Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

Management Information Base
     
        (MIB) A {database} of managed objects acessed by {network
        management} {protocol}s.  An {SNMP} MIB is a set of parameters
        which an {SNMP} {management station} can query or set in the
        {SNMP agent} of a network device (e.g. {router}).
     
        {SNMP} has two {standard} MIBs.  The first, MIB I, was
        established in {RFC 1156}, was defined to manage
        {TCP/IP}-based {internet}s.  MIB II, defined in {RFC 1213}, is
        basically an update to MIB I.
     
        Standard minimal MIBs have been defined, and many hardware
        (and certain software, e.g. {DBMS}) providers have developed
        private MIBs in {ASN.1} format allowing them to be compiled
        for use in a {Nework Management System}.  In theory, any {SNMP
        manager} can talk to any {SNMP agent} with a properly defined
        MIB.
     
        See also {client-server model}.
     
        (1994-11-14)