Document your network

Document Your Networks and their Infrastrucure.

It is always good policy to document your network equipment.  You should have a drawing showing all routers and modems, switches, and all computers, wiring paths, and should be accessible to your users.

The typical case for this, is that suddenly there is no Internet connection.  Often, all that is needed is to have the router or modem power cycled.  However, the person that usually does the network maintenance is out, and no one knows where the router or modem is.

This documentation can be a simple hand drawing, or done via any of the software packages, such as Visio, that excels at doing this.  In either case, all routers/modems, switches, computers, printers, and anything else on your network needs to be shown.  It may be as simple as a box labeled "Internet modem", with a line to one labeled "Switch" and a line from there to boxes for each of your two computers.

If the diagram is expanded in detail it can be even more helpful.  Number the diagram elements and make a legend that has the full product name, serial number, and purchase date.  This can be used to replace failing products and make decisions on likely problematic components quickly.  Guessing at the right replacement product can cause serious, unnecessary delays on outages as you struggle to adapt it to the existing network.

Another very useful step is to use a wiring rack or similar devices to organize and label your cables.  Nothing is more frustrating than losing a connection and finding a jumble of wires with no labels to sort out with no information.   This can lead to a bigger more complicated mess as you try to isolate by pulling, disconnecting, and reconnecting.  Your wiring diagram can be simplified by using color coding and professional labels.  Remember that a label with the same identification should be used on both ends of a connection to make its use completely clear.

What I would suggest, is that the location of the equipment be noted, also.  So your "Internet modem" would be expanded to something like "Internet modem, on file cabinet in the office", for example.  If each piece of equipment is labeled like this, and this documentation is available, then if one of your employees needs to find the Internet modem to power cycle it, they know where to go.  I can not count the times I have been on the phone with someone, and telling them "Look for a box with a number of cables coming out that look like big phone connectors, and says switch, or hub on it", as I hear them go from room to room searching for their network switch.

With even a basic, hand drawn, network map that includes the equipment location, your basic users should be able to check any particular piece of equipment with a minimum of assistance.  Which translates to less frustration, and quicker resolutions, to unforeseen network problems.

Dave.
 

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