Operating system monitoring
with PRTG

The starting point: Several different operating systems

Many administrators work with a variety of network operating systems. Computers, servers, firewalls – the operating system landscape is vast.

PRTG stands out from the crowd as it is both customizable and compatible with all the major manufacturers.

Other sensors to help you get started

The advantages of PRTG

Agent Monitoring and Agentless Monitoring

Agentless monitoring: Standard for PRTG

With PRTG, you won’t need to install software on the devices you’ll be monitoring. Our network monitoring tool functions without “agents.” PRTG uses well-known protocols such as SNMP, WMI or performance counters, and SSH, all of which run on your target devices. As a result, you’ll keep the strain on your system to a minimum and be able to quickly get started with your monitoring.

Agent monitoring for distributed monitoring and load balancing

Monitoring several networks with one monitoring solution is usually not possible, or else accompanied by exorbitant costs. PRTG is different: Thanks to its remote probes, you can even monitor distributed networks. Here’s how it works: a remote probe is created on a server in an external network, allowing all the devices in that location to be monitored. Because remote probes can be configured on any Windows system, e.g. for load balancing, you can also use PRTG as an agent-based monitoring tool, even if you are not usually required to do so.

More on agentless monitoring vs. agent monitoring and distributed monitoring.

"We were looking for an affordable, all-round product that could provide a broad overview of our entire IT infrastructure. PRTG fits the bill perfectly and has far exceeded our expectations.“

Erik Heskes, Senior Systems Administrator, Amsterdam Trade Bank

"Our infrastructure cannot go down. Period. And if it does go down, it must be detected and resolved immediately. At this point we couldn't live without PRTG."

Jonathan Hoppe, Co-Founder,
Total Uptime Technologies

"PRTG is a noticeable improvement on our previous network monitoring software. It's simple to use, very flexible and saves me and my team a lot of time."

Brian Corbett, Senior Infrastructure Analyst, Trowers & Hamlins LLP

We regularly test distributions. Some of these include various versions of CentOS, openSUSE, Ubuntu, Debian, macOS, Fedora, Gentoo, Red Hat Enterprise, and OpenSolaris. See our knowledge base for an overview of the SSH sensors that are used.

You can set up SNMP on most operating systems and then use it to query the respective systems (see the following blog article: How to Enable SNMP on Your Operating System). Here’s an excerpt from our knowledge base:

 “Hey Greg, what would you tell administrators looking to monitor their Windows Server with PRTG?“

„PerfCounter custom sensors are some of the most useful sensors to be overlooked by users. Imagine SNMP sensors, but for Windows performance counters. Simply find out the name of the counter you wish you monitor. There’s a great knowledge base article on this topic.
Once you have the name, setting up the sensor is a piece of cake. It’s amazing to think of how many PerfCounters are really available for Windows applications, especially those which don’t come from Microsoft itself. These counters often offer insights into applications or processes which you may have once thought to be impossible.“

Greg Campion is a SysAdmin at PAESSLER AG.

PRTG is a vital tool for getting your IT into tip-top shape!

The costs for a one-year PRTG license pay for themselves in an average of only a few weeks.
License costs vary according to the size of your network.

PRTG makes
your network
more reliable

PRTG saves
network management costs

PRTG saves time
spent on network management

PAESSLER AG –
German quality
engineering

• Unlimited version of PRTG for 30 days
• After 30 days, PRTG reverts to a free version
• Or, you can upgrade to a paid license anytime

Made in Germany: The PRTG Network Monitoring Tool is the fruit of a dedicated, international team. The company was founded by Dirk Paessler. The Paessler AG headquarters are located in the city of Nuremberg, in the heart of Germany.

A quick overview: PRTG provides a quick overview, whether on your desktop or as an app on your smartphone. An individually configurable dashboard features every key stat in the form of an easy-to-understand graph, so you can always make sure your network is running smoothly.

Easy configuration: Our Smart Setup guarantees a quick and easy setup. During configuration, PRTG will ping your network and create appropriate sensors, saving you a great deal of time. Furthermore, switching from other software such as Nagios is relatively quick and easy.

Outstanding support: Our support team strives to resolve inquiries within 24 hours (on business days). Discover a wide selection of videos, webinars, and instructions in our knowledge base. Our manual is also an excellent resource.

Getting started is easy: The trial version is for free, allowing you to evaluate our monitoring tool with no strings attached. To upgrade, simply search for a suitable license. You can modify your license any time you like. 

Want to keep reading? Please do!

Firewall Monitoring: Firewalls also have their own operating systems. PRTG keeps you constantly informed of the status of your firewalls. It monitors both incoming and outgoing network traffic. More on Firewall Monitoring.

Cloud Monitoring: Whether Amazon Cloud, VMware, or certain Cloud applications: with PRTG, you'll immediately receive a notification if something goes amiss in your Cloud systems. Find out more on our "Enter the Cloud" page.

Server Monitoring: Whether web, mail, or database: PRTG keeps you constantly up-to-date on the status of all your servers. Go about your work with peace of mind knowing that if anything goes wrong, you’ll be notified at once. More on Server Monitoring.

Log Monitoring: Keep an eye on all the syslog and Windows Event Log messages.

• Email Monitoring
• IIS Monitoring

• Update Monitoring