Visualizing a network path

A network path view displays every device and link encountered between the start and end devices. Issues affecting devices and links on that path are displayed graphically. You can edit the path view manually by excluding devices from the view. You can retrace a path, or edit it before retracing it. You can also copy a path view to another view container, or delete it.

1. Click the Incident icon and select Network Availability > Path Views.
   The Path Views window opens. Any network paths that have been created are shown.
2. To interact with network paths, use the following buttons:

   Views drop-down

   Use to find and display a specific path view. Path views are arranged in a tree structure based on path view container types, for example, 'AUTO', 'IP Paths', 'itnmadmin', or 'Client Views'.

   Each path view displays the view name, the number of hops in the path, and the highest severity alert (if any) associated with that path view.

   Note: You can click the severity icon to launch the Active Event List with that event selected. You can also select a device, and then click Find In Network View or Find In Hop View from the context menu.

   New path

   Opens the Trace Network Path window, where you can create a new path view.

   Note: IP path views only.

   Note: You can only trace a path across a single domain. All devices specified in the Trace Network Path window must be in the same domain.

   Depending on the user roles set by your administrator for your user ID, you may be able to save the new path to your list of path views.

   Edit path

   Click here to edit a path view that is currently being displayed. The Trace Network Path window opens populated with the details for the path, any of which can be changed. You trace and display the edited path by clicking Save and Trace.

   Note: IP path views only.

   Note: You can only trace a path across a single domain. All devices specified in the Trace Network Path window must be in the same domain.

   Retrace path

   Click here to retrace the path between the devices in the currently selected path view. Paths between devices in a network are dynamic, and therefore trace results may be different each time a path is retraced.

   Note: IP path views only.

   Copy or move path

   Opens the Copy or Move Path dialog. Use to copy or move a selected path to a different view container.

   Delete path

   Click here to delete the path view that is currently being displayed. If the path view is the last view in a container, the container will be deleted as well.

   Note: The path stored in the NCIM database is not deleted. If any user recreates the deleted path with the same settings, a new trace occurs and the existing path in the NCIM database is updated with the new trace results.

   Toggle search

   Displays a search box below the toolbar from which you can search for a view.

   Save

   Saves the view or view container. This button appears only when a view is displayed.

   Save as Image

   Saves the view or views as an image. Displayed only for users with the ncp_printing_allowed role.

   Print

   Prints the view or view container. Displayed only for users with the ncp_printing_allowed role.

   Find in Map

   Searches for a device in the topology map.

   Select

   Changes the cursor to select mode, which is the default. When the cursor is in select mode, if you click a device in the topology display panel, that device is selected. You can reposition nodes by dragging them using this mode. You can save the position of nodes by using the Save button. The positions of nodes that are not connected to other nodes are not saved, unless this network view or all network views are configured to maintain the position of nodes after rediscovery.

   Pan

   Changes the cursor to pan mode. When the cursor is in pan mode, the cursor changes to the following icon: . Click and hold the left mouse button to grab the topology; you can then use the mouse to move the topology.

   Select Zoom

   Changes the cursor to select-zoom mode. When the cursor is in select-zoom mode, you can use the mouse to draw a rectangle over a particular area of the topology. When you release the mouse button, the screen zooms in to the rectangle you have drawn.

   Interactive Zoom

   Changes the cursor to interactive-zoom mode. When the cursor is in interactive zoom mode, hold down the mouse button and move the cursor up to zoom out, and while hold down the mouse button and move the cursor down to zoom in.

   Toggle Overview

   Displays a thumbnail of the whole view in the bottom right corner, with a box around the region that is currently visible.

   Zoom In

   Zooms in to the view.

   Zoom Out

   Zooms out of the view.

   Fit in Window

   Fits the current view to the size of the Topology Display window.

   Hierarchical Layout

   Changes the format of the view to a hierarchical layout. This option is not available for views that cannot contain connectivity information, such as Unassigned network views.

   Symmetric Layout

   Changes the format of the view to a symmetric layout. This option is not available for views that cannot contain connectivity information, such as Unassigned network views.

   Orthogonal Layout

   Changes the format of the view to an orthogonal layout. This option is not available for views that cannot contain connectivity information, such as Unassigned network views.

   Circular Layout

   Changes the format of the view to a circular layout. This option is not available for views that cannot contain connectivity information, such as Unassigned network views.

   If you chose to create a new path or retrace an existing path, then Path View window displays the devices resulting from your search.