Week 3: Environmental Impacts & Disaster Prevention and Recovery

Essential Questions

• How can I create an environment for peak performance of computing devices?
• How do I clean devices when they need to be cleaned?
• What do I do when something really goes wrong, like equipment failure or a disaster beyond my control?

Big Ideas

In addition to the logical and behavioral strategies taken to secure IT resources, computing devices also need to be in an environment that supports their use. Computers need to have access to a stable power supply and are susceptible to high heat, dust, moisture and other environmental conditions. IT technicians can take steps to protect devices from environmental conditions to prevent problems, but at some point many may need to be cleaned. Most users can be taught how to properly engage in routine cleaning of their own devices.

Eventually, many devices do wear out and they must be disposed of in a way that does not endanger others or the environment. IT support specialists should be able to read a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and use that information to properly dispose of technology resources. They are also either responsible for creating or implementing a Disaster Recovery Plan in the case of equipment failure or a natural disaster.

Connection to Student Lives

Getting a brand new phone or computer can be exciting. But you have to take care of that new device or it can become damaged or completely unusable. Certainly you've never dropped your phone into water, but haven't we all heard of someone who has? Sure, you can try the rice trick to try to save it, but it's best to be sure you use your devices in the environments in which they're intended so you don't have to try repair remedies that just may not work.

As an IT Support Specialist, you can help prepare the environments where devices are to be used so they remain as clean and safe as possible. And while you should be able to properly clean the devices your organization owns, you can also teach other students, teachers, and staff how to keep their own devices clean so you don't have to.

Despite your best efforts, at some time there may be an incident that threatens your hardware, network, and the information on it. The best course of action is prevention, so you can recover data and perhaps some of the devices on your network after some sort of incident has occurred.

Framing Problem

What can I do to keep my devices running as well as they can? What do I do if there's been an equipment failure or some kind of disaster out of my control?

Cornerstone Assessment

Students will generate a plan for routine cleaning of devices that can be shared with others, whether other members of the Help Desk or other students, faculty, and staff. Students should know how to configure Windows Backup and document that they have done so successfully.

DPI Standards

• NCCTE.2020.II22.04.06 - Explain the processes for addressing prohibited content activity, privacy licensing, and policy concepts.
• NCCTE.2020.II22.04.05 - Explain environmental impacts and appropriate controls.
• NCCTE.2020.II22.04.03 - Implement basic disaster prevention and recovery methods.

A+ Standards

TOPIC 18A: Environmental Impacts and Controls

TOPIC 18D: Implement Disaster Prevention and Recovery Methods

Vocabulary

Environmental Impacts and Controls

Environmental power problems

• Surge
• Spike
• Sag
• Brownout
• blackout

Surge protector

Line Conditioners or Power Distribution Units (PDUs)

Power redundancy

• Battery backup
• Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
• UPS sizing

Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF)

Airborne particles

• Air or Dust Filters
• Enclosure

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC)

Compressed air blaster

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

Implement Disaster Prevention and Recovery Methods

Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)

Data backup

Data restoration

Recovery image

Challenge Questions

Lesson Ideas

These short topics still contain concepts and terminology that students should understand and be comfortable with. Of course, for the cleaning aspects, students can be charged with correctly cleaning devices in the classroom or lab, or perhaps in another area. Students can also perform a walkthrough of different spaces in the building to identify where best practices are and are not being followed to provide a safe and clean environment for IT resources and what might be done, if not.

The focus of disaster prevention is outlined in Activity 18-5: Configuring Windows Backup. This is an activity that can be completed individually, in pairs, or as a demonstration to the entire group. Try to provide students as much control over configuring Windows Backup so they feel comfortable explaining and replicating the process.

Potential Resources

The Official CompTIA A+ Core 1 & Core 2 Instructor Guide for Exams 220-1001 and 220-1002

• Topic 18A: Discussing Environmental Impacts and Controls (pp. 994-1002)
  • Activity 18-1: Discussing Environmental Impacts and Controls (p. 1003)
• Topic 18D: Implement Disaster Prevention and Recovery Methods (pp. 1020-1024)
  • Activity 18-4: Discussing Disaster Prevention and Recovery (pp. 1025)
  • Activity 18-5: Configuring Windows Backup

Professor Messer at ProfessorMesser.com and YouTube offers numerous free videos of various lengths for many of the topics for the CompTIA 220-1001 A+ Exam. They are easy to understand, narrated videos with visuals. If you are teaching a CompTIA course, the site notes "You're welcome to use them as much as you'd like, provided you embed the videos with the associated YouTube link or link directly to my site. Please click the "Contact Us" link at the top of our web page and let me know how you're using them."

• Professor Messer's 220-1001 Core 2 CompTIA A+ Training Course videos on ProfessorMesser.com. Search or scroll to find the topics you're interested in.

Entry Level I.T. Training from Technology Gee

• Environmental Impacts & Controls (Article | Video – 3:34)
• Disaster Prevention & Recovery Methods (Article | Video – 5:23)
• Prohibited Content, Privacy, Licensing, & Policy Concepts (Article | Video – 8:39) introduced previously

Microsoft Support

• Recovery options in Windows
• Create a recovery drive
• Recover lost files on Windows 10

Other Articles and Resources:

Hazard Communication Standard: Safety Data Sheets from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Thorough guidance on developing an IT Disaster Recovery Plan from Ready.gov