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From: weemba@garnet.berkeley.edu (Obnoxious Math Grad Student)
Newsgroups: news.sysadmin,alt.flame
Subject: Re: "Morris did it"--the new excuse?
Message-ID: <17025@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 15 Nov 88 09:19:08 GMT
References: <552@comdesign.CDI.COM> <1570@valhalla.ee.rochester.edu> <16915@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <1585@valhalla.ee.rochester.edu>
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Reply-To: weemba@garnet.berkeley.edu (Obnoxious Math Grad Student)
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In-reply-to: deke@socrates.ee.rochester.edu (Dikran Kassabian)

In article <1585@valhalla.ee.rochester.edu>, deke@socrates (Dikran Kassabian) writes:

>We restore it onto a machine with a good disk and work goes on.  The
>advantage of a nice, big, distributed computing environment. The fact
>that we have lots of computers and near perpetual, automated backups
>allows our users to be reasonably certain that at least some compute
>facilities will be available to them.  But that has nothing to do with
>it.

So let's choose a different example--I simply don't know your site's capa-
bilities in case of hardware problems.  Does it, for example, power down
during major electrical storms?  If a big snowstorm hits, and none of the
sysadmins could make it, can you still function?

I read in the paper about a researcher complaining that thanks to the big
bad Morris worm, he was unable to carry out a critical transfer of files
from one machine to another: his sysadmin was too busy that day because
of the worm.  My only reaction was what an incompetent bozo: is this re-
searcher just as non-functioning when his sysadmin calls in sick?

>>>The medical center/teaching hospital at my university is also network
>>>connected.  What if the network overload caused patient monitoring
>>>systems there to be sluggish and inadequate?

>>I find it frightening that hospitals exist which have perhaps decided
>>to rely heavily on some computers working according to a perfect schedule.

>I would find it frightening if it were the case.  It was not, as I
>pointed out... but you didn't pay attention.

Don't be a stupid nit.  Read what I wrote.  YOU brought up an example,
real or imaginary; I then discussed the example.  I never said anything
about your site beyond what you said.

By the way, since you seem willing to conclude that what Morris did was
"wrong" based on the consequences you enumerate, may I conclude that a
non-violent version of the worm would be "right" in your eyes?  If not,
why not?

ucbvax!garnet!weemba	Matthew P Wiener/Brahms Gang/Berkeley CA 94720