Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004 Unleashed

Chapter 20. Documenting an ISA Server 2004 Environment

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Understanding the Benefits of ISA Server Documentation

• Documenting the ISA Server 2004 Design

• Developing Migration Documentation

• Creating Administration and Maintenance Documentation for ISA

• Preparing Disaster Recovery Documentation

• Understanding the Importance of Performance Documentation

• Writing Training Documentation

• Summary

• Best Practices

One of the most commonly skipped but important tasks in an ISA deployment project is the documentation of the design and functionality elements of an ISA server environment. It is one thing to deploy ISA server to address specific needs, but it is quite another to try to decipher why a particular ISA design was put into place or what an ISA server does years after it goes into place. Best practice dictates that the design, implementation, and functionality of an ISA server is incorporated into easy-to-understand and readily available documentation that can be accessed for disaster recovery purposes or during security audits.

This chapter outlines key best practice documentation techniques that can be used to formalize the design and implementation of an ISA environment. Specific table of contents and document examples are shown, and documentation recommendations are given. In addition, this chapter also includes examples of a custom script that can be created to export firewall policy rules for documentation purposes.