Member Avatar for opjjuly

Hello, i was assigned site visits to do in my region, mostly at schools. The job entails upgrading / installing and configuring Local Area Network on an already existing network structure. This is also going to include WAN. This will be my first ever networking site visit to do so i am kind of clueless about what is expected of me. Im supposed to submit a report of my site visits. Can you kindly assist on what il be on the look out for? and how to carry out a successful site visit. Thanks

Edited by opjjuly because: grammar mistake
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Building on suggestions from (inventory) and (mapping and configuration capture), the following is a compact, practice-focused site‑visit addendum tailored for school LAN/WAN assessments. It emphasizes scope, measurable checks, safe testing, and a deliverable structure that fits a short report.

  • Pre‑visit admin checklist:

    • Confirm scope, authorized testing window and written permission from the school district.
    • Obtain site floor plan, room list, and key contacts (IT, facilities).
    • Request existing documentation (IP plan, VLANs, wireless SSIDs, filtering policy).
    • Prepare an assessment kit: laptop with common tools, cable tester/tone, labeler, spare patch cords, and a portable UPS or PoE injector if needed.
    • Note any regulatory or privacy constraints (student data rules, acceptable-use policies).

  • Technical checks and measurable tests:

    • Physical: rack/panel labeling, cable type/condition, patch-panel mapping, power/UPS capacity and circuit labeling.
    • Inventory fields to capture: asset tag, device role, model, serial, firmware, management IP, PO date, warranty, physical location, and port assignments.
    • Logical: IP addressing, DHCP scope, DNS behavior, VLAN mapping, trunk/uplink speeds, STP state, ACLs, NAT rules, and web‑filtering gateways.
    • Performance & connectivity: baseline throughput (LAN and to/from WAN), latency, packet loss, traceroutes to key services, and wireless RSSI/spread. For non‑disruptive active tests, use short, scheduled runs such as:
    # run an iperf3 server on a stable host, then:
iperf3 -c 10.1.1.2 -P 4 -t 20

# quick network discovery
nmap -sS -Pn 10.1.1.0/24

  • Report structure (concise, actionable):

    • Executive summary with high‑priority findings.
    • Site details and inventory table.
    • Topology diagram (annotated).
    • Measured test results and screenshots.
    • Findings ranked by severity, recommended remediation with rough cost/time, and a short roadmap (immediate, 30‑90 days, longer term).
    • Attach config backups and change log entries.

Quick troubleshooting tips: avoid intrusive tests during class hours, always backup device configs before changes, use link/duplex counters and cable testers for intermittent errors, and capture packet samples only when authorized. This approach keeps assessments defensible, repeatable, and useful to non‑technical stakeholders.

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Member Avatar for JorgeM

There's no site visit template that I know of but if I visited a site, I'd be thinking about collecting an inventory of equipment (network, PCs, servers, cabling, racks, power, etc), software inventory number of users, existing documentation, users info, existing and new upcoming requirements I need to consider in my analysis.

If this is not a new process someone where you work should be able to orientate you.

Member Avatar for rubberman

Along the lines of what JorgeM said. I used to do such work a long time ago, and still do occasionally on a consulting basis. I document the equipment, software, configurations, router settings, and run a network mapping program to map the lan and the connections between systems (netmap). FWIW, get a laptop with Linux installed on it with all the network software tools you need installed. This is NOT a task that you want a Windows laptop for! Also, depending upon the number of nodes on the LAN, you will probably want to see what shares are active on the network.

As for the WAN part, document ALL router/firewall settings COMPLETELY! Since these will be for schools, you will also want to document the web filters in place.

Final advice: practice on your office LAN (at least for the network assessment stuff) until you are comfortable running the tools and work out the methods you need for the task. And DOCUMENT those methods as well! :-)

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