<%NUMBERING1%>.<%NUMBERING2%>.<%NUMBERING3%> PRTG Manual: Monitoring via SSH

Monitoring via Secure Shell (SSH) enables you to gather performance and system data from many Linux and Unix distributions, as well as from certain Mac OS X systems. If your system is supported, this monitoring technology will work without any additional software on the target systems.

How Monitoring via SSH Works

To monitor remote machines via SSH, PRTG needs credentials (preferably root access) of the devices. If you use SSH sensors with PRTG, you can enter the necessary credentials in PRTG for the parent device or group, or in the Root group, in the Credentials for Linux/Solaris/Mac OS (SSH/WBEM) Systems section on the Settings tab. The sensors then inherit these settings by default.

With each scanning interval, PRTG logs in to your devices and queries data by executing specific commands.

For an overview and details about all SSH sensors, see the List of Available Sensor Types.

Limitations When Using SSH Monitoring

Due to the plurality of Linux/Unix derivatives, SSH sensors cannot support all distributions on the market. Also, only certain Mac OS systems are supported.

For a list of successfully tested distributions, see this Knowledge Base article: Which Linux or Mac OS distributions are supported by the Linux/Unix sensors (SSH, SNMP)?

Authentication via SSH Private Key

PRTG supports authentication via password or via private key.

When you use a private key, please ensure the following:

• Provide the key in OpenSSH RSA format.
• The key may not be encrypted! PRTG does not support password protected keys.
• The key must be provided as RSA key, you cannot use DSA keys with PRTG!

When you provide an unencrypted RSA private key in OpenSSH RSA format, please copy the entire key, including the

-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----

and

-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----

lines, into the designated text field in PRTG and Save your settings. Once you have pasted in and saved the private key, PRTG shows it as

***************************

 
Please make sure there exists a corresponding public key on the target device.

For a detailed description how to convert and use an existing SSH key, see this Knowledge Base article: How can I use private keys for my SSH sensors with PRTG?

More

Knowledge Base: Which Linux or Mac OS distributions are supported by the Linux/Unix sensors (SSH, SNMP)?

• https://kb.paessler.com/en/topic/6733

Knowledge Base: How can I use private keys for my SSH sensors with PRTG?

• https://kb.paessler.com/en/topic/32883

Knowledge Base: How do I enable SSH on my Mac OS X system?

• https://kb.paessler.com/en/topic/33113

 

Sensor Technologies—Topics

• Monitoring via SNMP
• Monitoring via WMI
• Monitoring via SSH
• Monitoring Bandwidth via Packet Sniffing
• Monitoring Bandwidth via Flows
• Bandwidth Monitoring Comparison
• Monitoring Quality of Service
• Monitoring Email Round Trip
• Monitoring Backups
• Monitoring Virtual Environments
• Monitoring Databases
• Monitoring Syslogs and SNMP Traps