WINDOWS 1002000 PROFESSIONAL RESOURCE KIT [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Testing Your Deployment Plan

A key factor in the success of your Windows 2000 Professional project is thorough testing based on realistic scenarios. Realistic scenarios require a test environment that simulates your production environment as much as possible. In this test environment, members of the planning team can verify their assumptions, uncover deployment problems, and optimize the deployment design, as well as improve their understanding of the technology. Such activities reduce the risk of errors and minimize downtime in the production environment during and after deployment.

Creating a Test Environment

A test environment encompasses all the locations that support testing without risk to your corporate network. Many large organizations distribute their test environments across numerous physical, or even geographical, locations for testing in various technical, business, or political contexts. The following factors influence the decisions you make about your test environment:

Your testing methodology

Features and components you test

Personnel who perform the testing

A test environment might include one or more labs, and a lab might include one or more locations. The lab needs to be a network that is designed solely for testing and is isolated from the corporate network.

When you select personnel to perform testing in the lab be sure to include end users. Having end users test the planned configuration will prove to be invaluable for uncovering problems and determining training needs. These users can also become advocates for the deployment.

Simulating the Client Computer Environment

This section covers some considerations for designing a lab to test Windows 2000 Professional. The issues presented here might not apply to all Windows 2000 Professional implementations. Focus on the considerations that apply to your design.

Client Computer Hardware

Include at least one client computer for each vendor and model that is to run Windows 2000 Professional in your production environment. If your organization uses portable computers, docking stations, or port replicators, be sure to include those vendors and models as well. Be sure to obtain an updated BIOS that is compatible with Windows 2000 Professional.

It is recommended that you develop a standard hardware configuration for Windows 2000 Professional as part of your deployment project. Your lab testing can help you define and refine a standard configuration. As you define hardware configurations, verify that the components are compatible with Windows 2000 Professional. For example, you might need to verify compatibility for the following components:

Universal Serial Bus (USB) adapters

Compact disc and DVD drives

Sound adapters

Network adapters

Video adapters

Small computer system interface (SCSI) adapters

Mass storage controllers

Removable storage devices

Pointing devices (mice, trackballs, tablets)

Keyboards

To determine compatibility, look up the components on the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). For information about the HCL, see the Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility List link on the Web Resources page at http://windows.microsoft.com/windows2000/reskit/webresources.com. Search with the keyword "HCL." The HCL includes all the hardware that Microsoft supports. If your hardware is not on the list, contact the vendor to find out if there is a driver. If your components use 16-bit drivers, you need to obtain a 32-bit driver.

You can also use Windows 2000 Professional Setup to check for hardware compatibility. Run Setup in check-upgrade-only mode to obtain log files that indicate hardware and software incompatibilities and device drivers that need to be updated. Use the following command line format for check-upgrade-only mode:

winnt32 /checkupgradeonly

On computers running Windows 95 or Windows 98, the log file, called Upgrade.txt, is located in the Windows installation folder. On systems running Windows NT, the log file is called Winnt32.log and is located in the installation folder.

If updated device drivers for your devices are not included with Windows 2000 Professional, contact the vendor to obtain an updated driver.

After you decide on the standard hardware configuration, inventory the computers in your production environment to determine which ones need to be upgraded before you deploy Windows 2000 Professional.

NOTE

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As previously discussed, it is very important that you obtain an updated BIOS that is compatible with Windows 2000 Professional. Be sure to test your client computers to ensure Windows 2000 compatibility.

Network Connectivity

Provide connectivity to the same types of networks that you use in the production environment, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the Internet.

If you plan to use Routing and Remote Access or a proxy network service in the production environment, include these types of connections in the lab.

Server-based Services

Configure servers for the services used in the production environment. For example, include the following services:

DNS, WINS, and DHCP

Directory services (such as x.500 and NetWare)

File sharing

Network printing

Server-based line-of-business applications, both centralized and decentralized

Remember to provide for the following administrative services:

Remote operating system installation

Server-based application deployment

Tools for managing client computers (SMS, for example)

If your organization uses, or plans to use, domain authentication, simulate your authentication configuration in the lab. If you are migrating from Windows NT 4.0 to Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Server, plan for authentication in the mixed environment that will occur during the phased rollout.

Network Management Services

Include network services used in your environment, such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

Network Protocols

Use the protocols you plan to use in the production environment. Verify the protocols you use on client computers before connecting them to the production network.

Applications

You need licenses for and access to the software for all applications, stand-alone or server-based, that are to be supported on Windows 2000 Professional computers.

Peripherals

Include a representative sample of the types of peripherals, such as printers and scanners, used in the production environment.

Server Platform Interoperability

Simulate the server platforms to be accessed by Windows 2000 Professional computers. If you have a separate server lab, consider connecting the client computer lab to it instead of installing servers in the client computer lab. You might need to establish connectivity to the following systems:

Windows 2000 Server

Windows VT 4.0 or earlier

Mainframes supporting 3270 emulation

UNIX

Other network operating systems

As part of your testing, you might decide to evaluate standard client configurations. Lab tests can provide information for recommending specific configurations to management. If you decide to perform this type of evaluative testing, include side-by-side comparisons of different configurations.

Plan to have enough computers of the same make and model to allow for the side-by-side evaluations. Evaluate client configurations based on performance, ease of use, stability, hardware and software compatibility, functionality, and security model.

Performance

Use the lab to start evaluating the impact on your network traffic by testing for changes in baseline traffic patterns without user activity. For more information about performance concepts and monitoring tools, see "Overview to Performance Monitoring" in this book.

Production Network Connectivity

Your client computer lab needs to be isolated from the corporate network. If you need to provide a connection from the lab to the corporate network, plan how you will use routers to separate the two networks.

For detailed information about setting up a test lab, see "Building a Windows 2000 Test Lab" in the Deployment Planning Guide.