The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) represents a standard for managing TCP/IP-based networks. It was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as a mechanism to facilitate the management of multivendor products used in TCP/IP networks, SNMP uses a client-server architecture for monitoring and controlling SNMP-compliant devices.

The E1 frame consists of 32 timeslots, each one byte long. Synchronisation is achieved using the SNMP architecture is based on the interrelationship of three basic components: a manager, an agent, and a database. The SNMP manager represents a software program (e.g. HP OpenView) that turns the computer executing the program into a Network Management Station (NMS).

The agent represents software or firmware residing in a managed network device, such as a bridge, router, or host. Each agent stores management data and responds to SNMP manager queries for one or more data items.

The third component of SNMP is the database, which is formally referred to as the Management Information Base (MIB). The MIB represents a collection of databases for the set of all managed devices supported by SNMP. This means that each agent has its own database of relevant objects for which it collects statistics and performs other functions. The diagram below illustrates the general relationship between an SNMP manager, an agent, and the agent’s MIB. Although only one agent is shown, the SNMP manager can control many agents.