FDB / MAC Forwarding Topology

Plugin: go.d.plugin Module: snmp_topology

Overview

Build the Layer 2 forwarding picture from switch MAC tables. Netdata reads the bridge forwarding database (BRIDGE-MIB / Q-BRIDGE-MIB) to learn which MAC addresses are seen on which switch ports — the basis for locating endpoints.

Netdata reads the BRIDGE-MIB and Q-BRIDGE-MIB forwarding tables over SNMP, with VLAN context, to map MAC addresses to switch ports.

This integration is supported on all platforms.

This integration supports multiple instances configured side-by-side.

Default Behavior

Auto-Detection

Discovered automatically on switches that expose the bridge forwarding database.

Limits

The default configuration for this integration does not impose any limits.

Performance Impact

The default configuration for this integration is not expected to impose a significant performance impact on the system.

Setup

You can configure the snmp_topology collector in two ways:

Method	Best for	How to
UI	Fast setup without editing files	Go to Nodes → Configure this node → Collectors → Jobs, search for snmp_topology, then click + to add a job.
File	If you prefer configuring via file, or need to automate deployments (e.g., with Ansible)	Edit `go.d/snmp.conf` and add a job.

Important
UI configuration requires paid Netdata Cloud plan.

Prerequisites

SNMP access

SNMP must be enabled on the device and reachable from the Netdata Agent acting as the site’s SNMP hub.

Configuration

Options

Configure the SNMP collector with the device hostname and SNMP credentials. See the SNMP collector reference for all options.

via UI

Configure the snmp_topology collector from the Netdata web interface:

Go to Nodes.
Select the node where you want the snmp_topology data-collection job to run and click the :gear: (Configure this node). That node will run the data collection.
The Collectors → Jobs view opens by default.
In the Search box, type snmp_topology (or scroll the list) to locate the snmp_topology collector.
Click the + next to the snmp_topology collector to add a new job.
Fill in the job fields, then click Test to verify the configuration and Submit to save.
- Test runs the job with the provided settings and shows whether data can be collected.
- If it fails, an error message appears with details (for example, connection refused, timeout, or command execution errors), so you can adjust and retest.

via File

The configuration file name for this integration is go.d/snmp.conf.

The file format is YAML. Generally, the structure is:

update_every: 1
autodetection_retry: 0
jobs:
  - name: some_name1
  - name: some_name2

You can edit the configuration file using the edit-config script from the Netdata config directory.

cd /etc/netdata 2>/dev/null || cd /opt/netdata/etc/netdata
sudo ./edit-config go.d/snmp.conf