A container appears in a map as a box holding a logical set of related objects. For IS-IS maps, a container shown in Container in an IS-IS map holds all the objects discovered for a particular IS-IS area.

Figure 1. Container in an IS-IS map

You can see additional views of the container by right-clicking the container border and then selecting Navigate > Collapse Object or Navigate > View In Full Screen. The first selection collapses the container to an IS-IS area icon, and the second selection expands the entire map to just the objects within the container. Using the Navigate menu options illustrates how to use the Navigate menu options to navigate between these different views.

Figure 2. Using the Navigate menu options

In Using the Navigate menu options, the box surrounding the IS-IS area object indicates that it is the launching object for the map to which the container belongs. The object selected to launch a map is referred to as the focal object.

Also, in Using the Navigate menu options, the collapsed container indicator distinguishes a collapsed container icon from a standard IS-IS area icon. The pop-up menu for a collapsed container icon includes the Navigate options, whereas the pop-up menu for the standard IS-IS area icon does not.