Visualize AWS Transit Gateways with Network Manager

AWS Network Manager helps you visualize and manage your Transit Gateway networks. Here's what you need to know:

Network Manager provides a central dashboard for your entire network
It helps track performance, spot issues, and make data-driven decisions
You can see your network layout, including Transit Gateways, VPCs, and subnets

To get started:

Set up your AWS account and ensure you have Transit Gateways
Create a Global Network in Network Manager
Link your Transit Gateways to the Global Network
Use the dashboard to view your network topology and details

Key features:

Feature	Benefit
Network topology view	See how your network is connected
Performance metrics	Monitor throughput, packet loss, and latency
Alerts	Get notified of network issues
Resource organization	Use tags and groups for better management
CloudWatch integration	Collect and analyze network data
API access	Automate network management tasks

By using Network Manager, you can effectively visualize, monitor, and manage your AWS Transit Gateway networks.

Before you start

To use AWS Network Manager with Transit Gateways, make sure you have everything ready.

Set up your AWS account

Sign in to AWS
Go to IAM (Identity and Access Management)
Add a new user:
- Choose a username
- Select both "Programmatic Access" and "AWS Management Console Access"
- Set permissions (add to group, copy from existing user, or attach policies)
- Add optional tags
- Review and create user
- Save the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key

Check for Transit Gateways

Make sure you have Transit Gateways in your AWS setup. If not:

Go to the VPC Dashboard
Click "Transit Gateways"
Click "Create transit gateway"
Fill in the details
Click "Create transit gateway"

Know the basics

You should understand these AWS networking ideas:

Concept	Description
VPC	Virtual Private Cloud
Subnet	A part of your VPC's IP address range
Route table	Controls traffic between subnets
Network ACL	Controls inbound and outbound traffic for subnets
Security group	Acts as a virtual firewall for instances
Transit Gateway	Connects VPCs and on-premises networks

If these terms are new to you, learn about them before going further.

Set up AWS Network Manager

Follow these steps to start using AWS Network Manager for viewing your Transit Gateways:

Log in to AWS Management Console

Open the AWS Management Console
Sign in with your AWS account
If you have multiple accounts, pick the right one from the dropdown menu

Find Network Manager service

Method	Steps
Search	1. Click Services at the top 2. Type "Network Manager" in the search bar 3. Choose Network Manager from the list
Navigation menu	Look for Network Manager under Networking & Connectivity

Create a Global Network

In Network Manager, click Create a global network
Fill in these details:
- Name
- Description
- AWS Regions
Click Create global network

Link Transit Gateways

Go to Transit Gateways in Network Manager
Click Link Transit Gateway
Pick the Transit Gateway you want to add
Choose your Global Network
Click Link Transit Gateway

View Transit Gateway Networks

Open Network Manager Dashboard

To see your Transit Gateway networks:

Go to the AWS Management Console
Choose Network Manager from the services list
Click on "Global Networks" tab
Select your global network

The dashboard shows your network layout, including Transit Gateways, VPCs, and subnets. Use it to see your network, check its health, and fix problems.

Read network topology view

The network topology view shows a map of your network. It includes:

Nodes (Transit Gateways, VPCs, subnets)
Connections between nodes

This view helps you see how your network parts connect and spot issues.

Understand node and connection details

To learn more about a node or connection:

Click on it in the topology view
Look at the details panel

For example, clicking a Transit Gateway shows:

Information	Description
Name	The Transit Gateway's name
Description	Any added description
ASN	Autonomous System Number
VPN connections	Connected VPNs
Attached VPCs	List of connected VPCs
Attached subnets	List of connected subnets

Use filters and search

To find specific parts of your network:

Use filters to narrow down the view
Use the search bar to find items by name or description

Filter options:

Filter	Examples
Node type	Transit Gateway, VPC, Subnet
Region	US-East-1, EU-West-2
Tag	Production, Development

These tools help you quickly find what you need in your network.

Check network health and performance

Look at network metrics

Network Manager shows key metrics to help you spot issues in your Transit Gateway networks:

Metric	What it shows	Why it's important
Network throughput	Amount of data moving through your network	Helps find bottlenecks
Packet loss	Percentage of lost data packets	High loss can mean network problems
Latency	Time for data to travel across the network	High latency can show network issues

To see these metrics:

Open the Network Manager dashboard
Click the "Metrics" tab
Pick the metric you want to view

Spot network problems

By looking at these metrics, you can find possible network issues:

Problem	What to look for
Network congestion	High packet loss or latency
Slow connections	High latency

When you spot these issues, try to find the cause and fix it.

Set up alerts

Network Manager lets you create alerts for network issues. Here's how:

Go to the Network Manager dashboard
Click the "Alerts" tab
Click "Create alert"
Choose what to alert on
Set the alert level
Add how you want to be notified

For example, you could set an alert for when packet loss goes above a certain level.

Fix common visualization issues

Handle missing information

When using Network Manager to view Transit Gateways, you might not see all the network details. Here's how to fix this:

Check your data: Make sure all your network info is in Network Manager and up-to-date.
Look at settings: Check that Network Manager is set up right.
Check your access: Make sure you have the right permissions to see everything.

These steps will help you find and fix issues with missing information.

Solve permission problems

If you can't see Transit Gateways in Network Manager, you might have permission issues. Here's what to do:

Step	Action
1	Check IAM roles and policies
2	Verify your user permissions
3	Use AWS IAM Access Analyzer

Following these steps will help you fix permission problems and see your Transit Gateways.

Address data sync delays

Sometimes, there's a delay in updating data between Network Manager and your AWS resources. To fix this:

Check data collection settings: Make sure Network Manager is set to collect data often enough.
Look at network connection: Check that your network is working well between Network Manager and AWS resources.
Use AWS CloudWatch: This tool can help you spot and fix sync delays.

Tips for better network visualization

Organize network resources

To make your network easier to see and manage, keep your AWS resources tidy. This helps you spot links between different parts and fix problems faster.

Here's how to organize your network resources:

Method	Description	How it helps
AWS Resource Groups	Group resources by type, use, or team	Makes managing and viewing resources easier
Consistent naming	Use clear names for all resources	Helps identify and understand resources quickly
AWS Tags	Add labels to resources	Makes filtering and searching resources simpler

Use tags effectively

Tags help you manage and view your AWS resources better. Good tag use lets you sort, find, and group resources in ways that work for you.

Tips for using tags well:

Tip	Details
Set standard tags	Choose a set of tags for everyone to use
Track ownership	Use tags to show who owns each resource
Show resource purpose	Use tags to explain what each resource does

Keep network docs up to date

Keeping your network information current is key for good network viewing. This means tracking changes to your network parts, like new Transit Gateways or security groups.

Ways to keep your network info fresh:

Method	How to do it
Use AWS Network Manager	Manage and view network resources in one place
Use version control	Track changes to your network info with tools like Git
Update regularly	Set times to check and update your network info

Extra Network Manager features

Set up network sites

Network Manager lets you create and manage multiple network sites. This helps you organize and see your network better. A network site can be a data center, office, or cloud setup. Setting up network sites helps you:

Group related network parts
See how your network is set up and connected
Check how well your network is working across sites

To set up a network site:

Log in to AWS
Go to Network Manager
Click "Network sites"
Click "Create network site"
Fill in the details
Click "Create network site"

You can also bring in sites from AWS Organizations or set them up using AWS tools.

Use AWS CloudWatch

CloudWatch helps you keep an eye on your AWS setup. When you use it with Network Manager, you can:

Collect network data
Set up alerts for network problems
See network information in charts

To use CloudWatch with Network Manager:

Log in to AWS
Go to CloudWatch
Click "Metrics"
Pick "Network Manager"
Choose what you want to see
Make a chart to show the data

You can also use CloudWatch to collect and look at network logs.

Work with Network Manager APIs

Network Manager has tools (APIs) to help you do network tasks automatically. With these tools, you can:

Set up and manage network parts without manual work
Connect Network Manager to other AWS services
Set up your network automatically

The API works with AWS tools and lets you manage your network. You can use it to:

Set up network sites and parts
Get network data and logs
Change network settings

To start using the API:

Log in to AWS
Go to API Gateway
Click "APIs"
Pick "Network Manager"
Click "Create API key"
Use this key to connect to Network Manager

API Task	What it Does
Create resources	Set up new network parts
Get metrics	Fetch network performance data
Update settings	Change network configurations
Manage sites	Add or change network locations

Wrap-up

Key takeaways

This guide showed you how to use AWS Network Manager to see your Transit Gateways. You learned to:

Set up Network Manager
Connect Transit Gateways
Look at your network layout
Check how well your network is working
Fix common viewing problems
Use extra Network Manager tools

Keep an eye on your network

It's important to check your network often. Here's why:

Reason	Benefit
Spot issues early	Fix problems before they get big
Keep things running smoothly	Less downtime, better performance
Improve security	Find and fix weak spots

Use what you've learned to:

Look at your Transit Gateways regularly
Check network health and speed
Make your network better over time

Visualize AWS Transit Gateways with Network Manager