Topology

What happened to the Sunburst Topology View?

Due to extensive customer demand, we have built a new Link Node Topology view, which is able to more accurately represent how network operators understand network diagrams. The Link Node view is dynamic and represents the network hierarchy using the same construct of device functions such as Core, Aggregation, Access Switches, Mobility, and Branch Gateways, and Access Points maintaining consistency with configuration workflows.

The Link Node view offers a clearer visual of how the network is interconnected with standard links, LAG and MC-LAG links, VLAN configuration, and Speed Overlays—addressing some of the visibility gaps. In addition, the Link Node view also visualizes VSX clusters and third-party (unmanaged) devices discovered through LLDP. The Health Layer integrates Alerts in the topology view and enables the network operator to quickly diagnose device and link problems such as MTU, speed/duplex and VLAN mismatches, Port Errors/Flaps, Transceiver issues, Radio issues, and everything else that impacts device health.

Note:

You must assign the correct device function to accurately build the Link Node topology.

The Sunburst topology has been disabled to prepare the infrastructure for Global and Site Collection views.

What is the Topology Link Node View?

The Topology Link Node view is a graphical representation of the network topology, showing how nodes (devices or components) are interconnected. It helps users visualize relationships, dependencies, and data flow between nodes.

Which device types and links are supported in the Link Node topology View?

The Link node Topology view supports the following device (and their respective device function) and link types:

  • Switches

    • Core Switch

    • Aggregate Switch

    • Access Switch

    • VSX Cluster

    • VSF Stack

  • Gateway

    • Mobility Gateway

    • Branch Gateway

    • VPNC Gateway

  • Access Point

    • Campus Access Point

  • Third-party Devices (Unmanaged devices (devices not managed in Central but discovered via LLDP)

    • Cisco

    • Juniper

  • Links

    • Standard Links

    • LAG Links

    • MC-LAG Links

Note:

The Link Node topology view currently does not support Bridge device type and Wireless Mesh topology.

How are links between nodes represented?

Links are shown as lines or arrows between nodes. These represent the following:

  • Physical connections, for example, Ethernet

  • Logical relationships, for example, service dependencies

  • Data flow or communication paths

What do different colors or icons mean?

Colors and icons typically indicate the following:

  • Node status

  • Node type

  • Link status

For more information, see Link Node Navigation.

What should I do if my Topology view does not look right?

Link Node Topology uses device function to accurately determine the network hierarchy, typically starting from the Core Layer to Aggregation to Access Layer. If the device function is not set, a backup algorithm that leverages the device model and uplink to determine the network hierarchy. If the topology does not look right, set the correct device function to all the devices in the site to view the desired topology. For more information on how to set a device function, see Assigning a Device Function to a Device.

Ensure that your devices are assigned to a Site in HPE Aruba Networking Central. For more information on how to Create Sites and Assign Devices to a Site, see Sites.

Ensure that your devices have LLDP enabled such that HPE Aruba Networking Central can accurately identify neighbor relationships and Link Health.

What should I do if few of my devices are missing in the Topology view?

First, ensure that your devices are assigned to a Site in HPE Aruba Networking Central, the Topology view discovers devices present in a Site and their neighbor relationship to determine the network hierarchy. For more information on how to Create Sites and Assign Devices to a Site, see Sites.

Second, it is likely that a device supposed to be in Site A shows up in Site B due to wrong site assignment, these devices are identified as isolated devices in the topology, which means they do not have the uplink device present in the same site. For example, access switch - SW-01 is assigned to site Dallas, Access Point AP-01 is connected to SW-01 but, is assigned to Site Miami, AP-01 will show up as an isolated device in Site Miami topology, to resolve assign AP-01 to site Miami.

How often is the Topology updated?

The topology view is always current and not historical. It is updated instantaneously in every 5 minutes. When a new network device is added to a site and when an AP is added to a site and connected to a Switch, it takes approximately x minutes to show up in the topology. Alternatively, use the browser Refresh button to get the latest topology view, you can view the last updated topology based on the selected timestamp.

What is the maximum number of devices that I can view in the Topology view?

You can view 4K devices in the topology view.

Why HPE Aruba Networking Central shows a device as offline, if the device was offline since long time and it is not present in the topology?

When Link node view is enabled, it will collect all the details of online devices but, will not show the offline devices.