I've just finished circularing a memo within our department about our millennium shutdown plans, and it occurs to me that should anyone out there be planning to use the internet as an early-warning system, they must take care to avoid jumping to erroneous conclusions.

Basically, my department will be closing down all computer equipment and infrastructure on 28th. THis is certainly a precaution against any problems that may hit the national power grid early on 1st or 4th, but is mostly for a more mundane reason. We aren't going to have anyone but the security staff on duty (probably because that would mean a lot of extra overtime to be paid).

We're a university, but this is by no means unique. Very many people I've talked to in other businesses are planning on doing the same. Unless it's an essentially 24x365 operation, shutting down for a few days and starting up again from cold on the 4th. is going to be a common option. Others' servers are going to be left running, but with nobody at home, and if they're the sort with an MTBF measured in hours then many will go away by themselves for the usual reasons, and not get restarted until 4th.

So: if you're monitoring the internet, you may see a lot of sites go off the air between now and 31st. Make sure you know that the site in question intended to stay up, and wasn't simply left running but with "nobody at home", before you draw any conclusions!

-- Nigel Arnot (nra@maxwell.ph.kcl.ac.uk), December 20, 1999

Answers

I see your point Nigel, and hadn't thought of that before. However, I don't intend to be on the internet or phone the 31st/1st/2nd. Crowds are a problem, so I stay out of crowds.

The radio will tell me all I need to know.

-- Gus (y2kk@usa.net), December 20, 1999.

Thanks good point.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), December 20, 1999.

Nigel,

the University of Washington is also shutting down all desktop computers and servers over the weekend (12/29/1999 - 01/02/2000) as a precaution (also, all printers, scanners, etc.). About the only that that might be left on are UNIX based computers (due to the complexity in restart).

I have one basic question: Will the computers recognize the rollover when shut down, and if so, will they restart?

-- James (jpeet@u.washington.edu), December 20, 1999.

Our entire school district did the same thing with unplugging the computers and even sending a note home for parents to to the same for the rolloever. School got out last week. It's probably a national thing.

-- Marsha (MSykes@court.co.macon.il.us), December 20, 1999.