Data and Network visualisation

Network Maps

Network maps provide graphical visualization of your network infrastructure, showing objects, their relationships, and current status. Maps can be created manually with custom layouts or generated automatically from topology data.

To access network maps:

1. Switch to the Maps perspective using the perspective switcher or menu Window ‣ Open Perspective ‣ Maps.

2. In the Object Browser panel, expand Network Maps to see all available maps and map groups.

Network maps in Object Browser

Map Types Overview

NetXMS supports six types of network maps:

Type	Description	Auto-updates
Custom	User-defined map with manual object placement	No
Layer 2 Topology	Switching/bridging topology based on MAC tables	Yes
IP Topology	IP routing topology from routing tables	Yes
Internal Communication	Agent/proxy connections to management server	Yes
OSPF Topology	OSPF routing domain topology	Yes
Hybrid Topology	Combined L2/IP/OSPF in single map	Yes

Creating Maps

1. In Object Browser, right-click Network Maps or a map group.

2. Select Create network map.

3. Enter a name and select the map type:

   • Custom: Empty map for manual creation

   • Layer 2 Topology: Auto-generated from L2 switching data

   • IP Topology: Auto-generated from routing tables

   • Internal Communication Topology: Shows agent/proxy connections

   • OSPF Topology: Shows OSPF routing relationships

   • Hybrid Topology: Combines L2, IP, and OSPF data

4. For automatic topology maps, select the initial seed object in the dialog.

5. Optionally, select an existing map as a template in the Template network map field. The template provides initial configuration for the new map including:

   • Map settings (background, size, display mode)

   • Link defaults (routing, color, width, style)

   • Filter and link styling scripts

   • Discovery radius

   • Decoration elements (group boxes, images)

   • Text box elements

   Object elements and links are not copied from the template.

Create Network Map dialog showing all map types

Seed object selection for topology map

6. Click OK.

Note

IP Topology maps are recommended for getting started as they work with standard routing information available on most devices. Layer 2 Topology maps require specific protocol support (LLDP, CDP, STP) which may not be available or enabled on all network equipment.

Seed Objects and Discovery Radius

For automatic topology maps, seed objects define the starting points for topology discovery. The first seed object is selected when creating the map. Additional seed objects can be added in map properties:

1. Open map properties (right-click map > Properties).

2. Go to the Seed Nodes page and click Add to add more seed objects.

Map properties dialog - Seed Nodes page

3. Go to the Map Options page to configure discovery radius:

   • 0 = show seed and directly connected objects only

   • Higher values = include objects further away

Map properties dialog - Map Options page

4. Click OK.

The map automatically populates with discovered topology and updates when the network changes.

Generated L2 topology map showing discovered nodes and links

Editing Maps

Map context menu

Adding Objects

Network maps can be populated automatically or manually. Layer 2, IP Topology, OSPF, Hybrid, and Internal Communication topology maps are populated automatically.

To add objects manually:

• Drag and drop: Drag objects from Object Browser onto the map

• Menu: Right-click on map > Add object… > select object

To use drag and drop, the map editor must be accessible while viewing network objects. Either:

• Pop out or pin the map editor window, then switch to Network or Infrastructure perspective where objects are located, or

• Use the Add object… menu option which works from any perspective

Dragging a node from Object Browser onto a map

To remove objects:

• Select object, right-click > Remove from map

Custom map with connected nodes

Adding Links Between Objects

Objects can be linked with a line.

To create links:

1. Hold Ctrl and click two objects to select them.

Two objects selected before linking

2. Click Link selected objects in toolbar, or right-click > Link selected objects.

Toolbar with Link selected objects button

To remove links:

• Select the link, right-click > Remove from map

Link Properties

Select a link, right-click and select Properties to configure:

Link properties dialog

• Link name: Label displayed on the link

• Connector names: Labels shown near each connected object

• Line color:

  • Default - uses map default color

  • Based on object status - color reflects selected object(s) status

  • Custom color - user-defined static color

  • Script - determined by NXSL script

  • Link utilization - based on interface bandwidth usage

Link color source options

• Routing algorithm:

  • Map Default - uses map setting

  • Direct - straight line

  • Manhattan - grid-based with right angles

  • Bend points - manual routing (double-click line to add points)

Link with manual bend points

• Label position: Position of link name and DCI values (50 = middle)

• Data Source: Configure DCI values to display on the link

Link data source configuration

Data Source Configuration:

For each data source, configure:

• Data collection item

• Name (label prefix)

• Format string

• For table DCIs: column and instance

If format string is not provided, default formatting with multipliers and measurement units is used.

Format string syntax follows Java Formatter specification. Example: Text: %.4f

Additional format specifiers in curly brackets after %:

• units or u - add measurement units from DCI properties

• multipliers or m - display with SI multipliers (e.g., 1230000 becomes 1.23 M)

• Combined: %{units,multipliers}f or %{u,m}f

Example of DCI data displayed on a link

Decorations

Decorations like pictures and group boxes can be added to maps.

Map decorations example

Group Boxes

Group boxes visually organize related objects.

1. Right-click on the map canvas.

2. Select Add decoration > Group box.

3. Configure: title, color, and size.

Group box properties dialog

4. Position behind objects you want to group.

Images

To add an image, first upload it to the Image library, then:

1. Right-click on the map canvas.

2. Select Add decoration > Image.

3. Select the image from the library.

DCI Container

DCI Container displays live DCI values on a map.

DCI Container example

To add a DCI Container:

1. Right-click on the map canvas.

2. Select Add DCI container.

3. Configure appearance:

   • Background color

   • Text color

   • Border (optional) and border color

4. Add data sources:

   • Click Add

   • Select node and DCI

   • Configure name and format string (e.g., Text: %.4f or %{u,m}f)

   • For table DCIs: specify column and instance

DCI Container showing live metrics on map

More DCI Container examples

DCI Image

DCI Image displays different images based on DCI values, useful for conditional status indicators.

To add a DCI Image:

1. Right-click on the map canvas.

2. Select Add DCI image.

3. Configure:

   • Data source: DCI to evaluate

   • Column/Instance: For table DCIs only

   • Default image: Shown when no rule matches

4. Add rules (click Add):

   • Operation: Comparison operator (>, <, =, etc.)

   • Value: Threshold value

   • Image: Image to display when rule matches

   • Comment: Optional description

DCI Image rules configuration

Important: Rules are processed top to bottom. Order from most specific to least specific.

Example rule order for temperature:

> 80  => critical.png    (checked first)
> 60  => warning.png     (checked second)
> 0   => normal.png      (checked third)

Text Box

Text boxes display static text with optional drill-down navigation.

To add a Text Box:

1. Right-click on the map canvas.

2. Select Add text box.

3. Configure:

   • Text: Content to display

   • Font size: Text size

   • Colors: Text and background colors

   • Drill-down object: Optional target for click navigation

Text Box properties dialog

Text Box drill-down object selection

Layout and Display Options

Layout and display options apply to objects, not decorations.

Map Size

Map size defines the canvas dimensions for the network map. This is particularly important for automatically layouted maps, as the layout algorithm uses these dimensions to position objects.

To configure map size:

1. Open map properties (right-click map > Properties).

2. Go to the Map Options page.

3. Set Width and Height values in pixels.

For automatic topology maps, larger dimensions provide more space for the layout algorithm to spread objects, resulting in less cluttered visualization.

Grid

• Align to grid: Move all objects to grid positions

• Snap to grid: Constrain object movement to grid

• Show grid: Display grid lines

Map toolbar

Layout Algorithms

Objects can be positioned manually or using automatic layouts:

• Manual: No automatic positioning (default for Custom maps)

• Spring: Force-directed layout

• Radial: Circular arrangement from center

• Horizontal tree: Left-to-right hierarchy

• Vertical tree: Top-to-bottom hierarchy

• Sparse vertical tree: Vertical tree with more spacing

Layout algorithm selection menu

With automatic layout, positions recalculate on each refresh. With manual layout, save the map after moving objects.

Display Options

• Show status background: Colored background based on object status

• Show status icon: Status icon overlay on objects

• Show status frame: Colored frame around objects based on status

• Floor plan: Objects as resizable rectangles for physical layout

Display options menu with status settings

Map showing objects with status icons

Object Display Mode

Objects can be displayed as:

• Icons (default)

• Small labels

• Large labels

• Status icon

• Floor plan

Display mode: Icons

Display mode: Small Labels

Display mode: Large Labels

Display mode: Status Icon

Display mode: Floor Plan

Map in floor plan mode with resizable rectangles

Default Link Routing

• Direct: Straight lines

• Manhattan: Grid-based with right angles

Zoom

Map can be zoomed using toolbar buttons or selecting a percentage from the menu.

Public Access

When NetXMS WebUI is configured, network maps can be shared publicly via a direct URL without requiring authentication. This is useful for displaying maps on information screens or sharing with users who don’t have system accounts.

To enable public access:

1. Right-click on a network map in Object Browser.

2. Select Enable public access…

3. A dialog appears with:

   • Access token: Unique token for this map’s public access

   • Direct access URL: Full URL to access the map

4. Copy the URL and share it as needed.

The URL format is:

{BaseURL}/nxmc-light.app?auto&kiosk-mode=true&token={token}&map={mapId}

The map will be displayed in kiosk mode without navigation elements, suitable for dashboards and information displays.

Note

Public access requires WebUI to be properly configured with a base URL. Each time you enable public access, a new token is generated.

Delegated Access

Network maps can display objects that users don’t have direct read access to, using the Delegated read access right. This is useful for creating overview maps for users who should see network visualization without having full access to browse the underlying nodes.

Delegated read only allows viewing objects through the map interface. Users cannot browse these objects directly in Object Browser or access them outside the map context.

Delegated read can be set on specific objects, on containers or on root objects, e.g. on Infrastructure Services.

Added in version 5.0.

Map Background

Background options:

• Color: Solid background color

• Image: Upload to Image library first, then select

• Geographic Map: Specify latitude, longitude, and zoom level

Image background selection from Image Library

Geographic map background configuration

Use backgrounds to show physical placement on floor plans or geographic locations.

Map with geographic background

Object Filter Script

Filter scripts control which objects appear on automatic topology maps.

1. Open map properties.

2. Go to the Filter tab.

Map properties - Filter script configuration

3. Enter an NXSL script returning true (include) or false (exclude).

4. Enable Filter objects option.

Context variables:

• $object or $node: Object being evaluated

• $map: The NetworkMap object

Example - include only nodes:

return $object.isNode;

Example - exclude nodes in maintenance:

return !$node.isInMaintenanceMode;

Example - include only specific subnet:

if ($node.ipAddr.inSubnet("10.1.0.0", 16))
   return true;
return false;

Link Styling Script

Link styling scripts dynamically modify link appearance during map updates.

1. Open map properties.

2. Go to the Link Styling Script section.

Map properties - Link styling script configuration

3. Enter an NXSL script that modifies the $link object.

Example - set link width based on bandwidth:

iface = $link.interface1;
if (iface != null) {
   speed = iface.speed;
   if (speed >= 10000000000)
      $link.setWidth(4);  // 10G+
   else if (speed >= 1000000000)
      $link.setWidth(3);  // 1G
   else
      $link.setWidth(2);  // Below 1G
}

Example - add interface descriptions as connector names:

if ($link.interface1 != null)
   $link.setConnectorName1($link.interface1.description);
if ($link.interface2 != null)
   $link.setConnectorName2($link.interface2.description);

For complete NXSL reference including all available methods and attributes for $link object, see NetworkMapLink class in the NXSL documentation.

Reference Tables

Map Types

Type	Description	Auto-updates	Seed Required
Custom	User-defined manual map	No	No
Layer 2 Topology	Switching/bridging topology	Yes	Yes
IP Topology	IP routing topology	Yes	Yes
Internal Communication	Agent/proxy connections	Yes	Yes (auto)
OSPF Topology	OSPF routing topology	Yes	Yes
Hybrid Topology	Combined L2/IP/OSPF	Yes	Yes

OSPF topology map showing router relationships

Hybrid topology map combining L2/IP/OSPF

Element Types

Type	Description
Object	Managed NetXMS object (node, interface, etc.)
Decoration	Group box or static image
DCI Container	Live DCI value display
DCI Image	Dynamic image based on DCI value
Text Box	Text annotation with optional drill-down

All element types shown on one map

Link Types

Type	Visual	Description
Normal	Solid line	Standard connection
VPN	Dashed	VPN tunnel
Multilink	Double line	Aggregated links (LAG)
Agent Tunnel	Red indicator	Agent tunnel connection
Agent Proxy	Green indicator	Agent proxy
SSH Proxy	Cyan indicator	SSH proxy
SNMP Proxy	Yellow indicator	SNMP proxy
ICMP Proxy	Blue indicator	ICMP proxy
Sensor Proxy	Default color	Sensor proxy
Zone Proxy	Magenta indicator	Zone proxy

Link Color Sources

Source	Description
Default	Uses map default color
Object Status	Based on selected object(s) status
Custom Color	User-defined static color
Script	Determined by NXSL script
Link Utilization	Based on interface utilization
Interface Status	Based on interface operational status

Layout Algorithms

Algorithm	Description
Manual	User positions objects
Spring	Force-directed layout
Radial	Circular arrangement
Horizontal Tree	Left-to-right tree
Vertical Tree	Top-to-bottom tree
Sparse Vertical Tree	Spread-out vertical tree

Link Routing

Algorithm	Description
Default	Uses map setting
Direct	Straight line
Manhattan	Grid-based with right angles
Bendpoints	User-defined routing points

Link Styles

Style	Description
Default	System default (solid)
Solid	Continuous line
Dash	Dashed line
Dot	Dotted line
Dash-Dot	Alternating dash and dot
Dash-Dot-Dot	Dash and two dots

NXSL Classes Reference

For scripting with network maps, refer to the NXSL documentation:

• NetworkMap class - Map object available as $map

• NetworkMapLink class - Link object available as $link

Dashboards

Dashboards combine visualization components with data from multiple sources to create high-level views for monitoring network health at a glance. Administrators create dashboards to display charts, status indicators, alarm lists, geographic maps, and other elements in a customizable grid layout.

Example dashboard showing traffic information and CPU usage

Accessing Dashboards

To access dashboards, switch to the Dashboard perspective and select the desired dashboard from the object tree on the left.

Creating Dashboards

Dashboards are objects created in the Dashboards container in the object tree. To create a new dashboard:

1. Right-click on Dashboards root or any existing dashboard

2. Select Create dashboard

3. Enter a name for the dashboard

4. Open the dashboard’s properties to configure elements

Dashboard Properties

To configure dashboard content, open the object’s properties and navigate to Dashboard Elements. Here you can define the number of columns and manage the list of elements.

Dashboard properties dialog

Property	Description
Number of columns	Defines the grid width for element layout
Scrollable	Enable vertical scrolling when content exceeds viewport height

Press Add to add a new element. You will be prompted with an element type selection menu.

Element type selection menu

When a new element is added, double-click on its record in the elements list or press Edit to configure it. Each element has a Layout property page controlling the element’s position within the dashboard, plus one or more element-specific pages.

Dashboard Templates

Dashboard templates allow you to create reusable dashboard designs that automatically generate dashboards for objects matching specified criteria.

To create a dashboard template:

1. Right-click on Dashboards and select Create dashboard template

2. Configure elements as with regular dashboards

3. Set up auto-bind filter to specify which objects should receive this dashboard

When an object matches the auto-bind filter, a dashboard instance is automatically created and linked to that object. The name template field allows you to define how generated dashboard names are formatted using macro substitution (e.g. %n for object name).

Dashboard Auto-Bind

Dashboards support automatic binding to objects using NXSL filter scripts. When enabled, dashboards will automatically bind to (and optionally unbind from) objects that match the filter criteria.

Configure auto-bind in dashboard properties:

Property	Description
Enable auto-bind	Automatically bind dashboard to matching objects
Enable auto-unbind	Automatically unbind from objects that no longer match
Auto-bind filter	NXSL script that returns true for objects to bind

Example auto-bind filter to bind to all Linux nodes:

return $node->platformName ~= "Linux";

Context Dashboards

Context dashboards are displayed as views within an object’s context, rather than as standalone dashboards. This allows creating object-specific monitoring views that appear when viewing a particular node, container, or other object.

To enable context dashboard mode, open the dashboard’s properties and navigate to the Object Context property page:

Object Context property page

Property	Description
Show context selector in dashboard perspective	Display object selector when dashboard is viewed in the Dashboard perspective, allowing users to switch context object
Automatically show this dashboard in object context	When enabled, dashboard will appear as a tab in bound objects’ context views
Display priority (1-65535, 0 for automatic)	Controls tab ordering when multiple dashboards are shown in object context. Lower values appear first. Set to 0 for automatic ordering.

To associate a context dashboard with objects, use auto-bind to define which objects should display this dashboard.

When a context dashboard is bound to an object, it appears in that object’s view tabs alongside other context views.

Dashboard Elements

Dashboard elements are the building blocks of dashboards. There are 32 element types available, organized into functional categories.

Labels and Text

Label

Text label with configurable text and colors. Supports multi-line text and basic formatting.

Charts

Line Chart

Displays time-series data as line graphs with configurable time ranges. Supports up to 16 data sources per chart.

Bar Chart

Displays data as vertical or horizontal bars. Useful for comparing values across multiple data sources.

Pie Chart

Shows proportional data distribution as pie segments.

Tube Chart

Deprecated since version 4.2: Use Bar Chart instead.

Displays data as a tube/cylinder visualization. Included for backward compatibility with existing dashboards.

Scripted Charts

Scripted charts use NXSL scripts to dynamically generate chart data rather than reading directly from DCIs. This allows complex data transformations and aggregations.

Scripted Bar Chart

Bar chart with script-defined data. The script runs in the context of a selected object and returns data for chart segments.

Configuration:

• Object: Context object for script execution (or dashboard context if not set)

• Script: NXSL script that returns a hash map with chart data

The script must return a hash map where keys are segment labels and values are numeric values:

return %{"Segment A": 10, "Segment B": 17, "Segment C": 42};

Values can also be JSON strings with additional properties for custom display names and colors:

return %{
   "key1": '{"name": "Display Name", "color": "#FF0000", "value": 42}',
   "key2": '{"name": "Another", "color": "#00FF00", "value": 58}'
};

Scripted chart configuration

Scripted Pie Chart

Pie chart with script-defined data. Uses the same configuration and script format as the Scripted Bar Chart.

Table-Based Charts

These charts visualize data from table DCIs (data collection items that return multiple rows).

Bar Chart for Table DCI

Bar chart displaying data from a table DCI. Configure the column to use for labels and values.

Pie Chart for Table DCI

Pie chart displaying data from a table DCI.

Tube Chart for Table DCI

Tube visualization of table DCI data. Deprecated but supported for backward compatibility.

Gauge Charts

Gauges display single numeric values with configurable scales and color zones.

Gauge element types: Dial, Bar, Text, and Circular

Gauge Types:

Type	Description
Dial	Radial gauge with needle indicator. Classic speedometer-style display.
Bar	Linear bar gauge (horizontal or vertical).
Text	Numeric text display with optional color coding based on value ranges.
Circular	Modern circular arc gauge with smooth gradient coloring.

Color Zones:

Gauges support color zones to visually indicate value ranges:

• Left Red Zone: Minimum value to left red threshold (critical low)

• Left Yellow Zone: Left red threshold to left yellow threshold (warning low)

• Normal Zone: Between left and right yellow thresholds (normal)

• Right Yellow Zone: Right yellow threshold to right red threshold (warning high)

• Right Red Zone: Right red threshold to maximum value (critical high)

Color Modes:

• Zone: Color changes based on which zone the value falls into

• Custom: Single custom color for the entire gauge

• Threshold: Color based on DCI threshold severity

Gauge color zones configuration

Status Elements

Status Chart

Bar chart showing current status distribution for objects under a specified root object. Displays counts of objects in each status level (Normal, Warning, Minor, Major, Critical, etc.).

Status Indicator

Shows the current status of one or more objects as colored shapes. Supports multiple display modes and data sources.

Element Types:

Type	Description
Object	Display status of a specific object
DCI	Display status based on a specific DCI’s threshold state
DCI Template	Display status from DCIs matching a name/description pattern
Script	Calculate status using an NXSL script

Shapes:

• Circle (default)

• Rectangle

• Rounded Rectangle

Label Position:

• None (no label)

• Inside (label within the shape)

• Outside (label below/beside the shape)

Script-Driven Mode:

When using script element type, a single NXSL script is configured at the widget level and provides status for all script-type elements. Each script-type element has a tag field that is used as a key to look up its status from the script result.

The script must return a hash map where keys match element tags and values are integer status codes:

Value	Status
0	Normal
1	Warning
2	Minor
3	Major
4	Critical
5	Unknown

Example script:

return %{"cpu": $object->status, "memory": 3, "disk": 0};

In this example, elements with tags cpu, memory, and disk must be defined on the elements configuration page. If an element’s tag is not present in the returned map, that element will be hidden.

Status indicator elements configuration with tags

Script configuration

Script-driven status indicator result

Status Map

Displays object hierarchy as a visual status map with three view modes.

View Modes:

• Flat: All objects displayed as equal-sized rectangles without grouping

• Group: Objects grouped by their containers

• Radial: Hierarchical radial layout with parent in center

Monitors

Alarm Viewer

Displays active alarms for a specified object subtree.

Filter Options:

Property	Description
Root object	Show alarms only for this object and its children
Severity filter	Bitmask to show only specific severity levels
State filter	Bitmask to show only specific states (outstanding, acknowledged, resolved)
Local sound	Enable audio notification for new alarms in this widget

Alarm viewer filter configuration

Syslog Monitor

Real-time syslog message display for a specified object subtree.

Configure a root object to filter messages to only those from specific objects.

SNMP Trap Monitor

Real-time SNMP trap display for a specified object subtree.

Configure a root object to filter traps to only those from specific objects.

Event Monitor

Real-time event display with filtering options.

Configuration Options:

Property	Description
Root object	Show events only for this object and its children
Maximum events	Limit number of displayed events (default: 100)
Time range	Show events from the last N minutes (default: 60)
Event codes	Comma-separated list of event codes to display (empty = all events)
Text filter	Text string to filter displayed events by message content

Event monitor filter configuration

File Monitor

Displays the contents of a file from an agent-managed node, similar to tail -f. Useful for monitoring log files in real-time.

Configuration:

Property	Description
Object	Node with NetXMS agent where the file is located
File name	Full path to the file on the monitored node
History limit	Maximum number of lines to display (default: 1000)
Filter	Regular expression to filter displayed lines
Syntax highlighter	Syntax highlighting mode (if applicable)

Data Display

Table Value

Displays the last values from a table DCI as a formatted table.

Availability Chart

Pie chart showing availability percentage for a business service. Displays uptime vs. downtime ratio.

DCI Summary Table

Displays DCI summary table information for objects under a container.

Object Query

Displays filtered object information in a customizable table format. Uses NXSL queries to select objects and define computed columns.

Object query has two main configuration pages:

Query Configuration:

The query script is executed on each object. If it returns true, the object is included in the result set. The script can define additional variables that become columns in the result table.

Three syntax variants are available:

1. Special “with” syntax for additional columns with metadata:

with
  criticalCount = {
    return GetDCIValue($object, FindDCIByDescription($object, "Critical Alarms"));
  },
  warningCount = {
    return GetDCIValue($object, FindDCIByDescription($object, "Warning Alarms"));
  }
$object->alarmCount > 0 && !$object->isInMaintenanceMode

2. NXSL script with global variables:

if ($object->alarmCount == 0 || $object->isInMaintenanceMode)
  return false;
global criticalCount = GetDCIValue($object, FindDCIByDescription($object, "Critical Alarms"));
global warningCount = GetDCIValue($object, FindDCIByDescription($object, "Warning Alarms"));
return true;

3. NXSL script returning a map:

if ($object->alarmCount == 0)
  return false;
return {
  "criticalCount" => GetDCIValue($object, FindDCIByDescription($object, "Critical Alarms")),
  "warningCount" => GetDCIValue($object, FindDCIByDescription($object, "Warning Alarms"))
};

Query Page Options:

• Order by: Comma-separated list of columns. Use + for ascending (default) or - for descending (e.g., -criticalCount,+name)

• Refresh interval: How often to re-run the query

• Record limit: Maximum number of objects to display

Object Properties Configuration:

Define which columns to display and their order:

• Attribute/Variable name: Object attribute or variable name from query

• Display name: Column header text

• Data type: How to format and sort the column

Query configuration example

Object properties configuration

Embedded Content

Dashboard

Embeds another dashboard object (or multiple dashboards) within the current dashboard. When multiple dashboards are added, they rotate automatically.

Network Map

Renders a network map object as a dashboard element.

Geo Map

Displays a geographic map centered at a specified location or showing object locations.

Web Page

Embeds a web page at a specified URL within the dashboard. Useful for integrating external monitoring tools or documentation.

Layout Elements

Separator

Visual separator for organizing dashboard layout. Can be displayed as a line, box, or empty space.

Separator Types:

• Line (horizontal or vertical)

• Box (rectangular border)

• Empty (invisible spacer)

Interactive Elements

Object Tools

Displays buttons for executing pre-configured object tools.

Port View

Shows a schematic representation of network device ports with status indication.

Rack Diagram

Displays a rack visualization showing equipment placement.

View Options:

• Front view only

• Back view only

• Both views (side by side or combined)

Service Components

Displays the hierarchy of objects in an Infrastructure Service starting from a selected root object.

Element Configuration

All dashboard elements share common configuration options plus element-specific settings.

Title Configuration

Every element can have a customizable title displayed above the element content.

Title configuration options

Property	Description
Title	Text displayed above the element
Title foreground	Text color for the title
Title background	Background color for the title bar
Title font name	Custom font family for the title
Title font size	Size adjustment relative to default (positive or negative)

Chart Configuration

Common settings for all chart elements (Line, Bar, Pie, Gauge, etc.).

Property	Description
Show legend	Display chart legend
Extended legend	Show additional statistics in legend (min, max, average)
Legend position	Location of legend (Left, Right, Top, Bottom)
Translucent	Enable semi-transparent rendering
Auto scale	Automatically adjust Y-axis scale to fit data
Min Y scale	Fixed minimum Y-axis value (when auto scale is disabled)
Max Y scale	Fixed maximum Y-axis value (when auto scale is disabled)
Y axis label	Label text for the Y-axis
Modify Y base	Use minimum DCI value as Y-axis base instead of zero
Refresh rate	How often to refresh chart data (seconds)

Drill-Down Navigation

Several element types support drill-down navigation, allowing users to click on the element to navigate to another object (typically a dashboard with more detailed information).

Drill-down object selection

Supported element types:

• DCI-based charts (Line Chart, Bar Chart, Pie Chart, Gauge, Scripted Bar Chart, Scripted Pie Chart)

• Table-based charts (Table Bar Chart, Table Pie Chart, Table Tube Chart)

• Status Indicator (per-element drill-down)

Configure drill-down in the element properties:

Property	Description
Drill-down object	Object to navigate to when element is clicked (usually a dashboard)

When a drill-down object is configured, clicking on the element will open that object’s view. For status indicators, each individual element can have its own drill-down target.

Data Sources

For DCI-based charts, configure data sources to define which DCIs provide the chart data.

Property	Description
Data collection item	DCI to use as data source
Display name	Legend label (uses DCI description if empty)
Color	Line/bar color (automatic if not specified)
Area chart	Display as filled area instead of line (line charts only)
Show thresholds	Display threshold lines on chart (line charts only)

Up to 16 DCIs can be added to a single chart.

Dashboard Layout

Dashboard uses a grid concept for element positioning. Available space is divided into rows and columns, with each element occupying one or more cells.

Layout Properties

Property	Description
Horizontal span	Number of grid cells this element occupies horizontally
Vertical span	Number of grid cells this element occupies vertically
Horizontal alignment	How element aligns within its cells (FILL, CENTER, LEFT, RIGHT)
Vertical alignment	How element aligns within its cells (FILL, CENTER, TOP, BOTTOM)
Width hint	Suggested width in pixels (-1 for automatic)
Height hint	Suggested height in pixels (-1 for automatic)
Grab vertical space	Whether element should expand to fill available vertical space

Alignment Values:

Value	Description
FILL	Element fills the entire cell and grabs excess space
CENTER	Element centered within cell
LEFT/TOP	Element aligned to left/top edge of cell
RIGHT/BOTTOM	Element aligned to right/bottom edge of cell

Grid Layout Example

The number of columns is configured in dashboard properties. Rows are calculated automatically based on elements and their spans.

Complex layout configuration

This configuration renders as:

Resulting dashboard layout

Narrow Screen Mode

Dashboards support responsive design for mobile devices and narrow screens. When the display width is below a threshold, the dashboard switches to narrow screen mode.

Layout Properties for Narrow Screen:

Property	Description
Show in narrow screen mode	Whether to display this element on narrow screens
Narrow screen order	Sort order for elements in narrow screen mode (0-255)
Narrow screen height hint	Height hint specifically for narrow screen display

In narrow screen mode, elements are displayed in a single column, sorted by their narrow screen order value. Elements with Show in narrow screen mode disabled are hidden entirely.

This allows creating dashboards that work well on both desktop and mobile devices by hiding non-essential elements and reordering remaining elements for vertical display.

Dashboard Rotation

To display multiple dashboards in a loop (useful for monitoring displays):

1. Create all dashboards you want to show

2. Create a new dashboard with a single Dashboard element

3. Add all target dashboards to that element’s list

4. Set the rotation interval (time each dashboard is displayed)

Configuration for rotating two dashboards every 40 seconds

Delegated Access

Dashboards can display data from objects that users don’t have direct read access to, using the Delegated read access right. This enables creating monitoring dashboards for users who should see specific visualizations without having full access to the underlying infrastructure.

Delegated read only allows viewing object data through the dashboard. Users cannot browse these objects directly or access data outside the dashboard context.

Delegated read can be set on specific objects, on containers or on root objects, e.g. on Infrastructure Services.

Added in version 5.0.

Reference

Element Types

Complete list of all dashboard element types:

Type	Description
Label	Text label with configurable formatting
Line Chart	Time-series line graph
Bar Chart	Vertical or horizontal bar chart
Pie Chart	Proportional pie chart
Tube Chart	Tube visualization (deprecated)
Status Chart	Object status distribution chart
Status Indicator	Object/DCI status display
Dashboard	Embedded dashboard(s)
Network Map	Embedded network map
Geo Map	Geographic map view
Alarm Viewer	Active alarm list
Availability Chart	Service availability pie chart
Gauge	Single-value gauge (dial, bar, text, circular)
Web Page	Embedded web page
Table Bar Chart	Bar chart from table DCI
Table Pie Chart	Pie chart from table DCI
Table Tube Chart	Tube chart from table DCI (deprecated)
Separator	Visual separator element
Table Value	Table DCI data display
Status Map	Hierarchical status visualization
DCI Summary Table	Summary table for container DCIs
Syslog Monitor	Real-time syslog display
SNMP Trap Monitor	Real-time trap display
Event Monitor	Real-time event display
Service Components	Infrastructure service hierarchy
Rack Diagram	Rack equipment visualization
Object Tools	Tool execution buttons
Object Query	Custom object query table
Port View	Network port status schematic
Scripted Bar Chart	Script-generated bar chart
Scripted Pie Chart	Script-generated pie chart
File Monitor	Remote file content display

Gauge Types

Type	Description
Dial	Radial gauge with needle indicator (speedometer style)
Bar	Linear bar gauge, horizontal or vertical
Text	Numeric text display with optional color coding
Circular	Modern circular arc gauge with gradient fill

Status Indicator Shapes

Shape	Description
Circle	Circular indicator (default)
Rectangle	Square/rectangular indicator
Rounded Rectangle	Rectangle with rounded corners

Status Indicator Element Types

Type	Description
Object	Status from object status
DCI	Status from specific DCI threshold
DCI Template	Status from DCIs matching pattern
Script	Status from NXSL script execution

Graphs

You can view collected data in a graphical form, as a line chart. To view values of some DCI as a chart, first open either Data Collection Editor or Last Values view for a host. You can do it from the Object Browser or map by selection host, right-clicking on it, and selecting Data collection or Last DCI values. Then, select one or more DCIs (you can put up to 16 DCIs on one graph), right-click on them and choose Graph from the pop-up menu. You will see graphical representation of DCI values for the last hour.

When the graph is open, you can do various tasks:

Select different time interval

By default, you will see data for the last hour. You can select different time interval in two ways:

1. Select new time interval from presets, by right-clicking on the graph, and then selecting Presets and appropriate time interval from the pop-up menu.

2. Set time interval in graph properties dialog. To access graph properties, right-click on the graph, and then select Properties from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, you can use main application menu: Graph ‣ Properties. In the properties dialog, you will have two options: select exact time interval (like 12/10/2005 from 10:00 to 14:00) or select time interval based on current time (like last two hours).

Turn on automatic refresh

You can turn on automatic graph refresh at a given interval in graph properties dialog. To access graph properties, right-click on it, and select Properties from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, you can use main application menu: Graph ‣ Properties. In the properties dialog, select the Refresh automatically checkbox and enter a desired refresh interval in seconds in edit box below. When automatic refresh is on, you will see Autoupdate message in the status bar of graph window.

Change colors

You can change colors used to paint lines and graph elements in the graph properties dialog. To access graph properties, right-click on it, and select Properties from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, you can use main application menu: Graph ‣ Properties. In the properties dialog, click on colored box for appropriate element to choose different color.

Save current settings as predefined graph

You can save current graph settings as predefined graph to allow quick and easy access in the future to information presented on graph. Preconfigured graphs can be used either by you or by other NetXMS users, depending on settings. To save current graph configuration as predefined graph, select Save as predefined from graph view menu. The following dialog will appear:

In Graph name field, enter desired name for your predefined graph. It will appear in predefined graph tree exactly as written here. You can use -> character pair to create subtree. For example, if you name your graph NetXMS Server->System->CPU utilization (iowait) it will appear in the tree as following:

You can edit predefined graph by right-clicking on it in predefined graph tree, and selecting Properties from context menu. On Predefined Graph property page you can add users and groups who will have access to this graph. Note that user creating the graph will always have full access to it, even if he is not in access list.

If you need to delete predefined graph, you can do it by right-clicking on it in predefined graph tree, and selecting Delete from context menu.

Save current settings as template graph

Current graph settings can be saved as a template graph for an easy template graph creation. The difference between predefined graphs and template graphs are that template graphs are not configured to view specific DCI`s on a node, instead they are configured to view DCI names that can be found on many nodes (e.g. FileSystem.FreePerc(/)). This allows for the creation of certain graph templates to monitor, for example, disk usage that can be reused on any node to which the appropreate DCI`s are applied on via DCI configuration.

See detailed information on template graphs in the section Template Graph Configuration.

In the Graph name field of the pop-up save dialog, enter the desired name for the template graph by which you can later identify your it in the Template Graph Configuration which can be found in Configuration‣Template Graph Configuration.

Template graphs can be accessed in the Object Browser as seen on the screenshot above. When a template graph is created, it will appear in the sub-menus of the nodes found in Object Browser, the rest of the settings can be accessed by editing a template graph in the Template Graph Configuration.

Template Graph Configuration

Template graphs are used to ease the monitoring of a pre-set list of DCI`s on multiple nodes by adding a list of DCI names to the template source. This allows for the possibility to create templates to monitor specific data on any node to which the appropriate DCI`s are applied on.

The Template Graph Configuration is used to create and edit template graphs. Properties for already created template graphs can be brought up by double clicking the template graph you wish to edit and new ones can be added by pressing the green cross on the top right or by right clicking and selecting Create new template graph.

Name and access rights of a graph

The above property page provides the possibility to configure the name of the template graph and the access rights. The user who has created the template graph will have full access to it even though the username will not show up in the access right list.

General graph properties.

Title:

• The title that the graph will have when opened.

• The title can contain special characters described in Macro Substitution.

Options:

Option	Description
Show grid lines	Enable or disable grid lines for the graph.
Stacked	Stacks the graphs of each value on top of one another to be able to see the total value easier (e.g. useful when monitoring cpu usage).
Show legend	Enable or disable the legend of the graph.
Show extended legend	Enable or disable the extended legend of the graph (Max, Avg, Min, Curr).
Refresh automatically	Enable or disable auto-refresh.
Logarithmic scale	Use the logarithmic scale for the graph.
Translucent	Enable or disable the translucency of the graph.
Show host names	Show host name of the node from which the value is taken.
Area chart	Highlights the area underneath the graph.
Line width	Adjust the width of the lines.
Legend position	Set the position of the legend.
Refresh interval	Set the refresh interval.

Time Period:

Provides the possibility to configure the time period of the graph. It is possible to set a dynamic time frame (Back from now) and a static time frame (Fixed time frame).

Y Axis Range:

Adjust the range of the Y axis on the graph.

Template graph filter properties.

It may be necessary to set certain filters for a template graph. This can be useful if the graph contains DCI names that are only available on NetXMS agent or are SNMP dependant.

More information on filters can be found in Filter.

Template graph sources

There are two options to add sources to the template graph. Sources can be added manually by configuring the Data Source parameters yourself or by importing data source information from DCI`s that have already been applied to other nodes.

When adding or editing a source, it is possible to use Java regex in the DCI Name and DCI Description fields. This can be handy when used with the Multiple match option which will use all DCI`s that match the particular regex. The order in which the DCI list is searched is first by DCI Name and then by DCI Description.

History

You can view collected data in a textual form, as a table with two columns - timestamp and value. To view values of some DCI as a table, first open either Data Collection Editor or Last Values view for a host. You can do it from the Object Browser or map by selection host, right-clicking on it, and selecting Data collection or Last DCI values. Then, select one or more DCIs (each DCI data will be shown in separate view), right-click on them and choose Show history from the pop-up menu. You will see the last 1000 values of the DCI.

Summary table

It is possible to see DCI data as a table where each line is one node and each column is a DCI. It can be configured for each summary table which DCIs should be present on it.

Configuration

DCI summary table can be configured in Configuration -> Summary Table.

General:

• Menu path - path where this summary table can be found. You can use -> character pair to create subtree like “Linux->System information”.

• Title - title of the summary table.

Columns:

• This is the list if DCI’s that will be shown on the summary table. Name is the name of column and DCI Name is DCI parameter name.

  • Multivalued column is intended to present string DCIs that contain several values divided by specified separator. Each value is presented on a separate line in the column.

  • If Use regular expression for parameter name matching is enabled, a regular expression is specified in DCI name field. If several DCIs will be matched on a node, only one will be displayed.

• Import button allows to select a DCI from existing object.

Filter:

• Filter script is executed for each node to determine, if that node should be included in a summary table. Filter script is defined with help of NXSL scripting language.

Usage

After DCI summary table is configured it can be accessed in container object (Subnet, container…) context menu under “Summary tables”.