----------------------------<snip>-------------------------------
..just curious...what is frequency and duration of an exercise?
----------------------------<unsnip>-----------------------------
We did our tests quarterly and our production cycle allowed us to
complete a test in (typically) 16 hours, including restore time and
post-test cleanup. YMMV
Other than 1-2 key people (who called in sick that day), all tests were
spontaneous (without warning) to the staff. Sr. management would walk
around on that morning and tell people "This is a disaster. Transport to
DR site, from the building's front door, at X:XX AM. Be there." Then
they would disable that person's terminal, usually by unplugging it.
Ditto for desktop PC gear. Nobody knew in advance except the coordinator
and senior management, and me. (Assistant coordinator and designated
observer/major problem solver.) The whole mechanism seemed to work well
and it really kept people on their toes. And those folks that screwed up
heard about it, in no uncertain terms, when the test was complete. We'd
do a serious post-mortem on the test and every "glitch" was addressed.
It should go without saying that you need a good competent staff at your
DR site, to be sure that your hardware/software requirements for
recovery are properly addressed.
Our recovery provider during the "Great Chicago Flood" was Sungard
Recovery Services and I can't say enough good things about their
support. "Stellar" is a mild word; highly competent staff, on software
issues as well as hardware issues. And their willingness to "go the
extra mile" beggars discription. We paid for it, I'm sure, but they were
there when we needed them and that's pretty important when your biggest
customer is the Chicago Board of Trade, with all the time and accuracy
requirements that entails.
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