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| Sun Java Enterprise System 2005Q1 Deployment Planning Guide | |
Chapter 6
Implementation of a Deployment DesignDuring the implementation phase of the solution life cycle you work from specifications and plans created during deployment design to build and test the deployment architecture, ultimately rolling out the deployment into production. Implementation is beyond the scope of this guide, however this chapter provides a high-level view of this phase.
This chapter contains the following sections:
About Implementing Deployment DesignsAfter the deployment architecture has been approved and implementation specifications and plans have been completed, you enter the implementation phase of the solution life cycle. Implementation is a complex set of processes and procedures that requires careful planning to ensure success. Implementation includes the following tasks:
- Building the network and hardware infrastructure
- Installing and configuring software according to an installation plan
- Migrating data from existing applications to the current solution
- Implementing a user management plan.
- Designing and deploying pilots or prototypes in a test environment according to a test plan
- Designing and running functional tests and stress tests according to a test plan
- Rolling out the solution from a test environment to a production environment according to a rollout plan
- Training administrators and users of the deployment according to a training plan
Details of implementation are beyond the scope of this guide. However, the following sections provide overview information for some of these tasks.
Installing and Configuring SoftwareThe installation and configuration of Sun Java™ Enterprise System for a distributed enterprise application requires the planning and coordination of many tasks and procedures. During the deployment design phase, you create an installation plan based on the high-level deployment architecture that provides installation and configuration information needed to install Java Enterprise System software.
Highlights of this installation plan include:
The Java Enterprise System Installation Guide, http://docs.sun.com/doc/819-0056, provides details on how to gather information for an installation plan. The installation guide provides detailed configuration information and worksheets you can use to document this information. The installation guide also provides guidance on common installation scenarios that involve multiple Java Enterprise System components. For more information, refer to the section “Preparing for an Installation” in the Java Enterprise System Installation Guide, http://docs.sun.com/doc/819-0056.
Developing Pilots and PrototypesJava Enterprise System deployments typically fall into two categories, those based primarily on services provided with Java Enterprise System and those that require a significant number of custom services that are integrated with Java Enterprise System services. You can think of the former type of deployment as an 80:20 deployment (80% of the services are provided by Java Enterprise System) and similarly, the former as a 20:80 deployment.
For 80:20 deployments, during the implementation phase, you typically develop a pilot deployment for testing purposes. Because 80:20 deployments use mature Java Enterprise System services that provide “out-of-the-box” functionality, pilot deployments move relatively quickly from development, testing, and modification steps, to production deployments. A pilot deployment verifies the functionality of a solution, but also provides information on how well the system performs.
20:80 deployments, on the other hand, introduce new, custom services that do not have the history of interoperability that comes with 80:20 deployments. For this reason, you create a prototype, which is a proof-of-concept deployment that typically requires a more rigorous development, testing, and modification cycle before going into production. A prototype lets you determine how well a proposed solution solves the problem in a test environment. Once the prototype demonstrates the functionality is sufficient, you can move on to more rigorous testing and then to a pilot deployment.
Testing Pilot and Prototype DeploymentsThe purpose of testing pilot and prototype deployments is to determine as best as possible under test conditions whether the deployment satisfies the system requirements and also meets the business goals.
Ideally, functional tests should model scenarios based on all identified use cases and a set of metrics should be developed to measure compliance. Functional testing can also involve a limited deployment to a select group of beta users to determine if business requirements are being satisfied.
Stress tests measure performance under peak loads. These tests typically use a series of simulated environments and load generators to measure throughput of data and performance. System requirements for the deployment are typically the basis for designing and passing stress tests.
Testing can indicate problems with the deployment design specification and might involve several design, build, and test iterations before you can roll out the deployment to a production environment. When testing prototype deployments, you might discover problems with the deployment design, in which case you can iterate back to earlier phases in the solution life cycle to address the problems.
Make sure you have thoroughly tested your deployment design before proceeding to a pilot deployment. A pilot deployment indicates you have already verified the deployment design with earlier series of tests. Problems you uncover during the testing of a pilot deployment must generally be addressed within the parameters of the deployment design.
Because testing never completely simulates a production environment, and also because the nature of a deployed solution can evolve and change, you should continue to monitor deployed systems to identify any areas that require tuning, maintenance, or service.
Rolling Out a Production DeploymentOnce the pilot or proof-of-concept deployment passes the test criteria, you are ready to roll out the deployment to a production environment. Typically, you roll out to a production environment in stages. A staged rollout is especially important for large deployments that affect a significant number of users.
The staged deployment can start with a small set of users and eventually expand the user base until the deployment is available to all users. A staged deployment can also start with a limited set of services and eventually phase in the remaining services. Staging services in phases can help isolate, identify, and resolve problems a service might encounter in a production environment.