The Topology Viewer can display devices of various types. Devices of different types (called nodes in the topology graph) are represented with different icons in the graph. The connections between devices are called edges. You can only see devices within groups that you have access to. Admin users can see all device groups and all views.

You can drag and drop nodes and edges around the graph for your convenience.

You can perform the following in the Topology Graph:

• Dragging and Dropping, Pinning, and Unpinning Nodes
• Freezing the Topology Layout
• Creating and Deleting Custom Nodes and Edges
  
• Editing Custom Nodes and Edges
• Changing Node Icon
• Zooming and Fitting Content
• Grouping Nodes
  
• Editing Custom Fields for Custom Nodes and Edges

For mouse and keyboard controls used to manipulate the graph, see Mouse and Keyboard Commands for Graph Operations. For a description of icons used to manipulate the Topology Graph, see Icons and Popup Windows.

For more information, see Available Custom Device Types.

Dragging and Dropping, Pinning, and Unpinning Nodes

You can adjust the layout of the topology using the mouse to drag and pin nodes in place.

• To pin a node, double-click it. A pinned node is marked by the dashes located at the cardinal points of the node. Moving a node while pinned prevents other nodes from pulling it into a computed layout.
• To unpin the node, double-click it again.

Freezing the Topology Layout

The Topology Viewer uses a physics engine that pulls nodes together and arranges them in a computed layout. However, it may be convenient to freeze the entire topology layout and arrange nodes individually. This also helps avoid performance issues with big topologies.

For the pre-defined topology views, the layout is always frozen. For custom views, you can choose to freeze or unfreeze the layout.

To freeze the topology layout in a custom view, complete the following:

1. Select Freeze Layout above the graph.
   This disables the physics that pulls nodes together.
2. Drag and arrange nodes into any layout you choose.

By deselecting Freeze Layout, the node's positions are unfrozen and recalculated based on other settings. Deselecting Freeze Layout is disabled for the default views.

Creating and Deleting Custom Nodes and Edges

The Topology Viewer allows you to create custom nodes and edges in the graph. You can customize these nodes and edges to represent real examples of network devices and connections or hypothetical ones.

To create a node, complete the following:

1. In the graph, click Edit -> Add Node.
2. Click anywhere in the topology graph.
3. In the Node Properties window that appears, specify the required properties. The Topology Viewer uses these properties for searching, filtering, and grouping in the graph.

   • Id: The identifier of the device. The value is assigned by the Topology Viewer automatically and is not editable.

   • Name: The name of the device.

   • Vendor: The vendor name of the device.

   • Model: The model of the device.

   • Version: The OS/firmware version of the device.

   • Location: The physical location of the device.

   • Type: The type of the device. For more information, see Available Custom Device Types.

   • Network: The network in which the device resides.

   • OC: The Operation Center containing the Collector that discovered the device.

   • Collector: The Collector that discovered the device.

   • IP: The IP address of the device.

   • MAC: The MAC address of the device.

4. Connect the node to another node in the graph using an edge. See the next procedure for creating an edge.
5. Click Save.

To create an edge, complete the following:

1. In the graph, click Edit -> Add Edge.
2. Click one node, and then click another.
3. In the Edge Properties window that appears, specify the required properties for both nodes. The Topology Viewer uses these properties for searching and filtering in the graph.
   • Id: The identifier of the device.
   • Name: The name of the device.
   • IF Name: The name of the interface.
   • IF Description: The description of the interface.
   • IF Index: The index of the interface.
   • IF Type: The type of the interface.
   • Network Name: The name of the network in which the device resides.
4. Click Save.

To delete a custom node or edge, complete the following:

1. Select a node or edge with the mouse.
2. Click Delete Selected.

Editing Custom Nodes and Edges

You can edit the properties of custom nodes and edges in custom views.

To edit a node or edge, complete the following:

1. Right-click a node or an edge.
2. Click Edit.
3. Edit any of the node or edge properties. For more information, see Creating and Deleting Custom Nodes and Edges.
4. Click Save.

Changing Device Icon for Custom Node

You can change the icon for a custom node by editing the type of the node.

To change a node icon, complete the following:

1. Right-click a custom node.
2. Click Edit.
3. In the Node Properties window, select a node type.
4. Click Save.

Zooming and Fitting Content

For convenience, you can move the topology graph around, zoom it in and out, and fit its content to your screen.

• To zoom into the graph, use either the + or – buttons on the bottom right, or use the mouse wheel.
• To move the graph, use either the arrows in the bottom, or click on an empty area in the graph and drag the screen around.
• To fit the graph to screen, click Fit Content in the bottom right, above the zoom-in button.

Grouping Nodes

Nodes can be clustered together by a specific parameter for easier management of large quantities of related devices.

1. In the Topology Viewer, go to Settings -> Other Properties.
2. In Cluster By, select one of the following:
   • Location
   • Connections
   • Outliers
3. Click Save.

Editing Custom Fields for Custom Nodes and Edges

Custom nodes and edges can have custom fields to store extra information for them.

To edit a custom field, complete the following:

1. Right-click a custom node or an edge, and select Custom Fields.
2. In the Name field, type a desired name for the field.
3. In the Value field, type a desired value.
4. Click Save.

To delete a custom field, complete the following:

• Under the Custom Fields section, click the Trash Bin Icon next to the field to be deleted.

Mouse and Keyboard Commands for Graph Operations

The following table lists the mouse and keyboard commands that you can use for topology graph operations.

Available Custom Device Types

The following list contains the device types that the Topology Viewer can display: