Data Center Contest: Disaster recovery using non-Microsoft “Windows”

We’re gathering stories and photos for a cool contest sponsored by American Power Conversion (APC). First place in our Data Center Contest wins a Nintendo Wii game system. And we’re giving away twenty (20) copies of System Specifications and Project Manual for Data Centers (a $250 value!) to members just for entering the contest with a valid entry. Enjoy the contest entry below — and feel free to comment.

Community Manager

From a Member who wishes to remain anonymous:

My first job in IT (at the time it was just called Data Processing) was in the early 80’s at a community college that I had just graduated from with an Associates in computer programming. I was hired as an operator for an IBM system 38 that was housed in a large room on the first floor of the school with a cubicle in the corner, which served as my office and of the programmer who had been there for 2 years before me.

Anyway, our back up system consisted of a weekly ritual of saving the most important files to diskettes housed in magazines that held 10 diskettes each. The normal weekly back up used about 10 magazines. The monthly backup was of the whole system, which used about twice as many magazines. It was cumbersome, but that was my main job since I worked 2nd shift. After the back up finished, I had to place each magazine on a bookshelf that sat in the corner.

The bad part was our disaster recovery system, for which we did drills for once a month. When the alarm went off, the programmer had to run outside and stand outside the window to our office. I then had to power down the computer and take each magazine of diskettes and toss it out the window to her until all of them were out. Only then could I “save” myself and join everyone else outside. The programmer then had to take the magazines and put them in her car and drive off site. Needless to say, all of the students and faculty got a big kick out of our little ritual.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, an actual fire broke out at the school one day and it just so happened to be the day the programmer wasn’t there. My boss, the data processing manager, had to run down the hall and take her place. Everything went without a hitch since the fire was in a part of the building far away from the computer room. After I threw all of the magazines out the window, I proceeded outside where I noticed that my boss had already put them in his car and was driving away from the building.

After all of the hoopla died down and the minor fire was put out, we were allowed back inside. I asked my boss when he returned where the magazines were and he informed me not to worry about them, he would just keep them in his car and for me to initialize and use new diskettes for that night’s backup, which I did.

Well, a week later while preparing for the monthly back up, I had to go to my boss and ask for the magazines since I didn’t have enough to do the whole back up. It was then that he informed me in a small voice that he had forgotten to take them out of the back of his trunk, and the diskettes had all warped and melted from the heat.

Needless to say, he then authorized me to go and buy new diskettes and magazines and made me promise not to tell anyone what happened. Also, soon afterward, he hired a company to house all of our back ups off site and we adopted a rotation system for our backups as well as purchasing a tape drive.