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PRTG Manual: Additional Sensor Types (Custom Sensors)

You can create and use your own custom sensors in PRTG to extend the standard sensor set. You can create your own sensors by using Windows Management Instrumentation Query Language (WQL), visual basic scripting, PowerShell, batch scripting, Structured Query Language (SQL) queries, by compiling an .exe file, by running Python scripts, or by translating JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) and Extensible Markup Language (XML) responses of a Representational State Transfer (REST) application programming interface (API) into sensor values.

You cannot use custom sensors on hosted probes in PRTG Hosted Monitor (except SSH sensors). If you want to use custom sensors, add them to a remote probe device.

Basics

For a general introduction, see the sections about EXE/Script sensors and section Custom Sensors, which contains details about the necessary return format for these sensors. WMI Custom sensors allow you to execute WQL requests.

Additionally, some types of SQL sensors execute script files with SQL queries:

The HL7 sensor sends messages that are stored in extra files on the probe system.

Custom Sensors in PRTG

After you install PRTG, you can find a selection of custom EXE/Script, Python, and WMI WQL script sensors in the PRTG program directory, as well as scripts with SQL queries for specific database sensors, REST configuration files in the JSON template (*.template) format for the REST Custom sensor, and .hl7 message files for the HL7 sensor. Many of the files are sample projects that you can edit and improve for your needs.

Subfolder of the PRTG Program Directory	Custom Sensors
\Custom Sensors\EXE	The following custom sensors are available by default: Demo Batchfile - Returns 200.bat Demo Batchfile - Set sensorstate to error.bat Demo Batchfile - Set sensorstate to warning.bat Demo Cmd - Returns 200.cmd Demo EXE - Returns a random integer.exe Demo EXE - Returns number of files in folder (parameter).exe Demo EXE - Returns user of process.exe Demo Powershell Script - Available MB via WMI.ps1 Demo Powershell Script - InterruptsPerSec via WMI.ps1 Demo Powershell Script - Powershell Version.ps1 Demo Powershell Script - Returns a fixed integer.ps1 Demo Powershell Script - Returns a random integer.ps1 Demo Powershell Script - Returns Random Integer and Warnings.ps1 Demo VBScript - InterruptsPerSec via WMI.vbs Demo VBScript - Multiplies two integers(2 parameters).vbs Demo VBScript - Returns a fixed float value.vbs Demo VBScript - Returns a fixed integer.vbs Demo VBScript - Returns a random value.vbs Demo VBScript - Returns number of svchost processes.vbs Demo VBScript - Returns user of process.vbs Demo VBScript - Returns warning depending on number of svchost processes.vbs Demo VBScript - Timezone via WMI.vbs Demo VBScript - UTCTime via WMI.vbs Load_Test_CPU_1_Mio_Primes.exe Load_Test_CPU_10_Mio_Primes.exe Load_Test_Disk_Write_Read_1000_files.exe Load_Test_Disk_Write_Read_10000_files.exe Load_Test_Memory_Allocate_And_Free_400MB.exe To create a new sensor based on one of these files, create a new EXE/Script sensor and choose the respective file from the EXE/Script list in the sensor settings. We recommend that you not edit the demo files. Create your own new files and make sure to give them unique names that do not start with Demo, for example.
\Custom Sensors\EXEXML	The following custom sensor is available by default: Demo Batchfile - Returns static values in four channels.bat To create a new sensor based on one of these files, create a new EXE/Script Advanced sensor and choose the respective file from the EXE/Script list in the sensor settings.
\Custom Sensors\hl7	The following custom sensors are available by default: ADT_A08.hl7 ORM_O01.hl7 Each file contains an HL7 message that is conform to the HL7 message format. To create a new sensor based on one of these files, create a new HL7 sensor and choose the respective file from the HL7 Message list in the sensor settings. You can override certain message headers in the files via the sensor settings.
\Custom Sensors\python	The following custom sensor is available by default: sensor_example.py This Python example script only returns fixed values in two channels to demonstrate the usage. To create a new sensor based on this file, create a new Python Script Advanced sensor and choose the file from the Script list in the sensor settings.
\Custom Sensors\rest	The following custom sensors are available by default: kemp.loadbalancer.template: maps values returned by the RESTful API of a KEMP load balancer to channels, for example, CPU usage, memory usage, traffic prtg-sensor-stats.template: maps values returned by the PRTG API to channels that show the count of each sensor status on the local probe windows.docker.container.stats.template: maps values returned by the Docker Engine API to channels, for example, CPU usage, memory usage, traffic, input/output (I/O) wunderground.template: maps values returned by the Weather Underground API to channels, for example, temperature, dew point, pressure, wind speed, wind direction To create a new sensor based on one of these files, create a new REST Custom sensor on the device that provides the REST API and choose the file from the REST Configuration list in the sensor settings.
\Custom Sensors\sql\[dbms]	The following custom sensor is available by default: Demo Serveruptime.sql You can find this demo SQL query script in each subfolder for each supported database management system (DBMS): \adosql, \mssql, \mysql, \oracle, \postgresql To create a new sensor that uses one of the scripts in the dbms folders, create the according sensor (see above for supported sensors) and choose the respective file from the SQL Query File list in the sensor settings.
\Custom Sensors\WMI WQL scripts	The following custom sensors are available by default: Demo WQL Script - Get Win32LogicalDiscFreeMB.wql Demo WQL Script - Get Win32OsBuildnumber.wql Demo WQL Script - Get Win32PercentProcessorIdleTime.wql Demo WQL Script - Get Win32PercentProcessorTime.wql To create a new sensor based on one of these files, create a new WMI Custom sensor and choose the respective file from the WQL File list in the sensor settings.

Download Custom Sensors

Good resources to find custom sensors that other users and we from Paessler share are the PRTG Sensor Hub and our Knowledge Base. In the Knowledge Base, search for the tag custom-script-exe to find a lot of custom sensors.

KNOWLEDGE BASE