Hardware

Maintenance
What is Hardware Maintenance?
Losing vital data, being a victim of information theft, or dealing with systems

slow or crashing are some of the

consequences of poor hardware
maintenance .

Companies' digital assets are an

increasingly valuable element for
their productivity. It is for this reason
that computers cannot take
unnecessary risks.

There are many companies that

have suffered the consequences of
lost disks, deadly viruses and burned
license plates. Today we will learn
the basic concepts to successfully
carry out a hardware maintenance plan.

Definition of Hardware Maintenance

Hardware maintenance encompasses the actions that allow us to maintain, care
for and promptly replace the physical components of a computer.

These components include everything from the keyboard, screen and mouse to
internal units such as the hard drive, motherboards, cables, fans and optical drives.

Basic actions in hardware maintenance include:

 Cleaning of components.
 Remove dust from the fans.
 Defragmentation of hard drives.
 Scan system errors.
 Avoid extreme temperature changes.
Types of Hardware Maintenance
Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance for hardware allows us to take strategic actions to

anticipate the deterioration of a PC or laptop.
This practice seeks to keep the components in optimal condition at all times to
extend their useful life and avoid system failures.

Includes two types of actions:

 Cleaning and cooling of physical components

Regarding physical components, our preventive hardware maintenance is based
primarily on cleaning actions.

The great enemy of components is dust, so it is important to remove and clean the
fans to help maintain the CPU temperature within ideal parameters.

Additionally, it is important to clean the keyboard and make sure to remove any
dust stored between the keys and on the monitor or screen.

To perform these tasks, consider:

 Use suitable solvents for electrical components.

 Do not handle sensitive parts roughly.
 If in doubt, let a specialized technician handle the job.
In the following video, you can see an example of how to clean the internal
components of a CPU.

 Actions on the system (non-physical parts)

Many people believe that hardware maintenance only involves actions on the
physical parts of the equipment, but system maintenance extends the life of the
hardware.

For example, you need to verify that your hardware drivers match the latest
available versions.

It also doesn't hurt to review the software installed on your computer and get rid of
the ones you don't use. Removing these programs will give a break to the
mechanical components, mainly the hard drive.

On the other hand, there is a threat that many believe does not affect computer
hardware: viruses and malware. However, a very powerful virus can damage the
physical components of a computer. It is not unusual to find cases of obsolete hard
drives due to firmware attacks.

Therefore, you should also be serious about having the latest antivirus and
antimalware updates.

Corrective maintenance

The second most common type of hardware maintenance is Corrective

Maintenance.

This consists of the repair and replacement processes in our computer hardware,
and is carried out when the components stop working optimally.
In the field of computing, advances are made by leaps and bounds. Staying
updated involves renewing hardware components, since corrective maintenance
will inevitably occur, whether for defective or obsolete parts.

This type of maintenance may include soldering, a graphics card replacement, or

changing peripheral devices such as keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc.

Corrective hardware maintenance typically focuses on common failures, such as:

 Power supplies: problems due to circuit heating due to fan

malfunction. In these cases, either the fan is changed, the circuits are
repaired or a new source is purchased.
 RAM memory: it can fail due to burns or because the pins are
damaged when touched. The solution is to change the entire card.
 Hard Drive: this hardware component is mechanical, so failures can
only be repaired by changing the part. Hard drives often become
scratched or physical damage occurs to the connection pins.
 Video cards: failures are identified as spots on the monitor, problems
loading videos, poor resolution or lack of colors.
Differences between hardware and software
maintenance
While hardware refers to the physical elements of a computer, software is the code
that establishes the set of instructions that the computer follows.

Regarding maintenance tasks, we can identify the following differences:

Hardware Maintenance Software maintenance

Physical components Codes and programs

Cannot be done with the PC running Can only be done with the PC on

Involves updating or revising the software The hardware is not necessarily modified

Relative impact by viruses and malware High impact by viruses and malware

Hardware Maintenance Tools

When we talk about hardware maintenance tools, we should not only think about
the physical ones. There is also Maintenance Software that can help us manage
conservation and repair tasks.

For each type of hardware maintenance, we have two groups of tools to consider.

First, to perform preventive maintenance, which focuses on cleaning and cooling

the equipment, we will consider:

 Screwdriver kit.
  Compressed air (to remove dust).
 Half inch brush or brushes.
 Cotton swabs.
 Safety glasses.
To know the current status of a computer's hardware, it is better to turn to digital
tools to monitor performance: professional Maintenance Software .

Using eMaint CMMS , for

example, you can keep track
of all your business's IT
assets.

eMaint CMMS interface.

The software will help us make
hardware maintenance a
simpler process, since we will
be able to:

 Keep a record of
the changes
made to each team.
 Request maintenance of a specific asset.
 Notify technicians of recurring faults.
 Define useful life protocols for each asset.
 Generate reports on the most important key performance indicators
(KPIs).
 Get graphs from your CMMS data on total downtime per asset, total
cost of operation, uptime percentage, and other useful data.
Conclusions
When implementing a hardware maintenance program, we will find that it involves
collecting detailed information about hardware inventories.

All of this information can be complex to store and manage, which is why it is
important to have the right maintenance tools.

On platforms like ComparaSoftware , you can find all the professional options to
carry out software and hardware maintenance in your business within the proposed
standards.
 Software
maintenance
In software engineering, software
maintenance is the modification of a
software product after delivery, to correct errors, improve performance, or other attributes.
Software maintenance is one of the most common activities in software engineering.

Software maintenance is also one of the phases of the system development life cycle
(SDLC), which applies to software development. The maintenance phase is the phase that
follows the deployment (implementation) of the software in the field.

A common perception of maintenance is that it is simply the correction of defects.

However, one study indicated that the majority, more than 80%, of maintenance effort is
used for non-corrective actions (Pigosky 1997). This perception is perpetuated when users
submit problem reports that are actually improvements to the system's functionality[citation
needed].

Software maintenance and system evolution was first addressed by Meir M. Lehman in
1969. Over a period of twenty years, his research led to the formulation of Lehman's laws
(Lehman 1997). The main conclusions of his research include that maintenance is truly an
evolutionary development and that maintenance decisions are helped by understanding
what happens to systems (and software) over time. Lehman showed that systems continue
to evolve over time. As they evolve, they become more complex unless some measures
such as code refactoring are taken to reduce the complexity.

The main software maintenance problems are administrative and technical. Key
management issues are: alignment with customer priorities, staffing, which organization is
responsible for maintenance, and estimating costs. Key technical issues are: limited
understanding, impact analysis, testing, maintaining maintainability measurement.

Software maintenance is a broad activity that includes bug fixes, capability improvements,
removal of obsolete features, and optimization. Because change is inevitable, evaluation,
control and modification mechanisms must be developed.

Any work done to change the software after it is up and running is considered maintenance
work. The purpose is to preserve the value of the software over time. Value can be
improved by expanding the customer base, meeting additional requirements, being easier to
use, more efficient, and employing more new technology. Maintenance can cover 20 years,
while development can be between 1 and 2 years.

Types of software maintenance

Over time, computer applications must undergo modification processes that extend their
useful life or improve their characteristics. Correcting bugs, adapting to new technological
environments or incorporating functionalities are some of the tasks included in the
maintenance of the software, an activity that is repeated periodically from the moment it
begins to be used until its definitive abandonment.

Throughout its useful life, the application may need modifications for different reasons,
which determine different types of maintenance:

 Preventive maintenance: It consists of constantly reviewing the software to detect

possible sources of problems that may arise in the future.
  Predictive Maintenance. It evaluates the flow of program execution to predict with
certainty when the failure will occur, and thus determine when it is appropriate to
make corresponding adjustments.
 Corrective maintenance. Corrects defects found in the software that cause behavior
different from the desired one. These failures can be processing, performance (for
example, inefficient use of hardware resources), programming (inconsistencies in
execution), security or stability, among others.
 Adaptive maintenance. If it is necessary to change the environment in which the
application is used (including the operating system, hardware platform, or, in the
case of web applications, the browser), it may be necessary to modify it to maintain
its full functionality in these new environments. conditions.
 Evolutionary maintenance. It is a special case where adaptation is practically
mandatory, since otherwise the program would become obsolete over time. For
example, changing versions of a browser (often imposed without user consent) often
requires adjustments to plugins and web applications.
 Perfect maintenance. For different reasons, the user may request the addition of new
functionalities or features not considered at the time of software implementation.
Perfect maintenance adapts the application to this requirement. Ongoing software
maintenance can ensure its functionality for many years, saving time and the
financial cost of a complete migration to a new application.

PC software maintenance
Maintaining a PC is something that anyone can do with a simple screwdriver and a little
skill (and often patience), since they are fragile equipment and require a lot of care so as not
to damage any component, I consider that if you have what It is said, it can be done.

In the case of software maintenance, we can use a variety of programs that specialize in
cleaning, defragmenting and optimizing computer performance through the processes
explained below.

Software maintenance allows us to give new life to our computer, optimizing resources and
making the most of them. It is one of the most important tasks, since in this way our PC
will work much better, faster and without any problems. The software maintenance phase
involves changes to the software to correct defects found during its use or the addition of
new functionalities that improve the usability and applicability of the software.

The software maintenance phase is an explicit part of the waterfall model of the software
development process that developed during the structured computer programming
movement. With the release of the software, other undocumented defects and deficiencies
will be discovered by users of the software. As soon as these defects are reported to the
development organization, they are entered into the defect tracking system. The people
involved in the maintenance phase of the software hope to work on these known defects,
locate them, and prepare a new version of the software, known as a maintenance release,
that will resolve the outstanding issues.

This refers to anticipating possible problems that may exist in the software at the time of
use or simply due to the way we use our operating system and our programs. Our PC can
start to have problems when we least expect it, some of the symptoms and the most
common are a slow operating system and also the execution cycle of some programs.

Preventive maintenance can be carried out with programs that can optimize the operation of
the PC, and these should be run periodically every three or four months.

Software maintenance examples

We can say that within software engineering, maintenance is a set of activities through
which we seek to improve certain relevant aspects of the software and also be able to detect
in time any evidence of failure or damage to its components, in a specific establishment.
such as security, productivity, functionality, etc…. There are four types of maintenance:
corrective, preventive, adaptive and perfect. Below are five examples of each type of
software maintenance:

Corrective

 Correction of poor posture when sitting.

 Using a spell checker when you make a spelling mistake.
 Resuming any activity from before was being done wrong.
 Repair an object such as a door that does not close properly.
 Correct some information such as to correct the amount of money you are
mistakenly charged for a service.

Preventive

 Vaccines or antivirus.
 The use of protection when performing an exercise, particularly an extreme or
dangerous exercise.
 Using twice as much material or reinforcing any part of a building.
 Put on a sweater before going out in the cold to avoid catching a cold.
 Bring an umbrella in case it rains.

Adaptable

 Change your clothes when changing from a hot region to a cold one.
 Change of personnel when they are too old or do not work according to needs.
 The use of a tool to speed up a process when being in an environment that needs
rapid production.
 The change of cell phone can be considered as a change in the work environment
and a more efficient cell phone is needed.
 Change of workplace due to conditions that may affect my health.

Perfect

 Constant improvements or versions of an operating system.

 Take vitamins to improve some process in our body.
 Add more weapons or improvements to a video game, adding new functionalities.
 The constant training of an athlete to improve.
  Do activities that improve your technique in something.

Software maintenance is a broad activity that includes bug fixes, capability improvements,
removal of obsolete features, and optimization. Since change is inevitable, it is necessary to
develop evaluation, control and modification mechanisms.

Therefore, any work done to change the software after it is in operation is considered
maintenance work, the purpose of which is to preserve the value of the software over time,
where the value can be improved by expanding the customer base, meeting additional
requirements, becoming easier to use, more efficient and using more new technologies.

Software maintenance process

The maintenance process contains activities and measures for the maintainer. This process
is activated when:

 The primary Acquisition and Delivery processes can initiate the Implementation
activity through an agreement or contract.
 The main operation process can initiate the software maintenance process by
submitting a modification request or a problem report.
 Documentation support, configuration management, quality control, verification,
joint review, auditing, and problem resolution processes are used in the software
maintenance process.
 Management, infrastructure, and training are processes that the maintainer uses
when starting a maintenance project.
 The improvement process focuses on improving the maintenance process so that the
adaptation is appropriate for non-routine events such as emergency maintenance.

The Software Maintenance life cycle process begins with the implementation of this
process where maintenance is planned and ends with the retirement of the product.

 Includes modification of code and documentation due to a problem or need for

maintenance.
 The objective of the Maintenance Process is to modify an existing software product
while preserving its integrity.
 The implicit requirements and restrictions imposed on the original promoter must be
taken into account.

software maintenance images