How to Create a Network Diagram
By Hannah Ash - September 11, 2018Network diagrams are a visual tool that give network administrators a window into the network: they are used to visualize objects/nodes, connections, dependencies, critical paths, tasks, and more. Because networks are complex, there are different types of network diagrams to deliver various types of information. Step 1: Understand the Types of Network Diagrams basic network…
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DCIM PUE and alternative facts
By Jan Durnhofer - September 10, 2018Before we deconstruct the loaded title of this blog — ‘DCIM PUE and alternative facts’ — let’s first remove any mutual mystification around these two acronyms: PUE and DCIM. Or at least, let’s try… PUE stands for ‘Power Usage Effectiveness’. It measures the total amount of energy used by a data center to the total…
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What is a Logical Network Diagram?
By Hannah Ash - September 5, 2018Network diagrams that visualize your topology, both logical and physical, are key to effective network and IT infrastructure management. With up-to-date diagrams, network admins can troubleshoot (and minimize downtime), plan for capacity, avoid IT clutter, maintain software, and keep the network secure and compliant. There are two main types of network diagrams: physical and logical….
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The netTerrain Product Selection Pocket Guide
By Fred Koh - August 31, 2018Need to document the network — and your outside plant, as well? Or maybe you need to manage rack capacity and weight? Not sure which netTerrain product you need? Let’s figure it out! netTerrain is designed to be user-friendly, and it shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out which product you need: this quick…
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Physical Network Diagrams Explained
By Hannah Ash - August 30, 2018When it comes to maintaining and managing an IT infrastructure, network diagrams are critical to compliance, security, troubleshooting, and minimizing downtime. Network diagrams, or maps, are visuals that use symbols/icons/shapes to depict the different objects and connections in a network. Depending upon what you need to document, you may will probably have different types of…
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Change Management Crucial in DCIM & Network Mapping Success
By Fred Koh - August 29, 2018Have you been using spreadsheets and Visio diagrams to document your data center and networks? Are you considering upgrading to DCIM or an automated network diagramming solution? I’ve consulted on numerous project approvals and over the years, I’ve found that two key questions pop up time and time again: How, exactly, will you maintain the…
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Stop Managing Your Outside Plant (OSP) In the Dark
By Jason Sherman - August 28, 2018Lately, I’ve been working on a great deal of OSP projects. While the scope between these different outside plant projects can vary a bit: some may be limited splicing and some may be heavy on the splices. One common thread, however, is how hard it is to track all of this information. While inside plant…
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Network Visibility for IoT Devices
By Fred Koh - August 27, 2018By now, we’ve all heard about the Internet of Things (IoT) via various news articles, social media posts, and maybe even stock analysts. How you define IoT depends upon what you’re doing: for some, it’s self-driving vehicles, sensor networks for monitoring, ‘smart cities’, or walking into an Amazon grocery store and picking up lunch without…
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What Does DCIM Stand For?
By Jason Sherman - August 24, 2018Call me old school or just call me old: when DCIM first started making headlines here and there, I never really understood the acronym. What does it stand for and what does it really mean? DCIM stands for ‘Data Center Infrastructure Management’. Why is it ‘DCIM’ for ‘Data Center Infrastructure Management’ anyways? My best guess…
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Network Diagram Software 101
By Jason Sherman - August 23, 2018If you manage a complicated network, or if you’re establishing one, network diagrams are a necessity. A good network diagram defines the network’s structure and layout using a variety of symbols that represent the devices and connections between them. A ‘completed’ network diagram for a complex network will, most likely, have hundreds of symbols —…
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What is the OSI Model?
By Hannah Ash - August 21, 2018Before you dive into what you may want to document and include in a network diagram, you’ll probably want to have a basic understand of what, exactly, the OSI model is. The Open Systems Interconnection Model (OSI) is, in a nutshell, a theoretical or reference model which defines how the different applications in a network…
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DCIM Software: How to Avoid a Failed Implementation
By Hannah Ash - August 20, 2018If someone were to ask me today, “Hey, you know about this stuff: is DCIM failing users?”, I would set them straight: “No, it’s not the software. It’s the hype that’s failing the software.” AS DCIM continues to gain steam, the more people use it and the more people talk about it. A joint survey…
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