---
title: "NMS Setup"
slug: "nms-setup"
description: "Set up NMS in the Kentik portal to monitor devices efficiently. Follow the NMS Setup Wizard for deployment, credentialing, and discovery."
updated: 2026-10-01T23:07:18Z
published: 2026-10-01T23:07:18Z
canonical: "kb.kentik.com/nms-setup"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.kentik.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# NMS Setup

This article discusses the initial setup of **NMS** (Network Monitoring System) in the Kentik portal.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** For an overview of the initial Kentik setup tasks, see [**Getting Started**](/v1/docs/getting-started).

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/082e25b5-afce-42d4-8f47-70bd3f1d02b7/Images/Documentation/image(53).png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-29T01%3A53%3A15Z&se=2026-10-29T02%3A53%3A15Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=PdgX9fSj0g2jaWJZ7vZq%2BfBS2ZMC9I%2BlxQeZjIiSlxo%3D)

*NMS Setup discovers devices for NMS monitoring.*

## About NMS Setup

Kentik’s NMS (Network Monitoring System) discovers and monitors devices within your infrastructure. Setup is managed via the [**NMS Setup Wizard**](/v1/docs/nms-setup#nms-setup-wizard), which configures the [**Universal Agent**](/v1/docs/universal-agents) to collect metrics and transmit them to the Kentik SaaS.

### Access the NMS Setup Wizard

**New/Trial Customers**:

- Go to the **Welcome to Network Observability** page during onboarding.
- NMS setup is listed as one of the setup tasks on the left.

**Existing Deployments**:

- From the main portal nav menu, open the NMS Devices page.
- Select the Manage dropdown in the subnav and click **Discoveries** to open the [**NMS Discoveries**](/v1/docs/nms-setup#nms-discoveries-page-ui) page.
- Click **Discover Devices** to open the wizard.

### How NMS Polling Works

Unlike non-NMS applications involving SNMP, NMS requires the [**Universal Agent**](/v1/docs/universal-agents) to be deployed within your network. The following default polling intervals apply:

| Metric Type | Polling Interval |
| --- | --- |
| Device Status, CPU, Memory, Interfaces | 1 minute |
| All other metrics | 5 minutes |

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** These intervals can be overridden by using Streaming Telemetry (ST) for supported devices (see [**NMS via Streaming Telemetry**](/v1/docs/nms-setup#nms-via-streaming-telemetry)).

## NMS Setup Wizard

The setup process is divided into three main steps: deployment, credentialing, and discovery.

### Step 1: Deploy the Universal Agent

1. Navigate to the **NMS Setup** page.
2. Select your deployment method: Docker or Linux.
3. Copy the provided install command.
  - Optional*:* If using a web proxy, set the `https_proxy` variable as shown in the UI.
4. Run the command in the terminal on the host machine.
5. Once the agent appears in the Select an Agent list, click **Use this Agent**.

> [!TIP]
> **TIP**: The SNMP/ST capability of the Universal Agent will be installed automatically by the wizard. To install other capabilities for it, or any other agent, see [**Install a Capability**](/v1/docs/ua-portal-management#install-a-capability).

### Step 2: Add Subnets & Credentials

1. In the **IP Range** field, enter a comma-separated list of IP ranges to scan.
2. From the **Credentials** dropdown, either select existing SNMP credentials or click **New Credential** and specify the following:
  - **Type:** SNMP version (v1, v2c, or v3).
  - **Credential Name**: Any user chosen name (no spaces).
  - **Community:** The SNMP community string configured on your devices.
3. Confirm the **Collection Agent** and click **Start Discovery**.

### Step 3: Discover and Import

The agent scans the provided ranges. Results populate in real-time.

1. Review the Discovered Devices list.

> [!TIP]
> **TIP**: Click the customize button to choose which columns of information are shown in the list.
2. Uncheck any devices you do not wish to monitor.
3. Click **Add Devices** to begin data collection and open the [**NMS Devices**](/v1/docs/nms-devices#nms-devices-page) page.

## Manage NMS Discoveries

Device discovery may take time depending on network size. You can monitor progress via the status indicator in the main navbar or by clicking **Manage Discoveries** on the [**NMS Discoveries**](/v1/docs/nms-setup#nms-discoveries-page-ui) page.

### Discovery Status Types

- **In Progress:** Scanning is active; an estimated time remaining is provided.
- **Finished:** All IPs have been scanned.
- **Started/Completed:** Timestamps for the discovery window.

## NMS via Streaming Telemetry

Streaming Telemetry offers a modern alternative to traditional SNMP polling.

> [!NOTE]
> **Notes:**
> 
> - Kentik also has limited support for collection via ST of data for the Kentik Data Engine (see [**SNMP and ST KDE Support**](/v1/docs/snmp-and-streaming-telemetry#snmp-and-st-kde-support)).
> - For information about differences between SNMP and Streaming Telemetry, see [**SNMP vs. Streaming Telemetry**](/v1/docs/snmp-and-streaming-telemetry#snmp-vs-streaming-telemetry).

### Comparison: SNMP vs. ST

- **Efficiency:** ST uses a subscription model, reducing CPU load on devices.
- **Granularity:** Supports sub-second data collection (defaulting to 30s in Kentik).
- **Accuracy:** Data is timestamped at the source, eliminating transit-time jitter.
- **Data Availability**: Some vendors (e.g., Juniper) are making new data types available only via ST.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** For assistance with any obstacles to your adoption of ST, contact Kentik (see [**Customer Care**](/v1/docs/customer-care)).

### Supported ST Protocols

| Feature | Supported | Not Supported |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Transport | gRPC | TCP, UDP |
| Session | Dial-in (gNMI) | Dial-out |
| Encoding | JSON, Protobuf (GPB) | XML |

### Implementing ST (Two-Phase Process)

To use ST, a device must first be discovered via the [**NMS Setup Wizard**](/v1/docs/nms-setup#nms-setup-wizard) to map its SNMP components.

1. **Device Config:** Configure your hardware (Cisco, Juniper, or Arista) for gNMI Dial-in (see Kentik’s [**Configuration Repo**](https://github.com/kentik) for vendor-specific examples).
2. ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/082e25b5-afce-42d4-8f47-70bd3f1d02b7/Images/Documentation/image(61).png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-29T01%3A53%3A15Z&se=2026-10-29T02%3A53%3A15Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=PdgX9fSj0g2jaWJZ7vZq%2BfBS2ZMC9I%2BlxQeZjIiSlxo%3D)**Kentik Portal Config:** Navigate to Device Settings > **Streaming Telemetry** and enable **Dial-In from Universal Agent**.

### What Changes After Enabling ST?

Once enabled, the Universal Agent stops polling SNMP for CPU, memory, and interface stats, switching to ST intervals:

- **Default Metrics:** 30-second collection.
- **CPU Metrics:** 2-second collection (visible as live updates on the **NMS Devices** page).

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** SNMP polling **continues** for non-telemetry data such as hardware make/model and BGP monitoring.

### View Results

ST data is normalized into the same schema as SNMP. You can view integrated results in the [**NMS Dashboard**](/v1/docs/nms-dashboard), [**Metrics Explorer**](/v1/docs/metrics-explorer), and [**NMS Devices**](/v1/docs/nms-devices) pages. To verify if a device is actively using ST, check the **Dial-In from Universal Agent** checkbox status in the device's Settings dialog (see [**Device ST Settings**](/v1/docs/device-settings#device-st-settings)).

## NMS Discoveries Page UI

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/082e25b5-afce-42d4-8f47-70bd3f1d02b7/Images/Documentation/image(55).png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-29T01%3A53%3A15Z&se=2026-10-29T02%3A53%3A15Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=PdgX9fSj0g2jaWJZ7vZq%2BfBS2ZMC9I%2BlxQeZjIiSlxo%3D)

*A list of NMS discoveries.*

The Discoveries page provides a list of NMS discoveries, ongoing or completed, initiated from the [**NMS Setup Wizard**](/v1/docs/nms-setup#nms-setup-wizard), and includes the following:

- **Discover Devices** (button): Opens the [**NMS Setup Wizard**](/v1/docs/nms-setup#nms-setup-wizard) to deploy agents, discover devices in specified IP ranges, and turn on monitoring for those devices. Discoveries started in the wizard are be listed on the Discoveries page.
- **Discoveries** (list): Lists a card for each discovery, including the following UI elements:
  - **Discovery status**: The status of the discovery:
    - **Finished**: All IPs specified in the [**NMS Setup Wizard**](/v1/docs/nms-setup#nms-setup-wizard) have been scanned.
    - **In progress**: The scan of IPs has not completed. An estimate is provided of the time remaining.
  - **Started**: The date-time at which the scan began.
  - **Completed**: The date-time at which the scan finished (if completed).
  - **Completion percentage**: A horizontal bar and accompanying numeric indicator of the percent of the IPs that have been scanned.
  - **IPs scanned**: The number of IPs scanned.
  - **Devices found**: The number of devices found.
  - **View Details** (button): Opens the [**Discovery Details Page**](/v1/docs/nms-setup#discovery-details-page) for this discovery.
  - **Dismiss** (button): Removes the discovery from the list.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note**: Discoveries stay on the list unless manually dismissed.

### Discovery Details Page

The Discovery Details page provides details about a discovery on the [**NMS Discoveries**](/v1/docs/nms-setup#nms-discoveries-page) page, and includes:

- **Information Pane**: A set of indicators about the discovery. Click **Dismiss** to close the pane if desired.
- **Device List**: The list of devices discovered so far, including:

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** By default, the Select device checkmarks for all found devices are on.
  - **Search**: Click to enter search terms by which to filter the devices list.
  - **Monitored device count**: The number of devices selected for monitoring.
  - **Add Devices**: Click to initiate NMS monitoring for the selected devices.
  - **Select all**: A checkbox to toggle selection of all devices on or off.
  - **Select device**: A checkbox to select an individual device for monitoring.
  - **Columns**: Information about each listed device (see [**Discovery Details Columns**](/v1/docs/nms-setup#discovery-details-columns)).

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/082e25b5-afce-42d4-8f47-70bd3f1d02b7/Images/Documentation/image(58).png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-29T01%3A53%3A15Z&se=2026-10-29T02%3A53%3A15Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=PdgX9fSj0g2jaWJZ7vZq%2BfBS2ZMC9I%2BlxQeZjIiSlxo%3D)

*The Details page for an NMS discovery*

#### Discovery Details Columns

The following columns are shown in the Device list for each discovery:

- **Status**: A set of lozenges indicating the status of the device:
  - **Up**: Indicates the device is intended to be operational.
  - **Down**: Indicates the device is intentionally not operational.
- **Name**: The device name specified during registration or editing.
- **IP Address**: The IP address(es) from which the device sends data to Kentik.
- **Object ID**: The device's globally unique identifier used in SNMP (sysObjectID).
- **Vendor**: The device manufacturer.
- **Model**: The device model number.
- **Device ID**: The Kentik-assigned device ID.
- **Monitoring Template**: A dropdown to select a monitoring template for the device:
  - Select one of Kentik’s presets (e.g., Everything, Minimal) or one of your own custom templates.
  - Click **Create NMS Template** to open the dialog to create a new template.
  - Click **Manage Templates** to open the Manage Templates page.

## Related

- [Kentik NMS Configuration](/kentik-nms-configuration.md)
- [NMS Devices](/nms-devices.md)
- [Network Monitoring](/nms-overview.md)