1. INTRODUCTION

   Until recently, a majority of critical components in IP networks,
   such as gateways, have come from a very small set of vendors.  While
   each vendor had their own set of management protocols and mechanisms,
   the collection was small, and a knowledgeable system administrator
   could be expected to learn them all.

   Now, however, the number of vendors has grown quite large, and the
   lack of an accepted standard for management of network components is
   causing severe management problems.  Compounding this problem is the
   explosive growth of the connected IP networks known as the Internet.
   The combination of increased size and heterogeneity is making
   internetwork management extremely difficult.  This memo discusses an
   effort to devise a standard protocol for all devices, which should
   help alleviate the management problem.

   The RFCs that currently define the High-Level Entity Management
   System are this memo along with RFC-1022, 1024, and 1023(-> 1076).  This list
   is expected to change and grow over time, and readers are strongly
   encouraged to check the RFC Index to find the most current versions.