How to Create a Disaster Recovery Plan (cont'd) by Glen Kunene, Senior Editor

Disaster recovery budgets vary from company to company but they typically run between 2 and 8 percent of the overall IT budget. Companies for which system availability is crucial usually are on the higher end of the scale, while companies that can function without it are on the lower end. However, these percentages may be too small. For a large IT shop 15 percent is a best practice rule of thumb according to Emerson

The recovery procedure should be written in a detailed plan or "script." Establish a Recovery Team from among the IT staff and assign specific recovery duties to each member. The manner in which your team conducts its recovery probably will be no different than its regular production procedures: the chain of command likely won't change and neither will the aspects of the network for which each member is responsible.

Define how to deal with the loss of various aspects of the network (databases, servers, bridges/routers, communications links, etc.) and specify who arranges for repairs or reconstruction and how the data recovery process occurs. The script will also outline priorities for the recovery: What needs to be recovered first? What is the communication procedure for the initial respondents? To complement the script, create a checklist or test procedure to verify that everything is back to normal once repairs and data recovery have taken place.

Step 4: Test, Test, Test
Once your DRP is set, test it frequently. Eventually you'll need to perform a component-level restoration of your largest databases to get a realistic assessment of your recovery procedure, but a periodic walk-through of the procedure with the Recovery Team will assure that everyone knows their roles. Test the systems you're going to use in recovery regularly to validate that all the pieces work. Always record your test results and update the DRP to address any shortcomings.

As your business environment changes, so should your DRP. Reexamine the plan every year on a high level: Do you still need every part of the plan? Do you need to add to it? Will the budget need to be adjusted to accommodate changes to the plan? As applications, hardware, and software are added to your network, they must be brought into the plan. New employees must be trained on recovery procedures. New threats to business seem to pop up every week and a sound DRP takes all of them into account.

Hot Tips for Keeping Your PC Cool in Summer

There are plenty of steps you can take to keep your PC cool during the summer.

1) First, open up your PC from time to time to make sure all internal fans are operating. The onset of hot weather is a good time to tackle this chore. If you're a bit nervous about having to pop open the hood of your computer, don't worry. Usually removing a few easy-to-find screws or a popping a simple latch is all you need to do to inspect the inside of your computer. Most computer manuals tell you how it's done.

Open the case while your computer is turned off. When the case is open, turn the computer back on and make sure that all internal fans spin up and operate consistently. You should see two or three internal fans in your average computer - usually one fan is over the central processor, while another may be located atop the graphics card, into which your monitor cable usually plugs.

2) Second, try to locate your PC in a cool room - or a cool place within an otherwise warm room. If your room has air conditioning, place the computer itself as close to an air conditioning vent as possible - or somewhere where outside air circulation is available.

The fact is that any personal computer can and will raise ambient air temperature in a room, so it makes sense to minimize that effect for the benefit of the PC as well as for those who work around it. If you do not have or do not want to use air conditioning, try to get air circulating around the computer, either with an oscillating fan or by placing it near a window with some air circulation.

3) Third, make a point to remove dust from your PC - especially around air vents, where balls of dust can accumulate and prevent proper airflow. A dusty PC will get hotter internally - and generate more heat externally - than a PC that's relatively dust free. Use common sense when removing dust from the computer. Turn if off and unplug it first, and try not to directly touch any sensitive electrical components within.

4) Finally, consider turning your PC off when you're not using it during particularly hot spells. If you need to keep the PC itself running, look for other heat-generating electronic components that can be powered down while the computer does its work. Monitors, for instance, can also generate significant heat, as can some printers.

Thanks to beefed-up graphics cards, supercharged CPUs, and maxed-out memory, today's high-performance computers generate more heat than any personal computers before them. But by paying proper attention to cooling, you can help to ensure years of trouble-free service from your PC.