User Documentation

 You cannot build a system for a client and leave them without adequate documentation  Computer systems are complex, require configuration and often training to use  Without documentation, a system is useless

 Hardware and Software Manuals ◦ As provided by the manufacturers  Support and Warranty documentation ◦ How to get help with things break or need to be replaced  Physical Documentation ◦ Type of hardware, location of equipment in which room, which rack, cabling used  Logical Documentation ◦ Network interconnectivity

 Overall system design ◦ Features, flaws, why you designed it like this ◦ How does it meet business objectives ◦ Scope of solution: what was your job, what wasn’t  Virtualisation Software Configuration ◦ What type (vSphere, Hyper-V) ◦ Base OS or software, e.g. Windows Server 2008 ◦ Configuration details, e.g. clusters of hosts  Virtual Networking Details ◦ Virtual switches: types, names, purpose ◦ IP addresses and masks

 Disks, NAS, Disk partitioning  Existing VMs ◦ If you migrated from real hardware, detail any differences in their configuration: RAM, disk, CPU, network capacity etc.  User documentation ◦ Admins and users need to know how to use the solution: create new VMs, manage VMs, discard VMs, reconfigure VMs ◦ Tutorial style  Security, authentication, authorisation docs ◦ Who can do what, who can’t etc.

 Formal documents ◦ Not informal or colloquial ◦ Must be specific and not vague ◦ Exact details  Change over time ◦ Ensure you use version numbers and dates ◦ If possible, authors names and contact details  Customer should get paper and electronic copies of all documentation  They must be up to date!

 Best way to understand documentation is to read some examples  We will look at the design and user documentation for the vSphere solution installed at GCIT Coomera