<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type"> </head> <body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000"> j.w. thomas wrote: <blockquote cite="mid:49C26F17.7040006@bittware.com" type="cite">How do you guys document your networking environment? I am the sole admin of a small system, and it just seems bad practice for the sole repository of all that info to be my head. For one, my head is notoriously unreliable for that sort of thing. Also, it can't be backed up. Right now I have a small setup with a firewall, an ltsp server, five clients, a wireless connection, and a stand-alone workstation. More to come later (printers, more services, etc). I'm planning to fire up an svn server to use as a repo for all the /etc directories on all the machines. I also have a text file with descriptions of every technical detail I could think to put in it: equipment specs, models, location, function, wireless encryption keys, power feeds (i.e., ups or not), ip addresses, services, etc. I intend to draw a network map tonight, and I'm going to print that and the text file out and keep them in the network closet, maybe hanging on the wall. I'm also thinking that I will write the root passwords down on a piece of paper, seal it in an envelope, and put it in the network closet. That might seem like a bad idea, but if they can get in the network closet, they can already pwn the system. A sealed envelope would provide for an easy way to get the info should something happen to me, and would provide a pretty decent indication that the info had been accessed. Kind of an "In case of emergency, break glass" approach. Is there a better way to store all this info? Maybe some software (FLOSS only please) has been written to deal with this already? What do you guys do? </blockquote> I draw pictures and type up a description. Then this stuff goes in a file labeled "Network Documentation." Yeah, I know, low-tech, but it works very, very well. --TP <div class="moz-signature"> _______________________________ Do you <a href="http://www.gnu.org">GNU</a>? <a href="http://www.cmosnetworks.com">Microsoft Free since 2003</a>--the ultimate antivirus protection! </div> </body> </html>