Is your network documented ?

[blackcat]

Just wondered if all those network settings are recorded somewhere, so that when you leave, somebody has a reference why a feature is enabled or set the way it is, e.g. students may be limited to the amount of recipients they can send to - is it recorded ?

[maniac]

At my previous job I spent the last 4 weeks of my employment producing detailed documentation, ended up about 150 pages long with all settings, IP addresses, cabling map, server explanations and maps of shares including security permissions etc. in it.

Alas at my current job no such documentation exists, although things like fixed IP numbers and passwords are documented, and the cabling and switches are labelled well where I've made changes to it (e.g trunked ports etc.) I would like to produce detailed documentation for this network, but it's just too big, and changes so regulalry I'd never keep the documentation up to date.

Mike.

[FN-GM]

In my new job everything is documented

[ChrisH]

I am currently converting all my documentation in word/excel files to a wiki. I am also expanding on it as I go.

[Zorro_Slot]

I would love to document my network, but have zero time to do it in.

[plexer]

I use a mediawiki install for this as it's easy enough to update it wherever you are.

Ben

[Domino]

hmmm, not the network settings, but I do run a Help wiki for the staff (cheers to Tony S. for that idea!)

[ICT_GUY]

Yes, with lots of printouts and passwords, ipconfigs, spiceworks reports ect.

[webman]

Getting there

[richard]

Nothing here apart from a list of ip addresses. The school won't give me the time to do it as its not "essential"

[Geoff]

We have a course on our Moodle VLE containing documentation such as this.

[richard]

This is something you have to make time to do, even if it's done out of hours. It's part of your job as a network manager to keep accurate records of the system.

You can't expect management to say, "forget about all the work people need doing, take a few days off to write some documents" but you need to find a way of doing it.

I work part time at this school and am expected to do the work of a full time person. I refuse to do work outside of hours as the school will not pay me to that. I work contracted hours and that is it.

[chall]

This is something you have to make time to do, even if it's done out of hours. It's part of your job as a network manager to keep accurate records of the system.

You can't expect management to say, "forget about all the work people need doing, take a few days off to write some documents" but you need to find a way of doing it.

Hm, why don't we just all work for free? We get paid crap money as it is, let alone spending our evening documenting a network.

[enjay]

This is something you have to make time to do, even if it's done out of hours. It's part of your job as a network manager to keep accurate records of the system.

If it is part of our job, why should we do it outside hours?!

I'm working through documenting the network, configurations and procedures here. It is not my highest priority (although I'll wish it were if anything goes 'pop'!) but it is something which needs doing, so I take little nibbles at it whenever I have a half-hour or so with no vital jobs outstanding, or for whatever reason I need to remain office-based for a little while.

[enjay]

You shoudn't ideally, but if you're not able to make time for it, it's the sort of thing that could be written up after hours.

I make time for it - I have a set number of hours which I work, and I do what I can in that time. If this means that some jobs don't get finished until tomorrow or the next day, then so be it.

I'm anything but a jobsworth, but I do also have a life outside of work and I need time to devote to that, too.