Described is a visual analytics system for network diagnostics. The visual analytics system obtains network diagnostic-related information from a diagnostic system. The visual analytics system includes an interactive user interface that displays the representations of network components, including network machines and, zero or more links between those components, (e.g., as appropriate based upon selection or dynamic conditions). The user interface includes a main network view that displays representations of network components, a diagnostics view that displays suggested diagnosis results obtained from the diagnostic system, and a performance counter view that displays performance counter data. User interaction with one of the views correspondingly changes the displays in the other views. The system allows effective exploration of multiple levels of detail, e.g., variable, component, edge level and network levels, for example, via flexible navigation across these levels from the top, the bottom, or anywhere in the middle, while retaining context.