From: "David C. Barber" Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Things Operators Used to Do Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 17:21:58 -0700 Organization: CTSnet Internet Services Lines: 22 Message-ID: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> X-Trace: thoth.cts.com 968459003 60856 208.167.188.250 (9 Sep 2000 00:23:23 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@cts.com X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news.tesion.net!news.belwue.de!news.uni-stuttgart.de!uni-erlangen.de!newsfeed1.telenordia.se!news.algonet.se!algonet!howland.erols.net!usc.edu!nuq-feed.news.verio.net!news.verio.net!mercury.cts.com!thoth.cts.com!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:63508 When I was a computer operator at Control Data La Jolla 1973-1974 on the in-house CDC 1704, we had the usual small dishwasher sized disc drive utilizing 6-platter, 14 inch disc packs. They held 3 mega words (6MB) at the time. (CDC classified storage in 16-bit words.) When we occasionally needed to change the pack, the procedure was to remove the nice dark blue-green cover over the replacement pack, then taking a tongue depressor wrapped with a Kimwipe and dipped in alcohol, gently wipe each platter and allow to briefly dry. When the drive (I can't remember the model number) spun up, before the heads would load, nylon brushes would extend out to sweep the surface and then retract. Finally the heads would load and the drive would be ready to put on line. And no, this procedure didn't create head crashes, but tended to prevent them. In hindsight, it is amazing how we could get away with procedures like that. *David Barber* ###### From: Jim Stewart Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2000 18:41:52 -0700 Organization: http://www.jkmicro.com Lines: 32 Message-ID: <420935CF39DEADC3.B43062312DF1EE17.73D0B5CC99AB13A6@lp.airnews.net> X-Orig-Message-ID: <39B99560.BD13A55E@jkmicro.com> References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> Reply-To: jstewart@jkmicro.com Abuse-Reports-To: abuse at airmail.net to report improper postings NNTP-Proxy-Relay: library1-aux.airnews.net NNTP-Posting-Time: Fri Sep 8 20:41:25 2000 NNTP-Posting-Host: !WjYn1k-XWUC+"YG]a[;EbB;. (Encoded at Airnews!) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.74 [en] (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!howland.erols.net!news-out.nntp.airnews.net.MISMATCH!cabal10.airnews.net!news.airnews.net!cabal14.airnews.net!news.airnews.net!cabal1.airnews.net!news-f.iadfw.net!usenet Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:63494 "David C. Barber" wrote: > > When I was a computer operator at Control Data La Jolla 1973-1974 on the > in-house CDC 1704, we had the usual small dishwasher sized disc drive > utilizing 6-platter, 14 inch disc packs. They held 3 mega words (6MB) at > the time. (CDC classified storage in 16-bit words.) > > When we occasionally needed to change the pack, the procedure was to remove > the nice dark blue-green cover over the replacement pack, then taking a > tongue depressor wrapped with a Kimwipe and dipped in alcohol, gently wipe > each platter and allow to briefly dry. When the drive (I can't remember the > model number) spun up, before the heads would load, nylon brushes would > extend out to sweep the surface and then retract. Finally the heads would > load and the drive would be ready to put on line. > > And no, this procedure didn't create head crashes, but tended to prevent > them. > > In hindsight, it is amazing how we could get away with procedures like that. When I worked for DEC field service, part of my PM procedure for RK05's was to mount a cartridge, spin it up with the drive open and the voice coil turned off, and run the head assembly back and forth over the surface with my hand. I'd do this until the ting ting sound of the head striking debris would stop. Then I'd power it down, clean the heads, and do the same thing to the next cartridge if the customer had more than one (they usually didn't). This worked well for me. We were also told to disassemble the cartridges and clean the surfaces with a texwipe. We had a bad batch of cartridges where the spindle would eat away part of the cartridge case and scatter the debris on the surface with obviously unpleasant results. ###### From: "Charlie Gibbs" Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Date: 10 Sep 00 14:38:32 -0800 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com Lines: 39 Message-ID: <1993.288T1640T8785257@sky.bus.com> References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> <420935CF39DEADC3.B43062312DF1EE17.73D0B5CC99AB13A6@lp.airnews.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: p-602.newsdawg.com X-Newsreader: THOR 2.5a (Amiga;TCP/IP) Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!machtgarnix.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news-fra1.dfn.de!news-fra.pop.de!newsfeed.direct.ca!look.ca!newshub2.rdc1.sfba.home.com!news.home.com!pln-w!spln!dex!extra.newsguy.com!newsp.newsguy.com!news2 Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:63663 In article <420935CF39DEADC3.B43062312DF1EE17.73D0B5CC99AB13A6@lp.airnews.net> jstewart@jkmicro.com (Jim Stewart) writes: >When I worked for DEC field service, part of my PM procedure for RK05's >was to mount a cartridge, spin it up with the drive open and the voice >coil turned off, and run the head assembly back and forth over the >surface with my hand. I'd do this until the ting ting sound of the >head striking debris would stop. Then I'd power it down, clean the >heads, and do the same thing to the next cartridge if the customer >had more than one (they usually didn't). This worked well for me. That sounds pretty incredible. The closest I got to something like that was the cold winter's day when I brought a disk pack into a customer's shop after it had been sitting in my car all day. When I mounted the pack on the drive I saw condensation forming on the platters, which I knew would spell disaster if I tried to load the heads. Rather than waiting a few hours for the disk pack to warm up, I disabled the interlocks and got the pack to spin up, but I shut the drive down before the heads loaded. After a few cycles of this, enough warm air had been blown over the pack that it was up to room temperature and could be loaded safely. Or maybe you're just pulling our legs, in which case I could tell of the visitors who saw a CE with his head down in the well of a drive, cleaning the heads. I explained to the visitors (with a straight face, of course) how important it was to carefully adjust the speed at which the disk spun, because if it spun too fast the bits would fly off the platters and get stuck all over the walls of the well - at which point the CE would have to come in and scrape off all of these bits and readjust the drive. "Yes, they do look like washing machines, don't they? Well, they don't take a very big load, but they have one hell of a spin dry." -- cgibbs@sky.bus.com (Charlie Gibbs) Remove the first period after the "at" sign to reply. ###### From: Jim Stewart Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 15:44:34 -0700 Organization: http://www.jkmicro.com Lines: 39 Message-ID: <53FDEF53A242F7B2.B3E6355E3F6FD299.15E7703BCEDE7C31@lp.airnews.net> X-Orig-Message-ID: <39BC0ED2.3EDD3CEE@jkmicro.com> References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> <420935CF39DEADC3.B43062312DF1EE17.73D0B5CC99AB13A6@lp.airnews.net> <1993.288T1640T8785257@sky.bus.com> Reply-To: jstewart@jkmicro.com Abuse-Reports-To: abuse at airmail.net to report improper postings NNTP-Proxy-Relay: library2.airnews.net NNTP-Posting-Time: Sun Sep 10 17:44:05 2000 NNTP-Posting-Host: !bB1o1k-WF`U(eo&7g-9(LqN% (Encoded at Airnews!) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.74 [en] (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!machtgarnix.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!enews.sgi.com!news-peer.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!howland.erols.net!news-out.nntp.airnews.net.MISMATCH!cabal10.airnews.net!news.airnews.net!cabal14.airnews.net!news.airnews.net!cabal2.airnews.net!news-f.iadfw.net!usenet Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:63666 Charlie Gibbs wrote: > > In article > <420935CF39DEADC3.B43062312DF1EE17.73D0B5CC99AB13A6@lp.airnews.net> > jstewart@jkmicro.com (Jim Stewart) writes: > > >When I worked for DEC field service, part of my PM procedure for RK05's > >was to mount a cartridge, spin it up with the drive open and the voice > >coil turned off, and run the head assembly back and forth over the > >surface with my hand. I'd do this until the ting ting sound of the > >head striking debris would stop. Then I'd power it down, clean the > >heads, and do the same thing to the next cartridge if the customer > >had more than one (they usually didn't). This worked well for me. > > That sounds pretty incredible. The closest I got to something like > that was the cold winter's day when I brought a disk pack into a > customer's shop after it had been sitting in my car all day. When > I mounted the pack on the drive I saw condensation forming on the > platters, which I knew would spell disaster if I tried to load the > heads. Rather than waiting a few hours for the disk pack to warm up, > I disabled the interlocks and got the pack to spin up, but I shut > the drive down before the heads loaded. After a few cycles of this, > enough warm air had been blown over the pack that it was up to room > temperature and could be loaded safely. > > Or maybe you're just pulling our legs, in which case I could tell > of the visitors who saw a CE with his head down in the well of a > drive, cleaning the heads. I explained to the visitors (with a > straight face, of course) how important it was to carefully adjust > the speed at which the disk spun, because if it spun too fast the > bits would fly off the platters and get stuck all over the walls > of the well - at which point the CE would have to come in and > scrape off all of these bits and readjust the drive. > > "Yes, they do look like washing machines, don't they? Well, they > don't take a very big load, but they have one hell of a spin dry." I'm not pulling your leg. If someone gave me an RK05 today to check out, I'd do the same thing. ###### From: Arargh! Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 03:27:32 -0500 Organization: Arargh!! Lines: 26 Message-ID: References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> <420935CF39DEADC3.B43062312DF1EE17.73D0B5CC99AB13A6@lp.airnews.net> <1993.288T1640T8785257@sky.bus.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 207-229-148-156.d.enteract.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: news.enteract.com 968660987 88053 207.229.148.156 (11 Sep 2000 08:29:47 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@enteract.com NNTP-Posting-Date: 11 Sep 2000 08:29:47 GMT X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.8/32.548 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!machtgarnix.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.enteract.com!news.enteract.com!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:63750 On 10 Sep 00 14:38:32 -0800, "Charlie Gibbs" wrote: >In article ><420935CF39DEADC3.B43062312DF1EE17.73D0B5CC99AB13A6@lp.airnews.net> >jstewart@jkmicro.com (Jim Stewart) writes: >That sounds pretty incredible. The closest I got to something like >that was the cold winter's day when I brought a disk pack into a >customer's shop after it had been sitting in my car all day. When >I mounted the pack on the drive I saw condensation forming on the >platters, which I knew would spell disaster if I tried to load the >heads. Rather than waiting a few hours for the disk pack to warm up, >I disabled the interlocks and got the pack to spin up, but I shut >the drive down before the heads loaded. After a few cycles of this, >enough warm air had been blown over the pack that it was up to room >temperature and could be loaded safely. I did the reverse, once. I had a (1316) pack that I could not read. So, I left it out in the cold for an hour, popped it into the warm drive, and quickly did the copy. Lost sector 0, but that was a constant anyway. -- arargh (at enteract period com) http://www.arargh.com (Reply address points nowhere in an attempt to foil e-mail spammers.) ###### From: Philippe Nave Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 14:18:43 -0600 Organization: Lucent Technologies Lines: 35 Message-ID: <39C132A3.14E3A157@lucent.com> References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: cof110nave.dr.lucent.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.61 [en] (WinNT; U) X-Accept-Language: en Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news.tesion.net!news.belwue.de!informatik.tu-muenchen.de!news.informatik.uni-muenchen.de!uni-erlangen.de!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!skynet.be!newsfeed.skycache.com!Cidera!portc03.blue.aol.com!portc01.blue.aol.com!uunet!ffx.uu.net!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!news Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:63919 "David C. Barber" wrote: > [...] > When we occasionally needed to change the pack, the procedure was to remove > the nice dark blue-green cover over the replacement pack, then taking a > tongue depressor wrapped with a Kimwipe and dipped in alcohol, gently wipe > each platter and allow to briefly dry. When the drive (I can't remember the > model number) spun up, before the heads would load, nylon brushes would > extend out to sweep the surface and then retract. Finally the heads would > load and the drive would be ready to put on line. > [...] I Was Told... {dodgy memory and/or folklore alert!} that one of the operators followed a procedure similar to the one you describe on one of the disk drives at the university I attended. Only problem was, some or all of the Kim-Wipe (God! That's a product name I haven't heard in ages!) got away from him and stayed in the drive bay. When he spun up the pack, it more or less instantly self-destructed. Being the bright lad that he was, he figured there was something wrong with the pack and went for the backup! Whether or not there were any Kim-Wipe atoms left in the drive became a moot point, as the heads were quite capable of doing the fingernails-on-a-chalkboard number all by themselves after being mangled in the first crash. Some say that he blew a total of three packs that night, some only two (in addition to destroying the heads) - all agree that the only thing that stopped him was the fact that the last-ditch backup pack was offsite. Apparently, the screech and the stink weren't strong enough cues to get his attention... Philippe -- ======================================================================= Philippe D. Nave, Jr.| 'Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war!' Denver, Colorado USA | How's my posting? 1-800-DEV-NULL pnave@lucent.com | Reality 2.0: Score counter, extra men, and hints ###### From: cbh@REMOVE_THIS.teabag.fsnet.co.uk (Chris Hedley) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Date: 14 Sep 2000 20:24:44 GMT Organization: teabag Message-ID: <8prc6c$gfr$4@teabag.cbhnet> References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: teabag.cbhnet X-NNTP-Posting-Host: teabag.demon.co.uk:193.237.4.110 X-Trace: news.demon.co.uk 968963575 nnrp-07:26207 NO-IDENT teabag.demon.co.uk:193.237.4.110 X-Complaints-To: abuse@demon.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii NNTP-Posting-Date: 14 Sep 2000 20:24:44 GMT X-Newsreader: knews 1.0b.0 Lines: 10 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!isdnet!grolier!dispose.news.demon.net!demon!news.demon.co.uk!demon!teabag.demon.co.uk!teabag.cbhnet!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:63956 In article <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com>, "David C. Barber" writes: > When we occasionally needed to change the pack ... you'd play frisbees with the disc cover? Someone I used to work for tried this and watched with horror as it sailed toward the "emergency power off" switch... (Apologies to those who've already seen previous renditions of this anecdote!) Chris. ###### From: andrew@cucumber.demon.co.uk (Andrew Gabriel) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Date: 14 Sep 2000 21:10:30 GMT Organization: home Message-ID: <8pres6$d4s@cucumber.demon.co.uk> References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> <39C132A3.14E3A157@lucent.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: cucumber X-NNTP-Posting-Host: cucumber.demon.co.uk:158.152.58.86 X-Trace: news.demon.co.uk 968967240 nnrp-12:11141 NO-IDENT cucumber.demon.co.uk:158.152.58.86 X-Complaints-To: abuse@demon.net X-Newsreader: knews 0.9.6 Lines: 37 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news.tesion.net!news.belwue.de!news-stu1.dfn.de!news-mue1.dfn.de!news-nue1.dfn.de!uni-erlangen.de!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!newsgate.cistron.nl!bullseye.news.demon.net!demon!news.demon.co.uk!demon!cucumber.demon.co.uk!usenet Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:64033 I recall a few incidents like the following (different people each time). Put disk pack in mech, spin up. Initiate system boot. System won't boot (and in those days gives you no useful indication why). Spin down disk, put it in next mech, spin up. Initiate system boot. Again, system won't boot, so it can't be the mechs, must be duff boot file. Get a different disk pack, load, spin up. Initiate system boot System won't boot. Now can't understand what's wrong, but for the hell of it, try the second disk pack on second mech. System still won't boot. End result - two head-crashed disk packs and two head crashed disk mechs, followed by bollocking from computer room staff for not following procedures, and ridicule from colleagues for general incompetence. This was a good one too: Archiving was done by doing a disk copy with garbage collection, and the new copy became the disk in use, with the original disk moving into the fireproof safe. Operator loads up oldest archive to overwrite with current disk. Kicks off the archive copy. For some reason, thinks the archive isn't working. Operator claims to have seen this problem before and that it is fixed by swapping the two disks in the mechs and doing the archive copy in the other direction. Operator goes over to the disk mechs, runs down the disks, swaps them over, runs them up. Whilst near the disk mechs, also swaps disks on other systems, and a while later returns to the console. Operator now breaks into the original archive copy and restarts it in the other direction. At the end of the archive copy, two corrupt disks are all that's left. What had happened is that originally the new disk didn't run up and the archive command was waiting for it. After the operator swapped the disks, the original archive command started working when they were run up, copying the old disk over the new disk. When the operator killed the command and restarted it, it then copied the half overwritten disk over the other disk, hence two screwed disks. -- Andrew Gabriel Consultant Software Engineer ###### Message-ID: <39C15F81.171A@indyx.net> From: freddy1X Reply-To: freddy1X Organization: IndyNet X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.04C-IndyNet (Win16; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> <420935CF39DEADC3.B43062312DF1EE17.73D0B5CC99AB13A6@lp.airnews.net> <1993.288T1640T8785257@sky.bus.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 35 Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 19:30:09 -0400 NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.183.86.173 X-Complaints-To: abuse@onemain.com X-Trace: nntp1.onemain.com 968978049 209.183.86.173 (Thu, 14 Sep 2000 20:34:09 EDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 20:34:09 EDT Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news.tesion.net!news.belwue.de!news-stu1.dfn.de!news-mue1.dfn.de!news.augsburg.net!news.idt.net!howland.erols.net!netnews.com!feed2.onemain.com!feed1.onemain.com!nntp1.onemain.com.POSTED!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:64081 Arargh! wrote: > > > I did the reverse, once. I had a (1316) pack that I could not read. > So, I left it out in the cold for an hour, popped it into the warm > drive, and quickly did the copy. Lost sector 0, but that was a > constant anyway. > The operator stunt that always made me cringe was when some operators( Damm ham-fisted operators! :) Ha-ha! It was always "US" versus "THEM" ) would "speed change" their top-loading disk packs. The 80MB CDC drives in use on our sites had no mechanical lock on the cover doors, so they could be opened at any time. When opened, the heads retract and spindle ( dynamic )braking starts, whick then takes about ten seconds to fully stop the pack. But why wait when you could drop the transportation cover over the still spinning disks. When the cover neared the bottom, it would hit the mechanical brake and slam the pack to a stop. Probably had an effect something like putting your car into PARK while traveling down the highway. This is not to deny that us customer engineers were exempt from doing such stunts. It's just that if we broke the thing, we could repair it as well. The old "won't get caught" thing. -- Caution, filling is hot /\>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>\/ /\ I may be demented \/ /\ but I'm not crazy! \/ /\<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<\/ * SPAyM trap: there is no X in my address * || attatch FLAME here || \/ \/ X ###### From: X@Y.Z.net (Jynx) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> <8prc6c$gfr$4@teabag.cbhnet> Reply-To: If You Reply Message-ID: User-Agent: slrn/0.9.6.2 (Linux) Date: 15 Sep 2000 01:26:31 GMT Lines: 20 NNTP-Posting-Host: 63.105.232.12 X-Trace: reader2.news.uu.net 968981191 12115 63.105.232.12 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news.tesion.net!news.belwue.de!news.uni-stuttgart.de!news.rhrz.uni-bonn.de!news-koe1.dfn.de!news-han1.dfn.de!news-nue1.dfn.de!uni-erlangen.de!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!feed2.onemain.com!feed1.onemain.com!feed.newsreader.com!uunet!ffx.uu.net!spool1.news.uu.net!spool0.news.uu.net!reader2.news.uu.net!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:64063 On 14 Sep 2000 20:24:44 GMT, Chris Hedley scribbled: >In article <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com>, > "David C. Barber" writes: >> When we occasionally needed to change the pack > >... you'd play frisbees with the disc cover? Someone I used to work for >tried this and watched with horror as it sailed toward the "emergency >power off" switch... (Apologies to those who've already seen previous >renditions of this anecdote!) > >Chris. IIRC, the Sys/360 EPO was a "pull" -- not a "push". Jonesy MainFrame IBM since 1966 -- Marvin L Jones | jonz | W3DHJ | OS/2 Gunnison, Colorado | @ | Jonesy | linux __ 7,703' -- 2,345m | frontier.net | DM68mn SK ###### From: Arargh! Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 21:22:03 -0500 Organization: Arargh!! Lines: 38 Message-ID: References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> <420935CF39DEADC3.B43062312DF1EE17.73D0B5CC99AB13A6@lp.airnews.net> <1993.288T1640T8785257@sky.bus.com> <39C15F81.171A@indyx.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: 207-229-148-131.d.enteract.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: news.enteract.com 968984994 42561 207.229.148.131 (15 Sep 2000 02:29:54 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@enteract.com NNTP-Posting-Date: 15 Sep 2000 02:29:54 GMT X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.8/32.548 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!enews.sgi.com!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!ucberkeley!newsfeed.enteract.com!news.enteract.com!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:64080 On Thu, 14 Sep 2000 19:30:09 -0400, freddy1X wrote: >Arargh! wrote: >> >> I did the reverse, once. I had a (1316) pack that I could not read. >> So, I left it out in the cold for an hour, popped it into the warm >> drive, and quickly did the copy. Lost sector 0, but that was a >> constant anyway. >> >The operator stunt that always made me cringe was when some operators( >Damm ham-fisted operators! :) Ha-ha! It was always "US" versus "THEM" >) would "speed change" their top-loading disk packs. The 80MB CDC >drives in use on our sites had no mechanical lock on the cover doors, so >they could be opened at any time. When opened, the heads retract and >spindle ( dynamic )braking starts, whick then takes about ten seconds to >fully stop the pack. But why wait when you could drop the >transportation cover over the still spinning disks. When the cover >neared the bottom, it would hit the mechanical brake and slam the pack >to a stop. Probably had an effect something like putting your car into >PARK while traveling down the highway. Yea, I remember such stunts. I remember an operator that would hold an IBM card on the guard platter to slow a 3330 or some such. I had forgotten the locking latch on the CDC 80, but I don't think that it would survive many of those stops. On even older drives, Diablo 44A's, there was a brush cycle during spin up. You could reach in on the right side of the drive, and force it to completion. >This is not to deny that us customer engineers were exempt from doing >such stunts. It's just that if we broke the thing, we could repair it >as well. The old "won't get caught" thing. -- arargh (at enteract period com) http://www.arargh.com (Reply address points nowhere in an attempt to foil e-mail spammers.) ###### From: jmason@aol.com (JMason) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Lines: 2 NNTP-Posting-Host: ladder07.news.aol.com X-Admin: news@aol.com Date: 15 Sep 2000 04:23:28 GMT References: Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com Message-ID: <20000915002328.25835.00000380@ng-fd1.aol.com> Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news.tesion.net!news.belwue.de!news.uni-stuttgart.de!uni-erlangen.de!newsfeed1.telenordia.se!news.algonet.se!algonet!news.tele.dk!207.115.63.138!newscon04.news.prodigy.com!prodigy.com!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.gtei.net!portc03.blue.aol.com!audrey04.news.aol.com!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:64016 I recall seeing our (TRW) IBM 360 operators playing "ring toss" with write rings into door knobs and other protruding "posts". ###### From: glass2@glass2.lexington.ibm.com Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Date: 15 Sep 2000 13:26:04 GMT Organization: IBM Austin Lines: 52 Message-ID: <8pt81c$cqo$3@ausnews.austin.ibm.com> References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> <39C132A3.14E3A157@lucent.com> Reply-To: wa4qal@vnet.ibm.com NNTP-Posting-Host: glass2.cv.lexington.ibm.com X-Newsreader: IBM NewsReader/2 2.0 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!ucberkeley!nntp.primenet.com!nntp.gblx.net!nntp-cust.primenet.com!natasha.rmii.com!abq.news.ans.net!news.chips.ibm.com!newsfeed.btv.ibm.com!news2atm.raleigh.ibm.com!tornews.torolab.ibm.com!ausnews.austin.ibm.com!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:64052 In <39C132A3.14E3A157@lucent.com>, Philippe Nave writes: >"David C. Barber" wrote: >> [...] >> When we occasionally needed to change the pack, the procedure was to remove >> the nice dark blue-green cover over the replacement pack, then taking a >> tongue depressor wrapped with a Kimwipe and dipped in alcohol, gently wipe >> each platter and allow to briefly dry. When the drive (I can't remember the >> model number) spun up, before the heads would load, nylon brushes would >> extend out to sweep the surface and then retract. Finally the heads would >> load and the drive would be ready to put on line. >> [...] > >I Was Told... {dodgy memory and/or folklore alert!} that one of the >operators followed a procedure similar to the one you describe on >one of the disk drives at the university I attended. Only problem >was, some or all of the Kim-Wipe (God! That's a product name I haven't >heard in ages!) got away from him and stayed in the drive bay. When he >spun up the pack, it more or less instantly self-destructed. Being the >bright lad that he was, he figured there was something wrong with the >pack and went for the backup! Whether or not there were any Kim-Wipe >atoms left in the drive became a moot point, as the heads were quite >capable of doing the fingernails-on-a-chalkboard number all by >themselves after being mangled in the first crash. Some say that he >blew a total of three packs that night, some only two (in addition >to destroying the heads) - all agree that the only thing that stopped >him was the fact that the last-ditch backup pack was offsite. >Apparently, the screech and the stink weren't strong enough cues to >get his attention... > > Philippe > >-- >======================================================================= >Philippe D. Nave, Jr.| 'Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war!' >Denver, Colorado USA | How's my posting? 1-800-DEV-NULL >pnave@lucent.com | Reality 2.0: Score counter, extra men, and hints I had a manager once who confessed to a bit of dumbness he once performed. It involved mountable disk-packs. The covers were labeled, but the disks themselves all looked identical. To avoid confusing which cover went with which pack, he took a permanent marker and labeled the hub with the volume identifier. Unfortunately, the permanent marker ink didn't stay permanently on the hub, but, instead, migrated down the hub and out across the platters once the disk was brought up to speed. Of course, the heads didn't like this contamination, and promptly crashed. Fortunately, he only did this with a couple of dozen packs before the problems became obvious! Yikes! Dave P.S. Standard Disclaimer: I work for them, but I don't speak for them. ###### From: jcmorris@jmorris-pc.MITRE.ORG (Joe Morris) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Date: 15 Sep 2000 15:40:10 GMT Organization: The MITRE Corporation Lines: 32 Message-ID: <8ptfsq$ju7$1@top.mitre.org> References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> <8prc6c$gfr$4@teabag.cbhnet> NNTP-Posting-Host: jmorris-pc.mitre.org X-Trace: top.mitre.org 969032410 20423 128.29.251.13 (15 Sep 2000 15:40:10 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@news.mitre.org NNTP-Posting-Date: 15 Sep 2000 15:40:10 GMT X-Newsreader: NN version 6.5.0 (NOV) Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!News.Amsterdam.UnisourceCS!skynet.be!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!arclight.uoregon.edu!news.tufts.edu!blanket.mitre.org!news.mitre.org!jmorris-pc.MITRE.ORG!jcmorris Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:63966 X@Y.Z.net (Jynx) writes: >On 14 Sep 2000 20:24:44 GMT, Chris Hedley scribbled: >>... you'd play frisbees with the disc cover? Someone I used to work for >>tried this and watched with horror as it sailed toward the "emergency >>power off" switch... (Apologies to those who've already seen previous >>renditions of this anecdote!) >IIRC, the Sys/360 EPO was a "pull" -- not a "push". The EPO on the IBM systems were either pull (originally a round knob, later a T-handle), or were a recessed paddle-handle toggle. Machine-room scram switches, on the other hand, are usually of the "mushroom handle" variety and are activated by pushing them. Most shops (especially after experiencing an unintended shutdown...) put quick-release plastic shields over the buttons. I think I've probably noted in prior a.f.c postings that one of the local gov'mt sites that would greatly prefer not to be identified had the scram switch for its *highly* secure worldwide communications center mounted next to the exit door -- and next to the switch was a big sign reading "DO NOT TEST!!". I always wondered about the story behind the sign's presence... Somehow I never got around to getting one for myself, but for a while at SHARE meetings you could see someone who had ordered the round EPO switch handle for S/360 boxes and had turned it into either a tieclasp or lapel button. Joe Morris ###### From: "David C. Barber" Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 13:21:08 -0700 Organization: CTSnet Internet Services Lines: 28 Message-ID: <8pu0eb$2eip$1@thoth.cts.com> References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> <39C132A3.14E3A157@lucent.com> <8pt81c$cqo$3@ausnews.austin.ibm.com> X-Trace: thoth.cts.com 969049356 80473 208.167.188.100 (15 Sep 2000 20:22:36 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@cts.com X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!News.Amsterdam.UnisourceCS!skynet.be!howland.erols.net!nntp.flash.net!mercury.cts.com!thoth.cts.com!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:63965 Similar to this, I remember someone sticking labels about the size of address labels on the hub of the packs to identify them. The practice quickly stopped when we looked in one day and saw one such label wrapped around the actuator arm for the disc heads. Amazingly we were able to stop the drive and remove the label without crashing any heads. *David Barber* wrote in message news:8pt81c$cqo$3@ausnews.austin.ibm.com... > > I had a manager once who confessed to a bit of dumbness he once performed. > It involved mountable disk-packs. The covers were labeled, but the > disks themselves all looked identical. To avoid confusing which cover > went with which pack, he took a permanent marker and labeled the hub > with the volume identifier. Unfortunately, the permanent marker ink > didn't stay permanently on the hub, but, instead, migrated down the hub > and out across the platters once the disk was brought up to speed. Of > course, the heads didn't like this contamination, and promptly crashed. > Fortunately, he only did this with a couple of dozen packs before the > problems became obvious! Yikes! > > Dave > > P.S. Standard Disclaimer: I work for them, but I don't speak for them. > ###### Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!not-for-mail From: Neil Franklin Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Things Operators Used to Do Date: 16 Sep 2000 22:52:39 +0200 Organization: My own Private Self Lines: 37 Message-ID: <6un1h83vqg.fsf@chonsp.franklin.ch> References: <8pbvtq$1rdo$1@thoth.cts.com> <8prc6c$gfr$4@teabag.cbhnet> <8ptfsq$ju7$1@top.mitre.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: chonsp.franklin.ch X-Trace: chonsp.franklin.ch 969137559 1718 10.0.3.2 (16 Sep 2000 20:52:39 GMT) X-Complaints-To: news@chonsp.franklin.ch NNTP-Posting-Date: 16 Sep 2000 20:52:39 GMT X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.7/Emacs 20.4 Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:64094 jcmorris@jmorris-pc.MITRE.ORG (Joe Morris) writes: > X@Y.Z.net (Jynx) writes: > > >On 14 Sep 2000 20:24:44 GMT, Chris Hedley scribbled: > > >>... you'd play frisbees with the disc cover? Someone I used to work for > >>tried this and watched with horror as it sailed toward the "emergency > >>power off" switch... (Apologies to those who've already seen previous > >>renditions of this anecdote!) > Machine-room scram switches, on the other hand, are usually of the > "mushroom handle" variety and are activated by pushing them. Reminds me of an far newer story (around 1985): A user group colleague of mine had a Commodore 64. Like all them litle 8-bit bitty boxes it often crashed. But it lacked a reset button. He (or possibly his father, i can't remember) worked in a machine shop, so they had an spare mushroom knob EPO switch laying around. Drill big hole in top of C64, mount switch, wire to reset pin. In operation it went like this: - C64 crashed - hammer on mushroom - machine goes into reset induced frieze - turn mushroom to release, it pops out - C64 reboots An really totally overdimensioned solution. -- Neil Franklin, neil@franklin.ch.remove http://neil.franklin.ch/ Nerd, Geek, Hacker, Unix Guru, Sysadmin, Roleplayer, LARPer, Mystic