Network documentation

[Jarno Lepistö]

Hey.

I'm working my degree thesis in Tampere polytechnic, and i need some written (or internet article) refrence to it. I need information the ways how documents are made and why. Some information why topologies are drawn like they are and so on.. :). Work is allmost done and this is only thing i need to add then its ready, so help me to graduate.

[Ron Kinner]

I think most IT people use the Visio program to make network drawings and as-built drawings. You can get ready made stencils of most network equipment. For example Cisco provides a set of stencils for all of their equipment.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/about/ac123/ac114/ac173/ac225/about_cisco_packet_department0900aecd800c9146.html#2

Why do we use it? We have to sell the idea to upper management and they like pretty pictures and Visio makes pretty pictures fairly easily.

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/cisintwk/ito_doc/introint.htm

If you can find one of the CCNA or CCDA tutorials I think they have a chapter on what the different symbols mean.

Ron

[Jeff Carver]

A source for many Visio stencils, including
HP, is at http://www.visiocafe.com/

With the many connections to depict in a
network, the objective is to arrange the
various items in a way that makes the whole
configuration understandable, reduce the
clutter and convey the various interconnections.

There aren't really any rules, just
conventions that people tend to use.

If you look at topology drawings, and find
one that works, you tend to copy the
portions that work for your own drawings.

Jeff

[Jarno Lepistö]

Thanks for you help. I'm not using Visio but i have done the document using Word, Exel and Powerpoint. And i found nessessary book refrenses and my work is ready now.

Maybe now i start to study Visio a bit and look possibilities what Visio provides.. I used cisco icons in my document.

[Sergej Gurenko]

My favorite network draving software is PaceStar LanFlow. This one is realy ease to start easy to draw. I like the logical shemes, not detail full of unneded colors exact-box shemes. And this tool is right for this.
Unique feature is Labels. You can connect three labels to one line - to the each end ald to the center.

http://www.pacestar.com/lanflow/lfdesc.htm
You can find eval there also (4 Mb only!).
It is possible to import custom icons (but not ready visio stencils)