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  1. Home>
  2. IT Topics>
  3. Technology>
  4. WMI Monitoring
PRTG Logo

WMI Monitoring with PRTG

Monitor all Windows-based components from one place

  • Keep an eye on Windows Servers, workstations, computers, and more
  • Use preconfigured WMI monitoring sensors for agentless deployment
  • Get automatically alerted about Windows availability and performance issues
Free download
product overview

Our users give top ratings for monitoring with Paessler PRTG

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PRTG WMI monitoring: What you will find on this page

Table of content
  • Windows & WMI: The cornerstone of most enterprise networks
  • 5 reasons to choose PRTG as your WMI monitoring tool
  • What WMI monitoring looks like in PRTG
  • Explore our preconfigured PRTG sensors for WMI Monitoring
  • Monitor WMI: FAQ

PRTG makes WMI monitoring as easy as it gets

Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent health and performance issues of Windows-based devices.

Free download
PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Windows & WMI: The cornerstone of most enterprise networks

Servers. Workstations. Applications. Intranets…

With so much riding on Windows, having in-depth health and performance data at your fingertips is a must (unless you like living dangerously).

With the Microsoft standard WMI, you can easily request information about operating system metrics, Windows process and service status, file system usage, and more, of your entire Windows environment. But manually querying your network via command prompts can be tedious…

Paessler PRTG is designed to make WMI monitoring simple at scale. Our powerful preconfigured WMI sensors work right out of the box, tracking critical stats automatically round the clock, even from remote systems – with an impact on your resources you can easily deal with.

Table of content

5 reasons to choose PRTG as your WMI monitoring tool

Automatic network discovery

Setting up comprehensive WMI monitoring can be tiresome. Not with PRTG. We've built our tool to be plug and play. Install PRTG with a few clicks, and let the auto-discovery detect your WMI-enabled devices and add them to your environment while you nip out for coffee.

Real-time alerts & notifications

Pick your network monitoring parameters and let PRTG do the work. Our customizable alerting system texts you, emails you, or sends you an in-app notification as soon as a specific WMI metric falls below your chosen thresholds. Which means you can prevent issues instead of scrambling to solve them.

Complete network visibility

If it's part of your network, PRTG can keep an eye on it. Alongside WMI monitoring, you'll also have access to more than 250 preconfigured sensors for backup monitoring, bandwidth monitoring, traffic monitoring, database monitoring, and much more, plus the flexibility to create your own sensors.

Reduced resource footprint

No need to install specialized software agents on the devices you want to monitor. PRTG is agentless WMI monitoring software that uses, among other technologies, WMI queries and remote management, so it's more secure and won't hoover up precious system resources.

Free tools to test your network

You got stuck with your WMI monitoring setup? No worries here. Thanks to our free tool Paessler WMI Tester, you can quickly determine if it’s possible to access a target device from your PRTG server with WMI, and identify the root cause of WMI errors and configuration issues.

What WMI monitoring looks like in PRTG

Diagnose network issues by continuously tracking servers, workstations, and other Windows machines, and applications like Microsoft IIS or Exchange. Show bandwidth usage, network traffic by IP address and protocol, CPU load, and other key metrics in real time. Visualize monitoring data in clear graphs and dashboards to identify problems more easily. Gain the overview you need to troubleshoot bottlenecks, underperformance, authentication problems, and other Windows network-related issues. 

PRTG Screenshot device tree view

Device tree view of the complete monitoring setup

PRTG screenshot map entire it infrastructure

Custom PRTG dashboard for keeping an eye on the entire IT infrastructure

PRTG screenshot graph live data traffic

Live traffic data graph in PRTG

Start monitoring using WMI with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.

Free download
PRODUCT OVERVIEW

IT experts agree: Paessler PRTG is a great solution for IT infrastructure monitoring

PCMag

“All-around winning
 network monitor”

IT Brief

“The real beauty of PRTG is the endless possibilities it offers”

ITPro

“PRTG Network Monitor 
is very hard to beat”

Explore our preconfigured PRTG sensors for WMI Monitoring

PRTG comes with more than 250 native sensor types for monitoring your entire on-premises, cloud, and hybrid cloud environment out of the box. Check out some examples below!

WMI Disk Health

The WMI Disk Health sensor monitors the health of a physical disk on a Windows system. It can show the following:

  • Maximum flush latency
  • Health status
  • Operational status
  • Maximum read and write latency
WMI Disk Health
WMI Disk Health

WMI Free Disk Space (Multi Disk)

The WMI Free Disk Space (Multi Disk) sensor monitors the free disk space of one or more drives. It can show the following:

  • Free bytes on different drives
  • Free space on different drives
  • Total disk space
WMI Free Disk Space (Multi Disk)
WMI Free Disk Space (Multi Disk)

WMI Logical Disk I/O

The WMI Logical Disk I/O sensor monitors the disk usage of a logical disk or mount point on a Windows system. It can show the following and more:

  • Average number of bytes per read, transfer, and write
  • Average and current number of items in the queue
  • Number of disk read, write, and split I/O operations
  • Disk read, write, and transfer time and speed
  • Free space
WMI Logical Disk I/O
WMI Logical Disk I/O

WMI Vital System Data (V2)

The WMI Vital System Data (V2) sensor monitors vital Windows system parameters. It can show the following:

  • CLR memory bytes in all heaps
  • Committed bytes and total number of bytes per second
  • Number of thrown CLR exceptions and outbound packet errors
  • Free physical and total user memory
  • CPU user time
WMI Vital System Data (V2)
WMI Vital System Data (V2)

See the PRTG Manual for a list of all available sensor types.

PRTG is compatible with all major vendors, products, and systems

compatible with all major vendors, products, and systems

PRTG makes WMI monitoring as easy as it gets

Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent health and performance issues of Windows-based devices.

Free download
PRODUCT OVERVIEW

“We strive to equip our systems with state-of-the-art technology to safeguard our educational practices for the future. Part of this includes ensuring that all our systems run smoothly at all times. On any given day, we rarely have time to keep an eye on all our systems. We therefore decided to monitor our school’s IT environment with a centralized network monitoring tool.”

Stefan Roschewitz, IT administrator
BBS Holzminden

“We want to include the tool in our set of solutions in order to solve problems more proactively in our technology infrastructure. PRTG has exceeded all our expectations because it is a reliable, extremely easy-to-use solution. There is no doubt that it lives up to the renowned quality of German technology.”

Esbin Saúl Lázaro García, IT Infrastructure and Security Engineer
Hospital El Pilar

“The reactivity, know-how, and technical solutions of Paessler are outstanding in every situation. For me, no monitoring tool compares to PRTG.”

Andreas Reimann, Senior Networking Communication Architect
Zurich Airport

Your WMI performance monitor at a glance – even on the go

PRTG is set up in a matter of minutes and can be used on a wide variety of mobile devices.

device overview
Gartner peer insights

“Excellent tool for detailed monitoring. Alarms and notifications work greatly. Equipment addition is straight forward and server initial setup is very easy. ...feel safe to purchase it if you intend to monitor a large networking landscape.”

Read the complete review at Gartner Peer Insights

Create innovative solutions with Paessler’s IT partners

Partnering with innovative IT vendors, Paessler unleashes synergies to create
new and additional benefits for joined customers.

Rittal

Rittal

IT that works constitutes a business-critical basis for a company's success. Availability and security must be defined for the respective purpose and closely monitored – by OT and IT alike.

Read more
NetBrain

NetBrain

Integrating monitoring results from PRTG into NetBrain maps makes the foundation for network automation.

Read more
ScriptRunner

ScriptRunner

With ScriptRunner Paessler integrates a powerful event automation platform into PRTG Network Monitor.

Read more

Find the root cause of the problem with our PRTG WMI monitoring solution

Real-time notifications mean faster troubleshooting so that you can act before more serious issues occur.

Free download
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Paessler PRTG

Paessler PRTG

Network Monitoring Software – Version 24.4.102.1351 (November 12th, 2024)

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Hosting

Download for Windows and cloud-based version PRTG Hosted Monitor available

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Languages

English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese

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Monitor everything

Network devices, bandwidth, servers, applications, virtual environments, remote systems, IoT, and more

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Pricing

Choose the PRTG Network Monitor subscription that's best for you

Discover more monitoring insights and stories

Resources Solution

Solutions for all your monitoring needs

  • Paessler WMI Tester
  • PRTG Network Monitor Version History - Release Notes for PRTG 12
  • PRTG Network Monitor - Version History
Resources Content

Powerful stories from the monitoring world

  • These are the new PRTG WMI Disk Health and Storage Pool Sensors
  • Top 5 Troubleshooting Tips for Your WMI Problems
  • Reduce CPU Usage by 80% in One Step: Upgrade Your PRTG for Massive WMI Performance Improvements
Resources Solutions

Resources to master your monitoring challenges

  • Monitoring via WMI
  • Fresh install of PRTG, WMI sensors don't work (Win 10)
  • How can I monitor WMI sensors if the target machine is not part of a domain?

Monitor WMI: FAQ

 

What is WMI?

The Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is a commonly used Microsoft standard which provides detailed data during a centralized monitoring of Windows workstations and servers. The standard is based on the DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) communication protocol and has been an integral part of all Windows operating systems since 2000.

What is WMI monitoring?

WMI – short for Windows Management Instrumentation – is a Microsoft standard that enables sysadmins to access and manage Windows hardware, software, and network components. WMI-monitoring technology like Paessler PRTG enables agentless tracking of Microsoft servers and workstations, giving you a real-time view of their health and performance.

How do I set up WMI-monitoring in PRTG?

PRTG is designed to work out of the box. That said, your system needs to meet a number of requirements for monitoring using WMI to work properly:

  • Users sending requests must belong to the domain administrator group in the same Active Directory as the target device, and have remote access rights.
  • Activate DCOM on the PRTG server and target device. DCOM uses UDP ports between 1024 and 5000, so make sure they're open on both the PRTG server and the target device.
  • Your firewall should allow WMI requests. If the firewall is set up to group guidelines, you'll also need to activate "Enable Remote Management".
  • Antivirus software and other local security programs can block WMI connections, so make sure to double-check them
  • RPC servers on target devices run on port 135 by default. Make sure PRTG is set up to use it and that it's not blocked by other components.
How many WMI-monitoring sensors should I use simultaneously?

Because WMI can be resource-heavy, we recommend using a maximum of 200 WMI sensors per PRTG server, and a five-minute scanning interval. Alternatively, use hybrid sensors, which request data using Windows performance counters and/or WMI, or SNMP.

Can I monitor network traffic using WMI?

Yes, you can – with the Windows Network Card sensor in PRTG, you can monitor data packets, ingoing and outgoing traffic, and filter bandwidth usage by physical network port via WMI. For more light-weight traffic monitoring, we recommend using SNMP, however, which doesn’t put that much strain on your resources.

What is a sensor in PRTG?

In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive. On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.

We asked: would you recommend PRTG? Over 95% of our customers say yes!

Paessler conducted trials in over 600 IT departments worldwide to tune its network monitoring software closer to the needs of sysadmins. The result of the survey: over 95% of the participants would recommend PRTG – or already have.

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Still not convinced?

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More than 500,000 sysadmins love PRTG

Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier.

PRTG

Monitor your entire IT infrastructure

Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network.

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Try Paessler PRTG for free

Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free.

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Start WMI with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.

Free download
PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Products

  • Paessler PRTG
    Paessler PRTGMonitor your whole IT infrastructure
    • PRTG Network Monitor
    • PRTG Enterprise Monitor
    • PRTG Hosted Monitor
    • PRTG extensions
      Extensions for Paessler PRTGExtend your monitoring to a new level
  • Icon Features
    FeaturesExplore all monitoring features

Monitoring with PRTG

  • Network monitoring
  • Bandwidth monitoring
  • SNMP monitoring
  • Network mapping
  • Wi-Fi monitoring
  • Server monitoring
  • Network traffic analyzer
  • NetFlow monitoring
  • Syslog server

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