All MIBs › RFC-1213
Category: SNMP Framework
Description:
Defines MIB-II for managing TCP/IP-based networks, covering system information, interfaces, IP, ICMP, TCP, UDP, EGP, and SNMP protocol statistics.
Imported Objects
From RFC1155-SMI
| mgmt |
What Is RFC-1213?
RFC-1213, commonly known as MIB-II, is the foundational vendor-neutral, standards-based IETF MIB for managing any TCP/IP-capable network device, covering system identity, network interfaces, IP, ICMP, TCP, UDP, EGP, and SNMP protocol statistics. It exposes broad categories of data including basic system information (sysDescr, sysUpTime, sysContact), interface status and traffic counters, and per-protocol packet/error counters across the IP stack. Its key use in monitoring is establishing baseline hardware and software status: sysUpTime reveals device reboots, ifOperStatus/ifAdminStatus reveal interface up/down health, and the various protocol error counters (e.g., ipInDiscards, tcpRetransSegs) surface network-layer performance problems. Virtually every other MIB, vendor or standard, depends on or references MIB-II conventions (like ifIndex) for interface correlation, making it the common substrate of SNMP management. It is deployed on essentially every managed IP device, from routers and switches to servers and printers, as the universal first layer of SNMP monitoring, and many MIB compilers and repositories still refer to this module by its historical filename, rfc1213-mib, when resolving imports for legacy SNMPv1 agents.
IPNetwork Monitor allows you to monitor SNMP objects defined in RFC-1213. 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.
What Can Be Monitored
- system uptime and identity
- interface operational/administrative status
- interface traffic counters
- IP/ICMP/TCP/UDP protocol statistics
- SNMP agent statistics
Supported Devices
- vendor-neutral, standards-based MIB, not tied to a specific manufacturer
- any SNMP-managed TCP/IP network device (routers, switches, servers, printers)
Monitoring Examples
A monitoring system would poll sysUpTime.0 to detect unexpected reboots and walk the ifTable/ifEntry for ifOperStatus, ifInOctets, and ifOutOctets per ifIndex to track interface availability and throughput. A jump in tcpRetransSegs or icmpInErrors alongside flapping ifOperStatus values would indicate a failing link or congested interface. Because ifIndex from this MIB is reused everywhere, it forms the join key for vendor-specific interface extension MIBs.
OIDs
| OID symbolic | OID numeric | Type | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mib_2 | 1.3.6.1.2.1 |
FAQ
Why is RFC-1213 (MIB-II) usually the very first MIB configured when standing up SNMP monitoring for a new network device?
RFC-1213 defines the foundational, vendor-neutral objects that virtually every TCP/IP-capable device implements: system identity (sysDescr, sysUpTime, sysContact), interface status and traffic counters, and per-protocol statistics for IP, ICMP, TCP, UDP, and EGP. Since sysUpTime reveals reboots and ifOperStatus/ifAdminStatus reveal whether interfaces are up or down, polling MIB-II gives you a universal baseline health check on routers, switches, servers, and printers before layering on any vendor-specific MIBs.
How does RFC-1213 help diagnose network-layer performance problems, not just device uptime?
Beyond system and interface status, MIB-II exposes per-protocol packet and error counters such as ipInDiscards and tcpRetransSegs, which surface network-layer performance issues like packet drops or excessive retransmissions. Because nearly every other MIB references MIB-II conventions like ifIndex for interface correlation, it also serves as the common substrate that ties interface-level counters to higher-level, protocol-specific monitoring.
RFC description
RFC 1213 defines the MIB-II (Management Information Base version 2) standard for TCP/IP network monitoring.
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