SNMP Agent Extensibility (agentx) Charter


NOTE: This charter is accurate as of the 34th IETF Meeting in Dallas. It may now be out-of-date. (Consider this a "snapshot" of the working group from that meeting.) Up-to-date charters for all active working groups can be found elsewhere in this Web server.

Chair(s)

Network Management Area Director(s):

Mailing List Information

Description of Working Group

Note: Dale Francisco of Stratacom is the WG editor.

The goal of this working group is to define standards-track technology for SNMP Agent extensibility. The resulting technology specification will allow independently developed sub-agents to communicate with a master-agent running on an Internet device.

The technology specification will consist of:

o (mandatory) a platform-independent protocol which supports intra-agent communication within a device or local area network;

o (optional) a MIB module, which, when implemented by a master-agent, allows an SNMP-based management application to monitor and control the intra-agent communication service; and,

o (optional) a programmatic interface to the services offered by that protocol.

The working group is explicitly directed to develop a solution which is adequate to achieve transparency with respect to whether a SNMP request is processed by a master-agent and/or one or more sub-agents; simultaneously, the working group is further directed to use good engineering judgement is developing an approach with the smallest reasonable "footprint" to achieve intra-agent communication. As a consequence, if the working group may choose to avoid complete transparency, if, at its discretion, this proves too costly. In this case, the working group should document its decision for this engineering trade-off.

Although the working group will solicit existing specifications and experience in this area, it will produce a vendor-neutral technology specification.

Goals and Milestones

Done
First meeting at Dallas IETF.
Done
Meet at LA IETF.
Apr 96
Post first Internet-Draft(s) for SNMP Agent Extensibility.
May 96
Post revised Internet-Draft(s) on SNMP Agent Extensibility.
Jun 96
Post final Internet-Drafts of AgentX protocol.
Jul 96
Submit intial Agentx MIB and API as Internet-Drafts.
Sep 96
Submit revised versions of Agentx MIB and API Internet-Drafts.
Oct 96
Collecting and evaluate implementation reports.
Nov 96
Conduct Agentx interoperability testing.
Dec 96
Submit final versions of AgentX MIB and API Internet-Drafts.
Dec 96
Submit final set of Internet-Drafts on SNMP Agent Extensibility to IESG for consideration as a Proposed Standard.

No Current Internet-Drafts

No Request for Comments