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Paper: |
Chandra Science Operational Data System Migration to Linux: Herding Cats through a Funnel |
Volume: |
485, Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XXIII |
Page: |
57 |
Authors: |
Evans, J.; Evans, I.; Fabbiano, G.; Nichols, J.; Paton, L.; Rots, A. |
Abstract: |
Migration to a new operational system requires technical and
non-technical planning to address all of the functional associations
affiliated with an established operations environment. The transition to
(or addition of) a new platform often includes project planning that has
organizational and operational elements. The migration likely tasks
individuals both directly and indirectly involved in the project, so
identification and coordination of key personnel is essential. The new
system must be accurate and robust, and the transition plan typically
must ensure that interruptions to services are minimized. Despite
detailed integration and testing efforts, back-up plans that include
procedures to follow if there are issues during or after installation
need to be in place as part of the transition task.
In this paper, we present some of the important steps involved in the
migration of an operational data system. The management steps include
setting objectives and defining scope, identifying stakeholders and
establishing communication, assessing the environment and estimating
workload, building a schedule, and coordinating with all involved to see
it through.
We discuss, specifically, the recent migration of the Chandra data
system and data center operations from Solaris 32 to Linux 64. The code
base is approximately 2 million source lines of code, and supports
proposal planning, science mission planning, data processing, and the
Chandra data archive. The overall project took approximately 18
months to plan and implement with the resources we had available. Data
center operations continued uninterrupted with the exception of a small
downtime during the changeover. We highlight our planning and
implementation, the experience we gained during the project, and the
lessons that we have learned. |
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