Looking Glass¶

Looking Glass lets you check the status of network devices and run diagnostic commands, without needing your own login or direct access to the devices themselves.

It's useful for things like:

• Checking whether a device is up and reachable
• Looking at routing or interface status
• Troubleshooting connectivity issues

Using Looking Glass¶

Open the Looking Glass page and:

1. Find a device — search or browse the list of devices.
2. Choose a command — pick from a list of supported diagnostic commands.
3. Add details, if needed — some commands let you narrow down what you're looking for (for example, filtering the output to a specific line or section).
4. Run it — results appear on the page, along with when each device last responded.

You can also revisit a device's page to see its recent command history.

Automated and programmatic access¶

Looking Glass can also be used outside of the web page — for example, from a script, another tool, or an AI assistant. If you need this kind of access, reach out to the Periscope team for details on getting connected.

Keeping things safe¶

Looking Glass only runs a defined set of read-only, diagnostic commands — it can't be used to change device configuration. Output is automatically checked and cleaned of sensitive information before it's shown to you, and usage is limited to reasonable rates to keep the tool responsive for everyone.