Chapter 8. Case Study: MPLS Network Management

In Chapter 7, "Rudimentary NMS Software Components," we saw some simple software tools that can be used to experiment a little with MIBs and SNMP agents . Beyond experimentation, the software provides some of the bricks that might be used to construct the foundations of a basic NMS. In addition, we hope that this exercise has helped to crystallize many of the concepts introduced earlier in the book. Readers with access to MPLS NEs could, with a little effort, extend the Chapter 7 tools to read (and possibly write) to the MIBs described in the current chapter. In this chapter, we try to bring together as many as possible of the separate MPLS strands running through the book; specifically , we:

• Look more closely at the IETF MPLS MIBs

• Describe how the MIB elements relate to MPLS in general

• Explain how to combine these MIB elements in an operational MPLS network

Without further ado, let's get started on these MIBs.