KanREN Launches KanVIEW, a New Network Telemetry and Data Service
KanREN has officially launched a new network service, KanVIEW, moving members away from the legacy SNAPP monitoring tool to a modern, Grafana based platform. The new service, available now at kanview.kanren.net, gives members a faster, more detailed, and easier to use view into network performance.
What's Different
KanVIEW is built on Grafana, a widely used, actively maintained, open-source data visualization and observability platform. Instead of SNMP's pull-based model, the new system uses telemetry, meaning routers push data to a collector automatically. This shift brings several improvements:
Automatic discovery: When a connection is moved or added, the system automatically detects the interface and parses existing descriptions and tags, without manual entry.
Higher resolution data: Telemetry collects data continuously over time rather than in periodic snapshots, and it uses a structured data model that's easier to parse and analyze.
Longer, richer history: Members can view both real-time and historical data, not just a live snapshot.
More detail per device: Interface type, running services, tags, and other metadata are available beyond simple throughput numbers.
New Features Available Now
The updated interface includes several tools members didn't have with SNAPP:
Shareable views: Dashboards can be shared directly with a link, so there's no need to take and send screenshots. A Share feature in the upper right of the page also allows for snapshots when needed.
Network weathermap: A visual map shows real-time traffic and utilization across KanREN's network. Where SNAPP showed an outage in grey, the new system displays it in red, making problems easier to spot at a glance.
Tag-based search: Members can search and filter views by tags such as location or traffic type (for example, MPLS or DR traffic).
Router proxy and traceroute: From the main page, members can traceroute between two connections or look up external routes off-network.
Maintenance calendar: A built-in calendar shows scheduled maintenance and its expected impact.
Direct support access: An "Open a support ticket" link launches your email client, making it simple to reach KanREN's support team.
Response time data: The service also tracks response times for various services.
Access and Availability
Like SNAPP, the new KanVIEW service is currently public. Anyone with the URL, kanview.kanren.net, can view the dashboards. Members wanting more customized, login-based dashboards can request an account by emailing support@kanren.org. KanREN is evaluating options for simplified account management in the future, including the possibility of using InCommon credentials, to simplify account access rather than requiring members to create separate usernames and passwords.
Timeline
Data collection for the new service began on June 18, 2026. SNAPP will remain available through August 31, after which it will be decommissioned and members will no longer be able to access it directly. Historical SNAPP data will be preserved and made available to members by request.
Join Us for Virtual Office Hours
Want to learn more and ask questions directly? Join Executive Director Chris Crook's Virtual Office Hours on Friday, Aug. 7 at 11 a.m. via Zoom. More information is available at on our event page. This is a chance to see the new KanVIEW service in action and get your questions answered live.
Questions?
Visit kanview.kanren.net to explore your organization's dashboard, or use the "Open a support ticket" link on the site to reach KanREN's support team with any questions.
