SNMP devices

Plugin: go.d.plugin Module: snmp
Overview
This SNMP collector discovers and monitors SNMP-enabled devices using profiles.
A profile declares:
- device selectors (e.g.
sysObjectID
,sysDescr
) for auto-matching, - which OIDs to collect (scalars and tables),
- how to label rows (metric tags), and
- chart/metric metadata (units, families, types), including optional virtual metrics.
At runtime, the collector:
- identifies the device by reading standard system OIDs (e.g.
sysObjectID
,sysDescr
), - picks the best-matching profile(s), and
- collects exactly the metrics defined by those profiles.
Because profiles vary per vendor/model/OS, there is no fixed list of metrics in this page. Netdata renders the charts that each matched profile defines (interfaces, optics, CPU/mem, environment, VLANs, etc., depending on the device).
The collector optionally runs ICMP round-trip (ping) alongside SNMP for availability and latency. A ping_only
mode is available to skip periodic SNMP polling.
SNMP versions v1, v2c, and v3 are supported, implemented via the gosnmp library.
This collector is supported on all platforms.
This collector supports collecting metrics from multiple instances of this integration, including remote instances.
Default Behavior
Auto-Detection
SNMP service discovery can automatically scan configured networks and feed the SNMP collector with discovered devices.
- Disabled by default; enable and configure explicitly.
- Supports single IPs, ranges, and CIDR blocks (up to 512 IPs per subnet).
- Uses the provided SNMP credentials (v1/v2c/v3) to probe devices.
- Caches discovery results (configurable) to reduce network load.
- At collection time, each discovered device is matched to the appropriate profile based on its
sysObjectID
,sysDescr
, and the profile’s selector rules.
The configuration file name is go.d/sd/snmp.conf.
You can edit the configuration file using the edit-config script from the Netdata config directory.
cd /etc/netdata 2>/dev/null || cd /opt/netdata/etc/netdata
sudo ./edit-config go.d/sd/snmp.conf
Limits
The default configuration for this integration does not impose any limits on data collection.
Performance Impact
Device constraints: Many SNMP devices (e.g., access switches) have limited CPU/ASIC time for management. If you see timeouts or gaps, reduce update_every
or max_repetitions
, or stagger polling across devices.
Concurrent polling: Parallel access by multiple tools may cause missed counters on some devices. Increase the collection interval (update_every
) to reduce request pressure.
Metrics
Metrics and charts are defined by the matched SNMP profile(s) at runtime. They differ by vendor/model/OS and may include, for example, interface counters, optics, CPU/memory, temperature, VLANs, and more. Use the Metrics tab on the device’s dashboard to see exactly what is collected for that device.
If ping.enabled
is true, ICMP latency/packet-loss charts are also provided (or exclusively, when ping_only: true
).
Alerts
There are no alerts configured by default for this integration.
Setup
You can configure the snmp collector in two ways:
Method | Best for | How to |
---|---|---|
UI | Fast setup without editing files | Go to Nodes → Configure this node → Collectors → Jobs, search for snmp, then click + to add a job. |
File | If you prefer configuring via file, or need to automate deployments (e.g., with Ansible) | Edit go.d/snmp.conf and add a job. |
UI configuration requires paid Netdata Cloud plan.
Prerequisites
Prepare the SNMP device
Before configuring the collector:
- Enable the SNMP service on the target device (via its management interface).
- Ensure the device is reachable from the Netdata node on UDP/161.
- Gather connection details: IP/DNS, SNMP version, and either a community (v1/v2c) or v3 credentials (user, auth/priv).
Configuration
Options
The following options can be defined globally: update_every, autodetection_retry.
Config options
Group | Option | Description | Default | Required |
---|---|---|---|---|
Collection | update_every | Data collection frequency. | 10 | no |
autodetection_retry | Recheck interval in seconds. Zero means no recheck will be scheduled. | 0 | no | |
Target | hostname | Target host (IP or DNS name, IPv4/IPv6). | yes | |
SNMPv1/2 | community | SNMPv1/2 community string. | public | no |
SNMPv3 | user.name | SNMPv3 user name. | no | |
user.level | Security level of SNMPv3 messages. | no | ||
user.auth_proto | Authentication protocol for SNMPv3 messages. | no | ||
user.auth_key | Authentication protocol pass phrase for SNMPv3 messages. | no | ||
user.priv_proto | Privacy protocol for SNMPv3 messages. | no | ||
user.priv_key | Privacy protocol pass phrase for SNMPv3 messages. | no | ||
SNMP transport | options.version | SNMP version. Available versions: 1, 2, 3. | 2 | no |
options.port | Target port. | 161 | no | |
options.retries | Retries to attempt. | 1 | no | |
options.timeout | SNMP request/response timeout. | 5 | no | |
options.max_repetitions | Controls how many SNMP variables to retrieve in a single GETBULK request. | 25 | no | |
options.max_request_size | Maximum number of OIDs allowed in a single GET request. | 60 | no | |
Ping | ping_only | Collect only ICMP round-trip metrics and skip periodic SNMP polling. A minimal SNMP sysInfo probe still runs at setup for naming/labels/metadata. | no | no |
ping.enabled | Enable ICMP round-trip measurements (runs alongside SNMP). When disabled, no ping metrics are collected. | yes | no | |
ping.privileged | Use raw ICMP (privileged). If false, unprivileged mode is used. | yes | no | |
ping.packets | Number of ping packets to send per iteration. | 3 | no | |
ping.interval | Interval between sending ping packets. | 100ms | no | |
Profiles | manual_profiles | A list of profiles to force-apply when auto-detection cannot be used. | [] | no |
Virtual node | create_vnode | If set, the collector will create a Netdata Virtual Node for this SNMP device, which will appear as a separate Node in Netdata. | true | no |
vnode_device_down_threshold | Number of consecutive failed data collections before marking the device as down. | 3 | no | |
vnode.guid | A unique identifier for the Virtual Node. If not set, a GUID will be automatically generated from the device's IP address. | no | ||
vnode.hostname | The hostname that will be used for the Virtual Node. If not set, the device's hostname will be used. | no | ||
vnode.labels | Additional key-value pairs to associate with the Virtual Node. | no |
user.level
The security of an SNMPv3 message as per RFC 3414 (user.level
):
String value | Int value | Description |
---|---|---|
none | 1 | no message authentication or encryption |
authNoPriv | 2 | message authentication and no encryption |
authPriv | 3 | message authentication and encryption |
user.auth_proto
The digest algorithm for SNMPv3 messages that require authentication (user.auth_proto
):
String value | Int value | Description |
---|---|---|
none | 1 | no message authentication |
md5 | 2 | MD5 message authentication (HMAC-MD5-96) |
sha | 3 | SHA message authentication (HMAC-SHA-96) |
sha224 | 4 | SHA message authentication (HMAC-SHA-224) |
sha256 | 5 | SHA message authentication (HMAC-SHA-256) |
sha384 | 6 | SHA message authentication (HMAC-SHA-384) |
sha512 | 7 | SHA message authentication (HMAC-SHA-512) |
user.priv_proto
The encryption algorithm for SNMPv3 messages that require privacy (user.priv_proto
):
String value | Int value | Description |
---|---|---|
none | 1 | no message encryption |
des | 2 | ES encryption (CBC-DES) |
aes | 3 | 128-bit AES encryption (CFB-AES-128) |
aes192 | 4 | 192-bit AES encryption (CFB-AES-192) with "Blumenthal" key localization |
aes256 | 5 | 256-bit AES encryption (CFB-AES-256) with "Blumenthal" key localization |
aes192c | 6 | 192-bit AES encryption (CFB-AES-192) with "Reeder" key localization |
aes256c | 7 | 256-bit AES encryption (CFB-AES-256) with "Reeder" key localization |
via UI
Configure the snmp collector from the Netdata web interface:
- Go to Nodes.
- Select the node where you want the snmp data-collection job to run and click the ⚙ (Configure this node). That node will run the data collection.
- The Collectors → Jobs view opens by default.
- In the Search box, type snmp (or scroll the list) to locate the snmp collector.
- Click the + next to the snmp collector to add a new job.
- Fill in the job fields, then click Test to verify the configuration and Submit to save.
- Test runs the job with the provided settings and shows whether data can be collected.
- If it fails, an error message appears with details (for example, connection refused, timeout, or command execution errors), so you can adjust and retest.
via File
The configuration file name for this integration is go.d/snmp.conf
.
The file format is YAML. Generally, the structure is:
update_every: 1
autodetection_retry: 0
jobs:
- name: some_name1
- name: some_name2
You can edit the configuration file using the edit-config
script from the
Netdata config directory.
cd /etc/netdata 2>/dev/null || cd /opt/netdata/etc/netdata
sudo ./edit-config go.d/snmp.conf
Examples
SNMPv1/2
In this example:
- the SNMP device is
192.0.2.1
. - the SNMP version is
2
. - the SNMP community is
public
. - we will update the values every 10 seconds.
Profiles are auto-selected at runtime
Config
jobs:
- name: switch
update_every: 10
hostname: 192.0.2.1
community: public
options:
version: 2
SNMPv3
To use SNMPv3:
- use
user
instead ofcommunity
. - set
options.version
to 3.
Config
jobs:
- name: switch
update_every: 10
hostname: 192.0.2.1
options:
version: 3
user:
name: username
level: authPriv
auth_proto: sha256
auth_key: auth_protocol_passphrase
priv_proto: aes256
priv_key: priv_protocol_passphrase
Troubleshooting
Debug Mode
Important: Debug mode is not supported for data collection jobs created via the UI using the Dyncfg feature.
To troubleshoot issues with the snmp
collector, run the go.d.plugin
with the debug option enabled. The output
should give you clues as to why the collector isn't working.
-
Navigate to the
plugins.d
directory, usually at/usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/
. If that's not the case on your system, opennetdata.conf
and look for theplugins
setting under[directories]
.cd /usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/
-
Switch to the
netdata
user.sudo -u netdata -s
-
Run the
go.d.plugin
to debug the collector:./go.d.plugin -d -m snmp
To debug a specific job:
./go.d.plugin -d -m snmp -j jobName
Getting Logs
If you're encountering problems with the snmp
collector, follow these steps to retrieve logs and identify potential issues:
- Run the command specific to your system (systemd, non-systemd, or Docker container).
- Examine the output for any warnings or error messages that might indicate issues. These messages should provide clues about the root cause of the problem.
System with systemd
Use the following command to view logs generated since the last Netdata service restart:
journalctl _SYSTEMD_INVOCATION_ID="$(systemctl show --value --property=InvocationID netdata)" --namespace=netdata --grep snmp
System without systemd
Locate the collector log file, typically at /var/log/netdata/collector.log
, and use grep
to filter for collector's name:
grep snmp /var/log/netdata/collector.log
Note: This method shows logs from all restarts. Focus on the latest entries for troubleshooting current issues.
Docker Container
If your Netdata runs in a Docker container named "netdata" (replace if different), use this command:
docker logs netdata 2>&1 | grep snmp
Do you have any feedback for this page? If so, you can open a new issue on our netdata/learn repository.