What is SNMP Monitoring? OpenTelemetry and OpenObserve Guide

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) has been the cornerstone of network monitoring for decades. From routers and switches to servers and IoT devices, SNMP provides a standardized way to collect vital performance metrics. In this guide, we'll explore how to implement SNMP monitoring using OpenTelemetry and OpenObserve, bringing modern observability practices to this established protocol.

What is SNMP Monitoring?

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is a widely-used protocol for collecting and organizing information about managed devices on IP networks. It enables administrators to monitor network performance, identify and troubleshoot issues, and plan for network growth.

SNMP operates on a manager-agent model:

• SNMP Manager: The central system that collects and processes data from network devices.
• SNMP Agents: Software components on network devices that collect local information and make it available to the manager.
• Management Information Base (MIB): A hierarchical database that defines the structure of management data.

Key Operations in SNMP

• GET: Retrieves specific information from a device
• SET: Modifies device settings or configurations
• TRAP: Allows devices to send unsolicited notifications to the SNMP Manager

SNMP Versions

SNMP has evolved through several versions, each with different capabilities and security features:

Version	Authentication	Security	Performance	Use Case
SNMPv1	Community strings (plaintext)	Minimal	Basic	Small, non-critical networks
SNMPv2c	Community strings (plaintext)	Minimal	Improved with GETBULK operation	Networks where performance is prioritized over security
SNMPv3	User-based with encryption	Strong with encryption and access control	Similar to v2c with security overhead	Modern networks with security requirements

The OpenTelemetry SNMP Receiver

The SNMP Receiver is a component of the OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib distribution that enables you to fetch statistics from SNMP-enabled devices. It supports all three SNMP versions (v1, v2c, and v3) and offers a flexible configuration model for collecting metrics.

Key Features

• Support for all SNMP versions (v1, v2c, v3)
• Flexible resource attribute mapping
• Configurable metric collection based on OIDs
• Support for both scalar OIDs and tabular data
• Customizable collection intervals

Setting Up SNMP Monitoring with OpenTelemetry

Prerequisites

To implement SNMP monitoring with OpenTelemetry and OpenObserve, you'll need:

1. SNMP-enabled devices to monitor (routers, switches, servers, etc.)
2. OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib which includes the SNMP receiver
3. OpenObserve instance for storing and visualizing the collected metrics

Step 1: Install the OpenTelemetry Collector

First, you'll need to download and install the OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib, which includes the SNMP receiver:

# For macOS with Apple Silicon
curl -Lo otelcol-contrib.tar.gz https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases/download/v0.116.0/otelcol-contrib_0.116.0_darwin_arm64.tar.gz

tar -xzf otelcol-contrib.tar.gz
sudo mv otelcol-contrib /usr/local/bin/

Verify the installation:

otelcol-contrib --version

Step 2: Verify SNMP Access to Network Devices

Before configuring the collector, verify that you can access your SNMP devices using a tool like snmpwalk:

# For SNMPv2c (most common in network devices)
snmpwalk -v 2c -c public 192.168.1.1

# For SNMPv3
snmpwalk -v 3 -u user -l authPriv -a SHA -A "auth_password" -x AES -X "privacy_password" 192.168.1.1

Replace 192.168.1.1 with your device's IP address and public with the appropriate community string.

Step 3: Configure the OpenTelemetry Collector for Network Monitoring

Create a configuration file named config.yaml with the following content focusing on network interface metrics:

receivers:
  snmp:
    collection_interval: 60s
    endpoint: udp://192.168.1.1:161  # Replace with your network device IP
    version: v2c
    community: public  # Replace with your community string
    
    # Define resource attributes for device identification
    resource_attributes:
      device.name:
        scalar_oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.1.5.0"  # sysName
      device.location:
        scalar_oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.1.6.0"  # sysLocation
      device.type:
        scalar_oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.1.2.0"  # sysObjectID

    # Define attributes for interface metrics
    attributes:
      interface.name:
        oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.2"  # ifDescr
      interface.speed:
        oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.5"  # ifSpeed
      interface.type:
        oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.3"  # ifType
      interface.direction:
        enum:
          - in
          - out

    # Define metrics to collect
    metrics:
      # Interface operational status (up/down)
      interface.status:
        unit: "{status}"
        description: "Operational status of the network interface (1=up, 2=down)"
        gauge:
          value_type: int
        column_oids:
          - oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.8"  # ifOperStatus
            attributes:
              - name: interface.name
      
      # Interface administrative status (up/down)
      interface.admin.status:
        unit: "{status}"
        description: "Administrative status of the network interface (1=up, 2=down)"
        gauge:
          value_type: int
        column_oids:
          - oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.7"  # ifAdminStatus
            attributes:
              - name: interface.name
      
      # Network traffic (bytes)
      network.io.bytes:
        unit: "By"
        description: "Network traffic volume in bytes"
        sum:
          aggregation: cumulative
          monotonic: true
          value_type: int
        column_oids:
          - oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.10"  # ifInOctets
            attributes:
              - name: interface.name
              - name: interface.direction
                value: in
          - oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.16"  # ifOutOctets
            attributes:
              - name: interface.name
              - name: interface.direction
                value: out
      
      # Network packets (unicast)
      network.io.packets.unicast:
        unit: "{packets}"
        description: "Number of unicast packets"
        sum:
          aggregation: cumulative
          monotonic: true
          value_type: int
        column_oids:
          - oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.11"  # ifInUcastPkts
            attributes:
              - name: interface.name
              - name: interface.direction
                value: in
          - oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.17"  # ifOutUcastPkts
            attributes:
              - name: interface.name
              - name: interface.direction
                value: out
      
      # Network errors
      network.io.errors:
        unit: "{errors}"
        description: "Number of packet errors"
        sum:
          aggregation: cumulative
          monotonic: true
          value_type: int
        column_oids:
          - oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.14"  # ifInErrors
            attributes:
              - name: interface.name
              - name: interface.direction
                value: in
          - oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.20"  # ifOutErrors
            attributes:
              - name: interface.name
              - name: interface.direction
                value: out
      
      # Discarded packets
      network.io.discards:
        unit: "{packets}"
        description: "Number of discarded packets"
        sum:
          aggregation: cumulative
          monotonic: true
          value_type: int
        column_oids:
          - oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.13"  # ifInDiscards
            attributes:
              - name: interface.name
              - name: interface.direction
                value: in
          - oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.19"  # ifOutDiscards
            attributes:
              - name: interface.name
              - name: interface.direction
                value: out

processors:
  batch:
    send_batch_size: 1000
    timeout: 10s
  resourcedetection/system:
    detectors: ["system"]
    system:
      hostname_sources: ["dns", "os"]

exporters:
  otlphttp/openobserve:
    endpoint: https://your-openobserve-instance.com/api/default  # Replace with your OpenObserve endpoint
    headers:
      Authorization: Basic YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN_HERE  # Replace with your OpenObserve auth token
      stream-name: default
  debug:
    verbosity: detailed

service:
  telemetry:
    logs:
      level: info
  pipelines:
    metrics:
      receivers: [snmp]
      processors: [resourcedetection/system, batch]
      exporters: [otlphttp/openobserve, debug]

Make sure to replace the following values:

• 192.168.1.1 with your network device's IP address
• public with your community string
• https://your-openobserve-instance.com/api/default with your OpenObserve endpoint
• YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN_HERE with your OpenObserve authentication token

Step 4: Run the OpenTelemetry Collector

Start the OpenTelemetry Collector with the configuration file:

otelcol-contrib --config config.yaml

You should see logs indicating that the collector has started and is collecting metrics from your SNMP devices.

Understanding the SNMP Receiver Configuration

Let's break down the key components of the SNMP receiver configuration to better understand how it works:

Connection Settings

snmp:
  collection_interval: 60s
  endpoint: udp://192.168.1.1:161
  version: v2c
  community: public

• collection_interval: How often to collect metrics (default: 10s)
• endpoint: The SNMP device endpoint in the format [udp|tcp]://host:port
• version: SNMP version to use (v1, v2c, or v3)
• community: The community string for SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c

For SNMPv3, which provides enhanced security, you would use the following parameters:

version: v3
security_level: auth_priv  # Options: no_auth_no_priv, auth_no_priv, auth_priv
user: otel
auth_type: "SHA"  # Options: MD5, SHA, SHA224, SHA256, SHA384, SHA512
auth_password: "${env:SNMP_AUTH_PASSWORD}"
privacy_type: "AES"  # Options: DES, AES, AES192, AES256, AES192c, AES256c
privacy_password: "${env:SNMP_PRIVACY_PASSWORD}"

Resource Attributes and Attributes

The configuration defines two types of attributes:

1. Resource attributes: Identify the device itself

   resource_attributes:
     device.name:
       scalar_oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.1.5.0"  # sysName
   

2. Attributes: Provide context for individual metrics

   attributes:
     interface.name:
       oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.2"  # ifDescr
   

Both can be populated using different methods:

• scalar_oid: A single OID value (must end in .0)
• oid: A column OID in a table that returns multiple values
• indexed_value_prefix: A string prefix added to indices
• enum: A list of predefined values

Metric Definitions

The metrics section defines what data to collect and how to structure it:

metrics:
  network.io.bytes:
    unit: "By"
    description: "Network traffic volume in bytes"
    sum:
      aggregation: cumulative
      monotonic: true
      value_type: int
    column_oids:
      - oid: "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.10"  # ifInOctets
        attributes:
          - name: interface.name
          - name: interface.direction
            value: in

Each metric definition includes:

• unit: The unit of measurement (e.g., "By" for bytes)
• description: A human-readable description of the metric
• type: Either gauge or sum with appropriate configuration
• data source: Either scalar_oids for single values or column_oids for table data
• attribute mapping: How to associate attributes with the metric data points

Essential SNMP OIDs for Network Monitoring

SNMP uses Object Identifiers (OIDs) to uniquely identify managed objects. Here are the most important OIDs for network monitoring:

System Information

OID	Description	MIB
1.3.6.1.2.1.1.1.0	System Description	SNMPv2-MIB::sysDescr
1.3.6.1.2.1.1.2.0	System Object ID	SNMPv2-MIB::sysObjectID
1.3.6.1.2.1.1.3.0	System Uptime	SNMPv2-MIB::sysUpTime
1.3.6.1.2.1.1.4.0	System Contact	SNMPv2-MIB::sysContact
1.3.6.1.2.1.1.5.0	System Name	SNMPv2-MIB::sysName
1.3.6.1.2.1.1.6.0	System Location	SNMPv2-MIB::sysLocation

Interface Statistics

OID	Description	MIB
1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.2	Interface Description	IF-MIB::ifDescr
1.3.6.1.2.1.31.1.1.1.1	Interface Name	IF-MIB::ifName
1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.8	Interface Operational Status	IF-MIB::ifOperStatus
1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.7	Interface Administrative Status	IF-MIB::ifAdminStatus
1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.10	Incoming Traffic (bytes)	IF-MIB::ifInOctets
1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.16	Outgoing Traffic (bytes)	IF-MIB::ifOutOctets
1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.11	Incoming Unicast Packets	IF-MIB::ifInUcastPkts
1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.17	Outgoing Unicast Packets	IF-MIB::ifOutUcastPkts
1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.14	Incoming Errors	IF-MIB::ifInErrors
1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.20	Outgoing Errors	IF-MIB::ifOutErrors
1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.13	Incoming Discards	IF-MIB::ifInDiscards
1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.19	Outgoing Discards	IF-MIB::ifOutDiscards

Visualizing SNMP Metrics in OpenObserve

Once you've set up the OpenTelemetry Collector to collect SNMP metrics, the next step is to visualize and analyze this data in OpenObserve.

1. Log in to your OpenObserve instance
2. Navigate to Metrics in the side menu
3. Look for Network and interface metrics

Your SNMP metrics will be organized by resource (device) and include attributes like interface name, making it easy to filter and group your data.

Troubleshooting SNMP Monitoring

1. Connection Timeouts

   • Verify network connectivity with ping
   • Check that the device allows SNMP traffic (UDP port 161)
   • Verify the device's SNMP service is enabled
   • Check firewall rules on both the collector and device

2. Authentication Failures

   • Double-check community strings (for v1/v2c)
   • Verify username, authentication, and privacy settings (for v3)
   • Ensure the device's SNMP access control lists permit your collector's IP address

3. Missing or Incorrect Data

   • Verify OID support with snmpwalk or snmpget
   • Check that the collector has the correct MIB information
   • Adjust collection intervals for frequently changing metrics
   • Ensure OID syntax is correct (scalar OIDs must end with .0)

4. Debugging SNMP Communications

   • Increase the collector's log level to debug
   • Use the debug exporter to verify collected data
   • Use a packet analyzer like Wireshark to capture SNMP traffic

Conclusion

Implementing SNMP monitoring with OpenTelemetry and OpenObserve provides a powerful solution for network visibility. This approach combines the universal compatibility of SNMP with the flexibility and scalability of modern observability tools.

The configuration we've explored focuses on the most critical network interface metrics that network administrators need to monitor. With these metrics flowing into OpenObserve, you can create comprehensive dashboards to visualize your network's performance and set up alerts for potential issues.

For more information on OpenObserve and its capabilities, visit the OpenObserve Documentation.

Happy monitoring! 🚀