Summary

In this chapter, we described the different aspects and challenges of keeping a system running while developing and changing it, including its architecture.

We started by describing different ways that architecture can require adjustments and changes. We then moved on to talk about how to manage changes, including the option of having some designated time where the system won't be available, and introduced the concept of maintenance windows to clearly communicate expectations of stability and change.

We next went over the different incidents that can happen when problems arise, and the system struggles. We went over the necessary continuous process of improvement and reflection after an incident of this kind happens, and also looked at preparation processes that can be used before a significant event where the risk increases, for example, because of a marketing push expected to increase the load of the system.

To deal with this, we next introduced load testing...