How to survive when moving IT infrastructure? (practical guide)

Some time ago I published this opus on my blog. Now it’s time for another move, and I, re-reading my own records three months ago, decided to share those with the community. Since there was no suitable blog, I first published it as a personal one, and now I decided to create a collective blog dedicated to infrastructure issues, to which I transfer this record. So it turned out that the company in which I work as a pianist had to move - just before the appointed time and almost where it was planned =) Actually, the relatively small (50 places) network itself is not a big problem, but in this case everything was complicated by several factors:

1. Until the last moment, no one knew where we were going.
2. Time, as a consequence of (1), was catastrophically short
3. Under the move, measures were planned for the complete replacement of the fleet of network equipment and the telephone exchange (or rather, we simply did not have our own telephone exchange :))

A week before we had to vacate the occupied space, we drove and looked at different offices for their suitability for a sudden arrival - the presence and condition of the ACS, the electrical network, the general condition of the office ... There were a lot of options, but that there wasn’t any really valid entry.

I must note that the five or six offices looked at were close to the fact that we were ready to call in them, but the main obstacle was the fact that there was an idiotic implementation of the SCS. Unfortunately, the designers (even in very sophisticated business centers) think, apparently, with an ass - otherwise, how to explain that there are only 30 SCS places with two ports per 600 square meters of office? But this is the lyrics, however ...

Suddenly, three days before X, a suitable room was found near the metro station Ilyich Square - and distance from the center, and the state of the office and engineering networks more or less met our needs. Next - it started. What should an IT professional need to do before moving inside the office?

1. Be sure to mark all the equipment - computers, monitors, keyboards, etc. (we have attended to this in advance) 2. Mark the server disks if this has not been done 3. Mark the network interfaces of the multi-homed machines (servers and all sorts of different workstations) if This has not yet been done. 4. If your network equipment is rebuilt and works as it should, take care of the cable log — what, how, what and where (device / port) is connected and whether the log corresponds to a real state of things. Ideally, patch cords should be marked in order not to think again when switching 5. (technical) Reduce the lease term of the issued addresses for DHCP

All of the above in my case was done in advance, so this stage did not cause any problems. It remains to prepare the premises for the race and resolve issues with connecting to external communication channels at the new location. What administrative issues need to be resolved before moving?

1. Make sure and assure management that payments that need to be made at your request now have the status of particularly important - if you don’t pay to connect an Internet channel or voice stream, no one can work at a new place 2. Stock up on a certain amount of cash for unforeseen expenses with minimal reporting (it took me about 30,000 rubles) 3. Make sure that you have a pass to the building around the clock for at least two weeks at a new place - a week before the move and a week after that. In addition, it is good to have contact with the security for the item, for example, to put the car in the parking lot near the building.

What should be prepared outside the company?

1. If you are waiting for the equipment to be delivered to a new place, make sure that the delivery services know the new address, your cell phone number and are sure that they will arrive at the appointed time 2. Conclude an agreement with the provider (providers) at the new place - at that time, As you hang up the servers in the cabinets, the ISP’s engineers must pull the cable with a life-giving internet to you :) Considering that any provider is a very slow mechanism, bother yourself much beforehand, if possible 3. If you can connect a permanent Internet channel at the moment zda - negotiate with its neighbors in the office, looking for the point of Wi-Fi, in the end, try to connect through or Skylink wi- * network. Please note that Golden WiFi, for example, basically does not give white ip-addresses, only through NAT 4. (I almost forgot the most interesting) If you yourself support custom services on your servers (mail, web, etc.) - try to find a platform for temporary placement of equipment, in addition, reduce in advance the refresh and ttl values ​​of external DNS and add the necessary a and mx records in advance

With this, too, problems, it seems, did not arise. Now - about what should be at hand:

1. Stock up on all sorts of tools - screwdrivers of all stripes, pliers, nippers, a knife (a pair is better - open boxes carefully covered with scotch tape) - all this should be in a backpack / car / anywhere, within walking distance 2. A set of tools for cutting twisted pair - stripping tools, crimping pliers, cable connection tester, walkie-talkie (if you work with an assistant is an indispensable thing, a pair of unpretentious motorol costs about two thousand rubles in cellular salons; ideally, the walkie-talkie should be with headphones, so that your hands one) 3. Power tool kit - a pair of screwdrivers, a drill or a rotary hammer does not hurt 4. In the absence of electric screwdrivers, buy a set of keys with extension cords and rattles in the auto shop - it simplifies life, saves time and effort when assembling / disassembling server cabinets 5. Adequate situations, the number of twisted pair in coils, 8p8c connectors, caps on patch cords, nylon ties and other assembly fines - all of this must be in excess of 6. Markers, self-adhesive labels, etc. 7. Cables for console configuration of switches and other equipment that can communicate via RS-232

In organizing the set of the young installer, the “Brown Bear” store greatly helped =) By the way, if you plan to spend the night in the office - bother yourself with the availability of personal hygiene products and bedding (packing film with pimples taxis in the sense of thermal insulation, but absolutely, infection, not breathing =) ), change of clothes, etc. In addition, your laptop (you still don’t have it? Get it, it will come in handy :)) and the cell phone should be charged, the cell phone balance should contain a noticeable amount of money, all phones should be in the notebook, the provider’s support, one and all employees, the administration of the new office, the food delivery service :) In addition, your number should be at all interested parties. In fact, compliance with the above almost guarantees you a more or less peaceful relocation. To be fully armed, plan in advance with following:

1. Who does what when moving and in what sequence 2. Who is engaged in meeting the approaching equipment / delivery services and other things (ideally, if such questions can be handled by an employee who is not directly involved in the installation / dismantling of equipment and cable products) 3. Who is engaged in the procurement of the missing equipment / materials (estimate in advance, who is closer to which stores), make a sign with the addresses and phone numbers of stores

Look like that's it. I hope my writing will help someone to move painlessly)