Why is my server being upgraded?
It is important that your server is kept up to date to ensure that it is both reliable and secure. We install security updates as part of your support agreement as they are released; however, every couple of years or so, a new release of the operating system is made available. This is a more major upgrade than the security patches, and ensures that your server is kept secure and operates efficiently.
How long will it take?
Depending upon the complexity of the server, it takes around 3-4 hours to carry out the upgrade.
What will it cost?
The upgrade is included as part of your support agreement, so there is no charge unless you want the upgrade performed outside of your support hours (see “When will it take place?”, below).
When will it take place?
We will agree with you a mutually convenient date and time to carry out the upgrade. Upgrades will normally be scheduled to start between 09:00 and 15:00.
Does the upgrade affect the availability of my server?
During the upgrade, the server will be intermittently unavailable. If you wish to carry on using the server during the upgrade, you may, but be aware that documents or email may be unavailable, and it may not be possible to save documents on the server until after the upgrade has been completed.
At the end of the upgrade, the server needs to be rebooted. This should take less than five minutes, during which time the server will be inaccessible; however, there is a small possibility that a problem may occur during the reboot (this happens on fewer than 2% of upgrades). If that does happen, we will work with you to resolve the problem.
What do I have to do?
You should ensure that someone will be available in your office during the upgrade (this does not apply to servers that are hosted in a data centre). You should also ensure that there is, or can be, a monitor and keyboard connected to the server. It is very unlikely that we will need that person to do anything at all; however, we may contact them and ask them to power the server off, type a command or to read what is on the screen. No technical knowledge is required or expected of that person.
You should also ensure that we have the correct telephone number for contacting the person on site, and also for contacting you when the server upgrade is being performed.
If you are unable to arrange for someone to be on site with the server, we can still carry out the upgrade. However, if there is a problem following the upgrade, we will not be able to work on the problem until one of your staff at the server during normal office hours.
What should I do now?
- Contact us to agree a time to carry out the upgrade
- Ensure your staff are aware that the server will be intermittently unavailable
- Arrange for a member of staff to be available during the upgrade
- Let us know the telephone number we can contact that staff member on
- Ideally, let us have an out-of-hours telephone number for you