This article outlines frequently asked questions relating to patching activities carried out by the Network Support team at Redcentric.
Patching Hours
What is Redcentric’s standard patching window for managed network devices?
The standard patching window/hours of Network Patching team are Monday – Friday 4:00 AM to 7:00 AM.
Can I request patching outside of the standard patching window?
Yes, however any network patching request which falls out of our standard patching window and business hours during the weekdays i.e. (Monday to Friday 4AM – 6PM) is chargeable and require additional planning.
Can I reschedule the patching date?
Yes an alternate date subject to workload can be discussed and agreed with you. Rescheduling the request within the standard patching window will not incur any additional charges.
Communication
How does Redcentric communicate patching activities?
The patching team schedules the upgrades and rolls out communication to the customer planned outage contacts, including their respective service delivery manager and account manager via email as per the below process:
- Email 1: This is the initial communication sent 2 weeks prior to the upgrade.
- Email 2: This is a reminder communication sent a week prior to the upgrade.
- Email 3: This is a start communication sent shortly before the patching activity begins.
- Email 4: This is the final communication sent on the completion of the patching activity.
Can I update planned outage contacts?
You can request planned outage contacts to be updated by replying to the patching communication or emailing support@redcentricplc.com
Expected Downtime
The expected downtime for a network device can vary between deployments depending on the network design, technology or model of hardware used.
The information below covers common situations, however if you’re unsure and require specific information, please contact us for clarification.
How much downtime is expected when patching a high availability pair of devices?
After the new software has been loaded on to the device, it will require a reboot. This may take up to 5 minutes. There will be reduced resiliency during this time and potentially a sub-second blip in network availability whilst the device fails over.
How much downtime is expected when patching a standalone device?
After the new software has been loaded on to the device, it will require a reboot. This may take up to 10 minutes. There will be a loss of service during this time.
Testing
What testing is carried out on the proposed software/firmware before deploying to production networks?
The vendor completes rigorous testing for all released software, Redcentric then undertakes its own internal test plan to ensure interoperability with Redcentric’s core platforms, testing the upgrade process and updating any relevant documentation along the way.
Complications
What happens if I report any issue(s) post patching?
If you experience any issues with the new software update, this will be investigated immediately, methodically troubleshooting and executing backout methods to restore service back to normal as soon as possible.
All actions are followed up on and logged as lessons learnt to improve the service we provide to all our customers.
What happens if the hardware fails during the upgrade?
In the rare occurrence that the hardware device suffers a critical failure, a replacement will be built and dispatched to site on same day delivery. This may vary depending upon the model of the device and customer contract.
Will Redcentric send out an engineer to replace the faulty equipment?
When a replacement device is required, Redcentric will usually provide the exact same model that is currently in use, meaning that an end user can easily switch the service from the existing device to the replacement. If an end user is not comfortable doing this, Redcentric will be happy to guide them through this via the phone. Depending on the service and contract in place, Redcentric is also happy to dispatch an engineer to perform the replacement.