How to Use the Windows SSH Configuration Wizard to Monitor a Windows Machine in Nagios XI

Secure Shell (SSH) allows secure remote access to a Windows machine and is essential for monitoring Windows systems using Nagios XI. This guide will walk you through installing OpenSSH on Windows 10, 11, or Windows Server and configuring it in Nagios XI using the Windows SSH Config Wizard.

Step 1: Install OpenSSH on Windows

Windows 10/11 Installation

1. Go to Settings: Open Settings → System → Optional Features.
2. Add OpenSSH Server:
   • Click Add a feature.
   • Search for OpenSSH Server.
   • Select it and click Install.

Windows Server Installation

For Windows Server, OpenSSH is available as an optional feature:

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
2. Run these Powershell Commands

Add-WindowsFeature -Name OpenSSH-Server

Start-Service sshd
Set-Service -Name sshd -StartupType Automatic
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "SSH" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 22 -Action Allow

Start the OpenSSH Service

Make sure you start the OpenSSH service. In the windows search type in services and scroll until you find the OpenSSH SSH Server service. Right click it and click Start.

Step 2: Find Your Windows Username and IP Address

In PowerShell use the command whoami to find your username. It will look something like PC-Name/your-user-name. The PC name is not part of your username.

Find your IP with ipconfig

Step 3: Configure SSH Monitoring in Nagios XI

1. Log in to Nagios XI.
2. Go to the Configuration Wizards.
3. Select the Windows SSH Wizard:

Next, enter the IP address of your windows machine and your username which you found in step 2.

Once you enter that correct information, you will configure each metric you want to monitor. After that is done click Next and then Finish with Defaults.

Conclusion

By enabling SSH on Windows and configuring it in Nagios XI, you can securely monitor Windows system performance and ensure smooth operations. This setup provides an efficient way to track system health remotely. If you encounter issues, verify that the SSH service is running and that firewall rules allow incoming SSH connections.