Not only network documentation takes a lot of time and effort to create, but it also becomes outdated as soon as you hit save and seems to always require an update at the time you need it most. So how can you document your network effectively?

Every change in the network, either intended or unintended, usually requires documentation update. A good approach is to split the documentation into several documents according to sites that the network is organized into. The changes then affect only the site-related document. Having the history of design documents enables to track the network changes in time.

When the network is larger and the administration is delegated to multiple teams it may not be easy to keep the documentation updated according to the same standards in all sites. There may be network operation tasks with higher priority than documentation and there are definitely more favorite tasks for administrators than routine documentation.

IP Fabric provides an easy way how to keep the per-site Low-Level Design Documents updated with all of the detailed information, and always current even if the network changes rapidly. A generic document template keeps documentation look and feels consistent, while dynamic tags populate all of the required information from each of the network state snapshot, including overview site diagrams, physical layer information, information about switching and routing, management, and security.

A fully prepared document is generated with a click of a button at the time when it is required, for the current or historic state. No routine manual activity is required to create the documents as those are generated automatically according to pre-defined templates. Diagrams, tables, and explanatory text are included, just like in any manually created Low-Level Design document.

If you’re interested to see how the IP Fabric platform can help you with your documentation needs, contact us for an online demo or a trial in your network. Also, we’re hiring!