How to run a PRTG core server with >5,000 sensors in a virtual environment

I guess the following article might be interesting for some of you with a larger PRTG installation. Up until recently (i.e. until August 2020), we at Paessler had provided support for installing PRTG on a VM with up to a maximum of 5,000 sensors or, more precisely, a sensor range of 2,500-5,000 sensors. In practice, this corresponds to an average of about 500 monitored devices and is still supported as per our PRTG system requirements.

Well, you probably already guessed it from the headline - from now on, you can expect more! But you have to consider some requirements while preparing the installation.

Running PRTG in virtual environments

PRTG is an all-in-one monitoring solution with lots of different components that all rely on the performance and the stability of the system on which the PRTG installation runs. Here, virtual environments add even more layers of complexity. This needs to be considered when you want to set up your PRTG installation in a way so that you can achieve the same level of performance as on a physical server.

Most PRTG installations from 500 to 5,000 sensors do not need any specific optimization regarding your virtual infrastructure.

For those of you who want to run PRTG with more than 5,000 sensors, we have compiled a comprehensive Best Practice Guide.

The Best Practice Guide for >5,000 sensors on a virtual server

This Best Practice Guide is intended for IT professionals who want to learn more about running larger installations of PRTG in a virtualized infrastructure.

The recommendations in this document are specific to VMware as the market leader in virtualization for larger installations of PRTG with more than 5,000 sensors.

This document assumes that you have a working knowledge of PRTG and VMware ESXi.

Contents of the guide

Before you click the Download button and get the Best Practice Guide, here’s a sneak peek of the topics waiting for you:

• Basic configuration regarding software, virtual machine hardware and server hardware
• Advanced configuration with hands-on how to configure a high CPU latency sensitivity
• Tips on which critical CPU-related metrics you should monitor on your virtual PRTG server

Ready to set up a biiiig PRTG installation in your virtual infrastructure? Then head on to this page, scroll down and hit the Download button. And don’t worry, it’s free and we won’t ask you for any data. Just grab the PDF and go.

Your feedback

Whenever you have questions on how to install or configure your PRTG environment, our customer support team is happy to help. Just use one of our various support resources. In case you are totally hopeless, just open a ticket at our helpdesk portal.

Apart from that, I am also happy to hear about your hands-on experience. How does PRTG work for you in virtual environments? Feel free to write in the comments! 😊