http://www.logontek.

com
281-368-TECH (8324)

Administrative Checklist

The tasks listed here are basic steps that should be carried out on a periodic
basis to maintain the network. By no means is this a complete or exhaustive
list of all duties involved in maintaining a network!

Although the majority of tasks described in this document are focused on

Microsoft based networks, it’s possible to apply the basic principles to other
platforms. Many of the tasks within this document can be automated.
Please refer to the vendor or contact LogOn Technologies to initiate a service
visit to discuss such options.

************************************************************************
************************************************************************
***************************
LEGAL NOTICE
***************************
LogOn Technologies is not responsible for any omissions of data/information and/or
adverse affects encountered by the use of information within this document nor the use of
any information contained within the LogOn Technologies web site at
http://www.logontek.com .
************************************************************************
************************************************************************

LogOn Technologies 1 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 Table of Contents

Reference Table..................................................................................................................................... 3
NOTES....................................................................................................................................................... 3
Recommended Network Documentation ....................................................................................... 3
One-Time Administration Tasks ....................................................................................................... 3
Electronic Notification Subscriptions........................................................................................... 3
Daily Administration Tasks ................................................................................................................ 3
Change Backup Tape ....................................................................................................................... 3
Weekly Administration Tasks ............................................................................................................ 3
Reboot NT Servers............................................................................................................................ 3
Clean Backup Tape Drive/s............................................................................................................ 3
Weekly Administration Tasks (continued) .................................................................................... 3
Check Server Event Logs for Errors ............................................................................................ 3
Exchange Server Basic Information Store Size Limitation/Management........................ 3
Weekly Administration Tasks (continued) .................................................................................... 3
Workstation/Server Updates ......................................................................................................... 3
Semi-Weekly Administration Tasks................................................................................................. 3
Ensure Anti-Virus Definitions Up-To-Date................................................................................. 3
Workstation/Server File System Optimization......................................................................... 3
Monthly Administration Tasks........................................................................................................... 3
Check Hard Drive Space Usage on Servers.............................................................................. 3
Initiate/Schedule Network Wide Anti-Virus “Sweeps”/Scans ............................................. 3
Quarterly Administration Tasks........................................................................................................ 3
Backup Integrity Test ...................................................................................................................... 3
Perform Hardware Preventative Maintenance on All Computer Hardware ..................... 3
Quarterly Administration Tasks (continued) ................................................................................ 3
Security Scans ................................................................................................................................... 3

LogOn Technologies 2 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 Reference Table

This document is organized in the following manner:

- Frequency of task. This dictates how often the tasks within the corresponding sections are to
be carried out.
- Task title. This specifies the target task.
- Task table. This table is used to manage and track progress for the corresponding task.
o Description of Task: Provides the reader with a brief description of the task and its
significance.
o Responsible Party: Provides a Primary and Secondary designation for responsible
parties. If the Primary is absent or unable to perform the task it is the responsibility of
the Secondary Party to ensure the task is done as scheduled.
- The final column is used as a checklist. Depending on the designated frequency for a particular
task you will see a number of blocks that can be used as a check list to ensure tasks are done
when necessary. You may use this area to communicate when a task was done by placing your
initials with the date in the appropriate box.
- Notes/Comments: This area is used as a placeholder for notes. You may write down notes as
you see fit.

LogOn Technologies 3 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 NOTES
Notes/Comments: This area is used as a placeholder for notes. You may write down notes as you
see fit.

LogOn Technologies 4 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 Recommended Network Documentation

- Disaster Recovery Plan

- Acceptable Usage Policy/Workstation Usage Guidelines
- Acceptable Use Policy for E-Mail
- Acceptable Use Policy for Web Access
- Remote Access Policy
- Acceptable Usage Policy for Computer/Network Resources
- Network Security Policy & Response Plan
- Emergency Escalation Procedures (Security Violations, User Problem
Escalation, etc.)
- Network Topology Diagram
- Protocol Topology Document
- Systems Inventory Document
- Third Party Vendor Manual (holds contact info., services offered, etc.)

LogOn Technologies 5 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 One-Time Administration Tasks

Electronic Notification Subscriptions

The Network Administrator is not necessarily a person with extensive computer experience/knowledge. Many times
someone in the organization is assigned the secondary role of the Network Administrator or Coordinator. It’s the
responsibility of this individual to either outsource the maintenance of the network or educate themselves. Electronic
notification subscriptions have become a very useful way of keeping up with the latest issues for your network. By
subscribing to mailing lists you can be notified automatically via e-mail of potential threats and/or issues relating to the
software/hardware on your network. Mailing lists are managed by vendors and provide end-users/clients with
notifications ranging from the release of a new driver for a specific device on your network to high profile virus alerts that
could potentially hinder or paralyze operations for your organization.

The following is a brief list of suggested mailing lists:

- Operating System security and update alerts (i.e., Microsoft, Novell, Redhat, IBM, etc.)
- Antivirus security and update alerts (i.e., Symantec/Norton, Computer Associates, Network Associates, Trend
Micro, etc.)
- Critical Application security and update alerts (i.e., ArcServe, BackupExec, Exchange Server, SQL Server, etc.)
- Critical hardware security and update alerts (i.e., BIOS releases, driver updates, etc)

Since each organization is different it’s up to the assigned Network Administrator to determine which mailing lists to
subscribe to. One can accomplish this by either contacting the developer’s and/or manufacturer’s of the products on your
network or by contacting LogOn Technologies to initiate a service request and have a consultant provide assistance.
__________________________________________________________________________

LogOn Technologies 6 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 Daily Administration Tasks

Change Backup Tape

Description of Task Responsible Party Daily (checklist)

To ensure the successful daily PRIMARY
backup of the network’s data
the responsible party must
change out tapes at the backup
server on a daily basis and log
this event. Furthermore, the
responsible party must check
the backup logs to ensure that
significant errors are not
overlooked. Please refer to the
documentation for your backup
solution on how to manage
backups and logs or contact
LogOn Technologies to
initiate a service visit for this
task.
SECONDARY

NOTES/COMMENTS

LogOn Technologies 7 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 Weekly Administration Tasks

Reboot NT Servers

Description of Task Responsible Party Weekly (checklist)

To reduce the amount of issues PRIMARY
on a server related to memory
leaks it’s highly advisable to
reboot NT/Win2k/Win2k3
servers on a weekly basis.
Procedures on how to properly
power cycle your equipment
can be obtained from the
developer’s web site,
documentation or by contacting
LogOn Technologies to NOTES/COMMENTS
initiate a service visit for this SECONDARY
task.

Clean Backup Tape Drive/s

Description of Task Responsible Party Weekly (checklist)

Many of the problems PRIMARY
encountered by tape drive
backup devices are due to lack
of cleaning. Depending on the
environment tape drives have
to be cleaned regularly. Many
tape cleaning cartridges come
with a 52 week logging
checklist which infers that the
tape device should be cleaned
on a weekly basis. Procedures NOTES/COMMENTS
on how to properly clean your SECONDARY
tape drive/s equipment can be
obtained from the
manufacturer’s web site,
documentation or by contacting
LogOn Technologies to
initiate a service visit for this
task.

LogOn Technologies 8 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 Weekly Administration Tasks (continued)

Check Server Event Logs for Errors

Description of Task Responsible Party Weekly (checklist)

To ensure the integrity of the PRIMARY
network servers it is imperative
that the Event Logs be
monitored. See the web site
for the developer of your
operating system for more
information on how to check
and manage the event logs on
your systems or contact LogOn
Technologies to request
service for this task. NOTES/COMMENTS
SECONDARY

Exchange Server Basic Information Store Size Limitation/Management

Description of Task Responsible Party Weekly (checklist)

Exchange Server 5.5 & 2000 PRIMARY
Standard Edition have a file
size limitation on the main
database file called the
Information Store. This is
where all e-mail resides. Once
this file size limit is reached
Exchange ceases to function
until free space is recovered.
Exchange Server has utilities
that allow you to defragment NOTES/COMMENTS
the database and recover SECONDARY
unused free space. Please refer
to Microsoft’s web site for more
information on how to check
and manage the Information
Store file size on your system/s
or contact LogOn
Technologies to request
service for this task.

LogOn Technologies 9 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 Weekly Administration Tasks (continued)

Workstation/Server Updates

Description of Task Responsible Party Weekly (checklist)

To ensure all systems PRIMARY
(workstations/server/s) are free
of bugs and protected from the
latest virus threat it is
imperative that the
administrator ensures the
operating system and all critical
applications are up-to-date with
the latest service packs and
security patches. To find out
more information on how to NOTES/COMMENTS
accomplish this task please SECONDARY
refer to the web site for the
developer of the software
product you are wanting to
update or contact LogOn
Technologies to initiate a
service visit for this task.
NOTE: Make sure you
completely understand the
patches/updates that are being
applied. Sometimes the
application of such
updates/patches may cause
additional problems. This
notice applies especially to
driver updates. **PLEASE
PERFORM A FULL BACKUP
PRIOR TO APPLYING ANY
UPDATES!!!

LogOn Technologies 10 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 Semi-Weekly Administration Tasks

Ensure Anti-Virus Definitions Up-To-Date

Description of Task Responsible Party Semi-Weekly (checklist)

To ensure your network is PRIMARY
protected from the latest virus
threat it’s important to check
the AntiVirus Server and spot
check a couple of systems on
the network and guarantee
virus definitions are being
propagated. For more
information on how to manage
virus definitions on your
network please refer to the NOTES/COMMENTS
documentation for your SECONDARY
antivirus solution, check the
web site of the antivirus
developer, or contact LogOn
Technologies to initiate a
service visit for this task.

Workstation/Server File System Optimization

Description of Task Responsible Party Semi-Weekly (checklist)

To ensure the integrity and PRIMARY
continued optimized
performance of the file system
on all workstations and servers
it is imperative to have both
the Scandisk and
Defragmentation utilities run on
all systems on a weekly basis.
This task can be run manually
with native tools on many
systems or you may contact a NOTES/COMMENTS
LogOn Technologies SECONDARY
representative for
recommendations on third
party utilities that automate the
process. For more information
please refer to the web site for
the developer of your operating
system or contact LogOn
Technologies to initiate a
service visit for this task.

LogOn Technologies 11 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 Monthly Administration Tasks

Check Hard Drive Space Usage on Servers

Description of Task Responsible Party Monthly (checklist)

To ensure the integrity of the PRIMARY
network servers it is imperative
that the administrator confirms
that all servers have adequate
space on their hard drive
partitions. An absence of disk
space can cause file system
corruption and at times system
crashes. For more information
on how to manage hard disk
space on your servers please NOTES/COMMENTS
refer to the developer’s web SECONDARY
site for your operating system
or contact LogOn
Technologies to initiate a
service visit to discuss this
task.

Initiate/Schedule Network Wide Anti-Virus “Sweeps”/Scans

Description of Task Responsible Party Monthly (checklist)

To decrease the chances of a PRIMARY
virus residing in a “dormant”
state somewhere on your
network it’s necessary that a
monthly virus sweep/scan be
performed. For more
information on how to manage
and initiate network wide virus
sweeps please refer to the
antivirus documentation or the
developer’s web site. You may NOTES/COMMENTS
also contact LogOn SECONDARY
Technologies to initiate a
service visit to discuss this
task.

LogOn Technologies 12 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 Quarterly Administration Tasks

Backup Integrity Test

Description of Task Responsible Party Quarterly (checklist)

To ensure the integrity of the PRIMARY
data backed up on the network
it is necessary to perform test
restore. A test restore should
be done every quarter to a
temporary location other than
the production area. Once a
test restore has been
completed the administrator
should test that the restored
data is good. For more NOTES/COMMENTS
information on how to manage SECONDARY
test restores on your servers
please refer to the developer’s
web site for your operating
system, backup solution and
database vendor or contact
LogOn Technologies to
initiate a service visit to discuss
this task.

Perform Hardware Preventative Maintenance on All Computer Hardware

Description of Task Responsible Party Quarterly (checklist)

To ensure the hardware on the PRIMARY
network (servers, workstations,
printers, routers, hubs,
monitors, scanners, keyboards,
mouse, CD/floppy drives, etc.)
continues to work properly and
without obstruction from dust a
preventive maintenance
schedule should be established
and followed. NOTE: THIS
TASK SHOULD BE PERFORMED NOTES/COMMENTS
ONLY BY A QUALIFIED SECONDARY
TECHNICIAN. Some
environments may be more
polluted with dust than others.
In such cases the components
may have to be cleaned more
frequently to extend the life of
your hardware.

LogOn Technologies 13 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft

 Quarterly Administration Tasks (continued)

Security Scans

Description of Task Responsible Party Quarterly (checklist)

Typically networks should have PRIMARY
security mechanisms in place to
alert administrators in the
event of a break in attempt
and/or success by hackers.
Sometimes these tools fail or
are circumvented so it is up to
the administrator to remain
diligent and ensure the security
of the network and the data
contained therein. Manual NOTES/COMMENTS
security scans should be a SECONDARY
routine performed at least 4
times a year to ensure all is
well on the network.
Performing security scans (port
scans, trojan scans, etc.) and
comparing the results against a
network services document can
be invaluable. In many cases
administrators don’t know and
aren’t notified of network
break-ins until it’s too late.
Many times these break-ins are
discovered by accident after the
administrator mistakenly
noticed out of the ordinary
activity while troubleshooting
either a related or non-related
issue on the network system
and/or service. NOTE: THIS
TASK SHOULD BE PERFORMED
ONLY BY A QUALIFIED
TECHNICIAN. Some network
environments may be more
complicated than others so a
generic approach may or may
not work in each case.

LogOn Technologies 14 of 14 v1.02.050703 - draft