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Home > Packet Pushers - Weekly Show > Show 246 Design & Build #4 Data Center Migration
Podcast: Packet Pushers - Weekly Show
Episode:

Show 246 Design & Build #4 Data Center Migration
Category: Technology
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2015-07-21 12:09:48
Description:

Moving a data center from one place to another is one of the most complex challenges a network engineer is likely to face. In this Packet Pushers Weekly Show, Ethan Banks is joined by Chris Church and Richard Alexander to discuss just such a project from the viewpoint of having done one or more data center moves in our careers. We go back and forth on approaches to DC moves, reminiscence about the things we did right (and wrong), all while outlining an approach that you yourself can use as a template to move your own data center.

The outline we reference in the show is found below, and is largely the work of Chris. We hope the show is helpful to you as you do more designing and building in your day to day work.

Show Outline

  1. Intro
  2. 3 Approaches to the migration
    1. U-Haul Migration aka Lift & Shift
      1. Shut it down, move it, bring it back online
      2. Physical moves often take longer than estimated
      3. Labor intensive
      4. Proper insurance coverage
      5. Physical security of the equipment during move
      6. Data protection and integrity
    2. New build-out
      1. Build new and gradually migrate services
      2. Lower risk, higher cost
      3. Maintaining a presence in two data centers can be costly and complex
    3. Cloud/Hybrid
      1. Migration of a subset of services/applications to the cloud
      2. On-demand migration
      3. Some services remain on-prem or in colo
      4. Lower capital outlay
      5. Potential for added complexity
    4. Combination of a , b or c
  3. Planning
    1. Facilities
      1. HVAC and power
      2. Connectivity (availability, diversity, resiliency)
      3. Present and future space requirements
      4. Access controls and security
    2. Identify and inventory applications and services.
    3. Identify dependencies
    4. Identify SME s and stakeholders.
    5. Communication with customers and team members.
      1. Over-communicate.
      2. OOB communcation method for meatspace (don t rely on the gear your moving for UC.)
      3. Do you have mobile phone (cell) coverage?
    6. Coordination with vendors and availability of vendor support.
    7. Timing and projected duration of service outages.
    8. Connectivity at the new site. Hot cuts vs. new circuits.
    9. External DNS changes.
      1. TTL
      2. Access to make changes
    10. Equipment delivery to new facility.
    11. Physical access for required team members.
    12. Details  (cables, cords, rack hardware, PDU s, KVM, crash cart, flashlights, etc)
    13. Validation plan.
  4. Preparation
    1. Assemble the team.
    2. Outline the plan and distribute to team members.
    3. Peer review
    4. Develop a checklist.
    5. Gather the required tools.
    6. Communicate!
  5. Execution
    1. Final checks.
    2. Ready, set, GO!
    3. Periodic notification to stakeholders.
    4. Validation.
  6. Lessons learned — post-mortem discussion

About Christopher Church:

Church has worked in the technology industry since the early 1990s, primarily with SME customers. He’s currently an Enterprise Architect for a managed services provider based in Little Rock, AR. He provides design, implementation, and management services for customers globally.

About Richard Alexander:

Alexander is an ex-financial services techie who survived a major core network overhaul and DC migration. Following that, he decided to move into technical pre-sales for the UK VAR arena, and was involved in countless migrations, ranging from moving a single service to the cloud all the way to global DC migrations for international trading platforms. Currently Chief Technologist in Networking, Security and Mobility for Logicalis UK, Alexander is responsible for the Business Unit technology blueprints and technical delivery capability.

The post Show 246 Design & Build #4 Data Center Migration appeared first on Packet Pushers.
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