This article applies to PRTG Network Monitor 19 or later

I would like to add new SNMP sensors to my SNMP device. Can I influence the names that are automatically generated for the sensors?

PRTG looks up names in the OID tree

To create names for new sensors on SNMP devices, PRTG scans an interface for available counters. At the respective OID address of a counter, there are usually several fields with descriptive information available. They are different for every device or OID. PRTG uses the information in these fields to name the sensors.

There is a standard set of fields that PRTG uses when it initially names sensors, but you can change it if you like. (Of course, you always have the option to manually change a sensor name in a sensor's settings.)

Changing the port name template

In a device's settings, or in the settings of a group containing devices, disable the inheritance of the SNMP Compatibility Settings. You can now change these settings. Navigate to the Port Name Template field.

The standard port name template is ([port]) [ifalias], which can create names such as (001) Ethernet1 for example (the actual values depend on your device).

You can use any field names available at a certain OID of your device, among which are:

  • [port]: The port number of the monitored interface.
  • [ifalias]: The 'alias' name for the monitored interface as specified by a network manager, providing a non-volatile handling.
  • [ifname]: The textual name of the monitored interface as assigned by the local device.
  • [ifdescr]: A textual string containing information about the monitored device or interface, for example, manufacturer, product name, version.
  • [ifspeed]: An estimate of the monitored interface's current bandwidth (KBit/s).
  • [ifsensor]: The sensor type SNMP Traffic or SNMP RMON.

Combine them as you like to obtain suitable sensor names. Besides these field names in square brackets [ ], you can add other characters to the template for nicer formatting, such as space or brackets ( ).

Whether a field is actually available depends on the device you are scanning. If a field is empty or not available, an empty string is added to the name. This may even result in completely empty sensor names when you only use empty fields.

More

How do SNMP, MIBs and OIDs work?


Disclaimer:
The information in the Paessler Knowledge Base comes without warranty of any kind. Use at your own risk. Before applying any instructions please exercise proper system administrator housekeeping. You must make sure that a proper backup of all your data is available.