So, the title could be “Network Diagramming with LibreOffice Draw on whatever operating system” but since I use openSUSE primarily, there you go. I know it works on openSUSE, I can’t say for sure if it will work for you. Chances are it will.
The Problem
I spent some time last week making improvements to the network at my church this isn’t my first project there that is computer related. I also recently set up a Dell Inspiron as a Low Budget Multimedia Machine with openSUSE Leap and a RaspberryPi for slideshow announcements. The big irritation with doing any tech projects has been the network. It has been a smattering of routers in an ad-hoc manor. In fixing this, I needed a way to document it properly.
I looked at few pieces of software but didn’t like either the price or the operating system selection. Then I thought… LibreOffice Draw… I know that I can make boxes and connecting lines. Maybe there are some images I can find?
The Solution
The goal here is to make me less important in this project and try to get others on board so that, should I get hit by the proverbial bus, someone else is going to have to take control and need to know what is where and how to access it.
Searching around the World Wide Web, I found this shape gallery from VRT.com that has the images I need to put together a basic network diagram to show how things are laid out. At the bottom of the page, I selected VRTnetworkequipment_1.2.0-oo.oxt LibreOffice. Your version may vary, especially if you aren’t using openSUSE.
Installing this gallery of images is trivial, locate the download and open it with LibreOffice.
The filetype should already be associated. Select okay to confirm installation and you are done.
I made a simple diagram to communicate the layout of the network, it is a rough drawing and I don’t really know what I am doing but it is a simple visual that is a “good start”.
I at lest now have a basic visual as a frame of reference, and in the Lean Product Development, world a visual reference helps to identify Knowledge Gaps.
What I like
I didn’t have to go out and buy new software. I simply had to download an add-on to existing software, LibreOffice Draw. Adding the graphic components to LibreOffice was simple, download and run to install.
Using LibreOffice Draw is intuitive. It’s all drag and drop. You find the image you want that is now installed, click and drag it onto the
What I Don’t Like
There isn’t a text box immediately below or beside that is tied to the image for description of the component. It’s not a big deal as click-dragging to create a selection box around the objects to move them multiple items around works just as well. This is just being picky, really.
How It’s Working Out
I was able to create a “Phase 1” of the network plan and begin a course of action for the “Phase 2” of the network upgrades. Using Draw helps me to be able to communicate with the real network professional, my brother-in-law, so that we are aligned on where network is at, and where it needs to go. The next phases are almost entirely over my head but I will gladly help document what is done using this tool and others.
Final Thoughts
I spent a lot of time looking for software solutions, played with one other but realized that LibreOffice Draw can do the job quite nicely at the price I can afford. It is a testament to the LibreOffice Project and all the work that has gone into it. It reminds me that I should donate to the project to do my part to help keep it going.
I tried LibreOffice Draw but found it quite hard to use for more complex network diagrams, you might be interested in trying draw.io, it’s much more flexible and there are a lot of templates built-in (it’s a web app, but usable offline): https://about.draw.io/use-draw-io-offline/
That’s great to know and I’ll give it a whirl. I don’t see myself doing anything real complex in the short term. Thank you for the feedback.