How do you document and communicate your RAID firmware and software update process and results?

1 Why document and communicate?

Updating your RAID firmware and software is a complex process that requires planning, testing, backing up, scheduling, executing, and verifying the update on your RAID controller, disks, and drivers. If something goes wrong, it could lead to data loss, hardware damage, or system compromise. Therefore, documenting and communicating your update process and results is essential. This will help you keep track of current and target versions, identify compatibility or dependency issues, create a clear and detailed update procedure, record any errors or issues that occur during or after the update, share results and feedback with team members, stakeholders, and vendors. Ultimately, you can use this information to learn from your experience and improve future updates.

2 How to document your update process

Creating a comprehensive and accurate update plan is essential for documenting your update process. You can use a template or a tool to help organize your information and format your document. Your plan should include a summary of the update purpose, scope, and objectives, as well as a list of the RAID components and systems that need to be updated. Additionally, you should include a table of the current and target firmware and software versions for each component and system, a description of the update prerequisites, a step-by-step guide of the update procedure with screenshots, commands, and expected outputs, a contingency plan for handling any risks or issues that may arise during the update, and a checklist of the update completion criteria and verification methods.

3 How to communicate your update process

Communicating your update process is essential for gaining feedback and approval from the relevant parties. You should share the update plan, schedule, duration, and impact with them. To do this, you can use various channels and methods such as email, meetings, and dashboards. Sending an email with a brief overview of the update plan and a link to the full document can be helpful. You can also hold a meeting to present the plan and assign roles, coordinate actions, and review the procedure. Additionally, you can create a dashboard or report to show the status and progress of your update process with graphs, charts, tables, and indicators. This will help display the current and target firmware/software versions, completion percentage, errors/issues, and results/feedback.

4 How to document your update results

To document your update results, you need to collect and analyze data and information that reflect the outcome and performance of your update. You can use various tools and sources, such as log files, benchmarks, and feedback from your team, stakeholders, and vendors. Reviewing the log files generated by your RAID controller, disks, and drivers can help you detect any errors, warnings, or anomalies that may indicate a problem or deviation from the expected output. Running benchmarks or tests before and after the update will allow you to measure the improvement or degradation in performance, reliability, or security. Additionally, surveys, interviews, or reviews can be used to gather feedback on the experience and satisfaction with the update.

5 How to communicate your update results

To effectively communicate your update results, you should summarize and report your findings and recommendations based on your documentation. Acknowledge any issues or concerns that emerged during or after the update. You can use various formats and media to communicate your update results, such as writing a report with charts, graphs, tables, and images to illustrate your data and analysis; creating a presentation with slides, animations, videos, and audio to demonstrate your achievements; or publishing a newsletter with stories, testimonials, tips, and best practices to share your learnings. Invite questions and feedback from your audience and encourage them to subscribe or follow your updates.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?