Vizualization of network with the help of ConceptDraw
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Use it for:
- graphics for Internet traffic statistics
- vizual calculation of the network cost
- diagrams of available network resources
- organizational diagrams
- domain maps
- vizualization of any other data
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Network directors, system administrators, automatic control system-specialists,
specialists on electronic document exchange... People of these professions need,
by the nature of their occupation, information on the enterprise network in
various representations. As in many other cases, it is vizualization of information
that helps a specialist to simplify the process of decision making. And here,
such tool as ConceptDraw can come to aid.
Why ConceptDraw, and which possibilities does the program
provides?
ConceptDraw makes easier the process of vizualization of the
network thanks to the numerous ready-to-use objects included in the package
for presentation of network equipment, LDAP Directory symbols
and many other objects which symbolize resources in most various representation.
Smart connectors make easier a displaying of interconnections among the diagram
elements: once you interconnected the symbols of the devices, they will remain
connected even if you shift either of them.
Benefits:
- a set of templates and libraries with ready-to-use objects
- powerful graphic capabilities (2D-graphics)
- support of hyperlinks
- numerous export formats
- scripting language ConceptDraw Basic
- possibility to use external shared libraries
- 4 open text formats
- XML support
- support of ODBC-compatible databases
- multilateral parametrization of objects
- cross-platform (Mac, PC)
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For division of different network levels you can draw diagrams on several layers
and show/hide the layers depending on the necessity. Another variant of layer
division that can be realized in ConceptDraw is a creation
of a multi-page document connected by hyperlinks.
ConceptDraw objects allow to save arbitrary detailed information
on the equipment in the user's properties of the object (Custom Properties).
Rich possibilities on the setting of the text properties and ready-to-use objects
for creation of a background allow to beautifully design diagrams, and the set
of supported export formats (various vector and raster graphic formats: PDF,
Power Point, Flash, HTML (with hyperlinks) simplify
the process of information exchange with your colleagues and business partners.
A good step in (the degree of utility) of ConceptDraw
was made after the appearance of ConceptDraw Basic - the inbuilt
scripting language of ConceptDraw. The typical task for ConceptDraw
Basic is to automate the vizualization of some data. This data can be obtained
in the result of work of an arbitrary application (including ConceptDraw-script)
and saved in a text file, ODBC- compatible base or in one of the open formats
supported by ConceptDraw. In the first two cases further on
data will be read and outlined with the help of ConceptDraw Basic.
In case of use of a ConceptDraw open format (Flow Data Format, Outline,
XML for ConceptDraw or XML for Visio) can open the obtained
document in ConceptDraw, add design details and get a presentable
diagram. Possibilities of ConceptDraw Basic greatly increase at using
the functions in the script which are exported by the shared libraries.
Here are several examples on the ideas of automation that may attract specialists
planning and tracking the work of computer networks.
At planning of the network for tracking information traffic with the aim of
localization of the traffic you need vizual information on the company structure.
It can be presented,for example, as an organizational chart. In ConceptDraw
V there has been added Organization Chart Wizard, which allows
to automatically build an organization chart of the company on the information
saved in a text file or in ODBC-compatible database. At this any properties
necessary for you can be recorded by the wizard in the object custom properties.
Work on collection and outlining of data is done by basic script, besides for
dialog communication with the user the function exported by the external library
is used.
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Having created the network diagram on the level of the devices used and having
assigned the cost of the devices in the object custom properties you can, with
the help of simple CDBasic-script evaluate the cost of the solution obtained.
Such a script can accelerate planning of the equipment for the future network
or upgrading the existing one. For users' convenience ConceptDraw
library objects, representing the network equipment are already supplied with
many typical characteristics (producer, serial number, premises...), but you
can always add new ones, needed for a specific task. Note that in such a case
there is no need in interaction between ConceptDraw Basic with the
external libraries, as well as in temporary saving of information
in some file or DB.
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Another variant is a solution which analyzes the status of the already existing
network at the moment and displays shared resources available at this moment.
For analysis of information an external function is used. The result of its
work is XML-file with the data on the network structure. Further this file is
read and outlined by own means of ConceptDraw Basic. (Such an instance
is displayed. See it).
In the package there is also an example (it can be found in the file ...Samples\Solutions\Diagraming\JointGraph),
which builds statistics graphics of Internet traffic per month (for each day
and from the beginning of the month). The data is read from the text file.
The support of a number of open formats, a possibility of interaction with
files and with ODBC-compatible databases and the ability of ConceptDraw
Basic to call the functions exported by the external shared libraries opens
wide opportunities for building most various solutions in the field of data
vizualization. And such a subject field as planning and management of networks
is capable of presenting a large number of tasks, awaiting to be solved within
the given technology.
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