How is DITA used for documenting IT infrastructure and network configurations?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

DITA offers an efficient framework for documenting IT infrastructure and network configurations, which are often complex and subject to frequent changes. IT professionals can leverage DITA’s structured authoring and content reuse capabilities to create and manage comprehensive documentation. Here’s how DITA is used for this purpose:

1. Modular Content: DITA allows content to be broken into small, reusable modules called topics. IT documentation can be organized into topics that cover specific aspects of infrastructure, such as servers, network devices, or security protocols. Each topic can be independently authored, reviewed, and updated, making it easier to keep documentation current.

2. Content Reuse: IT infrastructure and network configurations often involve shared components and settings. DITA’s content reuse mechanisms, like conref (content referencing), enable you to reference and reuse common information across multiple documents. When a configuration change occurs, you update the source content, and it’s automatically reflected in all instances where it’s used.

3. Conditional Text: DITA’s conditional text features are beneficial for documenting configurations that differ based on specific parameters. Whether it’s hardware variations, operating systems, or network topologies, you can use conditional processing attributes to include or exclude content as needed, ensuring that readers receive relevant information.

Example:

Consider a scenario where you need to document firewall configurations for different operating systems. DITA’s conditional text allows you to handle this efficiently:


<!-- Conditional Text Example in DITA for Firewall Configurations -->
<topic id="firewall_configuration">
  <title>Firewall Configuration</title>
  <body>
    <p>This document provides instructions for configuring the firewall on various operating systems.</p>
    <steps>
      <step>
        <p>For Windows:</p>
        <ol>
          <li>Open the Windows Firewall settings.</li>
          <li>Configure the inbound and outbound rules as needed.</li>
        </ol>
      </step>
      <step>
        <p>For Linux:</p>
        <ol>
          <li>Edit the iptables configuration file.</li>
          <li>Add rules to allow or deny traffic.</li>
        </ol>
      </step>
      <step>
        <p>For macOS:</p>
        <ol>
          <li>Access the system preferences.</li>
          <li>Configure the application firewall settings.</li>
        </ol>
      </step>
    </steps>
  </body>
</topic>

In this example, DITA’s conditional text is employed to provide specific firewall configuration instructions based on the operating system, ensuring that readers receive accurate guidance for their respective environments.