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From: mfs@mhuxr.UUCP (SIMON)
Newsgroups: net.rumor
Subject: Re: apocryphal story about ESS crashes - can someone confirm it?
Message-ID: <279@mhuxr.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Mar-85 08:37:33 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxr.279
Posted: Wed Mar 27 08:37:33 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 28-Mar-85 01:52:54 EST
References: <3957@Shasta.ARPA> <1009@ihuxn.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 27

> In response to:
> 
> > Many years ago, I heard this story, and I was wondering if anybody
> > could confirm it:
> 
> The entire story as you have related it is pure bullsh*t.

Not quite, although it *is* apocryphal. The real story was considerably
less interesting.

Stebendt is correct that the only tape drives in a 1 ESS offices are the
Automatic Message Accounting (AMA) tapes, used for long distance billing.
There is one AMA drive per 1E processor (most central office equipment
is duplicated). WHat happened was that under the flash, both AMA units
went out of service. Since a condition for sanity is that the AMA unit
be working, and since the response to insanity is to switch to the other
processor, both 1E processors started switching control back and
forth. They did not "crash" or go out of service, although the condition
does raise a major alarm, which is characterized as alternating
"dongs", something to alarm (no pun intended) an unknowing press.
The condition was fixed by forcing one processor to become active, and to
ignore the major alarm. The the AMA unit could be restored to service
unconditionally, then the other processor. End of story. Less interesting,
but true. The tape drive *doors* were later modified so the tape
sensors would be shielded by them. There were no "little opaque hoods".

Marcel Simon