FASTEDDY@DFTBIT.BITNET (John McMahon) (07/25/89)
***> From: David M. Chess <CHESS@YKTVMV.BITNET> ***> Subject: re: the CHRISTMA EXEC on BITNET and VNET (IBM VM/CMS) ***> ***> While I was lucky enough to be on vacation when CHRISTMA hit ***> VNET, my impression is that (press to the contrary), VNET ***> handled it about like BITNET did: a few nodes shut down or ***> cold started, but most just installed and ran some filters ***> on RSCS and local spool. Lots of human and CPU time and net ***> bandwidth wasted, but not a system-wide shutdown. This is ***> just an unofficial impression, of course! As I recall, VNET Topology is not like BITNET's. BITNET is currently a tree structure, slowly migrating to a mesh topology backbone of sites connected via the BITNET II software (NJE over TCP/IP). VNET, on the other hand, is a set of trees connected by a fairly extensive wide-area mesh backbone. As I recall (it's been a while), this mesh backbone only consists of a handful of nodes (Sixteen to Twenty), one at each major IBM center. Shutting that down would effectively isolate each IBM center. As to whether or not that is a "System-Wide" shutdown, well you will have ask the media. As to whether or not that happened, you would have to ask IBM. +------------------------------------+----------------------------------------+ |John "Fast Eddie" McMahon | Span: SDCDCL::FASTEDDY (Node 6.9) | |Advanced Data Flow Technology Office| Arpa: FASTEDDY@DFTNIC.GSFC.NASA.GOV | |Code 630.4 - Building 28/W255 | Bitnet: FASTEDDY@DFTBIT | |NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |GSFCmail: JMCMAHON | |Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 | Phone: x6-2045 | +------------------------------------+----------------------------------------+
CHESS@YKTVMV.BITNET (David M. Chess) (07/26/89)
Your description of the VNET topology is essentially correct. On the other hand, I *don't* think it's the case that the backbone was taken down at any time during the CHRISTMA incident. As I say, I was on vacation, but I think the response at most of the central nodes was to run a filter; hastier reactions (shutting down, cold-starting, etc) would have been more likely to have happened at "leaf" nodes, where the operators were perhaps less experienced. Just because the media like the "IBM's network was shut down" story, don't assume it's true... *8) DC