Best Practices for maintaining the computer on a NextSeq 500/550
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Proper maintenance of the instrument computer minimizes computer-related issues during sequencing runs. The following tips help maintain the instrument computer. How often these maintenance steps are recommended is dependent on the usage of the instrument.
Power cycle the computer and instrument
Power cycling resets the instrument computer, memory usage, and software programs. A power cycle consists of shutting down the instrument and computer, leaving the system off for two to five minutes, then restarting the instrument and computer. The instrument System Guides contain recommendations for properly power cycling.
Instruments should be left on at all times when not being power cycled to maintain the integrity of the instrument fluidics.
Power cycling the instrument computer regularly can maintain consistent instrument computer performance.
You may be asked to power cycle the instrument during troubleshooting.
The instrument system guides contain recommendations for properly shutting down the instrument and computer for extended periods of time.
Cleaning the hard drives
With NextSeq Control Software v2The NextSeq hard drive is designed to store data for one run, which will be automatically overwritten when a new run is started.
With NextSeq Control Software v4The NextSeq hard drive can store multiple runs, but it is recommended to use an output folder in a network location. The data in the temp folder is automatically overwritten when a new run is started. Output folders on the instrument require manual deletion.
Language and Regional settings
Instrument computer language and regional settings are set to English (United States) by default. Do not change this setting. The software is not designed to run in another language. Changing this setting can cause secondary analysis failures and communication problems between the computer and the instrument.
Daylight saving settings are enabled by default for correct syncing with BaseSpace Sequence Hub. Do not change this setting.
Security best practice
The web page contains recommendations for security configurations on all Illumina sequencing platforms.
It is important that installed antivirus software does not interfere with sequencing runs.
Further platform-specific recommendations are found in the
Additional Resource
For further information on power cycling, search for Knowledge Base article How to Perform a NextSeq 500/550 Power Cycle.
For information on best practices for other Illumina instruments, search for Knowledge Base article Best practices for maintaining the computer on Illumina sequencing systems.
For any feedback or questions regarding this article (Illumina Knowledge Article #7445), contact Illumina Technical Support .