House Hearing on Embedded Systems & Y2K Exerpt (March 20, 1997)
house.gov
[This embedded system problem is FAR WORSE than anyone can imagine. You should print this out, have a stiff drink, and REALLY think about what's going on! CK]
The objective of this testimony is to raise the level of awareness to the potential problems and the associated liability ramifications-legal, insurance, and financial-from not addressing these EMBEDDED SYSTEMS.
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Automated devices do not malfunction unless they have a physical defect OR the software, microcode, firmware, or program code driving the device malfunctions. Typically, that device encounters a situation that its software was never designed to recognize or act upon.
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A situation that some automated devices may NOT have been designed to recognize is the change of the century. Because most systems view the year using the last two digits only, some automated devices will identify the "00" as being the year 1900, thus corrupting subsequent calculations using that date. The potential result of these erroneous calculations vary in magnitude. Some may cause nothing more than frustration, while others may wreak havoc.The only way to determine what the potential result will be is to test the device.
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A representative sample of potential problems with critical and non-critical systems follows.
CRITICAL SYSTEMS
Manufacturing Process Control Systems
Most manufacturing plants are highly automated. A small manufacturer of industrial liquid solutions found their production line completely stopped on January 1, 1997. It was discovered that their process control systems were not designed to account for a leap year (1996) and subsequently shut down when the changed from 1996 to 1997.
Before company personnel could remedy the situation, the liquid solutions that were in the process pipelines hardened and could not be removed. The company was forced to replace the process pipelines at a cost of $1 million. They were unable to manufacture products for several days, thereby, causing late deliveries to customers. In addition to the cost to repair the pipelines, the company believes they lost three new clients because their shipments were delayed.
The legal ramifications of this example revolve around the software that ran the production manufacturing line. This software was purchased from a vendor who warranted that it would operate correctly under "normal" conditions. The battle is now on as to whether a leap year is an implicitly normal condition that should have been addressed within the software.
OTHER CRITICAL SYSTEMS
Each category has real world examples.
- Elevators
- Telephone Systems (including PBX, voicemail, and switching)
- Medical Equipment
- Stock Markets
- Military Messaging (Warning) Systems
- Radioactive Materials Waste Trend Analysis
- Atomic/Nuclear Sites (example from the U.K.)
MORE CRITICAL SYSTEMS
There are many other critical business/government systems. A partial list of those that have been identified includes:
- Security systems for badge readers, surveillance systems, parking lot gates & vaults.
- Time-dependent controls such as parking lot lighting, and programmable thermostats
...controlling HVAC. Some devices work only during certain times of the day and/or
...only on certain days of the week.
- Power-management functions for HVAC usage and control, UPS (uninterruptable
...power supply) backups and related components, off-hour power availability for
...lighting the building.
- Power plant process controls
- Environmental safety systems for detecting changes in humidity, temperature, CO2
...levels. Extreme changes are monitored. Some changes are based on duration or
...spike measurements.
I won't bother with the non-critical systems, you can read about them in the article.
Statement of Hearing Testimony: Subcommittee on Technology and Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology. Topic: Year 2000 Risks: What Are the Consequences of Technology Failure? March 20, 1997
This is DEFINITELY worth printing a hard copy.
house.gov |
