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How do I troubleshoot erratic behavior of push notifications in PRTG Desktop or the PRTG apps?

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I have multiple PRTG core servers installed and usually manage and view them with PRTG Desktop and the PRTG apps for iOS or Android. However, when I receive a push notification from PRTG Desktop or my PRTG apps and want to view the object that triggered the push notification, PRTG often takes me to the wrong installation of PRTG. What can I do?

android ios prtg-app prtg-desktop prtg-for-android prtg-for-ios prtg-mobile-app push-notifications troubleshooting

Created on Jul 4, 2019 10:09:46 AM by Maike Guba [Paessler Support]

Last change on Jul 22, 2020 12:40:02 PM by Maike Guba [Paessler Support]



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This article applies as of PRTG 20

Troubleshooting erratic behavior of push notifications

As of now, PRTG Desktop and the PRTG apps for iOS or Android rely on a unique identifier for each core server installation of PRTG that is connected to these PRTG apps. This unique identifier is generated from the Windows MachineGUID of the host where the PRTG core server is running.

Cloned systems with identical identifiers

If you have several of these hosts that are “cloned” virtual machines (or “cloned” systems), you might end up with hosts that have the same MachineGUID - and therefore the same "unique" identifier for PRTG. In this case, PRTG Desktop and the PRTG apps are not able to determine which core server installation of PRTG is the “right” instance that triggered the push notification and might take you to the “wrong” server.

Tips for troubleshooting

The solution to the issue is to sysprep the image used for deploying new hosts. This way, the MachineGUID of every server becomes unique.

If you face this issue, do the following:

  1. Check if the MachineGUIDs of your separate PRTG core server installations are identical. To do so, run the PowerShell command below:
    Get-ItemProperty -Path HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\
  2. If the MachineGUIDs are the same, you need to do a Sysprep of your cloned Windows image to generalize it before installing PRTG. During this process, a new MachineGUID is created so that the PRTG instance installed on this image has a “really” unique identifier.

Note: It might also be possible to change the MachineGUID via other means after PRTG has already been installed, although this is not recommended. After you have set up a new host (that you sysprepped as well), you can migrate PRTG to this new host. For more information, see the Knowledge Base: How can I move (migrate) my PRTG installation to another computer?

Finally, always keep in mind that PRTG is not the only software that might rely on MachineGUIDs. As a general rule, always sysprep new hosts before deployment. For more information, see the links below.

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Created on Jul 4, 2019 10:20:54 AM by Maike Guba [Paessler Support]

Last change on Jul 22, 2020 1:49:57 PM by Maike Guba [Paessler Support]



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Disclaimer: The information in the Paessler Knowledge Base comes without warranty of any kind. Use at your own risk. Before applying any instructions please exercise proper system administrator housekeeping. You must make sure that a proper backup of all your data is available.