Chapter 5. Protecting the Network: Preventative Maintenance Techniques

SOME OF THE MAIN TOPICS IN THIS CHAPTER ARE

Power Conditioning and Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs) 58

Network Monitoring 62

Server and Workstation Backups 62

Routine Maintenance 67

Building Redundancy into the Network 68

Recovery Planning 68

Justifying Preventative Maintenance 69

This chapter looks at some important preventive maintenance ideas to consider employing in your network. The size and composition of your network will determine which of the ideas in this chapter you should use. Not all are appropriate for every network. Some are prohibitively expensive for smaller networks. Yet it is important to be aware of the possibilities so that as your network grows and you plan for upgrades, you also can make plans for additional procedures and devices that can protect the growing network from downtime and preserve your valuable data.