Administrators typically perform a wide variety of maintenance tasks, including backing up data, archiving old data, cleaning up shared drives, updating and patching software, and various other chores, all in an effort to keep their networks running smoothly and employees working productively. But what about the infrastructure on which the network resides? When do you know it's time to replace it and/or the switches and hubs that support it? That's what Titus Ablorh recently asked in our Technical Q&A forums. Ablorh said that his cabling infrastructure is about eight years old and that he's using CAT5 cabling and 10/100 Nortel Bay switches. He wanted to know when he should consider replacing parts and whether any standard guidelines for infrastructure replacement exist. While there's not a single clear-cut answer to the question, TechRepublic members offered feedback that provides some excellent input on the subject. If it ain't broke... A typical answer to the question of when to look at updating network cabling and other parts might be to wait until something goes wrong. In one respect, this is a logical response: Why bother replacing something if there's nothing wrong with it? While this may seem like a logical way to approach the issue, especially from a cost perspective, it overlooks the primary goal of administering a network: keeping everything up and running smoothly with minimal to no interruption of service. To that end, admins must be a little more proactive in determining the status of the network switches and cabling. But what should you watch for? According to Gleb Yourchenko, a systems analyst at InFocus, an increase in the number of data errors is the first sign that you might have problems with your cabling and should begin looking at replacing cables or hubs/switches. Others, including dburk of Encyrion Technologies, said that performance issues can indicate the need for updates. When cost is a factor, dburk, noted, you might have to replace only the parts that must be fixed when problems occur. You want to do whatever you can to stay ahead of network issues, so heeding the warning signs of performance issues and data errors is a necessary part of maintaining the infrastructure. Heading off potential problems If you want to avoid networking issues altogether, though, you must take proactive steps to anticipate problems before they occur. The obvious solution is to inspect regularly your network cabling and other parts. "I believe the best solution," Yourchenko wrote, "is to invite a technician...at least once a year to test the infrastructure." The technician will have the equipment and the knowledge necessary to spot potential problems, Yourchenko added. It's also possible to inspect the jacketing and connectors yourself, said TheChas. "If the jacketing is starting to break down, or the fingers on the connectors are corroding, you should begin to plan for a rebuild." While a physical inspection of the cabling and other parts won't reveal all of the potential trouble spots in the network, it can help you determine which parts should be replaced to prevent hardware-related data errors from occurring.