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PRTG Manual: PerfCounter Custom Sensor

The PerfCounter Custom sensor monitors a configured set of Windows performance counters. You can define your own channels.

This sensor does not have any predefined channels.

For a detailed list and descriptions of the channels that this sensor can show, see section Channel List.

Sensor in Other Languages

Dutch: Prestatie Meters Klantspecifiek
French: Windows PerfCounter personnalisé
German: Leistungsindikator (benutzerdef.)
Japanese: パフォーマンスカウンターカスタム
Portuguese: PerfCounter (customizado)
Russian: Специальные настройки PerfCounter
Simplified Chinese: 性能计数器自定义
Spanish: PerfCounter (personalizado)

Remarks

Consider the following remarks and requirements for this sensor:

Remark	Description
Windows version	This sensor requires at least Windows Server 2008 R2 on the probe system (on every cluster node, if on a cluster probe).
Remote Registry Windows service	This sensor requires that the Remote Registry Windows service runs on the target system. If this service does not run, a connection via performance counters is not possible. To enable the service, log in to the respective system and open the services manager (for example, via services.msc). In the list, find the respective service and set its Start Type to Automatic.
Credentials	This sensor requires credentials for Windows systems. We recommend that you 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 system. Otherwise, a connection via performance counters is not possible. However, WMI connections might still work. The user account must be a member of the Performance Monitor Users user group on the target system.
Same name	You cannot add different performance counters with the same name to one sensor.
IPv6	This sensor supports IPv6.
Performance impact	This sensor has a low performance impact.
Angle brackets	If a performance counter contains angle brackets (< or >), do not edit the channel settings because this might cause an error.
Knowledge Base	Knowledge Base: How can I find out the names of available performance counters? Knowledge Base: My performance counter sensor does not work. What can I do?
Hosted probe	You cannot add this sensor to the hosted probe of a PRTG Hosted Monitor instance. If you want to use this sensor, add it to a remote probe device.

Basic Sensor Settings

The sensor has the following default tags that are automatically predefined in the sensor's settings when you add the sensor:

performancecounter
performancecountercustom

For more information about basic sensor settings, see section Sensor Settings.

Performance Counter Settings

Setting	Description
Performance Counters	Enter the performance counters that you want to query. Enter each counter in one line. PRTG creates one channel for each performance counter that you select. Use the following syntax: the name of the counter, followed by two colons (::), and the unit. Example: \Processor(_Total)\% Processor Time::% You cannot monitor different performance counters with the same name in one sensor. The sensor uses the performance counter as the channel name, so this would create duplicate channels, which PRTG does not support. If you want to monitor different performance counters with the same name, add one sensor for each counter. You can also create a custom sensor. For example, you can write a PowerShell query that connects to the target device, retrieves the desired counters with the Get-Counter cmdlet, and reports them to PRTG as individual channels. If a custom performance counter includes angle brackets (< or >), do not edit the channel settings (for example, limits) after sensor creation. This might lead to a malfunctioning sensor. You cannot change this value after sensor creation.
Value Display Mode	Determine if the sensor displays the returned value as an absolute value or if it displays the difference between the last and the current value: Absolute (default): Display the returned value as an absolute value. Difference: Display the difference between last and current value. Make sure that all performance counters that you monitor are capable of this mode. You cannot change this value after sensor creation.

Setting

Description

Performance Counters

Enter the performance counters that you want to query. Enter each counter in one line. PRTG creates one channel for each performance counter that you select. Use the following syntax: the name of the counter, followed by two colons (::), and the unit.

Example: \Processor(_Total)\% Processor Time::%

You cannot monitor different performance counters with the same name in one sensor. The sensor uses the performance counter as the channel name, so this would create duplicate channels, which PRTG does not support. If you want to monitor different performance counters with the same name, add one sensor for each counter. You can also create a custom sensor. For example, you can write a PowerShell query that connects to the target device, retrieves the desired counters with the Get-Counter cmdlet, and reports them to PRTG as individual channels.

If a custom performance counter includes angle brackets (< or >), do not edit the channel settings (for example, limits) after sensor creation. This might lead to a malfunctioning sensor.

You cannot change this value after sensor creation.

Value Display Mode

Determine if the sensor displays the returned value as an absolute value or if it displays the difference between the last and the current value:

Absolute (default): Display the returned value as an absolute value.
Difference: Display the difference between last and current value.
Make sure that all performance counters that you monitor are capable of this mode.

You cannot change this value after sensor creation.

Sensor Display

Setting	Description
Primary Channel	Select a channel from the list to define it as the primary channel. In the device tree, PRTG displays the last value of the primary channel 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 this sensor shows different channels: 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 select Stack channels on top of each other above. Select a unit from the list. PRTG stacks all channels with this unit 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.

Setting

Description

Primary Channel

Select a channel from the list to define it as the primary channel. In the device tree, PRTG displays the last value of the primary channel 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 this sensor shows different channels:

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 select Stack channels on top of each other above.

Select a unit from the list. PRTG stacks all channels with this unit 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.

Inherited Settings

By default, all of these settings are inherited from objects that are higher in the hierarchy. We recommend that you change them centrally in the root group settings if necessary. To change a setting for this object only, click under the corresponding setting name to disable the inheritance and to display its options.

For more information, see section Inheritance of Settings.

Channel List

Which channels the sensor actually shows might depend on the target device, the available components, and the sensor setup.

Channel	Description
[Custom]	The Windows performance counters in different channels To find available performance counters and their names on the target system, see the Knowledge Base: How can I find out the names of available performance counters?
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.

Channel

Description

[Custom]

The Windows performance counters in different channels

To find available performance counters and their names on the target system, see the Knowledge Base: How can I find out the names of available performance counters?

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.

KNOWLEDGE BASE