PRTG Manual: Auto-Update

In the Auto-Update settings, you can check the status of the auto-update, view logs, and edit settings. When a new version of PRTG is available on the Paessler website, PRTG automatically downloads the setup file if a direct internet connection is available. The PRTG System Administrator user then receives a ToDo ticket with instructions to initiate the update installation.

i_round_blueIf you use the freeware edition or trial edition, automatic software updates are available at any time. If you use a commercial edition, you need to have an active subscription or active maintenance to receive updates.

i_round_blueThis documentation refers to an administrator that accesses the PRTG web interface on a master node. Other user accounts, interfaces, or failover nodes might not have all of the options in the way described here. In a cluster, note that failover nodes are read-only by default.

i_podIf 15 minutes (900) seconds have passed since your last credential-based login and you open a setup page from a different setup page, PRTG asks you to enter your credentials again for security reasons. A dialog box appears. Enter your Login Name and Password and click OK to continue.

i_podThis option is not available in PRTG Hosted Monitor.

Auto-Update

Auto-Update

Auto-update has the following tabs:

  • Status: Click the Status tab to download and install updates.
  • Log: Click the Log tab to show log information about the update status of PRTG, newest first. In the table list, you can filter the items by using the respective options.
    i_square_cyanFor more information, see section Logs.
  • Settings: Click the Settings tab to configure the auto-update and release channel. See Software Auto-Update below.

Using Auto-Update

If there is a new version available, you see detailed information about the available version. Read these notes carefully. You find a summary of current and past release notes below the update section. For more information about the release notes, see the Paessler website: PRTG Release Notes and Version History.

To install the latest available version, click Install Update [version number]. PRTG asks you to confirm installation and license.

i_round_blueDownloaded software versions are automatically saved in the \download subfolder of the PRTG program directory. The prtg.zip that contains all necessary files is also cached in this subfolder.

Manually Install an Interim Update

Not all available updates from Paessler are pushed to all customers but they are still available on the website. Sometimes the Paessler support team might ask you to update to the latest version.

In this case, click Check For Latest Update and Download. PRTG connects to the Paessler servers and downloads the setup file, regardless of the status of the update check. Then click Install Update [version number].

i_round_redTo manually install an interim update, a direct internet connection is necessary on the PRTG core server system.

Software Auto-Update

Software Auto-Update

Software Auto-Update

Setting

Description

When a New Version is Available

Define what PRTG does when software updates are available:

  • Automatically download and install: Download and install any new version as soon as PRTG detects that a newer version is available. PRTG checks for a newer version once per day.
    i_round_redThe installation of a new version restarts the PRTG core server service and PRTG probe service and might also include a system restart.
  • Automatically download and alert the admin: Download any new version as soon as PRTG detects that a newer version is available. PRTG checks for a newer version once per day. After successful download, PRTG creates a ToDo ticket for the PRTG System Administrator user.
  • Alert the admin only: Do not download updates. Only create a ToDo ticket. You can still manually download updates via the auto-update.

Installation Time

This setting is only visible if you select Automatically download and install above.

Select the desired time for the installation of updates from the dropdown list. You can select As soon as the update is available to install updates at any time of the day.

Release Channel

Define the release channel that PRTG delivers updates in:

  • Stable: Updated about once every 8 weeks (most conservative option, default): Deliver updates in the Stable release channel. These are our best tested versions.
    i_round_blueUse these software versions for live environments that you depend on.
  • Preview: Updated twice between stable releases (thoroughly tested in our labs, do not use on production systems): Deliver updates in the Preview release channel. Versions in this channel were thoroughly tested in our labs but might still contain limitations in certain monitoring configurations.
    i_round_blueUse this release channel if you are willing to take a little risk for the benefit of getting new features and bug fixes a little earlier.
     
    i_round_redWe strongly recommend that you not use these software versions in live environments that you depend on.
  • Canary: Updated daily (testing only, should not be used on production systems): Deliver updates in the Canary release channel. These versions are updated every night.
    i_round_redUse with caution. Software versions in this channel have not been tested, might contain severe bugs, and are provided for testing purposes only.
    We strongly recommend that you not use these software versions in live environments that you depend on.

i_round_redSave your settings. If you change tabs or use the main menu without saving, all changes to the settings are lost.

Notes

There are a few things that we ask you to consider regarding automatic software updates:

  • For automatic software updates to work, the PRTG core server system must have direct internet access. If a proxy connection is necessary, configure it in the Core & Probes settings.
    i_square_cyanFor more information about the update servers, see the Knowledge Base: Which servers does PRTG connect to for software auto-update, activation, etc.?.
  • During installation, the PRTG core server system might restart without notice.
  • PRTG automatically updates classic remote probes, which might cause short downtimes in the monitoring of remote locations. In rare cases, a manual update of classic remote probes is required after you update the PRTG core server. In these cases, you are notified in the device tree, and the monitoring of remote locations is interrupted until you perform the manual update on the remote probe system. If a probe system uses several network connections with different IP addresses, make sure that these IP addresses are included in the list of allowed IP addresses. Otherwise, the remote probe on this system might be disconnected after an update.
  • PRTG does not automatically update multi-platform probes. If you installed a multi-platform probe via the Paessler Linux package repository, your package manager notifies you when there is an update. Otherwise, manually update your multi-platform probes with the updated package. For more information, see the Multi-Platform Probe for PRTG manual.
  • In a cluster, you only need to install the update on one cluster node. PRTG automatically deploys the new version to all other cluster nodes. This might cause a short amount of downtime for the monitoring on the cluster nodes, one after the other.
  • If you run several individual PRTG core servers that are not in a cluster, you must initiate and confirm an update for each single PRTG core server.
  • You can disable automatic downloading on the auto-update Settings tab. PRTG then only downloads updates when you click Check For Latest Update and Download.
  • PRTG does not start auto-update downloads if less than 500 MB disk space is available on the PRTG core server system. If this is the case, you can check this on the Log tab.
  • Virus scanners might potentially cause issues when downloading or installing software updates. To avoid such issues, we recommend that you make the appropriate exclusions for the PRTG program directory.

More

i_square_blueKNOWLEDGE BASE

Which servers does PRTG connect to for software auto-update, activation, etc.?

Which information does PRTG send back to Paessler?

 

i_square_bluePAESSLER WEBSITE

Release notes for the "stable" release channel

Others

There are some settings that you must define in the PRTG Administration Tool. For more information, see sections: