It was all hands on deck for a midnight mission: relocate a fleet of web servers from one datacenter to another. We had a solid team and a plan, but in IT, plans have a way of taking detours. This was one of those nights.

We arrived at the datacenter at midnight and began the process. One by one, we gracefully shut down each web server, carefully labeling and packing the hardware into the van. Meanwhile, back at the Network Operations Center, the team was updating all the DNS records to prepare for the transition to the new site. So far, everything was going smoothly.

After the drive to the new datacenter, we unloaded and set up the equipment, installing each server as quickly as possible. As we powered them up, one by one, all but one server came back online. By this time, it was nearly 3 a.m., and troubleshooting mode kicked in. We narrowed it down to a failed power supply. With no spare on hand and stores not opening until 8 a.m., I sent the rest of the team home while I waited it out alone.

The hours dragged on, and as the store’s opening time finally approached, I was already outside, ready to get what we needed. I picked up the replacement power supply and headed back immediately. After installing the new part, the moment of truth came as I powered up the server. Success—the server was back online, and everything was fully operational. I confirmed all systems were running smoothly, then finally headed home for some well-deserved sleep, knowing nearly 400 websites were stable once again.

This experience was a powerful reminder of the importance of life-cycle management. These older servers were running beyond their lifespan and had no backup power supply, which nearly resulted in an extended downtime for critical sites. IT work often shines in the unplanned moments, but this night reinforced why it’s so important to plan for the unexpected.

Looking back, this story has stayed with me as a reminder: critical systems deserve redundancy, and every server has an expiration date. It was a long night, but the lessons it taught me have been worth every hour.