PRTG Manual: Folder Sensor
The Folder sensor monitors a folder via Server Message Block (SMB). You can monitor file changes and file ages.
For a detailed list and descriptions of the channels that this sensor can show, see section Channel List.
- Dutch: Map
- French: Dossier
- German: Ordner
- Japanese: フォルダー
- Portuguese: Pasta
- Russian: Папка
- Simplified Chinese: 文件夹
- Spanish: Carpeta
- This sensor has a high performance impact. We recommend that you use no more than 200 of this sensor on each probe.
- This sensor requires that the LanmanServer service runs on the target system.
- This sensor supports IPv6.
- This sensor counts all files in a folder, including hidden files.
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.
Requirement |
Description |
---|---|
To monitor shares on Windows machines, this sensor requires that the LanmanServer service runs on the target system.
To enable the service, log in to the respective system and open the services manager (for example, via services.msc). In the list, find the respective service and set its Start Type to Automatic. |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
File Age Check |
Specify if the sensor monitors the folder for certain file ages and shows a corresponding status:
|
File Age Limit |
This setting is only visible if you select a file age check above. Enter the age of a file in the folder that triggers the sensor status change if the age falls below a specific value or if it is exceeded. Enter an integer. Define the limit unit below.
|
File Age Limit Unit |
This setting is only visible if you select a file age check above. Specify the unit for the file age value:
|
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Sensor Name |
Enter a name to identify the sensor. By default, PRTG shows this name in the device tree, as well as in alarms, logs, notifications, reports, maps, libraries, and tickets.
|
Parent Tags |
The tags that the sensor inherits from its parent device, parent group, and parent probe.
|
Tags |
Enter one or more tags. Confirm each tag with the Spacebar key, a comma, or the Enter key. You can use tags to group objects and use tag-filtered views later on. Tags are not case-sensitive. Tags are automatically inherited.
The sensor has the following default tags that are automatically predefined in the sensor's settings when you add the sensor:
|
Priority |
Select a priority for the sensor. This setting determines the position of the sensor in lists. The highest priority is at the top of a list. Choose from the lowest priority ( |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Folder Name |
Enter the full path to the folder this sensor monitors. For example, enter C:\Windows. If the file is located on a network device, use the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path without the server part (only enter share\folder). The server part (\\server\) is taken from the parent device settings of this sensor. Enter a valid path name.
|
Recurse Subfolders |
Specify if the sensor includes subfolders in the folder monitoring:
|
If Content Changes |
Define what the sensor does if the content or file name of the folder changes, or if there are new or deleted files:
|
Timeout (Sec.) |
Enter a timeout in seconds for the request. Enter an integer. The maximum timeout value is 900 seconds (15 minutes).
|
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Result Handling |
Define what PRTG does with the sensor result:
|
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
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 is always displayed below the sensor's name. The available options depend on what channels are available for this sensor.
|
Graph Type |
Define how different channels are shown for this sensor:
|
Stack Unit |
This setting is only visible if you select Stack channels on top of each other above. Select a unit from the list. All channels with this unit are 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 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 more information, see section Root Group Settings, section Scanning Interval.
Schedules, Dependencies, and Maintenance Window
You cannot interrupt the inheritance for schedules, dependencies, and maintenance windows. The corresponding settings from the parent objects are always active. However, you can define additional schedules, dependencies, and maintenance windows. They are active at the same time as the parent objects' settings.
For more information, see section Root Group Settings, section Schedules, Dependencies, and Maintenance Window (default).
For more information, see section Root Group Settings, section Access Rights.
Which channel units are available depends on the sensor type and the available parameters. If no configurable channels are available, this field shows No configurable channels.
For more information, see section Root Group Settings, section Channel Unit Configuration.
Which channels the sensor actually shows might depend on the target device, the available components, and the sensor setup.
Channel |
Description |
---|---|
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 |
Execution Time |
The execution time |
File Count |
The number of files in the folder
|
Folder Size |
The folder size
|
Newest File |
The time since the newest modification of a file in the folder (newest file)
|
Oldest File |
The time since the oldest modification of a file in the folder (oldest file) |
KNOWLEDGE BASE
What can I do if PRTG doesn't succeed with monitoring a share? PE029 PE032
What security features does PRTG include?