Low-code Tools PowerPack Release Notes, version 103

The "Low-code Tools" PowerPack provides the Snippet Framework, which is the standard way to write Dynamic Applications using Snippet Arguments to define what information to collect, how to collect it, where to get the data, and how to interpret it. This process is Snippet Argument driven, meaning that you direct the Snippet Framework using Snippet Arguments in a Dynamic Application.

The purpose of the new "Low-code Tools" PowerPack is to consolidate the current toolkit PowerPacks into a single PowerPack. This PowerPack contains all of the tools for building Dynamic Applications.

Version 103 of the "Low-code Tools" PowerPack includes updates to execution environments, improvements to standard and custom function substitutions, various bus fixes, and other changes.

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 SL1 before installing or upgrading to the "Low-code Tools" PowerPack version 103.

Installing or Upgrading the PowerPack

To install the "Low-code Tools" PowerPack, perform the following steps:

By default, installing a new version of a PowerPack will overwrite all content in that PowerPack that has already been installed on the target system. You can use the Enable Selective PowerPack Field Protection setting in the Behavior Settings page (System > Settings > Behavior) to prevent the new version of the PowerPack from overwriting local changes for some commonly customized fields.

  1. See the Before You Install or Upgrade section. If you have not done so already, upgrade your system to 12.1.1 or later release.
  2. Download the "Low-code Tools" PowerPack from the Support Site to a local computer.
  3. Go to the PowerPack Manager page (System > Manage > PowerPacks). Click the Actions menu and select Import PowerPack. When prompted, import version 102 of the "Low-code Tools" PowerPack.
  4. After importing the PowerPack, you will be prompted to install the PowerPack. Click the Install button to install the PowerPack.

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.

  • 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, and WinRM
  • Example applications and templates:
    • Self-monitoring Dynamic Applications for SL1 systems, which enables discovery, modeling, and monitoring of SL1 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
  • Support for the following authentication methods:
    • REST/Prometheus: API Key, Basic Auth, Bearer Token, and OAuth2
    • CLI: SSH
    • PowerShell/WinRM: Local Auth and Kerberos
  • Dynamic Applications that enable SL1 to discover, model, and monitor an SL1 system on which you can create, and experiment with the snippet Dynamic Applications that you build.

Enhancements and Issues Addressed

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

  • You can now select Python 3.6 from the Environment Type drop-down field when creating execution environments.
  • Credential names are now consistent between both standard and custom function substitutions, which allows you to request credential fields when writing snippet arguments.
  • When defining a SOAP/XML credential with cURL commands, SL1 will use the basic authentication method if the value populated in the %1 field is not a registered method of authentication.
  • Resolved an issue where token requests did not utilize your proxy configurations, subsequently causing failed requests or connectivity issues. SL1 now uses your proxy definitions when generating tokens via snippet arguments and credentials.
  • Resolved runtime errors when using version 102 of the "Low-code Tools" PowerPack on OL7 systems.
  • Resolved an error that occurred when using built-in substitutions without a value set.
  • Resolved an issue where users authenticated through OAuth2 were unable to change their custom HTTP headers.
  • The "Low-code Tools: Rest" credential in this PowerPack can now perform "%D" and "%N" substitutions for the following fields:
    • URL
    • Token Retrieval Endpoint

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 the following location: https://docs.sciencelogic.com/dev-docs/low_code_tools_v101/index.html

Known Issues

There are no known issues that affect version 103 of the " Low-code Tools" PowerPack.