,Chapter 1. Introduction to Network Maintenance
This chapter covers the following subjects:
Understanding Maintenance Methods: This section discusses the importance of
proactive maintenance tasks, as opposed to reactive maintenance, required to address a
problem in a network. Also discussed in this section is a collection of commonly used
maintenance approaches.
Identifying Common Maintenance Procedures: This section lists common
maintenance tasks, emphasizes the importance of regularly scheduled maintenance, and
summarizes critical areas of network performance.
The Network Maintenance Toolkit: This section identifies how to compile a set of
network maintenance tools that complement your network maintenance plan.
Business operations are becoming increasingly dependent upon the reliable operation of
business data networks (which might also carry voice and video traffic). A structured and
systematic maintenance approach significantly contributes to the uptime for such networks.
Consider the purchase of a new car. Many excited owners of a new car peruse the owner’s
manual to find the recommended maintenance schedule and vow to perform the routine
recommended maintenance. They instinctively know that adhering to a documented
maintenance plan can reduce the occurrence of issues with their car. Similarly, the number
of issues in a network can be reduced by following a documented schedule of maintenance.
This chapter discusses the importance of having a maintenance plan and introduces several
popular models that can be adapted to your network. Next, you are introduced to specific
maintenance tasks. Finally in this chapter, you identify the tools (for example, network
monitoring and disaster recovery tools) you need in your virtual toolbox.
“DO I KNOW THIS ALREADY?” QUIZ
The “Do I Know This Already?” quiz helps you determine your level of knowledge on this
chapter’s topics before you begin. Table 1-1 details the major topics discussed in this chapter
and their corresponding quiz sections.
Table 1-1 “Do I Know This Already?” Section-to-Question Mapping
1. Which of the following are considered network maintenance tasks? (Choose the three best
answers.)
,a. Troubleshooting problem reports
b. Attending training on emerging network technologies
c. Planning for network expansion
d. Hardware installation
2. Network maintenance tasks can be categorized into one of which two categories? (Choose
two.)
a. Recovery tasks
b. Interrupt-driven tasks
c. Structured tasks
d. Installation tasks
3. Identify the network maintenance model defined by the ITU-T for maintaining
telecommunications networks.
a. FCAPS
b. ITIL
c. TMN
d. Cisco Lifecycle Services
4. Which letter in the FCAPS acronym represents the maintenance area responsible for
billing end users?
a. F
b. C
c. A
d. P
e. S
5. The lists of tasks required to maintain a network can vary widely, depending on the goals
and characteristics of that network. However, some network maintenance tasks are common
to most networks. Which of the following would be considered a common task that should be
present in any network maintenance model?
a. Performing database synchronization for a network’s Microsoft Active Directory
b. Making sure digital certificates used for PKI are renewed in advance of their expiration
c. Using CiscoWorks to dynamically discover network device changes
d. Performing scheduled backups
6. Which of the following statements is true regarding scheduled maintenance?
a. Scheduled maintenance helps ensure that important maintenance tasks are not
overlooked.
b. Scheduled maintenance is not recommended for larger networks, because of the diversity
of maintenance needs.
c. Maintenance tasks should only be performed based on a scheduled maintenance schedule,
in order to reduce unexpected workflow interruptions.
d. Scheduled maintenance is more of a reactive approach to network maintenance, as
opposed to a proactive approach.
, 7. Which of the following questions are appropriate when defining your change management
policies? (Choose two.)
a. What version of operating system is currently running on the device to be upgraded?
b. What is the return on investment (ROI) of an upgrade?
c. What measureable criteria determine the success or failure of a network change?
d. Who is responsible for authorizing various types of network changes?
8. Which three of the following components would you expect to find in a set of network
documentation? (Choose three.)
a. Logical topology diagram
b. Listing of interconnections
c. License files
d. IP address assignments
9. Which three of the following are components that would be most useful when recovering
from a network equipment outage? (Choose three.)
a. Backup of device configuration information
b. Physical topology
c. Duplicate hardware
d. Operating system and application software (along with any applicable licensing) for the
device
10. What type of agreement exists between a service provider and one of their customers,
which specifies performance metrics for the link interconnecting the customer with the
service provider?
a. MTBF
b. GoS
c. TOS
d. SLA
11. Which command would you use to view archival copies of a router’s startup configuration?
a. show backup
b. show archive
c. show flash: | begin backup
d. show ftp: | begin archive
12. Which of the following would be appropriate for a collaborative web-based
documentation solution?
a. blog
b. vlog
c. wiki
d. podcast
13. CiscoWorks Resource Manager Essentials (RME) is a component of what CiscoWorks
product?
a. LMS
This chapter covers the following subjects:
Understanding Maintenance Methods: This section discusses the importance of
proactive maintenance tasks, as opposed to reactive maintenance, required to address a
problem in a network. Also discussed in this section is a collection of commonly used
maintenance approaches.
Identifying Common Maintenance Procedures: This section lists common
maintenance tasks, emphasizes the importance of regularly scheduled maintenance, and
summarizes critical areas of network performance.
The Network Maintenance Toolkit: This section identifies how to compile a set of
network maintenance tools that complement your network maintenance plan.
Business operations are becoming increasingly dependent upon the reliable operation of
business data networks (which might also carry voice and video traffic). A structured and
systematic maintenance approach significantly contributes to the uptime for such networks.
Consider the purchase of a new car. Many excited owners of a new car peruse the owner’s
manual to find the recommended maintenance schedule and vow to perform the routine
recommended maintenance. They instinctively know that adhering to a documented
maintenance plan can reduce the occurrence of issues with their car. Similarly, the number
of issues in a network can be reduced by following a documented schedule of maintenance.
This chapter discusses the importance of having a maintenance plan and introduces several
popular models that can be adapted to your network. Next, you are introduced to specific
maintenance tasks. Finally in this chapter, you identify the tools (for example, network
monitoring and disaster recovery tools) you need in your virtual toolbox.
“DO I KNOW THIS ALREADY?” QUIZ
The “Do I Know This Already?” quiz helps you determine your level of knowledge on this
chapter’s topics before you begin. Table 1-1 details the major topics discussed in this chapter
and their corresponding quiz sections.
Table 1-1 “Do I Know This Already?” Section-to-Question Mapping
1. Which of the following are considered network maintenance tasks? (Choose the three best
answers.)
,a. Troubleshooting problem reports
b. Attending training on emerging network technologies
c. Planning for network expansion
d. Hardware installation
2. Network maintenance tasks can be categorized into one of which two categories? (Choose
two.)
a. Recovery tasks
b. Interrupt-driven tasks
c. Structured tasks
d. Installation tasks
3. Identify the network maintenance model defined by the ITU-T for maintaining
telecommunications networks.
a. FCAPS
b. ITIL
c. TMN
d. Cisco Lifecycle Services
4. Which letter in the FCAPS acronym represents the maintenance area responsible for
billing end users?
a. F
b. C
c. A
d. P
e. S
5. The lists of tasks required to maintain a network can vary widely, depending on the goals
and characteristics of that network. However, some network maintenance tasks are common
to most networks. Which of the following would be considered a common task that should be
present in any network maintenance model?
a. Performing database synchronization for a network’s Microsoft Active Directory
b. Making sure digital certificates used for PKI are renewed in advance of their expiration
c. Using CiscoWorks to dynamically discover network device changes
d. Performing scheduled backups
6. Which of the following statements is true regarding scheduled maintenance?
a. Scheduled maintenance helps ensure that important maintenance tasks are not
overlooked.
b. Scheduled maintenance is not recommended for larger networks, because of the diversity
of maintenance needs.
c. Maintenance tasks should only be performed based on a scheduled maintenance schedule,
in order to reduce unexpected workflow interruptions.
d. Scheduled maintenance is more of a reactive approach to network maintenance, as
opposed to a proactive approach.
, 7. Which of the following questions are appropriate when defining your change management
policies? (Choose two.)
a. What version of operating system is currently running on the device to be upgraded?
b. What is the return on investment (ROI) of an upgrade?
c. What measureable criteria determine the success or failure of a network change?
d. Who is responsible for authorizing various types of network changes?
8. Which three of the following components would you expect to find in a set of network
documentation? (Choose three.)
a. Logical topology diagram
b. Listing of interconnections
c. License files
d. IP address assignments
9. Which three of the following are components that would be most useful when recovering
from a network equipment outage? (Choose three.)
a. Backup of device configuration information
b. Physical topology
c. Duplicate hardware
d. Operating system and application software (along with any applicable licensing) for the
device
10. What type of agreement exists between a service provider and one of their customers,
which specifies performance metrics for the link interconnecting the customer with the
service provider?
a. MTBF
b. GoS
c. TOS
d. SLA
11. Which command would you use to view archival copies of a router’s startup configuration?
a. show backup
b. show archive
c. show flash: | begin backup
d. show ftp: | begin archive
12. Which of the following would be appropriate for a collaborative web-based
documentation solution?
a. blog
b. vlog
c. wiki
d. podcast
13. CiscoWorks Resource Manager Essentials (RME) is a component of what CiscoWorks
product?
a. LMS
