Solstice Enterprise Manager 4.1 Managing Your Network Doc Set ContentsPreviousNextIndex

Chapter 4

Viewing Network Components

The power of Solstice Enterprise Manager (Solstice EM) resides in one or more distributed Management Information Server (MIS) databases containing information about every component on your network. To use this power, though, you need a way to consolidate access to your MIS databases, and to design meaningful views of the information they contain.

Network Views is a graphical tool for viewing and working with the information in your MIS databases. You can create and save custom views of your network, in geographical or logical formats, and access the other Solstice EM tools through menu commands and point-and-click interaction with your managed objects. Think of Network Views as a convenient place from which you can visualize your network and initiate all of your day-to-day management functions.

With the Network Views tool, you can:

This chapter provides background information about the Network Views tool, step-by-step instructions for using Network Views, and detailed reference information.

This chapter comprises the following topics:

4.1 Overview

Every managed object in a Solstice EM MIS can be represented as a icon in a Network Views window. These icons can include representations of physical network components, such as routers, hubs, switches, gateways, and hosts, and logical constructs, like universes, subnetworks, and domains.

You can point and click on these Network Views icons to initiate actions on the managed objects they represent. For example, by default, double-clicking on an object icon opens the Solstice EM Alarms tool, and right-clicking displays a pop-up menu, from which you can display the Object Properties dialog box and modify properties for the managed object. You can change the default behaviors of mouse clicks and menus to suit your needs, and you can define custom views to display whatever groupings of icons you want.

Before using Network Views, it is important to understand a few basic Network Views concepts and to have a sense of the kind of tasks you can perform from the Network Views window. Basic Network Views concepts are explained in the following section.

4.1.1 Basic Network Views Concepts

There are seven basic items with which you work in a Network Views window:

4.1.1.1 Component Representations

When you view or manipulate icons in a Network Views window, you are, in fact, working with representations of the managed objects in your MIS, not the network components themselves. You could, for example, use several different icons to represent a single MIS managed object, depending on the kinds of management tasks you want to perform. Everything you do in Network Views--retrieve and set object properties, clear alarms, launch other tools, and so forth--acts upon the managed objects in your MIS.


FIGURE 4-1   Network Component Representation in Network Views

Managed objects in the MIS, in turn, are representations of software agents that interact with the real, physical components on your network--that is, you could have several managed objects in the MIS all referring to the same physical network component.

When you finally get down to the real, physical component level, software agents associated with a given component are what actually perform most management functions. Moreover, the capabilities of the agent object associated with a component will constrain what you can see or do with that component in the Network Views window, and the results of any management action performed on a given component depend on the interaction of other management objects and agents associated with that component.

4.1.1.2 Object Properties

Every managed object definition includes a set of attributes on which the object's programmatic methods can act. The behavior of a given real world network component depends on the properties--that is, the specific attribute values--used for the managed object instance representing that component.

To put it another way, every physical network component can be represented by one or more particular types of managed objects. The type of managed object used to represent a component has associated with it a set of attributes that define what kind of information and settings can be gathered from, or applied to, the component. In Solstice EM, object properties refer to the specific values used for a given set of attributes for a given object type.

For example, a Printer Device object provides attributes for host name, printer type, and IP address, among others, whereas a Router Device provides attributes for IP address, port number, and so forth. The values you specify for a given object's attributes are referred to collectively as the object's properties.

See Section 4.5 Managing Object Properties for more information about working with object properties.

4.1.1.3 Icon Objects

As views, or access points, into MIS managed objects, Network Views icon objects represent two related groups of MIS objects:

Network Views lets you work with several different icon object types. The following table briefly describes the default Network Views icon object types.

TABLE 4-1   Network Views Default Icon Object Types 
Object Type Description
Array
 Contains groups of objects in a compact array; object names are displayed in the array cells.
Bus
 Multisegmented line; links objects that are connected to it.
Container
 Contains other objects, such as views, networks, and subnetworks.
Device
 Physical components, such as hosts, routers, hubs, and printers.
Link
 Connects two other objects; link containers can contain other links.
Monitor
RouterArray
RouterContainer
 Container object divided into one or more sections; each section contains a view of one of the objects contained in the monitor.
Allows to use this object type as an array; each array cell contains an object name.
Allows to use this object type as a container; contains the objects in the router.
Vendor-specific
 Custom or platform-specific objects; for example, Sun hardware.


Within each category of icon object type are one or more object icons representing a particular component or logical construct. The table Table 4-2 shows the standard object icons with which you will work most often.

TABLE 4-2   Common Network Views Object Icons 






Array
Bridge
BSC
BTS
Bus
Bus Container






Circle
Container
Device
Hexagon
Hexagon120
HLR






Host
Hub
Interface
Java
Link
MSC






Network
OMC
Omnisector
PC
Printer
Router






Server
SPARC
Subnetwork
Universe
VLR
XCDR


You can define additional object icons and object icon types as needed for your environment. See Section4.4.11 Adding an Object Type to the Object Palette for more information about adding object types to your Solstice EM environment.

4.1.1.4 Saved Views

In the Network Views tool, a view is a named collection of icons representing a set of managed objects or logical constructs. Views themselves are represented as a kind of container object in the MIS.

The Network Views window displays one view at a time. You can easily switch back and forth among different views, and you can also run multiple instances of the Network Views tool so you can display multiple views simultaneously.

You can display two general types of views:

4.1.2 Related Tasks

4.1.3 Related Files

4.1.4 Further Reading

4.2 Getting Started With Network Views

You can start the Network Views tool from the command line, the Network Tools window, or the Tools menu in one of the other Solstice EM tools. Unlike most of the other Solstice EM tools, Network Views is a purely graphical tool--no matter how you start it, you will always get the Network Views graphical interface.

As with other Solstice EM tools, before running Network Views, you must configure your environment settings with emenv.csh or emenv.sh, as described in Chapter 2."

Having said this, it is important to note that one of the components of Network Views, the Object Properties window, is actually a separate binary from Network Views itself--that is, the Network Views binary is em_viewer, and the Object Properties binary is em_oct. Unlike Network Views, you can run em_oct directly from the command line, bypassing the graphical interface, and separately from Network Views. This can be especially useful if you want to use a script or a custom application to automate the creation or modification of managed objects.

Finally, you can only display one view at a time in a Network Views window, but you can run multiple instances of Network Views and display a different view in each window.

If you start Network Views without first running at least one Network Discovery to populate the MIS, Network Views displays only an empty Root view with no object icons. See Section 4.3.1 Populating the Network Views Window for information about running a Network Discovery for the first time. See Chapter 3" for complete information about using the Network Discovery tool.

 

To Use Network Views

1. Start the Network Views tool in one of the following three ways:

2. From the Network Views window, perform one or more tasks, as described in this chapter.

Refer to the subsequent procedures in this chapter and to Section4.8 Reference for complete information about the various Network Views tasks and tools.

3. Click File->Exit to close the Network Views window.

4.3 Working With Views

This section provides step-by-step instructions for getting around in the Network Views window, creating views, and viewing, selecting, and searching for objects.

4.3.1 Populating the Network Views Window

If you start Network Views without first running at least one Network Discovery to populate the MIS, Network Views displays only an empty Root view with no object icons. While you can manually create managed objects using the Object Properties dialog, as described in Section 4.5.4 Creating New Managed Objects, the fastest and easiest way to populate the Network Views window is to run a Network Discovery.

 

To Populate the Network Views Window

1. Start the Network Discovery tool in one of the following three ways:

2. From the Network Discovery window, select the various Discover options you want to use, or load an existing Network Discovery rules file, and then initiate the discovery process.

3. When the discovery process is complete, click File->Exit to close the Network Discovery window.

See Chapter 3" for complete information on using the Network Discovery tool.

4.3.2 Selecting a View

Each view in a Network Views window lets you look at a selected subset of your network. The Available Views pane on the left side of the Network Views window displays a branched tree list of the views available to you, starting from the topmost view, called Root. The specific views available depends on the views that have been defined. You can only display one view at a time in a Network Views window, but you can switch between views any time you want.

Note – You can run multiple instances of Network Views, each showing a different view, to display multiple views simultaneously.

 

To Select a View

4.3.3 Starting Network Views in a Specific View

By default, Network Views displays the Root view on startup. You can temporarily override this default behavior or specify a new default behavior to display whatever view you want when you start Network Views.

 

To Temporarily Override the Default View Setting

 

To Specify a New Default View

1. In the Network Views window, click File->Customize->Display Settings to display the Display Settings dialog box.

2. Select the Display tab, if it is not already selected.

3. Type the name of the view you want to use as the new default in the Default View field, and then click OK.

You can also modify the command line used to invoke Network Views from the various Solstice EM Tools menu, and the Network Views button in the Network Tools window, so that Network Views always starts with the view of your choice. See Section 4.4.8 Configuring the Tools Menu for instructions on configuring the Network Views Tools menu. These instructions apply to configuring the Tools menu in other Solstice EM tools in general. Also see Section 2.8 Modifying Tool Configurations for detailed instructions on configuring the Network Tools window.

4.3.4 Displaying and Selecting Objects

You can display objects by opening the view in which the object is located, or by using one of the Network Views search methods described in the next section, Searching for an Object.

Once an object is displayed, you can select it and perform management functions with it. For example, you could manage alarms, view or modify object properties, or copy objects to other views.

 

To Display and Select an Object Within a View

1. Open the view in which the object is located.

If you do not know where the object is located, use the search methods described in the next section.

2. Click once on the object to select it; use Control-click to select multiple objects.

Alternatively, you can select multiple objects by clicking and dragging to draw a bounding box around a group of objects.

4.3.5 Searching for an Object

Network Views provides two ways to search for objects in the current view or across multiple views:

 

To Search for an Object Using Find by Name

1. In the Network Views main window, type the name of the object you want to find in the Find by Name field, just below the Network Views toolbar, and then press Enter.

If only one such object exists, the view in which the object is located is opened and the object is selected. If multiple objects exist, the Multiple Views dialog is displayed, listing all instances of the object.

2. In the Multiple Views dialog, select the object you want to view, and then click Go to View.

 

To Search for an Object Using the Find Dialog

1. In the Network Views window, click Actions->Find to display the Find dialog.

2. Select the name of the MIS in which you want to search.

By default the MIS loaded when you started Network Views is selected.

3. Select the object type and/or type the name of the object for which you want to search.

You can use either or both of these options. Separate multiple object names with spaces.

4. Click Find to initiate the search.

5. In the Results pane, select the object you want to view.

6. Click Go to View to display the view containing the object.

4.3.6 Creating a Logical (Non-topological) View

You can create logical views--also known as non-topological views--that are based on logical relationships you define, rather than on physical network hierarchy. For example, you could create a view showing all your administration building routers in one view and all your campus file servers in another view.

The process of creating or modifying a logical view involves two general steps:

  1. Select the objects you want to include in the logical view.

  2. Add the selected objects to the new or existing logical view.

These steps are described in more detail below.

Note – By default, when you run a Network Discovery, a topological view is created--that is, a hierarchical view that directly corresponds to your physical network topology. You can override this behavior in the Network Discovery tool, so that newly discovered object will be added to a logical view. See Section 3.7 Creating a New MIS Managed Object Database for more information.

 

To Create a Logical View

1. In the Network Views window, click Actions->Find to display the Find dialog.

2. Select the name of the MIS in which you want to search for objects.

By default the MIS loaded when you started Network Views is selected.

3. Select the object type and/or type the name(s) of the object(s) for which you want to search.

You can use either or both of these options. Separate multiple object names with spaces.

4. Click Find to initiate the search.

5. In the Results pane, select the object(s) you want to include in the logical view.

6. Click Add to View to display the Add To dialog.

Alternatively, you can drag-and-drop with the middle mouse button to drop the selected objects into the current view.

7. Type a new or existing view name to which you want to add the selected objects, and then click Save.

8. Repeat Steps 2 through 7, if desired, to add other objects to the logical view; when you are finished, click Close to exit the Find dialog and return to the Network Views window.

4.3.7 Creating a Network Views Icon Object

You can create new Network Views icon objects in any one of three ways:

Note that the last method, using the View->Create View menu, only lets you create new view objects--that is, a container object of some type.

 

To Create an Icon Object With the Actions->Create Menu Item

 

To Create an Icon Object From the Object Palette

1. In the Network Views window, click Tools->Object Palette to display the Network Views Object Palette.

2. Select the desired subset of object types to display in the palette, if desired, by selecting the type you want from the Object Types drop-down list.

3. Double-click the icon representing the type of object you want to create.

The Object Properties dialog is displayed (same as invoking em_oct from the command line), from which you can specify various properties for the new icon object. See Section 4.5.4 Creating New Managed Objects for more information.
Alternatively, you can drag-and-drop with the middle mouse button to drop the selected objects from the object palette into the current view. This method does not open the Object Properties dialog.
 

To Create a View Object with the View->Create View Menu Item

4.3.8 Editing View Contents

You can copy and paste icon objects from one view to another. This can be a convenient way to build custom views. Alternatively, you can use the Actions->Find dialog to add selected objects to a view.

 

To Copy and Paste Objects From One View to Another

1. Display the view containing the object(s) you want to copy.

2. Select the object(s) you want to copy.

3. Click Edit->Copy.

4. Switch to the view into which you want to copy the object(s).

5. Click Edit->Paste to paste the objects into the current view.

 

To Add Objects to a View With the Find Dialog

1. In the Network Views window, click Actions->Find to display the Find dialog.

2. Select the name of the MIS containing the object(s) you want to add to a view.

By default the MIS loaded when you started Network Views is selected.

3. Select the object type and/or type the name(s) of the object(s) for which you want to search.

You can use either or both of these options. Separate multiple object names with spaces.

4. Click Find to initiate the search.

5. In the Results pane, select the object(s) you want to include in a different view.

6. Click Add to View to display the Add To dialog.

7. Type the name of the view to which you want to add the selected objects, and then click Save.

If you specify a new view name here, a view is created as a container object of the type Subnet in the Root view.

4.3.9 Deleting Objects From a View

You can delete objects from individual views or from all views in which they may be located.

Caution – Deleting icon objects from a view also deletes that object from the MIS. If you delete all instances of an object in all views, you will have also completely deleted that object from the MIS.

 

To Delete Objects From a View

1. Display the view containing the object(s) you want to delete.

2. Select the object(s) you want to delete.

3. Click Actions->Delete.

If the object exists in more than one view, you are asked whether you want to delete it in just the current view or in all views.

4.3.10 Zooming In or Out in the Current View

Network Views provides several zoom controls that let you adjust the magnification of a view or view region for the current view. Specifically, you can:

The Network Views zoom controls are available from the View->Zoom menu and from the Network Views toolbar, both of which are in the Network Views main window.


FIGURE 4-4   Network Views Toolbar Zoom Controls

The zoom level you set with the View->Zoom command applies to the current view only. To set zoom parameters for Network Views in general, use the procedures described in Section 4.4.3 Configuring Zoom Settings.

 

To Use View Zoom Controls

4.3.11 Navigating in Geographical Map Views

When you use a geographical map background in a view, the Network Views main window displays three additional Map toolbar buttons to the right of the Zoom controls. You can use these buttons to center the map in the view window, and pan across the map to see objects beyond the window edge.


FIGURE 4-5   Network Views Map Toolbar

See Section4.4.6 Using Background Images for information about configuring geographical map backgrounds.

 

To Navigate in a Geographical Map View

Alternatively, you can use the commands on the View->Background menu in the Network Views main window.

Note – The Map Toolbar and the View->Background menu are only enabled if you have configured Network Views to use a geographical map background. See Section 4.4.6 Using Background Images for more information.

4.3.12 Changing Icon Size in the Current View

You can change the size of icons in the current view by using the View->Icon Size command in the Network Views main window.

The icon size you set with the View->Icon Size command applies to the current view only. To set icon size parameters for Network Views in general, use the procedures described in Section 4.4.2 Configuring Icon and Label Display.

 

To Set the Icon Size in the Current View

4.3.13 Changing Label Size for the Current View

You can change the size of icon labels and view labels in the current view by using the View->Label Size command in the Network Views main window. Sizes are expressed as points in the current font.

The label size you set with the View->Label Size command applies to the current view only. Also, you can only change the label size with this command, and not the label font. To set label size and font parameters for Network Views in general, use the procedures described in Section 4.4.2 Configuring Icon and Label Display.

 

To Set the Label Size in the Current View

4.3.14 Changing the Background Image for the Current View

If a particular view is configured to use a background image, you can change the image that is used by modifying the container object's properties with the Object Properties tool.

Note – These instructions describe only how to change the background image used for a view. To use these instructions, you must configure the object and the Network Views tool to use background images, as described later in this chapter, in Section 4.4.6 Using Background Images.

 

To Change the Background Image for the Current View

1. Right-click the container object for which you want to change the background image, and click Properties from the pop-up menu.

2. In the Object Properties dialog, select the Display tab.

3. Type or browse for the name of the background image or geographical map background you want to use.

4. Click Apply.

4.3.15 Displaying Specific Object Types

Each of the Network Views object types--for example, Links, Hosts, Routers, Networks, and so forth--are stored in distinct logical layers. By default, all of these logical layers are displayed in any given view. If a large number of objects are in a single view, you may want to suppress the display of selected object types to make it easier to sort through the view.

Note – The Object Layers selection you make applies to all views in the current instance of Network Views. You can run multiple instances of Network Views, with each using a different Object Layers setting.

 

To Display Only Specific Object Types

1. In the Network Views main window, click File->Customize->Object Type Layers to display the Object Type Layers dialog box.

2. Select Selected Object Layers option.

3. Select the Object Layers you want to display.

4. Click OK.

4.3.16 Displaying Specific Map Layers

If you are using a geographical map for a view background, you can use the View->Background->Layers dialog to display only specific map layers. Similar to displaying specific object type layers, described above, this option can be useful for working with large or complex views.

See Section4.4.6 Using Background Images for instructions on configuring views to use background images, including geographical maps.

 

To Display Only Specific Map Layers

1. Ensure that the display of geographical map backgrounds is enabled, as described in Section 4.4.6 Using Background Images.

2. In the Network Views main window, click View->Background->Layers to display the Map Layers dialog.

3. In the Map Layers dialog, enable the Selected Map Layers option.

4. Select the map layers you want to display.

5. Click OK.

The specific map layers available depend on the map file you are using.

4.3.17 Saving and Loading View Settings

You can save your view settings--icon location, zoom area, icon and label sizes--so that when you restart viewer, these settings are used by default. Similarly, after moving icons, changing zoom levels, and resizing icons and labels, you can restore your initial view settings to get back to where you started.

When you exit Network Views, if any of your view settings have changed, you are prompted to save the changes.

 

To Save View Settings

1. Arrange your view to your liking.

For example, Layout, Icon Size, Label Size, Zoom.

2. Click View->Save Initial Values to View to display the Save to View dialog.

3. Select the location and zoom/size options, as desired.

4. Click Save.

 

To Restore View Settings

4.3.18 Viewing the Network Views Message Log

The Network Views Message Log displays system messages returned by Network Views. For example, viewing object properties spawns the em_oct process; this action, along with the parameters passed to em_oct, are displayed in the Network Views Message Log.

 

To View the Network Views Message Log

4.4 Configuring Object Icons and the Workspace

This section provides step-by-step instructions for configuring the Network Views workspace, menus, and default behaviors.

You may also want to refer to the following sections for information about other Network Views tasks:

4.4.1 Configuring General Display Properties

The Network Views window can be configured to display object information in a variety of ways with the settings on the Display tab in the File->Customize->Display Settings dialog. Specifically, the general Display settings are:

The settings you choose are used for all views in the current instance of Network Views. Subsequent instances of Network Views also inherit the settings.

Many display options can also be used on a per object basis. For example, you can specify background image and alarm severity propagation for an individual container object. See Section4.5.3 Modifying Object Properties for instructions on modifying individual object properties.

 

To Configure General Display Properties

1. In the Network Views main window, click File->Customize->Display Settings to display the Display Settings dialog box.

2. Select the Display tab, if it is not already selected.

3. Select a Canvas Layout option.

4. Type the name of a Default View.

See Section4.3.3 Starting Network Views in a Specific View for more information about default views.

5. Enable or disable the display of Alarm Severity Relationships.

Enabling this option displays peer to peer propagation relationships drawn as dashed lines from node to node in the relationship. An arrow indicates the direction of propagation. Enabling this option causes Network Views to display the associated alarm severity color on the label in addition to the icon. The colored icon objects and labels give the node's condition greater visibility. For objects without children, this color is the same as that for Propagated Alarm Severity. See Section 4.6.3 Propagating Alarm Severity for more details.

6. Enable or disable the Show Severity on Label Background option.

Enabling this option colors icon labels based on alarm severities, as described in Section 4.4.4 Customizing Color Settings.

7. Enable or disable the Display Background Image option.

Enabling this option causes the currently selected background image to be displayed. See Section4.4.6 Using Background Images for more information.

8. Click OK to apply your settings and exit the Display Settings dialog, or click Apply if you want to modify other settings in the dialog before exiting.

4.4.2 Configuring Icon and Label Display

You can separately configure the display of icons and icon labels in Network Views windows. Specifically, you can specify default size, scaling and font sizes with the settings on the Icon/Label tab in the File->Customize->Display Settings dialog box.

Icon and icon label colors are specified on the Colors tab in the same dialog box, as described in Section 4.4.4 Customizing Color Settings.

 

To Configure Icon and Label Display

1. In the Network Views main window, click File->Customize->Display Settings to display the Display Settings dialog box.

2. Select the Icon/Label tab, if it is not already selected.

3. Select a default Icon Size.

Icon sizes are displayed in terms of percentages of icon size, as defined in given file. Icon files are stored by default in the $EM_HOME/glyphs directory.

4. Select Icons always display using this value, if desired.

Selecting this option causes all icons to be displayed at the same size, regardless of zoom level or any previously saved view settings. Selecting this option disables the View->Icon Size command in the Network Views main window.

5. Select an icon Label Font.

This is the font that will be used to display all icon labels.

6. Select an icon Label Size.

7. Select Labels always display using these values, if desired.

Selecting this option causes all icon labels to be displayed at the same size, regardless of zoom level or any previously saved view settings. Selecting this option disables the View->Label Size command in the Network Views main window.

8. Click OK to apply your settings and exit the Display Settings dialog, or click Apply if you want to modify other settings in the dialog before exiting.

4.4.3 Configuring Zoom Settings

You can specify how icons and icon labels are scaled, zoom increments, and the zoom level at which icon labels are suppressed, by using the settings on the Zoom tab in the File->Customize->Display Settings dialog.

Note – The settings on this tab are only used if either or both the "Icons always display using this value," or "Labels always display using these values" options are left unselected on the Icon/Label tab, described above.

 

To Configure Zoom Settings

1. In the Network Views main window, click File->Customize->Display Settings to display the Display Settings dialog box.

2. Select the Zoom tab, if it is not already selected.

3. Click Modify, if you want to specify icon and icon label maximum and minimum scaling settings.

The Variable Icon/Label Size dialog is displayed.
  1. Select the minimum icon size to display.
  2. Select the minimum zoom level at which the minimum icon size will be displayed.
    Icon sizes will not scale any smaller than the minimum size at the minimum zoom level.

  3. Select the maximum icon size to display.
  4. Select the maximum zoom level at which the maximum icon size will be displayed.
    Icon sizes will not scale any larger than the maximum size at the maximum zoom level.

4. Select a Zoom Increment.

The percentage you specify is used each time you click one of the Network Views zoom tools, described in Section 4.3.10 Zooming In or Out in the Current View.

5. Select a percentage below which the display of icon labels will be suppressed.

6. Click OK to save your settings and exit the Display Settings dialog, or click Apply if you want to modify other settings in the dialog.

4.4.4 Customizing Color Settings

You can use the options on the Colors tab in the File->Customize->Display Settings dialog box to specify colors for general presentation purposes and to indicate alarm status. Specifically, you can control colors for:

 

To Specify Alarm Status Color

1. In the Network Views main window, click File->Customize->Display Settings to display the Display Settings dialog box.

2. Select the Colors tab, if it is not already selected.

3. In the Icon Status Color Source group, select the color source option you want to use:

4. Click OK to save your settings and exit the Display Settings dialog, or click Apply if you want to modify other settings in the dialog.

The following table lists the default alarm severity mapping used by Network Views.

TABLE 4-3   Default Alarm Severity Color Mapping 
Color Alarm Severity
Red
 Critical
Orange
 Major
Cyan
 Minor
Yellow
 Warning
Blue
 Indeterminate


 

To Set Network Views Presentation Colors

1. In the Network Views main window, click File->Customize->Display Settings to display the Display Settings dialog box.

2. Select the Colors tab, if it is not already selected.

3. In the Presentation group, select the item you want to modify, and then click Modify to open the Color Chooser dialog box.

You can modify the colors for Viewer Canvas (background), Object Selection, and Object Label Text.
  1. Grab a color, if desired, from another item on your desktop, by clicking Grab Color and then clicking on the item with the desired color.
  2. User the Color Editor controls, if desired, to create a custom color.

    • R, G, and B - Red, green, and blue color values
    • Hue - Color balance
    • Saturation ( ) - Color purity
    • Brightness ( ) - Dark/light value
  3. Click OK to save the color and return to the Display Settings dialog.

4. Repeat Step 3 for each item you want to modify.

5. Click OK to save your settings and exit the Display Settings dialog, or click Apply if you want to modify other settings in the dialog.

4.4.5 Customizing View Layout

You can arrange the icons in your views in four general ways by using the View->Layout command in the Network Views main window. The four general layout patterns are as follows:

Following immediately below is the general procedure for customizing your view layout. Each layout style has it its own set of options; refer to the subsequent procedures in this section to set options for the layout style you want to use.

The View->Layout command spawns the em_layout binary, if desired, you can run em_layout directly from the command line, outside of Network Views. See Section4.8.1.3 Network Views Layout Options for more information about the em_layout command.

 

To Customize Your View Layout

1. In the Network Views main window, click View->Layout to display the Layout dialog box.

2. Select the Layout Style you want to use from the drop-down list.

3. Specify the desired options for the layout style you have selected.

Refer to the procedures immediately below for more information.

4. Click Apply to update the current view with the options you have selected without exiting the Layout dialog.

Note – Your modifications affect only the current view in the current instance of Network Views. If you add icons to the current view after modifying the layout settings, the new icons do not automatically align according to your settings; you must use the Layout dialog again to apply layout settings to the new icons.

5. Click View->Save Initial Values to View to save the new layout options.

6. Click OK to update the view and exit the dialog.

 

To Set Tile Layout Options

1. In the View->Layout dialog, select Tile from the Layout Style list.

2. Specify horizontal and vertical spacing values, as desired.

3. Specify whether you want the view to contain a fixed number of columns.

If yes, the view will contain the number of columns you specify; otherwise the number of columns will vary according to window size.

4. Click OK or Apply to update the view with your settings.

 

To Set Tree Layout Options

1. In the View->Layout dialog, select Tree from the Layout Style list.

2. Specify whether you want the tree orientation to be horizontal or vertical.

3. Specify whether you want objects at the same hierarchical level to be top-aligned, center-aligned, or bottom-aligned.

4. Specify horizontal and vertical spacing values, as desired.

5. Specify the minimum slope for connecting lines between icons.

Depending on the number of objects in your view, this option can affect the width or height of the displayed object tree.

6. Click OK or Apply to update the view with your settings.

 

To Set Mesh Layout Options

1. In the View->Layout dialog, select Mesh from the Layout Style list.

2. Select mesh options, as desired.

3. Click OK or Apply to update the view with your settings.

 

To Set Cluster Layout Options

1. In the View->Layout dialog, select Cluster from the Layout Style list.

2. Select Cluster options, as desired.

3. Click OK or Apply to update the view with your settings.

4.4.6 Using Background Images

You can configure your Network Views container objects to display a background image. This image can either be a simple bitmap or a geographical map based on real-world latitude and longitude coordinates. For example, you could use a geographical map that displays a blueprint of your building with the location of servers and printers.

The procedure for using background images involves three general steps:

  1. Configure Object Properties - You use the Object Properties dialog to specify the simple bitmap and/or geographical map you want to use for a container object background image.

  2. Enable the display of background images - You can enable or disable the display of background images with the Display Background Image option on the Display tab in the File->Customize->Display Settings dialog.

  3. Enable either a logical or geographical image - You can associate both a simple bitmap and geographical map with an object. The background image that is displayed depends on the Canvas Layout option you select on the Display tab in the File->Customize->Display Settings dialog. If you select Logical for the Canvas layout option, the simple bitmap is used; if you specify Geographical, the geographical map is used.

The procedures for using background images are described below. Please note that the instructions in this section describe the Object Properties dialog and the Display Settings dialog only to the extent required to configure background images. You may also want to refer to the following sections:

 

To Use a Simple Bitmap Background

1. In the Network Views main window, select the container object for which you want to use a background image.

Note – Network Views supports Sun Raster files for background images.

2. Right-click on the object to display the pop-up menu, and then click Properties to display the Object Properties dialog.

3. In the Object Properties dialog, select the Display tab.

4. Type or browse for the name of the Background Image you want to use.

5. Click Apply.

By default, background images are installed in the $EM_HOME/images directory.

6. In the Network Views main window, click File->Customize->Display Settings to open the Display Settings dialog.

7. Select the Display tab, if it is not already selected.

8. Select Logical for the Canvas Layout option.

9. Select On for the Display Background Image option.

10. Click Apply or OK to update the selected view with the background image.

 

To Use a Geographical Map Background

1. In the Network Views main window, select the container object for which you want to use a geographical map background.

You can only use map backgrounds with container objects, like networks and subnetworks. You cannot use map backgrounds with non-container objects, like devices and links.

Note – Several sample geographical map files are provided with your Solstice EM distribution. To install the maps, refer to the instructions in the Solstice EM Installation Guide. The sample map data, if installed, is located by default in $EM_HOME/mapdata directory.

2. Right-click on the object to display the pop-up menu, and then click Properties to display the Object Properties dialog.

3. In the Object Properties dialog, select the Display tab.

4. Type or browse for the name of the Geographical Map you want to use and then click Apply.

By default, geographical maps are installed in the $EM_HOME/mapdata directory.

5. In the Network Views main window, click File->Customize->Display Settings to open the Display Settings dialog.

6. Select the Display tab, if it is not already selected.

7. Select Geographical for the Canvas Layout option.

8. Select On for the Display Background Image option.

9. Click Apply or OK to update the selected view with the geographical map.

See Section 4.3.11 Navigating in Geographical Map Views for instructions on moving around in views that use a geographical map background.

4.4.7 Configuring Double-click Actions

You can use the File->Customize->Double Click Action command to configure the action that occurs when you double-click an object in the Network Views window. By default, double-clicking on container objects switches to the associated object view, whereas clicking on non-container objects, such as devices and links, opens the Alarms tool (em_alarmmgr).

You can configure a unique double-click action for each object type in your Network Views environment. For example, you can configure different actions for hubs and routers.

 

To Configure Double-click Actions

1. In the Network Views main window, click File->Customize->Double Click Action to display the Configure Double Click Action dialog.

2. Select the object type for which you want to configure an action.

3. In the Command field, type the command you want to use for the double-click action, and then click Apply.

See Section 4.8.2 Network Views Command and Variable Macros for a list of the commands you can use in this field.

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 to configure additional double-click actions, if desired.

4.4.8 Configuring the Tools Menu

You can use the File->Customize->Tools Menu to add, modify, or remove commands from the Network Views Tools menu.

 

To Add a Tools Menu Entry

1. In the Network Views main window, click File->Customize->Tools Menu to display the Configure Tools dialog.

2. In the Applications list, select the name that precedes the list location where you want to insert the new application.

For example, to insert a new tools menu entry after an existing application named "Application A," select "Application A."

3. Type a new name in the Application Name field.

This is the name that will be displayed on the Tools menu.

Note – If the Application Name field has not been changed before clicking Add, the user will receive the error message: "Add Failed: Duplicate Application Name."

4. In the Path to Executable field, type the path and name of the executable you want to associate with the menu entry.

For example, if you wanted to add the Network Discovery tool (em_discover) to the menu, you would type:
$EM_HOME/bin/em_discover

5. In the Arguments field, type any command line arguments you want to pass to the executable.

For example, if you wanted to run the Network Discovery GUI and connect to the default MIS, you would type:
-host EM_MIS -T