Operating System Migration for Multiple Product Lines  

SITUATION

• Current RedHat Linux OS was severely outdated and no longer supported
• Migrations between RedHat releases were infrequent as the OS changes in each release required substantial rework
• Patch release cycles took more than 90 days to release for critical vulnerabilities

• No standards or acceptance test for what services were provided to the application by the base OS

Challenges

• Outdated OS made it impossible to stay on schedule with maintenance releases and bug fixes
• Migrating RedHat releases caused non-trivial changes to the application software to adapt to OS and library changes

• Because each product line had its own OS and software stacks, none of the application code could be shared between products

SOLUTION

• MedAcuity defined requirements and implemented an OS abstraction layer to insulate applications from future OS changes or migrations, ensuring compatibility across different operating systems.
• We configured a layered test approach, including unit, functional, and integration tests, and extended it into a continuous testing strategy to support an automation framework.
• We also established a streamlined process for integrating, testing, and deploying critical patches, ensuring compliance with FDA guidelines and minimizing adverse effects on deployed software.

Results

• Successful OS migration from RedHat Linux OS to WindRiver Linux completed
• Multiple products now on one common OS
• New testing practices learned from MedAcuity will ensure high quality and timely future releases