PRTG Manual: SSH VMWare ESX(i) Disk Sensor

This Sensor Type Is Deprecated!

This sensor type is deprecated. We provide the documentation in this section for your information only. We removed this sensor type from PRTG with version 16.x.25 (expected in May 2016). Your sensor will then stop monitoring and show a Down status.

See the following article for details and possible alternatives for deprecated sensors:

Knowledge Base: The PRTG Sensor Cleanup

Alternative Sensor Type

Please use the VMware Datastore (SOAP) Sensor instead.

The SSH VMWare ESX(i) Disk sensor monitors free space on disks of a VMware ESX(i) system using Secure Shell (SSH).

  • It shows the free disk space in bytes and percent.
     
SSH VMWare ESX(i) Disk Sensor

SSH VMWare ESX(i) Disk Sensor

Click here to enlarge: http://media.paessler.com/prtg-screenshots/ssh_vmware_esxi_disk.png

Remarks

Requirement: Root Credentials

In the parent device's Credentials for Linux/Solaris/macOS (SSH/WBEM) Systems settings, use the root user of your VMware host for authentication! See More section below.

Make sure that you enable SSH on your VMware system!

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 do not see all setting fields in this dialog. You can change (nearly) all settings in the sensor's Settings tab later.

Select the disks on the ESX(i) system that you want to monitor. PRTG creates one sensor for each disk that you select in the Add Sensor dialog.

The settings you select are valid for all sensors that you create when you finish this dialog.

The following settings for this sensor differ in the Add Sensor dialog in comparison to the sensor's Settings tab.

ESX(i) Disk Specific

Disk

Select the disks that you want to add a sensor for.

You see a list with the names of all items that you can monitor. Add check marks in front of the respective lines to select the desired items. You can also use the check box in the table header to select all items or cancel the selection.

i_round_bluePRTG creates one sensor for each selection.

Sensor Settings

Click the Settings tab of a sensor to change its settings.

i_round_blueUsually, a sensor connects to the IP Address or DNS Name of the parent device on which you created the sensor. See the device settings for details. For some sensors, you can explicitly define the monitoring target in the sensor settings. See below for details on available settings.

Setting

Description

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. 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. You can add additional tags to the sensor. There are default tags that are automatically predefined in a sensor's settings when you add a sensor.

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

Priority

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

ESX(i) Disk Specific

Disk

Shows the ID of the disk that this sensor monitors. Once you have created the sensor, you cannot change this value. It is shown for reference purposes only. If you need to change this value, add the sensor anew.

SSH Specific

Setting

Description

Connection Timeout (Sec.)

Define a timeout in seconds for the connection. This is the time that the sensor waits to establish a connection to the host. Keep this value as low as possible. The maximum value is 900 seconds (15 minutes). Enter an integer value.

i_round_blueThe sensors SSH SAN Enclosure, SSH SAN Logical Disk, SSH SAN Physical Disk, and SSH SAN System Health have a fixed timeout of 300 seconds. Changing the value here does not have an effect on the timeout.

i_round_blueEnsure that the connection timeout is a value that is higher than the shell timeout to avoid potential errors.

Shell Timeout (Sec.)

Define a timeout in seconds for the shell response. This is the time in seconds the sensor waits for the shell to return a response after k has sent its specific command (for example, cat /proc/loadavg). The maximum value is 300 seconds (5 minutes). Enter an integer value.

i_round_blueThe sensors SSH SAN Enclosure, SSH SAN Logical Disk, SSH SAN Physical Disk, and SSH SAN System Health have a fixed timeout of 300 seconds. Changing the value here does not have an effect on the timeout.

i_round_blueEnsure that the shell timeout is a value that is lower than the connection timeout to avoid potential errors.

SSH Port

Define which port this sensor uses for the SSH connection:

  • Inherit port number from parent device (default): Use the port number as defined in the Credentials for Linux/Solaris/macOS (SSH/WBEM) Systems section of the device this sensor is created on.
  • Enter custom port number: Define a custom port number below and do not use the port number from the parent device settings.

Use Port Number

This field is only visible if you enable Enter custom port number above. Enter the port number (between 1 and 65535) that this sensor uses for the SSH connection. Enter an integer value.

SSH Engine

Select the method that you want to use to access data with this SSH sensor. We strongly recommend that you use the default engine. You can still use the legacy mode for some time to ensure compatibility with your target systems. Choose between:

  • Inherit from parent device (default): Use the SSH engine that you defined in the parent device settings or higher up in the object hierarchy. If you have not changed the SSH engine, this is the recommended default engine.
  • Default: This is the default monitoring method for SSH sensors. It provides the best performance and security. It is set by default in objects that are higher up in the hierarchy, so usually you can keep the Inherit from parent device (default) option.
  • Compatibility Mode (deprecated): Try this legacy method only if the default mode does not work on a target device. The compatibility mode is the SSH engine that PRTG used in previous versions. It is deprecated. We will remove this legacy option soon, so try to get your SSH sensors running with the default SSH engine.

i_round_redThe option you select here overrides the selection of the SSH engine in a higher object: a parent device, group, probe, or root.

Result Handling

Define what PRTG does with the sensor results:

  • Discard sensor result: Do not store the sensor result.
  • Write sensor result to disk (file name: Result of Sensor [ID].txt): Store the last result received from the sensor to the \Logs\sensors subfolder of the PRTG data directory on the probe system (master node, if in a cluster). File names: Result of Sensor [ID].txt and Result of Sensor [ID].Data.txt. This is for debugging purposes. PRTG overwrites these files with each scanning interval.
    i_podThis option is not available when the sensor runs on the hosted probe of a PRTG Hosted Monitor instance.
  • Write sensor result to disk (file name: "Result of Sensor [ID].txt") in case of error: Store the last result of the sensor only if it throws an error.
    i_podThis option is not available when the sensor runs on the hosted probe of a PRTG Hosted Monitor instance.

Set Limits Checked for ALL Disks

In this section, you can set limits that are valid for all channels and all drives. By entering limits, you can define when the sensor shows a Warning or Down status, depending on the data provided by all drives that this sensor monitors. If you want to individually define limits for separate channels, use the limit settings in the channel settings.

i_round_redAll limits that you define here are valid in addition to the limits defined in the particular Channel settings. The limits are valid simultaneously, so the first limit that is breached applies.

Setting

Description

Percentage Limit Check

Enable or disable a limit check for the free space in percentage channels of all drives. By default, percentage limits are enabled with lower warning and lower error limit. Choose between:

  • Only use the limits in the settings of the percentage channels: Do not define sensor limits that are valid for all percentage channels. The sensor only uses limits that you define in the settings of the particular "free space in percent" channels to determine the status.
  • Use the limits of both the sensor and the channel settings: Define limits for the sensor that are valid for all drives (percentage channels). Additional fields appear below. The sensor shows a Warning or Down status when free space limits are undercut or overrun.

Upper Error Limit

This field is only visible if you enable Use the limits of both the sensor and the channel settings above. Specify an upper limit in percent for a Down status. If the free disk space of one of your drives overruns this percent value, the sensor changes to a Down status. Enter an integer value or leave the field empty.

i_round_redThe limits set here are valid for all channels of this sensor. You can additionally set individual limits for each channel in the channel settings. The limits set here and in the channel settings are valid simultaneously.

Upper Warning Limit

This field is only visible if you enable Use the limits of both the sensor and the channel settings above. Specify an upper limit in percent for a Warning status. If the free disk space of one of your drives overruns this percent value, the sensor changes to a Warning status. Enter an integer value or leave the field empty.

i_round_redThe limits set here are valid for all channels of this sensor. You can additionally set individual limits for each channel in the channel settings. The limits set here and in the channel settings are valid simultaneously.

Lower Warning Limit

This field is only visible if you enable Use the limits of both the sensor and the channel settings above. Specify a lower limit in percent for a Warning status. If the free disk space of one of your drives undercuts this percent value, the sensor changes to a Warning status. Enter an integer value or leave the field empty.

i_round_redThe limits set here are valid for all channels of this sensor. You can additionally set individual limits for each channel in the channel settings. The limits set here and in the channel settings are valid simultaneously.

Lower Error Limit

This field is only visible if you enable Use the limits of both the sensor and the channel settings above. Specify a lower limit in percent for a Down status. If the free disk space of one of your drives undercuts this percent value, the sensor changes to a Down status. Enter an integer value or leave the field empty.

i_round_redThe limits set here are valid for all channels of this sensor. You can additionally set individual limits for each channel in the channel settings. The limits set here and in the channel settings are valid simultaneously.

Size Limit Check

Enable or disable a limit check for the free bytes channels of all drives:

  • Only use the limits in the settings of the byte size channels: Do not define sensor limits that are valid for all byte size channels. The sensor only uses limits that you define in the settings of the particular free space in bytes channels to determine the status.
  • Use the limits of both the sensor and the channel settings: Define limits for the sensor that are valid for all drives (byte size channels). Additional fields appear below. The sensor shows a Warning or Down status when free space limits are undercut or overrun.

By default, byte size limits are not enabled for drives.

Upper Error Limit

This field is only visible if you enable Use the limits of both the sensor and the channel settings above. Specify an upper limit. Use the same unit as shown by the free bytes channels of this sensor (by default this is MB). If the free disk space of one of your drives overruns this bytes value, the sensor changes to a Down status. Enter an integer value or leave the field empty.

i_round_redThe limits set here are valid for all channels of this sensor. You can additionally set individual limits for each channel in the channel settings. The limits set here and in the channel settings are valid simultaneously.

Upper Warning Limit

This field is only visible if you enable Use the limits of both the sensor and the channel settings above. Specify an upper limit. Use the same unit as shown by the free bytes channels of this sensor (by default this is MB). If the free disk space of one of your drives overruns this bytes value, the sensor changes to a Warning status. Enter an integer value or leave the field empty.

i_round_redThe limits set here are valid for all channels of this sensor. You can additionally set individual limits for each channel in the channel settings. The limits set here and in the channel settings are valid simultaneously.

Lower Warning Limit

This field is only visible if you enable Use the limits of both the sensor and the channel settings above. Specify a lower limit. Use the same unit as shown by the free bytes channels of this sensor (by default this is MB). If the free disk space of one of your drives undercuts this bytes value, the sensor changes to a Warning status. Enter an integer value or leave the field empty.

i_round_redThe limits set here are valid for all channels of this sensor. You can additionally set individual limits for each channel in the channel settings. The limits set here and in the channel settings are valid simultaneously.

Lower Error Limit

This field is only visible if you enable Use the limits of both the sensor and the channel settings above. Specify a lower limit. Use the same unit as shown by the free bytes channels of this sensor (by default this is MB). If the free disk space of one of your drives undercuts this bytes value, the sensor changes to a Down status. Enter an integer value or leave the field empty.

i_round_redThe limits set here are valid for all channels of this sensor. You can additionally set individual limits for each channel in the channel settings. The limits set here and in the channel settings are valid simultaneously.

Alarm on Missing/Removed Disk

If a monitored disk is removed or not found, values are set to zero. Select the alarm approach in this case:

  • Deactivate alarm (default): Select this option if you do not want an alarm for a removed disk.
  • Activate alarm: Select this option if you want to be alerted if a monitored disk is removed.

Sensor Display

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.

i_round_blueYou can set a different primary channel later by clicking the pin symbol of a channel on the sensor's Overview tab.

Graph Type

Define how different channels are shown for this sensor:

  • Show channels independently (default): Show a 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 generates a graph that visualizes the different components of your total traffic.
    i_round_blueThis option cannot be used in combination with manual Vertical Axis Scaling (available in the channel settings).

Stack Unit

This field 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.

Inherited Settings

By default, all of the following settings are inherited from objects that are higher in the hierarchy and should be changed there if necessary. Often, best practice is to change them centrally in the root group settings. For more information, see section Inheritance of Settings. To change a setting for this object only, disable inheritance by clicking the button next to inherit from under the corresponding setting name. You then see the options described below.

Scanning Interval

Click b_inherited_enabled to interrupt the inheritance. See section Inheritance of Settings for more information.

Setting

Description

Scanning Interval

Select a scanning interval (seconds, minutes, or hours). The scanning interval determines the amount of time that 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 the sensor has time to reach and check a device again in case a sensor query fails. Depending on the option that you select, the sensor can try to reach and check a device again several times before the sensor shows a 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 a Warning status. Choose from:

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

i_round_blueSensors that monitor via Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) always wait at least one scanning interval before they show a Down status. It is not possible to immediately set a WMI sensor to a Down status, so the first option does not apply to these sensors. All other options can apply.

i_round_blueIf you define error limits for a sensor's channels, the sensor immediately shows a Down status. No "wait" option applies.

i_round_blueIf a channel uses lookup values, the sensor immediately shows a Down status. No "wait" options apply.

Schedules, Dependencies, and Maintenance Window

i_round_blueYou 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 settings here. They are active at the same time as the parent objects' settings.

Setting

Description

Schedule

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

i_square_cyanYou can create schedules, edit schedules, or pause monitoring for a specific time span. For more information, see section Account Settings—Schedules.

i_round_blueSchedules are generally inherited. New schedules are added to schedules that you already set up, 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, the selected object and all child objects are not monitored. They are in a Paused status instead. Choose between:

  • Not set (monitor continuously): No maintenance window is set and monitoring is always 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 an active maintenance window.

i_round_blueTo terminate an active maintenance window before the defined end date, change the time entry in Maintenance Ends to a date in the past.

Maintenance Begins

This field 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 maintenance window.

Maintenance Ends

This field 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 maintenance window.

Dependency Type

Define 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:

  • Use parent: Use the dependency type of the parent object.
  • Select a sensor: Use the dependency type of the parent object. Additionally, pause the current object if a specific sensor is in a Down status or in a Paused status caused by another dependency.
  • Master sensor for parent: Make this sensor the master object for its parent device. The sensor influences the behavior of its parent device: If the sensor is in a Down status, the device is 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 is paused if the parent group is paused by another dependency.

i_round_blueTo test your dependencies, select Simulate Error Status from the context menu of an object that other objects depend on. A few seconds later, all dependent objects are paused. You can check all dependencies under Devices | Dependencies in the main menu bar.

Dependency

This field is only visible if you enable Select a sensor above. Click the Search button and use the object selector to select a sensor on which the current object will depend.

Dependency Delay (Sec.)

This field is only visible if you enable Select a sensor above. Define a time span in seconds for dependency delay.

After the master sensor for this dependency comes back to an Up status, monitoring of the dependent objects is additionally delayed by the defined time span. This can prevent false alarms, for example, after a server restart, by giving systems more time for all services to start up. Enter an integer value.

i_round_redThis setting is not available if you set this sensor to Use parent or to be the Master sensor for parent. In this case, define delays in the parent device settings or in its parent group settings.

Access Rights

Click b_inherited_enabled to interrupt the inheritance. See section Inheritance of Settings for more information.

Setting

Description

User Group Access

Define the user groups that have access to the object. 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:

  • Inherited: Inherit the access rights settings of the parent object.
  • No access: Users in this user group cannot see or edit the object. The object neither shows up in lists nor in the device tree.
    i_round_blueThere is one exception: If a user in this user group has access to a child object, the parent object is visible in the device tree but users in this user group cannot access it.
  • Read access: Users in this group can see the object and view its monitoring results. They cannot edit any settings.
  • Write access: Users in this group can see the object, view its monitoring results, and edit its settings. They cannot edit its access rights settings.
  • Full access: Users in this group can see the object, view its monitoring results, edit its settings, and edit its access rights settings.

To automatically set all child objects to inherit this object's access rights, enable the Revert children's access rights to inherited option.

i_square_cyanFor more details on access rights, see section Access Rights Management.

Channel Unit Configuration

Click b_inherited_enabled to interrupt the inheritance. See section Inheritance of Settings for more information.

Setting

Description

Channel Unit Types

For each type of channel, define the unit in which data is displayed. If defined on probe, group, or device level, these settings can be inherited to all sensors underneath. You can set units for the following channel types (if available):

  • Bandwidth
  • Memory
  • Disk
  • File
  • Custom

i_round_blueCustom channel types can be set on sensor level only.

More

How and where does PRTG store its data?

SSH and SFTP Sensors in Unknown Status

How do I set up SSH sensors with my AWS Linux instances?

Knowledge Base: Settings on ESXi 5 host when monitoring via SSH VMware ESX(i) Disk Sensor

Knowledge Base: Why do I need root credentials when monitoring VMware hosts via SSH?

Edit Channels

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

Notification Triggers

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

Others

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

Sensor Settings Overview

For information about sensor settings, see the following sections: