How To Document IT Infrastructure

David Cuthbertson, Director

Square Mile Systems / AssetGen
Brocade DCX
256 / 512
fibre ports
+ copper Birmingham Network Diagram SW-BHAM-Trade02 SW-BHAM-Trade01
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SW-BHAM-CORE1 SW-BHAM-CORE2

CURR OPS CP HHB

XX FB FM NET (D) XX FB FM NET (V/D)
XX FB
OPS/FIRE FS
SW-BHAM-13 SW-BHAM-14 SW-BHAM-19
SW-BHAM-01 SW-BHAM-02 SW-BHAM-03 SW-BHAM-05 SW-BHAM-04 SW-BHAM-06 SW-BHAM-09

FW-BHAM01 FW-BHAM02 FW-BHAM04VPN

SW-BHAM-11 SW-BHAM-12

RTR-BHAM-01 RTR-BHAM-02
RTR-BHAM-07 RTR-BHAM-08

NTU-BHAM- NTU-BHAM-
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RTR-BHAM-03 RTR-BHAM-04

BT-NTU2 BT-NTU3 VT-NTU1 VT-NTU2

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RT-1523E(C)/ RT-1523E(C)/
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PRINTER.. AN/GYK-63
AN/GYK-63 HUB AN/PSN-13
16 AFATDS WS
(FECC) DAGR..43 AN/PYQ-
(FIRE EFF) AN/VRC-104(V)3 PRC-150W HF AN/VRC-92F..17
10(C)..52
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david.cuthbertson@squaremilesystems.com
www.squaremilesystems.com
 Whitepaper Objectives

• Help you understand techniques and practices that make documenting IT

infrastructure easier
– Data Centres
– Networks
– Applications, services (ITIL)
– Cabling, power connectivity
– Servers and hosts
– Other – Wireless, SAN, Voice, CCTV,
industrial automation

• Help achieve quick wins as well as long term gains

– Improve the use of existing toolsets – Visio, Excel
– See the difference with specialist toolsets such as AssetGen
 About AssetGen / Square Mile Systems

• We develop technology to make infrastructure management

easier
– AssetGen infrastructure database
– Visio utilities (free) for data centre / application / services
documentation
• Provide methods and processes for site audits, documentation
assessment, remediation (compliance) and managing complex
infrastructure changes
• Help organizations implement best practices around change
management and control in physical and logical infrastructures
– Supporting ITIL, ISO, ISA, TIA, BICSI, NIST and COBIT and
others
• Our projects are associated with data centre migration,
transformation projects, infrastructure baselining and automated
Visio diagramming.
 A Question

What do you feel (or know) is the biggest problem of documenting

IT infrastructure?

1. Maintaining infrastructure documentation

2. Creating a baseline of shared infrastructure
3. Defining change processes across teams
4. Common understanding of the value of documentation

When Do We Create or Use Documents?

Requirements specification (verification or analysis)

Design or plan (proposal, specification)

Construction/build (implementation or coding)

Integration (build)

Testing and debugging (validation)

Installation / commissioning (deployment)

Maintenance and operational support (in life)

Post live, decommission and disposal

 What Is The Top Reason To Change?

1. Manage project and operational costs

2. Improve situational awareness – faults, assessment
3. Reduce project delivery timescales
4. Assess risks of planned change and releases
5. Regulatory / contract needs – auditors/customers
6. Improve risk assessment and mitigation – DR, test
7. Increase organisational and individual flexibility
– Separation of roles and centralisation of control
8. Improve security management processes
– External / Internal attacks / Avoidance / Recovery

Kerplunk – Infrastructure Planning?

What is the change impact of removing a straw?

Is it more difficult if the straws are the same colour?

Are you more cautious removing multiple straws?

How would you communicate to someone else

which straw to pull?

Try it when planner and builder have blindfolds!

 Different Focus Areas

1. Infrastructure management (data centres, networks, cabling,

servers)
2. Hardware and software asset management
3. Software development – Application Lifecycle Management
4. IT Service management (ITIL)
5. Major system (building, data centre, ship, oil rig, plane, car)
6. Hardware/software component manufacture
7. Many other forms in other industries
The principles are the same

The issues, techniques, reasons are different

 Institutional Infrastructure Knowledge

Plan Build Operate Risk Dispose

Project and task Manage and Coordinate

Ease and speed of creation Ease of use by many
Ease of distribution Structured for integration & reporting
Flexible to meet task needs Support for multiple processes
Limited training Wide scope – the big picture!
Examples Examples
Project documentation Asset and Inventory management
Equipment lists Business / service dependencies
Visio/CAD diagrams Monitoring of performance, status
Test results Risk and Recovery
 How should we manage change?

Change Infrastructure Local staff or

Requestors Request Planning 3rd Party
Form Contractors

-Projects Project
Assess
-Servers Outline Build
Allocate
-Networks Design Documents
-Security
-Service desk

Document Overload!
After a project change, what should be updated?
PROLIANT

1. Update asset/inventory list SERVERWIN0099

2. Update rack diagrams PROLIANT

SERVERWIN0001

3. Update network diagrams/patching records

4. Update switch port usage and capacity PROLIANT

SERVERWIN00078

5. Update floor plan rack capacity

6. Update power usage spreadsheet(s) tsr 4554

7. Update storage / backup system documentation microsystems

440

CRITICAL

MAJOR

8. Update systems architecture documentation

MINOR

USER I

COMPACT
UK_BIRM_UX01

9. Update DR lists and documents POWER POWER

SUPPLY SUPPLY
ONLINE
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DL380 G5
DIMMS

10. Update maintenance records

PPM
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11. Update billing and charging data

COMPACT

12. Update project documentation with the “as built” details 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

PP01-03-01
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
 How should we manage change?

Change Infrastructure Local 3rd

Requestors Request Planning Contractors
Form

-Projects Project
Assess
Build
-Servers Outline Allocate
Documents
Design
-Networks
-Security
-Service desk

Infrastructure
Interrogate
Update
Database

Wouldn’t it be nice?

While you sleep

Changes to the IT systems and

infrastructure are updated into
various Visio diagrams and
Excel outputs overnight –
automatically!
 A typical starting point - Excel

Server Model OS Location Software Ser No. IP

Address

Server A IBM P770 Linux London Tax 99KU778 45.23.6.5

Server B DL380 Win2003 Rack 3 Email IT00045 45.23.6.6

45.33.7.5

Server C Series III Unix Computer Payroll V1.6 6565HJ- 45.23.6.7

Room B Accounts 6767 45.23.6.8

Server D N/A (VM) Win2K3 Blade 1 Citrix N/A 192.168.0.2

Is this a good starting point?

Server Model OS Location Software Ser No. IP

Address

Server A IBM P770 Linux London Tax 99KU778 45.23.6.5

Server B DL380 Win2003 Rack 3 Email IT00045 45.23.6.6

45.33.7.5

Server C Series III Unix Computer Payroll V1.6 6565HJ- 45.23.6.7

Room B Accounts 6767 45.23.6.8

Server D N/A (VM) Win2K3 Blade 1 Citrix N/A 192.168.0.2

1 2 3 4
 Different Views - Different Symbols

Server Messaging Diagram

Front End Servers

SVR-BHAM-020301 SVR-BHAM-010501

Public Folders Bridgehead LCS

SVR-BHAM-010301 SERVERWIN0001 SVR-BHAM-010401 SVR-BHAM-020501 SVR-BHAM-010601 SVR-BHAM-020701

Mailbox Server Cluster Journal Server Cluster

SVR-BHAM-010801 SVR-BHAM-020801 SERVERWIN0003 SERVERWIN0007 SVR-BHAM-010701 SERVERWIN00078 SVR-BHAM-020401 SVR-BHAM-020601

PROLIANT

SERVERWIN0099

PROLIANT

SERVERWIN0001

PROLIANT

SERVERWIN00078

tsr 4554

440

microsystems

CRITICAL

MAJOR

MINOR

USER I

COMPACT
UK_BIRM_UX01

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
ONLINE
SPARE HP
MIRROR
PCI
ProLiant
POWER POWER RISER DL380 G5
SUPPLY SUPPLY CAGE
DIMMS
PPM
PPM

PROC PROC

SVR-BHAM-010301
INTER
FANS LOCK

OVER
TEMP

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COMPACT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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 Infrastructure Configuration Management

1. Standardised naming, conventions and formats

– Fixed infrastructure, active components, applications
– Connectivity power, network, SAN, data links
– Visio templates and stencils

2. Reduce multiple data sets to a reduced set – often database(s)

– Shared across project, operations, risk, asset, audit, platforms
– Collected and refreshed by manual and automated
processes

3. Produce multiple outputs from a few sources

– Rack and floor capacity management
– Visual views, rack, network, power, system, system, service
– Inventory and asset management
Complex Devices - Chassis

Equipment build
- Chassis
- Cards
- Power supplies
- Connection types
- Firmware
- Software
 Using Modular

A B C D
SAN 1 Ports 0-23 SAN 2 Ports 0-23
Cab A01 A Cab A01 B
Cab A02 A Cab A02 B
Cab A07 A Cab A07 B

DATA 1 Ports 3/1 to 3/24 DATA 2 Ports 3/1 to 3/24

Easy to add, move, re-use modules and connections

Not so easy to document, manage capacity and comprehend

Hmmm.. Naming.. Modules

A01 B01 C01 D01

A01 1. Slot name

A03 U39.A01 2. Rack/Panel and Slot name

DC1-A03 U39.A01 3. Room/Rack/Panel and Slot name

PFI-DC1-A03 U39.A01 4. Type/Room/Rack/Panel and Slot name

DC1-03-10 U39.C01 5. Destination far end and Slot

 Hmmm.. Naming.. Modules

• Active Equipment - Easy

– Use logical name SWNZ66_F301
– Cards could be SWNZ66_F301.slot04

• Cabling Modules – Often uses location identifiers

Option A Where it is A05-U05.03A
Option BWhere it goes A07-U07.07A
Option C Both of the above A05-U05.03A to A07-U07.07A
Option D The end service
SWNZ66_F301.slot04:Ports 07>12
Plus module attributes – make, model, port type, orientation

ITIL Version 4 CMS

Change& Asset Config Technical Quality Service Business Compliance

Presentation Release Mgmt Life-cycle Config Mgmt Desk Impact View
Layer Portal View View View View View View View (Cobit)

Search, Browse, Store, Retrieve, Update, Publish, Subscribe, Collaborate

Knowledge
Query & Analysis Reporting Performance Mgmt Modelling Monitoring
Processing
Layer

Customer/User – Service –Application – Infrastructure mapping

Information
Service Portfolio Service Package Integrated Asset & Config Service Change Service Release
Integration
Layer
Common Process Scheme Meta Data Reconciliation Synchronisation Extract, Load Mining
Data Integration
Data & Project
Doc Definitive Discovery Software Platform
Information Federated
Asset Mgmt Config Enterprise
Filestore Media Config
Sources CMDBs Mgmt Apps
Project Library & Audit Tools Mgmt
& Tools Software
 Prepare - Start With Quick Wins

• Town

• Building

• Room / location

• Computer rack

• Backbone fixed Infrastructure – patch panels/ /power strips

• Core infrastructure – network, SAN, voice, wireless

• Hosts and computing systems

• User area fixed infrastructure - floor boxes

• User devices – desktops, printers, voice

Few elements
Low rate of change

Lots of elements
High rate of change
 CM For the Physical

Town, Country
Buildings
Rooms
Cabinets
Equipment
Ports
Equipment cards
Ports

A system suited to hardware

configuration management with
cabinets often also being
enclosures, desks, under floor
boxes, etc.

All have their own attributes and

conventions

The Logical Dependency View

The router has

one link to the
switch

Easy to Understand!
 The Physical Connection View

Data Hall 1 Comms A Data Hall 2

Wing Loft Inter Room ODF MDF Equipment Racks

Equipment Racks MDF Inter Room ODF

E10 H06
E15
F02 ODF12 ODF01 PPF-326-H06-
I02 I15 PPF-326-E10- U45 to E10
PPF-326-E15- U46 to K23 test
U47 to 300

MDA1

09

10
01

04

07

08
02
03

05

06
A

B
PPF-300/ODF12-

8 10
7 9
PPF-300/ODF01- ODF01

1
5
6
test

7 9 MDA10SFP MDA10SFP 1 3
2 4
U42 to 336/I15

MDA10GLW/LR

MDA10GLW/LR
PPF-336/F02-U47 PPF-336/I15-U47 U47
PPF-336/I02-U47 PPF-326-E10-
MDA1

09

10
01

04

07

08
02
03

05

06
A

CFM1
CFM2
to ODF12
8 10

7 9 MDA10SFP
7 9

K23
1

to F02 U45 to H06

7750(SR12)
5
6
7 9 MDA10SFP MDA10SFP 1 3
2 4

MDA10GLW/LR

MDA10GLW/LR

8 10

8 10

Empty
Empty
Empty
5
6
5
6
1 3
2 4
1 3
2 4
CFM1
CFM2

MDA2
7 9 MDA10SFP

01

09

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06

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B
7750(SR12)

PPF-336-I02-U38
8 10

8 10

Empty
Empty
Empty

PPF-326-E10-
5
6
5
6

to E20
1 3
2 4
1 3
2 4

PPF-326-K23-
MDA2

01

09

10

U44 to Q02
03

05
02

04

06

07

08
A

U46 to E10
E22 PPF-336-I02-U40
to E22 PPF-326-E10-
U43 to Q03
PPF-336-E22-
U40 to I02
PPF-326-I02-U39 K24
to E23
PPF-326-E10-
U42 to K24
PPF-326-K24-
U42 to E10
PPF-326-E10-
E23 U41 to N04

N04
PPF-336-E23-
U39 to I02
PPF-326-N04-
U41 to E10

E26
Q02
PPF-326-E20-
U38 to E10 PPF-326-Q02-
U44 to E10

Q03

PPF-326-Q03-
U43 to E10

The Physical Reality

 Network Mapping

Commodities Trading Area

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Birmingham Network Diagram SW-BHAM-Trade02 SW-BHAM-Trade01
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Goto Page...

SW-BHAM-CORE1 SW-BHAM-CORE2

SW-BHAM-13 SW-BHAM-14 SW-BHAM-19

SW-BHAM-01 SW-BHAM-02 SW-BHAM-03 SW-BHAM-05 SW-BHAM-04 SW-BHAM-06 SW-BHAM-09

Data Centre Core & Server Switches

FW-BHAM01 FW-BHAM02 FW-BHAM04VPN

SW-BHAM-11 SW-BHAM-12

RTR-BHAM-01 RTR-BHAM-02
RTR-BHAM-07 RTR-BHAM-08

NTU-BHAM- NTU-BHAM-
01 02
RTR-BHAM-03 RTR-BHAM-04

Internal WAN Network

DMZ & Internet Access
BT-NTU2 BT-NTU3 VT-NTU1 VT-NTU2

BT Wan Service VT Wan Service

Mapping Software and Services

 Preparing For A Baseline Audit

1. Establish policies, standards and clarify ownership

Make it easy for engineers

2. Have project / operations use common terms & formats

Supply templates, naming system, labels, etc.

3. Reduce the numbers of documents / files to maintain

Consolidate into centralised systems and make easy to find - portal

4. Support multiple viewpoints from a set of data

Link or create Visio diagrams, reports, Excel from databases

5. Update operational systems as part of planning processes

 Capture - The Audit Process

• Planning
– Scope, depth, schedule of visits
– Develop data capture tools
• Prototype the data capture
– Check the process works on a trial building, application,
environment
• Bulk data capture
– Capture/upload as soon as possible in case of data or process
errors
• Presentation of data
– Reports, diagrams, portals
• Reconciliation
– Gaps and inaccuracies across teams and cultures
– Use of other data sources
 Capture - Desired Outputs?

Are we just recreating the same problem we started with?

1. Asset/inventory list
2. Rack diagrams
3. Network diagrams/patching records PROLIANT

4. Switch port usage and capacity SERVERWIN0099

5. Floor plan rack capacity

6. Power usage spreadsheet(s)
PROLIANT

SERVERWIN0001

7. Storage / backup system documentation

8. Systems architecture documentation
9. DR lists and documents PROLIANT

10. Maintenance records SERVERWIN00078

11. Billing and charging data

12. Project documentation with the “as built” details
tsr 4554

440

microsystems

CRITICAL

MAJOR

MINOR

USER I

COMPACT
UK_BIRM_UX01

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
ONLINE
SPARE HP
MIRROR
PCI
ProLiant
POWER POWER RISER DL380 G5
SUPPLY SUPPLY CAGE
DIMMS
PPM
PPM

PROC PROC

SVR-BHAM-010301
INTER
FANS LOCK

OVER
TEMP

UID 1 2

COMPACT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
PP01-03-01
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
 Capture – Physical Infrastructure

1. Document / survey buildings and spaces and put into an

infrastructure database (AssetGen)

2. Capture racks and enclosures into spread sheet format.

Enables production of Visio floor plans and supports audit packs

3. Capture inventory into an upload spread sheet.

Creates rack diagrams, floor box layouts, architecture maps

4. Capture connectivity into an upload spread sheet.

Network, path and other topology diagrams
 Capture – Logical Infrastructure

1. Define and capture Configuration Items (CIs) into a spreadsheet

format.
Enables upload of groups / classes into AssetGen SysMap

2. Map CI dependencies into a spreadsheet format.

Impact, virtual, service, data flow, batch process,
 Logical Mapping

Business Process
Service

Application

Virtual

Physical

Create Multiple Outputs From Data

AssetGen Outputs Planning

Projects, tasks, build docs
Inventory lists Project Documents
Excel
Custom reports

One Excel
Monitoring feeds
Update Patching views Operations
AssetGen Inventory, capacity, topology, Operations
Floor / rack risk & Capacity
Visio
SQL / Visio diagrams Management
Integration

Visio
LAN/SAN/WAN
diagrams Scheduled Updates
On demand / overnight
Application & Infrastructure
Visio
System diagrams Portal
 The AssetGen System

Business Processes
Departmental, Company

Services
System End user, infrastructure, supplier
& Service
Mapping Applications
PC, server, mainframe, SOA

“SysMap” Virtual Infrastructure

PCs, Network, Servers, Storage, DBMS

Hardware Infrastructure
Asset & Connectivity PCs, Network, Servers, UPS, Storage, Other

Fixed Infrastructure
“Connect” (Cabling, Power, Cabinets, Rooms, Buildings)

SQL Server platform

One Device In Multiple Views

Claims Accounts Accounts

Payroll
Processing Receivable Payable

NTU-TEST03

Payment Module Accounts Module Sage Payroll

RTR-BHAM-01

NTU-BHAM-01
Rack Position ACCOUNTS PAYROLL

PP01-02-01

Application/
PWR01-02-B
PWR01-02-A

SVRWIN001

Floor Plan
BLADE_BIRM01

Service impact
UK_BIRM01_BLADE-01

UK_BIRM01_BLADE-02

UK_BIRM01_BLADE-03

UK_BIRM01_BLADE-04

UK_BIRM01_BLADE-05

H/W Build
BLADE-BIRM01.BLADE-SW1

BLADE-BIRM01.BLADE-SW2
UK_BIRM01_BLADE-09

UK_BIRM01_BLADE-10

UK_BIRM01_BLADE-12

UK_BIRMCC_PDU1

9 9 9 9 9
SW-BHAM- SW-BHAM-
CORE1 CORE2
PWR01- PWR01- PWR01- PWR01-06- PWR01-
03-A 04-A 05-A A 07-A

UK_BIRM_UX05 UK_BIRM_UX07

SW-BHAM-01 SW-BHAM-03 SW-BHAM-06 SW-BHAM-05 SW-BHAM-04 SW-BHAM-02 UK_BIRM_UX01 UK_BIRM_UX02 UK_BIRM_UX09 UK_BIRM_UX10 UK_BIRM_UX03 Power Supply
UK_BIRM_UX04 UK_BIRM_UX06 UK_BIRM_UX08

PWR01- PWR01-04- PWR01-05- PWR01-06- PWR01-07-

03-B B B B B

9 9 9 9 9

Network Connections
UK_BIRM_UX01 UK_BIRM_UX02 UK_BIRM_UX09 UK_BIRM_UX05 UK_BIRM_UX03 UK_BIRM_UX06 UK_BIRM_UX07 UK_BIRM_UX04 UK_BIRM_UX08 UK_BIRM_UX10
UK_BIRMCC_PDU2
 Maintain - Infrastructure Knowledge

Plan Build Operate Risk Dispose

Project and task Manage and Coordinate

Ease and speed of creation Ease of use by many
Ease of distribution Structured for integration & reporting
Flexible to meet task needs Support for multiple processes
Limited training Wide scope – the big picture!

Record planning decisions in the operational system

Produce project docs for/from the operational system

Now You Know How It is Done

While you sleep

Changes to the IT systems and

infrastructure are updated into
various Visio diagrams and
Excel outputs overnight –
automatically!
 The End Results

Try to do one data capture exercise – and no more!

Verification checks only afterwards
Maintain infrastructure knowledge with less workload
Not by magic, but by a “systems” and best practice approach

Help you achieve the benefits of accurate documentation

Reduced time and cost to implement changes
Faster time to identify and resolve faults
Understand change risks and impacts with minimal effort
Manage the interfaces with technical teams and suppliers
Infrastructure capacity management and optimisation
Maintain risk management and recovery systems