DISMAN-PING-MIB

All MIBs › DISMAN-PING-MIB

Organization: IETF Distributed Management Working Group

Last Updated: 2006-06-13

Category: SNMP Framework

Description: Defines managed objects for configuring and executing remote ping operations via SNMP, with tables for control, results, and probe history.

IPNetwork Monitor uses several OIDs from this MIB in network discovery and polling the applicable devices. Start monitoring DISMAN-PING-MIB with a free 30-day trial of IPNetwork Monitor.

What Is DISMAN-PING-MIB?

DISMAN-PING-MIB is an IETF Distributed Management (RFC 4560) standards-track MIB that lets a management station remotely configure and trigger ICMP (or other transport) ping tests on a managed device, then retrieve the results. It exposes control objects for defining ping test parameters (target address, packet count, size, interval), a results table summarizing each completed test run, and a probe-history table capturing per-packet round-trip statistics. Its monitoring role is about active reachability and latency testing rather than passive counters: it lets an operator verify a remote host is reachable, measure round-trip time and packet loss, and detect connectivity degradation directly from the device's own vantage point rather than from the NMS. It builds on the broader IETF DISMAN framework and shares design patterns with the companion DISMAN-TRACEROUTE-MIB and DISMAN-NSLOOKUP-MIB. It is used in service-provider and enterprise networks where an operator needs a network element itself to run reachability tests toward remote hosts on demand via SNMP. The DISMAN-PING-MIB RFC (RFC 4560) specifies these control, results, and probe-history tables in detail, giving vendors a standardized way to expose active ping-testing capability.

IPNetwork Monitor allows you to monitor SNMP objects defined in DISMAN-PING-MIB. Use the built-in SNMP Monitoring Browser to explore available variables, view their current values and descriptions, and select the objects you want to monitor. You can then create SNMP monitors, configure thresholds, and receive alerts when monitored values change.

Supported Devices

vendor-neutral, standards-based MIB, not tied to a specific manufacturer; applies to any SNMP-managed device capable of running active ping tests

Monitoring Examples

An operator would create an entry in the ping control table specifying the target IP and packet count, then poll the corresponding results-table entry for round-trip statistics such as packets sent, received, and minimum/average/maximum RTT once the test completes. The per-probe history table can then be examined to see whether packet loss or elevated latency was concentrated in specific probes, revealing intermittent versus sustained connectivity problems between the device and the target host.

What Can Be Monitored

ping test configuration (target, count, size)
test completion status
round-trip time min/avg/max
packet loss count
per-probe round-trip history

Imported Objects

From IF-MIB

InterfaceIndexOrZero

From INET-ADDRESS-MIB

InetAddress
InetAddressType

From SNMP-FRAMEWORK-MIB

SnmpAdminString

From SNMPv2-CONF

MODULE-COMPLIANCE
NOTIFICATION-GROUP
OBJECT-GROUP

From SNMPv2-SMI

Integer32
MODULE-IDENTITY
NOTIFICATION-TYPE
OBJECT-TYPE
Unsigned32
mib-2

From SNMPv2-TC

DateAndTime
RowStatus
StorageType
TEXTUAL-CONVENTION
TruthValue

How to Use in IPNetwork Monitor

Example using pingProbeHistoryLastRC OID:

Select an SNMP-capable network device as the target host to create a monitor — the SNMP service should be up and running on it. Click New Monitor, then check SNMP Custom on the Favorites tab, click Next, and confirm the host. On the next page, click Select... to open the built-in SNMP MIB Browser and type pingProbeHistoryLastRC into the Find box to locate it in the OID tree, selecting the specific row/instance you want to monitor since this is a table column, then select it and click OK. It reports the last reply code from a completed ping probe — 0 (ICMP_ECHOREPLY) means the target responded successfully. On the monitor's Main parameters page you can set the target's SNMP port (default 161), credentials, polling interval, and other settings — see the SNMP Monitor help for details. On the State conditions and Alerting tabs, configure when the monitor should change state and trigger an alert; since this is an Integer32-type OID, Value bounds is the most useful condition here — trigger an alert if the value is anything other than 0, since that indicates the most recent ping probe did not get a normal echo reply. Click Finish to create the monitor; you can adjust any parameter later.

OIDs

OID symbolic	OID numeric	Type	Access	Description
pingCompliance	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.2.1.1			Compliance statement.
pingCompliances	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.2.1
pingConformance	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.2
INT pingCtlAdminStatus	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.8	INTEGER	read-create	Admin status.
T/F pingCtlByPassRouteTable	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.21	TruthValue	read-create	Bypass routing table.
OCT pingCtlDataFill	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.9	OCTET STRING	read-create	Data fill octets.
U32 pingCtlDataSize	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.5	Unsigned32	read-create	Data size.
STR pingCtlDescr	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.17	SnmpAdminString	read-create	Description.
U32 pingCtlDSField	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.22	Unsigned32	read-create	DS field.
pingCtlEntry	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1		not-accessible	A ping control entry.
U32 pingCtlFrequency	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.10	Unsigned32	read-create	Frequency of tests.
NUM pingCtlIfIndex	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.20	InterfaceIndexOrZero	read-create	Interface index.
U32 pingCtlMaxRows	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.11	Unsigned32	read-create	Max rows in history table.
STR pingCtlOwnerIndex	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.1	SnmpAdminString	not-accessible	Owner index.
U32 pingCtlProbeCount	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.7	Unsigned32	read-create	Number of probes per test.
ROW pingCtlRowStatus	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.23	RowStatus	read-create	Row status.
pingCtlRowStatusGroup	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.2.2.5			The RowStatus object of the pingCtlTable.
IP pingCtlSourceAddress	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.19	InetAddress	read-create	Source address.
IPt pingCtlSourceAddressType	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.18	InetAddressType	read-create	Source address type.
STO pingCtlStorageType	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.12	StorageType	read-create	Storage type.
pingCtlTable	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2		not-accessible	Ping control table.
IP pingCtlTargetAddress	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.4	InetAddress	read-create	Target address.
IPt pingCtlTargetAddressType	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.3	InetAddressType	read-create	Target address type.
STR pingCtlTestName	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.2	SnmpAdminString	not-accessible	Test name.
U32 pingCtlTimeOut	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.6	Unsigned32	read-create	Timeout in seconds.
BIT pingCtlTrapGeneration	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.13	Bits	read-create	Which traps to generate.
U32 pingCtlTrapProbeFailureFilter	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.14	Unsigned32	read-create	Probe failure filter.
U32 pingCtlTrapTestFailureFilter	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.15	Unsigned32	read-create	Test failure filter.
OID pingCtlType	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.2.1.16	OBJECT IDENTIFIER	read-create	Type of ping test.
pingFullCompliance	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.2.1.2			The compliance statement for SNMP entities that fully implement the DISMAN-PING-MIB.
pingGroup	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.2.2.1			The ping group.
pingGroups	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.2.2
pingHistoryGroup	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.2.2.6			The group of objects that constitute the history capability.
pingIcmpEcho	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.3.1			Indicates that an implementation is using the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) 'ECHO' facility.
pingImplementationTypeDomains	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.3
U32 pingMaxConcurrentRequests	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.1	Unsigned32	read-write	Maximum concurrent ping requests.
pingMIB	1.3.6.1.2.1.80			The Ping MIB (DISMAN-PING-MIB) as defined in RFC 2925.
pingMinimumCompliance	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.2.1.3			The minimum compliance statement for SNMP entities that implement the minimal subset of the DISMAN-PING-MIB. Implementors might choose this subset for small devices with limited resources.
pingMinimumGroup	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.2.2.4			The group of objects that constitute the remote ping capability.
pingNotifications	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.0
pingNotificationsGroup	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.2.2.3			The ping notifications group.
pingObjects	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1
NTF pingProbeFailed	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.0.1			Generated when a probe failure is detected, when the corresponding pingCtlTrapGeneration object is set to probeFailure(0), subject to the value of pingCtlTrapProbeFailureFilter. The object pingCtlTrapProbeFailureFilter can be used to specify the number of consecutive probe failures that are required before this notification can be generated.
pingProbeHistoryEntry	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.4.1		not-accessible	A probe history entry.
U32 pingProbeHistoryIndex	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.4.1.1	Unsigned32	not-accessible	Probe history index.
I32 pingProbeHistoryLastRCEx	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.4.1.4	Integer32	read-only	Last return code.
U32 pingProbeHistoryResponse	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.4.1.2	Unsigned32	read-only	Response time.
OPE pingProbeHistoryStatus	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.4.1.3	OperationResponseStatus	read-only	Status.
pingProbeHistoryTable	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.4		not-accessible	Ping probe history table.
DAT pingProbeHistoryTime	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.4.1.5	DateAndTime	read-only	Time of probe.
U32 pingResultsAverageRtt	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.3.1.6	Unsigned32	read-only	Average RTT.
pingResultsEntry	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.3.1		not-accessible	A ping results entry.
IP pingResultsIpTargetAddress	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.3.1.3	InetAddress	read-only	IP target address.
IPt pingResultsIpTargetAddressType	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.3.1.2	InetAddressType	read-only	IP target address type.
DAT pingResultsLastGoodProbe	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.3.1.10	DateAndTime	read-only	Last good probe timestamp.
U32 pingResultsMaxRtt	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.3.1.5	Unsigned32	read-only	Maximum RTT.
U32 pingResultsMinRtt	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.3.1.4	Unsigned32	read-only	Minimum RTT.
INT pingResultsOperStatus	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.3.1.1	INTEGER	read-only	Operational status.
G32 pingResultsProbeResponses	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.3.1.7	Gauge32	read-only	Probe responses received.
U32 pingResultsRttSumOfSquares	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.3.1.9	Unsigned32	read-only	Sum of squares of RTT.
G32 pingResultsSentProbes	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.3.1.8	Gauge32	read-only	Probes sent.
pingResultsTable	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.1.3		not-accessible	Ping results table.
pingSnmpQuery	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.3.3			Indicates that an implementation is using an SNMP query to calculate a round trip time.
pingTcpConnectionAttempt	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.3.4			Indicates that an implementation is attempting to connect to a TCP port in order to calculate a round trip time.
NTF pingTestCompleted	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.0.3			Test completed notification.
NTF pingTestFailed	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.0.2			Test failed notification.
pingTimeStampGroup	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.2.2.2			Timestamp group.
pingUdpEcho	1.3.6.1.2.1.80.3.2			Indicates that an implementation is using the UDP echo port (7).

FAQ

How would an operator use DISMAN-PING-MIB to test reachability to a remote host from a network device itself?
They configure ping test parameters — target address, packet count, size, interval — via the control table, trigger the test, and then read the results table for a summary and the probe-history table for per-packet round-trip statistics, all without needing to log into the device's CLI.

What advantage does DISMAN-PING-MIB give over simply pinging the target from the management station?
It measures reachability, round-trip time, and packet loss from the managed device's own vantage point in the network, rather than from the NMS, which can reveal connectivity degradation specific to that device's position that a ping from the NMS wouldn't show.

RFC description

Defines managed objects for SNMP ping (echo) diagnostics and remote host reachability testing as specified in RFC 4560, enabling active probing of network targets and collection of round-trip time statistics.

Start monitoring SNMP-managed device capable of running active ping tests (vendor-neutral, RFC 4560) with a free 30-day trial of IPNetwork Monitor. Import MIBs, browse SNMP OIDs, create custom SNMP monitors, configure alerts, and monitor any SNMP-enabled network device from a single console.

Download DISMAN-PING-MIB