Patent ID: 7103843

Claim:
A method for monitoring and visualizing a plurality of metrics in a dynamic data space, the method comprising: defining metrics, each of said defined metrics corresponding to at least one entity in the dynamic data space, wherein each entity is a network component; defining a maximum and a minimum value for each of said metrics; quantizing discrete levels between said defined maximum and said defined minimum value; assigning a unique indicator to each of said quantized discrete levels; determining a value for each of said defined metrics and responsively determining said unique indicator corresponding to said value; receiving a user selection of particular ones of said entities via a graphical user interface; providing graphical display representations of said unique indicators associated with said selected entities within a graphical user interface of a machine remotely located from said at least one entity, said graphical user interface changing to reflect changes to said selected entities and simultaneously displaying four distinct sections configured, respectively, as a node map section, a node detail section, a map view section, and a reset section; displaying in said node map section a plurality of icons in conjunction with said unique indicators, each icon corresponding to a network component and indicating a physical type of the corresponding to a network component and further displaying links connecting at least of one said icons to at least one other of said icons, each link illustrating a relative communication relationship between linked network components; simultaneously displaying in said node detail section information pertaining to each of the selected entities; simultaneously displaying in said map view section a list of user-selectable metrics for allowing a user to select metrics for display in said node map section; and simultaneously displaying in said reset section a selectable list of all entities and network components, selection of a least one entry of the selectable list providing a reset function to allow a user to perform at least one of initializing and setting a default value for at least of one said defined metrics.