Process (Local API, SNMP, WMI) service

When this service has a scan interval of less than 5 minutes, the agent may take longer than the scan interval to gather the metrics. As a result, you may notice some scan intervals are not populated.

The Process service monitors the status of an individual process on Windows, macOS, and Linux devices.

Service TypeLocal API, SNMP, and WMI Workstation
Instances on a Device20
Device Class for Process (Local API)Server - Generic, Workstation - Generic, Laptop - Windows, Server - Windows, and Workstation - Windows
Device Class for Process (SNMP)Server - Generic, Workstation - Generic, Other, Printer, Scanner/Camera, Switch/Router, Laptop - Windows, Server - Windows, and Workstation - Windows
Device Class for Process (WMI)Laptop - Windows, Server - Windows, and Workstation - Windows
Monitored ByAgent (Windows, Linux, and macOS) For supported versions see N-able N-central System Requirements.
Scan Interval15 minutes
Minimum Scan Interval1 minute
Process Index

The SNMP index of the status of the process. You can obtain the SNMP index by performing an SNMP walk on the OID value: .1.3.6.1.2.1.25.4.2.1.2 (hrSWRunName).

The index values are:

  • .1
  • .8
  • .164
  • .192
  • .212
  • .240
  • .252
  • .420
  • .448
  • .512
  • .544
  • .564
  • .576
  • .628
  • .692
  • .708
  • .740
  • .800
  • .868
  • .900
  • .972
  • .1016
  • .1032
  • .1060
  • .1084
  • .1212
  • .1256
  • .1792
  • .1800

You can monitor a maximum of 10 values. You must determine which OID index value is relevant. The OID description is contained in the HOST-RESOURCES-MIB definition file.

Process Name

The name of the process to be monitored. If the Process service is monitored by a Windows probe, the name must match the executable name that is listed in the Processes tab of the Windows Task Manager and must also include the file extension.

IEXPLORER.EXE

For the Process (SNMP) service, the name must match the OID value: .1.3.6.1.2.1.25.4.2.1.2 (hrSWRunName).

For Linux agents, the process name will usually be the same as the name of the process identification (PID) file but there are exceptions. To avoid potential failures, verify that the name of the process identified in the PID file is identical to the name configured as the process name.

Process PID File (Linux Only)

The directory path of the process identification (PID) number file.

The PID file is used for Linux (Local API) agents only.

To avoid generating an unnecessary Failed status for this service, ensure that you provide access to:

  • the directory in which the PID file is located, and
  • the PID file itself.

Properties queried and calculations performed (WMI only)

Namespaceroot\cimv2
WMI ClassWin32_Process
WMI Property 0Name

OID/Calculation

Metric NameOID/CalculationDescription
Is the Process Running?1.3.6.1.2.1.25.4.2.1.7 The current status of the Process service indicated as either Yes or No.
The Number of Process Instances1.3.6.1.2.1.25.4.2.1.2The number of occurrences of the process that are running at the same time.

Status details

Status DetailDescription
Process Users (PIDs)The name of the user account that initiated the process.
CPU UsageThe percentage of CPU capacity that is used by the process.
Physical Memory UsageThe percentage of physical memory that is used by the process.
Virtual Memory UsageThe percentage of virtual memory that is used by the process.
IO Transfer ReadThe rate of I/O read operations used by the process (as indicated in bytes per second).
IO Transfer WriteThe rate of I/O write operations used by the process (as indicated in bytes per second).
IO Transfer OtherThe rate of I/O operations used by the process that are neither read nor write (as indicated in bytes per second).
IO Read OperationsThe number of I/O read operations used by the process (as indicated in transactions per second).
IO Write OperationsThe number of I/O write operations used by the process (as indicated in transactions per second).
IO Other OperationsThe number of I/O operations used by the process that are neither read nor write (as indicated in transactions per second).

If I/O operations are consistently reported as either 0 bytes/second (for I/O transfers) or 0 transactions/second (for I/O operations), the Windows device on which the process is running may require configuration of its Update Speed.

  1. Start the Windows Task Manager.
  2. Click the Processes tab.
  3. Select the process that you want to edit.
  4. Click View.
  5. Under Update Speed, select Normal.