Configuring SSH active monitors
- Last Updated: June 30, 2025
- 2 minute read
- WhatsUp Gold
- Version 2025
The Secure Shell (SSH) monitor connects to a remote device using SSH to execute commands or scripts. You can either embed the script in the monitor or place a script file on the remote machine (making sure it's executable) and enter a command in the monitor to run the script. The success or failure of the monitor is dependent upon values returned by the commands or scripts that can be interpreted by WhatsUp Gold as Up or down.
This monitor requires the following credentials:
- SSH
Configure the following:
- Name. Enter a unique name for the active monitor. This name displays in the Monitor Library.
- Description. (Optional) Enter additional information about the monitor. This description displays next to the monitor name in the Monitor Library.
- Command to run. Enter the command you want to run and execute on the remote device. This command can be anything that the device can interpret and run; for example, a Unix shell command or a perl script. The command or script must return a string value. If you create a script to run on the remote device, the script must be developed, tested, and/or debugged on the remote machine. WhatsUp Gold does not support manipulation of the remote script.
- Line end character. Select the appropriate character type; either None, Linefeed, Carriage return, or Carriage return linefeed. Multiline scripts are entered and persisted on a Windows operating system, and include line-ending characters that may not be recognized on the target device. This configuration feature instructs WhatsUp Gold to replace the line-ending characters with the selected characters prior to connection and command execution.
- The monitor is considered Up if the following output ____. Either Contains or Does not contain. Select the appropriate output criteria. For example, if you are checking to see that a specific network connection is present on the remote device, make sure that the output contains the specific connection. If the network connection you specify is not present when the monitor checks, the monitor is considered down.
- Use regular expression. Select this option to have WhatsUp Gold apply the target string as a regular expression as it searches the output from the command and considers the match criteria (contains, does not contain). If unchecked, the target string is evaluated as simple text.
- SSH credential. Select the appropriate SSH credential that WhatsUp Gold uses to connect to the remote device. If you select Use the device SSH credential, WhatsUp Gold uses the SSH credential assigned to the device to which the monitor is assigned. If the appropriate SSH credential is not listed, or the device has no SSH credentials are assigned, browse (...) to the WhatsUp Gold Credentials Library to configure a set of credentials.