What are some great network diagram techniques? [closed]
Over a long time, the network I work with has grown from a couple of servers and a handful of client PCs to a gargantuan beast with the following things configured on the core switch:
- VLANs - Trunks, access ports and general ports.
- Several Multiple Spanning Tree instances
- Lots of subnets
- Port-Channels
It has become very tricky to communicate this to new members of staff and contractors. A diagram showing the physical components of the network (switches, routers, firewalls, servers etc) only tells a small part of the picture. It's all there in the various configurations, but putting this all together into a picture of our network is a huge challenge. Various people have tried to document all this in Excel and Word docs, but nothing tried so far really seems to give a clear overview effectively.
Simplifying our network is a goal for me, but in order to get there, we need to map where we are now, and where we want to go.
Has anyone got any examples of great network diagrams that show more than simple connectivity and communicate? Not necessarily all of the above in one diagram, but alternative ways of drawing things one might achieve in Viso, or even pencil and paper.
I am not asking for recommendations for this or that bit of software. Some examples of great, inspiring, network diagrams would be most welcome.
Solution 1:
I'd posted the last just as you were making your "don't post that, stupid" edit ;) So ...
have you looked at http://www.ratemynetworkdiagram.com ? There are tons of diagrams there, maybe you can find a few that suit your needs?
http://www.ratemynetworkdiagram.com/?i=10680
http://www.ratemynetworkdiagram.com/?i=17345
You'll probably need several diagrams, linked together in something like the wiki mentioned in Sven's answer.