Chapter 25 covers topic 4.5 from the official CompTIA Network+ blueprint: Describe the purpose of configuration management documentation. This chapter describes the process of documenting networks in each phase, including wire schemes, network maps, documentation, cable management, asset management, baselines, and change management.
Documentation is critical in organizations of all sizes, especially during troubleshooting processes and network modifications. Some of the most important characteristics of network documentation include the following:
- Each organization should have a standard that defines how the documentation is created, maintained, and accessed.
- It is usually centrally maintained in a repository that is accessible by everyone.
- Different users should have different permissions for the documentation files (read/write).
- It should be secured.
A common place for storing some of the network documentation is the internal help desk system. Users should open a support ticket for every network problem or change, and this system should keep track of all network changes for future reference. An example of such an open source tracking system is Bugzilla. Another common location for storing documentation is a knowledge-base system, which offers many options including search functionality.