Low-code Tools PowerPack Release Notes, version 105

Version 105 of the "Low-code Tools" PowerPack includes a new execution environment, step-level health metrics for the steps that run during Dynamic Application collection, and the option to retry HTTP step calls when a specified status code is returned.

You can access the complete version of the release notes for the "Low-code Tools" PowerPack at the following location: https://docs.sciencelogic.com/dev-docs/

  • Minimum Required Platform Version: 12.1.2

 

Before You Install or Upgrade

Ensure that you are running version 12.1.2 or later of Skylar One before installing or upgrading to the "Low-code Tools" PowerPack version 105.

Installing or Upgrading the PowerPack

To install this PowerPack:

  1. Search for and download the PowerPack from the PowerPacks page at the ScienceLogic Support Center (Skylar One > PowerPacks).

  2. In Skylar One (formerly SL1), go to the PowerPacks page (System > Manage > PowerPacks).

  3. Click the Actions menu and choose Import PowerPack. The Import PowerPack modal appears.

  4. Click Browse and navigate to the PowerPack file from step 1.

  5. Select the PowerPack file and click Import. The PowerPack Installer modal displays a list of the PowerPack contents.

  6. Click Install. The PowerPack is added to the PowerPack Manager page.

Features

The "Low-code Tools" PowerPack provides a single comprehensive toolkit with specialized steps for simplified monitoring and data collection. This unified toolkit enables users to build monitoring solutions across multiple protocols with minimal coding requirements.

The "Low-code Tools" PowerPack includes the following features:

  • One unified toolkit with multiple specialized step modules:

    • Core functionality (silo_low_code)

    • Standard steps (silo_low_code_steps_standard)

    • Protocol-specific steps for REST, CLI/SSH, SNMP, Prometheus, JMX, WinRM, and PowerShell

  • Example application and templates:

    • Self-monitoring Dynamic Applications for Skylar One systems, which enables discovery, modeling, and monitoring of Skylar One environments

    • PromQL Development Examples:

      • Ready-to-use templates for Prometheus metric collection

      • Example queries and configurations for common monitoring scenarios

    • REST API Collection Examples

      • Sample applications for configuration and performance data collection

  • A "Low-code Tools: REST v105" credential for REST and Prometheus authentication configuration.

  • A "Low-code Tools: SSH v105" credential that combines standard SSH and PowerShell authentication configuration.

  • Support for the following authentication methods:

    • REST/Prometheus: API Key, Basic Auth, Bearer Token , and OAuth2

    • CLI: SSH

    • PowerShell/WinRM: Local Auth and Kerberos

    For more information about supported authentication methods, see the "Authentication" section of the latest Low-code Tools Documentation at https://docs.sciencelogic.com/dev-docs/.

  • Dynamic Applications that enable Skylar One to discover, model, and monitor a Skylar One system on which you can create, and experiment with the snippet Dynamic Applications that you build.

  • Health metrics that provide visibility into step execution during Dynamic Application collection.

  • A metric reader step that retrieves the recorded metrics within a Dynamic Application.

Enhancements and Issues Addressed

The following enhancements and addressed issues are included in this release of the PowerPack:

  • Added an execution environment that combines the libraries for Python 3.11 and 3.12 into a single environment. On the Environment Editor page in Skylar One, you will need to remove any duplicate libraries that are pinned to the Python version you are not using. Pinned versions display with a == in front of the version number, such as ==3.11. ScienceLogic recommends that you make a copy of the Execution Environment first before removing any libraries.

  • Removed support for Python 3.6 from this PowerPack.

  • Added two Dynamic Applications:

    • REST: Connection Health. Monitors HTTP steps.

    • SSH: Connection Health. Monitors SSH steps.

  • Added the "Low-code Tools: REST v105" credential, which includes a new field for enabling step metrics.

  • Added the "Low-code Tools: SSH v105" credential, which combines standard SSH and PowerShell authentication into a single credential and includes a new field for enabling step metrics.

  • This PowerPack now allows you to store step metrics for the steps that run during Dynamic Application collection, giving you step-level visibility into execution. A new metric reader step retrieves the recorded metrics within a Dynamic Application, and the SSH and REST steps record step execution metrics each time they run.

  • You can now configure the HTTP step to retry a call when the first attempt returns a specified status code. When token authentication is used, the token is regenerated before the retry.

  • Added support for the Snippet Framework App Type and improved collection metrics.

  • Added a new "SSH: Connection Health" Dynamic Application to the Low Code Tools PowerPack to collect and present standardized performance and failure metrics for SSH-based collections. This update includes instrumentation for connection success rates, failure categorization by life cycle stage, such as TCP, authentication, or mid-session disconnects.

  • Added a new "REST: Connection Health" Dynamic Application to the PowerPack to collect and present standardized performance and failure metrics for REST API-based collections. This update includes instrumentation for request success rates, detailed HTTP status code tracking, and failure categorization by life cycle stage, such as DNS, TLS, or transport errors).

  • This release also includes a range of performance improvements across the Snippet Framework that reduce collection overhead, help steps execute more efficiently, and improve reliability during larger and more frequent Dynamic Application collections.

The credential version number will no longer be identical to the version number of this PowerPack.

Full documentation for the "Low-code Tools" PowerPack is provided at https://docs.sciencelogic.com/dev-docs/.

Known Issues

There are no known issues that affect version 105 of the "Low-code Tools" PowerPack.