In the world of network management, gathering real-time performance data is essential to ensure efficient operations, diagnose issues, and proactively address potential problems. Two primary methods for collecting this data are SNMP polling and telemetry streaming. While SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) has been a long-standing standard, telemetry is emerging as a more efficient and scalable solution. Fusion's SD-WAN exemplifies this shift by embracing telemetry for superior performance monitoring and management. In this article, we'll explore how SNMP works, its limitations, and why telemetry is becoming the preferred option for modern networks.

SNMP Polling | The Legacy Approach

SNMP, developed in the late 1980s, is a protocol used for network management and monitoring. It allows network administrators to collect data from devices such as routers, switches, firewalls, and servers. These devices expose various MIBs (Management Information Bases), which are databases of network parameters and counters. SNMP polling works by sending a request from the network management system (NMS) to a device, asking for specific data points, such as:

Interface traffic statistics (input/output packets)
Error counters (CRC errors, collisions)
CPU and memory usage
Device uptime and status

The devices respond with the requested data, which the NMS aggregates and analyzes.

How SNMP Polling Detects Network Errors

One of SNMP’s strengths is its ability to poll error counters and diagnose network issues. Devices maintain a series of counters that track anomalies like:

CRC errors (indicating potential cabling or hardware issues)
Collisions (suggesting duplex mismatches or network congestion)
Packet drops (caused by full buffers or bandwidth limitations)

By regularly polling these counters, network administrators can detect trends or sudden spikes in errors, helping identify problems like faulty interfaces, congested links, or misconfigurations before they impact network performance.

Limitations of SNMP Polling

Despite its usefulness, SNMP polling has some inherent limitations:

Polling Intervals: SNMP typically polls devices at fixed intervals, such as every 5 minutes. This can lead to gaps in the data, especially for transient issues that occur between polls. If a problem happens and is resolved before the next poll, it may go undetected.
Scalability: Polling introduces overhead, both on the network management system and on the devices being polled. As networks grow in size and complexity, the number of SNMP queries can overwhelm devices, causing performance degradation.
Data Granularity: SNMP polling provides only a snapshot of the network's status at a specific moment in time, leading to a lack of granularity. Fast changes in network conditions can be missed entirely, limiting visibility into real-time performance.
Latency: Because SNMP waits for a device to respond to a poll request, there’s an inherent delay in gathering and analyzing data. This latency can hinder rapid response to critical network issues.

Telemetry | The Future of Network Monitoring

In contrast to SNMP, telemetry represents a more modern and efficient method of collecting network data. Rather than relying on polling, telemetry enables devices to stream data continuously to a centralized system in real-time. This eliminates many of the drawbacks associated with traditional SNMP.

Benefits of Telemetry Over SNMP Polling

Real-Time Data: Telemetry allows for the constant streaming of data, which provides real-time visibility into network performance. There are no gaps between polling intervals, so even short-lived issues are captured, making it easier to detect problems as they happen.
Reduced Overhead: Telemetry streaming is more efficient than SNMP polling. Instead of sending repeated requests to devices, telemetry streams only the relevant data directly from the network device to the management platform. This reduces the processing burden on both the management system and the network device.
Scalability: Telemetry is designed to handle the increased demands of large, complex networks. With the growth of cloud services, SD-WAN, IoT, and edge computing, telemetry scales more effectively than SNMP by avoiding the limitations imposed by polling frequencies and request-response cycles.
Granularity: Telemetry provides much more granular data than SNMP, offering a deeper insight into network performance metrics. Detailed data on packet loss, jitter, latency, and other key metrics are continuously sent, providing a far clearer picture of the network's health and making it easier to identify root causes of issues.

Telemetry in Fusion’s SD-WAN

Fusion’s SD-WAN platform leverages telemetry rather than relying on SNMP polling, enabling superior real-time monitoring and optimization across the network. Here’s how telemetry improves SD-WAN functionality:

Dynamic Path Selection: By continuously streaming performance data from all available network links, telemetry allows Fusion’s SD-WAN to dynamically select the best path for each type of traffic. This minimizes packet loss, latency, and jitter in real time, ensuring high application performance.
Proactive Issue Resolution: With telemetry, Fusion’s SD-WAN can detect network degradation before it significantly impacts performance. Automatic adjustments and failover mechanisms can be triggered based on real-time data, ensuring seamless network operations without the delay associated with SNMP polling.
Deeper Insights: Telemetry streaming enables Fusion’s SD-WAN to collect more detailed data, offering administrators a comprehensive view of network behavior. This includes fine-grained statistics about bandwidth utilization, quality of service (QoS), and security, allowing better-informed decisions and more effective network management.

When to Use Telemetry Over SNMP Polling

While SNMP polling may still be suitable for smaller networks or environments where real-time data isn’t crucial, telemetry is the better choice in several situations:

Large, Dynamic Networks: As networks grow in scale and complexity (such as in SD-WAN, cloud, and multi-site environments), telemetry’s ability to handle high volumes of data in real time is essential.
High-Sensitivity Applications: For applications requiring low latency, high availability, and stringent performance metrics (like voice, video, and financial trading systems), telemetry’s granularity and immediacy are critical.
Proactive Monitoring: If the goal is to prevent issues before they impact the network, telemetry is far more effective at identifying early warning signs than SNMP polling, which might miss brief yet significant anomalies.

Wrap

SNMP polling has been the workhorse of network management for decades, but it has clear limitations in today’s fast-paced, dynamic networking environments. Telemetry streaming, embraced by solutions like Fusion’s SD-WAN, offers a better approach to monitoring and optimizing network performance in real time. By continuously streaming data, telemetry enables more efficient troubleshooting, more responsive traffic management, and ultimately, a more resilient network infrastructure. For modern, scalable, and performance-critical networks, telemetry is the clear path forward.

Ronald Bartels ensures that Internet inhabiting things are connected reliably online at Fusion Broadband South Africa - the leading specialized SD-WAN provider in South Africa. Learn more about the best SD-WAN in the world: 👉Contact Fusion🚀

https://hubandspoke.amastelek.com/cappuccino-a-day

💡Understanding SNMP Polling & the Rise of Telemetry in Modern Networksℹ️