PRTG Network Monitor


PRTG Network Monitor is an agentless network monitoring software from Paessler AG. It can monitor and classify system conditions like bandwidth usage or uptime and collect statistics from miscellaneous hosts as switches, routers, servers and other devices and applications.
The first version of PRTG was released on 29 May 2003 by the German company Paessler GmbH, which was founded by Dirk Paessler in 2001.

Specifications

PRTG Network Monitor has an auto-discovery mode that scans predefined areas of an enterprise network and creates a device list from this data. In the next step, further information on the detected devices can be retrieved using various communication protocols. Typical protocols are Ping, SNMP, WMI, NetFlow, jFlow, sFlow, but also communication via DICOM or the RESTful API is possible.
The tool is only available for Windows systems. In addition, Paessler AG offers the cloud-based monitoring solution "PRTG hosted by Paessler".

Sensors

The software is based on sensors that are configured for a specific purpose. For example, there are HTTP, SMTP/POP3 application sensors and hardware-specific sensors for switches, routers and servers. PRTG Network Monitor has over 200 different predefined sensors that retrieve statistics from the monitored instances, e.g. response times, processor, memory, database information, temperature or system status.

Web interface and desktop client

The software can be operated completely via an AJAX-based web interface. The web interface is suitable for both real-time troubleshooting and data exchange with non-technical staff via maps and user-defined reports. An additional administration interface in the form of a desktop application for Windows and macOS is available.

Notifications and reports

In addition to the usual communication channels such as Email and SMS, notification is also provided via push notification on smartphones using an app for iOS or Android. PRTG also offers customizable reports.

Pricing

PRTG Network Monitor's licensing is based on sensors. Most devices require between five and ten sensors to be fully monitored. A version with 100 integrated sensors is available free of charge.

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