Telegraf Noob - Multiple SNMP Inputs Only First Used

Hello,

I’m implementing the TICK stack on Debian Jessie and everything has been really smooth up to this point.

I’m trying to setup (using Telegraf 1.7.2) one of my Telegraf hosts so that it will monitor itself via SNMP and monitor a UPS also via SNMP.

The host monitoring itself part works like a champ with something like this in my telegraf.conf file:

[[inputs.snmp]]
agents = [ "127.0.0.1:161" ]
timeout = "5s"
version = 2c
community = "amazingString"
name = "snmp"

[[inputs.snmp.field]]
name = "hostname"
oid = "RFC1213-MIB::sysName.0"
is_tag = true

[[inputs.snmp.field}}
name = "prNames.1"
oid = "UCD-SNMP-MIB::prNames.1"
is_tag = true

This works great - I can see the SNMP agent when I test and I actually see data over in Chronograf.

When I add the next bit below to the same file the second agent doesn’t show up in the test but running snmpwalk manually shows that I have the right authorization, right OID, etc.

[[inputs.snmp]]
agents = [ "10.0.0.1:161" ]
timeout = "5s"
version = 1
community = "moreAmazingAction"

[[inputs.snmp.field]]
name = "hostname"
oid = "RFC1213-MIB::sysName.0"
is_tag = true

[[inputs.snmp.table]]
name = "ups-somewhere"
inherit_tags = [ "hostname" ]

[[inputs.snmp.table.field]]
name = "xupsBatTimeRemaining.0"
oid = "XUPS-MIB::xupsBatTimeRemaining.0"
is_tag = true

If I have both entries in telegraf.conf I only see the first one in my test and only the first one (localhost) logs data.

If I split out the second item to a config file under /etc/telegraf/telegraf.d that config isn’t recognized by the test unless I specifically point the test at that config file and at that point the test comes back fine but I don’t end up with data being logged across to Chronograf.

At first I thought this was because I was using SNMPv3 for my target remote SNMP host but the same issue happens with SNMPv1.

In both cases a straight snmpwalk from this same host using SNMPv3 or SNMPv1 works just fine.

I think my config is a little bit off and I’m not sure if I need/don’t need the inputs.snmp.table.field declaration or not with a remote host.

I’m missing something but I can’t figure out where things are off.

Does it work if you remove the is_tag = true for XUPS-MIB::xupsBatTimeRemaining.0, changing the collected data from a tag to a field? Recall that you must have at least one field for each point, it can’t only have tags.

Based on the OID name, you probably don’t want this value to be a tag anyway since it will be frequently changing and doesn’t identify the series in a meaningful way.

Unfortunately no difference if I have is_tag present or not on the XUPS MIB item.

Running ‘telegraf --test’ gets me one and only one snmp agent return and that is the localhost configuration item only.

Leaving is_tag out, what about oid = "XUPS-MIB::xupsBatTimeRemaining"? If that still doesn’t do it, what is the output of this command:

snmpwalk -v1 -c moreAmazingAction -On 10.0.0.1:161 XUPS-MIB::xupsBatTimeRemaining

Changing the Telegraf stanza to look like this:

[[inputs.snmp]]
agents = [ "10.0.0.1:161" ]
timeout = "5s"
retries = 3
version = 1
community = "moreAmazingAction"

[[inputs.snmp.field]]
name = "hostname"
oid = "RFC1213-MIB::sysName.0"
is_tag = true

[[inputs.snmp.table]]
name = "ups-somewhere"
inherit_tags = [ "hostname" ]

[[inputs.snmp.table.field]]
name = "xupsBatTimeRemaining"
oid = "XUPS-MIB::xupsBatTimeRemaining"

Yields no change in the ‘telegraf --test’ meaning I see localhost show up as an SNMP agent but nothing more as far as my downstream/remote UPS.

If I run the following from the same host I get a data return:

snmpwalk -v1 -c moreAmazingAction -On 10.0.0.1:161 XUPS-MIB::xupsBatTimeRemaining
.1.3.6.1.4.1.534.1.2.1.0 = INTEGER: 5525 seconds

I finally worked it out through careful trial and error using diff files to track changes.

This is what works:

# Localhost snmp configuration
[[inputs.snmp]]
agents = [ "127.0.0.1:161" ]
timeout = "5s"
retries = 3
version = 1
community = "someString"

name = "snmp"

[[inputs.snmp.field]]
name = "hostname"
oid = "RFC1213-MIB::sysName.0"
is_tag = true

# Service name at index 1 in /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf
# example proc nginx
[[inputs.snmp.field]]
name = "prNames.1"
oid = "UCD-SNMP-MIB::prNames.1"
is_tag = true

# Service count for service index 1
[[inputs.snmp.field]]
name = "prCount.1"
oid = "UCD-SNMP-MIB::prCount.1"

# Now a remote UPS
[[inputs.snmp]]
agents = [ "10.0.0.1:161" ]
timeout = "5s"
retries = 3
version = 1
community = "SecretSquirrel"

name = "ups-somewhere"

[[inputs.snmp.field]]
name = "hostname"
oid = "RFC1213-MIB::sysName.0"
# is_tag = true

[[inputs.snmp.field]]
name = "xupsBatTimeRemaining.0"
oid = "XUPS-MIB::xupsBatTimeRemaining"

The key is the commented out ‘is_tag’ as with that in place the item drops out.

I can’t speak to the why yet just that the model works meaning I see it with ‘telegraf --test’ under the name I assigned to the remote SNMP host and in Chronograf I can see the data in the Data Explorer when I find the remote SNMP host now.

I appreciate all of the help on this.

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