Network Sites: Management View Overview

Read Time: 17 mins

What is a Network Site

A network site is a location on your network that contains some kind of service providing hardware. For many ISPs, these locations are referred to as a POP or a hub. In a wireless ISP, this may be a tower site or another outdoor location that wireless/LTE access points are installed at. A network site could also be a data center or other central/edge location.

Network Sites in Sonar allow you to monitor the tower hardware, customer hardware, and customer connections connected to the network and can be used as a means to measure the overall health of your network. Once configured, Network Sites will form a critical part of your early warning system for network quality issues.

The Network Site Header

1. Entity Icon & Network Site name: This displays the Entity Icon, which in the case of a Network Site will always be the same, along with the name given to the Network Site upon creation
2. Height: The height of the network site, measured in feet from the ground level of the area
3. Location: The serviceable address associated with the Network Site is listed here
4. Edit Menu: Clicking the Edit button will allow you to modify the Network Site's information, including name, height, and serviceable address
5. Add IP Assignment: Expanding the Edit menu allows you to access additional functions, such as quickly adding an IP assignment to the Network Site
6. Move IP Assignment: Expanding the Edit menu allows you to access additional functions, such as moving an IP assignment from one Network Site to another.
7. Delete: As above, expanding the Edit menu allows you to delete the Network Site entirely, removing all assigned devices and IP assignments.

The Overview tab

The Overview is designed to provide a similar quick glance into your Network Site as the Landing page, while still providing a few additional details, such as the Notes, Files, Logs, and Custom Fields. This tab is what appears by default as soon as you access the management interface for a Network Site.

1. Items Needing Attention: This modal displays the devices connected to this network site that – through configured monitoring templates – are found to have connectivity issues, resulting in either a “Warning” state (frequent disconnections, loss of speed, or flapping connectivity) or a “Down” state (no connectivity at all/unreachable device)
2. Notes: Any notes created on this Network Site will be displayed here and this is also where you can edit/delete them, or create a new one. For more information on notes, check out the Notes and Tasks: Best Practices and Use Cases article.
3. Location: This modal shows the Network Site's Physical location on a map, and lists the physical address below the map.
4. Tasks: This is where you can create new tasks for the Network Site, view existing tasks, and assign them to specific users within Sonar. Toggling between the “Incomplete” and “Complete” buttons will display tasks that have not yet been tackled, as well as ones that have been taken care of already.
   For more information on tasks, check out the Notes and Tasks: Best Practices and Use Cases article.
5. Files: This is where you can store and review any files that are relevant to the Network Site, and any file format is accepted. Once you upload a file, it will appear as a tile within the Files area – if it is an image, a sliver of it will appear within the tile; otherwise, if it is a different type of document it will remain gray. Clicking this section will cause the sidebar menu to appear, which will contain further details about that particular file. This includes the file name, size, type, the user who uploaded it, a preview if the file type is an image, details about the Network Site that this file is attached to, an activity log for any actions taken on the file, and also a “Download” button which will download the file to your device. Within the tile there is also a vertical 3 dot menu – clicking this will provide you with the options to edit the file or delete it entirely.

1. Logs: All activity on the Network Site is recorded here in the form of logs. The action that occurred will be displayed, along with the icon of the user that performed the action and how long ago the action took place. Clicking on a specific log entry will display further details about that particular action.
2. Custom Fields: Any custom fields that are set up for this Network Site will be displayed here, as well as under the “Custom Fields” tab on the left panel. These are strictly here for display purposes – to edit the custom fields, you can click the “Edit” option within the Network Site header, near the top of the page. To learn more about custom fields, check out the Custom Fields Overview and Use Cases article.

The Pulse Tab

The Pulse tab in Sonar is an automatically generated network map for your instance, specific to the individual Network Site. Pulse will dynamically display and arrange connected devices, interfaces, and other equipment assigned to the Network Site.

The generated Pule map is based on two things:

1. Inventory Assigned to the Network Site
2. IP Addresses assigned to and from the Network Site

The Inventory & Network tab

The Inventory and Network tab is where you'll find information on the IP Addresses and hardware assigned to your Network site.

IP Assignments section

1. IP Assignments/History & Inventory Items toggle: These two buttons allow you to toggle the view between the IP Assignments view and the Inventory Items view (explored further below).
2. The Active Assignments table: By default, upon accessing the Inventory & Network tab, you'll be sent to this table view, showing all current IP Assignments on the Network Sites.
3. Active Assignments/Assignment History toggle: This toggle allows you to switch the current view between the Active Assignments view and the Historical Assignments view.
4. The Overview column: The overview column lists the IP Address, its supernet, and its subnet. Clicking on the IP address will redirect you to the IP address management page.
5. The Soft column: The Soft column shows whether the IP Address in the corresponding position on the overview column was soft assigned.
6. Description: The description column will display any description which was added during the assignment of the IP Address.
7. Unique Identifier: This column will identify the device by the field identifier against which the IP address is assigned.
8. Assignee: The Assignee column lists the device to which the IP Address is assigned.
9. Assigned Date/Time: This column will provide the date and time that the IP Address is assigned.
10. Add IP Assignment: The Add IP Assignment button lets you add a new IP Assignment directly from the Network Sites tab, instead of needing to go through the IPAM interface.
11. Edit: The Edit section allows you to edit an existing IP Assignment or delete the assignment entirely.
12. IP Address Item Sidebar: clicking the arrow of a line item here will populate a sidebar, providing you quick information on details such as IP assignment history, assignee, etc.

Inventory Items section

1. IP Assignments/History & Inventory Items toggle: This section denotes which side of the Inventory and Network tab you're on. Currently, this is the Inventory Items page.
2. Simple/Advanced Filtering Toggles: This toggle allows you to switch between the simple filtering (pictured) and the Advanced filtering
   For more information on Simple and Advanced filtering, have a look at the linked article | Filtering: Simple vs Advanced
3. Clear Filtering & Views: This button allows you to clear your filtering options for this window.
4. Export [X] Results: This button allows you to export a list of Inventory Devices on this Network Site out of Sonar as a JSON or CSV formatted file.
5. Sort order: This button allows you to alter the order by which the inventory devices on the Network Site are sorted.
6. Assign Item: This button allows you to assign an inventory item to the Network site that currently exists in an inventory location, on a generic inventory assignee, assigned to an individual, or assigned to a vehicle.
7. The Search field allows you to search for a device or IP address by typing in its information
8. The Deployment Type selector allows you to filter devices based on the selected Deployment Type, where used.
9. The Inventory Model selector allows you to filter the list based on specific Inventory Models.
10. The ICMP Device Status selector allows you to filter the device list based on a specific status, either Good, Warning, or Down.
11. The SNMP Device Status selector allows you to filter the device list based on a specific status, either Good, Warning, or Down.
12. The Device Status selector allows you to filter the device list based on a specific status, either Good, Warning, or Down. Unlike both ICMP and SNMP selectors, the Device Status selector is much more general.
13. The Purchase Order Item selector allows you to filter the device list based on
14. The Status selector allows you to filter the devices based on the Inventory Item status, rather than Network Status.
15. The Preseem selector allows you to filter devices which have Preseem enabled for monitoring purposes.
16. The Claimed By selector allows you to filter devices
17. The device model, MAC Address, and ID are displayed on this row, allowing for easy identification of the assigned item. Clicking on the Model name will open the device's management page. Clicking on the device model name will take you directly to the device management page.
18. The dropdown alongside the Inventory Item Edit button allows you to:
    1. Edit Field Values
    2. Change Assignee
    3. Add IP Assignment
    4. Link Ticket
    5. Create SNMP Override
    6. Delete the Inventory item entirely
    Whereas clicking on Edit will open the following modal:

    

    From this modal, you're able to set the inventory to the network site coordinates or input custom coordinates. These settings dictate where the equipment is visible on the network map page, which we'll touch on later. For Fiber networks, this can be particularly beneficial to easily identify where items such as demarcation boxes are installed within the field.
    If inventory is moved from one network site to another, it'll automatically move to the new location on the network map. However, the visible coordinates will need to be manually set again.
19. The Device Status row displays the “health” of the device and is a reflection of the measured statistics captured by your monitoring device. The Device Status Message displays the cause of the Device Status when in a troubled state, such as Warning or Down.
20. IP Assignments/Connected Devices toggle: This selection will display all assigned IP addresses on the targeted inventory item, and allows you to toggle the view to see devices connected to the inventory item being targeted.
21. Subnet: Displays the assigned IPv4 Address or IPv6 subnet.
22. Soft: This column will display whether or not the IP Address was soft assigned in Sonar.
23. Description: This column will reflect the description provided to the IP Address or subnet when the assignment was made.
24. Assigned to: The Assigned To column will reflect which device has the IP Address assigned. Clicking on the device name from this column will also open the device sidebar.
25. The IP Assignment Edit button allows you to modify or delete the IP assignment
26. Device/IP Address Management sidebar: This sidebar allows you to monitor the device statistics, such as SNMP or ICMP stats, and by clicking on the Manage button you can access the device's management page or see the IP Address Management page.

    

Network Map

1. IP Assignments/History, Inventory Items & Network Map toggle: This section denotes which side of the Inventory and Network tab you're on. Currently, this is the Network Map page.
2. Map Layers toggle: This controls all the toggles below, allowing you to easily turn map layers on or off.
3. Inventory Items toggle: This allows you to view any inventory items associated with the network site you're currently viewing.
4. Other Network Sites toggle: This toggle allows you to view other network sites in the area.
5. Search function: In the event that you have numerous custom overlays, the search feature allows you to locate a specific overlay and toggle it on or off.
6. View All toggle: This toggle acts as the parent of all custom overlay toggles, providing the ability to easily turn them all on or off. Any associated custom overlays will be listed below with individual toggles that can also be utilized.
7. Zoom icon: Alongside any custom overlays is the option to zoom in to take a closer look at the overlay on the map.
8. Import KML button: Clicking this will prompt a new modal that allows you to import a KML and associate it with any existing network site in your instance. By default, the network site you are currently on will populate underneath the "Network Site" header.
   The maximum file size you can upload is 10MB.

   

1. Clicking on a custom overlay directly from the map will open a sidebar menu that includes any details from the KML file.
2. The reset map tool allows you to be immediately brought back to the original boundaries associated with the network site; this can be particularly helpful if you've zoomed in or out, or moved across the map and away from the site.

"Points near your click" is another useful tool integrated into the network map. By clicking on a network site, you're able to populate a new modal that lists any nearby network sites, along with any inventory equipment associated with that site.

When this list is visible, you're able to dig into the associations either by clicking on the item name to populate a sidebar menu specific to that line item. Additionally, you can zoom into the item location by clicking on the zoom icon to the right of the item, or highlight the item on the map by hovering your mouse over one of the listings.

Once custom overlays have been associated with a network site, they'll be visible in the network map interface. The size of the overlay depends on how far you have to zoom in to be able to see the boundaries. In our example below, we can see the larger boundary as highlighted toward the bottom of the map, whereas the icon highlighted above it reflects a smaller boundary. In addition to using the "+" icon on the map itself, or using the scroll wheel on your mouse, you're able to quickly zoom into a custom overlay by clicking on the magnifying glass icon alongside an overlay name.

The Tickets Tab

The Tickets tab provides a detailed list of any current or historical tickets which are assigned to the currently viewed Network Site. The Tickets tab breaks the listed tickets down to similar categories when compared to the ticketing page itself.

On this page, you'll find:

1. The Ticket List: This ticket list will display all tickets assigned to the Network Site.
2. Priority: This section of the ticket menu displays the priority assigned to the ticket.
3. Ticket Status: The ticket status section will show the current status of the ticket, based on ticket statuses created in Settings.
4. Ticket Group: The Ticket group section of the tickets page displays which ticket group is assigned to monitor and work on the ticket group.
5. Ticket Visibility, Ticket Subject, and Creation Date: This section of the ticket displays whether the ticket is a Public ticket or an Internal Ticket, the Subject Line of the ticket, and the date and time the ticket was created. Clicking on the Subject Line of the ticket will navigate you directly to the Ticket View page.
6. Due Date: This section of the ticket displays the due date, if assigned during ticket creation
7. Tasks icon: If the ticket has any tasks associated with it, the number of tasks will be reflected here.
8. Files icon: If the ticket has any files associated with it, the number of files will be reflected here
9. Jobs icon: If any jobs are associated with the ticket, the number of associated jobs will be reflected here
10. Inventory Items icon: If the ticket is associated with any particular inventory items, the number of associated items will be reflected here
11. Child ticket icon: If the ticket is a parent ticket, the number next to the arrows icon will display how many child tickets this ticket is the parent of.
12. Clicking “Edit” will open up the Edit Ticket window where you can modify the details of the ticket. Clicking on the adjacent downwards arrow will open a drop-down menu with further actions you can take on the ticket, including merging the ticket with another, creating a job from the ticket, and assigning a user to it.
13. Allows a new ticket to be created from within this screen – clicking this button will open the Create Ticket window.
14. Clicking on the arrow (>) at the end of the ticket row will display a side panel menu that contains further details about the ticket, including any recent activity so that you can see more information about the ticket without having to navigate into it fully. The side panel will also provide the “Manage” button at the bottom – clicking this will navigate you to the Ticket View for that particular ticket.

The Jobs Tab

The Jobs tab allows you to see any jobs which are related to the Network Site being managed, providing insight into both active and historical jobs.

1. Simple/Advanced Filtering Toggles: This toggle allows you to switch between the simple filtering (pictured) and the Advanced filtering
   For more information on Simple and Advanced filtering, have a look at the linked article | Filtering: Simple vs Advanced
2. Clear Filtering & Views: This button allows you to clear your filtering options for this window.
3. Export [X] Results: This button allows you to export a list of all jobs on this Network Site out of Sonar as a JSON or CSV formatted file.
4. Sort order: This button allows you to alter the order by which the jobs on the Network Site are sorted.
5. The Create Job button allows you to create a new job directly assigned to this Network Site without ever leaving the management view.
6. The Entity selector allows you to choose between viewing jobs on Network Sites, or on Accounts if you'd like to view jobs across your instance without leaving the Network Site.
7. The Ticket selector allows you to view jobs associated with specific tickets.
8. The Complete selector allows you to selectively view jobs that have been completed or not completed only.
9. The Completed Successfully selector allows you to view only jobs that have been successfully completed or not.
10. The Completed By selector allows you to view the jobs by the user who completed the job.
11. The Job Type selector allows you to selectively view jobs from only the desired job type(s).
12. The Job Type and Job Duration are listed here. Clicking on the name of the Job Type will navigate you directly to the Job Management page.
13. The ticket column: If the job is attached to a ticket, the subject of the ticket will be displayed here.
14. The Attachments column displays the number of tasks with the first icon, the number of notes with the second icon, and the files attached to the job with the third icon.
15. The Status Column: The Scheduled status, displaying whether the job is currently Not Scheduled (meaning it's pending assignment to a technician) or if the job is Scheduled, once a technician, date, and time have been set.
16. The Schedule/Assign button allows you to assign a technician, a date, and a time for the job directly from this view. Additionally, expanding the drop-down allows you to:
    1. Edit the Job
    2. Delete the Job
    3. View Job Details, which opens the sidebar
17. The Job sidebar provides insight into the length, the job type, the notes, the related entity, and allows you to enter the job management page by clicking on the manage button.

The Contacts Tab

The contacts tab will list any contacts associated with the Network site, designed to simplify the process of reaching out to important contacts when troubleshooting or resolving an issue surrounding the Network Site.

1. The Name of the Contact is displayed here.
2. The Contact's role, either in your company or the contact's company.
3. The “Primary Contact” indicator, provides whether the contact is the primary contact for the particular network site.
4. The Edit button allows you to Edit the Contact's information, or expanding the drop-down allows you to modify the phone number for the contact, as well as delete the contact.
5. The Contact Sidebar provides insight into the contact's information such as phone number, email, etc.
6. The Create button allows you to create a new contact.

The Custom Fields Tab

The Custom Fields tab will display the same custom fields as the Overview tab and allows you to get a full view of all custom fields in use on the Network Site.