Testing Applications for Compatibility with Windows 2000
Testing Applications for Compatibility with Windows 2000 |
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If you do not already have an inventory of the applications installed on your server and client computers, you need to create one. Remember to include operational and administrative tools, including antivirus, compression, backup, and remote-control programs.
If your organization is large or decentralized, compiling the list of applications can be time-consuming. If you use Microsoft® Systems Management Server or another software inventory tool to manage your networked computers, you can use the software inventory process to gather the information and then run a query to categorize and report it. For more information about using Systems Management Server to inventory your software, see the chapter "Using Systems Management Server to Analyze Your Network Infrastructure" in this book.
If you do not have an automated way to find what applications are installed on your computers, you need to develop a process to glean the information. For example, you can develop a questionnaire or a Web-based form that managers can fill out for their business units. If you depend on a manual process, you should get the support of upper management to help you obtain prompt responses.
As you compile the list of applications, identify which ones are required for each business unit. The following list includes some examples of information you might need about each application:
Include whether the application is client-based or server-based and which components reside on the client and on the server.
If you find multiple contacts for the same vendor, try to consolidate them where possible.
Compile the application information in a central repository where you can easily access and update it as you gather additional information and prioritize the applications. When you begin testing the applications, you can also use this repository for entering test results and reporting status. For more information about tracking and reporting test results, see "Tracking Test Results" later in this chapter.
The inventory process is a good time to gather additional information that can help you make your application environment more manageable and cost effective. The more you simplify this environment, the easier it will be to test for application compatibility, the smoother it will be to move to Windows 2000, and the easier the resulting environment will be to manage.
The information described in this section can facilitate your testing, as well as reduce future support costs.
Detailed information about applications can help testers diagnose problems during Windows 2000 testing and reduce troubleshooting time for your Help desk:
You might consider gathering this information when you install the applications in the test lab rather than when you inventory your applications. When you install applications in a controlled environment like the lab, you are more likely to obtain complete lists without the extraneous, user-specific files that accumulate as an application is used.
If your organization uses many similar applications, the inventory process might be a good time to evaluate them for redundancy and to standardize on the most widely used ones. For example, you might find that your organization uses a variety of word processing applications or versions. Standardizing on a single application and version can dramatically simplify your Windows 2000 testing and reduce your client support costs. Although a different team might evaluate and establish the application standards, the testing team should work closely with that team to focus testing on the appropriate applications. For more information about standardizing client configurations, see the chapter "Defining Client Administration and Configuration Standards" in this book.
As you compile the list of applications, you might find unauthorized applications that users downloaded from the Internet or brought from home. Use the inventory process to eliminate applications such as these, as well as to verify that you have licenses for all the software in use.
The inventory process is a good time to identify your site-licensed applications, such as compression and antivirus programs, and to develop a strategy for managing them. If you plan to implement IntelliMirror™, use it to advertise these applications. When you use IntelliMirror to advertise applications, you can easily set up redundant servers, thus maximizing users' access to the applications. For more information about using IntelliMirror for client support, see the chapter "Applying Change and Configuration Management" in this book.
If you do not plan to implement IntelliMirror, you might want to establish shared drives for your site-licensed applications. Assign the server a name that is easy to remember—for example, \\licensed_products.