This document is purely focused on CP4AIOps PoC technical planning, all the project management parts (teams, timelines) are out of scope.
1. Requirements
For a PoC, the customer should release a full use case list, or a RFx document which can be used to extract all the use cases and get agreement on the use case list for the PoC with the customer.
2. Data Collection
2.1 Collect technology domains in scope
Different customers in different industries will use different technology stacks. Telcos will be more focused on networking, and Banks will be more focused on servers and applications and possibly have systems running in cloud.
Collect the customer industry category and technology domains like IT, Networking and cloud.
2.2 Collect inbound integration sources and data volume
2.2.1 The devices generate the data sets including alerts, metrics and logs
2.2.2 Existing EMS list including names and versions, also the data types collected in each EMS including alerts, metrics, topology and logs
2.2.3 Dedicated OOTB integration availability including connectors, observers and probes
2.2.4 Other supported integration methods including webhook, file ingestion and Kafka
2.2.5 Customized integration methods if no OOTB integration is available
2.2.6 If possible, get data volume of each data type to determine the hardware sizing, in most of cases a production sizing should be sufficient for a PoC
2.3 Collect outbound integration targets
2.3.1 Ticketing
2.3.2 Runbook automation
2.3.3 ChatOps
3. Solution Design
3.1 Internet access: online or air gapped
3.2 Deployment mode: OpenShift or Linux
3.3 Hardware sizing: use production sizing by default, if the data volume exceeds production sizing processing capabilities, custom sizing will be calculated
3.4 Storage provider: pick available storage provider and add storage hardware sizing into the solution
Dependencies
4.1 Infrastructure readiness including VMs, Subnets, DNS names and proxy
4.2 Internet access: download the images online or for air gapped environment
4.3 Firewall configuration: allow traffics between data sources and AIOps
4.4 Device and EMS integration credentials: SNMP strings, URLs, Username/password and tokens
4.5 Remote access: if remote VPN access is available
5. PoC Task Breakdown
Create a PoC task list with details and ownership, status and timestamp
6. Revised Use Case List and Success Criteria
After the solution design and dependency checking, the use case list should be finalized by removing the use cases cannot be delivered in the PoC if the dependencies cannot be fulfilled.
Based on the finalized use case list, discuss technical details with the customer, and get agreement on success criteria on each of the use case in scope.
7. PoC Delivery and Completion
7.1 Deploy the solution with all integrations
7.2 Show case all use cases match success criteria and record the test results
7.3 Final presentation to wide audiences and collect feedback
7.4 Submit PoC reports
8. Appendix:
A few templates can be used to start with.
8.1 Data Collection template
|
Technology
Domains
|
Source
Devices
|
Source
EMS
|
Data Types and volume
|
OOTB Integrations
|
Customization Required
|
|
Alerts
|
Topo
|
Metrics
|
Logs
|
Connectors
|
Observers
|
Webhook
|
File
|
Probe
|
|
Networking
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IT
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cloud
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8.2 Dependencies and PoC Task Breakdown template
|
Category
|
Tasks
|
Customer Owner
|
IBM Owner
|
Start Date
|
Current
Status
|
Ready
Date
|
|
1. Dependencies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.1 Infrastructure readiness
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.2 Internet access
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.3 Firewall permit
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.4 Credentials
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.5 Remote access
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2. Installation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3. Inbound Integrations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.1 Alerts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.2 Topology
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.3 Metrics
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.4 Logs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4. Outbound Integrations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.1 Ticketing
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.2 RBA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.3 ChatOps
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
------------------------------
Yongjie Guo
------------------------------