Discovering network topology

[Jeremy <outdial () free fr>]

Hi list,

  I was wondering if there were special ways to discover networks 
topologies / mapping networks.  Are there particular tools or methods I 
should be aware of ?  The few tools I tried only gave me approximative 
results.  However I think nmap + the standard unix tools can do a good part 
of the job.

  Moreover, what are the differences between discovering an organisation's 
network from the inside, and from the outside ?
I mean, what are the best practices to discover network equipments, subnets, 
VPNs, etc?  I know that traceroute can be a good starting point, but are 
there some other tools and techniques I should know ?

Regards,

--
Jeremy