A network diagram and an as-built record both document the campus, but they serve different purposes. What belongs specifically in the as-built record for a ward's access switches that typically isn't the diagram's job to show?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
A diagram is the map; the as-built record is the inventory. The map shows you how buildings and links connect at a glance, while the as-built record holds the specific, granular facts — IP addresses, VLAN numbers, serial numbers — for exactly what got installed. You reach for one when you need the big picture and the other when you need an exact detail.
Full Explanation
An as-built record captures the precise, granular facts about what was actually installed and configured — IP addressing per device, VLAN assignments, serial numbers, and similar specifics — information that's essential for asset tracking, warranty and support cases, and exact configuration reference, but that would make a topology diagram cluttered and hard to read if crammed into it. A network diagram instead serves a complementary purpose: giving a visual, at-a-glance sense of how devices and buildings connect, which is a different kind of reference need than looking up one switch's exact serial number. A rough sketch of building location is closer to what a diagram conveys visually, not the specific inventory-level detail that defines an as-built record. The general shape of inter-building connectivity is again diagram territory — useful for understanding topology, not for the specific device-level facts an as-built record is meant to hold. Treating the two documents as interchangeable misses that each is optimized for a different kind of lookup, and relying on only one means losing the strengths of the other. A caveat: as-built records need updating at the same cadence as the equipment they describe, since a serial number or IP assignment that changes without an update makes the record actively misleading rather than just incomplete. As an operational check, spot-check a few entries in the as-built record against the physical switches to confirm they still match.