A number of tools exist to generate

computer network A computer network is a collection of communicating computers and other devices, such as printers and smart phones. In order to communicate, the computers and devices must be connected by wired media like copper cables, optical fibers, or b ...

diagrams. Broadly, there are four types of tools that help create network maps and diagrams: * Hybrid tools * Network Mapping tools * Network Monitoring tools * Drawing tools

Network mapping Network mapping is the study of the physical connectivity of networks e.g. the Internet. Network mapping discovers the devices on the network and their connectivity. It is not to be confused with network discovery or network enumeration which di ...

and drawing software support IT systems managers to understand the hardware and software services on a network and how they are interconnected. Network maps and diagrams are a component of

network documentation Network documentation is a form of technical documentation, the goal of which is to maintain computer networks A computer network is a collection of communicating computers and other devices, such as printers and smart phones. In order to ...

. They are required artifacts to better manage IT systems' uptime, performance, security risks, plan network changes and upgrades.

Hybrid tools

These tools have capabilities in common with drawing tools and network monitoring tools. They are more specialized than general drawing tools and provide network engineers and IT systems administrators a higher level of automation and the ability to develop more detailed network topologies and diagrams. Typical capabilities include but not limited to: * Displaying port / interface information on connections between devices on the maps * Visualizing

VLAN A virtual local area network (VLAN) is any broadcast domain that is partitioned and isolated in a computer network at the data link layer ( OSI layer 2).IEEE 802.1Q-2011, ''1.4 VLAN aims and benefits'' In this context, virtual refers to a ...

s /

subnet A subnet, or subnetwork, is a logical subdivision of an IP network. Updated by RFC 6918. The practice of dividing a network into two or more networks is called subnetting. Computers that belong to the same subnet are addressed with an identica ...

s * Visualizing virtual servers and storage * Visualizing flow of network traffic across devices and networks * Displaying WAN and

LAN Lan or LAN may refer to: Science and technology * Local asymptotic normality, a fundamental property of regular models in statistics * Longitude of the ascending node, one of the orbital elements used to specify the orbit of an object in space * ...

maps by location * Importing network configuration files to generate topologies automatically

Network mapping tools

These tools are specifically designed to generate automated network topology maps. These visual maps are automatically generated by scanning the network using network discovery

protocol Protocol may refer to: Sociology and politics * Protocol (politics) Protocol originally (in Late Middle English, c. 15th century) meant the minutes or logbook taken at a meeting, upon which an agreement was based. The term now commonly refers to ...

s. Some of these tools integrate into documentation and monitoring tools. Typical capabilities include but not limited to: * Automatically scanning the network using

SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an Internet Standard protocol for collecting and organizing information about managed devices on IP networks and for modifying that information to change device behavior. Devices that typically su ...

SSH The Secure Shell Protocol (SSH Protocol) is a cryptographic network protocol for operating network services securely over an unsecured network. Its most notable applications are remote login and command-line execution. SSH was designed for Un ...

, WMI, etc. * Scanning

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

and

Unix Unix (, ; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multi-user computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, a ...

servers * Scanning virtual hosts * Scanning routing protocols * Performing scheduled scans * Tracking changes to the network * Notifying users of changes to the network

Network monitoring tools

Some network monitoring tools generate visual maps by automatically scanning the network using network discovery

s. The maps are ideally suited for viewing network monitoring status and issues visually. Typical capabilities include but not limited to: * Automatically scanning the network using

, WMI, etc. * Scanning

and

servers * Scanning virtual hosts * Scanning routing protocols * Scanning connection speeds * Performing scheduled scans * Tracking changes to the network

Drawing tools

These tools help users to create network topology diagrams by adding icons to a canvas and using lines and connectors to draw linkages between nodes. This category of tools is similar to general drawing and paint tools. Typical capabilities include but not limited to: * Libraries of icons for devices * Ability to add shapes and annotations to maps * Ability to create free-form diagrams

List of network monitoring tools that generate network maps

Some notable tools (may not be an exhaustive list):

List of drawing tools