Upgrading and Repairing Networks

Deployment

After you have evaluated and re-evaluated, tested, and retested, and are sure that your plan is a sound one, implement the plan to upgrade the network. Depending on the scope of the upgrade, the deployment stage can be done all at once, or it can be done in a migration process over time. Adding segments to a network for new offices or replacing older cables can be a simple matter accomplished over a weekend. Migrating a large network to a faster topology might require that you deploy only small segments at a time to ensure that disruptions for users are minimized. An application upgrade can take longer to implement because of such factors as data conversion and user training.

Team Personnel

The personnel who are employed to perform upgrade functions should be well trained far in advance of the actual deployment stage. Each person should be knowledgeable in the area of expertise for the functions he or she will perform. To aid the upgrade team, it is a good idea to have specific written task lists that describe what is to be done. For example, a recent network upgrade in which I participated required that network adapter cards be replaced in a large number of workstations. The process involved the physical action to remove the old card and replace it with a new one.

After the card replacement, however, there were additional chores to do. For example, each card had to be configured with the correct drivers so that the operating system would be capable of using of it. Each workstation had to be tested for connectivity to ensure that the card was correctly configured to work with the network. The task list for this was written in detail describing each step the team member needed to perform, and included a check-off box for each step. Why a check-off box? If you have to take the time to check off each step, you are less likely to forget one. When a person is performing the same actions over and over, moving from workstation to workstation, the odds are likely that mistakes will be made. This is especially likely if you need to customize the default configuration. For example, if you have Windows 98 clients browsing a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 system for shared resources, you should disable the QoS Packet Scheduler service normally installed on Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. Because Windows 98 clients don't use QoS, having it present on servers can cause enormous delays when browsing shared resources.

It is also a good idea to designate one or more persons to be a resource focal point that team members can use when problems arise. If one person is aware of the problems that are occurring, it is easy to implement a fix throughout the project so that the same problem doesn't have to be solved over and over.

Keeping Users Informed

Network users should be kept current about the progress of the upgrade. At the beginning of the deployment stage, present the users with an overview of what will be happening, when it will happen, and how it will affect their work. As specific tasks are ready to be done, let the users who will be immediately affected know shortly before you begin. For example, if you plan to replace workstations throughout the enterprise, create a list of replacement candidates each week and notify the affected users via a memo or an email so that they will be reminded. For an extended project, it is easy for users to forget what you told them weeks or months earlier.

Along this same line, it is a good idea to get some kind of response from a user when you have made changes to his workstation. For example, having a user test the system for a day or so and then "sign off" on the work lets him know that (for him at least) the process is complete; this is known as user-acceptance testing.

Tracking Progress

Use the metrics that you designed to measure the progress you make as you implement the plan. It is important to keep track of the progress so that you can coordinate your people, your resources, and the delivery of additional equipment or outside services. If you are falling behind in one area, you may have to reschedule tasks in other related areas. Keeping a close watch on progress is necessary so that you can quickly detect when something is not going as expected and begin to come up with an alternative method for getting things done.

The mechanisms you can use to track implementation of the plan might include a spreadsheet, a diary-like text file, checklists, and so on. To present information to upper-level management, you might find that weekly or monthly summary reports help in keeping their support. If you find yourself in a position where you need to report on progress to high-level managers, graphical displays, such as graphs or charts, can help get your point across. If you are creating a presentation, it can be helpful to restrict your use of clip art to illustrations that convey additional information. No one will be impressed by your ability to use every stick-figure included in PowerPoint's clip art arsenal.