PRTG 9 Manual: Syslog Receiver Sensor

Basic Sensor Settings

Sensor Name

Enter a meaningful name to identify the sensor. The name will be shown by default in the device tree and in all alarms.

Tags

Enter one or more tags, separated by space or comma. You can use tags to group sensors and use tag-filtered views later on. Tags are not case sensitive. We recommend using the default value. You can add additional tags to it, if you like. Other tags are automatically inherited from objects further up in the device tree. Those are not visible here.

Priority

Select a priority for the sensor. This setting determines where the sensor will be placed in sensor lists. Top priority will be at the top of a list. You can choose from one star (low priority) to five stars (top priority).

Syslog Specific

Listen on port

Enter the port the sensor will listen on for Syslog messages. Usually port 514 is used. Please enter an integer value. We recommend using the default value.

Sender

Enter the sender which the Syslog messages are to come from. Only messages from a sender matching this string will be regarded. If you enter a value here, make sure your entry matches exactly the value for the sender in the Syslog message. Please enter a string or leave the field empty.

When Message comes in

• Define what will be done when a message comes in. Choose between:

• Do nothing: Do not perform any action.

• Write message to log and fire 'change' trigger: Write an entry to the PRTG log file every time a message is received. Note: Use with caution; this may create a lot of log entries!

Set sensor to "warning"

Define which conditions will set the sensor's status to warning. Choose between:

• Never: The sensor's status will always show ok, no matter if messages are received or not.
• Depending on Severity: The sensor's status will be set to warning for certain conditions in the Syslog messages.
• Depending on Content: The sensor's status will be set to warning if the Syslog message does or does not a defined string.

Emergency

This option is only visible if warning depending on severity is enabled above. Set sensor to warning if a Syslog message contains an emergency message.Add a check mark symbol in front of the Warn on this condition text to enable this option.

Alert

This option is only visible if warning depending on severity is enabled above. Set sensor to warning if a Syslog message contains an alert message. Add a check mark symbol in front of the Warn on this condition text to enable this option.

Critical

This option is only visible if warning depending on severity is enabled above. Set sensor to warning if a Syslog message contains a critical message. Add a check mark symbol in front of the Warn on this condition text to enable this option.

Error

This option is only visible if warning depending on severity is enabled above. Set sensor to warning if a Syslog message contains an error message. Add a check mark symbol in front of the Warn on this condition text to enable this option.

Warning

This option is only visible if warning depending on severity is enabled above. Set sensor to warning if a Syslog message contains a warning message. Add a check mark symbol in front of the Warn on this condition text to enable this option.

Notice

This option is only visible if warning depending on severity is enabled above. Set sensor to warning if a Syslog message contains a notice message. Add a check mark symbol in front of the Warn on this condition text to enable this option.

Informational

This option is only visible if warning depending on severity is enabled above. Set sensor to warning if a Syslog message contains an informational message. Add a check mark symbol in front of the Warn on this condition text to enable this option.

Message must include

This option is only visible if warning depending on content is enabled above. Define which string must be part of one or more Syslog message(s) received, in order for the sensor to show an Up status. If a message does not include this string, the sensor's status will be set to warning. Please enter a string or leave the field empty.

Message must not include

This option is only visible if warning depending on content is enabled above. Define which string must not be part of one or more Syslog message(s) received, in order for the sensor to show an Up status. If a message does include this string, the sensor's status will be set to warning. Please enter a string or leave the field empty.

Sensor Display

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 will always be displayed underneath the sensor's name. The available options depend on what channels are available for this sensor.

Chart Type

Define how different channels will be shown for this sensor.

• Show channels independently (default): Show an own 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 will generate an easy-to-read graph which visualizes the different components of your total traffic. Note: This option cannot be used in combination with manual Vertical Axis Scaling (available in the Sensor Channels Settings settings).

Stack Unit

This setting is only available if stacked graphs are selected above. Choose a unit from the list. All channels with this unit will be 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.

Scanning Interval

Scanning Interval

The scanning interval determines the time the sensor waits between two scans. Select a scanning interval (seconds, minutes, or hours) from the list. You can change the available intervals in the system administration.

Schedules and Dependencies

Schedule

Select a schedule from the list. Schedules can be used to pause monitoring for a certain time span (days, hours) throughout the week. You can create new schedules and edit existing ones in the account settings. Note: Schedules are generally inherited. New schedules will be added to existing ones, so all schedules are active.

Dependency Type

Define a dependency type. Dependencies can be used to pause monitoring for an object depending on the status of another. You can choose between:

• Use parent: Pause the current sensor if the device it is created on is in a Down status, or if it is paused by another dependency.
• Select object: Pause the current sensor if the device it is created on is in an Down status, or if it is paused by another dependency. Additionally, pause the current sensor if a specific other object in the device tree is in a Down status, or if it is paused by another dependency. Select below.
• Master object for parent: Make this sensor the master object for its parent device. The sensor will influence the behavior of the device it is created on: If the sensor is in a Down status, the device will be 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 will be paused if the parent group of its parent device is in a Down status, or if it is paused by another dependency.

Note: Testing your dependencies is easy! Simply choose Simulate Error Status from the context menu of an object that other objects depend on. A few seconds later all dependent objects should be paused.

Dependency

This field is only visible if the select object option is enabled above. Click on the reading-glass symbol and use the object selector to choose an object on which the current sensor will be dependent on.

Inherit Access Rights

User Group Access

Define which user group(s) will have access to the object you're editing. A table with user groups and right is shown; it contains all user groups from your setup. For each user group you can choose from the following access rights:

• Inherited: Use the settings of the parent object.
• None: Users in this group cannot see or edit the object. The object does not show up in lists and in the device tree. Exception: If a child object is visible to the user, the object is visible in the device tree, though not accessible.
• Read: Users in this group can see the object and review its monitoring results.
• Write: Users in this group can see the object, review its monitoring results, and edit the object's settings. They cannot edit access rights settings.
• Full: Users in this group can see the object, review its monitoring results, edit the object's settings, and edit access rights settings.

You can create new user groups in the System Administration—User Groups settings. To automatically set all objects further down in the hierarchy to inherit this object's access rights, set a check mark for the Revert children's access rights to inherited option.