Allocating WinSNMP Memory Objects
Descriptors, resource handles and C-style strings are the three types of memory objects in the WinSNMP programming environment.
The type of object determines whether the Microsoft WinSNMP implementation or the WinSNMP application allocates and deallocates the memory for the object. This reduces unnecessary allocation of temporary buffer space and unnecessary copying of buffers.
The following table summarizes the allocation and deallocation of resources for WinSNMP memory objects.
| Object type | Description |
|---|---|
| smiOID or smiOCTETS descriptor | If the WinSNMP application allocates the memory, it must deallocate the memory with a call to an appropriate function. If the implementation allocates the memory, the application must call the SnmpFreeDescriptor function to deallocate the memory. |
| smiVALUE structure | If the value member is an smiOID or an smiOCTETS descriptor, the application must proceed as indicated above for descriptors. |
| Resource handle | The implementation allocates, manages, and frees the memory. |
| C-style string | The WinSNMP application must manage and free the memory it allocates. |
For more information, see Freeing WinSNMP Descriptors.