Recreate current system on 3 new computers with current operating system and versions of applications |
See also
- 0) Problem statement (Oliver's description of need, from 2017-02-15 email to local IT support vendor Brightworks.)
Recommendations
1) Recreate current system on 3 new computers with current operating system and versions of applications.
- Contemporary software ensures longer-term support.
- Contemporary operating system also ensures easier deployment on new hardware.
- Successfully recreating this interrelated system, and properly documenting it, ensures complete understanding of system, enabling correcting problems or improving the system more quickly and with less risk.
2) Clarify "system down" procedures for likely scenarios for current set-up (and later for new system)
- Ensures appropriate response by Testing Center staff and IT support.
- Characterize "pain points" working around different types of failures to help calibrate levels of urgency.
- Examples: What happens if failure persists for 1/2 day? A week? etc.
- Helps us all invest in activities we wished we did before a failure.
- For example, Physics IT has made images of each of the 3 computers. What else might be done?
Approach and considerations
The current system generally works well so serves as a good model, so focus on recreated it.
- We recognize there may be desired changes, nonetheless.
Oliver's recommended strategy is to recreate the current system's interrelated functionality using current OS and applications and use that learning to inform possible improvements. Can do this development before investing in new hardware. Deploy into production on new computers. New computers would cost about $650 with 4 year (or more?) warranties, so looking at about $2,000 god for about 4 (5?) years. Keep current scanners, printers, and networking.
Collect improvements desired from Testing Center and IT Support staff.
Some improvements to consider:
- Improve FMPro scripts (if Oliver understood Nick's idea correctly).
- Have FMPro DB run on a dedicated system such that the two scanning systems are then identical to each other, making them even easier to support.
Determine who will lead the project
- Tracking work to be done and why, by whom, by when, who reviews/ vets work, etc.
Review what is known
- Includes reviewing what has already been done and what is being done or considered.
Alan, Nick and other Testing Center staff know the most regarding not only the necessary desired results of the system, how the technical functions of the system meet those objectives, and all related workflows.
Physics IT has made efforts to characterize "what is" from a technical and work-flow perspective:
Testing Center staff and Physics IT staff have done some work, and we continue to try to improve what we have and what can be done: