PRTG Manual: Local Folder Sensor
The Local Folder sensor monitors a local folder on a probe system.
This sensor is in beta status. The operating methods and the available settings can change at any time. Do not expect that all functions work properly, or that this sensor works as expected at all. Be aware that this sensor can be removed from PRTG at any time.
For a detailed list and descriptions of the channels that this sensor can show, see section Channel List.
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- You can only create this sensor on a probe device, either a local probe device or a remote probe device.
- This sensor supports the IPv6 protocol.
- This sensor has a low performance impact.
Requirement |
Description |
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Enabled Beta Sensors experimental feature |
This sensor requires that the Beta Sensors experimental feature of PRTG is enabled.
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The Add Sensor dialog appears when you manually add a new sensor to a device. It only shows the settings that are required to create the sensor. You can change nearly all settings on the sensor's Settings tab after creation.
Click the Settings tab of a sensor to change its settings.
Setting |
Description |
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Sensor Name |
Enter a name to identify the sensor. |
Parent Tags |
Shows 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:
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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 |
Setting |
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Path |
Enter the path of the folder that you want to monitor. For example, enter C:\Windows. The folder must exist on the probe system.
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Timeout (Sec.) |
Enter a timeout in seconds. If the scan of the folder takes longer, the sensor cancels the request and shows an error message. If two consecutive scans fail, the sensor shows the Down status. The default value is 300 seconds (5 minutes). The maximum value is 1079 seconds (17 minutes and 59 seconds). |
Recurse Subfolders |
Specify if the sensor includes subfolders in the folder monitoring. Choose between:
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Filter by File Name |
Select if you want to filter by file name. Choose between:
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File Filter |
This field is only visible if you select Include filter or Exclude filter above. Enter a comma-separated list of file names, file formats, or patterns you want to filter for. For example, '*.pdf,*.docx' includes or excludes files with the file formats .pdf or .docx.
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File Age Filter |
Select if you want to filter by file age. Choose between:
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Newer Than |
This field is only visible if you select Enable above. Enter a file age. The sensor only counts files that are younger than this age.
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Older Than |
This field is only visible if you select Enable above Enter a file age. The sensor only counts files that are older than this age.
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File Age Filter Unit |
This field is only visible if you select Enable above. Select the time unit that you want to use for the File Age Filter. Choose between:
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Setting |
Setting |
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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 enable Stack channels on top of each other as Graph Type. 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. |
Setting |
Description |
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Result Handling |
Define what PRTG does with the sensor result:
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By default, all of the following 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.
Click to interrupt the inheritance.
Setting |
Setting |
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Scanning Interval |
Select a scanning interval from the dropdown list. The scanning interval determines the amount of time that the sensor waits between two scans. Choose from:
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If a Sensor Query Fails |
Select the number of scanning intervals that the sensor has time to reach and to check a device again if a sensor query fails. Depending on the option that you select, the sensor can try to reach and to check a device again several times before the sensor shows the Down status. This can avoid false alarms if the monitored device only has temporary issues. For previous scanning intervals with failed requests, the sensor shows the Warning status. Choose from:
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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.
Setting |
Description |
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Schedule |
Select a schedule from the list. You can use schedules to monitor during a certain time span (days or hours) every week. Choose from:
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Maintenance Window |
Select if you want to set up a one-time maintenance window. During a maintenance window, monitoring stops for the selected object and all child objects. They show the Paused status instead. Choose between:
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Maintenance Begins |
This setting is only visible if you enable Set up a one-time maintenance window above. Use the date time picker to enter the start date and time of the one-time maintenance window. |
Maintenance Ends |
This setting is only visible if you enable Set up a one-time maintenance window above. Use the date time picker to enter the end date and time of the one-time maintenance window. |
Dependency Type |
Select a dependency type. You can use dependencies to pause monitoring for an object depending on the status of a different object. You can choose from:
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Dependency |
This setting is only visible if you enable Select a sensor above. Click |
Dependency Delay (Sec.) |
This setting is only visible if you select Select a sensor above. Define a time span in seconds for the dependency delay. After the master sensor for this dependency returns to the Up status, PRTG additionally delays the monitoring of the dependent objects by the time span you define. This can prevent false alarms, for example, after a server restart or to give systems more time for all services to start. Enter an integer value.
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Click to interrupt the inheritance.
Setting |
Description |
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User Group Access |
Define the user groups that have access to the sensor. You see a table with user groups and group access rights. The table contains all user groups in your setup. For each user group, you can choose from the following group access rights:
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Which channels the sensor actually shows might depend on the monitored 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 in percent. |
File Count |
The number of files in the folder
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Folder Count |
The number of folders |
Folder Size |
The folder size in bytes |
Newest File |
The time since the newest modification of a file in the folder (newest file)
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Oldest File |
The time since the oldest modification of a file in the folder (oldest file) |
Knowledge Base
What are beta sensors and how can I use them?
What security features does PRTG include?
For more information about sensor settings, see the following sections: