Patent ID: 6952208

Claim:
A method of displaying nodes within a network topology, the method using a processor coupled to a display screen, the method comprising: forming a first layer of a multi-layer representation wherein at least two nodes are represented separately; grouping the nodes of the first layer into group nodes to form a second layer in the multi-layer representation; grouping the group nodes of the second layer into a third layer, the third layer having at least one connected-superset node containing group nodes with nodes communicatively connected to each other, and at least one isolated-superset node containing group nodes having nodes not communicatively connected to each other or to the nodes of the connected-superset node; and displaying the superset nodes in the layer so the connected-superset node is separate from the isolated-superset node to show a lack of connection and such that the connected-superset node is selectively expandable to display group nodes and connections between the nodes, and the isolated-superset node is selectively expandable to display group nodes of the second layer.