Reviewer, 2009-06-24 07:24:00

A tool that enables you to design a Local Area Network, providing visualization by enabling the drawing of a LAN design schematic.

Features: LanFlow Net Diagrammer is a tool that enables a user to design Local Area Networks (LANs). This is done by means of drawing a network schematic. The task of drawing the LAN is simplified by the use of an intuitive interface which has a main right pane where the actual drawing takes place. This space can be adjusted in size to allow for printing and according to the network design requirements. Drawing is as easy as dragging and dropping components from the existing list that comes with the software (a snap to grid allows for exact placement of components on the schematic area). There are also a number of pre-defined design templates that can help the user get started with the most common network configurations.

The custom diagram templates mode lets the user create templates for future use. This is especially suitable in cases where a large number of similar schematics are expected (for example branch offices of a corporation, which will be similar in design but differ mainly in the number of components). One of the best features is the ability to add hyperlinks; these hyperlinks can be connected to other schematics (example: zoom view of a specific location) or to documentation related to the schematic or even to URLs on the Internet. It is easy to export schematics including to HTML format web-pages. It has full-featured flow-chart drawing capabilities, although the results may not be as good as Microsoft Visio.

Overall: The tool is pretty good for basic LAN diagramming and design needs. However, there isn’t enough functionality to make it attractive to serious network designers and network administrators. For one thing there aren’t as many devices as you would expect, plus there is no way of provisioning specific links and specifying their capacity etc. Such as it is, it is a good tool for hobbyists but not for professionals.