If you have never had to plan either replacing or upgrading your z-Series, it can appear to be quite daunting.

We are currently planning our next move and we thought that we would share with you the benefit of our experience, hoping that you find it useful.

Below is a list of some of the things that you will need to consider:

·        Timing

The first thing to consider is timing of the move. Because of the type of software that we supply to our customer base, we have annual statutory releases, so obviously we must avoid those times in the calendar.  Indeed, this has given us just a small window of opportunity that we have discussed and agreed with IBM.

·        Compatibility with existing other hardware

What are the implications of the move on other hardware that you may have?  In the last year, we upgraded our mainframe disk unit, so that is immediately compatible with the new machine that we are considering.  However, our backup cartridge drive is not directly compatible so there will be additional work and cost in either replacing that cartridge unit or putting in additional kit between it and the new z-Series to enable things to carry on working.

·        Op sys compatibility

Make sure that your operating system software will work with the new machine that you have selected!  This might sound strange, but when we moved to our current z14, we identified that the level of VM that our old machine was on was not compatible with the z14. So before starting the upgrade, we had to have the zVM software brought up to date.

·        Implications for location of new hardware

Will the new hardware be located in the same location as the current hardware?  If so, is there adequate space for it and, assuming it is not a solid floor, will the floor safely accept the weight of the new unit?  Remember, even if you are doing an immediate swap of machines, there is likely to be a while when both are in the location together.

·        Power supply

If you are not doing an immediate swap of machines, do you have adequate power where the machines are located to run both together while you change over from your old to new machine?  Is all the power through your UPS?  If not, how can you minimise the risk of having some equipment not protected by the UPS?

·        Preparing for delivery

o   How is the new machine arriving?

Assuming it is being delivered in a truck, is there appropriate parking available for the size of delivery vehicle?

o   What time of day will the delivery happen?

Depending on when the new machine will be delivered, you need to consider various things including:

§  How many people will be around, and can you safely manoeuvre the new machine to its location without risking an accident – remember, the machine is not light and if it toppled over it could cause major injury to people.

§  Is there adequate lighting along the whole of the journey to the new location?

§  Do you need to make special arrangements with your security team for access (especially if out of normal hours) or for them to escort the machine as it travels through the building?

§  Do your Health & Safety team need to do a risk analysis?

o   Route into the building

From the drop off point from the delivery vehicle, what is the route into the building to the location where the new machine will be installed?  For example, are there issues with things such as: steps, ramps that are steep and can cause the trolley that the new machine is on to bottom out when it levels off, lifts that need to be checked for both size (including doors) and weight limits?

Flooring – is this level? Is it solid or floating?  What weight bearing limits are on the flooring and does the delivery company need to ensure that they have metal sheets to help distribute the weight over weaker sections of flooring?  In our usual journey through the building for new equipment, we have all types of floor types and sometimes metal sheets are needed and other times they are not.

Door sizes – Check the height and width of all doors to ensure that the new equipment will fit through them, remembering to include packaging and the trolley height and width in your checks. Are there are any sharp turns on the route, if so, is there sufficient space to safely manoeuvre the equipment around them?

o   Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements

Does your site require specific PPE to be worn?  If so, make sure that the company delivering the equipment knows about this and that all of your team members helping with the move are also wearing correct PPE.  For example, protective footwear and gloves.

·        Testing once installed

You need to plan out what tests you need to undertake and depending on the type of replacement machine you have purchased.  Can this be done in parallel with both old and new machines being available or do you need to complete a set of tests on the old machine and have the results available and then repeat them on the new machine once it is installed?  The minimum should always be checking that any commonly used jobs etc. produce the same results on the new machine as they did on the old one except where differences are expected.