Needed rarely. Needed urgently.
It sits switched off most of the year, then has to be standing and serving stations within a day. Everything it needs has to rebuild itself, correctly, the first time.
| What | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Bringing it back | Nobody sure how | One command |
| Shutting it down | By hand, pieces left on | One command, nothing left on |
| Proof it works | Hope | A real station’s alert audio |
| Web addresses | Orphaned | Created and removed with it |
| Practice runs | Nobody dared | Run the whole thing anytime |
| Instructions | Out of date | Written for a bad day |
How we did it
- 01
Check what exists
The cloud account was inspected directly. Nothing was running, but the data had survived.
- 02
Separate what must survive
Records and backups stay. Everything that runs is rebuilt on demand.
- 03
One command up
It comes online at its real addresses and serves a real station its alert playlist.
- 04
One command down
A safety backup is taken, everything switches off, and the script confirms nothing is left running.
One moment from the work
Proven, not assumed“Is it actually working?”
A health check only proves a server is switched on. The launch asks the system for a real station’s playlist, the way a station would, and checks that playable audio comes back.
- Compute up
- 9 min 54 s
- Compute down
- 4 min 49 s
- Left running
- Nothing
What any team can take from this
Keep data and machinery apart
Your records should outlive the servers that use them.
Make practice free
A rehearsal mode without the expensive parts makes drills routine.
Write for your worst day
Assume the reader has forgotten everything and the phone is ringing.