SNMP network management is based on the familiar client/server model that is widely used in TCP/IP-based network applications. Each host that is to be managed runs a process called an agent. The agent is a server process that maintains the Management Information Base (MIB) database for the host. Hosts that are involved in network management decision-making can run a process called a manager. A manager is a client application that generates requests for MIB information and processes responses. In addition, a manager may send requests to agent servers to modify MIB information.
SNMP in AIX provides support for the following RFCs:
| RFC 1155 | Structure and Identification of Management Information for TCP/IP-based Internets |
| RFC 1157 | A Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) |
| RFC 1213 | Management Information Base for Network Management of TCP/IP-based internets: MIB-II |
| RFC 1227 | Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) single multiplexer (SMUX) protocol and Management Information Base (MIB) |
| RFC 1229 | Extensions to the generic interface Management Information Base (MIB) |
| RFC 1231 | IEEE 802.5 token-ring Management Information Base (MIB) |
| RFC 1398 | Definitions of Managed Objects for the Ethernet-like Interface Types |
| RFC 1512 | FDDI Management Information Base |
| RFC 1514 | Host Resources MIB |
| RFC 1592 | Simple Network Management Protocol-Distributed Program Interface Version 2 |
| RFC 1905 | Protocol Operations for Version 2 of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMPv2) |
| RFC 1907 | Management Information Base for Version 2 of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMPv2) |
| RFC 2572 | Message Processing and Dispatching for the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) |
| RFC 2573 | SNMP Applications |
| RFC 2574 | User-based Security Model (USM) for version 3 of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMPv3) |
| RFC 2575 | View-based Access Control Model (VACM) for the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) |