I have a personal theory that Really Bad Things (TM) usually tend to happen during the response to other, relatively minor, problems. So whatever is done canno

I have a personal theory that Really Bad Things (TM) usually tend to happen during the response to other, relatively minor, problems. So whatever is done cannot risk the running process. So personally I'd be loathed to try anything that touches the running process - even if they seem low risk. Edit: One thing I would do is make it clear that building a replacement and keeping this thing running are different responsibilities and if you are doing the former then you really shouldn't be held responsible for the latter (politics I know).