Campfire Chat Week 1 Recap: LogicModules
Summary: The first week of the Campfire Chat focused on LogicModules, led by Richard Brooke, covering their lifecycle, device discovery, and customization. Participants were actively engaged with questions about SNMP, interface discovery, and custom development, emphasizing the importance of properly maintaining and customizing LogicModules for effective monitoring. There were several inquiries about accessing session recordings, with Sky Donnell providing direct links and information about different session timings. The session also discussed vendor support and best practices for module maintenance.
Overview
Week one of Campfire Chat kicked off with a deep dive into LogicModules, the building blocks that tell LogicMonitor how to discover, identify, monitor, and collect data from resources across your environment. Richard Brooke, Lead Technical Trainer at LogicMonitor, walked campers through the LogicModule lifecycle, from device discovery and AppliesTo logic to DataSources, ConfigSources, custom modules, scripting, and ongoing module maintenance.
The hands-on demos showed how LogicModules work behind the scenes and, more importantly, how practitioners can adapt them when their environment requires something beyond the out-of-the-box experience. Both global Campfire Chats also generated a strong technical discussion, with campers bringing real-world questions about SNMP, interface discovery, vendor support, configuration monitoring, module upgrades, automation, and custom development.
Key Highlights
Understand how LogicModules drive monitoring: LogicModules define what should be monitored, how data should be collected, which resources a module applies to, and how LogicMonitor interprets the information returned.
Use AppliesTo and Active Discovery intentionally: Resource properties determine where LogicModules apply, while Active Discovery helps identify the individual instances that should be monitored.
Extend monitoring beyond official coverage: Custom LogicModules can be created when a device exposes data through SNMP, APIs, scripts, or another supported collection method but does not have the exact out-of-the-box monitoring you need.
Use Collector Debug as a troubleshooting tool: SNMP GET and WALK operations can help validate connectivity, credentials, OIDs, and device responses before those values are incorporated into a LogicModule.
Protect customizations during module maintenance: Clone or export modules before major changes, preserve important settings during upgrades, and evaluate updates carefully when production monitoring depends on customized behavior.
Q&A
LogicModule Discovery and Application
Q: How does LogicMonitor determine which LogicModules apply to a resource, and can I apply one manually?
A: LogicModules use AppliesTo expressions to evaluate properties discovered on each resource. When a resource matches the criteria, the LogicModule applies automatically. If the expected property is missing or a device does not match as intended, you can adjust the AppliesTo expression to include specific properties, device names, or groups and test the logic before applying it.
Q: Can I control which interfaces are discovered, such as monitoring only trunks or uplinks?
A: Yes. Active Discovery can be customized to filter which instances are created. For example, an instance-level property can be incorporated into the discovery logic to include trunk ports or uplinks while excluding access ports that you do not want to monitor.
Q: If I add a missing datapoint or discovery parameter, how do I get LogicMonitor to recognize it?
A: Update the LogicModule first, then rerun the appropriate discovery process. For an existing resource, this may include a Force DataSource Rematch, followed by Active Discovery, so that the updated configuration is evaluated and new instances or datapoints can be created.
Building and Customizing LogicModules
Q: What should I keep in mind when creating a custom LogicModule?
A: Start with the monitoring requirement. Identify the device or technology, determine which data is useful, find the appropriate API endpoint, OID, MIB, script, or other collection method, and configure collection and discovery accordingly. Existing LogicModules are useful references for AppliesTo logic, discovery, datapoints, graphs, and collection methods.
Q: Can I monitor a device even if there is no official LogicModule for it?
A: Yes. If the device exposes usable data through SNMP, an API, scripts, or another supported collection method, you can create a custom LogicModule. For SNMP devices, the process typically starts by identifying the relevant MIBs and OIDs, validating them against the device, and then building the DataSource.
Q: How can Collector Debug help when developing or troubleshooting a LogicModule?
A: Collector Debug allows you to test directly from the Collector against a monitored resource. Commands such as SNMP GET and WALK can help confirm connectivity, credentials, available OIDs, and returned values before you configure them inside a LogicModule.
Q: Should I build a new LogicModule from scratch or modify an existing one?
A: Check for an existing module first. Official LogicModules, LogicMonitor Exchange, Community modules, and similar modules already in your portal can provide much of the structure you need. Reusing proven discovery, scripting, or datapoint patterns is usually more efficient than rebuilding common functionality.
Q: How should I configure graphs when I want some datapoints together and others separately?
A: Graphs are configured within the DataSource, so you can decide which datapoints appear together and create additional graphs for datapoints that need their own view. Existing LogicModules are useful examples for understanding how multiple graphs and datapoint combinations are structured.
SNMP, Credentials, and Device Troubleshooting
Q: What should I check first when SNMP discovery or collection is not working?
A: Start with connectivity and credentials. Confirm the resource has the correct SNMP version, community string, or authentication credentials, and that the Collector can communicate with the device. From there, use Collector Debug to test specific OIDs or perform an SNMP walk.
Q: What can I do when Device_BasicInfo times out because an SNMP walk takes too long?
A: For supported Cisco scenarios, deviceBasicInfo.useLongerTimeout.enable=true can allow additional time for the relevant SNMP walk. Collection frequency should also be reviewed so an expensive operation is not running more often than necessary.
Q: How should different SNMP community strings be managed across groups of devices?
A: Credential properties can be assigned at a resource or group level. If a particular set of devices shares an SNMP community string, placing those devices in an appropriate resource group allows them to inherit the credential property rather than configuring each resource individually.
Vendor and Device Support
Q: Are Cisco Meraki devices supported?
A: Yes. LogicMonitor provides monitoring support and LogicModules for Cisco Meraki environments. The session also surfaced the Cisco Meraki monitoring documentation as a resource for configuring that integration.
Q: Can Nokia switches or other devices without extensive official LogicModule coverage still be monitored?
A: Potentially, yes. If the device supports SNMP or another collection method LogicMonitor can use, custom DataSources can be created around the required MIBs and OIDs. Limited official vendor-specific coverage does not necessarily prevent monitoring of the underlying device data.
Q: Can Fortinet license information be monitored?
A: Whether a specific license metric can be monitored depends on whether Fortinet exposes that information through an API, SNMP OID, or another accessible collection method. If the information is exposed but not included in an existing LogicModule, it may be possible to extend or create a custom DataSource.
ConfigSources and Configuration Monitoring
Q: What happened to the older Cisco IOS ConfigSources?
A: The older vendor-specific approach has moved toward Common ConfigSources. Configuration data can be collected from supported devices and tracked, enabling identification of changes to device configuration over time.
Q: Why might the Config tab be missing even though configuration monitoring prerequisites are configured?
A: Check RBAC permissions first. Access to configuration-management functionality can be controlled by the user's assigned role, so the Config tab or related functionality may not appear when the required permissions are missing.
Q: What can I do when a device configuration exceeds the ConfigSource file-size limit?
A: No confirmed workaround or supported method for increasing the file-size limit was established during the session. This was identified as an area requiring Product follow-up, particularly for customers with large Palo Alto, Cisco ASA, and similar configurations.
LogicModule Updates, Cloning, and Maintenance
Q: What is the safest way to customize an official LogicModule?
A: Clone or export the LogicModule before making significant changes. Make your changes against the copy and test them before replacing production monitoring. This gives you a recovery point and prevents an experimental change from affecting the original module.
Q: What should I do before upgrading a customized or cloned LogicModule?
A: Review the upgrade carefully and preserve any custom settings you rely on, particularly AppliesTo expressions, Active Discovery settings, and other modified parameters. Take a backup before upgrading so the current working configuration can be restored if needed.
Q: What should I do if a LogicModule is deprecated and there is no replacement available?
A: If you still need the functionality, you can clone the deprecated LogicModule and maintain your own version. The tradeoff is that your cloned copy becomes your responsibility to test, update, and maintain.
Q: Do I need to install every LogicModule update as soon as it becomes available?
A: No. Review updates periodically and assess whether they are relevant to your environment. Be especially cautious with customized modules, since an upgrade may affect settings or behavior your monitoring depends on.
Q: How do I manage a large number of customized copies of official LogicModules?
A: There was not a single automated migration workflow confirmed during the session for reconciling large numbers of customized clones with newer official versions. For heavily customized environments, upgrades should be evaluated carefully to identify which customizations must be retained before adopting changes from the newer official module.
Properties, Tags, and Automation
Q: Can LogicModules add tags or custom properties to resources?
A: Yes. PropertySources and other LogicModule functionality can populate properties that can then be used for grouping, AppliesTo logic, automation, and monitoring decisions.
Q: How can I add properties or tags to a large number of resources?
A: For bulk updates, automation is generally more efficient than editing resources individually. The LogicMonitor API can be used for large-scale property changes, and practitioners on the call also shared PowerShell-based approaches they use for similar workflows.
Q: Can LogicModules be automatically synchronized across multiple LogicMonitor portals?
A: The session did not establish a confirmed supported workflow for automatically making a LogicModule change in one portal and pushing that change to every other portal. This remains an advanced multi-portal management follow-up.
Scripting and Advanced Development
Q: Can I write my own scripts for custom LogicModules?
A: Yes. Script-based collection can be used when standard collection methods are not sufficient. Groovy is widely used within LogicMonitor LogicModules and gives practitioners flexibility to collect, transform, and return data for custom monitoring requirements.
Q: Can Python or Bash be used instead of Groovy for script collection?
A: The session did not establish a definitive answer covering both Python and Bash across LogicModule scripting scenarios, so this remains a follow-up item.
Q: How do I identify Groovy 2 modules that need to be updated for Groovy 4?
A: A definitive process or documentation reference was not confirmed during the session. This was identified as a technical follow-up item.
LogicMonitor Exchange and Community Modules
Q: What should I do if the DX option does not appear in My Module Toolbox?
A: Access may depend on the capabilities enabled for your account. The guidance shared during the discussion was to contact your CSM to confirm availability and whether the capability can be enabled or trialed.
Q: Can a customer-created Community LogicModule eventually become an officially supported LogicModule?
A: The call raised this question, including how a well-documented and tested custom DataSource could be submitted for Product evaluation, but a definitive adoption process was not established during the session.
Customer Call-outs
🌟“Excellent demos Richard! I learned a lot by example.”
🌟“Appreciate this training, looking forward to the other sessions!”
🌟 “Thank you, Richard and Sky, for this week's campfire session, and especially for doing this in a time zone [APAC] that suits us.”
What's Next at Camp LogicMonitor
LogicModules are only the beginning. Keep working through your Camp LogicMonitor learning path and join us for the upcoming Campfire Chats, where we will continue turning Academy learning into hands-on practice and live Q&A.
Resource Management Campfire Chat: Explore how resources are discovered, organized, grouped, and managed so your monitoring environment stays scalable and useful.
Alerts Campfire Chat: Dig into alert configuration, thresholds, tuning, and the practices that help teams reduce noise and focus on signals that require action.
Reports Campfire Chat: Learn how to turn the data collected across your environment into useful reports that help practitioners and stakeholders understand performance, availability, and trends.
Each Campfire Chat will include a live technical walkthrough plus time to bring your own questions, use cases, and challenges to the conversation.
Keep the Conversation Going at Elevate
Want to take these conversations beyond the virtual Campfire?
Elevate Community Conference brings LogicMonitor customers, practitioners, and experts together for deeper technical learning, peer connection, and opportunities to exchange ideas with the people using LogicMonitor every day.
If you've enjoyed learning alongside other campers, Elevate is your chance to continue those conversations in person, hear how other customers are approaching their environments, and connect directly with the LogicMonitor community.
Register today using this promo code for a FREE ticket! Promo code: ECC26Comp06
Additional Resources
Cisco Meraki Monitoring: https://www.logicmonitor.com/support/cisco-meraki-monitoring
Want to dive deeper into this session? Watch the recording directly from the event page
Vasudha Kambhampati
·6 days agoHi Sky, hope you are doing well. Right now, I am in India, attending early morning 4.30am slot, is it possible to switch to any other timings in the day or evening IST time ?
Sky Donnell
AdminOP6 days agoHi @Vasudha Kambhampati we have one session at 6:30 am IST and one session at 8:30 pm IST every Wednesday. The calls are also recorded so you can review at your own pace if none of these times work for you.
Sky Donnell
AdminOP6 days ago · EditedHi @John Joe McAlonan and @rob wurns - I have moved the video higher up on the page so it's the first thing you see after the event details. Here is the direct link to the recording as well.
rob wurns
·1 week agoI still cannot find the link on the "campfire" page at all
please can you just place a DIRECT link to the recorded session, there are quite a few people still asking the same question, all I can see when clicking on your link is this
John Joe McAlonan
·1 week agoHi Sky,
I wasn't able to properly attend the first week on the 27th due to work and time zones. i remember you saying that the recording for the camp would be available in 24hrs? Did this happen and is there a link available somewhere?
John Joe McAlonan
·1 week agoHi Sky
Wondering where the link to week 1 recordings?