Frequently engineers will dive right in and deploy an upgrade or network / system addition without very much fore thought or planning. Then the problems begin. Most problems that occur during a network / system upgrade can be avoided if a little fore thought and planning is done.
Step 1 Define the scope of the project and understand the implications of what is about to be done. Without understanding the implications of what is to be done, there is often undesired results. One must remember that most intelligent network devices communicate with each other. Therefore the consequences of a network addition or upgrade may propagate throughout the network / system.
Step 2 Design the network / system upgrade / addition on a whiteboard. This brainstorming session exposes many of the details that can cause problems later. Remember that with technology, the devil is in the detail. Design includes determining:
A) The equipment required
B) Cabling
C) Routing implications
D) Logical configuration
E) IP addressing
F) Power requirements
Step 3 Draw the upgrade using Visio. Proposed drawings show detail of what is about to be done. In a large organization, drawings are an effective communications tool. After the next step is done, drawings should be updated to reflect the "As-Built" condition because frequently what is proposed, is not what is built.
Step 4 Deploy it. After all the above effort is completed, necessary parts and equipment are obtained, the upgrade / addition can finally be deployed (built). It is surprising how smoothly things go when adequate planning is done. Often network upgrades and additions have visibility through-out the organization. If things go right, it's hardly noticed. On the other hand, if a network upgrade goes badly, everybody seems to know about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment