MibBrowser Control

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The MIBBrowser control is used to parse SNMP MIB Module definitions.

Syntax

MibBrowser

Remarks

The MIBBrowser control allows easy loading and querying of definitions in the SNMP Management Information Base (MIB) specifications.

The LoadMib method allows loading of MIB modules, which get stored in an internal tree structure for further queries.

If modules reference (import) other modules, recursive loading of modules is performed automatically and/or controlled by the ImportSymbols event.

The MIB tree is navigated through the SelectNode method, which enables pointing to a node in the tree specified by NodeOid and NodeLabel. Other node information is provided through the NodeModuleName, NodeFileName, NodeSyntax, NodeType, and NodeAccess properties.

The node selector parameter in SelectNode can be a label such as "internet", an OID such as "1.3.6.4", a combination of the two: "iso.3.dod.internet", or a label in a particular module such as "RFC1213-MIB!interfaces".

Node children and successors are provided by the ListChildren and ListSuccessors methods. The individual node information is provided via the MibNode event.

Module traps are listed via the ListTraps method. The individual trap information is provided through the TrapNode event.

Property List

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The following is the full list of the properties of the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Method List

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The following is the full list of the methods of the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Event List

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The following is the full list of the events fired by the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Config Settings

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The following is a list of config settings for the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

ExactMatch Property (MibBrowser Control)

Controls the way the OID matching is done (complete or partial).

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.ExactMatch[=boolean]

Default Value

True

Remarks

If ExactMatch is set to True, the SelectNode method will try to find an exact match for the supplied selector. If not found, an exception will be thrown.

If ExactMatch is set to False, the SelectNode method will start from the root (iso) and will go as far as it can, finding the closest match for the requested node.

For instance, in SNMPv2-MIB sysUpTime is defined as "1.3.6.1.2.1.1.3". If ExactMatch is False, calling SelectNode with selector "1.3.6.1.2.1.1.3.0" will populate NodeLabel with "sysUpTime.0" while the same call with ExactMatch set to True will fail since that exact OID is not defined in the MIB.

Data Type

Boolean

NodeAccess Property (MibBrowser Control)

The access permissions for the selected node.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeAccess

Possible Values

accUnknown(0), 
accNoAccess(1), 
accReadOnly(2), 
accReadCreate(3), 
accReadWrite(4), 
accWriteOnly(5), 
accForNotify(6)

Default Value

0

Remarks

The following is the list of values for NodeAccess:

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Integer

NodeDescription Property (MibBrowser Control)

Textual description of the selected node.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeDescription

Default Value

""

Remarks

Because loading descriptions can consume unwanted resources, the control can control caching of descriptions in order to keep the memory footprint of the control as small as possible.

To disable caching, set the CacheDescriptions config setting to True. In this case, the control will only save the offset of the description in the MIB file in memory, and will fetch the textual description directly from the file only when required. When using caching, make sure that the path of the loaded modules does not change or the property will be unable to fetch the correct text description.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

NodeFileName Property (MibBrowser Control)

The absolute path of the file where the selected node is declared.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeFileName

Default Value

""

Remarks

It is possible for a node to be re-declared in other modules. In this case the property contains a comma separated list of file names where the selected node is declared.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

NodeFullLabel Property (MibBrowser Control)

The full label of the selected node.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeFullLabel

Default Value

""

Remarks

This contains the full label of the Oid of the selected node. It is unique within the MIB module where it is declared.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

NodeIndex Property (MibBrowser Control)

The index of the node in a table.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeIndex

Default Value

""

Remarks

If the selected node has stxSequence syntax then the NodeIndex represents the column used to distinguish among different table rows.

Example: MibParser.LoadMib(""SNMPv2-MIB"") MibParser.SelectNode("1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2") Debug.Print MibParser1.NodeLabel // prints "ifTable" MibParser.SelectNode("1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1") Debug.Print MibParser1.NodeLabel // prints "ifEntry" Debug.Print MibParser1.NodeIndex // prints "ifIndex"

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

NodeLabel Property (MibBrowser Control)

The label of the selected node.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeLabel

Default Value

"iso"

Remarks

This label is unique within the MIB module where it is declared.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

NodeModuleName Property (MibBrowser Control)

The name of the module where the selected node is declared.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeModuleName

Default Value

""

Remarks

It is possible for a node to be redeclared in other modules. In this case the NodeModuleName contains a comma separated list of module names where the selected node is declared.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

NodeOid Property (MibBrowser Control)

The Object ID of the selected node.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeOid

Default Value

"1"

Remarks

Contains the Object Id (OID) of the currently selected node. The OID uniquely identifies the selected node within the entire object hierarchy.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

NodeSubId Property (MibBrowser Control)

The SubId of the currently selected node.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeSubId

Default Value

1

Remarks

For instance, if you select the node "dod" in "rfc1155.smi", the NodeSubId value will be 6.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Integer

NodeSyntax Property (MibBrowser Control)

The syntax of the selected node.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeSyntax

Possible Values

stxBoolean(1), 
stxInteger(2), 
stxBitString(3), 
stxOctetString(4), 
stxNull(5), 
stxObjectId(6), 
stxEnumerated(10), 
stxSequenceOf(15), 
stxSequence(16), 
stxSet(17), 
stxChoice(18), 
stxNetworkAddress(21), 
stxIpAddress(64), 
stxCounter(65), 
stxGauge(66), 
stxTimeTicks(67), 
stxOpaque(68), 
stxNSAP(69), 
stxCounter64(70), 
stxUInteger(71), 
stxUnknown(59)

Default Value

6

Remarks

The syntax defines what type of data the selected node contains. Common data types include:

Additional type definitions can be found in the SNMP RFC's.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Integer

NodeSyntaxString Property (MibBrowser Control)

The node syntax of the selected node in text format.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeSyntaxString

Default Value

""

Remarks

For instance, for the node "system" in "SNMPv2-MIB", NodeSyntax returns 6 (stxObjectId), while NodeSyntaxString returns "OBJECT IDENTIFIER".

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

NodeType Property (MibBrowser Control)

The type of the selected node.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeType

Possible Values

mcrObjectType(0), 
mcrObjectIdentity(1), 
mcrModuleIdentity(2), 
mcrNotificationType(3), 
mcrTrapType(4), 
mcrObjectGroup(5), 
mcrNotificationGroup(6), 
mcrCompliance(7), 
mcrCapabilities(8)

Default Value

1

Remarks

The following are the possible values for NodeType:

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Integer

NodeTypeString Property (MibBrowser Control)

The node type of the selected node in text format.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.NodeTypeString

Default Value

"OBJECT IDENTITY"

Remarks

For instance, for the node "system" in "SNMPv2-MIB", NodeType returns 2 (mcrObjectIdentity), while NodeTypeString returns "OBJECT-IDENTITY".

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

Config Method (MibBrowser Control)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.Config ConfigurationString

Remarks

Config is a generic method available in every control. It is used to set and retrieve configuration settings for the control.

These settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the control, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

To set a configuration setting named PROPERTY, you must call Config("PROPERTY=VALUE"), where VALUE is the value of the setting expressed as a string. For boolean values, use the strings "True", "False", "0", "1", "Yes", or "No" (case does not matter).

To read (query) the value of a configuration setting, you must call Config("PROPERTY"). The value will be returned as a string.

ListChildren Method (MibBrowser Control)

Lists the immediate children of the selected node.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.ListChildren 

Remarks

The MibNode event fires once for every SubId of the selected node and provides all info related to that SubId.

For instance, the following code: MibParser.LoadMib("RFC1155-SMI") MibParser.SelectNode("internet") MibParser.ListChildren() will generate the following output through the MibNode event:

  directory    1.3.6.1.1
  mgmt         1.3.6.1.2
  experimental 1.3.6.1.3
  private      1.3.6.1.4

ListSuccessors Method (MibBrowser Control)

Lists all successors of the selected node.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.ListSuccessors 

Remarks

The MibNode event fires once for each successor of the selected node and provides all information related to it.

ListTraps Method (MibBrowser Control)

Lists all the traps defined in the loaded modules.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.ListTraps 

Remarks

The TrapNode event fires once for every trap and provides all info related to it.

For instance, the following code:

MibParser.LoadMib("mib_ii.mib") MibParser.ListTraps() will generate the following output through the TrapNode event: coldStart 0 snmp warmStart 1 snmp linkDown 2 snmp linkUp 3 snmp authenticationFailure 4 snmp

LoadMib Method (MibBrowser Control)

Parses the file FileName and adds the parsed nodes to the collection of existing nodes.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.LoadMib FileName

Remarks

This method can be used to load and parse a MIB file into the control.

Some MIB modules contain references to other modules within their imports sections. When loading a MIB that contains external imports, the ImportSymbols event will fire for each external reference. These modules must be loaded if possible to generate a complete representation for the loaded MIB.

It is possible for the component to attempt to load all external references automatically. To do this, use Config and set "AutoLoadMibs=True". Setting this configuration property causes the control to attempt to find and load any external references included in the current MIB. The control will only find external modules if they reside in the same directory as the current module. Alternatively, the control can load additional modules by calling LoadMib while inside the ImportSymbols event.

If the AutoLoadMibs config setting is set to False, and no explicit action is taken to load necessary modules inside the ImportSymbols event, some symbols may remain unresolved. These symbols will not appear in the MibNode hierarchy until the module containing their definition is loaded. Order is unimportant when loading additional MIB modules. A complete list of unresolved symbols can be found by retrieving the UndefinedSymbols config setting (comma separated list of symbols).

Note that FileName also accepts MIB data. If MIB data is used, the control will expect the NodeFileName to be at the beginning of the string, surrounded by "[]". For example:

[RFC-1215]RFC-1215 DEFINITIONS ::= BEGIN......END

Reset Method (MibBrowser Control)

Reset all properties of the control.

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.Reset 

Remarks

This method resets all of the node properties as well as the internal collection of parsed nodes.

SelectNode Method (MibBrowser Control)

Used to select individual nodes in the loaded MIB module(s).

Syntax

mibbrowsercontrol.SelectNode Selector

Remarks

SelectNode is used for selecting individual nodes and should be called before querying node information.

The Selector parameter can be a label such as "internet", an OID such as "1.3.6.4", a combination of the two: "iso.3.dod.internet", or a label in a particular module such as "RFC1213-MIB!interfaces".

Either '.' or ':' can be used to separate SubIds. If a SubId starts with "0x" or follows the ":" separator then its hexadecimal value is used. For instance, "0x1.0x3.0x6.0x1A" is the same as "1:3:6:1A".

All properties and methods of the control will operate on the selected node. For example, calling ListSuccessors will only list the successors of the selected node.

Error Event (MibBrowser Control)

Errors that occur while loading/parsing MIB modules are fired through this event.

Syntax

Sub mibbrowsercontrol_Error(ErrorCode As Integer, Description As String)

Remarks

ErrorCode contains an error code and Description contains a textual description of the error. For a list of valid error codes and their descriptions, please refer to the Error Codes section.

ImportSymbols Event (MibBrowser Control)

List of imported symbols and the respective modules where they are declared.

Syntax

Sub mibbrowsercontrol_ImportSymbols(Symbols As String, ModuleName As String)

Remarks

The Symbols parameter is a comma separated list of all symbols that must be imported from ModuleName.

The module is loaded through the LoadMib method.

MibNode Event (MibBrowser Control)

This event fires once for every child or successor of the currently selected node when invoking ListChildren or ListSuccessors .

Syntax

Sub mibbrowsercontrol_MibNode(NodeLabel As String, NodeOid As String, NodeType As Integer, NodeTypeString As String, NodeSyntax As Integer, NodeSyntaxString As String, NodeAccess As Integer, NodeIndex As String, NodeParentName As String, NodeDescription As String, NodeModuleName As String, NodeFileName As String)

Remarks

When calling either ListChildren or ListSuccessors, the MibNode event will fire once for every child of the currently selected node. The ListChildren method will cause the event will fire once for each of the immediate children of the current node. ListSuccessors cause this event to fire for each of the immediate children of the current node, as well as the entire tree of successors of those children.

NodeLabel is the name or textual representation of the current node, and is unique to its siblings. The NodeOid is the OID of the listed node and uniquely identifies the node within the entire MIB. The remaining parameters offer additional information about the listed node.

Information about the listed node is only available through the MibNode event parameters. All control properties remain related to the currently selected node.

If a MibNode is declared in more than one file or module, then the NodeFileName and NodeModuleName parameters will contain a comma separated list of files/modules where the node is declared.

For instance, the following code: MibParser.LoadMib("RFC1155-SMI") MibParser.SelectNode("internet") // OID 1.3.6.1 MibParser.ListSuccessors() will generate the following output through the event:

  directory    1.3.6.1.1
  mgmt         1.3.6.1.2
  experimental 1.3.6.1.3
  private      1.3.6.1.4
  enterprises  1.3.6.1.4.1

TrapNode Event (MibBrowser Control)

Lists module trap information.

Syntax

Sub mibbrowsercontrol_TrapNode(TrapName As String, SpecificTrap As Integer, TrapEnterprise As String, TrapVariables As String, TrapDescription As String, TrapReferences As String, TrapModuleName As String, TrapFileName As String)

Remarks

When calling ListTraps, the TrapNode event fires once for every trap found in the module.

The following are the descriptions of the event parameters:

If a trap has been defined in more than one module or file, then ModuleName and FileName will contain a comma separated list of values.

Config Settings (MibBrowser Control)

The control accepts one or more of the following configuration settings. Configuration settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the control, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

MibBrowser Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (MibBrowser Control)

MibBrowser Errors