Needed Features for Network Topology Mapping

We’re focusing first on showing current link utilization percentage overlaid on the links as a color. We’ve had lots of users ask for this (or related functionality) as part of basic network troubleshooting.

Statically adding datapoints is not what a platform does. Platforms built the ability for other things to be built on top. Platforms do not build the foundation and the building, only the foundation.

Do not think so small as to assume that just because you heard that someone wants utilization percentage as a color on the edge, means that everyone wants it. We would be more concerned with interface status (up/down). Others might be more interested in errors/discards on one map and utilization on another map. 

Focusing first on utilization is like putting all your engineering into the wheels of a car, without realizing that there are many different kinds of tires for many different purposes. 

Ideally, we’ll have some configurability so you can choose to see various metrics on the lines (throughput, % utilization, errors, other datapoints). The groundwork we’re laying for this should also allow us to do things like show the alert status of a link by coloring the line.

This should be your first target, with emphasis on “other datapoints”. But, building it out only for SNMP_Network_Interfaces is also a mistake. Build it so that it works no matter the datasource, no matter the relationship type, no matter the datapoint.