RE: Maintenance Windows for Networks Spanning Multiple Time Zones

["Christian Kuhtz" <ck () arch bellsouth net>]

If you run a global operation, you can't please everybody.  Post your
maintenance windows, post your planned activities, and communicate.  That's
the only way if you truely are a global 24x7 shop.

With some services, you can also use your capacity planning metrics to
determine when there are dips in utilization and schedule the maintenance
window for that timeframe.  Be creative.  Nobody said running a global 24x7
shop was easy.

Use whatever measurements you got which determine dips in utilization, figure
out your maintenance window (including time to back out if not successful) and
find a way to make it fit.  Build a redundant system if you don't think the
outtage is acceptable.  Test it, and build a lab.  Various degrees of zeal and
paranoia are applicable here.

There is no canned solution.

--
Christian Kuhtz <ck () arch bellsouth net> -wk, <ck () gnu org> -hm
Sr. Architect, Engineering & Architecture, BellSouth.net, Atlanta, GA, U.S.
"I speak for myself only."

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-nanog () merit edu [mailto:owner-nanog () merit edu]On Behalf Of
> Valdis.Kletnieks () vt edu
> Sent: Monday, January 22, 2001 6:43 PM
> To: Brett L. Hawn
> Cc: nanog () merit edu
> Subject: Re: Maintenance Windows for Networks Spanning Multiple Time
> Zones
>
>
> On Mon, 22 Jan 2001 17:20:03 EST, "Brett L. Hawn" said:
> > Pardon my intrusion, but common sense tells me: at a time where you will
> > have the least amount of impact on the least amount of people.
>
> I'll play devil's advocate here.  Do you want to minimize the impact on
> the end users, or the number of phone calls generated to the NOC? ;)
>
> And yes, we're alledgedly a one time zone shop.  But I've gotten complaints
> from Europe when our 3AM window for Listserv updates impacted *their*
> ability to post stuff *right now*.  Didn't I *understand* that this was
> *important* and that it was already *10AM* there? ;)
>
> And I believe the *original* question was (or at least intended to be)
> "how do I *calculate/guess* when I'll have the least impact on least users".
> And *that* is probably still in the realm of black magic....
>
>
> --
>                               Valdis Kletnieks
>                               Operating Systems Analyst
>                               Virginia Tech