Creating Network Diagrams

Core Training for Microsoft Office Visio Standard 2003

Connecting Shapes in Network Diagrams

1	To open a network diagram template, in the Choose Drawing Type window, in the Category area, click Network, and then in the Template area, click Basic Network Diagram.
2	To set up a network backbone that has beginning and end points, drag the Ethernet shape from the Network and Peripherals stencil to the center of the drawing page.
3	To add a computer shape, click the Computers and Monitors stencil, and then drag the Laptop computer shape above the Ethernet shape.
4	To add a Tablet PC to the network, drag a Tablet computer shape below and to the left of the Ethernet shape.
5	To select the network backbone so that you can begin connecting it to the computer shapes, click the Ethernet shape.
6	To connect a laptop computer to the network backbone, on the Ethernet shape, drag the indicated control handle to the connection point (the tiny blue x) in the middle of the top-left Laptop computer shape.
7	To prepare to add a connected shape to the diagram, on the Standard toolbar, click the Connector Tool button.
8	To add and connect a server to the selected Ethernet shape, click the Network and Peripherals stencil, and then drag the Server shape to the left of the Ethernet shape.
9	To connect a printer to the selected Server shape, use the Connector Tool to drag a Printer shape from the Network and Peripherals stencil above and to the left of the Ethernet shape.
10	To indicate data transmission between the Tablet PC and the network, drag the Comm-link shape to the Tablet computer shape, placing its left endpoint over the connection point of the Tablet computer shape.
11	To connect the selected shape to the network, drag its right endpoint to the left connection point of the Ethernet shape.
12	To add a description to identify the owner of the Tablet PC, double-click the Tablet computer shape, and for the purposes of this exercise, press SPACEBAR to have the description typed for you.
13	To cancel the selection of the text but not the shape, press the ESC key.
14	To switch to the pointer tool so that you can move a shape, on the Standard toolbar, click the Pointer Tool.
15	To move the description of the selected shape, drag the yellow diamond-shaped control handle attached to the text until it is to the left of the upper-left selection handle of the Tablet computer shape.
16	To cancel the selection and view the entire page, press the ESC key, and then on the Standard toolbar, click the Zoom arrow, as indicated, and then click Page.

Storing Information with Network Shapes

1	To open a window where you can view custom properties, click the View menu, and click Custom Properties Window.
2	To view the custom properties of a shape, click the Inkjet Printer shape.
3	To expand the Custom Properties window, point to its left edge, and drag it to the center of the Laptop 3 shape.
4	To assign custom properties to the selected shape, in the Custom Properties window, click Asset Number, and then for the purposes of this exercise, press SPACEBAR to have text typed for you in two of the properties boxes.
5	To cancel the selection of the printer shape, click the blank area of the drawing page above the Custom Properties Window.
6	To display a stencil in the Shapes window that contains all the shapes in the diagram, on the Standard toolbar, click the Shapes button, as indicated, and then click Show Document Stencil.
7	To begin editing the custom properties for a shape, in the Document Stencil, click the Laptop computer shape to select it.
8	To display the shape's master, on the shortcut menu, point to Edit Master, and then click Edit Master Shape.
9	To view the master shape's custom properties in the Custom Properties window, click the shape.
10	To start adding a new custom property to the shape, click the Shape menu, and click Custom Properties.
11	To view the custom property definitions, in the Custom Properties dialog box, click Define.
12	To start defining a new custom property, in the Define Custom Properties dialog box, click New.
13	To replace the generic label for the new property with a more meaningful one, press SPACEBAR to have the label typed for you.
14	To create a ScreenTip for the custom property, click in the Prompt box, and then press SPACEBAR to have the ScreenTip text typed for you.
15	To complete the creation of the custom property, click OK twice.
16	To close the master shape drawing window, click the Close Window button to the right of the Type a question for help box.
17	To update all of the Laptop computer shapes in the diagram with the new custom property, in the message box, click Yes.
18	To close the Document Stencil, click the icon at the left end of its title bar, and then click Close.
19	To see if the new custom property has been added to an existing shape, click the Laptop1 shape at the top of the diagram, and then in the Custom Properties window, click below the scroll box two times.
20	To fill in the new custom property for the selected shape, click Responsible, and then press SPACEBAR to have the text typed for you.
21	To close the Custom Properties window, click its Close button.

Creating Network Reports

1	To make room on the drawing page for a network report, click the File menu, and then click Page Setup.
2	To change the orientation of the printer page, in the Page Setup dialog box, in the Printer paper area, click Portrait.
3	To adjust the drawing page to match the printer paper, click the Page Size tab, click Same as printer paper size, and then click OK.
4	To create a network report, click the Tools menu, and then click Reports.
5	To create one of the Visio standard reports, in the Reports dialog box, click Network Equipment, and then click Run.
6	To add the report to the current diagram as a shape, in the Run Report dialog box, in the Select report format list, click Visio shape, and then click OK.
7	To delete the report, which does not suit your needs, press the DELETE key.
8	To create a report about all the shapes in the diagram, click the Edit menu, and then click Select All.
9	To remove three shapes from the selection, hold down the CTRL key, and click the two connectors and the communications shape, as indicated.
10	To start creating a custom report definition that will meet your needs, click the Tools menu, click Reports, and then in the Reports dialog box, click New.
11	To create a report for the shapes you selected, in the Report Definition Wizard, click the Shapes that are selected option, and then click Next.
12	To choose a property that you want displayed as a column in the report, click to select the Shape Name check box.
13	To select three additional properties, click below the scroll box on the list scroll bar, click to select the Location, Operating System, and Responsible check boxes, and then click Next.
14	To replace the placeholder report title, for the purposes of this exercise, press SPACEBAR, wait as the new title is typed for you, and then click Next.
15	To name the custom report definition, on the next Report Definition Wizard page, press SPACEBAR to have the name typed for you.
16	To provide a description of the report definition, click in the Description box, and then press SPACEBAR to have the description typed for you.
17	To save the report definition in the current drawing, leave the Save in this drawing option selected, and click Finish.
18	To create the report, in the Reports dialog box, click Run.
19	To insert the report as a Visio shape, in the Run Report dialog box, click OK.
20	To move the report to the top of the drawing page, drag it to the top of the drawing page.
21	To cancel the selection and view the diagram with the report, press the ESC key.
22	To zoom in on the report, on the Standard toolbar, click the Zoom arrow, click 100%, and then click above the scroll box on the scroll bar.