1.5 TB data relocation to new servers and new version of Oracle databaseTelecom Information System (TIS) contains a complete database of fixed telephony users in Serbia. Migration of TIS to a new hardware and software platform was therefore a very delicate project, as it was a true example of successful coordination and cooperation between several companies. Saga performed installation of the hardware, specialized operating systems and Oracle database, preparation of all applications and load balancing, after which the HP migration team from Romania completed the migration. It was expected that during the project, a new version of the Oracle database would release, but it was not clear what new functionalities it would bring. After the release and the familiarization with new features, Telekom Srbija and Saga made a feasibility study based on which they decided to expand the migration from version 9i, instead of Oracle 10gR2, to the Oracle version 11gR2. Since this was the system of critical importance for Telekom, the entire migration process had to be completed in a very short period of time and with minimal downtime.

User profile

Telekom Srbija provides users with services of fixed and mobile telephony, data transmis-sion, Internet, multimedia and maintenance services of telecommunications equipment and network. According to official data from 2010, Telekom Srbija has more than 3.1 million fixed telephony subscribers, 5.5 million of mobile telephony users, and more than 90 percent of the Internet flow toward abroad is done through its links.

Solution

Telecom Information System (TIS) is one of the most important information systems in Telekom because it contains the entire customer base of fixed telephony in Serbia. Hardware capacity of servers based on Tru64-based processors had been exploited almost to the maximum and there was no space for the necessary expansion. Migration to a new version of Oracle database meant migration to a new hardware platform based on Itanium 2 processors.

Having signed a contract with Telekom Srbija on implementation of this project, Oracle in-troduced a new version of its database. Through the feasibility studies, Saga and Te-lekom Srbija have jointly decided to migrate to the latest version 11gR2, instead of migrat-ing to Oracle 10gR2 from version 9i, which proved a reasonable and rational decision. Saga has installed HP hardware on two locations, with specialized operating system with installed and configured Oracle database. Load balancing and disaster recovery sys-tems Configuration were also set up. Prior to implementation, everything was tested in the test environment for several times. That was followed by the migration of the 1.5 TB database conducted by the HP’s migration team from Romania with the help of specialized software tools for this purpose, since at that point they already had experience in working with new servers bought by Telekom Srbija.

The complexity of the project is obvious from the fact that the whole process included mul-tiple stakeholders - Saga, HP and Telekom Srbija and Oracle consultants from Slovenia overseeing the process, with the migration time being limited. It was therefore of vital importance that everything be well synchronized. All participants of this process knew exactly what to do, how to do it and how much time was needed for the job to be done since during the testing the exact time intervals in which these tasks had to be completed were defined. Migration time the for each process was measured, and based on that the exact time of “downtime” of the system was specified (during the weekend), in order for everything on the new platform to start working on Monday morning, with minimal downtime and no impact on business processes.

Project management

Saga had organizational role on this project as it coordinated work of different teams, which was of crucial importance in such a complex process.

Saga applies the method of project manage-ment based on the Project Management Insti-tute (PMI) methodology. At the forefront of each project is the team for evaluation which is made up of executives with extensive experience. This team monitors the project life cycle, evaluates it from the different aspects and based on this information directs the work of the project manager. Upon the completion of this process, this team complements the knowledge base that can be used in the future jobs.

Hardware and software

HP Integrity RX8640 servers based on Itanium 2 processors each with 64 GB RAM and 6 hot-plug disks, each with a capacity of 146 GB have been installed in Telekom Serbia. Storage system is based on EMC Symmetrix platform, which is connected to servers through Cisco MDS 9000 switches. The servers have redun-dant power supplies and support online replacement of the processors, memory and PCI cards.

Installed on the servers are HP-UX 11:31 operating system, (HP's Unix-based OS) and Oracle 11gR2 database.

Benefit

The basis that can be easily expanded if ne-cessary is set up on the new server platform. Faster processors and larger volume of RAM have decreased the overall server load. Execution time of operations on data in the da-tabase has been reduced, and load balancing system ensures that each new session goes to a processor that has the smallest load at that moment.

Result

With the installation of the latest generation of HP server hardware, and with the "jump ahead" two versions of the Oracle database, Telekom Srbija has provided smooth functioning of the system for a longer period of time.

„The project initially anticipated migration to Oracle 10 database, but with the release of version 11gR2 in the meantime and after the analysis and testing which was done together with the engineers from Telekom Srbija, the decision was made to perform the migra-tion to the latest version. Given that, at the time, Oracle certification documents required for some functions did not still exist, further consultations with Oracle were made. It turned out that this was an ex-cellent decision because we were able to coordinate everything, and Telekom has saved the costs for an additional, subsequent migration. They obtained a new hardware, moved two versions of databases ahead and ensured smooth functioning of the system for a long period of time. And we have shown that we can successfully deal with challenging situations... "

Darko Jelisavcic,
Manager of System Support, Saga