I am trying to finally get my homelab organized, and I need assistance visualizing my network. I am just wondering if there are tools out there that assist with this. I have tried the paint and gimp routes, and I find myself spending more time trying to make it look good and organized rather than actually mapping my network. Is there any utility out there that is purpose build just for visualizing network topology? Or am I better off with just graph paper, pencil and a straight edge?
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maybe cisco packet tracer or better look for an alternative that does not need an account
the software is made for emulationg networks and packet is annoying for even simulationg the powerbutton that have to be turned by EVERY SINGLE on connecting cables https://progsoft.net/de/software/cisco-packet-tracerAre you looking for a Visio type program? Draw.io is a free alternative.
If you want something crawls your managed switch for LLDP or CDP info then maybe a monitoring system like LibreNMS has a map feature.
Yes! I can not recommend draw.io aka diagrams.net enough! (I still don’t understand why it has two names and which name is the current “correct” one)
It works both in the browser, or as a downloadable standalone application that works 100% offline.
My favourite feature is exporting PNG or PDF with the complete diagram XML embedded as metadata, which means they can be opened and edited again by draw.io
It’s very useful not only for networking, but all sorts of diagramming needs
The old name is draw.io with the self-hosted version keeping that name. The current name is diagrams.net hosted on their servers.
In the end, it’s all the same
I tried draw.io, but ended up liking LibreOffice Draw better for hand-drawing.
If you want to get a live map of the connections on your network you may want to check out netdisco.org or librenms.org. Both are open source network management tools that have mapping.
Draw.io is pretty amazing.
