[escepticos] -> MICROSOFT WinNT GIVING PROBLEMS IN SPACE STATION

[Víctor R. Ruiz <rvr@...>]

  Hola:

  Reenvío una noticia interesante ;)

>http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,42912,00.html
>
>by Leander Kahney
>2:00 a.m. Apr. 7, 2001 PDT
>
>The new International Space Station is already suffering from computer
>problems similar to those experienced on Mir.
>
>The space station, which has been operational for less than five
>months, experiences almost daily computer glitches, according to the
>commander's log recently published on the Web.
>
>Most of the problems appear to be related to Microsoft's Windows NT,
>while Russian-made software seems to be more reliable. (It's probibally Linux)
>
>"The day really gets off to a bad start," writes Commander Bill
>Shepherd in an entry dated February 22. "The server connection to the
>(Net) is down hard. We worked on it last night until 0100 and could
>not bring it up..."
>
>"...At about 2200, we were reconfiguring some mail files which, with a
>lot of help from Windows NT, got put in the wrong place during the
>backup procedure."
>
>According to Shepherd's acronym-filled log, the problems are mostly
>minor glitches related to e-mail and the stability of the huge space
>station's network.
>
>The network appears to be a mix between Sun AIX (Unix) and Windows NT
>servers and Russian laptops running an unspecified operating system.
>
>The various machines are linked via Ethernet and a low-speed, wireless
>network.
>
>The log seems to indicate that the crew is using Microsoft Outlook as
>their e-mail client.
>
>The February 22 entry also details problems with the printer, some
>network cards and network cables.
>
>After hours of fiddling, Shepherd and the two Cosmonauts eventually
>fixed the problem. Typically, the solution to the problem is a mystery
>to them.
>
>"We are having a hard time understanding the how and why, but
>everything is working," Shepherd wrote.
>
>The International Space Station is a joint effort between 16
>countries, including the United States, Russian, European and Japanese
>space agencies. It has been manned since November.
>
>The first crew, commanded by Shepherd, were charged with adding the
>U.S.-built Destiny lab module to two Russian-built modules previously
>in orbit. They also performed space walks and unfurled the station's
>giant solar panels.
>
>Most of the problems the crew ran into during their four-and-a-half
>month stay appear to be unrelated to these complex tasks. But the crew
>was concerned with routine things such as frozen printers, lost e-mail
>and an uncooperative network.
>
>Consider this series of entries from the middle of January.
>
>January 21: "We are continuing to see some strange things on our
>e-mail."
>
>January 22: "Sergei is still having difficulties with his e-mail."
>
>January 23: "The file server is acting up."
>
>January 24 : "We are still having unusual e-mail problems."
>
>Despite the glitches, Shepherd's entries never indicated that he lost
>his patience.
>
>However, some parts of the text have been edited to allow for the
>uninhibited exchange of information. According to NASA, crew members
>might be shy about saying what's on their minds if they are conscious
>of it going in the public record. Material edited from the logs is
>identified as "redacted." Shepherd's log contains quite a lot of
>redacted passages.
>
>Although it's not easy to say whether the problems are restricted to
>U.S.-made software and hardware alone, the only praise Shepherd
>expresses is toward a couple of Russian-made software applications.
>
>In the space of about six sentences, he describes a pair of mapping
>and star field applications as "excellent," "outstanding even by
>Russian standards" and "very slick."
>
>"If we could get a couple of large format LCD screens to hang in front
>of the Central Post, we could give (the Star Ship) Enterprise a run,"
>he writes.
>
>Shepherd's log is an exhaustive diary of the daily routine of the
>station.
>
>Most of it describes the unpacking of equipment, setting up the
>station, running experiments, exercising on the treadmill (which also
>suffers from constant glitches) and filming everything with IMAX
>cameras.
>
>The log also provides insight into the awesome complexity of the
>mission.
>
>At one point, a small washer is lost in the cabin. Houston mission
>control is worried in case it finds its way into a critical component.
>
>"Houston is discussing unhooking everything we just made up, as
>nobody's sure the washer won't get into something critical," Shepherd
>wrote. "We are determined not to lose the day's work, and we are
>hunting the entire lab for the washer. No joy."
>
>"We pop the rack out of its fittings and shake it to bring the washer
>up. This also does not work. We finally inventory every loose launch
>fastener in the lab, and we are still short one washer.
>
>"We finally get the word around 0430 that ground has decided the
>filtration screens in the rack systems will block the washer, and we
>call it a night."


--
Víctor R. Ruiz    | Para crear una tarta de manzana partiendo de cero
rvr en infoastro.com | es necesario crear, primero, el Universo.