3-2
Preventive, Corrective & File Maintenance
VU-ACD™/100 Maintenance Guide – Host/DOS
The most common reasons for nightly back-up failure are:
•
No tape in tape drive.
The tape was not in the drive when nightly backup began. In some
cases the tape is in the drive but not fully seated in the mechanism.
•
Write-Protect engaged.
Tape cartridges incorporate a selector which can be set to “
Safe
”
mode thus preventing a write operation which would destroy data already on the tape. If the
selector is set to
Safe
, the VU-ACD/100 nightly backup process cannot write to the tape.
•
Tape Drive Disconnected.
Cable linking drive to host adapter has been disconnected or
damaged. Tape drive has no power – switch in Off position, line cord disconnected, or
power failure.
3.1.2
System Backup/Restore
The VU-ACD/100 Maintenance Menu incorporates on-demand facilities for backing up and restoring the
entire contents of or selected files from the
/u
filesystem to/from cartridge tape. The backup process
stores essential application files, database and configuration parameters on the tape. This feature is
intended to preserve data in the rare event that the system hard disk drive should crash. Backup data can
be restored from a System Backup tape or Nightly Backup tape as required.
A System Backup should be performed:
•
Immediately after the VU-ACD/100 system has been successfully brought into service.
Perform the backup after initial user, alarm and device configuration data have been entered
into the system database.
•
Whenever significant changes have been made to the system configuration, such as adding
new nodes and/or devices, increasing agent capacity, installing a maintenance release or
upgrading to a new feature version.
The System Backup facility is accessed through the VU-ACD/100 Maintenance Menu. Refer to
Section 2.2 for details on using the Tape Backup/Restore Utilities.
3.1.3
Printer Maintenance
Printers are the peripheral devices most likely to need periodic maintenance because of their mechanical
design and use of consumable supplies. Paper leaves powdery residue along the feed path which should
be removed. Ribbons and toner cartridges are used up during the printing process. Mechanical motion
tends to loosen fasteners and eventually degrades the output quality from a printer.
Perimeter Technology recommends checking printers at least once a month or more frequently depending
on the number of pages output per printer per month. The inspection process should include:
❏
Inspect paper feed path looking for signs that paper is improperly traveling through the
printer. Clean the feed path of paper and toner residue as described in the OEM User Guide
supplied with the device. Look for signs of platen wear on dot matrix printers.
❏
Verify that the ribbon or toner cartridge is still serviceable. If not, replace the ribbon/-
cartridge and order inventory replacements.
❏
Verify that the datacomm connection to the printer from the host is tight and that the cable
is not damaged.
❏
Check the paper inventory and order additional supplies as necessary.
