In SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), Potential OIDs are Object Identifiers that you can use to monitor the health, performance, status, and operational behavior of network devices in a Network Management System (NMS).
These OIDs are selected from a device’s Management Information Base (MIB) because they represent meaningful metrics that help monitor and manage the device effectively. The identification of potential OIDs depends on the device type, supported MIBs and monitoring requirements.

How to Identify Potential OIDs in SNMP

When building monitoring templates for a Network Management System (NMS), the objective is to select metrics that provide clear visibility into:

  • Device availability
  • Performance, health, and hardware status
  • Device-specific functionality

These metrics are broadly classified into:

  • Generic Metrics (common across all devices)
  • Device-Specific Metrics (based on device role)

Generic Metrics (Applicable to All Network Devices)

These metrics are derived from standard MIBs such as SNMPv2-MIB, IF-MIB, and are supported across most vendors.

Core Generic Metrics:

  • System Uptime
  • Interface Status
  • Inbound Traffic
  • Outbound Traffic
  • Inbound Discards
  • Outbound Discards
  • Inbound Errors
  • Outbound Errors

Device-Specific Metrics

These metrics depend on the role and functionality of the device.

Switches:

  • CPU Utilization
  • Memory Utilization
  • Interface Utilization
  • Temperature
  • Fan Status (Up/Down / Failed)
  • Fan Speed (RPM / Percentage)
  • Power Supply Status
  • Voltage

Routers:

  • CPU Utilization
  • Memory Utilization
  • Interface Utilization
  • Routing Protocol Status (BGP / OSPF)
  • Temperature
  • Fan Status (Up/Down / Failed)
  • Fan Speed (RPM / Percentage)
  • Power Supply Status
  • Voltage

Firewalls:

  • CPU Utilization
  • Memory Utilization
  • Active Sessions / Connections
  • Session Rate
  • VPN Tunnel Status
  • Firewall Throughput
  • Dropped Packets
  • Temperature
  • Fan Status (Up/Down / Failed)
  • Fan Speed (RPM / Percentage)
  • Power Supply Status
  • Voltage

WLAN Access Points (APs):

  • Device Status (Up/Down)
  • Client Count
  • Channel Utilization
  • Error Rates
  • Traffic Throughput
  • Signal Strength

WLAN Controllers:

  • CPU Utilization
  • Memory Utilization
  • Managed AP Status
  • Total Client Count
  • License Usage
  • Rogue AP Detection
  • Roaming Events
  • Temperature
  • Fan Status (Up/Down / Failed)
  • Voltage

PDUs (Power Distribution Units):

  • Power Load (Amps)
  • Voltage
  • Current
  • Power Consumption
  • Outlet Status
  • Temperature
  • Humidity

Steps to identify Potential OIDs in SNMP

  • Analyze device MIB files to identify potential OIDs for required metrics.
  • If required OIDs are not clearly identified, perform web and competitive analysis for similar devices.
  • Validate identified OIDs using SNMP walk.
    • Only OIDs that have support in the SNMP walk output should be considered.
    • OIDs not present in the SNMP walk output will not provide data.
  • If no useful metrics are found through MIBs or search.
    • Perform reverse engineering of SNMP walk output:
    • Identify supported OIDs
    • Map them to corresponding MIBs
    • Evaluate whether they can be used for monitoring
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