<%NUMBERING1%>.<%NUMBERING2%>.<%NUMBERING3%> PRTG Manual: Notification Templates

In the Notification Templates settings, you can define and edit notifications for the user account. Notifications can be triggered for specific sensor states and values.

If you use PRTG on premises and open the system administration page from a different administration page, PRTG asks you to enter your credentials again for security reasons if 15 minutes (900 seconds) have passed since your last credential-based login. A dialog box appears. Enter your Login Name and Password for PRTG in the corresponding fields and confirm to continue.

Notification Templates Settings

Notification Templates Settings

Note

You have to take the following four steps to set up and use notifications:

  1. Check and set up the Notification Delivery settings if you use PRTG on premises. These settings define how PRTG sends messages.
  2. Check and set up Notification Contacts for the user accounts. These contacts define the recipients to which PRTG sends notifications.
  3. Check and set up several Notification Templates. These templates define the notification methods and their content.
    i_round_blueYou can also check or edit notification templates via the Notification Triggers tab. For more information, see section Notification Triggers Settings.
  4. Check and set up Notification Triggers Settings for objects. These triggers define when PRTG sends notifications.

i_round_blueUsually, there are three successive attempts to deliver a notification. If all of these attempts fail, the notification is lost. To never miss a notification, we recommend that you always set up at least two notifications with different notification methods for a notification trigger, for example, one email notification and one SMS notification. If delivery via email fails (because of an email server outage or for other reasons), PRTG can still notify you via smartphone as a fallback. For example, use the latency setting of a state trigger to choose a notification with a different notification method than in the first trigger condition, or set up a second trigger with a different notification method for the corresponding object.

i_square_cyanSee sections Notifications Based on Sensor Limits Step by Step and Notifications Based on Libraries Step by Step for step-by-step guides that describe potential notification setups.

i_square_cyanCustom notification scripts are also available in the PRTG Sensor Hub.

Notification Templates

Click the Notification Templates tab to show a list of all notification templates, what actions they perform, and if they are active or paused.

To edit a notification template, enable the check box next to the notification template and choose from the following options:

  • Send test notification (b_multi_edit_test): Trigger this notification immediately for testing purposes.
    i_round_blueWhen testing notifications, PRTG does not resolve the placeholders, but rather sends the original variables instead.
  • Used by (b_multi_edit_used_by): Show all objects that trigger this notification.
  • Pause (b_multi_edit_pause): Pause this notification. If you manually pause a notification, PRTG does not send messages when this notification is triggered.
  • Resume (b_multi_edit_resume): Resume this notification.
  • Clone (b_multi_edit_clone): Create a clone of this notification.
  • Delete (b_multi_edit_delete): Delete this notification (not possible for predefined notifications).
  • Settings (b_multi_edit_settings): Open the settings of a notification template.

i_round_blueYou can also use the quick action buttons Send test notification (b_template_test), Used by (b_template_used_by), Pause (b_template_pause) or Resume (b_template_resume) next to a notification template.

i_square_cyanSee also sections Working with Table Lists and Multi-Edit.

Notification Template Settings

Hover over b_add and select Add Notification Template from the menu to add a new notification template, or click the name of a notification template to edit it.

i_round_blueThis documentation refers to an administrator that accesses the PRTG web interface on a master node. Other user accounts, interfaces, or failover nodes might not have all of the options in the way described here. In a cluster, note that failover nodes are read-only by default.

i_round_blueWhen a user with administrative rights creates a new object, only other users with administrative rights can view or edit the new object by default. When a read/write user creates a new object, all members of the read/write user's primary group can view and edit the new object as well. This behavior applies to libraries, maps, reports, notification templates, and schedules.

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section Access Rights Management.

Basic Settings

Setting

Description

Template Name

Enter a meaningful name for the notification template, for example, SMS to service team.

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?

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

Status

Select the status of the notification template:

  • Started: When the notification template is started or active, PRTG executes the notifications defined in the notification template whenever it is triggered.
  • Paused: When the notification template is paused, PRTG does not execute any notifications defined in the notification template.

Schedule

Use schedules to activate a notification template only during specific time spans. This way you can pause notifications, for example, during regular maintenance periods or server restarts.

Select None if you want your notification template to be active all the time. Choose one of the suggested schedules from the list to define a specific period in which the notification template is active.

i_round_blueThe overall status of the notification template needs to be Started to apply any schedule settings.

i_square_cyanTo create your own schedules or to change schedules, see section Schedules.

Notification Handling during Scheduled Pause

Define how PRTG handles notifications that are triggered during a scheduled pause.

  • Collect notifications and send them when reactivated: PRTG collects all notifications that are triggered during a scheduled pause and sends them all out once the paused status ends.
  • Discard notifications during paused status: PRTG discards all notifications that are triggered during a scheduled pause.

i_round_blueIf you manually pause a notification, PRTG does never collect notifications that are triggered while the notification is paused.

Notification Summarization

Setting

Description

Method

Define if and how PRTG summarizes several notifications into one or more messages (max. 1,000 characters). Define if several notification triggers are to be collected over a specified time period and then sent as a single summarized notification. Choose from:

  • Always notify ASAP, never summarize: Always send out one notification for each received notification trigger as soon as possible (for example, immediately).
  • Send first DOWN message ASAP, then summarize: When receiving several DOWN triggers, send the first notification immediately, then keep summarizing notification triggers into one message, regardless of sensor status.
  • Send first DOWN and UP message ASAP, then summarize: When receiving several DOWN or UP triggers, send each first notification immediately, then keep summarizing notification triggers into one message, regardless of sensor status.
  • Send all DOWN messages ASAP, summarize the others: When receiving several DOWN triggers, send out one notification for each trigger received, but summarize notifications for all non-DOWN triggers into one message.
  • Send all DOWN and UP messages ASAP, summarize the others: When receiving several DOWN or UP triggers, send out one notification for each trigger received, but summarize the notifications for all non-DOWN and non-UP triggers into one message.
  • Always summarize notifications, regardless of type: When receiving several notification triggers, summarize notifications, regardless of the kind of trigger received.
    i_round_blueThe maximum number of notifications (see below) still applies.

i_round_blueRegardless of the option you choose, PRTG never summarizes notifications of the types Send Slack Message, Send Microsoft Teams Message, Execute HTTP Action, Execute Program, and Assign Ticket because it always sends them immediately. PRTG can summarize the messages of all other notification types.

i_round_blue'first DOWN' and 'first UP' messages refer to trigger condition and clear condition respectively. You can also define 'WARNING' or 'UNUSUAL' states as trigger conditions or even thresholds or other triggers notification summarizations. The condition clear triggers, if applicable, are defined in the respective trigger conditions as well. The triggers all qualify as "first DOWN" or "first UP" messages.

i_round_bluePRTG collects up to 25 single notifications for one summarization and sends out the message as soon as this number is reached (or when the gathering time has passed). If there are more than 25 notifications within the defined time span, you receive more than one message with up to 25 entries each. For example, 74 collected notifications result in 3 summarized messages with 25, 25, and 24 collected notifications.

Subject for Summarized Email or SNS Messages

Define a subject that PRTG includes when sending summarized notifications. You can use the placeholder %SUMMARYCOUNT for the number of summarized messages.

i_round_blueThe subject you define is only used for the notification templates Send Email and Send Amazon Simple Notification Service Message.

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Time Span for Summarizing Messages (in Minutes)

Define a time span in minutes to define how long PRTG collects notifications for summarization. Enter an integer value.

i_round_blueIf you enter a rather long time span, for example, 60 minutes, PRTG collects notifications for one hour before sending them out summarized unless other features (see above) require an earlier message dispatch.

Access Rights

Setting

Description

User Group Access

Define the user groups that have access to the object. 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:

  • No access: Users in this user group cannot see or edit the object. The object does not show up in lists.
  • Read access: Users in this user group can see the object and view its settings.
  • Write access: Users in this user group can see the object and view and edit its settings. However, they cannot edit the object's access rights settings.
  • Full access: Users in this user group can see the object, view and edit its settings, and edit its access rights settings.

i_round_blueYou can create new user groups in the User Groups settings.

Choose Notification Methods

With the following settings, you can add one or more methods for how PRTG sends out a notification message. You can choose one method or combine several methods from the list. Whenever the notification is triggered, PRTG sends out messages or performs actions for all configured methods at once.

To choose a method, mark the check box in front of the corresponding notification type. You can then see and set the options as described below. The following notification methods are available.

i_square_cyanIn your message, you can use various placeholders. Some of them are already filled in by default. For a complete list of available placeholders, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

i_popSome notification types are only available for PRTG on premises (marked with i_pop). You cannot use these on PRTG Hosted Monitor instances.

Send Email i_send_email

i_round_blueThis notification method uses notification contacts to deliver the messages. Set them up and check them for the desired user accounts in advance in the Notification Contacts settings.

i_round_blueThe three options for recipients below (user, user group, email address) work simultaneously. Because of this, you can define more than one user as a recipient of this notification. PRTG sends the notification email to the active email contacts of the user you select, to the active email contacts of all members of the user group you select, and to all email addresses you enter into the Send to Email Address field.

Setting

Description

Sender

Define which email address and sender name appear in the FROM part of your email notifications:

  • Default: Use the default sender email and name as defined in the global Notification Delivery settings.
  • Custom: Override the global sender email and name.

Sender Email Address

This setting is only visible if you select Custom above. Enter an email address to use as sender of all email notifications. This setting overrides the global setting from the Notification Delivery tab. The default value is the global sender email.

i_round_redThe email address must be allowed by the outgoing Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server defined in the Notification Delivery settings.

Sender Name

This setting is only visible if you select Custom above. Enter a sender name to use as sender of all email notifications. This setting overrides the global setting from the Notification Delivery tab. The default value is the global sender name.

Send to User

Select a user to send the notification email to. PRTG sends this notification to each email contact of this user account. You can add and edit email contacts of a user in the Notification Contacts settings. Choose None to not use this feature.

i_round_blueRead/write users can send notifications to any user who is a member of the same user group as the read/write user.

Send to User Group

Select a user group to send an email with the notification to all members of this group. PRTG sends this notification to the email contact of every group member. You can edit user groups in the User Groups settings and email contacts in the Notification Contacts settings. Choose None to not use this feature.

i_round_blueIf you select a user group and a specific member of this group as recipients, the user only receives a single email. This also applies if you enter an individual email address below that is already defined as an email contact of the selected user.

i_round_blueIf you define individual email addresses (see below), to a specific user (see above), and a user group, PRTG sends the message to the individual email addresses, to the individual user, as well as to the members of the selected user group. In all cases, PRTG sends one message with all recipients in the "To" field of the email.

i_round_blueRead/write users can send email notifications to all user groups that they are members of.

Send to Email Address

Enter one or more recipient email addresses to which PRTG sends the notification email. If you enter more than one address, separate them with commas. Leave this field empty to send this notification only to the email contacts of the user or members of the user group you choose above.

We recommend that you use the options Send to User and/or Send to User Group instead because you can manage the notification contacts of users better this way.

Subject

Enter the subject of the email notification.

Several placeholders (variables) are used here by default: [%sitename] %device %name %status %down (%message)

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Format

Define the kind of email that PRTG sends when the notification is triggered:

  • HTML: PRTG uses the default HTML email template for the message part of the email.

i_round_blueUse an email client that can show HTML emails, otherwise you cannot read emails from PRTG.

  • Text: PRTG uses the default plain text email template for the message part of the email.
  • Text with custom content: PRTG uses custom plain text for the message part of the email. You can enter your individual text below.

Custom Content

This setting is only visible if you select Text with custom content above. Enter the desired message for this email notification in plain text format. You can use placeholders here.

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Priority

Define the priority that PRTG sets for the email:

  • highest
  • high
  • normal
  • low
  • lowest

Most email clients can show this priority flag.

Add Entry to Event Log i_add_entry_event_log

i_podThis option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.

Setting

Description

Logfile

Define the log file into which PRTG writes the message:

  • Application: Use the Windows application log file in the event log.
  • PRTG Network Monitor: Write messages to the PRTG Network Monitor log file in the Windows event log.

Event Source

This setting is only visible if you select Application above. Enter the source for the event. Usually, this is the name of the application.

Event Type

Select the type of the event:

  • Error
  • Warning
  • Information

Event Log Message

Define the message. A message with information about the sensor status is already predefined. Several placeholders (variables) are used here. You can change it to your liking. To reset this field to its default value, enter only an asterisk (*).

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Send SMS/Pager Message i_send_sms

i_round_blueYou have to set up this notification method in the Notification Delivery settings first.

i_round_blueThis notification method uses notification contacts to deliver the messages. Set them up and check them for the desired user accounts in advance in the Notification Contacts settings.
i_round_blueThe three options for recipients below (user, user group, email address) work simultaneously. Because of this, you can define more than one user as recipient of this notification. PRTG sends the notification to the active SMS contacts of the user you select, to the active SMS contacts of all members of the user group you select, and to every phone number you enter into the Send to Number field.

i_square_cyanThis notification method uses the central proxy settings that you define for your PRTG core server. For details, see section Core & Probes (section Proxy Configuration).

Setting

Description

Send to User

Select a user to send the notification to. PRTG sends this notification to each SMS contact of this user account. You can add and edit SMS contacts of a user in the Notification Contacts settings. Choose None to not use this feature.

Send to User Group

Select a user group to send a text message with the notification to all members of this group. PRTG sends this notification to each SMS contact of every member of this group. You can edit user groups in the User Groups settings and SMS contacts in the Notification Contacts settings. Choose None to not use this feature.

i_round_blueIf you select a user group and a specific member of this group as recipients at the same time, this user receives the text message only one time. This also counts if you enter an individual phone number below that is already defined as an SMS contact of the selected user.

Send to Number

Define the number to which PRTG sends the text message. The format depends on the SMS provider. Usually, you use a plus sign (+), followed by country code and number. For example, enter +1555012345.

i_round_redEnsure that the number format meets the requirements of your SMS provider or the hardware that you use in combination with an application programming interface (API) call. Sometimes a plus sign is not required. A wrong format might result in undelivered messages.

If you enter more than one number, separate them by comma. Leave this field empty to send this notification only to the SMS contacts of the user or members of the user group you choose above.

We recommend that you use the options Send to User and/or Send to User Group instead because you can manage the notification contacts of users better this way.

Message

Define the message. A message with information about the sensor status is already predefined. Several placeholders (variables) are used here: [%sitename] %device %name %status %down (%message)

You can change the message to your liking. To reset this field to its default value, enter only an asterisk (*).

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Execute HTTP Action i_execute_http_action

i_round_blueRegardless of the Notification Summarization method chosen above, PRTG always sends notifications of the type Execute HTTP Action as soon as possible (ASAP). They are never summarized.

i_round_blueThis notification method uses the central proxy settings that you define for your PRTG core server. For details, see section Core & Probes (section Proxy Configuration).

i_square_cyanFor more details, see section Custom Notifications. You can find ready-to-use custom notifications in the PRTG Sensor Hub, see below.

Setting

Description

URL

Enter the URL to which PRTG sends the request. You can use placeholders here.

i_round_blueHTTP notifications work with or without Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

SNI (Server Name Indication)

Select if PRTG sends the Server Name Identification (SNI) extension to the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol along with the HTTP request:

  • Do not send SNI (default): PRTG does not send the SNI when executing the HTTP action.
  • Send SNI: PRTG sends the SNI when calling the target URL. Specify the SNI below.

Virtual Host (SNI)

This setting is only visible if you enable Send SNI above. Enter the SNI name that your endpoint configuration requires. Usually, this is the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the virtual host.

HTTP Method

Select the HTTP method that you want PRTG to use:

  • GET
  • POST
  • PUT
  • PATCH

Payload

This setting is only visible if you select POST, PUT, or PATCH above. Enter a payload here. The payload is the data that PRTG transmits to the URL you have specified. You can use placeholders here. Line breaks are supported.

i_round_redNo Extensible Markup Language (XML) or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is allowed here.

i_round_blueOnly the content type application/x-www-form-urlencoded is supported.

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

HTTP Version

This setting is only visible if you select POST above. Select the HTTP version that PRTG uses to execute the HTTP action. Choose between:

  • HTTP 1.1 (default)
  • HTTP 1.0

i_round_blueMake sure that the target supports the HTTP version that you select.

Execute Program i_execute_program

Regardless of the Notification Summarization method chosen above, PRTG always sends notifications of the type Execute Program as soon as possible (ASAP). They are never summarized.

i_square_cyanFor more details, see section Custom Notifications. You can find ready-to-use custom notifications in the PRTG Sensor Hub, see below.

i_round_blueTo remotely run PowerShell scripts, make sure that you set the according Execution Policy. For more information, see the Knowledge Base: PowerShell 32 Bit and 64 Bit and Execution Policy.

i_podThis option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.

Setting

Description

Program File

Select an executable file from the list. PRTG runs it every time the notification is triggered. In this list, you see the files that are in the corresponding \Notifications\EXE subfolder of the PRTG program directory. To appear in this list, store the files as .bat, .cmd, .exe, .com, .ps1, or .vbs.

i_round_redIn a cluster, manually copy your files to every cluster node. This makes sure that PRTG can execute the notification even when the master node fails. If your custom notification executes an external program, install it on all cluster nodes as well.

Parameters

Enter parameters with which the program file is started. You can use placeholders here. For example, if you use a batch file that contains a %1 variable, you can provide a value for this variable here.

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

i_round_redYou need to escape special characters and whitespaces in your parameters and surround them with double quotes. See section Escape Special Characters and Whitespaces in Parameters for details.

Domain or Computer Name

Enter a Windows authority if you want to use a different security context for the program than the security context of the PRTG probe service.

Username

Enter the user name for Windows access.

Password

Enter the password for Windows access.

Timeout

Enter a timeout in seconds. After this time has passed, PRTG stops the process if it has not terminated yet. Enter an integer value.

Send Syslog Message i_send_syslog_message

i_podThis option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.

Setting

Description

Host/IP

Define the IP address or Domain Name System (DNS) name of the computer running the syslog server.

i_round_blueYou can receive and analyze syslog messages with the Syslog Receiver sensor.

Syslog Port

Enter the port number on which syslog messages are sent. By default, this is port number 514.

i_round_redOnly the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is supported.

Facility

Define the facility information. Several options are available from the list.

Encoding

Define the encoding of the syslog message that PRTG sends to your syslog receiver:

  • ANSI
  • UTF-8

Message

Define the message. A message with information about the sensor status is already predefined. Several placeholders (variables) are used here. You can change it to your liking. To reset this field to its default value, enter only an asterisk (*).

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Syslog Message Severity Status

i_round_blueDepending on the status of the sensor that triggers the syslog notification, PRTG sets the Severity level of the message automatically.

Status

Description

i_status_green Up

Severity level: Notice (5)

i_status_yellow Warning

Severity level: Warning (4)

i_status_red Down

Severity level: Error (3)

Send SNMP Trap i_send_snmp_trap

i_square_cyanFor information about the object identifiers (OID) that PRTG uses in the content of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) traps, see the Knowledge Base: Is it possible to send SNMP traps using PRTG?

i_podThis option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.

Setting

Description

Host/IP

Define the IP address or DNS name of the computer running the trap receiver.

i_round_blueYou can receive and analyze SNMP trap messages with the SNMP Trap Receiver sensor.

SNMP Port

Enter the port number on which trap messages are sent. By default, this is port number 162.

Community String

Enter the community string of the device. By default, this is set to public. Enter a string or leave the field empty.

Specific Trap Code

Enter a code to identify the purpose of the trap. The default value is 0. Enter an integer value.

Message ID

Enter an ID to identify the origin of the trap. Enter an integer value. PRTG sends it on the OID 1.3.6.1.4.1.32446.1.1.1.

Message

Define the message. A message with information about the sensor status is already predefined. Several placeholders (variables) are used here. You can change it to your liking. To reset this field to its default value, enter only an asterisk (*).

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Agent IP

Define the IP address of the agent. Leave this field empty to use the IP address of your PRTG web server.

Send Amazon Simple Notification Service Message i_send_amazon_sns_message

Setting

Description

AWS Access Key ID

Enter your access key as shown in your login area at aws.amazon.com. Enter a string.

AWS Secret Access Key

Enter your secret access key as shown in your login area at aws.amazon.com. Enter a string.

Location

Define the location of your Amazon service. Choose one of the shown locations:

  • Africa (Cape Town)
  • Asia Pacific (Hong Kong)
  • Asia Pacific (Mumbai)
  • Asia Pacific (Osaka-Local)
  • Asia Pacific (Seoul)
  • Asia Pacific (Singapore)
  • Asia Pacific (Sydney)
  • Asia Pacific (Tokyo)
  • Canada (Central)
  • China (Beijing)
  • China (Ningxia)
  • Europe (Frankfurt)
  • Europe (Stockholm)
  • Europe (Milan)
  • Europe (Ireland)
  • Europe (London)
  • Europe (Paris)
  • Middle East (Bahrain)
  • South America (São Paulo)
  • US East (Northern Virginia)
  • US East (Ohio)
  • US West (Northern California)
  • US West (Oregon)

ARN

Enter the Amazon resource name. Enter a string.

Subject

Enter the subject of the message. Enter a string.

i_round_redThe maximum length for the subject is 202 characters. Characters that exceed this number are clipped.

Message

Define the message. A message with information about the sensor status is already predefined. Several placeholders (variables) are used here. You can change it to your liking. To reset this field to its default value, enter only an asterisk (*).

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

i_round_redThe message part is only sent if you use email-based notifications delivered by Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS). For SMS delivery, only the subject is sent while the message part is ignored because of SMS size restrictions.

Assign Ticket i_assign_ticket

i_round_blueRegardless of the Notification Summarization method chosen above, PRTG always sends notifications of the type Assign Ticket as soon as possible (ASAP). They are never summarized.

i_square_cyanFor more information about the ticket system, see section Tickets.

Setting

Description

Assign to User or User Group

Specify whether to assign the notification ticket to a user group or to a single user:

  • To User Group: Select a user group below to which PRTG assigns this ticket.
  • To User: Select the dedicated user below to whom PRTG assigns this ticket.

User Group / User

Select the user or user group to which PRTG assigns the notification ticket.

i_round_blueRead/write users can assign tickets to all user groups that they are a member of as well as to administrators and individual users that are members of the same user group as the read/write user.

Subject

Enter the subject of the ticket. Several placeholders (variables) are used here by default. You can change it to your liking.

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Content

Define the message in the ticket. A message with information about the sensor status is already predefined. Several placeholders (variables) are used here. You can change it as you wish.

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

When Condition Clears

Specify if PRTG closes the ticket automatically when the defined trigger condition clears:

  • Close ticket automatically (recommended): PRTG closes the ticket automatically if the trigger condition is not met anymore.
  • Leave ticket open: PRTG does not close the ticket after the condition has cleared.

Send Push Notification i_send_push_notification

i_square_cyanPush notifications only work with the apps PRTG for Android and PRTG for iOS. You have to activate push notifications in the settings of your app first. For more information about the setup, see the Knowledge Base: How can I use push notifications with PRTG?

i_round_blueThis notification method uses notification contacts to deliver the messages. Set them up and check them for the desired user accounts in advance in the Notification Contacts settings.

i_round_redThe PRTG core server needs to communicate on port 443 to the PRTG Cloud to send push notifications, which is https://api.prtgcloud.com:443 (the same as for the Cloud HTTP sensor, the Cloud HTTP v2 sensor, the Cloud Ping sensor, the Cloud Ping v2 sensor, and support tickets).

i_round_blueThe two options for recipients below (user, user group) work simultaneously. Because of this, you can define more than one user as a recipient of this notification. PRTG sends the notification to the active push contacts of the user you select and to the active push contacts of all members of the user group you select.

Setting

Description

Send to User

Select a user to send the push notification to. PRTG sends this notification to each push contact of this user account. You can edit push contacts of a user in the Notification Contacts settings and add push contacts by activating push notifications in the Android or iOS app with this user. Choose None to not use this feature.

Send to User Group

Select a user group to send the push notification to all members of this group. PRTG sends this notification to each push contact of every member of this group. You can edit user groups in the User Groups settings and push contacts in the Notification Contacts settings. Choose None to not use this feature.

i_round_blueIf you select a user group and a specific member of this group as recipients at the same time, this user receives the text message only one time.

Message

Define the message. A message with information about the sensor status is already predefined. Several placeholders (variables) are used here: [%sitename] %device %name %status %down (%message)

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

You can change the message to your liking. To reset this field to its default value, enter only an asterisk (*).

Send Microsoft Teams Message i_ms_teams_message

i_round_blueRegardless of the Notification Summarization method chosen above, PRTG always sends notifications of the type Send Microsoft Teams Message as soon as possible (ASAP). They are never summarized.

Setting

Description

URL of the Teams Webhook

Enter the URL of the incoming webhook that you set up in your Microsoft Teams workspace.

i_square_cyanFor more information, see the Knowledge Base: How do I create a webhook for the PRTG Notifications to Slack and Microsoft Teams?

Title

Enter the title of your Microsoft Teams notification.

The following placeholders (variables) are used here by default: %device %name

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Subtitle

Enter the subtitle of your Microsoft Teams notification.

The following placeholder (variable) is used here: %message

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Content

Define the content of your Microsoft Teams notification:

  • Use default content: The notification message includes information about the Status, Last Scan, Last Value, Last Up, Coverage, Downtime, Priority, Probe, and Group.
  • Define custom content: The notification message includes the pieces of information that you choose in the Content options (see next step).

Select Content

This setting is only visible if you select Define custom content above.

Add a check mark in front of the piece of monitoring information that you want PRTG to include in your Microsoft Teams notification. Remove the check mark in front of the items that you do not want to include.

Multiple choices are possible.

The following types of monitoring information are available:

  • Name
  • Host
  • Status
  • Last Scan
  • Last Value
  • Message
  • Last Down
  • Last Up
  • Coverage
  • Downtime
  • Uptime
  • Priority
  • Probe
  • Group
  • Device
  • Date and Time
  • Time Zone
  • Comments (probe)
  • Comments (group)
  • Comments (device)
  • Comments (sensor)
  • History

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Send Slack Message i_send_slack_message

i_round_blueRegardless of the Notification Summarization method chosen above, PRTG always sends notifications of the type Send Slack Message as soon as possible (ASAP). They are never summarized.

Setting

Description

URL of Slack Webhook

Enter the URL of the incoming webhook that you set up in your Slack workspace.

i_square_cyanFor more information, see the Knowledge Base: How do I create a webhook for the PRTG Notifications to Slack and Microsoft Teams?

Sender Name

Enter a sender name to use as sender of Slack notifications. This field overrides the sender that you might have defined in your Slack workspace.

Title

Enter the title of your Slack notification.

The following placeholders (variables) are used here by default: %device %name

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Subtitle

Enter the subtitle of your Slack notification.

The following placeholder (variable) is used here: %message

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Content

Define the content of your Slack notification:

  • Use default content: The notification message includes information about the Status, Last Scan, Last Value, Last Up, Coverage, Downtime, Priority, Probe, and Group.
  • Define custom content: The notification message includes the pieces of information that you choose in the Content options (see next step).

Select Content

This setting is only visible if you select Define custom content above.

Add a check mark in front of the piece of monitoring information that you want PRTG to include in your Slack notification. Remove the check mark in front of the items that you do not want to include.

Multiple choices are possible.

The following types of monitoring information are available:

  • Name
  • Host
  • Status
  • Last Scan
  • Last Value
  • Message
  • Last Down
  • Last Up
  • Coverage
  • Downtime
  • Uptime
  • Priority
  • Probe
  • Group
  • Device
  • Date and Time
  • Time Zone
  • Comments (probe)
  • Comments (group)
  • Comments (device)
  • Comments (sensor)
  • History

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

Send MQTT Publish Notification

i_round_blueRegardless of the Notification Summarization method chosen above, PRTG may not send notifications of the type MQTT Publish Notification as soon as possible (ASAP).

Setting

Description

MQTT Broker

Enter the address for the connection to the MQTT broker (server).

Port

Enter the port for the connection to the MQTT broker. The default port for secure connections is 8883 and the default port for unsecure connections is 1883.

Timeout (Sec.)

Enter a timeout in seconds for the request. Enter an integer value. If the reply takes longer than this value, the sensor cancels the request and triggers an error message. The maximum timeout value is 300 seconds (5 minutes).

User Credentials

Select if you want to connect without credentials or define credentials for access to the MQTT broker.

  • None (default): Connect without credentials.
  • Username/Password: Define credentials for the connection.

User

This setting is only visible if you select Username/Password above. Enter the user name for access to the Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) broker.

Password

This setting is only visible if you select Username/Password above. Enter the password for access to the MQTT broker.

Connection Security

Select if you want to use a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) secured connection:

  • Do not use transport-level security: Establish the connection without connection security.
  • Use transport-level security: Establish the connection with the strongest SSL/TLS method that the target device provides.

Server Authentication

This setting is only visible if you select Use transport-level-security above. Select if you want to use a certificate for server authentication.

  • Disable (default): Do not use a certificate for server authentication.
  • Enable: Use a certificate for server authentication.

CA Certificate

Paste the certificate authority (CA) certificate for the verification of the MQTT broker.

i_round_redThe certificate must be in Privacy-Enhanced Mail (PEM) format.

Client Authentication

This setting is only visible if you select Use transport-level-security above. Select if you want to use a certificate for client authentication.

  • Disable (default): Do not use a certificate for client authentication.
  • Enable: Use a certificate for client authentication.

Client Certificate

Paste the certificate that you created for authenticating the sensor against the MQTT broker.

i_round_redThe certificate must be in PEM format.

Client Key

Enter the client key for access to the MQTT broker.

i_round_redThe client key must be in PEM format and it must be encrypted using the Client Key Password.

Client Key Password

Enter the password for the client key certificate.

Topic

Enter the topic for the notification. MQTT clients that are subscribed to this topic receive the notification.

ClientID

Enter the ClientID for the connection to the MQTT broker (server).

Message

Define the message. A message with information about the sensor status is already predefined. Several placeholders (variables) are used here. You can change it to your liking. To reset this field to its default value, enter only an asterisk (*).

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section List of Placeholders for Notifications.

i_round_redSave your settings. If you change tabs or use the main menu without saving, all changes to the settings are lost.

PRTG Sensor Hub Notifications

In addition to the built-in notifications, you can create your own notifications. To do so, write a script or a program and use it with an Execute Program notification or an Execute HTTP Action notification. There are already many free, useful scripts, plugins, and add-ons for PRTG in the PRTG Sensor Hub available for download. Here is a list of the custom notifications that you can find there.

  • How to Send Custom HTML Notifications
  • Sending Notifications Using Telegram Bots

Others

i_square_cyanFor information about the comments and history tabs, see section Object Settings.

Escape Special Characters and Whitespaces in Parameters

You need to escape special characters in parameters that you pass to an executable or script and surround them with quotation marks to make sure that the characters are correctly interpreted. PowerShell scripts in particular require adequate escaping so that the parameters are passed in a valid PowerShell syntax. PRTG automatically does most of the escaping for you.

Follow these rules to escape special characters and whitespaces in the parameters fields:

  • Use quotes for parameters that contain whitespaces.

-name "Mr John Q Public"
-name 'Mr John Q Public'

  • Use double quotes for parameters that contain single quotes.

-name "Mr 'John Q' Public"

  • Use single quotes for parameters that contain double quotes.

-name 'Mr "John Q" Public'

  • Use a backslash (\) to escape and pass a literal double quote.

-name pub\"lic

  • Use double quotes for parameters that contain double and single quotes and escape double quotes.

-name "pu'b\"lic"

i_round_blueIn SSH scripts, you can use alphanumeric characters and the special characters ".", "_", "-", "=", and "/" outside of quoted strings.

i_round_blueWe recommend that you do not pass passwords in parameters. Use PRTG placeholders instead. See section Custom Sensors for details.

More

i_square_blueKNOWLEDGE BASE

What security features does PRTG include?

PowerShell 32 bit or 64 bit and Execution Policy

Is it possible to send SNMP traps using PRTG?

How can I use push notifications with PRTG?

How do I create a webhook for the PRTG Notifications to Slack and Microsoft Teams?

What placeholders can I use with PRTG?

How can PRTG send instant messages to Jabber, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, etc., using external software?

Which audible notifications are available in the PRTG web interface and in PRTG Desktop?

How do I troubleshoot erratic behavior of push notifications in PRTG Desktop or the PRTG apps?

 

i_square_bluePAESSLER WEBSITE

You can find custom notification scripts in the PRTG Sensor Hub

Setup

Others

There are some settings that you must make in the PRTG Administration Tool. For more details, see the sections: