Who documents the local network in what way?

Question

Project management

With the expansion of the network, it became necessary to document the network topology, equipment settings, services, etc. It is done for oneself and for order, i.e. you can ignore GOSTs and other official documentation, the main thing is to make it convenient and understandable, the presence of a Russian-language interface is very welcome.
At the moment I mainly use Excel, but it's not very convenient and visual. I'm trying to find a suitable software solution - and I can't find anything.
There is an article on Habré - "Technical Documentation: Servers and Networks" , illustrating my problem. They advise the NPJ
project , but it has died out for a very long time and is not supported.
I looked towards "monsters" like NOC Project and NetCrunch, but the entry threshold is too high, and I don't need much of what is there (in particular, I don't need monitoring at all). In a similar question, Userside was also advised - but it is mainly for providers (billing).
I note that automatic topology visualization (10-strike, Fpinger, etc.) does not interest me.
I wonder with what help you, colleagues, do this, or can you advise something?

Answer 1

Wiki. Schemes of specific places - in visio, network topologies - maps in Zabbix. To keep track of hardware, IP addresses, vlans -- you can try Racktables or iTOP with the appropriate plugins.

Answer 2

I am a visual, so the basis for me is the scheme. Topology at the level of logic, at the level of physics. I draw in Visio, spreadsheets in LibreOffice Calc. I do not use any specialized solutions - they usually cost money like a wing from an airplane and work under Windows. I do monitoring through nagios - yes, it's ugly, but it suits me, especially since any sensor you want can be screwed there.

Answer 3

When there was a similar task, I used the monitoring system as a platform for the scheme. Those. at the same time, everything that is added as an element of the scheme is monitored. I used zabbix or a pipe.

Answer 4

Yes, normal HTML.
Scheme: in SVG, by clicking on the object - infa.
Checking the availability of hosts / ports: via status codes with an ajax request.
We need something cooler: we take webkit and finish it forward.

Answer 5

In the 10-Strike Scheme, it is not necessary to build networks automatically - you can also manually add them quickly. The library of icons is large and by default, apart from the fact that it can be expanded with visio stencils for every taste and color. You can’t even compare the price with crunch :) We tell our students about the network at the department :)

Answer 6

Look here: Where should a system administrator store documentation and server configs, as well as his own observations and thoughts?
There are arguments against using any wiki system to document network resources.

Answer 7

Can be used to draw diagrams draw.io. It is better to draw in accordance with the functionality. For example: the L2 level implies the participation of switches, VLAs, ports. But L3 - only routers and IP addresses of hosts and networks. Then it's easier to understand. In addition, you need to keep a cable log and sign all patch cords, ports, etc. The more information, the easier it is to maintain. On the one hand, but there is a problem with bringing this information together. There are many systems - you need a single database that takes into account everything you want and the way you want. Such a base has not yet been invented for little money. So Excel tables, simple pictures, brief descriptions and various auxiliary programs (such as a hardware inspector) will help you. :)