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 : Year 2000 (Y2K) Embedded Systems & Infrastructure Problem -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Mansfield who wrote (550)	8/5/1998 7:41:00 PM
From: C.K. Houston	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 618

GM "YEAR 2000" TEST PROCEDURES & CHECKLIST ======================================================== I have the most recent 50-page General Motors Y2K Test Procedures (Updated July 20 '98) & 2 Excel checklists ... which they've made available to the public. If someone NEEDS, or knows a company/person who NEEDS the GM Y2K Test Procedures & Checklists... Email me: Quest@hypercon.com Subject: GM Test Procedures Word97 format only. If you want to see this just cause you're curious, please don't waste my time. It's VERY time consuming to forward this information. Cheryl

To: John Mansfield who wrote (550)	8/6/1998 2:05:00 PM
From: John Mansfield	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 618

'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?