Many IT organizations find that a large migration project can be both a technical and business challenge. Remember that in any non-trivial migration, there will always be challenges—prepare and plan for them. Here are some suggestions for transitioning from Solaris 8/9 to Solaris 10:
Define your desired Solaris 10 software and hardware features
Perform a detailed analysis of your existing Solaris 8/9 environment
Determine how you will continue to provide services while executing your migration plan
Write a detailed project and implementation plan in preparation for the migration
Familiarize yourself with backup/transition aid tools like Solaris 8 Migration Assistant
Remember, any time you make a significant change to your IT environment, there are core IT infrastructure considerations that may complicate your migration plans. These include
security and auditing
disaster recovery and business continuity
backup and recovery
networking
storage management
processes and procedures (ITSM)
monitoring and management
capacity and performance management
O/S, application and firmware patch management
maintenance contract management, asset tracking
If you have a lot of time and available staff (and I hope you do!), you can set up a lab and experiment with the new tools and technology. However, if you don't, then you should consider using an experienced partner like Forsythe, who can transition you through the migration process. We all know the proverb "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." An experienced partner can "teach you how to fish" with your Solaris 10 environment, preparing you for the lifetime of your OS.
