netViz Inova - Data
   
Groups and Containers

Most drawing programs have a grouping function: select two or more objects, group them, and you now have one object.

netViz also has a grouping function... but it's intelligent. When you group two or more objects that are graphically nested (the outer one is a container for the inner ones), netViz extends that structure into the data dimension. This is extremely useful for tracing connections in your documentation.

Example: Your equipment room has several equipment racks. One of these racks contains three hubs. Each hub contains eight ports. Each port is connected to a remote workstation. Use the netViz grouping function to set up each hub as a container for its ports. Also, set up the rack as a container for the hubs. Now when you trace a connection to a particular port, netViz instantly tells you which hub and rack it's in (and that eliminates further tracing).


In this Connectivity View, Patch Panel C is configured as a container

Alias Objects
An alias is a separate instance of the object it represents. Aliases enable you to show a single object in multiple places throughout your documentation, without increasing the number of objects. An object's embedded data can be viewed and edited from any of the object's aliases.

Creating aliases is simple: Select one or more objects, copy to the clipboard, then Paste As Alias (a special edit menu command). You can paste aliases in the same diagram as the original or in different diagrams.

Here are two applications for aliases:

  • Show physical and logical networks with one set of objects. A network's physical layout is often the best starting point for documentation, because it supports high priority activities like troubleshooting. Sometimes, however, you need to see a network's logical organization. Aliases enable you to replicate any set of nodes, paste them as aliases in a new diagram, then rearrange them to show a different perspective.
  • Show a node it its own subdiagram. This allows one node to appear in appropriate levels of a multilevel project.
<- spä na obsah ďalej ->
   
Request form | Download | Inova | netViz | Datacom | e-mail