Sending SMS Notifications from PRTG network monitor Using NetPing

Requirements

To implement a functionality described above, there is a need to have:

• a gateway for sending and receiving SMS commands NetPing SMS with an installed SIM card, a device for remote sensors monitoring UniPing server solution v4/SMS or a device for remote controlling power supply sockets NetPing 8/PWR-220 v4/SMS  with an installed SIM card;
• a prepared script on PowerShell for sending random SMS notifications about events in the monitoring system PRTG Network Monitor;
• a configured monitoring system PRTG Network Monitor

PRTG Network Monitor Configuration

To configure SMS notifications in the monitoring system PRTG using HTTP API, there is a need to go to the tab «Setup» to adjust basic configuration of the system:

Go to «Notifications» in the area «ACCOUNT SETTINGS» at the page of system settings of the system PRTG. All notifications are configured in «Notifications»:

The system will prompt to enter a system administrator's username and a password to get an access to the web page «Notifications»:

After a successful authorization, the table «NOTIFICATIONS» will appear, where a new notification should be added by clicking the button «Add new notification»:

At the page for configuring new notification «Add notification» indicate a notification name in the field «Notification Name», for example, «SMS Notification» and check the checkbox «EXECUTE PROGRAM». There is a need to fill in parameters in the configuration area «EXECUTE PROGRAM».

where:
Program File – choose a file to run from a drop-down list (particularly the script PowerShell for sending random SMS notifications in this case). PRTG will run this file each time when conditions for this notification to trigger will be fulfilled. To choose a previously prepared script, it needs to be located via the next path: "C:\Program Files (x86)\PRTG Network Monitor\Notifications\EXE". If the monitoring system PRTG consists of a cluster of servers, then executed file is necessary to be copied by represented path for each server in a cluster. This will prevent an issue of sending SMS notifications when one or several servers in a cluster are out of action.
Parameter – specify parameters that will be transmitted to the executed file when starting. For NetPing devices, there is a need to indicate a phone number in square brackets and an SMS text separated by a space to send SMS notification. In an SMS text, it is acceptable to use system variables of the PRTG Network Monitor. Kindly see a list of variables here.
Timeout – is time within which an operation of executed file will be interrupted if a process of executing a script has stuck.

After specifying all parameters of a new notification, there is a need to save settings by clicking the button «Save».

As a result, a new notification will appear in the table «Notification»:

For a created SMS notification to work properly, it must be applied to necessary sensors or devices in the system PRTG.

Let us consider the example of using SMS notification, which will be triggered when a device disappears or appears in a local network. To do this, there is a need to choose a necessary device in the PRTG, which is checked for accessibility by the command «Ping». The choice is made at the page «Devices»:

Just for an example, let us pick the device «Mail Server» out of the list of devices configured for monitoring at the page «Devices». A choice is made by clicking a mouse pointer on the name of a device:

The page «Device Mail Server» will be opened, where all sensors of the device are represented. As it is obvious from a screenshot below, the device «Mail Server» is configured to check the availability only using the command «Ping»:

To use a created notification «SMS Notification», there is a need to click the sensor «Ping» and go to the tab «Notifications»:

At the tab «Notifications» a response to the change in the status of sensors of a selected device is adjusted. To receive an SMS notification when a status of the sensor «Ping» is changed, there is a need to add a trigger by clicking the button «Add State Trigger» and fill in corresponding fields:

where:
1 – is a condition, within which a notification will be triggered. In this example, a trigger will be activated when a sensor is in the status «Down»;
2 – is a period of time, within which a trigger will work. This period of time allows to avoid false triggering;
3 – is a method for sending notifications when a trigger will work;
4 – is a method for sending notifications, when a condition is not fulfilled anymore;
5 – saving parameters of a trigger

Configuring Devices NetPing SMS, UniPing server solution v4/SMS and NetPing 8/PWR-220 v4/SMS

To send SMS notifications as in the example (i.e. using the devices NetPing SMS, UniPing server solution v4/SMS, NetPing 8/PWR-220 v4/SMS  as an SMS gateway) there is a need to perform only a part of a basic configuration (configure network parameters to access the network) of the devices NetPing SMS, UniPing server solution v4/SMS and NetPing 8/PWR-220 v4/SMS and insert a working SIM card with a positive balance into the slot of a built-in modem. You are welcome to read more about basic and additional configuration of devices in the documentation represented below:

• NetPing SMS - Firmware description;
• UniPing server solution v4/SMS - Firmware Description
• NetPing 8/PWR-220 v4/SMS - Firmware description

Example of the PowerShell Script for Sending Random SMS Notifications about Events in the Monitoring System PRTG Network Monitor

Below you can see a code of a script on PowerShell. It needs to be copied into a text file and saved with the extension «.ps1» via the next path: "C:\Program Files (x86)\PRTG Network Monitor\Notifications\EXE".

$url = "http://192.168.0.100/sendsms.cgi" 
$username = "visor" 
$password = "ping"
foreach ($arg in $args)
{
 Write-Host "Arg: $arg";
}
$req = [System.Net.WebRequest]::Create($url) 
$req.Method = "POST";
$req.Credentials = new-object System.Net.NetworkCredential($username, $password)
$Body = [System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8.GetBytes($arg);
$stream = $req.GetRequestStream(); 
$stream.Write($Body, 0, $Body.Length);
$stream.Flush(); 
$stream.Close();
$resp = $req.GetResponse().GetResponseStream()
$resp.Close() 

where:

$url – is a variable, which sets an IP address of a NetPing device and a script to send random SMS messages.
$username – is a variable, which sets a username to get authorized for the device NetPing.
$password – is a variable which sets a password to get authorized for the device NetPing.

Result

As a result of configuring sending SMS notifications about events in the monitoring system PRTG Network Monitor while using SMS gateway on the basis of the devices NetPing SMS, UniPing server solution v4/SMS or NetPing 8/PWR-220 v4/SMS described above, a staff will receive SMS notifications similar to the one below: