Using the Topology Map in ObserveOps
Once you load a topology map by clicking an entry in the sidebar, the canvas shows you the full picture of how that entry point connects to the rest of your infrastructure. You can interact with nodes and links directly on the canvas, adjust how the map looks, and export the data for offline use. The toolbar above the canvas gives you all the controls you need.
Toolbar Controls
The toolbar appears above the canvas on every topology tab.
| Control | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Search (Ctrl + F) | Highlights a specific node on the canvas by name or IP. The canvas pans to the matching node and brings it into focus. Use this when your map has many nodes and you need to locate a specific device quickly. |
| Expanded | Loads the entire topology at once — all nodes appear on the canvas simultaneously. Use this for smaller topologies where you want the full picture immediately. |
| Progressive | Loads the topology level by level, starting from the central seed node and expanding outward one hop at a time. Use this for large topologies where loading everything at once makes the canvas too dense to read. |
| Full View | Switches the canvas to a force-directed layout where nodes arrange themselves based on their connections. All nodes and their links are visible at once. |
| Tree View | Switches the canvas to a hierarchical tree layout that shows parent-child relationships with the seed node at the top. Use this to understand the depth and hierarchy of your topology. |
| Export As XML | Downloads the current topology as an XML file. Use this to import the topology into network documentation tools or to archive a point-in-time snapshot of your infrastructure layout. |
| Advanced Configuration | Opens a configuration panel where you can enable overlay labels and adjust force simulation settings. See the sections below for details. |
| Create Topology View | Saves a filtered, named version of the current topology to the sidebar. Available when a seed topology is selected. |
Layer 3 Toggle (Network Tab Only)
The Layer 3 switch in the toolbar appears only on the Network tab. Toggle it ON to include Layer 3 routing devices and inter-subnet paths on the canvas. Toggle it OFF to show only Layer 2 switch connections. Use it when you want to isolate your switching topology from your routing topology for clearer analysis.
Canvas Navigation
| Action | How to Do It |
|---|---|
| Pan | Click and drag on an empty area of the canvas |
| Zoom in / out | Scroll the mouse wheel, or use the + and - buttons in the bottom-left corner |
| Center the map | Use the navigation arrows at the bottom-left of the canvas to move the viewport |
| Click a node | Opens the node detail panel showing real-time health, monitor status, and alerts |
| Hover a node | Shows a tooltip with the device name and IP address |
| Click a link | Opens the link detail panel showing interface names, link status, and In/Out traffic |
| Minimap | The small map in the bottom-right corner shows your current position within a large canvas. Click and drag inside the minimap to move quickly across the canvas. |
Node Health Colors
| Color | State | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Clear | All monitors for this node are healthy |
| Red | Critical | One or more critical monitors have failed or the device is unreachable |
| Orange | Warning | At least one monitor is in a warning state |
| Purple / Gray | Unknown | The device is monitored but current status data is not available |
Link States
Links between nodes are color-coded to show the status of the connection:
| Color | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Green | The link is up and operating normally |
| Red | The link is down or the interface is reporting a critical state |
| Gray | The link status is unknown |
Click any link to open its detail panel. The panel shows the source interface, the target interface, link protocol, and current In/Out traffic values. Click the interface name in the detail panel to drill down to the full interface monitor page.
Overlay Labels (Advanced Configuration)
The Advanced Configuration panel has three overlay toggles. Each toggle adds additional label information directly onto the canvas — on the nodes or links — without opening side panels.
All three overlays are per-user and off by default. Enabling an overlay only affects your view. Other users see the topology without your overlay settings.
Show Node IP Address
Toggle this on to display each node's IP address below its hostname label on the canvas. Use this when you're working an incident and need to match a device name to a known IP without clicking into each node individually.
Show Link Discovery Protocol
Toggle this on to display the protocol name on each link between connected nodes — for example, LLDP, CDP, BGP, or OSPF. Use this to verify which protocol is building each connection and to spot unexpected protocol usage across your network.
Show Interface Names
Toggle this on to display the interface name at each end of a link — for example, GigabitEthernet0/1 at the source and GigabitEthernet1/2 at the target. Use this to identify exactly which physical ports are carrying the connection, which speeds up troubleshooting when you need to trace a cable or reconfigure a port.
You can enable multiple overlays at the same time. On large topologies with many nodes, multiple overlays can reduce canvas readability. Turn off overlays when you no longer need them.
Force Simulation (Advanced Configuration)
Force Simulation controls how nodes are automatically positioned and spaced on the canvas. Adjust these sliders when nodes overlap, cluster too tightly, or spread too far apart to read comfortably.
All Force Simulation settings are per-user and do not affect other users' views.
Node Distance
Controls the target spacing between connected nodes. Increase the value to push nodes further apart. Decrease it to bring nodes closer together. Adjust this first when your topology looks too dense or too spread out.
Repulsion Strength
Controls how strongly nodes push away from each other regardless of their connections. A higher value spreads all nodes more aggressively across the canvas. Use this when nodes from different clusters overlap and adjusting Node Distance alone is not enough.
Gravity
Controls how strongly all nodes are pulled toward the center of the canvas. Higher gravity keeps the topology compact. Lower gravity allows nodes to spread outward. Reduce gravity on large topologies where you want more room between clusters.
Click Reset to Defaults at the bottom of the Advanced Configuration panel to restore all Force Simulation sliders to their original values if your adjustments make the topology harder to read.
Click Apply to persist your overlay and Force Simulation settings for the next time you open this topology view.