Observation Mode

Observation Mode manages the access-log configuration used to observe traffic through an AWS Elastic Load Balancer (ELB). It connects the selected load balancer to an approved S3 access-log location; it is not a general load-balancer editor.

When to use Observation Mode

Use Observation Mode when you need to:

• view load balancer details;
• check observation-mode configuration;
• edit load balancer settings if your role allows it.

Understand the page

Select an ELB from the dropdown to load its current attributes. The table shows Attribute Key and Attribute Value, with an edit action where supported. Select Update Configuration to open the access-log settings for the selected ELB.

Edit load balancer settings

1. Open Administration.
2. Select Observation Mode.
3. Select the required ELB.
4. Review its attributes and select Update Configuration.
5. Enter the access-log bucket and prefix.
6. Review the destination and save the configuration.

Field guide

Field	Required	What to enter	Notes
ELB	Yes	The load balancer whose access logging you want to inspect or configure.	Confirm the environment and name before changing it.
Access Log Bucket	Yes	The approved S3 bucket that receives access logs.	The load balancer must have permission to write to the bucket. Do not enter a browser URL.
Prefix	Yes	The folder-like prefix used inside the bucket.	Example: access-logs. Use a stable prefix that identifies the environment or service.

Before updating configuration

Confirm the ELB, AWS account/environment, bucket, prefix, retention requirements, and bucket permissions with the infrastructure owner. A valid-looking bucket name can still fail if the required access policy is missing.

After saving, reload the ELB attributes and confirm that the expected access-log values are present. Log objects may not appear immediately if the load balancer has not received traffic.

Warning

An incorrect bucket or prefix can prevent access logs from being delivered and can weaken operational visibility. Only use an approved destination; access logs may contain IP addresses, paths, and other sensitive request metadata.