INFORMATION SHEET Unit 0f Competency: Determine Maintenance Strategy

Learning Guide: Determining Maintenance Strategy

The learning outcomes that trainees are expected to be achieved are:

LO1: Identify and analyze maintenance needs
LO2: Define client and supplier processes and standards
LO3: Develop service level agreements
LO4: Formulate maintenance strategy
LO1: Identify and analyze maintenance needs
Introduction
The definition of maintenance often stated maintenance as an activity carried out for any equipment to
ensure its reliability to perform its functions.
Maintenance is the combination of all technical and associated administrative actions intended to retain an
item in, or restore it to, a state in which it can perform its required function. Many companies are seeking
to gain competitive advantage with respect to cost, quality, service and on-time deliveries. The effect of
maintenance on these variables has prompted increased attention to the maintenance area as an integral
part of productivity improvement.
What is a Maintenance Strategy? Maintenance Strategy is a long-term plan, covering all aspects
of maintenance management which sets the direction for maintenance management, and contains firm
action plans for achieving a desired future state for the maintenance function.
A Maintenance Strategy brings all current maintenance practices and operations together with current
industry best practice in order to provide a strategic and coherent 'road map' for engineering to follow in
order to achieve the following goals:
 Improve service provision to operations i.e. reduce breakdowns and improve productivity
 Control engineering spending and ensure adherence to budgets
 Consistently provide parts for planned maintenance and breakdowns with the lowest spares
holding value.
 Improve communication between engineering and other business functions
 Ensure engineering compliance to all company and statutory standards and requirements
 To ensure engineering is focused on business objectives
 Enable engineering to take a lead in business development
The types of maintenance procedures (strategy) which make Maintenance Meaningful as being as:
 Preventive Maintenance—the prevention of equipment breakdowns before
they happen. This includes inspections, adjustments, regular service and planned
shutdowns. This is a time-based maintenance strategy where on a predetermined periodic
basis, equipment is taken off-line, opened up and inspected. Based on visual inspection,
repairs are made and the equipment is then put back on-line.
Thus under this equipment maintenance strategy, replacing, overhauling/servicing or
remanufacturing an items is done at a fixed intervals regardless of its condition at the time.
 Repair Work—repairing equipment and troubleshooting malfunctions in an effort to return the
equipment to its previous condition. These repairs may be reactive or preventive.

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 1
  Improvement Work—searching for better materials and improved design changes to facilitate
equipment reliability. Repair work is often a part of improvement work.

The resulting benefits of preventive maintenance are many. Some of them are listed below:
 Safety
 Lower cost
 Reduction in failures and breakdowns
 Extension of equipment life
 Improved trade-in/resale value of equipment. If the equipment is to be sold or traded in, a
preventive maintenance program will help keep the machine in the best possible condition, thereby
maximizing its used value.
 Increased equipment reliability
 Increased service
 Reduced overall maintenance

Corrective/reactive Maintenance: involves all unscheduled actions performed as a result

of system or product failure. This behavior is most common, and whether intentional or not, it is a
strategy. Just as, when you choose to do nothing, you still have made a choice. This strategy is
used in an effort to achieve economical efficiency – in theory, spending is only required when
corrective action is required (but, this is not necessarily true in every case). While this method
may fit for some systems or components, it is not recommended as an overall strategy for your
critical business systems.
Reactive Maintenance
 Reactive maintenance (also known as corrective maintenance) involves all unscheduled actions
performed as a result of system or product failure.
The spectrums of activities within this level are
1. failure identification
2. localization and isolation,
3. disassembly,
4. item removal and replacement or repair in place,
5. reassembly, and
6. Checkout and condition verification.
Scheduled Maintenance
Scheduled maintenance utilizes a previously developed maintenance schedule for each machine tool. This is much
like an cleaning on computers that takes place every two months. Scheduled maintenance can be considered a part
of preventive maintenance known as fixed-time maintenance (FTM).
Predictive Maintenance
Predictive maintenance involves performing maintenance on a machine in advance of the time a failure would occur
if the maintenance were not performed. Of course, this means that one must calculate when a machine is
predicted to fail. In order to do this, the firm must collect data on variables/factors that can be used to indicate

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 2
cause to failure (temperature, sound, color, etc.). This data is then analyzed to approximate when a failure will occur
and maintenance is then scheduled to take place prior to this time.
Predictive Maintenance: When we are given signs that something might fail soon, we replace
the item. In this case, we have performed predictive maintenance. For example, if a hard drive in a 4-year-
old PC begins to make an odd noise or speeds up and slows down while running, we replace the drive
before it has a chance to fail.
Operational Maintenance: Operational Maintenance involves tasks that can be performed by
the users of the computer systems. This helps keep the system running properly in between scheduled or
preventative maintenance. It doesn’t require any special skills to do this, and it helps to conserve file space
and improve the application’s performance.

Setting Up a Maintenance Program

When setting up a maintenance program, a number of key stages must be carried out. A typical
sequence of key stages in implementing maintenance is shown in Figure below.

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 3
Selecting a Maintenance Strategy
Selecting and appropriate maintenance strategy and choosing one or more techniques becomes a simpler
decision when the failure modes are understood. A schematic of the decision process in selecting an
appropriate maintenance strategy or maintenance technique is shown in Figure

IT Audit is the process of collecting and evaluating evidence to determine whether a

computer system safeguards assets, maintains data integrity, allows organizational goals
to be achieved effectively and uses resources efficiently
Objectives of IT Audit
Ensures asset safeguarding –‘assets’ which include the following five types of assets:
a) Data
b) Application Systems
c) Technology
d) Facilities
e) People: Staff skills, awareness and productivity to plan, organize, acquire, deliver,
support and monitor information systems and services.

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 4
Ensures that the following seven attributes of data or information are maintained
a) Effectiveness
b) Efficiency
c) Confidentiality - concerns protection of sensitive information from unauthorized
disclosure.
d) Integrity - relates to the accuracy and completeness of information as well as to its
validity in accordance with the business' set of values and expectations.
e) Availability
f) Compliance - deals with complying with those laws, regulations and contractual
arrangements to which the business process is subject;
g) Reliability of information - relates to systems providing management with appropriate
information.

LO2: Identifying and analyzing IT system components to be maintained

A hardware fault-finding checklist
Here’s a useful checklist that you can use to help you diagnose faults in hardware.
 First, consult any service level agreements (SLA) to ascertain if or clarify response time obligations
and internal/external responsibilities. Determine also if there are there any other organisational
guidelines you need to follow.
 Consult documentation logged from previous related or similar situations. Determine a set of
questions can you ask the user, your colleagues and your supervisor that might assist you in finding a
solution.
 Remember to keep safety as your highest priority by observing OH&S precautions, that is, ensure
your own safety first, and then consider other precautions such as static discharge, etc.
 Check the power supply. Ensure it is working and that it is powering the motherboard.
 If no video is displayed try swapping the monitor with a known good one.
 If the video controller is built in, disable it and try another known working video card. To disable the
built in video controller you will need to access the system CMOS or BIOS setup. On some systems,
simply inserting a new video card will automatically disable the built in video.
 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.
Remember to document everything you do according to organisational guidelines.
Is the problem with the hardware or the software?
A computer system consists of a hardware sub-system and a software sub-system. However, when looking
for the cause of the fault, sometimes it can be difficult to determine if the fault is hardware or software.
Once you have determined that the fault is confined to one of these two sub-systems, you can then isolate
it, 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.

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 5
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:
1 installing the appropriate software device drivers
2 configuring CMOS/BIOS
3 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 tests are not particularly thorough, but they represent the first line of defence, especially in handling
severe motherboard problems. If the POST test 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 from the system manufacturer — this is
often required for an accurate understanding of audio beeps and messages. But if the POST fails, then at
least you know the problem is hardware-related.
The boot up process
Carefully watching the steps in the boot process can reveal a lot about the nature of problems in a system.
By doing this you can include or exclude various possible causes of faults. The absence of one or more of
the following during booting can indicate a fault:
1 When power is applied, the power supply fan should work.
2 The keyboard lights should flash as the rest of the system components are reset.
3 A POST memory count and test should be seen.
4 A BIOS message should be visible on the monitor.
5 The floppy drive access light should come on briefly.
6 The hard disk access light should come on briefly.
7 An audible short beep should be heard.
8 The floppy disk access light should come briefly before a check of the hard drive starts.
9 An operating system prompt, message, or logo should be visible.
By observing the above sequence you should be able to work out where the problem might be, that is,
isolate the fault. 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? The most useful tool, that you
should never leave home without, is a good quality Philips-head screwdriver. However, other tools in your
hardware toolkit may include:
 screwdrivers — a full set and range of sizes
 anti-static strap
 pointy-nose pliers
 multimeter
 known good components such as video card, cables, mouse, hard-disk drive, network interface card
(NIC), CD-ROM drive

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 6
 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. The
great advantage of using these cards is that you do not have to resort to software running off the hard drive
or a floppy disk.
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.
Some POST cards also come with a series of light emitting diodes (LEDs) that produce coded error
signals that you could interpret together with a manual. Other cards produce audio beep signals.

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.
This is not to say the providers of these packages are supplying a defective product — just that they can
really only test the functionality of devices and systems functions known to the program writers and
this will exclude many proprietary devices. 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.
Another factor to consider is that general diagnostic software uses information gained from the underlying
operating system, which gains its information from the BIOS. This means that the operating system (using
its device driver) may not be able to accurately provide information on the device. If the information
provided to the diagnostic software is not extremely accurate, then valid test results are not a reasonable
PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 7
expectation. For truly accurate testing of a device you should use the software provided by the
manufacturer or use specialised diagnostic software that can bypass the operating system all together.
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.

General notes on planning the installation of hardware components

Motherboards
Planning the installation of motherboards is a complex task and you will need to consult the user manual
for a specific motherboard. You will need to ensure that the form factor of the motherboard is compatible
with the form factor of the case.
CPUs
The main point to consider in planning the installation of a CPU is to ensure that it is supported by the
motherboard. You will need to check that the physical socket size is compatible and then that the CPU
speed is supported. Read your motherboard manual to find out whether the new CPU will be automatically
detected or you may need to change a jumper setting on the motherboard.

RAM memory
Again, the main point to consider here is compatibility with the motherboard. You will need to ensure that
there are vacant slots for the new memory modules, that the memory speeds of the new modules are
supported and then that the maximum memory supported by the motherboard is not exceeded. After
physical installation of the new memory modules, BIOS should automatically detect the new RAM
memory.
ROM memory
As the ROM is an integral part of the motherboard, physical replacement is not possible. Software updates
are — consult the website of the relevant motherboard manufacturer for further information.

Hard drives and optical drives

First when installing a new hard drive, you need to decide in consultation with the client whether you are
going to replace the existing drive or keep both new and existing drive. If the decision is to keep both
drives, it would then be recommended that the newest drive is the boot drive and that the operating system
is installed on the newest drive as the data access time will be fastest.
Physically, when installing a new drive you need to ensure that there is a suitable position to mount the
drive.
In other topics you have looked at the two different interfaces for hard drives: IDE and SCSI. Most
desktop PCs use the IDE interface and these notes are for the IDE interface. At the time of writing the IDE
interface supports four drives, but an emerging standard is SATA (Serial ATA). Again, these notes discuss
the IDE interface.
The IDE interface supports four drives as listed below:

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 8
 Drive Function

Primary Master Typically boot hard drive

(IDE 1) Slave
Secondary Master Typically first optical drive
(IDE 2) Slave

You will need to set jumpers on your drive to be either the master or slave. Consult your user manual
After completing the physical hardware installation, the drive will need to be configured and formatted.
Unlike floppy drives, hard disk drives vary greatly in storage capacity. The disk is electronically blank to
begin with. The manufacturer generally performs a ‘low-level format’. Here are the basic steps in the
preparation of a hard disk:
1 Configure the CMOS for the drive you have installed.
2 Perform a low-level format.
3 Partition the drive.
4 Perform a high-level format.
5 Restore the client’s data to the installed drive if necessary.

Video cards
Most video cards today use the AGP interface. If you are planning to install an AGP video card, you will
first need to examine your computer system to ensure that there is a physical slot that you can use.
Some of the cheaper motherboards use the AGP interface but incorporate the video within the chipset and
have an integrated video output. Physically there is no AGP slot available. It is not possible to upgrade the
video card in this situation.

Other motherboards also have an integrated video output, but have an AGP slot if you which to upgrade
the video. Check that the motherboard BIOS allows you to disable the on-board video.
After physical installation of the video card, typically you will need further installation of drivers and
other additional software. Consult your user manual.

Expansion cards
You will need to ensure that there is a spare expansion slot available. Typically this will be a PCI
expansion slot. You need to ensure that your computer system meets the minimum system requirements
(both hardware and software) of the new expansion card.
After physical installation of the expansion card, typically you will need further installation of drivers and
other additional software. Consult your user manual

Software device drivers

A device driver is a program that controls a device such as a printer or graphics card. Many drivers, such
as the keyboard driver, come with the operating system. For other devices such as a sound card, you may
need to load a new driver when you connect the device to your computer. The driver is specific to an
operating system.

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 9
Obtaining drivers and other software for the installation
Any software drivers and special installation instructions will be available in the original packaging
supplied with the device. Most manufacturers will have all documentation and drivers available for
download on their web pages, therefore the need to be able to correctly identify components is of initial
importance.
Ensure that all the necessary drivers and documentation are at hand prior to proceeding with any work.
The drivers are necessary to interface the hardware with the operating system and are therefore supplied in
a different version for each operating system. This includes the different operating systems from the same
manufacturer; so do not assume the drivers for Microsoft Windows 2000 will also work with Microsoft
Windows XP. Where one driver may work across different platforms, it is not the usual situation.
Here’s a sample of the driver/software which is provided by a particular NIC (Network Interface Card)
manufacturer (Realtek).
Note the number of operating systems supported by the downloadable driver and especially to the
Setup/Diagnostic program also supplied.

LO3: Develop service level Agreements 

What is a service-level agreement?
A service-level agreement (SLA) is a two-way agreement between the help desk and clients. It details all
the service that the help desk provides and the targets that must be met. It also states what clients can
expect of the service.
Items that may be included in a SLA are:
 services provided by the help desk
 hours of operation
 after-hours services
 client responsibilities
 call priorities and response times
 escalation procedures
 reports to be produced
 Penalty clauses.
After an SLA has been written and approved it must be updated and reviewed on a regular basis. An SLA
ensures that the help desk understands its responsibilities and clients know what to expect. It also provide
a benchmark against which help desk performance can be measured
Reviewing service-level agreements
Importance of reviewing an SLA
Once an SLA has been approved, it becomes a contractual agreement which is legally binding. Therefore,
it is important that all aspects of the SLA are adhered to and reviewed regularly. A System Maintenance
Manager, Help desk Manager or Support Manager will need to manage and review all areas of work to
assess whether all goals of the SLA are being met and whether they are still appropriate.

With the growth of computers, workstations, local area networks (LANs), and client-server solutions in
companies there is growing demand for solutions to technical problems. Providing support to clients/users
is therefore becoming an increasingly difficult task. To facilitate this task it is important to regularly
evaluate/review whether the maintenance area (or help desk) are providing the necessary services to its
clients/users.
Procedures in reviewing an SLA
PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 10
Service-level agreements need to be reviewed throughout the year. The review can take place monthly,
quarterly, bi-annually or annually. The review process is recurring. This means that when all the review
steps have been completed, the first will begin again. The review process involves meeting with SLA
stakeholders in a cyclical process as follows:
 initiate the review
 prepare for review
 action the review
 evaluate the review.

Initiate the review

Initiating the review involves selecting the review team (who may already be nominated in the SLA),
setting the scope for the review, revisiting lessons learned from previous reports, setting the agenda and
announcing the meeting.
The review committee should consist of representative stakeholders in the SLA including representatives
from business units, help desk personnel or a support representative, the SLA manager and optionally
project managers who impacts on SLA outcomes.

A team lead needs to be chosen; usually it is the help desk representative or the person who is responsible
for providing the service level. The team lead steers the meeting.
Setting the scope provides a boundary for the SLA review. To identify which service levels need to be
discussed during the review some key points must be considered:
 what service levels are not being met?
 which are over budget or over-resourced?
 have there been any changes since the previous SLA?
To ensure the success of the meeting, attendees need to review the minutes and action plans from previous
meetings. The team lead prepares the agenda, with input form stakeholders, which includes the meeting
time and date, the participants and their roles. Once all these steps are completed, the team leader notifies
the SLA review committee of the time and date of the meeting and provides copies of the agenda.
Prepare the review
The team lead should make reports available to the review committee prior to the meeting. It is expected
that each participant will review the SLA and any relevant performance reports or documents.
Team members also need to complete a pre-meeting template that considers the following questions:
 is the service-level data being reported valid?
 have service-level agreements been met and if not why?
 was the client happy with the service level?
 have client expectations changed?
 are current service levels valid?
 what improvements exist?
Action the review
The meeting can take place anywhere, at any time, online or in a meeting room. What is important is that
the right people are at the meeting and they have been provided with the correct information. Minutes of
the meeting need to be taken and the agenda should be followed closely.
A suggested agenda is as follows:
1. review previous minutes
2. review previous action report
3. review reports on past period performance against SLA targets
4. current issues
5. items to note
PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 11
 6. next period predictions.

Deliverables
The end of the SLA review produces a number of deliverables. The most important deliverable is a
document detailing the minutes and actions of the meeting. The minutes record any progress against
actions, including successful closures of actions and any desirable outcomes of improvements.
Other deliverables may include:
 changes to the SLA document
 changes to the services provided by the help desk
 changes to hardware or services required to meet the SLA.

Evaluate the review
The final phase of the review process is to follow up on the review. The team lead needs to circulate the
documented review including the minutes of the meeting and any other deliverables. Team members
should review the minutes and, where appropriate, send comments back to the team lead. A deadline
should be set for any amendments to the minutes which is usually before the next SLA review meeting.
Once the deadline is past, the amended documents should be recirculated to all team members.

Fault reporting and restoration standards

To undertake a review of the SLA, the organization must have in place clearly defined fault reporting and
restoration procedures.

These are summarized as follows:

Name of Description Uses Comments
activity
Fault Record all problems. A case history All data should be entered in a
reporting Spot trends/defects (ie same consistent way to make it easy
person, computer, card, to browse through.
hardware)
Restoration Record all resolutions to Easy-to-find solutions to Self-service is possible if made
standards problems in knowledge known problems. available to end-users.
base. Improved restoration times
and help desk performance
It is important to record all problems and their resolutions and computer software makes this task a lot
easier. Help desk software: usually performs the following:
 captures and record call information
 capability to route and/or escalate calls to different people and/or areas
 captures solutions and, in some help desk software, adds the solution to a knowledge base for use
by IT staff and sometimes by users
 a stores all call in a database
 reports and queries against data in the database.

At each stage of the progress of a call all information should be recorded in a consistent and timely
manner. Information recorded should indicate:
 all contacts with the customer

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 12
  diagnostic exercises
 proposed solutions
 who the call has been passed/escalated to.
The user should be kept informed of the progress of their call and all open calls should be tracked and
monitored. If the service-level agreement is being affected by an open or unresolved call, the appropriate
help-desk manager should be informed.
It is important to have in place procedures defining how calls are delegated to other IT teams. There
should be a record indicating that a call has been delegated and preferably acknowledgement from the
recipient of the delegation. Procedures should also indicate what should happen if the recipient does not
agree with the delegation or if the call is incorrectly delegated.
Incidents should always be closed by the help desk even if other business areas resolved the issue. The call
should be closed only after the user has accepted a satisfactory resolution.
Compare fault reporting and restoration performance with SLA
Specific components of service-level agreements that can be used to identify and check service-level
agreements include:
 incident response time
 hours of coverage
 critical areas of support
 system response time.
Response time
Primary response time is the duration between when the user first reports the problem/incident and when
the user speaks with support personnel who can begin to resolve the problem, or if the user is not
available, when the support personnel attempts to contact them, it is the duration of this attempted contact.
When email is used, the primary response time is the duration between when the user sends the email
reporting the problem and when the support person speaks to, or tries to contact, the user.
The help desk may receive a large number of calls so priorities must be set. The response time varies
according to the level of priority.

An example of a priority system is as follows.

Priorit Type of problem
y
1 Mainframe computers down; warehouse computer system down; invoice system down; receipts
payable system down
2 Network significantly degraded; computers running extremely slowly; staff cannot contact
other offices via computer
3 one of five computers in warehouse are down; printer not working; cannot generate reports
4 Requests or queries which are not essential to business

A priority system is also referred to as a severity rating. Assigning priority or severity to an incident
establishes a way of determining the importance of the issue. The level of priority or severity is based on
the impact on business functions. This impact can have far-reaching results such as generating cash flow
problems, declining customer relations and reduced data security.
The priority system must be both easy to manage and flexible enough to adjust to new and developing
situations.
For a priority system to be useful, it must contain response guidelines which are adhered to and monitored.
Feedback mechanisms

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 13
It is very important to have a process in place which enables clients to complain about services and
ensures that these complaints are investigated and responded to.
All organisations benefit from feedback. By analysing data from comments, suggestions, complaints and
compliments, the organisation can make appropriate changes and meet client needs more efficiently and
effectively.
Client feedback can be obtained through
 telephone
 e-mail
 post
 fax
 online comments
 surveys.

LO4: Formulate Maintenance strategy

Preparing an installation plan to minimise impact
In this section we will look at the preplanning procedure as a first step of installation. Here is a series of
general steps that are useful to follow.

Step Details

Overview List the characteristics of the component.

Warnings List the safety precautions provided by the vendor in the manual.
Hardware Is any special hardware required for the procedure, other than the
required obvious ones?
Software For hardware devices: Do you have the drivers, burner software for
required CD burners and so on?
For software applications: Do you have the installation CDs and
any serial numbers or product keys required?
Preparation This will include questions such as the following.
For hardware systems:
Does the system unit have the space to take the peripheral?
Are there spare internal power cables if required?
Do they reach the proposed location?
For software applications:

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 14
 Does the hardware meet the minimum system requirements?
Have all necessary data backups been made?
What type of installation is to be performed?
Procedure What are the specific steps involved in the installation?
For hardware components this will include steps such as actual
physical installation, BIOS setup, driver installation, and
configuration. The specific procedure will obviously depend on
various factors such as the particular device, the type of
computer/motherboard, the operating system and so on.
For software applications you will also need to consult your user
manual to determine the specific installation procedures.
Testing Develop a testing plan.
Estimated time How long should the procedure take? It will obviously be longer
for someone who has not done it before.

Writing a plan helps solidify the ideas and concepts. It is a document which you can use to guide you and
measure progress.

Updating software after purchase

No software operates without some minor errors. The common saying that ‘computers don’t make
mistakes’, is actually false. Computer hardware is designed by people; components are manufactured by
machinery, and assembled by people. The software is designed by people, compiled by other software
which is designed by people, and is often reliant on information provided by other parties …
Files on systems can become corrupt, and there is another relevant saying ‘garbage in, garbage out’
(GIGO). In other words, you can’t get a correct result from entering the wrong information. The point is
that ‘computers do make mistakes’ and, as such, are constantly in need of a strategy to fix the causes of
known errors.
That is the significant and impelling reasoning behind why you should update your software. It is also
helpful that updates are generally provided free of charge.
There are several terms used in relation to updating software. ‘Updates’, ‘bug fixes’, ‘patches’, or the
more marketable term of ‘service release’, all basically mean the same thing. However, when a collection
of various bug fixes are rolled together into a larger packaged update, it is sometime known as a ‘service
pack’.

Updating operating systems

The most common piece of software that is often in need of updating is the operating system. By updating
the operating system you will be trying to:
 Provide support for new devices such as printers, scanners, digital cameras etc.
 Fix identified runtime errors such as system crashes.
 Close security loopholes identified — usually network/Internet related.
Updating your operating system should be considered an integral part of your maintenance program.
However, it is not unusual for a service pack to introduce new problems while fixing others. That is why,
for some popular operating systems, it is common for the makers to introduce a number of service packs

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 15
over time. It is also a reason why you shouldn’t rush to install the ‘latest’ update as soon as it is released.
Unless there is some compelling security issue, it is better to allow others to discover the new problems,
have them fixed by the developers, and then perform the update installation.

Updating application software

For general application software, updates are usually less frequent and are sometimes incorporated to form
a ‘new’ version of the software. The computer industry is very market-driven, and from a marketing
viewpoint it is more appealing to introduce a new version of a package than to call it the old version with
bug fixes. While that sounds cynical, it tends to be a business reality.

BIOS updates
Most ‘intelligent’ hardware contains an embedded program that controls its operation. That software,
which is part of the hardware (hence the term firmware) is known as the BIOS or Basic Input Output
System. The motherboard of each computer has a BIOS, as well as many other devices such as: printers,
hard disk drives and video cards.
BIOS updates are often available from the manufacturer. For more brand-name components, the updates
are usually easily downloaded from the Internet. For more generic brands, locating the specific updates
can be difficult. Some cheaper components when packaged may seem the same, but during manufacture
there may be a number of different chipsets used, depending on supply. This leads to a wide range of
possibilities and it can be difficult to actually find the appropriate update. Also, some components may be
boxed as being from one manufacturer, but in reality are produced by unknown companies that have no
websites, so obtaining updates is extremely unlikely.

Practical strategies for minimising disruption

In order for users to do their jobs efficiently, they need to have their equipment in good working order at
all times. From a support point of view, that is not a reasonable proposition. Why? Because there are
always changes that need to be made, for example:
 upgrading the operating system
 upgrading memory
 updating virus definitions
 reconfiguring the network
 installing a peripheral such as a DVD drive
 installing new or updated software
 replacing faulty equipment such as a monitor
 troubleshooting a problem.
While it is not possible to completely eliminate disruption, you can take certain steps to minimise it. There
are often circumstances where a user may not be operating certain equipment at all times. Consider
possible scheduled breaks such as:

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 16
 annual leave or ‘rostered days off’ for large jobs
 lunch breaks
 regular meeting attendances.

A planning checklist
Planning the job ahead and considering the following issues before you arrive at the job location will
allow you to check you will be causing minimum disruption. Consider using the following as a planning
checklist:
 Make sure you know exactly what the job entails. Make a list of the tasks you will need to do to finish
the job.
 Arrange a time that is convenient to the user, not just the IT department.
 When you arrange the time you should also notify the client of what you need in term of space, how
long the job will take and what you are going to do.
 Check carefully that you have everything needed to carry out the task, such as a tool kit, driver
diskettes, CDs, manuals and backup media.
 Research the nature of the likely impact of the work, for example:
– Will data need to be backed up, and then restored after the upgrade?
– Does data need to be converted to a new format?
– Should the user be trained in any new features?
– Are there macros or scripts that need to be re-created? Macros and scripts are small programs that
can be used to automate particular tasks.
– Are there any implications for the way the user does their job?
 Where possible, set up a test machine similar in configuration to the user’s computer and test the
upgrade.
 Have a back-out plan, should anything go wrong during or after the work being done.

Checklist for completing the job

 Check if the user is satisfied with the work, when completed.
 Clean up any packaging.
 Leave a set of the manuals or documentation with the user if possible, and keep another set for
yourself or your section.
 Inform the user of what to do if they experience problems.
 Prepare for support calls.

Be prepared for possible results

Here are some tips for being prepared for the possible results of some types of upgrades. Knowing what
could go wrong, and having a strategy to avoid possible problems, will help lessen the impact of your
upgrade on users.

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 17
Changing a video card
In the early days of personal computing, it was particularly important to match the specifications of a
video card’s output to that of the monitor’s capabilities. While some of those problems seemed to have
been controlled by the introduction of standards, there are still things to consider:
If swapping a faulty video card, or upgrading to a better card, the current operating system may not be
able to reconfigure itself properly to the new card and its driver. A practical pre-change option would be to
reduce the resolution to a basic VGA standard (640 x 480 pixels and 16 colours), or to change the installed
driver to a Standard VGA device. All operating systems can function at this minimum standard.
After changing the video card, you can reinstall the correct driver, or simply make the video resolution
modifications back to the user’s preference.

Upgrading RAM
Upgrading memory is always a good option to improve a system’s performance. But it is vitally important
that you have the correct modules (chips) for that particular motherboard. You can also experience
problems when mixing memory from different manufacturers.
When upgrading memory, consider having sufficient modules to replace the currently installed ones. Even
though they should all work together according to the specifications, sometimes it is less troublesome to
replace the old modules than to experience difficulties in mixing the old with the new.
When the computer performs its POST (Power On Self Test) some systems will recognise the new
memory and simply carry on, while others will halt with an error message. Often, all that is required is to
access the CMOS settings, and save and exit, for the changes to take effect.

Updating a system’s BIOS

Updating a system’s BIOS, while possibly only taking a few minutes, can result in a complete system
failure. The choice to update a system’s BIOS should not be taken lightly, and there should be some
compelling reason, such as a manufacturer’s recommendation.

Not all motherboards installed in system unit cases that look identical are, in fact, identical. It is a common
practice for an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to substitute alternative components due to supply
problems or variations. So it is important to check carefully that you are dealing with the motherboard and
BIOS that you have planned to upgrade.

Changing a network card

All network interface cards (NICs) have a special identification build in. It is known as the media access
control (MAC) address. Some network servers will allocate settings or configurations based on identifying
this MAC address.
It would be advisable to record the current network settings, in case you have to manually reconfigure the
device. After recording the current settings, you may choose to remove the existing device from the
installed components in the operating system, prior to installing the new network device.

PREPARED BY BONA BEDADA FOR HARDWARE AND NETWORKING SERVICE LEVEL IV Page 18