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FAQ

New to the plugin? See the Tutorial → Getting Started first. This page answers common questions.

Installation & versions

  • Q: Is this the same plugin as knightss27-weathermap-panel?

    • This is a continuation fork. The original plugin was archived in 2023. This fork (tamirsuliman-weathermap-panel, display name Network Weathermap NG) is modernized and actively maintained. Config exported from the original plugin is read directly — see the migration guide for the step-by-step, including the panel-type change that must be made in the JSON rather than the UI.

  • Q: What is the minimum Grafana version?

    • Grafana 11.0.0. The plugin uses @grafana/* SDK v11 APIs. API compatibility is verified against Grafana 11.x and 12.x in CI.

  • Q: Why does Grafana say the plugin is "unsigned"?

    • During the initial review a new plugin is unsigned — this is expected. Grafana signs it on approval. To allow an unsigned build in the meantime, add its ID to allow_loading_unsigned_plugins in grafana.ini. Every release is built via GitHub Actions with a verifiable provenance attestation.

Data / Queries

  • Q: My links show n/a even though the query is returning data.

    • Weathermap matches a series by its display name. Make sure the name in the dropdown exactly matches what Grafana shows. With Prometheus wildcard queries returning multiple series, each series gets a unique label-qualified name (e.g. value {instance="host1"}). Re-open the link editor and re-select the query from the dropdown.

  • Q: How should I pick the A-side and Z-side queries for a link?

    • A side = outbound (A→Z), Z side = inbound (Z→A). For a link between two devices, use the A device's bits sent for the A side, and either the Z device's bits sent or the A device's bits received for the Z side (both represent Z→A). See Links.

  • Q: The link tooltip shows the same value for the A and Z side.

    • That usually means both sides point at the same series/direction. Give each side the correct directional counter (see above), and optionally set per-side Direction Labels so the tooltip clearly names each direction.

  • Q: I can't select one of my queries, even though it's in the dropdown.

    • Queries with identical display names are deduplicated. If two queries share the same field name and label set, only one entry appears — give them distinct names.

  • Q: I'm using the Zabbix datasource and the only option is "wide".

    • In the Zabbix datasource settings, turn off the data alignment property (or disable it per-query under the query's Options section).

  • Q: Zabbix — I can only select one of my queries (but it's labeled properly).

    • Select multiple Zabbix Items through one Grafana query using Regex in the Item area of the query editor.

  • Q: Prometheus rate() / increase() shows 0 or n/a on the first point.

    • Expected — those functions return NaN on the first sample and can go negative on counter resets. The plugin walks back to the last valid non-NaN, non-negative value automatically.

Features & how-to

  • Q: Can I show the average, peak, or 95th percentile instead of just the latest value?

    • Yes — Panel Options → Value Display Mode: choose Last, Average, Min, Max, or 95th Percentile across the selected time range. See Panel Options.

  • Q: Can I replay how the network looked in the past?

    • Enable Panel Options → Timeline Slider, then drag the scrubber at the bottom of the panel to move through the time range. Link values update to that moment; press Live to return. See Timeline Slider.

  • Q: How do I draw a link with bends (polyline) instead of a straight line?

    • Add waypoints in the link's editor (Link Options → Waypoints (Polyline)): the link bends through each X/Y point as one logical polyline — arrows, labels, and traffic animation follow the path. See Links → Waypoints.

  • Q: How do I add a bend/waypoint (VIA) to a link?

    • In edit mode, double-click a link to insert a VIA, drag it to position, and right-click it to remove. A VIA splits the link into real segments (useful for actual intermediate hops); for a pure visual bend, prefer waypoints (above). See Interactions.

  • Q: I can't drag my nodes around — is there a setting to turn that on?

    • No setting: dragging works in the panel editor and nowhere else, so viewers can't nudge the topology by accident on a saved dashboard. Hover the panel and press e (or panel menu ⋮ → Edit), drag the nodes, then Back to dashboard → Save dashboard — positions live in the panel options, so nothing sticks until you save. Step-by-step with screenshots: Moving things around the map; every gesture in one table: Gesture reference.

  • Q: Two links overlap and dragging the nodes doesn't help — what else can I do?

    • Moving a node often just moves the problem. For two links between the same pair of nodes, give each a different Link Offset; to route one link around something, add waypoints and drag their handles. See Links.

  • Q: There are grid lines all over my map — how do I turn them off?

    • Those are Grid Guides (Panel Options → Grid Options). Turn off Grid Guides to remove the lines while keeping drag snapping, or turn off Enable Node Grid Snapping to remove both in one toggle — it clears the guides for you. Note the lines only ever appear while editing the panel; a saved dashboard never shows them. See Panel Options → Grid.

  • Q: Can the background image move and zoom with the map?

  • Q: How do I color a node by health (CPU, temperature, up/down)?

    • Use the node's Status section: set a query, add threshold mappings, and pick a Color Target (Border/Background/Both). See Nodes → Status coloring.

  • Q: How do I show extra metrics (latency, packet loss) when hovering a node?

  • Q: How do I draw multiple links between the same two devices?

  • Q: How do I make a node clickable to another dashboard?

    • Set the node's Dashboard Link (and optionally Open Link in Same Tab). URLs are validated and opened with noopener,noreferrer.

  • Q: Can I use dashboard/template variables?

    • Yes — $var / ${var} are resolved at draw time in labels, queries, status queries, dashboard links, and bandwidth queries. Build one reusable, multi-site panel.

  • Q: My thresholds go above 100% (oversubscribed links). Is that supported?

    • Yes — color-scale thresholds above 100% are supported and the legend scales accordingly.

  • Q: How do I export or share a map?

Interactions

  • Q: Pan/zoom/select don't work on my Mac.

    • Fixed in v1.5.7+. On macOS use ⌘ Cmd where Linux/Windows use Ctrl (Cmd+drag to pan, Cmd+click to multi-select); Shift+scroll zooms. Full gesture table: Interactions.

  • Q: How do I zoom in view mode without scrolling the dashboard?

    • Hold Shift and scroll over the panel. In edit mode, plain scroll zooms.

Appearance

  • Q: Can I upload an image as a background or node icon?

    • Yes. Host the image at any publicly accessible URL and paste it into the background image or icon URL field.

  • Q: Are the URLs I paste safe?

    • User-provided URLs (dashboard links, icon URLs, background images) are sanitized — only relative Grafana paths and http/https are allowed; javascript:, data:, file:, and similar schemes are rejected.

  • Q: The tooltip mini graph shows a flat line or the time axis looks wrong.

    • A known bug fixed in v1.2.0. Upgrade to the latest release.

Troubleshooting & migrating

  • Q: Plugin is throwing toReturn.source is undefined.

    • Reload the page. This can occur immediately after saving config changes.

  • Q: On the latest Grafana it crashed with ReactDOM.findDOMNode is not a function.

    • Fixed in v1.5.0+ (React 19 compatibility). Upgrade to the latest release.

  • Q: I exported my config from the original knightss27-weathermap-panel. Will it import here?

    • Yes — the JSON config format is backward-compatible. Use Export / Import in the panel editor, or change the panel's "type" to tamirsuliman-weathermap-panel in the dashboard JSON before importing. Don't switch plugins through the panel-type picker in the UI — Grafana resets the panel options on a UI type switch and the whole map is lost.
    • Link query bindings (A/Z side and bandwidth queries, link and node status queries, and tooltip metrics) are stored by their query display name, which this plugin computes slightly differently than the original in some setups (multiple queries returning a same-named column, table-style results). Since v1.6.7 unambiguous old-style names are re-bound automatically as soon as the panel receives data; if a binding stays empty after import (it can be ambiguous — e.g. two queries whose results are indistinguishable by name), re-select it once in the link editor and re-save. Full walkthrough: migration guide.

Other problems? Open a new issue on GitHub.