PRTG Manual: Packet Sniffer (Custom) Sensor
The Packet Sniffer (Custom) sensor monitors the headers of data packets that pass a local network adapter using a built-in packet sniffer. With this sensor, you can define your own channel definitions to divide traffic into different channels.
This sensor analyzes only header traffic.
This sensor does not have any predefined channels.
For a detailed list and descriptions of the channels that this sensor can show, see section Channel List.
- Dutch: Packet Sniffer (Aangepast)
- French: Reniflage de paquets personnalisé
- German: Packet Sniffer (Benutzerdef.)
- Japanese: パケットスニファー(カスタム)
- Portuguese: Sniffer de pacotes (customizado)
- Russian: Анализатор пакетов (нестандартный)
- Simplified Chinese: 数据包嗅探程序 (自定义)
- Spanish: Analizador de paquetes (personalizado)
Consider the following remarks and requirements for this sensor:
Remark |
Description |
---|---|
Performance impact |
This sensor has a very high performance impact. We recommend that you use no more than 50 of this sensor on each probe. |
Probe device |
By default, this sensor works only on a probe device. |
Channels |
This sensor does not officially support more than 50 channels. |
IPv6 |
This sensor supports IPv6. |
Traffic |
By default, you can only monitor traffic passing the probe system where the probe device with the sensor is set up. To monitor other traffic in your network, you can configure a monitoring port (if available) that the switch sends a copy of all traffic to. You can then physically connect this port to a network adapter of the probe system (either local probe or remote probe system). This way, PRTG can analyze the complete traffic that passes through the switch. This feature of your hardware might be called Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN), port mirroring, or port monitoring. |
Hosted probe |
You cannot add this sensor to the hosted probe of a PRTG Hosted Monitor instance. If you want to use this sensor, add it to a remote probe device. |
Known Issues
- The sensor does not support the Simulate Error Status option in the Context Menu. If you trigger this action, the sensor does not show a simulated Down status.
The sensor has the following default tags that are automatically predefined in the sensor's settings when you add the sensor:
- bandwidthsensor
- sniffersensor
For more information about basic sensor settings, see section Sensor Settings.
For more information on filters, see section Filter Rules.
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Include Filter |
Define if you want to filter any traffic. If you leave this field empty, the sensor includes all traffic. To include specific traffic only, define filters using a special syntax. |
Exclude Filter |
First, the sensor considers the filters in Include Filter. From this subset, you can explicitly exclude traffic, using the same syntax. |
Channel Definition |
Enter a channel definition to divide the traffic into different channels. Enter each definition in one line. The sensor accounts all traffic that you do not define a channel for to the default channel Other. For more information, see section Channel Definitions for Flow, IPFIX, and Packet Sniffer Sensors. Extensive use of many filters can cause load problems on the probe system. We recommend that you define specific, well-chosen filters for the data that you really want to analyze. We recommend that you do not use more than 20 channels in graphs and tables, and not more than 100 channels in total. For performance reasons, we recommend that you add several sensors with fewer channels each. |
Network Adapters |
Select the network adapters that this sensor monitors. You see a list of all adapters that are available on the probe system. To select an adapter, enable the check box in front of the respective name. You can also select all items or cancel the selection by using the check box in the table header. You cannot change this setting if the probe is not connected. |
Stream Data Handling |
Define what PRTG does with the stream and packet data:
Use with caution. It can create huge data files. We recommend that you only use this setting for a short time. In a cluster, PRTG stores the result in the PRTG data directory of the master node. |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Primary Channel |
Select a channel from the list to define it as the primary channel. In the device tree, PRTG displays the last value of the primary channel below the sensor's name. The available options depend on what channels are available for this sensor. You can set a different primary channel later by clicking below a channel gauge on the sensor's Overview tab. |
Graph Type |
Define how this sensor shows different channels:
|
Stack Unit |
This setting is only visible if you select Stack channels on top of each other above. Select a unit from the list. PRTG stacks all channels with this unit on top of each other. By default, you cannot exclude single channels from stacking if they use the selected unit. However, there is an advanced procedure to do so. |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Primary Toplist |
Define which Toplist is the primary Toplist of the sensor:
PRTG shows the primary Toplist in maps when you add a Toplist object. |
By default, all of these settings are inherited from objects that are higher in the hierarchy. We recommend that you change them centrally in the root group settings if necessary. To change a setting for this object only, click under the corresponding setting name to disable the inheritance and to display its options.
For more information, see section Inheritance of Settings.
For all Flow (NetFlow, jFlow, sFlow, IPFIX) and Packet Sniffer sensors, Toplists are available on the sensor's Overview tab. Using Toplists, you can review traffic data for small time periods in great detail.
For more information, see section Toplists.
The following filter rules apply to all Flow (NetFlow, jFlow, sFlow, IPFIX) and Packet Sniffer sensors.
For more information, see section Filter Rules for Flow, IPFIX, and Packet Sniffer Sensors.
Field |
Possible Filter Values |
---|---|
IP |
IP address or DNS name |
Port |
Any number |
SourceIP |
IP address or DNS name |
SourcePort |
Any number |
DestinationIP |
IP address or DNS name |
DestinationPort |
Any number |
Protocol |
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), any number |
ToS |
Type of Service (ToS): any number |
DSCP |
Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP): any number |
The following filter rules apply to Packet Sniffer sensors only.
Field |
Possible Filter Values |
---|---|
MAC |
Physical address |
SourceMAC |
Physical address |
DestinationMAC |
Physical address |
EtherType |
IPV4, ARP, RARP, APPLE, AARP, IPV6, IPXold, IPX, any number |
VlanPCP |
IEEE 802.1Q VLAN Priority Code Point |
VlanID |
IEEE 802.1Q VLAN Identifier |
TrafficClass |
IPv6 Traffic Class: corresponds to TOS used with IPv4 |
FlowLabel |
IPv6 Flow Label |
Which channels the sensor actually shows might depend on the target device, the available components, and the sensor setup.
Channel |
Description |
---|---|
[Custom] |
The traffic by type according to the channel definition |
Downtime |
In the channel table on the Overview tab, this channel never shows any values. PRTG uses this channel in graphs and reports to show the amount of time in which the sensor was in the Down status |
Other |
All traffic for which no channel is defined |
Total |
The total traffic This channel is the primary channel by default. |
KNOWLEDGE BASE
What security features does PRTG include?
Where is the volume line in graphs?