An IT professional performing computer maintenance
Servers only seem to get attention by IT personnel whenever there is a hardware failure or the need for an upgrade arises. The most common type of server hardware failure is a failure with the hard drives, which unfortunately is bound to happen sometime since hard drives only have a certain number of read and writes before they fail. The less common hardware that needs to be replaced are the motherboard, the RAM (Random Access Memory) modules, and the CPU (Central Processing Unit).
Now to be able to all together avoid or minimize the likelihood of random server hardware failures it is best to practice preventative server hardware maintenance. Preventative server hardware maintenance is routinely performing checks on your server hardware to ensure that everything is still working smoothly and in good condition. You should also only use good hardware such as dedicated servers and use motherboards that are intended to run 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Make sure as well that the server is well protected from wear and tear as well as from the elements. Ensure that your servers are plugged into high quality surge protectors or better yet, UPSes (Uninterruptible Power Supplies).
Don’t forget to make sure that server’s air intake filters are cleaned regularly and that there is no blockage to the airflow. Remember that, “Prevention is always better than a cure”, with this in mind here is a basic checklist for server hardware maintenance:
Daily Frequency:
1. Data backup log review
2. System availability monitoring
Weekly Frequency:
1. Check server error logs
2. Check the storage device statistics
3. Review file server cache statistics
4. Check server disks and volumes
5. Update security patches at the OS and application level
6. Review antivirus definition files
Monthly Frequency:
1. Review all users and objects on the network to make sure that there are no intruders, obsolete accounts, or unauthorized accounts.
2. Test the backup device
3. Operating system updates
4. Disk volume maintenance
5. Review permissions and ACL
Yearly Frequency:
1. Asset review and system audit
If you still don’t know how or don’t have the qualified personnel to perform regular maintenance or to setup the required functionality, you could always find and hire reputable companies who can IT outsource these routine checks and implementation to qualified personnel who can do these services and specialize in server maintenance as well as data security.