---
type: SNMP Concept
title: "History of SNMP: From SGMP to SNMPv3 (Timeline)"
description: "Timeline from SGMP through SNMPv1, SNMPv2p, SNMPv2c, and SNMPv3 STD 62."
resource: "https://snmp-monitoring.info/what-is-snmp/history/"
tags: [what-is-snmp]
timestamp: 2026-07-10T00:00:00Z
---

# History of SNMP: From SGMP to SNMPv3 (Timeline)

Timeline from SGMP through SNMPv1, SNMPv2p, SNMPv2c, and SNMPv3 STD 62.

## Related concepts

- Up: [What Is SNMP? Simple Network Management Protocol Explained](/what-is-snmp/index.md)

## Frequently asked questions

### When was SNMP invented?

SNMPv1 as the first major standard is RFC 1157 in 1990, after SGMP (RFC 1028). People say "late 1980s / 1990" and they're in the right ballpark.

### Why did SNMPv2 fail?

The secure/party-based SNMPv2p work (RFC 1441–1452, 1993) was complex and didn't win broad adoption. The features people wanted partly survived in v2c; the heavy security framework didn't become the default.

### What replaced SNMPv2?

In practice, SNMPv2c became the workhorse community-based v2, and SNMPv3 became the security-capable line (STD 62, RFC 3411–3418).

### Is SNMPv1 obsolete?

For new deployments, yes—treat it as obsolete. It may still answer on old hardware; that doesn't make it acceptable on exposed networks.

## Source

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