Dynamic Interface Naming with ifIndex-Based Port Identification for SNMP Traffic Sensors
As a Network Engineer, I want PRTG SNMP Traffic sensors to dynamically update interface descriptors (ifAlias, ifDesc, ifName) on every scanning interval while using ifIndex as the primary immutable identifier for port identification, so that sensor names remain accurate and searchable when network device interface descriptions are changed through configuration management.
In cases where ifAlias, ifDesc, and ifName are used in port name templates, PRTG SNMP Traffic sensors should always pull these values and update them.
ifIndex should be used by default to identify the ports and the other OIDs should be used as dynamically updating fields on every scanning interval.
To have the flexibility for port identification other than ifIndex such as ifName, ifAlias, ifDesc, etc. then whichever OID is selected for port identification should be considered immutable. If the OID used for port identification cannot be found then the simple solution is to return an error.
There are users who rely on PRTG to dynamically update the sensor names when the descriptions are reconfigured on the device. By not implementing in this way, there is a possibility for error by having outdated and mislabeled interfaces.
Joshua Moore
shared this idea
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Justin Vickery commented
This is an annoyance for us as well. Having to delete and re-add sensors each time a description is changed is problematic.
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I will add that we have been told by Paessler support that if a description is not present in the SNMP OID on initial SNMP Traffic sensor creation then future description updates on the device will not work without deleting the SNMP Traffic sensor and adding it back again. We don't understand why this logic is necessary and much rather prefer to always scan for description from the device and update PRTG's sensor if it's different in PRTG.
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Adam Schaeffer commented
This is critical for us particularly with some interface types on open source routing systems. Really hoping this gets implemented soon. Thanks!
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I will also add that interface status (up or down administratively or operationally) should not have any bearing on this feature. PRTG should always poll and update regardless of interface status.