IBM BS029ML Self Help Guide - Page 228
Our approach to maintenance, Application Server
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environment, as covered in the topic "Performing upgrades in a 24x7 environment." This document can be found at: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wpdoc/v6r0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.wp.en t.doc/wpf/clus_upgrade.html Our approach to maintenance A well designed maintenance strategy will work from a "bottom up" philosophy, with an essentially duplicate copy of the production environment available for in-house quality assurance (QA) testing. For example, if the production environment runs on a clustered series of servers running IBM AIX, then a staging or QA environment should also have a cluster of servers on AIX. From the bottom up, we have these aspects to consider when comparing the QA and production environments: Hardware (from disk arrays to network connectivity, memory, and CPU) Operating system (should be the same in QA as in production, even to the fix level) Application Server Database server Security server (LDAP, User registry, or even third-party external security manager, or ESM) Web server And any other such service integrated into your business. Many customers run their production environments using an "n-1" maintenance strategy, meaning that it does not always operate on the "latest and greatest" levels of software available, but the next most recent levels after being proven in their own QA systems. When a new Fix Pack or other higher level MDV is available, it is installed on a QA environment to begin thorough testing within the local environment to ensure no problems are introduced by its installation. The upgrade can be installed, uninstalled, and reinstalled many times to effectively practice for the eventual upgrade to the production environment. Fix Packs and Refresh Packs install into an existing environment with the Portal Update Installer (PUI) utility that is available with a command-line interface as well as a graphical interface. Administrators familiar with the PUI (http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=688&uid=swg24006942) and its documentation in the version 6.0 Information Center (http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wpdoc/v6r0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.wp.e nt.doc/wpf/portalupdateinstaller.html) can save time by familiarizing themselves with the utility by practicing on a QA, development, or "sandbox" system before having to use it in an emergency. Keeping thorough notes and documenting any pitfalls or lessons learned is key to success when applying new fixes to production, where limiting the impact to users is the primary objective. With enough practice, the maintenance window this might require could be shortened and in many cases even prevent any outage seen by customers. After installing in QA, the system should be rigorously tested to ensure that no problems are introduced and that all custom content remains functional and compatible with the later 214 IBM WebSphere Portal V6 Self Help Guide