PRTG Manual: Windows Print Queue Sensor
The Windows Print Queue sensor reads the print queue on the parent device and returns the number of jobs in the print queue. It can monitor queues for all printers that are locally installed.
You can use this sensor to monitor all print queues on your Windows print server and to retrieve information about all available jobs that are in the queue longer than defined.
Additionally, this sensor can change to a defined status if there is a printer problem. See section Sensor Settings for available parameters.
For a detailed list and descriptions of the channels that this sensor can show, see section Channel List.
- Dutch: Windows Print Queue
- French: Windows file d'attente d'impression
- German: Windows Druckwarteschlange
- Japanese: Windows プリントキュー
- Portuguese: Fila de impressão Windows
- Russian: Очередь печати Windows
- Simplified Chinese: Windows 打印队列
- Spanish: Cola de impresión Windows
Consider the following remarks and requirements for this sensor:
Remark |
Description |
---|---|
Performance impact |
|
Print Spooler Windows service |
|
.NET 4.7.2 or later |
If the framework is missing, you cannot create this sensor. For more information, see the Knowledge Base: Which .NET version does PRTG require? |
Windows Server |
|
Credentials |
If you use local credentials, make sure that the same Windows user accounts (with the same user name and password) exist on both the probe system and the target system.
|
IPv6 |
|
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. |
You can add a change trigger to this sensor to get a notification when the number of jobs in the queue changes.
The sensor has the following default tags that are automatically predefined in the sensor's settings when you add the sensor:
- ptfsensor
For more information about basic sensor settings, see section Sensor Settings.
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Print Queue |
Select the print queues that you want to monitor. PRTG creates one sensor for each print queue that you select. If no print queues are available, you see a corresponding message. If a printer name changes after sensor creation, you need to add the sensor anew. You cannot change this value after sensor creation. |
Advanced Status Options |
Optionally define specific sensor states for several return messages of the printer that this sensor monitors:
Not all printer types properly support Advanced Status Options, which might lead to false alerts. If the printer does not support a property, this property is always false. This means that the sensor cannot display the state or detect if the printer supports the property. Even if the printer can report a property, it can only do so if a print job is sent to the printer. |
Door Open |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Manual Feed Required |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Needs User Intervention |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Offline |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Out of Memory |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Out of Paper |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Paper Jammed |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Paper Problem |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Paused |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Printer Error |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Printer Not Available |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Toner Low |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Toner Out |
This setting is only visible if you select Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, define the status that the sensor shows:
|
Minimum Print Job Age (Sec.) |
Optionally define the age of the print job in seconds. If you define a minimum print job age, the sensor does not regard jobs that are younger than this value. If you leave this field empty, the sensor does not check for the print job age. Enter an integer or leave the field empty. |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Result Handling |
Define what PRTG does with the sensor result:
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. |
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.
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 |
Jobs |
The number of jobs in the queue This channel is the primary channel by default. |
KNOWLEDGE BASE
Which .NET version does PRTG require?
What security features does PRTG include?