In an organization with a large network structure, it’s not easy to track down the network issues. A network diagram will help you draw an illustration of your network. It consists of symbols including computers, routers, hubs and line connections to show how devices interact. With it, you will be able to understand the flow of the network and identify the network issues very easily. This is also useful to layout a new network architecture. To draw your own illustration of network structure, this article will introduce the symbols, types and examples to get you started.
Network Diagram Symbols
Computer network diagram includes various symbols that make up the network architecture. Each component in the system serves different purposes. Hence, here are some of the symbols for designing a network.
Cloud– this symbol depicts the internet of the system.
Router– a device that allows connection between your home network or internet and devices.
Server– provides centralized data or service to the connected devices or shared users.
Switch– this is responsible for connecting multiple computers within a network. Usually found in large networks environment.
Hub– hubs serve as a connection for multiple network computers. This is suitable for small businesses.
Comm-Link– also known as a data link. In a network diagram, this represents the interconnecting circuit for transmitting and receiving data between two or more components.
Terminal– terminals symbols indicate telecommunication link endpoints. These can be end equipment like telephones or computer terminals.
Mainframe– mainframe is the main transaction processing computer. It handles the high-volume operations and capable to provide high accuracy, security, availability and responsiveness.
Peripheral Devices– this refers to a device or equipment which are essential for data-processing and communications.
Types of Network Diagram
As we know it, there are a variety of ways to set up your network depending on your environment or the specific situation in which the network will perform well with great stability and outcomes. This is known as topology. To know the various types of network topology diagram, you may refer to the following illustrations.
Bus Network Topology DiagramEdit this example
This is a type of network setup that connects all devices or computers in one medium. It is the basic setup you can employ especially for a small network environment. Also, this topology consumes less cable length but is hard to troubleshoot if the entire network goes down.
Ring Network Topology Diagram
This refers to the network configuration where nodes are connected in a circular pattern. In line with this, the transmission of information also sent following the ring patter. Thismeans data will travels from one device to another until it reaches its destination.
Star Network Topology Diagram
The most commonly used topology in the network diagram is Star Topology. All peripheral nodes share one central node, hub, or switch. Unlike Bus Topology, one network fails does not affect the rest of the network.
Mesh Network Topology Diagram
Mesh Topology can have two classifications. Full mesh and partial mesh topology. Full mesh topology is distinguished for having connections of each node to every other node. Partial mesh topology is a network configuration where some networks have multiple connections to other computers.
Now you have gained the basic knowledge about computer network diagram. With this, you’ll be able to interpret a network architecture or layout your own network illustration by referring to the examples above.