Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Administration Guide

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Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Administration Guide

Topology maps

Updated: August 14, 2026

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This section explains topology maps, which visualize network devices and their relationships in both logical and geographical formats, enabling efficient network monitoring, navigation, and management.

A topology map is a network visualization tool that

  • displays network devices and their connections using logical or geographical layouts,

  • allows you to filter, group, and interact with devices and links for better analysis, and

  • integrates device inventory data to provide real-time status, alarm, and performance insights.

For information on managing your devices and inventory, viewing interface details, and performing actions such as inventory synchronization, refer to the Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Device Lifecycle Management Guide.

Prerequisites

  • Devices must be onboarded to the system before using the topology map. See Device onboarding methods.

    All devices in the network must have single-topology settings configured before you onboard the topology. Configuring single-topology on only some devices is not supported and will cause links to appear as degraded or missing. Changing devices from non-single-topology to single-topology or the other way round after onboarding is also not supported. In single-topology mode, note that only the IPv4 metric is used, even if you configure IPv6 metrics.

Topology map views

Topology maps support two main views:

  • Logical map: Arranges devices and links based on user-modifiable algorithms, irrespective of their physical location.

  • Geographical map: Plots devices, clusters, links, and tunnels on a world map using GPS coordinates from the device inventory.

Filtering topology

  • Filter your view by creating device groups.

  • Display devices and links by selected network layers.

  • Save custom views to retain filter and display settings across sessions.

Link representation and details

  • Solid line: Represents a single physical or logical link between two devices.

  • Dashed line: Represents an aggregated link, which may include multiple Layer 2 links (for example, several Ethernet links) or multiple Layer 3 links (such as multiple ISIS connections) over the same physical link.

  • Color links to quickly identify status, such as link down, or utilization level.

  • “A” and “Z” labels indicate the interfaces connecting links between devices.

  • To view details for a link, click the link to open the Links panel, which shows information on the right side of the interface.

Topology map UI elements

The table describes key UI elements and actions on the topology map:

Feature/Action Description
Topology map view Choose views such as Topology, Traffic Engineering, VPN Services, or Transport Slicing from the Show drop-down.
Device groups Filter displayed devices by group.
Show layers Display devices and links belonging to selected network layers.
Topology map View devices and links with options to drill down for detailed device or link information.
Map type selector Switch between logical and geographical maps.
Side panel controls Expand, collapse, or hide the side panel for more map viewing area.
Mini dashboard Monitor IP Domain, device reachability and alarm severity.
Contextual panel See information relevant to the selected device, link, or policy depending on installed applications.
Saved views Create and recall named custom views of the map along with table settings and filters.

Upload internal map files for offline use

Enable detailed geographical map display within the Crosswork Network Controller when there is no internet connection to Mapbox or other external map providers.

Note
If you choose to work offline with internal maps and you do not upload map files, your geographical map will display as a generic world map without details of cities, streets, and so on.

By default, the system retrieves map tiles from an external provider. If your environment lacks Internet connectivity, you can upload Cisco-provided internal map files to ensure geographical features are displayed accurately. Upload only those map files that are relevant to your network's regions. If no map files are uploaded, only a generic, less-detailed world map will be shown.

Before you begin

  • Ensure you can access Cisco.com to download the required signed map files.

  • Verify you have credentials and permissions to upload files in Crosswork Network Controller.

Procedure

1.

Download the map file from Cisco.com.

  1. Go to Cisco Software Download Center and download the signed map file for your region to your local computer.

    Example file name: signed-us-geomaps-1.0.0-for-Crosswork-7.0.0.tar.gz

  2. Open a terminal or file explorer and extract the .tar.gz file.

    Example: 
    cd <folder where tar was downloaded>
tar -xvf signed-us-geomaps-1.0.0-for-Crosswork-7.0.0.tar.gz

README
us-geomaps-1.0.0-for-Crosswork-7.0.0-signed.tar.gz
us-geomaps-1.0.0-for-Crosswork-7.0.0-signed.tar.gz.signature
cisco_x509_verify_release.py
cisco_x509_verify_release.py3
CW-CCO_RELEASE.cer
2.

Upload the extracted map file into Crosswork Network Controller.

  1. In Crosswork Network Controller, go to Administration > Settings > System settings.

  2. Under Topology, select Map.

  3. Select the Work offline with internal maps and then click Manage.

  4. In the Manage internal maps dialog, click the upload icon to add a new map file, one at a time.

  5. Browse to the location of the extracted .signed.tar.gz file, select it, and click Upload.

    Example: us-geomaps-1.0.0-for-Crosswork-7.0.0-signed.tar.gz

The selected regional map is available for offline geographical display. When working offline, the Controller now shows detailed maps based on the uploaded files, improving network visualization.

What to do next

  • If you manage networks across multiple regions, repeat the process for each relevant map file.

  • Confirm correct map display on the geographical interface.