Author: Thai Tran

• Verify that environmental conditions are tracked and maintained.
• Check temperature and humidity to ensure that environmental systems such as heating and air conditioning settings are within acceptable conditions, and that they function within the hardware manufacturer's specifications.
• Ensure that your physical network and related hardware such as routers, switches, hubs, physical cables, and connectors are operational.

• Make sure that the recommended minimum backup strategy of a daily online backup is completed.
• Verify that the previous backup operation completed.
• Analyze and respond to errors and warnings during the backup operation.
• Verify that the transaction logs were successfully purged (if your backup type is purging logs).

• % Processor Time.
• Available MBs.
• % Committed Bytes in Use.

• Filter application and system logs on the Exchange server to see all errors.
• Filter application and system logs on the Exchange server to see all warnings.
• Note repetitive warning and error logs.
• Respond to discovered failures and problems.

• Check the number of transaction logs generated since the last check. Is the number increasing at the “usual” rate?
• Verify that databases are mounted.
• Make sure that public folder replication is up-to-date.
• If full-text indexing is enabled, verify that indexes are up-to-date.
• Test mailbox, verify the logon of each database and the send/receive capabilities.

• Examine System Monitor counters.
• Examine Event Viewer logs.
• Verify that a test account can log on to the Exchange server and has send/receive capabilities.
• Verify your Performance monitor RPC counters against a baseline - RPC average latency/RPC requests/RPC operations.

• Check queues for each server using the Queue Viewer tool in the Exchange Management Console.
• Record queue size.

• Send messages between internal servers using test accounts.
• Check and verify that messages deliver successfully.
• Send outgoing messages to non-local accounts.
• Check and verify that outgoing messages deliver successfully. With the test account on the external host, verify that mail comes in.
• Verify successful message transfer across connectors and routes.

• Mail Essential and Mail Security for Exchange (these licenses expire in 12/31/2011).
• View the security event log on Event Viewer and match security changes to known, authorized configuration changes.
• Investigate unauthorized security changes discovered in security event log.
• Check security news for latest virus, worm, and vulnerabilities.
• Update and fix discovered security problems and vulnerabilities.
• Verify that SMTP does not relay anonymously, or lock down to specific servers that require functionality.
• Verify that SSL is functioning for configured secure channels.
• Update virus signatures daily.

Note: All the backups sync to the local hard drive.

• Verify that SQL Services are running (SQL Agent).
• Verify that SQL Agent jobs succeeded.
• Verify that spindles have free space.
• Verify that data and log files for each database have free space.

• Make sure that the recommended minimum backup strategy of a daily online backup is completed.
• Verify that the previous backup operation completed.
• Verify that full backups succeeded.
• Verify that transactional log Backups succeeded.
• Analyze and respond to errors and warnings during the backup operation.
• Verify that the transaction logs were successfully purged (if your backup type is purging logs).

• % Processor Time.
• Available MBs.
• % Committed Bytes in Use.

• Filter application and system logs on the SQL to see all errors.
• Filter application and system logs on the SQL server to see all warnings.
• Note repetitive warning and error logs.
• Respond to discovered failures and problems.

Note: All the backups sync to the local hard drive.

• Verify that SQL Services are running (ie. SQL Agent).
• Verify that SQL Agent jobs succeeded.
• Verify that spindles have free space.
• Verify that data and log files for each database have free space.

• Make sure that the recommended minimum backup strategy of a daily online backup is completed.
• Verify that the previous backup operation completed.
• Verify that full backups succeeded.
• Verify that transactional log Backups succeeded.
• Analyze and respond to errors and warnings during the backup operation.
• Verify that the transaction logs were successfully purged (if your backup type is purging logs).

• % Processor Time.
• Available MBs.
• % Committed Bytes in Use.

• Filter application and system logs on the SQL to see all errors.
• Filter application and system logs on the SQL server to see all warnings.
• Note repetitive warning and error logs.
• Respond to discovered failures and problems.

Note: All the backups sync to the local hard drive.

• Clock communication – general items.
• Clock communication – error messages.
• Clock communication – error situational problems.
• Make sure that the recommended minimum backup strategy of a daily online backup is completed.
• Verify that the previous backup operation completed.
• Verify that full backups succeeded.
• Verify that transactional log backups succeeded.
• Analyze and respond to errors and warnings during the backup operation.
• Verify that the transaction logs were successfully purged (if your backup type is purging logs).

Note: All the backups sync to the local hard drive.

• Check application and system logs on the server to see all errors.
• Check application and system logs on the Exchange server to see all warnings.
• Note repetitive warning and error logs.
• Respond to discovered failures and problems.
• Use daily data from event log and System Monitor
• Check on disk usage.
• Check on memory and CPU usage.
• Check uptime and availability.
• List the top generated, resolved, and pending incidents.
• Create solutions for unresolved incidents.
• Check anti-virus definition updates timely.
• Check server and network status for the overall organization and segments.
• Check organizational performance and availability.
• Check risk analysis and evaluation including upcoming changes.
• Check capacity, availability, and performance reviews.
• Review items that have not met target objectives.

Note: Backup on this server is sync to the NAS.

• Check disk space availability.
• Check status of backups.
• Check that the pmon process is running.
• No changes to /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, /etc/hosts, and /etc/group.
• Check the latest entries in the logs.

Note: Manual backup users/groups from the web GUI

• Check disk space availability.
• Check status of backups.
• Check that the pmon process is running.
• No changes to /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, /etc/hosts, /etc/group.
• Check the latest entries in the logs.

• Check disk space availability.
• Check status of backups.
  • Backup folder is /data/backup
  • Backup script is /etc/cron.daily/backup
  • Backup to mirror drive is /media/www/data
  • Backup script to mirror drive is /etc/cron.daily/backuptomirror
• Check that the pmon process is running.
• No changes to /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, /etc/hosts, /etc/group.
• Check the latest entries in the logs.

Note: Backup sync/mirror to the internal drive and NAS.

• User manual and installation procedures: \\NAS\public\Software.apps\ES.server.Bosanova\DOCS
• Check for emulator server services are running.
• Check for users’ connectivity.

• Check system monitor, CPU usage, uptime, disk usage, system load, and performance.
• Check web security, black list, custom sites, and policies.
• Check and monitor remote user/VPN settings and logs.
• Assign and adjust network configuration settings related to the IP addresses were given are met.
• Check for system logs, error messages, and system diagnostics to analyze the network connectivity.

• Need to re-design a new network infrastructure for better productivity, connectivity, eliminate downtime, and point of failures.
• All production servers need to be replaced at least once every five years.
• Need to replace all the home built servers: Infusion, OnContact, and TimeClock. These servers do not have hardware redundant functionality to handle production environment.
• Need to rebuild and replace Fileserver because of hardware failure and running out of space.
• Need to rebuild and upgrade Exchange server to Exchange 2010 with backup and restore software licenses.
• Need a new gateway router that can monitor Audina bandwidth, productivity, and threats from the outside world.
• Need new network switches.
• Need to re-wire the whole network infrastructure.
• Need to install a patch panel.
• Eliminate all the small network switches, this will cause the slowness and bottleneck of the network.
• Need to replace all QC computers except Sherry’s computer.
• Need to have a better Internet bandwidth for better productivity.

NOTE: These suggestions have been put forward to management when I first started, from day one. Keep in mind: my intentions here are to protect Audina’s data. — Thai Tran 2011/10/28 12:19