Create your own custom network
diagrams with PRTG
Visualize and keep track of every important detail
PRTG network diagrams
are easy to edit
Your business infrastructure
at a glance
Network diagram tools play a crucial role in all professional network environments, helping administrators to keep track of everything that is important to them.
Here we give a brief and illustrative overview of what network diagrams can do, how to build them, what they look like, and especially how to create informative, visual network diagrams with PRTG.
About network diagrams
Overview
Custom network diagrams provide vivid and essential information about which devices are on a particular network, what their addresses are, which other components they communicate with directly (and when), what communication methods they use, and much more.
Always up to date
An up to date and detailed network diagram is indispensable for most IT professionals. Such diagrams also help with successful network troubleshooting and targeted tracking of network configuration changes, should the need arise.
Advantage of custom diagrams
Custom diagrams are more useful than automatically created diagrams for reasons we will mention. They are also convincing in their clarity, as we will show below with some network diagram examples.
This is what makes a good network diagram
Great network diagrams are easy to edit; they should also provide the ability to add additional information, such as detailed documentation about existing devices, and some reporting features.
The ability to include unmanaged devices such as switches in the diagram is more than just "nice to have". Drill-down functions and the ability to create groups further help to improve clarity.
But there's even more: Tools such as tracerouting between devices, port scans, pings, or sending wake-on-LAN packets should complete the feature set of a strong and functional network diagram tool.
Monitoring of distributed networks with remote probes
The various ways of creating a network diagram
Two different ways
Generally, there are two different kinds of tools for creating network diagrams. On the one hand, there are diagram applications that provide the administrator with symbols for switches, servers, printers and the like, thus enabling them to draw a custom diagram of their network. So-called asset scanners, on the other hand, can independently scan corporate networks, find existing components (for example, via ping and ARP scans) and then query them via SNMP, for example. They then use the information gained from the scan to automatically create a diagram.
Time consuming
The diagram tools, which focus on custom customization, have a very large feature set but require IT staff who either know the whole structure of the network in depth or have access to all the information needed to create the diagram. Custom diagrams created with these tools are usually of excellent quality and accurate because they are reviewed by a human. However, their creation and maintenance are very time consuming, as all changes must also be entered manually. Moreover, manual maintenance is a potential source of errors.
Automation vs. human interaction
The advantage of asset scanners, which work more independently, is that the final result can theoretically be created without any human interaction. If administrators configure the scan job as a recurring task using a scheduler, the tool will automatically and reliably keep their network diagrams up to date, and they do not have to worry about this task again. In addition, asset scanners often offer the option to display live device status and link status in the diagram. However, there is neither a guarantee that all components will actually appear in the network topology diagram nor is it certain that the asset scaners will actually correctly identify all systems involved. Human intervention is therefore required if a correct representation of the network is to be achieved. Thus, the quality of the machine's "preliminary work" is crucial.
Using PRTG for better network diagrams
With PRTG Network Monitor, you can build your own custom network diagram
with an individual focus on your business or infrastructure. Here's how it works:
PRTG scans the network during operation and displays the discovered devices in a clear, visually appealing tree topology. Using a drag-and-drop editor, you can easily create concise custom network diagrams. Thanks to its comprehensive monitoring functionality, PRTG also adds in-depth information about device health and traffic in the diagrams. HTML can be used to enrich the custom diagrams with additional information such as weather and traffic services.
PRTG is, at least in its basic functionality, not able to "layer to map" – for that, you would have to use the UVexplorer integration via the PRTG API. But it offers a helpful, visual representation that, unlike other tools, is clear, minimizes alert information overload, and is customizable. The ability to customize is the strength of PRTG diagrams because, where other diagrams of complex structures can quickly become overwhelming, the custom diagrams of PRTG can be reduced to the essentials if necessary.
Other benefits of PRTG
PRTG not only allows you to create outstanding, helpful custom network diagrams, but it also gives you the full range of great network monitoring options.
Over 500,000 system administrators rely on PRTG every day. With PRTG, you
- are able to monitor all the systems, devices, traffic, and applications in your IT infrastructure
- have everything included right from the start; there is no need for additional plugins or downloads
- have found a powerful and easy-to-use solution, which is suitable for businesses of all sizes
You can test PRTG without any obligation for 30 days through our trial and have access to all our features, including the creation of appealing custom network diagrams.
“Our network engineers really love PRTG, because of its customization”
John Krull, CTO, Oakland Unified School District, USA
Trusted by 500,000 users and recognized
by industry analysts as a leader
“Fantastic network and infrastructure monitoring solution that is easy to deploy and easier still to use. Simply the best available.”
“Software is absolutely perfect, Support is superior. Meets all needs and requirements, this is a must have solution if you are needing any form of monitoring.”
“The tool excels at its primary focus of being a unified infrastructure management and network monitoring service.”
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new and additional benefits for joined customers.
Combining their tools to a powerful solution for advanced analysis and automation, KnowledgeRiver and Paessler enable IT teams to ensure best performance for their infrastructure and networks.
KnowledgeRiver
PRTG makes your job easier
Our monitoring software frees you to focus on other tasks by promptly notifying you of potential issues.
Save effort
PRTG gives you one central monitoring tool for your servers and entire network. Enjoy a quick overview of your whole infrastructure via our dashboard and app.
Save time
Getting started with PRTG is a breeze. Setting up or switching from another network monitoring tool is easy thanks to the auto-discovery and pre-configured device templates.
Save money
80% of our customers report substantial cost savings with network monitoring. Your costs of licenses will likely pay for themselves within weeks.
PRTG: The multi-tool for sysadmins
Adapt PRTG individually and dynamically to your needs and rely on a strong API:- HTTP API: Access monitoring data and manipulate monitoring objects via HTTP requests
- Custom sensors: Create your own PRTG sensors for customized monitoring
- Custom notifications: Create your own notifications and send action triggers to external systems
- REST Custom sensor: Monitor almost everything that provides data in XML or JSON format
Still not convinced?
More than 500,000 sysadmins love PRTG
Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier.
Still not convinced?
Monitor your entire IT infrastructure
Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network.
Try Paessler PRTG for free
Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free. Start now with your trial.
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PRTG |
Network Monitoring Software - Version 24.2.94.1400 (April 10th, 2024) |
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Hosting |
Download for Windows and cloud-based version PRTG Hosted Monitor available |
Languages |
English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese |
Pricing |
Up to 100 sensors for free (Price List) |
Unified Monitoring |
Network devices, bandwidth, servers, applications, virtual environments, remote systems, IoT, and more |
Supported Vendors & Applications |
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Combining the broad monitoring feature set of PRTG with IP Fabric’s automated network assurance creates a new level of network visibility and reliability.