Overview
Orchestrator supports device network topology, which provides real-time insights into the connectivity and network path of devices connected to the Celona network. Users can monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize the performance of connected devices, offering a holistic view of how devices interact in the network.
The Topology feature is available only from software version 2406 onwards and is visible for active or inactive devices on the device details page.
NOTE: This feature does not apply to Offline/Provisioned/Unknown status devices. For devices in this status, users see the status card.
Key Features
Ensures real-time connectivity monitoring by visualizing the current network status.
View the devices and other network elements mapped in the network.
The Topology feature streamlines the initial bring-up of the network, making remote deployments smoother, faster, and more reliable.
Benefits
Users can easily troubleshoot through this feature by quickly pinpointing connectivity issues and validating network configurations.
Improves initial set-up accuracy by quickly identifying and resolving connectivity issues.
How to access the Network Topology of a Device
Login to the Celona Orchestrator by entering your credentials.
Navigate to the “Devices” tab on the main Menu.
Select the specific device you want to analyze.
After selecting the specific device to analyze, the connectivity scripts run automatically, and the device network topology renders at the top of the page. Users can also click the “Refresh” button to manually reinitiate the connectivity scripts.
NOTE: The execution time of the last connectivity script is shown under the “Refresh” button.By default, the network element's minimal properties are shown. However, Users can also click on the Device, Access Point, or Edge Node to view more properties related to the network element.
NOTE: To view all the network topology properties, click the “SEE MORE” button at the top left corner.
Understanding the Topology
Nodes: Nodes are the various elements of the network, such as access points, edge clusters.
Links: Links indicate the connectivity between nodes, showing the connectivity of a device through the network.
Health Indicators: Links between elements are color-coded (Green, Red, and Amber) to indicate the status of connections between the nodes.
Green → The network element is Reachable, and it has a healthy connection
Red → The network element is Unreachable, and there is a broken connection or issues in the connectivity
Amber → Issues in running connectivity scripts
An Example of Reachable (Green) and Unreachable (Red) Links
Based on the type of connected edge cluster, the network topology changes for each connected Access Point. The following are the types of edge clusters:
Single-Node
Multi-Node
Single-Node Cluster
The configuration consists of a single edge node managing the network traffic. All the access points connect to this single edge node, creating a simple network path.
Multi-Node Cluster
In a multi-node edge cluster, customers can use up to three edge nodes, and the access points can connect to different edge nodes, allowing for load balancing and redundancy. One edge node acts as the leader, and the remaining nodes act as followers on the network.
PTP configuration
Precision Time Protocol (PTP) configuration plays a critical role in time synchronization across the network devices. In PTP configuration, the customers can configure in three modes: (a) Free Running, (b) GNSS, and (c) PTP.
Free Running
In this mode, the network operates without synchronizing with any external time source
Troubleshooting with Device Network Topology
If the DHCP server has a limited address scope, it cannot assign any IP address to the device. Therefore, validate if the DHCP IP address is within the valid range and scope.
The devices will not receive IP addresses if the DHCP service on the Edge is inactive or not enabled. Ensure that the DHCP services are up and running on the Edge.
Check the 5G IP address services (for example, UDPF) to allocate IP addresses to devices and restore their connectivity to the AP.
Ensure that VLAN ports, their configuration, and external IP domains are set up correctly to allow device communication.
Ensure the device is powered on, connected, and has the correct network settings (APN) to appear correctly in the Topology.
Steps for Debugging the Network Topology Feature
Analyze the history of executed diagnostic scripts: Customer Admins can view the history of executed diagnostic scripts. They can analyze these records, sorted by execution time, to identify any failures in the connectivity scripts.
Checking for Connectivity Issues via diagnostic tools:
Device Status Check: To troubleshoot connectivity between the Edge and Device, search for "Device Status" in the diagnostic tools history table. This will provide insights into any connectivity issues between the Edge and the connected device.
AP Ping Check: To diagnose connectivity problems between the Edge and Access Point (AP), search for "AP Ping" in the history table. This will help identify any connectivity issues in the Edge to AP connection.