Network Topology, Architecture, and Segmentation Diagram

A network topology diagram is a visual representation of the various elements of your network. Network topology is designed to offer you a logical and spatial understanding of your network’s configuration.

There are two types of network topology: physical and logical.

1. Physical topology is focused on the physical layout of nodes and devices on your network.
2. Logical topology, on the other hand, focuses on the data transfer pattern between nodes.

Network topology diagrams, whether they’re network segmentation diagrams or full network infrastructure diagrams, can help illustrate the components of your network, showing how they’re connected and how they interact with each other.

A network topology diagram can also display each of the devices in your network—including routers, switches, firewalls, and more—as a unique node. The diagram can then show the relationships between those devices, including for each new node and updates for existing nodes. In the diagram, different types of lines can also represent different connections between devices, and various symbols represent specific types of devices.

Network architecture diagrams aim to tell you what devices are in your network and how they interact, which can help you with everything from demonstrating compliance and security to problem resolution. While it’s possible to create a network topology diagram by hand, the manual process can be both painstaking and time-consuming. A network topology mapping tool, like SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper (NTM), can help save you time while improving the accuracy of your network segmentation diagram by automatically discovering and mapping your devices and updating the diagram whenever devices are added or removed from your network.

A network topology diagram uses line mapping to create a visual representation of key network information—including device relationships—across OSI layers to create visual representations of wide-area and local-area network map topologies.

When you create a network topology diagram manually, it’s simply a visual representation of your network you can refer to as needed. However, the information in the diagram can become outdated as soon as a new device gets added to your network. A manually created network diagram may also not provide you with at-a-glance, easy to understand insights into device performance, configuration, and even potential vulnerabilities that a diagram created and automatically updated with a network topology mapping tool, like SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper, is designed to provide.

Creating a network segmentation diagram is easier when you use mapping software. With a network topology tool, you can use the diagram to better understand your network and even get alerts when the software detects performance problems.

Mapping software typically comes with an auto-discovery feature to find devices on your network, including switches, routers, desktops, VoIP phones, servers, wireless access points, and more. Purpose-built network mappers can also let you scan IP address ranges or define seed devices to discover your network, with the ability to easily set the parameters for your map to get the devices within the parameter added to your network topology diagram, including devices from Cisco, Microsoft, HP, and many other manufactures.

SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper (NTM) is built to help simplify the network mapping process by automatically plotting your network and keeping it updated as your network changes with the help of automated scans.

NTM supports a variety of network discovery methods, including SNMP, ICMP, CDP, and more, to help you optimize your troubleshooting and network security monitoring. And while the tool is designed to be easy-to-use no matter your level of expertise, it can also let you customize almost every aspect of your mapping process to help ensure it’s the best solution for your needs.

With NTM, you can manually add and remove devices as needed if you want to go beyond the tool’s automatic discovery features. You can also customize NTM’s scans to exclude certain devices or to focus on specific subnets. Additionally, with the included SolarWinds Network Discovery Scan Wizard, you can conduct one-time network scans whenever you need them or create a specific schedule for scans, with the ability to customize your network topology diagram’s visual interface to make sure you get the most out of it.

Network Topology Mapper can also help you streamline security audits and address regulations requiring maintenance of an up-to-date network diagram by making it easier to export network topology diagrams to a variety of display formats, including PNG, PDF, Microsoft Visio, and Orion Network Atlas. SolarWinds NTM is also FIPS 140-2 compliant.