Cisco Headend Digital Broadband Delivery System
DNCS and Application Server Hardware Platforms
4036044 Rev B
7
Scheduling Requirements
With the live upgrade, your site only needs to be down for 2 to 3 hours during the
entire upgrade process. Most of the upgrade procedures have no system impact. The
pre-install and pre-upgrade steps can be performed at any time of day. However, the
actual upgrade process normally takes place during a maintenance window
beginning at midnight. The following table provides a breakdown of each upgrade
process.
Process
Length of Time
Activity
Pre-install
1-3 hours
Activities are performed by Cisco Services, including
checking the overall health of the system. These
activities do not impact the system.
Pre-upgrade
3-4 hours
Backing up the system:
Back up the system components
Back up the DNCS and Application Server files
Complete system checks
These activities do not impact the system.
Upgrade
6-8 hours total;
2-3 of these hours
require system
outage
Note: Actual time
Note: Actual time
may vary based
on the number of
devices being
upgraded.
Upgrade the DBDS network:
Back up the DNCS database
Install the DNCS and Application Server
software
Determine which optional features (licensed or
unlicensed) need to be enabled as a result of this
upgrade
Install and download the component software
(QAM, MQAM, GQAM, and QPSK modulator)
Reboot the hardware
Complete functional checks
QPSK modulator upgrades and some QAM and
MQAM upgrades can be completed with little or no
subscriber impact. However, 2-3 hours of the
upgrade require system outage.
Post-Upgrade
3-4 hours
Back up the system:
Back up the file system
Back up the DNCS database
These activities do not impact the system.