If you're managing a hybrid IT environment with both Windows and Linux systems, you've probably wondered: can I install PRTG on Ubuntu? The answer requires some clarification. While the PRTG core server runs exclusively on Windows, you can absolutely extend PRTG's monitoring capabilities to Ubuntu using the Multi-Platform Probe. This comprehensive guide walks you through everything you need to know to get PRTG monitoring up and running on your Ubuntu systems.
Whether you're a systems engineer looking to monitor Linux infrastructure without adding another Windows server, or you need to extend your existing PRTG installation to cover Ubuntu-based devices, this guide has you covered. You'll learn the architecture behind PRTG on Linux, system requirements, installation steps, configuration, and troubleshooting—all explained in practical, hands-on terms.
What you'll learn:
Who this guide is for: Systems engineers and IT infrastructure managers with intermediate Linux experience who want to extend PRTG monitoring to Ubuntu environments.
Time required: 30-45 minutes for complete setup
Before diving into installation, let's clear up a common point of confusion that trips up many users.
Can you install the PRTG core server on Ubuntu? No. The PRTG core server requires Windows Server. This is the central instance that manages your entire monitoring setup, stores data, and provides the web interface.
Can you install PRTG monitoring components on Ubuntu? Yes. The Multi-Platform Probe is specifically designed to run on Linux systems including Ubuntu, Debian, and CentOS. This probe extends your Windows-based PRTG core server's monitoring capabilities to Linux environments.
Think of it this way: your PRTG core server is the brain (Windows-based), and the Multi-Platform Probe is the eyes and ears in your Linux environment. The probe monitors independently and sends data back to the core server for centralized visibility.
This architecture gives you the best of both worlds—PRTG's powerful monitoring platform combined with native Linux monitoring capabilities. You can monitor CPU usage, memory, disk space, processes, services, and network performance directly from your Ubuntu systems without installing Windows anywhere near your Linux infrastructure.
Supported Ubuntu versions:
Minimum hardware requirements:
Before you begin, ensure you have:
Required components:
Firewall considerations:
The first step happens on your Windows-based PRTG core server, not on Ubuntu. You need to enable Multi-Platform Probe support and configure the NATS server.
The NATS server handles communication between your Multi-Platform Probes and the PRTG core server. Unlike Nagios, PRTG doesn't require native client installations on every monitored device—the probe handles monitoring for multiple systems.
On your PRTG core server (Windows):
.\install-nats-server.ps1
Important: Save the NATS credentials displayed after installation. You'll need these when configuring the Multi-Platform Probe on Ubuntu.
Why this step matters: Dedicated probe users improve security and make it easier to track which probe is performing which monitoring tasks.
Now we move to your Ubuntu system. You'll add the Paessler repository to install the Multi-Platform Probe package.
SSH into your Ubuntu server and run:
curl -fsSL https://packagecloud.io/paessler/prtgmpprobe/gpgkey | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/paessler-prtgmpprobe-archive-keyring.gpg
This downloads and installs Paessler's GPG key, which verifies package authenticity.
For Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy):
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/paessler-prtgmpprobe-archive-keyring.gpg] https://packagecloud.io/paessler/prtgmpprobe/ubuntu/ jammy main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/paessler-prtgmpprobe.list
For Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal):
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/paessler-prtgmpprobe-archive-keyring.gpg] https://packagecloud.io/paessler/prtgmpprobe/ubuntu/ focal main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/paessler-prtgmpprobe.list
For Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble):
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/paessler-prtgmpprobe-archive-keyring.gpg] https://packagecloud.io/paessler/prtgmpprobe/ubuntu/ noble main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/paessler-prtgmpprobe.list
sudo apt update
Common issue: If you see signature errors during apt update, verify that you've correctly added the GPG key and that your Ubuntu version matches the repository configuration. This is one of the most frequently reported installation problems on Reddit—double-check the repository URL matches your Ubuntu version exactly.
With the repository configured, installation is straightforward.
sudo apt install prtgmpprobe
The package manager will:
Check that the probe service is installed:
systemctl status prtgmpprobe
You should see the service listed (it won't be running yet—that's normal).
Installation location: The probe installs to /opt/paessler/prtgmpprobe/ by default.
Now comes the critical configuration step—connecting your Ubuntu probe to the PRTG core server.
The main configuration file is:
/etc/prtgmpprobe/prtgmpprobe.conf
Open the configuration file with your preferred editor:
sudo nano /etc/prtgmpprobe/prtgmpprobe.conf
You need to specify how the probe connects to your PRTG core server via NATS.
Key configuration parameters:
[NATS] server = nats://YOUR-PRTG-SERVER:4222 user = YOUR-NATS-USERNAME password = YOUR-NATS-PASSWORD [Probe] name = Ubuntu-Probe-01 gid = YOUR-PROBE-GID
Replace the placeholders:
YOUR-PRTG-SERVER: IP address or hostname of your PRTG core serverYOUR-NATS-USERNAME: NATS username from Step 1YOUR-NATS-PASSWORD: NATS password from Step 1Ubuntu-Probe-01: Descriptive name for this probeYOUR-PROBE-GID: Probe Group ID from PRTG (found in PRTG web interface under the probe settings)Ctrl+X, then Y, then EnterEsc, type :wq, press EnterPro tip: Use descriptive probe names that indicate location or purpose, like "Ubuntu-Prod-Web-01" or "Ubuntu-Dev-Monitoring." This makes management much easier when you're running multiple probes.
With configuration complete, start the Multi-Platform Probe service.
sudo systemctl start prtgmpprobe
sudo systemctl enable prtgmpprobe
This ensures the probe starts automatically if your Ubuntu system reboots.
sudo systemctl status prtgmpprobe
You should see:
If you encounter issues, check the probe logs:
sudo journalctl -u prtgmpprobe -f
This displays real-time log output. Look for:
Return to your PRTG web interface to confirm the probe is connected.
Click on your probe to see:
If the probe doesn't appear: Wait 2-3 minutes for initial connection, then check NATS server logs and probe configuration. The NATS server configuration is one of the trickier parts—many users report difficulty getting it working initially.
With your probe connected, you can start monitoring Ubuntu systems and other devices accessible from that probe.
PRTG's auto-discovery will scan the device and automatically create relevant sensors. Amazing how much PRTG picks up out of the box—it'll detect services, processes, network interfaces, and more without manual configuration.
For Ubuntu/Linux systems, PRTG will typically create:
Beyond auto-discovery, you can manually add sensors:
SSH-based sensors (require SSH credentials):
SNMP sensors (require SNMP configured on target):
Network sensors:
To extend monitoring with Paessler PRTG to Linux systems effectively, combine SNMP for agentless monitoring with SSH sensors for deeper system-level insights.
The Multi-Platform Probe gives you comprehensive monitoring capabilities for Ubuntu and other Linux systems.
CPU monitoring:
Memory monitoring:
Disk monitoring:
Monitor critical processes and services running on Ubuntu:
Example use case: Monitor your Apache web server process, MySQL database service, and custom application processes—all from a single PRTG dashboard.
Interface monitoring:
Protocol monitoring:
For comprehensive visibility, learn everything you should know about probes in PRTG to understand how distributed monitoring works across your infrastructure.
Even with careful setup, you might encounter issues. Here are the most common problems and solutions.
Symptom: apt update fails with "The following signatures were invalid" or "GPG error"
Solution:
sudo rm /usr/share/keyrings/paessler-prtgmpprobe-archive-keyring.gpg
sudo apt update againThis is the most frequently reported issue on Reddit for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS installations—the signature verification can fail if the key isn't properly imported.
Symptom: Probe service starts but doesn't appear in PRTG web interface
Solution:
Get-Service NATS
/etc/prtgmpprobe/prtgmpprobe.conf are correcttelnet YOUR-PRTG-SERVER 4222
sudo journalctl -u prtgmpprobe -n 50
Common mistake: Using the wrong NATS username/password. The NATS user is created during NATS server installation, not in PRTG's user management.
Symptom: Probe shows as connected, but sensors return errors
Solution:
For SNMP sensors:
sudo systemctl status snmpd
snmpwalk -v2c -c public localhost
For SSH sensors:
Symptom: Multi-Platform Probe consumes excessive CPU resources
Solution:
Performance tip: Don't just fire up hundreds of sensors and hope for the best. Start with essential monitoring, verify performance, then gradually add more sensors.
Symptom: Probe connection drops and reconnects periodically
Solution:
For more detailed troubleshooting and setup guidance, check out first steps with the new Paessler PRTG Multi-Platform Probe.
Once you have basic monitoring working, consider these advanced configurations.
You can install Multi-Platform Probes on multiple Ubuntu systems for distributed monitoring:
Use cases:
Each probe connects to the same PRTG core server but monitors different devices or network segments.
Create custom monitoring scripts for specialized requirements:
/var/prtg/scriptsxml/ on Ubuntu probeExample use case: Monitor custom application metrics, database query performance, or business-specific KPIs.
Secure NATS communication with SSL/TLS certificates:
Security best practice: Always use encrypted communication for production environments, especially when probes communicate across public networks or untrusted segments.
PRTG's API allows integration with:
Explore the PRTG API documentation to build custom integrations.
No, the PRTG core server requires Windows Server. However, you can install the Multi-Platform Probe on Ubuntu to extend monitoring capabilities to Linux environments. The core server remains on Windows while probes run on Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Docker, and ARM-based devices.
The Remote Probe runs on Windows systems and provides full PRTG functionality. The Multi-Platform Probe runs on non-Windows platforms (Linux, Docker, ARM devices) and supports a subset of sensors optimized for those environments. Both connect to the same PRTG core server and appear in the same interface.
Not necessarily. SNMP enables agentless monitoring and is recommended for comprehensive system metrics. However, you can also use SSH-based sensors, which connect via SSH without requiring SNMP. For network devices, SNMP is typically the best option. For servers where you have SSH access, you can choose either approach.
This depends on your Ubuntu system resources and monitoring intensity. A probe on a system with 4 CPU cores and 8 GB RAM can typically monitor 50-100 devices with standard sensor configurations. For high-volume monitoring (hundreds of sensors per device), consider distributing load across multiple probes.
Yes, but with limitations. The Multi-Platform Probe can monitor Windows systems using SNMP, WMI (via SSH tunneling), HTTP, and network-based sensors. However, for comprehensive Windows monitoring, a Windows-based Remote Probe provides better native integration and more sensor options.
Yes, Multi-Platform Probes are included in PRTG Network Monitor and PRTG Enterprise Monitor licenses. The number of sensors you can use depends on your license tier. Each sensor on a Multi-Platform Probe counts toward your total sensor limit, just like sensors on the core server or Remote Probes.
For more information about PRTG on Linux environments, visit the official PRTG on Linux page.
You've successfully installed and configured the PRTG Multi-Platform Probe on Ubuntu. Here's your action plan to get the most value from your setup:
Immediate next steps:
Optimize over time:
Expand your monitoring:
The Multi-Platform Probe gives you unified visibility across your entire hybrid infrastructure—Windows, Linux, cloud, and on-premises—all managed from a single PRTG instance. Start with core monitoring, verify everything works reliably, then gradually expand to cover your complete IT environment.
Ready to take monitoring further? Download the PRTG free trial to test all features, or explore the PRTG manual for comprehensive documentation on advanced configurations.