Network Modelling

[lostchord]

Hi,

I'm wondering what the best model is for network modelling or for basing a network model on.

I want to be able to represent trust zones, gateways between the zones (firewalls, terminal servers, etc) , devices/nodes/environments within the zones, rules governing connectivity,....

The graphical model needs to be understandable and support standard representations of network components.

Two questions I think:

(1) Is EA an appropriate tools for this?
(2) Is this something I can do with existing profiles or should I look at something like UMLsec as a starting point?

Thanks in advance for your valuable input  

[Sunshine]

A simple solution would be to use UML deployment elements; Node and Device then use the desired graphic to represent the firewall, router etc. You could use the Sparx EA Image library or you could use an alternative image set like cisco symbols.

To answer those specific questions:

(1) Is EA an appropriate tools for this?

EA can be used but whether its appropriate begs another question of whats the intended use other than draw a network diagram?  If you have something in mind other than drawing up a network diagram please share and I can advise.
There are some free tools out there
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/five-apps/five-free-apps-for-diagramming-your-network/
 

(2) Is this something I can do with existing profiles or should I look at something like UMLsec as a starting point?

As far as I know I'm not aware that any network specific profiles exist in Sparx EA. As mentioned before you could use UML devices and nodes in the deployment view. Alternative you could create your own profile using the MDG technologies. Instructions can be found in the manual and there is a white paper on the community site. The concept is quite simple; you create some stereo types (i.e. fireware, router etc) with images  or shapescripts, create a toolbox with those stereotypes on then create a diagram type and associate the toolbox with it. Voilà you have a diagram with a toolbox of all the network elements you need with the appropriate image/shapescript.
Hope that helps  

[lostchord]

Thanks Sunshine,

I can handle the more detailed layer reasonably well (I think) as you have described. What I'm trying to think through is how you model the drill-down. For example:

• Start with a 'cloud' which could be an organisation - model with package?
• Model connections - gateways - between organisations - multiple clouds.
• Look into - drill down into - a cloud and you have a number of distinct trust zones or enclaves such as DMZs and business networks - more nested packages?
• Model the connections - gateways - between the enclaves.
• Drill into an enclave - now we are seeing the other network components as well as servers and end-points.

Does that make the problem space a bit clearer?

[qwerty]

Look into the EA example model. There is a little sketch which might touch your domain.

q.

[Sunshine]

Thanks Sunshine,

I can handle the more detailed layer reasonably well (I think) as you have described. What I'm trying to think through is how you model the drill-down. For example:

• Start with a 'cloud' which could be an organisation - model with package?
• Model connections - gateways - between organisations - multiple clouds.
• Look into - drill down into - a cloud and you have a number of distinct trust zones or enclaves such as DMZs and business networks - more nested packages?
• Model the connections - gateways - between the enclaves.
• Drill into an enclave - now we are seeing the other network components as well as servers and end-points.

Does that make the problem space a bit clearer?

Thanks, I see what you are up to now. A set of levels of abstraction where you can drill down into the details. Kind of like a map of a country where you can see all the towns and cities then you can drill down into one of those cities street maps. You can use packages to group up those levels and you could stereotype a package and use a shape script to create the cloud to represent the upper levels and then use UML nodes and devices stereotyped as firewalls, routers etc to show the lower levels. I did something similar a few years back to map out a network of LAN's and WAN's then had lower level diagrams showing the details of the the network components down to routers, switches, servers etc.
So it would has some kind of hierarchy like
Organization Diagram
-Package (Organization Cloud)
     High level Network Diagram
     - Package (LAN Cloud)
            Detailed Network Diagram
            -Router
            -Switch
            -Server
            -Firewall
            -etc
     - Package (WAN Cloud)
     - Package (LAN Cloud)

If you are doing this just once the can use stereotypes, images, shapescripts in the model via the  menu Settings|UML Types. i.e. Create a stereotype for package like "LAN" and associate a shapescript like this

Code: [Select]

shape main
{
    StartCloudPath();
    ellipse(0,0,100,100);
    EndPath();
    FillAndStrokePath();
}

If however you think you are going to do this many times in many different models then its probably a good idea to invest some time in creating an MDG so you can re-use those stereotypes.

Hope that helps and good luck.
 :)

[lostchord]

@qwerty & @Sunshine,

Thanks for your input, I will see how far I can get with it.

cheers,
Andrew