Connections¶
Connections document the infrastructure-level network paths between servers. While Interfaces describe logical data flows between applications, Connections describe the physical network routes—which servers communicate, using which protocols and ports.
Getting started¶
Navigate to IT Operations → Connections to see your connection registry. Click Add Connection to create your first entry.
Required fields:
- Connection ID: A unique identifier (e.g., CONN-WEB-DB-001)
- Name: A descriptive name
- Topology: Server to Server or Multi-server
Strongly recommended: - Source Server / Destination Server: For server-to-server topology - Protocols: Which network protocols are used - Lifecycle: Current status
Tip: Connections can be linked to Interface bindings to show which infrastructure supports each application integration.
Working with the list¶
Default columns: - Connection ID: Unique identifier - Name: Connection name (click to open workspace) - Topology: Server to Server or Multi-server - Source / Destination: The connected endpoints - Protocols: Network protocols as chips - Criticality: Business importance (may be derived from linked interfaces) - Data Class: Sensitivity level - PII: Whether personal data traverses this connection - Risk: Manual or Derived from linked interfaces - Lifecycle: Current status - Created: When the record was created
Additional columns (via column chooser): - Servers: Count of servers in multi-server topology
Actions: - Add Connection: Create a new connection (requires manager permission) - Delete Selected: Remove selected connections (requires admin permission)
Topologies¶
Server to Server¶
A direct connection between two specific servers: - Source Server: Where traffic originates - Destination Server: Where traffic terminates - Optionally specify Source Entity and Destination Entity for logical endpoints
Multi-server¶
A connection involving multiple servers (e.g., load-balanced clusters): - Add multiple servers to the connection - Use Layers to define the routing path between them
The Connections workspace¶
Click any row to open the workspace. It has four tabs:
Overview¶
The Overview tab captures the connection's identity.
What you can edit: - Connection ID: Unique identifier - Name: Display name - Topology: Server to Server or Multi-server - Source Server / Destination Server: For server-to-server topology - Source Entity / Destination Entity: Logical endpoints (optional) - Servers: For multi-server topology, the involved servers - Purpose: Why this connection exists - Protocols: Network protocols used - Lifecycle: Current status - Notes: Additional context
Layers¶
The Layers tab defines the network path for complex connections.
What layers capture: - Order: Sequence in the path - Layer Type: Network layer (e.g., application, transport) - Source → Destination: Server or entity at each hop - Protocols: Protocols at this layer - Port Override: Custom port if different from protocol default - Notes: Layer-specific notes
Use cases: - Multi-hop routes through firewalls or proxies - Different protocols at different layers - Load balancer → web server → app server → database paths
Compliance¶
The Compliance tab captures risk and data protection settings.
Risk Mode: - Manual: You set criticality, data class, and PII directly - Derived: Values are inherited from linked interfaces
Fields: - Criticality: Business critical, High, Medium, Low - Data Class: Public, Internal, Confidential, Restricted - Contains PII: Whether personal data traverses the connection
When in Derived mode, you'll see the effective values calculated from all linked interfaces.
Interfaces¶
The Interfaces tab shows which interface bindings use this connection.
What you'll see: - Interface name and code - Environment - Leg type (Extract, Transform, Load, Direct) - Endpoints - Status
This is read-only—link interfaces to connections from the Interface workspace or Connection Map.
Tips¶
- Start with critical paths: Document connections for your most critical applications first.
- Use Derived risk mode: Let the system calculate criticality based on the interfaces that use each connection.
- Link to interfaces: Connect your infrastructure connections to interface bindings for complete traceability.
- Document protocols: Accurate protocol information helps with firewall rule management and security audits.