Create an Upgrade Procedure

You must create an upgrade procedure if you have not already prepared one for your Identity Manager application.

The following is generally true of an update procedure:

• Takes the form of a checklist.

  Your upgrade procedure may include supporting documentation, but the administrator who performs the upgrade procedure will want a clear, complete, and concise set of instructions.

• Includes most, if not all, of the steps described in Task 8: Execute Your Upgrade Procedure.

  Your upgrade procedure is generally far more specific, spelling out exactly who must do what in each environment. For example, your procedure must include specific commands and specific parameter values that an administrator must issue in each environment.

• Includes additional steps.

  For example, you might have to stop and restart external processes if your Identity Manager application integrates with external applications. You might also be required to notify users or systems personnel before taking the Identity Manager application or other affected applications offline.

• Is the same for each target environment.

  Specific parameter values, such as host names and connection information, might vary from environment to environment. The steps in the procedure, however, should be the same in each environment. Even if, for example, there is no one to notify about application downtime in a Test environment or a QA environment, you should rehearse this step in each environment.

• Includes a timetable.

  Estimate the expected duration for each step, and record the actual duration of each step. The durations that you see in your QA environment are particularly important for predicting the durations that you will see in your Production environment.