6’S of Housekeeping in

Computer Lab
 What is housekeeping in computer?
• In computer laboratory, housekeeping can refer to either a standard entry or
exit routine appended to a user-written block of code (such as a subroutine
or function) at its entry and exit or, alternatively, to any other automated or
manual software process whereby a  computer is cleaned up after usage
(e.g. freeing resources such as virtual memory). This might include such
activities as removing or archiving logs that the system has made as a result
of the users activities, or deletion of temporary files which may otherwise
simply take up space.

• Housekeeping can be described as a necessary chore, required to perform a

particular computer's normal activity but not necessarily part of the algorithm.
[1]
 For cleaning up computer disk storage, utility software usually exists for
this purpose such as data compression software - to "shrink" files and
release disk space and defragmentation programs - to improve disk
performance.
 6'S IN THE LABORATORY
There are six primary phases of 6S:

It is a lean process improvement

tool that stands for:
 Sort,
 Straighten,
 Shine,
 Standardize,
 Sustain, and
 Safety.

The computer lab serves as the center for teaching

computer use to whole classes. For the students or users
to be safe and for the computer laboratory to be clean.
Housekeeping could include (but is not limited to)
the following activities:
 Saving and restoring program state for called functions (including 
general purpose registers and return address)
 Obtaining local memory on the stack
 Initializing local variables at the start of a program or function
 Freeing local memory on the stack on exit from a function
 Garbage collection
 Data conversion
 Backup and/or removal of un-needed files and software
 Execution of disk maintenance utilities (e.g. ScanDisk, hard drive
defragmenters, virus scanners)
Rules of a computer lab:
 BE RESPECTFUL!
 No food or drinks near the
computers. Enter the computer lab
quietly and work quietly.
 Surf safely!
 Clean up your work area before
you leave.
 Do not change computer settings or
backgrounds.
 Ask permission before you print.
 SAVE all unfinished work to a cloud
drive or jump drive.
A jump drive possesses the size of a human thumb and can
replace a floppy disk, Zip drive disk, or CD. What's more, it can
be used to transfer data from one device to another by
connecting through the USB port on a device.
How to Maintain Lab Computers:
References:
"Housekeeping", ComputerHope.Com. Accessed July 20, 2009
"Basic Computer Housekeeping Tips". Accessed July 20, 2009
 DEMO

Insert your multimedia content here

Images reveal large amounts of data