> http://www.computerworld.com/article/3099975/data-center/blue-screen-of-death-mainframe-style.html?token=%23tk.CTWNLE_nlt_computerworld_daily_shark_2016-07-29&idg_eid=0fcfb2f14826bbc9d194ad02238b4ff8&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Computerworld%20Daily%20Shark%202016-07-29&utm_term=computerworld_daily_shark#tk.cw_nlt_computerworld_daily_shark_2016-07-29 > > <http://www.computerworld.com/article/3099975/data-center/blue-screen-of-death-mainframe-style.html?token=%23tk.CTWNLE_nlt_computerworld_daily_shark_2016-07-29&idg_eid=0fcfb2f14826bbc9d194ad02238b4ff8&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Computerworld%20Daily%20Shark%202016-07-29&utm_term=computerworld_daily_shark#tk.cw_nlt_computerworld_daily_shark_2016-07-29> > > Blue Screen Of Death, mainframe-style > > It's 1979, and a big university hospital depends on this mainframe in its > data center, according to an IT pilot fish who works there. > > "Every building in the mile-wide complex was tied to the IBM System/370-148 > computer running DOS/VSE," says fish. "We had IBM printers as well. > > "One day, one of the very best IBM techs was called in to work on one of the > printers. He needed a 'P 00E' command issued so he could work on that > printer. But instead he requested a 'DVCDN 00E' command -- which removes all > the system assignments to that device." > > Fish keys in the command that the tech requests. The mainframe crashes. > > He tries to restart the big machine, but that fails almost immediately. Turns > out that the second command in the startup sequence is one that directs > output to the printer known as 00E -- which the mainframe no longer knows how > to use. > > And because nothing is working, fish can't issue the necessary command to > bring the printer back online, so the mainframe can finish starting up. > > Fortunately, there's a retro-style workaround: Restart the machine from a > deck of punch cards. Unfortunately, there's a catch: The data center doesn't > have any of the equipment it needs to do that. > > "The hospital had to have a card reader shipped in and installed," fish says. > "And in order to punch the two cards required to run the command to repair > the system, they also had to bring in a card punch machine." > > And once those machines are in place, they're ready to restart the machine -- > almost. > > It seems no one remembered to get any keypunch cards. > > So a call goes out to all the IBM techs in the state for keypunch cards. > They're finally located in the state capital, 100 miles away. > > An IBM tech from the state capital grabs a fistful of the precious > pasteboard, jumps in his car and races down the freeway to meet the IBM tech > from fish's site halfway, so fish's IBM tech can race back to the hospital > data center to punch the cards and restart the mainframe. > > "So the system was finally restored -- after being down for four days," says > fish. > > "And IBM did confess to requesting the 'DVCDN 00E' command, so I didn't get > fired for this fiasco." > > Help keep Sharky up and running! Send me your true tales of IT life at > sha...@computerworld.com <mailto:sha...@computerworld.com>. You'll get a > stylish Shark shirt every time I use one. Add your comments below, and read > some great old tales in the Sharkives > <http://www.computerworld.com/search?query=+sharky&s=d&start=0>. > > Get your daily dose of out-takes from the IT Theater of the Absurd delivered > directly to your Inbox. Subscribe now to the Daily Shark Newsletter > <http://www.computerworld.com/newsletters/signup.html>.
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