PRTG 8 Manual - Sensor Notifications Settings

Sensor Notifications Settings

The status or the data of a sensor can trigger notifications. Using this mechanism, you can configure external alerting tailored to you needs. Although it's the sensors that provoke a trigger, you can set notification triggers higher in the hierarchy (for example for groups or devices) and define triggers for multiple sensors by using the inheritance mechanism.

Note

This section describes one of three steps to set up the notification system in PRTG. A complete notification setup involves:

Defining notification delivery settings
Setting up notifications
Adding notification triggers to sensors

For more information please see Notifications section.

Available Notification Triggers Settings

On an object's detail page, click on the Notifications tab to change sensor notification triggers. The available options are the same for all objects. When defining triggers for probes, groups, or devices they can be inherited down to sensor level.

Triggers that can be inherited from parent object(s)

You see a list of all notification triggers that are defined higher in the hierarchy. The list is empty when there are no triggers defined in groups or devices above the current object. You can see the type and condition of the triggers, and the notifications that are executed once this trigger is provoked (for the transitions On, Off, Escalation).

Trigger Inheritance

Define whether the triggers shown above will be handed on to the current object. Choose between:

Inherit trigger(s) from parent object(s): Use the triggers shown above.
Only use triggers defined for this object: Do not use the triggers shown above; use only the triggers for this single object defined below.

This setting is valid for all triggers shown above. It is not possible to only select some of them.

You can set up one or more of the following triggers, each with different setting options:

State Triggers

Define triggers that are prompted when a sensor changes its current status. This is the most common reason to send out notifications. Click on the Add State trigger button to add a new trigger. Then define settings as described below. Every trigger will cause one or more notification(s) to be executed.

State Trigger(s)
Condition	Select the condition that will trigger the notification. The trigger will be prompted when a sensor enters or leaves the selected status. Choose from the drop down menu: Down: The trigger will be prompted if a sensor changes to a down status. Warning: The trigger will be prompted if a sensor changes to a warning status. Unusual: The trigger will be prompted if a sensor changes to an unusual status.
Latency (sec.)	Define how many seconds will be waited before an On Notification is triggered. This can avoid false alarms in case a sensor "flickers" and goes to a down status for just a few seconds. If the selected Condition (the sensor status) persists after the defined time span, the notification will be triggered. Please enter an integer value in seconds.
On Notification	Select a notification that will be triggered if the Condition (the sensor status) selected is true and the Latency time defined has passed. Choose a notification from the drop down menu. The menu shows all notifications defined in the notifications setup. You can also choose None in order to only use other conditions for this trigger.
Off Notification	Select a notification that will be triggered if the Condition (the sensor status) selected is not true any more because the sensor's status changes again. Latency is not valid for this setting; an Off Notification will be sent as soon as the status changes.You can also choose None in order to only use other conditions for this trigger.
Esc. Latency (sec.)	Define an Escalation Latency in seconds. An escalation notification will be triggered if this number of seconds has passed since the sensor status has entered the defined condition. Using the escalation option, you can send additional notifications in case a problem persists for a longer time. Please enter an integer value in seconds.
Esc. Notification	Select a notification that will be triggered as Escalation Notification if the Condition (the sensor status) selected is still true and the Esc. Latency time defined has passed. You can use this option to trigger an additional notification after a certain time. For example, you can send notifications with an extended recipient list if a problem persists for a longer time. You can also choose None in order to only use other conditions for this trigger.
Repeat Every (min.)	Define a continuous repeat for an escalation notification. The escalation notification defined will be resent every x minutes. The repeat option is available for the escalation notification only. Please enter an integer value in minutes. You can also enter 0 in order to not use a repeat.
Delete	Click on the Delete button next to an existing notification trigger to delete it. Note: It will be deleted immediately and there is no warning message.

Click on the Save button at the end of the page to store your settings. You can then add another trigger.

Speed Triggers

Define triggers that will be prompted when a traffic sensor reaches a certain bandwidth limit for a specified time. Click on the Add Speed trigger button to add a new trigger. Then define settings as described below. Every trigger will cause one or more notification(s) to be executed.

Speed Trigger(s)
Channel	Select the channel that will be regarded for this trigger from the drop down menu. Select Primary to use the sensor's primary channel (this can be defined in the sensor's settings) or choose a specific channel name from the list (there are different channels for every sensor type). All following settings for this trigger will be based on the chosen channel.
Condition	Select the condition that will trigger the notification. Choose from the drop down menu: Above: The trigger will be prompted if the value of the selected channel overruns a defined value. Below: The trigger will be prompted if the value of the selected channel undercuts a defined value. Equal: The trigger will be prompted if the value of the selected channel is the same as a defined value. Not Equal: The trigger will be prompted if the value of the selected channel is different than a defined value.
Value	Define the value the channel's data will be compared with. Please enter an integer value.
Scale	Select the unit in which you entered the value above. Choose from the drop down menu. The available values depend on the sensor you set this trigger for. Scale and Time together define the unit for the given value. If the channel's data is shown in a different unit PRTG will automatically convert values internally.
Time	Select the time for the scale (so you create a scale per time designation). Choose from the drop down menu: second minute hour day Scale and Time together define the unit for the given value. If the channel's data is shown in a different unit PRTG will automatically convert values internally.
Latency (sec.)	Define how many seconds will be waited before an On Notification is triggered. This can avoid false alarms in case a channel reaches a limit for just a few moments. If the combined channel condition (channel, condition, value, scale per time) persists after the defined time span, the notification will be triggered. Please enter an integer value in seconds.
On Notification	Select a notification that will be triggered if the combined channel condition (channel, condition, value, scale per time) is true and the Latency time defined has passed. Choose a notification from the drop down menu. The menu shows all notifications defined in the notifications setup. You can also choose None in order to only use other conditions for this trigger.
Off Notification	Select a notification that will be triggered if the combined channel condition (channel, condition, value, scale per time) is not true any more because the channel's value changes again. Latency is not valid for this setting; an Off Notification will be sent as soon as the defined condition is not valid any more.You can also choose None in order to only use other conditions for this trigger.
Delete	Click on the Delete button next to an existing notification trigger to delete it. Note: It will be deleted immediately and there is no warning message.

No escalation notification and no repeat are available for this trigger type. Click on the Save button at the end of the page to store your settings. You can then add another trigger.

Volume Triggers

Define triggers that will be be prompted when a traffic sensor reaches a certain volume limit in a specified time. Click on the Add Volume trigger button to add a new trigger. Then define settings as described below. Every trigger will cause one notification to be executed.

Volume Trigger(s)
Channel	Select the channel that will be regarded for this trigger from the drop down menu. Select Primary to use the sensor's primary channel (this can be defined in the sensor's settings) or choose a specific channel name from the list (there are different channels for every sensor type; a set of general channels is shown when adding triggers on group or device level). All following settings for this trigger will be based on the chosen channel.
Value	Define the value the channel's data will be compared with. If the channel's data overruns this value, a notification will be triggered. Please enter an integer value.
Scale	Select the unit in which you entered the value above. Choose from the drop down menu. The available values depend on the sensor you set this trigger for. Scale and Period together define the unit for the given value. If the channel's data is provided in a different unit PRTG will automatically convert values internally.
Period	Select the time period for the scale (so you create a scale per time period designation). Choose from the drop down menu: Hour Day Week Month Scale and Period together define the unit for the given value. If the channel's data is provided in a different unit PRTG will automatically convert values internally.
On Notification	Select a notification that will be triggered if the value in the combined unit (scale per period) is overrun. Choose a notification from the drop down menu. The menu shows all notifications defined in the notifications setup. You can also choose None in order to only use other conditions for this trigger.
Delete	Click on the Delete button next to an existing notification trigger to delete it. Note: It will be deleted immediately and there is no warning message.

No escalation notification, no repeat, and no off notification are available for this trigger type. Click on the Save button at the end of the page to store your settings. You can then add another trigger.

Threshold Triggers

Define triggers that will be prompted when certain sensors reach specific values. Click on the Add Threshold trigger button to add a new trigger. Then define settings as described below. Every trigger will cause one or more notification(s) to be executed.

Threshold Trigger(s)
Channel	Select the channel that will be regarded for this trigger from the drop down menu. Select Primary to use the sensor's primary channel (this can be defined in the sensor's settings) or choose a specific channel name from the list (there are different channels for every sensor type). All following settings for this trigger will be based on the chosen channel.
Condition	Select the condition that will trigger the notification. Choose from the drop down menu: Above: The trigger will be prompted if the value of the selected channel overruns a defined value. Below: The trigger will be prompted if the value of the selected channel undercuts a defined value. Equal: The trigger will be prompted if the value of the selected channel is the same as a defined value. Not Equal: The trigger will be prompted if the value of the selected channel is different than a defined value.
Value	Define the value the channel's data will be compared with. This value will be directly compared to the channel's data. Please enter an integer value.
Latency (sec.)	Define how many seconds will be waited before an On Notification is triggered. This can avoid false alarms in case a channel reaches a limit for just a few moments. If the combined condition (channel, condition) persists after the defined time span, the notification will be triggered. Please enter an integer value in seconds.
On Notification	Select a notification that will be triggered if the combined channel condition (channel, value) is true and the Latency time defined has passed. Choose a notification from the drop down menu. The menu shows all notifications defined in the notifications setup. You can also choose None in order to only use other conditions for this trigger.
Off Notification	Select a notification that will be triggered if the combined channel condition (channel, value) is not true any more because the channel's value changes again. Latency is not valid for this setting; an Off Notification will be sent as soon as the defined condition is not valid any more.You can also choose None in order to only use other conditions for this trigger.
Delete	Click on the Delete button next to an existing notification trigger to delete it. Note: It will be deleted immediately and there is no warning message.

No escalation notification and no repeat are available for this trigger type. Click on the Save button at the end of the page to store your settings. You can then add another trigger.

Change Triggers

Define triggers that will be prompted by some sensors whenever certain values have changed. Click on the Add Change trigger button to add a new trigger. Then define settings as described below. Every trigger will cause one notification to be executed.

Note: You can enable all sensors to send 'On change' notifications by default when a value changes. To do so, change the Sensor Value Detection settings of the Root group settings.

Change Trigger(s)
Notification	Select a notification that will be triggered whenever a compatible sensor triggers a change notification. It will be executed immediately.

There are no other sensors available for this trigger type. Click on the Save button at the end of the page to store your settings. You can then add another trigger.

Sensor Settings Overview

For information about sensor settings, please see the following sections:

Object Settings Overview

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

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