[geeks] Well with all of this VMS talk going on

[R. Lonstein]

On Sat, May 24, 2003 at 12:51:11AM +1000, Benjamin Gardiner wrote:
> http://www.computerworld.com/departments/opinions/sharktank/0,4885,81482,00.html
> 
> story about a couple of microvax II machines in a factory, and a steam vent.

Continuing topic drift, anyone know of other funny stories about
abused systems? 

I know of a Novell server that ran on a factory floor for years and
didn't die until the accumulated dust finally choked the powersupply
into overheating. I worked with guys who responded to a support call
at a small bank where renovations were going on only to find the door
to the server closet walled over. One of them had a drywall saw in his
car and cut a hole.

A former co-worker tells a story from years ago about being called to
an office to repair a dead terminal, then the following day back for a
printer. Figuring power problems he puts everything on surge strips
but after the weekend some of the strips are smoked. He brings in a
voltage meter with a paper tape and leaves it to measure over a few
days. Gets called back that day to find a dead strip and a dead
terminal from when someone plugged it into the wall after the strip
popped. Hazy smoke of electronics in the air. Checks the tape and
finds regular dips followed by surges and way over-voltages, one of
which popped the fuse on the meter. Turns out that the office was
recently rewired and the three-phase power for the building A/C was
feeding into the wall sockets.

- Ross