All Topics  
Network diagram

 
Network Diagram

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Network diagram
 
 
  Topics Network diagram Topic Home

A computer network diagram is a schematic
Schematic

A schematic is a diagram that represents the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. A schematic usually omits all details that are not relevant to the information the schematic is intended to convey, and may add unrealistic elements that aid comprehension....
 depicting the nodes and connections amongst nodes in a computer network
Computer network

A computer network is a group of interconnected computers. Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics. This article provides a general overview of some types and categories and also presents the basic components of a network....
 or, more generally, any telecommunications network
Telecommunications network

A telecommunications network is a wiktionary:Network of telecommunications links and nodes arranged so that messages may be passed from one part of the network to another over multiple links and through various nodes....
.

ily identifiable icons are used to depict common network appliances e.g.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Network diagram'
Start a new discussion about 'Network diagram'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Recent Posts

Introduce dynamic digram
What is the purpose of a network diagram?








Encyclopedia


Sample Network Diagram
A computer network diagram is a schematic
Schematic

A schematic is a diagram that represents the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. A schematic usually omits all details that are not relevant to the information the schematic is intended to convey, and may add unrealistic elements that aid comprehension....
 depicting the nodes and connections amongst nodes in a computer network
Computer network

A computer network is a group of interconnected computers. Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics. This article provides a general overview of some types and categories and also presents the basic components of a network....
 or, more generally, any telecommunications network
Telecommunications network

A telecommunications network is a wiktionary:Network of telecommunications links and nodes arranged so that messages may be passed from one part of the network to another over multiple links and through various nodes....
.

Symbolization

Readily identifiable icons are used to depict common network appliances e.g. Router, and the style of lines between them indicate the type of connection. Clouds are used to represent networks external to the one pictured for the purposes of depicting connections between internal and external devices, without indicating the specifics of the outside network. For example, in the hypothetical local area network
Local area network

A local area network is a computer network covering a small physical area, like a home, office, or small group of buildings, such as a school, or an airport....
 pictured to the right, three personal computer
Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose original sales price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator....
s and a server
Server (computing)

A server is a computer program that provides services to other computer programs , in the same or other computer. The physical computer that runs a server program is also often referred to as server....
 are connected to a switch
Network switch

A network switch is a computer networking device that connects computer network Network segment.The term commonly refers to a Network bridge that processes and routes data at the Data link layer of the OSI model....
; the server is further connected to a printer
Computer printer

File:Lexmark X5100 Series.jpgIn computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a hard copy of documents stored in computer file form, usually on physical print media such as paper or Transparency ....
 and a gateway router, which is connected via a WAN link
Wide area network

Wide Area Network is a computer network that covers a broad area . Contrast with personal area networks , local area networks , campus area networks , or metropolitan area networks which are usually limited to a room, building, campus or specific metropolitan area respectively....
 to the Internet
Internet

The Internet is a global network of interconnected computers, enabling users to share information along multiple channels. Typically, a computer that connects to the Internet can access information from a vast array of available server and other computers by moving information from them to the computer's local memory....
.

Depending on whether the diagram is intended for formal or informal use, certain details may be lacking and must be determined from context. For example, the sample diagram does not indicate the physical type of connection between the PCs and the switch, but since a modern LAN is depicted, Ethernet
Ethernet

Ethernet is a family of Data frame-based computer networking technologies for local area networks . The name comes from the physical concept of the Luminiferous aether....
 may be assumed. If the same style of line was used in a WAN
Wide area network

Wide Area Network is a computer network that covers a broad area . Contrast with personal area networks , local area networks , campus area networks , or metropolitan area networks which are usually limited to a room, building, campus or specific metropolitan area respectively....
(wide area network) diagram, however, it may indicate a different physical connection.

At different scales, diagrams may represent various levels of network granularity. At the LAN level, individual nodes may represent individual physical devices, such as hubs or file server
File server

In computing, a file server is a computer attached to a network that has the primary purpose of providing a location for the shared storage of computer files that can be accessed by the workstations that are attached to the computer network....
s, while at the WAN level, individual nodes may represent entire cities. In addition, when the scope of a diagram crosses the common LAN/MAN
Metropolitan area network

Metropolitan area networks, or MANs, are large computer networks usually spanning a city. They typically use wireless infrastructure or Optical fiber connections to link their sites....
/ boundaries, representative hypothetical devices may be depicted instead of showing all actually existing nodes. For example, if a network appliance is intended to be connected through the Internet to many end-user mobile devices, only a single such device may be depicted for the purposes of showing the general relationship between the appliance and any such device.

Cisco Symbolization

Cisco
Cisco

Cisco may refer to:Companies:* Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore....
 uses its own brand of networking symbols. Since Cisco has a large Internet presence and designs a broad variety of network devices, its list of symbols ("Network Topology Icons") is exhaustive. As of November 28, 2006 this list can be found at http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac50/ac47/2.html.

Topology

The physical network topology can be directly represented in a network diagram, as it is simply the physical graph (mathematics)
Graph (mathematics)

In mathematics a graph is an abstract representation of a set of objects where some pairs of the objects are connected by links. The interconnected objects are represented by mathematical abstractions called vertices, and the links that connect some pairs of vertices are called edges....
 represented by the diagrams, with network nodes as vertices and connections as undirected or direct edges (depending on the type of connection). The logical network topology can be inferred from the network diagram if details of the network protocols in use are also given.

See also

  • Computer network
    Computer network

    A computer network is a group of interconnected computers. Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics. This article provides a general overview of some types and categories and also presents the basic components of a network....
  • Diagram
    Diagram

    A diagram is a 2D geometric model symbolic representation of information according to some visualization technique. Sometimes, the technique uses a Three-dimensional space visualization which is then graphical projection onto the 2D surface....
  • Network diagram
    Network diagram

    A computer network diagram is a schematic depicting the nodes and connections amongst nodes in a computer network or, more generally, any telecommunications network....
  • Network model
    Network model

    The network model is a database model conceived as a flexible way of representing objects and their relationships.File:Network Model.jpgThe network model original inventor was Charles Bachman, and it was developed into a standard specification published in 1969 by the CODASYL Consortium....


External links

  • , a tool for building network diagrams under Linux