Path: utzoo!utgpu!utstat!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!neat.cs.toronto.edu!rayan
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
From: rayan@cs.toronto.edu (Rayan Zachariassen)
Subject: Re: Panic button SCSI disk reformat!
Message-ID: <89Oct29.004013edt.2805@neat.cs.toronto.edu>
References: <1989Oct27.222806.28576@genisco.uucp>
Date: 29 Oct 89 05:51:32 GMT

It sounds like the best (and most appropriate) solution in this case is
to get some explosive (or gun, mortar, 1-ton weight, etc.), isolate the
disk appropriately (so the human next to it won't get harmed), and have
the panic button trigger the destruction of the disk.  Assuming this is
not a gotta-hide-the-game-playing-from-the-boss application, destroying
the disk is probably an acceptable price to pay for 100% data security,
not to mention the instant feedback (gratification).  The only drawback
is the cost of stress-testing this hack.

rayan,
Creative Solutions Department

ps: remember that formatting a disk takes a non-trivial amount of time,
on the order of minutes, which will allow "the enemy" to turn off power
to the disk, thus salvaging all the data on it that hadn't already been
destroyed by the formatting operation.  Hence my suggestion is the only
method guaranteed to work if you have to guard against a hostile hacker
force breaking down the door.

pps: Hmm, who needs nroff...