TIPS : A zero-donwtime platform powered by automation

Modern ICT services are characterized by pervasive connectivity and the need for applications that are always on (24/7); a new way of designing and operating such services is therefore essential. To cope with these requirements, a proper system architecture design and an effective and efficient test phase are fundamental. This work describes the zero-downtime architecture underlying the TIPS (Target Instant Payment Settlement) design, which makes it possible to achieve the expected levels of availability and reliability. This architecture enables standard maintenance activities to be carried out on TIPS during business hours without any service interruptions. However, some heavy maintenance activities still require a planned downtime; in order to eliminate this downtime, a project to adopt a three-site architecture with an active-active-active configuration is underway. This footprint will give TIPS levels of availability of the order of ‘5 nines’ (i.e., 99.999% of the time, corresponding to 5 minutes’ outage per year). Furthermore, the increased complexity of the system and the growth in the number and sophistication of threats have led to intensive use of automation throughout the entire TIPS service lifecycle. Automation allows the quality of the TIPS software to be less defective by catching bugs at early stage, thereby reducing human errors and avoiding configuration drifts. Following an initial discussion about the architectural choices and the corresponding levels of availability, this paper describes the use of automation in the specific area of non-functional tests (NFTs), which guarantee robustness, business continuity and security.