Design
The design phase outlines the strategies to be followed during the whole consolidation process. Usually, different areas are covered; this is a a brief discussion of typical levels.
Strategic design
Provides the main ideas and design concepts for the overall consolidation.
Validation and testing
Outlines the approach to be used to ensure that any part of process meets the original requirements.
Implementation
Describes, form a high level point of view, how newly consolidated servers will be introduced in the operating environment and how users will be moved to the new environment.
Communication
Refers to the ways information about the consolidated environment must be communicated to the interested parties. It must take into account:
- what information is relevant
- who needs to receive the information and when
- how information will be communicated
Business continuity
Describes how business activities are maintained in the event of a system failure - be it a short-term failure or a catastrophic one. It outlines backup/restore policies and the disaster recovery mechanisms
Tools selections
Describes the tools that will be used during the consolidation process and, later, to maintain the efficiency level of the consolidated environment. Tools usually include:
- performance and utilization monitoring
- compatibility checks
- testing
Network design
Identifies if there are segments of network which might need high speed connectivity links and how they must be interconnected.
Migration
Defines the tools and the procedures that will be used to perform and control the migration process of users accounts and data to the consolidated environment.
Storage
As a result of the consolidation process, the new environment may have different storage requirements. Storage design outlines the required level of capacity, for data and backups, and availability.
