Re: [tlug] OSS network visualization software, WAS: [Semi-OT] Network connectivity diagnosis

[Patrick Bernier <pat@example.com>]

Quoting Curt Sampson:
> What I do lose with this method is very professional looking pictures.

You just put your finger on it ;->

When I'm making network diagrams with Inkscape (or, previously, Visio),
it's usually at the request of a customer who wants a "beautiful",
professional-looking, easy to understand network diagram that they can then
present to a board meeting, publish to their customers, hang in a frame on
the wall, or maybe archive and then never look at it again... who knows.
What I do know is that no automated diagram layout tool that I have ever
seen can match the skillfull design of a human in terms of making an
appealing network map. Of course it takes a lot of time to do a good
job... but at that point I don't care, because basically the customer is
paying me to create a work of art -- and that's fine with me! ^_^

I rarely, if ever, use such tools to create diagrams of networks that I
myself directly operate. Not far from your suggestion, all the relevant
information about the nodes and their connections is stored in a nice
distributed database that you can easily access from most computers: the
DNS. In some cases the nodes themselves can update part of their
information as it evolves using dynamic DNS updates. Various tools can then
retrieve that data as needed and automate the generation of various useful
visualisations and reports.

When I do need to play around with the "layout" of a network somewhere else
than inside my head, e.g. for brainstorming with a group, then indeed the
whiteboard is the way to go!

-- 
()  Patrick (L.) Bernier <pat@example.com>
()  http://www.TZoNE.ORG/~pat/
()  GPG B070 BBB6 188D EB1E 353A 90E4 96FF D8EB 1ADC BE03
()  "Words have meaning, and names have power." -- Lorien