PRTG Manual: PerfCounter Custom Sensor
The PerfCounter Custom sensor monitors a configured set of Windows Performance Counters. You can define your own channels. There are no predefined channels available for this sensor type. To find out which performance counters are available on the target system and what their names are, please see section More.
Requirement: Windows Credentials
For this sensor type credentials for Windows systems must be defined for the device you want to use the sensor on. In the parent device's Credentials for Windows Systems settings, please prefer using Windows domain credentials.
Note: If you use local credentials, please make sure the same Windows user accounts (with same username and password) exist on both the system running the PRTG probe and the target computer. If you fail to do so, a connection via Performance Counters will not be possible.
Note: The user account has to be a member of the Performance Monitor Users user group on the target system.
Requirement: Remote Registry Service
In order for this sensor to work with Windows Performance Counters, please make sure the RemoteRegistry "Remote Registry" Windows service is running on the target computer. If you fail to do so, a connection via Performance Counters will not be possible.
To enable the service, please log in to the respective computer and open the services manager (e.g. via services.msc). In the list, find the respective service and set its Start Type to Automatic.
In order for this sensor to work with Windows Performance Counters, please make sure a Windows version 2008 or later is installed on the computer running the PRTG probe: This is either on the local system (on every node, if on a cluster probe), or on the system running a remote probe. Note: The target system may well run on Windows 2003 or later.
The Add Sensor dialog appears when adding a new sensor on a device manually. It only shows the setting fields that are imperative for creating the sensor. Therefore, you will not see all setting fields in this dialog. You can change all settings in the sensor's Settings tab later.
The following settings for this sensor differ in the 'Add Sensor' dialog in comparison to the sensor's settings page:
Performance Counter Settings |
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List of Counters |
Enter a list of performance counters which will be queried. Define one counter per row. PRTG will create one channel for each counter. Use the following syntax: the name of the counter, followed by two colons (::) and the unit. Example: \Processor(_Total)\% Processor Time::% |
Mode |
This setting determines if the returning value will be displayed as absolute value or if the difference between the last and the current value will be used. Choose between:
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On the sensor's details page, click on the Settings tab to change settings.
Note: If not set explicitly in a sensor's settings, it will connect to the IP Address or DNS Name defined in the settings of the parent device the sensor is created on.
Basic Sensor Settings |
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Sensor Name |
Enter a meaningful name to identify the sensor. The name will be shown by default in the device tree and in all alarms. |
Tags |
Enter one or more tags, separated by space or comma. You can use tags to group sensors and use tag-filtered views later on. Tags are not case sensitive. We recommend using the default value. You can add additional tags to it, if you like. Other tags are automatically inherited from objects further up in the device tree. Those are not visible here. |
Priority |
Select a priority for the sensor. This setting determines where the sensor will be placed in sensor lists. Top priority will be at the top of a list. You can choose from one star (low priority) to five stars (top priority). |
Performance Counter Settings |
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List of Counters |
The list of counters monitored by this sensor. Once a sensor is created this value cannot be changed. It is shown for reference purposes only. If you need to change this, please add the sensor anew. |
Mode |
The mode in which the returning values are displayed. Once a sensor is created this value cannot be changed. It is shown for reference purposes only. If you need to change this, please add the sensor anew. |
Sensor Display |
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Primary Channel |
Select a channel from the list to define it as the primary channel. In the device tree, the last value of the primary channel will always be displayed underneath the sensor's name. The available options depend on what channels are available for this sensor. Note: You can set another primary channel later by clicking on the pin symbol of a channel in the sensor's overview tab. |
Chart Type |
Define how different channels will be shown for this sensor.
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Stack Unit |
This setting is only available if stacked graphs are selected above. Choose a unit from the list. All channels with this unit will be stacked 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. |
By default, all following settings are inherited from objects higher in the hierarchy and should be changed there, if necessary. Often, best practice is to change them centrally in the Root group's settings. To change a setting for this object, disable inheritance by clicking on the check mark symbol in front of the respective setting name. You will then see the options described below.
Scanning Interval |
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Scanning Interval |
The scanning interval determines the time the sensor waits between two scans. Select a scanning interval (seconds, minutes, or hours) from the list. You can change the available intervals in the system administration. |
Schedules, Dependencies, and Maintenance Window |
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Note: Inheritance for schedules, dependencies, and maintenance windows cannot be interrupted; the according settings from the parent objects will always be active. However, you can define additional settings here. They will be active in parallel to the parent objects' settings. |
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Schedule |
Select a schedule from the list. Schedules can be used to monitor for a certain time span (days, hours) throughout the week. With the period list option it is also possible to pause monitoring for a specific time span. You can create new schedules and edit existing ones in the account settings. Note: Schedules are generally inherited. New schedules will be added to existing ones, so all schedules are active. |
Maintenance Window |
Specify if you want to set-up a one-time maintenance window. During a maintenance window this object and all child objects will not be monitored. They will enter a paused state then. Choose between:
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Maintenance Begins At |
This field is only visible if maintenance window is enabled above. Use the date time picker to enter the start date and time of the maintenance window. |
Maintenance End At |
This field is only visible if maintenance window is enabled above. Use the date time picker to enter the end date and time of the maintenance window. |
Dependency Type |
Define a dependency type. Dependencies can be used to pause monitoring for an object depending on the status of another. You can choose between:
Note: Testing your dependencies is easy! Simply choose Simulate Error Status from the context menu of an object that other objects depend on. A few seconds later all dependent objects should be paused. |
Dependency |
This field is only visible if the select object option is enabled above. Click on the reading-glass symbol and use the object selector to choose an object on which the current sensor will be dependent on. |
Delay (Seconds) |
Define a time span. After the master object for this dependency comes back to an Up status, monitoring of the depending objects will be additionally delayed by the defined time span. This can help avoid false alarms, for example, after a server restart, by giving systems more time for all services to start up. Please enter an integer value in seconds. Note: This setting is not available if you choose this sensor to be the Master object for parent. In this case, please define delays in the parent Device Settings or the superior Group Settings. |
Access Rights |
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User Group Access |
Define which user group(s) will have access to the object you're editing. A table with user groups and right is shown; it contains all user groups from your setup. For each user group you can choose from the following access rights:
You can create new user groups in the System Administration—User Groups settings. To automatically set all objects further down in the hierarchy to inherit this object's access rights, set a check mark for the Revert children's access rights to inherited option. For more details about access rights, please see section User Access Rights. |
Channel Unit Configuration |
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Channel Unit Types |
For each type of sensor channel, define the unit in which data is displayed. If defined on probe, group, or device level, these settings can be inherited to all sensors underneath. You can set units for the following channel types (if available):
Note: Custom channel types can be set on sensor level only. |
Knowledge Base: How can I find out the names of available Performance Counters?
Knowledge Base: Remote Monitoring of Specific Performance Counters
In order to change display settings, spike filter, and limits, please switch to the sensor's Overview tab and click on the gear icon of a specific channel. For detailed information, please see Sensor Channels Settings section.
Click on the Notifications tab to change notification triggers. For detailed information, please see Sensor Notifications Settings section.
For more general information about settings, please see Object Settings section.
For information about sensor settings, please see the following sections:
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