Download Chapter 11 – Preventive Maintenance

IT Essentials I v. 3.1
Module 12
Preventive Maintenance
and Upgrading
© 2004, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
2
Module 12
Preventive Maintenance and Upgrading
12.1 – Preventive Maintenance and the
Technician
12.2 – Preventive Maintenance and
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
12.3 – Preventive Maintenance for
Computer Peripherals
12.4 – Preventive Maintenance for Computer
Software
Preventive Maintenance and the
Technician
Elements of a Preventive Maintenance
Program
•
•
The main goal of any
preventive maintenance
program is to preempt
problems before they happen.
There are three questions that
need to be addressed when
developing a preventive
maintenance program:
1. When is the best time to
prevent problems from
happening?
2. Why is this maintenance
being done now?
3. How is this system to be
maintained?
Tools and Equipment
• Every technician toolbox
should contain the basic
tools.
• A wide variety of flat-head
and Phillips-head
screwdrivers should be
carried in a technician toolset.
• Diagonals or crosscut pliers
allow the technician to
precisely cut wires and
cabling to their specifications.
• A good toolset should include
a socket set.
Tools and Equipment
• The toolset should include a
meter, which is a measuring
device.
• A digital multimeter (DMM)
combines the functionality
of a voltmeter, ohmmeter,
and an ammeter into one
easy to use device.
Tools and Equipment
• Loop-back plugs can
provide important diagnostic
information while
troubleshooting serial and
parallel ports.
• It works by sending signals
out and verifying if the
correct input is received
back.
• Diagnostic information can
be gained from individual
pins, ports, controllers, and
printer output.
Environmental Guidelines
• What to do with the old computers or parts? Can they
simply be placed in the garbage bin so that they are
hauled to the landfill and buried?
• Computers and peripherals contain some
environmentally unfriendly materials.
• Most computer components are either hazardous or
contain some level of hazardous substances.
• Waste materials are listed as hazardous because
they are known to be harmful to human health and
the environment when not managed properly.
Environmental Guidelines
for a Server Room
• Never put the server against ductwork or next to the
air conditioner.
• Be aware of items that can cause interference with
electrical pull and EMI, utilize only isolated grounding
circuits.
• A typical server would operate in the following
ranges:
– Operating temperature: 50º F to 95º F
– Storage temperature: –40º F to 105º F
– 10,000 BTU/hour max heat dissipation
Environmental Guidelines
for a Server Room
• Too much humidity in the air and the moisture can damage the
server electronic components. Too dry and the environment
can be subject to electrostatic discharge (ESD).
• If the air quality is questionable, clean out the system using a
computer vacuum cleaner or some canned air.
• Carbon dioxide extinguishes a fire by reducing the oxygen
content of the protected area below the point where it can
support combustion.
• If you are unable to save the equipment before a flood, the
equipment will be damaged or completely unrecoverable.
• To keep them from affecting the server, monitor the
temperature, line voltage, and other environmental operating
statistics of the server.
Proper Disposal of Hazardous Materials
• Batteries often contain rare earth
metals that can be harmful to the
environment.
• Because of these metals,
depleted batteries are classified
as hazardous materials.
• The disposal of batteries is
tightly controlled both at the
national and state or local levels.
• The desired method for the
proper disposal of batteries is
recycling, if possible.
Proper Disposal of Hazardous Materials
• Monitors must be disposed of in compliance with
environmental regulations.
• Laser printer toner cartridges can be refilled and
recycled. Ink cartridges from ink-jet printers can also
be refilled and reused.
• Solvents and other liquid cleaning materials must be
properly categorized and disposed of at an
appropriate type of disposal center.
Using Material Safety and Data Sheets
(MSDS)
• A Material Safety and Data Sheet (MSDS) is a fact
sheet that summarizes information about material
identification.
• This includes hazardous ingredients that can affect a
person health, fire hazards involved in using the
material, and first aid requirements.
Preventive Maintenance
and Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Overview
• Static electricity is the buildup of an electric charge
resting on a surface.
• For a person to feel an ESD, there must be at least
3000 volts built up. If the discharge causes pain or
makes a noise, then the charge was most likely
above 10,000 volts.
• Most computer chips run on less than 5 volts of
electricity.
Anti-Static Bags
• When purchasing components to
assemble a computer, special
packing materials are used with
microchips and Printed Circuit
Boards (PCBs).
• These packing materials range
from special molded plastics and
foams for microchips to antistatic bags for PCBs.
• Do not remove any component
from special packaging until it is
ready to be installed.
Grounding Wrist Straps
• A grounding wrist strap
provides a place for the
static to go before it
attacks a sensitive
computer component.
Compressed Air
• Compressed air or antistatic spray as solutions can
be used on floors, desks,
and in some cases on the
equipment itself.
Grounded Workbench
• There is no need for a grounding
mat when computers and other
electronic devices requiring
grounding are placed on a grounded
surface during repairs.
• A few key elements to a good
working area should be anti-static
tile on the floors, grounded
workbenches with anti-static mats,
and wrist straps.
• The area should be clean, well lit,
and the humidity level should be
maintained between 20% to 50%.
• If all of these elements are in place,
the risk of ESD will be significantly
reduced.
Preventive Maintenance
for Computer Peripherals
Monitor
• Since the display unit attached
to the computer is the most
visible piece of equipment, it is
a good idea to keep it clean
for both looks and
functionality.
• Make sure the device is
unplugged from the wall.
• Using a damp cloth with a mild
detergent, wipe down the
entire display unit to remove
any dust buildup.
Mice
• There are two different types
of mice, mechanical, and
optical.
• A mechanical mouse can act
jumpy if it gets dirty. The
fastest way to clean it is to
remove the plate on the
bottom of the mouse, remove
the ball, and then gently
scrape the dust buildup.
• An optical mouse may need a
damp cloth on the optical
sensor surface. Be sure to
unplug the optical mouse
when cleaning.
Keyboard
• A keyboard, takes the most
abuse of any of the components
that make up a computer
system.
• They are also open to the
environment, which allows dust
to build up on the keyboard over
time.
• Periodic cleaning of the
keyboard will prolong the
lifespan and prevent
malfunction.
• The keys on a keyboard can be
removed.
Cleaning Printers
•
•
When working with dot
matrix printers, clean the
roller surfaces with a damp
cloth.
There are two things to
remember when cleaning a
laser printer.
1. To clean a toner mess,
use the right vacuum
cleaner.
2. Unplug the unit before
cleaning it due to the high
amounts of voltage within
the laser printer.
Scanners
• If dust or any foreign
items make the glass
dirty, consult the user
guide for manufacturer
cleaning
recommendations.
• Try using glass cleaner
and a soft cloth so the
glass does not get
scratched.
Computer Software PM
Software Utilities
• There are several utilities that
are included with DOS and
Windows that help maintain
system integrity.
• Scandisk is used either to
check the integrity of files and
folders or to do a more
thorough check of the system
by scanning the disk for
physical errors.
• Defrag was created to
optimize space on the hard
drive so that programs
execute faster.
Software Utilities
• CHKDSK /f– This
command is used to check
the file system for errors
and can be compared to the
scandisk for Windows
2000/XP.
• REGEDIT– The registry is a
database that holds
configuration data about the
hardware and environment
of the PC.
User Responsibilities
• These are ways to manage files and programs to
improve performance:
– Manage applications
– Manage files and folders
– Back up the work
Anti-Virus
• To prevent a virus from infecting the system, the best
defense is an anti-virus application.
• Viruses are typically sent as e-mail attachments.
Once opened, the virus will infect the computer and
send itself out using e-mail addresses found in
programs like Microsoft Outlook.
• This is a list of the most common forms of viruses:
– File Virus
– Boot Sector Virus
– Macro Virus
Firewall
• Reducing the risk of security
attacks on your system is
accomplished with a Firewall.
• Windows XP includes Internet
Connection Firewall (ICF), that
is accessed in network
connection properties box.
• ICF monitors all the outbound
and inbound communications
of a computer. If ICF does not
recognize a packet being sent
or received, the packet is
dropped.
Power Issues
• Computers components are
vulnerable to various kinds
electrical fluctuations and
can be damaged by
electrical discharges
because of the delicate
nature of the internal
components.
• Blackouts are the complete
loss of power for any
amount of time.
• Brownouts/Sags are a
drop in power.
Power Issues
• Noise is caused by interference
from radio broadcasts,
generators, and lightning.
• Spikes are sudden increases in
voltage that are much higher
than normal levels.
• Power Surge is a dramatic
increase in voltage above the
normal flow of electrical current.
Surge Suppressor and Power Supplies
• Surge suppressors guard
against electrical surges and
spikes.
• It works by diverting the extra
voltage to the ground.
• A standby power supply (SPS)
is equipped with a backup
battery to supply power when
the incoming voltage drops
below the normal level.
• The battery is on standby during
the normal operation of the unit.
Surge Suppressor and Power Supplies
• An uninterruptible power
supply (UPS) is comparable
to SPS. However, a UPS
runs off the battery power
the entire time it is in use.
• The power coming into the
unit recharges the batteries
while they are in use.
• It is a device that protects
against AC power issues
and provides a limited
supply of power in the event
of a power failure.
UPS in a Server Environment
• The UPS may be free standing
next to the server or rack
mounted.
• It is plugged directly into the
power source.
• The server and its components
are then plugged into the UPS.
• A serial or USB cable that runs
from the UPS to a port on the
server gives the network
operating system the capability
to monitor the UPS.
UPS in a Server Environment
• After installing the UPS monitoring software, the
following parameters have to be to configured:
– Time to wait before sending a warning to clients
that the server is running on battery power. This is
generally a few seconds.
– Time to wait before beginning a shutdown of the
network server. This is generally a few minutes.
– Name of a program or group of commands to run
as part of the shutdown process.
UPS in a Server Environment
• Upgrading an UPS could mean replacing the UPS
battery or putting a UPS with a larger VA rating in
place of a smaller UPS.
• A UPS upgrade might be required for any of the
following reasons:
– The current UPS does not provide power for a time
period that is long enough to allow the network server to
shut down gracefully
– The network server power requirements have increased
because of the addition of power-consuming hardware
to the network server
– The amount of equipment that must be supported by the
UPS during a power failure has increased