Product Overview: Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor is a comprehensive and highly versatile network monitoring solution developed by Paessler GmbH. Designed to monitor the health, performance, and availability of IT, OT, and IoT infrastructures, PRTG is an indispensable tool for system administrators across various environments, including on-premises, cloud-based, and hybrid setups.
What PRTG Does
PRTG Network Monitor is engineered to provide a centralized view of the entire IT infrastructure, enabling administrators to track the performance and availability of network devices, services, applications, and more. It monitors a wide range of components, including servers, switches, routers, firewalls, virtual environments, applications, websites, operating systems, network traffic, and environmental parameters such as cooling systems and power supplies.
Key Features and Functionality
Automatic Network Discovery
PRTG simplifies the initial setup and ongoing management with its automatic network discovery feature, which identifies and categorizes all networked devices, creating appropriate monitoring sensors for them.
Customizable Dashboards and Maps
Users can create custom maps and dashboards using the PRTG map designer, providing a visual representation of the IT infrastructure. This allows for real-time monitoring and quick access to data from various devices and services.
Distributed Monitoring
PRTG enables organizations to oversee multiple remote locations through a single interface, making it ideal for geographically dispersed sites. This feature allows central management and analysis of the health and performance of all IT assets.
Real-Time Alerts and Notifications
The software offers real-time alerts via various notification channels, including email, push notifications, and mobile apps for iOS, Android, and Windows Phones. This ensures that administrators are promptly informed of potential issues.
Customizable Reporting
PRTG allows users to generate detailed and customizable reports on the status and performance of their IT infrastructure. Administrators can select specific data points, set the reporting period, and design the report layout to meet their unique requirements.
Support for Multiple Technologies
PRTG supports a range of monitoring technologies, including SNMP, WMI, SSH, HTTP requests, and flow protocols like NetFlow, jFlow, and sFlow. This ensures compatibility with diverse IT setups and allows for comprehensive monitoring.
Sensors
The monitoring is based on sensors, with over 200 predefined sensors available for different aspects such as HTTP, SMTP/POP3, hardware-specific sensors for switches and routers, and more. Each sensor typically monitors one measured value in the network, such as traffic on a switch port or CPU load on a server.
High Performance and Low System Requirements
PRTG is designed for high performance, using a database system that stores raw monitoring results, logs, and other data efficiently. It can run on average hardware, such as a PC not older than two years, and can monitor several thousand sensors per installation.
Licensing and Deployment
PRTG Network Monitor is available in various deployment options, including a standalone on-premises solution (PRTG Network Monitor), a version for large and distributed networks (PRTG Enterprise Monitor), and a cloud-based solution (PRTG Hosted Monitor).
The software offers a free 30-day trial with full features, after which it reverts to a freeware edition that supports up to 100 sensors. Users can upgrade to a paid subscription at any time, with license sizes easily scalable as monitoring needs grow.
In summary, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor is a powerful, flexible, and user-friendly network monitoring solution that provides comprehensive oversight of IT infrastructures, ensuring smooth operation and proactive issue resolution.