Best Method for Setting up 3rd Cognos Environment and Upgrade to 11.

[Penny]

Hi everyone

We are running Cognos 10.2.2 on Windows Server 2012 with an Oracle 11g content store.  We have a distributed environment where our DEV environment has a gateway server and an application server, and our PROD environment has as well.  We are planning to setup a third environment for UAT, and also to upgrade to Cognos 11.

What is the best way to go about this?  I am seeking advice before we decide on an approach.  Should we:

1. Install Cognos 11 in the new UAT environment.  Deploy from PROD back to UAT.  Upgrade the other two environments DEV and PROD afterwards (of course this would mean that the UAT environment won't be used as UAT until all environments are upgraded).  We haven't got a whole lot in PROD right now but we are close to being ready to deploy quite a few packages and reports from DEV to PROD. 

2. Install Cognos 10.2.2 in the new UAT environment.  Deploy from PROD back to UAT.  Upgrade the DEV environment to Cognos 11, test and then upgrade UAT and PROD.  This one is the most work and perhaps the best I think.

3. If there is a way, copy the PROD environment to UAT, adjust configuration (with a new content store as well).  Deploy from PROD back to UAT.  Then continue with the Cognos 11 upgrades beginning with DEV, then UAT and finally PROD.

Thank-you in advance for any advice you may have for us.

[bdbits]

I would use option 2.

You want to do transfers/deployments to the same version level if at all possible, to minimize problems. So either get UAT running on v10.2.2, then upgrade from DEV to UAT to PROD. Or upgrade DEV and PROD to v11, then get UAT running on v11.

[Penny]

Thank-you bdbits for your feedback.