Dear MoveComms,
We are planning a datacentre switchover for the week of September 21st (week 39) with the following schedule:
- Services: Tuesday, 22 September 2026 @14:00 UTC
- Traffic: Tuesday, 22 September 2026 @14:00 UTC
- MediaWiki: Wednesday, 23 September 2026 @14:00 UTC (this is the read-only time)
- Deployment Server: Thursday, 24 September 2026 @12:00 UTC
- eqiad repool: Thursday, 1st October 2026 @14:00 UTC
The expected impact is 2-3 minutes of read-only on Wednesday, 23 September 2026 @ 14:00 UTC.
We continue to follow the process described in Recurring, Equinox-based, Data Center Switchovers, in particular:
- There is no switchback! We are staying in codfw until the next switchover.
- Future switchovers are predictable and take place every 6 months; always on the week of an equinox.
Let ServiceOps know if you need more info on the changes.
Thank you!
Planning
As soon as the task is received by Movement Communications
- Ask SRE if anything major changed since the last time (noticeable things that are worth being announced).
-
If yes, update the process or the message.
-
- Confirm when the wikis will be in read-only
- Add the date to Asana, with a link to this task - https://app.asana.com/1/3758245663860/project/1176034857101033/task/1218044555921759?focus=true
Three weeks before
- Tech News message (initial warning in this week's issue, reuse this message)
- Update the message to communities
- Check on dates and links
- Edit qqq messages with the new Zonestamp link
- Have the message being translated by emailing both:
- translators-l for translations
-
Mention Daylight saving time for this message
-
- wikitech-ambassadors for information and translations
- translators-l for translations
- Monitor the message's talk page
Two weeks before
- Central Notice Banner
- Campaign (to unarchive)
- Starting time for the campaign is 30 minutes before the scheduled time
- Ending time for the campaign is 2 minutes after the scheduled time
- The campaign is enabled.
- Banner
- The banner redirects to https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Tech/Server_switch
- Check on the banner is the hour is correct
- Campaign (to unarchive)
- Tech News ("this is happening next week" in this week's issue)
The week before
- Emailing mailing lists, wikitech-ambassadors and translators-l, once again (reminders)
- SRE informs WMF staff using the internal channels
- Added to the news on the Meta front page
- Send the message to communities
- Check on translations
- Tech News ("this is happening this week" in this week's issue)
- Agree with SRE on who will inform Movement Communication of the advancement and success of the process.
The week it happens
- monitor the wikis
- when the read-only is done and confirmed by SRE's spokeperson, remove the banner.
The week after, maximum
- Debrief how it went, and document (comment on this task)
- Archive the campaign
The Read-only is reported
Step 1
Once SRE informs MovComms of the report, ask:
- where is the public documentation
- what can be communicated, in a plain-humain language
- if a new date is known
Step 2
- De-activate the the campaign.
- Edit Meta's main page calendar to indicate that the read-only is postponed.
- Inform the following places, with the reason and the new date (if known):
- Add a message on the message to communities' talk page
- Email wikitech-ambassadors for information
- Inform MovComms through the team Shack channel