Maintenance Cycles

[Jeff]

On the systems I administer, I try to setup maintenance cycles. I document a list of things I need to do and perform them during the slowest traffic time I can find. Here is an example list:

1. Repair/optimize database tables
2. Audit backup operations
3. Install any updates
4. Restart services and sometimes reboot servers
5. Check error logs for anything unusual
6. Check file system state

I make sure I have this list open during each maintenance event and modify it as needed.

This has helped ensure stable operations of the systems I administer. I find that I can catch many issues before they affect the client. For example, I see a drive filling up from normal use long before it becomes full. I normally try to schedule this in weekly and/or monthly cycles.