'There are a number of connected computerized systems in the average gas station:...'
______
From:
Jo Anne Slaven <slaven@rogerswave.ca>
16:49
Subject:
Re: It's the little stuff that gets ya
Lobo2015 wrote:
<The usual stuff snipped about the power grid and credit cards. Someone
else can tackle that.>
> One, more then likely just about all gas station pumps these days use some type
> of electronic control for dispension, especially those that let you pay at the
> pump with a card. If you can't get it out of the storage tank, it's not going
> to do ya any good. I also suspect there is some type of monitoring system in
> the storage tanks that could possibly fowl up so who knows. If the stations are
> ok, then you have to look at the gas trucks. If their schedualing gets messed
> up, your looking at possible gas shortages all over the place. If this happens
> I suggest putting some spikes on your car cause it's going to be Mad Max like
> you won't believe.
I know a little bit about this. I spent almost a year training gas
station owners/managers how to use their computers, and I have had some
exposure to gas station system installations. My experience relates to
large fuel company chains, not small independant dealers.
"How Things Work 101 - Lesson 14: Gas Stations"
There are a number of connected computerized systems in the average gas station:
1) The pump. This may or may not contain a card reader (CRIND), but it
will always have a connection to the front office computer ("cash
register") in the gas bar. It is not possible to manually operate a
modern gas pump.
2) The front office computer. Sometimes a 486. Most companies have been
upgrading to pentiums in the past year. Used for activating the pumps,
accepting payment, processing sales of other items (like pop,
cigarettes). Networked to the oil company Head Office, so H/O knows
exactly how much fuel is sold every day. Also contains the system for
changing the pump prices.
3) The POS terminal. Connected to the front office system AND the Head
Office computer AND the bank. In gas stations that are part of an oil
company "chain", the individual retailer does not get the money from
credit/debit card sales - Head Office gets it. (Head Office "owns" the
fuel in the ground, and collects money from the sale of this fuel. Fuel
sales, other sales, cash collections, and CC collections are balanced
daily, and either the gas station owes H/O money or H/O owes the gas
station money.)
4) The back office computer. Receives info from the front office
computer regarding details of daily transactions. This is where the
inventory (non-fuel) database is kept, and this is where the routine
bookkeeping is processed. Also connected to the Head Office, which polls
the computer a couple of times a week.
5) The Veederoot (electronic fuel tank monitor). Keeps track of how much
fuel is in the tanks. Also used to monitor water levels. This isn't
connected to anything, as far as I can tell.
6) Numerous cables, modems and hubs to connect all of the above.
Scheduling of fuel deliveries is done by H/O, based on the station's
tank capacities, sales history, and sales volume since the last
delivery. It is rare for a site to run out of fuel, or have to call for
a special delivery.
Fuel deliveries to an individual site are only made if the site is
current in payment for past fuel sales.
I'll leave it to all of you to count up the number of different ways
that gas stations might be affected by Y2k bugs in any of their systems.
> If these two don't fail, you gotta look at the most vulnerable part of the
> system, the oil fields themselves. Remember folks, most of our domestic oil
> goes for military fuel, and you know they aren't gonna give it up for you Land
> Rover. From what I've heard, most third world nations that give us oil haven't
> done much to fix it. If they go down, we have the Oil Crisis all over again.
You forgot about the refineries. Thousands of electronic monitoring
systems, process controls, and measuring devices. Lotsa 386's and 486's.
As someone else so eloquently put it:
*BOOM*
--
Jo Anne
I need a new sig.
Anybody got any suggestions? |
