An agent handles the communications to a single management network, connected via a serial or an Ethernet link. It can upload and download configurations from and to the network elements (NEs). It can poll the NEs for alarms and listens to alarm notification messages. It communicates with the NEs to get or set status or diagnostic information.

It is important to distinguish between the agent component and the agent process. Linux is a multi-user, multi-tasking operating system, which means that a single workstation may run several agent processes simultaneously.