1 Plan your testing strategy

Before beginning any system upgrade or migration, you should have a well-defined testing strategy that outlines the objectives and scope of your testing, the test cases and scenarios you need to verify, the tools and methods for performing the testing, and how to document and report results and issues. This strategy can help you identify and avoid risks, guarantee the quality and functioning of your system, and reduce downtime and errors during the upgrade or migration.

2 Test your current system

Before making any changes to your system, it's important to test your current system to establish a baseline and verify that Kerberos and SSO functionality is working properly. You can use a variety of tools and methods, such as ping, traceroute, and nslookup commands to check network connectivity and name resolution between clients and servers. Additionally, klist, kinit, and kdestroy commands can be used to check Kerberos tickets and credentials on clients and servers. Browser tools and extensions can be used to check SSO cookies and tokens on web applications, while log files and event viewers can be used to check authentication events and errors on clients and servers. It's also important to document the results of the testing, along with any issues that arise, comparing them with expected outcomes and requirements.

3 Prepare your new system

Before transitioning to a new system, you should prepare it for Kerberos and SSO functionality. This includes installing and updating the required software and patches, creating and synchronizing user accounts, groups, and permissions, configuring and testing Kerberos settings like the realm name, KDC, SPNs, and encryption types, as well as setting up SSO parameters such as the IdP, SP, trust relationships, and protocols. Additionally, you should back up and restore any relevant Kerberos and SSO data from your old system to your new system, like keytabs, certificates, and configuration files.

4 Test your new system

Once you have set up your new system, it is important to test it to ensure that the Kerberos and SSO functionality is working as intended. Utilize the same tools and methods you used to assess your current system, and compare the results and issues with your baseline and requirements. Additionally, you should simulate a variety of scenarios such as switching between your old and new systems to test compatibility and interoperability, performing operations and tasks on your new system to check performance and functionality, and simulating different user roles and scenarios to evaluate security and usability.

5 Troubleshoot any issues

If you encounter any issues during or after your system upgrade or migration, you should take immediate steps to troubleshoot them to avoid any negative impact on your users and resources. Begin by identifying the root cause and scope of your issue, such as the network, server, client, application, or user. Then analyze the symptoms and errors of your issue, such as any error messages, log entries, status codes, or user feedback. Next, apply the appropriate solutions and fixes for your issue, such as configuration changes, command options, software updates, or user instructions. Finally, verify that your issue is resolved and that your Kerberos and SSO functionality is restored.

6 Maintain your system

After you have completed your system upgrade or migration, it is important to maintain your system to ensure that your Kerberos and SSO functionality remains stable and secure. To do this, you should regularly monitor and audit your system for any anomalies or issues, review and update your system documentation and policies to reflect any changes, train and educate users and administrators on how to use and manage the functionality, and plan for any future upgrades or migrations with the functionality in mind.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?