Network Management

SNMP polling failure status on ICMP-only nodes in NPM

This article explains an issue where an ICMP-only node in Network Performance Monitor (NPM) shows an SNMP polling failure status with the message “Cannot retrieve the required OID on the target device,” and how to resolve it by forcing the SolarWinds Platform to recalculate the node status.

First published date

8/6/2026 9:23 PM

Last published date

8/6/2026 9:23 PM

Overview

In NPM, nodes configured for ICMP-only polling should not be evaluated by SNMP pollers, and therefore should not report SNMP polling failures.
In some cases, however, an ICMP-only node can continue to show a Status Critical / SNMP polling failing condition with an SNMP error message, even though no SNMP pollers are currently assigned to that node.

Product section

Network Performance Monitor

Cause

This behavior occurs when there are stale SNMP polling error entries associated with the node in the SolarWinds Platform polling data, typically left over from a time when the node was previously polled via SNMP and later converted to ICMP-only.

Even though there are no active SNMP pollers for the node (for example, only ICMP pollers such as N.Status.ICMP.Native and N.ResponseTime.ICMP.Native are present), one or more historical SNMP polling errors remain open in the polling error data.
Because these error entries have not been closed out, the platform continues to evaluate the node as if an SNMP status poller is failing, resulting in a persistent SNMP polling failing status for an ICMP-only node.

Resolution

  1. Verify the node is ICMP-only and confirm symptoms

    1. In the SolarWinds Platform web console, open the affected node’s Node Details page.

    2. Confirm that the node is configured for ICMP-only polling (no SNMP credentials defined / no SNMP pollers assigned in Poller Checker or equivalent views).

    3. Confirm the node status or related alerts/reporting show SNMP polling failing with the error text Cannot retrieve the required OID on the target device.

  2. Temporarily unmanage the node to force a status recalculation

    1. From the node’s Management options, choose Unmanage.

    2. Set the unmanage window for at least 5 minutes to ensure the platform has time to recalculate status and clear any open polling error state for the node.

    3. Save the unmanage schedule.

  3. Remanage the node and trigger a manual poll

    1. After the unmanage period has elapsed, return to the node’s Management options and Remanage the node.

    2. From the Node Details page, use Poll Now (or the equivalent manual polling option) to immediately refresh the node status.

  4. Validate that the SNMP polling failure is cleared

    1. Refresh the Node Details page and confirm that:

      • The node no longer reports SNMP polling failing for status, and

      • The ICMP status and response time pollers are updating successfully.

    2. Verify that any alerts or dashboards that previously showed SNMP polling failing for this node now reflect the corrected ICMP-only status.