Several existing sensors and core capabilities were enhanced in the 2021 releases:
Lookups transform raw numerical values returned by sensors into human-readable states (e.g., mapping an integer status code of 1 to OK , or 2 to Critical ). In 21.0.x, lookups are defined using structured XML files placed in the \lookups\custom directory. This allows administrators to customize color-coded alerting states for specific enterprise hardware platforms.
: The basic availability sensor that acts as the foundation for uptime monitoring. 0.x core server or how to migrate from an older version?
: Do not download PRTG 21.0.x from third-party file repositories. Only use official Paessler channels or verified backups. prtg network monitor 21.0.x
Successful implementation of PRTG 21.0.x depends on aligning your hardware provisioning with your target sensor count. System Requirements Matrix Metric / Scale Small (Up to 1,000 Sensors) Medium (Up to 5,000 Sensors) Enterprise (10,000+ Sensors) Windows Server 2016 / 2019 Windows Server 2019 / 2022 Windows Server 2022 CPU Cores 4–8 Cores 8+ Cores (High clock speed) RAM 16–32 GB Storage Type HDD / SATA SSD Enterprise NVMe SSD (RAID 1/10) Deployment Best Practices
Use the built-in auto-discovery feature to quickly identify devices on your network, but refine the results to ensure only necessary sensors are created.
Probes are the operational units that execute monitoring tasks. Several existing sensors and core capabilities were enhanced
| Category | New Sensors (as introduced in 2021) | |----------|--------------------------------------| | | Veeam Backup Job Status Advanced, REST Custom v2 Sensor, Local Folder Sensor | | Cloud Monitoring | Microsoft Azure Storage Account, Microsoft Azure SQL Database, AWS EC2 V2, AWS ELB V2, AWS RDS V2, AWS Alarm V2 | | Industrial Monitoring | OPC UA Certificate Sensor, Beckhoff IPC System Health Sensor | | Data‑Center Monitoring | SNMP Rittal CMC III Hardware Status, Redfish System Health Sensor, Redfish Virtual Disk Sensor |
For IT administrators managing complex networks, understanding the updates, sensor mechanics, and scale limitations introduced in the 21.0.x generation is essential for building a resilient monitoring environment. Core Architecture and Release Structure
Utilize PRTG’s hierarchy (Root > Group > Device > Sensor) to organize devices logically, allowing for easier inheritance of settings. : The basic availability sensor that acts as
A core strength of PRTG is its vast library of sensors. The 21.0.x updates brought specifically targeted enhancements. A. SNMP Printer v2 Sensor
SNMP monitoring was refined extensively:
The latest version of PRTG Network Monitor provides a range of benefits for IT professionals and network administrators. Some of the key benefits include:
No tool is without its challenges. Users of PRTG 21.0.x noted that while the core was stable, the remained clunky. Generating a monthly SLA report for 5,000 sensors often required exporting data to CSV and reformatting in Excel or a third-party BI tool. Additionally, the licensing cost for large deployments (tens of thousands of sensors) could become prohibitive compared to open-source alternatives like Zabbix or Prometheus, though PRTG’s all-in-one simplicity often justifies the price for SMBs and mid-market enterprises.