Server monitoring via
Secure Shell

Complex network infrastructures

Most corporate network infrastructures are not just limited to one single operating system or type of computer or server. Various versions of Windows Server and Client are used for many applications, as are Linux systems – even for IT infrastructures that are based mainly on Windows. The number of available web and file servers is astonishing. And most companies have at least one department that uses macOS.

Maintain an overview

As an administrator, it’s your job to keep an eye on what is going on in the company network. But with countless different tools to check in the event of a problem, things can get out of hand quickly. This is where PRTG comes in. With our professional monitoring solution, you will not only be securing the operation of Windows systems, but can also take advantage of a variety of monitoring protocols to monitor Linux distributions and macOS systems. Along with the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Secure Shell (SSH) is an especially good choice for such monitoring.

Prevent downtime

PRTG uses SSH monitoring to collect performance data and system information from computers and servers that can be accessed via Secure Shell. As a result, PRTG lets you check the availability, response times, and other system data of your Unix-based systems. This information can then be used to quickly fix network malfunctions and protocol errors and increase the availability of applications and services on Linux and macOS systems. SSH is also a good choice for monitoring SAN (storage area network) systems. And to do so, you won’t need to install any additional software on your target systems.

Security is guaranteed

The SSH protocol transmits monitoring data over an encrypted connection, thereby ensuring your systems always remain secure. The SSH authentication can be done with a password or OpenSSH-RSA private key - with PRTG, both are possible.

PRTG lets everyone work with the utmost security.

Collecting data with SSH

By using Secure Shell (SSH) for your monitoring, you can gather the system information and performance data of servers connected to Linux and Unix distributions, macOS computers, and SANs. PRTG automatically connects to the target server and establishes the SSH connection between the two computers. You therefore won’t have to install any additional software on the target system.

Authentication

To monitor via SSH, PRTG requires login information for the target system, ideally with root access. PRTG allows for authentication using a password or an OpenSSH-RSA private key. Simply enter your login details into PRTG in the device settings. With PRTG, you can also use these details to access more than just individual devices, and have the information transmitted automatically so it does not have to be re-entered each time a new device is added. Find out more about authentication in our knowledge base.

Several SSH sensors at your disposal

If you used an IP address or DNS name to add your end device to PRTG, then you have the choice of several native SSH sensors for ensuring the smooth functioning of your network. PRTG comes with default sensors for monitoring average loads, available inodes, and hard drive capacity. You can also monitor the ability of a Linux or macOS computer to connect to another device, or query FTP servers by way of SFTP (FTP over SSH). Your SSH monitoring is made complete by the built-in SAN sensors of PRTG, which let you keep a constant eye on the logical and physical disks, system status, and storage information of your SANs!

Create your own sensors

With PRTG, if you’re unable to find the required sensors for your SSH monitoring, you can simply write your own. To do so, create a script that returns a numerical value, XML, or JSON from the target device, and monitor the result with an SSH Script sensor. PRTG can be customized to meet all your needs.

See the PRTG user manual for a list of all available SSH sensors