Synchronized Dashboards
Build one dashboard and have it work for every node that qualifies — a node selector at the dashboard level, and the same dashboard appearing automatically on each matching node's Status page.
An ordinary graphical view is free-form: each widget names the node and the counter it draws, so a dashboard built for one server describes that server only. Building the same layout for forty servers means forty copies, and forty things to keep in step.
A synchronized dashboard removes the node from the widgets and puts it at the top of the view instead. The widgets describe a node; the dashboard decides which.
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The Two Controls
Both are offered when you create a panel-based view, on the Dashboard Options step. Leave both off and you get an ordinary free-form dashboard.
- Synchronized Node
- Adds one node selector to the dashboard. From then on the dashboard can contain only metrics and statuses for the selected node — that restriction is what makes it reusable.
- Synchronized Time Range
- Adds one time-range selector to the dashboard. Time-based widgets use that range instead of each carrying its own.
Synchronized Time Range is required once Synchronized Node is on, and the wizard enforces it — the checkbox is switched on and cannot be cleared. A node-synchronized dashboard always has both selectors.
When the time range is synchronized you also set a Default Time Range — last 2 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days — which is what the dashboard opens on before anyone changes it.
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Applies to Node Group
Turning on Synchronized Node makes one more field mandatory: Applies to Node Group. It defines which nodes are allowed to use the dashboard, and you pick an existing node group view rather than typing a rule.
This field does more than validate the selector. It is also what decides where the dashboard shows up.
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Appearing on the Node
A synchronized dashboard is not only something you open from the Atlas. It also appears as a page on the Status view of every node that belongs to its node group, with that node already selected.
The effect is worth being concrete about. Assign a dashboard to a node group of Windows servers, and every Windows server in the atlas gains that dashboard on its own Status view — without anyone visiting those nodes to configure anything. Add a server to the group later and it gains the dashboard too.
A node can pick up more than one such dashboard. A machine that is in both Windows Servers and Database Servers shows the dashboards assigned to both.
The Dashboard page only appears when at least one dashboard matches. A node in no relevant group simply does not show the page, so nodes are not given an empty tab.
Where It Does Not Appear
Some node kinds never show the page, whatever the groups say:
- aggregate nodes
- template nodes
- remote probes
- cloud services nodes
These either have no single node to synchronize to, or are not monitored objects in the sense the dashboard expects.
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When to Use One
Use a synchronized dashboard when the layout is the same across many nodes and only the node differs — a standard server health view, a per-switch traffic view, a database overview you want on every SQL host.
Use an ordinary free-form dashboard when the view genuinely mixes nodes: a service overview drawing on a web server, a database and a firewall together is not a candidate, because the whole point of the free-form view is that its widgets can name different nodes.
For a service made of many parts, see Business Service Views, which builds its diagram from a composite status instead.
- Network Atlas Views
Read about types of views and how they organize your data.
- Monitoring & Visualization
This chapter covers how NetCrunch visualizes monitored data in real time through dashboards, topology maps, node views, and Auto-Screens. It explains how to create dynamic views that present network state clearly and interactively—from high-level overviews to in-depth diagnostics.
- Status & Top Charts Dashboards
NetCrunch offers multiple dashboard types to visualize real-time system and network status. Each is designed for different scenarios: overview status, performance leaders, or fully customizable layouts.
- Node Status Overview – Real-Time Monitoring & Context
The Node Status window in NetCrunch provides a comprehensive, real-time view of a monitored node’s condition. It includes monitoring status, performance metrics, activity logs, system properties, dependencies, alerts, and more. For Windows, Linux, hypervisors, and network devices, NetCrunch presents unmatched visibility in a unified interactive interface.
- Adding Atlas Views
NetCrunch's Network Atlas offers five main view types: Graphical Data Views, Node Group Views, IP Network Views, Business Service Views, and Folders. These views provide intuitive network visualization, dynamic node categorization, and automatic IP grouping. Adding new views is easy with a wizard or keyboard shortcut, enhancing efficient network monitoring and management.