Hardware and Networking Service

Level-II
Module Title: - Implementing Maintenance Procedure

Module code: EIS HNS2 M08 0322

Nominal duration: 40 Hour
 This unit defines the competence required to set up
Introduction to the Module

maintenance procedures to keep equipment and software

operating effectively and efficiently.
 Implementing Maintenance Procedure
 This module covers the units:
 Equipment and software maintenance
 Revision of appropriate practices
 Identification of maintainable IT components
 Maintenance procedures
  Determine best practices for equipment and software maintenance
Learning Objective of the Module

 Revise practices, where appropriate

 Identify and analyze IT system components to be maintained
 Apply maintenance procedures
Module Instruction
 For effective use this modules trainees are expected to follow the following
module instruction:
1. Read the information written in each unit
2. Accomplish the Self-checks at the end of each unit
3. Perform Operation Sheets which were provided at the end of units
4. Do the “LAP test” giver at the end of each unit and
5. Read the identified reference book for Examples and exercise
 Unit one: Equipment and software maintenance

This unit is developed to provide you the necessary

information regarding the following content
coverage and topics of this unit:
 Identification of equipment and software
 Vendor documentation, peer organizations or research
information
 User Requirements
 Documentation of maintenance procedure
 Identifying computer hard ware to be maintained

 There are several ways to identify the normal operation of a computer.

 Most people use diagnostic software packages like
 PC Tools,
 Norton Utilities.
Those diagnostic packages provide user-friendly operations to perform
testing of a computer.
 However, you can initially make measurable observations using your
senses, that is, the sights and sounds to identify the normal operation of the
computer.
 The table below suggests where to look and what you might hear to get an
indication of normal behavior of a PC.
Device Sights Sounds
System unit Floppy disk drive activity Floppy disk drive
indicator (light) mechanisms
Front panel indicators such as: Speaker (beep) Fan
Hard disk drive
 Power on LED (light emitting
diode)
 Hard disk drive activity LED
Display unit (monitor) Power on indicator

Text displayed on screen

Keyboard Num lock indicator
Caps lock indicator
Scroll lock indicator
Printer Power on indicator Tractor feed
Mouse When software is loaded, mouse
pointer appears on a screen that reflects
a correct positioning of a pointer, or
other operations of a mouse
Potential sources of damage to computer hardware and
software

There are a number of common causes of damage to a

computer or its components. These are:
Temperature variations
Power cycling
Static electricity
Power line noise
Radio frequency interference
Phosphor burn on a monitor
Dust and pollutants
Water
 Temperature variations Cause

 Temperature variations (expansion and contraction of components from temperature change)

can lead to serious problems.
 Damages
 Chip creep: where the heating and cooling of components can cause
 Signal traces on circuit boards can be cracked and separated.
 Solder joints can be broken.
 Contacts undergo accelerated corrosion.
 Solid-state components can be damaged.
 Read and write problems on hard disk drive (due to expansion and contraction of the platter of hard
disk the data may be written at a different location relative to the track center).
 Advice
 Ensure a computer operates in correct ambient temperature Refer to the computer User‘s Manual
for this information.
 Ensure the ambient temperature when the:
 system is on it is in the range of 15-32 °C
 System is off it is in the range of 10-40 °C.
 Power
Causecycling

 Turning on a cold computer subjects it to the greatest possible internal temperature variation.
 Damages
 Same as for temperature variation
 Advice
 Power on a computer only once daily. Don‘t turn a computer on and off several times every day.

Static electricity
 Cause
 This problem usually appears extremely dry climates where the humidity is low.
 Some static-sensitivity problems are caused by improper grounding of computer power.
 Damages
 Electronic components
 Advice
 Always use a three-prong, grounded power cord plugged into a properly grounded outlet.
equipment be properly tested and certified. This includes the outlets, cables and connectors.
 Use a grounded static mat underneath a computer, or an antistatic wrist-strap, before
touching internal components of the computer.
Power line noise
Cause
 This problem is caused by poor quality power being supplied to a computer system,
which creates some spikes and transients (short transient signals of sometimes 1000
volts or more).
 It can also be caused by sharing a power source with other higher power consuming
equipment, such as coffee makers, copy machines or a laser printer.
 The wire size and length will affect the resistance of a power circuit.
Damages
 All system components
Advice
A computer system should be on its own circuit with its own circuit breaker.
A three-wire circuit is a necessity.
To decrease resistance, avoid extension cords unless absolutely necessary and
then use only heavy-duty extension cords.
Avoid using too many items on a single outlet.
Add an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) as a power conditioner.
 The first steps towards troubleshooting Reflect

 What might be the source of the problem?

 What steps will you take to find out?
 Here is a list of reasons why a computer might hang each time a
specific software application is run. It could indicate:
 a corrupted file
 an incorrect installation
 hard disk failure
 a virus
 a new application causing conflict
 new hardware causing conflict
 New device drivers causing a conflict with older software.
General troubleshooting guide
Here‘s a general troubleshooting guide that you can use when a
computer develops a fault.
Don‘t panic.
Observe:
 What are the symptoms?
 What conditions existed at the time of failure?
 What actions were in progress?
 What program was running?
 What was displayed on the screen?
 Was there an error message?
 What functions are still working?
Use your senses (sight, hearing, smell and touch).
 Is there any odor present?
 Does any part of the system feel hot?
Cont…
 Check power supply:
 Is the plug inserted snugly into the computer?
 Is the power cord plugged into an appropriate wall power outlet?
 Is the wall power outlet working?
 Documentation (fill in a pre-designed check list):
 What is the computer doing?
 What is the computer not doing?
 What is being displayed on the screen?
 Is there any error message?
 What is still operating with everything connected?
 Is power still operating on each part of a computer?
 Assume one problem:
 Use correct data and resources
 Use relevant technical manuals and information
 Use proper test equipment.
 Isolate units one-by-one:
 A hardware fault-finding checklist

 Remember to keep safety as your highest priority

 Ensure your own safety first, and then consider other precautions
such as static discharge, etc.
 Check the power supply.
 To disable the built in video controller you will need to access the
system CMOS or BIOS
 Remove all expansion cards. If the machine boots, replace the cards
one by one until the problem reappears.
 Check the CPU fan is operating.
 Check the RAM chips by swapping them with known good ones.
 Check the motherboard for signs of blown components.
 If still no success, you might swap the entire motherboard and CPU.
  A computer system consists of a hardware sub-system and a software sub-
Is the problem with the hardware or the software?
system.
 focus on the fault-finding process, and rectify the fault.
 The easiest way to determine whether a problem is hardware or software is to
test the hardware with software packages that are known to be good and that
have successfully run on the system before. If the system boots and operates
correctly, then the fault can be put down to software. If the system does not
boot or operate correctly then the fault can be put down to hardware.
 Configuration problems
 Configuration problems are problems that arise when a computer system is set
up for the first time or when new peripherals/components are added to the
system. When the component is first added, the system is not ready to receive
the hardware, until the system is prepared to support the device. This mismatch
can be rectified by:
 installing the appropriate software device drivers
 configuring CMOS/BIOS
 Configuring the operating system.
The POST

 The Power On Self-Test (POST) operates whenever a computer is switched on.

 Whenever you start up the computer system, the computer automatically runs
a series of tests. These test the basic functionality of vital components such as
the
 CPU,
 RAM,
 video card,
 motherboard, and
 input and output devices.
 POST finds a problem which is severe enough to keep the system from
operating properly, it halts boot up of the system and produces audio beeps
and/or error messages.
 You can find the meanings of these error signs in documentation
 The boot up process
 The absence of one or more of the following during booting can indicate a
fault:
 When power is applied, the power supply fan should work.
 The keyboard lights should flash as the rest of the system components are
reset.
 A POST memory count and test should be seen.
 A BIOS message should be visible on the monitor.
 The floppy drive access light should come on briefly.
 The hard disk access light should come on briefly.
 An audible short beep should be heard.
 The floppy disk access light should come briefly before a check of the hard
drive starts.
 An operating system prompt, message, or logo should be visible.
 For instance, if any of the above steps (except the last one) fails in some
regard, then you know the problem is hardware-related.
 Hardware toolkit
 What equipment are you likely to need when carrying out the fault-finding?

include:
 screwdrivers — a full set and range of sizes
 anti-static strap
 pointy-nose pliers
 multi meter
 known good components such as video card, cables, mouse, hard-disk drive,
network interface card (NIC), CD-ROM drive
 serial and parallel loop-back connectors
 boot disks
 a range of testing software for the loop-back plugs and NIC
 a POST card.
POST cards
 A POST card is a device that plugs into an empty slot in the
motherboard.
 When the system boots up, the card runs a series of diagnostics.
 In some cases these cards replace the normal functions of the BIOS.
 POST cards are normally used when systems are ‗dead‘, or when the
system cannot read from the hard drive or the floppy drive. Typically, a
normal BIOS chip stops when there‘s a severe error condition. POST
cards can actually continue and go through a full testing cycle.
 Diagnostic software
 There is a wide range of diagnostic tools available that can help you
identify all sorts of computer problems. Generally, the diagnostic
software used for testing system components and/or performance falls
into two categories:
 Generic
 Proprietary
 Generic diagnostic software
 The generic tools available are usually sold as software packages and are very limited.
 To evaluate the usefulness of generic software you have to assume that the software supplier
has tested their software with all original equipment manufacturer (OEM) hardware and
software you may want to test.
 This is hardly possible, so you should not be surprised when the results of such packages
fail to live up to expectations.
 A good example of this would be network interface cards (NICs).
 Most of the generic diagnostic packages will probably be able to determine that the NIC is
installed in the system, however, if the exact functionality instructions of the NIC are not
built into the diagnostic software, an accurate result will probably not be achieved.
 This is better understood when considering that the same NIC OEM may provide a
different diagnostics utility with each of many similar NICs. If the wrong version of the
diagnostics utility is tried with the wrong NIC, even the most basic loop-back test will often
fail. This highlights the need to pay close attention to the software provided by OEMs.
 If the information provided to the diagnostic software is not extremely accurate, then valid
test results are not a reasonable expectation.
Propriety diagnostic software
If diagnostic software is operated on its own specially
designed operating system, then direct access (via the BIOS)
to the hardware will likely yield accurate and thorough
details. Having unimpeded access to the low-level functions
of the hardware means the diagnostic software is able to run
rigorous testing and reporting. After all, it‘s unlikely that
rigorous memory testing could be performed while there are
several other programs currently running in memory.
Two examples of good diagnostic software are:
 Micro-Scope Diagnostic Suite from Micro2000
(http://www.micro2000.com/)
 PC Certify Lite from Pro Tech Diagnostics
(http://www.protechdiagnostics.com/)
Common diagnostic tools
All operating systems come with utilities that are used
for general checking, repair and reporting of faults.
Each operating system is different but they do have
some tools in common such as hard disk scanning
tools, eg:
 Scandisk for Microsoft
 fsck (file system check) for Unix clones like
Linux
 Disk First Aid for Apple MacIntosh systems.
Vendor documentation, peer organizations or research information
 Manufacturers should be able to demonstrate that they have a commitment to
environmental good practice, and that their equipment has been designed with
environmental impacts in mind. Most ICT equipment available in the world is
manufactured overseas, so there is limited opportunity to influence the design of the
equipment.
 However, maintaining ICT equipment should require suppliers to provide information on
the steps being taken by the manufacturer to reduce the environmental impact of their
products. In some regions of the world, such as Europe and North America, governments
are increasingly regulating the manufacturing process to reduce waste.
 Manufacturers are also starting to adopt Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which
recognizes an obligation to consider the interests of customers, employees, shareholders,
communities, and ecological considerations in all aspects of their operations. This
obligation is seen to extend beyond their statutory obligation to comply with legislation.
 The two directives were designed to tackle the fast-increasing waste stream of electrical
and electronic equipment. Directive 2002/96/EC requires increased recycling of electrical
and electronic equipment to limit the total quantity of waste going to final disposal.
Using recycled content
In 1999 a computer supplier announced the world‘s
first desktop PC using 100 per cent recycled plastic in
all the plastic parts. However, it appears this was not
commercially sustainable, and the company‘s 2006
Corporate Responsibility Report states that 28 per cent
(by weight) of all plastic resins contain recycled plastic
content, with a net recycled plastic content weight
representing 8.1 per cent of total purchases (against a
corporate goal of 5 percent).10 The EU RoHS Directive
precludes the use of some recycled materials because
of the use of substances such as flame-
Some Examples of hard wares include:
LCD display screens
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) consume about half the
power of an equivalent-sized cathode ray tube (CRT) screen.
LCDs also have direct user benefits in terms of saving desk
space, and they are better for your health.
CRT monitors radiate three electron beams that are
continually refreshing the entire screen 60 to 85 times each
second. Although your brain doesn‘t register the constant
refreshing, your eyes do, and they have to work harder to
absorb the information. LCD monitors don‘t refresh in this
way: pixels are constantly on or off, which greatly reduces eye
fatigue and strain. An LCD monitor also generates less heat
than a CRT, lessening the air conditioning loads in an office.
Desktop printers
Desktop printers, while convenient for users, can be costly to
maintain and operate. On the other hand, when printers are
networked and shared among groups of users (the most
common scenario), no one is responsible for turning them off
at night. Current good practice is to consolidate printing
functions into networked MFDs that are deployed on the basis
of one per floor.
As noted above, MFDs have good power management tools
and duplex printing (both sides) can be set as a default.
Desktop printers typically have less functionality than MFDs
and only more recent models have started to provide duplex
printing as a default option. The Ministry for the Environment
provides sustainability guidelines for office consumables such
as paper and ink cartridges.
 User Requirement

 The User Requirement document is a specification of requirements from the user

point of view, and its contents are thus essentially non-technical.
 It is not mandatory for the specification to include any technical elements.
However, the users often do have technical requirements, and when they do such
requirements have to be included in the User Requirement document. But even
then they must be presented so as to be capable of being understood by the non-
technical reader. The users will usually rely upon the services of appropriate
technical advisors to help in the specification of such requirements.
 Hardware requirements
 If hardware is to be supplied, it warrants its own detailed requirements section.
This should specify requirements in a little or as much detail as the users care
about the matter. A minimal specification might be concerned just with the
general nature, capacity and performance of the equipment to be provided. But
the defined requirements might even, for reasons of compatibility or
standardization, go so far as to specify particular makes and models of
equipment, if that is what the user community wants.
 Business requirements

Business requirements, also known as stakeholder

requirements specifications (StRS), describe the
characteristics of a proposed system from the
viewpoint of the system's end user. Products,
systems, software, and processes are ways of how
to deliver, satisfy, or meet business requirements
Benefits of Business Requirements
Description

Reduce Project failure Structured explanation of a business process or method defined

early in the life cycle helps reduce project failures that occur due
to misaligned or misrepresented requirements leading to failure
of user expectations.
Connect Broader business goal Well-defined business requirements help lay out a project
charter, a critical to step in executing business strategy or
business goals, and to take it to the next logical step of
developing it into an IT system. This helps monitoring overall
project health and provides for positive traction with key project
stakeholders including sponsors.
Consensus creation and collaboration The benefit of a structured format typical of business
requirements documentation helps create positive consensus and
better collaboration where the business stakeholder group might
be a large cross-functional team, distributed geographically.
Saves costs Good quality of business requirements when captured early on
not only improves success of a project but also save overall costs
associated with change requests, and related investments in
training, infrastructure, etc.
 Documentation of maintenance procedure

A maintenance procedure is only as good as its

measurement data. Poor data may be worse than no data
at all because poor data may lead to the wrong analysis,
resulting in working on the wrong thing.
One of the best ways to help ensure good data collection is
to have well-written procedures. Plants often fail to see the
importance of having well-written procedures for most
tasks and especially for tasks seemingly as simple as data
collection.
Why are Standard Maintenance Procedures Necessary?
To protect the health and safety of employees.
To help ensure that everyone performs a task to the same degree of
precision.
To save time when performing a task.
To help ensure that standards and regulations are met.
To minimize the effects of personnel turnover.
To increase equipment reliability.
To serve as a training document.
To help document the equipment management procedure.
To help protect the environment.
To provide a basis for accident investigation

What Information Should be contained in a Standard Maintenance Procedure?

Formal title and document number.

A statement reading: "Read all of the steps in this
standard maintenance procedure before beginning
work."
Personal protective equipment (PPE) required to do the
job.
All safety and environmental hazards to be aware of
while doing the job.
A detailed list of steps for performing the job or task.
A complete list of tools and materials for doing the job.
References to other documents needed to perform the
job.
Cont…
 Photos and diagrams where needed to explain job steps.
 Measurements, standards and tolerances in the standard maintenance
procedure steps.
 Any other important information that may help the worker complete
the task in a satisfactory manner.
 A definition of skills required for performing the job.
 Hours required to perform the job.
 Number of people required to perform the job.
 Required frequency of performing the job.
 Preparation and revision dates.
 Approval and review signatures.
 Space to provide feedback as to the accuracy and effectiveness of the
standard maintenance procedure.