[Tfug] Network documentation

[Bexley Hall]

Hi Zack,

--- On Fri, 9/14/12, Zack Williams <zdwzdw at gmail.com> wrote:

> > I'm not an IT person so I have no idea where to begin...
> 
> This would probably be a good guidebook for you:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/The-Practice-System-Network-Administration/dp/0201702711

OK, I;ll put a copy on order.  Thanks!

> It's aimed at the datacenter, but many of the concepts can
> be applied to what you're trying to do.

I think the datacenter environment is easier to cope with.
You have provisions for running cable (usually without having
to tear open plastered ceilings/walls), rooms *tend* to be
more uniformly laid out (office space vs. residence), etc.

Chances are, *if* you have to replace or add a new drop, its
a relatively simple operation (dropped ceilings, long stretches
of straight cable, etc.).  I.e., you don't have to jog around
the combustion relief for a hot water heater or *the* main
support member for the building, etc.
 
> Regarding the specific question:
> 
>  - More information is better than less

Yes -- assuming it can be conveniently managed!

>  - Data with structure that is machine parseable and
> normalized is better than ad-hoc

I've definitely got a win in that regard as all my data sits in
a formal database since the system needs to know a lot of this
stuff to operate properly:  if you are in the living room when
you command the TV on, the system has to know where the "closest"
(most appropriate for living room viewing) media tank is and
a suitable set of speakers to pipe the accompanying audio through.
And, which switches need to be powered up, which PoE ports will
need power on those switches, what interface protocol(s) will
be used to connect to those terminal devices, etc.

So, physical aspects of network discovery play an important role
in runtime operation and have to be recorded somewhere.

But, *graphical* documentation (which is easier for me as a human
being to examine and get a better gestalt) doesn't lend itself
well to that sort of storage.  Knowing that the drop in the NW
corner of the living room appears as port X on the patch panel
doesn't help you sort out how the wire *gets* from the living
room *to* that panel...

--don