Adding Atlas Views
NetCrunch's Network Atlas offers five main view types: Graphical Data Views, Node Group Views, IP Network Views, Business Service Views, and Folders. These views provide intuitive network visualization, dynamic node categorization, and automatic IP grouping. Adding new views is easy with a wizard or keyboard shortcut, enhancing efficient network monitoring and management.
NetCrunch offers a comprehensive Network Atlas, a complete database of monitored elements. The Network Atlas consists of various types of views organized into several sections, providing a detailed overview of the monitored elements. These views can be categorized into five main groups:
- Graphical Data Views
- Node Group Views
- IP Network Views
- Business Service Views
- Folders
Graphical Data Views
Graphical Data Views are designed to present live diagrams, free-form dashboards, image-based maps, and geographical maps. These views can include region contour maps with the ability to geo-locate elements. They visually represent the network's current state, offering an intuitive and immediate understanding of network performance and issues.
- Live Diagrams: Real-time graphical representations of network elements and their statuses.
- Free Form Dashboards: Customizable dashboards allow you to arrange network data in a format that best suits your monitoring needs.
- Synchronized Dashboards: One dashboard that works for many nodes — the node is chosen at the top of the view rather than inside each widget, and the dashboard appears on the Status view of every node in its group. See Synchronized Dashboards.
- Image-Based Maps: Visual maps created from images where network elements can be positioned and monitored. Geographical Maps are maps based on geographical data, showing the locations of network elements and regions.
- Geographical Maps: Predefined region-based maps with geo-location support. Over 100 maps are available (e.g., countries, states, regions). Unlike embedded browser maps (e.g., Google Maps), these are vector-based contour maps.
Node Group Views
Node Group Views help organize nodes into categories based on location, criteria, or other classification. These views can be manually created or dynamically updated based on filtering expressions.
- Manual Node Group Views: Created and organized manually, allowing customized categorization.
- Filtered Node Group Views: Automatically refreshed based on given filtering expressions, ensuring the views remain up-to-date with the latest network data.
IP Network Views
IP Network Views automatically group nodes by the network they belong to. This includes a separate automatic view for public nodes, providing a structured overview of the network's IP layout.
- Automatic Grouping: Nodes are grouped by the networks they belong to without manual intervention.
- Public Nodes View: Public nodes are automatically placed in a separate view for easier monitoring and management.
Business Service Views
Business Service Views draw a business service as a diagram, generated from a composite status rather than laid out by hand. The composite you select becomes the root of the view, and the elements it depends on are drawn beneath it as widgets.
Because a composite status can contain other composite statuses, services nest — and whether a child is drawn in full or shown as a link depends on whether it has a view of its own. See Business Service Views.
Folders
Folders are primarily used for management purposes. They help organize various views and extend the capabilities of filtered dynamic views by creating multiple sub-views. For example, a folder dedicated to servers can contain views categorized by the operating system.
- Static Folders: Used for manually organizing views and elements.
- Dynamic Folders: These extend the filtered dynamic view capabilities, automatically creating multiple views based on defined criteria. For instance, a dynamic server folder can generate sub-views for different operating systems, providing a structured and detailed overview.
How to Add Views in NetCrunch
Views are created from the blue plus + button at the top of the Atlas Tree, on the left of the program window. The button offers two routes to the same result.
Using the Wizard
Click the plus button to open the wizard. Its first page offers four choices:
- Graphical Data View
- Node Group
- IP Network
- Folder
Each choice then narrows to a specific type, so the wizard is a short series of decisions rather than one long list. Graphical Data View leads to Panel-Based View or Unbounded Diagram View, and Panel-Based View leads in turn to Free-form Dashboard View or Business Service View. Node Group leads to Manual or Dynamic, and Folder does the same.
Business Service View is not on the wizard's first page. It sits two steps in, under Graphical Data View → Panel-Based View, because it is a kind of dashboard. The shortcut below reaches it in one click.
Using the Shortcut
Hold Ctrl while clicking the plus button. This skips the branching and shows every creatable type at once, arranged under three headings:
- Graphical Data Views
- Free-form Dashboard View, Business Service View, Unbounded Diagram View
- Node Group Views
- IP Network, Manual Node Group, Dynamic Node Group
- Folders
- Manual Folder, Dynamic Folder
That is eight types in all. Dynamic Folder is licensed separately and is absent where the license does not include it.
Following these steps, you can efficiently add and manage various views in your Network Atlas, ensuring a well-organized and comprehensive monitoring setup.