If the update goes wrong, has your team agreed when to stop and who decides?
About 15 minutes, on a quiet day before the update
Halfway through a firmware update (the software built into your storage array) is the worst time to decide who says stop and what you go back to. Settle both in writing first, so the person running the update is not making that call alone.
- Yes 2
- Written down, with a date (a log, a screen, a document), and it meets your own plan.
- Partly 1
- Remembered, but not written down, or the record shows you missed your plan.
- No 0
- Nobody knows, or it was never done. A blank is a finding.
"None, checked on a date" counts as a record. No plan or target written down? Write your guess first, then measure: the guess is your plan.
Tap No, Partly or Yes for each question. Your score adds up as you go. Nothing you tap is saved or sent.
Five questions about your own setup
1 The way back
Your answer, and where it is written down (with the date) Have you written down what you go back to if this firmware update goes wrong?
Score 0, 1 or 2This quarterNext quarterHow to raise it
- Where to find it:
- The maker's release notes or upgrade guide for this firmware, or your backup and restore records.
- To get it to a 2:
- The route written down with where you read it and the date. If it is a restore, add the date it was last restored.
- What this does not prove:
- A written way back is a plan. Unless it has been tried, it does not show the way back works.
2 Today's readings
Your answer, and where it is written down (with the date) Have you written down today's open alerts, connected servers and response time?
Score 0, 1 or 2This quarterNext quarterHow to raise it
- Where to find it:
- The array's alert and performance screens.
- To get it to a 2:
- All three written down, with the date and the hour you took them.
3 The stop line
Your answer, and where it is written down (with the date) Is there one written sentence: "we stop if ___"?
Score 0, 1 or 2This quarterNext quarterHow to raise it
- Where to find it:
- The update plan or the change record.
- To get it to a 2:
- The sentence filled in and dated, before the day. No plan written down? Write your guess now and score against it.
4 Who runs it, who calls the stop
Your answer, and where it is written down (with the date) Is one person named to run the update, and a second to watch the alerts and make the stop call?
Score 0, 1 or 2This quarterNext quarterHow to raise it
- Where to find it:
- The change record, or an email where each person agreed.
- To get it to a 2:
- Both names written down, and the person who makes the call has agreed to it.
- What this does not prove:
- Two names on paper do not show that the second person would stop an update that is partly done.
5 Readings afterward
Your answer, and where it is written down (with the date) After the update, did you take the same readings and put them beside the first ones?
Score 0, 1 or 2This quarterNext quarterHow to raise it
- Where to find it:
- Your notes from the update day.
- To get it to a 2:
- The same three readings, dated, written next to the ones from before.
Your total, out of 10
- 9-10 Known
- Score the same page again next quarter.
- 5-8 Partly known
- Fix your lowest row this week.
- 0-4 Assumed
- Do row 1 this week.
Two rules beat the total: if row 1 scores below 2, the result is Assumed. Any row that missed your plan or guess is your next step.
Who on your team can call a stop halfway through a firmware update?
What this does not prove
A page with every row filled in shows the team agreed when to stop and who decides. It does not show the update will go smoothly, or that the readings you took are complete.
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