The Systems Life Cycle and Incident Diagnostic

Process
Unit 23

William Simpson

7th of November 2017

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Contents

Introduction 3

Design and Build 3

Operational Stage 5

Deconmission Stage 7

The Incident Diagnostic Process 8

Levels of Support Available 10

Reviewing the impact of the incident diagnostic processes and the levels of support available
11
Explanation of the different types of common technology system Issues/ faults and the remedies
13
Evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the support service and make recommendations
for further improvement. 17
Bibliography 19

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Introduction
The purpose is twofold; the first part of the report centres on a consideration
of how the company needs to support an IT system over its life cycle with a
client and how the demands of the support system change during the life
cycle. The second part of the reports consists of a review of processes that deal
with incidents and their diagnosis. The report concludes with a brief overview
of the strengths and weaknesses of the support service and recommendations
for improvement.

Stage 1: Design and Build

Configure Systems

The support that will be needed when you are configuring your computer
systems are user requirements. I understand that some of your clients will
require access to all files. An example is when different people within the
company may be given different levels of access to the system. What I mean by
different levels of access is that if you work in a department you will have
access to them. The management team will have a greater range of access. For

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the IT department, they will have overall access, so they can take control of the
system if any problems occur.

Key Performance Measures

The key performance measures of a system are the downtime what I mean by
this downtime is how long the system will be down for so I can set the new
system up and make sure that it is working for you. When setting up your
computer systems I will be doing this at night, because during the day this
could interfere with your work. Another key performance issue is the uptime
of the computer, so this means how long you have been using your system for.
The last performance measure is high availability of the system. This is what
times your system is available, so an example is normal business hours
between 9am and 5pm, so your system may be used between these times.
Training

When your new systems are up and running there will be training that is
required for you to use the system. For example, if you have specific software
on your computer system you will need to be trained on how to use this
software. If you have specific hardware that you use, then training would be
needed so you can learn how to use this hardware. There are also functions of
the operating system that you can use and this would need training on. Some
of your clients maybe using different software so they may need to be trained
differently.

Why support changes over time?

In the design and build stage, the support will change over time and there will
be a lot of upfront costs to this, because I must train the staff on the new
system and research about the new systems. A lot of investment would be
needed for this stage because I will be getting the hardware and software for
the computer. I must research what hardware will be needed for this system.
The support could change over time if you wanted to upgrade the hardware in
the computer systems. The staff will need to be trained on how to use the

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new system and the software that this computer system runs. When training
staff it can depend on how many staff are working at the company.

Impact and Compromises in providing system support

The compromises in the design and build stage is the budget. The cost of a new
system is expensive and I understand you would like the best system within
your budget. I will get the computer system that meets your budget. Another
compromise is the amount of staff that you have got working on your team. It
will take time to train these members of staff, so I can I suggest if I trained the
management team and the IT Department on how to use this system then you
can train your staff. This will assist to keep within your budget.

Stage 2: Operational Stage

Internet Connectivity

This is the operational stage and the internet connectivity can be a big issue
especially if you are big company. The internet connectivity can be slow at
times, which can in turn affect your clients doing their work. If your network
was so busy then the internet could cause loss of connectivity. Another issue
with internet connectivity could be the number of people that are online at the
same time. To reduce the impact of the connectivity issues then it is best to
connect your computer systems via Ethernet cables, then this will reduce the
impact on the wireless.

Software Errors

Another common computer system error in the operational stage is software

errors. On your systems, you will have something called the Operating System
and sometimes this could encounter errors unexpectedly. To reduce this
happening make sure that your operating system is in perfect to condition.

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There are ways that you can do this by performing a disk clean up. This could
get rid of any temporary files that your computer is holding within the
operating system. Another software error within the operating system might
be a bug in the software. This can be reported to the developers to get it
rectified and fixed. In some cases, to fix bugs updates are performed in the
background of the system.

Unauthorised Access

This a big part of the operational stage of the computer system. If someone
gained unauthorised access to your computer this would put your data at risk. I
would make sure that your security systems are up to date and I would also
make sure that your operating system is kept up to date. I would also give you
recommendations for secure passwords. The more secure the password the
harder it is to gain access.
To ake su e that ou o pute does t get a i uses, I will be installing
Anti-virus software and this will also protect your system from hackers and any
virus.
Why Support Changes over Time?

The support would change over time because if the computer developed a
fault during the operational stage then you would call me out to see what the
p o le is. The suppo t ould also ha ge o e ti e e ause the lie ts
needs for the computer system may change for example, the client may want
to make their computer systems better and upgrade a piece of hardware in the
system. If the client wanted to upgrade the hardware then they would come
back to me and then I would be able to assist then in choosing the amount of
RAM for example if that is what they wanted to upgrade.

Impact and Compromises in providing system support

The impact and compromises that I must consider when the computer is
operational, is if the computer went down or would not turn on for example,
this would be unplanned and there could be a fault within the system. When
working on the computer system it could take time to repair. This would affect
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the productivity of the computer system and your staff may not be able to use
the computer during this time.
Another impact on the computer system can be bandwidth. What I mean by
this is how fast the internet is. If your internet was running slow, then this
could impact your company and you may want to consider upgrading your
bandwidth. This could link back the design and build because you would have
to have the money within your budget to do this. The last impact could be your
hard drive if you save a lot of data on to your hard drive then you may want to
consider upgrading your hard drive to a bigger capacity. There are a range of
hard drives that can be bought, you can get 500GB, 1TB, 2TB so the more
capacity of a hard drive the more files you can save on to it.

Decommission Stage

Archive and migrate system data

This is the last stage in a computer lifecycle and before you dispose of your
system. You will need to migrate data from your old system to your new
system. There are a range of options that you can choose to migrate your data
across. You can have your data stored in the cloud and then you can download
it do f o the loud o to ou e s ste . If the e is data that ou do t
need you can leave that in the cloud and that can be archived. There are
options for where you can back up the data to. Data can be backed up to an
external hardrive or memory stick from your old system and then transferred
to your new system. When you archive your data, you can archive it and store
it on an external memory stick. If you have important data, then it is best to
archive it on an external hard drive as this is more secure. If you had a
database record and this had valuable data on, this should be backed up to an
external hard drive too.

Shut down systems

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To meet your needs I feel that it will be best to do my work at the weekend so I
can migrate your data and put it on your new system, therefore not
inconveniencing you or affecting your working time. When would you like
data transferred over? I would need two full days to transfer data over and
decommission system.

Recycle Hardware

This is the end of your old systems life. This is where I take the old system to
pieces and recycle the hardware ns the safest way possible. The hardware I will
be recycling is the mouse, keyboard, monitors and memory. I will also to be
recycling the hard drive. Thinking about data protection I would recommend
that I destroy your old hard drives. I will follow the Waste Electrical and
Electronic Equipment Recycling legislation (WEEE) when recycling your
hardware. There can be pieces of hardware that you will be able to use again
for example the mice and keyboards.
Why Support Changes over time?

The Support will change over time because this is the last stage so there will be
less money spent, because I am decommissioning the computer systems for
the company.

Impact and Compromises in providing system support

The impact and compromises in the last stage are the impact on recycling the
computer hardware for example if the keyboard and mouse were okay you
could keep them for a new system in the future. This would then save you
money. If the monitor for the new system was in good order, then you could
keep this too. Recycle the components in correct way.

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Explanation of the incident diagnostic processes and the levels of
support available

The incident diagnostic process

Stage 1
When you report an incident, it is important that you follow the right
procedures. When reporting a fault, it is important that you gather as much
information as possible, so you know exactly the level of support needed.
When reporting the fault, the technician will ask you for the date and time of
when you first noticed the fault. In doing this they can pin point if it was an
error with their end or with the system itself.
The technician will also ask you for your name so they can keep in touch with
you during and once the fault is fixed. If they need any further information,
then they will contact you. When reporting the fault, they will also ask you for
the device that you are using and the make.

If an error code comes up on the screen, then ensure that the technician is
advised of this code. As a technician, he would need to know what the problem
was and what parts to use. The technician may come down and take the
computer away. An example is if the hard drive went wrong then the
technician may need to install a new hard drive.
The technician may talk you through some diagnostics on the computer system
to see if you can resolve the issue yourself.

Stage 2
In this stage this is where the technician will source information to try and fix
the problem with the computer system. If the user has rung level 1 support
before, the technician will gather helpdesk records about this computer
system. If the technician has not sourced enough information, then he will
contact the user and question them in more detail about the problem. The
technician will also look online for information and maybe look on forums, to

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see if other people have had the same problem. The technician will also look
up technical manuals online to see if he can fix the problem.
Stage 3
In stage 3 there are procedures to follow to identify the fault or issue. The
technician uses flow charts to help pin point exactly where the fault is with the
system. So, if the fault was with the hard drive then a flow chart may help
them.
When the technician is dealing with the fault he will use something called fault
validation. This is basically double checking the fault. So, for example if the
user reported a fault with a computer monitor, then I would double check it by
plugging it in to a working system. When the technician is fixing the fault, he
may well work on it during night time so this causes less disruption to the
system. Where possible work will be carried out during the night to cause less
disruption to the business. If the te h i ia a t fi the fault, the it ill be
escalated to a higher-level technician. This can depend on what the fault is.
There are different technicians at different levels that deal with different
support. When issues are escalated, depending on how important the issue is
it will be prioritised in order of importance.
Stage 4
This stage is about communicating with the user. It is important for the
technician to keep you updated, they will be able to give you an estimated
time and cost of repair, for example if you had a fault with your computer and
you ask when could I collect, they may say within a week and then once they
have figured out what the problem is, they may narrow down the time scale.

Stage 5
In the final stage your product will be ready to collect because the technician
will have fixed the problem with the computer system. He will let you know
what action has been taken, for example if your computer was freezing then
this could be something to do with RAM. If the computer has had previous
problems, then it will have a fault history record. When the client goes to
collect the machine the technician will let them know what work has been
carried out.

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The Levels of Support Available
Level 1 Support
When fixing technical problems with computer systems, there are three levels
of support.
Level 1 - The technician gathers information about the problem and they offer
basic support to try and fix the problem. For example, if the computer system
developed a fault, then the user will communicate with the Level 1 technician
and then they would gather the information together about the problem. The
level 1 technician normally deals with less complex issues. If the Level 1
te h i ia a t esol e the issue, then it will be referred to Level 2 technical
support. The problems that Level 1 technical support can solve is they can
reset the user passwords; help connect external devices to the computer
system, for example printers and help configure them so they work with the
system. Level 1 support analyses any problems and filters them through to
level 2 if they do not have adequate knowledge on the problem.

Level 2 Support
In this level the technician looks at problems in more depth, for example level
2 technicians would have more knowledge of the problem, due to additional
training and experience. Level 2 technical support deal with information on a
a ge of issues. If the e a p o le that the a t fix, then they will call out an
engineer to have a look at the system. Some of the issues that level 2 technical
support can fix is configuration issues with a device, software installations and
fix hardware problems, such as graphics card which develop a fault, they can
look in to fixing this or replacing it. In some cases, Level 2 technical support
will escalate issues to level 3 if they are unable to fix the issue.
Level 3 Support
This is the final level of Support when dealing with technical issues. Level 3
technicians deal with complex problems, for example deal with back end
problems for example, problems related to servers and the coding. If there was
a problem with the software that level 2 could not resolve, then it would be
escalated to Level 3 technical support. These have an advanced mind in to
dealing with problems like this and specially trained to deal with in depth
issues. An example of what a level 3 technician would repair is the
infrastructure of the system, so if there was a major problem with the

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computer system then the technician would go in the coding and settings of
the device and try and see what the problem is. These technicians would also
deal with data centres and servers to make sure they are working in the
correct order.
After Level 3 Support there is a fourth level of support but this is an external
technician.

Reviewing the impact of the incident diagnostic processes and the

levels of support available
The incident diagnostic process could affect the support provided because the
technician might not have the correct information. If this is the case, then this
could impact the support available. If the technician has received the correct
information, then they can go ahead to provide the best support available. In
Level 1 technical support it is vital that the user gives them the correct
information because they are the help desk. In Level 1 it is important that they
record the information about the fault so they can recommend the best help
for the user.
If Le el 1 te h i al suppo t a t fi this issue, the that ill i pa t the time it
takes to get fixed because they will need to escalate it to level 2 technical
support. It is important that level 1 technical support communicate with user
because this is part of the incident diagnostic process. Once the issue is fixed
level 1 technical support will contact the user and tell them what action they
have taken to resolve the issue. If it has not been possible for level 1 to fix,
then the matter will be escalated to level 2, because it is a more complex issue
and you will be updated about this.
The incident diagnostic process links to level 2 technical support because level
1 must transfer all the information over. It may be necessary for level 2 to
contact you if they require additional information. Once level 2 have got the
issue then they will move on to stage two of the incident diagnostic process
they will source the relevant information to fix the problem this could take 24
to 72 hours to fix the problem.
Once level 2 have got an idea of the issue then they will communicate with the
user to give an estimated time of repair for the problem. They will work at
their very best to reduce downtime and fix the issue. If Level 2 are unable to fix
the issue, then it will be escalated to level 3. When the user speaks to level 2
they may ask the user to perform diagnostics to see if that can fix the problem

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The incident diagnostic process links to the third level of support because they
would need all the information from levels 1 and 2. If there has been notes
made, then level 3 will gather these notes. The user is unable to contact level 3
technical support because this team work offline trying to fix the issues. Level 3
technical normally fix issues within three to four days of the issue being
escalated.
Any diagnostics that have been performed by level 2, level 3 will need to know
a out these. Le el 3 te h i al suppo t do t o ta t use s. If le el 3 e ui es
any more information, then they will communicate with level 2 technical
support who will then contact the user directly. Level 3 deal with backend
issues and they are trained specialists in ICT. The faults level 3 could deal with
are server issues and coding issues that help the system run. Overall all the
levels of supported could be affected by the information because information
about the fault is key to getting the issue fixed. Level 1, 2 and 3 need the
information about the fault so they need to make sure that the information is
recorded in the correct way. Is it important that the levels of support source
information about the fault for them to fix it, if the information is recorded in
the correct way then this will provide effective support?

Explanation of the different types of common technology system

Issues/ faults and the remedies

Hardware
Hardware: Keyboard Issue
When plugging in a keyboard there is a potential that there could be a
problem, because not everything works first time when you plug it in. For
example, if I plugged the ke oa d i a d it did t o k the fi st thi g that I
would do is check the cable to see if it was plugged in correctly. After checking
the cable, I would unplug it and plug it back it to see if that will resolve the
issue, sometimes this can help. If this does not fix the issue, then I would see if
there was a driver that I need to download for the keyboard. A driver is the
software that is needed for the keyboard to work. To fix the issue I will
download the driver, if this does not download automatically. In some cases,
you will need to go on to the manufactures website to download the driver.
Impact on Keyboard Issue
The Impact that this has on the user is that it will take time for install the
Keyboard driver, therefore this makes the issue time consuming. The keyboard
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 o t e o ki g so this a a o the use . O e all the e is eithe a fault
with the keyboard and ultimately the client would like the keyboard fixed.
Hardware: RAM Issue
Inside a computer you have a piece of hardware called the RAM. This stands
for random access memory. This piece of hardware is used to store application
memory. For example, if you open a lot of programs on your computer system
so if I opened chrome, Minecraft and ITunes. The memory from these
programs is stored in RAM. In some cases, programs can crash and freeze
because you may have to many applications open. There are varied amounts of
RAM that can be bought for a computer system, for example 4GB, 8GB or even
16GB of RAM. The more RAM that you have inside a computer system the
more apps that can run in the background. For example, I had an issue with
my RAM in my computer and to fix the problem I upgraded the RAM, so I could
ope o e p og a s. If ou do t a t to upg ade ou RAM, then close some
of your applications down on your computer system.
Impact on the RAM
The impact on the RAM is that it will not work because there is not enough
memory to hold all the applications. The impact on the user is that the
applications would crash and they may lose important work because of the
application memory. Another impact on the user is this will prevent them
finishing work if they are having problems with their RAM.
Software
Computer Running Slowly
At times, you may notice that your computer is running slowly this could be
down to several issues. It could be that you have a lot of files on your
computer or, it could be that you have deleted files but they are still in your
recycling bin on the computer. To fix this issue, you could try a disk clean up,
this will clean up all the temporary files on your computer system. Once the
disk clean-up is completed you should notice a performance improvement and
this could improve the speed of your computer system.
Impact on computer running slowly
The impacts on the computer running slowly is that it would take time for the
user to do anything, because the computer is so slow, that they may find it
frustrating trying to finish work. Another impact of the computer running
slowly is that it may take time for them to get on to the system. The final
impact is that this could prevent them doing anything on the computer system.

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Upgrading Software
On computer systems, there are always updates to enhance user experience.
Regularly the manufacturer will release a software update to the system. This
could be a problem for a business because it could be time consuming for
update to be installed. In some software updates features of the operating
system could change. This may require more training on how to use the
system. Some software updates can change the layout of the system
dramatically, so then all the staff of the company may need to be retrained. To
reduce disruption installation of updates is probably best carried out at a
weekend. This will reduce downtime during the week. Upgrading software can
take time and it can depend on how busy the internet is.
Impact on Upgrading software
As I have said there will be a lot of downtime while the computer is doing the
software upgrade, therefore this would be impact because during this time no
one will be able to use the computer system. Another impact while the
computer system is upgrading is I must back up the files, which can take time,
so there is the preparation before doing the software upgrade which can
impact.
Network Problems
The amount of people using the network & Peak times
There are a range of issues that can slow the computer network down. If a lot
of people are using the network, because the more people that are logged on
the more pressure it has on the network. This can affect how long it takes the
internet to load up. To fix simple problems like this, only several people on the
network at any one time. This will reduce pressure on the network. During the
day, there are peak times where a lot more people would be using the
internet. The solution to this problem is try and avoid using the internet during
peak times.
Impact on network problem
The impact on the network problem is that that users would be getting a little
bit annoyed, because they are not able to finish their work, this would result in
unfinished work. Another impact on the network is the peak times so for
example between 11am and 4pm this could be when the network is busy and
there is the potential cause of the network crashing because it is so busy.

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Wireless Connectivity
There are two connection types wired and wireless. The one that can be a
problem to the network is the wireless connectivity. When connecting your
computer system by wireless, there is a potential that this can be not be as fast
as wired. On wireless network, you may notice that the connection drops at
time and you may notice some interference. An example is if you had a wired
connection using an Ethernet cable, you may get speeds up to 85MBPS, as for
wireless you may get speeds up to 40MBPS. There can be other factors that
can affect this the size of the office environment and walls between the
router and computers. To edu e this issue do t o e t all the s ste to the
wireless, for example if your company had iPad connect them wirelessly and
the computers using a cable. This may reduce disruption. It can all depend on
how fast your internet speeds are.
Impact on Wireless Connectivity
The first impact on the wireless connectivity is the speed of the WI-FI. This can
be annoying because the speed could drop out at any time. Another impact on
the wireless is the distance that it must travel so if there are walls in the
building then this could result in the speeds slowing down.

User Errors
Training
The user error would be staff not knowing how to use the system. So, the
solution to help them would be training.
Whenever you get a new computer system your staff may need to be trained
on the system, so they know how to use the features and how the system
works. If your staff were not trained, then this could cause errors on the
system. The more training that is provided for your staff, then the more
experience they would have on the system. This would then reduce the risk of
user errors. The training can also be time consuming so perhaps sending your
staff on a course may help them learn how to use these systems.
Impact on Training
The impacts on the training is that it is time consuming for the staff and taking
them away from their work. When the staff are getting trained I will need to
organise with them when is convenient. Another impact on the training is the
cost the company for the staff to get trained, however money spent in this
area will reduce the impact of user error once trained.

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Forgetting passwords
The second user error could be forgetting the password. If this does happen
then all the user must do is ask for technical support for his password, because
they will have a record of all the use s passwords. The solution for this is to
ask technical support to reset your password. When you create a password
make sure that you create one that is memorable.
Impact on users forgetting passwords
The first impact on users forgetting password is that they will need to reset
and again this could take time because it could take time for the reset to go
through the system. The impact would affect the user logging on to the
computer system they would not be able to do this. The overall impact is they
a t get i to the s ste . This would-be time consuming because the user
needs to think of a new password.

Evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the support service and

make recommendations for further improvement.

Strengths
The strengths of the computer system are the performance of the computer
system. The performance means the speed of the computer system and how
good it is. The performance includes the uptime of the computer system and
how long it is on for. The main strength of this computer system and the
support that I have given it. There are different levels of support that I have
given this system and explained. There are three levels of support there is level
1, 2 and level 3. Over time the performance of the computer system may
change because the business may want to upgrade parts of their system to
make it run better. An example is that over time they may decrease the
downtime of the computer system. In this case the strength of the computer
system is higher proportion of total time available.
Weaknesses
The weakness of the performance of the computer system might include an
inability to react quickly to changing needs to the client. This will be reflected
in customer satisfaction feedback. Another weakness could be consumable
consumption for example printer cartridges. The high uses of printer
cartridges. Another concern about the computer system might be energy
consumption, for example the users forget to turn of the systems.

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Furthermore, there may be high staff turnover because some of the staff have
left.

In addition to the above weaknesses software upgrades are also a

consideration. Software companies often upgrade the operating system and
will change from time to time. Unless these are continually added to the
lie ts system weaknesses and failures will happen.

Recommendations for improvement

The first recommended improvement that I would make would be to arrange
regular review meeting between the client and the company to ensure that the
company was meeting the changing needs of the client. The second
recommended improvement would a detailed analysis of printer usage prior to
system installation so that the most cost efficient system is recommended at
the outset. I understand the clients need before I make a recommended
improvement on the system.
The next recommendation, concerning energy use is to specify and install
systems that have automatic sleep modes (not including the server) and low
energy consumption hardware. To cope with staff turnover, the company
should build in a rolling program of training to ensure that all users are kept up
to date and skilled in using the system.
Finally, to ensure software upgrades are made regularly automatic upgrade
systems should be augmented by regularly technician visits to site.

Conclusion
In this report, I have explained about the life cycle of a computer system and
how it works. I have also explained about the five different stages of the
incident diagnosis process and what support is available. I have also explained
about the three different levels of support that are available. To finish with I
have looked at both strengths and potential weaknesses of the support system
and made recommendations for improvement.

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Bibliography
In this report my main sources of information have been my lesson notes,
information from the teacher and guidance given in the assignment brief. I
have not used specific websites nor text books.

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