Neverfail Continuity Engine Implementation Process Overview
Welcome to the Neverfail Continuity Engine e-learning sessions! This article will provide an overview of the Neverfail Continuity Engine implementation process.
Neverfail Continuity Engine is a complex product that allows the use of a simple multi-step installation approach to ensure success. Through trial and practice Neverfail staff has honed the installation steps over several years to ensure implementation success. So let’s get started!
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this session, you should be able to:
- select what must be addressed before installing Neverfail Continuity Engine
- recall the steps to perform an installation
- identify specifics about installing Neverfail Continuity Engine
- recall the procedure to test an installation.
Setup prerequisites
As with most applications, Neverfail Continuity Engine also requires that prerequisites be met to ensure a successful installation.
For this installation, you must address a variety of hardware, software and network environment requirements before installing the Neverfail Continuity Engine software. Neverfail provides documentation describing these requirements in the Neverfail Continuity Engine Installation Guide.
Failure to meet any requirement jeopardizes the installation. Neverfail recommends that you follow a checklist for each and every implementation. After all, we all forget.
Run SCOPE before installation
One product used before and during implementation is Neverfail SCOPE, which stands for Server Check Optimization and Performance Evaluation.
Run SCOPE several days before the scheduled install, to verify the overall health of the production server. Several days are required to provide sufficient time to resolve server and environment problems before starting the installation process.
If you wait until just before a scheduled installation, you risk inadequate time to resolve server issues. You, therefore, may miss the opportunity to install during the planned window.
SCOPE generates the data files needed to create a Neverfail Engine license and serves as a final sanity check of the environment before installing Neverfail Engine.
Note: Neverfail will not provide support for installations nor issue a license key without a SCOPE report available.
Perform a backup
It is always advisable to perform a full system backup of the primary server before installing any new software, including, but not limited to Neverfail Continuity Engine software.
The right panel of the installation wizard provides important information about each step. Be sure to re-read the right panel during installation or risk forgetting an important step.
For guidance during the installation process, be sure you have a copy of the installation guide on hand.
A quick review of the prerequisites immediately before installation is a good sanity check to ensure nothing has changed. Neverfail recommends you perform installations after hours, during a planned down time.
After the primary server is deployed and running you can take as much time as necessary to get the secondary and tertiary server, if installed, configured properly, since end users aren't affected.
Test the installation
Following the installation, Neverfail recommends you test the installation by performing the acceptance verification procedure.
The goal is to ensure you have configured all software settings properly and that no unexpected networking or environmental issues exist.
To perform this test do not simply click “Make active” or pull network cables to simulate a failure. Instead, follow the documented process developed by Neverfail. This process walks through specific step-by-step instructions to ensure the production environment is not adversely affected, should the test fail.
Handover to the IT administrator or end user
Finally, you should provide some basic hands on training and get final sign off from the IT administrator before considering an implementation complete. A sign off document should summarize the environmental configuration and test perform to ensure operability.
Summary
This session presented an overview of the implementation process. The following key points were addressed.
- Set up prerequisites address a variety of documented hardware, software and network environmental requirements. Failure to meet any requirement jeopardizes the installation.
- You will receive no installation support unless you run SCOPE several days before the scheduled install. If the report produced by SCOPE requires any changes, you'll have enough time to change them.
- Perform a full system backup of the primary server before installing any new software. Be sure you read the right panel of the installation wizard during each installation or you risk forgetting important steps.
- Perform installations after hours, during a planned downtime. After the primary server is running, take as much time as necessary to get the secondary and, if installed, tertiary servers configured, because end users aren't affected as long as the primary server is running.
- Test the installation using the acceptance verification process.
- Handoff to customer or end user. Provide some basic hands on training and get final customer sign off. Summarize the environmental configuration in operability tests performed in a sign off document.
This knowledge, combined with knowledge gained from other Neverfail e-learning sessions will assist you in achieving success with your Neverfail Continuity Engine product.
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