Apparatus, system, and method for distributing management data to network management stations

A router comprising:

• a Management Information Base (MIB) tree that stores objects as management data;
• and
• a physical processing device having access to the MIB tree, wherein the physical processing device:
• receives, from an NMS included in a network, a set request to create a subtree of certain objects of interest to the NMS;
• in response to receiving the set request from the NMS:
• identifies, based at least in part on the set request, Object IDentifiers (OIDs) for the certain objects of interest to the NMS that initiated the set request;
• creates a table entry within the MIB tree;
• and
• stores, as a subtree in the table entry within the MIB tree, the OIDs for the certain objects of interest to the NMS;
• maintains the OIDs included in the subtree in a non-lexicographical order;
• receives, from the NMS, a get request for the certain objects of interest to the NMS;
• in response to receiving the get request from the NMS:
• identifies, within the get request, an OID for a root object of the subtree stored in the table entry within the MIB tree;
• and
• provides, based at least in part on the OID for the root object, all the certain objects whose OIDs are stored as the subtree in the table entry to the NMS that initiated the get request in the non-lexicographical order.

A method comprising:

• receiving, from a Network Management Station (NMS) included in a network, a set request to create a subtree of certain objects of interest to the NMS;
• in response to receiving the set request from the NMS:
• identifying, based at least in part on the set request, Object Identifiers (OIDs) for the certain objects of interest to the NMS that initiated the set request;
• creating a table entry within a Management Information Base (MIB) tree;
• and storing, as a subtree in the table entry within the MIB tree, the OIDs for the certain objects of interest to the NMS;
• maintaining the OIDs included in the subtree in a non-lexicographical order;
• receiving, from the NMS, a get request for the certain objects of interest to the NMS;
• in response to receiving the get request from the NMS:
• identifying, within the get request, an OID for a root object of the subtree stored in the table entry within the MIB tree;
• and
• providing, based at least in part on the OID for the root object, all the certain objects whose OIDs are stored as the subtree in the table entry to the NMS that initiated the get request in the non-lexicographical order.