Table Of Contents
Relationship Between Maps, Layers, Symbols, and Entities
Configuring Map Books and Pages
Starting the Objective View Map Editor
Creating Symbols on the Current Layer
Using Drag and Drop to Copy a Symbol
Displaying the Symbol Inspector
Selecting the Line Style Width
Selecting the Line Style Appearance
Creating a New Access List Entry
Modifying an Access List Entry
Objective View Map Editor
This chapter describes the Objective View Map Editor and provides information about configuring maps.
This chapter includes the following sections:
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Configuring Map Books and Pages
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Introduction
The Objective View Map Editor allows you to create interactive, graphical representations of your network topologies that can be viewed in the Objective View Desktop tool. The interactive maps represent and reflect the status of the network.
The following sections contain some useful terminology and concepts for configuring maps.
Map Books and Pages
A map book is a collection of Map pages. Map books are created in the Objective View Map Editor and used by the Objective View. All objective views start with a map book.
Map pages have unique names and contain the visible parts of an Objective View map.
For information about creating and editing map books and pages, see Configuring Map Books and Pages.
Layers
Layers enable you to separate different objects on a Map page. For example, you may create one layer containing only a background image over which your network elements are placed. A second layer may contain symbols for the network elements, and a third may contain text labels for those symbols. You can then select and move, for example, the text labels without disturbing the positions of the symbols.
The default Map page is made up of three layers; however, you can create any number of layers.
For information about configuring layers, see Configuring Layers.
Symbols
Each layer of a Map page can contain any number of symbols. A symbol is a graphical representation of a network element. There are three major groups of symbols:
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For information about creating and editing symbols, see Configuring Symbols.
Drawn Symbols
A drawn symbol can be:
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Image Symbols
An image symbol is a rectangular area filled with a bitmap image. This is typically used for icons or background images.
Link Symbols
A link symbol is a line which links two other symbols. This is used to represent an interconnection between two network elements.
Symbol Properties
A symbol can carry one or more of the following attributes:
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Symbol Groups
Symbols can be grouped together and manipulated as a single symbol. A symbol group cannot be associated with an entity.
Entities
Entities are used for deriving the status of network elements being monitored by Cisco Info Center. There are two forms of entities:
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Entities are shared between all Map pages and layers. For information about creating entities, see Configuring Entities.
Styles
Styles are used to define the visual appearance of symbols. A style defines color, line drawing style, and fill colors. Each style has a name. Styles are shared between all Map pages and layers.
For information about configuring styles, Configuring Styles.
Symbols and Styles
Each symbol can be associated with a named style to define most of its visual appearance. If no style is associated with a symbol, the Default style is used.
The feedback option in the Symbol Inspector window defines the way in which a symbol graphically displays it status.
Actions
One of the properties of a symbol is its action. This defines what happens when you double-click the symbol.
Relationship Between Maps, Layers, Symbols, and Entities
Figure 8-1 shows the relationship between maps, layers, symbols, and entities.
Figure 8-1 Relationship Between Maps, Layers, Symbols, and Entities
In the Objective View Map Editor, the entities are not evaluated so there is no status display. It is only in the Objective View the evaluation takes place.
Configuring Map Books and Pages
This section describes how to use the Objective View Map Editor to create and edit map books and pages.
Starting the Objective View Map Editor
You can start the Objective View Map Editor using the following methods:
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$OMNIHOME/bin/nco_ove &
The Objective View Map Editor is shown in Figure 8-2.
Figure 8-2 Objective View Map Editor
Creating a New Map Book
To create a new map book, from the Objective View Map Editor, choose File > New. This displays an empty Objective View Map Editor. You can then name the book and create new Map pages.
Opening a Map Book
To load a map book from the Objective View Map Editor:
Step 1
A file selection window appears.
Step 2
Map book files are identified by the file name extension .map.
Creating a New Map Page
From the Objective View Map Editor, click the Create button. Use the Create Map Page window to create the new Map page.
Editing a Map Page
To edit a Map page from the Objective View Map Editor, double-click the Map page in the list. The Map Page Editor window appears.
Map page windows are described in Map Page Window.
Deleting a Map Page
To delete a page from the map book, from the Objective View Map Editor, select the Map page in the list, then click the Delete button.
Renaming a Map Page
To rename a Map page from the Objective View Map Editor:
Step 1
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Use the Rename Page window to rename the Map page.
Saving Map Books
To save a map book, from the Objective View Map Editor, choose File > Save.
If you are saving a new map book, a file selection window appears allowing you to enter a file name. The file name is displayed in the Title bar of the Objective View Map Editor. If the Title bar displays [None] as the file name, this option operates as the File > Save As option.
The File > Save As option displays a file selection window and allows you to select a directory and file name to save the map book.
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Map Page Window
The Map Page window is where a Map page can be manipulated and edited. Layers can be created, renamed, and deleted. Symbols can then be added, positioned, modified, associated with entities and styles, or deleted on those layers.
The Map Page window is shown in Figure 8-3.
Figure 8-3 Map Page Window
Map Page Window Menu Bar
The Map Page window has the following menus: File, Edit, Layer, Windows, and Help. A Tools menu may or may not be active. When active, it shows an administrator-defined menu of tools.
Configuring Layers
When a Map page is created, it is given three default layers. It is suggested you use these three layers for their recommended purposes and add extra layers, if required. The default layers are:
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Figure 8-4 shows an example Map page and how it is broken down into the three default layers.
Figure 8-4 Default Map Page Layers
Creating and Managing Layers
To create and manage layers, on the Map Page window, choose Layer > Edit. As shown in Figure 8-4, you can do the following from the Layers window.
Current Layer Button
The Current Layer button in the Map Page window shows which layer is currently in use for selection and editing. You can click this button to select another layer to work on.
Configuring Symbols
A symbol is a graphical representation of a network element that appears on the Objective View. This section contains information about creating and manipulating symbols.
Using the Symbol Palette
The Symbol Palette window is used for creating symbols on any layer. To display it, from the Map Page window, choose Windows > Symbol Palette.
The symbol palette contains the symbols that can be created on a layer. There may be more symbols on the palette than in the above example. These extra symbols appear if there are classes defined in the Cisco Info Center system. The extra class symbols are functionally the same as the Image symbol except they have a pre-defined icon. The Image symbol is used for creating bitmap symbols.
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Creating Symbols on the Current Layer
To create a symbol on the current layer:
Step 1
Step 2
Figure 8-5 shows the Symbol Palette and Map Page windows.
Figure 8-5 Drag and Drop From the Symbol Palette
Selecting Symbols
You can select symbols on the currently selected layer. To select a single symbol, click the symbol with the mouse.
To select multiple symbols, do one of the following:
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When a symbol is selected, small squares appear at its corners. You can use these selection markers to change the shape of some symbols. See Changing the Shape of Symbols.
Changing the Shape of Symbols
When you select a symbol, corner markers appear. You can use the mouse to click and drag these corner markers to change the size of the symbol.
This method works differently for line, text and image symbols, as follows:
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Moving Symbols
To move a symbol on the currently selected layer:
Step 1
See Selecting Symbols.
Step 2
When a number of symbols are selected, the symbols are moved as a group, retaining positions relative to each other.
Modifying Symbol Properties
You can change the following symbol properties:
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Step 1
A popup menu appears. The title of the popup menu is the type of symbol you are viewing.
Step 2
If the Symbol Inspector window is not already displayed, it appears.
For details on using the Symbol Inspector window see Using the Symbol Inspector.
Creating Link Symbols
A link symbol is a special type of symbol. It is not available on the symbol palette because it only acts as a link between two other symbols. To create a link symbol:
Step 1
Step 2
The pointer changes to a filled circle.
Step 3
This is shown in Figure 8-6.
Figure 8-6 Linking Symbols
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Step 4
Modifying Link Symbols
You can move link symbols in the same way as line symbols; however, the symbol at the other end of the link is moved as well.
For information about moving symbols, see Moving Symbols.
Dragging and Dropping Symbols
The Objective View Map Editor allows you to drag and drop symbols within and between Map pages. To drag and drop a symbol:
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Dragging and Dropping a Group
If you drag and drop a symbol that is part of a group, the operation applies to the entire group.
Using Drag and Drop to Copy a Symbol
To drag a copy of the selected symbol to another location, press the Control key while dragging with the middle mouse button.
Grouping Symbols
You can combine multiple symbols into a single group. A group can be manipulated as a single object. To create a group:
Step 1
See Selecting Symbols.
Step 2
The symbols are combined into a single group. When you select a group, it is selected as a single object, as shown in Figure 8-7.
Figure 8-7 Symbol Groups
Using Groups
When symbols are grouped, you can no longer access the individual symbol properties that make up the group. The group has its own properties that obscure the properties of the individual symbols.
You can access the group's properties by right-clicking the group and choosing Edit from the popup menu.
Deleting Symbols
You can delete symbols using the following methods:
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For information about selecting multiple symbols, see Selecting Symbols.
Grid Options
You can use the grid to help you precisely position symbols and other objects on the Map page. Choose Windows > Grid Options to display the Grid Options window as shown in Figure 8-8.
Figure 8-8 Grid Options
You can configure the grid using the following buttons and fields:
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Using the Symbol Inspector
The Symbol Inspector window allows you to modify the state of a symbol. The following states can be changed:
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Displaying the Symbol Inspector
To display the Symbol Inspector window, do one of the following:
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Using the Symbol Inspector
The Symbol Inspector window shows the settings of the currently selected symbol in the Map page. The symbol type is displayed in the top left corner, unless the symbol has a label, in which case it displays the label name.
When a symbol is selected, the Apply and Undo buttons are active. Apply sets any changes made in the inspector to the symbol. Undo resets the inspector to the state it was in when the symbol was originally selected, or when Apply was last pressed (whichever is most recent).
If no symbol is selected, the inspector displays the message Inspecting: Nothing in the top left corner of the inspector. The rest of the Symbol Inspector window is disabled, apart from the Close and Help buttons.
Symbol Appearance
To display the visual attributes of the selected symbol, set the Symbol Inspector window Showing option button to Appearance. An example Symbol Inspector window is shown in Figure 8-9.
Figure 8-9 Symbol Inspector - Appearance
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Symbol Appearance Information
The Symbol Inspector window displays the symbol appearance information in Table 8-2.
Table 8-2 Symbol Inspector Appearance Fields and Options
Style
The Style option button controls the style with which the symbol is drawn. The styles are edited using the Style Editor window as described in Configuring Styles.
Layer
When a symbol is created, it is placed on the current layer. This layer name is displayed for each symbol in the Layer option button. To move a symbol between layers, select a new layer on the Layer button.
Position
Most symbols have X and Y coordinates to set their position on the Map page. The position may be changed in the Position X and Y fields to fine tune positions on the Map page. This entry is not available for lines and links.
Size
Many symbols are defined with the Size, Width, and Height fields, which indicate how wide and tall a symbol is. The Size field is disabled for group, text, image, link, and line symbols, which all derive their size in a different way.
Label
For text symbols the label defines the text string displayed by the symbol. For all other symbols, it defines a text string which appears beneath the symbol as its visual label.
Filled
For rectangle, circle, ellipse, and rounded rectangle symbols, you can fill the symbol with the background color.
Select Yes on the Filled option button to enable the filling option. Select No on the Filled option button to make the symbol transparent.
Line
Line symbols are defined by a start position (X1,Y1) and an end position (X2,Y2). The Line X1, Y1, X2, and Y2 fields allow you to edit the start and end positions. The line option is only available for line symbols.
Arrows
Line and link symbols can have arrows (or other end markers defined by the style) at the ends of the line or link. The Arrows option button allows you to select:
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Image
For image symbols, the image selector allows you to select a bitmap image. Move the slider to step through the available images.
If a required image is not preloaded, click the Add Image button to display a list of GIF files present in the $OMNIHOME/backdrops directory. These are usually large images of maps for backgrounds.
Select one of these images from the list to load it into the image cache, at which point it can be selected using the slider. The image is available to any other image symbol as it is now present in the cache.
Symbol Associations
To display the entity and action attributes of the selected symbol, set the Symbol Inspector window Showing option to Associations. The Symbol Inspector window is shown in Figure 8-10.
Figure 8-10 Symbol Inspector - Associations
Symbol Associations Information
The Symbol Inspector window displays the symbol association information shown in Table 8-3.
Table 8-3 Symbol Inspector Association Fields and Options
Class
The Class field allows you to select a class value for the symbol. The class determines the tools appearing for the symbol in the Objective View.
Creating menus and classes is covered in Introduction to Process Control.
Entity
You can associate a symbol with an entity by selecting an entity from the list. This entity has a status based on its own association with a filter. In the Objective View, each symbol associated with an entity displays the entity's status. If no entity is selected, the symbol has no status information.
For information about entities, see Entities.
Feedback
When a symbol is associated with an entity, it needs to display the entity status. The Feedback selector allows you to select the way to display that status. Choose from the following feedback settings:
Fill Background—the background of the symbol is filled with the status color. For lines and links, Fill Background changes the line/link color. For images, the rectangle behind the image is filled with the status color.
Highlight Bar—a bar is drawn below the symbol in the status color.
Outline—for most symbols, the line color of the symbol changes to the status color. For text and image symbols, a box is drawn around the symbol in the status color.
Overlay Bar—this is similar to Highlight Bar except the bar is drawn over the middle of the symbol. For text symbols, the background color of the text changes to the status color.
Overlay String—this is similar to Overlay Bar except the string value of the status (for example, Critical or Warning) is drawn over the middle of the symbol. This option operates in the same way as the Overlay Bar option on text, line, or link symbols.
Action
A symbol may have an action associated with it. The Action option button setting determines what the symbol does when you double-click the symbol in the Objective View. Choose from the following action settings:
Show List—if a symbol is associated with an entity, this displays the currently open Event List with the filter and view of the associated entity.
If an Event List is not running, one is started that has no Filter/View bar. Instead, it uses the entity's filter and view settings. This special Event List does not appear in the Monitor box window of the Event List tool.
Show Map—displays a map. Enter the map name in the Action field below the Action option button. You can use this option to link maps so an entire map book can be easily navigated. See Map Books and Pages.
Execute—executes an external command. The Action field becomes a command field, as described in Using the Entity Manager.
None—gives the symbol no action.
Redirect
This option is used in conjunction with the Execute action.
The Redirect Output toggle button controls what happens to the output when a command is run. When selected, output is displayed in a read-only window. When not selected, output is discarded.
The Redirect Errors toggle button controls what happens to the errors when a command is run. When selected, errors are displayed in a read-only window. When not selected, error messages are discarded.
Creating Commands for Symbols
When a symbol has an execute action defined, it requires a command. This section contains information about creating:
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To define a command you must have:
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Simple Commands
A command may not require any substituted information. For example, if a menu item is required which runs the xterm program, the command would be:
xterm
Simple commands are ideal for starting local tools.
Commands with Elements
A command may require extra information while it is running (for example, a password). You can indicate this extra information using a command element.
To insert an element:
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The Command Elements window appears, as shown in Figure 8-11.
Figure 8-11 Command Elements Window
Step 3
You can choose from:
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The Elements window stays open, but the appropriate string is inserted into the command string.
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Commands with Parameters
When information is required before starting a command, a parameter must be used. For example, starting a telnet session may require a host name and password. The command in this case would contain two parameters: one for the host name and one for the password.
These parameters are gathered before a tool starts running and the information entered is used in the command. To enter a command parameter:
Step 1
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The Parameter Builder window appears.
Figure 8-12 Command Parameters Window
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The Parameter Builder window stays open, however, the parameter is inserted into the command string.
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Notes
To display the note attributes of the selected symbol, set the Symbol Inspector window to Notes. An example Symbol Inspector window is shown in Figure 8-13.
Figure 8-13 Symbol Inspector - Notes
A note may be displayed on request inside the Objective View. Enter the required text into the text panel, then click Apply to add the note to the symbol.
Configuring Entities
You can associate entities with symbols so that symbols can display status information about the Objective View. An entity is comprised of two components: a filter and a view.
The filter determines what status information is displayed by symbols associated with the entity. For example, if you want a symbol to display the highest severity alert related to a node named node1, you can create an entity with a filter that reads Node='node1'. You then associate this entity with a symbol using the Symbol Inspector window. When the symbol is used in the Objective View, it shows the highest severity alert related to node1.
For information about symbols and the Symbol Inspector window, see Configuring Symbols.
Types of Entities
There are two types of entities: filtered and dependent.
A filtered entity displays the highest alert severity resulting from a filtered interrogation of the alerts.status table. The severity color is displayed on an Objective View symbol.
A dependent entity has no filter. Instead, you associate it with multiple filtered entities. It then derives its status from these filtered entities.
Using the Entity Manager
To create and manage entities, use the Entity Manager window, as shown in Figure 8-14. This is displayed by clicking the Entity button in the Objective View Map Editor's main window.
Figure 8-14 Entity Manager Window
Creating an Entity
To create an entity:
Step 1
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The Update button turns red.
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The options are:
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Step 5
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Step 6
The entity is created. You can now associate symbols with the new entity.
Modifying an Entity
To modify an entity:
Step 1
Its name is displayed in the Name field.
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Any change makes the Update button turn red.
Step 3
Renaming an Entity
To rename an entity:
Step 1
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A window appears prompting you for the new name.
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The name is then changed.
Deleting an Entity
To delete an entity, select the entity in the list, then click the Delete button.
Configuring Styles
A style defines attributes connected with the appearance of symbols, such as foreground and background colors, line appearance, and fonts. Styles allow symbol appearance to be defined and modified globally.
For information about configuring symbols, see Configuring Symbols.
Using the Style Editor
To display the Style Editor window, shown in Figure 8-15, click the Styles button in the Objective View Map Editor.
Figure 8-15 Style Editor Window
Style Color
A style has a foreground and background color. The colors are defined as black, white, and a range of grays. Styles do not allow for other colors because color is used in the Objective View to show severity and highlight symbols. For example, it would be confusing to have a red line highlighted in red.
You can select colors in the Style Editor window using the Foreground and Background option buttons.
Style Lines
You can use the Style Editor window to define a style specifically for use with lines in the Objective View.
Selecting the Line Style Width
The width of any lines drawn using the style is defined by the Width slider, which can range from 0 to 8.
Selecting the Line Style Appearance
Select the line appearance using the Style option button. There are three line drawing styles, as shown in Figure 8-16:
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Figure 8-16 Line Styles
When using a dash style, the Dashes slider allows you to set the length of the dash from 1 to 25.
Selecting the Cap
The Cap allows the style to set how a line ends. There are four cap styles:
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Selecting the Join Option
The Join option controls how lines in rectangles are joined:
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Selecting the Line End
Where a line or other symbol is set to have arrows, the Ends option button allows you to define the type of arrow to use. The choices include arrows, square ends, and circle ends, both filled and unfilled.
Click the Ends button to select the end type. The arrow types are shown in Figure 8-17.
Figure 8-17 Arrow Types
Style Font
You can select a font for every style. The font is used for all text used by symbols with that style. To set the style font on the Style Editor window:
Step 1
The Font Selector window appears, as shown in Figure 8-18.
Figure 8-18 Font Selector Window
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The font settings appear in the Font Set field. If a character set cannot be rendered using the selected font, a message appears in the Font Selector window.
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Built in Styles
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These styles cannot be deleted.
Creating a New Style
To create a new style on the Style Editor window:
Step 1
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The Update button turns red.
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Modifying a Style
To modify a style on the Style Editor window:
Step 1
Its name and settings appear.
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The Update button turns red.
Step 3
Renaming a Style
To rename a style on the Style Editor window:
Step 1
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A window appears prompting for the new name.
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Step 4
Deleting a Style
To delete a style on the Style Editor window:
Step 1
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If the style is referenced by existing symbols, a prompt appears allowing you to change all references to that style to refer to the Default style.
Using the Access Control List
You can use the Access Control List window to:
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To display the Access Control List window, shown in Figure 8-19, click the Access button in the Objective View Map Editor.
Figure 8-19 Access Control List Window
Creating a New Access List Entry
To create an access list entry on the Access Control List window:
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The Update button turns red.
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Modifying an Access List Entry
To modify an access list entry on the Access Control List window:
Step 1
The user's details appear.
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Step 3
Deleting an Access List Entry
To delete an entry from the access list on the Access Control List window:
Step 1
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