Spanning tree melt down ?

Wed Nov 27 15:25:42 UTC 2002

Hmm, well until the comment about STP it sounded like the guy did something
stupid on a program/database on a mainframe..

I cant see how STP could do this or require that level of DR. Perhaps its just
the scapegoat for the Doc's mistake which he didnt want to admit!

STeve

On Wed, 27 Nov 2002, Marshall Eubanks wrote:

> 
> Anyone have any idea what really happened :
> 
> http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/330/science/Got_paper_+.shtml
> 
> <snip>
> It was too late. Somewhere in the web of copper wires and glass fibers that
> connects the hospital's two campuses and satellite offices, the data was stuck
> in an endless loop. Halamka's technicians shut down part of the network to
> contain it, but that created a cascade of new problems.
> 
> The entire system crashed, freezing the massive stream of information -
> prescriptions, lab tests, patient histories, Medicare bills - that shoots
> through the hospital's electronic arteries every day, touching every aspect of
> care for hundreds of patients. 
> ...
> The crisis had nothing to do with the particular software the researcher was
> using. The problem had to do with a system called ''spanning tree protocol,''
> which finds the most efficient way to move information through the network and
> blocks alternate routes to prevent data from getting stuck in a loop. The large
> volume of data the researcher was uploading happened to be the last drop that
> made the network overflow.
> 
> 
> Regards 
> Marshall Eubanks
> 