How Best To Maintain A Server Room?
A server room supports the continuous operation of computer servers typically for a business’s day to day operations. The difference between a server room and a data centre is that a server room isn’t an entire building or station, it’s one single, typically air-conditioned, room. Both have the same functions while operating on different scales and both require regular maintenance to prevent faults from occurring and ensure maximum operational efficiency.
Server room maintenance is the process of keeping the components and the environment free of any faults, in pristine physical health, and beneficial to your business’s processes. Regular maintenance is an essential part of having a server room as part of your organisation. Following a clear checklist created and implemented by a professional server room maintenance company is the most effective way of managing your server room. Discover the best methods to maintain your organisation’s server room below.
Checklist For Maintaining A Server Room
Building Checks
The first step of server room maintenance is to check the condition of the physical room. Conduct a test of the floors, ceilings, and walls to identify any faults that could lead to leaks or water damage. You should also immediately remove any tripping or fire hazards from your server room. These checks require more than a quick scan of the room, book dedicated time with a server room engineer to check the building’s condition in depth. This includes inspecting the room for pests that may chew through wires and be a health hazard.
Cleaning Tasks
A similar task is to conduct regular cleaning of the server room. Check the condition of the facility to ensure it’s clean and hygienic. This means removing the dust that builds up on hardware and reducing the risk of contamination.
Server Room IT Equipment
IT equipment needs regular maintenance so they continue to assist your workplace operations. Ensure all network devices and servers are clean, well ventilated with an unobstructed airflow, and all loose cables are clearly labelled and stored correctly. Any loose cables that have bare connections may cause a short circuit or become a tripping hazard, so ensure they’re corrected quickly.
Mission-Critical Electrical Infrastructure
Maintaining the electrical infrastructure of your server room is essential for it to function effectively. Ensure the power distribution units (PDU), the uninterrupted power supplies (UPS) are operating, and the lighting and emergency lighting are functional. Check that all mission-critical electrical infrastructure is free of faults regularly to remove the risk of any problems from occurring.
Cooling Infrastructure
Server room equipment generates heat, which means without the right cooling systems they will overheat. This can also occur if a fault arises with the cooling infrastructure inside your server room. Environment monitoring systems monitor the temperature, humidity, and moisture levels inside your server room. Ensure these systems are checked by professionals regularly as they will highlight any potential issues before they escalate into larger problems.
The Main Types Of Server Room Maintenance
There are two fundamental types of server room maintenance: hardware and software maintenance. Hardware maintenance focuses on the cleaning and testing of the physical equipment in your server room. Whereas software maintenance includes ensuring all programmes are up to date and match your latest requirements as well as updating the server’s applications.
However, these are not the only forms of server room maintenance, they can be broken down further. All have a clear purpose and ensure your server room is operating efficiently and effectively. A server room maintenance company can advise on the best schedule to conduct maintenance that matches your business’s requirements.
Reactive Maintenance - Fixing one or more faults that have arisen which will cause the equipment to deteriorate or fail.
Corrective Maintenance - Restoring equipment to operational condition after a problem has been identified.
Planned Maintenance - Any scheduled maintenance undertaken, regardless of no faults being previously identified to reduce the risk of a problem occurring.
Preventative Maintenance - Maintaining server room equipment to ensure it retains its quality long-term and reduces the risk of a system failure.
Predictive Maintenance - Testing the server room to identify the most effective time to perform maintenance tasks.
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