Hide XP implementation considerations
Ric Liang
Published: 18 Feb 2003 10:34 GMT
Testing for application compatibility
Application compatibility testing is one of the biggest challenges; there are potentially hundreds of applications installed within any organisation that will require testing.
Automated tools, such as Microsoft's SMS or Novell's ZENworks, can be used to detect and report on all applications installed on client PCs and can be a great asset.
Remember that not all of the detected applications are necessarily "core" to the business; you'll need to assess the necessity to test each one. I estimate that most organisations will determine that they have 10 to 12 "core" applications within their environments that will require complete product testing with respect to the XP environment.
Work with clients to determine which applications are required to run under Windows XP; those that don't should be uninstalled. Once identified, these applications need to be certified as Windows XP-compatible, either from the software developer, Microsoft, or by internal testing. Some applications may have to be upgraded for Windows XP certification.
Microsoft's Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) is but one of a collection of tools and documents that enable both application developers and IT professionals to resolve application compatibility issues. Technical staff involved in the project should avail themselves of the tools available from Microsoft.
Determine hardware upgrades and replacements
Based on minimum system requirements (Pentium 600-MHz/256 MB RAM/2 GB free disk), you must do a comprehensive hardware inventory detailing which PCs meet these requirements.
Using this inventory, you can then determine how many PCs would require upgrading and or replacing. Both of these issues must be addressed before an overall project budget can be determined. Once the hardware upgrade/replacement quantity is determined, shop around for pricing. Then, factor delivery and prep into the project plan.
In addition to the PC upgrades, additional testing will need to be done on peripherals to ensure they'll continue to function under the Windows XP operating system; this includes PDAs, printers, scanners, and others. An excellent utility for investigating hardware compatibility is the Windows XP Upgrade Advisor.
Companion products
Applications that are associated with Microsoft Office must be upgraded in order to ensure full compatibility. Such applications include:
- Visio
- Project
- Access
- FrontPage
- Publisher
- PhotoDraw
- MapPoint
- Data Analyzer
It's a stretch to state that all companion products must be upgraded, but capitalising the cost of such upgrades into the overall project cost makes good sense.
Who's going to pay?
Finally, before any real integration and upgrading begins, it's a good move to make sure it's clear who's paying for what. Costs for upgrading applications to function properly under Windows XP must be considered. Determining who will pay can be a thorny issue for both IT and the business.
It's best to develop a general policy -- for instance, that upgrade costs will be shared among business units or be paid from IT budgets -- rather than dealing with each separate application upgrade separately.
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