This object contains an appropriate value to be used for mplsTunnelHopListIndex when creating entries in the mplsTunnelHopTable. If the number of unassigned entries is exhausted, a retrieval operation will return a value of 0. This object may also return a value of 0 when the LSR is unable to accept conceptual row creation, for example, if the mplsTunnelHopTable is implemented as read-only. To obtain the value of mplsTunnelHopListIndex for a new entry in the mplsTunnelHopTable, the manager issues a management protocol retrieval operation to obtain the current value of mplsTunnelHopIndex.

When the SET is performed to create a row in the mplsTunnelHopTable, the Command Responder (agent) must determine whether the value is indeed still unused; Two Network Management Applications may attempt to create a row (configuration entry) simultaneously and use the same value. If it is currently unused, the SET succeeds and the Command Responder (agent) changes the value of this object, according to an implementation-specific algorithm. If the value is in use, however, the SET fails. The Network Management Application must then re-read this variable to obtain a new usable value.