NinjaOne NMS: Custom SNMP

Topic

This article describes the process of adding custom object identifiers (OIDs) to NinjaOne's Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) library for use with NinjaOne Network Management System (NMS).

Environment

NinjaOne Network Management System (NMS)

Description

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a standard protocol used to monitor, manage, and collect data from devices on a network, including firewalls, switches, routers, and many other infrastructure components.

SNMP-enabled network devices (such as routers and switches) maintain databases of system status, availability, and performance information as objects, each identified by an OID.
While SNMP management platforms include many built-in monitoring options, you can use custom SNMP to monitor additional data points that providers do not include in their basic templates.

For example, custom SNMP allows you to do the following:

You can import object identifiers (OIDs) for most devices and monitor those parameters. For example, you could use custom SNMP to monitor toner levels for printers, system temperature, or available upgrades.
You can use the NMS policy editor to configure the SNMP Monitoring and Conditions sections to populate data on the Details tab of the device dashboard.
You can use the added or imported OIDs to update the NMS policy conditions to configure alerts and notifications if the monitored components breach the specified thresholds.

Refer to the Adding SNMP-Monitored Conditions section of this article to learn more about configuring Polls and Traps.

Basic SNMP Functions

NinjaOne uses SNMP to exchange management information between network devices. Through custom SNMP, you can check the status of devices and their specific states and hardware details. Custom SNMP even allows you to manage devices from a centralized location.

NinjaOne supports two types of SNMP action:

Poll: Polls are queries from the NMS Delegate to NMS-managed devices on the network. NinjaOne polls devices at regular intervals to gather key operational data, such as memory and storage usage, interface status, traffic in and out, and device make and model. Polling uses UDP and requires a request–response exchange. NinjaOne also uses this request timing as part of custom SNMP monitoring.
Trap: Traps are device‑generated events that NMS-managed devices automatically send to NinjaOne. Traps provide alerts about the device state or specific functions without requiring a poll. Traps are one‑way (UDP‑based) and flow from the device to the NMS Delegate.

Custom SNMP Requirements

You need the following to set up custom SNMP monitoring:

You must designate a computer on your network to serve as the monitoring device, or NMS Delegate.
- The NMS Delegate must be running the NinjaOne Agent.
- The NMS Delegate device must be assigned the NMS Delegate role. Refer to NinjaOne NMS: Network Discovery for more information.
The NMS Delegate must be able to reach the NMS device over the network. To ensure connectivity, complete both a ping and an SNMP test to verify that the community string is working correctly. We recommend using a free tool such as the Paessler SNMP tester.
You must have the proper object identifiers (OIDs). We have tested the OIDs from the Custom SNMP templates on specific models. However, these OIDs are model-dependent and might not work on your device. Be sure to consult the documentation provided with your device model.
The NMS device must have SNMP credentials assigned to allow the NMS Delegate to authenticate and poll the requested OIDs.
We recommend SNMP v3 credentials for better security. If v3 credentials are not possible, you can use v2 credentials as an alternative. Custom SNMP will allow V1 credentials, but we do not recommend them due to their weaker security and technical limitations.

Permission Requirements

You must grant technicians the proper permissions to access the SNMP library and SNMP monitoring functionality. Refer to NinjaOne Platform: Permission Settings for Technicians for more information.

Action	Permission setting name	Permission level
Access the Custom SNMP library	Custom SNMP library	View or higher
Access the SNMP Monitoring tab	Policies	View or higher.
View custom SNMP OIDs	Custom SNMP Library Policies	View and Update or higher
Add monitors from the Custom SNMP Library	Custom SNMP Library Policies	View and Update or higher

Configuring Custom SNMP

Follow this procedure to:

Add custom OIDs, or import OIDs from NinjaOne's pre-defined list of vendor, model, and monitor types.
Configure NMS policy conditions to populate monitoring data in the device's dashboard, send alerts, and notify technicians when monitored conditions breach their specified thresholds. thresholds.

The SNMP Library

The SNMP library is the repository that stores OIDs that you either add yourself or import from NinjaOne's list of pre-built vendor OID templates. You can sort OIDs in the library by Vendor/Model, Monitor name, and Device type.

Add an OID

In NinjaOne, navigate to Administration → Library → SNMP library. If the SNMP library option is missing, ensure your account has the appropriate permissions. Refer to the Permission Requirements section of this article for more information.

**Figure 1**: Administration → Library → SNMP library (click to enlarge)

Click Add OID.

**Figure 2**: SNMP library → Add OID (click to enlarge)

The Add OID Configuration window will open. Configure the following parameters, then click Save.

Option	Description
Vendor/Model	Enter the manufacturer and model of the device.
Monitor name	Give the OID a descriptive name.
Description	Add a description of the device's function.
Device Type	Select the device's function.
OID	Enter the device object Identifier (OID). You can obtain this from the Management Information Base (MIB) file provided by the device vendor.
Value type	Choose the correct value type for the data the OID will return to NinjaOne. The MIB file provided by the device vendor should show the correct value type on the Syntax line. Certain value types have an additional option to customize the meaning of one or more values. When the option is available, the Display Values hyperlink becomes clickable and opens a window.
Unit	Select the correct unit of measurement for the value returned by the OID.
Scale (multiplier)	Select the appropriate multiplier needed to convert the OID's data to a readable value. You must include an integer in front of the decimal place.

Import an OID From the SNMP Library

The Import OID option allows technicians to import vendor OID templates that NinjaOne has configured based on the most highly requested monitoring capabilities. The five vendors currently included in the import templates are APC, Dell, HP, QNAP, and Synology

In NinjaOne, navigate to Administration → Library → SNMP library, then click Import. If the SNMP library option is missing, ensure your account has the appropriate permissions. Refer to the Permission Requirements section of this article for more information.

**Figure 3**: Administration → Library → SNMP library → Import (click to enlarge)

The SNMP library window will open and display a list of all OID templates available for import. Select the OIDs and click Import.

**Figure 4**: SNMP library → Import (click to enlarge)

Edit and Delete OIDs

You can edit or delete OIDs by placing your cursor over them and selecting the applicable option. You must delete OIDs from all policies to fully remove them from the organization.

Add the OIDs to the NMS Policy

You must add the OIDs to an NMS policy to use them. Follow these steps to add the OIDs to your policy and set up monitoring parameters.

Add and Configure the SNMP Monitors

SNMP monitors specify the OIDs that the NMS Delegates should poll. The Delegate retrieves these values on a set schedule and reports the results to the NMS for health and status analysis. The NMS Delegate typically gathers interface statistics, device health metrics, performance data, system information, hardware status, and any custom OIDs required for monitoring.

In NinjaOne, navigate to Administration → Policies → NMS Policies, then choose a policy from the NMS policies list.

**Figure 5**: Administration → Policies → NMS policies (click to enlarge)

Activate the Enabled toggle, then set the monitoring intervals, which determine the time between each SNMP poll. As a best practice, do not set the SNMP polling interval to the shortest available, to avoid the possibility of the device showing as offline every few minutes.
The policy's configuration page will open. Click SNMP Monitoring → Add monitor from library. If this link is not present, ensure your permissions are set to View and Update or higher.

**Figure 6**: SNMP Monitoring → Add monitor from library (click to enlarge)

The Select OID(s) to monitor window will open and display a list of all OIDs available for monitoring. Select the OIDs and click Import. You can use the search bar and filter menus to narrow the list to specific OIDs.

**Figure 7**: The Select OID(s) to monitor window (click to enlarge)

Viewing Monitored OIDs

To view your monitored OIDs, click Custom SNMP Monitors on the NMS policy's configuration page, then scroll to the Custom SNMP Monitoring tab. Click Remove to delete a monitor.

**Figure 8**: SNMP Monitoring → Custom SNMP monitors (click to enlarge)

Adding Monitored Conditions

Conditions are the rules you set up to determine if the monitor should trigger an alert, notification, or action.

Only OIDs for monitors selected within the policy will appear in the Conditions field.
You can only configure one OID per condition.

SNMP Condition Types

NinjaOne supports two types of conditions for SNMP OIDs: Poll and Trap.

Poll: Polling allows NinjaOne to read and monitor the device. Through polling, NinjaOne can gain information such as memory, storage, Ethernet ports, traffic in and out, and the make and model. Polling is UDP-only and requires a request and a corresponding response. NinjaOne will use this request time as part of custom SNMP monitoring.
Trap: Traps capture alerts about the device's state or sub-function and report them back to NinjaOne, which in turn sends alerts and performs actions if a set condition is triggered.
- Traps are configured at the network device to send the information to the NMS Delegate.
- Traps are one-way (UDP-based), from the device to the NMS delegate.
- OIDs configured as an SNMP trap will appear in the device's Details → Trap view.
- Custom SNMP does not enable traps or provide any refinement to OIDs sent as an SNMP Trap.
- You can configure traps through NMS Policy conditions. Refer to NinjaOne NMS: Policy Management for more information.

Procedure

Follow these steps to add monitoring conditions:

In the NMS policy's editor, navigate to Conditions → Add a condition.

**Figure 9**: Conditions → Add a condition (click to enlarge)

The NMS Condition window will open. Click Select a condition.

**Figure 10**: The NMS Condition Window (click to enlarge)

In the Condition drop-down menu, choose Custom SNMP. When the SNMP Monitor field appears, click Select.

**Figure 11**: The NMS Condition window (click to enlarge)

The Select OID window will open, populated with a list of available OIDs. Select the OIDs you wish to monitor and click Add.

**Figure 12**: The Select OID window (click to enlarge)

After selecting your SNMP monitor, additional configuration options will open in the NMS Condition window. These options will vary based on the actions the condition will take. When finished, click Save.

To monitor the temperature of Disk 0 and trigger an alert if it climbs to 30 ° C or higher, you may choose:

A Disk 0 Temperature custom SNMP monitor with an Integer32 (32-bit integer) value type
An operator type of Greater than or equal to.
A threshold value of 30.

**Figure 13**: The NMS Condition window (click to enlarge)

The Custom SNMP tab may not appear on device dashboards when no OIDs for the device exist in the SNMP library. A monitored data point must also be available on the NMS device for the Custom SNMP tab to show in device details.

Custom SNMP data is available in the Details tab on the device dashboard. This data shows all the key values for OIDs that have been configured at the policy level for the policy governing the device.