Patent ID: 8199678
Filing Date: 2012-06-12
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method executed by a computer of graphically arranging components of an IT network into a layered representation for visualization purposes, the IT network comprising network components of different types, and links connecting the network components, wherein the network components of different types include a plurality of servers, storage devices, and interconnecting devices for connecting the servers to the storage devices, the method comprising: regarding each of the servers as a source component; executing a plurality of passes of a procedure, one pass for each of the servers being the source component, wherein the execution of the plurality of passes produces a plurality of assigned values for each component in the IT network, and wherein executing each of the plurality of passes includes assigning a value to the source component, and assigning a value to each component, other than the source component, in the IT network based on a distance measure that represents a minimal number of links for traversing from the respective component to the source component; assigning a hierarchy level for each component by selecting a minimal value from the plurality of assigned values of each component; and displaying the network components in a layered representation according to the hierarchy level assigned to each component, wherein, before the assigning and displaying, determining whether the IT network is completely unconnected or has unconnected sub-networks, and in response to a determination of unconnected sub-networks, applying the assigning of a hierarchy level to each component and displaying the network components to the unconnected sub-networks.