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The Graph tab

The Graph tab

The graph is used to display the objects in the form of an image showing their direct connections.

Note:

The Graph applet is an optional functionality which requires a special license to be displayed. You will see the tab but no contents if you do not have a license or the license is invalid.

The graph shows the following types of connection:

  • the network topology in the form of your CM organization
  • the network connections by IP addresses
  • the physical network connections between the inventory assets
  • the hierachical connections between the devices and their different roles

It is available for the following objects and views:

  • Device topology
  • Device groups
  • User groups
  • OSD roles
  • All types of inventory

The Device Topology Graph

The Device Topology graph works quite differently from the traditional interfaces. You see a great many objects, each one representing a piece of the hierarchical data, joined by lines or arcs called links. You can see objects linked to their children all the way out to an elliptical horizon and to their parents back to the root object.

The graph shows data structured as objects and links. The objects are the computers on your network and the links are the relationships between these in the hierarchy. The object information is conveyed most fundamentally through the text on the object label, that is, the name of the computer and the icon next to it identifying the computer's device type. Each displayed hierarchy has its unique root object, from which all other objects descend. The root object is defined through the computer that is currently selected in the left window pane, thus this can be Device Topology , if the main topology node is currently selected, or the master server, or any other relay or client which is selected.

The links, as already mentioned before, connect the objects and ensure their connectivity to the root. They make it clear which objects are grouped under one parent node. When a link is removed, the parent node is no longer related to the child node. If the child node has no other parents, it is removed from the tree.

This view is only available directly under the main Device Topology node in the Graph tab.

Client Management Topology

To display the network topology of your infrastructure select the respective option from the View box at the top left of the right window pane.

In this view you can display different parts of your network in the same way as via the Network Topology graph. However in this view your devices are reflected according to their physical connections in the network. The view displays all devices that have an IP address, that is, it will also display printers, routers, switches, and so on. For more information about the options of this graph, refer to the Network Topology paragraph following.

Network Topology

Through the Device Topology / Network Topology graph you can browse very large amounts of hierarchically arranged data. You can also draw items of interest into focus without losing their context even in a tree with thousands of items. This graph makes accessing large datasets a far more intuitive experience than is available with more traditional interfaces such as the familiar expanding and collapsing vertical trees used in many Windows applications such as the Windows Explorer.

Connectivity Topology

The Connectivity Topology node represents the device topology by IP addresses for unmanaged devices via the Star Tree graphic. It shows the physical connections of the inventoried devices with their parents and children, identified by their IP addresses. Connections with devices which were discovered during a scan but are now inactive, for example, the connection was unplugged, appear as dotted lines. To hide the children click the small minus symbol at the left bottom of the IP address, to show children click the small arrow at the same location. The discovered devices are identified as well by their type icon, that is, an orange device icon with the operating system of the device.

Graph for other CM objects

The Graph displays all the objects of the current node found on the members in the selected view in the form of a startree image. Most objects will be shown in this type of graph with three levels for each main object of the entry:

  • Attributes
  • Attribute values
  • Device on which the attribute and its value was found

 

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