Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Newbridge Networks -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ian@SI who wrote (12776)	8/16/1999 1:43:00 PM
From: pat mudge	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 18016

computerworld.com Note towards the end that Delta would have been impacted had it not had a backup system. Pat

To: Ian@SI who wrote (12776)	8/16/1999 2:09:00 PM
From: Tunica Albuginea	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 18016

Ian,obviously we need two systems:a regular one and abackup. When I said: " Instead of having two systems, why not buy one system that works?" I meant that the regular system should be working with a high degree of fidelity, just like your car. I was referring to the fact that the CBOT Chairman Donovan complained cbot.com that the MCI/WCOM outages are chronic and recurrent and that under their " back up, contingency plan: Under this contingency plan, many of our members will have to move or duplicate their Project A operations and staffing to back-up locations within the CBOT building, with the costs that will entail and at great inconvenience and disruption to their normal business operations. I am saying buy a regular NN sytem ::-)) that will truly keep you up 99.9999% of the time, so that you MOSTLY DON'T have to use your back up ( which should still be there ), so you loose the least amount of customers, back later TA You said Question: Instead of having two systems, why not buy one system that works? Ask the Apollo 13 crew if they would have preferred just one working system. Accidents happen even with the best available products. Airlines can't afford non redundant systems in their planes; the CBOT feels the same way about each of their trading vehicles. It's like insurance. Honest people don't buy it hoping to file a claim. FWIW, Ian.

To: Ian@SI who wrote (12776)	8/16/1999 2:40:00 PM
From: pat mudge	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 18016

This morning I had coffee with a telecommunications greybeard who explained the entire process of installing software upgrades. Beginning with computerized tests all the way through fire-drill type dry-runs, there are many stages before the actual upgrade occurs. Why ASND/LU didn't find the bugs before they did would be more amazing if it weren't for the dearth of expertise in the industry. My friend says there simply aren't enough experienced engineers and technicians to go around and MCI isn't the only carrier impacted. Many young engineers simply haven't had hands-on experience with actual networks and those who have are hired away by the highest bidder. At any rate, here's the latest: <<<< MCI assesses network outage aftermath By Ted Smalley Bowen InfoWorld Electric Posted at 10:05 AM PT, Aug 16, 1999 Sifting through the damage of its recent frame-relay network outage, MCI WorldCom Monday offered its version of the events and spelled out its plans for making amends with the customers affected. MCI WorldCom Sunday restored service to the one of its four frame-relay networks that had experienced problems beginning Aug. 5, according to officials. The network of about 300 switches and nodes, which serves roughly 3,000 customers, was taken offline between noon Saturday and noon Sunday, and its software rolled back to the previous version, according to Bernard Ebbers, MCI WorldCom president and CEO. The company is offering customers two days of free service for each of the 10 days the network was hampered, according to Ebbers, who added that further customer concerns and individual contracts would be reviewed separately. While criticism of MCI's handling of the outage has been stiff, Ebbers said he was not aware of any customer having dropped MCI WorldCom service as a result. Although they have yet to pin down the exact cause of the meltdown, MCI WorldCom and Lucent, which supplies the network's hardware and software, have attributed the problems to an upgrade of Lucent's software, and not the network blueprint or infrastructure. MCI about a month ago began the process of upgrading to the latest version of the Lucent software in an effort to boost the network's capacity and expand the range of its features, according to Ron Beaumont, president of MCI WorldCom's network services division. Despite extensive testing at Lucent and MCI WorldCom, the upgrade precipitated the outage, according to the officials. "We can't tell you that any testing procedure will be 100 percent accurate," Ebbers noted. MCI WorldCom will conduct an audit of its test procedures, according to Beaumont. Asked about the financial impact of the two-for-one service refund, Ebbers said it was expected to be minimal, and unlikely to alter earnings estimates for the quarter or the year. While the network has been restored, further adjustments to individual customers' virtual circuits will be made this week, according to Beaumont. The software rollback still leaves MCI WorldCom with about 18 months of headroom, given the current rate of growth, according to Ebbers, who added that the company was considering a range of possible strategies to boost volumes and features. Ebbers declined to comment on any indemnification of MCI WorldCom by Lucent. Among other issues, the crisis raised questions of whether software vendors are doing enough to ensure the quality and stability of their products in cases of consolidation, according to Beaumont. The Lucent software in question was originally written by Cascade, which was acquired by Ascend, which in turn was acquired by Lucent. "One concern is what happened to the people who wrote the software and what happened to [the relevant documentation and expertise]," Beaumont said. MCI WorldCom Inc., in Jackson, Miss., is at www.mciworldcom.com.