Connections¶

Connections document the infrastructure-level network paths between servers and entities. While Interfaces describe logical data flows between applications, Connections describe the physical network routes: which servers communicate, over which protocols and ports.

Getting started¶

Navigate to IT Landscape > 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 - Connection type: Server to Server or Multi-server - Source / Destination: An entity, cluster, or server at each end (for Server to Server) - Protocols: At least one network protocol

Strongly recommended: - Purpose: Why this connection exists - Lifecycle: Current status

Tip: Connections can be linked to interface bindings to show which infrastructure supports each application integration.

Working with the list¶

The list gives you a filterable overview of every connection in your registry.

Default columns: - Connection ID: Unique identifier (click to open workspace) - Name: Connection name (click to open workspace) - Topology: Server to Server or Multi-server - Source / Destination: The connected endpoints - Protocols: Network protocols shown as chips - Criticality: Business importance, which may be derived from linked interfaces - Data class: Data sensitivity level - PII: Whether personal data traverses this connection - Risk: Manual or Derived (shows the number of linked interfaces) - Lifecycle: Current status - Created: When the record was created

Additional columns (via column chooser): - Servers: Count of servers in a multi-server connection

Filtering: - Quick search: Searches across connection fields - Column filters: Topology, Lifecycle, Criticality, Data class and PII use checkbox lists, so you can pick several values at once. Criticality and Data class also offer (Blank) for connections without a value - Criticality, Data class and PII filter and sort on the value shown. For a derived connection, that is the value inherited from its interfaces

Sorting: - Criticality and Data class sort by severity, in the order of the levels in Classifications and continuity. Connections without a value come last

Actions: - Add connection: Create a new connection (requires infrastructure:member) - Delete connection: Remove selected connections (requires infrastructure:admin). Their servers, interfaces and documents stay; only their links to the connection go.

Connection types¶

Server to Server¶

A direct connection between two specific endpoints. Each side can be a server, a cluster, or a named entity:

Source: Where traffic originates: pick a server, cluster, or entity
Destination: Where traffic terminates: same options
You cannot select both a server and an entity for the same side; choose one or the other

If an endpoint is a cluster, a note will remind you that member hosts are managed in the Servers workspace.

Multi-server¶

A connection involving multiple servers (e.g., load-balanced clusters or mesh topologies):

Select at least two servers from the Connected servers picker
Use Layers to define the routing path between them

The Connections workspace¶

Click any row to open the workspace. It has four tabs: Overview, Layers, Criticality & Compliance, and Related Interfaces.

Delete, a trash icon in the header, deletes the connection after a confirmation (infrastructure:member). The confirmation counts the interface bindings it is unlinked from. The interfaces themselves stay.

Overview¶

The Overview tab captures the connection's identity and topology.

What you can edit: - Connection ID: Unique identifier - Name: Display name - Purpose: Why this connection exists (free text) - Connection type: Server to Server or Multi-server - Source / Destination: For Server to Server, pick a server, cluster, or entity from a grouped dropdown - Connected servers: For Multi-server, search and select two or more servers - Protocols: One or more network protocols (drawn from your Connection Types settings) - Lifecycle: Current status - Notes: Additional context

When you select protocols, the system shows their typical ports for reference.

Layers¶

The Layers tab lets you define an ordered network path of up to three hops, useful for documenting reverse proxies, firewalls, or intermediate routing.

What each layer captures: - Order: Sequence number (1 to 3) - Name: A label for the layer (e.g., direct, reverse_proxy, firewall) - Source / Destination: An entity, cluster, or server at each end of the hop - Protocols: Which protocols are used at this layer - Port override: Custom port if different from the protocol default (auto-populated when you pick a protocol) - Notes: Layer-specific notes

Layers are saved independently from the Overview tab. Use the Save layers button to persist your changes.

Tip: You must save the connection itself before you can add layers.

Criticality & Compliance¶

This tab controls risk classification and data protection settings.

Risk mode: - Manual: You set criticality, data class, and PII directly - Derived: Values are aggregated from linked interface bindings. The tab shows the effective values and lists each contributing interface once, with the environments it is bound in

Fields: - Criticality: a business criticality level from your organization's catalog in Classifications and continuity. The default levels are Critical, High, Moderate and Low - Data class: Drawn from your organization's data classification settings - Contains PII: Whether personal data traverses the connection

When risk mode is Derived, the criticality, data class, and PII fields become read-only and reflect the highest values across all linked interfaces.

This tab shows which interface bindings are linked to this connection.

What you will see: - Interface: Name and code, with criticality / data class / PII chips - Environment: Binding environment and leg type - Source endpoint / Target endpoint: The binding's endpoints - Lifecycle: Interface lifecycle status - Actions: A button to navigate to the interface workspace

This tab is read-only. To link an interface binding to a connection, use the Interface workspace or the Connection Map.

Tips¶

Start with critical paths: Document connections for your most important applications first, then work outward.
Use Derived risk mode: Let the system calculate criticality from the interfaces that use each connection. It saves effort and stays current as interfaces change.
Link to interfaces: Connecting your infrastructure to interface bindings gives you end-to-end traceability from application data flows down to network routes.
Document protocols accurately: Good protocol data makes firewall rule reviews and security audits significantly easier.