Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10 User Guide Release 10.5.1

Telemetry

Network health relies on performance monitoring and data collection for analysis and troubleshooting. Network data is often collected with SNMP and CLI commands using the pull mode. In pull mode, a management device sends a get request and pulls data from a client. As the number of objects in the network and the metrics grow, traditional methods limit network scaling and efficiency. Using multiple management systems further limits network scaling. The pull model increases the processing load on a switch by collecting all data even when there is no change.

Streaming telemetry provides an alternative method where data is continuously transmitted from network devices with efficient, incremental updates. Operators subscribe to the specific data they need using well-defined sensor identifiers.

While SNMP management systems poll for data even if there is no change, streaming telemetry enables access to near real-time, model-driven, and analytics-ready data. It supports more effective network automation, traffic optimization, and preventative troubleshooting.

For example, streaming telemetry reports packet drops or high utilization on links in real time. A network automation application can use this information to provision new paths and optimize traffic transmission across the network. The data is encoded using Google Protocol Buffers (GPB) and streamed using Google Protocol RPC (gRPC) transport.