Network Infrastructure Discovery

Question

Which software is suitable for creating a network map in Ubuntu or Windows?

The aim of my bachelor thesis is to describe methods of discovering devices on the local network and then creating a map of the computer network. I must create a network map, automatically discovering devices on the network in my college.

The map must be designed so that it can be continuously updated and edited.

• Software can work on Windows or Ubuntu.
• Should contain computers, laptops, switches, routers, printers in network.
• Format may be generated to export on Google Earth.

Software like op manager, solarwinds NPM, prtg network monitor, lanstate pro, anturis in Windows, cheops-ng, opennms in Ubuntu.

Answer 1

Possibly a little less polished than "The Dude", but more flexible and powerful, and much more in keeping with a thesis would be to use scapy as your network discovery platform.

• Free
• Runs natively under Linux, Windows & OS-X
• Allows multiple types of network discovery and exploration
• Can interface with GNU Plot and other tools to produce graphical output.
• Outputs can be as images, pdf files or Latex.
• Since it is all python based it is simple to set up periodic scans and act as a web server to view the results in near real-time.
• Export as whatever you would like.
• Finger print discovered devices to identify the device types, etc.

Traceroute Example Plots:

Answer 2

I have always used The Dude for this sort of thing, albeit on a smaller scale than you seem to have in mind.

• automatic discover devices on network in my college - "will automatically scan all devices within specified subnets, draw and layout a map of your networks, monitor services of your devices and alert you in case some service has problems"
• Map network must be designed so that it can be continuously updated and edited - "Allows you to draw your own maps and add custom devices"
• Software can work on Windows or Ubuntu - NO . Sorry, Windows only, but most things work well enough with Wine
• Format may be generated to export on Google Earth - NO, I don't think so, but you can contact them and ask
• should contain computers, laptops, switches, routers, printers in network - "will automatically scan all devices ..."
• Software like ... - I didn't understand this part :-(

Some of it's features:

The Dude is free of charge!
Auto network discovery and layout
Discovers any type or brand of device
Device, Link monitoring, and notifications
Includes SVG icons for devices, and supports custom icons and backgrounds
Easy installation and usage
Allows you to draw your own maps and add custom devices
Supports SNMP, ICMP, DNS and TCP monitoring for devices that support it
Individual Link usage monitoring and graphs
Direct access to remote control tools for device management
Supports remote Dude server and local client
Runs in Linux Wine environment, MacOS Darwine, and Windows
Best price/value ratio compared to other products (free of charge)