Operate Phase
Solution moves from cutover to production. Take care to monitor the hardware and software as well as the subscriber experience.
TECHNICAL TRACK
GOAL: Monitor the solution, baseline performance and troubleshoot as necessary.
Keep an eye on your support staff and mechanisms.
Look for opportunities to improve results with additional training.
T5.1 Read and Follow Existing Documentation Why Follow Documentation
- T5.1.1 Cisco Unity Maintenance Guides
- T5.1.2 Cisco Unity Maintenance Checklists
- T5.1.3 Vendor-specific maintenance and operation guides
- T5.1.4 Vendor-specific Best Practices guides
- T5.1.5 Build a baseline of system operation and performance
T5.2 Monitor the solution Why Monitor The Solution?
- T5.2.1 Cisco Unity
- T5.2.1.1 Event logs
- T5.2.1.2 EMS
- T5.2.1.3 CUPID
- T5.2.1.4 Perfmon
- T5.2.1.5 Connectivity to DC/GC
- T5.2.1.6 Port usage reports
- T5.2.1.7 DbWalker
- T5.2.1.8 Permissions Wizard in Report Mode
- T5.2.1.9 Physical disk space
- T5.2.1.10 Anti-virus software / CSA
- T5.2.1.11 Failover monitor
- T5.2.1.12 Licensing / License Pooling
- T5.2.1.13 Backup and restore procedures
- T5.2.1.14 Updates and patches
- T5.2.1.15 Recommended Engineering Specials
- T5.2.1.16 Cisco Unity Networking
- T5.2.1.17 Integration into existing network management/monitoring utilities
- T5.2.2 Telephone system
- T5.2.2.1 Legacy PBX
- T5.2.2.1.1 Traffic analysis
- T5.2.2.1.2 Alarms, warnings, errors
- T5.2.2.1.3 Intermittent call flows and transfers
- T5.2.2.2 Dialogic devices
- T5.2.2.2.1 Alarm log
- T5.2.2.2.2 Call log
- T5.2.2.3.3 Config.ini files
- T5.2.2.3 Callmanager
- T5.2.2.3.1 RTMT
- T5.2.2.3.1.1 Alert Central
- T5.2.2.3.1.2 Cisco Unified Reporting
- T5.2.3 Mailstores
- T5.2.3.1 Exchange
- T5.2.3.1.1 Microsoft Exchange Server Analyzer Tool
- T5.2.3.1.2 Performance console
- T5.2.3.1.2.1 System Monitor
- T5.2.3.1.2.2 Performance Logs and Alerts
- T5.2.3.1.3 Exchange Management and Status Tool
- T5.2.3.2 Domino
- T5.2.3.2.1 Domino Performance Tuning document
- T5.2.4 Active Directory
- T5.2.4.1 Domain controller performance using various counters
- T5.2.4.1.1 DCDiag
- T5.2.4.1.2 Netdiag
- T5.2.4.2 Active Directory replication
- T5.2.4.2.1 ReplMon
- T5.2.4.2.2 Repadmin
- T5.2.4.3 Event logs
- T5.2.4.4 DNS
- T5.2.4.4.1 On DC/GC
- T5.2.4.4.1.1 Microsoft TechTip "Verifying Your Basic DNS Configuration"
- T5.2.4.4.1.2 IPconfig /flushdns
- T5.2.4.4.2 Cisco Unity
- T5.2.4.4.2.1 ipconfig /flushdns
- T5.2.4.4.2.2 nslookup
- T5.2.5 Network
- T5.2.5.1 All hardware NICs
- T5.2.5.2 All switch ports
- T5.2.5.3 Firewalls
- T5.2.5.4 WAN traffic
- T5.2.5.5 QOS
T5.3 Staff Why Pay Attention to Staff
- T5.3.1 Identify Roles and Responsibilities
- T5.3.2 Moves/Adds/Changes
- T5.3.2.1 Monitor the number of requests.
- T5.3.2.1 Monitor time to completion - SLA.
- T5.3.2.2 Check accuracy.
- T5.3.2.3 Assess their technical capabilities.
- T5.3.3 Troubleshooting
- T5.3.3.1 Tools and utilities
- T5.3.3.2 Problem reporting procedures
- T5.3.3.3 Opening TAC cases
- T5.3.3.4 Escalation procedures
- T5.3.4 Backup/Restore procedures
- T5.3.4.1 Nightly/weekly backups
- T5.3.4.2 Disaster recovery
- T5.3.5 Inter-departmental communication
- T5.3.5.1 Change Management
- T5.3.6 Network documentation
SUBSCRIBER PREP TRACK
GOAL: Continue to solicit feedback from your subscriber community.
Document their problems and issues.
Include both problems that are real and those that are perceived.
Act on them in a timely fashion to prevent The List.
S5.1 Subscriber communityWhy Monitor Subscribers
- S5.1.1 Cut-over punch list
- S5.1.1.1 Continue to staff the Help Desk as long as required.
- S5.1.2 Schedule regular meetings to get feedback from subscribers.
- S5.1.2.1 Go-To people
- S5.1.2.2 FBR -- Feedback by roaming.
- S5.1.2.3 Web site/Wiki/Email/Voicemail. Encourage end user feedback.
- S5.1.2.4 Stay in touch with your power users.
- S5.1.2.5 Stay in touch with your key departments.
- S5.1.3 Identify and act upon issues.
- S5.1.3.1 Real problems
- S5.1.3.2 End-user perceptions
- S5.1.3.3 Differences between the old voicemail system and Cisco Unity
- S5.1.4 Address the issues before negativity festers.
S5.2 The List
- S5.2.1 What is The List?
- S5.2.1.1 The List is a prioritized document of every problem and complaint subscribers have regarding the new Unity voice mail system.
- S5.2.2 What causes The List?
- S5.2.2.1 Several factors cause The List:
- S5.2.2.1.1 Not resolving Unity related problems in a timely fashion
- S5.2.2.1.2 Allowing complaints and problems to bubble up to senior management
- S5.2.2.1.3 Not staying in touch with the subscriber community
- S5.2.2.1.4 Not accounting for key features of the old voicemail system in the new Unity deployment
- S5.2.2.1.5 Ineffective subscriber training
- S5.2.3 What happens once The List gets created?
- S5.2.3.1 Nothing good:
- S5.2.3.1.1 Meetings are held on a regular basis.
- S5.2.3.1.2 The Unity deployment is now under a microscope.
- S5.2.3.1.3 Time and effort are spent on managing the political issues that could be used on the technical issues.
- S5.2.4 How do you stop The List once it happens?
- S5.2.4.1 Indentify and resolve all technical issues as quickly as possible.
- S5.2.4.2 Engage the subscriber community and solicite feedback.
- S5.2.5 How do you keep it from happening?
- S5.2.5.1 Monitor the new Unity deployment closely.
- S5.2.5.2 Isolate and resolve all technical problems immediately.
- S5.2.5.3 Stay in close contact with the subscribe community.
- S5.2.5.4 Actively seek out user feedback.
