Port Monitoring
Using Ports you can monitor TCP ports fot status and response time.
This feature is usefull if you want to monitor network services that listen on TCP ports. During every check, we collects response time, and status.
The monitored host must be reachable from any of our IP addresses (see FAQ for the list).
Common Ports
Some examples of common TCP ports are:
| Port | Service | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | FTP (Data) | File Transfer Protocol - Data Transfer |
| 21 | FTP (Control) | File Transfer Protocol - Command Control |
| 22 | SSH | Secure Shell for secure logins and file transfers (SCP, SFTP) |
| 23 | Telnet | Unencrypted remote login |
| 25 | SMTP | Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (Email sending) |
| 53 | DNS | Domain Name System - Resolving hostnames to IPs |
| 67 | DHCP (Server) | Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (server-side) |
| 68 | DHCP (Client) | Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (client-side) |
| 69 | TFTP | Trivial File Transfer Protocol |
| 80 | HTTP | HyperText Transfer Protocol (Web Traffic) |
| 110 | POP3 | Post Office Protocol v3 (Email retrieval) |
| 119 | NNTP | Network News Transfer Protocol |
| 123 | NTP | Network Time Protocol (Time synchronization) |
| 135 | RPC | Remote Procedure Call |
| 139 | NetBIOS | Windows File Sharing over NetBIOS |
| 143 | IMAP | Internet Message Access Protocol (Email retrieval) |
| 161-162 | SNMP | Simple Network Management Protocol |
| 389 | LDAP | Lightweight Directory Access Protocol |
| 443 | HTTPS | Secure HTTP (TLS/SSL) |
| 445 | SMB | Server Message Block (Windows file sharing) |
| 465 | SMTPS | Secure SMTP (Deprecated in favor of STARTTLS) |
| 514 | Syslog | System logging |
| 636 | LDAPS | Secure LDAP |
| 989-990 | FTPS | FTP Secure |
| 993 | IMAPS | Secure IMAP |
| 995 | POP3S | Secure POP3 |
Features
- Real-time Monitoring: Continuously monitor the uptime of your services.
- Customizable Intervals: Set check intervals to suit your needs, from every minute to every hour.
- Alert Notifications: Receive instant alerts via Email, Telegram, Pushover, Teams, and others.
- Detailed Reports: Access comprehensive reports on uptime, downtime, and response times.
- Global Monitoring Network: Perform checks from multiple geographic locations to ensure global availability and accurate tracking.
How to Set Up Port Monitoring
- Sign in to your Pingniner account.
- Navigate to Ports (main menu) and click on "Add Port Monitor".
- Fill in the port details: Set a friendly name, the host (it can be an IP address or a hostname), TCP Port number, choose the monitoring frequency and monitoring location (best to select the closest monitoring location). Optionally, you can attach the monitor to a group, add some tags or notes.
- Done In a few seconds our systems will make the check.
Viewing & Managing Ports
To view or manage a port monitor, click on Ports (main menu) and then click on the desired port monitor.
Overview
The overview dashboard offers a bird's-eye view of the port monitor with:
- Real-time status
- Uptime and Downtime reports
- Analyze Response time over a specified period
Edit
This section can be used to update the monitor's details. All details can be updated if required, including the monitored host and port.
History
Here you can check and export the history of any performed check.
INFO
Historical data is available for the last 30 days for subscribed accounts and 1 day for free accounts.
Triggers
In this tab, you can manage the active checks and triggers for the current monitor.
For port monitors, the following triggers are available:
- Offline: Checks if the monitored host is alive or not. This trigger is active by default. Turning this off, uptime and status will not be updated or collected.
- Response Time: You can use this to get notified if the response time is above your specified limit. If the Response Time check is triggered, the port monitor will have a Degraded state and an alert will be fired to the selected contacts.
INFO
While updating a trigger, you can set the contacts that get notified, the threshold value (where applicable), and the sensitivity (occurrences) of the check.
TIP
You can adjust the sensitivity of the check with Occurrences. By default, the Offline trigger has 3 occurrences, this means that only after 3 failed checks in a row the port monitor is considered down and an alert will be fired.
Best Practices
- Set appropriate intervals: Choose a check interval that balances the need for timely alerts with the load on your servers.
- Set appropriate monitoring location: Monitor from various geographic locations to get a comprehensive view of your global availability or from one location closest to the monitored service.
- Regularly review reports: Analyze the reports to identify patterns and potential issues before they impact your uptime.