Abstract: A new system and method allows a Manager in a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) environment to gather updates from its Agents. The system and method comprise the unique provision of an index which is used in each of the Agent's tables for indicating the various revisions thereof. The index lexicographically increases with each revision to the table. The Manager maintains a record of the index of the data which it has received from its Agents, requesting only that data having a lexicographically larger indexing. Further, the index is used in related tables so that the tables will be kept in "sync" in that the Manager will know whether it has the latest updates so that an accurate picture may be portrayed.

Abstract: A new system and method allows a Manager in a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) environment to gather updates from its Agents. The system and method comprise the unique provision of an index which is used in each of the Agent's tables for indicating the various revisions thereof. The index lexicographically increases with each revision to the table. The Manager maintains a record of the index of the data which it has received from its Agents, requesting only that data having a lexicographically larger indexing. Further, the index is used in related tables so that the tables will be kept in "sync" in that the Manager will know whether it has the latest updates so that an accurate picture may be portrayed.

Abstract: A new system and method allow one or more Managers in a network to retrieve from an Agent problem determination data relating to the Agent's Components. The system and method of the present invention allow the Manager to use standard mechanisms to retrieve and display the Agent's problem determination data. A generic collection subsystem created by the Agent acts as an interface for the Agent to the Components for collecting and organizing the problem determination data received from the Components. The collection subsystem receives and stores problem determination data from each of the components in tables which are organized based upon the type of problem determination data. Within each table, the data objects may be stored chronologically, for example. The collection subsystem responds to all requests from the Agent for stored problem determination data. The requests may specify particular parameters such as the type of problem and time it occurred.