SMTP monitoring with PRTG
Maximize email deliverability and mail server performance
- Monitor the correct sending and retrieval of emails in real time
- Track key stats round the clock, including connection statistics and blacklisting
- Proactively address performance issues before they cause delays and disruption
Our users give top ratings for monitoring with Paessler PRTG
PRTG SMTP monitoring: What you’ll find on this page
Yes, email is here to stay
Remember when the likes of Slack and other cloud-based instant messaging, productivity, and collaboration apps promised to replace email?
Yes. About that.
In 2023, we collectively sent 347.3 billion emails. Every. Single. Day.
And we don’t use email just to communicate and collaborate. It’s a sales tool, a marketing tool, a customer engagement tool, a complaint-handling tool… you get the idea.
With so much riding on email, you can't afford SMTP server delays or disruption. And, with Paessler PRTG’s powerful preconfigured SMTP monitoring sensors, you won't have to.
Pick your preferred parameters, and PRTG will keep an eagle eye on all your critical mail server metrics and alert you if there’s a risk they might go down. Which means more uptime, better email delivery, and happier colleagues, without overwhelming your to-do list.
PRTG makes SMTP server monitoring as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent slow response times, downtime, and other email connectivity issues.
Mail server monitoring made simple: Why Paessler PRTG
Fuss-free setup
Getting started with PRTG as your SMTP monitoring tool couldn't be simpler. The automatic network discovery detects every available network component within your chosen IP address range, and assigns the appropriate sensors. Tweak the monitoring parameters to suit, and let it do its work. Job done.
All-in-one monitoring
A single, unified view of your email services' health… and that of your entire network. Whether you have a basic setup or a complex distribution with multiple operating systems or virtualized infrastructure, PRTG enables you to keep an eye on everything without switching between monitoring environments.
Faster troubleshooting
Because you can see all your mission-critical parameters at a glance, in real time, it’s easier to pinpoint the root cause of a problem. PRTG even sends you automatic notifications via SMS, email (there you have it), or other methods when a metric goes above or below your preferred performance thresholds.
What SMTP monitoring looks like in PRTG
Diagnose network issues by continuously tracking the availability and performance of your SMTP servers and other mail servers such as Microsoft Exchange. Show incoming and outgoing emails, response times, server authentication, and other key metrics in real time. Visualize monitoring data in clear graphs and dashboards to identify problems more easily. Gain the overview you need to troubleshoot all kinds of email connectivity and routing issues.
Device tree view of the complete monitoring setup
Preconfigured SMTP&IMAP Round Trip sensor in PRTG
Custom PRTG dashboard for keeping an eye on the entire IT infrastructure
Start monitoring SMTP servers with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
“All-around winning “The real beauty of PRTG is the endless possibilities it offers” “PRTG Network MonitorIT experts agree: Paessler PRTG is a great solution for IT infrastructure monitoring
network monitor”
is very hard to beat”
Comprehensive SMTP functionality, real-time insights
PRTG’s SMTP sensors track all your critical email health stats round the clock, ensuring SMTP servers are working efficiently… and that important emails don't get delayed or remain undelivered.
Our all-in-one network monitoring tool has three preconfigured SMTP sensors that keep an eye on response time and email round trip time.
Use a Windows SMTP service? Our Windows SMTP service sent and service received sensors can keep an eye on how many emails you’ve sent and received via WMI or Windows performance counters.
You can also monitor your Microsoft Exchange mailbox and mail queue.
Find the root cause of the problem with our PRTG SMTP monitoring solution
Real-time notifications mean faster troubleshooting so that you can act before more serious issues occur.
PRTG is compatible with all major vendors, products, and systems
Explore our preconfigured PRTG sensors for SMTP monitoring
PRTG comes with more than 250 native sensor types for monitoring your entire on-premises, cloud, and hybrid cloud environment out of the box. Check out some examples below!
SMTP&IMAP Round Trip
The SMTP&IMAP Round Trip sensor monitors the time it takes for an email to reach an Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) mailbox using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). It sends an email via the parent device (an SMTP server) and then scans a dedicated IMAP mailbox until the email arrives. It can show the following:
- Response time of the IMAP server
- Response time of the SMTP server
- Sum of the response time of the IMAP server and the SMTP server
SMTP&POP3 Round Trip
The SMTP&POP3 Round Trip sensor monitors the time it takes for an email to reach a Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) mailbox using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). It sends an email using the parent device (an SMTP server) and then scans a dedicated POP3 mailbox until the email comes in. It can show the following:
- Response time of the POP3 server
- Response time of the SMTP server
- Sum of the response time of the POP3 server and the SMTP server
Exchange Mailbox (PowerShell)
The Exchange Mailbox (PowerShell) sensor monitors mailboxes of an Exchange server. It can show the following:
- Number of items
- Time since the last mailbox login
- Total size of items
Start monitoring SMTP servers with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
Your SMTP monitor at a glance – even on the go
Set up PRTG in minutes and use it on almost any mobile device.
Create innovative solutions with Paessler’s partners
Partnering with innovative vendors, Paessler unleashes synergies to create
new and additional benefits for joined customers.
Combining their tools to a powerful solution for advanced analysis and automation, KnowledgeRiver and Paessler enable IT teams to ensure best performance for their infrastructure and networks.
KnowledgeRiver
“Excellent tool for detailed monitoring. Alarms and notifications work greatly. Equipment addition is straight forward and server initial setup is very easy. ...feel safe to purchase it if you intend to monitor a large networking landscape.”
Infrastructure and Operations Engineer in the Communications Industry, firm size 10B - 30B USD
PRTG makes SMTP server monitoring as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent slow response times, downtime, and other email connectivity issues.
Monitoring via SMTP: FAQ
What is SMTP and how does it work?
SMTP – simple mail transfer protocol – is email’s postal service. When you press “send” within Outlook, Gmail, or another email client, your email is sent to an SMTP server. The server then connects to your recipient's SMTP server and transfers the content of your emails.
How does PRTG carry out SMTP server monitoring?
PRTG’s preconfigured SMTP sensor monitors key email parameters by establishing a connection with your SMTP servers. Add the sensor to your monitoring environment, pick your preferred settings, and enter your authentication credentials. You can then configure the monitoring process, including your HELO ident and whether to send a test email with each check.
How long should it take to receive a response from your email servers?
Ideally, server response times should be 200 milliseconds or under. But, in practice, response times can be much quicker or much slower. It depends on various factors, including the way your network is configured, bandwidth, availability, latency, and even who your email service provider is.
How does PRTG monitor email round trips?
PRTG uses preconfigured sensors to monitor the sending and receiving of emails that originate in your system. It starts by sending an email to a given email address. This allows you to immediately see whether – and how fast – the email reaches the recipient, and how long it takes for the recipient to retrieve the email via POP3. If the delivery and retrieval are successful, the email is automatically deleted.
How does PRTG track emails?
PRTG tracks emails by leveraging regular expression matching within log files for advanced analysis. This feature allows PRTG to identify specific patterns, anomalies, or issues in email logs, such as delivery failures, unusual access patterns, or errors. By analyzing these logs, PRTG can help you spot potential security threats or performance issues in your email system early on, enabling you to address them before they escalate into serious problems.
Which other network components can PRTG monitor?
PRTG’s biggest benefit is that it’s an all-in-one monitoring solution (as your higher-ups would put it). In other words, it enables you to keep an eye not just on SMTP servers, but on every single component that forms part of your network, without having to switch between different monitoring environments. With support for all major protocols – including SNMP, WMI, Windows performance counters, flow, SSH, HTTP and HTTPS, FTP, and more – PRTG can monitor every component and parameter imaginable, no matter how complex your network is.
What is a sensor in PRTG?
In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive.
On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.
PRTG: The multi-tool for sysadmins
Adapt PRTG individually and dynamically to your needs and rely on a strong API:- HTTP API: Access monitoring data and manipulate monitoring objects via HTTP requests
- Custom sensors: Create your own PRTG sensors for customized monitoring
- Custom notifications: Create your own notifications and send action triggers to external systems
- REST Custom sensor: Monitor almost everything that provides data in XML or JSON format
Paessler conducted trials in over 600 IT departments worldwide to tune its network monitoring software closer to the needs of sysadmins. We asked: would you recommend PRTG?
Over 95% of our customers say yes!
The result of the survey: over 95% of the participants would recommend PRTG – or already have.
Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier. Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network. Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free.Still not convinced?
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Start monitoring SMTP servers with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
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PRTG |
Network Monitoring Software - Version 24.4.102.1351 (November 12th, 2024) |
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Hosting |
Download for Windows and cloud-based version PRTG Hosted Monitor available |
Languages |
English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese |
Pricing |
Up to 100 sensors for free (Price List) |
Unified Monitoring |
Network devices, bandwidth, servers, applications, virtual environments, remote systems, IoT, and more |
Supported Vendors & Applications |
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