Data Center Contest: Nuns bring network to its knees

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:

Many years ago I was the Director of Administrative Computing at a Catholic college in the Northeast. To give you an idea of how many years ago, we were running an IBM System 3 Model 10.

Anyway, we were having power issues right after installing this. At about the same time each afternoon the system would crash, hard. Our electricians verified we had a dedicated circuit. IBM came in with some monitoring equipment and verified that at about the same time each day there was a spike of power. We even got Public Service, our local utility company, involved.

To make a long story short, there was a kitchen just downstairs from the computer center. The power cable for the System 3 had been run through an existing conduit. Also in that conduit was a power cable for an industrial size mixer. Each afternoon the nuns would use that mixer to make mashed potatoes for dinner. When they turned on the mixer it would cause a spike in the line to the System 3.

It took over a week and many man hours to finally uncover this mystery! Needless to say, the power cable for the System 3 was rerouted and all was well after that.