Upgrading Best Practices

Type of upgrade Hotfix Security fix Service pack New release

Why upgrading? Hotfix –Fix a specific bug Security fix –Fix a security issue Service pack –Increase reliability, increase performance New release –Get new features, increased reliability, increased performance

Before installation Test Plan Create a baseline Verify the current environment Backup

Before installation (cont.) Test –Test your application –Check that the upgrade does what it should –Test the installation procedure –Test the performance implications Best Practice Analyzer can help checking application compatibility Ostress can be used to test performance

Before the installation (cont.) Plan –Plan the installation procedure –Plan how to rollback the installation –Plan the time to do the upgrade –Decide the success criteria –Decide the when the last chance to rollback

Before the installation (cont.) Create a baseline –Performance monitor –Profiler trace –Blocking trace –Application trace PSSDiag can be used to automate Read80Trace can be used to analyze profiler Relog can be used to analyze performance monitor

Before the installation (cont.) Verify the current environment –DBCC –Error log –Event log –Reboot the server

Before the installation (cont.) Backup the server Backup the database –Perform the backup –Verify the restore –Verify the time needed to restore

During the installation Turn off unnecessary services Upgrade the server Check the installation logs Reboot the server Check the version Check basic functionality

After the installation Perform a backup Monitor the system