SNMP uses OIDs (Object Identifiers; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_identifier) to identify the data objects that it refers to. OIDs define a unique object for a specified SNMP agent. They are identified using a hierarchical definition, similar to how domains work on the Internet.

Object identifiers are a series of numbers separated by periods. Each number represents a part of the tree. Often, the first number in the series is also preceded by a period to indicate that this is an OID — this is not necessary, though. An example of an OID is .1.3.6.1.2.1.1.5.0, which maps to the system name of a machine.

As it is very hard to memorize, read and compare OIDs written as a series of numbers, there is a standard for naming and describing the MIB tree.

The standard is called MIB (Management Information Base; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_Information_Base), and it defines how various parameters are defined — how they are named, as well as what types of values these...