The general purpose of an
end-system network configuration table
, also referred to as an endsystem
configuration table, is to give a listing of the hardware and software components on the
end systems in the network. Much like the network configuration table was a listing of network
devices, the end-system network configuration table is a listing of the end systems in the environment
and key features about them. Depending on the size of your network, an end-system
network configuration table may contain all devices or just the servers and network management
stations.
Though it was mentioned in Chapter 34, it is worth repeating that there are five steps to
ensuring that you have good, effective documentation:
Determine the scope.
Know your objective.
Be consistent.
Keep the documents accessible.
Maintain the documentation.
These actions directly apply to the end-system documentation as well, so be sure to keep
them in mind as you are planning for and implementing your documentation strategy.
The specific items included in your end-system network configuration table will vary depending
on the purpose of the table. There will be vastly different information included if the table is going
to be used only for inventory purposes, as compared with the type of table maintained as a troubleshooting
tool. Therefore, in order to determine what you need to include in your end-system configuration
table, you need to start by defining the role of the table and choosing items for the table
that will achieve this goal. Some common items included in end-system configuration tables are
listed in Table 35.1.
One of the items you will immediately notice when looking at the table is the information
that is included on layer 7, the Application layer. Because one of the primary roles for servers
is to service applications, it is imperative that layer 7 information be captured somewhere. For
example, say you get a call from a user who cannot get to the XYZ database, but everything else
on their system is working fine. By looking at the end-system configuration table you can see
that the XYZ database exists on a single server. You have now greatly narrowed the scope of
the problem and can more effectively begin the troubleshooting process.
The end-system configuration table is typically compiled in either a spreadsheet or database
application. In addition to this electronic version, regular hardcopies of the end-system
configuration table must be made to ensure that the information is accessible in the event of
a network problem.
Now that we have defined what an end-system network configuration table is, the next section
will walk you through the process of creating one.
Sample List of Network Configuration Table Items for End Systems
Classification Items
Miscellaneous information System name, system manufacturer/model, CPU speed,
RAM, storage, system purpose
Layers 1 and 2 Media type, interface speed, VLAN, network jack
Layer 3 IP address, default gateway, subnet mask, WINS, DNS
Layer 7 Operating system (including version), network-based
applications, high-bandwidth applications, and lowlatency
applications, special considerations