SNMP Polling Calculator
Size SNMP polling load: varbinds per second, PDUs per cycle, bandwidth and daily data points.
Inputs
Varbinds Per Second
200.0varbinds/s
Varbinds Per Poll Cycle
60,000
SNMP PDUs Per Cycle
2,500
Polling Bandwidth
192.00kbit/s
Data Points Per Day
17,280,000
Step by step
Values used
Monitored devices = 500 devices; OIDs polled per device = 120 OIDs; Poll interval = 300 s; Bytes per varbind = 60 bytes; GETBULK max-repetitions = 25 varbinds
SNMP Polling
poll load = OIDs × devices ÷ poll interval, giving varbinds retrieved per second.
GETBULK request count
PDUs per cycle = devices × ceil(OIDs ÷ max-repetitions)
Varbinds Per Second
= 200.0 varbinds/s
Varbinds Per Poll Cycle
= 60,000
SNMP PDUs Per Cycle
= 2,500
Polling Bandwidth
= 192.00 kbit/s
Data Points Per Day
= 17,280,000
How it works
Varbind rate is the total object count divided by the interval — the sustained work the poller must do. GETBULK packs many varbinds into one response, so PDU count depends on max-repetitions, and bandwidth doubles because every request has a matching reply. Poller capacity is measured in varbinds per second, and shortening a five-minute interval to one minute multiplies load fivefold on both the collector and every polled agent's CPU.
Formulas
SNMP Polling
poll load = OIDs × devices ÷ poll interval, giving varbinds retrieved per second.
- OIDs
- Object identifiers polled per device
- devices
- Devices in the polling group
- poll interval
- Seconds between polling cycles
GETBULK request count
PDUs per cycle = devices × ceil(OIDs ÷ max-repetitions)
- max-repetitions
- Varbinds returned per GETBULK response
Frequently Asked Questions
How is SNMP Polling calculated?
poll load = OIDs × devices ÷ poll interval, giving varbinds retrieved per second. Varbind rate is the total object count divided by the interval — the sustained work the poller must do. GETBULK packs many varbinds into one response, so PDU count depends on max-repetitions, and bandwidth doubles because every request has a matching reply.
Why does SNMP Polling matter?
Poller capacity is measured in varbinds per second, and shortening a five-minute interval to one minute multiplies load fivefold on both the collector and every polled agent's CPU.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Monitored devices, OIDs polled per device, Poll interval, Bytes per varbind, GETBULK max-repetitions. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.
Why does max-repetitions matter so much?
Each PDU costs a round trip and an agent CPU cycle. Raising max-repetitions cuts the number of exchanges dramatically, but set it too high and responses exceed the path MTU and fragment or get dropped — 25 to 50 is the usual safe range.
You might also need
- NTP Drift CalculatorCommonly used together
- Syslog Growth CalculatorCommonly used together
- NetFlow Storage CalculatorCommonly used together
- LDAP Query CalculatorAlso in DNS & Network Services
- Service Discovery CalculatorAlso in DNS & Network Services
- Infrastructure Services Health Score CalculatorAlso in DNS & Network Services