Editing XML Management Protocol (section)

=== XML Data Description and Transfer Syntax ===

First, XML is used for both data description and transfer syntax.  We use XML for both data description and transfer syntax thus simplifying the job of MIB design and implementation.  ''What you see is all you got'' might be an appropriate quote to use.

In the Internet Management Framework SMI, ASN.1 is used for data description and BER is used for transfer syntax.  In reality, XML probably offers little real advantage over ASN.1, but using XML for both data description and transfer syntax simplifies the interaction between an SMI and management protocol.  Further, there are a plethora of tools, both commercial and open source, available for parsing and manipulating XML documents.