# What spares do you keep on hand?



## Uniballer (Aug 17, 2012)

Like many others, my company is now totally dependent on ethernet w/POE (power over ethernet) for phone service, computer networking, etc.  We can't talk to a customer, take an order, process order details, or ship anything without a working ethernet network.  Our telephones need POE so we can't just run out to BestBuy to buy new ethernet switches if something gets fried.  So I have a spare SGE2000P that I bought on eBay just in case, and I made sure that it has up-to-date software and configuration info.

What do you feel you need to have on hand?


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## wblock@ (Aug 17, 2012)

A couple times recently I've suggested that people who use hardware RAID controllers ought to have a spare controller.  Likewise if you use some esoteric backup media.  The time you need it for a restore, the drive or controller or cables will fail.  The local stores will not have it, and if it's more than a couple of years old, it may not even be available online.  Testing the spares regularly is a good idea also.


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