We are currently having issues with our integration of work from multiple sources into a single model on our server. Information is being over written by some when deliveries are made to the Operational Architecture baseline. A solution has been posed to fix this problem by creating a "testbed" that will act as our proving grounds for any new software and/or procedures that we wish to implement. A configuration management solution will also be tested along with this system to create baselines and to manage the information flow to reduce file overwriting. This testbed will be comprised of two desktops with similar software to that currently used on our Lab computers and a server that will mimic the operation of the company servers. .
Hardware Configuration.
The testbed will be comprised of several different systems running two different operating systems imitating a typical Operational Architecture Lab and the corresponding network. The server will be a Dell PowerEdge server running Microsoft Server 2003 connected to the SI Network via standard 10/100 Networking. Even though it is on the SI Network it will be used as a Domain controller for the other two systems and will be running Active Directory to control user access.
The other two systems will be a combination of a high-end desktop and a mid-range desktop to effectively demonstrate the interoperability of software on newer vs. older systems. Both computers are Dells, one is running at 3.2 GHz P4 with 1 GB of RAM and the other is an older 1.8 GHz P4 with only 512 MB of RAM. They are both set up to run dual-display with two 21" CRTs just as in the Lab environment. This is necessary to test production runs as we have had issues in the past dealing with non-native resolutions like 2560 x 1024. These computers will be set up to run the Enterprise version of Microsoft Windows XP Professional provided by the Information Services department.