Download Documenting Your Network

Documenting Your
Network
Florence J. Davidson
March 18, 2004
CIS460A1
Documentation
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A design document describes your
customer’s requirements and
explains how your design those
requirements.
Goals of Documentation



Documenting an Undocumented
Network
Fulfilling a Request for Proposal
(RFP)
Providing a Network Design
Document When There Is No RFP
Elements of a Network
Document








Building diagram/floor
plan
Logical network diagram
Physical network diagram
Hardware information
Configuration information
Protocol information
DNS information
Device log sheet
Elements of a Network
Document






Network administration
information
 Contact information
 Vendor information
Procedure documentation
Baseline network utilization
Acceptable use policy
Security policy
Disaster recovery plan
Tips for Documenting an
Undocumented Network



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Keep the reading level
appropriate
Check for Readability
Hire a Good Translator, if
needed
Use a Fresh Perspective
Limit the Use of Technical
Terms (Keep It Simple)
Test Your Work on a
Guinea Pig
Tips for Documenting an
Undocumented Network

Use the OSI Model to help document your network

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
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Physical Layer – Hardware, Cabling, Etc.
Data Link Layer – Mac Addresses, Adapters, Their Speeds
And Which Protocols They Support
Network Layer – WAN Links, Internet Connections, VPN,
And RAS, Naming Conventions
Transport Layer – Firewalls, Routers And Gateway
Information
Session Layer – Communication Protocols Like SNMP
Policies
Presentation Layer
Application Layer – User Policies, Security Policies,
Operation System Information
Tips for Documenting an
Undocumented Network

Use the OSI Model to help document your network







Physical Layer – Hardware, Cabling, Etc.
Data Link Layer – Mac Addresses, Adapters, Their Speeds
And Which Protocols They Support
Network Layer – WAN Links, Internet Connections, VPN,
And RAS, Naming Conventions
Transport Layer – Firewalls, Routers And Gateway
Information
Session Layer – Communication Protocols Like SNMP
Policies
Presentation Layer
Application Layer – User Policies, Security Policies,
Operation System Information
The Benefits of Documenting
Your Network


It saves time in the long run
Creating a network handbook makes a
network administrator’s life easier


It reduces the need to research solutions to the
same problem each time the problem arises
A visual diagram can help identify potential
problem areas in a more timely manner
The Benefits of Documenting
Your Network


Task sharing is easier
It reduces information loss


When employees leave the company, the
transition period is easier because the information
is still with the company
It improves overall network design because
you have a benchmark to work from when it’s
time to upgrade
Request for Proposal (RFP)


A request for proposal
(RFP) lists design
requirements and types of
solutions a network design
must include.
RFP responses help
organizations compare
competing designs, product
capabilities, pricing, and
service and support
alternatives.
Request for Proposal (RFP)

Typically a RFP states that responses must include some or all of
the following topics:
 A network topology for the new design
 Information on the protocols, technologies, and products, that
form the design
 An implementation plan
 A training plan
 Support and service information
 Prices and payment options
 Qualifications of the responding vendor or supplier
 References from other customers for whom the supplier has
provided a solution
 Legal contractual terms and conditions
Request for Proposal (RFP)



RFP responses must stay within
the guidelines specified by the
customer.
However, you should use
ingenuity to ensure that your
response highlights the benefits
of your design.
Make sure you write your
response so the reader can
easily recognize that the design
satisfies critical selection criteria.
Creating Network Design
Documents

If you do not have a
RFP, you can create
your own network
design document to
showcase the work
that you have done.
Your network design
document should
include the following
elements:
Creating Network Design
Documents: Section 1
Executive Summary
 Purpose of the
project
 Strategic
recommendations
 Implementation
considerations
 Benefits of the
solution
Creating Network Design
Documents: Section 2
Design Requirements


Characterization of the
existing network
Customer requirements
Creating Network Design
Documents: Section 3
Design Solution
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Proposed network topology
Hardware and media
recommended for the LAN
Hardware and media
recommended for the WAN
Network-layer addressing
and naming model
Creating Network Design
Documents: Section 3
Design Solution
 Routing and bridging
protocols recommended
for the network
 Software features
provisioned for the
network
 Network management
strategy
Creating Network Design
Documents: Section 4
Summary
 Appendixes
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A list of contacts
A project implementation time
line
Additional information on
products
Details of addressing and
naming schemes that you
developed for the customer
Creating Network Design
Documents: Section 4
Summary
 Appendixes

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Details of strategies for
managing the network that you
developed for the customer
Results of prototype tests
(described in the following
modules)
Test results of any performance
measurements you performed
on the customer's current
network
Conclusion
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Documentation is vital to efficient network design
Having no previous documentation is not an
acceptable for not having it now.
It’s much easier to keep your records updated as
you go along than to wait until it’s time to upgrade
the system.
Remember to verify your documentation for
accuracy, omission of steps, logical progression,
comprehendible language, and simplicity. Faulty
documentation can lead to liability.
Adapted from the Following
Sources…

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Davis, Jeff. (26 June 2001). “Four Tips for Designing
Documentation.” TechRepublic.com.
http://techrepublic.com.com/5102-6269-1033372.html
(11March 2004).
Dray, Jeff. (15 August 2001). “Keep Users in Mind When
Creating Documentation.” TechRepublic.com.
http://techrepublic.com.com/5102-6263-1032347.html (11
March 2004).
Freewheel Corporation. (9 October 2001). “RFP Response.”
http://www.kevinlush.com/classes/491a.pdf. (12 March 2004).
MOREnet. (4 December 2002). “Documenting Your Network.”
MOREnet.com.
http://www.more.net/technical/netserv/diagrams/documenting/
(16 March 2004).
Compiled using the Columbia Online Style Format
Adapted from the Following
Sources…
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NPower. (2004). “The ‘Write’ Stuff.”
www.npower.org/tools/network_documentation.pdf (11 March
2004).
NPower. (2002). “Sample Request for Proposal.”
http://www.cis.washington.edu/courses/spring02/pbaf598f/mat
erials/Sample%20Request%20for%20Proposal.html (11
March 2004).
Oppenheimer, Priscilla.(2001). Top-Down Network Design.
Indianapolis, Indiana: Cisco Press.
Packman Jr., David M. (7 November 2001). “You’re Just
Inherited an Undocumented Network: Now What?”
TechRepublic.com. http://techRepublic.com.com/5102-62621040293.html (16 March 2004).
Compiled using the Columbia Online Style Format
Adapted from the Following
Sources…
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
Smith, Ryan. (2 April 2003). “Network Documentation.”
http://www.serverwatch.com/tutorials/article.php/1475021 (10
March 2004).
Souders, Cindy. (27 March 2002). “Document Your Network
with Help from the OSI Model.” TechRepublic.com.
http://techRepublic.com.com/5102-6265-1039788.html (11
March 2004).
Sreenivas, Ramavarapu and Chen, David. (20 January 2004).
“Content of the Design Document.” University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.
http://www.netlab.uiuc.edu/393rsl/networkdesign.html (15
March 2004).
Suiter, Elisa. (24 September 1999). “Be Persnickety about
Documentation.” TechRepublic.com.
http://techRepublic.com.com/5102-6263-1029622.html (11
March 2004).
Compiled using the Columbia Online Style Format