Patent ID: 7302486

Claim:
A method of supporting efficient retrieval of information of interest from a network element, said method being performed in an agent, said method comprising: implementing a meta MIB in said agent, wherein said meta MIB enables specifying information elements of interest from a plurality of base MIBs; receiving a first command specifying that a first information element of interest in said network element is to be accessible using said meta MIB, wherein said first information element of interest is contained in one of said plurality of base MIBs, wherein said one of said plurality of base MIBs contains a first plurality of information elements identified respectively by a first plurality of identifiers, wherein said first plurality of information elements contains said first information element and said first plurality of identifiers contains a first identifier identifying said first information element, said first information element being identified by a second identifier in said meta MIB, wherein said first identifier is not equal to said second identifier; storing data representing that said first information element of interest has been specified to be accessible using said meta MIB; receiving a second command requesting a data value corresponding to said first information element of interest using said meta MIB, wherein said second command identifies said first information element by said second identifier; and sending a response containing said data value in response to receiving said second command.