INFO-VAX Mon, 31 Mar 2008 Volume 2008 : Issue 182 Contents: RE: Alphaserver/station reliability Re: Alphaserver/station reliability Re: Does POWER_OFF really work ? Re: Does POWER_OFF really work ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:55:43 +0000 From: "Main, Kerry" Subject: RE: Alphaserver/station reliability Message-ID: > -----Original Message----- > From: Michael Moroney [mailto:moroney@world.std.spaamtrap.com] > Sent: March 31, 2008 12:13 AM > To: Info-VAX@Mvb.Saic.Com > Subject: Re: Alphaserver/station reliability > > =3D?ISO-8859-1?Q?Arne_Vajh=3DF8j?=3D writes: > > >ewilts@ewilts.org wrote: > >> On Mar 30, 8:54 pm, Arne Vajh=F8j wrote: > >>> Consider the famous irish rail system with 17 years of uptime. > >> > >> That's *cluster*, not *system*. > > >Sure ? > > >I always thought it was a single system. > > That was a single system. A VAX 750 if I recall correctly. > > I have heard from a reliable source that that record has since been > broken, but I have no details whatsoever. My understanding is that it was 2 x VAX 750's using DTO7 bus switches for "make before break" switching of peripherals. The application ran continuously for 17 years - not the base system(s). I have heard (not confirmed) that they were planning to replace this system with some sort of process control system, but do not know for sure. As discussed a number of times in this group, the end user Cust could not care less about the HW. All they care about is the service they receive from the applications in question. Typically, the only groups that care about the HW are the IT Depts, vendors= , consultants and occasionally media analysts. And oh yes - newsgroup participants. :-) Regards Kerry Main Senior Consultant HP Services Canada Voice: 613-254-8911 Fax: 613-591-4477 kerryDOTmainAThpDOTcom (remove the DOT's and AT) OpenVMS - the secure, multi-site OS that just works. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:07:58 -0700 (PDT) From: ewilts@ewilts.org Subject: Re: Alphaserver/station reliability Message-ID: On Mar 30, 10:07 pm, "Richard B. Gilbert" wrote: > I think it would take several miracles to keep a single system running > for 17 years with no down time!! Yup. There aren't too many fault-tolerant VAXes out there and I don't think that DEC ever built a fault-tolerant Alpha. > With a cluster and lots of money for things like emergency generators, > dual redundant or N+1 redundant power supplies, dual redundant UPSs, two > or more air conditioners (each rated for the full load), etc, etc, it > ain't easy but it can be done! It's not *that* hard - my cluster is coming up to 9 years of uptime. Tybalt> say f$getsyi("cluster_ftime") 30-MAY-1999 07:28:07.05 With a cluster split between 2 decent data centers, it can be done. It takes some planning but if you have 2 data centers, it doesn't take "lots of money". I currently have 3 independent data networks between the data centers, plus 2 independent SAN fabrics for disk access, each with trunked ISLs. All of the network and SAN infrastructure is shared - none is dedicated just to the VMS cluster. Even with a single data center, a multi-year uptime can be achieved - these days, not too many changes require a full data center power outage and even then, I'd sure be using all sorts of weird and wonderful approaches just to maintain that uptime, even it was bogus (a small satellite VAXstation for example), something I have not had to do here. .../Ed ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:10:45 -0700 (PDT) From: AEF Subject: Re: Does POWER_OFF really work ? Message-ID: <1ea8e2fb-040d-4f8f-ad2f-40a84aabd673@e39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com> On Mar 30, 7:46 am, VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG wrote: > In article , hel...@astro.multiCLOTHESvax.de (Phillip Helbig---remove CLOTHES to reply) writes: > > >In article <47ef152b$0$23915$c3e8...@news.astraweb.com>, JF Mezei > > writes: > > >> Figured I would shut down one of my alphas for EARTH-HOUR . > > >What is EARTH-HOUR? > > Just a way to make people concerned about the environment feel good about > themselves and nothing more. > > http://www.earthhour.org/ > > -- > VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)COM > > "Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?" > > http://tmesis.com/drat.html Anything that makes the sky darker, even for only an hour, and/or has the net result of improving lighthing by increasing efficiency (esp. by decreasing wasted light that goes up into the sky, helping no one), and reducing glare (which actually INCREASES nighttime visibility making a safer and more pleasant nighttime environment), is fine by me. Bravo! See http://www.darksky.org/ AEF ------------------------------ Date: 31 Mar 2008 16:09:11 GMT From: VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG Subject: Re: Does POWER_OFF really work ? Message-ID: <47f10ca6$0$5650$607ed4bc@cv.net> In article <1ea8e2fb-040d-4f8f-ad2f-40a84aabd673@e39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>, AEF writes: >On Mar 30, 7:46 am, VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG wrote: >> In article , hel...@astro.multiCLOTHESvax.de (Phillip Helbig---remove CLOTHES to reply) writes: >> >> >In article <47ef152b$0$23915$c3e8...@news.astraweb.com>, JF Mezei >> > writes: >> >> >> Figured I would shut down one of my alphas for EARTH-HOUR . >> >> >What is EARTH-HOUR? >> >> Just a way to make people concerned about the environment feel good about >> themselves and nothing more. >> >> http://www.earthhour.org/ >> >> -- >> VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)COM >> >> "Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?" >> >> http://tmesis.com/drat.html > > >Anything that makes the sky darker, even for only an hour, and/or has >the net result of improving lighthing by increasing efficiency (esp. >by decreasing wasted light that goes up into the sky, helping no one), >and reducing glare (which actually INCREASES nighttime visibility >making a safer and more pleasant nighttime environment), is fine by >me. Bravo! > >See http://www.darksky.org/ 'Twould be fine with me too but the power-hour wasn't about light pollution, it was a gesture about conserving energy. Power companies generate electric based on average demands. I really doubt that they made any fuel consumption changes based on a minor brief hour dip on the grid. -- VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)COM "Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?" http://tmesis.com/drat.html ------------------------------ End of INFO-VAX 2008.182 ************************