Added scheduled maintenance comms guidance (#7696)

source/guides/upgrade-mattermost.rst

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ Upgrade Mattermost
 
     Important upgrade notes </upgrade/important-upgrade-notes>
     Prepare to upgrade Mattermost </upgrade/prepare-to-upgrade-mattermost>
+    Communicate scheduled maintenance </upgrade/communicate-scheduled-maintenance>
     Upgrade Mattermost Server </upgrade/upgrading-mattermost-server>
     Enterprise install and upgrade </install/enterprise-install-upgrade>
     Install a license key </upgrade/installing-license-key>
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ Upgrade Mattermost
 Stay up to date with the latest features and improvements.
 
 * :doc:`Prepare to upgrade Mattermost </upgrade/prepare-to-upgrade-mattermost>` - Learn how to prepare for a Mattermost upgrade.
+* :doc:`Communicate scheduled mainenance  </upgrade/communicate-scheduled-maintenance>` - Learn best practices for communicating scheduled server mainenance in advance of a service maintenance window.
 * :doc:`Upgrade Mattermost Server </upgrade/upgrading-mattermost-server>` - Learn the basics of upgrading your Mattermost server to the latest version.
 * :doc:`Enterprise install and upgrade </install/enterprise-install-upgrade>` - Learn how to upgrade your Mattermost server to premium versions.
 * :doc:`Install a license key </upgrade/installing-license-key>` - Learn how to add or change a Mattermost license key.

source/upgrade/communicate-scheduled-maintenance.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,188 @@
+Communicate scheduled maintenance
+==================================
+
+.. include:: ../_static/badges/allplans-cloud-selfhosted.rst
+  :start-after: :nosearch:
+
+Performing scheduled maintenance on a Mattermost server with 1,000 or more users requires advanced planning and a clear communication strategy to ensure minimal disruption and maximum transparency. 
+
+This guide provides best practices for notifying users via email and Mattermost channels, updating the load balancer’s error message, and configuring a dismissable banner to inform users of the upcoming maintenance.
+
+Communication strategy
+----------------------
+
+A well-defined communication strategy is essential for informing users before, during, and after maintenance. The key components of this strategy are:
+
+- `Email notifications <#email-templates>`__: Send structured and consistent emails to users at intervals of 7 days, 3 days, and 1 day before the scheduled maintenance window.
+- `Channel-based reminders <#channel-reminder-templates>`__: :doc:`Send messages </collaborate/send-messages>` similar to the emails in relevant Mattermost channels at the same intervals as the email notifications.
+- `Mattermost Banner notification <#banner-notification>`__: Set a :doc:`system-wide notification </manage/system-wide-notifications>` to display at the top of the Mattermost instance ahead of the maintenance window and outage.
+- `Display a load balancer message <#display-load-balancer-message>`__: Update the load balancer to show a maintenance message during the scheduled maintenance window of downtime.
+
+Notification templates
+----------------------
+
+Email Templates
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+7-Day notice email
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+**Email subject**: Scheduled Maintenance Notification: [Date and Time]
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+    Dear Mattermost Users,
+
+    This is a notification that our Mattermost server will undergo scheduled 
+    maintenance on [Date] from [Start Time] to [End Time] [Time Zone]. 
+    During this time, the Mattermost instance will be unavailable.
+
+    We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your 
+    understanding as we work to improve our service.
+
+    If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our 
+    support team at [Support Email].
+
+    Thank you for your cooperation.
+
+    Best regards,
+    [Your Name]
+    [Your Position]
+
+3-Day notice email
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+**Email subject**: Reminder: Scheduled Maintenance on [Date and Time]
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+    Dear Mattermost Users,
+
+    This is a reminder that our Mattermost server will undergo scheduled 
+    maintenance on [Date] from [Start Time] to [End Time] [Time Zone]. 
+    The Mattermost instance will be unavailable during this period.
+
+    If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our 
+    support team at [Support Email].
+
+    Thank you for your cooperation.
+
+    Best regards,
+    [Your Name]
+    [Your Position]
+
+1-Day notice email
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+**Email subject**: Final Reminder: Scheduled Maintenance Tomorrow on [Date and Time]
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+    Dear Mattermost Users,
+
+    This is a final reminder that our Mattermost server will undergo scheduled
+    maintenance tomorrow, [Date], from [Start Time] to [End Time] [Time Zone]. 
+    The Mattermost instance will be unavailable during this period.
+
+    If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our
+    support team at [Support Email].
+
+    Thank you for your cooperation.
+
+    Best regards,
+    [Your Name]
+    [Your Position]
+
+Channel reminder templates
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+7-Day channel reminder
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+    @all Please be advised that our Mattermost server will 
+    undergo scheduled maintenance on [Date],
+    from [Start Time] to [End Time] [Time Zone]. 
+    The instance will be unavailable during this time. We appreciate your understanding.
+
+3-Day channel reminder
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+    @all This is a reminder that our Mattermost server will 
+    undergo scheduled maintenance on [Date],
+    from [Start Time] to [End Time] [Time Zone]. 
+    Please plan accordingly.
+
+1-Day channel reminder
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+    @all Final reminder: Our Mattermost server will 
+    undergo scheduled maintenance tomorrow, [Date], 
+    from [Start Time] to [End Time] [Time Zone]. 
+    Thank you for your cooperation.
+
+Banner notification
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Sample message:
+
+.. code-block:: text
+
+    Heads up! Scheduled maintenance is planned for [Date],
+    between [Start Time] and [End Time] [Time Zone]. 
+    The Mattermost instance will be unavailable during this time.
+
+Users can dismiss the banner until they log in again, or until you update the banner.
+
+Display load balancer message
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Configure the load balancer to display a notification message during the scheduled maintenance window of downtime.
+
+1. Identify the load balancer you are using (e.g., AWS, HAProxy).
+2. Edit configuration. Adjust paths and configurations according to your specific environment.
+
+  - For AWS, navigate to the Load Balancer configurations in the EC2 console.
+  - For HAProxy, edit the ``haproxy.cfg`` file.
+
+See the sample message HTML below to use as a starting point:
+
+.. code-block:: html
+
+    HTML Template
+    <!DOCTYPE html>
+    <html>
+    <head>
+        <title>Maintenance in Progress</title>
+        <style>
+            body {
+                text-align: center;
+                padding: 50px;
+                font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;
+                background-color: #f2f2f2;
+            }
+            .container {
+                margin: auto;
+                width: 50%;
+                padding: 20px;
+                background-color: #fff;
+                border-radius: 8px;
+                box-shadow: 0px 0px 10px 0px #0000001a;
+            }
+        </style>
+    </head>
+    <body>
+        <div class="container">
+            <h1>Maintenance in Progress</h1>
+            <p>Our Mattermost server is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance.</p>
+            <p>Estimated downtime: [Start Time] to [End Time] [Time Zone]</p>
+            <p>We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.</p>
+            <p>If you have any questions, please contact our support team at <a href="mailto:[Support Email]">[Support Email]</a>.</p>
+        </div>
+    </body>
+    </html>