PRTG Manual: SMTP&POP3 Round Trip Sensor

Sensor Name

Enter a meaningful name to identify the sensor. The name will be shown by default in the device tree and in all alarms.

Tags

Enter one or more tags, separated by space or comma. You can use tags to group sensors and use tag-filtered views later on. Tags are not case sensitive. We recommend using the default value. You can add additional tags to it, if you like. Other tags are automatically inherited from objects further up in the device tree. Those are not visible here.

Priority

Select a priority for the sensor. This setting determines where the sensor will be placed in sensor lists. Top priority will be at the top of a list. You can choose from one star (low priority) to five stars (top priority).

Email Settings

From

Specify which address the sent emails will contain in the from field. Please enter a valid email address.

To

Specify to which address the emails will be sent to. Please enter a valid email address.

Helo Ident

Enter a server name for the helo part of the mail protocol. For some mail servers the helo ident must be the valid principal host domain name for the client host.

Step 1: Send email to parent device using SMTP

In this step, you configure how emails will be sent. As SMTP server, the sensor uses the IP-Address/DNS Name property's value of the device it is added on.

Port

Enter the number of the port that will be used to send an email via SMTP. Please enter an integer value. For non-secure connections usually port 25 is used; usually port 465 or 587 for SSL connections. The actual setting depends on the server you are connecting to. Please enter an integer value. We recommend using the default value. If you do not get a connection, please try another port number.

Timeout for SMTP Connection (sec)

Enter a timeout in seconds for the SMTP connect. If the reply takes longer than this value the request is aborted and an error message is triggered.

TLS (Transport-Level Security)

Select if the SMTP connection will be secured via SSL. Choose between:

• Don't use: Do not use encryption for the SMTP connection.
• Use: Connect to the SMTP server using the SSL method selected below.

SMTP Authentication Type

Select the kind of authentication for the SMTP connection. Choose between:

• None: Do not use any authentication method.
• Username/Password: Authenticate at the SMTP server via username and password.

Username

This field is only visible if SMTP authentication is enabled above. Enter a username for SMTP authentication. Please enter a string.

Password

This field is only visible if SMTP authentication is enabled above. Enter a password for SMTP authentication. Please enter a string.

Step 2: Check a POP3 mailbox until email arrives

In this step, you configure how the sent emails will be received.

IP-Address/DNS Name

Specify the POP3 server. Enter a valid IP address or DNS name.

Port

Specify the port that will be used for the POP3 connection. For non-secure connections usually port 110 is used; usually port 995 for SSL connections. The actual setting depends on the server you are connecting to. Please enter an integer value. We recommend using the default value. If you do not get a connection, please try another port number.

TLS (Transport-Level Security)

Select if the POP3 connection will be secured via SSL. Choose between:

• Don't use: Do not use encryption for the SMTP connection.
• Use: Connect to the SMTP server using the SSL method selected below.

SSL-Method

This field is only visible when TLS is enabled above. Select the SSL method that will be used when connecting to the IMAP server. We recommend using the default value. If you experience connection problems, try another setting.

Connection Interval (sec)

Enter the number of seconds the sensor will wait between two connections to the IMAP server. PRTG will repeatedly check the mailbox in this interval until the email arrives. Please enter an integer value.

Maximum Trip Time (sec)

Enter the number of seconds an email may take to arrive in the IMAP mailbox. PRTG will repeatedly check the mailbox in the interval specified above until the email arrives. If it does not arrive within the maximum trip time, an error message will be triggered for the sensor. Please enter an integer value.

POP3 Authentication Type

Select the kind of authentication for the POP3 connection. Choose between:

• Without Login: Monitor the connection to the POP3 server only.

• Username and Password: Log into the POP3 server with user name and password (simple login, non-secure).
• 128-bit MD5 hash value (APOP): Send the password in an encrypted form using APOP. This option must be supported by the POP3 server you're connecting to.

Username

This field is only visible if an option with login is selected above. Enter a username for POP3 authentication. Please enter a string.

Password

This field is only visible if an option with login is selected above. Enter a username for POP3 authentication. Please enter a string.

Scanning Interval

Scanning Interval

The scanning interval determines the time the sensor waits between two scans. Select a scanning interval (seconds, minutes, or hours) from the list. You can change the available intervals in the system administration.

Note: Inheritance for schedules, dependencies, and maintenance windows cannot be interrupted; the according settings from the parent objects will always be active. However, you can define additional settings here. They will be active in parallel to the parent objects' settings.

Schedule

Select a schedule from the list. Schedules can be used to pause monitoring for a certain time span (days, hours) throughout the week. You can create new schedules and edit existing ones in the account settings. Note: Schedules are generally inherited. New schedules will be added to existing ones, so all schedules are active.

Maintenance Window

Specify if you want to set-up a one-time maintenance window. During a maintenance window this object and all child objects will not be monitored. They will enter a paused state then. Choose between:

• Not set (monitor continuously): No maintenance window will be set.
• Set up a one-time maintenance window: Pause monitoring within a maintenance window.

Maintenance Begins At

This field is only visible if maintenance window is enabled above. Use the date time picker to enter the start date and time of the maintenance window.

Maintenance End At

This field is only visible if maintenance window is enabled above. Use the date time picker to enter the end date and time of the maintenance window.

Dependency Type

Define a dependency type. Dependencies can be used to pause monitoring for an object depending on the status of another. You can choose between:

• Use parent: Pause the current sensor if the device it is created on is in a Down status, or if it is paused by another dependency.
• Select object: Pause the current sensor if the device it is created on is in an Down status, or if it is paused by another dependency. Additionally, pause the current sensor if a specific other object in the device tree is in a Down status, or if it is paused by another dependency. Select below.
• Master object for parent: Make this sensor the master object for its parent device. The sensor will influence the behavior of the device it is created on: If the sensor is in a Down status, the device will be 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 will be paused if the parent group of its parent device is in a Down status, or if it is paused by another dependency.

Note: Testing your dependencies is easy! Simply choose Simulate Error Status from the context menu of an object that other objects depend on. A few seconds later all dependent objects should be paused.

Dependency

This field is only visible if the select object option is enabled above. Click on the reading-glass symbol and use the object selector to choose an object on which the current sensor will be dependent on.

Delay (Seconds)

Define a time span. After the master object for this dependency comes back to an Up status, monitoring of the depending objects will be additionally delayed by the defined time span. This can help avoid false alarms, for example, after a server restart, by giving systems more time for all services to start up. Please enter an integer value in seconds. Note: This setting is not available if you choose this sensor to be the Master object for parent. In this case, please define delays in the parent Device Settings or the superior Group Settings.

Access Rights

User Group Access

Define which user group(s) will have access to the object you're editing. A table with user groups and right is shown; it contains all user groups from your setup. For each user group you can choose from the following access rights:

• Inherited: Use the settings of the parent object.
• None: Users in this group cannot see or edit the object. The object does not show up in lists and in the device tree. Exception: If a child object is visible to the user, the object is visible in the device tree, though not accessible.
• Read: Users in this group can see the object and review its monitoring results.
• Write: Users in this group can see the object, review its monitoring results, and edit the object's settings. They cannot edit access rights settings.
• Full: Users in this group can see the object, review its monitoring results, edit the object's settings, and edit access rights settings.

You can create new user groups in the System Administration—User Groups settings. To automatically set all objects further down in the hierarchy to inherit this object's access rights, set a check mark for the Revert children's access rights to inherited option.