SNMP devices

Plugin: go.d.plugin Module: snmp

Overview

This collector discovers and monitors any SNMP-enabled network device.

• Built-in vendor profiles: Netdata ships with a large library of profiles for major vendors, enabling automatic, out-of-the-box monitoring—no manual OID configuration needed for common hardware.
• Custom profiles supported: Users can extend or override stock profiles to add new devices, modify charts, or collect additional OIDs.
• Automatic vendor/model detection: Devices are matched to the right profile using selectors such as sysObjectID and sysDescr.
• ICMP ping: Optional round-trip latency monitoring alongside SNMP, with a ping_only mode available.
• SNMP v1, v2c, and v3 support: Fully implemented via the gosnmp library.

Built-in profiles for major vendors:

Category	Vendors
Switches & Routers	Cisco (Catalyst, Nexus, ASR, ISR), Arista, Juniper, HP/HPE, Dell, Extreme
Firewalls	Palo Alto, Fortinet FortiGate, Cisco ASA, Checkpoint, SonicWall
Wireless	Aruba, Cisco WLC, Ubiquiti, Alcatel-Lucent
Load Balancers	F5 BIG-IP, Citrix NetScaler, A10 Thunder
Infrastructure	APC UPS/PDU, Dell servers, plus standard MIBs (BGP, OSPF, TCP/UDP)

This table highlights common vendors—the full library includes many more.

info

See: SNMP Profile Format to learn how to write your own or extend stock ones.

Profile locations

Type	Default path	Notes
Stock profiles	/usr/lib/netdata/conf.d/go.d/snmp.profiles/default/	Shipped with Netdata
User profiles	/etc/netdata/go.d/snmp.profiles/	Place custom or modified profiles here

Depending on installation, paths may be prefixed with /opt/netdata.

A profile defines:

• Device selectors for auto-matching (e.g. sysObjectID, sysDescr)
• The exact OIDs to collect (scalars and tables)
• How to label table rows (metric tags)
• Chart/metric metadata (units, families, types), including optional virtual metrics

At runtime, the collector:

1. Reads standard system OIDs (e.g. sysObjectID, sysDescr) to identify the device
2. Picks the best matching vendor/model profile(s)
3. Collects exactly the metrics those profiles define

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.

tip

To understand the structure of these profiles (metrics, tags, virtual metrics, etc.), see SNMP Profile Format.

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.

important

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:

1. Go to Nodes.
2. 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.
3. The Collectors → Jobs view opens by default.
4. In the Search box, type snmp (or scroll the list) to locate the snmp collector.
5. Click the + next to the snmp collector to add a new job.
6. 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 of community.
• 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, open netdata.conf and look for the plugins 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

Debugging Gaps on Charts

If your SNMP charts show gaps, it means the collector could not finish metric collection before the next scheduled run. This usually happens when SNMP tables take longer to collect than your configured update_every.

These gaps do not mean the device stopped exporting SNMP metrics — only that the collector had to skip cycles.

Step 1: Check the Logs

Look for messages like:

level=warn msg="skipping data collection: previous run is still in progress for 4s (skipped 4 times in a row, interval 1s)" collector=snmp job=your_device
level=info msg="data collection resumed after 4.36s (skipped 4 times)" collector=snmp job=your_device

The “resumed after” message shows how long the previous collection actually took.
For example, if a run needs ~4.4 seconds and update_every is 1 second, 4 cycles will be skipped.

Step 2: Check Collection Timings

Open SNMP → Internal → Stats in the dashboard.
The SNMP profile collection timings chart shows how long each part of the SNMP polling takes.
Table metrics are usually the slowest and often determine the total collection time.

Step 3: Increase the data collection interval

Set update_every to a value higher than your slowest collection time, with some extra buffer for network variability.

Typical Collection Time	Recommended update_every
< 2 seconds	2 seconds
2–5 seconds	5 seconds
5–10 seconds	10 seconds
> 10 seconds	collection_time × 2

info

• Rule of thumb: update_every should be at least 2× your slowest table collection time.
• The default update_every: 10 works well in most environments.
• Only reduce it if your device consistently responds fast enough.

Quick Checklist

1. Do logs show “skipping data collection”?
2. Does Internal → Stats show collection time > update_every?
3. Increase update_every until skips disappear.