From Net-SNMP Wiki

I'm getting answers, but they're all numbers. Why?

This is related to the previous question. The results that you receive do not depend on which MIBs are loaded - just on how the agent was compiled and configured.

Because the tools don't read in every MIB module they can find (and the relevant MIB file may not be installed anyway), it is quite possible for results from an agent to refer to modules that have not been loaded (particularly with GETNEXT requests, or when walking a tree).

The results will be reported quite correctly, but won't be translated to use named identifiers or enumerations. To fix this, use the environmental variables MIBS or MIBFILES (or the '-m' and '-M' flags) to read in the relevant module files (assuming these are available).

   FAQ:MIBs
   

1. Where can I find a MIB compiler?
2. Why aren't my mib files being read in?
3. I'm getting answers, but they're all numbers. Why?
4. What does "Cannot find module (XXX-MIB)" mean?
5. What about "unlinked OID"?
6. The parser doesn't handle comments properly. Why not?
7. How can I get more information about problems with MIB files?
8. What's this about "too many imported symbols"?
9. Do I actually need the MIB files?