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Standard Set of Network Diagram Icons?
Cerebus asks: "I'm taking over administrative and management functions for a network, and one of the tasks is, of course, providing accurate diagrams for the whole shebang. In playing with various tools for this (Dia, Visio, Kvivio, xfig, tgif, etc). I've noticed that each package has it's own idea about what abstract icon to use for various devices (what Visio would call "logical" icons). While there is some overlap, the meaning attached to an icon is sometimes different between applications, and what's worse is that (using the example of Visio) the same application has multiple different icons for the same type of device! Is there any kind of standard for network diagram iconography? Should there be?"
There definately should be. Perhaps XML will ring in a new era and bring standardization to a lot of industries. I would figure that it would first have to define a standard for network topology; It wouldn't be long after that the visio-esque companies would start drawing things the same. I doubt it'll happen, but it would be nice...
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please some of the people all the time... blah blah
perhaps devolping your own set of in house icons would be the way to go? that way you know exactly what they mean and you can easily train someone else in on them since you designed them you are the most familiar with them?
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Cisco Icons, assuming you trust cisco.
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karma whoring deluxe link to previous post:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=21846&cid=233
the whole article:
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/09/21/15542
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The International Organization for Standardization deals with standards. Try
ISO 5807:1985
Information processing -- Documentation symbols and conventions for data, program and system flowcharts, program network charts and system resources charts
Looks like it will cost you $60 though.
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It's a bit more specifically about network cabling, but try TIA/EIA-606. "Administration Standard for the Telecommunications Infrastructure of Commercial Buildings". It's one of their top 10 selling standards :)
Anixter has a great reference guide that covers the EIA/TIA cabling and labelling standards.
i use visio, and generally when i do diagrams my icon set varies based on the idea im trying to express, and to whom.
generic device symbols (ie cylender with arrows represents a router, rectangle with aroows a switch) are good for use amoungst techies who want the layout and dont care about what the devices are.
i like to use specific product symbols for presentaion diagrams, and for less technical audiences because it helps people equate the icon to the green box in the rack. (ah, so thats how its conected..)
We used a network map based on icons lifted from the London tube map; seemed to be fairly understandable for the semi-technical staff who refered to it.