Printer Monitoring with Nagios XI

Have you ever wanted to make sure your printer is up and active without physically being at the printer? Then Nagios XI is the secure solution for you. Using XI, monitoring a printer is one of the easiest tasks to complete on your own or with our user guides.

Why It’s Important to Monitor a Printer

Nagios XI makes it super easy to monitor a printer and understand its status. With this tool, you can check on your printer from your computer, even if you’re not near it. You can see important details like printer status, error codes, toner levels, and paper availability. Instead of constantly checking the printer in person, XI lets you know when there’s a problem, saving you time and effort.

Steps for Using the Printer Wizard in Nagios XI (Neptune GUI)

1. Access the Configuration Wizard:
   • On the left side of the Neptune GUI, click the gearbox icon.
   • A text box labeled “Configuration Wizard” will appear. Click on it.
   • A list of wizards will pop up. Use the search bar to type “Printer” or scroll down to find the “Printer” wizard. Click on it.
2. Enter Printer Details:
   • The wizard will prompt you to enter the printer’s IP address.
   • After entering the IP address, click Next.
3. Customize Printer Settings:
   • On the next page, review the printer’s IP address and choose a host name to display on your dashboard.
   • Configure the printer services. By default, “Ping” and “Printer Status” are checked, with a default community string of “public.”
   • Adjust these settings as needed, then click Next.
4. Set Check Interval Settings:
   • The default settings monitor the host and services every 5 minutes under normal conditions. You can increase or decrease this interval.
     
     NOTE: If it’s a more critical object, we recommend changing the five minute interval to a two minute interval just so you receive the notification quicker to diagnose it faster.
     
     
   • Configure re-check settings for potential problems (default: re-check every 1 minute, up to 5 times). If the issue persists, a notification will be sent.
     
     NOTE: Every minute after a problem occurs such as the printer losing network connection or the printer status being off, it will re-check it up to five times before sending a notification.
     
     
   • Adjust these times if needed, then click Next or proceed with the defaults.
5. Configure Notification Settings:
   • Decide when and how you want to receive notifications. The default is to “send notifications immediately,” but you can adjust these settings.
   • Once finished, click Next.
6. Assign Host Groups:
   • On the next page, select any host groups you want the printer to belong to. You can assign multiple groups.
   • After making your selections, click Finish.
7. Finalize and View Printer Status:
   • The wizard will configure the settings you provided. This process should take only a few seconds.
   • To view the printer status, go to the home page, then under the Details dropdown, click on Service Status.

By following these steps, your printer will be fully set up and monitored in Nagios XI! To configure custom variable check out Custom Variables in Nagios XI.

Additional Support and Assistance

If you need assistance or a problem persists, visit our free support forum, knowledge base, or the Nagios Library, all of which you can find on support.nagios.com.

Keep on monitoring and making your infrastructure as secure and safe as possible!