Network Map

The new Network Map feature gives you a visual display of everything your computer is connected to: network connections (wired and wireless), ad hoc (computer-to-computer) connections, and Internet connections. Network Map also gives you a visual display of the connection status so you can easily spot problems.

In the Network Center, the Status group displays your local portion of the network map, and the layout depends on your current connections, of course. You always see an icon for your computer on the left. If your computer is connected to a network (as shown earlier in Figure 8.4), a green line joins the computer icon and a generic network icon. If the network is connected to the Internet, then another green line joins the network icon and the Internet icon on the right. If there is no connection, you see a red X through the connection line.

Windows Vista also comes with a more detailed version of Network Map. To view it, you have two choices:

• In the Network Center, click the View Full Map link.
  
  
• In the Control Panel, open the Network Map icon.
  
  

Figure 8.12 shows an example of the full Network Map.

Figure 8.12. The full version of the Network Map.