Infrastructure Documentation Toolkit

28 infrastructure templates, 4 interactive checklists, 7 calculators, naming conventions, and quick reference tables. Everything network engineers and infrastructure teams need to document their environments.

Templates

28 ready-to-use templates for CSV import, JSON configuration, and Markdown documentation. Click a row to expand and copy.

Device Import CSVcsv

Bulk-import your device inventory.

name,type,manufacturer,role,serial_number,rack,position,face,site,status,notes
core-sw-01,Switch-48P,Aruba,Core,WX123456,R01,10,front,NYC-DC1,active,Uplink to distribution
core-sw-02,Switch-48P,Aruba,Core,WX123457,R02,10,front,NYC-DC1,active,Uplink to distribution
dist-sw-01,Switch-24P,Juniper,Distribution,JP987654,R01,20,front,NYC-DC1,active,
fw-01,Firewall,Fortinet,Security,FG1000123,R01,18,front,NYC-DC1,active,Perimeter firewall

Server Inventory CSVcsv

Track physical servers across your data centers.

hostname,manufacturer,model,serial,form_factor,rack,position,os,cores,ram_gb,storage_gb,mgmt_ip,ilom_ip,status,owner
srv-web-01,Dell,PowerEdge R750,ABC12345,2U,R01,33,Ubuntu 24.04,32,256,2000,10.0.1.10,10.0.1.110,production,platform
srv-web-02,Dell,PowerEdge R750,ABC12346,2U,R01,31,Ubuntu 24.04,32,256,2000,10.0.1.11,10.0.1.111,production,platform
srv-db-01,HPE,ProLiant DL380,XYZ98765,2U,R02,20,RHEL 9,64,512,8000,10.0.1.20,10.0.1.120,production,dba

VM Inventory CSVcsv

Track virtual machines across hypervisors.

name,hypervisor,vCPUs,ram_gb,storage_gb,os,ip_address,vlan,environment,owner,notes
vm-web-01,esxi-nyc-01,4,16,100,Ubuntu 24.04,10.0.10.10,100,production,platform,Web frontend
vm-web-02,esxi-nyc-01,4,16,100,Ubuntu 24.04,10.0.10.11,100,production,platform,Web frontend
vm-db-01,esxi-nyc-02,8,64,500,RHEL 9,10.0.10.20,100,production,dba,PostgreSQL primary
vm-tools,proxmox-01,2,4,40,Debian 12,10.0.1.50,10,management,it,Monitoring stack

IP Address Spreadsheet CSVcsv

Track every IP address allocation across your subnets.

subnet,ip_address,dns_name,description,vlan,device,interface,status
10.0.1.0/24,10.0.1.1,Default Gateway,10,,active
10.0.1.0/24,10.0.1.10,web-01.nyc.example.com,Web Server,10,web-01,eth0,active
10.0.1.0/24,10.0.1.11,web-02.nyc.example.com,Web Server,10,web-02,eth0,active
10.0.1.0/24,10.0.1.20,db-01.nyc.example.com,Database,10,db-01,eth0,active
10.0.1.0/24,10.0.1.100,DHCP Pool Start,10,,reserved
10.0.1.0/24,10.0.1.199,DHCP Pool End,10,,reserved

IP Reservation Log CSVcsv

Track IP address reservations and assignments.

subnet,ip_address,status,reserved_by,reserved_date,device,dns_name,purpose
10.0.1.0/24,10.0.1.1,assigned,system,2024-01-01,core-sw-01,Default gateway
10.0.1.0/24,10.0.1.2,assigned,system,2024-01-01,core-sw-02,Default gateway (HSRP/VRRP)
10.0.1.0/24,10.0.1.10,assigned,j.doe,2024-03-01,srv-web-01,web-01.nyc.example.com,Production web
10.0.1.0/24,10.0.1.50,reserved,platform,2024-06-15,,Future load balancer VIP
10.0.1.0/24,10.0.1.200,reserved,network,2024-01-01,,Anycast VIP

DNS Records CSVcsv

Audit and manage DNS zone data.

zone,record_name,type,value,ttl,priority,notes
nyc.example.com,web-01,A,10.0.1.10,300,Production web server
nyc.example.com,web-02,A,10.0.1.11,300,Production web server
nyc.example.com,@,MX,mail.example.com,3600,10,Primary mail server
nyc.example.com,www,CNAME,web-01.nyc.example.com,300,WWW alias
nyc.example.com,nyc-dc1-01,PTR,10.0.1.10,300,Reverse DNS

DHCP Reservation CSVcsv

Manage static DHCP assignments.

scope,mac_address,ip_address,hostname,description,enabled
10.0.1.0/24,aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:01,10.0.1.100,printer-mkt-01,Marketing printer,true
10.0.1.0/24,aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:02,10.0.1.101,printer-eng-01,Engineering printer,true
10.0.10.0/24,11:22:33:44:55:01,10.0.10.200,ip-phone-01,Conference room phone,true
10.0.10.0/24,11:22:33:44:55:02,10.0.10.201,ip-phone-02,Lobby phone,true

Rack Elevation JSONjson

Define rack layouts programmatically.

{
  "rack_name": "R01",
  "site": "NYC-DC1",
  "height_ru": 42,
  "units": [
    { "position": 42, "device": "patch-panel-01", "type": "patch_panel", "height": 1, "face": "front" },
    { "position": 41, "device": "core-sw-01", "type": "switch", "height": 1, "face": "front" },
    { "position": 40, "device": "core-sw-02", "type": "switch", "height": 1, "face": "front" },
    { "position": 38, "device": "fw-ha-pair", "type": "firewall", "height": 2, "face": "front" },
    { "position": 36, "device": "dist-sw-01", "type": "switch", "height": 1, "face": "front" },
    { "position": 34, "device": "fiber-panel-01", "type": "fiber_enclosure", "height": 1, "face": "front" },
    { "position": 33, "device": "server-01", "type": "server", "height": 2, "face": "front", "manufacturer": "Dell", "model": "PowerEdge R750" }
  ]
}

Cable Label CSVcsv

Structured labels for structured cabling systems.

label_id,device_a,port_a,device_b,port_b,type,length_m,color,notes
C001,core-sw-01,G1/0/1,patch-panel-01,PP01-A01,cat6a,3,blue,Uplink to IDF
C002,core-sw-01,G1/0/2,patch-panel-01,PP01-A02,cat6a,3,blue,Uplink to IDF
C003,core-sw-01,XG1/0/25,dist-sw-01,XG1/0/25,smf-lc,10,yellow,10G uplink
C004,pdu-a,outlet-01,server-01,psu-1,c13-c14,1,black,Power
C005,pdu-b,outlet-01,server-01,psu-2,c13-c14,1,black,Redundant power

Patch Panel Port Map CSVcsv

Map every patch panel port to its destination.

patch_panel,port,connected_to,device_port,type,vlan,notes
PP01-R01,A01,core-sw-01,G1/0/1,cat6a,trunk,Uplink to core
PP01-R01,A02,core-sw-01,G1/0/2,cat6a,10,Mgmt access
PP01-R01,A03,srv-web-01,eth0,cat6a,100,Web frontend
PP01-R01,A04,srv-web-02,eth0,cat6a,100,Web frontend
PP01-R01,B01,core-sw-01,G1/0/10,cat6a,200,Guest network

Fiber Patch Panel Inventory CSVcsv

Track every fiber strand and connection.

panel,port,strand_type,connector,connected_device,device_port,circuit_id,length_m,attenuation_db,test_date
FOP-R01-01,1,OS2 SMF,LC/APC,core-sw-01,XG1/0/25,CKT-NYC-CG-001,50,0.8,2025-01-15
FOP-R01-01,2,OS2 SMF,LC/APC,core-sw-02,XG1/0/25,CKT-NYC-CG-001,50,0.9,2025-01-15
FOP-R01-01,3,OM4 MMF,LC/UPC,dist-sw-01,XG1/0/26,10,0.3,2025-01-15
FOP-R01-01,4,OS2 SMF,LC/APC,,CKT-NYC-VZ-002,100,

Rack Power Budget CSVcsv

Calculate and track power consumption per rack.

rack,device,quantity,watts_each,total_watts,redundant,feed
R01,core-sw-01,1,150,150,false,A
R01,core-sw-02,1,150,150,false,A
R01,fw-01,2,120,240,true,A+B
R01,dist-sw-01,2,100,200,true,A+B
R01,server-01,2,500,1000,true,A+B
,,TOTAL PER FEED,1740,
,,80% DERATED (30A×240V),5760,

Circuit Inventory CSVcsv

Track all WAN, ISP, and interconnect circuits.

circuit_id,provider,type,bandwidth,site_a,handoff_a,site_b,handoff_b,contract_id,monthly_cost,term_end,status
CKT-NYC-CG-001,Cogent,DIA,10Gbps,NYC-DC1,R01:PP01:1,,CTR-2024-001,2400,2026-12-31,active
CKT-NYC-VZ-002,Verizon,MPLS,1Gbps,NYC-DC1,R01:PP01:2,LON-DC1,R03:PP01:1,CTR-2024-002,1800,2027-03-15,active
CKT-NYC-AWS-DX,AWS,Direct Connect,10Gbps,NYC-DC1,R01:FOP-01:1,,AWS-DX-001,0,perpetual,active

WAN Circuit Inventory CSVcsv

Track all wide-area network connectivity.

circuit_id,provider,technology,a_end_site,a_handoff,z_end_site,z_handoff,bandwidth,latency_ms,jitter_ms,packet_loss_pct,sla,status
WAN-NYC-LON-001,Verizon,MPLS,NYC-DC1,G0/0/1,LON-DC1,G0/0/1,1Gbps,72,2,0.01,99.99%,active
WAN-NYC-CHI-002,Zayo,DWDM,NYC-DC1,XG0/0/0,CHI-DC1,XG0/0/0,100Gbps,15,1,0.001,99.999%,active
WAN-NYC-SFO-003,Lumen,SD-WAN,NYC-DC1,G0/0/2,SFO-DC1,G0/0/2,500Mbps,68,5,0.1,99.9%,active

Cross Connect Inventory CSVcsv

Track colocation cross-connects and interconnects.

cross_connect_id,facility,panel_a,port_a,panel_b,port_b,type,media,provider,circuit_id,status
XC-NYC-EQX-001,Equinix NY2,MMR-A:PP01,1,Cage-B:FOP01,1,metro-e,SMF,Zayo,ZAYO-NYC-001,active
XC-NYC-DRT-002,DRT NY1,Meet-Me:PP02,5,Cage-A:PP01,3,peering,SMF,Cogent,CKT-NYC-CG-001,active
XC-NYC-CYR-003,CyrusOne NJ,MPOE:FOP-01,12,Cage-C:FOP-01,1,interconnect,MMF,cross-connect,internal,active

ISP Service Inventory CSVcsv

Track every ISP service, contract, and SLA across your sites.

provider,service_type,circuit_id,bandwidth,site,handoff_location,contract_term,monthly_cost,sla_uptime,start_date,renewal_date,status
Cogent,DIA,CKT-NYC-CG-001,10Gbps,NYC-DC1,R01:FOP-01:1,36 months,2400,99.99%,2024-01-01,2027-01-01,active
Verizon,MPLS,CKT-NYC-VZ-002,1Gbps,NYC-DC1,R01:FOP-01:2,36 months,1800,99.99%,2024-03-15,2027-03-15,active
Comcast,Broadband,CKT-BRN-001,500Mbps,Branch-01,MPOE:Patch-01,12 months,120,99.9%,2025-06-01,2026-06-01,active
AWS,Direct Connect,CKT-NYC-AWS-DX,10Gbps,NYC-DC1,R01:FOP-01:3,perpetual,0,99.99%,2024-01-01,,active

ISP & Carrier Contacts CSVcsv

Keep provider contact information handy.

provider,account_number,support_phone,support_email,portal_url,circuit_ids,account_manager,notes
Cogent,ACCT-123456,1-800-555-0100,[email protected],https://portal.cogent.com,CKT-NYC-CG-001,Jane Smith - [email protected],24/7 NOC
Verizon Enterprise,VZ-98765,1-800-555-0200,[email protected],https://enterprise.verizon.com,CKT-NYC-VZ-002,John Doe - [email protected],Mon-Fri 8-8 EST
AWS,AWS-001,,https://console.aws.amazon.com,CKT-NYC-AWS-DX,Support plan: Business

Firewall Rules CSVcsv

Document and review firewall policies.

rule_id,priority,source,source_port,destination,destination_port,protocol,action,description,enabled
FW-001,10,10.0.10.0/24,any,0.0.0.0/0,443,tcp,permit,Outbound HTTPS for servers,true
FW-002,20,0.0.0.0/0,any,10.0.10.10,80+443,tcp,permit,Inbound to web frontends,true
FW-003,30,10.0.20.0/24,any,0.0.0.0/0,80+443,tcp,permit,Guest internet access,true
FW-004,9000,any,any,any,any,any,deny,Default deny all (implicit),true

SSL/TLS Certificate Tracker CSVcsv

Never let a certificate expire unexpectedly.

common_name,sans,issuer,type,key_size,algorithm,expiry_date,days_left,service,contact,auto_renewal,notes
*.example.com,example.com;www.example.com,DigiCert,wildcard,2048,rsa-sha256,2025-12-15,145,ingress-nginx,[email protected],true,Managed by cert-manager
vpn.example.com,Let's Encrypt,single,4096,ecdsa-sha384,2025-09-01,40,OpenVPN,[email protected],false,Manual renewal required
mail.example.com,Sectigo,single,2048,rsa-sha256,2026-03-20,240,Postfix,[email protected],true,Auto-renew via ACME

Change Log CSVcsv

Track every infrastructure change.

change_id,date,author,type,device,summary,rollback_plan,status,approved_by
CHG-00100,2025-01-15,j.doe,firmware,core-sw-01,Upgrade to ArubaOS-CX 10.14,Reload previous firmware image,completed,m.smith
CHG-00101,2025-01-16,a.jones,config,firewall-01,Add rule for new web server,Remove rule from policy,completed,m.smith
CHG-00102,2025-01-20,j.doe,add,rack-03,Install new TOR switch,Remove switch and re-patch,planned,pending
CHG-00103,2025-01-22,k.lee,decom,server-old-01,Decommission legacy application server,Restore VM from backup,planned,

Change Window Schedule CSVcsv

Plan and track multiple change windows across teams and systems.

window_id,date,start_time,end_time,timezone,system,change_type,owner,risk_level,approval_status,change_ticket
CW-2025-030,2025-03-15,02:00,06:00,UTC,Core Routing,firmware_upgrade,j.doe,Medium,approved,CHG-00100
CW-2025-031,2025-03-16,22:00,02:00,UTC,Firewall HA,policy_update,a.jones,Low,approved,CHG-00101
CW-2025-032,2025-03-22,01:00,05:00,UTC,Server Fleet,patching,k.lee,Low,pending,CHG-00104
CW-2025-033,2025-03-29,00:00,08:00,UTC,Data Center,circuit_migration,m.smith,High,approved,CHG-00105

Maintenance Schedule Calendar CSVcsv

Track recurring maintenance, patching cycles, and compliance windows.

schedule_id,cadence,day_of_week,time_window,timezone,system,owner,description,next_run,status
SCH-001,Monthly,2nd Saturday,02:00–06:00,UTC,All Windows servers,it-ops,Monthly patch Tuesday rollout,2025-04-12,active
SCH-002,Weekly,Sunday,00:00–04:00,UTC,Database cluster,dba,Sunday maintenance for index rebuilds,2025-04-06,active
SCH-003,Quarterly,1st Monday,01:00–05:00,UTC,Door access system,facilities,Security access system updates,2025-07-07,active
SCH-004,Biannual,March 15 / Sept 15,03:00–07:00,UTC,Gym UPS batteries,facilities,Battery replacement and load test,2025-09-15,active

Maintenance Window Planmarkdown

Plan and communicate scheduled maintenance.

# Maintenance Window: [Title]

**Change ID:** CHG-[NNNNN]
**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Window:** [Start Time] – [End Time] ([Timezone])
**Owner:** [Name / Team]
**Severity:** Low / Medium / High

## Affected Services
- [List all services, applications, and users impacted]

## Pre-Maintenance Checklist
- [ ] Backup configurations: [devices]
- [ ] Notify stakeholders ([teams / users])
- [ ] Verify rollback procedure
- [ ] Stage all changes in lab / test environment

## Procedure
1. [Step-by-step instructions]
2. ...

## Validation
- [ ] [Test 1]: [Expected result]
- [ ] [Test 2]: [Expected result]

## Rollback Plan
[Steps to revert all changes to pre-maintenance state]

## Post-Maintenance
- [ ] Confirm all services operational
- [ ] Update documentation
- [ ] Close change ticket

Network Documentation Markdownmarkdown

Markdown template for your network runbook or wiki.

# Network Documentation: [Site Name]

## Topology
- **WAN Edge:** [device names / circuits]
- **Core Layer:** [device names / topology type]
- **Distribution:** [device names]
- **Access Layer:** [device names]

## IP Addressing
| Subnet | VLAN | VRF | Purpose |
|--------|------|-----|---------|
| 10.0.1.0/24 | 10 | default | Management |
| 10.0.10.0/24 | 100 | default | Server VLAN |
| 10.0.20.0/24 | 200 | guest | Guest Wi-Fi |

## Device Inventory
| Hostname | Type | MGMT IP | Location | Serial |
|----------|------|---------|----------|--------|
| core-sw-01 | Aruba 6405 | 10.0.1.10 | R01 U41 | WX123456 |

## Circuits & Providers
| Circuit ID | Provider | Type | Bandwidth | Local Handoff |
|------------|----------|------|-----------|---------------|
| CKT-001 | Cogent | DIA | 10 Gbps | R01 fiber panel port 1 |

## Change Log
| Date | Author | Change | Ticket |
|------|--------|--------|--------|
| 2025-01-15 | j.doe | Added dist-sw-03 to stack | CHG-00123 |

Hardware Asset Register CSVcsv

Complete hardware lifecycle tracking.

asset_tag,type,manufacturer,model,serial_number,purchase_date,warranty_end,cost,department,location,status,notes
IT-2024-001,switch,Aruba,6405,WX123456,2024-01-15,2027-01-15,8500,IT,NYC-DC1:R01:U41,active,Core switch
IT-2024-002,firewall,Fortinet,200F,FG1000123,2024-02-01,2027-02-01,4500,IT,NYC-DC1:R01:U18,active,Perimeter firewall
IT-2024-003,server,Dell,R750,ABC12345,2024-03-01,2027-03-01,12000,Platform,NYC-DC1:R01:U33,active,Production web

Serial Number Tracking CSVcsv

Quick reference for warranty and support calls.

device_name,manufacturer,serial_number,product_id,asset_tag,warranty_type,warranty_end,support_contract
core-sw-01,Aruba,WX123456,JL375A,IT-2024-001,Foundation Care,2027-01-15,PREM-001
core-sw-02,Aruba,WX123457,JL375A,IT-2024-004,Foundation Care,2027-01-15,PREM-001
fw-01,Fortinet,FG1000123,FG-200F-BDL,IT-2024-002,FortiCare 24x7,2027-02-01,PREM-002
srv-web-01,Dell,ABC12345,R750XS,IT-2024-003,ProSupport Plus,2027-03-01,PREM-003

Vendor & Support Contacts CSVcsv

Centralize all hardware and software vendor information.

vendor,product,category,support_contract,contract_expiry,support_phone,support_email,support_portal,account_rep,notes
Cisco,Core switches,networking,PREM-001,2026-06-30,1-800-555-0100,[email protected],https://tac.cisco.com,Jane Smith,SmartNet premium
Fortinet,Firewalls,security,PREM-002,2026-03-15,1-800-555-0300,[email protected],https://support.fortinet.com,John Doe,FortiCare 24x7
Dell,Servers,compute,PREM-003,2026-12-01,1-800-555-0400,[email protected],https://support.dell.com,ProSupport Plus

Cloud Resources Inventory CSVcsv

Track resources across cloud providers.

provider,region,resource_type,resource_name,resource_id,vpc_id,private_ip,public_ip,tags,environment,cost_monthly
AWS,us-east-1,EC2,web-prod-01,i-0a1b2c3d4e5f6,vpc-12345,10.0.1.10,54.1.2.3,app=web;env=prod,production,145.20
AWS,us-east-1,RDS,db-prod-01,database-1,vpc-12345,10.0.1.20,engine=postgres;env=prod,production,320.45
GCP,us-central1,GCE,monitoring-01,instance-1,default,10.128.0.10,34.1.2.3,env=tools,tools,52.10
Azure,eastus,VM,dev-vm-01,vm-dev-01,dev-vnet,10.1.0.10,env=dev,development,68.30

Calculators

Real-time network infrastructure calculators. Results update as you type.

Subnet Calculator

Calculate network address, broadcast, usable range, and host count from an IP and CIDR prefix.

IP Address

CIDR Prefix/24

Enter values above to see results.

CIDR Calculator

Get subnet mask, host count, and binary notation from a CIDR prefix.

CIDR Prefix/24

Enter values above to see results.

IPv4 Range Calculator

Find the CIDR notation (or notations) that covers a given IP range.

Start IP

End IP

Enter values above to see results.

VLAN Capacity Calculator

Determine the subnet size you need for a given number of VLANs and devices.

Number of VLANs

Devices per VLAN

Growth Factor (%)%

Enter values above to see results.

Rack Power Calculator

Calculate total rack power consumption, BTU, and amperage across feeds.

Devices per Rack

Watts per DeviceW

Number of Racks

Feeds per Rack(A+B)

Enter values above to see results.

UPS Runtime Calculator

Estimate how long your UPS will run under load.

Load (Watts)W

Battery CapacityAh

Battery VoltageV

Inverter Efficiency%

Enter values above to see results.

BTU Calculator

Convert watts to BTU/hr and tons of cooling required.

Total PowerW

Enter values above to see results.

Naming Conventions

Consistent naming eliminates confusion. Use these patterns across your infrastructure.

Device Naming

Use a consistent <site>-<function>-<number> pattern for all network devices.

Example	Pattern	Notes
core-sw-01	<site>-<role>-<nn>	2-digit zero-padded
nyc-fw-ha-01	<site>-<role>-<detail>-<nn>	Include HA or cluster info
dc1-dist-sw-a	<site>-<tier>-<role>-<id>	Use letters for stack members
lon-srv-web-03	<site>-<type>-<function>-<nn>	Type prefixes: srv, net, sto

Interface / Port Naming

Standardize how you reference interfaces across documentation.

Example	Pattern	Notes
G1/0/1	<type><slot>/<port>	Cisco IOS-style shorthand
et-0/0/0	<media>-<fpc>/<pic>/<port>	Juniper Junos convention
Eth1/1	Ethernet<slot>/<port>	NX-OS / AOS-CX style
Uplink to core-01	<direction> to <peer>	Human-readable description format

VLAN & Subnet Naming

Make VLAN names descriptive and self-documenting.

VLAN ID	Name Example	Subnet	Purpose
10	MGMT	10.0.1.0/24	Device management interfaces
100	SRV-PROD	10.0.10.0/24	Production server traffic
200	GUEST-WIFI	10.0.20.0/24	Guest wireless access
999	NATIVE	—	Untagged / native VLAN

Reference Tables

Searchable quick-reference tables for ports, RFCs, standards, and more.

RFC References

Essential networking RFCs every infrastructure engineer should know.

RFC	Title	Topic
RFC 1918	Address Allocation for Private Internets	Private IP ranges (10/8, 172.16/12, 192.168/16)
RFC 5737	IPv4 Address Blocks Reserved for Documentation	Documentation IPs (192.0.2/24, 198.51.100/24, 203.0.113/24)
RFC 6598	IANA-Reserved IPv4 Prefix for Shared Address Space	CGNAT range (100.64.0.0/10)
RFC 3927	Dynamic Configuration of IPv4 Link-Local Addresses	APIPA / link-local (169.254.0.0/16)
RFC 4632	Classless Inter-domain Routing (CIDR)	CIDR notation and subnetting
RFC 952	DoD Internet Host Table Specification	Original hostname rules; updated by RFC 1123
RFC 1123	Requirements for Internet Hosts	Host naming rules (alphanumeric + hyphen)
RFC 4291	IPv6 Addressing Architecture	IPv6 address formats, scopes, and special addresses
RFC 4193	Unique Local IPv6 Unicast Addresses	IPv6 ULA (fd00::/8)
RFC 4862	IPv6 Stateless Address Autoconfiguration	SLAAC
RFC 5424	The Syslog Protocol	Syslog standard
RFC 1035	Domain Names – Implementation and Specification	DNS protocol
RFC 2131	Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol	DHCP
RFC 5905	Network Time Protocol Version 4	NTPv4
RFC 4271	A Border Gateway Protocol 4 (BGP-4)	BGP standard

Private IP Ranges (RFC 1918)

The three private IPv4 address blocks and their common uses.

CIDR	Range Start	Range End	Hosts	Common Use
10.0.0.0/8	10.0.0.0	10.255.255.255	16,777,216	Large enterprise networks
172.16.0.0/12	172.16.0.0	172.31.255.255	1,048,576	Mid-size networks, AWS VPC default
192.168.0.0/16	192.168.0.0	192.168.255.255	65,536	SMB, home networks, branch offices

Reserved & Special-Use IP Addresses

Special-purpose IP ranges you'll encounter in network design.

CIDR / Address	Name	RFC	Use
0.0.0.0/8	"This" network	RFC 1122	Local host identification
127.0.0.0/8	Loopback	RFC 1122	Local loopback (127.0.0.1)
169.254.0.0/16	Link-local / APIPA	RFC 3927	Automatic addressing when DHCP fails
100.64.0.0/10	CGNAT / Shared Address Space	RFC 6598	Carrier-grade NAT
192.0.2.0/24	TEST-NET-1	RFC 5737	Documentation and examples
198.51.100.0/24	TEST-NET-2	RFC 5737	Documentation and examples
203.0.113.0/24	TEST-NET-3	RFC 5737	Documentation and examples
224.0.0.0/4	Multicast	RFC 5771	IPv4 multicast
240.0.0.0/4	Reserved (Class E)	RFC 1112	Future use / experimental
255.255.255.255	Limited Broadcast	RFC 919	Broadcast to local network

Common TCP & UDP Ports

Well-known port numbers for network services.

Port	Proto	Service	Description
20	TCP	FTP Data	File Transfer Protocol (data channel)
21	TCP	FTP Control	File Transfer Protocol (control)
22	TCP	SSH	Secure Shell
23	TCP	Telnet	Unencrypted remote access (avoid)
25	TCP	SMTP	Mail transfer between servers
53	UDP/TCP	DNS	Domain Name System
67/68	UDP	DHCP	Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
80	TCP	HTTP	Hypertext Transfer Protocol
110	TCP	POP3	Post Office Protocol v3
123	UDP	NTP	Network Time Protocol
143	TCP	IMAP	Internet Message Access Protocol
161/162	UDP	SNMP	Simple Network Management Protocol
389	TCP	LDAP	Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
443	TCP	HTTPS	HTTP over TLS/SSL
514	UDP	Syslog	System logging
587	TCP	SMTP	Mail submission (authenticated)
636	TCP	LDAPS	LDAP over TLS/SSL
993	TCP	IMAPS	IMAP over TLS/SSL
995	TCP	POP3S	POP3 over TLS/SSL
1194	UDP	OpenVPN	OpenVPN default port
1812/1813	UDP	RADIUS	Authentication & accounting
3389	TCP	RDP	Remote Desktop Protocol
5432	TCP	PostgreSQL	PostgreSQL database
8080	TCP	HTTP Alt	HTTP alternative / proxy
8443	TCP	HTTPS Alt	HTTPS alternative

TIA-568 Cable Color Codes

Standard color conventions for structured cabling.

Color	Use	Standard
Blue	Horizontal cabling (workstation drops)	TIA-606-B
Yellow	Auxiliary circuits / security / alarms	TIA-606-B
Orange	Demarcation point (telco / ISP handoff)	TIA-606-B
Green	Network connections (switch-to-patch panel)	TIA-606-B
Red	Key telephone systems / critical circuits	TIA-606-B
White	First-level backbone (MC to IC)	TIA-606-B
Gray	Second-level backbone (IC to HC)	TIA-606-B
Purple	Common equipment (PBX, LANs, muxes)	TIA-606-B
Brown	Inter-building backbone (campus)	TIA-606-B
Black	Miscellaneous / special circuits	TIA-606-B

Fiber Connector Types

Common fiber optic connectors and their characteristics.

Connector	Type	Polish	Return Loss	Typical Use
LC	Duplex	UPC / APC	>50 dB (APC)	SFP/SFP+ transceivers, high density
SC	Duplex	UPC / APC	>50 dB (APC)	OSP, patch panels, older equipment
ST	Simplex	UPC	>30 dB	Legacy multimode, industrial
FC	Simplex	UPC / APC	>60 dB (APC)	High-power, test equipment, telco
MPO/MTP	Multi-fiber	UPC / APC	>20 dB	40G/100G parallel optics, trunk cables
E2000	Duplex	UPC / APC	>50 dB (APC)	European telco, spring-loaded shutter

Transceiver Form Factor Compatibility

Common optical transceiver form factors and their capabilities.

Form Factor	Max Speed	Media	Max Distance	Connector
SFP (1G)	1 Gbps	Copper / MMF / SMF	100 m – 120 km	LC / RJ-45
SFP+ (10G)	10 Gbps	Copper / MMF / SMF	30 m – 80 km	LC / RJ-45
SFP28 (25G)	25 Gbps	MMF / SMF	100 m – 10 km	LC
QSFP+ (40G)	40 Gbps	MMF / SMF	100 m – 40 km	MPO / LC
QSFP28 (100G)	100 Gbps	MMF / SMF	100 m – 80 km	MPO / LC
QSFP-DD (400G)	400 Gbps	MMF / SMF	100 m – 40 km	MPO / LC / CS
CFP2	100 Gbps	SMF	10 km – 80 km	LC
XFP	10 Gbps	MMF / SMF	300 m – 80 km	LC
CXP	100 Gbps	MMF	100 m	MPO

Ethernet Standards (IEEE 802.3)

Common Ethernet physical layer standards.

Standard	Name	Speed	Media	Distance
802.3ab	1000BASE-T	1 Gbps	Cat5e+	100 m
802.3an	10GBASE-T	10 Gbps	Cat6a+	100 m
802.3ae	10GBASE-SR	10 Gbps	OM3/OM4 MMF	300/400 m
802.3ae	10GBASE-LR	10 Gbps	OS2 SMF	10 km
802.3by	25GBASE-SR	25 Gbps	OM4 MMF	100 m
802.3ba	40GBASE-SR4	40 Gbps	OM3/OM4 MMF	100/150 m
802.3bj	100GBASE-SR4	100 Gbps	OM4 MMF	100 m
802.3cu	100GBASE-FR1	100 Gbps	OS2 SMF	2 km
802.3bs	400GBASE-SR16	400 Gbps	OM4 MMF	100 m
802.3ck	100GBASE-CR1	100 Gbps	Copper DAC	2 m

WiFi Standards (IEEE 802.11)

Wi-Fi generations, speeds, and frequencies.

Standard	Wi-Fi Name	Max Speed	Freq	Year
802.11b	Wi-Fi 1	11 Mbps	2.4 GHz	1999
802.11a	Wi-Fi 2	54 Mbps	5 GHz	1999
802.11g	Wi-Fi 3	54 Mbps	2.4 GHz	2003
802.11n	Wi-Fi 4	600 Mbps	2.4 + 5 GHz	2009
802.11ac	Wi-Fi 5	6.9 Gbps	5 GHz	2014
802.11ax	Wi-Fi 6 / 6E	9.6 Gbps	2.4 + 5 + 6 GHz	2019/2021
802.11be	Wi-Fi 7	46 Gbps	2.4 + 5 + 6 GHz	2024

Power Connectors & Receptacles

Common data center power connectors and standards.

Connector	Standard	Amps	Voltage	Typical Use
NEMA 5-15P	NEMA	15 A	120 V	Standard wall outlet, small devices
NEMA 5-20P	NEMA	20 A	120 V	Higher-power 120V equipment
NEMA L5-30P	NEMA Twist-Lock	30 A	120 V	UPS input, PDUs
NEMA L6-30P	NEMA Twist-Lock	30 A	208/240 V	Rack PDUs, 208V feed
C13/C14	IEC 60320	10-15 A	250 V	Device power cord (standard)
C19/C20	IEC 60320	16-20 A	250 V	High-power devices, blade chassis
IEC 60309	IEC 60309	16-125 A	200-415 V	3-phase rack PDUs, floor PDUs
BS 1363	British Standard	13 A	230 V	UK rack equipment
Schuko CEE 7/7	CENELEC	16 A	230 V	European rack equipment

FAQ

What should be included in network infrastructure documentation?

Effective network infrastructure documentation should cover device inventory (switches, routers, firewalls, servers), IP address allocations and subnet layouts, rack elevations, cable pathways and labels, VLAN and VRF configurations, circuit and WAN connectivity, DNS and DHCP scopes, firewall rules and ACLs, and a changelog tracking every modification. This toolkit provides ready-to-use templates and checklists for all of these categories so you don't miss anything. For continuous, automated documentation that stays in sync with your live network, see the <a href="/features/">Obelinf platform features</a>.

How do I document my data center network infrastructure?

Start with a complete device inventory using our Device Import CSV template, then document your IP addressing scheme with the IP Address Spreadsheet template. Map each rack in the Rack Elevation JSON format, label every cable using the Cable Label CSV, and record circuits in the Circuit Inventory template. The Data Center Migration Checklist guides you through the process step by step, while our calculators help size power and cooling requirements.

What tools can I use to create IT documentation without buying expensive software?

This free toolkit gives you everything you need: interactive checklists for audits and deployments, copyable CSV templates for device and IP inventory, a Rack Elevation JSON builder, a Markdown network documentation template, and real-time calculators for subnetting, CIDR, VLAN capacity, rack power, UPS runtime, and BTU cooling. All of it works in your browser with no software installation required. When you need live tracking, automation, and team collaboration, check out the <a href="/features/">Obelinf platform features</a>.

How often should network documentation be updated?

Network documentation should be updated after every change including device additions or decommissions, IP reassignments, VLAN modifications, circuit activations, firewall rule changes, and firmware upgrades. A best practice is to integrate documentation into your change management process: every maintenance window should include a documentation update step. The Change Log and Maintenance Window templates in this toolkit are designed to support that workflow, and the <a href="/features/">Obelinf platform</a> automates versioned documentation updates directly from live infrastructure state.

How do I calculate subnet ranges and usable IP addresses?

Use the Subnet Calculator on this page: enter any IP address and CIDR prefix (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24) to instantly get the network address, broadcast address, subnet mask, usable IP range, total hosts, and usable hosts. The CIDR Calculator converts a prefix like /24 into its dotted-decimal subnet mask and binary representation. The IPv4 Range Calculator does the reverse: enter a start and end IP to find the most efficient CIDR notations covering that range.

What is a good naming convention for network devices and VLANs?

The industry standard follows a <site>-<role>-<number> pattern for devices; for example, nyc-core-sw-01 or lon-dist-sw-a. For VLANs, use descriptive names like SRV-PROD for production servers or GUEST-WIFI for guest networks, paired with a documented VLAN ID and subnet. Our Naming Conventions section provides complete tables with examples for device naming, interface port labeling, and VLAN nomenclature following common enterprise standards.

How do I create a rack elevation diagram or power budget?

Use the Rack Elevation JSON template to define every device in a rack by RU position, face orientation, and height. It's a programmatic format compatible with most DCIM tools. For power planning, the Rack Power Calculator estimates total wattage, BTU output, and amperage across redundant feeds, and the Power Budget CSV template gives you a structured spreadsheet for tracking consumption per device per rack.

What reference tables are most useful for network engineers?

This page includes 10 searchable reference tables: RFC references every engineer should know, private IP ranges (RFC 1918), reserved and special-use IP addresses, common TCP and UDP port numbers, TIA-606 cable color standards, fiber optic connector types (LC, SC, MPO, etc.), transceiver form factor compatibility, IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standards, 802.11 Wi-Fi standards, and data center power connector types including NEMA and IEC. Use the search bar to instantly filter across all tables.

Infrastructure Documentation Toolkit

Checklists

Data Center Migration Checklist

Network Audit Checklist

New Site Deployment Checklist

Rack Installation Checklist

Templates

Calculators

Subnet Calculator

CIDR Calculator

IPv4 Range Calculator

VLAN Capacity Calculator

Rack Power Calculator

UPS Runtime Calculator

BTU Calculator

Naming Conventions

Device Naming

Interface / Port Naming

VLAN & Subnet Naming

Reference Tables

RFC References

Private IP Ranges (RFC 1918)

Reserved & Special-Use IP Addresses

Common TCP & UDP Ports

TIA-568 Cable Color Codes

Fiber Connector Types

Transceiver Form Factor Compatibility

Ethernet Standards (IEEE 802.3)

WiFi Standards (IEEE 802.11)

Power Connectors & Receptacles

FAQ