--- type: Setup Guide title: "How to Install & Configure snmpd on Ubuntu / Debian" description: "Install the net-snmp agent on Ubuntu/Debian with apt, configure a secure read-only snmpd.conf, open the firewall, and test with snmpwalk." resource: "https://snmp-monitoring.info/setup/ubuntu-debian/" tags: [setup] timestamp: 2026-07-11T00:00:00Z --- # How to Install & Configure snmpd on Ubuntu / Debian Install the net-snmp agent on Ubuntu/Debian with apt, configure a secure read-only snmpd.conf, open the firewall, and test with snmpwalk. ## Related concepts - Up: [SNMP Setup & Configuration: Install, Secure & Test](/setup/index.md) ## Frequently asked questions ### How do I install snmpd on Ubuntu? Run sudo apt update && sudo apt install snmpd snmp. snmpd is the agent, snmp provides the snmpwalk/snmpget client tools. Optionally add snmp-mibs-downloader so output resolves to names. Then edit /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf, restart snmpd, and open the firewall. ### Where is snmpd.conf on Debian/Ubuntu? The main config is /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf. On some releases, daemon options like the listen address are controlled by /etc/default/snmpd instead of the agentAddress directive — if the agent won't listen where you expect, check both files. ### Why does snmpd only listen on localhost? Debian and Ubuntu ship snmpd bound to 127.0.0.1 by default as a safe default. To expose it, set agentAddress udp:161 (or the specific management IP) in /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf, or adjust the listen line in /etc/default/snmpd on older releases, then restart the service. ### How do I test that it's working? From a manager that can reach the host, run snmpwalk -v2c -c system. Getting back sysDescr, sysUpTime and the system group confirms it's up and reachable. A timeout points at the listen address, firewall, or community/source restriction. ## Source Concept generated from https://snmp-monitoring.info/setup/ubuntu-debian/ — the SNMP Monitoring vendor-neutral knowledge base. Content is limited to what that page states (no external claims added here).