Server Room Maintenance Checklist –

How to Maintain a Functional Equipment

Room
POSTED BY ADMIN ON DECEMBER 17, 2018

Proper server room maintenance is crucial to protect equipment and sensitive data stored and
transmitted through different systems. It’s not just the room that requires maintenance,
servers also have particular needs that must be assessed on a regular basis.

The specific needs of a data room may vary based upon the size and location of the room,
how many hours each day it is in operation, as well as how much heat is generated by
equipment. Heat levels vary based on several factors, including how much and what types of
equipment operate in a space. Keep equipment well spread apart to provide proper ventilation
and help reduce the risk of equipment overheating.

Key items included on any server room maintenance checklist should include:

 Cooling systems
 Electrical maintenance
 Cleaning the room, floors, etc. Something as simple as leaving paper in a trashcan can
increase the risk of a server room fire.
 Non-interruptible power supply, including backing up batteries
 Detection of water or moisture
 Inspection of all cables (power and data)
 Ensuring fire suppression systems work, including sprinkler systems in case of fire
 Rack-based equipment used for air handling
 Free standing equipment
 Humidifier system
 Chillers
 Scanning of infrared power connectivity

Additional Server Maintenance Checklist

Considerations
Some server room maintenance only needs to be conducted once a month, while other tasks
should be completed on a daily or weekly basis. At the time servers are set up it’s important
to identify and correct any issues related to corrupted databases. Proper setup can prevent a
lot of common issues while protecting the longevity of equipment.

The following server maintenance tasks are broken up by daily, weekly, and monthly chores.
Keep in mind, the exact frequency of certain tasks may vary based upon the specifications of
your server room.

Daily Server Maintenance Tasks

 Back up servers — some people only back up servers on a weekly or monthly basis. The
frequency in which you back up your servers may vary. You never know when an
emergency will pop up, and it’s possible to lose all data generated since your last back up.
Therefore, the more frequently you back up servers, the better. Hence, why this task is
listed under daily maintenance chores to prevent lost data from causing serious issues.
 Mail routing — it is recommended to monitor mail routing on a daily basis.
 Monitor replication
 Take note of modem communications
 Observe the amount of disk space available and being used

Weekly Server Maintenance Tasks

 Take a careful look at the Admin Requests database
 Spend time monitoring databases that are currently in need of maintenance – identify the
type of maintenance they require
 Assess available disc space

Monthly Server Maintenance Tasks

 Make note of available memory space, as well as how much memory is currently in use
 Scan and assess the overall performance of servers – keep track of changes
 Inspect server load in comparison to overall capabilities
  Take a look at server requests

Everything You Need to Know About a

Server Room
 June 21, 2019
 blog

A server room is an important area for many businesses (and even some homes) that is set up
to house computer servers and other equipment. These rooms may have been originally
designed specifically for this purpose, or they may have been created as the need for one
came up. Either way, a good server room will provide an environment where computer
equipment can safely operate in one location so that networking and other activities are made
easier and more effective. Understanding the proper setup and configuration of a server room
will help with creating and maintaining it effectively.

Size of a Server Room

In IT communities, most people consider a server room to be a relatively small area with
anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred square feet. When a room gets significantly
larger than that and begins to house computer equipment, it can become a data center.
Technically speaking, however, a server room can be virtually any size.
Server rooms can also be just about any shape. In many situations, a server room likely
served another purpose such as a storage area, print shop, or office space. Because of this, the
room may be laid out in a non-standard way. The reason this is important is that it can impact
the planning for managing the environment, including airflow and cooling.

Unique Design Aspects of a Server

Room
When small businesses are growing and start to need computer servers and other equipment,
it is not uncommon for a business to designate a specific area to place them. In most
situations, this is a small, temporary, out of the way location that will really only be able to
house a small amount of equipment. Keeping computer equipment operating properly is not
the specific purpose of the design of these “computer closets.”

When a company designs or upgrades an area to a server room, it needs to have certain things
set up. With a specific design, you can avoid problems that can come with a new server room.
A server room must have some, or even all, of the following design aspects added in order to
allow technical equipment to operate properly:
 Precise Environmental Control – A server room should have sensors throughout the
area that measure both temperature and humidity. The environmental control systems
should also be able to keep the entire room at the desired levels.
 Airflow Planning – Servers and other computer equipment generate a lot of heat. A
good airflow plan helps to avoid ‘hot spots’ and eliminates heat from the area so it
doesn’t cause damage.
 Fire Suppression System – If a fire occurs, you don’t want to have to spray a server
room with water. The water would damage all the equipment, resulting in a huge
disaster.
 There are quite a few options for this type of system including Inergen systems,
Novec systems, and FM-200 systems. These are all designed to extinguish fires while
keeping computer equipment safe.
 Cable Management Solutions – Server rooms can end up with miles of cables.
Designing the room to allow cables to properly run through the ceiling, or under the
floor, helps avoid huge messes.
 Redundant Power Sources – Having redundant power sources is important not only
to ensure the equipment remains up and running at all times, but also to avoid power
surges that could damage the servers and other items in the room.
 Physical Security – Server rooms house thousands, or even millions, of dollars worth
of equipment. In addition, the stored data in these rooms can be invaluable. Having
the necessary physical security in place to keep it safe is essential.
 DMARK Location – Server rooms typically have multiple data circuits coming in,
often from multiple different telephone companies. Having one location (the DMARK
point) where the telco’s responsibility ends and passes off to the business is important.

What Equipment Goes in a Server

Room?
Once a server room is physically set-up and ready to go, it is time to start installing the actual
equipment. Of course, each server room is going to have different things housed within it
based on the needs of the company that is setting it up. The following are among the different
things you’ll find in most server rooms today:

 Server Racks – Server racks are installed within a server room and used to house the
physical equipment. These racks provide physical protection, improved temperature
control, and many other benefits.
 Computer Servers – Of course, this room is going to house servers. These could
be stand-alone servers, blade servers, or even equipment for virtual servers. Housing
all of them properly is crucial to ensure they run correctly.
 Routers & Switches – Routers, switches, and other networking equipment are
essential for sending, receiving, and routing the data that comes in and out of the
server room.
 Network Cabling – Server rooms will often have multiple types of network cabling
including CAT-5 and fiber optic cables.
 Cable Management Equipment – Starting from the server rack, and along the entire
path that cables run, it is important to secure cables in place. Cable management
equipment includes zip ties, installed eyelets, and a variety of other items to guide and
protect cables.
Designing or retrofitting a room to operate as a server room is a major undertaking. When
done properly, however, it will give your business a centralized location to keep a wide range
of equipment safe. It also makes it easier to manage the physical computer equipment and
software used to power your business.

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