<%NUMBERING1%>.<%NUMBERING2%>.<%NUMBERING3%> PRTG Manual: Windows Print Queue Sensor

.NET 4.7.2 or later

This sensor requires .NET 4.7.2 or later to be installed on the probe system (on every cluster node, if on a cluster probe).

If the framework is missing, you cannot create this sensor.

For more information, see the Knowledge Base: Which .NET version does PRTG require?

Windows credentials

This sensor requires credentials for Windows systems in the settings of the parent device. Preferably, use Windows domain credentials.

If you use local credentials, make sure that the same Windows user accounts (with the same user name and password) exist on both the probe system and the target computer. Otherwise, the sensor cannot correctly connect.

Print Spooler Windows service

For this sensor to work, the Print Spooler Windows service must be started on the target computer and the probe system.

To enable the service, log in to the respective computer and open the services manager (for example, via services.msc). In the list, find the respective service and set its Start Type to Automatic.

Print Queues

Select the print queues that you want to monitor. PRTG creates one sensor for each print queue that you select.

If no print queues are available, you see a corresponding message.

If a printer name changes after sensor creation, you need to add the sensor anew.

Enable check boxes in front of the respective lines to select the items. Use the check box in the table header to select all items or to cancel the selection. In large tables, use the search function in the upper-right corner.

Sensor Name

Enter a name to identify the sensor.

Parent Tags

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

This 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.

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

For 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:

• ptfsensor

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 () to the highest priority ().

Print Queue

Shows the name of the task whose print queue this sensor monitors.

PRTG shows this value for reference purposes only. If you need to change this value, add the sensor anew.

Advanced Status Options

You can optionally define specific sensor states for several return messages of the printer that this sensor monitors. Choose between:

• Do not define sensor states for specific return messages: Do not define sensor states for specific return messages.
• Define sensor states for specific return messages: Define sensor states for various messages that the printer reports.

Not all printer types properly support Advanced Status Options, which might lead to false alerts. If the printer does not support a property, this property is always false. This means that the sensor cannot display the state or detect if the printer supports the property. Even if the printer can report a property, it can only do so if a print job is sent to the printer.

Door Open

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Manual Feed Required

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Needs User Intervention

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Offline

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Out of Memory

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Out of Paper

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Paper Jammed

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Paper Problem

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Paused

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Printer Error

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Printer Not Available

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Toner Low

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Toner Out

This setting is only available if you select the Define sensor states for specific return messages above. For each problem that the printer reports, you can define the status that the sensor shows. Choose between:

• Ignore: Stay the same if the printer reports this message.
• Warning: Show the Warning status if the printer reports this message.
• Down: Show the Down status if the printer reports this message.

Minimum Print Job Age (Sec.)

Optionally define the age of the print job in seconds. If you define a minimum print job age, the sensor does not regard jobs that are younger than this value. If you leave this field empty, the sensor does not check for the print job age. Enter an integer or leave the field empty.

Result Handling

Define what PRTG does with the sensor result:

• Discard result: Do not store the sensor result.

• Store result: Store the last sensor result in the \Logs\sensors subfolder of the PRTG data directory on the probe system. The file names are Result of Sensor [ID].txt and Result of Sensor [ID].Data.txt. This setting is for debugging purposes. PRTG overwrites these files with each scanning interval.

In a cluster, PRTG stores the result in the PRTG data directory of the master node.

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.

You can set a different primary channel later by clicking 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.
  You 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.

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.

Execution Time

The execution time in milliseconds (msec)

Jobs

The number of jobs in the queue

This channel is the primary channel by default.