Daylight savings brings down ATM network
From comp.risks newsgroup
RISKS-LIST: Risks-Forum Digest Weds 29 October 1997 Volume 19 :Issue 43
FORUM ON RISKS TO THE PUBLIC IN COMPUTERS AND RELATED SYSTEMS (comp.risks)
ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy, Peter G. Neumann, moderator
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Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 15:15:38 +0000 ()
From: las@light-house.com (Laszlo Herczeg)
Subject: Daylight savings brings down ATM network
This morning in the early AM hours, I attempted to withdraw cash from a a cash dispenser using the Interac Network. To my surprise, I received a cryptic error message that the transaction could not be completed and that I should contact my branch. I wanted to buy cigarettes so I went back home, and pulled enough coins from the piggy bank to be able to pay for my purchase.
The account I am using is over 12 years old and it is in good standing, so obviously I was dazzled as to what was wrong. This afternoon I phoned my bank and they were very apologetic and explained that their network went down in the time period I was trying to use the ATM. This was the night when our time zone reverted back to EST, and it appears that they experienced problems due to the time change.
Obviously, the error message at the ATM machine contained no reference to network errors.
There are two problems, as I see it:
1. If the Interac network crashes due to a predictable time zone change and needs to be reset or taken off-line while the clocks are updated, it is not a very robust system as far as time scheduling is concerned.
2. The error message at the ATM terminal is not granular enough to point out what is really wrong, and it appears to blame the customer when there is something wrong with completing a network transaction. |
