Euro-Link Change Management Procedures

    Statement of Mission

    Change Management is the process by which the Euro-Link Network Operations Center coordinates network installations, maintenance, and enhancements on the Euro-Link Network. These duties include change approval, scheduling, and notification. Proactive communication with customers, vendors, and engineers will allow minimal service disruption. Proposed network changes are tracked through the NOC's trouble ticket system. Change requests are collected and documented in the trouble ticket system via e-mail, telephone, or web forms. The audit trail for this process is available to authorized personnel via the

    Overview

    The Euro-Link NOC is responsible for facilitating all forms of Euro-Link Change Management. The purpose of Change Management is to insure that all the proper elements surrounding the change are in place. All associated parties need to be notified and trained (if necessary). The schedule for implementation is coordinated with all other activities on the network. It is an ongoing process of communication, coordination, scheduling, monitoring, and assessing change to Euro-Link network resources. The overriding goal is to provide a high level of availability and service to our customers.

    The main features of Change Management are:

    · Easy to use web form for change submittals

    · Proper review and approval of all changes

    · Comprehensive notification of changes to affected parties via e-mail and web pages

    · Providing up to date chronology of change events via the world wide web

    · Closure notification providing status of completed change as well as all other appropriate information

    The Euro-Link NOC has the responsibility of insuring that necessary documentation, testing, notification, training (customers and staff), and recovery procedures are in place before the time of the requested change.

    Submitting a Change Request

    The URL for the Euro-Link Change Management submission form is: http://noc.euro-link.org/chanman.html

    This information will automatically be imported into the Euro-Link NOC queue in the trouble ticket system.

    A change can be submitted to the Euro-Link NOC via the above web-based submission form on the Euro-Link NOC home page. This form will provide a template of information to be filled out, for documentation and review purposes. The change form includes the following:

    Platform or Network to change:
    Date Planned:
    Time Planned:
    Change Request Submitted By:
    Change Implemented By:
    Change Impact: Low Medium High
    Impact Disruption: ___ No disruption to service
    ___ 50 msec hit (switch-hit) or less
    ___ greater than 50msec.
    If greater than 50msec, please explain:
    Is Notification Required?: No Yes
    Reboot Required: No Yes
    Power Down Required: No Yes
    Hardware:
    Application system:
    System Software:
    Software Taken Down/Up:
    Network:
    Circuits Affected:
    Description of Change:
    Reason for Change:
    Test Plan:
    Potential Negative Impact:
    Security Impact:
    Fallback Procedure:
    Are Qwest Services Affected? No Yes
    For Qwest Services, please select type of Change/Activity:
    Trunk Reroute, Traffic Redirect, Equip/Hardware Install, Power (requires Method of Procedure), Other (describe in detail), etc.

    This information will automatically be imported into the Euro-Link NOC queue in the trouble ticket system.

    Review and Approval Process

    Change Management decisions will be conducted in an online, virtual manner, soliciting the input of all necessary parties. Any Euro-Link NOC engineer, associated vendor, or engineer from a connector within the network, may introduce a change item. It is required that all changes be submitted five to seven days prior to requested date. The change will be thoroughly reviewed, and all factors and risks considered. Plans and time frames are made accordingly from the amassed information. Formal approval is then given, or the change may be modified or vetoed if it is deemed unacceptable.

    Vendors who provide direct service to the Euro-Link Network are required to participate in the Change Management process. Likewise, the Euro-Link NOC will participate in the Change Management processes of each vendor when appropriate.

    Online Agenda Page

    Once a change is reviewed, and any related concerns are negotiated, it will be immediately posted to the online Change Management Agenda, found on the Euro-Link NOC home page. This will allow all interested parties to review proposed changes ensuring that all changes are a matter of public record. This can be found at:

    www.iupui.edu/~nocweb/change_pub/intchange/

    Notification

    Notification of the change will be sent three to five business days prior to its scheduled date. This will be done via appropriate Euro-Link notification listservs, and through updates to the Euro-Link Change Management Agenda page on the web. Reminder notifications will be sent on a periodic basis up to the date of the change. Major changes will be given the utmost priority, with notification given months in advance.

    Once a change has been enacted, notification will be sent via email reporting closure, along with all other pertinent information. The web page will also be updated reflecting this closure.

    Emergency Change Requests

    Emergency changes are handled on a case by case basis. These are changes that need immediate attention for the health of the Euro-Link network as a whole. These changes will be approved by the Euro-Link NOC under the same guidelines as scheduled maintenance. Emergency maintenance requires the standard notification policies, if at all possible.



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