The Software Maintenance Cycle

THE PROCESSES OUTLINED in this chapter reflect the full maintenance cycle of a typical commercial, off-the-shelf software installation, right up to (but not including) its retirement and removal from the system. Although the specific steps in this chapter may eventually become dated, the principles covered–that is, the general stages of the maintenance cycle–will likely stand the test of time. As shown in Figure 14-1, these stages are as follows:

1.	Load new software or version.
2.	Load service pack.
3.	Apply updates.
4.	Run diagnostics.
5.	Repair.
6.	Test.
7.	Protect.
8.	Back up.
9.	Use.
10.	Apply service patches.
11.	Back up.
12.	Use.
13.	Retire or replace.