<%NUMBERING1%>.<%NUMBERING2%>.<%NUMBERING3%> PRTG Manual: HTTP Push Data Advanced Sensor

The HTTP Push Data Advanced sensor displays data from received messages that are pushed via an HTTP request to PRTG. It provides a URL that you can use to push messages to the probe system via HTTP (secured with TLS 1.2 or not secure).

i_square_cyanFor more information about the sensor usage, see section How to Use.

i_square_cyanFor a detailed list and descriptions of the channels that this sensor can show, see section Channel List.

HTTP Push Data Advanced Sensor

HTTP Push Data Advanced Sensor

Sensor in Other Languages

  • Dutch: HTTP Push Data geavanceerd
  • French: Données avancées Push HTTP
  • German: HTTP Push-Daten (Erweitert)
  • Japanese: HTTP プッシュデータ(アドバンスト)
  • Portuguese: Dados HTTP Avançado via Push
  • Russian: HTTP: Данные push-объекта (Расширенный)
  • Simplified Chinese: HTTP 高级推送数据
  • Spanish: HTTP Push de datos Avanzado

Remarks

  • If you use this sensor with multiple channels, we recommend that you simultaneously push the data for all your channels to PRTG. You can push data to only one of your channels but, in this case, all other channels record the value of 0 for this push message.
  • If you want to install this sensor on a remote probe and use an HTTPS connection to send push notifications, you need to make sure that you import the same Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates to the \cert subfolder of the PRTG program directory on the remote probe that you use on the PRTG core server.
    i_square_cyanFor more information, see the PRTG Manual: Using Your Own SSL Certificate with the PRTG Web Server
  • You cannot use this sensor in cluster mode. You can only set it up on a local probe or a remote probe but not on a cluster probe.
  • This sensor might result in false alerts if the parent probe disconnects from the PRTG core server. In this case, the sensor shows the error message: The latest push message that the sensor received is older than the specified time threshold allows. (code: PE222).
  • This sensor supports the IPv6 protocol.
  • This sensor has a low performance impact.
  • For more information about the sensor usage, see the PRTG Manual: How to Use.

i_podYou cannot add this sensor to the hosted probe of a PRTG Hosted Monitor instance. If you want to use this sensor, add it to a remote probe device.

Add Sensor

The Add Sensor dialog appears when you manually add a new sensor to a device. It only shows the settings that are required to create the sensor. Therefore, you do not see all settings in this dialog. You can change nearly all settings on the sensor's Settings tab after creation.

HTTP Push

Setting

Description

SSL/TLS Settings

Define the security of the incoming HTTP push requests:

  • HTTP (unsecure): Send push messages to the probe system via HTTP (not secure).
  • HTTPS (secured with TLS 1.2 only): Send push messages to the probe system via HTTPS. The sensor only supports connections secured with TLS 1.2. It uses the SSL certificate that is delivered with PRTG or your own trusted SSL certificate that you imported for the PRTG web server.
    i_round_redIf you install the sensor on a remote probe, make sure that you import the same SSL certificates to the remote probe that you use on the PRTG core server.

Port

This setting is only visible if you enable HTTP (unsecure) above. Enter the number of the port on which this sensor listens for incoming HTTP requests. The default port is 5050.

SSL/TLS Port

This setting is only visible if you enable HTTPS (secured with TLS 1.2 only) above. Enter the number of the port on which this sensor listens for incoming HTTPS requests. The default port is 5051.

Basic Sensor Settings

Click the Settings tab of a sensor to change its settings.

Basic Sensor Settings

Basic Sensor Settings

Setting

Description

Sensor Name

Enter a meaningful name to identify the sensor. By default, PRTG shows this name in the device tree, as well as in alarms, logs, notifications, reports, maps, libraries, and tickets.

i_round_blueIf the name contains angle brackets (<>), PRTG replaces them with braces ({}) for security reasons. For more information, see the Knowledge Base: What security features does PRTG include?

Parent Tags

Shows tags that the sensor inherits from its parent device, parent group, and parent probe.

i_round_blueThis setting is for your information only. You cannot change it.

Tags

Enter one or more tags. Confirm each tag with the Spacebar key, a comma, or the Enter key. You can use tags to group objects and use tag-filtered views later on. Tags are not case-sensitive. Tags are automatically inherited.

i_round_blueIt is not possible to enter tags with a leading plus (+) or minus (-) sign, nor tags with parentheses (()) or angle brackets (<>).

i_round_blueFor performance reasons, it can take some minutes until you can filter for new tags that you added.

The sensor has the following default tags that are automatically predefined in the sensor's settings when you add the sensor:

  • pushsensor
  • pushdata
  • httppushsensor

Priority

Select a priority for the sensor. This setting determines the position of the sensor in lists. The highest priority is at the top of a list. Choose from the lowest priority (i_priority_1) to the highest priority (i_priority_5).

i_round_blueUsually, a sensor connects to the IP Address or DNS Name of the parent device. See the device settings for details. For some sensors, you can explicitly define the monitoring target in the sensor settings.

HTTP Push

HTTP Push

HTTP Push

Setting

Description

SSL/TLS Settings

Shows whether the sensor accepts push messages via HTTP or HTTPS.

Port

This setting is only visible for sensors that accept push messages via HTTP. It shows the port number on which this sensor listens for incoming HTTP requests.

SSL/TLS Port

This setting is only visible for sensors that accept push messages via HTTPS. It shows the port number on which this sensor listens for incoming HTTPS requests.

Request Method

Select the request method of the webhook:

  • ANY: Do not use any filter for the request method.
  • GET: Select this method if the webhook uses GET.
  • POST: Select this method if the webhook sends POST data.
    i_round_redPOST data must be form-encoded request bodies with the same parameters as for GET requests.

Identification Token

This is the token that PRTG uses to find the matching sensor for the incoming message. When you create the sensor, this token is {__guid__}.

PRTG replaces this token with an automatically generated token after sensor creation. If you want to use a different identification token, you can edit it during or after sensor creation.

i_round_bluePRTG does not automatically replace the token if you change it already during sensor creation.

Request Handling

Define what PRTG does with the incoming messages:

  • Discard request: Do not store the pushed messages.
  • Store request: Store the last message received from the sensor in the \Logs\sensors subfolder of the PRTG data directory on the probe system. The file name is Request for Sensor [ID].txt. This setting is for debugging purposes. PRTG overwrites this file with each scanning interval.

HTTP Push Data

HTTP Push Data

HTTP Push Data

Setting

Description

No Incoming Data

Define which status the sensor shows if it does not receive a push message for at least two scanning intervals:

  • Ignore and keep last status (default): Keep the status as defined by the last message that the sensor received.
    i_round_blueThe parent probe must be connected to keep the last status. If the parent probe disconnects, the sensor shows the Unknown status. If the parent probe connects again, the sensor does not automatically switch from the Unknown status to the last status before the parent probe disconnected.
  • Switch to unknown status: Show the Unknown status if the sensor does not receive a message for at least two scanning intervals.
  • Switch to down status after x minutes: Show the Down status if the sensor does not receive a message within a specific time span. Define the time threshold below.

Time Threshold (Minutes)

This setting is only visible if you select Switch to down status after x minutes above. Enter a time threshold in minutes. If this time elapses, the sensor shows the Down status if it does not receive a push message within this time span.

Enter an integer value. The maximum threshold is 1440 minutes.

Sensor Display

Sensor Display

Sensor Display

Setting

Description

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 is always displayed below the sensor's name. The available options depend on what channels are available for this sensor.

i_round_blueYou can set a different primary channel later by clicking b_channel_primary below a channel gauge on the sensor's Overview tab.

Graph Type

Define how different channels are shown for this sensor:

  • Show channels independently (default): Show a 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 generates a graph that visualizes the different components of your total traffic.
    i_round_redYou cannot use this option in combination with manual Vertical Axis Scaling (available in the channel settings).

Stack Unit

This setting is only visible if you enable Stack channels on top of each other as Graph Type. Select a unit from the list. All channels with this unit are 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.

Inherited Settings

By default, all of the following settings are inherited from objects that are higher in the hierarchy. We recommend that you change them centrally in the root group settings if necessary. To change a setting for this object only, click b_inherited_enabled under the corresponding setting name to disable the inheritance and to display its options.

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section Inheritance of Settings.

Scanning Interval

Click b_inherited_enabled to interrupt the inheritance.

Scanning Interval

Scanning Interval

Setting

Description

Scanning Interval

Select a scanning interval from the dropdown list. The scanning interval determines the amount of time that the sensor waits between two scans. Choose from:

  • 30 seconds
  • 60 seconds
  • 5 minutes
  • 10 minutes
  • 15 minutes
  • 30 minutes
  • 1 hour
  • 4 hours
  • 6 hours
  • 12 hours
  • 24 hours

i_round_blueYou can change the available intervals in the system administration on PRTG on premises installations.

If a Sensor Query Fails

Select the number of scanning intervals that the sensor has time to reach and to check a device again if a sensor query fails. Depending on the option that you select, the sensor can try to reach and to check a device again several times before the sensor shows the Down status. This can avoid false alarms if the monitored device only has temporary issues. For previous scanning intervals with failed requests, the sensor shows the Warning status. Choose from:

  • Set sensor to down immediately: Set the sensor to the Down status immediately after the first request fails.
  • Set sensor to warning for 1 interval, then set to down (recommended): Set the sensor to the Warning status after the first request fails. If the second request also fails, the sensor shows the Down status.
  • Set sensor to warning for 2 intervals, then set to down: Set the sensor to the Down status only after the third request fails.
  • Set sensor to warning for 3 intervals, then set to down: Set the sensor to the Down status only after the fourth request fails.
  • Set sensor to warning for 4 intervals, then set to down: Set the sensor to the Down status only after the fifth request fails.
  • Set sensor to warning for 5 intervals, then set to down: Set the sensor to the Down status only after the sixth request fails.

i_round_blueSensors that monitor via Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) always wait at least one scanning interval before they show the Down status. It is not possible to immediately set a WMI sensor to the Down status, so the first option does not apply to these sensors. All other options can apply.

i_round_blueIf you define error limits for a sensor's channels, the sensor immediately shows the Down status. None of the interval options apply.

i_round_blueIf a channel uses lookup values, the sensor immediately shows the Down status. None of the interval options apply.

Schedules, Dependencies, and Maintenance Windows

i_round_blueYou cannot interrupt the inheritance for schedules, dependencies, and maintenance windows. The corresponding settings from the parent objects are always active. However, you can define additional schedules, dependencies, and maintenance windows. They are active at the same time as the parent objects' settings.

Schedules, Dependencies, and Maintenance Windows

Schedules, Dependencies, and Maintenance Windows

Setting

Description

Schedule

Select a schedule from the list. You can use schedules to monitor during a certain time span (days or hours) every week. Choose from:

  • None
  • Saturdays
  • Sundays
  • Weekdays
  • Weekdays Eight-To-Eight (08:00 - 20:00)
  • Weekdays Nights (17:00 - 09:00)
  • Weekdays Nights (20:00 - 08:00)
  • Weekdays Nine-To-Five (09:00 - 17:00)
  • Weekends

i_round_blueYou can create schedules, edit schedules, or pause monitoring for a specific time span. For more information, see section Schedules.

Maintenance Window

Select if you want to set up a one-time maintenance window. During a maintenance window, monitoring stops for the selected object and all child objects. They show the Paused status instead. Choose between:

  • Do not set up a one-time maintenance window: Do not set up a one-time maintenance window. Monitoring is always active.
  • Set up a one-time maintenance window: Set up a one-time maintenance window and pause monitoring. You can define a time span for the pause below.

i_round_blueTo terminate an active maintenance window before the defined end date, change the time entry in Maintenance Ends to a date in the past.

Maintenance Begins

This setting is only visible if you enable Set up a one-time maintenance window above. Use the date time picker to enter the start date and time of the one-time maintenance window.

Maintenance Ends

This setting is only visible if you enable Set up a one-time maintenance window above. Use the date time picker to enter the end date and time of the one-time maintenance window.

Dependency Type

Select a dependency type. You can use dependencies to pause monitoring for an object depending on the status of a different object. You can choose from:

  • Use parent: Use the dependency type of the parent object.
  • Select a sensor: Use the dependency type of the parent object. Additionally, pause the current object if a specific sensor is in the Down status or in the Paused status because of another dependency.
  • Master sensor for parent: Make this sensor the master object for its parent device. The sensor influences the behavior of its parent device: If the sensor is in the Down status, the device is 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 is paused if the parent group is paused by another dependency.

i_round_blueTo test your dependencies, select Simulate Error Status from the context menu of an object that other objects depend on. A few seconds later, all dependent objects are paused. You can check all dependencies under Devices | Dependencies in the main menu bar.

Dependency

This setting is only visible if you enable Select a sensor above. Click b_search_light and use the object selector to select a sensor on which the current object will depend.

Dependency Delay (Sec.)

This setting is only visible if you enable Select a sensor above. Define a time span in seconds for the dependency delay.

After the master sensor for this dependency returns to the Up status, PRTG additionally delays the monitoring of the dependent objects by the time span you define. This can prevent false alarms, for example, after a server restart or to give systems more time for all services to start. Enter an integer value.

i_round_redThis setting is not available if you set this sensor to Use parent or to be the Master sensor for parent. In this case, define delays in the parent device settings or in its parent group settings.

Access Rights

Click b_inherited_enabled to interrupt the inheritance.

Access Rights

Access Rights

Setting

Description

User Group Access

Define the user groups that have access to the sensor. You see a table with user groups and group access rights. The table contains all user groups in your setup. For each user group, you can choose from the following group access rights:

  • Inherited: Inherit the access rights settings of the parent object.
  • No access: Users in this user group cannot see or edit the sensor. The sensor neither shows up in lists nor in the device tree.
  • Read access: Users in this group can see the sensor and view its monitoring results. They cannot edit any settings.
  • Write access: Users in this group can see the sensor, view its monitoring results, and edit its settings. They cannot edit its access rights settings.
  • Full access: Users in this group can see the sensor, view its monitoring results, edit its settings, and edit its access rights settings.

i_square_cyanFor more details on access rights, see section Access Rights Management.

How to Use

This function is known as webhook. Basically, a webhook works like a push notification. Webhooks are usually triggered by some event (for example, a new comment on a blog post) and send according information to a specified URL. The HTTP Push Data Advanced sensor then displays the data of pushed and received messages.

The data that is pushed to this sensor must be valid XML or JSON.

i_square_cyanFor details about the return value format, see section Custom Sensors.

The HTTP Push Data Advanced sensor uses the following URLs depending on the type of HTTP request.

  • GET requests: http://<probe_ip>:<port_number>/<token>?content=<valid XML_or_JSON>
     
    The XML encoded value of the content parameter has to match the format as defined in section Custom Sensors.
  • POST requests: http://<probe_ip>:<port_number>/<token>
     
    This HTTP request method sends the XML or JSON encoded HTTP body as POST data. The body has to match the format as defined in section Custom Sensors. For POST requests, use an HTTP content type other than application/x-www-form-urlencoded. We strongly recommend the HTTP content type application/xml or application/json.

Replace the parameters <probe_ip>, <port_number>, <token>, and <valid XML_or_JSON> (for GET requests) with the corresponding values:

  • You can define port number and identification token in the sensor settings.
  • The probe IP is the IP address of the probe system with this sensor.
  • The content of GET requests has to be valid XML or JSON in the PRTG API format.
    i_round_blueThe content has to be URL encoded (for example, the whitespaces in the sample URL below). Most browsers do URL-encoding automatically.

Minimum example for the GET method that returns one static channel value:

http://127.0.0.1:5050/XYZ123?content=<prtg><result><channel>MyChannel</channel><value>10</value></result><text>this%20is%20a%20message</text></prtg>

i_round_blueBy default, values within the <value> tags in the returned XML or JSON must be integers to be processed. If float values are returned, you have to explicitly define this value type as defined in section Custom Sensors with <float> tags, otherwise the sensor shows 0 values in affected channels. Example:

http://127.0.0.1:5050/XYZ123?content=<prtg><result><channel>MyChannel</channel><value>10.45</value><float>1</float></result><text>this%20is%20a%20message</text></prtg>

i_round_blueYou can use several sensors with the same port and identification token. In this case, the data of push messages is shown in each of these sensors.

Channel List

i_round_blueWhich channels the sensor actually shows might depend on the monitored device, the available components, and the sensor setup.

Channel

Description

Downtime

In the channel table on the Overview tab, this channel never shows any values. PRTG uses this channel in graphs and reports to show the amount of time in which the sensor was in the Down status in percent.

[Value]

The data received from the message encoded in valid Extensible Markup Language (XML) or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) in several channels

i_round_blueThis channel is the primary channel by default.

i_square_cyanFor details about the return value format, see section Custom Sensors.

More

i_square_blueKNOWLEDGE BASE

What security features does PRTG include?

My HTTP sensors don't work. What can I do?

Sensor Settings Overview

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