Documenting Your Network

1. Documenting Your Network Florence J. Davidson March 18, 2004 CIS460A1

2. Documentation • 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Tips for Documenting an Undocumented Network • 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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:

14. Creating Network Design Documents : Section 1 Executive Summary • Purpose of the project • Strategic recommendations • Implementation considerations • Benefits of the solution

15. Creating Network Design Documents: Section 2 Design Requirements • Characterization of the existing network • Customer requirements

16. Creating Network Design Documents: Section 3 Design Solution • Proposed network topology • Hardware and media recommended for the LAN • Hardware and media recommended for the WAN • Network-layer addressing and naming model

17. 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

18. Creating Network Design Documents: Section 4 Summary • Appendixes • 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

19. Creating Network Design Documents: Section 4 Summary • Appendixes • 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

20. Conclusion • 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.

21. Adapted from the Following Sources… • 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

22. Adapted from the Following Sources… • 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/materials/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/5102-6262-1040293.html (16 March 2004). Compiled using the Columbia Online Style Format

23. Adapted from the Following Sources… • 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