Migration Day - Semi-Post-script

I am a believer in Murphy's Law. Everything that can go wrong will go wrong. It is how ready you are to deal with the wrong which determines the more able person.
Yesterday I was lazy and did not ended up jumping on my car to go to the office for the migration. Instead, I relied on my instinct to trust the three good people who were there. However, Murphy struck twice :
1) Power shutdown of the entire server farm for ISP - at the same downtime window for maintenance. We were told it was unplanned. It is still being debated. Bottom line - the guys stared dumbfounded on the shutdown screen and no amount of little emotional bank account and authority I had could get them to not do the maintenance. So much for the sleep and the contingency, and the original schedule. So we started later. At 8am in the morning.
2) Deployment error of an oracle named file - tnsnames - Bottom line, the deployment was on a corrupted file, and it triggered off a chain effect of people not being able to login to the other servers, even before we had migrated! What followed was a series of heated discussions on email to correct the problem, which required 3 more deployment emails.

And now I am back here. The whole troop is here - we are on time, perfectly executed for the first time. And still looking good. Hoping that after twice of Mr Murphy, Mrs Murphy may have enticed him away from us just this once.

Migration Day

Tonight is the start of migration d-day. It is 1.07 am in the morning as I start this quick blog. Migration is very much a different meaning for IT folks than normal layman. It is not a flock of bird flying south, but a system migration is a complex series of events involved in changing from a system to another.

We are deploying the CSG System's Kenan/BP v11 starting with a marathon event tonight, ending one day and a half later. I am still deciding whether to conserve energy or jump in my car now and head off to the office to oversee the start of this event. Part of me is proud that for once I do not have to worry about most of the event, but I still remain humble about my confidence of the smoothness of this event. The other part says, you are a team player, go and show that you care and it matters to you. It is hard to decide on this when your body is getting weary and whilst the soul is willing, the mind is blogging to keep myself awake!

I think migration is an event for people who cannot sleep. In my next migration job, I will make sure I have two criteria for staffing a migration team :
1) Coffee Lovers
2) Out of town guys
3) Singles

Well, my two capable persons who could oversee the entire thing falls into category 1) and 2), the one superstar vendor guy who is capable of a one man-show satisfies all categories.

Skill does not matter. Late night owls and those who can keep awake wins the day.
Off I go to speed off in my car in the middle of the night.
Good night.