Hardware Health and Log Review
Periodic review of RAID, disk, memory, power supply and fan alerts and system event logs through iDRAC and iLO; recurring alerts are followed through to their root cause.
Infrastructure Service
Server Maintenance Agreement for Dell and HPE Servers
We run firmware, BIOS and iDRAC/iLO updates, hardware health checks and backup verification for your Dell PowerEdge and HPE ProLiant servers on a written schedule, and take on fault diagnosis and coordination with the manufacturer.
With a server maintenance agreement, preventive maintenance, fault diagnosis and coordination, and lifecycle planning for your servers are brought together in one written scope instead of depending on individuals. This page describes our server maintenance service for Dell PowerEdge and HPE ProLiant servers: what we do, how we work and what is defined in the contract.
The preventive maintenance schedule is the core of the agreement. We apply firmware, BIOS and management controller updates (iDRAC on Dell, iLO on HPE) in pre-approved maintenance windows, plan operating system updates, review iDRAC/iLO logs and RAID, disk, power supply and fan alerts, verify that backups can actually be restored and report on capacity trends. NIST SP 800-40 Rev. 4 frames patch management as preventive maintenance for technology, and its example for an on-premises data center names firmware alongside operating systems and applications as layers to update. The firmware layer should not be neglected: according to NIST SP 800-193, a successful attack on platform firmware could render a system inoperable, perhaps permanently. We explain the order of work in our server firmware, BIOS, iDRAC and iLO update guide, and what an agreement should cover in what is a server maintenance agreement.
We offer two working models. With periodic maintenance we carry out health, firmware, operating system and backup checks at the frequency set in the contract and report findings by priority; changes are applied by your team, or by us with your approval. With ongoing managed support, tracking hardware alerts, fault diagnosis, update planning and reporting sit with us. In both models approval stays with you: updates and restarts are scheduled with your sign-off.
A maintenance agreement complements the manufacturer's warranty; it does not replace it. While a server is covered by a warranty or a manufacturer support contract (such as Dell ProSupport or an HPE support agreement), parts replacement follows the manufacturer's process; we diagnose the fault, collect the logs required and coordinate the case with the manufacturer on your behalf. This boundary is deliberate: Dell's ProSupport for Infrastructure service description excludes work caused by third-party personnel not approved by Dell interfering with hardware, firmware or software, and requires the customer to keep the minimum firmware and software versions Dell specifies. Regular firmware maintenance therefore also makes it easier to use the manufacturer's support. For servers coming off warranty, we compare extending manufacturer support with independent support in post-warranty server support: manufacturer or third party?
Lifecycle planning is part of maintenance too. According to Microsoft's lifecycle pages, the last day of extended support for Windows Server 2016 is 12 January 2027, and the same date applies to Hyper-V Server 2016 and WSUS for Windows Server 2016. The last day of mainstream support for Windows Server 2022 is 13 October 2026, which is also the last day of the ESU program for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2. In the maintenance inventory we track operating system and hardware support dates for every server and add the migration timeline to the maintenance plan. Out-of-support systems that cannot be moved right away are isolated and access-restricted, following the unpatchable-asset approach in NIST SP 800-40 Rev. 4; an intrusion prevention (IPS) layer such as Trend Micro Deep Security can also be considered as an interim measure. We cover the options in our Windows Server 2016 end-of-support migration plan.
Sora Yazılım is a technology company, independent of manufacturers, that provides selection, procurement, installation and support for Dell and HPE servers. We offer the maintenance agreement for Dell PowerEdge and HPE ProLiant servers; in mixed environments that include other brands, the scope is agreed during the discovery call. Scope, service hours, response times and the spare-parts model are defined in the contract. We have no fixed price list; quotes depend on the number of servers, models and generations, warranty status, locations and how critical each server is to the business.
Out of scope: purchasing server hardware is a separate procurement process. Operating system upgrade and migration projects, application-level software development and backup software licenses (for example Acronis Cyber Backup) are scoped separately. A full security operations center (SOC) or endpoint detection and response (EDR) service is not part of this contract. For your firewall we offer a separate Firewall Maintenance and Management Service.
Maintenance Scope
What does the server maintenance agreement include?
The frequency and output of each item are written into the contract, and every check goes into the report as a dated record.
Firmware, BIOS and iDRAC/iLO Updates
Tracking manufacturer advisories and applying updates in the manufacturer's recommended order within a maintenance window, always preceded by a configuration backup and a written rollback note.
Operating System Update Planning
Windows Server and Linux updates planned through a test, approval and maintenance-window cycle, with the virtualization layer (Hyper-V, VMware ESXi) on the same schedule.
Backup Verification
Checking backup job results and running sample restore tests at the frequency set in the contract; systems with no backup, or with backups that have never been tested, are flagged in the report.
Fault Diagnosis and Manufacturer Coordination
Identifying the fault, collecting the logs and diagnostic output the manufacturer asks for, and following the parts process under warranty or a support contract through with the manufacturer.
Capacity, Lifecycle and Reporting
Disk, memory and CPU usage trends; warranty, support and operating system end dates; a periodic report of the work done and open findings.
Our Approach
Turning server maintenance into a routine in 5 steps
An initial health check makes the current state visible; every period after that repeats the same checklist and the same report format.
- 01
Discovery and Inventory
Server models and generations, service tags or serial numbers, warranty and support contract end dates, firmware and OS versions, workloads and backup design are documented. Output: a baseline inventory.
- 02
Initial Health Check
iDRAC/iLO logs, RAID and disk status, power supply and fan alerts, firmware gaps and the restorability of backups are reviewed; findings are ranked by risk.
- 03
Schedule and Contract
Maintenance frequency, maintenance windows, the approval and escalation chain, service hours, response times and the spare-parts model are put in writing.
- 04
Periodic Maintenance and Change Log
Updates are applied in an approved maintenance window with a prior backup and a rollback note; every change is logged with its date, scope and result.
- 05
Reporting and Review
Periodic reports cover the work done, open findings, warranty and support end dates, capacity trends and the lifecycle calendar; the scope is updated based on them.
Tools and Coverage
Which platforms and methods do we work with?
Server management
Dell iDRACDell OpenManageHPE iLOHPE SPPRedfish
Operating systems and virtualization
Windows ServerHyper-VVMware ESXiLinux
Backup and protection
Acronis Cyber BackupTrend Micro Deep Security
Method
NIST SP 800-40 Rev. 4NIST SP 800-193Maintenance windowChange log
Who It's For
Which organizations is this service for?
Servers whose warranty has ended or is about to end
Maintenance, diagnosis and a spare-parts approach defined in the contract for servers that stay in production, assessed side by side with the manufacturer's own options.
Dell and HPE servers side by side
One maintenance calendar, one inventory and one report format for servers managed through iDRAC and iLO, instead of two separate routines.
Windows Server 2016 still in production
An inventory of affected servers and workloads, a migration timeline in the maintenance plan and interim isolation for systems that cannot move yet.
No in-house hardware specialist
Periodic maintenance and a prioritized findings report for IT teams that run daily operations but have no time for firmware, hardware logs and restore tests.
Evidence of maintenance is requested
Dated maintenance records, change logs and backup test results that can be shown in an audit, with access terms written into the contract with KVKK (Türkiye's data protection law) in mind.
Solutions We Pair With This
Which solution brands do we deploy alongside?
Global vendor solutions we position within this service scope.
Server Hardware
Dell PowerEdge Servers
Dell PowerEdge servers powered by 4th/5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable and AMD EPYC 9004/9005 processors for data center, branch, edge and AI workloads.
Learn moreServer HardwareHPE Servers (ProLiant)
HPE ProLiant Gen11 and Gen12 servers — powered by 4th/5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable and AMD EPYC 9004/9005 processors for data center and branch workloads.
Learn moreAuthoritative Reference
NIST SP 800-40 Rev. 4 — Guide to Enterprise Patch Management Planning: Preventive Maintenance for Technology
NIST guidance that treats patch management as preventive maintenance (April 2022).
NIST SP 800-40 Rev. 4 — Guide to Enterprise Patch Management Planning: Preventive Maintenance for Technology →Related Services
Services to combine with maintenance
Firewall Maintenance and Management Service
We run firmware planning, configuration backups, rule clean-up, HA and log checks for your firewall on a fixed schedule, with FortiGate as our focus, and can take over day-to-day operation as well.
DevOps and Infrastructure Management
CI/CD pipeline setup, container orchestration, observability and zero-downtime deployment processes that put your infrastructure on a modern foundation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Server maintenance agreement: common questions
Can't find your question here? Use the form below.
Which servers does your maintenance agreement cover?
We provide the service for Dell PowerEdge and HPE ProLiant servers, working through iDRAC on Dell and iLO on HPE as the management controllers. If the same environment also includes other server brands, storage systems or a virtualization layer, we agree what falls within scope during the discovery call and list it server by server in the contract, so there is no doubt about which devices are covered.
How is a fault handled on a server that is still under warranty?
If a warranty or manufacturer support contract is still active, parts replacement follows the manufacturer's process. We diagnose the fault, collect the information the manufacturer asks for, such as iDRAC or iLO logs and diagnostic output, and coordinate opening the case and following it through to resolution. The maintenance agreement does not replace the warranty; it adds the patching, firmware, backup and reporting work the warranty does not cover.
Do you support servers whose warranty has expired?
Yes. Post-warranty server support is part of this service, and the spare-parts model is agreed separately in the contract. The manufacturer's options are worth checking first: according to Dell's service description, ProSupport for Infrastructure can also be purchased for a post-warranty period on eligible equipment. For HPE, downloading the Service Pack for ProLiant requires an active warranty or support contract, while iLO and security firmware are available without that check. We clarify firmware access during discovery.
What is the difference between periodic maintenance and ongoing managed support?
With periodic maintenance we run health, firmware, operating system and backup checks at intervals set in the contract and report findings by priority, while day-to-day operation stays with you. With ongoing managed support, tracking hardware alerts, fault diagnosis, update planning and reporting move to the contracted team. In both models, decisions on updates and restarts are made with your approval.
Will the server go down during firmware updates?
Often, yes, which is why updates are done in pre-approved maintenance windows. According to Dell's update guidance, component updates other than iDRAC require downtime, and the recommended order is iDRAC, BIOS, CPLD/FPGA and then the remaining components. On HPE, a BIOS update takes effect when the server restarts, and HPE recommends a backup every time iLO firmware is updated. We take a configuration backup and write down rollback steps before every update.
We still run Windows Server 2016. How does the maintenance agreement handle it?
According to Microsoft's lifecycle page, the last day of extended support for Windows Server 2016 is 12 January 2027; after that, security updates are available only through the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. In maintenance we flag these servers in the inventory, map their workloads and dependencies and add a migration timeline to the plan. Systems that cannot move right away are isolated and access-restricted; the migration project itself is scoped separately.
How should a maintenance provider's access to our servers be handled under KVKK?
KVKK is Türkiye's personal data protection law. According to the Authority's explanation of data security obligations, a data controller is jointly responsible, together with those processing data on its behalf, for taking security measures. Access methods, personal accounts, session logs and confidentiality obligations should therefore be written into the contract. Disks sent for warranty replacement need attention too: NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2 treats media that is not returned as outside the organization's control. Confirm legal points with your adviser.
What information should we bring to the discovery call?
A good starting point is the number of servers, their models and generations, warranty or support contract end dates, operating system and virtualization versions, locations and how critical each server is to the business. We have no fixed price list; the quote is prepared from this information and the scope you need. Service hours, response times and the spare-parts model are then agreed together in the contract.
Request Form
Let's talk about maintaining your servers
Tell us the number of servers, their models and warranty status. In a free discovery call we will review the current state together and come back with a maintenance scope and quote.
24-hour response
We work Monday–Friday, 09:00–18:00 (TRT).
Your data is safe
GDPR/KVKK compliant — never shared with third parties.
Free discovery call
No commitment required; a proposal follows.
Do you know your servers' warranty and support dates?
Let's review the inventory, firmware status and lifecycle dates together, then build the maintenance schedule around them.