ISP Network Diagram-ing

[stephen.stack]

Hi Pros,

I am wondering if any of you have any tips regarding the diagraming and documentation of an ISPs network.

I have just started with an ISP and documentation is scarce and out dated. I have taken on the task of getting documentation up to scratch.

It is a large network, and i would like to have easy to follow and comprehensive documentation.

Do you have any tips or good guides on this subject that i could look over.

Thanks & Regards

Stephen

[Pavel Bykov]

I have practical tips.

I find it best to start with the Visio, using Cisco topology icons:

http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac50/ac47/2.html

Login to every device, and find neighbors using CDP (or similar methods), and draw every single one, and it's connected devices. Login to every one of those and do the same. Go on and on without a break, until you have a full map (don't bother with CEs, or omit other devices too far from core that are not too important, but draw at least one example, so you have visual representation on how the end circuit looks).

Then, press CTRL+K on every device and enter telnet://HOSTNAME-OF-THE-DEVICE so, now you can simply click on visio diagram, and your default telnet app will start telnetting to the device directly.

This is the best way for me to create the first step.

[cisco_lad2004]

in addition to previous poster (great answer by the way !!).

Once you are done with Layer 1, move on to another map for L3/L4 . basically your logical links and IBG / EBGP links. if u have many EBGP sessions, draw them with in their own containers and highlight their AS...it will make troubleshooting a lot easier.

HTH

Sam