4.1 upgrades

I know most Vocera systems are still running version 4.0 software, so I'd like to take a few minutes to talk about 4.1 and the upgrade process since this will be relevant to most sys admins in the very near future.

In this post I'll talk about:

1. 4.1 Overview
2. Preparing for the Upgrade
3. Upgrade!
4. Post Upgrade Tasks

4.1 Overview
4.1 has many improvements over 4.0, I won't go over all the NEW FEATURES but the biggies for me are:

• The latest firmware for B2000's
• Asset tracking
• Scheduled reporting
• Phone Access to Genie

If you want detailed info about 4.1, this would be a great time to contact your sales team.


Preparing for the Upgrade
The very first step is planning! We need to consider how the existing system was sized and how old it is. If we have a single server and this has become a critical application, is it time to build it into a cluster? If the hardware is old, is it time to upgrade it or replace it? If our VTS is co-resident on our VS do we need to split them as we expect to add redundancy or increase capacity? For either upgrading an existing box or buying a few platform, please review the SERVER SIZING MATRIX.

The next step if we are recycling the servers themselves is to check them for requirements. On each server check the installed drive letter for Vocera and make sure there is at least 25 Gigs available. Sometimes backups, log files, or previous upgrade media clogs up the disk and causes the installer to fail. As long as you are logged into the server, check the amount of memory the system is reporting and make sure it's the same. If the wrong amount showed up, or came slightly dislodged in transit we want to get it corrected.

Some of the new features will take advantage of having email integration configured. If your system doesn't have it configured you will probably need to coordinate it with the email team. Now is the time to line up those conversations and get the account created. Get a copy of the 4.1 ADMINISTRATION GUIDE so you can give them the section on the requirements.

A few security points; if you're not using https for the web console, consider if you want to enable Secure SSL on the 4.1 installation. Check the group in your system that has rights for Vocera administration. Is voice prints enabled? If not you might want to consider this too. These are both great conversations you can have with your engineer while planning for your upgrade.

This is also a great time to check our backups: make sure that we have them, make sure they are running every night, and be sure they are being either backed up off box or COPIED someplace where they are. If we have a STAGING SERVER we can restore one of those backups and take a test upgrade on the database before taking down the production boxes!

OK, with all of that done we need to contact our sales team and setup for the upgrade. If there is some lead time, and you are on ANY version of 4.0 other than SP8, then you should consider PATCHING your system to get firmware updates out to your badges sooner than later.



Upgrade!
Most of the responsibilities for the upgrade will fall on the engineer coming in to do it. The engineer should be ready when they arrive onsite with media, licenses, a few utilities to get through the process. As one of these engineers, I appreciate having a few things lined up:

• a place to lay out a laptop and some papers
• confirmation of Vocera Support entitlement
  
• if possible, an upgrade window during hours covered by that contract
  
• clear downtime window communications to end users well in advance
  
• physical access to servers if needed
• three badges with fresh batteries
  

OK, I hope that doesn't sound too needy.

I did have one upgrade that encountered a database issue during the process. Even with my experience and training, I wouldn't have been able to find the root problem on my own. This only happened once, but this is why I am so keen on aligning a safety net incase it's needed. I mention this as a reminder to eveyrone that they should treat their critical systems as such.


Post Upgrade Tasks
Your upgrade project plan should include a testing phase where all parts of the system are confirmed working. Things that should be included:

• flashing badges
• badge.properties has all servers
  
• badge to badge by name
• badge to badge by group
  
• badge to internal extension
• badge to external local number
• badge to external long distance number
• internal phone to badge by group
  
• external phone to badge by name
  
• broadcast one to many
• broadcast response
• VRS data load (check schedule)
• VS backup (check schedule)
• VTS has all VS servers

Once all system checks are out of the way, I'd say it's time for update training. Go check out VOCERA UNIVERSITY for 4.1 training. With that under your belt you will be ready to dig into the asset tracking, scheduled reporting, and Phone Access to Genie functionality!

I'm sure someone has something to add on this post, please share it!