In many companies, knowledge of the network installation lives in one person's head or with one provider. The day that person is unavailable, or the provider changes, everything has to be rediscovered. Documentation, even simple, prevents that.
What documentation is for
- working faster during an outage or a workstation move;
- letting a new provider take over the installation without starting from scratch;
- preparing changes: new workstations, office moves, equipment refresh;
- keeping a record of the installation's condition at a given date.
What it should include
The mapping table
This is the most useful document: for each wall jack, the matching patch panel port, and for each panel port, the equipment it is patched to. It uses the identifiers printed on the labels.
The rack elevation
A view of the rack, unit by unit: which panel, switch or device sits at which position. It makes it possible to prepare a job without being on site.
Photos
Photos of the initial and final state, when the client allows it, are a useful complement to the written documentation.
The service report
It summarizes what was done, what was removed, the issues found and the points still to be addressed.
Documentation is only valuable if it is up to date
Every change to the installation must be recorded. Wrong documentation leads to wrong decisions. That is why updating the documentation is part of every job we do, as described in our method.
Conclusion
Documenting network infrastructure makes the installation independent of a few people's memory. A mapping table, a rack elevation and photos are often enough to change the way work gets done.