Testing a new operating system
From Processor
A new Operating Systen implementation can never succeed without a rigorous testing phase beforehand. Michael Duckett, general manager of managed services for Terremark, says all managers should test all standard processes and tools to determine how they’ll mesh with the operating system. Further, he says that there’s nothing more frustrating than rolling out a new operating system and realising you have to revert from automated task execution to manual task execution. Performance testing is also critical.
“Set up a scale lab, load the applications, and performance-test the environment. Invest in or lease tools that will enable you to push the upper-end thresholds of the operating system, as knowing when it will break is as important as making it work,” notes Duckett. “It is important that the performance results are compared to current [results] and compared to what was expected from the new operating system.”
A certain level of performance can be required by the business case for the new operating system, but if testing reveals that it won’t meet that level, the business case will be thrown out the window, Duckett says.
