---
type: Monitoring Guide
title: "How to Monitor System Load Average via SNMP"
description: "How to Monitor System Load Average via SNMP"
resource: "https://snmp-monitoring.info/monitoring/system-load/"
tags: [monitoring]
timestamp: 2026-07-10T00:00:00Z
---

# How to Monitor System Load Average via SNMP

How to Monitor System Load Average via SNMP

## Related concepts

- Up: [SNMP Monitoring: The Complete How-To Guide](/monitoring/index.md)

## Frequently asked questions

### What OID is load average?

laLoad under 1.3.6.1.4.1.2021.10.1.3 (.1/.2/.3 = 1/5/15 min). Optional laLoadInt …10.1.5.

### Load average vs CPU usage?

Load ≈ run-queue depth over time; CPU % ≈ busy time. Not interchangeable—see table above.

### What is a high load?

Relative to core count. Load ≈ cores is busy; much higher is backlog.

### Why is load high but CPU idle?

Often I/O wait or uninterruptible sleep—processes waiting on disk/network storage, not burning CPU.

## Source

Concept generated from https://snmp-monitoring.info/monitoring/system-load/ — the SNMP Monitoring vendor-neutral knowledge base. Content is limited to what that page states (no external claims added here).