PRTG Manual: Monitoring via SSH
Monitoring via Secure Shell (SSH) enables you to gather performance and system data from many Linux and Unix distributions, as well as from certain macOS X systems. If your system is supported, this monitoring technology works without any additional software on the target systems.
To monitor remote machines via SSH, PRTG needs the credentials (preferably root access) of the devices. If you use SSH sensors, you can enter the necessary credentials in the settings of the parent device or group, or in the root group, in the Credentials for Linux/Solaris/macOS (SSH/WBEM) Systems section. The sensors then inherit these settings by default.
With each scanning interval, PRTG logs in to your devices and queries data by executing specific commands.
For more information about all SSH sensors, see section Available Sensor Types.
For a list of encryption algorithms that the SSH sensors support, see the Knowledge Base: Which encryption algorithms do PRTG SSH sensors support?
Limitations When Using SSH Monitoring
Because of the plurality of Linux/Unix derivatives, SSH sensors cannot support all distributions on the market. Also, only certain macOS systems are supported.
For a list of successfully tested distributions, see the Knowledge Base: Which Linux or macOS distributions are supported by the Linux/Unix sensors (SSH, SNMP)?
Authentication via SSH Private Key
PRTG supports authentication via password or via private key.
When you use a private key, make sure to note the following:
- Provide the key in OpenSSH RSA format.
- The key cannot be encrypted. PRTG does not support password-protected keys.
- The key must be provided as an RSA key; you cannot use DSA keys.
When you provide an unencrypted RSA private key in OpenSSH RSA format, copy the entire key, including the
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
and
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
lines, into the designated text field in PRTG and Save your settings. Once you have pasted in and saved the private key, PRTG shows it as
***************************
Make sure that a corresponding public key exists on the target device.
For more information about how to convert and use an SSH key, see the Knowledge Base: How can I use private keys for my SSH sensors with PRTG?
KNOWLEDGE BASE
Which encryption algorithms do PRTG SSH sensors support?
Which Linux or macOS distributions are supported by the Linux/Unix sensors (SSH, SNMP)?
How can I use private keys for my SSH sensors with PRTG?
How do I enable SSH on my macOS system?
