Dedicated server are essential to any business. Servers are essential to business continuity, but any mistake can lead to downtime that is costly. That’s why server maintenance is so important.
Keeping a server running involves more than just loading the latest patches and updates. Use our server maintenance checklist to ensure the smooth operation of your server and avoid downtime.
Here’s is our list of 15 server maintenance tips to help you better manage your hardware and avoid the most common issues.
Double-Check & Verify Your Backups
If you’ve ever had to recover from a catastrophic drive failure, you know how important data is to the smooth operation of a business.
With a good backup strategy, it’s better to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them. Schedule a few moments every week (or day) to verify server backups. Mirror the server to a cloud-based virtual machine and test it frequently.
Check the RAID array.
Many servers are equipped with a RAID (Redundant array of independent disks). When a disk fails, RAID allows multiple hard drives to act as if they were one device. Modern RAID arrays are equipped with advanced monitoring tools in most cases. You can check your RAID utility to see if you have any potential drives failing. You can plan your drive replacements or rebuilds to minimize downtime.
Verify Storage Utilization
Periodically check your servers’ hard drive usage. Servers create a large number of log files and old emails. They also generate outdated software packages. You can archive or delete old emails. Some application updaters do not remove old files. You can also find third-party utilities for managing old software files. Third-party tools are also available for managing old software. The swap file is used to act as physical memory. If disk utilization gets above 90%, it can interfere with the swap file, which can severely degrade performance.
Review Server Resource Usage
In addition to reviewing disk space, it’s also smart to watch other server usages.
Memory and processor usage can show how heavily a server is being used. CPU and memory usage near 100% is a sign of an overloaded server. Upgrade your hardware or add additional servers to reduce the load on it. You can also implement a hybrid cloud by reassigning some workloads to the cloud. Update your Control Panel
Control-panel software (such cPanel), must be manually updated. Only the control panel gets updated when updating cPanel. Update the software that cPanel manages. This includes Apache and PHP.
Update Software Applications
Depending on your server configuration, you may have many different software applications. Some systems come with package managers which can update software automatically. Create a schedule for reviewing available software updates for those who don’t. Some operating systems require older versions of applications. Avoid exposing older software to a public network in production environments.
Examine Remote Monitoring Tools
Check out remote management tools such as the remote console, reboot remotely, and rescue mode. They are particularly important if your organization uses a virtual server cloud or manages servers remotely. Secure remote access for your employees if remote work is practiced by your organization.
Check in on these utilities regularly to make sure they are functional. Many problems can be solved by rebooting. Remote consoles allow you to access a server even if you are not physically there. Red Hat’s Rescue Mode is available, but many server operating systems offer a management mode or safe mode that you can remotely access to perform repairs.
Verify Network Utilization
Much like memory and CPU usage, server loads have a network capacity. Consider upgrading your network hardware if you are nearing the maximum capacity. You might also consider network monitoring tools in addition to network capacity. These tools can watch your network traffic for unusual or problematic usage.
Monitoring traffic patterns can help you optimize your web traffic. You might, for example, migrate frequently-accessed resource to a quicker server. You might also track unusual behavior to identify intrusion attempts and data breaches, and manage them proactively.
Verify operating system updates
OS upgrades can be tricky to navigate. On the one hand patches and updates can fix security issues, improve performance, and expand functionality. Hackers plan their cybersecurity attacks around zero-day exploits. That is, they look at the OS patches that are released, and attack those weaknesses before a business can patch the vulnerability.
On the other hand, custom software can experience conflicts and instability with software updates. Regularly review OS updates. If you have a sensitive production environment, consider creating a test environment to test updates before rolling them out to production.
Physically Clean Server Hardware
Schedule time to physically clean and inspect servers to prevent hardware failure. It keeps dust and debris off the circuit boards and fan. Visually inspect the server and its environment while you are cleaning. Ensure that the cabinets are well ventilated. Look for unusual connections and wiring. Unexpected flash drives could be a breach of security. An unauthorized network cable might create a data privacy concern.
Check for Hardware Problems
Modern operating systems for servers maintain logs for hardware problems.
An error in hardware could be the SMART code on a failing drive, a driver problem for a failing device or random errors which could indicate a system crash. You can identify and fix a hardware issue by checking your error logs before it becomes a major system failure.
Review Password Security
Evaluate your password policy regularly. Start using a password management system for your enterprise now. It’s a good idea to tell users to manually change their passwords if you do not.
Evaluate User Accounts
Most businesses have some level of turnover, and it’s easy for user accounts to be overlooked.
Review the user account list periodically, and remove any user accounts no longer needed. Check the account permissions to ensure they are correct for each user. You should also review client data and account information while reviewing the data. You may need to manually remove data for former clients to avoid legal or security complication.
Consider Overall Server Security
Evaluate your server security policies to make sure that they are current and functioning. Use a network security tool from a third party to test your network. It can be a great way to identify areas you may have overlooked and prevent security breaches from occurring. Check Server Logs Regularly
Servers maintain logs that track access and errors on the server. These logs can be extensive, but some tools and procedures make them easier to manage.
Review your logs regularly to stay familiar with the operation of your servers. You can identify hardware issues by reviewing logged errors. Anomalies in access logs might mean unauthorized usage by users or unauthorized access from an intruder.
Regular Server Maintenance Reduces Downtime & Failures
With this checklist, you should have a better understanding of how to perform routine server maintenance.
Regular maintenance ensures that minor server issues don’t escalate into a disastrous system failure. Poor planning is often the cause of many server failures.
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