Problem
Case Scenario: "Data Center Power-down"
The data center will have to conduct a semi-annual power down a week from now. All involved personnel are to report to the Thursday Morning Configuration Management Meeting. During the power down, all electricity will be shutdown in the building, however there are backup generators--which 100% of the servers, SANS, and Tape Libraries are connected to. The sales vendors from the various hardware/software companies all have assured us that 100% of the equipment can run comfortably in varying temperatures. The power down will occur on a Friday evening and all power will be restored to the building on Sunday night to allow for extra time for issues that may arise when the power is brought back up. Some IT managers have opted for their System Administrators to bring their servers down during the weekend window. Others, are taking the advice of the sales vendors and entrusting the fact that the hardware will continue to run properly. 100% of the hardware has warranties and contractual support from the hardware/software companies. Adequate data backups will be needed prior to the power down. Some network managers have decided to make some changes to the cabling during the downtime. The PC Support Group has decided that they will install 150 new flat screen monitors on the 7th floor for the IT Specialists which reside there and work from their workstations in their cubes through emulated connections to the server floors. Following all sets of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP-s) will be mandatory during this event.
Task
As an IT Manager (who will be managing either the personnel or the Projects, during this power-down..) what are some essential questions which you'd need to be answered prior to the scheduled event taking place?