Scheduled Maintenance

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What is Scheduled Maintenance?

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Creating a Maintenance Window

1. Navigate to your Status Page
2. Click Maintenance
3. Click + Schedule Maintenance or similar button
4. Fill in the maintenance details

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Maintenance Information

• Clear description of what you’re doing
• Example: “Database Upgrade”
• Example: “Server Migration”

• Select which services will be impacted
• Users can see exactly what won’t work
• Can select multiple components

• When maintenance begins
• Include timezone
• Be specific (not “around 2pm”)

• How long you expect it to take
• Add buffer time to be safe
• Example: “2 hours” or “30 minutes”

• Scheduled - Planned for future
• In Progress - Currently happening
• Completed - Finished

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Maintenance Lifecycle

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1. Scheduled (Before Maintenance)

• Create maintenance event
• Set start time (typically 24-72 hours in advance)
• Provide estimated duration
• Explain what you’ll be doing
• List affected services

Title: Database Performance Upgrade
Scheduled: March 15, 2026 at 2:00 AM UTC
Duration: 2 hours
Components: Website, API
Message: We'll be upgrading our database servers to improve performance.
During this time, the website and API will be unavailable.

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2. In Progress (During Maintenance)

• Update status to “In Progress”
• Add updates on progress
• Extend duration if needed

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3. Completed (After Maintenance)

• Update status to “Completed”
• Confirm all services restored
• Note if completed early/late
• Thank users for patience

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Timing Recommendations

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Advance Notice

• Minor changes (< 15 min): 24-48 hours notice
• Moderate changes (15 min - 2 hours): 3-7 days notice
• Major changes (> 2 hours): 1-2 weeks notice

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Scheduling Windows

• Overnight in your users’ primary timezone
• Weekends for B2B services
• Weekdays for consumer services
• Avoid holidays and peak business hours

• Global audience? Pick time that minimizes impact
• B2B service? Avoid business hours
• Consumer service? Avoid evenings/weekends

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Communication Best Practices

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Maintenance Types

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System Upgrades

Title: Application Server Upgrade
Duration: 1 hour
Impact: Website will be unavailable
Benefit: Improved performance and security patches

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Database Maintenance

Title: Database Index Optimization
Duration: 30 minutes
Impact: Read-only mode (viewing works, edits disabled)
Benefit: Faster query performance

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Infrastructure Changes

Title: Data Center Migration
Duration: 4 hours
Impact: All services unavailable
Benefit: Better reliability and lower latency

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Security Updates

Title: Security Patch Deployment
Duration: 15 minutes
Impact: Brief service interruption
Benefit: Critical security updates

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Emergency Maintenance

• Critical security vulnerability
• Immediate risk to service
• Regulatory compliance requirement

1. Post maintenance notice immediately
2. Explain why it’s urgent
3. Apologize for short notice
4. Keep users updated frequently

Title: Emergency Security Patch
Status: In Progress
Notice: We're applying a critical security patch. We apologize for the
short notice, but this update is necessary to protect user data.
Expected duration: 30 minutes.

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Maintenance vs Incidents

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Where Maintenance Appears

• Status Page - Prominently displayed before start time
• Email - Sent to subscribers when scheduled
• Calendar Feeds - Users can add to their calendars
• Slack/Teams - Posted to configured channels
• Status Badge - May indicate upcoming maintenance

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Canceling Maintenance

1. Update the maintenance event
2. Change status to “Canceled” (if available) or delete
3. Post an update explaining the cancellation
4. Notify subscribers

Update: This maintenance has been canceled. The upgrade was completed
during lower-traffic hours without requiring downtime. All services
remain fully operational.

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Post-Maintenance Review

1. Verify all services are working
2. Check monitoring for anomalies
3. Review duration - was estimate accurate?
4. Document learnings for future maintenance
5. Update users on successful completion

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Next Steps