References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
8 Intellectual Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
9 Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
10 Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
11 Full Copyright Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

1. Introduction ✨

okay so the memo defines a portion of the Management Information Base (MIB) for use with network management protocols in the Internet community. Specifically, it defines a method of sorting the interfaces of a monitored device according to values of parameters specific to each interface 💖

This memo also includes a MIB module, and that module extends the list of managed objects specified in [RFC2819] and [RFC2613]. 🌈

Now the key word thing 🤓 The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMEND", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC2119]. Those are the words that carry the weight, so read them carefully bestie 🫶

2. The SNMP Management Framework

the SNMP Management Framework currently has five major components, and honestly it's a whole ecosystem 🍓

  • An overall architecture, described in RFC 2571 [RFC2571].
  • Mechanisms for describing and naming objects and events for the purpose of management. The first version of this Structure of Management Information (SMI) is called SMIv1 and is described in STD 16, RFC 1155 [RFC1155], STD 16, RFC 1212 [RFC1212] and RFC 1215 [RFC1215]. The second version, called SMIv2, is described in STD 58, RFC 2578 [RFC2578], STD 58, RFC 2579 [RFC2579] and STD 58, RFC 2580 [RFC2580].
  • Message protocols for transferring management information. The first version of the SNMP message protocol is called SNMPv1 and is described in STD 15, RFC 1157 [RFC1157]. A second version of the SNMP message protocol, which is not an Internet standards track protocol, is called SNMPv2c and is described in RFC 1901 [RFC1901] and RFC 1906 [RFC1906]. The third version of the message protocol is called SNMPv3 and is described in RFC 1906 [RFC1906], RFC 2572 [RFC2572] and RFC 2574 [RFC2574].
  • Protocol operations for accessing management information. The first set of protocol operations and associated PDU formats is described in STD 15, RFC 1157 [RFC1157]. A second set of protocol operations and associated PDU formats is described in RFC 1905 [RFC1905].
  • A set of fundamental applications described in RFC 2573 [RFC2573], and the view-based access control mechanism described in RFC 2575 [RFC2575].

If you want a more detailed intro to the current SNMP Management Framework, check out RFC 2570 [RFC2570] 🦋

Managed objects get accessed through a virtual information store called the Management Information Base, or MIB. Objects in the MIB are defined using the mechanisms defined in the SMI ✨

This memo specifies a MIB module that is compliant to the SMIv2. A MIB conforming to the SMIv1 can be produced through the appropriate translations. The resulting translated MIB must be semantically equivalent, except where objects or events are omitted because no translation is possible (use of Counter64). Some machine readable information in SMIv2 will be converted into textual descriptions in SMIv1 during the translation process. However, this loss of machine readable information is not considered to change the semantics of the MIB. 🧠

3. Overview 🌸

this document continues the architecture created in the RMON MIB [RFC2819] and extended by the SMON MIB [RFC2613]. It does that by providing a method of ordering the interfaces of a device according to the value of a specific parameter that characterizes the interfaces 💜

So why do we even need this? Devices like bridges and routers have evolved into complex entities with a large number of interfaces, and there are many parameters that need monitoring on each one. Certain classes of switching devices can have hundred of ports, and each port can instrument and support tens of parameters, usually expressed as counters. 😭 As a result, it becomes impossible for the applications that monitor these devices to give a view that lets the user easily understand the status of the device, whether a port or interface is behaving within normal boundaries, and which interfaces are the most congested or problematic.

This document tries to fix that by proposing a way to provide a sorted list of interfaces according to programmable criteria. The result is a shorter list that includes the most significant interfaces, sorted by the selected criteria. 🔥 One action a network manager could take is a copy port operation on that interface, sending the copy to a destination port with a dedicated monitoring device (like a network analyzer) connected to it. A standard MIB interface for performing this operation is described in [RFC2613].

4. MIB Structure 🎀

This MIB contains one MIB group:

  • interfaceTopNObjects

The interfaceTopNObjects group includes one capability object and two tables:

  • interfaceControlTable
  • interfaceTopNTable

The interfaceControlTable is an RMON-style control table that allows for the creation of interfaceTopN reports. The parameters specific to each report, like the duration of the report, the number of reports, the start time, and the characteristics of the variables that are sorted (absolute, 'deltas' or percentage of the total bandwidth), are set in this table. An optional operation controlled from this table is normalization of the variables' values. This lets you sort variables across interfaces even when the basic speed of those interfaces differs, which is honestly so clever 😍

5. Evolution of the Document, Limitations and Future Work 💅

The RMON MIB Working Group included in its Charter a MIB document that would solve the problem of quickly finding the most congested (highest utilized) physical ports and links in an RMON-capable device with multiple interfaces.

The first version of this document proposed a limited approach. The objects whose values are used as sorting criteria are elements in tables indexed by an InterfaceIndex type of object, as defined in [RFC2863]. This keeps the search algorithm and the result table simple, but it restricts the method to interface parameters. A more generic usrTopN function was considered out of scope for this work at first 🙈

At the Working Group meeting in Adelaide in March 2000, it was decided to try to define the more generic usrTopN function. Under this approach, variables belonging to tables with any type of index can be sorted, but this comes at the expense of extra processing and sanity checking by the agent.

At the interim meeting of the RMON Working Group in San Francisco in May 2000, it was decided that the usrTopN solution would not be continued in this phase of the work. One reason is that it's difficult to get a normalization factor for a generic approach. The group also agreed that it is not desirable to require the application to plug in the scaling factor for every instance that might be included in a TopN report. Fair enough 💀

6. Definitions 💜

Here's the MIB module itself, copied exactly as written so implementers can rely on every character ✨

INTERFACETOPN-MIB DEFINITIONS ::= BEGIN

   IMPORTS
        MODULE-IDENTITY, OBJECT-TYPE, Integer32, Gauge32
                FROM SNMPv2-SMI
        RowStatus, TimeStamp, TruthValue
                FROM SNMPv2-TC
        rmon, OwnerString
                FROM RMON-MIB
        CounterBasedGauge64
                FROM HCNUM-TC
        MODULE-COMPLIANCE, OBJECT-GROUP
                FROM SNMPv2-CONF;

   interfaceTopNMIB MODULE-IDENTITY
        LAST-UPDATED "200103270000Z"
        ORGANIZATION "IETF RMON MIB Working Group"
        CONTACT-INFO
        "

                Dan Romascanu
                Avaya Inc.
                Tel:  +972-3-645-8414
                Email: dromasca@avaya.com"

       DESCRIPTION
          "The MIB module for sorting device interfaces for RMON and
          SMON monitoring in a multiple device implementation."
      ::= { rmon 27 }
interfaceTopNObjects       OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { interfaceTopNMIB 1 }
interfaceTopNNotifications OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { interfaceTopNMIB 2 }
interfaceTopNConformance   OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { interfaceTopNMIB 3 }

-- The Interface Top N group is used to prepare reports that
-- describe a list of interfaces (data sources)
-- ordered by the values of one
-- of the objects that apply to the interfaces of the respective device.
-- Those objects are defined by standard MIBs. The exact objects that
-- are supported by the agent are described by interfaceTopNCaps
-- The objects must be elements in tables indexed only by an
-- InterfaceIndex object.
-- The objects  chosen by the
-- management station may be sampled over a management
-- station-specified time interval, making the report rate based.
-- The management station also specifies the number of interfaces
-- that are reported.
--
-- The interfaceTopNControlTable is used to initiate the generation
-- of a report.  The management station may select the parameters
-- of such a report, such as which object, how
-- many interfaces, and the start & stop times of the sampling.  When
-- the report is prepared, entries are created in the
-- interfaceTopNTable associated with the relevant
-- interfaceTopNControlEntry.  These entries are static for

okay so the entries stay static for each report once it's been prepared 🎀 and now we get to interfaceTopNCaps, the object that tells the manager which sorts the agent can actually do 👑

Here's the definition, copied exactly:

interfaceTopNCaps   OBJECT-TYPE
    SYNTAX      BITS {
               ifInOctets(0),
               ifInUcastPkts(1),
               ifInNUcastPkts(2),
               ifInDiscards(3),
               ifInErrors(4),
               ifInUnknownProtos(5),
               ifOutOctets(6),
               ifOutUcastPkts(7),
               ifOutNUcastPkts(8),
               ifOutDiscards(9),
               ifOutErrors(10),
               ifInMulticastPkts(11),
               ifInBroadcastPkts(12),
               ifOutMulticastPkts(13),
               ifOutBroadcastPkts(14),
               ifHCInOctets(15),
               ifHCInUcastPkts(16),
               ifHCInMulticastPkts(17),
               ifHCInBroadcastPkts(18),
               ifHCOutOctets(19),
               ifHCOutUcastPkts(20),
               ifHCOutMulticastPkts(21),
               ifHCOutBroadcastPkts(22),
               dot3StatsAlignmentErrors(23),
               dot3StatsFCSErrors(24),
               dot3StatsSingleCollisionFrames(25),
               dot3StatsMultipleCollisionFrames(26),
               dot3StatsSQETestErrors(27),
               dot3StatsDeferredTransmissions(28),
               dot3StatsLateCollisions(29),
               dot3StatsExcessiveCollisions(30),
               dot3StatsInternalMacTxErrors(31),
               dot3StatsCarrierSenseErrors(32),
               dot3StatsFrameTooLongs(33),
               dot3StatsInternalMacRxErrors(34),
               dot3StatsSymbolErrors(35),
               dot3InPauseFrames(36),
               dot3OutPauseFrames(37),
               dot5StatsLineErrors(38),
               dot5StatsBurstErrors(39),
               dot5StatsACErrors(40),
               dot5StatsAbortTransErrors(41),
               dot5StatsInternalErrors(42),
               dot5StatsLostFrameErrors(43),
               dot5StatsReceiveCongestions(44),
               dot5StatsFrameCopiedErrors(45),
               dot5StatsTokenErrors(46),
               dot5StatsSoftErrors(47),
               dot5StatsHardErrors(48),
               dot5StatsSignalLoss(49),
               dot5StatsTransmitBeacons(50),
               dot5StatsRecoverys(51),
               dot5StatsLobeWires(52),
               dot5StatsRemoves(53),
               dot5StatsSingles(54),
               dot5StatsFreqErrors(55),
               etherStatsDropEvents(56),
               etherStatsOctets(57),
               etherStatsPkts(58),
               etherStatsBroadcastPkts(59),
               etherStatsMulticastPkts(60),
               etherStatsCRCAlignErrors(61),
               etherStatsUndersizePkts(62),
               etherStatsOversizePkts(63),
               etherStatsFragments(64),
               etherStatsJabbers(65),
               etherStatsCollisions(66),
               etherStatsPkts64Octets(67),
               etherStatsPkts65to127Octets(68),
               etherStatsPkts128to255Octets(69),
               etherStatsPkts256to511Octets(70),
               etherStatsPkts512to1023Octets(71),
               etherStatsPkts1024to1518Octets(72),
               dot1dTpPortInFrames(73),
               dot1dTpPortOutFrames(74),
               dot1dTpPortInDiscards(75)
    }
    MAX-ACCESS  read-only
    STATUS      current
    DESCRIPTION

Now the vibe check 💅 The description is basically a big checklist. If the agent can sort interfaces by a given counter, that counter's bit gets set. Simple as that 🦋

  • If the agent can sort by ifInOctets ([RFC2863]), it sets the ifInOctets bit ✨
  • If it can sort by ifInUcastPkts ([RFC2863]), it sets ifInUcastPkts 🌸
  • If it can sort by ifInNUcastPkts ([RFC2863]), it sets ifInNUcastPkts 🍓
  • If it can sort by ifInDiscards ([RFC2863]), it sets ifInDiscards 💜
  • If it can sort by ifInErrors ([RFC2863]), it sets ifInErrors 🫶
  • If it can sort by ifInUnknownProtocols ([RFC2863]), it sets ifInUnknownProtocols 🧚
  • If it can sort by ifOutOctets ([RFC2863]), it sets ifOutOctets 🎀
  • If it can sort by ifOutUcastPackets ([RFC2863]), it sets ifOutUcastPackets 🌈
  • If it can sort by ifOutNUcastPackets ([RFC2863]), it sets ifOutNUcastPackets ⭐
  • If it can sort by ifOutDiscards ([RFC2863]), it sets ifOutDiscards 🔥
  • If it can sort by ifOutErrors ([RFC2863]), it sets ifOutErrors 💖
  • If it can sort by ifInMulticastPkts ([RFC2863]), it sets ifInMulticastPkts 🦋
  • If it can sort by ifInBroadcastPkts ([RFC2863]), it sets ifInBroadcastPkts 🌸
  • If it can sort by ifOutMulticastPkts ([RFC2863]), it sets ifOutMulticastPkts 💅
  • If it can sort by ifOutBroadcastPkts ([RFC2863]), it sets ifOutBroadcastPkts ✨
  • If it can sort by ifHCInOctets ([RFC2863]), it sets ifHCInOctets 👑
  • If it can sort by ifHCInMulticastPkts ([RFC2863]), it sets ifHCInMulticastPkts 🎀
  • If it can sort by ifHCInBroadcastPkts ([RFC2863]), it sets ifHCInBroadcastPkts 🍓
  • If it can sort by ifHCOutOctets ([RFC2863]), it sets ifHCOutOctets 🧚
  • If it can sort by ifHCOutUcastPkts ([RFC2863]), it sets ifHCOutUcastPkts 💜
  • If it can sort by ifHCOutMulticastPkts ([RFC2863]), it sets ifHCOutMulticastPkts 🫶
  • If it can sort by ifHCOutBroadcastPkts ([RFC2863]), it sets ifHCOutBroadcastPkts 🌈
  • If it can sort by dot3StatsAlignmentErrors ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3StatsAlignmentErrors ⭐
  • If it can sort by dot3StatsFCSErrors ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3StatsFCSErrors 🔥
  • If it can sort by dot3StatsSingleCollisionFrames ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3StatsSingleCollisionFrames 💖
  • If it can sort by dot3StatsSQETestErrors ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3StatsSQETestErrors 🦋
  • If it can sort by dot3StatsDeferredTransmissions ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3StatsDeferredTransmissions 🌸
  • If it can sort by dot3StatsLateCollisions ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3StatsLateCollisions 💅
  • If it can sort by dot3StatsExcessiveCollisions ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3StatsExcessiveCollisions ✨
  • If it can sort by dot3StatsInternalMacTxErrors ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3StatsInternalMacTxErrors 👑
  • If it can sort by dot3StatsCarrierSenseErrors ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3StatsCarrierSenseErrors 🎀
  • If it can sort by dot3StatsFrameTooLongs ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3StatsFrameTooLongs 🍓
  • If it can sort by dot3StatsInternalMacRxErrors ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3StatsInternalMacRxErrors 🧚
  • If it can sort by dot3StatsSymbolErrors ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3StatsSymbolErrors 💜
  • If it can sort by dot3InPauseFrames ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3InPauseFrames 🫶
  • If it can sort by dot3OutPauseFrames ([RFC2665]), it sets dot3OutPauseFrames 🌈
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsLineErrors ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsLineErrors ⭐
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsBurstErrors ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsBurstErrors 🔥
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsACErrors ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsACErrors 💖
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsAbortTransErrors ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsAbortTransErrors 🦋
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsInternalErrors ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsInternalErrors 🌸
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsLostFrameErrors ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsLostFrameErrors 💅
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsReceiveCongestionErrors ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsReceiveCongestionErrors ✨
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsFrameCopiedErrors ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsFrameCopiedErrors 👑
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsTokenErrors ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsTokenErrors 🎀
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsSoftErrors ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsSoftErrors 🍓
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsHardErrors ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsHardErrors 🧚
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsSignalLoss ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsSignalLoss 💜
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsTransmitBeacons ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsTransmitBeacons 🫶
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsRecoverys ([RFC1748]), it sets dot5StatsRecoverys 🌈
  • If it can sort by dot5StatsLobeWires ([RFC1748]),

the set-the-bit energy is immaculate 🌈✨

then the 'dot5StatsLobeWires' bit will be set. 🎀 so the agent sets a bit for every counter it can sort by, and these are the exact words. implementers rely on every single one, bestie 🫶

then the 'dot5StatsLobeWires' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of dot5StatsRemoves, as defined in [RFC1748],
then the 'dot5StatsRemoves' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of dot5StatsSingles, as defined in [RFC1748],
then the 'dot5StatsSingles' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of dot5StatsFreqErrors, as defined in [RFC1748],
then the 'dot5StatsFreqErrors' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsDropEvents, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsDropEvents' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsOctets, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsOctets' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsPkts, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsPkts' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsBroadcastPkts, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsBroadcastPkts' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsMulticastPkts, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsMulticastPkts' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsCRCAlignErrors, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsCRCAlignErrors' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsUndersizePkts, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsUndersizePkts' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsOversizePkts, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsOversizePkts' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsFragments, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsFragments' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsJabbers, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsJabbers' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsCollisions, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsCollisions' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsPkts64Octets, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsPkts64Octets' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsPkts65to127Octets, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsPkts65to127Octets' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsPkts128to255Octets, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsPkts128to255Octets' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsPkts256to511Octets, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsPkts256to511Octets' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsPkts512to1023Octets, as defined in [RFC2819],
then the 'etherStatsPkts512to1023Octets' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of etherStatsPkts1024to1518Octets, as defined in
[RFC2819], then the 'etherStatsPkts1024to1518Octets' bit will
be set.


If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of dot1dTpPortInFrames, as defined in [RFC1493],
then the 'dot1dTpPortInFrames' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of dot1dTpPortOutFrames, as defined in [RFC1493],
then the 'dot1dTpPortOutFrames' bit will be set.

If the agent can perform sorting of interfaces according to the
values of dot1dTpPortInDiscards, as defined in [RFC1493],
then the 'dot1dTpPortInDiscards' bit will be set."

    ::= { interfaceTopNObjects 1 }

okay and now the table bits 🦋 this is the MIB side of things, the control table where you set up a top N report

  interfaceTopNControlTable OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      SEQUENCE OF InterfaceTopNControlEntry
       MAX-ACCESS  not-accessible
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
        "A table of control records for reports on the top `N'
        interfaces for the value or rate of a selected object.
        The number of entries depends on the configuration of the agent.
        The maximum number of entries is implementation
        dependent."
     ::= { interfaceTopNObjects 2 }

   interfaceTopNControlEntry OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      InterfaceTopNControlEntry
       MAX-ACCESS  not-accessible
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
               "A set of parameters that control the creation of a
               report of the top N ports according to several metrics."
       INDEX    { interfaceTopNControlIndex }
       ::= { interfaceTopNControlTable 1 }

   InterfaceTopNControlEntry ::= SEQUENCE {
       interfaceTopNControlIndex
           Integer32,
       interfaceTopNObjectVariable
           INTEGER,

       interfaceTopNObjectSampleType
           INTEGER,
       interfaceTopNNormalizationReq
           TruthValue,
       interfaceTopNNormalizationFactor
           Integer32,
       interfaceTopNTimeRemaining
           Integer32,
       interfaceTopNDuration
           Integer32,
       interfaceTopNRequestedSize
           Integer32,
       interfaceTopNGrantedSize
           Integer32,
       interfaceTopNStartTime
           TimeStamp,
       interfaceTopNOwner
           OwnerString,
       interfaceTopNLastCompletionTime
           TimeStamp,
       interfaceTopNRowStatus
           RowStatus
   }

   interfaceTopNControlIndex OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      Integer32 (1 .. 65535)
       MAX-ACCESS  not-accessible
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
          "An index that uniquely identifies an entry in the
          interfaceTopNControl table.  Each such entry defines
          one top N report prepared for a probe."
       ::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 1 }

now the big one 🌈 the variable that says which counter you're actually sampling, with the full list of values. the description underneath is the important part, so read it slowly 💜

interfaceTopNObjectVariable OBJECT-TYPE
    SYNTAX INTEGER   {
               ifInOctets(0),
               ifInUcastPkts(1),
               ifInNUcastPkts(2),
               ifInDiscards(3),
               ifInErrors(4),
               ifInUnknownProtos(5),
               ifOutOctets(6),
               ifOutUcastPkts(7),
               ifOutNUcastPkts(8),
               ifOutDiscards(9),
               ifOutErrors(10),
               ifInMulticastPkts(11),
               ifInBroadcastPkts(12),
               ifOutMulticastPkts(13),
               ifOutBroadcastPkts(14),
               ifHCInOctets(15),
               ifHCInUcastPkts(16),
               ifHCInMulticastPkts(17),
               ifHCInBroadcastPkts(18),
               ifHCOutOctets(19),
               ifHCOutUcastPkts(20),
               ifHCOutMulticastPkts(21),
               ifHCOutBroadcastPkts(22),
               dot3StatsAlignmentErrors(23),
               dot3StatsFCSErrors(24),
               dot3StatsSingleCollisionFrames(25),
               dot3StatsMultipleCollisionFrames(26),
               dot3StatsSQETestErrors(27),
               dot3StatsDeferredTransmissions(28),
               dot3StatsLateCollisions(29),
               dot3StatsExcessiveCollisions(30),
               dot3StatsInternalMacTxErrors(31),
               dot3StatsCarrierSenseErrors(32),
               dot3StatsFrameTooLongs(33),
               dot3StatsInternalMacRxErrors(34),
               dot3StatsSymbolErrors(35),
               dot3InPauseFrames(36),
               dot3OutPauseFrames(37),
               dot5StatsLineErrors(38),
               dot5StatsBurstErrors(39),
               dot5StatsACErrors(40),
               dot5StatsAbortTransErrors(41),
               dot5StatsInternalErrors(42),
               dot5StatsLostFrameErrors(43),
               dot5StatsReceiveCongestions(44),
               dot5StatsFrameCopiedErrors(45),
               dot5StatsTokenErrors(46),
               dot5StatsSoftErrors(47),
               dot5StatsHardErrors(48),
               dot5StatsSignalLoss(49),
               dot5StatsTransmitBeacons(50),
               dot5StatsRecoverys(51),
               dot5StatsLobeWires(52),
               dot5StatsRemoves(53),
               dot5StatsSingles(54),
               dot5StatsFreqErrors(55),
               etherStatsDropEvents(56),
               etherStatsOctets(57),
               etherStatsPkts(58),
               etherStatsBroadcastPkts(59),
               etherStatsMulticastPkts(60),
               etherStatsCRCAlignErrors(61),
               etherStatsUndersizePkts(62),
               etherStatsOversizePkts(63),
               etherStatsFragments(64),
               etherStatsJabbers(65),
               etherStatsCollisions(66),
               etherStatsPkts64Octets(67),
               etherStatsPkts65to127Octets(68),
               etherStatsPkts128to255Octets(69),
               etherStatsPkts256to511Octets(70),
               etherStatsPkts512to1023Octets(71),
               etherStatsPkts1024to1518Octets(72),
               dot1dTpPortInFrames(73),
               dot1dTpPortOutFrames(74),
               dot1dTpPortInDiscards(75)
}
    MAX-ACCESS read-create
    STATUS current
    DESCRIPTION
    "The particular variable to be sampled.

    Values between 0 and 22, point to MIB objects defined in
    IF-MIB [RFC2863].

    Values between 23 and 37, point to MIB objects defined in
    EtherLike-MIB [RFC2665].

    Values between 38 and 55, point to MIB objects defined in
    TOKENRING-MIB [RFC1748].

    Values between 56 and 72, point to MIB objects defined in
    RMON-MIB [RFC2819].

    Values between 73 and 75, point to MIB objects defined in
    BRIDGE-MIB [RFC1493].

    Because SNMP access control is articulated entirely in terms
    of the contents of MIB views, no access control mechanism
    exists that can restrict the value of this object to identify
    only those objects that exist in a particular MIB view.
    Because there is thus no acceptable means of restricting the
    read access that could be obtained through the TopN
    mechanism, the probe must only grant write access to this
    object in those views that have read access to all objects on
    the probe.

    During a set operation, if the supplied variable name is not
    available in the selected MIB view, or does not conform the
    other conditions mentioned above, a badValue error must be
    returned.

    This object may not be modified if the associated
    interfaceTopNControlStatus object is equal to active(1)."
 ::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 2 }

Okay so the sampling method comes first, and it's giving main character energy 🦋

interfaceTopNObjectSampleType OBJECT-TYPE
    SYNTAX INTEGER {
               absoluteValue(1),
               deltaValue(2),
               bandwidthPercentage(3)
           }
    MAX-ACCESS read-create
    STATUS current
    DESCRIPTION
     "The method of sampling the selected variable for storage in
     the interfaceTopNTable.

     If the value of this object is absoluteValue(1), the value of
     the selected variable will be copied directly into the topNValue.

     If the value of this object is deltaValue(2), the value of the
     selected variable at the last sample will be subtracted from
     the current value, and the difference will be stored in topNValue.

     If the value of this object is bandwidthPercentage(3), the agent
     records the total number of octets sent over an interval divided
     by the total number of octets that represent '100% bandwidth'
     for that interface. This ratio is multiplied by 1000 to
     retain a 3 digit integer (0..1000) in units of
     'tenth of one percent'. This type of computation is accurate for
     the octet counters. The usage of this option with respect to
     packets or error counters is not recommended.

     This object may not be modified if the associated
     interfaceTopNControlStatus object is equal to active(1)."
  ::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 3 }

so there are three vibes here 💅

absoluteValue(1) just copies the selected variable straight into topNValue, no cap, no math ✨

deltaValue(2) takes the value from the last sample, subtracts it from the current one, and stores the difference in topNValue 🧚

bandwidthPercentage(3) is the lowkey iconic one 👑 It takes the octets sent over an interval, divides by the octets that represent '100% bandwidth' for that interface, multiplies by 1000 so you get a 3 digit integer from 0 to 1000 in tenths of a percent, and it's only accurate for the octet counters. Using it with packets or error counters is not recommended, so bestie, be careful 🙈

Also, once interfaceTopNControlStatus is active(1), this object is locked and you can't change it 🔒

Next up is normalization, and it's a whole thing 🌈

interfaceTopNNormalizationReq OBJECT-TYPE
    SYNTAX TruthValue
    MAX-ACCESS read-create
    STATUS current
    DESCRIPTION
    "This object indicates whether  normalization is required in the
    computation of the selected value.

    If the value of this object is 'true', the value of
    the selected variable will be multiplied by a factor equal to the
    interfaceTopNNormalizationFactor divided by the value of
    effective speed of the interface

    If the value of this object is 'false',
    the value of the selected variable will be taken 'as is' in
    the TopN computation.

    If the value of the object interfaceTopNSampleType is
    bandwidthPercentage(3), the object
    interfaceTopNNormalizationReq cannot take the value 'true'.

    The value of this object MUST be false if the effective speed of
    the interface sub-layer as determined from ifSpeed is zero. This
    conforms to the ifSpeed definition in [RFC2863]for a sub-layer
    that has no concept of bandwidth.

    This object may not be modified if the associated
    interfaceTopNControlStatus object is equal to active(1)."
  ::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 4 }

So with 'true', the selected value gets multiplied by interfaceTopNNormalizationFactor divided by the interface's effective speed 🎀

With 'false', the value is taken 'as is' in the TopN computation 🫶

If interfaceTopNSampleType is bandwidthPercentage(3), normalization can't be 'true'. Not a vibe 💀

And here's the strict part: this object MUST be false when the effective speed of the sub-layer, taken from ifSpeed, is zero. That matches the ifSpeed definition in [RFC2863]for a sub-layer with no concept of bandwidth 😭

Last but not least, the normalization factor itself 🍓

interfaceTopNNormalizationFactor OBJECT-TYPE
    SYNTAX Integer32 (1..2147483647)
    MAX-ACCESS read-create
    STATUS current
    DESCRIPTION
    "The value used for normalization if
    interfaceTopNNormalizationReq has the value 'true'.

 Example:
  The following set of values is applied to a device with multiple
  Ethernet interfaces running at 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, and 1 Gbps.
  interfaceTopNObjectVariable = 'ifInOctets'
  interfaceTopNObjectSampleType = 'deltaValue'
  interfaceTopNNormalizationReq = 'true'
  interfaceTopNNormalizationFactor = 1000000000
  Applying this set of values will result in the sampled delta values
  to be multiplied by 100 for the 10 Mbps interfaces, and by 10 for
  the 100 Mbps interfaces, while the sample values for the 1 Gbps
  interface are left unchanged. The effective speed of the interface is
  taken from the value of ifSpeed for each interface, if ifSpeed is
  less than 4,294,967,295, or from ifHighSpeed multiplied by
  1,000,000 otherwise.

  At row creation the agent SHOULD set the value of this object to
  the effective speed of the interface."
::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 5 }

The example is the best part 🌸 With the factor set to 1000000000 and normalization on, the sampled deltas for ifInOctets get multiplied by 100 on the 10 Mbps interfaces and by 10 on the 100 Mbps ones, while the 1 Gbps interface stays exactly the same ✨

The effective speed comes from ifSpeed when ifSpeed is less than 4,294,967,295, and from ifHighSpeed multiplied by 1,000,000 otherwise 🧚

Okay so the countdown stuff is literally my favourite bit 🕰️✨ here's the next chunk of the MIB:

interfaceTopNTimeRemaining OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      Integer32 (0..2147483647)
       MAX-ACCESS  read-create
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
         "The number of seconds left in the report
         currently being collected.  When this object
         is modified by the management station, a new
         collection is started, possibly aborting a
         currently running report.  The new value is
         used as the requested duration of this report,
         which is loaded into the associated
         interfaceTopNDuration object.

         When this object is set to a non-zero value,
         any associated interfaceTopNEntries shall be
         made inaccessible by the agent.  While the value
         of this object is non-zero, it decrements by one
         per second until it reaches zero.  During this
         time, all associated interfaceTopNEntries shall
         remain inaccessible.  At the time that this object
         decrements to zero, the report is made accessible
         in the interfaceTopNTable.  Thus, the interfaceTopN
         table needs to be created only at the end of the
         collection interval.

         If the value of this object is set to zero
         while the associated report is running, the
         running report is aborted and no associated
         interfaceTopNEntries are created."
     DEFVAL { 0 }
     ::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 6 }

   interfaceTopNDuration OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      Integer32 (0..2147483647)
       MAX-ACCESS  read-only
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
        "The number of seconds that this report has
        collected during the last sampling interval,
        or if this report is currently being collected,
        the number of seconds that this report is being
        collected during this sampling interval.

        When the associated interfaceTopNTimeRemaining
        object is set, this object shall be set by the
        agent to the same value and shall not be modified
        until the next time the interfaceTopNTimeRemaining
        is set.

        This value shall be zero if no reports have been
        requested for this interfaceTopNControlEntry."
     ::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 7 }

   interfaceTopNRequestedSize OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      Integer32
       MAX-ACCESS  read-create
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
         "The maximum number of interfaces requested
         for the Top N Table.

         When this object is created or modified, the
         agent should set interfaceTopNGrantedSize as close
         to this object as is possible for the particular
         implementation and available resources."
       DEFVAL { 10 }
       ::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 8 }

   interfaceTopNGrantedSize OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      Integer32 (0.. 2147483647)
       MAX-ACCESS  read-only
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
         "The maximum number of interfaces in the
         top N table.

         When the associated interfaceTopNRequestedSize object is
         created or modified, the agent should set this object as
         closely to the requested value as is possible for the
         particular implementation and available resources.  The
         agent must not lower this value except as a result of a
         set to the associated interfaceTopNRequestedSize object."
     ::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 9 }

   interfaceTopNStartTime OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      TimeStamp
       MAX-ACCESS  read-only
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
       "The value of sysUpTime when this top N report was
       last started.  In other words, this is the time that
       the associated interfaceTopNTimeRemaining object was
       modified to start the requested report.

       If the report has not yet been started, the value
       of this object is zero."
  ::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 10 }

   interfaceTopNOwner OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      OwnerString
       MAX-ACCESS  read-create
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
               "The entity that configured this entry and is
               using the resources assigned to it."
       ::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 11 }

   interfaceTopNLastCompletionTime OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      TimeStamp
       MAX-ACCESS  read-only
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
        "The value of sysUpTime when this top N report was
        last completed. If no report was yet completed, the value
        of this object is zero."
     ::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 12 }


   interfaceTopNRowStatus OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      RowStatus
       MAX-ACCESS  read-create
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
              "The status of this row.

              If the value of this object is not equal to
              active(1), all associated entries in the
              interfaceTopNTable shall be deleted by the
              agent."
       ::= { interfaceTopNControlEntry 13 }


   -- Interface Top "N" reports

   interfaceTopNTable OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      SEQUENCE OF InterfaceTopNEntry
       MAX-ACCESS  not-accessible
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
         "A table of reports for the top `N' ports based on
         setting of associated control table entries. The
         maximum number of entries depends on the number
         of entries in table interfaceTopNControlTable and
         the value of object interfaceTopNGrantedSize for
         each entry.

         For each entry in the interfaceTopNControlTable,
         interfaces with the highest value of
         interfaceTopNValue shall be placed in this table
         in decreasing order of that rate until there is
         no more room or until there are no more ports."
       ::= { interfaceTopNObjects 3 }

   interfaceTopNEntry OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      InterfaceTopNEntry
       MAX-ACCESS  not-accessible
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
               "A set of statistics for an interface that is
               part of a top N report."
       INDEX    { interfaceTopNControlIndex,
                  interfaceTopNIndex }
       ::= { interfaceTopNTable 1 }

   InterfaceTopNEntry ::= SEQUENCE {
       interfaceTopNIndex
           Integer32,
       interfaceTopNDataSourceIndex
           Integer32,
       interfaceTopNValue
           Gauge32,
       interfaceTopNValue64
           CounterBasedGauge64
   }

   interfaceTopNIndex OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      Integer32 (1..65535)
       MAX-ACCESS  not-accessible
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
         "An index that uniquely identifies an entry in
         the interfaceTopN table among those in the same
         report.  This index is between 1 and N, where N
         is the number of entries in this report.  Increasing
         values of interfaceTopNIndex shall be assigned to
         entries with decreasing values of interfaceTopNValue
         or interfaceTopNValue64, whichever applies,
         until index N is assigned to the entry with the
         lowest value of interfaceTopNValue /
         interfaceTopNValue64 or there are no
         more interfaceTopNEntries.

         No ports are included in a report where their
         value of interfaceTopNValue would be zero."
     ::= { interfaceTopNEntry 1 }

   interfaceTopNDataSourceIndex OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      Integer32  (1..2147483647)
       MAX-ACCESS  read-only
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
         "This object identifies the index corresponding
          to the dataSource for this entry.

          For sorted values of variables belonging to the
          IF-MIB, EtherLike-MIB or TOKENRING-MIB, this value
          equals the ifIndex of the interface.

          For sorted values of variables belonging to the
          RMON-MIB, this value equals the interface corresponding
          to the data source, pointed to by the value
          of etherStatsDataSource.

          For sorted values of variables belonging to the
          BRIDGE-MIB, this value equals the interface corresponding
          to the bridge port, pointed to by the value
          of dot1dBasePortIfIndex."
       ::= { interfaceTopNEntry 2 }

   interfaceTopNValue OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      Gauge32
       MAX-ACCESS  read-only
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
         "The value at the end of the sampling interval, or
         the amount of change in the selected variable
         during this sampling interval for the identified
         interface.  The selected variable is that interfaces's
         instance of the object selected by
         interfaceTopNObjectVariable. This value may be normalized
         if interfaceTopNNormalization required equals 'true'.
         This value of this object will be computed for all
         cases when interfaceTopNObjectVariable points to a
         32-bit counter or Gauge or when
         interfaceTopNObjectSampleType equals bandwidthPercentage(3),
         and will be zero for all other cases."

       ::= { interfaceTopNEntry 3 }

   interfaceTopNValue64 OBJECT-TYPE
       SYNTAX      CounterBasedGauge64
       MAX-ACCESS  read-only
       STATUS      current
       DESCRIPTION
         "The value at the end of the sampling interval, or
         the amount of change in the selected variable
         during this sampling interval for the identified
         interface.  The selected variable is that interfaces's
         instance of the object selected by
         interfaceTopNObjectVariable. This value may be normalized
         if interfaceTopNNormalization required equals 'true'.
         This value of this object will be computed for all
         cases when interfaceTopNObjectVariable points to
         a 64-bit counter, and will be zero for all other cases."
       ::= { interfaceTopNEntry 4 }


--
-- Notifications Section
-- (none defined)
--

--
-- Conformance Section
--

interfaceTopNCompliances OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::=
                                           {interfaceTopNConformance 1 }
interfaceTopNGroups      OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::=
                                           {interfaceTopNConformance 2 }

interfaceTopNCompliance MODULE-COMPLIANCE
    STATUS  current
    DESCRIPTION
            "Describes the requirements for conformance to the
            InterfaceTopN MIB."
        MODULE  -- this module
        MANDATORY-GROUPS { interfaceTopNGroup }
      ::= { interfaceTopNCompliances 1 }

interfaceTopNGroup OBJECT-GROUP
    OBJECTS {
       interfaceTopNCaps,
       interfaceTopNObjectVariable,
       interfaceTopNObjectSampleType,
       interfaceTopNNormalizationReq,
       interfaceTopNNormalizationFactor,
       interfaceTopNTimeRemaining,
       interfaceTopNDuration,
       interfaceTopNRequestedSize,
       interfaceTopNGrantedSize,
       interfaceTopNStartTime,
       interfaceTopNOwner,
       interfaceTopNLastCompletionTime,
       interfaceTopNRowStatus,
       interfaceTopNDataSourceIndex,
       interfaceTopNValue,
       interfaceTopNValue64
    }
    STATUS  current
    DESCRIPTION
         "A collection of objects providing interfaceTopN data for
         a multiple interfaces device."
::= { interfaceTopNGroups 1 }

END

7. References 📚

Here's the whole reading list, every single source, in the original order 💖

  • [RFC2571] Harrington, D., Presuhn, R., and B. Wijnen, "An Architecture for Describing SNMP Management Frameworks", RFC 2571, April 1999.
  • [RFC1155] Rose, M., and K. McCloghrie, "Structure and Identification of Management Information for TCP/IP-based Internets", STD 16, RFC 1155, May 1990.
  • [RFC1212] Rose, M., and K. McCloghrie, "Concise MIB Definitions", STD 16, RFC 1212, March 1991.
  • [RFC1215] M. Rose, "A Convention for Defining Traps for use with the SNMP", RFC 1215, March 1991.
  • [RFC2578] McCloghrie, K., Perkins, D., Schoenwaelder, J., Case, J., Rose, M., and S. Waldbusser, "Structure of Management Information Version 2 (SMIv2)", STD 58, RFC 2578, April 1999.
  • [RFC2579] McCloghrie, K., Perkins, D., Schoenwaelder, J., Case, J., Rose, M., and S. Waldbusser, "Textual Conventions for SMIv2", STD 58, RFC 2579, April 1999.
  • [RFC2580] McCloghrie, K., Perkins, D., Schoenwaelder, J., Case, J., Rose, M., and S. Waldbusser, "Conformance Statements for SMIv2", STD 58, RFC 2580, April 1999.
  • [RFC1157] Case, J., Fedor, M., Schoffstall, M., and J. Davin, "Simple Network Management Protocol", STD 15, RFC 1157, May 1990.
  • [RFC1901] Case, J., McCloghrie, K., Rose, M., and S. Waldbusser, "Introduction to Community-based SNMPv2", RFC 1901, January 1996.
  • [RFC1906] Case, J., McCloghrie, K., Rose, M., and S. Waldbusser, "Transport Mappings for Version 2 of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMPv2)", RFC 1906, January 1996.
  • [RFC2572] Case, J., Harrington D., Presuhn R., and B. Wijnen, "Message Processing and Dispatching for the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)", RFC 2572, April 1999.
  • [RFC2574] Blumenthal, U., and B. Wijnen, "User-based Security Model (USM) for version 3 of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMPv3)", RFC 2574, April 1999.
  • [RFC1905] Case, J., McCloghrie, K., Rose, M., and S. Waldbusser, "Protocol Operations for Version 2 of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMPv2)", RFC 1905, January 1996.
  • [RFC2573] Levi, D., Meyer, P., and B. Stewart, "SNMPv3 Applications", RFC 2573, April 1999.
  • [RFC2575] Wijnen, B., Presuhn, R., and K. McCloghrie, "View-based Access Control Model (VACM) for the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)", RFC 2575, April 1999.
  • [RFC2570] Case, J., Mundy, R., Partain, D., and B. Stewart, "Introduction to Version 3 of the Internet-standard Network Management Framework", RFC 2570, April 1999.
  • [RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
  • [RFC2819] Waldbusser, S., "Remote Network Monitoring Management Information Base", STD 59, RFC 2819, May 2000.
  • [RFC2613] Waterman, R., Lahaye, B., Romascanu, D., and S. Waldbusser, "Remote Network Monitoring MIB Extensions for Switched Networks, Version 1.0", RFC 2613, June 1999.
  • [RFC1213] McCloghrie, K., and M. Rose, Editors, "Management Information Base for Network Management of TCP/IP-based internets: MIB-II", STD 17, RFC 1213, March 1991.
  • [RFC2863] McCloghrie, K., and Kastenholtz, F., "The Interfaces Group MIB", RFC 2863, June 2000.
  • [RFC2982] Kavasseri, R., Stewart B., "Distributed Management Expression MIB", RFC 2982, October 2000
  • [RFC2856] Bierman, A., McCloghrie, K., and Presuhn R., "Textual Conventions for Additional High Capacity Data Types", RFC 2856, June 2000.
  • [RFC2665] Flick, J., and Johnson, J., "Definitions of Managed Objects for the Ethernet-like Interface Types", RFC 2665, August 1999.
  • [RFC1748] McCloghrie, K., and Decker E., "IEEE802.5 MIB Using SMIv2", RFC 1748, December 1994.
  • [RFC1493] E. Decker, P. Langille, A. Rijsinghani, and McCloghrie, K., "Definition of Managed Objects for Bridges", RFC 1493, July 1993.

8. Intellectual Property 📜

The IETF doesn't take a position on whether any intellectual property or other rights that might be claimed for the technology in this document are valid or in scope 🤷‍♀️ It also doesn't say whether any license under those rights might or might not be available, and it doesn't claim to have made any effort to identify such rights. The IETF's procedures for rights in standards-track and standards-related documentation are in BCP-11. Copies of claims of rights made available for publication, any assurances of licenses to be made available, or the result of an attempt to get a general license or permission for implementors or users of this specification to use such proprietary rights can be obtained from the IETF Secretariat.

The IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any copyrights, patents or patent applications, or other proprietary rights which may cover technology that may be required to practice this standard. Send that info to the IETF Executive Director 💌

9. Security Considerations 🔒

Okay, this part is serious, bestie 😭 There are a bunch of management objects in this MIB with a MAX-ACCESS clause of read-write and/or read-create. Those objects may be sensitive or vulnerable in some network environments. Supporting SET operations in a non-secure environment without proper protection can have a negative effect on network operations 💀

A few managed objects in this MIB may contain sensitive information:

interfaceTopNDataSourceIndex
interfaceTopNValue

So it's super important to control even GET access to these objects, and possibly even encrypt their values when sending them over the network via SNMP 🔐 Not every version of SNMP has features for a secure environment, so keep that in mind.

SNMPv1 by itself is not a secure environment 🙈 Even if the network itself is secure (for example by using IPSec), there's still no control over who on that secure network is allowed to access and GET/SET (read/change/create/delete) the objects in this MIB.

It is RECOMMENDED that implementers consider the security features provided by the SNMPv3 framework. Specifically, the use of the User-based Security Model [RFC2274] and the View-based Access Control Model [RFC2275] is RECOMMENDED 🫶

Then it's a customer/user responsibility to make sure the SNMP entity giving access to an instance of this MIB is properly configured, so access to the objects is only given to principals (users) who have legitimate rights to GET or SET (change/create/delete) them 👑

10. Author's Address 🎀

Dan Romascanu
Avaya Inc.
Atidim Technology Park, Bldg. #3
Tel Aviv, 61131
Israel

Phone: +972-3-645-8414
EMail: dromasca@avaya.com

Here's the legal stuff, kept word for word so nothing gets lost 📝

Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2001).  All Rights Reserved.

This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to
others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it
or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published
and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any
kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are
included on all such copies and derivative works.  However, this
document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing
the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other
Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of
developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for
copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be
followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than
English.

The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be
revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.

This document and the information contained herein is provided on an
"AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING
TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION
HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Acknowledgement ✨

Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the Internet Society 💖

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