Project Case Study
Windows 10 PC Upgrades on Ticket Vending Machines for Worldline DSS
October 2019-December 2020
Summary
The Windows 10 upgrade project began in earnest towards the end of 2019. The task was to upgrade Worldline’s entire fleet of rail ticket vending machines from Windows 7 to Windows 10; in excess of 650 units.
Getting started
From the outset it was evident that this project would be highly labor intensive and required the engineers to ensure several prerequisites were fulfilled prior to the upgrade. As the PC hard drives needed formatting, the engineer was required to take any data required, ensure the chip & pin device was deactivated and, critically, to ensure the polling process was successfully completed. Only then, could the engineer begin the formatting process.
Working in tandem
Once the engineer had applied the new Windows 10 image, they would then need to get the machine back online by inputting the correct network parameters and rejoining the relevant domain. It was at this point that communication with Worldline’s technical service team would come into play. As the databases were to be rebuilt, it was vital that the software engineer could dial in to the machine and oversee this process. It was also key for the on-site engineer to feed back any errors during this process. Communication between both parties was key to ensuring minimal delays.
Installing hardware and testing
With all the system databases fully built, the onus was back on the field engineer to install the hardware, including the screen, cash mechanism, and chip & pin device. In some cases, they would also need to ensure that the Customer Information Service was communicating with the local machine, thus displaying the correct train departure information.
Once satisfied, and with the machine returned to service, testing would begin. All method of payments would need to be tried (as well as ensuring the Oyster/Smart card readers were operational). As an organization, Aspect pride themselves on the effort of their engineers to guarantee no stone has been left unturned in ensuring the machines are fully operational before departing site. With the Windows 10 project, we achieved our goal of returning every machine to full service following the upgrade. The only downtime occurred was during the upgrade process itself.
“From strategic planning to execution, and an enormous amount of hard work in between, Aspect played an integral part that enabled the Windows 10 project to succeed within the tight time constraints and well within budget.”
Mounir Jbhia, Worldline Project Manager
