Sybase suggests that you install and use a test or development Adaptive Server, then remove it before you create the production server. Using a test server makes it easier to plan and test different configurations and less stressful to recover from mistakes. It is much easier to learn how to install and administer new features when there is no risk of having to restart a production server or re-create a production database.
If you use a test server, Sybase suggests that you do so from the point of installing or upgrading Adaptive Server through the process of configuring the server. It is in these steps that you make some of the most important decisions about your final production system. The following sections describe how using a test server can help system administrators.
