PRTG Manual: Root Group Settings
The root group is the highest instance in the object hierarchy and it is the parent to most other objects. Therefore, most objects inherit settings from the root group. So, before you create your own sensors, it is a good idea to review the root group's settings to make sure that they suit your needs.
If necessary, you can override every setting for every single child object. To do so, disable the respective inherit from option of an object.
The following settings are available on the Settings tab. All of the settings that you define here can be inherited to all other objects in your setup.
This documentation refers to an administrator that accesses the PRTG web interface on a master node. Other user accounts, interfaces, or failover nodes might not have all of the options in the way described here. In a cluster, note that failover nodes are read-only by default.
In this section:
- Basic Group Settings
- Location
- Credentials for Windows Systems
- Credentials for Linux/Solaris/macOS (SSH/WBEM) Systems
- Credentials for VMware/XenServer
- Credentials for SNMP Devices
- Credentials for Database Management Systems
- Credentials for AWS
- Credentials for Microsoft 365
- Credentials for Script Sensors
- Windows Compatibility Options
- SNMP Compatibility Options
- Proxy Settings
- Scanning Interval
- Schedules, Dependencies, and Maintenance Window
- Access Rights
- Channel Unit Configuration
- Advanced Network Analysis
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Group Name |
Enter a name to identify the group. By default, PRTG displays it in the device tree. If the name contains angle brackets (<>), PRTG replaces them with braces ({}) for security reasons. For more information, see the Knowledge Base: What security features does PRTG include? |
Monitoring Status |
Select the monitoring status of the group:
|
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Location (for Geo Maps) |
If you want to use Geo Maps, enter a location in the first line. Geographical maps then display objects like devices or groups with a status icon using a color code similar to the sensor status icons (green–yellow–orange–red). You can enter a full postal address, city and country only, or latitude and longitude. It is possible to enter any text before, between, and after the coordinates, as PRTG automatically parses latitude and longitude, for example, enter 49.452778 11.077778, or enter 49.452778 any 11.077778 text. A minus sign (-) in the first line hides an object from a geographical map. In this case, you can enter location information in line two and following. You can define a specific label for each location. Enter a string denoting the label in the first line and provide the coordinates in the second line. This geographical marker then shows the object with the label in the geographical map. The preview map always has a road map layout regardless of the map layout you set in User Interface. |
Credentials for Windows Systems
The settings you define in this section apply to the following sensors:
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Domain or Computer Name |
Enter the domain or computer name of the user account with which you want to access the Windows system. PRTG uses this account for Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) sensors and other Windows sensors. If you want to use a Windows local user account on the target device, enter the computer name. If you want to use a Windows domain user account (recommended), enter the domain name. PRTG automatically adds a prefix to use the NT LAN Manager (NTLM) protocol if you do not explicitly define it. Do not leave this field empty. |
User Name |
Enter the user name for access to the Windows system. Usually, you use credentials with administrator rights. |
Password |
Enter the password for access to the Windows system. Usually, you use credentials with administrator rights. |
Credentials for Linux/Solaris/macOS (SSH/WBEM) Systems
The settings you define in this section apply to the following sensors:
- SFTP Secure File Transfer Protocol
- SSH Disk Free
- SSH INodes Free
- SSH INodes Free v2
- SSH Load Average
- SSH Meminfo
- SSH Remote Ping
- SSH SAN Enclosure
- SSH SAN Logical Disk
- SSH SAN Physical Disk
- SSH SAN System Health
- SSH Script
- SSH Script Advanced
- VMware Host Hardware (WBEM)
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
User Name |
Enter the user name for access to the Linux/Solaris/macOS system via Secure Shell (SSH) and Web-based Enterprise Management (WBEM). Usually, you use credentials with administrator rights. |
Authentication Method |
Select the authentication method for the login:
PRTG can only handle keys in the OpenSSH format that are not encrypted. You cannot use password-protected keys. PRTG only supports RSA keys. It does not support DSA keys. For more information, see section Monitoring via SSH. |
Password |
This setting is only visible if you select Password above. Enter a password for access to the Linux/Solaris/macOS system via SSH and WBEM. Usually, you use credentials with administrator rights. |
Private Key |
This setting is only visible if you select Private key above. Paste the entire RSA private key, including the BEGIN and END lines. Make sure that a corresponding public key exists on the target device. PRTG can only handle keys in the OpenSSH format that are not encrypted. You cannot use password-protected keys. PRTG only supports RSA keys. It does not support DSA keys. For more information, see section Monitoring via SSH. If you want to enter a private key for the first time or change the private key, you need to restart the PRTG core server service for the private key change to take effect. |
WBEM Protocol |
Select the protocol that you want to use for the connection to the system via WBEM:
This setting is only relevant if you use WBEM sensors. |
WBEM Port |
Select if you want to use one of the default ports for the connection to the system via WBEM or if you want to set a custom port:
This setting is only relevant if you use WBEM sensors. |
Custom WBEM Port |
This setting is only visible if you select Custom above. Enter a custom WBEM port. Enter an integer. |
SSH Port |
Enter the port for SSH connections. Enter an integer. The default port is 22. By default, PRTG automatically uses this setting for all SSH sensors unless you define a different port number in the sensor settings. |
SSH Rights Elevation |
Select the rights that you want to use to run the command on the target system:
|
Target System User Name |
This setting is only visible if you select an option that includes sudo or su above. Enter a user name to run the specified command on the target system as a different user than the root user. If you leave this field empty, you run the command as a root user. Make sure that you set the Linux password even if you use a public key or a private key for authentication. This is not necessary if the user is allowed to run the command without a password. |
Password |
This setting is only visible if you select an option that includes sudo or su with password above. Enter the password to run the sudo command or the su command. |
SSH Connection Mode |
Select the connection mode that you want to use to access data with SSH sensors:
We strongly recommend that you use the default connection mode. You can also individually select the connection mode for each SSH sensor in the sensor settings. |
Credentials for VMware/XenServer
The settings you define in this section apply to the following sensors:
- Citrix XenServer Host
- Citrix XenServer Virtual Machine
- VMware Datastore (SOAP)
- VMware Host Hardware (WBEM)
- VMware Host Hardware Status (SOAP)
- VMware Host Performance (SOAP)
- VMware Virtual Machine (SOAP)
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
User Name |
Enter the user name for access to VMware ESXi, vCenter Server, or Citrix XenServer. Usually, you use credentials with administrator rights. |
Password |
Enter the password for access to VMware ESXi, vCenter Server, or Citrix XenServer. Usually, you use credentials with administrator rights. Single sign-on (SSO) passwords for vSphere do not support special characters. For more information, see the VMware sensors sections. |
VMware Protocol |
Select the protocol for the connection to VMware ESXi, vCenter Server, or Citrix XenServer:
|
Session Handling |
Select if you want to reuse a session for VMware sensors:
|
The settings you define in this section apply to the following sensors:
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
SNMP Version |
Select the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) version for the connection to the target SNMP device:
|
Community String |
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v1 or SNMP v2c (default) above. Enter the community string of your device. This is like a clear-text password for simple authentication. We recommend that you use the default value. |
Authentication Method |
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v3 above. Select the authentication method:
If you do not want to use authentication but you need SNMP v3, for example, because your device requires context, you can leave the Password field empty. In this case, PRTG uses SNMP_SEC_LEVEL_NOAUTH and it entirely deactivates authentication. The authentication method that you select must match the authentication method of your device. |
User Name |
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v3 above. Enter the user name for access to the target SNMP device. The user name that you enter must match the user name of your device. |
Password |
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v3 above. Enter the password for access to the target SNMP device. The password that you enter must match the password of your device. |
Encryption Type |
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v3 above. Select an encryption type:
The encryption type that you select must match the encryption type of your device. |
Encryption Key |
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v3 above. Enter an encryption key. If you provide a key, PRTG encrypts SNMP data packets with the encryption algorithm that you selected above. Enter a string or leave the field empty. The encryption key that you enter must match the encryption key of your device. If the encryption keys do not match, you do not get an error message. |
Context Name |
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v3 above. Enter a context name only if the configuration of the device requires it. Context is a collection of management information that is accessible by an SNMP device. Enter a string. |
SNMP Port |
Enter the port for the connection to the SNMP target device. Enter an integer. The default port is 161. We recommend that you use the default value. |
Timeout (Sec.) |
Enter a timeout in seconds for the request. Enter an integer. The maximum timeout value is 300 seconds (5 minutes). |
Credentials for Database Management Systems
The settings you define in this section apply to the following sensors:
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Port |
Select the port that PRTG uses for connections to the monitored databases:
|
Custom Port |
Enter a custom port for database connections. Enter an integer. PRTG uses this custom port for all database sensors and for connections to all your databases. |
Authentication Method |
Select the authentication method for the connection to the Structured Query Language (SQL) database:
|
User Name |
This setting is only visible if you select SQL server authentication above. Enter the user name for the database connection. |
Password |
This setting is only visible if you select SQL server authentication above. Enter the password for the database connection. |
Timeout (Sec.) |
Enter a timeout in seconds for the request. Enter an integer. The maximum timeout value is 900 seconds (15 minutes). |
The settings you define in this section apply to the following sensors:
For more information about the permissions that are necessary to query the AWS API, see the Knowledge Base: How do I set permissions for the Amazon Web Services (AWS) API key to use certain sensors in PRTG?
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Access Key |
Enter the Amazon Web Services (AWS) access key. |
Secret Key |
Enter the AWS secret key. |
The settings you define in this section apply to the following sensors:
The sensors use the credentials to authenticate with Microsoft Entra ID.
For more information about the credentials and the permissions that are necessary to use the Microsoft 365 Service Status sensor and the Microsoft 365 Service Status Advanced sensor, see the Knowledge Base: How do I obtain credentials and set permissions for the Microsoft 365 Service Status sensors?
For more information about the credentials and the permissions that are necessary to use the Microsoft 365 Mailbox sensor, see the Knowledge Base: How do I obtain credentials and set permissions for the Microsoft 365 Mailbox sensor?
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Tenant ID |
Enter the Microsoft Entra tenant ID. A tenant ID must be a 32-digit sequence in hexadecimal notation. |
Client ID |
Enter the Microsoft Entra client ID. |
Client Secret |
Enter the Microsoft Entra client secret. |
OpenID Connect Configuration |
Select if you want to manually enter the authorization endpoint URL and token endpoint URL that PRTG uses to access Microsoft Graph:
|
Authorization Endpoint |
Enter the authorization endpoint URL including the server. Authorization endpoint URL example: https://login.microsoftonline.com/<tenant-ID>/oauth2/v2.0/authorize Make sure to replace <tenant-ID> with the directory (tenant) ID from Microsoft Entra ID. |
Token Endpoint |
Enter the token endpoint URL including the server. Token endpoint URL example: https://login.microsoftonline.com/<tenant-ID>/oauth2/v2.0/token Make sure to replace <tenant-ID> with the directory (tenant) ID from Microsoft Entra ID. |
Credentials for Script Sensors
The settings you define in this section apply to the following sensors:
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Placeholder 1 Description |
Enter a description for Placeholder 1, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder. |
Placeholder 1 |
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the script execution if you add %scriptplaceholder1 in the argument list. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings. |
Placeholder 2 Description |
Enter a description for Placeholder 2, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder. |
Placeholder 2 |
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the script execution if you add %scriptplaceholder2 in the argument list. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings. |
Placeholder 3 Description |
Enter a description for Placeholder 3, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder. |
Placeholder 3 |
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the script execution if you add %scriptplaceholder3 in the argument list. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings. |
Placeholder 4 Description |
Enter a description for Placeholder 4, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder. |
Placeholder 4 |
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the script execution if you add %scriptplaceholder4 in the argument list. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings. |
Placeholder 5 Description |
Enter a description for Placeholder 5, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder. |
Placeholder 5 |
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the script execution if you add %scriptplaceholder5 in the argument list. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings. |
If you experience problems when you monitor via Windows sensors, use the following compatibility options for troubleshooting.
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Preferred Data Source |
This setting only applies to hybrid sensors that use both performance counters and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). Define the method that Windows sensors use to query data:
|
Timeout Method |
Select the time that the sensor waits for the return of the WMI query before the sensor cancels the query and shows an error message:
We recommend that you use the default value. If you experience ongoing timeout errors, try increasing the timeout value. |
Timeout (Sec.) |
This setting is only visible if you select Set manually above. Enter the time the sensor waits for the return of its WMI query before it cancels it and shows an error message. Enter an integer. The maximum timeout value is 900 seconds (15 minutes). |
If you experience problems when you monitor via Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) sensors, use the following compatibility options for troubleshooting.
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
SNMP Delay (ms) |
Enter the time in milliseconds (ms) that PRTG waits between two SNMP requests. You can define a delay between 0 and 100. Enter an integer. We recommend that you use the default value. If you experience SNMP connection failures, try increasing the delay. |
Failed Requests |
Select if an SNMP sensor tries again after a request fails:
|
Overflow Values |
Select how PRTG handles overflow values. Some devices do not correctly handle internal buffer overflows. This can cause false peaks. PRTG can handle overflow values in two ways:
If you experience problems because of strange peaks in your data graphs, change this option. Peaks might indicate that the target device resets counters without an overflow. PRTG interprets such behavior as overflow that results in data peaks. Select the option Ignore (default) in this case. For more information, see the Knowledge Base: What is the Overflow Values setting in the SNMP Compatibility Options? |
Zero Values |
Select how PRTG handles zero values. Some devices send incorrect zero values. This can cause false peaks. PRTG can handle zero values in two ways:
If you experience problems, try changing this option.
|
32-bit/64-bit Counters |
Select the type of traffic counters that PRTG searches for on a device:
We recommend that you use the default value. If you experience problems, try changing this option.
|
Request Mode |
Select the request method that PRTG uses for SNMP sensors:
If you experience problems, try changing this option.
PRTG uses paging for SNMP requests. This means that if a sensor must query more than 20 object identifiers (OID), it automatically polls the OIDs in packages of 20 OIDs each. |
Walk Mode |
Select the kind of SNMP walk that PRTG uses for SNMP sensors:
|
Port Name Template |
Select how PRTG displays the name of SNMP sensors. Enter a template that uses several variables. When you add new sensors, PRTG scans the interface for available counters at certain OIDs. At each OID, several fields with interface descriptions are usually available. They are different for every device and OID. PRTG uses the information in these fields to name the sensors. If a field is empty or if it is not available, PRTG adds an empty string to the name. By default, the port name template is ([port]) [ifalias] [ifsensor], which creates a name like (001) Ethernet1 Traffic. You can use and combine any field names that are available at an OID of your device, for example:
For more information about SNMP sensor names, see the Knowledge Base: How can I change the defaults for names automatically generated for new SNMP sensors? |
Port Name Update |
Select how PRTG reacts if you change the names of ports in your physical device (for example, a switch or router):
For more information about automatic name updates, see the Knowledge Base: Automatically update port name and number for SNMP Traffic sensors when the device changes them. |
Port Identification |
Select the field that PRTG uses for SNMP interface identification:
|
Start Interface Index |
This setting only applies to SNMP Traffic sensors and to Cisco IP SLA sensors. Enter the index at which PRTG starts to query the interface range during sensor creation. Enter 0 for the automatic mode. We recommend that you use the default value. |
End Interface Index |
This setting only applies to SNMP Traffic sensors and to Cisco IP SLA sensors. Enter the index at which PRTG stops querying the interface range during sensor creation. Enter 0 for the automatic mode. We recommend that you use the default value. |
The settings you define in this section apply to the following sensors:
The proxy settings determine how a sensor connects to a URL. You can enter data for an HTTP proxy server that sensors use when they connect via HTTP or HTTPS.
This setting only applies to sensors and how they monitor. For more information on how to change the proxy settings for the PRTG core server, see section Core & Probes.
The SSL Certificate sensor and the SSL Security Check sensor do not support HTTP proxies but you can configure connections via SOCKS proxies in the sensors' settings:
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
IP Address/DNS Name |
Enter the IP address or Domain Name System (DNS) name of the proxy server. If you leave this field empty, sensors do not use a proxy. PRTG currently supports only HTTP proxies. |
Port |
Enter the port number of the proxy. The default port is 8080. Enter an integer. |
User Name |
If the proxy requires authentication, enter the user name for the proxy login. Enter a string or leave the field empty. Only basic authentication is available. |
Password |
If the proxy requires authentication, enter the password for the proxy login. Enter a string or leave the field empty. Only basic authentication is available. |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Scanning Interval |
Select a scanning interval from the dropdown list that determines the amount of time that the sensor waits between two scans:
You can change the available intervals in the system administration of PRTG Network Monitor. |
If a Sensor Scanning Fails |
Select the number of scanning intervals that the sensor has time to reach and to check a device again if a sensor scanning fails. Depending on the option that you select, the sensor can try to reach and to check a device again several times before the sensor shows the Down status. This can avoid false alarms if the target device only has temporary issues. For previous scanning intervals with failed requests, the sensor shows the Warning status. The following options are available:
Sensors that monitor via Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) always wait at least one scanning interval before they show the Down status. It is not possible to immediately set a WMI sensor to the Down status, so the first option does not apply to these sensors. All other options can apply. If you define error limits for a sensor's channels, the sensor immediately shows the Down status. None of the interval options apply. If a channel uses lookup values, the sensor immediately shows the Down status. None of the interval options apply. |
Schedules, Dependencies, and Maintenance Window
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Schedule |
Select a schedule from the list. You can use schedules to monitor during a certain time span (days or hours) every week:
You can create schedules, edit schedules, or pause monitoring for a specific time span. For more information, see section Schedules. |
Maintenance Window |
Select if you want to set up a one-time maintenance window:
To close an active one-time maintenance window before the end date, select Do not set up a one-time maintenance window (default). |
Maintenance Begins |
This setting is only visible if you select Set up a one-time maintenance window above. Use the date time picker to enter the start date and time of the one-time maintenance window. |
Maintenance Ends |
This setting is only visible if you select Set up a one-time maintenance window above. Use the date time picker to enter the end date and time of the one-time maintenance window. |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
User Group Access |
Select the user groups that have access to the object. You see a table with user groups and group access rights. The table contains all user groups in your setup. For each user group, you can choose from the following group access rights:
To automatically set all child objects to inherit this object's access rights, select the Revert access rights of child objects to "inherited" option. For more information on access rights, see section Access Rights Management. |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Channel Unit Types |
For each type of channel, select the unit in which PRTG displays the data. If you define this setting on probe, group, or device level, you can inherit these settings to all sensors underneath. You can set units for the following channel types (if available):
Custom channel types are only available on sensor level. Which channel units are available depends on the sensor type and the available parameters. If no configurable channels are available, this field shows No configurable channels. |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Unusual Detection |
Select if you want to use the unusual detection for sensors:
You can configure the behavior of the unusual detection or completely disable it in the system settings. |
Similar Sensors Detection |
Select if you want to activate the similar sensors analysis:
You can configure the depth of the analysis of the similar sensors detection or completely disable it in the system settings. |
System Information |
Select if you want to retrieve and show system information for your devices:
The System Information feature is enabled by default. To retrieve the data, PRTG automatically uses the credentials for Windows systems and the credentials for SNMP devices that you entered in the device settings or that the device inherits from a parent object like the root group. Consider this when you monitor devices that are outside of your local network, especially when you use SNMP v1 or SNMP v2c, which do not provide encryption. This setting is not available on the hosted probe of a PRTG Hosted Monitor instance. |
Save your settings. If you change tabs or use the main menu without saving, all changes to the settings are lost.
KNOWLEDGE BASE
What security features does PRTG include?
How do I set permissions for the Amazon Web Services (AWS) API key to use certain sensors in PRTG?
What is the Overflow Values setting in the SNMP Compatibility Options?
How can I change the defaults for names automatically generated for new SNMP sensors?
Automatically update port name and number for SNMP Traffic sensors when the device changes them