Editing Network mapping (section)

{{short description|Study of a computer network's physical connections}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2016}}

[[File:Internet map 1024.jpg|thumb|right|A visual representation of a part of the Internet]]
'''Network mapping''' is the study of the physical connectivity of networks e.g. the [[Internet]]. Network mapping discovers the devices on the network and their connectivity. It is not to be confused with network discovery or [[network enumeration]] which discovers devices on the network and their characteristics such as [[operating system]], open [[Computer port (software)|ports]], listening [[network service]]s, etc. The field of automated network mapping has taken on greater importance as networks become more dynamic and complex in nature.