Documenting IT infrastructure?

Question

Documentation

I realized with my colleagues that it was impossible to live like this any longer. it seems that there are some records, but everything is scattered, on different computers, who writes in excel, who writes in txt, something is very outdated.
in short, we need something ... maybe it's a magical program or a book that will help put things in order in our heads. or maybe a good kick :)))
I will be grateful for any recommendation that will quickly put everything in order.

Answer 1

If the infrastructure is extensive, then it makes sense to have different cuts with different details for different needs. Data organization is better than tabular, due to simplicity and intuitiveness.
So, the following signs naturally arise:
1) Cable industry. Minimum view table:
room|#sockets|switch|#ports|marking on the cable (if any)
In the limit, you can provide graphic diagrams.
2) The physical location of servers on racks. It is necessary to have if the number of servers approaches the coveted number of "dofiga". By the way, it also makes sense to consider all sorts of "units" such as disk shelves and tape libraries as a "server". Minimum:
rack|shelf|server|inscriptions on the server
3) MAC addresses of server interfaces. Assigned IP addresses including aliases and any "virtual".
4) Iron filling of servers. When making decisions about planned upgrades - a must have.
By the way, about the “iron stuffing”, it makes sense to have a separate “table of spare parts” to minimize the likelihood of downtime due to the fact that, for example, there was no narration screw of the right size to quickly replace it in a raid.
By the way, be sure to specify such things as hardware restrictions, such as the type of RAM, the number of slots, etc.
5) Software installed on the servers. By the way, if there is something licensed, then it is obligatory to have it, moreover, indicating the dates of the licenses. So that the "suddenly expired" license does not become a "surprise";)
6) If there is a hard firewall, then the sign is
server | service
7) The sign is as follows.
server|responsible employee|phone
8) Power supply scheme. minimum:
server|socket|ups
9) Calendar of scheduled work on servers.
we make all sorts of upgrades, relocations, replacements here (so that, you yourself understand, coordinate your actions with others)
10) Inventory of workstations - iron.
11) Inventory of workstations - installed software. MUST HAVE, especially with an indication of the validity of licenses for any software!
12) Table of location of workstations by rooms
workstation|room|#sockets
13) Assignment of workstations to employees
workstation|responsible employee|department/position
14) MAC-addresses and IP of workstations. By the way, if a lot of employees use all sorts of personal laptops/tablets/smartphones, then it’s also better not to be too lazy to include all this in the table of correspondence of MAC addresses assigned to IPs indicating the employee in the comments.
15) A plate with a stock of spare parts for workstations.
16) Formulated access for employees.
employee|position|server|service|comment
Must have, especially if there are a lot of employees. Yes, and it allows you to quickly detect "paranormal activity" of any malware, leaving no doubt whether it is normal or not that there is an ssh connection to the mysql server from the computer of Aunt Masha's accountant.
17) A set of plates for "communication with the outside world." It should be available if there are all sorts of backup channels, VPNs, port forwarding, etc. Naturally, each entry indicates the responsible employee and phone number.
18) If the work is 24x7, then the duty schedules of the admins.
Here, with a similar set of plates, even “two and a half admins” will be able to maintain order without fuss and headaches even in a very large organization with a large infrastructure!
PS: Feng Shui to you in wires!

Answer 2

at one time I worked in a beeline, so there are cable magazines, port maps, equipment is included in ordinary excel files. and such a scheme works successfully, the main thing is to correctly format the table itself and set logging rules (when all changes in the IT infrastructure are made, the person who maintains this documentation is included in the performers)

Answer 3

We use a wiki engine in our project management system. Helps. On the one hand, you can create anarchy, but due to semantic connections, the history of everything goes: reference materials, results, clients, general recommendations, etc.

Answer 4

As well as the author of the question, my colleagues and I faced the problem of the lack of a single place for storing the description of the infrastructure. For now, we store everything in the old fashioned way in folders with server names, but now I will do something self-written, which will allow visualization and access via the Web.

Answer 5

We solved the problem by creating a local forum, here is the hierarchy and access levels. Everyone likes it, not just the IT department.

Answer 6

Try using Google Docs.

Answer 7

With some delay, but suddenly it will be useful to someone: there is a wonderful software - racktables, which allows you to document racks, switching, IP addresses, vlans and some other little things. Implemented as a web application, it is being actively developed.