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PRTG Manual: Notification Triggers Settings

<%NUMBERING1%>.<%NUMBERING2%>.<%NUMBERING3%> PRTG Manual: Notification Triggers Settings

You can use changes in a sensor's status or in the sensor's data to trigger notifications.

Notification Triggers Tab

Although sensors activate notification triggers, you can set notification triggers in the settings of objects that are higher in the object hierarchy. This allows you to use the inheritance of settings to define notification triggers for multiple sensors. Objects that inherit notification triggers show them on the Notification Triggers tab.
For more information, see section Triggers That Can Be Inherited from Parent Objects.

You can also define notification triggers in libraries. If a sensor is in a library that has notification triggers, the sensor shows them on the Notification Triggers tab.
For more information, see section Triggers That Are Defined in Libraries.

You can also directly edit notification templates on the Notification Triggers tab. To do so, click next to name of a notification template.

Note

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

Check and set up the notification delivery settings if you use PRTG Network Monitor. These settings define how PRTG sends messages.
Check and set up notification contacts for the user accounts. These contacts define the recipients to which PRTG sends notifications.
Check and set up several notification templates. These templates define the notification methods and their content.
You can also check or edit notification templates via the Notification Triggers tab. For more information, see section Notification Triggers Settings.
Check and set up notification triggers settings for objects. These triggers define when PRTG sends notifications.

Usually, 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, 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.

For a detailed step-by-step guide, see the Paessler website: How to set up notifications via the PRTG web interface.

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

Notification Triggers

Select the Notification Triggers tab of an object to add or edit notification triggers. You can set up one or more of the following notification triggers:

Different options are available for every notification trigger. You see the Type of notification trigger and the notification Rule that the sensor executes once it activates a notification trigger.

Which notification triggers are available on the Notification Triggers tab depends on the kind of object you select.

State Trigger

The state trigger performs a notification when a sensor changes its status. Hover over and select Add State Trigger from the menu to add a new state trigger or click next to a state trigger to change it.

Add State Trigger

PRTG includes a state trigger for the root group by default. This notification trigger performs the notification Email and push notification to admin if any sensor is in the Down status for at least 10 minutes.

Setting	Description
When sensor state is [...]	Select the status that triggers a notification: Down: Trigger a notification if a sensor changes to the Down status. Warning: Trigger a notification if a sensor changes to the Warning status. Unusual: Trigger a notification if a sensor changes to the Unusual status. Down (Partial): Trigger a notification if a sensor changes to the Down (Partial) status. This status is only possible in a failover cluster. Up: Trigger a notification if a sensor changes to the Up status. Unknown: Trigger a notification if a sensor changes to the Unknown status.
for at least [...] seconds,	Enter the time in seconds that PRTG waits before it sends a notification (latency). This can avoid false alarms if, for example, a sensor changes to the Down status for only a few seconds. Enter an integer. Do not define a latency that is shorter than the scanning interval of a sensor that uses this trigger. The notification trigger might not work as expected in this case.
perform [...]	Select the notification that PRTG sends if the sensor is in the selected status and if the defined latency is over. You see all notification templates that you have defined under Setup \| Account Settings \| Notification Templates. Use the search box to filter for notification templates. You can also select no notification to not send a notification in this case. You can also directly create and use new notification templates by clicking in the dropdown list.
When sensor state is [...] for at least [...] seconds	Enter the escalation latency in seconds that PRTG waits before it sends an escalation notification. Use this to automatically escalate a notification if a problem exists for a longer time. Enter an integer. PRTG automatically fills in the selected status.
perform [...]	Select the notification that PRTG sends if the sensor is still in the selected status and if the defined escalation latency is over. You see all notification templates that you have defined under Setup \| Account Settings \| Notification Templates. Use the search box to filter for notification templates. You can also select no notification to not send a notification in this case. Select a notification with a different delivery method than in the first trigger condition to make sure that you receive a notification in case the first notification could not be sent. You can also directly create and use new notification templates by clicking in the dropdown list.
and repeat every [...] minutes	Enter the interval in minutes after which PRTG sends the escalation notification again. Enter an integer. If you enter 0, PRTG does not send the escalation notification again.
When sensor state is no longer [...] , perform [...]	Select the notification that PRTG sends if the sensor is no longer in the selected status and if the defined latency is over. You see all notification templates that you have defined under Setup \| Account Settings \| Notification Templates. Use the search box to filter for notification templates. You can also select no notification to not send a notification in this case. PRTG automatically fills in the selected status. You can also directly create and use new notification templates by clicking in the dropdown list.

Click to save your settings or click to undo your changes.

Speed Trigger

The speed trigger performs a notification if the speed that a sensor monitors changes. Hover over and select Add Speed Trigger from the menu to add a new speed trigger or click next to a speed trigger to change it.

Add Speed Trigger

Setting	Description
When [...] channel	Select the channel whose data PRTG uses for the speed comparison. At root, probe, group, or device level or in libraries, the following channels are available: Primary: Use the data of the primary channel of the sensor for the comparison. Total: Use the data of the Total channel of the sensor for the comparison. Traffic In: Use the data of the Traffic In channel of the sensor for the speed comparison. Traffic Out: Use the data of the Traffic Out channel of the sensor for the speed comparison. At sensor level, the available channels depend on the type of sensor you select. If you set notification triggers at root, probe, group, or device level and you want to know which sensors the notification triggers apply to, see section List of Available Sensor Types.
is [...]	Select the condition that triggers the notification: Above: Trigger the notification if the value of the selected channel exceeds a defined value. Below: Trigger the notification if the value of the selected channel falls below a defined value. Equal to: Trigger the notification if the value of the selected channel is the same as a defined value. Not equal to: Trigger the notification if the value of the selected channel is different than a defined value.
[value]	Enter the value to which PRTG compares the channel data. Enter an integer.
[scale]	Select the unit for the [value]: bit kbit Mbit Gbit Tbit Byte KB MB GB TB The available units depend on the type of sensor you select. [scale] and [time] define the unit for [value]. If the channel data has a different unit, PRTG internally converts the values.
[time]	Select the time for the scale to create a scale per time unit: second minute hour day [scale] and [time] define the unit for [value]. If the channel data has a different unit, PRTG internally converts the values.
for at least [...] seconds,	Enter the time in seconds that PRTG waits before it sends a notification (latency). This can avoid false alarms if, for example, a sensor changes to the Down status for only a few seconds.. Enter an integer. Do not define a latency that is shorter than the scanning interval of a sensor that uses this trigger. The notification trigger might not work as expected in this case.
perform [...]	Select the notification that PRTG sends if the defined [value], [scale], and [time] are true and the defined latency is over. You see all notification templates that you have defined under Setup \| Account Settings \| Notification Templates. Use the search box to filter for notification templates. You can also select no notification to not send a notification in this case. You can also directly create and use new notification templates by clicking in the dropdown list.
When condition clears, perform [...]	Select the notification that PRTG sends if the defined [value], [scale], and [time] are no longer true and the defined latency is over. You see all notification templates that you have defined under Setup \| Account Settings \| Notification Templates. Use the search box to filter for notification templates. You can also select no notification to not send a notification in this case. You can also directly create and use new notification templates by clicking in the dropdown list.

Click to save your settings or click to undo your changes.

Volume Trigger

The volume trigger performs a notification if a sensor reaches a certain volume in a specific time. Hover over and select Add Volume Trigger from the menu to add a new volume trigger or click next to a volume trigger to change it.

Add Volume Trigger

Setting	Description
When [...] channel	Select the channel whose data PRTG uses for the volume comparison. At root, probe, group, or device level or in libraries, the following channels are available: Primary: Use the data of the primary channel of the sensor for the comparison. Total: Use the data of the Total channel of the sensor for the comparison. Traffic In: Use the data of the Traffic In channel of the sensor for the speed comparison. Traffic Out: Use the data of the Traffic Out channel of the sensor for the speed comparison. At sensor level, the available channels depend on the type of sensor you select. If you set notification triggers at root, probe, group, or device level and you want to know which sensors the notification triggers apply to, see section List of Available Sensor Types.
reaches [value]	Enter the value to which PRTG compares the channel data. Enter an integer.
[scale]	Select the unit for the [value]: Byte KB MB GB TB [scale] and [time] define the unit for [value]. If the channel data has a different unit, PRTG internally converts the values.
per [time],	Select the time for the scale to create a scale per time unit: Hour Day Week Month [scale] and [time] define the unit for [value]. If the channel data has a different unit, PRTG internally converts the values.
perform [...]	Select the notification that PRTG sends if the defined [value], [scale], and [time] are true. You see all notification templates that you have defined under Setup \| Account Settings \| Notification Templates. Use the search box to filter for notification templates. You can also select no notification to not send a notification in this case. You can also directly create and use new notification templates by clicking in the dropdown list.

Click to save your settings or click to undo your changes.

Threshold Trigger

The threshold trigger performs a notification if a sensor reaches specific values. Hover over and select Add Threshold Trigger from the menu to add a new threshold trigger, or click next to a threshold trigger to change it.

Add Threshold Trigger

Setting	Description
When [...] channel	Select the channel whose data PRTG uses for the threshold comparison. At root, probe, group, or device level or in libraries, the following channels are available: Primary: Use the data of the primary channel of the sensor for the comparison. Total: Use the data of the Total channel of the sensor for the comparison. At sensor level, the available channels depend on the type of sensor you select. The threshold trigger for a Total channel that you define at group or device level or in libraries only applies to the Total channel of traffic sensors. This channel has the ID -1. The threshold trigger works with the Total channel of the following sensors: IPFIX IPFIX (Custom) jFlow v5 jFlow v5 (Custom) NetFlow v5 NetFlow v5 (Custom) NetFlow v9 NetFlow v9 (Custom) Packet Sniffer sFlow sFlow (Custom) SMTP&IMAP Round Trip SMTP&POP3 Round Trip SNMP Traffic (channel Traffic Total) Windows Network Card If you set notification triggers at root, probe, group, or device level and you want to know which sensors the notification triggers apply to, see section List of Available Sensor Types.
is [...]	Select the condition that triggers the notification: Above: Trigger the notification if the value of the selected channel exceeds a defined value. Below: Trigger the notification if the value of the selected channel falls below a defined value. Equal to: Trigger the notification if the value of the selected channel is the same as a defined value. Not equal to: Trigger the notification if the value of the selected channel is different than a defined value.
[value]	Enter the value to which PRTG compares the channel data. Enter values in the smallest (base) unit that is possible, for example, in bytes, milliseconds, or percent. Enter an integer.
for at least [...] seconds,	Enter the time in seconds that PRTG waits before it sends a notification (latency). This can avoid false alarms if, for example, a sensor changes to the Down status for only a few seconds. Enter an integer. Do not define a latency that is shorter than the scanning interval of a sensor that uses this trigger. The notification trigger might not work as expected in this case.
perform [...]	Select the notification that PRTG sends if the defined channel condition is true and the defined latency is over. You see all notification templates that you have defined under Setup \| Account Settings \| Notification Templates. Use the search box to filter for notification templates. You can also select no notification to not send a notification in this case. You can also directly create and use new notification templates by clicking in the dropdown list.
When condition clears, perform [...]	Select the notification that PRTG sends if the defined channel condition is no longer true and the defined latency is over. You see all notification templates that you have defined under Setup \| Account Settings \| Notification Templates. Use the search box to filter for notification templates. You can also select no notification to not send a notification in this case. You can also directly create and use new notification templates by clicking in the dropdown list.

Click to save your settings or click to undo your changes.

Change Trigger

Before you set up a change trigger, make sure that you enable the Trigger 'change' notification setting in the sensor's settings, otherwise PRTG never sends the notification.

Trigger 'Change' Notification

The change trigger performs a notification if a compatible sensor's value changes. Hover over and select Add Change Trigger from the menu to add a new change trigger, or click next to a change trigger to change it.

Add Change Trigger

Setting	Description
When sensor changes, perform [...]	Select the notification that PRTG sends if a compatible sensor triggers a 'change' notification. You can enable this option in the settings of compatible sensors. You see all notification templates that you have defined under Setup \| Account Settings \| Notification Templates. Use the search box to filter for notification templates. You can also select no notification to not send a notification in this case. You can also directly create and use new notification templates by clicking in the dropdown list.

Setting

Description

When sensor changes, perform [...]

Select the notification that PRTG sends if a compatible sensor triggers a 'change' notification. You can enable this option in the settings of compatible sensors. You see all notification templates that you have defined under Setup | Account Settings | Notification Templates. Use the search box to filter for notification templates. You can also select no notification to not send a notification in this case.

You can also directly create and use new notification templates by clicking in the dropdown list.

Click to save your settings or click to undo your changes.

Triggers That Can Be Inherited from Parent Objects

You see a list of all notification triggers that the selected object inherits from parent objects. The list is empty and shows the message (no triggers defined) if you have not set any notification triggers for objects that are higher in the object hierarchy.

Trigger Inheritance

Setting	Description
Trigger Inheritance	Select the notification triggers that you want to use for the selected object: Inherit all triggers from parent objects and use the triggers defined above: Use the inherited notification triggers in section Triggers that can be inherited from parent objects and use the specific triggers for this object in section Notification Triggers. To change settings of the inherited notification triggers, click the name of the monitoring object in the column Inherited from to open its Overview tab and then open the Notification Triggers tab. Only use the triggers defined above: Do not use the inherited notification triggers in section Triggers that can be inherited from parent objects. Only use the triggers that you define for this object in section Notification Triggers. This setting is valid for all notification triggers that you see here. It is not possible to select only some of the notification triggers. You can also click a notification template to edit its settings or click the object under Inherited from to go to the object's Overview tab.

Setting

Description

Trigger Inheritance

Select the notification triggers that you want to use for the selected object:

Inherit all triggers from parent objects and use the triggers defined above: Use the inherited notification triggers in section Triggers that can be inherited from parent objects and use the specific triggers for this object in section Notification Triggers. To change settings of the inherited notification triggers, click the name of the monitoring object in the column Inherited from to open its Overview tab and then open the Notification Triggers tab.
Only use the triggers defined above: Do not use the inherited notification triggers in section Triggers that can be inherited from parent objects. Only use the triggers that you define for this object in section Notification Triggers.

This setting is valid for all notification triggers that you see here. It is not possible to select only some of the notification triggers.

You can also click a notification template to edit its settings or click the object under Inherited from to go to the object's Overview tab.

Triggers That Are Defined in Libraries

You see a list of all notification triggers that are set in libraries that contain the selected sensor. The list is empty and shows the message (no triggers defined) if you have not set any notification triggers in libraries that contain the selected sensor.

Triggers in Libraries

Click a notification template to change its settings. Click a library in the column Inherited from to view the library.

You cannot disable notification trigger usage from a library here. If you do not want to use notification triggers from a library for the selected sensor, open the library and remove the sensor from it or edit the notification triggers on the Notification Triggers tab of the library.