Advantage Energy Technology Data Center Migration
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Part A
Brian Smith, network administrator at Advanced Energy Technology (AET), has been given
the responsibility of implementing the migration of a large data center to a new office
location. Careful planning is needed because AET operates in the highly competitive
petroleum industry. AET is one of five national software companies that provide an
accounting and business management package for oil jobbers and gasoline distributors. A
few years ago AET jumped into the application service provider world. Their large data
center provides clients with remote access to AETs complete suite of application software
systems. Traditionally, one of AETs primary competitive advantages has been the
companys trademark IT reliability. Due to the complexity of this project, Brian will have to
use a parallel method of implementation. Although this will increase project costs, a parallel
approach is essential if reliability is not to be compromised.
Currently AETs data center is located on the second floor of a renovated old bank
building in downtown Corvallis, Oregon. The company is moving to a new, one-level
building in the recently developed industrial complex at the Corvallis International Airport.
On February 1, Brian is formally assigned the task by the vice president of operations, Dan
Whitmore, with the following guidelines:
From start to finish, it is anticipated the entire project will take three to four months to
complete.
It is essential that AETs 235 clients suffer no downtime.
Whitmore advises Brian to come back to the Executive Committee on February 15 with a
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presentation on the scope of the project that includes costs, first-cut timeline, and proposed
project team members.
Brian had some preliminary discussions with some of AETs managers and directors
from each of the functional departments and then arranged for a full-day scope
meeting on February 4 with a few of the managers and technical representatives
from Operations, Systems, Facilities, and Applications. The scope team determined the
following:
Three to four months is a feasible project timeline, and first-cut cost estimate is $80,000
$90,000 (this includes the infrastructure upgrade of the new site).
Critical to the no-downtime requirement is the need to completely rely on AETs remote
disaster recovery hot site for full functionality.
Brian will serve as project manager of a team consisting of one team member each from
Facilities, Operations/Systems, Operations/Telecommunications, Systems and Applications,
and Customer Service.
Brians Executive Committee report was positively received and, after a few modifications
and recommendations, he was formally charged with responsibility for the project. Brian
recruited his team and scheduled their first team meeting (March 1) as the initial task of his
project-planning process.
Once the initial meeting is conducted Brian can hire the contractors to renovate the new
data center. During this time Brian will figure out how to design the network. Brian estimates
that screening and hiring a contractor will take about one week and that the network design
will take about two weeks. The new center requires a new ventilation system. The
manufacturers requirements include an ambient temperature of 67 degrees to keep all of the
data servers running at optimal speeds. The ventilation system has a lead time of three weeks.
Brian will also need to order new racks to hold the servers, switches, and other network
devices. The racks have a two-week delivery time.
The data center supervisor requested that Brian replace all of the old power supplies and
data cables. Brian will need to order these as well. Because Brian has a great relationship
with the vendor, they guarantee that it will take only one week lead time for the power
supplies and the data cables. Once the new ventilation system and racks arrive, Brian can
begin installing them. It will take one week to install the ventilation system and three weeks
to install the racks. The renovation of the new data center can begin as soon as the
contractors have been hired. The contractors tell Brian that construction will take 20 days.
Once the construction begins and after Brian installs the ventilation system and racks, the
city inspector must approve the construction of the raised floor.
The city inspector will take two days to approve the infrastructure. After the city
inspection and after the new power supplies and cables have arrived, Brian can install the
power supplies and run the cables. Brian estimates that it will take five days to install the
power supplies and one week to run all of the data cables. Before Brian can assign an actual
date for taking the network off line and switching to the hot remote site, he must get approval
from each of the functional units (switchover approval). Meetings with each of the
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functional units will require one week. During this time he can initiate a power check to
ensure that each of the racks has sufficient voltage. This will require only one day.
Upon completion of the power check, he can take one week to install his test servers. The
test servers will test all of the primary network functions and act as a safeguard before the
network is taken off line. The batteries must be charged, ventilation installed, and test servers
up and running before management can be assured that the new infrastructure is safe, which
will take two days. Then they will sign off the primary systems check, taking one day of
intense meetings. They will also set an official date for the network move.
Brian is happy that everything has gone well thus far and is convinced that the move will
go just as smoothly. Now that an official date is set, the network will be shut down for a day.
Brian must move all of the network components to the new data center. Brian will do the
move over the weekendtwo dayswhen user traffic is at a low point.
ASSIGNMENT
1. Generate a priority matrix for AETs system move.
2. Develop a WBS for Brians project. Include duration (days) and predecessors.
3. Using a project-planning tool, generate a network diagram for this project.
Note: Base your plan on the following guidelines: eight-hour days, five-day weeks except
for when Brian moves the network components over a weekend, no holiday breaks, and
March 1, 2010, is the project start date. Ordering ventilation system, new racks, and power
supplies/cables takes only one actual day of work. The remaining days are the time
necessary for the vendors to fill and ship the order to Brian. So use finish-to-start lags here.
Assume that five days after the start of the renovation of the data center that the raised
floor will be ready for inspection (a start-to-start lag).
Must be 5 pages, include 2 references and explain charts, graphs and results.
