On the Notification Delivery tab, you can define and test global settings for notification delivery. If you do not want to use a specific notification method, leave the respective fields empty.
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.
If 15 minutes (900) seconds have passed since your last credential-based login and you open a setup page from a different setup page, PRTG asks you to enter your credentials again for security reasons. A dialog box appears. Enter your Login Name and Password and click OK to continue.
You must take the following four steps to set up and use notifications:
Check and set up the notification delivery settings if you use PRTG Network Monitor. These settings define how PRTG sends messages.
Check and set up notification contacts for the user accounts. These contacts define the recipients to which PRTG sends notifications.
Check and set up several notification templates. These templates define the notification methods and their content. You can also check or edit notification templates via the Notification Triggers tab. For more information, see section Notification Triggers Settings.
Usually, there are three successive attempts to deliver a notification. If all of these attempts fail, the notification is lost. To never miss a notification, we recommend that you always set up at least two notifications with different notification methods for a notification trigger, for example, one email notification and one SMS notification. If delivery via email fails, PRTG can still notify you via smartphone as a fallback. For example, use the latency setting of a state trigger to choose a notification with a different notification method than in the first trigger condition, or set up a second trigger with a different notification method for the corresponding object.
Custom notification scripts are also available in the PRTG Sensor Hub.
SMTP Delivery
SMTP Delivery
Setting
Description
Delivery Mechanism
Define how PRTG sends emails via the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP):
Use direct delivery with the built-in email server (default): Use the built-in SMTP relay server. This server manages its own email queue. For each email, it looks up the target SMTP server via the MX record of the target domain, and sends the email.
Use one SMTP relay server (recommended in LANs/NATs): Set up your own SMTP relay server to send emails. Enter data below.
Use two SMTP relay servers (primary and fallback server): Set up two SMTP relay servers with one as the primary relay server and one as the fallback relay server. PRTG first tries to connect to and authenticate with the primary SMTP relay server. If the connection or authentication fails, PRTG then attempts to connect to or authenticate with the fallback SMTP relay server. Enter data below.
If you monitor the IT infrastructure in your network address translation (NAT) or LAN, use your own LAN-based relay server to ensure faster delivery of notification emails.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor. PRTG Hosted Monitor uses sendgrid for email notifications. For more information, see the Paessler website: FAQ – PRTG Hosted Monitor.
Sender Email Address
Enter an email address to use as the sender of all email notifications. This setting is global and applies to all email notifications by default.
Enter a name to use as the sender of all email notifications. This setting is global and applies to all email notifications by default.
You can override the sender name in the settings of individual notification templates.
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?
HELO Ident
Enter a server name for the HELO part of the mail protocol.
For some mail servers, the HELO identifier must be the valid principal host domain name for the client host. For more information, see SMTP RFC 2821.
The HELO identifier must be a unique name.
Only ASCII characters are allowed.
We recommend that you use the Domain Name System (DNS) name of the PRTG core server system.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
SMTP Relay Server
This setting is only visible if you select Use one SMTP relay server (recommended in LANs/NATs) or Use two SMTP relay servers (primary and fallback server) above.
Enter the IP address or DNS name of the SMTP relay server.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
SMTP Relay Port
This setting is only visible if you select Use one SMTP relay server (recommended in LANs/NATs) or Use two SMTP relay servers (primary and fallback server) above.
Enter the port for the connection to the SMTP server. The default port is 25.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
SMTP Relay Authentication
This setting is only visible if you select Use one SMTP relay server (recommended in LANs/NATs) or Use two SMTP relay servers (primary and fallback server) above.
Select the kind of authentication that the SMTP server requires:
Use no authentication (default): Use SMTP without authentication.
Use standard SMTP authentication: Use standard authentication.
Use SASL authentication: Use secure authentication via Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL).
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
SMTP Relay User Name
This setting is only visible if you select Use standard SMTP authentication or Use SASL authentication above.
Enter a valid user name.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
SMTP Relay Password
This setting is only visible if you select Use standard SMTP authentication or Use SASL authentication above.
Enter a valid password.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
Connection Security
This setting is only visible if you select Use one SMTP relay server (recommended in LANs/NATs) or Use two SMTP relay servers (primary and fallback server) above.
Define the connection security for SMTP connections:
Use SSL/TLS if the server supports it (default): Use a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) secured connection.
Do not use connection security: Use an unsecure connection with plain text transfer.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
SSL/TLS Method
This setting is only visible if you select Use one SMTP relay server (recommended in LANs/NATs) and Use SSL/TLS if the server supports it (default) above.
Select the SSL or TLS version that the SMTP server supports:
Auto-Negotiate (TLS 1.0 or higher)
SSLv3
TLS 1.0
TLS 1.1
TLS 1.2
TLS 1.3
If you select Auto-Negotiate (TLS 1.0 or higher), PRTG uses the highest available TLS level supported by the SMTP endpoint.
This is only relevant for secure connections. If you do not get a connection, try a different setting.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
SMTP Relay Server (Fallback)
This setting is only visible if you select Use two SMTP relay servers (primary and fallback server) above.
Enter the IP address or DNS name of the fallback SMTP relay server.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
SMTP Relay Port (Fallback)
This setting is only visible if you select Use two SMTP relay servers (primary and fallback server) above.
Enter the port for the connection to the fallback SMTP server. The default port is 25.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
SMTP Relay Authentication (Fallback)
This setting is only visible if you select Use two SMTP relay servers (primary and fallback server) above.
Select the kind of authentication that the fallback SMTP server requires:
Use no authentication (default): Use SMTP without authentication.
Use standard SMTP authentication: Use standard authentication.
Use SASL authentication: Use secure authentication via Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL).
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
SMTP Relay User Name (Fallback)
This setting is only visible if you select Use two SMTP relay servers (primary and fallback server) and Use standard SMTP authentication or Use SASL authentication above.
Enter a valid user name.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
SMTP Relay Password (Fallback)
This setting is only visible if you select Use two SMTP relay servers (primary and fallback server) and Use standard SMTP authentication or Use SASL authentication above.
Enter a valid password.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
Connection Security (Fallback)
This setting is only visible if you select Use two SMTP relay servers (primary and fallback server) above.
Define the connection security for SMTP connections:
Use SSL/TLS if the server supports it (default): Use a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) secured connection.
Do not use connection security: Use an unsecure connection with plain text transfer.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
SSL/TLS Method (Fallback)
This setting is only visible if you select Use two SMTP relay servers (primary and fallback server) and Use SSL/TLS if the server supports it (default) above.
Select the SSL or TLS version that the SMTP server supports:
Auto-Negotiate (TLS 1.0 or higher)
SSLv3
TLS 1.0
TLS 1.1
TLS 1.2
TLS 1.3
If you select Auto-Negotiate (TLS 1.0 or higher), PRTG uses the highest available TLS level supported by the SMTP endpoint.
This is only relevant for secure connections. If you do not get a connection, try a different setting.
This option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.
Test SMTP Settings
Click Test SMTP Settings to test your SMTP notification delivery configuration.
Email Address: Enter an email address to send the test email notification to.
Subject: Enter a subject for the test email notification.
SMS Delivery
Your PRTG Network Monitor license or PRTG Hosted Monitor subscription does not include the cost for SMS delivery. Refer to the pricing information of the service provider that you plan to use to find out more about their pricing.
Although PRTG has built-in support for the application programming interface (API) of some SMS providers, we cannot officially provide support for them. If you have technical questions about SMS delivery beyond PRTG, contact your SMS provider directly.
Instead of using a preconfigured provider, you can use a custom URL that enables you to use extended parameters. This is also an alternative to using providers for which we offer preconfigured options.
You need an internet connection to send text messages via the HTTP API.
Some providers might require a port configuration in your firewall. Use the respective port from the list above.
User Name
This setting is only visible if you select Select an SMS provider from a list of providers above.
Enter a user name for the service provider account.
Password
This setting is only visible if you select Select an SMS provider from a list of providers above.
Enter a password for the service provider account.
Account
This setting is only visible if you select Select an SMS provider from a list of providers and Esendex above.
Enter the account number or the API ID to connect your account if your provider asks you to register, for example EX0000000. Enter a string or leave the field empty.
Custom URL
This setting is only visible if you select Enter a custom URL for a provider not listed above.
From the documentation of your SMS provider, enter the service URL that it uses to send SMS messages.
Use the following placeholders for the recipient phone number and the text message:
%SMSNUMBER
%SMSTEXT
Use the GET method to request the custom URL. POST requests are not supported.
HTTP Authentication
This setting is only visible if you select Enter a custom URL for a provider not listed above.
Select if PRTG uses HTTP basic authentication when it calls the custom URL of the SMS provider:
Do not use HTTP basic authentication (default)
Use HTTP basic authentication
HTTP basic authentication is necessary if the custom URL looks like this https://[username]:[password]@my.custom.sms.provider/.
Custom SNI
This setting is only visible if you select Enter a custom URL for a provider not listed above.
Define if PRTG sends the Server Name Indication (SNI) extension to the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol along with the HTTP request:
Do not send SNI (default): PRTG does not send the SNI when it executes the HTTP action.
Send SNI: PRTG sends the SNI when it calls the target URL. Specify the SNI below.
Encoding for SMS
This setting is only visible if you select Enter a custom URL for a provider not listed above.
Define the encoding of the URL string that PRTG sends to the SMS provider:
ANSI local system code page (default)
UTF-8
UTF-16
Virtual Host (SNI)
Enter the SNI name that the endpoint configuration requires. Usually, this is the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the virtual host.
Maximum Length of Text
Some SMS providers do not allow SMS messages that exceed a certain amount of characters. PRTG restricts the number of characters according to the length specified in this field. A value of 0 means that PRTG sends the entire SMS.
The use of some special characters, especially ones that are not in the GSM-7 alphabet, might cause the message to be cut off after 70 characters and the special characters might not display properly. The exact results depend on which SMS provider you use.
Test SMS Settings
Click Test SMS Settings to test your SMS notification delivery configuration.
Number: Enter a phone number to send the test SMS notification to.
Message: Enter a message for the test SMS notification.
The notification methods Send SMS/Pager Message and Execute HTTP Action use the central proxy settings of the PRTG core server. For more information, see sectionCore & Probes (section Proxy Configuration).
Save your settings. If you change tabs or use the main menu without saving, all changes to the settings are lost.