2.1.2. System Visualization

2.1.2.1. Graphical Visualization

Admin Console’s visualization system displays your distributed system in an easy-to-understand graphic. These graphics help you understand how your distributed system is configured. The Admin Console visualization views display how elements are connected in the DDS system through different domains and Topics.

You can explore your system configuration with these graphical views:

• System View displays the full system configuration, including all domains to which Admin Console is connected.

• Domain View displays the different Topics discovered in the selected domain.

• Topic View displays information for the selected Topic.

• Processes View displays information for the selected process.

2.1.2.2. Graphical Components

The graphical view is the main part of your distributed system visualization. This view shows a set of different nodes connected according to your DDS system configuration.

2.1.2.2.1. Host

This node represents one host or machine in the distributed system. To be displayed in the graph, this host must contain at least one process that is participating in the DDS communications.

2.1.2.2.2. Process

This node represents an active process in the distributed system. To be displayed in the graph, at least one DomainParticipant active in this process must have been discovered.

2.1.2.2.3. DomainParticipant

This represents one DomainParticipant that was discovered in the distributed system.

2.1.2.2.4. Publisher

This represents an active Publisher within an active DomainParticipant.

2.1.2.2.5. Subscriber

This represents an active Subscriber within an active DomainParticipant.

2.1.2.2.6. DataWriter

This represents one single DataWriter that is active in the distributed system.

2.1.2.2.7. DataReader

This represents one single DataReader that is active in the distributed system.

2.1.2.2.8. Connection Nodes

Connection nodes represent active domains or Topics in the graph. Depending on the selected view, connection nodes show either domains or Topics; both are never shown together in the same graph.

At least one connection node is always represented in the different Admin Console views. The nodes displayed in each view are listed in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1 Graphical View Nodes

View	Connection Nodes	Other Nodes
System	All system domains	Hosts and processes
Domain	All Topics in the selected domain	Hosts, processes, and DomainParticipants
Topic	The selected Topic	Hosts, processes, DomainParticipants, Publishers, Subscribers, DataWriters, and DataReaders
Processes	All Topics the process is connected to	Hosts, processes, DomainParticipants, Publishers, Subscribers, DataWriters, and DataReaders

In addition to nodes, each graphical view includes edges that represent the connection between DomainParticipants and Topics. In the System and Domain views, the edges represent the connection between DomainParticipants and Topics. Each one is labeled to indicate the number of DataWriters and DataReaders created by each DomainParticipant.

In the Topic and Processes views, edges represent the connection between individual DataReaders and DataWriters with that Topic.

2.1.2.3. Graph Toolbar

The toolbar above the graph enables basic interactions with the graph. From this toolbar, you can perform the following actions:

Icon	Meaning	Description
	Zoom in	Adjust the graph view to zoom in
	Zoom out	Adjust the graph view to zoom out
	Move view to top	Move the graph view to the top of the graph
	Fit graph width	Adjust the graph view to fit the width of the current graph
	Export graph to image	Export the current graph to an image file
	Balance the graph	Perform a graph balancing, which adjusts the number of nodes on the left and right sides

2.1.2.4. Entity Info

The Entity Info tab at the right of the graph displays information about a selected Entity in the graph.

The information displayed in this tab is completely adaptive and changes based on your interactions with the graph. If no Entity is selected, the Entity Info tab shows information about the system, domain, or Entity represented in the graph. Otherwise, the Entity Info tab includes information about the selected or highlighted Entity.

The information will vary, based on the selected Entity. The Entity Info sections that may appear include:

• Entity info: General information about the Entity. This includes the Entity type, name, health status, connected domains, process ID, GUID, connected Topics, etc.

• Entity metrics: Metrics for the selected Entity, such as how many Topics or domains it is connected to, or the number of created child Entities.

• Product version: The product version, protocol version, and vendor of the Entity.

• Host Information: Information about the host where the Entity is running.

• Wireshark filters: Filters for use with Wireshark, to filter the data for only the selected Entity.

• Locators data: Information about the locators available for the selected Entity.

• Child processes: Specific information for the Hosts, and generic information about the child processes created by the Host.

Not all the information described above will be available for all Entities. Only relevant information will be shown, depending on the type of selected Entity.

2.1.2.5. Filter Graph Info

The Filter graph info tab enables you to select which domains, Topics, or DomainParticipant partitions display in the graph. The DomainParticipant partitions filter is available at all levels. In addition:

• At the system level, you can also select which domains to display.

• At the domain level, you can also select which Topics to display.

2.1.2.6. Graph Interaction

You can interact with the graph to navigate through the different views and analyze your distributed system. You can review the full system or focus on a specific domain, process, or Entity. Interacting with the graph is a convenient way to review Match Analysis and detailed Entity information.

• Mouse-over an element:

  • When no Entity is selected, you can hover the mouse pointer over a node in the graph to view information about that element. This interaction updates the Match Analyses and Entity Info tabs. Hover the mouse over a node for a second to focus on it.

• Select an element:

  • Click on an element in the graph to select it and review information for that node. When an element is selected, hovering on another element no longer changes the focus; the Match Analyses, Entity Info, and other Admin Console tabs remain focused on the selected Entity.

• Double-click an element:

  • Double-click to navigate to the graphical view for the selected Entity (if that Entity has a specific view). For example, double-clicking a Topic node opens the Topic View.