Using Visio for Network Diagrams

Visio The basic idea is that Visio

provides connectable devices. Everything else flows from that concept.

Visio On the left side of your screen

you’ll have templates. On the right side, your diagram.

Select an icon from the template with the left mouse button and hold. Drag and drop it on your diagram.

Visio Use connectors to interconnect

devices. Once connected you can move the devices and they stay connected.

Visio Diagram

Ethernet

Workstation Workstation Workstation Workstation

Visio Diagram

Ethernet

Workstation Workstation Workstation

Workstation

Visio Diagram You can add backgrounds or

custom designed objects

Visio Diagrams From the file menu, you can select

alternate stencils (templates) and choose which you want to include in your diagram.

Visio Diagrams Assemble your devices on the

page as you see fit. You can rename them too, by double clicking the item.

Visio doesn’t understand what you’re doing, so you can easily make arbitrary choices that don’t make network sense.

Visio Diagrams

Workstation Workstation Workstation Workstation

HubServer

Moon rocket

Visio Diagrams Use the Shape menu to rotate,

align, or distribute items.

Visio Diagrams

WorkstationWorkstation

Workstation

Workstation

Visio Diagrams

Workstation Workstation Workstation Workstation

Visio Diagrams You can resize the item, change

the font, or stretch it into a new shape.

Visio Diagrams

Workstation

Visio Diagrams

Workstation

Visio Diagrams You can group items so they

function as a single item You can arrange things from the

front to back of your screen, hiding some things behind others

There’s a spell checker for your text You can change the color or width of

connections

Visio Diagrams

Workstation Workstation Workstation Workstation

HubServer

Moon rocket

Visio Diagrams You can fill icons with colors or

patterns You can rotate icons

Visio Diagrams

Token-ring Token-ring

Router

Visio Diagrams There’s an invisible grid on the

background of the page. Items will snap to that grid by default making it easier to line things up. You can turn this on or off.

You can build things in layers. This will allow you to easily remove detail that could occasional clutter your drawing