Upgrading 15 Instances (Guidance)

[Mansor2]

We have a scenario where we are to upgrade 

2 Production instances , 2 Pre-Production instances, 1 Non-Prod, and 13 nonproduction instances. 

what would be the best approach, should we be considering all the instances to upgrade

what is the timeline this should take including preperatoin and end to end testing

PROD runs about 5 applications:

ITSM/HR/IRM/APP engine & ITAM

Any insights / wisdom shared would be great help to progress. thanks

Regards

Mansor

[Danish Bhairag2]

Hi @Mansor2 ,

Please take a look at the attached official documentation from servicenow for best practices & step by step process for upgrade.

Thanks,

Danish

[Amit Gujarathi · Accepted solution]

HI @Mansor2 ,
I trust you are doing great.

Here’s a structured guideline to help you navigate through the upgrade process:

1. Preparation:

• Review Release Notes: Understand the new features, enhancements, and fixes that the new version brings. Ensure that it aligns with your organizational needs and objectives.
• Communication: Inform all stakeholders, including application owners, developers, and end-users, about the planned upgrade. Ensure everyone is aligned and prepared for the upgrade.

2. Planning:

• Upgrade Plan: Develop a comprehensive upgrade plan, outlining each step of the process, responsibilities, and timelines.
• Risk Assessment: Identify potential risks and prepare mitigation strategies to address them during the upgrade process.

3. Upgrade Non-Production Instances First:

• Start with Non-Critical Instances: Begin the upgrade with the least critical non-production instances to validate the upgrade process and identify potential issues.
• Iterative Testing: Conduct thorough testing to ensure that all applications and customizations work as expected.

4. Upgrade Pre-Production Instances:

• Staging Environment: Use pre-production instances as a staging environment to simulate the production upgrade.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Conduct UAT to ensure that all functionalities, including ITSM, HR, IRM, APP Engine, and ITAM, work seamlessly.

5. Upgrade Production Instances:

• Schedule Downtime: Plan the production upgrade during off-peak hours to minimize disruption.
• Monitoring: Closely monitor the upgrade process for any issues and ensure that it completes successfully.

6. Post-Upgrade:

• Verification: Verify that all applications and services are functioning correctly post-upgrade.
• Documentation: Document the upgrade process, challenges encountered, and how they were resolved for future reference.

7. Timeline Estimation:

• Non-Production Instances: Allocate 1-2 weeks for upgrading and testing each non-production instance.
• Pre-Production Instances: Allocate 2-3 weeks for upgrading and conducting UAT.
• Production Instances: Allocate 1 week for the actual upgrade and initial stabilization.
• Contingency Time: Always include contingency time in the plan for unexpected issues.