Question

It is Microsoft Patch Tuesday and you are going to have patches automatically applied via Windows Server Update Services to the production servers. You have successfully tested them in a test environment and you are ready to have them applied to the production Microsoft Server Farm. Write an e-mail using the following requirements: 1) Informing users and application owners about the updates to these windows servers and when they will be applied. 2) Recommendation on what they should do before the patches have been applied 3) Recommendation on what they should do after the patching has been completed (to ensure that their applications are not impacted by the patching). 3) Assure them that the patches have been adequately tested in the Quality Assurance (QA) environment. 4) Tell them what they should do if errors are encountered, who they should inform and how it should be reported.

Answer 1

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

1) Informing users and application owners about the updates to these windows servers and when they will be applied.

This is to inform you that a maintenance downtime of the Application_Names /Servers-Names Production system will take place on coming Tuesday at 8:00 AM . We planned to complete this at 9:30 AM.

During this system downtime application_Name are not available.

Due to the downtime, users are unable to access the applications which are hosted on the server-Name.

Once the activity is completed we will update to you.

Could you please kindly inform to your business users those who are using the applications. The application will not be accessible with in the specified time.

2) Recommendation on what they should do before the patches have been applied

Application Team/Middle Ware Team/DBA Team:  

All the team members are kindly do the pre-health check of the applications which are hosted on the Server-Name. After completion of this follow the below steps.

2.1 Application Team: Kindly bring down all the application services. Once it is done inform to middle ware team.

2.2 Middle Ware Team: Kindly bring down all the web services. Once it is completed inform to DB team.

2.3 Data Base Team: Kindly bring down all the DB services. Once it is completed inform to Servers Team.

  2.4 Servers Team: Kindly apply the patches on the specified servers.

3) Recommendation on what they should do after the patching has been completed (to ensure that their applications are not impacted by the patching).

Servers Team will inform to the Teams after patches applied on the specified servers. Please follow the below steps:

3.1 Servers Team: Once completed reboot the server and inform to the Teams.   

3.2 Data Base Team: Kindly bring up all the DB services. Once it is completed inform to Middle ware Team.

  3.3 Middle Ware Team: Kindly bring up all the web services. Once it is completed inform to Application team.

3.4 Application Team: Kindly bring up all the application services. Once it is done do the post health check of the applications which are hosted on the specified server. Inform to Business and take the Business results.

4) Assure them that the patches have been adequately tested in the Quality Assurance (QA) environment.

Before going to production repeat the steps which are stated in the point 2 and point 3 in QA and DEV environments. Application Team has to take the business sign off to proceed with the production servers.

5) Tell them what they should do if errors are encountered, who they should inform and how it should be reported.

Servers team has to take the backup the existing files from the server and keep it in the safe place. In case of any errors are came application team will write a mail to servers team and tell them errors. If they are unable to fix the issues then they can roll back the changes with the help of the backup. It is applicable for PROD/QA/DEV environments.

Thanks!!!