| Let's take a look at the following scenario: | | | | is not something you can buy any where any time. |
| You are an administrator for several servers. They | | | | You have to call the authorized dealer of your server |
| can be mail server, database server, web server, you | | | | and see if they have the replacement part. Most |
| name it. One thing you know for sure all servers | | | | likely, they do not. They have to order it first which |
| have high traffic and operate at average of 80% | | | | usually takes one up to two weeks. After that there |
| capacity. If one of them fails, you know the steering | | | | is installation process which takes one up to three |
| comittee won't be happy to hear it. | | | | days. So in short, you may have to wait for about |
| Now if they are all fresh brand new, having less than | | | | three weeks before your beloved server goes back |
| two years in service, then there's is a little you need | | | | normally |
| to worry about. Most new equipments give their best | | | | How can you prevent such as disaster? You can not |
| output with minimum maintenance during the first | | | | -of course- prevent a hard disk from failure but you |
| years. After they run in service for three years or | | | | can create disaster recovery plan. You can cut the |
| more, there you have something to think about. In | | | | time needed to have the replacement part in your |
| above scenario, everything runs well for about three | | | | hand. You must notice that the older the hardware, |
| years. There's need not to going home lately, you | | | | the harder to get the spare part. If you have no |
| can sleep well and since you only need to do | | | | problem with waiting then it's fine, but if not then |
| minimum maintenance, you can use most of your | | | | there's an answer for your problem: maintenance |
| time for something more productive such as chat, | | | | contract. By signing maintenance contract -depend on |
| play online game, browsing adult site or edit your site | | | | your service level agreement-, your vendor holds the |
| and hope it will attract more and more visitors. *Am I | | | | responsibility to make sure parts are available |
| right?* | | | | whenever you need them. Perhaps you still have to |
| Then all of sudden, your database server suffers for | | | | wait while they order it but you are in priority list, it |
| hard disk failure. Fortunately its hard disks are | | | | won't take too much time. You can forget your |
| configured in raid-5 array so it still can run but can | | | | hardware failure as it is in someone's else hands, the |
| you take the risk of losing the other hard disks? You | | | | only thing you need to concern about is your data. |
| need to replace the failed hard disk and you have to | | | | Yeah don't get it wrong, a hardware maintenance |
| do it fast. | | | | contract covers the hardware only. What happens to |
| What are you gonna do? Call the nearest Seven | | | | your data is your own business. I may tell you the |
| Eleven and ask if they have a "72.6 GB HDD for bla | | | | best way to make your data survives any disaster, |
| bla bla series nah nah nah blade server"? Or browse | | | | but that will be another article. |
| Amazon and see if they have something helpful? This | | | | |