A Network Diagram is a graphical way to view tasks, dependencies, and the

critical path of your project. Boxes (or nodes) represent tasks, and dependencies
show up as lines that connect those boxes.
A network diagram also is a visual representation of network architecture. It
maps out the structure of a network with a variety of different symbols and line
connections. It is the ideal way to share the layout of a network because the
visual presentation makes it easier for users to understand how items are
connected.

Enterprise network diagram

Firewall network diagram
The Importance of Diagrams When Building A Network

1. Gather requirements. This is the obvious step 1, but is so often skipped or glossed over
because no one can articulate the goals of the network. The key, in my experience, is to
hound people as gracefully as possible until you get a firm idea of what needs to happen, then
put it into writing, often in the form of an email to an entire group asking a single recipient to
confirm the contents of the conversation you just had with him.

2. Draw a physical diagram! A logical diagram should happen too, but if its a simple data
center with 1-2 routers and a default out, or something cookie-cutter that is well understood,
it can be skipped. Physical diagramming is pretty much ignored in about half the builds Ive
been a part of in various places. The point of the diagram is to help in every other step,
including step one since the first thing you do with the diagram is send it to the people
dictating requirements and ask them to verify that the network will do what they need. After
you nail down the network design in a diagram and get sign off.

3. Make a BoM. BoM in this case is a Bill of Materials, a detailed list, usually a
spreadsheet, of every piece of gear you need with quantities and prices if you can get them (to
compare solutions). Your vendor(s) should help with this to make sure you do not forget a fan
tray or something. The diagram is critical for this because you can literally put your finger on
every point where a line touches a box and see that you need to account for the fiber patch,
optic, line card and switch/router/whatever.

4a. Once a BoM is approved and the gear is ordered, that BoM serves as one of your
checklists when you receive all the gear; other departments can use their own method, but
you want your own when the buck stops with you. A complicated build can see pieces come
in months apart, and you might need to bring things up with half the bandwidth planned or no
redundancy, then add the rest as parts arrive. If you are tracking things with the BoM and
diagram the situation is less confusing.

4b. That physical diagram is a great starting point for building configurations while you
wait for gear to arrive. It lets you see where links are going and what they will be doing, any
loops you need to account for, port-channels, ISP links, network administration/security
boundaries, etcetera.

4c. Whether it is you and the CEO building the companys first site, or a dedicated data center
team, whoever is racking and stacking will want that diagram. Especially if you clearly
denoted interface numbers and other details they will be interested in.

4d. A diagram keeps people both informed and honest. I have not once had someone
dishonestly claim I missed something that they really just did not mention (honest mistakes
however ). That is because I shot an 1117 drawing out to three teams any time something
changed. If that diagram gets sent to someone five times, there is no ambiguity to exploit.

Thats it. There is no crazy advanced secret knowledge, but the diagram is critical for several
reasons:

A network build will always have speedbumps, but when the diagram is skipped, I see
more things go wrong. Sometimes big like not ordering power for a crucial rack,
sometimes small like having too few fiber patch cables, but always more often.
 The level of confusion is at least double, and it increases with every person trying to
figure out what the network will look like. People start making assumptions and that
never ends well.

Building configs and troubleshooting is a nightmare for anyone but the person who
did the design, and he may have forgotten the details as well.

Because of the increased confusion, the most common reason I hear I dont have
time to draw a diagram, just is not accurate. You do not have time to *skip* the
diagram.

Finally, as someone once opined to me, there are two types of people who document their
networks the people who do it before they build it, and the people who do not do it. While I
cant guarantee that diagramming your network and working from that will result in a
cleaner, more sane environment than building configs in your head and then documenting the
result, based on my roughly 12 years of doing this, Ill put money on it.

Main Distribution Frame (MDF)

A Main Distribution Frame (MDF) is a signal distribution frame or cable rack
used in telephony to interconnect and manage telecommunication wiring
between itself and any number of intermediate distribution frames and
cabling from the telephony network it supports.

What is MDF in networking

In telephony, a main distribution frame (MDF or main frame) is a signal
distribution frame for connecting equipment (inside plant) to cables and
subscriber carrier equipment (outside plant).

The business resumption plan addresses restoration of your business after

an emergency. Different from the disaster recovery plan and business
contingency plan, the BRP does not contain continuity procedures used during
an emergency; instead it focuses on preventative measures and after the dust
settles.