[Dispatch] Fwd: REMINDER *NOTICE!* GATRRS Scheduled Maintenance, 2/03/2014, 12:01 A.M. to 4:00 A.M.

[Brooks, William]

Events 2 & 3 could impact us directly.


o   Non-Simulcast, “IR” tower sites affected by this outage are:

•  Creedmoor (southeast) and Honeycomb (northwest)

•  Collier (east) and Singleton Bend (west)

•  Bell Springs (southwest)

These sites going off line could impact ESD01,ESD04, ESD08, ESD12 & ESD 14 if we get calls during the outage period and have any active calls on the edges of the county. Please work with techs on the floor if major calls are active.

William B. Brooks
Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:


Subject: REMINDER *NOTICE!* GATRRS Scheduled Maintenance, 2/03/2014, 12:01 A.M. to 4:00 A.M.

*REMINDER* NOTICE OF PLANNED MAINTENANCE: CORE ROUTER UPGRADE, REPLACE SITE NETWORK SWITCH EQUIPMENT, TALK GROUP SITE ACCESS PROFILE CHANGE.

This notice was sent previously as part of a larger notice on 1/28. This is a reminder that maintenance continues this Monday morning from 12:01 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.

WHAT’S HAPPENING MONDAY (2/03) FROM 12:01 A.M. TO 4:00 A.M. (Sunday night into Monday morning): CORE ROUTER UPGRADE AT CTECC; SYSTEM UPGRADE PREP WORK AT CERTAIN TOWER SITES; RESTRICTIONS SET ON CERTAIN TALK GROUPS FOR ACCESS TO COUNTYWIDE SIMULCAST LAYER AND IR SITES.

DESCRIPTION: TWO PREVIOUSLY-DESCRIBED EVENTS, ONE NEW EVENT.


·         Event 1: Monday morning, 2/03/2014, 12:01 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.: Core Router upgrade at GATRRS Master Site (CTECC).

o   This work should not cause outages, however, there is a possibility of active calls on the following systems being momentarily dropped and/or processed during the switch to the redundant router:

§  MRGDC

§  Austin Energy MCC-7500 dispatch consoles

§  Pflugerville MCC-7500 dispatch console

§  DPS MCC-7500 dispatch consoles


·         Event 2: Monday morning, 2/03/2014, 12:01 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.: Filler “IR” sites in outer parts of Travis County will be taken off-line while switch equipment is replaced. Five (5) IR sites will be powered off, two at a time, while switches are changed out. Towers turned off at the same time will be on opposite ends of the county to minimize impact to field radios. Outages will last from 15 to 30 minutes per tower.

o   Taking the sites off-line (“site-off” condition) will prevent site-trunking events. In-car mobile radios and consolettes likely will not notice the change in coverage while these small, filler sites are off. Portable radios nearby these towers may go out of range.

o   Non-Simulcast, “IR” tower sites affected by this outage are:

§  Creedmoor (southeast) and Honeycomb (northwest)

§  Collier (east) and Singleton Bend (west)

§  Bell Springs (southwest)


·         Event 3 (NEW): Monday morning, 2/03/2014, 12:01 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.: Change one remaining “site access profile” in the system to restrict it to the Countywide simulcast layer and IR sites, so that upgrade work can proceed in February with minimal disruption to radios.

o   This change may cause some radios in the field to “bonk” and temporarily lose contact with dispatch.

o   Radios may be power-cycled (off/on) to force them to affiliate with the right simulcast layer.

o   Wireless techs will be on the dispatch floor at CTECC, checking with agencies for any “hot traffic” before this change is made, and postponing work accordingly. They will also monitor dispatch centers as the change takes effect to provide guidance for communicating the change with users in the field.

HOW WILL YOUR RADIO / CONSOLE / CONSOLETTE / CONTROL STATION BE AFFECTED?

·         Event 1: Core router work should not cause issues with consoles or radios in the field, however, there is a possibility of active calls on the following systems being momentarily dropped and/or processed during the switch to the redundant router:

o   Austin Energy MCC-7500 dispatch consoles

o   DPS MCC-7500 dispatch consoles

o   Pflugerville MCC-7500 dispatch console

o   MRGDC

o   All dispatchers should be prepared to use backup radios in the event of unexpected problems.

o   Mobile data computers, cell phones, and pagers will not be affected.



·         Event 2: If Event 1 causes unexpected problems, Event 2 (scheduled for the same night after Core Router work is completed) will be canceled and rescheduled for a later date.

o   IR filler sites, when turned off, may create gaps in portable radio coverage for users in the outer areas of Travis County.

o   Mobile radios, which are more powerful than portables, should continue operating with no problems.

o   All dispatchers should be prepared to use backup radios in the event of unexpected problems.

o   Mobile data computers, cell phones, and pagers will not be affected.



·         Event 3: When site restrictions are set, radios in the field *may* bonk on the first push-to-talk and/or display “OUT OF RANGE” before affiliating to their assigned layer. Radios may be power-cycled to force this affiliation.

o   Portable and mobile radios may be power-cycled (off/on), after which they should behave normally.

o   Consolettes and control stations used for alerting should be power-cycled to ensure they affiliate to the correct layer.

o   All dispatchers should be prepared to use backup radios in the event of unexpected problems.

o   Mobile data computers, cell phones, and pagers will not be affected.


WHO IS AFFECTED?

·         Event 1 affects Austin, Travis County, and Middle Rio Grande customers (AE, DPS, Pflugerville, Middle Rio Grande).

·         Events 2 and 3 affect users in Austin and Travis County.

WHAT IS REQUIRED OF YOU?

·         ALL USERS, SYSTEMWIDE, SHOULD BE AWARE OF THESE SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE EVENTS AND BE READY TO RELY ON BACKUP RADIOS, MDC’S, CELL PHONES, AND PAGERS IN THE EVENT OF UNEXPECTED PROBLEMS.

PRIOR TO THE START OF THIS MAINTENANCE:

·         GATRRS Dispatch Operators (if available) will be contacted by the City of Austin Wireless Communication Services technician assigned to oversee the work. He will determine if there is a reason to postpone or suspend the scheduled maintenance.

·         EXAMPLES of justification for calling off scheduled maintenance: Major inclement weather moving into the affected area, a multi-alarm fire in progress, or a law enforcement agency vehicle pursuit in progress. If the scheduled maintenance procedure is called off, all affected dispatch centers (if available) will be notified of the cancellation.

CONTACTS:

·         City of Austin Wireless Communication Services Division Master Site Engineer: Mike Pena, cell (512) 698-6575, desk (512) 974-0976, e-mail mike.pena at austintexas.gov<mailto:mike.pena at austintexas.gov>.

·         City of Austin Wireless Main # (512) 927-3200, answered 24/7/365.

If you have questions about the planned maintenance or problems during the maintenance, please use either of the contacts listed above. If you need further assistance, please contact Gary Wilks or Chuck Brotherton at the telephone numbers below, or by email.

·         Gary Wilks, desk (512) 927-3229, cell (512) 848-4421, pager (512) 802-9330, email gary.wilks at austintexas.gov<mailto:gary.wilks at austintexas.gov>.

·         Chuck Brotherton, desk (512) 927-3209, cell (512) 636-6825, pager (512) 802-9328, email charles.brotherton at austintexas.gov<mailto:charles.brotherton at austintexas.gov>.

Thank you.

Chuck Brotherton
Manager, Wireless Communication Services Division
Communications and Technology Management
City of Austin
1006 Smith Road
Austin, TX 78721
phone: (512) 927-3209
cell: (512) 636-6825
pager: (512) 802-9328
charles.brotherton at austintexas.gov<mailto:charles.brotherton at austintexas.gov>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://cafcatx.org/pipermail/dispatch_cafcatx.org/attachments/20140201/07878357/attachment.htm>