Recognizing the Network Topology and Building Its Schema

A network topology is a network configuration, a way of connecting its elements (ie network equipment) to each other. The network topology allows you to see all of its structure, network devices that are part of the network, and their relationship to each other.

Today, there is almost nowhere to meet the standard ring, cellular, bus topology of the network or the topology of the "star". In large companies, local networks are sometimes so vast and ramified that recognizing their topologies becomes a real problem. There are two ways to recognize the network topology:

1. Manually track all the equipment connections by wire, and then transfer it all to paper. The work is complex, long and dusty, especially if the company occupies several floors or the whole building. A few hours just can not do.

2. The second method is easier and faster at times. Recognize the topology of the network is not difficult with the help of specialized software. At the heart of its use are just three simple steps:

1) Install the network topology scan program on the system administrator computer.

2) Scan the network to find all network equipment. If the local network has managed switches and switches that support the SNMP service, the program will automatically find and draw connections between devices.

3) The final step is to manually draw connections, if for some reason the network topology recognition program failed to do this automatically.

At the end of these simple three stages on the computer of the system administrator will appear the network diagram of this enterprise. Device icons can be moved, "placed" to offices and premises, so that it's easier to navigate the diagram if there are problems or problems with network equipment.

The modern market offers a fairly large number of programs for building network diagrams. In this regard, managers always have a logical question: how to choose the best among this variety? It's quite simple to do this if you follow several tips when choosing a program for building a network topology (and any other software):

1. First of all, the program for building a network topology must have a trial version that allows you to evaluate its performance and decide if its functionality suits you.

2. The software interface should be friendly and intuitive. Use the program should be convenient.

3. The price often plays a decisive role in the selection of the network topology recognition program. And here it is important to remember that the miser pays twice. You must decide for yourself what is more important for you: to acquire a complete high-quality software product with timely technical support, but spend a little more, or save and get a mediocre solution without any guarantees of service. In any case, the price should be reasonable.

The program for recognizing the network topology and constructing its scheme must be in the arsenal of any system administrator. And it does not matter whether he works in the company constantly or comes only to perform certain tasks. It is important to remember that knowledge of the topology of the company's network sometimes allows to avoid many unpleasant moments, such as, for example, long downtime of the system associated with equipment breakdown. If there is a network map, you can always look at the diagram where the faulty equipment is located and quickly eliminate the malfunction.