Design Element: Network Layout for Network Diagrams

How to Create a Network Layout Floor Plan

With technology and market forces demanding ever quicker business response times, a well-structured computer network is the foundation of positive communication between employees, and with the wider world. When you walk into most modern work offices, there is a good chance you will be greeted by banks of computer screens and terminals, perhaps some sales points screens or server stacks, almost certainly routers and printers. A side effect of this amount of hardware is the amount of cabling necessary to connect these elements into an effective local area network (LAN). This is the idea behind a network layout plan - it can show how a network is connected, how data transfers between those connections, and give an overview of devices and hardware used in the office. To create a practical computer network floor plan, the network administrator must adhere to the specified requirements and limitations of the office or building in which the LAN will operate - things such as hardware availability,