<%NUMBERING1%>.<%NUMBERING2%>.<%NUMBERING3%> PRTG Manual: Add a Group
There are several ways to manually add a group:
Select Devices | Add Group from the main menu bar. A dialog appears that guides you through the process of adding a new group.
Hover over and select Add Group from the menu.
Select Add Group from the context menu of the probe or group to which you want to add the new group. This skips step 1 and leads you directly to step 2.
This documentation refers to an administrator that accesses the PRTG web interface on a master node. Other user accounts, interfaces, or failover nodes might not have all of the options in the way described here. In a cluster, note that failover nodes are read-only by default.
The Add a Group dialog appears when you add a new group to a parent group. It only shows the settings that are required to create the group. Therefore, you do not see all settings in this dialog.
You can change all settings on the Settings tab of the group later. For more information, see section Group Settings.
Step 1: Select a Parent
Add Group Assistant Step 1
Select the probe or group that you want to add the new group to. Click OK.
If the name contains angle brackets (<>), PRTG replaces them with braces ({}) for security reasons. For more information, see the Knowledge Base: What security features does PRTG include?
Tags
Enter one or more tags. Confirm each tag with the Spacebar key, a comma, or the Enter key. You can use tags to group objects and use tag-filtered views later on. Tags are not case-sensitive. Tags are automatically inherited.
It is not possible to enter tags with a leading plus (+) or minus (-) sign, nor tags with parentheses (()) or angle brackets (<>).
For performance reasons, it can take some minutes until you can filter for new tags that you added.
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.
Enter the domain or computer name of the user account with which you want to access the Windows system. PRTG uses this account for Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) sensors and other Windows sensors.
If you want to use a Windows local user account on the target device, enter the computer name. If you want to use a Windows domain user account (recommended), enter the domain name. PRTG automatically adds a prefix to use the NT LAN Manager (NTLM) protocol if you do not explicitly define it. Do not leave this field empty.
User Name
Enter the user name for access to the Windows system. Usually, you use credentials with administrator rights.
Password
Enter the password for access to the Windows system. Usually, you use credentials with administrator rights.
Credentials for Linux/Solaris/macOS (SSH/WBEM) Systems
Credentials for Linux/Solaris/macOS (SSH/WBEM) Systems
Setting
Description
User Name
Enter the user name for access to the Linux/Solaris/macOS system via Secure Shell (SSH) and Web-based Enterprise Management (WBEM). Usually, you use credentials with administrator rights.
Authentication Method
Select the authentication method for the login:
Password: Provide the password for the login.
Private key: Provide an RSA private key for authentication.
PRTG can only handle keys in the OpenSSH format that are not encrypted. You cannot use password-protected keys.
PRTG only supports RSA keys. It does not support DSA keys.
This setting is only visible if you select Password above. Enter a password for access to the Linux/Solaris/macOS system via SSH and WBEM. Usually, you use credentials with administrator rights.
Private Key
This setting is only visible if you select Private key above. Paste the entire RSA private key, including the BEGIN and END lines. Make sure that a corresponding public key exists on the target device.
PRTG can only handle keys in the OpenSSH format that are not encrypted. You cannot use password-protected keys.
PRTG only supports RSA keys. It does not support DSA keys.
If you do not insert a private key for the first time but if you want to change the private key, you need to restart the PRTG core server service for the private key change to take effect.
WBEM Protocol
Select the protocol that you want to use for the connection to the system via WBEM:
HTTP: Use an unsecure connection for WBEM.
HTTPS (default): Use a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) secured connection for WBEM.
This setting is only relevant if you use WBEM sensors.
WBEM Port
Select if you want to use one of the default ports for the connection to the system via WBEM or if you want to set a custom port:
Default: Use one of the default ports. The default port for unsecure connections is 5988 and the default port for secure connections is 5989.
Custom: Use a custom port.
This setting is only relevant if you use WBEM sensors.
Custom WBEM Port
This setting is only visible if you select Custom above. Enter a custom WBEM port. Enter an integer.
SSH Port
Enter the port for SSH connections. Enter an integer. The default port is 22.
By default, PRTG automatically uses this setting for all SSH sensors unless you define a different port number in the sensor settings.
SSH Rights Elevation
Select the rights that you want to use to run the command on the target system:
Run the command as the connecting user (default): Use the rights of the user who establishes the SSH connection.
Run the command as a different user using 'sudo' (with password): Use the rights of a different user with a password required for sudo to run commands on the target system, for example, as a root user.
Run the command as a different user using 'sudo' (without password): Use the rights of a different user without a password required for sudo to run commands on the target system, for example, as a root user.
Run the command as a different user using 'su': Use the rights of a different user with su to run commands on the target system.
Target System User Name
This setting is only visible if you select an option that includes sudo or su above. Enter a user name to run the specified command on the target system as a different user than the root user. If you leave this field empty, you run the command as a root user. Make sure that you set the Linux password even if you use a public key or a private key for authentication. This is not necessary if the user is allowed to run the command without a password.
Password
This setting is only visible if you select an option that includes sudo or su with password above. Enter the password to run the sudo command or the su command.
Default (recommended): This is the default connection mode for SSH sensors. It provides the best performance and security.
Compatibility mode (deprecated): Use this only if the default connection mode does not work on the target system. The compatibility mode is the connection mode that PRTG used in previous versions and it is deprecated.
We strongly recommend that you use the default connection mode.
You can also individually select the connection mode for each SSH sensor in the sensor settings.
Enter the user name for access to VMware ESXi, vCenter Server, or Citrix XenServer. Usually, you use credentials with administrator rights.
Password
Enter the password for access to VMware ESXi, vCenter Server, or Citrix XenServer. Usually, you use credentials with administrator rights.
Single sign-on (SSO) passwords for vSphere do not support special characters. For details, see the VMware sensors sections.
VMware Protocol
Select the protocol for the connection to VMware ESXi, vCenter Server, or Citrix XenServer:
HTTPS (recommended): Use a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) secured connection.
HTTP: Use an unsecure connection.
Session Handling
Select if you want to reuse a session for VMware sensors:
Reuse a session for multiple scans (recommended): Select this option if you want a VMware sensor to reuse a single session for multiple sensor scans to query data. With this option, the sensor does not need to log in and out for each sensor scan. We recommend that you use this option because it reduces network load and log entries on the target device. This can increase performance.
Create a new session for each scan: If you select this option, PRTG does not reuse a session and a VMware sensor has to log in and out for each sensor scan. This can decrease performance.
Select the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) version for the connection to the target SNMP device:
SNMP v1: Use SNMP v1 for the connection. SNMP v1 only offers clear-text data transmission. SNMP v1 does not support 64-bit counters. This might result in invalid data when you monitor traffic via SNMP.
SNMP v2c (recommended): Use SNMP v2c for the connection. SNMP v2c also only offers clear-text data transmission but it supports 64-bit counters.
SNMP v3: Use SNMP v3 for the connection. SNMP v3 provides secure authentication and data encryption. SNMP v3 has performance limitations because of the use of encryption. The main limiting factor is CPU power. Also keep in mind that SNMP v3, unlike SNMP v1 and v2c, does not scale with more CPU power. Because of this limitation, PRTG can only handle a limited number of requests per second so that you can use only a limited number of sensors using SNMP v3. If you see an increase in Interval Delay or Open Requests with the Probe Health sensor, distribute the load over multiple probes. SNMP v1 and SNMP v2c do not have this limitation.
Community String
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v1 or SNMP v2c (recommended) above. Enter the community string of your device. This is like a clear-text password for simple authentication.
We recommend that you use the default value.
Authentication Method
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v3 above. Select the authentication method:
MD5: Use message-digest algorithm 5 (MD5) for authentication.
SHA: Use Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) for authentication.
SHA-224: Use SHA-224 for authentication.
SHA-256: Use SHA-256 for authentication.
SHA-384: Use SHA-384 for authentication.
SHA-512: Use SHA-512 for authentication.
If you do not want to use authentication but you need SNMP v3, for example, because your device requires context, you can leave the Password field empty. In this case, PRTG uses SNMP_SEC_LEVEL_NOAUTH and it entirely deactivates authentication.
The authentication method you select must match the authentication method of your device.
User Name
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v3 above. Enter the user name for access to the target SNMP device.
The user name that you enter must match the user name of your device.
Password
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v3 above. Enter the password for access to the target SNMP device.
The password that you enter must match the password of your device.
Encryption Type
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v3 above. Select an encryption type:
DES: Use Data Encryption Standard (DES) as the encryption algorithm.
AES: Use Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) as the encryption algorithm.
AES-192: Use AES-192 as the encryption algorithm.
AES-256: Use AES-256 as the encryption algorithm.
The encryption type that you select must match the encryption type of your device.
Encryption Key
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v3 above. Enter an encryption key. If you provide a key, PRTG encrypts SNMP data packets with the encryption algorithm that you selected above. Enter a string or leave the field empty.
The encryption key that you enter must match the encryption key of your device. If the encryption keys do not match, you do not get an error message.
Context Name
This setting is only visible if you select SNMP v3 above. Enter a context name only if the configuration of the device requires it. Context is a collection of management information that is accessible by an SNMP device. Enter a string.
SNMP Port
Enter the port for the connection to the SNMP target device. Enter an integer. The default port is 161.
We recommend that you use the default value.
Timeout (Sec.)
Enter a timeout in seconds for the request. Enter an integer. The maximum timeout value is 300 seconds (5 minutes).
Select the port that PRTG uses for connections to the monitored databases:
Default (recommended): PRTG automatically determines the type of the database and uses the corresponding default port to connect. PRTG uses the following default ports:
Microsoft SQL: 1433
MySQL: 3306
Oracle SQL: 1521
PostgreSQL: 5432
Custom port for all database sensors: Select this option if your database management systems do not use the default ports. Enter a custom port for database connections below.
Custom Port
Enter a custom port for database connections. Enter an integer.
PRTG uses this custom port for all database sensors and for connections to all your databases.
Authentication Method
Select the authentication method for the connection to the Structured Query Language (SQL) database:
Windows authentication with impersonation: PRTG uses the Windows credentials that you define in settings that are higher in the object hierarchy, for example, in the settings of the parent device; for the database connection. The user whose credentials PRTG uses needs to have permission to log in to the probe system with a database sensor. This is necessary for the impersonation.
SQL server authentication: Use explicit credentials for database connections. Enter a user name and password below.
User Name
This setting is only visible if you select SQL server authentication above. Enter the user name for the database connection.
Password
This setting is only visible if you select SQL server authentication above. Enter the password for the database connection.
Timeout (Sec.)
Enter a timeout in seconds for the request. Enter an integer. The maximum timeout value is 300 seconds (5 minutes).
Enter a description for Placeholder 1, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 1
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the script execution if you add %scriptplaceholder1 in the argument list. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Placeholder 2 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 2, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 2
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the script execution if you add %scriptplaceholder2 in the argument list. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Placeholder 3 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 3, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 3
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the script execution if you add %scriptplaceholder3 in the argument list. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Placeholder 4 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 4, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 4
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the script execution if you add %scriptplaceholder4 in the argument list. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Placeholder 5 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 5, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 5
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the script execution if you add %scriptplaceholder5 in the argument list. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Enter the user name for access to the HPE 3PAR system.
Password
Enter the password for access to the HPE 3PAR system.
Protocol
Select the protocol that you want to use for the connection to the HPE 3PAR system:
HTTPS (default): Use a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) secured connection.
HTTP: Use an unsecure connection.
WSAPI Port
Enter the Web Services API (WSAPI) port for the connection to the HPE 3PAR system. The default port for secure connections is 8080 and the default port for unsecure connections is 8008.
Select the authentication method for access to the server. Choose between:
None (default): Use no authentication.
Basic authentication: Use basic authentication.
Bearer authentication: Use an OAuth2 bearer token.
User Name
This setting is only visible if you select Basic authentication above. Enter the user name for access to the server.
Password
This setting is only visible if you select Basic authentication above. Enter the password for access to the server.
Bearer Token
This setting is only visible if you select Bearer authentication above. Enter a bearer token for access to the server.
Placeholder 1 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 1, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 1
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the HTTP request if you add %httpplaceholder1 in the URL, POST Body, and Custom Header fields of the HTTP v2 sensor. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Placeholder 2 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 2, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 2
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the HTTP request if you add %httpplaceholder2 in the URL, POST Body, and Custom Header fields of the HTTP v2 sensor. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Placeholder 3 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 3, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 3
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the HTTP request if you add %httpplaceholder3 in the URL, POST Body, and Custom Header fields of the HTTP v2 sensor. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Placeholder 4 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 4, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 4
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the HTTP request if you add %httpplaceholder4 in the URL, POST Body, and Custom Header fields of the HTTP v2 sensor. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Placeholder 5 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 5, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 5
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the HTTP request if you add %httpplaceholder5 in the URL, POST Body, and Custom Header fields of the HTTP v2 sensor. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Select if you want to connect without credentials or define credentials for access to the MQTT broker.
None (default): Connect without credentials.
User name and password: Define credentials for the connection.
User Name
This setting is only visible if you select User name and password above. Enter the user name for access to the Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) broker.
Password
This setting is only visible if you select User name and password above. Enter the password for access to the MQTT broker.
Port
Enter the port for the connection to the MQTT broker. The default port for secure connections is 8883 and the default port for unsecure connections is 1883.
Transport-Level Security
Select if you want to use a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) secured connection:
Do not use transport-level security: Establish the connection without connection security.
Use transport-level security: Establish the connection with the strongest SSL/TLS method that the target device provides.
Server Authentication
This setting is only visible if you select Use transport-level security above. Select if you want to use a certificate for server authentication.
Disable (default): Do not use a certificate for server authentication.
Enable: Use a certificate for server authentication.
CA Certificate
This setting is only visible if you enable Server Authentication above. Paste the certificate authority (CA) certificate for the verification of the MQTT broker.
The certificate must be in Privacy-Enhanced Mail (PEM) format.
Client Authentication
This setting is only visible if you select Use transport-level security above. Select if you want to use a certificate for client authentication.
Disable (default): Do not use a certificate for client authentication.
Enable: Use a certificate for client authentication.
Client Certificate
This setting is only visible if you enable Client Authentication above. Paste the certificate that you created for authenticating the sensor against the MQTT broker.
The certificate must be in PEM format.
Client Key
This setting is only visible if you enable Client Authentication above. Enter the client key for access to the MQTT broker.
The client key must be in PEM format and it must be encrypted using the Client Key Password.
Client Key Password
This setting is only visible if you enable Client Authentication above. Enter the password for the client key.
Enter the port for the connection to the OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) server. The default port for secure connections is 4840.
Server Path
Enter the path of the OPC UA server endpoint if you run more than one server under the same IP address or DNS name.
Security Mode
Select if you want to use encryption:
None (default): Do not use encryption.
Sign: Sign messages between the sensor and the OPC UA server.
Sign & Encrypt: Sign and encrypt messages between the sensor and the OPC UA server.
Security Policy
This setting is only visible if you select Sign or Sign & Encrypt above. Select if you want to use a security policy and define which policy you want to use:
None (default): Do not use a security policy.
Basic256Sha256: Use the Basic256Sha256 security policy.
Basic256: Use the Basic256 security policy.
Client Certificate
This setting is only visible if you select Sign or Sign & Encrypt above. Enter the certificate that you created for authenticating the sensor against the OPC UA server.
The certificate must meet the following requirements:
The key size must be 2048-bit or 4096-bit.
The secure hash algorithm must be SHA256.
DataEncipherment must be part of the KeyUsage certificate extension.
A uniform resource indicator (URI) must be set in subjectAltName.
The certificate must be in Privacy-Enhanced Mail (PEM) format.
Client Key
This setting is only visible if you select Sign or Sign & Encrypt above. Enter the client key for access to the OPC UA server.
The client key must be in PEM format and it must be encrypted using the Client Key Password.
Client Key Password
This setting is only visible if you select Sign or Sign & Encrypt above. Enter the password for the client key.
Authentication Method
Select if you want to connect without credentials or define credentials for access to the OPC UA server:
Anonymous (default): Connect without credentials.
User name and password: Define credentials for the connection.
Most OPC UA servers do not support User name and password authentication without a client certificate. To use User name and password authentication, select Sign or Sign & Encryptunder Security Mode and Basic256Sha256 or Basic256 under Security Policy and enter the Client Certificate, Client Key, and Client Key Password that you want to use.
If you select None (default) under Security Mode and use User name and password authentication, PRTG sends the unencrypted password to the OPC UA server.
User Name
This setting is only visible if you select User name and password above. Enter the user name for access to the OPC UA server.
Password
This setting is only visible if you select User name and password above. Enter the password for access to the OPC UA server.
Select if you want to connect without credentials or define credentials for access to the Orchestra platform:
None (default): Connect without credentials.
User name and password: Define credentials for the connection.
User Name
This setting is only visible if you select User name and password above. Enter the user name for access to the Orchestra platform.
Password
This setting is only visible if you select User name and password above. Enter the password for access to the Orchestra platform.
Timeout (Sec.)
Enter a timeout in seconds for the request. Enter an integer. The maximum timeout value is 300 seconds (5 minutes).
Port
Enter the port for the connection to the Orchestra platform. The default port for secure connections is 8443 and the default port for unsecure connections is 8019.
Protocol
Select the protocol that you want to use for the connection to the Orchestra platform:
HTTPS (default): Use a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) secured connection.
Select the authentication method for access to the Representational State Transfer (REST)application programming interface (API):
None (default): Use no authentication.
Basic authentication: Use basic authentication.
Bearer authentication: Use an OAuth2 bearer token.
User Name
This setting is only visible if you select Basic authentication above. Enter the user name for access to the REST API.
Password
This setting is only visible if you select Basic authentication above. Enter the password for access to the REST API.
Bearer Token
This setting is only visible if you select Bearer authentication above. Enter a bearer token for access to the REST API.
Placeholder 1 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 1, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 1
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the REST API request if you add %restplaceholder1 in the Request URL, POST Body, and Custom Headers fields of the REST Custom v2 sensor. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Placeholder 2 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 2, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 2
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the REST API request if you add %restplaceholder2 in the Request URL, POST Body, and Custom Headers fields of the REST Custom v2 sensor. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Placeholder 3 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 3, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 3
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the REST API request if you add %restplaceholder3 in the Request URL, POST Body, and Custom Headers fields of the REST Custom v2 sensor. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Placeholder 4 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 4, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 4
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the REST API request if you add %restplaceholder4 in the Request URL, POST Body, and Custom Headers fields of the REST Custom v2 sensor. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Placeholder 5 Description
Enter a description for Placeholder 5, for example information about the purpose or content of the placeholder.
Placeholder 5
Enter a value for the placeholder. PRTG inserts the value for the REST API request if you add %restplaceholder5 in the Request URL, POST Body, and Custom Headers fields of the REST Custom v2 sensor. PRTG does not display the value in the sensor log or the sensor's settings.
Select the user groups that have access to the object. You see a table with user groups and group access rights. The table contains all user groups in your setup. For each user group, you can choose from the following group access rights:
Inherited: Inherit the access rights settings of the parent object.
No access: Users in this user group cannot see or edit the object. The object neither shows up in lists nor in the device tree. There is one exception: If a user in this user group has access to a child object, the parent object is visible in the device tree but users in this user group cannot access it.
Read access: Users in this group can see the object and view its monitoring results. They cannot edit any settings.
Write access: Users in this group can see the object, view its monitoring results, and edit its settings. They cannot edit its access rights settings.
Full access: Users in this group can see the object, view its monitoring results, edit its settings, and edit its access rights settings.
To automatically set all child objects to inherit this object's access rights, enable the Revert access rights of child objects to "inherited" option.
and select 
This documentation refers to an administrator that accesses the PRTG web interface on a master node. Other user accounts, interfaces, or failover nodes might not have all of the options in the way described here. In a cluster, note that failover nodes are read-only by default.
under the corresponding setting name to disable the inheritance and to display its options.
For more information, see section 
