PRTG Manual: File Sensor
The File sensor monitors a file located on the local disk on the probe system, parent device, or a file that is accessible via Server Message Block (SMB). You can monitor changes to the file content and file time stamp.
In contrast to the Folder sensor, you can also monitor changes to the actual content of a file.
For a detailed list and descriptions of the channels that this sensor can show, see section Channel List.
- Dutch: Bestand
- French: Fichier
- German: Datei
- Japanese: ファイル
- Portuguese: Arquivo
- Russian: Файл
- Simplified Chinese: 文件
- Spanish: Archivo
- 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.
- Try the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the target system if the sensor does not get a connection with the IP address.
- Knowledge Base: Can I use placeholders in file names to monitor log 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 |
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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 |
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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.
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Parent Tags |
The tags that the sensor inherits from its parent device, parent group, and parent probe.
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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 |
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File Name |
Enter the full path to the file that this sensor monitors. For example, enter C:\Windows\file.txt. to monitor a file on the probe system. If you use a local path, the sensor only looks for the target file on the probe system, not on the parent device. To monitor a file on the parent device, use the dollar sign ($) like C$\User\username\file.txt. If the file is located on a network device, use the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path without the server part (only enter share\folder\file.txt). The sensor inherits the server part (\\server\) from the parent device settings. Enter a valid path and file name.
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Sensor Behavior |
Define when the sensor shows the Down status:
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If Content Changes |
Define what the sensor does if the content of the file changes (based on a checksum):
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If Time Stamp Changes |
Define what the sensor does if the time stamp of the file changes:
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Setting |
Description |
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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 is always displayed below the sensor's name. The available options depend on what channels are available for this sensor.
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Graph Type |
Define how different channels are shown for this sensor:
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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.
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 |
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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 |
File Size |
The file size
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Last Modified |
The time since the last modification of the file
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KNOWLEDGE BASE
What can I do if PRTG doesn't succeed with monitoring a share? PE029 PE032
Can I use placeholders in file names to monitor log files?
What security features does PRTG include?