When a server fails at 7 pm, the first question is always “what does this server actually do?” Most server problems we see aren’t attacks. They’re years of small changes nobody wrote down. This checklist covers the yearly health check, Active Directory and the one-page record every server should have.
The yearly server check
For every server you run, Windows, SQL Server or Linux, ask five questions:
- Version: what is it, and when does support end? Windows Server 2016 support ended on 12 January 2027; Ubuntu 22.04’s standard support ends in May 2027.
- Backups: is it backed up, and when did someone last test a restore?
- Patching: when was it last updated, and who is responsible?
- Access: who has admin rights, and does anyone who has left still have them?
- Records: is the server written down anywhere, with its owner, role and passwords stored safely?
If any answer is “not sure”, that’s your first job.
Active Directory: five checks
Active Directory is the front desk of your Windows network: every sign-in, every permission, every shared drive.
- Stale accounts: disable users and computers that haven’t signed in for 90 days.
- Admin groups: check who is in Domain Admins. It should be a very short list.
- Replication: if you have two domain controllers, make sure they’re in sync (repadmin /replsummary).
- DNS: domain controllers and clients should point to the right DNS servers.
- Backups: keep a recent system state backup of at least one domain controller.
The one-page record every server needs
For every server, Windows or Linux, physical or virtual, write down:
- Owner: who in the business depends on it.
- Role: what it runs, such as ERP, file shares, SQL Server or a website.
- Version: operating system and database versions, with their support end dates.
- Backups: what’s backed up, where, and when a restore was last tested.
- Admins: who has admin access. Passwords belong in a password manager, not on the page.
- Vendors: application vendor and support contacts.
Keep it somewhere you can reach even when the server is down.
How Pentacle IT Solutions can help
Pentacle IT Solutions, a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Infrastructure (Azure), supports Windows Server for businesses in Lucknow and across Uttar Pradesh, one-off or under an AMC: troubleshooting, configuration changes, upgrades and migrations.
