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The UHI Network Education & Research Networking for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland |
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Transition Plan for the UHI Network
Updated: 12 June 2002
1 Introduction
Financial Milestones for Transition Payments
1 IntroductionA limited amount of work is required for the UHI Regional Network Operator (RNO) to move from the current MAP/PoP service levels to those given in the new RPAN contract. Moving from the old arrangement to the new will be completed by the end of September 2002 (the first anniversary of the commencement date). UHI recognises that UKERNA is concerned to ensure continuity of service throughout the transition period. The purpose of this Transition Plan is to identify all tasks that are required in the move and to allocate sufficient resource to ensure UHI’s obligations are met and a smooth transition delivered. We understand the Transition Plan will be monitored by UKERNA and funding released at agreed milestones As specified in clause 3 of the RPAN agreement, this Transition Plan outlines: (i) The actions of UHI and those required of UKERNA in order that UHI is able to carry out the obligations of the contract; (ii) The time plan for the performance of these actions; and (iii) The staff and other resources that will be deployed in the implementation of the services The framework used for this transition plan is that suggested by Tim Kidd of UKERNA and the UK MANs group. Reference is also made to a number of other documents, primarily the RPAN contract and the “UHI Upgrade Plan”. This last document is available from the UHI web site at http://www.uhi.net.uk/RPAN_Transition/UHI_Transition_Plan.htm.
2 Staffing
How will the RNO deploy staff effort to carry out its obligations in the contract? The timing for this will affect many aspects of the contract? UHI is a network-dependant organisation and already has a dedicated Network Operations Service (NOS) unit with five staff currently based at Perth College, and a Helpdesk run as part of the ‘Data Warehouse’ (computer room / systems group) at Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, Oban. Extended hours cover. UHI integrated ICT support arrangements are aligned with college requirements and so cover real hours of opening of all Nominated Connections. Suitable training will be carried out as and when necessary. UHI is in the process of considering the best allocation of the combined staff effort of the UHI Partners and of UHI itself. This will lead to further alignment of the requirements of FE and HE activities within the partnership.
3 Assistance in investigation of illegal activityHow will the RNO provide assistance if UKERNA requests it in response to a suspected illegal, fraudulent or criminal activity? Who within the RNO can give authority for such activity? The Network Operations Manager acts as CERT contact for UHI. He will accept requests and provide assistance to UKERNA or any authority investigating illegal, fraudulent or criminal activity. He will liase with CERT contacts at each institution within the region and assist as appropriate and necessary. Authority for investigation of suspected illegal, fraudulent or Criminal activity can be given by the Head of Learning and Information Services, Alun.Hughes@eo.uhi.ac.uk. In the case of such activity, UHI will contact JANET-CERT, cert@ja.net. Authority for investigation of suspected illegal, fraudulent or Criminal activity can be given by the UKERNA CERT Manager.
4 PaymentsWhat processes are required to ensure that the invoice is raised by the RNO? Transition funding allocations are specified in section 4 of the paper “Payments to Regional Networks under the RPAN and RDN Contract Funding Models”. UHI will notify UKERNA on completion of each action detailed in this transition plan. It is proposed that, providing UHI is meeting the timescales specified in the plan, UHI will raise quarterly invoices in advance. UKERNA will pay against those invoices within 30 days of receipt of invoice. For transition payments, UHI will notify UKERNA on completion of each action detailed in this plan, and will invoice against each item on completion. Payments for the provision of services are specified in Schedule 2 of the RPAN agreement. This includes annual payments for staffing, maintenance/replacement of switching equipment and telecommunication links together with separate payments for the addition, removal and modification of Nominated Connections. As described in section 20 of this transition plan, UHI will establish financial and administrative procedures and ensure that accounting and billing systems are appropriately operated to identify outstanding amounts, invoice accordingly and follow-up on late payments. Payment for provision of services specified in Section 2 of the RPAN contract will be against quarterly invoices of one quarter of the annual total, raised by UHI Executive Office finance staff under the direction of the Network Development Manager.
5 TelcosEnsure that the EC rules are applied for procurement of telecommunication equipment and services and that the RNO attempts to seek an assignment clause according to sub-clause 9.1 of the RPAN agreement. UHI applies EC and Public Procurement rules for all procurements valued above the trigger level. UHI will attempt to include an appropriate assignment clause in any future procurement; the existing contract under which Nominated connections are provided does not have such a clause.
6 LicencesHow will the RNO ensure that the licence requirements are tracked? Our current understanding is that our activities are covered by the Telecommunications Services class licence, since UHI itself will not be self-providing any telecommunications circuits. UHI has, and intends to continue to have, representation on the UK MANs group; this group has been involved in discussions that are still in progress with the relevant bodies on issues of licensing as they relate to the operation of MANs. In addition, UHI will consult with institutional contacts and other bodies as required in order to ensure that all known licence requirements are tracked.
7 Change ControlEnsuring that change control notices are handled according to Schedule 5 of the RPAN contract. UHI will ensure that the change control procedures specified in Schedule 5 of the RPAN contract are adhered to. Depending on the nature of the change request, the appropriate person or persons from UHI will be involved in all discussions relating to the change. All requests for change from UKERNA are to be addressed to the UHI Network Development Manager who will be the primary point of contact for change control.
UHI will also be defining and operating its own internal change control system and procedures to ensure that the stability of the network services are maintained while permitting necessary changes and developments to be carried out.
8 Service Levels - AvailabilityEnsuring that every Nominated Connection is available for 99%+ and that the failure rate is no more than 1 in 1000 hours. Are the right monitoring systems in place? Are the procedures and staff in place to respond to outages in a timely manner? Service Levels 1 and 2 specify that every Nominated Connection is available for 99%+ and that the failure rate is no more than 1 in 1000 hours. Sufficient resources are therefore required to meet this obligation. Full details of staffing are provided in section 2 of this transition plan. The staff selected to undertake the roles have extensive experience and are capable of fulfilling their designated roles. All equipment is covered under appropriate maintenance agreements. Incident Handling/Reporting and Network Monitoring are discussed in sections 12, 13 and 14 of this plan. The Netsight monitor is to be installed within the UHI Network and configured by UHI Network Operations staff. UHI uses RoyalBlue for its electronic service and support desk management system. This is a sophisticated and flexible system and is capable of producing the statistics required. Configuration of the system will take place by the end of April 2002. Procedures will be produced and staff training provided to ensure that service level definitions are met in full. The performance of telecommunications links and services is be monitored and should this fall below the contracted level, UHI will work with the supplier to restore it. Quarterly Service Review meetings are held with the Telco to review adherence to their contracted SLA and at which issues of concern and non-compliance are addressed.
9 DocumentationEnsuring that the necessary documentation is available for each Nominated Organisation to connect to the regional network. UHI will provide all Nominated Organisations with a comprehensive set of documentation describing the services and how to use them. It will include technical and administrative documentation and copies and updates will be provided to UKERNA at the Service Review meetings. Copies of all documentation will also be available from the UHI Network web site at www.uhi.net.uk. In addition, a list of information required by UHI from each Nominated Organisation will be produced together with a procedure for the upkeep/maintenance and distribution of all documentation. Will each nominated connection be required to update their data once a year?
10 MaintenanceProvide a process through which scheduled maintenance is agreed, co-ordinated and communicated within the regional network and to UKERNA. Ensure that the Scheduled Maintenance Time is kept below 0.5% of the Service Time for each Nominated Connection and that UKERNA is informed once the Scheduled Maintenance has ended (or is cancelled or is postponed). UHI will ensure that minimum disruption to services is caused by maintenance activities. Wherever possible these activities will be synchronised to fall within the “At Risk” period on Tuesday mornings between 07:00 – 09:00. Maintenance activities will be the responsibility of the Network Operations Manager and when arranging scheduled maintenance will take account of the obligations of Service Level 5 before consulting with technical contacts at all affected sites. The Network Operations Manager will inform the UHI Service Desk of all maintenance activities and ensure that at least 10 working days notice is provided. The UHI Service Desk will be the central point of contact for maintenance activities and will notify the UKERNA Central Support Desk and all regional Nominated Organisations, via e-mail. The UHI Service Desk will comply with Service Level 6 and also announce when maintenance activity has ended, or is cancelled or postponed. The RoyalBlue help desk management system (discussed in section 8) will record details of all maintenance activities. Summary details will be reported through the incident reporting procedure described in section F of the SLD.
11 Connections and CircuitsStaffing and processes are required to respond to requests for new, modified and removed Nominated Connections. Responses must be within the time limits specified in SL7, SL8 and SL9. The RNO will need a process to ensure that the quotation for costs is accurate and authorised. It is also necessary to ensure that this process is linked to the updating of the Netsight system. Additionally, the RNO will need to maintain good relationships and contract review with Telcos that it uses, especially to ensure that the Telcos maintain their service levels. All requests for new, modified or the removal of Nominated Connections are to be addressed to the UHI Network Development Manager who will co-ordinate as appropriate with UKERNA, UHI and Telco personnel. Requests for a new or modified connection will be forwarded to the Network Operations Manager who will advise on technical feasibility/requirements and likely impact to the existing network and services. If the request is sanctioned, the Network Development Manager will, following procurement regulations, acquire the necessary quotations and respond to UKERNA. Throughout the process the time limits specified in Service Levels 7, 8 and 9 would be met. The Netsight Monitor will be updated as required and the time limits specified in Service Levels 15 and 16 will be met.
12 Incident HandlingDuring Working Hours, accepting and acting on incident reports from Nominated Organisations – by telephone and e-mail (at least). Providing updates to Nominated Organisations concerned with an incident. (SL10 and SL13). During working hours UHI operates a Service Desk, based at Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory. The Service Desk will accept incident reports (via telephone or e-mail) from authorised personnel within each Nominated Organisation and respond to them in accordance with Service Levels 10 and 13. The RNO must define and make available its procedures for incident handling (SL11). In accordance with Service Level 11, UHI will define and distribute procedures for incident handling. This will form part of the documentation set that will be made available to all Nominated Organisations.
Outside of Working Hours, does the RNO wish to use UKERNA’s help desk? If so, details will need to be agreed with UKERNA and, depending on the up-take, UKERNA may need to make additional arrangements to handle these requests. Outside of working hours UHI will not want to use UKERNA’s help desk as UHI’s own facilities provide an equivalent level of cover.
During Extended Hours, provide a call-up system with staff who are able to carry out the functions described in this section. The response from the call-up contact must occur within 1 hour (SL12). As detailed in section 2, UHI has identified and provided specific staffing cover for extended hours call-out that will meet the requirements of Service Level 12.
13 Incident ReportingProvide an Incident Handling Summary Report within 4 Working Days of the end of each month (details of the report are given in SLD K(c). As discussed in section 8, UHI will use the RoyalBlue support desk management system to provide statistics for reporting purposes. An Incident Handling Summary Report will be sent to UKERNA via e-mail within 4 working days of the end of the month and conform to the format specified in SLD K (c).
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