Chapter 1. Maintenance

Maintenance might seem separate from the process of troubleshooting but imagine it as the other side of the same coin. Any device that is well maintained will be more reliable, suffers fewer problems, and will be easier and quicker to repair. Network owners, such as businesses and governments, want computer systems that are consistently available. Good troubleshooting technique minimizes the length of time of an outage, but good maintenance technique reduces outages.

You must select the appropriate tools and techniques for the network you maintain, based on law, company policy, and your experience. You need to understand, whichever elements you incorporate into your strategy, that a structured approach to maintenance is a key part of reducing unplanned outages.