Operating System (OS) Migration for Multiple Product Lines  

Building and Executing a Plan to Manage a Complex OS Migration 

Leader in diagnostics solutions for blood testing and analysis fell behind schedule on maintenance releases and bug fixes while managing a complex OS migration.

MedAcuity engineering team built a detailed OS migration plan, developed an OS abstraction layer, and standardized on a common OS and group of services across multiple product lines.  

OS Migration Detail Photo

project snapshot

SITUATION


  • Current RedHat Linux OS was severely outdated and no longer supported
  • Migrations between RedHat releases were infrequent as the OS changes in each release required substantial rework
  • Patch release cycles took more than 90 days to release for critical vulnerabilities
  • No standards or acceptance test for what services were provided to the application by the base OS

Challenges


  • Outdated OS made it impossible to stay on schedule with maintenance releases and bug fixes
  • Migrating RedHat releases caused non-trivial changes to the application software to adapt to OS and library changes
  • Because each product line had its own OS and software stacks, none of the application code could be shared between products

SOLUTION


  • Defined requirements and implemented an OS abstraction layer to insulate applications from future OS changes and/or migrations that could also be used to support applications regardless of OS
  • Configured a layered test approach consisting of unit, functional and integration tests; carried further into a continuous test strategy to underpin an automation framework
  • Established process for integrating, testing, and deploying critical patches to meet FDA guidelines and ensure no adverse effects on deployed software

Results


  • Successful OS migration from RedHat Linux OS to WindRiver Linux completed
  • Multiple products now on one common OS
  • New testing practices learned from MedAcuity will ensure high quality and timely future releases