What is WMI in PRTG?

WMI is the Microsoft base technology for monitoring and managing Windows-based systems. PRTG uses it to access data of various Windows configuration parameters and status values. Note that sensors that use the WMI protocol generally have a high impact on system performance.

How do I enable WMI?

To enable or disable WMI traffic using firewall UI In the Control Panel, click Security and then click Windows Firewall. Click Change Settings and then click the Exceptions tab. In the Exceptions window, select the check box for Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to enable WMI traffic through the firewall.

Can not initiate WMI connections to host PRTG?

If you do not get a WMI connection, try to restart the WMI service manually or change the IP address of the target server to its DNS name in the device settings in PRTG. This establishes a completely new WMI connection, which might help.

Can PRTG monitor Windows services?

The WMI Service sensor monitors a Windows service via Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). For a detailed list and descriptions of the channels that this sensor can show, see section Channel List. This sensor has a high performance impact.

How do I check my WMI permissions?

To verify WMI permissions

1. On the SMS Provider computer, click Start, click Run, type wmimgmt.
2. Right-click WMI Control, and then click Properties.
3. On the Security tab, expand Root, and then click SMS.
4. Click Security in the results pane to see the permissions.
5. Click Advanced, click SMS Admins, and then click View-edit.

How do I get WMI credentials?

How to add WMI credentials

1. Click Discovery in the side navigation bar.
2. Click the Manage Credentials tab.
3. Click the WMI Credentials tab.
4. Click Add WMI Credentials.
5. Fill in the Add WMI Credential form.
6. Enter the username, domain (if applicable to the credential) and password.
7. Select Save WMI Credentials.

How do I restart WMI service?

To manually reset the WMI counters:

1. Click Start , click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. Stop the Windows Management Instrumentation service or at the command prompt, type net stop winmgmt, and then press ENTER.
3. At the command prompt, type winmgmt /resyncperf, and then press ENTER.

Can I disable WMI?

Click Change Settings and then click the Exceptions tab. 3.In the Exceptions window, select the check box for Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to enable WMI traffic through the firewall. To disable WMI traffic, clear the check box.

Do I need WMI?

WMI Provider Host (WmiPrvSE.exe) stands for Windows Management Instrumentation Provider Service. It’s an important service that applications cannot run without. If this process stops, many of the features in your PC will become useless. On top of all, you might not even receive error notifications.

What are WMI permissions?

If your agent collects data from a remote system by using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), it requires permissions to access WMI data on the remote system. The agent can access WMI data on a remote system when you provide credentials of an account with permissions to access WMI data on the system.

How do I monitor via WMI in PRTG?

To monitor via WMI and performance counters, it is usually sufficient to provide Credentials for Windows Systems in PRTG. However, monitoring via WMI is not always trivial and often causes issues. If you run into issues, see the Knowledge Base: My WMI sensors don’t work.

Why does PRTG use WMI as a fallback?

These Windows sensors use WMI as a fallback if performance counters are not available or cannot be read out. When running in fallback mode, PRTG tries to connect to performance counters again after 24 hours. You can change the Preferred Data Source in the Windows Compatibility Options in the device settings.

What is the use of the WMI protocol?

WMI is the Microsoft base technology for monitoring and managing Windows-based systems. PRTG uses it to access data of various Windows configuration parameters and status values. Note that sensors that use the WMI protocol generally have a high impact on system performance.

How does PRTG work with Windows?

PRTG creates a WMI connection using the credentials provided to PRTG, Windows then determines if those are accepted or not. Details about what exactly does work and what does not work seem to change with different Windows versions, or with Windows settings. If we had more details, we would share those.