Visualize Network Models

This chapter contains the following topics:

Create or import network models

The network models are typically generated using the Cisco Crosswork Planning Collector application and are saved as plan files. You can create new network models in the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design UI or import existing one from your local system. To use the plan files in the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design application, they must be available in the user space.

Use these procedures to import plan files into the user space or to manually create new network models.

Import plan files from the local machine

This topic describes how to import the plan files into the Cisco Crosswork Planning user space from your local machine.

Before you begin

Ensure the plan file you want to import has a .txt, .pln, or .db extension.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Network Models.

By default, User space > My network models page opens.

Step 2

Click Import plan file.

The Import Plan File page appears.

Step 3

Click Browse and choose the plan file that you want to import.

Step 4

(Optional) Select the required tags from the list (if available) or create new tags.

Follow these steps to create new tags.

  1. Click Add new tag.

  2. Enter the tag name.

  3. Click the + icon next to the text field.

Note

 

If a tag is removed from all available plan files, it is deleted from this list as well.

Step 5

Click Import.

The plan file is imported into the My user space > Network models page.

Import plan files from archive

This topic describes how to import plan files into the Cisco Crosswork Planning user space from Local or Remote archive.

Before you begin

The archived network model from the Cisco Crosswork Planning Collector application is saved in a plan file format (.pln). The location of the archive differs based on whether the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design and Collector applications are installed on the same machine or different machines.

  • If the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design and Collector applications are installed on the same machine, the archived network models appear under Network Models > Local archive.

  • If the two applications are installed on different machines, connect to the machine where the Cisco Crosswork Planning Collector application is installed. After connecting, the archived network models appear under Network Models > Remote archive of the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design application. For details, see the "Scenario 2: When the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design and Collector Applications are Installed on Different Machines" section in the Cisco Crosswork Planning 7.2 Collection Setup and Administration document.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Network Models.

By default, My user space > Network models page opens.

Step 2

In the left pane, under Local archive or Remote archive, the archived collections are displayed. Select the desired collection name from the list. The right panel shows the plan files that have been created under this collection at different scheduled times. Use the Last updated column to know the time at which the plan file was created.

Step 3

Select the required plan file from the right panel and click > Export to user space under the Actions column.

The Export Plan to User Space page appears.

Step 4

(Optional) In the Save as field, enter a new name for the plan file.

Step 5

(Optional) Select the required tags from the list (if available) or create new tags.

Follow these steps to create new tags.

  1. Click Add new tag.

  2. Enter the tag name.

  3. Click the + icon next to the text field.

Note

 

If a tag is removed from all available plan files, it is deleted from this list as well.

Step 6

Click Save.

The plan file is imported into the My user space > Network models page.

Create new network models manually

This topic describes how to create new network models in the Cisco Crosswork Planning user space manually.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Network Models.

By default, My user space > Network models page opens.

Step 2

Click Create new.

The New Network Model page opens.

Step 3

In the Name field, enter the name of the plan file.

Note

 
Ensure that you include the .txt or .pln extension while entering the plan file name.

Step 4

(Optional) Select the required tags from the list (if available) or create new tags.

Follow these steps to create new tags.

  1. Click Add new tag.

  2. Enter the tag name.

  3. Click the + icon next to the text field.

Note

 

If a tag is removed from all available plan files, it is deleted from this list as well.

Step 5

Click Save.

The newly created network model opens in the Network Design page. By default, two nodes and interfaces are added to the network model.

What to do next

  • Add nodes and site details to the network model you created. For details, see Create objects.

  • Open the plan file in the Network Design page to perform any actions, as per your requirement.

Open plan files

You can open the plan file either from the Network Models page or from the Network Design page. The plan file opens in the Network Design page. You can then perform various actions on the plan files as needed.

Before you begin

Ensure that the plan file is available in the User space. To create or import the plan file into the user space, use the procedures described in Create or import network models.


Note

  • You can open only three plan files simultaneously, and only one plan file can be active at a time.

  • If you log out while working on a plan file, the file does not close; it remains open.

Procedure

Step 1

To open the plan file from the Network Models page:

  1. From the main menu, choose Network Models.

    The Network Models page opens listing all the available plan files.

  2. Open the required plan file using one of these methods:

    • Click the name of the required plan file.

    • Under the Actions column, click > Open for the plan file you want to open.

Step 2

To open the plan file from the Network Design page:

  1. From the main menu, choose Network Design.

  2. Click the + icon at the end of the plan files tab bar displayed at the top of the page.

    The Network Models page opens listing all the available plan files.

  3. Open the required plan file using one of these methods:

    • Click the name of the required plan file.

    • Under the Actions column, click > Open for the plan file you want to open.

The plan file opens in the Network Design page.

  • The network plot shows nodes connected by circuits. A circuit is two directly connected interfaces.

  • You can click and drag nodes to change their position.

  • The measured data in the model represents the period during which the data was collected from the network. This is the model used in the Cisco Crosswork Planning application.

  • In the My network models page, the selection check box next to the opened plan file appears grayed out, preventing you from deleting it.

Delete plan files

This topic describes how to delete plan files from the user spaces.

Before you begin

Consider these points when deleting plan files:

  • You can delete up to 10 plan files at a time.

  • Only admin users can delete the files that are available in other user spaces.

  • You cannot delete the plan files that are currently open.

  • When you delete plan files, the associated reports are also deleted.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Network Models.

Step 2

Select the plan files that you want to delete and click the Delete icon icon at the top.

If you are deleting a single file, you can use the > Delete option under the Actions column.

Step 3

Click Delete in the confirmation dialog box.

Download plan files

This topic describes how to download plan files to your local machine.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Network Models.

Step 2

From the user space, select the plan files that you want to download and click the icon at the top.

If you are downloading a single file, you can use the > Download option under the Actions column.

Note

 

You can download up to 10 plan files at a time. When you download more than one plan file, the files are bundled together in a single .tar file.

The plan files are downloaded to your local machine.

Key features of the Network Models page

This topic describes the primary features and functions of the Network Models page.

All plan files, archived network models, and other files are listed on this page. To access this page, from the main menu, choose Network Models.

Figure 1. Network models user interface
Network Models page

Callout No.

Description

1

My user space: My user space serves as an exclusive storage for the logged-in user, containing plan files and other files. Each user has their own space where they can view, edit, create, or delete plan files. Except for admin users, users cannot view the plan files used by other users.

By default, My user space contains a few sample plan files.

There are four subsections in this section:

  • Network models: Lists all the plan files accessible to the logged-in user.

    Note

     

    In the right panel, the grayed out selection check box next to a plan file indicates that the plan file is currently open, and you cannot delete it.

  • Recent: Displays the logged-in user's recently accessed plan files.

  • Starred: Displays the plan files that are marked as favorites by the logged-in user.

  • All files: In addition to plan files, Cisco Crosswork Planning supports a few other type of files. For example, patch files, output result files, and so on. The All files section displays these types of files (along with plan files) accessible to the logged-in user.

2

All user spaces: If you are an admin user, you can access the plan files from the user spaces of other users. The All user spaces section displays the plan files and all other files that are available in the user spaces of other users.

3

Local archive: If the Cisco Crosswork Planning Collector and Cisco Crosswork Planning Design applications are installed on the same machine, the Local archive section displays the archived network models that are generated using this application.

4

Remote archive: Displays the archived network models that are generated by the external collectors. Access this archive when the Cisco Crosswork Planning Collector and Cisco Crosswork Planning Design applications are installed on different machines.

5

Starred: Click the icon to mark the plan files as favorites. The files marked as favorites appear under My user space > Starred.

6

Plan files table: The table lists all the plan files that are available in the user space.

Use the icon under the Actions column to

  • view the details of the plan file.

    Note

     
    Use this option to add or delete tags from the plan files.

  • open the plan file in the Network Design page

  • make a copy of the plan file in the user space

  • download the plan file to your local machine, and

  • delete the plan file from the user space.

Figure 2. Actions menu

7

Search plan files: Use the Search bar at the top of the page to search for the required plan file.

8

List and card layouts: The plan files in the user space can be visualized in a list layout (default) or a card layout. Use these icons to toggle between list and card views.

9

Filter: Use Show/Hide Floating Filters icon to filter the plan files based on file types or by tag names.

It also allows you to filter the data in the table based on the date range you want to view (specific date, 3 months, 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day).

Key features of the Network Design page

This topic describes the primary features and functions of the Network Design page.

When you click the plan file name in the Network Models page, it opens in the Network Design page. This page displays the network plot, which shows sites that appear to be connected by circuits. In reality, these circuits connect to nodes (routers) within each site. The nodes within each site are connected with intrasite circuits. Each circuit consists of two interfaces. The page also displays information related to each object in the network model in a tabular format.

There are four primary sections in the Cisco Crosswork Planning Network Design page.

  • Plan file tabs

  • Toolbar

  • Network plot

  • Network Summary panel

Figure 3. Network Design user interface
Network Design page

Callout No.

Description

1

 Plan file tabs: Identifies which plan files are currently open. You can open up to three plan files at a time. To bring a plan file to the forefront and make it active, click its associated tab. To open a new plan file, click the + icon at the end of this tab bar.

2

Design engine profile selection: Allows you to choose the design engine profile for synchronous tasks. For details, see Select design engine profiles.

3

Toolbar: Provides options for network modeling, simulation, and optimization.

  • Actions: Contains options related to tools, initializers, and reports. Use the Actions > Insert option to create various plan objects.

  • Preset workflows: Includes options that allow you to navigate to the simulation and optimization tools quickly.

    • Evaluate impact of failures: Helps you navigate to the Simulation analysis tool.

    • Evaluate impact of traffic growth: Helps you navigate to the Create growth plans tool.

    • Perform capacity planning: Helps you navigate to the Capacity planning optimization tool.

    • Perform optimization: Helps you navigate to the various LSP, SR LSP, and RSVP LSP optimization tools.

  • Show L3: Indicates that the UI is currently displaying Layer 3 (L3) networks.

  • Plot view: Lets you choose the type of traffic displayed in the plot. For details, see Network plot views.

  • Traffic level: Lets you create and apply traffic levels globally for each opened plan file. For details, see Create and select traffic levels.

  • QoS: Lets you create and apply QoS settings globally for each opened plan file. For details, see Apply QoS settings globally.

  • Network options icon (): Lets you set global simulation modes, such as Full Convergence or Fast Reroute for MPLS, and whether to include multicast hops. You can also set IGP, BGP, and Multicast protocol options.

  • Simulate icon (): Triggers resimulation. By default, any change that voids the current simulation does not automatically trigger resimulation. For example, a change in topology requires a resimulation. For details, see Auto-resimulation.

4

Network plot: Displays a visual representation of the network topology. The color on each interface indicates its percentage of traffic utilization (see Traffic utilization colors). When you select the objects in the Network Summary tables, such as demands or interfaces, they are highlighted in the plot.

  • and icons: There are two views available to visualize the network topology graphically: Schematic view and Geographical view. For details, see Graphical network topology views.

  • Show Groups check box: In a schematic view, use this check box to group or ungroup the nodes. For details, see Grouping of nodes.

  • Map options icon (): Use this icon to plot different types of routes for Demands and LSPs. For example, Simulated paths, Shortest IGP paths, Shortest latency paths, and so on.

  • Utilization colors icon (): Use this icon to modify the traffic utilization colors as needed. For details, see Traffic utilization colors.

  • Auto-Focus check box: When this option is selected, selecting an object in the Network Summary table automatically focuses on it in the network plot. This option is selected by default.

  • Map legend icon (Advanced Filter icon): Use this icon to display a legend of icons and line types in the plot, and their meanings.

  • Zoom icons and icons: Use these icons to gradually zoom in and zoom out the network topology.

  • Zoom fit icon (): Use this icon to automatically adjust the topology map to fit within the network plot.

5

Network Summary panel: Provides a tabular summary of various objects in the network. For details, see Network summary tables.

6

Object tabs and tables: There are numerous tables available for specialized purposes, such as Multicast, P2MP LSPs, and Ports. The tables listed in Common tables are the most commonly used and are the defaults.

To bring a table to the forefront and make it active, click its associated tab. For example, to open the LSPs table, click the LSPs tab. If the tab you want to use is not visible, then click the Show/hide tables icon (Show/Hide Tables Icon) and check the check box corresponding to the required object.

The tables display a series of rows and columns, where the rows are objects and the columns are properties.

7

Manage add-ons: Provides options to configure add-ons. For details, see Manage Add-ons.

8

Settings button (): Use this button to enable/disable the Auto-resimulate option. For details, see Auto-resimulation.

9

Save views: Use the Save view button to save views of the commonly used tables. For details, see Manage table views.

10

Show/hide tables icon (Show/Hide Tables Icon): Use this icon to show or hide one or more object tables from the Network Summary panel. For details, see Show or hide tables or columns.

11

Show/hide table columns icon (Show/Hide Columns Icon): Use this icon to show or hide one or more columns from the object tables. For details, see Show or hide tables or columns.

12

Filter icons: There are three filter options available in Cisco Crosswork Planning: Floating filter, Advanced filter, and Cross table filter. For details, see Filter options in network summary tables.

Plan tables

All aspects of a plan file are defined using a collection of tables. For a complete list of tables and their columns, click > Schema Definition in the Cisco Crosswork Planning UI.

Plan table columns

Plan tables contain three distinct categories of columns:

  • Key columns: Columns that uniquely identify the rows of the table. Each table has one or more key columns. For example, the <Nodes> table has one key column, Name, which is the unique name of the node. The <Interfaces> table has two key columns: Node and Interface. This pair must (jointly) be unique for all entries in the table. Another example is the <Demands> table, which has key columns: Name, Source, Destination, and ServiceClass. If there are two demands from the same source to the same destination with the same service class, they must have different names.

    On the Schema Definition page, key columns are indicated by an orange line next to their names (see Nodes table).

  • Plan columns or Collected data: Columns that define or configure properties of entries in a table. For example, in the <Nodes> table, the Site column specifies the site that contains the node, and is therefore a plan column. Key columns are always plan columns.

    On the Schema Definition page, plan columns are indicated by a purple line next to their names (see Nodes table).

  • Derived columns or Derived data: Columns that provide information that is derived from the plan columns in the same table or a different table. These are not stored in plan files, but are generated by the UI when the tables are displayed. For example, Remote Node in the <Interfaces> table is derived by looking up the remote node for the interface as defined in the <Circuits> table. Some derived information can be more complex to obtain. For example, the Traff sim column is a derived column that is the result of a simulation performed on the network. The entries in tables generated in the UI can depend on some pre-specified parameters. For example, in the <Interfaces> table, Traff meas column is the measured traffic on that interface for a specified traffic level. For a particular QoS selection the column can be overall (undifferentiated) traffic, traffic on a particular queue, or traffic for a particular service class.

    On the Schema Definition page, derived columns are indicated by a blue line next to their names (see Nodes table).

Figure 4. Nodes table
Nodes table

Table schema and plan tables

In a text plan file, each table starts with <TableName> to identify the name of the table. For example, <Nodes>.

The first row of the table body contains the column headings, followed by rows that describe the table entries. The order of the columns is irrelevant, and only the key columns must be present.

Each plan table is defined using an excerpt from the database schema, the part that defines that table. For example, Table 1 lists a table schema excerpt for the <NamedPaths> table. Table 2 shows an example of a <NamedPaths> table that has been populated within a plan file.

In Table 2, the first column is Name, which is described in the first row of Table 1. In this case, the Name of the named path (PathA or PathB) is the same in the plan file and UI, it’s the name of the path, has a data type of text, and is a table key. Being a key means the Name column is among the columns that uniquely define a row. In this case, the Name and Source together define a unique row.

Table 1. NamedPaths table schema

SQL Name

GUI Name

Description

SQL Type

Category

Name

Name

Name of the path

TEXT

key

Source

Source

Name of the source of the NamedPath

TEXT

key

Active

Active

Is the path active?

BOOLEAN

plan

Resolved

Resolved

True if all hops in path are resolved in plan, False if not, NA if no hops.

BOOLEAN

derived
Table 2. <NamedPaths> example

Name

Source

Active

Resolved

PathA

Router1.AcmeG

T

T

PathB

Router1.AcmeO

T

T

Assign sites to nodes

Assign sites to nodes is an initializer in Cisco Crosswork Planning that enables you to:

  • Reorganize your network by changing the node-to-site mappings

  • Create a node-to-site association based on a simple mapping rule that applies to all nodes. This creates a temporary mapping that is not stored in the plan file.

  • Create or customize a Node-to-site mapping table that uses regular expression substitutions to map nodes to sites. Because the table is stored in the plan file (as a <NodeSiteMappingRules> table), you can maintain and reuse it.

Although nodes do not have to be contained in sites, adding them to sites can simplify and improve the visualization of the network. For example, you typically place all nodes in the same geographic location or point-of-presence (PoP) into a single site.

Site assignment rules

This topic describes how the Assign sites to nodes initializer assigns sites to nodes.

If a node is ...

Then ...

in an external AS

Cisco Crosswork Planning assigns it to a site named after the AS name. If the AS name does not exist, Cisco Crosswork Planning assigns the node to a site named after its ASN.

not in an external AS and is not a pseudo-node (PSN)

Cisco Crosswork Planning assigns nodes to sites based on the Simple mapping rules or on the Node-to-Site mapping rules, depending on what you choose in the Assign sites to nodes window.

not in an external AS and it is a PSN

Cisco Crosswork Planning assigns it to the site that contains the most nodes connected to the PSN. In case of a tie, Cisco Crosswork Planning assigns the node to the site with the lowest lexicographic name.

Simple mapping rules

To create temporary node-to-site mappings that are not stored in the network model, click the Use simple mapping rule radio button on the Assign sites to nodes page.

The mapping is created using two fields:

  • Node name delimiter(s): Identifies which sections of the node names to use in the assignments. By default, these characters are a period, a hyphen, and a colon (.-:). New site names are derived from the sections between these characters. For example, by default Cisco Crosswork Planning parses the node name of acme.router into two sections: acme and router.

    node-to-site mapping rules

  • Site name: Determines how to create the site names based on the node names. In this list, # equals any integer.

    • $#—Specifies the section reading left to right. For example, $1 matches chicago in chicago.isp. Note that $0 specifies the entire node name.

    • [#:#]—Specifies the character range reading left to right. For example, $1[1:3] matches chi in chicago.isp.

    • $-#—Specifies the section name reading right to left. For example, $-1 matches jose in san.jose.

    • [-#:-#]—Specifies the character range reading right to left. For example, both $2[-4:-1] and $-2[-4,-1] match jose in san.jose.cr1.

Node-to-Site mapping rules

To create a Node-to-Site Mapping <NodeSiteMappingRules> table in the network model, particularly for use by the template:

  1. Click the Use rules in node-to-site mapping table radio button on the Assign Sites to Nodes page.

  2. Click Add icon and enter the details.

    Column

    Description

    Order

    Identifies the order in which rules are applied.

    Node matches

    Regular expression matching the node names.

    Site expression

    Site name expression, which can use references in the Node matches rule.

An attempt is made to match the node name to expressions in the Node matches column. If a match is found, the node is assigned to the site as defined by the corresponding Site expression. The order in which these matches are attempted is defined by the Order column.

Examples:

  • Node-to-site mapping example matches cr1.lax into lax-core and er1.lax into lax-edge.

    Figure 5. Node-to-site mapping example
    Node-to-site mapping example

  • This table describes the examples of various combinations of Node matches and Site expression values, and the corresponding results.

    Node matches

    Site expression

    Result

    cr1.chi.isp.net

    chi

    Map node cr1.chi.isp.net to site chi.

    .*\.(.*)\..*

    $1

    Map node cr1.chi.isp.net to site chi as above. Additionally, map node cr1.okc.isp.net to site okc.

    ..(.)\.(.*)..*

    $2-$1

    Map node cr1.par.isp.net to site par-1.

Run Assign sites to nodes initializer

This topic describes how to run the Assign sites to nodes initializer.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the plan file (see Open plan files). It opens in the Network Design page.

Step 2

Choose Actions > Initializers > Assign sites to nodes.

Step 3

Choose one or more nodes for which you want to assign sites and click Next.

Step 4

Choose which method of node-to-site mappings to use.

  • To use a temporary node-to-site mapping that is not stored in the plan file, click Use simple mapping rule.

  • To use a Node-to-Site Mapping table that is saved in the file, click Use rules in node-to-site mapping table.

    • To add a new rule, click Add icon and enter the details.

    • To edit an existing rule, click Edit.

    • To delete an existing rule, click Delete. To delete multiple rules, select the rules and click Delete icon.

Step 5

For those nodes that the node-to-site definition does not find or cannot create a matching site, you have the option to keep the nodes in their current sites (if applicable) or to remove them from sites. To keep them in their current sites, check the Keep unmatched nodes in current sites check box.

Step 6

Choose the options as follows.

Option

Description

  • For nodes that are in external ASes, assign them to sites according to one of these options:

    • AS name, then ASN if the name is empty

    • ASN

    • Using the same rules as other sites

  • Choose whether to assign PSN nodes and all remaining nodes to sites with most connections.

Step 7

Click Next and verify the assignments.

Step 8

When you are satisfied with the mappings, submit the changes.

Assign geographic locations to sites

Cisco Crosswork Planning includes a database of worldwide city names and airport codes that identify the longitude and latitude of major cities. The Actions > Initializers > Assign locations to sites initializer accesses this database. It lets you quickly lay out sites within a network with geographic precision.


Note
Changing the geographic location of a site does not change the location of its children sites.

Complete these steps to assign multiple sites to locations.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the plan file (see Open plan files). It opens in the Network Design page.

Step 2

From the toolbar, choose Actions > Initializers > Assign locations to sites.

Figure 6. Assign locations to sites
Assign geographic locations to sites

Step 3

Set the longitude and latitude values using one of these methods. For each method, Cisco Crosswork Planning fills in the fields with the most closely associated airport or city code in its database. This process assigns longitude and latitude.

  • Select one or more rows from the table. Click either Best match > Best match by site or Best match > Best match by location. Cisco Crosswork Planning finds the airport or city codes that most suitably match the site or location.

  • Select a row from the table. Click either Choose all matches > Choose all matches by site or Choose all matches > Choose all matches by location. Cisco Crosswork Planning finds all airport or city codes that might be applicable to that site or location. Choose the one you want.

If you match by site, locations might change based on the match. If you match by location, the site names do not change.

Step 4

Click Save to accept the newly assigned locations.

Set site location

As an alternative to using the Assign locations to sites initializer, you can set a location from the Edit window. Use airport codes to improve accuracy.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the plan file (see Open plan files). It opens in the Network Design page.

Step 2

In the Network Summary panel on the right side, select one or more sites from the Sites table.

Step 3

Click Edit icon.

To edit a single site, you can also use the > Edit option under the Actions column.

Step 4

In the Location field, enter a geographic name, such as a city name. The system fills in the Location fields with the most closely associated airport or city code in its database. Select the location that best matches your entry.

Figure 7. Choosing geographic location
Selecting geographic location

Step 5

Click Save to accept the newly assigned location.

Network topology

A network topology is a graphical representation that

  • displays both sites and nodes within the Cisco Crosswork Planning platform, and

  • allows you to visualize the arrangement and interconnections of network elements.

Network plot

The network plot, also referred to as the plot, is the main area showing the network topology. To view the network plots, choose Network Design from the main menu. The Cisco Crosswork Planning platform displays only the sites in the network plot and related tables, but you can examine these sites in more detail as needed.

Site plot

The site plot can contain other sites or nodes and their connecting interfaces, including external interfaces that are labeled with their destination node.

To open a site plot, click a single site from the network plot.

Figure 8. Site with three nodes
Site with three nodes

Network plot views

This topic describes the different network plot views available in Cisco Crosswork Planning.

The default view is Simulated traffic. To change the view, select it from the Plot view drop-down list.

Figure 9. Network plot views
Plot view

  • Simulated traffic: View of simulated traffic that can be used for capacity planning, what-if analysis, and failure planning. Circuits are sized in proportion to their capacity. Interfaces are colored according to the percentage of simulated traffic (in comparison to available capacity, which is defined by the size of the interface or the QoS bound).


    Note

    You can observe the colored links only if the auto-resimulation is enabled. To trigger the resimulation manually, click in the toolbar. For details on updating the auto-resimulation setting, see Auto-resimulation.

  • Measured traffic: View of traffic as measured from live views of the network. Circuits are sized in proportion to their capacity. Interfaces are colored according to the percentage of measured traffic (in comparison to available capacity, which is defined by the size of the interface or the QoS bound).

  • Worst-case traffic: Interfaces are colored to show the maximum utilization of the interface over all failure scenarios, based on the most recent simulation analysis. For more information, see Evaluate Impact of Worst-Case Failures.

  • Failure impact: Interfaces and nodes are colored to indicate how a failure of that interface or node affects other interfaces and nodes. For more information, see Evaluate Impact of Worst-Case Failures.

  • LSP reservations: Circuits are sized in proportion to their LSP reservable bandwidth. Interfaces are colored according to the percentage of bandwidth (in comparison to what is reserved for the LSP). For information, see Configure RSVP-TE Routing.

Graphical network topology views

This topic lists the available graphical views for visualizing network topology.

  • Schematic View: This view shows the network topology, positioned according to an automatic layout algorithm, ignoring their geographical location.

    Click in the network plot to visualize the topology in a schematic view. You can change the layout using . You can drag and move the nodes/sites in schematic view. However, the positions of the nodes/sites are not saved across user sessions.

  • Geographic View: This view shows network topology, superimposed on a map of the world. Each device's location on the map reflects its GPS coordinates—longitude and latitude—as defined in the device inventory. If GPS coordinates are not available, this view becomes unavailable, and nodes will be placed in pre-determined locations.

    Click in the network plot to visualize the topology in a geographic view.

Grouping of nodes

Nodes can be grouped in different ways depending on the chosen network topology view:

  • In the schematic view (), the nodes are grouped based on the sites that they belong to. Use the Show Groups check box to group or ungroup the nodes based on sites. Clicking a site replaces the topology schematic map with a new map that shows only the nodes within that site and the links that interconnect them.

  • In the geographical view (), the nodes are grouped and ungrouped automatically based on the geographical location.

Plan object representations

Plan objects in the network plot are displayed using distinct visual symbols or icons to help you identify their type quickly. To view all plan object representations in the network plot, click the icon in the network plot.

For detailed descriptions of the visual representations, see Legend for Plan Objects.

Set objects to the foreground in network plot

This topic describes how to highlight specific objects in the topology view for improved visibility and focus.

In Cisco Crosswork Planning, you can bring selected objects to the foreground for improved viewing. All other objects move to the background and appear transparent. You can also choose to hide unselected objects completely.

When you set objects to the foreground, they remain highlighted until you deselect the option. Other objects stay de-emphasized or hidden unless you include them as foreground objects. This feature helps you concentrate on relevant elements in complex topologies.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the plan file (see Open plan files). It opens in the Network Design page.

Step 2

Select one or more objects (nodes, sites, interfaces, circuits, demands, or LSPs) from the network plot or the table.

Step 3

Check the Set to foreground check box in the network plot.

Figure 10. Set to foreground option
Set to foreground option
Only the selected objects are highlighted in the network plot.

Step 4

(Optional) Choose how to display the selected objects in the foreground. You can highlight the selected objects or hide the unselected items.

  1. Click on the Network Design page.

  2. In the Set to foreground section, select the required option.

    • Emphasize selected items: This option highlights the selected items.

    • Show only selected items: This option shows only the selected items and hides the unselected items.

    The system saves your preference and next time you use the Set to foreground option on any plan file, this preference will be applied.

You can now view the selected objects more easily in the foreground, while all other objects are de-emphasized or hidden.

What to do next

To remove objects from the foreground, uncheck the Set to foreground check box.

Traffic utilization colors

Traffic utilization colors are network visualization indicators that

  • visually represent outbound traffic load on interfaces

  • use color coding to display bandwidth utilization for traffic leaving the interface proportional to capacity, and

  • distinguish traffic thresholds at a glance for monitoring links.

Interfaces can have both measured and simulated traffic (in Mbps). Each link may display two different colors, with each color representing the utilization of a specific unidirectional interface.


Note

You can observe the colored links only when you trigger the resimulation. To trigger the resimulation, click in the toolbar. By default, the auto resimulation is off in Cisco Crosswork Planning. To change this default setting, see Auto-resimulation.

Utilization color mapping

The colors for traffic utilization appear in the Utilization colors option () in the network plot. There are six default colors representing thresholds from 0% to 100%.

This table shows the system's default mapping between link color and traffic utilization.

Traffic utilization

Color

Example

Less than 30%

Dark green

30-50%

Light green

50-80%

Blue

80-90%

Light orange

90-100%

Orange red

More than 100%

Red

0%

Light slate blue

No traffic

Slate blue

Use the Edit colors option to modify the traffic utilization values. You can also add or remove colors using this option. When you save the file, your changes are stored in the plan file. For more information, see Edit the utilization colors and threshold ranges.

Example: Determining traffic utilization

In this example, you determine the traffic utilization of the interfaces between the sites, "lon" and "par", and "us_customer" and "wdc".
Sample network topology and utilization values

Procedure

Step 1

Open the plan file (see Open plan files). It opens in the Network Design page.

Step 2

Click the link between the sites. In this example, click the links between "lon" and "par", and "us_customer" and "wdc". The circuits are selected in the Network Summary table.

Step 3

In the Network Summary panel on the right side, choose > Filter to circuits. The Circuits table opens and shows only the selected circuits.

Step 4

Select the circuits and choose > Filter to interfaces. The Interfaces table opens and shows only the interfaces included in the selected circuits.

Step 5

Notice the utilization values in the Util sim column.

  • For the "to_cr1.par" interface, the Util sim value is 33.49%. This value falls within the 30-50% range and is denoted by light green. The interface displays green filling almost half of it. The other half of the circuit ("to_cr1.lon") shows a traffic utilization of 78.38% for the reverse direction. This value is within the 50-80% range and is denoted by Blue.

  • For the "to_us_customer" interface, the Util sim value is 80.15%. This value is within the 80-90% level and is denoted by light orange. The other half of the circuit ("to_cr2.wdc") displays the traffic utilization for the reverse direction. The value for this interface is 47.96%, which is within the 30-50% level and is denoted by light green.

Step 6

To show all the interfaces, clear the applied filter.

Identify the most highly utilized interface

This topic describes how to quickly identify the most utilized interface in a network plan for performance analysis and troubleshooting.

Identifying the most utilized interface helps you analyze large, complex networks for potential congestion and optimize resource allocation.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the plan file (see Open plan files). It opens in the Network Design page.

Step 2

In the Interfaces table, click the Util sim column heading to sort the interfaces by descending order. Click it two more times. The column sort toggles between ascending and descending order.

Step 3

Notice that the most utilized interface is at the top row. Select this row. The interface highlighted in the plot is the most highly utilized interface.

Step 4

Deselect the row to clear the selection if needed.
You now have identified and visualized the most highly utilized interface in the network plan.

Utilization color profiles

Utilization color profile is a setting that

  • allows you to edit link colors for different traffic utilization ranges

  • defines multiple link utilization coloring threshold profiles per plan file, and

  • makes color settings available for each user.

In Cisco Crosswork Planning, there are three coloring profiles.

  • System default: This is the default link utilization color profile defined by Cisco Crosswork Planning. When creating a new plan file, this color profile is applied by default.

  • Default (plan file default): This is the utilization color profile stored in the default layout of the plan file. If you open an existing plan file, the links are displayed using the default colors stored within the plan file.

  • Custom profiles: These are link utilization color profiles created by users. When you apply a new profile and then save the plan file, any user who accesses that plan file can use this saved profile.

Create a utilization color profile

This topic describes how to create a custom color scheme for traffic utilization ranges in a plan file.

Cisco Crosswork Planning allows you to create new color profiles to visualize network link utilization with custom color settings. You can create up to 10 custom profiles per user.

Procedure

Step 1

On the Network Design page, click Settings.

Step 2

In the Utilization color profiles section, click Create new profile.

The Create New Color Profile page appears.

Step 3

Enter the profile name.

Step 4

Specify threshold ranges and assign a color to each range.

  1. To select colors, click the color swatch and select the color from the palette. Alternatively, enter the hex code for your chosen color.

  2. Use From (inclusive) and To to specify the threshold range for each color.

  3. (Optional) To add a new color, click the plus sign and specify the color and the threshold range.

Note

 

You must define at least two threshold ranges for a color profile. You can add as many utilization threshold ranges as needed within a profile.

Step 5

Add the new color profile.

You can now use the new custom utilization color profile for your plan.

Step 6

Apply the color profile to the plan file. For details, see Apply utilization color profiles.

Step 7

Save the plan file to store the new color profile: From the Network Design toolbar, select Actions > File > Save.

The color profile is saved in the plan file and is available for all users who access this plan file.

Apply utilization color profiles

After you create a utilization color profile, you can apply it to the topology map. This lets you visualize link utilization using the defined color scheme.

When you open the plan file, the default (plan file default) color profile is applied to the plan file. Complete these steps to apply the System default profile or a custom color profile to your plan file.

Before you begin

To use the custom color profile, create the required custom profile. For instructions, see Create a utilization color profile.

Procedure

Step 1

In the network plot, click the Utilization color icon ().

Step 2

To apply a custom color profile, select the required custom color profile from the drop-down list.

Step 3

To apply the system default color profile, select System default.

The colors of the links in the topology map update to reflect the selected color profile.

Edit the utilization colors and threshold ranges

This topic describes how to modify the colors and threshold ranges for utilization in the non-system default profiles. Adjusting these settings helps tailor visual indicators to your preferences.


Note

You can modify only the default and custom color profiles. You cannot modify the system default color profile.
Procedure

Step 1

In the network plot, click the Utilization color icon ().

Step 2

Select the required profile from the drop-down list.

Step 3

Click Edit colors.

Step 4

Update the color and the utilization threshold ranges as required.

Step 5

Save the changes.

The selected color profile reflects your updated colors and threshold ranges.

Edit a custom color profile

This topic describes how to modify the colors and threshold ranges in an existing custom color profile.

Procedure

Step 1

On the Network Design page, click Settings.

Step 2

In the Utilization color profiles section, click > Edit for the utilization color profile you want to edit.

The Edit Color Profile page appears.

Step 3

Modify the color or the utilization threshold ranges as needed.

Step 4

Save the changes.

The selected custom color profile is updated with the new values.

Support for color profiles during migration

This section describes how utilization color profiles are retained or set as default during migration from previous versions.

  • Custom color profiles are retained during system backup, restore, or upgrade processes.

  • If a plan file created with Cisco WAE Design or earlier versions of Cisco Crosswork Planning versions (7.0 or 7.1) includes a saved color scheme, the system sets that color scheme as the default profile when the plan file is used in Cisco Crosswork Planning 7.2.

Network summary tables

A network summary table is a table that

  • displays a series of rows and columns, where the rows represent objects and the columns represent their properties

  • appears on the right side of the Network Design page, and

  • provides a summarized view of network information.

Network models also contain other tables that are not viewable from the UI. These tables contain more complex information, such as showing complex relationships between objects. If you open a network model using a .txt editor, each table is labeled with angle brackets, such as <Nodes> and <Sites>.

Common tables

There are numerous tables available for specialized purposes, such as Multicast, P2MP LSPs, and Ports. These tables are the most commonly used and are the defaults.

  • Interfaces: A list of the interfaces in the network.

  • Demands: A list of the demands in the network. Each demand specifies how much traffic is routed from a source (node, external AS, or external endpoint) to a destination (node, external AS, external endpoint, or multicast flow destination).

  • Nodes: A list of network routers, which typically have names that suggest their location and function. For example, node cr1.atl is a core router 1 in the Atlanta site.

  • LSPs: A list of MPLS LSPs in the network; each LSP contains both source and destination. Note that sub-LSPs within point-to-multipoint (P2MP) LSPs are listed in the LSP table.

  • Sites: A list of network sites.

  • SRLGs: A list of the shared risk link groups (SRLGs). An SRLG is a group of objects that might all fail due to a common cause.

  • AS: A list of both internal and external autonomous systems (ASes). An AS is a collection of connected IP routing prefixes that are controlled by one operator.

Figure 11. Common table functions
Common table functions

Work with tables and object selections

This topic familiarizes you with the basic dynamics between network summary tables and plan objects, such as nodes, sites, circuits, interfaces, and ports. When you select an object in a table, it is also highlighted in the network plot, and vice versa.

In this section, you show different tables and select objects. Each time you make a selection, observe what happens in the tables and in the network plot to see their relationships.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the plan file (see Open plan files). It opens in the Network Design page.

The Interfaces tab is selected by default in the Network Summary panel on the right side.

Step 2

Click the Sites tab (click More > Sites) to show the Sites table.

Step 3

Select various sites. Notice that the color of the circle around the selected site changes to gray.

Step 4

Show the Circuits table (which is not in the default table tabs) using the Show/hide tables icon (Show/Hide Tables Icon). For details, see Show or hide tables or columns.

Step 5

Select the circuits you want. The selected circuits are highlighted in the network plot. If you select circuits in the network plot, the corresponding rows are highlighted in the table.

When you select two circuits, it selects four interfaces (two interfaces per circuit). To verify these selections, in the Circuits table, ensure that the circuits are selected and click > Filter to interfaces. The Interfaces table shows the corresponding four interfaces.

Step 6

To select all objects, check the selection check box in the header row. The network plot highlights the selected objects. Uncheck this check box to deselect all objects.

Show or hide tables or columns

This topic describes how to display or hide tables in the Network Summary panel to tailor the view to your needs. It also describes how to display or hide columns within a table to focus on specific data.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the plan file (see Open plan files). It opens in the Network Design page.

Step 2

To show or hide one or more network summary tables:

  1. In the Network Summary panel on the right side, click the Show/hide tables icon (Show/Hide Tables Icon).

  2. Check the check boxes for the objects that you want to show and uncheck the ones you want to hide. For example, if you want to display the Circuits table, then select the check box next to Circuits.

    Note

     
    Use the Search bar at the top to search for the table names quickly.

  3. Click Apply.

    Show/hide tables

Step 3

To show or hide one or more columns:

  1. In the Network Summary panel on the right side, select the required Object tab.

  2. Click the Show/hide table columns icon (Show/Hide Columns Icon).

  3. Check the check boxes for the columns that you want to show and uncheck the ones you want to hide. For example, if you want to display the Capacity column in the table, then select the Capacity check box.

    Note

     
    Use the Search bar at the top to search for the column names quickly.
    Show/hide tables

Sort columns in tables

This topic describes how to reorder table data for easier review or comparison.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the plan file (see Open plan files). It opens in the Network Design page.

Step 2

In the required Network Summary table, click the heading of the column to toggle between ascending and descending order.
The table data is reordered based on the selected column and the sort direction.

Filter options in network summary tables

Network summary tables include multiple filter options to help you select specific values efficiently.

Table 3. Filter options

Filter option

Description

Floating filter

Sets the filter criteria on one or more columns in the table. By default, this filter is enabled on all columns.

Click Show/Hide Floating Filters icon to toggle the floating filters at the top of each column.

To clear all applied filters, click the X icon in the Filters field that appears above the table.

Advanced filter

Filters the table to a list of specific search values.

To use this filter:

  1. Select > Advanced filter.

  2. Select the conditions from the drop-down lists and enter the values.

  3. If you are filtering by more than one criterion, you can optionally use these controls:

    • All (AND): (Default) Filters to only those rows that match all the specified criteria (default).

    • Any (OR): Filters to rows that match any one of the criteria.

  4. Click Apply.

Cross table filter

Filters the selection to show its associated objects. For example, you might want to filter a circuit to view its associated interfaces.

To use this filter:

  1. Select the objects from the network summary table.

  2. Click > Filter to X, where X is the name of the viable object.

Filter to selection

Displays only the selected objects in the network summary tables.

To use this filter:

  1. Select the objects from the network summary table.

  2. Click > Filter to selection.

Manage table views

This topic describes how to save, apply, rename, and delete table views in network models to simplify access to frequently used tables.

The network models often contain multiple plan object tables. Cisco Crosswork Planning allows you to display only the tables you need by saving your preferred configurations as views. When you apply a saved view, the network model displays only the selected tables, making it easier to focus on the relevant data.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the plan file (see Open plan files). It opens in the Network Design page.

Step 2

Use Show/Hide Tables Icon to show or hide the tables as needed. For details, see Show or hide tables or columns.

Step 3

Click > Save view in the top right corner.

The Save View As page appears.

Step 4

Enter a name and click Save.

The newly created view appears in the Saved views list.

Step 5

To apply a saved view:

  1. Click the Saved views drop-down list.

    All saved views are displayed.

  2. To apply the selected view to the network model, click the view's thumbnail in the card layout or click the view name in the list layout.

Step 6

After applying a view to a network model, you can rename it. To rename a view:

  1. Ensure that the view is applied (see Step 5).

  2. Click > Rename view. The Rename View page appears.

  3. Enter a new name for the view and click Save.

Step 7

To delete a saved view:

  1. Click > Manage views.

    All saved views are displayed.

  2. Click Advanced Filter icon in the view that you want to delete.

  3. Click Delete in the confirmation page.

User-defined columns

User-defined columns are customizable columns that

  • users can create and add to the standard network summary tables

  • are prefixed with a namespace grouping columns under a single name, and

  • help to prevent conflicts with plan table names or existing plan columns.

Properties of user-defined columns

  • User-defined column headings have the Prefix::Name format.

  • User-defined column names must be unique.

  • Once added, only the value of the user-defined column is editable.

  • User-defined columns are hidden on the network summary page. To view these columns, manually select the desired columns each time you open the plan file.

Network summary tables supporting user-defined columns

This table lists the network summary tables (plan objects) which allow you to create user-defined columns.

Interfaces

P2MP LSPs

Ports

Circuits

Sites

Port Circuits

Demands

SRLGs

VPN

Nodes

AS

VPN Nodes

LSPs

External Endpoints

LSP Paths

Interface Queues

Note

You can add a maximum of 50 user-defined columns to each supported plan object.

Add user-defined columns

This topic describes how to add user-defined columns to plan file objects, enabling you to capture additional information specific to your planning needs.

Before you begin

You can create user-defined columns only in the network summary tables listed in Network summary tables supporting user-defined columns.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the plan file (see Open plan files). It opens in the Network Design page.

Step 2

Show the network summary table in which you want to add the column.

Step 3

Select the row you want to customize and click Edit icon.

Step 4

On the Edit page, click the User tab.

Step 5

Click Add icon.

Step 6

Enter the prefix, name, and select the type (text, real, integer, or boolean).

Example:

Table 1 shows a user-defined column that was added to the Sites table. The first three columns are standard columns. The last is a user-defined column where the Prefix is Customer and the Name is Service. Combined, they form the user-defined column named Customer::Service. The values Voice and Video were entered on their respective rows.

Table 4. User-defined column example

Name

Longitude

Latitude

Customer::Service

EMEA_SW

2.55

49.02

Voice

EMEA_Central

4.78

52.32

Video

Step 7

Enter a value matching the column type, and click Save under the Actions column.

Step 8

(Optional) Repeat steps 4 through 6 for each user-defined column you want to add.

Step 9

Click Save to save the changes.

The newly created column is added to the plan file. To view these columns, click Show/Hide Columns Icon and check the Prefix::Name check box.

What to do next

After you add a user-defined column to a plan file, you can manipulate it in the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design UI. You can

  • filter them by prefix, name, type, or value in the User tab

  • sort them by prefix, name, type, or value in the User tab, and

  • delete them when they are no longer needed.

Enable dark mode

The dark mode changes the appearance of the UI from a light theme to a darker color scheme. This feature enhances readability in low-light environments. It also reduces eye strain and provides an alternative look and feel.

Complete these steps to enable dark mode in the Cisco Crosswork Planning UI.

Procedure

Step 1

Log in to the Cisco Crosswork Planning UI.

Step 2

Click in the top-right corner of the main page.

Step 3

Select Classic dark.

The UI color theme switches to dark mode.

What to do next

To return to light mode, click > Classic light.