Adding Unmanaged Hubs and Switches to a Map

InterMapper cannot automatically discover or monitor unmanaged switches and hubs (so-called 'dumb' devices) since they have no IP address. However, there is a workaround that allows you to represent them on an InterMapper map.

To do this, you can create a placeholder icon, and then manually drag the links from the appropriate devices to this new icon. Although InterMapper cannot test or monitor this "fake" equipment, it will appear on the map and display the interconnections of your network as a tool to diagnose problems.

Here is a step-by-step description of the process. Note that this description works equally well for either switches or hubs.

In the starting map, notice that InterMapper has automatically connected a number of devices to the network oval labeled "192.168.1.0/24". We happen to know that the top three devices --IP addresses 192.168.1.91, .89, and .79-- are in fact, connected to a dumb (e.g., unmanaged) hub on the floor above. This page shows how to create a placeholder icon to represent the hub and connect those three devices to it.

The problem

The top three devices - IP addresses 192.168.1.91, .89, and .79 - are in fact, connected to a dumb (e.g., unmanaged) hub upstairs.

We want to create a placeholder icon that represents the hub, and then move the connections for those devices to the placeholder.

Step 1: Create a placeholder to represent your hub

The first step is to create a new (empty) network.

To create the new network:

  1. From the Insert menu, choose Network...
  2. Enter a subnet number that's the same as the device's current subnet (oval) as shown in Adding Networks to a Map.

    The new network appears as an oval, with the subnet number you entered (not "0.0.0.0/0", as shown in this example).

Step 2: Tidy up

Tidy up the appearance of the item:

  1. Move the new network up a little bit
  2. Change its shape to a rectangle using the Icon... command from the Format menu.
  3. Change its name to "Upstairs Hub" using the Label (Cmd-L) from the Format menu.

Step 3: Connect the hub to the network

Connect this new rectangle to the oval below.

To connect the "hub" to the network:

  1. Click to select the new rectangle.
  2. From the Insert menu, choose Link. A line appears, connected on one end to the rectangle, and to your mouse cursor on the other. You can also right-click one of the selected devices and choose Attach To from the device's context menu.
  3. Click the network oval below the rectangle. The "hub" is connected to the network

A line appears, connecting the two items together. This line persists as you move the items around your map.

Step 4: Connect the devices to the "hub"

Drag each of the links for the three devices from the oval to the new rectangle.

To connect the devices to the "hub":

  1. Click on a link (line) for the first device, and drag it toward the "Upstairs Hub" rectangle.
  2. Let go of the mouse when it's over the rectangle.

The line "sticks" to the new rectangle. Do this for all three links.

The result

Your map should look like this after dragging the three links from the oval to the "fake" hub.