Once the mibs become a part of the mib database the remote management application has a logical map to information stored in a device. The management information base is the structure of information stored in a device. Learning this structure provides insight into the management of your network. MIBs are the structural equivalent of database fields and records and is the essential mechanism by which remote applications are able to manage network devices. You will also find that there are many kinds of information that can be accessed via MIB Utility Tools that are not found in the menus or windows of your management application and many of Cabletron's mib tools can be run standalone.
Most devices are in fact a composite of both.
Perhaps the greatest distinction between the two is control. This allows vendors to focus on control and configuration of their specific products while still adhering to industry standards. Cabletron's SNMP Tools Support and MIB Navigator are examples of non-graphical MIB utilities that are built into devices to provide a means to access the management information base where no remote software is available. The benefit of graphical remote management tools is to unite the acquisition of SNMP queries within a graphical user interface that essentially hides the structure of the MIB database, making configuration and statistical analysis simple and clear. SNMP, Simple Network Management Protocol, is the industry standard method of accessing device management information bases.