In addition, once youР Р†Р вЂљРІвЂћСћve taken the time to draw up your map, its most likely going to be out of date by the time it is finished.

Creating a network map from scratch without the help of a dedicated program is very complex and time consuming. The main reason administrators use network diagram tools is to save time. Why Do I Need a Network Diagram and Mapping Tool? Network monitoring tools usually include a network mapping module. This ensures they can can produce a diagram promptly and scale it to the needs of their enterprise in the future. Today most enterprises choose to employ a network diagram and topology tool to automate the process of drawing up their network. While a network map can be drawn by hand, doing so is very complex and inefficient. This map acts as a schematic guide to your network. A network map details the location of components like routers, VLANs, access points, firewalls, switches, hosts, laptops, and computers. What is a Network Map?Р вЂќР вЂћs the name suggests, a network map is a visual diagram of your network that displays each device within your local IT environment. In most cases this will be achieved by identifying faulty hardware or optimizing your network. You will also be able to maintain a targeted approach to cybersecurity ensuring that you systematically protect every system available on your network. You simply cannot respond to performance concerns intelligently unless you have a thorough understanding of your networkР Р†Р вЂљРІвЂћСћs geography.Р вЂќР’В«y understanding where your hardware sits in your network infrastructure, youР Р†Р вЂљРІвЂћСћre better able to address problems promptly when they occur. This not only increases your efficiency but also enhances your ability to troubleshoot problems. >Jump to the list of the best network diagram, mapping and topology tools below<<<Р вЂќР вЂћ tool that produces a diagram of your network and maps its connectivity from head to toe can tell you a lot about your technical infrastructure.

Getting a visible representation of each of your network devices and their relationships gives you a context for all of your equipment monitoring tasks. Network mapping is a key element in network monitoring tools. After all, if you donР Р†Р вЂљРІвЂћСћt have a clear understanding of your network topology, you donР Р†Р вЂљРІвЂћСћt have complete network transparency. As companies begin to maintain more complex IT infrastructure, the ability to map these complex landscapes becomes even more important. If you are running EIGRP, (I think you are not) but then - show ip eigrp neighbors.Over the past decade or so, Network Diagram tools have become an essential part of modern administrative toolkits. If you are running BGP then show ip bgp summary or 'show run | beg er bgp' (For Juniper, lldp is already enabled).Р вЂќР вЂЎor layer 3 topology, you need to see by various commands, like if you are running ospf in Switching environment then you can run 'show lldp neighbor' command on Cisco once you enable lldp on Cisco. but if other devices are present on your environment, like lets take an example of Juniper device ( connected to Cisco device) then you need to enable LLDP (Link layer Discovery Protocol) on cisco device to get to know about adjacent Juniper gear. I am not sure about your set up you are trying to put it on Visio diagrams. Just to add 2 cents on John's explanation.Р вЂќР’В¬DP will give you later 2 topology, this restricts only to Cisco devices connected to other Cisco devices (CDP stands forР вЂќР’В¬isco Discovery Protocol), so it searches only Cisco gears.

Cisco network topology mapper