Healthy Networks are Happy Networks, Part II

In the first article we explored what comprises a network, and how maintenance is important.  In this article, I want to expand on what is involved in the maintenance of a network.

Network health needs to be maintained.  An unhealthy network will eventually begin to experience problems and performance will be affected, to the point where significant down time will be experienced. 

Physical structures:

These are the visible parts of the network - workstations, switches, servers, printers and any other devices that make up the network.  Ensure workstations are replaced at the end of life.  A single slow computer can pull down the performance of the entire network.  Switches are notoriously reliable and can last for years and years, but a faulty or poor performing switch can be difficult to diagnose.

Backup systems:

Backups are like insurance.  Nobody seems to care about them until they are needed.  Check your backups regularly.  You should regularly verify a backup by restoring a file, and also monitor the size of the backup and how long it takes to complete. 

I once discovered that a client had not been getting a backup for over a year because of changes that were made in the system.  The problem was not detected because the backup was completing successfully. When the client reviewed the logs, he had failed to notice that the size of the backup had dropped to almost zero.  Backups are a great way of monitoring network health.

Updates:

This is a more difficult aspect of a network to maintain.  All computers, INCLUDING the server need to have windows updates applied regularly and event logs checked for errors.  Many updates are security fixes for weaknesses and potential faults that hackers will explore and exploit.  Failing to keep up with these updates can have serious consequences.  New viruses often take advantage of these faults and can consume the entire network, resulting in days of downtime while the problems are resolved. However, there can be a downside with installing updates. Sometimes the updates result in changes to the system, and various services need to be adjusted.  Windows updates, or even software updates, can fail to install correctly and cause problems.

Monitoring:

It is very common to overlook checking the event logs on a workstation or server.  Often everything seems to be working correctly and it can be several days, weeks or even months before an underlying problem causes the network to degrade. A common problem that I have seen is when a hard drive, which is used to store information, begins to fill up.  One of the first problems that occurs is the inability to print.  You restart the computer, and printing is restored for a period of time, only to fail again.  The event logs are full of errors, but they aren’t always visible to the user.

Northern Computer offers two programs to assist with maintaining network health.  IT Manager assigns a dedicated technician and sales associate  to your site that are responsible for looking after some or all of the above tasks.  We assume some of the responsibility for maintaining network health and the cost becomes a fixed monthly price.

We are also offering a new service where we will monitor and advise you of potential problems, allowing you to control what work is performed.  Talk to us about these programs and how we can assist to ensure your business has a reliable network. 

 

- Mark S, Network Support Technician

Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca  or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca