Container Mapping for Distributed System Network Element Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
As networks expand or merge, managing network information becomes increasingly difficult due to the proliferation of network elements and icons, making it hard to view or determine network status effectively, especially with large amounts of textual information.
Innovation Solution
A method for presenting information in distributed systems by representing attributes and relationships as configuration non-specific entities, grouping selected elements, applying criteria, and extracting relevant information for presentation, using container mapping and graphical user interfaces to simplify the display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If network elements are represented by unique display elements or icons, then network information can be visually represented, but the ability to view status of network elements becomes more difficult as the number of icons increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple network elements are merged into a single container icon that represents a group of elements. The container icon aggregates the status information of multiple network elements, allowing users to view the status of many elements through a single icon rather than requiring individual icons for each element, thus resolving the contradiction between representing many elements and maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The container icon serves multiple functions: it represents a group of network elements, displays aggregated status information, and provides a unified interface for managing multiple elements. This multi-functionality allows the system to handle large numbers of network elements without proportionally increasing the number of display elements, thereby maintaining ease of operation.
2Loss of information
If users resort to textual information to manage networks, then detailed network status can be reviewed, but the complexity of reviewing large amounts of textual information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container icon uses color coding to represent the status of network elements within the container. Different colors indicate different status states (e.g., green for operational, red for problematic), allowing users to quickly assess network status without reviewing detailed textual information. This visual encoding reduces the complexity of information review while maintaining complete status information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and presents only the essential status information from the detailed network data, separating the critical status indicators from the verbose textual descriptions. By extracting and highlighting only the most important status attributes, the system enables users to review network status without being overwhelmed by excessive textual information.
3Quantity of substance
If the number of icons increases to represent more network elements, then complete representation of network elements is achieved, but the ability to manage networks becomes increasingly more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments network elements into logical groups that are represented by container icons. Instead of displaying every network element as a separate icon, the system creates hierarchical segments where containers represent groups of elements. This segmentation reduces the number of top-level icons while maintaining complete representation of all network elements, thereby improving manageability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a nested structure where container icons can contain multiple network element icons or sub-containers. This nesting allows the system to represent a large number of network elements through a hierarchical arrangement, where users can expand or drill down into containers to access detailed information about individual elements. The nested structure reduces the visual clutter of flat icon arrangements while maintaining complete element representation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, apparatus and computer program product for presenting information associated with elements of a distributed system is disclosed. A method for presenting information associated with selected ones of a plurality of elements in a distributed system, the method comprising the steps of representing attributes of, and relationships among the elements as associated configuration non-specific entities, associating selected one of the elements with at least one mutually exclusive group, applying a criterion to selected ones of the at least one groups, extracting attributes and/or relationships of the elements within the selected at least one group associated with the selected criterion and presenting information associated with the extracted attributes and/or relationships for the at least one selected group.