Link Node Navigation

The Link Node topology view is an interactive display of the network topology. It displays information regarding the nodes and edges present in the topology. The mini map helps users to quickly understand the layout and connectivity of devices without displaying every detail.

Topology Mini Map View

Click the Mini Map option located at the right corner of the link node view and expand it. The Mini Map provides a simplified overview of the entire network structure. In this view, all connection lines are removed, but every node is displayed like a blueprint. The mini map displays device health using the same color codes as the Link Node topology view. Similarly, when you select Device Function in the Legends panel, the mini map updates to reflect the corresponding device function color codes.

The grey background represents the full area occupied by the current topology view, while the white section indicates the space taken by the topology tree view. You can move the white area to focus on a specific part of the topology, and the detailed tree view will adjust accordingly.

Instead of endlessly dragging the main topology view, you can use the Mini Map for quick navigation and easily locate any section within the network. This feature is especially useful for large topologies, enabling smooth and efficient navigation.

Note:

The mini map view only shows the nodes and not the device groups.

How to Use Topology Link Node View

Following is the Link Node layout:

  • Nodes—Represent network devices, for example, switches, APs, and endpoints

  • Links—Represent physical or logical connections between devices

  • Icons—Different icons or shapes indicate device types, such as switches and APs

  • Colors—Often used to show status (green = healthy, red = down, yellow = warning).

Expand a group of devices and follow the tree to learn what it is connected to. To learn how devices are interconnected, mouse hover on a link to get a summary of health and interfaces or click to open the side panel where you can see the detailed information on each LLDP neighbor including link, device, interface health as well as VLAN and usage.

Click a node to see the detailed information, such as device name, role, interface status, and LLDP neighbors.

The Link Node View always shows the latest information at the time of invocation, the information is refreshed every x minutes.

Note:

The gateway chord diagram in the topology view does not display LLDP information for offline switches.

Topology Nodes

The nodes comprise the different devices and their grouping in the topology. You can perform the following actions on the nodes:

  • Mouse Hover—A tooltip is displayed with the following information:

    • Name—Name of the device.

    • Health—Health status of the device.

    • Device Type—Type of the device like, switches and APs.

    Note:

    In case of unmanaged devices, if the unmanaged device is connected to a managed device in the topology, the health is displayed as Online without any color coordinate.

  • Click—A side panel is displayed with detailed information about the device. The information varies based on whether the device is managed or unmanaged in the topology.

    For managed devices the following information is displayed:

    • Type of the device

    • Name of the device

    • IP Address—IP address of the device.

    • MAC Address—MAC address of the device.

    • Model—Hardware model of the device.

    • Uptime—Duration for which the device has been functioning without interruption.

    • Last Restart Reason—Reason for the device restart. For example, user reboot.

    • Device Function—The function of the selected device. This refers to how devices (nodes) are interconnected through links in a network. Each device in the topology has specific functions depending on its role.

    • Alerts—Number of alerts generated on the device. You can click on the alert number and it navigates to the Alerts page that displays the alerts specifically generated for the selected device (switch). For more information on alerts, see Viewing Alerts in List View.

    • Clients—Number of clients connected to the device. You can click on the client number and it navigates to the Clients page that displays the clients connected to the selected device (switch). For more information, see Viewing Clients in List View.

    • Go to Device—Click Go to Device to navigate to the device context page.

    For unmanaged devices the following information is displayed:

    • Type of the device

    • Name of the device

    • MAC Address—MAC address of the device.

    • Vendor—Name of the third-party device vendor. The vendor is displayed based on the MAC address of the third-party device.

    • Device Type—Unmanaged device.

    • Description—Detailed description of the device.

Topology Edges

The topology edges consist of different link types that include the following:

You can perform the following actions on the edges:

  • Mouse Hover

    • From—Device name and port number of the device from where the connection is made.

    • To—Device name and port number of the device to where the connection is made.

    • Port—Available port details.

    • Link Health—Health status of the connection.

    • Speed—Speed of the connection.

  • Click—The link gets highlighted and a side panel is displayed with information related to the source device and destination device:

    • Title of the side panel. This varies based on the link type selected.

      • LAG Link

      • MC-LAG link

      • Keepalive Link

      • VSX Link

    • Health of the selected link

    • Source Devices and Destination Devices

      • Device Name—Name of the source and destination device.

      • Serial—Serial number of the source and destination device.

      • Speed—Link speed between the devices.

      • MAC Address—MAC address of the source and destination device.

      • LAG—LAG details on the link.

        Note:

        LAG details field in visible only if the selected link is LAG link or MC-LAG link.

      • Ports—Supported ports along with the health of the ports associated with both source and destination device. In case of LAG link and MC-LAG link the associated LAG information is also displayed. You can expand the Ports field to display the following interface details:

        • Speed/ Duplex—Speed value of the port that determines how data is transmitted between devices. These are critical for ensuring optimal performance and compatibility.

        • VLAN—The number of VLANs associated with the ports. It determines which logical network that port belongs to.

        • VLAN Mode—The type of VLAN mode that defines how the port processes VLAN-tagged traffic. The VLAN modes are, Access, Trunk, Hybrid, Tagged, and Untagged.

          Note:

          For Keepalive link type, VLAN and VLAN Mode field is not displayed, instead the IP Address of the routed port is displayed.

        • Usage—The aggregated value of transmitted and received data on the selected port. It provides insight into the role and activity of each port in the network.

        • PoE status—Power over Ethernet capability and state of each network port in a device or topology.

          Figure 1: Link Node View Double Side Panel

        Note:

        • If the selected link is between a managed and an unmanaged device, interface details are displayed only for the managed device.

        • Interface details are not available for unmanaged devices and offline devices.

Link Node Layers Panel

By default, the link node topology shows the device health connected to a site. You can also see the type of devices that are available on the site. The Layers panel enables you to filter the information communicated by the link node view. Click the icon to expand the Layers panel.

Next to the Layers icon, you can see the Legend field, which uses color codes to represent device health and link health indicators.

Figure 2: Layers and Legend Panel

The Legend field is dynamic and changes based on the options selected in the Layers panel. For example, if you select Device Function from the Link Information drop-down list, the adjacent Legend panel displays information based on the device function filters available in the link node topology.

To filter the information in the link node topology, expand the Layers panel. The Layers panel displays the following:

  • Under Common Overlay, you can select the options to display the access points and device names in the topology.

    • Show access points—This check box is selected by default. You can un-check this box if you do not want to see the access points available in the link node topology.

    • Show device names—This check box is selected by default. You can un-check this box if you do not want to see the devices names in the link node topology.

    • Show unmanaged devices at the edge—This check box is not selected by default. You can check this box if you want to see the unmanaged devices at the edge in the link node topology.

  • From the Details and Visibility drop-down list, you can select the following options to display the data in the topology:

    • Health—Displays information related to device health and link (edge) health. In the link-node view, devices are represented as circular nodes, with their colors indicating the health status of each device. The link (edge) health is represented by the connected lines between the devices represented using distinct colors. These color codes are indicated in the Legend field.

    • VLAN—Displays the logical subdivision of the network topology. By default, VLAN 1 is displayed. Click the VLAN ID drop‑down menu to view all available VLANs. Select the desired VLAN to highlight it within the topology. Each VLAN is illustrated using distinct color codes, applied both to nodes and links for easy identification. These color codes are indicated in the Legend field.

      The following VLANs states are displayed:

      • VLAN present—The nodes circled with blue color implies that the selected VLAN is present in that node. The blue link between two nodes circled in blue indicates that VLAN is present in both the nodes. You can click the link, a side panel appears that shows the VLAN details of both source and the destination node.

      • VLAN absent—The nodes circled with grey color implies that the VLAN is not configured in that node. The grey link between a node and a port indicates that even though the VLAN is configured in that node but, it is not present in the specific port. You can click the link, a side panel appears that shows the VLAN details.

        Note:

        From the node perspective only two VLAN states are visible, either VLAN present or VLAN absent. VLAN mismatch is only available from the link perspective.

      • VLAN mismatch—This option is only available for the links between two nodes. A red link between two nodes indicates that one of the selected nodes is not configured with the selected VLAN. You can click the link, a side panel appears that shows the VLAN details of the one that is configured with VLAN. The VLAN detail of the destination node is blank.

        Figure 3: VLAN States

    • Device Function—Displays information regarding specific role or purpose that a device serves within the network topology. The color of the circular nodes changes based on the function that each device has in the topology.

    • Link Speed—Displays the link speed between devices that refers to the data transfer rate of the link (edges) between two devices (nodes). The speed is measured in Mbps and Gbps. The link speed is categorized in different groups and is represented in different colors indicated in the Legend field.

      Figure 4: Link Speed