I have been in my position for several years with two different companies. In each business, I inheirited an un-documented network, and with no logs, no records, no documentation on any of the servers, switches / hubs, software, and operating systems. It has always been a hassle to play ‘catch-up’ while attempting to maintain the existing network structure. I have read the article in TR about “You’ve just inherited an undocumented network: Now what? – Nov 7, 2001” But there were no suggested methods or manner to document your work.
I have sought to develop a method to ‘start’ the record keeping process in each business, but I always wonder what ideas that other techs / administrators use for their documentation process. So, I am asking other professionals to share their method, means, and manner which they use. Here are some questions I might ask.
1. How many people are in your IT staff?
2. How many servers do you administer?
3. How many sites are you responsible for?
4. What OS’s are you using, and why?
5. How do you document daily log?
6. What documentation is used for hardware / software changes?
7. Why have you selected this style / manner of documentaion?
8. What problems have you experienced in your documentation procedure?
9. What tips or hints could you offer to others?
10. Where are your records kept? Are they handy to other staff?
11. How is your documentation communicated to other staff?
12. If you could change the way your records and documentation is kept, what would they be? And why?
13. What is your network topology and how do you record any changes or repairs?
I only offer these questions as a starting point. Each network will be totally different, each company will have varied requirements, and each IT shop will not be the same as others. In any case, can you share what you do in your organization to document your different network components?
