Documenting a network ?

Just some ideas:

1. MS Visio - Most vendors have stencils. Different colored lines can represent different types of connections, VLANs, types of fiber, etc... Can also auto-discover the network and create diagrams from discovery. Not always accurate though. Do not make diagrams too busy. Use the same physical diagram to document multiple layers of the complexity in separate drawings.

1. Spreadsheets - THink about your template first, then you might find spreadsheets are really easy to maintain.

2. SNMP & Spreadsheets - Using Perl and SNMP, it is possible to compare switch/router configurations with what is in spreadsheets, then create automated reports on the differences. This is possible with several types of Perl modules.

As the Pine Mountain Group says: "DOCUMENT! DOCUMENT! DOCUMENT!"

-mike

For a network that I know nothing about, telnet, a pencil, and lot's of paper... Looking in the switching table along with ARP/routing tables get you a map... But in addition to that, talk to your server guys... They can help a lot as well.

But once all that pencil/paper stuff is done, I like using Visio...

Which version? I was told a lot of time that Visio can do this but all versions we have at work can't.

Jens

For layer 3 information (which machine is running which service): nmap.

Jens

We have been experimenting with the latest version and a plugin from Fluke that has been working pretty well. It is not perfect, but it will give you a rough idea.

-mike

Jens L>

Well, last time I checked the Fluke plugin wouldn't work with the TokenRing network we had.

I was told that there is (or shall I say was?) a Visio version with a buildin network discovery feature.

Jens

It looks like even some versions of Visio 5 (the version before Visio

Their explaination only makes sense if one assumes they've either couldn't use the code and had to do a lot of coding or sold the technology/code to someone else. I do wonder what code base "Fluke Networks' LAN MapShot" come from, anyone going to bet against that it's based on the Visio code (if it was in v5 they probably got most of the code when they bough Visio from, hrmm, who was it again?).

There's no sign of database (table & indexes) autodiscovery either, and IIRC at least 2000EE did have that?

Heh, some Googling suggests that there's people selling Visio 2002 Pro with Enterprise Network Tools add-on on the Web, original box so it should be legit (I'd check up the reputation of the company before buying though). Since you don't say why Fluke's plugin doesn't work for you I can't even begin to guess whether it'd work in your case though.

Microsoft & Fluke says the plugin should work with all IP and Netbios devices and IPX servers & printers, so there's no obvious reason why it shouldn't work.

Well, the problem is that I don't remember the exact problem and version I was testing. I only remember that it did find only on device in the TokenRing network we had. A colleague is going to order the Visio 2003 resouce-kit (which contains lanmapshot) on Monday.

Jens

Check out Intravue from NetVision.net