PRTG Manual: HTTP Push Data Advanced Sensor

The HTTP Push Data Advanced sensor displays data from received messages that are pushed via a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request to PRTG. It provides a URL that you can use to push messages to the PRTG probe system via HTTP (insecure or TLS 1.2 encrypted).

  • This sensor can show received values and a message encoded in valid XML or JSON in multiple channels.

icon-book-arrowsFor details about the return value format, see section Custom Sensors.

HTTP Push Data Advanced Sensor
HTTP Push Data Advanced Sensor

Sensor in Other Languages

Dutch: HTTP Push Data geavanceerd, French: Données avancées Push HTTP, German: HTTP Push-Daten (Erw.), Japanese: HTTP プッシュデータ（アドバンスト）, Portuguese: Dados HTTP Avançado via Push, Russian: HTTP: Данные push-объекта (Расширенный), Simplified Chinese: HTTP 高级推送数据据, Spanish: Datos Push de HTTP avanzandos

Remarks

  • For details about the usage, see manual section HTTP Push Data Advanced Sensor—How to Use.
  • If you use this sensor with multiple channels, we recommend that you simultaneously push the data for all your channels to the PRTG server. You can push data to only one of your sensor channels, but in this case all other channels will record the value of 0 for this push message.
  • This sensor type cannot be used in cluster mode. You can set it up on a local probe or remote probe only, not on a cluster probe.
  • For a general introduction to the technology behind push, please see the manual section Monitoring via Push.

icon-prtg-on-demandYou cannot add this sensor type to the Hosted Probe of a PRTG hosted by Paessler instance. If you want to use this sensor type, please add it to a remote probe device.

How to Use

This function is known as webhook. Basically, a webhook works like a push notification. Webhooks are usually triggered by some event (for example, a new comment to a blog post) and send according information to a specified URL. The HTTP Push Data Advanced sensor then displays the data of pushed and received messages.

The data that is pushed to this sensor must be valid XML or JSON.

icon-book-arrowsFor details about the return value format, see section Custom Sensors.

The HTTP Push Data Advanced Sensor uses the following URLs depending on the type of HTTP request.

  • GET requests: http://<probe_ip>:<port_number>/<token>?content=<valid XML_or_JSON>
     
    The XML encoded value of the content parameter has to match the format as defined in section Custom Sensors.
  • POST requests: http://<probe_ip>:<port_number>/<token>
     
    This HTTP request method sends the XML or JSON encoded HTTP body as POST data. The body has to match the format as defined in section Custom Sensors. We strongly recommend the HTTP content type application/xml or application/json.

Replace the parameters <probe_ip>, <port_number>, <token>, and <valid XML_or_JSON> (for GET requests) with the corresponding values:

  • You can define port number and identification token in the sensor settings.
  • The probe IP is the IP address of the system on which your PRTG probe with this sensor is running.
  • The content of GET requests has to be valid XML or JSON in the PRTG API format.
    icon-i-blueThe content has to be URL encoded (for example, the whitespaces in the sample URL below); most browsers achieve this automatically.

Minimum example for the GET method that returns one static channel value:

http://127.0.0.1:5050/XYZ123?content=<prtg><result><channel>MyChannel</channel><value>10</value></result><text>this%20is%20a%20message</text></prtg>

icon-i-blueBy default, values within the <value> tags in the returned XML or JSON must be integers to be processed. If float values are returned, you have to explicitly define this value type as defined in section Custom Sensors with <float> tags, otherwise the sensor will show 0 values in affected channels. Example:

http://127.0.0.1:5050/XYZ123?content=<prtg><result><channel>MyChannel</channel><value>10.45</value><float>1</float></result><text>this%20is%20a%20message</text></prtg>

icon-i-roundYou can use several sensors with the same port and identification token. In this case, the data of push messages will be shown in each of these sensors.

Add Sensor

The Add Sensor dialog appears when you manually add a new sensor to a device. It only shows the setting fields that are required for creating the sensor. Therefore, you will not see all setting fields in this dialog. You can change (nearly) 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.

HTTP Push

SSL Settings

Define the security of the incoming HTTP push requests. Choose between:

  • HTTP (unsafe): Send push messages to the PRTG probe system via insecure HTTP.
  • HTTPS (TLS 1.2 only): Send push messages to the PRTG probe system via secure HTTPS. The sensor only supports TLS 1.2 connections. It will use the SSL certificate that is delivered with PRTG or your own trusted SSL certificate that you have imported for the PRTG web server.

Port

This field is only visible if you choose HTTP above. Enter the number of the port on which this sensor listens for incoming HTTP requests. Default is 5050.

SSL Port

This field is only visible if you choose HTTPS above. Enter the number of the port on which this sensor listens for incoming HTTPS requests. Default is 5051.

Sensor Settings

On the details page of a sensor, click the Settings tab to change its settings.

icon-i-roundUsually, a sensor connects to the IP Address or DNS Name of the parent device where you created this sensor. See the Device Settings for details. For some sensor types, you can define the monitoring target explicitly in the sensor settings. Please see below for details on available settings.

Basic Sensor Settings

Sensor Name

Enter a meaningful 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

Shows Tags that this sensor inherits from its parent device, group, and probe. This setting is shown for your information only and cannot be changed here.

Tags

Enter one or more Tags, separated by spaces or commas. You can use tags to group sensors and use tag–filtered views later on. Tags are not case sensitive. We recommend that you use the default value.

You can add additional tags to the sensor if you like. Other tags are automatically inherited from objects further up in the device tree. These are visible above as Parent Tags.

icon-i-roundIt is not possible to enter tags with a leading plus (+) or minus (-) sign, nor tags with round parentheses (()) or angle brackets (<>).

Priority

Select a priority for the sensor. This setting determines where the sensor is placed in sensor lists. Top priority is at the top of a list. Choose from one star (low priority) to five stars (top priority).

HTTP Push

SSL Settings

Shows whether the sensor accepts push messages via HTTP or HTTPS.

Once a sensor is created, you cannot change this value. It is shown for reference purposes only. If you need to change this, please add the sensor anew.

Port

This field is only visible for sensors that accept push messages via HTTP. It shows the port number on which this sensor listens for incoming HTTP requests.

Once a sensor is created, you cannot change this value. It is shown for reference purposes only. If you need to change this, please add the sensor anew.

SSL Port

This field is only visible for sensors that accept push messages via HTTPS. It shows the port number on which this sensor listens for incoming HTTPS requests.

Once a sensor is created, you cannot change this value. It is shown for reference purposes only. If you need to change this, please add the sensor anew.

Request Method

Select the request method of your webhook:

  • ANY: Do not use any filter for the request method.
  • GET: Choose this method if your webhook uses GET.
  • POST: Choose this method if your webhook sends post form data. Postdata has to be application/x-www-form-urlencoded with the same parameters as for GET requests.

Identification Token

This is the token that is used to find the matching sensor for the incoming message. When you create the sensor, this token is {__guid__}.

This token will be replaced with an automatically generated token after you have completed the sensor creation. If you want to use another identification token, you can edit it while or after sensor creation.

icon-i-roundThe token will not be replaced automatically if you change it already during sensor creation.

Incoming Request

Define what PRTG will do with the incoming messages. Choose between:

  • Discard request: Do not store the pushed messages.
  • Write request to disk (Filename: "Request for Sensor [ID].txt"): Store the last message received from the sensor to the Logs (Sensor) directory (on the Master node, if in a cluster). File name: Request for Sensor [ID].txt. This is for debugging purposes. The file will be overridden with each scanning interval.
    icon-book-arrowsFor information on how to find the folder used for storage, see section Data Storage.

HTTP Push Data

No Incoming Data

Define which status the sensor will show if it has not received a push message for at least two sensor scans. Choose between:

  • Ignore and keep last status (default): The sensor remains in the status as defined by the last message that the sensor received.
    icon-i-blueThe probe on which this sensor runs must be connected to keep the last status. If the probe is disconnected, the sensor will show the Unknown status. If the probe is connected again, the sensor does not automatically return from Unknown to the last status before the probe disconnect.
  • Switch to "Unknown" status: The sensor will show an Unknown status if it has not received any message for at least two sensor scans.
  • Switch to "Error" after x minutes: The sensor will show a Down status if it has not received any message within a defined time span. Define the time threshold below.

Time Threshold (Minutes)

This field is only visible if you select the error option above. Enter a time threshold in minutes. If this time elapses, the sensor will show a Down status if it has not received a push message within this time span.

Please enter an integer value. The maximum threshold is 1440 minutes.

Sensor Display

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 below the sensor's name. The available options depend on what channels are available for this sensor.

icon-i-roundYou can set another primary channel later by clicking the pin symbol of a channel in the sensor's Overview tab.

Graph Type

Define how different channels will be shown for this sensor.

  • Show channels independently (default): Show an own graph for each channel.
  • Stack channels on top of each other: Stack channels on top of each other to create a multi-channel graph. This will generate an easy-to-read graph that visualizes the different components of your total traffic.
    icon-i-roundThis option cannot be used in combination with manual Vertical Axis Scaling (available in the Sensor Channels Settings settings).

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.

Inherited Settings

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, see section Inheritance of Settings for more information. To change a setting only for this object, disable inheritance by clicking the button next to inherit from under the corresponding setting name. You will then see the options described below.

Scanning Interval

Click inherited_settings_button to disrupt the inheritance. See section Inheritance of Settings for more information.

Scanning Interval

Select a scanning interval (seconds, minutes, or hours) from the list. The scanning interval determines the time the sensor waits between two scans. You can change the available intervals in the system administration on PRTG on premises installations.

If a Sensor Query Fails

Define the number of scanning intervals that a sensor has time to reach and check a device again in case a sensor query fails. The sensor can try to re-reach and check a device several times, depending on the option you select here, before it will be set to a Down status. This helps you avoid false alarms if the monitored device has only temporary issues. For previous scanning intervals with failed requests, the sensor will show a Warning status. Choose between:

  • Set sensor to "down" immediately: The sensor will show an error immediately after the first failed request.
  • Set sensor to "warning" for 1 interval, then set to "down" (recommended): After the first failed request, the sensor will show a yellow warning status. If the following request also fails, the sensor will show an error.
  • Set sensor to "warning" for 2 intervals, then set to "down": Show an error status only after three consecutively failed requests.
  • Set sensor to "warning" for 3 intervals, then set to "down": Show an error status only after four consecutively failed requests.
  • Set sensor to "warning" for 4 intervals, then set to "down": Show an error status only after five consecutively failed requests.
  • Set sensor to "warning" for 5 intervals, then set to "down": Show an error status only after six consecutively failed requests.

icon-i-roundSensors that monitor via Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) always wait at least one scanning interval until they show an error. It is not possible to set a WMI sensor to "down" immediately, so the first option will not apply to these sensor types. All other options can apply.

icon-i-roundIf a sensor has defined error limits for channels, it will always show a Down status immediately, so no "wait" option will apply.
 

icon-i-roundIf a channel uses lookup values, it will always show a Down status immediately, so no "wait" options will apply.

Schedules, Dependencies, and Maintenance Window

icon-i-roundInheritance for schedules, dependencies, and maintenance windows cannot be interrupted. The corresponding settings from the parent objects will always be active. However, you can define additional settings here. They will be active at the same time as the parent objects' settings.

Schedule

Select a schedule from the list. Schedules can be used to monitor for a certain time span (days, hours) every 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.

icon-i-roundSchedules are generally inherited. New schedules will be added to existing ones, so all schedules are active at the same time.

Maintenance Window

Specify if you want to set up a one-time maintenance window. During a "maintenance window" period, this object and all child objects will not be monitored. They will be in a paused state instead. Choose between:

  • Not set (monitor continuously): No maintenance window will be set and monitoring will always be active.
  • Set up a one-time maintenance window: Pause monitoring within a maintenance window. You can define a time span for a monitoring pause below and change it even for a currently running maintenance window.

icon-i-roundTo terminate a current maintenance window before the defined end date, change the time entry in Maintenance Ends field to a date in the past.

Maintenance Begins

This field is only visible if you enabled the maintenance window above. Use the date time picker to enter the start date and time of the maintenance window.

Maintenance Ends

This field is only visible if you enabled the maintenance window 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:

  • Use parent: Pause the current sensor if the device, where it is created on, is in Down status, or is paused by another dependency.
  • Select object: Pause the current sensor if the device, where it is created on, is in Down status, or is paused by another dependency. Additionally, pause the current sensor if a specific other object in the device tree is in Down status, or is paused by another dependency. Select below.
  • Master object for parent: Make this sensor the master object for its parent device. The sensor will influence the behavior of the device, where it is created on: If the sensor is in Down status, the device will be paused. For example, it is a good idea to make a Ping sensor the master object for its parent device to pause monitoring for all other sensors on the device in case the device cannot even be pinged. Additionally, the sensor will be paused if the parent group of its parent device is in Down status, or if it is paused by another dependency.

icon-i-roundTesting 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. You can check all dependencies in your PRTG installation by selecting Devices | Dependencies from the main menu bar.

Dependency

This field is only visible if the Select object option is enabled above. Click on the reading-glasses and use the object selector to choose an object on which the current sensor will depend.

Dependency Delay (Sec.)

Define a time span in seconds for a dependency delay. After the master object for this dependency goes back to Up status, PRTG will start monitoring the depending objects after this extra delayed. This can help to 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.

icon-i-round-redThis setting is not available if you choose this sensor to Use parent or to be the Master object for parent. In this case, please define delays in the parent Device Settings or in the superior Group Settings.

Access Rights

Click inherited_settings_button to disrupt the inheritance. See section Inheritance of Settings for more information.

User Group Access

Define which user group(s) will have access to the object you're editing. A table with user groups and types of access rights is shown: It contains all user groups from your setup. For each user group, you can choose from the following access rights:

  • Inherited: Use the access rights settings of the parent object.
  • None: Users in this group cannot see or edit the object. The object neither shows up in lists nor in the device tree. Exception: If a child object is visible to the user, the object is visible in the device tree, though not accessible.
  • Read: Users in this group can see the object and review its monitoring results.
  • Write: Users in this group can see the object, review its monitoring results, and edit the object's settings. They cannot edit access rights settings.
  • Full: Users in this group can see the object, review its monitoring results, edit the object's settings, and edit access rights settings.

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.

icon-book-arrowsFor more details on access rights, see the section User Access Rights.

Edit Sensor Channels

To change display settings, spike filter, and limits, switch to the sensor's Overview tab and click the gear icon of a specific channel. For detailed information, see the Sensor Channels Settings section.

Notifications

Click the Notifications tab to change notification triggers. For detailed information, see the Sensor Notifications Settings section.

Others

For more general information about settings, see the Object Settings section.

Sensor Settings Overview

For information about sensor settings, see the following sections: