# How does Interface Status Polling work ?

OpManager monitors the availability of the interface and generates Up/Down alerts if the [interface status poll is enabled](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/help/configure-interfaces.html). The availability of the interface is decided by the Admin Status, or the Operation Status of the particular interface.

## What is the severity for Admin/ Operation down status

The severity level is determined by the combination of the Admin Status and the Operation Status, as shown in the table below.

| Admin Status | Operation Status | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Down | Any (Up / Down / Testing / Unknown / Dormant / Not present) | Critical |
| Up | Down | Trouble |
| Up | Testing / Unknown / Not present | Attention |
| Up | Up | Clear |
| Testing | Up | Clear |
| Testing | Down | Trouble |
| Testing | Others | Attention |

If you want only the interface traffic monitoring & not the up / down status of the interfaces, you can disable the status polling option for the interface. [Check here](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/help/configure-interfaces.html).

### Possible values for Admin status

| Admin status | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Up | Interface is up |
| Down | Interface is down |
| Testing | No operational packets can be passed |

### Possible values for Operation status

| Oper status | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Up | Ready to pass packets |
| Down | Can't pass packets |
| Testing | No operational packets can be passed |
| Unknown | Status cannot be determined for some reason |
| Dormant | Interface is waiting for external actions |
| Not Present | Some component is missing. Typically hardware |

You can configure the violation severity of the ineterfaces by defining the severity levels of the admin and operation status under **Settings > Configuration > Interface Templates**.

![Interface templates in OpManager: Severity levels settings](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/faq/images/interface-template-severity.PNG)

**Note**: Interface Status polling works only if the parent device is in Managed state. You can also disable it under **Inventory > Monitoring > Interfaces**. [Learn more.](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/faq/interface-statuspolling-disable-snapshot.html)

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**Frequently asked questions:**

1. [How to configure device downtime scheduler?](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/kb/device-downtime-schedules.html)
2. [What are the availability protocols available in OpManager?](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/kb/device-availability-monitoring-protocols.html)
3. [What are the different availability states available in OpManager?](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/kb/device-availability-state.html)
4. [How to configure device down settings?](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/kb/device-down-settings.html)
5. [What is the purpose of uplink dependency?](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/faq/device-dependency.html)
6. [How to calculate device availability uptime?](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/faq/calculate-device-availability-uptime.html)
7. [How do I disable interface status polling?](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/faq/interface-statuspolling-disable-snapshot.html)
8. [Why are some interfaces unmanaged?](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/faq/why-some-interfaces-unmanaged.html)