I'm the primary network infrastructure consultant for a company that relies heavily on an external MSP. They want a detailed map covering the physical path from endpoint devices through patch panels and switches to routers, so they can troubleshoot the environment more effectively. The long-term plan is to deploy a monitoring platform such as PRTG or SolarWinds, but that won't happen immediately.
Across three campuses, we have roughly 5,000 patch-panel ports, about 1,400 connected devices, and approximately 3,000 switch ports across around 50 network devices, with about half of those ports currently in use. Two technicians will be documenting the environment, including many locations where switch ports and patch-panel connections are poorly labeled.
I'm looking for an existing database or network documentation tool that can record paths such as:
Jigamabob 43 → Patch B2B-A16/4 → Patch B1B-R1/4 → Cisco 4300 Gi2/22
I understand that software can discover which endpoint is connected to a switch port, but the physical patch-panel and cable connections will need to be entered manually. Ideally, the tool would support bulk data entry and generate connection diagrams or network maps. A free solution would be great, but a reasonably priced commercial product is also an option. I'd prefer not to build a custom database from scratch. What tools would be suitable for this kind of documentation?
3 Answers
Software can usually discover the endpoint-to-switch-port relationship, but it cannot determine which physical patch-panel ports are connected by looking at the network. Those cable paths have to be traced and entered manually. For this project, a structured documentation database or spreadsheet may be the practical starting point, with an automatic discovery tool filling in whatever it can.
The physical cabling is the part that makes this a major documentation project. No network-management platform can reliably tell you that a cable runs from one patch-panel position to another and then into a particular switch port. Discovery tools may identify active devices and switch interfaces, but the panel-to-panel path will still need to be inspected, labeled, and entered by hand.
Agreed—the physical tracing is unavoidable. The client specifically wants that level of detail, so I’m trying to find a tool that will help the technicians capture it efficiently and produce useful documentation afterward.
A network mapping tool can help visualize discovered devices and switch-port relationships, but it won’t magically identify patch-panel cabling. For the physical layer, you’ll need to trace each cable and record both ends. Once the information is in a consistent database, tools such as Mermaid or another diagramming system could generate readable connection maps.
I hadn’t considered Mermaid before. I’m looking into it now as a possible way to turn the collected connection data into diagrams.
That’s the difficult part I expected. I have two technicians who will be entering the physical connections, including the many unlabeled switch ports and patch cables, so I’m mainly looking for something that makes the data collection and reporting less painful.