SNMP

Short for Simple Network Management Protocol, a set of protocols for managing complex networks. SNMP works by sending messages, called protocol data units (PDUs), to different parts of a network. SNMP-compliant devices, called agents, store data about themselves in Management Information Bases (MIBs) and return this data to the SNMP requesters. Network managers have turned to a related technology called RMON that provides more detailed information about network usage.