Abstract: A method and apparatus for statistics collection in a data communications network is presented that utilizes a lower level protocol to locally verify the status of the nodes included in each of the various segments within the network. Indications as to the functional status of each of the nodes included in each of the segments are maintained based on periodic status checks. This set of indications can then be referenced to determine whether or not statistics requests should be issued to particular nodes such that those nodes that are not properly functioning are not be polled. By ensuring that any statistics requests that are issued are being issued to functional nodes, statistics polling bandwidth which may have been wasted on non-functioning nodes is conserved, thus improving the likelihood that the statistics for the various portions of the network can be retrieved in a timely and loss-less manner.